My Overthinking

Philly Area mom, Life forever changed by adoption

{Purposeful Giveaway} Be A Voice

We know first hand that adoption changes you.

It’s changed the Palmers too. And, as they wait for their second daughter from China to come home, they have found a way to serve other adoptive families. Through Be A Voice, they have set out to bring their faith and interest in jewelry design together as a path to help raise money for families’ adoption processes and orphan care.

To promote what they are doing and to get the word out to adoptive families who may be able to use them to raise funds, they are offering a special giveaway here.
3 winners will be chosen for this giveaway to choose whatever item they want from Be A Voice’s webshop.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW  


If you want to become a follower of this blog, go ahead and click on that button  somewhere over there on the right. 


Leave a comment here sharing your favorite item from Be A Voice. 
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That’s all you gotta do to enter.
And, you have until Sunday the 13th at 9pm EST to do it.
I’ll choose 3 winners using random.org after that.

Go “like” their Facebook page too and share their links with any families you know who might be interested in fundraising for their adoption with them. They are ready and willing to help!

20 giveaways to go before Christmas. Isn’t this so fun?

p.s. last week’s winners will be announced as soon as I’m able to get the post up this evening!

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She’s learning too

“Mommy, I have to tell you something.”

That’s how it started.

Ashlyn proceeded to tell me that a boy at recess came up to her and asked, “How much did your sister cost?” 


Apparently, dealing with tough questions starts early. And, as prepared as I think I am and as prepared as I hope to help Lydia be, I guess I haven’t totally prepared the older children for questions like this.

She walked away. Stunned, she didn’t say a thing and went and told the teacher on duty who wrote the incident down to tell the disciplinarian.

“Well, you know, honey, we didn’t buy her; we adopted her.”

Yes, yes, she knows that.

She just didn’t understand why someone would ask that.

“It’s not like she was at a store!” she told me. Pause. “How much did it cost to adopt her?”

Do you tell your child this number? As overwhelming as it can be to some adults, I’m thinking telling that number to a child who can’t count that high is probably not a good idea.

“It cost a lot of money. But, it’s because we had to do a fill out a lot of papers and do a lot so China would know we were a good home for her. And, we traveled to China which is expensive.”

“You had to pay for the paper?”

Not exactly.

I assured her that her response was fine. But, she can answer if she wants and tell them what I told her.

“You know, some people might really just be curious, honey, because they don’t understand.”

“He wasn’t curious,” she told me.

My little girl, proud as can be of her Chinese sister, volunteering to do a Chinese fan dance for her school class, who helps me set up jewelry from Kenya to help provide for adoptive moms across the world.

This wasn’t her first experience dealing with someone who doesn’t get it. The day after we shared the news of Lydia with our children, she took a picture of her new little sister to kindergarten, so excited to share the news. A boy on the bus home told her she was ugliest baby ever and ripped the picture. Ashlyn ran into our house crying. I cried that day too. But, I also told her she was the best big sister in the world, because she already loved her baby sister so so much. And, yes, I also called the school.

But, today, I called the school without crying unlike the call I made nearly 2 years ago. Today, I left a message saying I heard what happened and we’ve talked with Ashlyn and we’ve got it. That’s it. Because, I realize, she’s going to face questions like this for a long time to come. And, she’s learning. All part of her process of understanding what it means to live as family brought together through adoption. She’s in process too.

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Don’t forget to enter all 5 of the Purposeful Giveaways 
that end Sunday night at 9pm EST. 
Round 2 starts next week. Please come back to check them out. 

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{Purposeful Giveaway} Chesapeake Ribbons

Hello, dear big bows. I miss you. Remember this post?

Well, Ashlyns even older now–she’s a super cool 2nd grader who likes peace signs and ponytails. No. bows. And, unfortunately, as you may know, our little monkey…well…we got some time before bows are part of her get up.

If we are going to be doing ponytails, we will do them in style, darn it.

You may even catch me borrowing these babies.

Margie of Cheapeake Ribbons is a local lady who has figured out how to use her creativity to give to what she’s passionate about–support autistic children and cancer research. I love when people do that. Totally makes me want to shop from them, you know?

And, to get you as hooked on her stuff as I’ve become, she’s offering one winner two sets of either ponytail and matching pin sets or ponytail holders. Winners choice. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW  


Go look over to the right somewhere there and become a follower if you feel so inclined–but, I won’t make you do it to enter. Everybody’s welcome to enter here. 


Leave a comment here naming your favorite item from Chesapeake Ribbons. Look around–she’s got a lot more there than ponytail holders.

That’s all you gotta do to enter.
And, you have until Sunday the 6th at 9pm EST to do it. That’s only 2 days away, so get on it!
I’ll choose a winner using random.org after that.

And, go ahead, go order some stuff from Margie for your little princess–or yourself. I’m ordering more as stocking stuffers myself. It’s a win-win.

21 giveaways to go before Christmas. I promise you, you do not want to miss them!

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{Purposeful Giveaway} Gwyn and Ava Quilted & Tawnya M Designs

Meet my new afternoon buddy — little miss keep-me-warm. If I’m sitting still–and that does actually happen–this little miss keep-me-warm is with me. She’s become as much my buddy as my afternoon hot drink. Can I confess here that I actually considered heating her up, putting her in an insulated bag, and bringing her with me to my Tuesday morning Bible Study? But, if I did that, I might need to bring my slippers too. So, she’s staying home.

My friend came to me all the way from IL made by a creative mommy named Jessica. Jessica and Brian and their girlies Ava and Gwynie are expecting. They are waiting for their two sons/two brothers to come home to them from Rwanda. And, as they live in expectation, Jessica is doing what she can to make some money. Bringing home 2 boys from Rwanda is a costly adventure. So, she’s making all sorts of goodies and selling them on Etsy as well as pursuing other ways to fundraise which you can find on her blog.

And, she’s offering one of her special items to a winner here–a fabric covered photo album like the ones she has listed here. And, what’s super fun about it is you can totally customize it–color, name, flowers, whatever your little heart desires. And, you know what I’m thinking? This would be awesome to take with you on your adoption trip across the world to show your new little one or orphanage staff your family. I bet she’d come up with a country specific design if you wanted her to.

AND

I also want you to meet Tawnya and Kevin. After trying to conceive for over 8 years, they have heard the call to build their family via adoption. And, like so many others, they’ve been overwhelmed at the cost involved but also overwhelmed at how friends and even strangers have stepped up to support them. They’ve had yard sales, t-shirt sales, raffles, and auctions in addition to a scrapbook business and custom lettering store whose sales are going to their adoption fund.

And, she’s sharing something with you all–basically whatever you want. How cool is that? You can choose anything you want from her store OR you can give her any phrase you want and she’ll customize it for you–color, font, and all. What phrase do you need–I can think of a few goodies.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW  


Become a follower somewhere over there on the right if you’d like–though it’s not required to win. Don’t want to make you be my bloggy friend. 


Leave a comment here naming your favorite item from Gwyn and Ava Quilted 

 Leave another comment sharing your favorite item or what you might like to have custom made from Tawnya M. Designs.

That’s all you gotta do to enter.
And, you have until Sunday the 6th at 9pm EST to do it.
I’ll choose a winner using random.org after that.

And, go ahead, go buy some holiday gifts from Jessica and some snazzy quote for your wall from Tawnya and support two adoptive families.

22 giveaways to go before Christmas. So, keep coming back, folks.

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