YARDSALE FOR ADOPTION --September 6 - 8am-2pm

One week left until the yardsale! Wow! I can't believe that it is almost September! When we set the date for the yardsale, September seemed so far way...and now it is upon us.

So, mark your calendars for Saturday, September 6 from 8am-2pm. I have already been sorting donations....and we have a lot of very cool stuff! Thanks to all who have already donated! If you plan to donate, now is the time! Room 23 at Seaford Baptist Church or directly to Kary Snyder's home, where the yardsale will be held. Larger items can go directly to Kary's. Contact her or email/IM/Text me and I will connect you guys! See the flier below for more details! Oh....and don't forget to come SHOP!

Final Home study Visit (and Virginia's Musings)

So, today is our final home study visit! A few minor things to discuss. A few loose ends to tie. A quick evaluation of our completed profile book. Then that is all for us! Our social worker will write "our story" for her boss to read and approve....then we will be officially "waiting", or ready to be picked! We are soooo close! We think that by mid September we should be all ready.

Crazy to think, but theoretically, we could have a baby by Christmas. While that is highly unlikely...it is not out side the realm of possibilities. Who know how the Lord will work? Each child's adoption story is vastly different. No two stories are alike, well, unless they are twins! =)

I keep thinking about our new addition. How life will change again. How Joshua will be such a great big brother. How we will all fit in our house. How we will decorate a new nursery. Whether the baby is a girl or boy or twins! Will we have midnight hospital runs like we did with Savannah? Or will we have 5 days to get ready to pick him up at the Bethany office? Will there be on-going interaction with a birth family? Or none at all? Then there is the fear-will we have to go through what we went through with Savannah--only to lose her at the last moment? Or will it all be cut and dry like it was with Joshua? I guess over all, the thoughts that I have are pretty normal for those parents who have children biologically. There will always be excitement, anticipation, and fears mixed in upon the arrival of a small human. I am so glad that through it all, God promises that he is right there for us. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God knows "the plans he has for us. Plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Plans to give us a future with hope."

So, those are my morning musings. I am excited! And grateful first of all to the Savior who loves us so much! Secondly, for the hubby God gave me to go through life with. (He is amazing, ya'll!) Thirdly for our boy who brings daily joy and reason to get up. And last, but not least, for our supporters--those of you who are reading this blog, cheering us on, and praying for us. Thank you.

Changes, Changes - A Transition

Ok, Folks. Sad news, but we need to cancel the Vendor Fair. I had no idea that there was such thing as a 3-day Bodacious Bazaar in Hampton that weekend! Now I know why vendors were not “flocking” to set up at my fair. We needed to have 30 vendors to make our event profitable. So, with both of those things in mind, we have decided to forgo this vendor fair. Thank you so much to those of you who decided to jump on board and support us for this event. It means so much to us. If you have already mailed me a check to reserve your booth spot, I will be returning it to you as soon as I get it. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you again for your support and willingness to participate in our event.

However, please don’t cross November 15 off of your calendar entirely. We have another fun idea in progress for that evening. Folks are gonna be hungry after shopping all day, right? (That is all the hint you get! LOL!) Once details are finalized, I will make the grand announcement. Until then……

SAVE THE DATE - Christmas Vendor Fair - Saturday, November 15 10am-2pm - Seaford Baptist Church Gym

SAVE THE DATE - We have venue approval! YAY! So, here are the details for the Christmas vendor fair.

Saturday, November 15 from 10am-2pm in the Seaford Baptist Church Gym!

My goal is at least 30 vendors! Let's see what God will do!

So, here are the details for vendors:
1) Vendor Fair will be held in the Seaford Baptist Church Gym on November 15 from 10 am-2pm. Vendors may arrive at 9am on the day of the fair.

2) $35 dollars in advance to reserve a place.(Remember that this is a fundraiser.)  Please let me know if you need a table. There are a limited number of 6 foot rectangle tables and a lot of large circle tables...First Come, first serve. =) Please contact me, Virginia, to reserve your spot. Because this is a fundraiser, reservation fees are non-refundable.

3) Vendor donates 1 item for a silent auction. If this item is not sold at this event, then it will be retained by Eric and Virginia to be used at a later event's auction. Item may be brought the day of the event.

4) There is no required percentage of sales to be donated to the Adoption fund...but if you feel led to donate a percent...then we will gratefully accept. =) This is not required...just a suggestion. =)

So...there you have it! Email me at spencebaby2@gmail.com with questions or call me/text me/ or see me at church! Thanks in advance!!

So Much Going On!

Hello, Friends! Sorry it has been a bit since I updated the blog--there has just been so much going on!

First, we have completed 2 of the 3 required homestudy visits. When the 3rd one is done, our fabulous social worker will "write our story" for her supervisor to read and approve. Once that is done, we will officially "waiting" for our next child. Let me explain what that means. We are in the process of creating a picture book (called a "profile book") for potential birth mothers/families to look at and "get to know us". Depending on what the birth mom is looking for in a potential family will determine how often our book is shown and to which birth moms/families. With Joshua, his birth mom asked for those profiles with moms who were planning to stay at home. That narrowed the local choices to three...and she chose us because "I (Virginia) looked fun." (Of course I am fun!) Our new profile books will go to the 5 Virginia offices (Virginia Beach, Richmond, Lynchburg, Fredericksburg, and Roanoke). They will also have a book that can be sent to other states, since we are open to trans-state placements as well (which is a whole other topic in itself.) So, it is sort of the luck of the draw. Well, not really luck because Proverbs 16:33 tells us, "The dice is cast into someone's lap, but the outcome is from the Lord." (ISV) We know God is in control of every placement. =)

Secondly, you will notice that the little thermometer on our blog is going up! We are a little over a quarter of the way to reaching our goal! While we have managed to save about $5,000 ourselves, the rest is from special friends like you! Thank you to those who have given already. Thank you to those who have been praying! We are so grateful to have you along with us for the journey.

Thirdly, We have added a PayPal Donation Button to our blog. All donations through this link go directly into the adoption account.

And lastly. We have a few fundraisers- some in progress, some slated to start, and some in the ideas stage. Here are what we have:

~Pampered Chef - Julie Herber and(Hostess) and Desiree Griffith Rose (Distributor) have teamed upt tp raise money to help us with our adoption. You can help too! There are two ways to help. 1) Attend the Dinenrs Done Workshop on August 21 at 6pm. (10 meals made and ready for your freezer in 2 hours). Pantry paclakage costs around $68. To reserve your spot, add the seasons best to the cart (item #1969) as a place holder and then add any other products you would like to order. If you are unable to attend the workshop, but would like to purchase one of the kits or items from the catalog, just follow the link in the next sentence. 2) Place an order on line at http://tiny.cc/dinnersdonefundraiser between now and August 21. Click on the item and then add all the newest products to your card! If you spend $60 or more you get a choice of a FREE GIFT from a select list

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~Adoption Yardsale - Saturday, September 6, 2014 from 8am-2pm. Come to 300 Shirley Road in Seaford to shop! You can donate items for the sale at room 23 at Seaford  Baptist Church.

~Vendor Fair - STILL WAITING VENUE APPROVAL for November 22. The plan is to create a "one stop shop" for you to kick off or complete your Christmas Shopping! As soon as the venue is secured, I will tell you more about this....but tentatively mark your calendars for this date. 

~ 31 Fundraiser - Still working on a date for this one. Maybe September or October...so hold on to those 31 orders you might want to place. We will kick this off with a Drop-in Party at my house. Stay tuned.

~ All For Love Concert - Spring 2015 - details in works.

So that is all for now. I told you it is a lot! Thanks for reading, giving, and praying...and taking this adoption journey with us! We are grateful for you!