WOW!

Our efforts to put flyers ALL around our neighborhood is paying off. I am still getting calls about dropping off stuff - AND- my living room is already PACKED! We will find a place for it all...even if we have to stack it several feet high! (Might have to invade the kids' bedrooms and take over the basement, soon!)

One wonderful woman in my neighborhood is letting me borrow CLOTHING RACKS her church stores in a shed. They loan these racks to other churches who are having rummage sales or to private citizens who are having big 'ole yard sales.

A few friends have offered to come to sort, price and work the yard sale with me. Others have offered to either bake stuff and drop it off - OR - come earlier in the week and bake at MY house. (Maybe it was the wine cooler bribe I sent out in an email.....???)

I am overwhelmed by the positive, supportive response. I know I am basically just taking the leftovers of what they wanted outta their house anyway - but - they have all been SO wonderfully pleasant! And, to think, I was afraid people would be offended by finding our flyer on their porches....

It's fun to see the reactions now that the front room is JAM PACKED. The hardest part will be to keep MY kids from burrowing in there like naked mole rats and rummaging through everything. I told the three youngest kids they have to PURCHASE whatever they want to keep. (Since they have no money - this should not be a problem! )

IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND YOU DONATED YOUR STUFF TO US: THANK YOU!

All Over the Map Today

Wow - what a weird day. I ended up telling Pete that I have decided I am like connective tissue. None of this is at all about ME. (And I like it that way!!!)I spoke with a lady from the local farmer's market here in IL who is going to comp me a space each week to offer Bead for Life jewelry as a fundraiser. I spoke to the Bead for Life people in CO and they love the idea. I should receive a large shipment by June 21st - woo hoo! Striking aWEARness....

I spoke with an Associated Press reporter from the Chicago area who is covering the placement of a brand new baby with my freind who is serving as a Safe Family through Lydia Home. We are all going to pick up that lil baby tomorrow (technically today - late night again) and I am curious to see what the story angel will be. My friend who is getting the baby for a couple months passed my name along to a man in TN who started an organization to get retail owners (some BIG ones, too) to support orphans around the world. I was only able to speak to him for a short time but - WOW - I loved what I read on his website. Check it out: http://retailroi.org/

I have also been playing phone tag with a pleasant DCFS social worker in FL. I inquired - on a whim - about a darling lil boy I saw on a photolisting. I never ever thought they would entertain:

1. A family all the way up in Chicago, or
2. A family whose home study was done in 2006.
   

However, this woman said they are looking for the best match for this child and if that family happens to be in IL, we can get our home study updated prior to placement. I know it is a long shot.....but it is fun to go for it.....who knows, maybe this is part of God's crazy plans!

And I FINALLY found some old - very important - photos for a special family in NJ. I could not send the zip file 'cause it was HUGE...so I put the pics on Snapfish. I hope that works!

The weirdest part of it all is that I am so "NO ONE!" I am a mom of five without a college degree - just an open mouth, willing to share what and who I know. Hey - it will be fun to see what God does through an empty vessel, huh?!

You Can No Longer Say...

...you don't know the most fickle woman in the world! I drove through the neighborhood on this BEAUTIFUL, sunny day....and changed my mind - AGAIN! I am thinking I might just be doing people a "favor" by offering to take what doesn't sell after this weekend off their hands. I also figured, since there are very few weekends in the summer, I might as well have the Fundraiser Yard Sale on a weekend when ALL my kids are not around to do SOMETHING ELSE that would be MUCH more fun than this "task."

I think a catscan would consistenly show thoughts and plans bouncing wildly off the sides of my brain! My kids have friends who come over and cannot comprehend my passion for CHANGE...I freak them out whenever I move the furniture around...which is often! The current boyfriend has just resigned himself to it...and he even helps out. (Not without at least one comment tho!! :)

So, anyway....here's my new plan:

• Neighborhood yard sale is THIS weekend - get flyers to everyone by Saturday (Hoping to paint small river rocks with HEARTS and a simple message to hold the paper down on the porch or driveway! Ah - grand plans...in such little time! Same as always...)
• Have people drop off donations from June 7-13
• My kids will be in VBS for 21/2 hours everyday the week of June 15-19...time alone to PURGE & PRICE!
• Have the yard sale on June 19 & 20!!! I will have only 3 out of 5 kids around to whine about what is out there for sale. Having the older kids around would not reduce the amount of protesting I know I will get from the little people. (My older kids will be THRILLED to not have to do all the work that goes into a regular yard sale - much less a hopefully HUGE event!)

I could use your prayers.....I HATE, HATE, HATE to do yard sales....I usually just donate it to the Goodwill or local thrift store. (Or - truth be told, throw it away! wince...) I am going to try to VISUALIZE the child I am doing this for....whether he be in a foster home somewhere here in the USA or running around in Ethiopia.....OR BOTH!?! (Oh - now there is a thought that might scare Pete....not that it would SURPRISE him at all....he knows me too well.)

Update of a Couple Previous Posts

Just to keep the facts of MY life in order. Here's an update....

We are not having the Adoption Yard Sale Fundraiser anytime soon. My big kids are flying to NH this weekend and will be gone for two full weeks. There is no way I can pull that off without them to help out....even if it is just keeping the younger ones out of my hair. Hopefully, sometime before the summer is over.

I sent half of the Ethiopian scarves to Carolyn at ProjectHOPEFUL. I sold three just the other day at work because I have a co-worker who is completely sweet and encouraging and just wanted to support us. Two others took an interest and now I have cash and checks to start the official Adoption Savings Account. If we adopt internationally, this is the first drop in the bucket. If we adopt domestically through the foster care system, it should not cost much and we will take whatever we do not need and send it to ProjectHOPEFUL and Kingdom Vision International to help facilitate the adoptions of OTHER children.

Jolica Invitations

This is what I am mailing out today (since it is after midnight already!)....I only need SIX people to commit to hosting a party for me in order to qualify to become a Gift Consultant without paying a large start up fee. This costs them NOTHING - but I am still nervous that someone might get offended and think I am trying to SELL them something. I guess I would LOVE it if they saw something they just HAD to have....but they are really just doing me a huge favor in opening their home and giving me a couple hours of their time. I actually think it might be fun and I am SO hoping to connect with some old friends.

"You can't take a stand if you're sitting on the fence." I read those words of wisdom off the cardboard 6-pack holder of Mike's Hard Lemonade. (yes...it's MINE!) Okay...it's not an actual biblical quote....but I really like it! I am not going to worry or apologize for my efforts to make a difference in the lives of my children and in the lives of OTHER children. I am just gonna hand it off to God and see what He wants to do with it.

Okay...was it just too weird that I wracked my brain for WHO to send these invites to, I addressed all the envelopes and had EXACTLY the number of stamps here in the house at this late hour for each and every envelope - not one more, not one less. If you are checking in here because you received an invitation to host a start-up Jolica party for me, I guess you can consider yourself "chosen!"

What a GREAT Day!

...came home to all 5 kids hangin' out - laughing and talking in the living room (no electronics on!), played dice games with them, went for a long walk, got a $300 annual discount on meds, picked up a very part-time sitting job for 50 bucks a week (school year only - woo hoo!)...and just found the invite on FB to VBS at our wonderful old church! AND! The only class that was already closed was not one that MY kids would be in. I was thrilled to see it is the week my older 2 will be in NH and we have NOTHING on the calendar.

I used to prep for those VBS weeks when I attended and worked at our old church. WOW - memories. Sometimes, I miss those days.....but, if I had to give up all that God has done for and in us since....I would not go back in time. Bittersweet. Maybe that is precisely WHY God does not allow us to "time travel!?"

Hope Offered!

Spoke to a Social Worker today....who is not at all shocked by anything I told her AND she is more than willing to work with us. I was honest about telling her we are interested in fostering - BUT - even more interested in adopting. AAAAANNNNNDDDD....she has experience with interstate adoptions!

Could this be an open(ing) door?!