A photo finish...

 *Throwing my usual disclaimer out there:
You know I have no idea what I'm doing. But I like taking photos and most of you don't seem to care. It is a fundraiser for our adoption :)

BUT: I'm not a professional, I don't have a "business". I'm just a momma trying to get her son home. 

I am going to do things a little differently this go 'round because I know my limits. And I'm already flirting with them a little too closely right now. As I said before, this particular fundraiser is hard on me and my family (the pressure I put on myself, the time, etc), but it HAS to be done in order to raise the last of the funds to get RJZ home. We are SO SO close, so I'm willing to temporarily sacrifice one more little piece of sanity in order to do that. Not gonna lie, I'm nervous.

 I have had over 30 people already say they are interested in a photo session- which is AWESOME. I am going to do my very best to squeeze everybody in before we leave, but that's a lot of hours! Instead of just packing my (stolen) calendar with more sessions than I can actually handle, I am going to open up a limited number of spots each week. 

If you have already told me you were interested, I put your name on a list in the order that I heard from you. I will work my way down the list each week. If I haven't heard from you yet, and you want to be on the list, let me know and I will add you. I can't guarantee that I will get them all done before we complete the adoption, but I promise I'll do my best. No threats or verbal abuse please! (It's happened.) Only world peace :)

(You can, of course, wait for another date if the ones offered don't work for you.)

The sessions are $100 and include one hour of shoot time and 20-25 images on disk, copyright released. 100% of that will go toward bringing RJZ home so he can be in OUR next family pictures :)


I mean, really. You donate and have your family pictures made, and this little boy on the other side of the world finally gets a family! Pretty sweet deal.

 How's that for warm and fuzzy? Yeeaahhh laying it on thick!

$4,177. That's all we lack to bring him home.
We started at $30,000 and we need $4,177.

Let the photos begin. And may the odds be ever in your my our his favor.

Living on coffee and a dream...

So, I haven't updated. Mostly because there's not really been anything to update and it's depressing. And I haven't slept passed 2:00AM in... a while... which makes it harder to find my Positive Pants.

Long story, short: We have made zero progress because we are STILL caught in the mess our first agency left behind. There's more to it, but I'll be intentionally vague. If you can't say anything nice...

BIG.HEAVY.SIGH.

We really hoped we'd be moving quickly at this point, but we can't move at all until that gets straightened out. This is maddening. It's been an extra six weeks due to this so far and now the whole timeline is even more up in the air. It's quite consuming, no matter how many distractions we have throughout the day. It's painful. We just want to get our boy home healthy.

Trust me, I have constant mental Jesus Jukes on repeat about time and waiting and yada yada yada. Logically, I know. I'm just not feeling very logical right now.

BUT

The good news is: We know what's causing the delay. We didn't for a while and it was even more discouraging. Also, we are chugging on with the final stretch of fundraising so we are ready to hit the ground running when they say go. The photo sessions have already started (post coming soon) and my very first USBORNE Party is next weekend! I have already had several books ordered and one person sign up to be a consultant under me (whoop whoop!).

If you are not local or want to browse ahead of time, use THIS LINK.
Most of the books are under $10! There is a huge variety of subjects and reading levels AND ordering helps get RJZ home. Wins all around.


More positive distractions...
These guys.

That little star on the end there has her very first dance competition this weekend! She is giddy.

It's only her second year of dance and first year of hip hop, but she's in love. Hardcore love. We are so excited for her to have something that makes her so happy. 

These are a couple months old now, but it gives you an idea of our nightly entertainment. You can just barely hear the music coming from that little piano, but she is free stylin' like nobody's business.

 

I love that she changes the beat twice and adjusts accordingly, ha. 

Can't wait to see our girls on stage this weekend! Go get 'em, Pee Wees!

AND can't wait to hear that we are making progress on the China side. Deep breaths. Prayers, dandelions, lucky pennies all appreciated!!

(The last) Cupcake Tuesday!

It's true. Today is the last one! Maybe it's the impending swimsuit season or just the Spring-ier weather, less winter blues that require a cupcake cure, but "sales" have slowed.  I still have some custom orders to fulfill and may be able to take more, time permitting.  Cupcake Tuesday has run it's course, and we have been so, so grateful for your sweet tooth! I mean... support!

I figure with today being cold and drizzly, it's the perfect day for one last indulgence!
And it's a sweet one, for sure!!

Today's cupcakes are CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH

It's a yellow cake base filled with cookie dough baked in. Topped with brown sugar buttercream icing, which is over-the-top sugary. Mini chocolate chips and a tiny little cookie to boot. RICH and worth every calorie.

$10 for a box of four cupcakes. I can meet or deliver locally beginning after lunch. I made need a Cupcake Fairy today if they are needed later in the day, as we have an extra appointment this afternoon. 

If you haven't heard, we are just $4,700 away from being fully funded! As a reminder: Chinese takeout boxes are being collected if you got yours filled... or if you didn't! Every penny helps. Really. I'll be announcing the photo fundraiser tomorrow and I started sending virtual invites for the Usborne party (still have more to add... ran out of time). Mark your calendars for May 4 for that! (And back it up or write it down somewhere on the off chance that someone steals your phone! ARGGGG). 

It's been a successful two months of cupcaking! Thank you all so much! 

April Column

For those of you that aren't local or don't get The Connection, here is my column for April.

"COLORING OUTSIDE THE LINES: Let It Go

Recently, I was in the Disney store with my girls trying to spend the last of the birthday cash they had burning holes in their pockets. Like 90% of the rest of the customers, they were sucked into the ‘Frozen’ section like an icy, snow-covered vacuum gave them no choice. While browsing, a pre-teen announced to the younger girl standing next to her that “Elsa and Anna can’t be real sisters, they don’t even look alike.”

My girls are almost three years apart. My oldest has dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, little round cheeks, and fair skin. Her younger sister standing next to her is tall and lanky, has nearly-black hair, big dark eyes, and dark skin. In short, they look nothing alike. Yet, they are very REAL sisters.

I wasn’t sure they had heard or that they wanted to break the ‘Frozen’ trance long enough to educate the stranger standing next to them. Within half a heartbeat they both turned and gave me “the look”. I guess they weren’t up for (another) teaching moment so we … let it go. I asked them about it later so they had a chance to share their thoughts out loud.  My young daughter explained simply that her sister doesn’t look like her, because she’s adopted, but that they ARE sisters. Real ones.  She so briefly and lovingly stated that being a family has nothing to do with matching each other.  I couldn’t –and didn’t try to- hide the pride that crept in as my smile grew on my face. I looked sweetly at her sister in anticipation. She raised that eyebrow, tilted her head and said, “Besides, we think sisters who look alike are weird.”

No, our family doesn’t match and yes, we’ve heard it all. Are they all yours? (Yes.) Do they have the same dad? (Nope- four dads, actually. That one’s always fun). Are you the babysitter? (If I am, I need a raise.)  I’m always still surprised that anyone finds our outward differences worth noticing or that anything about the way we look would or would not determine the definitive “family” label. It seems to me that it’s more common for families to be a blend of colors rather than not (though we don’t, generally, think it’s weird if they do happen to match- as my perturbed daughter implied.)

Matching or not matching, we are very much a REAL family. My girls don’t look alike or share even a smidge of DNA. They share a room and a wardrobe, they share secrets and wishes.  They share milkshakes and bicycles, hair bows, and taste in music. They are sisters. Real ones. "

D to tha C! FINALLY!

DTC!!!

It's been a torturous month-long delay, but finally OUR DOSSIER IS EN ROUTE TO CHINA!!
(Here's a reminder of all the acronyms I will probably be mindlessly spouting in the coming weeks.)

Moving on and moving up. And God-willing, moving quickly. 

There are several "small" steps that occur next-  but the end result is our LOA: Letter of Approval. I know I've said it ten thousand times, but we NEED to be expedited. Between the Thalassemia and the splenectomy, his immune system is severely compromised. Our agency seems pretty confident that they can get it pushed through, but there is just no way to know. One Thal family just got approved after ten days!! And one just got approved after 130. Ugh. So unpredictable. And stressful. This is the hardest wait of this process.

We are choosing to believe that we will be traveling sooner rather than later and are preparing for such! 

His care package is ready to go in the mail and should arrive just in time for his birthday!

We included:

• A Mary Meyer marshmallow horse (Year of the Horse in Chinese culture + he's moving to Nashville!). Softest little thing ever.
• A (free!) photobook of our family. I LOVE it. I hope he gets to see it, if not, we will look at it together when we get there!
• A disposable camera and jump drive, in hopes that his foster parents will take pics of him to send home with us.
• A notebook for them, with a note asking them to write stories/memories for him to keep.
• A thank you gift for them as well.
• Candy!

I hope it gets there okay! Nervous...

More good news: Our agency fees are PAID IN FULL!

Everything that's left and then orphanage donation will be paid in country (not counting flights).

As of this morning, we only need $5,200 to be fully funded!! $5,200!! We are in the home stretch!

CURRENT FUNDRAISERS:

Obviously, you need to buy some gluten-free cupcakes today. Just do it. You know you want them.
{ETA: Only one box left!}

Our friends Danielle, Laura, and Jen got together and surprised us with a fundraiser! They are handing out Chinese takeout boxes to be filled with your spare change/dollars/whathaveyous. If you need one, let us know and we'll get it to you!

A sweet family friend at Edwards Photography Studios is doing an April special to benefit us! Such beautiful newborn photography! $100 of each newborn session BOOKED in April goes toward our adoption. Would make a great gift as well :)

I am just about to send out the information for my very first ever Usborne Books party! Pretty excited about that. And then soon (finally) ... it's time for yo pictures.

One BIG step closer to #RJZ!! 

We are headed toward the finish line...

CUPCAKE TUESDAY

It's safe to say the PB&J cupcakes were a big fat flop, but it's my first since I started this two months ago! I have literally sold every cupcake I've made until then. Not too shabby.
I know for a fact at least one person was a big fan.

We were in the kitchen when someone called from downstairs for TP. By the time I ran it down and came back up, she had pulled them off the counter! She's been quite the sneaky little bug lately! It took three years for her to get going, but you'd be hard-pressed to stop her at this point!  Love seeing her on the move, love seeing her determined to accomplish something, love seeing our last toddler do toddler-y things.

*************************************************
Today you gluten-less eaters get your treats!

After several requests, I finally dove into GF cupcakes. Two flavors, but I kept them simple. Fancy and gluten free was a bit intimidating for my first time out!

Gluten-free Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

and Gluten-free Chocolate Cake with Coffee Icing

I had one last night- not bad!
They were quite a bit more expensive to make, so they will be $12 for a box of four. As a friend said: Don't think of it as paying for cupcakes, think of it as making a donation toward our adoption and getting a box of cupcakes as a 'thank you'!

As usual, I can begin meet-ups and delivers after noon. No more flops, mmk? :)

My American Girls.

We had quick trip to GA to celebrate Layla's double digit birthday!

Here's why it was awesome and how/why we did it on a strict budget in the middle of an adoption...

The why is easy. Layla turned 10 and birthdays should be celebrated!
Ya'll know we love to do our birthday parties and "we" like to put as much thought & detail and as little dollars into them as we can. Since it was a big birthday, we thought maybe she should do something extra special. She spent several months thinking about it before deciding on a trip to Atlanta for American Girl. American Girl isn't usually even on our radar, though they have both been gifted dolls for Christmas pasts. Just made it that much more fun to discover their options!

While it's true that a lot of the AG items can be pricey, I was determined to find a way to make her feel special and celebrated without breaking the bank.

Luckily, all three of us just had birthdays within two months of each other... which meant we all had birthday money. I had put mine away to cover hotel and food.  {Side note: We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Alpharetta for $57/night (1 night). This was the second time in 4 months that I have traveled alone with my children and stayed in one of their hotels. BOTH were very nice, very clean, with exceptional staff. I made sure to send a letter saying as much, and if you need somewhere to stay- they get my vote.}  

Knowing that their birthday money would only stretch so far, I wanted to add some inexpensive options throughout the weekend to make the feeling last! Brynnie loved helping plan surprises for her big sister!
Fancy, girly fingernails to start, teeny-tiny scrapbooks for their "dolls" to document their weekend adventure, and doll sized party plates, placemats, and cups.

{Side note #2- note the space. We also bought a new-to-us vehicle last week. After being stranded in various places several times in the last few weeks, we are grateful to have something reliable- even if the timing is not great. Also, it's a minivan. And also, the same day the doc said I needed glasses to drive and glasses at night. Next up: diabetic socks.}

We arrived just minutes before our reservations at the American Girl Bistro!
Neither Layla nor Kaya bothered to brush their hair, but that's okay- it's their big weekend.

Our meal was $15 per person and WORTH EVERY PENNY.
The dolls each had their own seat (and if you don't have a doll, you can borrow one of theirs), their own cup & saucer, cloth napkins with hairbows you get to keep. Everyone gets an appetizer, entree, and drink with details like flower-shaped fruit and star-shaped cheese, and even more keepsakes. The food was good and the service impeccable. They made my girl feel like a star a 'la Disney princess style. Look at these classy little ladies!

And then look at them being themselves.

Love real smiles.


Time to shop!
They browsed every item, before carefully making selections! They did a great job of choosing things they couldn't get anywhere else and even had money to spare (which was promptly spent at the Disney store and Lego store).

We spent the next three hours just playing in our hotel room! No TV, no phones, no iPad... just playing like little girls do.

We opted to just grab a snack at the hotel for dinner since we had such a big lunch. This is where things briefly went terribly wrong. The long day caught up with the little one and she'd had enough. Let's just say, she was not herself. I blew my food budget and paid $6.50 for a Blue Moon, before getting her back to the room in the bath to regulate. And then we all finished the evening calm, cool, and collected :)

I thought we would start back and stop in Chattanooga for a little more fun the next day, but LP picked Cheesecake Factory (just like her mama!). We had a nice brunch before heading home!

With no invitations, no decorations, no food, no party... we actually ended up spending less than we would have for a birthday party. But I don't care.  I so enjoy these two girls and every second that we get to spend together. I know I gotta do the parenting thing right now, but someday it will be acceptable to call them my best friends. Looking forward to it.