tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35143397459252086032024-02-07T04:23:42.048-08:00Rearranging-The-FurnitureDLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-553541878456381102015-09-03T13:09:00.000-07:002015-09-03T13:09:44.172-07:00Dear Crap Food, Dear Crap Food,<br />
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I know we have been 'off again' - 'on again' for a while, but I'm writing you to let you know - WE ARE DONE! I know what you are thinking 'I have heard this a million times before', but no for real, we are totally DONE! </div>
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I am tired of your lies, showing up looking all cute and leaving me feeling like crap. I'm tired of you pretending to be something you're not with your 'low fat' and 'sugar free' and 'whole wheat' lies... you are still CRAP! I'm tired of you abusing me and getting me sucked in just to work me all up and make me come back for more. I have seen the light and have fell in love with your enemy... vegetables!!!! Ya that's right I said it.. VEGETABLES! </div>
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You know those things that grow in the ground and have nothing to hide. They put all their cards right on the table, no lies, no gimmicks, nothing. I'm even slimming down now that I got with vegetables! I realize now you were just trying to keep me chunky so I didn't want anyone else... I see past your games now! And don't worry I will be telling all my friends about you. I'm going to tell them how you look and taste so sweet but then leave them feeling like crap and carrying around a muffin top! I'm going to go all Carrie Underwood on you and slash your tires and key your truck! You done pissed off the wrong girl! So just know... I've had enough... and we are DONE! </div>
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Sincerely your once true love - Dawn </div>
DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-19078154738028807022014-12-29T08:07:00.002-08:002014-12-29T08:07:50.039-08:0030 and Thankful!!<br />
I must admit I have felt a little.... well odd about turning 30. I'm not upset about getting older or anything like that, I am excited for each new year and what it is bringing... but I also really enjoyed saying I was in my 20's, there is something fun about being 20! Of course today I woke up as 30 and feel exactly the same! LOL... Life is fun, sweet, exciting, adventurous, full, and so much more! So to embark on this new decade I want to express thankfulness! <br />
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30 thankful things:</div>
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1. My husband (man he's a hottie)</div>
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2. This life God has blessed me with</div>
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3. How God has changed me and continues to grow me</div>
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4. My sweet little family (I love being a momma)</div>
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5. Our bigger family.. so much love and support around us</div>
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6. The sweet people I get to call friends </div>
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7. Our cute little house here in Manhattan KS</div>
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8. The adventures we have been blessed with</div>
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9. The pain in life that has brought beauty</div>
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10. Answered Prayers</div>
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11. And unanswered Prayers</div>
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12. Being Crafty (I love creating something)</div>
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13. Cooking</div>
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14. Good Restaurants (from a food snob)</div>
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15. Running (love hate relationship)</div>
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16. A good school for the kids (such a blessing)</div>
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17. This crazy adoption process (did I mention crazy)</div>
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18. A good vehicle that takes us on all our road trips safely and cozy like</div>
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19. Good Babysitters (they rule the world and make it sweeter)</div>
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20. Our Dog-ter Chloe (the first born, love her so)</div>
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21. Gardening (good for the soul and the dinner table) </div>
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22. Summer Time (and all things hot)</div>
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23. And Snow (I do like snow its true) </div>
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24. Clothes that make me feel pretty</div>
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25. A good mani/pedi (it makes me feel extra pretty</div>
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26. Our Business and the Team of Amazing people that are a part of it </div>
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27. HOPE (trusting there is better ahead.. always) </div>
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28. Target (lets be honest we all love Target) </div>
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29. Date Nights (yes please)</div>
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30. A quiet moment and a good book </div>
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There it is... my 30 thankful things, life is too good to not be thankful! It doesn't mean that everything is perfect, but it means that by choosing thankfulness we see the blessings, the good stuff, and the other stuff fades away! Choose thankfulness and therefore choose JOY!<br />
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Prayers and Blessings - Dawn</div>
<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-7338684373766438892014-10-21T12:52:00.000-07:002014-10-21T12:52:13.503-07:00Living Life Numb.... As the end of the year approaches I start doing a lot of thinking. Reflecting over the year and wondering what the new year will bring. I am amazed at the year we have had, I feel like God has been so extravagant and loving towards us. He has been gracious and sweet, and I am in Awe of His LOVE! But somehow I still feel numb. Despite all the great things around me, the amazing people in my life, the path we have been put on, the opportunities in front of us... I feel numb? <br />
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I wonder how can this be? How is it that in the last year I have only had flashes of feeling "myself", but it seems I have battled most of the year of being in a "funk"??? <br />
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Then I read another <a href="http://www.mercyinkblog.com/2014/10/on-showing-up-and-writing-something.html" target="_blank">adopted mommas blo</a>g and am reminded.... I am numb out of protection for my heart. I have told myself that this is necessary and have used this as a coping mechanism, but it is effecting every day life. It is keeping me from living life fully, from being fully present. <br />
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I have placed this barrier to deal with this adoption process. To deal with what it takes to get through this process... or maybe to NOT DEAL with it. The times that I have let the wall down have been ugly and heartbreaking. Letting the thoughts and emotions flood over me of - <i>where is our child, what living conditions are they in, what brought their momma/dad to have to leave them as an orphan, how long will we have to go before we can bring them home, and love them, and care for them, and let them be united with their brother and sister. What will we be facing in the years to come, how deep will their hurt be, will we be wise enough to handle it in a way that honors the Lord, will we screw them up more or be able to love them through their pain, oh their pain</i>.... it sends me to my knees and what feels like a pit of sadness.... <br />
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So are these my options - numbness or pain? Obviously I should pray and ask the Lord to work through this with me... I am sure their is a better way, but that would be letting go of control. At least with the numbness I have some control in this situation. In this process where you never know what is going to happen. You never know if you will really get that referral, you never know if and when you will move up the list, you never know if someone will decide if you can or can not bring your child home. <br />
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In all of this there are only a few things that I am sure of... That WE HAVE A CHILD IN AFRICA! That they are meant to come home and be in our family where we can love them. That we will do WHATEVER it takes to bring them home. And that it all hurts... A LOT!!!!<br />
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So here I am baring the truth of my numbness... my lack of pain... but also lack of overwhelming joy... I am not sure if other adoptive mommas feel this, I have a feeling some may... but if you feel overwhelmed, if you are living numb, maybe we can take a leap together. Take down the protective layer and open ourselves up to pain, joy, excitement, opportunity. <br />
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My head knows the Lord is bigger then all of this... now my heart needs to catch up....<br />
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blessings - DawnDLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-43727712511328420322014-09-29T21:50:00.000-07:002014-09-29T22:03:47.155-07:00One Year & Moving ForwardSeptember 13th we hit the 1 year mark of being on the waiting list to adopt from Ethiopia. To celebrate we prepared a traditional Ethiopian meal with family. It was really yummy, but I must admit I need to practice on my injera skills!<br />
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The last year seems quite crazy really. Lots of things going on with our family, and then we started on a new adventure to move to Manhattan Kansas, now here we are and the adventure continues. </div>
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At the end of this year our homestudy needs to be updated as well as our Dossier (fancy word for pile of paperwork in Ethiopia). Since we need to update with our move and new job then we will just do this all in one bang. We will keep our same family coordinator out of Virginia (our agencies main office) and be assigned a new social worker out of KC. We are working on getting all this rolling so we aren't scrambling to get it in around the holidays. To update everything should cost around $750 (oh the joy of money and adopting) We also are working on finishing off an installment payment of about $2,500. We have been blessed by all of you in your giving and praying and have already made our first installment payments and first fees. Once we finish off these payments we will be applying for grants, fundraising, and saving to be ready for the fees that will come with accepting a referral. </div>
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To give you an idea of when we expect a referral... When we were officially put on the list last year we started at number 87, today we are number 46. So we are moving along! It still could be close to two years, but really only God knows when we will get that call! </div>
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Because the wait time fluctuates so much and is unkown we are praying about getting pregnant. We had always hoped to finish our adoption and then get pregnant, but as the wait time increases we are asking God to either bless us with a pregnancy or wait for the right time (so that's exciting!!)</div>
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Basically we just wanted to give you all a little update on things. We are still waiting, we are praying so much for Prather #3! Daily, nightly, weekly. We pray for safety, for them to be loved, and for their spirit to be guarded by the Lord. We pray for their birth family, and the environment they are living in, and so much more. We pray for our kiddos at home and their hearts in this crazy process. And for Todd and I and our weary hearts in the process. And we always appreciate your prayers along side of us. </div>
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It will be a wonderful day when we bring home Prather #3 and we all rejoice and praise God together!!!! we will wait well until then! </div>
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Blessings - Dawn</div>
<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-49091164523479833972014-08-27T11:49:00.001-07:002014-08-27T11:49:18.671-07:00How we ended up in KANSAS....Well here we are... in Manhattan Kansas....<br />
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Its crazy, really, this story, the story of God's abundant blessings, and providing for us. I get so excited to share this story because it is a very current testimony of who HE is, how good HE is and, how extravagant HIS love is. <br />
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This is a long story but I'm going to try and keep it short and to the point, mostly because I want you to read this and not start scrolling and go... "too long... no thank you!" LOL<br />
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So bullet points -<br />
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*January 1st, like any good american I made new year resolutions... <b>#1 on the list move to Manhattan KS in 2014</b><br />
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<b>*</b>rewind a bit and we find ourselves visiting family in the summer of 2013, scoping out a community where we could see ourselves settling down. we knew we were ready to be close to family and wanted to be smart and intentional with where we planted roots. we were visiting Manhattan with Todd's parents and I got that feeling, like it was suppose to be our forever home (even though I am a KU fan.. ha ha... for now) , so we began to pray and ask God if that was in line with His plans for us, and if so would He make a way for us to go to Manhattan<br />
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- sub note... in no way shape or form did we not love Virginia, we absolutely loved it (still do) we love the people, the scenery, the stuff to do, being close to the beach, oh the beach, did I mention the beach. but for some reason we could not get our huge families on board to all relocate their lives out East :) thus the prayer for a move from VA to KS<br />
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*ok ... now forward in the time line to March 2014, Eliana comes home from school and says she is ready to move close to family, and I felt a nudge to take some action. I called the Manhattan KS chamber of commerce and asked them how many manufacturing plants there were in the area, they said 2! I was nervous there were only 2 (I expected more for the size of community) I googled one and sure enough an ad for a job in Todd's field popped up!<br />
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*Next I did what any logical type A wife would do... I called the company and asked to talk to the HR director.. lol.. we chatted and hit it off, he was excited about Todd, I was excited about the position. He then asks "does your husband know you're calling me or talking to me about this?" the answer was no.. lol... but a few short hours later he came home and I dropped the bomb on him and I'm pretty sure he glazed over as I started telling him about new paint colors, and family holiday ideas... lol<br />
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*From this point on everything went pretty fast. The whole process felt like doing a dance with the Lord. We would take a step, and pray, take a step, and pray... but they were fast steps, like a two step (fitting.. ha ha) Todd talked to the HR guy and he was shocked we even found the job posting since he had taken it down a few weeks before, they were a little discouraged with not finding the "right guy" for the job. He did a phone interview, an on site interview in Manhattan, and then a corporate interview in Ohio. And a month later he accepted a new job for Manhattan KS! We couldn't believe it.<br />
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*Being able to tell family and midwest friends that we were moving back was so sweet and special. Especially since they had heard us talking for a year that we were ready to come home, and had been praying along side us for it to happen. One of my favorites was telling my mom, I hadn't said anything to her because I knew if it didn't work out she would be devastated, but once it was almost official I went to lunch with her and gave her a card that had our little secret news in it. The look on her face was incredible.. I really wish I would have taped it... it was a sweet moment forever etched in my memory!<br />
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*So April we accepted the position and then came selling the house. We were faced with the reality that we were probably going to lose money on the sell of our town home... big bummer! But we felt strongly the Lord say "it is just money, it is not eternal, and I will bless you 10 times over what you lose" ... no one likes to lose money (especially a giant pile of it, but we are thankful for that lesson... be smart with money, but it is just money). Our house was listed for 2 weeks, no showings, no nothing, I was like "whats the deal?", so we prayed for a showing over lunch hour and no sooner did Todd leave for lunch did we get a call for a showing (in 30 minutes!) I ran like a crazy woman and cleaned up the house, left, they looked at the house for 30 minutes, and I thought "ask and you shall receive!" The next day our realtor called (and he was a little surprised) he said "I have a cash offer for you, and they can close whenever" Just like that we were under contract and our house sold the very day we left VA! Now tell me that's not showing off a little :) But I will take it!<br />
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*Middle of June we packed up, left for KS and started the process to buy a home. Now here we are, in a nice modest home that works great for our family, close to a Christian School that we are able to send our kiddos to, and close to Todd's work so he can still come home for lunch, and of course in a town so close to all our family! Have some crummy "worldly" things happened in the process? YES, But God also provided a way for us to leave VA debt free, pay off my student loan, and any credit card debt we had. We have been able to start fresh here and it feels so wonderful!<br />
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That's our story (and yes the abbreviated version... lol... sorry still so long) and I feel like I need to share it with whomever I can, because to me this story screams GOD IS GOOD!!!! We are so thankful for our loving supportive family that now we get to be a part of their everyday lives, for our friends here and in Virginia who love us up through all this, and our God who is extravagant with His LOVE!!!!<br />
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At night when Todd and I snuggle in and we are about to go to sleep, I say to him "here we are, in Manhattan KS, can you believe it?" :)<br />
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Prayers and Love - DawnDLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-55200886337377539412014-04-28T14:00:00.001-07:002014-04-28T14:28:14.864-07:00Eliana's Chef PartyBetter late then never right? Well yes her birthday was in Decemeber... lol... I have been meaning to blog about it since then and give credit to the awesome vendors that came together for the event. And well... I just haven't got it done. Now Owen has had his birthday and I would like to blog about that as well but first thing is first :) <br />
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Eliana has always had fun birthday parties, not because I feel like she needs something over the top and elaborate, or its my duty to provide something fantastic, but simply because I LOVE to do it! I love everything that goes into throwing an event. Deciding a theme, a decor scheme, the games, food, etc, etc... I love putting together an event that the guests will enjoy and leave feeling really special! And this party was no different. </div>
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For this party I collaborated with one of my favorite party throwing friends Amelia from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmeliaMarieDesign">Amelia Marie Designs</a>, she is just like me in that she enjoys all things that go into creating a party. We brainstormed a theme and a unique color scheme and then set out to have some others help us! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gayledriverphotography">Gayle Driver Photography</a> is amazing to work with and she agreed to join or fun! As well as Tina made our beautiful cookies and cupcakes and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Cherry-on-Top/161723527265283">A Cherry On Top</a> made our custom aprons and Eliana's chef hat, of course we (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/craftingrace">Crafted in Grace</a>) made the hair accessories.</div>
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Lastly all we needed was to make some decor and invite some friends! Amelia and I spent some time crafting up our decor of paper pinwheels, wood utensil chandelier, chair sashes, and oh so much more. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brigetteturnershop">Brigette Turner Design</a> drew up beautiful invites, recipe cards, and patterned paper for our event. </div>
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I am so pleased with how the event came together and how much fun the girls had. Their is nothing better then little girl giggles and fun! Enjoy the pictures and please check out our vendors and LIKE their pages :)</div>
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This party has been featured on:</div>
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<a href="http://blog.gayledriverphotography.com/elianas-birthday-party/">gayle driver blog</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.prettymyparty.com/little-chef-birthday-party/">pretty my party</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.frostedpetticoatblog.com/">the frosted petticoat</a></div>
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DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-63689709497425837612014-04-28T13:28:00.001-07:002014-04-28T13:28:31.720-07:00thankful...For those of you that follow this sporadic blogger you know that for 2014 I felt that God laid 2 words on my heart THANKFUL and DISCIPLINE. as true "God nature" things are never exactly as you suspect they will be.<br />
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I thought a year of thankfulness would be thinking about all the things I'm thankful for. Don't get me wrong I have done a lot of that and it is good for the soul, but what I have found that is even better is expressing thankfulness! Since January I have went through almost 50 thank you cards. It has been such a blessing to me to express thankfulness. To tell someone thank you is not just to bless them but to be blessed by them. You recognize their hard work, or sacrifice, or kindness, or sweetness, etc, etc.... You take your eyes off yourself long enough to see someone, the world around you, the people around you.<br />
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This is not how I expected to be spending a year of thankfulness but I am so excited about it! <br />
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This week in particular though I find myself extra thankful for my "stuff", for my family, for my circumstances, for what God is doing around me, in me, through me... And after a long hard winter (this girl is not a fan) I am so thankful for spring, new life, sunshine, and the beauty of the outdoors. I mean God clearly made me for the sun! I could be one of those weirdos (sorry to offend anyone, lol) who sits out and meditates in the sunshine to get energy.. this is me! I am thankful for a new opportunity to move to KS and be close to our encouraging loving family, a community of family that will help us raise our children and live life together! I am just overflowing with thankfulness.<br />
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If there was any way to cure a bad mood, or depression, or selfishness, it would be thankfulness! So tell someone thank you today, take the time to write a card, or to tell the Lord thank you for how He has blessed you! <br />
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And thank you all for reading this sporadic blog from this crazy mom :) #weareallalittlecrazyright<br />
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did I mention I'm thankful for spring?</div>
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ya beyond thankful!!</div>
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and these two cute kids of course</div>
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Prayers and Blessings,</div>
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Dawn</div>
<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-21118545444227681792014-03-01T06:35:00.003-08:002014-03-01T06:35:52.063-08:00Hope in Handmade Over the last few months we have been praying about a project over at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/craftingrace?ref=hl">Crafted in Grace</a>. We are calling our new project <b><i>Hope in Handmade</i></b>. I just wanted to take a few minutes to explain the heart behind this project and the logistics :)<br />
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In the last few months Alissa and I have been talking about doing some "Kingdom Work" with our little craft business. For the most part our little side business is not much more then a fun hobby. We really enjoy making gifts and treasures for other mommas and friends. We have been blessed by this hobby and are not looking to make it into a full time career. At the same point we don't want to miss an opportunity to do something for the Lord in our little corner of the world. We feel the Lord has blessed us with a bit of talent and we want to be a blessing to his people with our work. <br />
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A lot of times we think <i>"well I can't make a difference, I'm just one person, so why try... "</i> To that I think Dr. Suess had the best reply -<br />
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So here we are caring a <i>WHOLE</i> lot :) We have several projects on our hearts. Projects that we know are moving in God's Kingdom. The truth is... God doesn't <i>NEED</i> our little shop to do this work... He doesn't <i>NEED</i> us to do anything. But the desire of our heart should be to serve the Lord with gladness, to thank Him for all He has done and to do what we can to make a difference. </div>
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Now for the logistics: We have decided that we will choose a project for each month to focus on, and during that month we will offer an exclusive product where the proceeds will go to that project. This will give us a chance to do good in different projects that have our hearts. Some projects you will see repeated and others may just be a one time adventure. All in all we are giving this Hope in Handmade project over to the Lord. We are placing it in His hands, and any success in our eyes and the Lords will be His doing and will be for His Glory! </div>
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Lastly for the FUN part!!! We are starting our first project today!!!! We have decided to start it off with an "internal project"... lol. Our first project is an adoption fundraiser. It is such an odd thing to do "self fundraising" but we KNOW that this adoption is of the Lord and the logistics of it are that it cost money$$$. We have about $2,000 left for this installment payment and believe some crafty work will help us meet that goal. We have come up with a fun spring project to bring to you and your littles! All proceeds from this project will go to adoption funds. So are you wondering what we are selling?? ;)</div>
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Well (drum roll... ) we have adorable applique shirts for you! 4 different patterns for little boys or girls. Shirts can be made for your newborn all the way up to Youth XLarge. Below are the pics of our shirts available and all purchases can be made on our <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/craftedingrace">Etsy page! </a></div>
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Thank you so so much for joining us in our <b><i>Hope in Handmade</i></b> project! We are so excited about the future of this monthly project! And we hope that the goodies we are offering bless you and your littles and bring smiles on your faces :) </div>
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Prayers and Blessings - Dawn </div>
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<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-6760020654673356722014-02-26T17:53:00.001-08:002014-02-26T17:53:09.418-08:00adoption update 2/26Talking adoption is both <i>exciting</i> and <i>exhausting</i>.<br />
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Exciting because adoption is something so deep and heavy on my heart daily, exhausting... well because adoption is so deep and heavy on my heart daily. I often feel the need to "guard my heart" with adoption.<br />
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I know that we are in the long haul in waiting to be matched with our child (2-3 years). I know that as we wait our child will be in an orphanage with many many other children, just waiting for paperwork to process, waiting just like we are, waiting with no parents to love them, tuck them in at night, pray over them, snuggle and kiss them. In fact many times the ratios are 20-30 kids to 1 adult. I know that our child with other children will not have access to good nutrition, or medical care. I know that our little one's road to becoming an orphan will leave them with emotional scars that we will be praying and working through for the rest of our lives. What I know and what I don't know is <i>exhausting</i>..<br />
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This process is and will continue to be one of the hardest things we have done. But it is also something that is <i>BEYOND AMAZING. </i>Through adoption we have seen God move in ways like we have never got to personally experience before. God has moved through us and through others all for the mission of bringing Prather #3 home to us. I know that when Prather #3 comes home it will not just be a personal victory but a victory of the community that has rallied around us. I also know that as we raise our child that comes from another country with emotional scars and confusion to deal with, we will have a community that will rise up and fight for our family and our child through this experience.. and that is AMAZING!<br />
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I know (we know) that we <i>NEED</i> this community. We <i>NEED</i> you all to hold us up when we can't hold ourselves up. We <i>NEED</i> you all to pray for things we don't even know we need prayer for. We <i>NEED</i> you to offer support and encouragement when the days seem long and the road seems bumpy. We <i>NEED</i> this army that God has blessed us with! <br />
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Right now we are asking you to consider committing to praying with us and our close family/friends. We are asking for some specific prayer requests as this road continues. We appreciate any of you that are offering up just one prayer for Prather #3 or daily/monthly prayer for him/her. Here are the prayer requests that are on our heart right now -<br />
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First, I should say that we <b><i>strongly</i></b> believe that Prather #3 has been born and is living somewhere in Ethiopia. He or She may still be with their birth parents or may already be in the orphanage just waiting! In saying that here are our current prayer requests -<br />
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*Safety - physically and emotionally<br />
*Health - again physical and emotional<br />
*The Birth Family - their situation and their hearts<br />
*Those who come in contact with Prather #3 - that they would show our child Love, Compassion, Kindness, and Protect Them<br />
*Protection over his/her heart.<br />
*Wisdom for steps in this journey for us and all others involved<br />
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This is our plea and our update. Yes we are thankful for the financial support (beyond thankful actually) and the financial road for this journey is not over yet either. Today though we are pleading for this amazing community to join hands with us and send prayers up for Prather #3!<br />
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If you are feeling led to commit to pray for our little one, please comment with your name and where you live, we are journaling a list and praying blessings over you and your family as well!<br />
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Thank You,<br />
Prayers and Blessings - Dawn <3<br />
<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-80782936193912154342014-02-17T13:41:00.000-08:002014-02-17T13:41:58.333-08:00New Year New Word(s)Its the middle of February so I thought it was the perfect time to write about my word(s) for 2014! Who says that blogging about the new year should be done some time in January.. ha ha.. besides I didn't want to compete with everyone else's awesome new year's post so it was strategic not procrastination (just go with it)! <div>
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Last year was the first time that I decided to choose a word instead of setting resolutions. I was frustrated that most of my resolutions (like most americans) were over by march and forgotten by may. So I thought maybe with a new technique it would last all year, and sure enough it did! Last year I prayed and felt the word that God was laying on my heart was Educate (you can read last year's post <a href="http://rearrangingthefurnituredp.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-do-this-2013.html">HERE</a>), it truly was a year of education! I educated myself a lot on food, clean eating, my body and food, on the Lord and his value in fasting, on whole living, on politics, and on and on. Honestly there were moments last year that I felt overwhelmed by the amount of information I felt the Lord was revealing. Sometimes it felt heavy and burdensome and not life giving. I had to pray and ask the Lord what to do with all this information and how to take it from knowledge to action into my own life! It was a great journey of Education and I am so very thankful for the doors of knowledge the Lord has opened. </div>
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Last year I wrote this - "<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">I am excited for this year of Education, maybe it won't be what I am thinking, maybe God has a different plan... but I do know that 2013 will be an amazing year."</span></div>
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Its fun to look back and read that a year later and see how God moved and educated me and revealed himself. It most definitely was an awesome year! </div>
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Now it is 2014 and in prayer through November and December I felt the Lord was laying 2 words on my heart. </div>
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<b><i>Thankfulness and Discipline </i></b></div>
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At first I thought I needed to choose ONE and was praying really hard about which of these two words would be MY WORD for 2014. Of course the Lord was kind and said I could have 2 ... lol... </div>
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So what do these two words mean to me for 2014? Well just like last year I have speculations on what the Lord wants me to do, but we shall see how this fleshes out throughout the year. </div>
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For <i>Thankfulness</i> I believe it is taking on a grateful heart, and not just when things are going well but EVERY DAY! At the first of the year someone posted about the <a href="http://365grateful.com/">#365gratefu</a>l project. Its a project someone did where they captured things they were grateful for every day for the whole year, then reflected on their year of gratefulness. I thought this would be a great way to capture my year of thankfulness, I have been doing this through <a href="http://instagram.com/dtpra">my instagram</a> since 1/1/14 and really love it. It forces me to find something to be thankful for, even on those days I'm "not feeling it!" I am also writing thankful things down in my planner and I can't wait to reflect at the end of the year. I'm thinking the project will probably call for some cool insta collage of the #365grateful project :) </div>
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For <i>Discipline</i> - well this one is a little tougher. I believe the Lord said - "now that you have knowledge it is time to put it to action" I believe this means to be disciplined in many areas of my life - health/money/business/marriage/friendships/ministry/etc... I am a "do'er" but not always disciplined and diligent. I want this year to be a year of moving more towards the person I want to be. I feel like I have made great strides in being the person God has made me to be.. but let's be honest.. there is always room for improvement! </div>
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So there you have it... its the middle of February, and I want to talk new year's goals, words, resolutions! What about you? Have you made a resolution that has already slipped through the crack? have you chose a word? I would love to hear about what your goals/dreams/plans are for 2014????!!!!!</div>
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prayers and blessings - Dawn</div>
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DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-16517496491216604602013-12-04T10:51:00.000-08:002013-12-04T10:51:10.802-08:00Christmas with a cause.... Its CHRISTMAS TIME!!!! This is seriously my favorite time of year! Its Christmas time, and Eliana's Birthday.. and well.. my birthday :) I may not be so excited next year when its time to hit the big 3-0! LOL<br />
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But I digress... This year my new year's resolution "word" was EDUCATE. I have educated myself on A LOT this year! And one of those things has been what our consumer $$$ means. How what we spend effects our community, our country, and those working all over the world. I use to say "so what"... does my small little purchases really matter?? and the truth is YES! every purchase we make is voting on something, voting to keep small business alive that helps a local community, supports a mission of justice or perpetuates slave/child labor. Really what it comes down to is something I will never get out of my head from Jen Hatmaker's book "7" and that is ultimately we are to - DO THE RIGHT THING! I want to be someone who does the right thing and teach my children that when they have decisions ahead of them they should always choose to DO THE RIGHT THING.<br />
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so.... in saying all of that I wanted to share some ways we are going to be doing Christmas with a cause. <br />
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1 - we are actively pursuing ways to GIVE! Christmas is a time of giving. This doesn't mean you need to give your kids/family/friends a ridiculous amount of gifts (that they really probably don't need) but it means for us giving to those who are in need - the homeless, the children who aren't going to be getting any gifts this year, maybe a family who needs some extra groceries, or a single mom trying to make Christmas special. We are really challenging ourselves to find some good places to GIVE!<br />
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2 - we are intentionally shopping. What does this mean? Well this girl's love language is GIFTS! Which means I love to give them and receive them.. lol! So we will not be that family going giftless or any of that. BUT we can give gifts that do good behind them. That means shopping from small business', shopping from personal business owners, shopping with businesses or projects that do justice with a portion of their profits, or giving a good ole' handmade gift. Some examples of all of this is below!<br />
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3 - and lastly we are not going overboard this year! Like I said, I LOVE gifts and so I can go a little extreme with the gift giving and end up in a rough financial place. and to be honest, this is NOT being a good steward of our finances. The average american goes $1,000 into debt over Christmas. not cool! As we save our pennies (nickels, and dollars.. lol) for our adoption fund, we don't have time to be setting ourselves back over an xbox (or what have you)! so while I will still give presents (no worries friends and family), most likely they will be more creative then in the past... and my guess is the receivers will probably enjoy them even more!!! <br />
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So join us this year in making Christmas even more meaningful (YES its about JESUS not SANTA:) ) and give gifts with a cause -<br />
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Gift Ideas -<br />
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You can shop on our retail website for amazing products that support our family and adoption process. Top notch products with 180 day money back guarantee <a href="http://www.amway.com/dtprather">www.amway.com/dtprather </a></div>
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Consider bidding in our online <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.683896858307758.1073741825.424939914203455&type=1">Adoption Auction</a> that ends</div>
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Sunday December 8th at 9pm (eastern time) </div>
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example of a few items below -</div>
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Shop with our local craft business - <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/craftedingrace">Crafted in Grace</a> for Christmas accessories!</div>
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You can get lots of ideas for home made gifts over on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/dprather/">PINTEREST</a> </div>
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Or consider some of these other shops that do justice with your purchase - </div>
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<a href="http://www.toms.com/">www.toms.com</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercyINK">https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercyINK</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MarydeanDesigns">https://www.etsy.com/shop/MarydeanDesigns</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/milliedot">https://www.etsy.com/shop/milliedot</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.shedoesjusticeshop.com/">http://www.shedoesjusticeshop.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ohsweetjoy.com/">http://www.ohsweetjoy.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.shopbetterlifebags.com/">http://www.shopbetterlifebags.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sevenly.org/">http://www.sevenly.org/</a></div>
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<a href="http://worldhelp.net/gifts/">http://worldhelp.net/gifts/</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/163designcompany">https://www.etsy.com/shop/163designcompany</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.chamelscreations.com/">http://www.chamelscreations.com/</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/untied">https://www.etsy.com/shop/untied</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/newcreationva">https://www.facebook.com/newcreationva</a></div>
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I hope these ideas help you finish your Christmas shopping! And if you are still looking for a present for this girl (me lol) I'll gladly take anything from these shops!!! :) Just sayin' </div>
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Blessings Y'all</div>
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-Dawn</div>
<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-70943698871397519932013-10-21T08:17:00.001-07:002013-10-21T08:17:46.514-07:00Why this homeschool family sent our daughter to public school...Deciding to send our daughter to public school is one of the hardest decisions we have made in a long time. I wanted to share our story quickly in case any of you have or are battling through similar decisions and know its ok to change your mind!<br />
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First of all I never thought I would be a homeschool mom, to be honest I had stereotypes in my head of what homeschool moms and families were like! But when we moved to Virginia many of the friendships that I began to build were with homeschool mommas. These are women that I respect and cherish and love their family, and because of them my idea of homeschooling changed. As a family we began considering homeschooling and decided to give it a trial run last year when Eliana was 4 and Owen was 2. We joined a co-op and were involved in lots of extra curricular adventures. We had a good year and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves in the homeschool realm. After our first year we still weren't sure what curriculum we wanted to use and decided for curriculum we would go another route.<br />
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So that takes us to this year, we started our school year the first week of September. We had daily lessons and Owen was really enjoying it. We started in a new co-op group and both kids were really enjoying our co-op that met on Fridays. But something was missing for Eli, she was clearly not happy. As an extreme extrovert (like her momma) she was not satisfied with her social time as she was the year before. Our lesson time was a huge strain and her leadership giftings seemed to be getting stifled by only having her brother to "lead". At first we thought maybe we needed a different curriculum, something more challenging and engaging so we started to look into some other curriculum. By the end of September it was clear something needed to change no one was happy and our days were stressful and disheartening.<br />
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As a family we began to pray about sending Eliana to school, we had looked into the schools in the past and had some information on them but really dug deeper. We visited the Christian school and talked about their programs/cost/etc.. We visited the public school and visited with the principal/teacher/counselor/etc.. We really kept the decision within our family because we have such great examples of homeschool families and public school families that we wanted to make sure that our decision was us hearing from the Lord and not everyone else. <br />
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After weeks of praying and researching and our daughter begging to go to school - "mom God told me I should go to school, can I go pppplllleeeeeaaaaasssseeeee" We decided as a family to send Eliana to public school. And today was her first day, she was beyond excited, can't you tell???<br />
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As we have began telling people we have had mixed reactions -<br />
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"That's so exciting, clearly Eli is excited"<br />
'"Oh I'm so sorry to hear that you had to do that"<br />
"Your starting her in October, that is strange!"<br />
"That's so awesome you were willing to reevaluate and make a change"<br />
"I am confused"<br />
"I think Eliana will really enjoy and thrive in that environment"<br />
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I expected and continue to expect mixed reactions, and that's ok. Taking care of our children is a HARD job and everyone has an opinion on how to do it best. For our family we will continue to grow and change in the best way to parent our children. We don't expect their to be a perfect mold for each child and certainly not a mold that will be perfect for other families. Yes we sent our daughter to school today, and we are excited, and we will continue to pour into her just as we had before. We haven't turned over parenting to the public school system, but we are using them as a tool in our daughter's life. I pray if something isn't working out great in your family that you will be willing to change and grow in what is best for your family despite what the reactions of others may be. <br />
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Blessings and Prayers - DawnDLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-56400823753137063212013-10-14T19:58:00.000-07:002013-10-14T19:58:04.066-07:00We are DTE... ( D T what??? lol)Well hello blog friends!<br />
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Yes its me... back again like a long distance friend who has been busy and finally picked up the phone to make that call to say hello. I will do my best to not go so long between phone calls :) But you know how life can be, we try and reign it in but it can unravel and go passing by at the speed of light. So here are a few cliff notes to catch you up on our adoption journey!<br />
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<b>August - </b><br />
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The summer had flown by and we still weren't done with our adoption paperwork. We were feeling frustrated and at a stand still. We were close but knew we were short funds to get our paperwork through the DTE process...<br />
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<i>sidenote - DTE stands for <u>D</u>ossier <u>T</u>o <u>E</u>thiopia: its adoption lingo for you have completed the first set of 100 hoops and are officially on the "waiting list"</i><br />
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So... back to August - frustrated and unsure what to do we contacted our family coordinator at America World and asked her what we should do. We knew we could either buckle down and finish our paperwork and possibly use a no interest adoption loan to push it through and get on the waiting list, or we could turn our focus to filing for grants and wait to file the paperwork when we had the funds. Our family coordinator let us know our agency would let us borrow the money interest free but we needed to get our paperwork in by the end of the month. So frantically we did everything else to get our paperwork in by the end of the month. Thanks to a lot of help from family and friends and our agency we were able to get our paperwork to Ethiopia and on the waiting list.<br />
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<b>September - </b><br />
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We are officially on the waiting list and go back to working on filing for grants and making plans for fundraising. Our current goal is to raise $6,500 in the next 12 months.<br />
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<b>October - </b><br />
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Here we are - it is already October (crazy huh?) We have officially been on the waiting list for ONE MONTH! We have an estimated wait of 20-30 months (sad yes... we are waiting for the families in front of us to jump through the paperwork hoops to bring their littles home). We will countdown each month with some sort of special celebration to keep us hopeful and excited in the waiting process! This first month was really special, we went and tried Ethiopian food! It wasn't amazing but it was a really fun experience -<br />
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<b>Now What? </b></div>
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Now we are fundraising and applying for Grants! As always you can donate via our paypal button over there on the right (If you feel God leading), We are also committing all of our retail profit from our business to adoption fundraising- <a href="http://www.amway.com/dtprather">www.amway.com/dtprather</a> Our products are amazing and top notch with 180 day money back guarantee. You can email us at dawn_prather@yahoo.com with any product questions. In November we will have our annual online auction on Cyber Saturday - November 30th. If you feel led you can donate to our auction and keep your eyes out to bid on all our great items! And as always we greatly appreciate your continued love and prayer support! This journey would be so much harder without guidance form the Lord, and the love of our family, friends, and support from around the world. </div>
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Blessings and Prayers - DP </div>
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<i>"rearranging the furniture and rearranging my heart"</i>DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-46608801372590236502013-06-09T20:17:00.002-07:002013-06-09T20:17:57.704-07:00Adoption/Life UpdateWell here I am blogging to you a month later... I have serious doubts that I'll ever be a consistent blogger. Let's be honest life gets in the way! That is just the life we lead, trying to plan, but going with the flow! The months of April/May were more like big waves then the flow of a stream... I have been excited to share how God rocked our socks off in April with Adoption Funds, but before I share that I have to share a little blurb about how God kept us from sinking in May!<br />
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In the month of May I had 2 surgeries... 2! That is crazy! Here is one thing I realized - God did NOT make our bodies to go through surgery, we are not meant to be put under, cut open, etc... Don't get me wrong I am so thankful for modern medicine/science and know the luxury of medicine and science extending our life and making the quality of our life better... BUT... I do NOT want to ever have surgery again!! You will never hear of this girl going under the knife for elective surgery! There was a time that I thought I might want a "boob job" (lets get real girls we think about these things) and have thought of other options as well.. but NOPE! LOL... Just putting all that out there :) Without going into unnecessary detail my surgeries were to remove a cyst/fallopion tube (I have had a cyst removed before after Owen was born and also had a cyst when pregnant with Eliana, doc says I am just a cyst producer!), and dental surgery (to get my last wisdom tooth, a couple fillings, and the biggie a gum skin graft done with cadaver skin. ahhh). Both surgeries went well and everything went as planned, etc, etc... But man did it feel like we were keeping our head above water, even now as the medical bills roll in we feel like we are bobbers out in rough water... We are excited to see how God will provide through this craziness as well as He has thus far in our adoption!<br />
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Now on to brighter stories... one paragraph of craziness is enough for me! So I MUST say - God is GOOD! It is awesome to watch God show up! <br />
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I blogged about our<a href="http://rearrangingthefurnituredp.blogspot.com/2013/03/uscis.html"> next installment of adoption payments</a> and the need for almost $8,000 in the coming months, and God made sure to let us know HE IS WITH US. In the month of April we were able to gather $2,535 in adoption money. God has provided through cleaning jobs, misc work, our at home business success, a donation by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/noondaycollection">Noon Day</a>, friends helping with a garage sale, and AMAZING random donations. It is wonderful the way God provides! With our side jobs I was overwhelmed with the fact that now these people are coming along side us in our journey. They will pray for us, think of us, and lift us up. The donations from those that LOVE us, overwhelms my heart. We have received $1,000 just from 3 different friends. We KNOW that their giving is sacrificial to them, and that it is by faith that they give generously to us. We are not only grateful but pray the Lord pours blessings back on them for their giving. And the last of our awesome April giving was a "random" (nothing random with God) donation of $1,000.<br />
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Here is the brief version of our "random" donation - It was another day at Ballet Class (For Eliana) the moms sat and chatted about normal life stuff (kids, home school, regular school, summer plans, etc...) like we always do, nothing too deep but we have a comradery amongst us. This isn't a group I have talked a lot about adoption with. It feels awkward to say "Hi my name is Dawn I have two kids and we are working on bring home our 3rd from Africa, I love Africa, want to talk about Africa?" LOL..... so... the "moms" kind of know we are adopting but hadn't asked many details so I hadn't given many... anyway (moving on before this story gets too long) One mom randomly asks me about our adoption, she asks some pretty in depth questions and is suddenly really interested. This caught me off guard because while we have friendly convo we aren't that close of friends (I mean we weren't even facebook friends yet if that tells you anything, he he). So I gladly tell her everything I can without letting her eyes glaze over, and at the end of our convo she says<br />
"well.... I am not sure what it means but I think God is calling us to give you money towards your adoption."<br />
I instantly CRIED!<br />
I didn't care if they were going to give us $20, or $20,000 in that moment what I heard was -<br />
"Dawn this is God, just want you to know I am here with you on this journey, a loving reminder that I'm in this with you all."<br />
She went on to tell me that they were praying about it and didn't know what God was asking of them but she wanted more details etc...<br />
A few weeks later (and a long story short) after some communication, lots of prayer, their family felt God calling them to <u>sacrificially</u> give us $1,000! I couldn't believe it when she told me... I was stunned that I couldn't even blubber anything out but Thank You. I went to my car and cried (happy tears).<br />
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It is a wonderful wonderful thing when we get money from our family and friends who love us. We know they are sacrificing and honoring the Lord and His love pours out in those gifts. But there is also something about a practical stranger writing you a sacrificial check for $1,000 that screams God. Or a stranger paying you $50 for your $12 fundraising shirt that screams God. Or a stranger who just wanted their house clean but pays you double that screams God. Or friends unselfishly donating their garage sale profits the screams God. Or an anonymous "friend" leaving a note in the mailbox with $20 the screams God!<br />
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When we started this journey we had NO money saved up (not how they recommend you do it.) We had no way to come up with $25,000. We still don't know where the money will come from. But we know that if we hadn't gone on this journey we would be missing out on these awesome opportunities to see God show up like He is. We can only imagine what the coming months will bring.<br />
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So yes we have a LONG way to go on this journey, and I am often more weary then not, but the Lord is good. He will not leave us gasping for air in the waves, but <i>He will give us the strength to swim against the current, t</i><i>o Love fiercely, and change the world in whatever ways He calls us! </i><br />
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Prayers and Blessings - Dawn<br />
<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-15830511936332706672013-04-30T20:16:00.000-07:002013-04-30T20:16:02.757-07:00April Birthdays - Part 1<div style="text-align: center;">
This April we had 2 special Birthdays! Our sweet Owen turned 3 and my Hubby turned.... (well he had a birthday ;) ) It was easy to choose a birthday theme for our Owen... RACE CARS! Every single day he plays with his cars. They go shooting across our floor constantly, he sleeps with them, and takes them everywhere! </div>
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So the planning began, <a href="http://pinterest.com/dprather/owen-bday/">the pins were pinned</a>, and supplies were gathered (mostly last minute, and thank you to the friends who came through in the crunch! lol)</div>
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This is the pic we used for Owen's invite :) Did I mention he LOVES cars? </div>
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Then on to the party decor and most importantly food!!!!</div>
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The Race Car cupcakes were gone fast..... </div>
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Fuel was on hand....</div>
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Tools were standing by....</div>
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And enough food for a small army :) ...</div>
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We had a "drive in" that was showing Cars and serving hot popcorn...</div>
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The kids ran and raced all over...</div>
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Presents were opened.....</div>
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And all were happy!!!!</div>
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It was a fun party full of crazy kids (thanks to the sugar), wonderful friends, and lots of LOVE! </div>
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We can't believe our little man is 3, but he is sure happy about it, and tells everyone we see that "He is 3!"</div>
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As if I haven't posted enough pictures on this post I also wanted to include the outdoor track we made Owen for his present from us - </div>
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It will be a nice edition to our summer days outside! </div>
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So that about wraps it up for our little man and His 3rd birthday!!! </div>
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I'll be posting some daddy birthday pics next and also an Adoption update!</div>
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As Always - Prayers and Blessings, Dawn</div>
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DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-11142385505016465362013-04-22T20:17:00.001-07:002013-04-22T20:17:48.803-07:00tis life...Of course as soon as I decide to be a more dedicated blogger life gets away from me! I really feel like "life happened to me" last week.<br />
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I was thinking about the phrase "Life Happens" and thought - I really don't want to live just letting life happen, I want to "happen to life"<br />
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I don't want to be in control of life, I want the Lord to be in control. But I don't want to be a back seat passenger. I want to see the road the Lord has for us and rev up our engine and race after His good plans! I want to start our Monday excited about the week, excited for what God has in store, and excited how God will use us!<br />
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After feeling like I was a back seat passenger in my life last week just getting slung along for the ride I did some thinking of how to have a better week and guard our life from silly "busyness"<br />
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To achieve that, here are some things I am making sure to do to keep our days open to the Lord and not overwhelmed by the "world"<br />
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- I made sure we started the week with a clean house, clean laundry, and food in the fridge (for us when these things are taken care of then I don't get bogged down with them throughout the week)<br />
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- I double checked our schedule to make sure we weren't double or over booked anywhere!<br />
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- I am working to keep my to do list to a minimum (honestly do I need to have an ever growing list?)<br />
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- I am sitting and playing with the kids (sounds silly but often my to do list trumps my kid time - sounds crazy as a stay at home mom but lets be honest. so this week kids trump to do list! really that is how it should always be right?) our kids would much rather me play tea party, race cars, and puzzles then make them something cute for their room, or even do their laundry (there will be time for that later)<br />
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All that said... Its Monday night, I am about to head to bed and I feel excited for the rest of the week. Excited how God is blessing us, excited how God will bless these days, and excited for what is around the corner and right in front of my face!!!!<br />
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So this week - MAKE LIFE HAPPEN!!!!<br />
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Prayers and Blessings - Dawn</div>
<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-9641451588253321512013-04-10T12:38:00.000-07:002013-04-10T12:38:17.782-07:00I Know Nothing!!!!!!!!!!!I really enjoy blogging.<br />
I know that I'm not that good at it.<br />
I don't have great grammar "skills" (thank you high school English teacher).<br />
I know that the "insightful" things I write may be elementary.<br />
I even realize that not many may even be reading.<br />
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But...<br />
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I do LOVE the Lord and love sharing what He is doing in my/our life!<br />
I love showing you cute pics of our kids!<br />
I love sharing about our adoption and other family adventures.<br />
And I love documenting what is happening in my heart and home.<br />
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So...<br />
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If something intrigues you on this blog, talk to the Lord about it, see what He says :)<br />
If something annoys you or puts you off, offer Grace :)<br />
If you Love (or even like) something I write feel free to share our blog.<br />
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In Closing...<br />
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I hope you continue to read.<br />
I hope you learn more about our family and our life through this blog<br />
And most of all I hope this blog screams God's Love, Mercy and Grace!!! <br />
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Blessings and Prayers - Dawn<br />
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WAIT... just because I really love Francis Chan, check out <a href="https://flannel.org/products/basic-follow-jesus">this video. </a>DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-52200264999852223422013-04-04T20:00:00.000-07:002013-04-04T20:35:38.738-07:00Impromptu Fundraiser!Today I got an unexpected message from a family member, she said "hey I'm doing a little fundraiser for your adoption!" I about cried when I read that message! The blessing of someone wanting to help us with our adoption gets me every time. From people buying t shirts, donating towards our auction, donating money, and offering prayer. It is overwhelming to us (in a good way). We can't wait for the day when we are helping others (family, friends, and strangers) with their adoption journey!<br />
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We have been praying these last 2 weeks for God to show us some ways to raise funds for our next fee payment.<a href="http://rearrangingthefurnituredp.blogspot.com/2013/03/uscis.html"> Like I posted before</a> we have about a $7,000 payment coming up soon for our Dossier and other program fees. We are working on filing for grants, have a little garage sale planned, and using the funds from our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nutriliteandmore">Home Business</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/craftingrace?fref=ts">Crafted in Grace</a> towards this as well! So to be in the middle of prayer for this very thing and get an unexpected message was/is wonderful!<br />
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All that being said let me tell you about the quick little fundraiser and how you can participate (if you wish).<br />
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Our sweet family member Jennifer had a trunk show with the Noonday Collection, and the party will be open as an online catalog party <b>until April 8th. </b>The products themselves already benefit a wonderful cause, you can read more about that <a href="http://www.keriwalker.noondaycollection.com/our-story.html">here</a>. Along with the wonderful cause is a way to have a portion donated to our adoption! Sounds like a win-win-win to me :) So here are the simple instructions -<br />
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1- Go to this site <u>-<a href="http://www.keriwalker.noondaycollection.com/"> http://www.keriwalker.noondaycollection.com/</a></u><br />
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2 - At the checkout, choose Keri Walker in the drop down menu as your Ambassador<br />
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3 - and at the very bottom of checkout, where it says "Trunk Show" please write (in order to earn the 10% for the adoption, it has to have this important, exact detail) : <b><u>Jennifer Downs</u></b><br />
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So there you have it, easy enough! Please make sure to follow the instructions so that everything works out! If you have any questions just comment or email me - dawn_prather@yahoo.com <br />
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I went to the site to pick out some of my favorite things and had a hard time choosing. Here are a few (well more then a few) of my favorites!<br />
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I think these products are beautiful!</div>
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As always you can like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/HOPE-our-adoption-journey/424939914203455">our facebook page</a> to follow our adoption journey beyond this blog.<br />
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Prayers and Blessings - Dawn<br />
<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-63747691038596393952013-04-03T14:24:00.000-07:002013-04-22T20:22:22.644-07:00Pray for Who?Over the next few weeks I hope to blog more. I have A LOT stirring in my heart and on my mind that I would love to share with you. Whether one of you or a hundred of you are reading, my prayer is that something that is stirring in me, may also be stirring in you and the words (while often messy) that are typed here will bring common ground. Common ground to pray, to take action, to understand more together! <br />
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At the beginning of this year I felt the Lord say that this would be a year of <u>Education</u>. A year of education for myself, my children, and my family. And man has it been crazy and overwhelming in just the first few months. God has thrown a wide variety of subjects at me:<br />
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* fully worshiping Him<br />
* joy in marriage (long standing)<br />
* adoption crisis<br />
* africa<br />
* home school<br />
* government (corruption and greed?)<br />
* food (the good/bad/and ugly)<br />
* wealth (and what God says)<br />
* charismatic spiritual gifts (baptism in the holy spirit?)<br />
* trafficking<br />
* and more coming all the time...<br />
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So surely some of you will relate to wanting to know more, or feeling called to know more about one of those subjects??? I sure hope so because I plan to take some time to blog about each of them, and more as God drops them in my life as the days go on. My hope is that in writing out my thoughts on this journey so far, I can move forward, and see what God has for me beyond knowledge in these areas. And also I hope that I can touch something in some of you to do the same!<br />
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Today I want to briefly write/share on TRAFFICKING!<br />
Here are a few facts -<br />
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*An estimated 2 million children (most of them girls) are sexually exploited in this industry<br />
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*Two children are sold into slavery every two minutes somewhere in the world. In the United states 1 out of 3 children who are kicked out or run away from home to escape the horror of sexual molestation or other abuse are forced into sexual slavery within 48 hours.<br />
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*50-60 percent of the trafficked children are under the age of 16<br />
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*An estimated $9.5 billion is generated in annual revenue from all trafficking activities, with at least 4 billion from the brothel industry.<br />
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*There are more "slaves" with-in the trafficking world today then "slaves" in any other time of our history.<br />
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These are just a few of the horrific facts about trafficking. <a href="http://www.ncadv.org/files/HumanTrafficking.pdf">This is another good document</a> with more trafficking knowledge.<br />
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So why am I writing about this? I actually don't feel that it is "my" calling to go after this ministry. I do have some wonderful friends who have a strong heart for this ministry. One has a blog<a href="http://travers4christ.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-beginning.html"> HERE</a> that you can check out. But regardless if this is my area of ministry, I do know God calls us to care about these issues, to PRAY for these issues, and to DO something !!! I have a few links at the bottom where you can find ways you can support some trafficking ministries. <br />
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Today though I am going to ask you to PRAY and to pray for some very specific things -<br />
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<b>1- to pray for the innocent girls, the ones who have been trafficked and are stuck in this environment and the ones that are in danger of being trafficked. Pray for their protection, and that they would have an encounter with the Holy God who loves them so dearly. </b><br />
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<b>2 - Pray for those who are working hard in this area of ministry. That God would open doors, pour out favor, and give supernatural powers to make changes in this area. </b><br />
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<b>3 - This is a prayer request that is <u>deeply </u>on my heart - And that is to pray for the "pimps and the john's". I know some of you may be repulsed by these men that are bringing these girls into trafficking, and even worse purchasing these girls for sexual acts, but ... these are lost souls too... lost souls that can only be transformed with an encounter with our Lord and Savior. Here is my thought - if we can save a girl from trafficking then that is wonderful, we have saved a girl and changed her life. The unfortunate fact is that she will probably quickly be replaced by another girl. Not much skin of the "pimp's" back. But if we can transform the heart and life of a "pimp or john" then there is a potential to save 100's of girls. If there is no "demand", then there is no need for a "supply". So if you are thinking PRAY FOR WHO? I urge you to really join me in praying for these lost souls.</b><br />
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It is an awkward feeling of compassion that I have for these "pimps and john's" as I have been a victim of abuse. A form of compassion that can only be explained as something from the Lord. But I do feel very strongly that this is a piece of the puzzle in this ministry that is missing. We must reach these (mostly) men, they must be transformed and this awful world of trafficking MUST STOP!!! <br />
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Please join me in prayer for these 3 specific things!<br />
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Check out the links below for just a few ways to support a Trafficking Ministry!<br />
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<a href="http://www.enditnow.org/">END IT NOW</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-A21-Campaign/194115677277113?fref=ts">A21 CAMPAIGN</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Traffick911">TRAFFICK911</a><br />
<a href="http://31bits.com/">31 BITS</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JustTrade">PARTNERS FOR JUST TRADE</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Call.And.Response">CALL AND RESPONSE</a><br />
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And feel free to comment with more trafficking ministry options that you know of!<br />
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I will post later about the world of trafficking that is not related to brothel's. I will feature some great ways to buy "Fair Trade" and find out what grocery store products may use trafficked children as employees!<br />
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Prayers and Blessings Friends - Dawn<br />
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<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-46359860532557514502013-03-30T21:17:00.001-07:002013-03-30T21:43:12.428-07:00The ResurrectionThis Easter season I have been overwhelmed by the Love of the Lord. The way He has poured His love on me and my family. The way He has changed my life, and given me an amazing (and ever growing)<a href="http://rearrangingthefurnituredp.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-testimony.html"> <i>testimony</i></a><i>.</i><br />
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This Easter we really wanted to point the kids to the cross, to explain and show them the love that is poured out through the cross. We want them to see that Easter is just as exciting as Christmas (if that is possible). In an effort to get excited as a family for this holiday we did a few activities - color pages, bible story reading, and our Resurrection garden.<br />
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It is a fun idea that I saw on a friends <a href="http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/2012/04/how-to-make-a-resurrection-garden-using-wheat-grass/"><i>blog</i></a>. It was a great way to have a conversation with the kids about the cross, Jesus paying the punishment of our sins, being put in the tomb, and raising from the dead three days later.<br />
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Our supplies before hand. </div>
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Owen loved playing in the dirt.</div>
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Eliana drew a picture of Jesus to go in the tomb, that now is out for Easter morning :)</div>
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And Daddy added the three crosses and the big rock for our "boulder"</div>
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Our Resurrection Garden is a great family conversation piece and will stick around for a while. It will definitely be a family tradition for years to come. </div>
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As the Easter Holiday will wrap up tomorrow with celebrations, eggs, food, and candy I am just feeling beyond thankful for this life. For my little family that went to our Good Friday church service and took communion together...</div>
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For my husband who is the most amazing leader and best friend that I could ask for. For a family that is supportive and loving beyond words. For friends that love me/us unconditionally.</div>
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And for a God who would have died on the cross just to save ME, just to save my family, just to save YOU.</div>
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There is an excerpt from David Platt's book Radical that I love. And gives an amazing picture of what Jesus did for us at the cross - </div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Listen to his words: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." The "cup" is not a reference to a wooden cross; it is a reference to divine judgment. It is the cup of God's wrath.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is what Jesus is recoiling from in the garden. All God's holy wrath and hatred toward sin and sinners, stored up since the beginning of the world, is about to be poured out on him, and he is sweating blood at the thought of it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What happened at the cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus hands and feet, but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ himself. Some say, "God looked down and could not bear to see the suffering that the soldiers were inflicting on Jesus, so he turned away." But this is not true. God turned away because he could not bear to see your sin and my sin on his Son.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One preacher described it as if you and I were standing a short hundred yards away from a dam of water 10,000 miles high and 10,000 miles wide. All of a sudden that dam was breached, and a torrential flood of water came crashing toward us. Right before it reached our feet, the ground in front of us opened up and swallowed it all. At the cross, Christ drank the full cup of the wrath of God, and when he had downed the last drop, he turned the cup over and cried out, "It is finished."</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: 'Swis721 BT'; letter-spacing: 0px;">This is the gospel. The just and loving Creator of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent his son, God in the flesh, to bear his wrath against sin on the cross and to show his power over sin in the resurrection so that all who trust in him will be reconciled to God forever.</span></div>
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These words pierce me and force me into a posture of praise. Forces me to fix my eyes on Jesus and all He has done. <span style="text-align: center;">I love what Jen Hatmaker writes in her </span><a href="http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2013/03/25/a-broken-hallelujah" style="text-align: center;"><i>Broken Hallelujah Pos</i></a><span style="text-align: center;">t, she writes in a way that feels like a kindred</span><span style="text-align: center;"> spirit to me. And I just love these words at the end of her post...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Jesus, our Almighty King, our brother and Savior, is in glory, his suffering is done and our salvation is secure. </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">This is our celebration.</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"> May Jesus find the Bride honoring the cross exactly like he told us to, for we are so terribly unworthy but somehow, miraculously, against all sense and reason, we are saved.</span></span></div>
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I pray that tomorrow/today, the Love of the Lord is overwhelming you, overtaking you. and overflowing from you!<br />
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Prayers and Blessings always - DawnDLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-35428864897376784002013-03-28T21:50:00.000-07:002013-03-28T21:50:01.477-07:00USCISSo we FINALLY got to file our USCIS.<br />
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USCIS is another paperwork step in the process of our adoption. The first big step is to get piles of paperwork together and complete your home study. We were able to do that around Christmas time. Once the home study is approved then you can file your USCIS and build your Dossier (more on this soon). <br />
Filing the USCIS will give us national clearance to adopt from Ethiopia. We have been fingerprinted here at our local court house and given state clearance, but now we will get finger printed again (most likely in DC) and then cleared. This important piece of the paperwork process was only 3 pages, a few questions, and a money order of $890. Crazy huh???<br />
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As we wait for our fingerprint appointment we will work on our Dossier (will post on this soon) and look into grants and more fundraising for our Dossier Fees.<br />
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Our Dossier Fees and Program Fee will be $3950 + $4,500 -<br />
$150 Courier Service<br />
$800 Dossier Translation Service<br />
$2,000 Program Second Installment fee<br />
$1,000 Post Adoption Report Deposit<br />
$4,500 1/2 International Program Fee<br />
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whew... seems crazy, but we are excited to see how God will provide! So far we have invested just over $7,000 in our adoption and God has been faithful to provide. We know He will be here with us every step of the way as we move forward!<br />
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And in moving forward, we celebrated!!! Chic fil a and ice cream :) We can't wait to be celebrating our Dossier in Ethiopia! But until then please continue to pray for us in this journey, and please please pray for the future little Prather! </div>
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Now off to work on our Dossier ;)</div>
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Prayers and Blessings - Dawn</div>
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<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-70812063121583137742013-03-28T11:50:00.000-07:002013-03-28T11:50:34.205-07:00Spring Yet?It may not look like Spring outside (at the end of March) with snow on the ground, but we have been lucky to have Spring Break visitors!<br />
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Austen visited with her sweet roommates and filled their spring break trip with lots of fun. They were able to have Georgetown, DC, VA Beach, and of coarse H'burg adventures!<br />
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We enjoyed having a house full of girls and all the giggles and fun stories that came with them! I know they made lots of fun memories and probably needed a nap when they made it home ;)<br />
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Then just this last week my mom and brother came to visit over spring break while my sister went on her first mission trip! We missed having her, but hearing about her trip just filled my heart! I know God worked in her heart and through her heart to bless others... priceless :) </div>
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We did lots of fun stuff while nana was here, one being taking her to The Melting Pot to celebrate her birthday. We tried to spoil her a bit and of coarse she spoiled all of us! One of our favorite adventures was to our local pump it up. We were the only ones there and so we all played hide and seek in the inflatables :) lots of fun! We also saw the new movie The Croods, it was really cute and nice and family friendly (hard to come by these days) Overall a wonderful trip, and they were able to make it home safely despite the snow!</div>
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And now that our visitors are gone we are busy with adoption stuff (update on that tomorrow), and enjoying the Easter Week (more on how we are celebrating as a family soon too). </div>
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But mostly I just wanted to share how full my heart is with the Lord's Love! I am overwhelmed with how He has poured His love out on me and my family, how He uses us to pour out His love, and how His love is never ending and never runs dry (more on this soon too)! So in this Easter season, may you be so full of the Lords love that it spills out of you and onto those around you! </div>
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Prayers and Blessings - Dawn</div>
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Oh and a pic of my "SUPERHERIO" just because :)<br />
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<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-45160625600240501972013-03-07T19:35:00.000-08:002013-03-07T19:35:20.891-08:00LIfe and Lollipos<div style="text-align: center;">
The month of February came and went! We shared a lot of love, lots of snuggles, and for some reason lots of lollipops :) We enjoyed celebrating Valentine's Day or LOVE day as we like to call it and having family adventures. The kiddos got mommy and daddy dates for their Valentine's gifts, and are eager to cash them in! (and really so are we) </div>
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Of coarse we had to celebrate with some fun accessories :) and as always the kiddos had to take some silly pics (Owen has really become such a ham!)</div>
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Made a trip out to the kids' favorite place - Sweet Bee's, because as Eliana says "I get to choose my own toppings!!!!!!!!!!" (she likes lots of cherries and owen lots of m&m's)</div>
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Eliana is in full swing with Spring Ballet. She loves it and has some great natural talent from spending her little life on her toes! This girl of ours has some strong calf muscles!!!</div>
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We are anxiously waiting spring so we can play outside! But in the mean time I dodge the floor of cars. Owen can send them zooming all day long!</div>
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As we wait for spring I made my first piece of clothing for El. </div>
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A cute little skirt. It was easy and I think my grandma would be proud :) I even ironed! Yes Grandma can you believe it? Turns out she was right you have to iron ;) looking forward to more sewing projects, next on the list is a little spring dress.</div>
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Earlier in the month Todd and I celebrated our 6th anniversary with a nice date. </div>
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We were able to see a movie for some laughs and then to a romantic dinner! </div>
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I love dates... and especially when they include sushi (and my sexy husband)!</div>
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And one last pic of my cute boys! look at those faces, don't you just want to kiss those cheeks :) </div>
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Just a little update on our little family. We are loving life, loving this life the Lord has given us, and even more excited about the future we see God laying in front of us! We pray daily for our future African baby and walk in faith in our adoption process. One step closer each day! We pray for all of you and ask for your prayers for our family. We feel God stirring big things in us... and we want to be ready to say YES to all HE asks of us!<br />
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Prayers and Blessings to all - Dawn<br />
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<br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-41926547710578395212013-01-17T15:02:00.000-08:002013-01-17T15:02:48.032-08:00Our Favorite Christmas GiftSo I have to share about our favorite Christmas Gift - that we gave, that is... Of coarse every year we think about what we would like and what the kids might want. We all end up spoiled and with way more then we need. But for this girl who has the love language of gifts, its a great time for me. I enjoy getting fun little gifts and really really enjoy giving gifts! This year we wanted to give the kids something that would be long lasting and they would really love. I suggested to the hubby that we should make the kids a play kitchen?? This seemed kind of silly since we have no garage, no workshop, and really no good building tools... but we have some really really really sweet friends who do ;) So we did some research, asked our friends for help, and got started. <br />
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With the help of our friends we found <a href="http://www.thedesignconfidential.com/2011/12/free-woodworking-plans-build-cottage-kitchen-part-1"><b>these building plans</b></a> that we based our build on. We gathered supplies, I day dreamed about design ideas, and Daddy went to work. It took some late nights and sneaking away a few afternoons, but in the end it turned out awesome!!! Best of all we made it!!! Well mostly Todd made it ;) I was just the demanding designer behind the construction, and I helped with the painting.. ha ha... but who is keeping track? lol<br />
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Here it is -<br />
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Isn't it so cute?! The kids love it and play with it daily.</div>
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They love to tell their friends "Come play in the kitchen my daddy made me!"</div>
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We used a dog bowl for the sink (it is a perfect size), got a faucet from a local salvation army store for $10, </div>
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the shelves were the perfect scale and came from Michael's, and the window we printed off a scenic </div>
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Shenandoah Valley picture and framed it out and gave it a curtain. </div>
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The oven on the left turned out great with the plexi glass, and the little fridge on the right we would have taken taller if we did it over. </div>
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We found fun food from Ikea along with the stainless steel pots and pans, utensils, and coasters for burners.</div>
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The blender and toaster were a fun Christmas gift from Pottery Barn</div>
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and the kids got lots of fun play food as well. My favorite of the play food is the wooden play Sushi set :)</div>
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They serve their food on a little set up Ikea table, and of coarse every little girl needs</div>
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a tea party set, and got the idea for some simple little tea bags from Pinterest (of coarse)</div>
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The kitchen is a fun place to play for our current kids and can't</div>
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wait for future kids and even grand kids to play with it!</div>
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Yay for fun DIY projects!!! If you have any questions about our project as you embark on your own feel free to comment or email me!<br />
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Prayers and Blessings - Dawn<br />
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<span id="goog_765127140"></span><span id="goog_765127141"></span><br />DLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3514339745925208603.post-4695279746533228192013-01-13T17:03:00.000-08:002013-01-13T17:04:16.435-08:00Adoption UpdateHey Everyone - Just wanted to give you a little update on where we are with our adoption process. We were able to make some good process last week and that did my soul good! But was also very emotional! Since our last update we have had two big things -<br />
1- we had an awesome fundraiser (our online adoption auction)<br />
2- we had our home study visits (and almost a completed home study)<br />
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1- Our online auctions was so fun. We hosted it via our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/HOPE-our-adoption-journey/424939914203455"><b>facebook page</b></a> through an album with all the items and bids were made via picture comments. We were blown away by the donations that were given by friends and complete strangers (aka new friends)! In the end through the auction and selling some more tshirts we were able to raise just over $1000!!!!! We are so very excited and truly thankful for that! The funds we raised went to 2 things - 1: we had to complete some online training and it cost $200 for a couple, so it helped us pay for that. 2: we had a $2200 fee for our home study and the rest of the money went to help with that! Again we say thank you - thanks to those that donated, those that bid, those of you that gave us extra money towards our fundraising, and those of you that prayed for our fundraiser. We pray that you will be blessed back for your givings! Our plan is to do this auction annually, that it will be something our friends and followers look forward to and we can use future funds to help other families adopting (if we aren't in the process). Again thank you!<br />
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2- Our home study visits were a mix of crazy, emotional, and good! The idea of a home study is stressful in itself thinking that someone is going to decide if we are fit to add to our family via adoption. The reasons a home study is necessary makes sense, you don't want people who have evil plans to adopt children, but for the "rest of us" just weird people it feels odd and invasive. Thankfully we work with a Christian agency and therefor our social worker is also a Christian. Our first visit was the family visit that fell on the same day as Eliana's 5th birthday party (talk about craziness). We kicked our party goers out and she arrived 20 minutes later. I was really nervous but all went well, it was like having my grandma over for a visit. The kids of coarse didn't "perform" as I would have liked, especially when the social worker was asking the kids what they thought their brother or sister would look like and Eliana's response in a "duh voice" was - "well they will be black, they are from Africa!" (goodness) But when do kids ever do what we want in situations like that!<br />
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I was nervous for our first visit, but even more nervous for our second visit. We had to do our second visit individually - she spoke to Todd and then to me and asked some tougher questions. But the real reason I was so nervous was that I needed to talk to her in depth about my past of abuse and battle with an eating disorder. Its one thing to tell someone <a href="http://rearrangingthefurnituredp.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-testimony.html"><b>your testimony</b></a> but to talk about these things in a way to make sure you are fit as a parent was a whole different ball game. Of coarse the visit went well and our social worker did not feel my past hurts would leave us not allowed to adopt but would help us to be better parents (we agree)!!! But regardless of the visit going well it still left me emotionally wiped out. Most of last week I felt emotionally and physically exhausted, the experience left me feeling similar to when I was pregnant :) (kind of ironic I thought) After a weekend of sunshine and 70 degree temps I am feeling much better!<br />
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So now we are waiting for our social worker to finish up our home study paperwork. She will get it to us this week, we will read it and review it, and then send it to the agency for final approval. We hope to be done with that all for sure by the end of the month. After that we continue to finalize our Dossier (documents that will be sent to Ethiopia including our home study), we just have a few more things for that to do which is so nice to almost have it done. One big thing we have is to finalize our USCIS that will cost us $900 to file and get more officially "fingerprinted". After that we will have our Dossier Submission and second program fee of $7700! Whew scary to type that number! We are trusting the Lord for this money and working on some new fundraisers as well! If you would feel led to give you can email us and we can send you the directions to submit to our agency!<br />
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So ya.... exciting to be moving forward, and working to Hurry Up and Wait!!! Hurry up and finish our paperwork so we can WAIT and WAIT and WAIT!!! But all good things are hard work and God never said we would just live this life comfortably!! So here we are Lord, walking behind you, taking this journey, and trusting YOU!<br />
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Prayers and Blessings to you all -<br />
DawnDLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362378392532122692noreply@blogger.com0