It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

Only 5 more days until Christmas! Whose kids are super ready and already on overload--raise your hand!?  Mine---me, me, me!!   I'm hoping for colder weather.  We're in the south, so warm Christmases are not uncommon. We're trying to keep the days leading up to Christmas fairly predictable for our boys.  My youngest has a lot of sensory "issues", so he's easily overwhelmed with all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays.   What do you do to keep your family's sanity in check?

Have you liked us on Facebook yet?  No? Well, go ahead.  We'll start back up after January with a family of the week.  Can you go ahead and plan on giving a dollar every week this year? That would be $52.  It's doable. (we have other pages, too, if you're really feeling generous!)

I hope you're enjoying the holidays.....time with loved ones, shopping, baking.  Whatever it is that you love!

Christmas Joy

What's your favorite Christmas song?  I have several.....O Holy Night, Silent Night, my kids' version of Jingle Bells.  I love Christmas music and looking at lights, hot chocolate, counting down until Christmas.

Silent night, holy night!
Wondrous star, lend thy light!
With the angels let us sing
Alleluia to our King!
Christ the Saviour is here,
Jesus the Saviour is here!

The holidays are a wonderful time to be reflective, to enjoy each other, to take time to focus on the important things, enjoy family traditions and make new ones.
Remember those who are hurting. Take a minute to send a note or make a phone call. Let's show love to each other during the holidays. Have you heard of More Love Letters? It may become a new tradition for you! Especially for those of you who love to write.

blessings-

Tonya

Holiday Joy

Hey friends, old and new.....I hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season.  We are celebrating Advent at our house.  Along those lines, I am "unplugging" a bit from the internet during the holiday season. It can be a bit consuming, you know! The holidays should be about celebrating Jesus, loving our family and friends.

We will not have a new family until after the new year.  Thank you for loving our families so well.  If you want to donate to a great cause, please visit the charity:water page.  Consider supporting this organization.  Clean water is life saving. 
Enjoy your family during this Christmas season. Eat lots of cookies, too! 

Have a great week, everyone!

Christmas Fun

Hi there! Congrats to Sonia Martin for winning the bracelet! And thanks, Katie, for the giveaway!!

How many of you are ready for Christmas? What are the traditions that you love? That you used to love but now you're over and don't love anymore?  We are celebrating Advent this year. My boys love it. We're using these...super easy and not too cutesy--remember, I have boys. You can download it  and find out more about its creator here.     I truly love the tiny clothespins that we're using.  You can still start even though it's a few days into December.  We won't tell anyone.               

I saw something pretty cool on Beth's blog, Artistic Domestic about the Elf on the Shelf.  A lot of people love it and a lot of people don't.   Well, here's another option for you.  It's The Christmas Angel!! It comes with a book centered around the birth of Jesus and encourages acts of kindness.
  Of course, we all like different things, so when I saw this.....I thought of YOU!

This pic is of Beth's angel...click over here and read what she wrote. My favorite part of her CON list was that the angel had dreads:)

Anyway, to each his own and I hope some of you love the angel! I think she's a cutie...dreadlocks and all!

Donated to the Haus family yet?

So far you've given $119 to the Haus family.

New Week-Haus Fam!

Time to meet our family of the week! Meet the HAUS family!  Shannon and Jill are Mom and Dad. (This family used one of my favorite songs in their video.)  I know you'll love it, too! So watch, donate and share! The Haus family has 2 beautiful girls already and are adding 2 sons to their family.  Their boys are currently in foster care in China and hopefully, will come home next Spring.  Are you ready to show them some love?

Welcome the Haus family to Give1Save1 ASIA!


love, Tonya:)

Give Away

Like this bracelet? It's the giveaway!

Hello! Having a good week?? Have you decorated for Christmas? I have not.  I don't really know when that will happen.  I'm hoping one of your elves on the shelves will show up at my house and work his magic.

Check out our domestic page....Give1Save1 Domestic.  They have a blog link up for fundraising, auctions, etc.  Pretty cool!  There are other families to support on the Africa and Carribean pages, too.

The DONATE button is working fine now if you're wondering. See it over there on the left?

The Kreps family should be coming home soon with their newest addition. You're a part of their journey.  Have you commented on Katie's blog for her giveaway?  (or on here or  Facebook??)
  
 Most organizations offering grants will not give them to families once they travel.  We feel blessed to allow you to donate through their whole adoption journey.  You are helping pay for some of the expenses on their trip--food/taxis/hotels/airline tickets, etc.  (all donations go straight to our families) Also, the Kreps' little boy, Darren Xiangzi, will need surgery for his heart condition when he comes back home.

 Please know that your gift is valuable and much appreciated. 

Have you donated to charity:water yet? They build wells in underdeveloped nations.  Clean water is a big deal.

Do you have a charity or project close to your heart? If it fits with our giving theme, let me know about it! You're a generous bunch!

Great Benevolence

Good morning, friends........today we'll hear from Katie, a past mom of the week.  Read her sweet words about her friend, Sandy Kreps.

Great Benevolence

This is a story of the greatness of our God. It’s a story of mercy unending and grace beyond expectations.

Once upon a time there was a little boy whose momma loved him more than she could ever have imagined. She didn’t expect to feel so fiercely protective from that first glance. She didn’t expect that her dreams would suddenly fade into the background as dreams for this new life took their place. The world took on new colors and love beyond her imagination grew in her heart.

The world stood still while the this sweet momma heard the doctors telling her that her baby, the one she had dreamed of for so long wasn’t perfect. He was her dream come true and they were telling her about a nightmare. He was everything to her. Her heart and her mind warred against the injustice. She couldn’t keep her sweet boy. The world told her she wasn’t allowed to watch those dreams for him come true. So, she wrapped him warmly, kissed his sweet face and left him with a note that shared her greatest hope for her boy. “I hope someone kind will help him.”

On the other side of the world a mother’s heart was being refined. She was loving on her babies and God was stretching her beyond what she thought she was capable. In God’s grace He gave her a beautiful, sweet baby for her family to love and to cherish. And in the darkest hours of the night ,in His incomprehensible mercy, He took the baby away.

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.  (Job 1:21)

And our great God wept for the brokenness in the world. Angels surrounded a baby boy in China and protected him. They sang over him. God answers the prayers of the brokenhearted. He spoke of hope into a mother’s broken heart. He whispered dreams in the darkness of a sweet boy.  He found someone “kind.”

The boy’s name is Darren Xiangzi . Right now he is being grafted into a new family and learning to love his new momma. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

The cost of adoption is nothing in the hands of our Great God. He is moving in hearts around the world to bring His orphans into homes. What an awesome, incredible privilege to be given a chance to be a part of His mission. I stand in awe that He would allow us to walk with Him on this road.  Please donate to this precious family and their newest son. What a journey! 

The angels are singing again tonight, my friends. Hallelujahs are surrounding His throne.

Blessed be the name of the Lord. Sometimes in the darkest hours our kind God giveth again. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Giving Tuesday-A Project For You

It's Giving Tuesday!! Much better than black Friday and cyber Monday, don't you think??

Take a look at charity:water.  charity:water is a non profit dedicated to bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

Their goal is to provide people with clean water.  Pretty basic, right? Since you can't live without water, it's a big deal.

Here is an opportunity to give money toward building wells in Ethiopia.  I have a campaign to raise $1000 for clean water.  This is your chance to help. GIVE what you can to this project and help save lives. Dramatic? Yes.  It is. People die when they drink contaminated water.
Thank you for your giving spirit!!


Remember, click the big donate button for the Kreps family (currently in China meeting their son!!!) The donate button takes you to their blog....same idea, just a different spot to give.  Thank you for being awesome.

New Week- Meet the Kreps Family!!

Hello, friends!  Have you recovered from Thanksgiving yet?? Maybe not everyone eats too much....I don't know.

I'm glad you are visiting our blog. We have a new family to introduce this week, too!  The Kreps family is already in China where they are meeting and bringing home their 3 1/2 year old son! Get to know them.....and get ready to give to this family:)

 Erik and Sandy Kreps'  little boy, Darren, has a very serious heart condition that sped up his adoption process.  The Kreps did not have a lot of time to fundraise.  Please donate HERE and support this family.   Share this page on your own Facebook, too! This little boy is in for a treat when he gets home to his family full of children-- he will make them a family of 9!  You'll hear more from a friend of their family this week.  Katie Hurst, a previous mom on Give1Save1 Asia will be guest posting about her friends, the Kreps!

Will you donate on the Kreps' family blog while we work out the kinks on our big donate button? Pretty please? I knew you would! Read more about them there, too. 

Have a great week!

Ready for Turkey? (and pie, and dressing...)

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?? I am! I only have to bring side dishes, so I have it easy. What about you? Have you already started cooking or do you get to just show up and eat?  My kids are excited for their break and getting to see family. We'll hit the road tomorrow.  Do you go out of town for Thanksgiving or stay home? Serve at a shelter? Go to dinner with friends? Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy it.

The Penland family will be in CHINA for Thanksgiving, picking up their 2 children! That will be a great Thanksgiving memory. Thank you for giving to them.  They'll be on our blog all week, so pass it along! Share away.  (Watch their VIDEO if you haven't already!) Hit the big donate button if you haven't yet. Many thanks. If you haven't liked us on  Facebook  yet, go ahead! And feel free to post on that page, too. We're all family here:)

Enjoy your time with family and friends!

New Week--The Penland Family!!

Hey, you!! Thanks for stopping by our blog!  Do you know what to do? You give a dollar (or 2, or whatever you want to give) and then you share this on your own Facebook, Twitter, blog, email, smoke signals....however you desire!! The more sharing, the better. See the big DONATE button over there? Use that.
Guess who's already in China?!  The PENLAND family!!  Chip and Traci.  They are our family of the week and left a few days ago, traveling to China to pick up their 2 children, a daughter and a son.  Take a few minutes to watch their VIDEO...you haven't seen one like this!

Both of their children in China are deaf.  The Penlands are fluent in sign language, so now, these children will learn to communicate, too.  I love it!  Learn more about this sweet family on their blog....LikePenAnd

Go ahead and get your donations ready.  Let's bless this new family of 5! 

National Adoption Day!

Happy day, folks! The Jackson family, who are adopting 2 beautiful children from China, will be on our blog through tomorrow night.  You can donate through Sunday to their family.  (there's a big donate button on the side!) We will switch families Sunday evening. It's busy, busy around here!! And I love it!
Want to know more about orphan care, but aren't adopting yourself? Focus on The Family has a lot of information for you. See how you can get involved in James 1:27...

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Take a look at their adoption and orphan care initiative. 

Check back tomorrow for our new family! 

Holiday Fun

It's Thursday--this week is flying by! Have you donated to the Jacksons? Well, thank you very much!
Starbucks has their holiday drinks on sale, BOGO,  from 2-5 for a few days.  Just thought you should know. Oh, and if you want to get some Cranberry Bliss Bars for me, go ahead. They'll ship just fine!

(In case you forgot who you were donating for!)

The holidays are coming soon and I was wondering.... what are your favorite holiday traditions with your children?  We love opening 1 gift on Christmas eve, making a gingerbread house and (usually) having an advent calendar.  And I love looking at Christmas lights. What about those with children from other cultures--do you incorporate their holiday celebrations into your own? Do you celebrate them seperately? What do you do?? I'll need to know this info next year, so leave comments, folks!  Don't be scared. 

If you haven't donated, you may do so now. Also, be sure and visit our other pages by clicking "back to the map".  There are lots of posts happening these days!

Tuesday Shout Out

Hey! Thank you for supporting the Jacksons this week.  If you haven't had a chance to visit their blog, do it now! (Mercy For The Fatherless)  I think you'll enjoy reading about their family and the journey they're on right now.  Did you know they're bringing home 2 sweet children? Yep. They are. They have a fundraising goal in mind, so check it out and see how you can be involved.
If you haven't donated yet, click the big "donate" button on the left.  Share their story today, too, whle you're at it!  See the little share buttons below? You can Facebook it, tweet it, or whatever you want to do. 

Have you checked out the other Give1Save1 pages?? There are other families on the blog this week, too!
Thank you for sharing your dollars.

See this beautiful little girl?  She's waiting for her family.  Read about her on Holt's blog.  I love her big pink bow!

New Week--Meet the Jacksons!

Hi there!~Time to introduce our family of the week.  Meet the Jackson family from Tennessee.  They are Randy and Kathy and are adopting 2 beautiful little girls from China. Even though we don't have a video this week, we think you'll really enjoy getting to know them.
Here is a picture of their sweet girls waiting in China.

 Aren't they beautiful??

  Both are medically fragile and need to come home.  

The Jacksons are not strangers to adoption or raising children.  They already have 4 children and 3 grandchildren in their family!  Sounds like fun!    Visit their blog (Mercy for the Fatherless) to learn more about their journey.
Please give your dollars and share their story!  The Jacksons are traveling very soon to China to bring their daughters home and appreciate your generosity!

Happy (almost) Monday, everyone and have a fantastic week!

Thankful Saturday

Happy weekend!! Just a quick note to tell you that we will have a new family of the week for the next 3 weeks, so keep checking in!
Also,  a big "thank you" to everyone who supports our families.  It is so much fun to watch these families be blessed by you.  THANK YOU!!!
My hubby is coming back in town this afternoon, so we're off to a (free!) concert tonight.  After that, it's boy time with the guys! My kids miss their Dad when he's gone, so he has to play catch up for a while:)
Enjoy your weekend, friends!

Lots of Links!

Hello! Since we don't have a family this week, I thought we could look at a few other places to give.

Reece's Rainbow has their Angel Tree going on right now.  The Angel Tree focuses on a number of waiting children in different countries. You can donate to their funds.  That money will go to their families when they find them!

Also, Love Without Borders has a project called Coats for Kids.  It's pretty self explanatory! These children are in China and you know it gets cooollllld there.    You can donate $10 to help provide coats for these precious kiddos.  It's one of their special projects and there are other programs to support on the site, as well.

Don't forget Operation Christmas Child! Fill a shoe box and drop it off.  Find out details at Samaritan's Purse.

Shopping Suggestions:

We are on Zoe Clothing.  Shop, type in "garrick" and support our adoption.  CUTE tee shirts, etc!

Get some very sweet girly accessories at Katie Hurst's etsy shop, Courtly Creations. She has beautiful bows, headbands and tutus!! And even cute little bow ties! We can't leave our boys out, now can we?

Buy a piece of art from Beth Cupitt at ArtisticAdoption on etsy.

Get beautiful blankets, hats and scarves from Lindsay Morris at Lindsay Lou Creations on etsy, too.

Okay, so you have now been given several Christmas gift suggestions! No need to procrastinate any longer!  Have a great weekend and check back next week for our new family!

Tee Shirt?

Hey there, give 1ers!! I hope you're having a fantastic day!

Please pardon my personal plea here.....sooo.....Want a tee shirt?? They're 20 bucks shipped and are going to my own personal adoption fund.
Here's a  pic and sorry, but I couldn't suck in anymore!! (kidding, kidding)

Here I am!! Nice to meet ya!

My 11 year old took this pic and I kept trying to get a good angle;) I wanted to turn to the side but you couldn't see the writing...."everyone is someone".  (the back has a quote by Mother Teresa in an outline of Korea)  Men/women's sizes....the men's have a slightly more "washed look" and are not V necks! The ladies' shirts are roomy and true to size. I'm 5 10 and that's a medium shirt I'm wearing. It's not too tight around the "middle."  Man, things got personal here today.

You can message me or order through my blog if you want one. (order a necklace, too, while you're there!)


Beth's taking orders for her artwork. Time to shop for Christmas!
Order on the Africa page. I love them--mine are on the way!

I'm a bit partial to this one!

Alright, everyone. Keep following along on our blog....we will have a new family next week!

Hello, Monday

Good Monday morning!! How was your weekend?

We do not have a new family this week, but please check out the Give1Save1 AFRICA page.  There you can support Bring Love In.  Nice!! Spread the love, folks! They even have a giveaway happening!

Also, the Give1Save1 Domestic page has a great article about fundraising.  You should read it! We're all in this together, right?

Several people are almost ready to be on our Give1Save1 ASIA page.  Let me know if you would like to be one of those families! tonyagarrick5 at gmail dot com  I would love to hear from you!

It's National Adoption Month.....what does that mean to you?

Thanks for supporting all of our adopting families.  Your giving spirit is amazing!

#NAM12

Happy weekend, friends! You have given the Walkers almost $500 this week! Thanks so much for supporting their family's adoption.   You can continue to give to them through Sunday night.

Ready to do some Christmas shopping? We are on Zoe Clothing.  They have super cute tees and other clothing/accessories.  Our family will receive $15 from each adoption tee and a percentage of all other sales when you type in "garrick" at checkout.

This is a picture of my friend's daughter sporting her Zoe adoption tee! Don't you love it?? (You look great, Micaela!)

You can read about our family's adoption on my personal blog...Peaceloveandcaffeine! (There are a few other fundraisers on there, too!)

Tomorrow is Orphan Sunday.  Let us know what you or your church did to raise awareness.   Use #NAM12 if you tweet about it!  You can share your stories/pictures on our Facebook, too!

National Adoption Month

It's November and you know what that means.....National Adoption Month! And Thanksgiving. And my son's birthday.  It's going to be another busy month for the Garricks.

To help you learn more about adoption options internationally and within the US, check out the links below.

Holt International has programs in several countries. 

Reece's Rainbow advocates for waiting children with various special needs. 

Bethany Christian Services has domestic and international programs.

Learn more about adopting from the US foster care system at Adopt US Kids.

Thank you for supporting adoptive families.   

If you haven't donated to the Walker family, you can do so by clicking the big DONATE button on the left.  

Enjoy the rest of your week....hopefully, you're recovering from the candy overload!

Ready and Waiting

Hey there! For those of you who participate in trick or treating and fall festivals, what costumes are your kids wearing?? My youngest wants to be his brother's shadow. Yes, folks, that is what I said.  My oldest made a "Steve head" from Mine Craft.  Looks like a cheap year for costumes at my house!!


The Walkers are very thankful for your support.  If you haven't donated, go ahead! Click the big donate button to the left. (to the left)  Tell your friends about them, too.  They're ready to bring their little boy home from China.  He has Spina Bifida and all of the money we give them is going into their FIG account through Project Hopeful. (more about that later...)   Just know that it's going towards bringing him HOME!

Want to know more about their family? Visit their blog!

Thanks for visiting and don't eat too much candy tomorrow!!

New Week-Meet The Walker Family!

This week, we're introducing the Walker family.  Adam and Jessica are the parents and they have 3 beautiful children at home.  They are adopting an almost 2 year old little boy from China! Welcome the Walkers to our blog and get to know them a little better.  You can read more about them on their blog, Our Red Thread and watch their video.  (get ready....their kids are toooo cute!)





What a sweet video!!  Don't you love them already? Their family is very excited to bring their son home. Ready to donate?? Okay, here ya go! DONATE HERE!! (or you can use the donate button on the side)

The Walkers appreciate all of your support. Spread their story on your Facebook and Twitter, too! The more, the merrier!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

How You Can Help

Thank you for visiting our page today! If you haven't donated to the Ohler family, go right ahead! Use the big donate button on the side and it will go straight to them. Thanks!!  Have you visited their blog yet? Take a look.  There are some reallllly cute pictures on there!  Remember, the Ohler family also has cookbooks and tees on their blog.  Buy one for a Christmas gift.  (or for yourself!)  Have you shared their story?   Just share this link on your own Facebook or Twitter.  They appreciate the support. 

So, you want to help children who need a home, but you can't adopt? Have you ever thought about hosting a child for the holidays? What does it mean to host?  It means you invite a child into your home for a few weeks. You are able to share love with that child, give them a glimpse into a positive family and share God's love with them.  A lot of these children have never seen how a family should operate.  You could change that.  New Horizons For Children, Inc.  has a hosting program.  You can learn more about the program and find answers to your questions there. 

Congratulations to Katie for winning the tee shirt from our Facebook giveaway! Thanks, Katie--hope you love it!

October's Almost Over? (and some shopping links!)

Stopping by to donate? Thanks!! The Ohlers are super appreciative.  Did I mention they are adopting 2 children from China??  Simply click the big "donate" button on the left. Share their story on your social media pages, too!


Already Christmas shopping? Do you know how many days until Christmas??  I do!!
Here are a few "shopping for a cause"  ideas...

         The Ohlers are selling tee shirts and cookbooks, too!

I have a few fundraisers on my blog, PeaceLoveandCaffeine.  (Did I tell you we're adopting from Korea!?!) We have a few going on right now.  (Zoe Clothing, 31 Gifts, our tees and necklaces)

The GrtlyBlesd Family's blog has some fundraisers, too...take a look!

Katie Hurst (a past family of the week) has an etsy shop and a Facebook page.  She can be found at Courtly Creations. She makes cute bows, tutus, etc. Fun!

You can read an earlier post about shopping, too.  (Noonday, Artistic Adoption, etc!!)  Lindsay wrote about it at the Caribbean page, as well.

Leave us a comment with your fundraisers/etsy shops:)  Did you like my Christmas colors???

Take a minute to visit the Ohler's blog and learn more about this family.  Find them at A Mountain Awaits.  (buy a cookbook or a tee while you're there) Your support means a lot.


Alright ladies and gents, you are now ready to shop, shop, shop!! I hope you're having a wonderful week! You're the best.

Like us on Facebook!

New Week, New Family (Ohler Fam!)

Hey, hey, hey!!  I'm glad you stopped by to meet our new family of the week! They are a fun family adopting not one, but 2 children.  (new here? just give your dollars and share their story on your Twitter, Facebook or blog--super simple)

Read:

Hi, We are the Ohler family. We currently have 6 children at home. Five the old-fashioned way, and one who was grafted in almost two years ago. We started out on our second adoption in faith. Trusting that what God had asked us to do, if we were willing, he would complete. It has been an adventure, and one we wouldn't trade for anything. We are blessed to be adopting two precious children, a little girl who is 3.5 years old and a little boy who just turned 2. They both have a special need of spina bifida. We are getting closer to the end of the process, and we still have many fees to come.  We know that without help, we would never be able to do this, and we are forever thankful to those who support families in adoption.

We hope that you will visit our blog and read a bit about our family, our adoptions, and our hearts. 

We also want to give a special thanks and shout out to this family  http://www.abeautifulroad.com/They are an amazing and talented family also in the process of adopting two children from Ch*na. They wrote and recorded the song from the video and have their own video that inspired us. They were kind enough to allow us to use their song. Especially grateful as we are a lot of things, but not much for singing ;)

Watch:

Now you're ready to donate! Thank you for supporting the Ohlers as they add 2 more sweet kiddos to their already awesome family!!

Do you have an etsy shop or blog link to your fundraisers? Leave me a comment and we'll post them for others to see. Christmas is coming and it's a great time to shop and support each other's adoptions. 

Have a fantastic week:)

Quick Update on Ethan

The latest update from the Tucker family: Ethan should have surgery next week, if all goes according to plan. Then, he should be able to travel 2-3 weeks after that.  That means the Tuckers should be traveling back to China around Thanksgiving to bring him back home.  They've had lots of changes in plans the past several months and spent many hours worrying about their son, while also trying to provide for his medical needs from here.  Would you like to help? Donate to the Tuckers and share their story. Thank you to everyone who has given:)

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Ethan's Update....Getting Involved

Hi friends....I hope you're all having a great week! We had major storms last night, but today is beautiful!

We have an update from the Tuckers about their son, Ethan. You may remember that Ethan was supposed to come home with them a few months back, but was too sick to travel. The Tuckers have had a lot of ups and downs.  Here's their latest update:

We finally got an update today on Ethan.  He made it safely to the hospital in Beijing.  After their evaluation, they have determined Ethan needs his pacemaker surgery BEFORE he can travel.  Half The Sky Foundation is currently working to get this surgery done.  The cost of the surgery is $16,000.  Half the Sky is currently raising funds for his surgery.  ALL of the funds raised from the G1S1Asia blog will be given to HTS in an effort to get his surgery done ASAP.  We needed help before...but we REALLY need help now to get this DONE!

Thanks for rallying behind the Tucker family!! Your generosity is appreciated and as you can see, going straight to fund Ethan's surgery.  You can donate through our big  "donate"  button on the left.  Want to offer them some encouragement? Their blog is Home Full of Girls...you can leave them a comment there.

I saw something cool on Facebook. If you're looking for a project for your family, homeschoolers, small group or anyone else, take a look at the Orphanos Foundation . You can send Christmas cards to children in orphanages around the world. They will provide you with name/age and even some sample greetings in their native language. I like it! Anyone can do it--check out the website for details about where to send them and the date deadline.  This program is called Kards 4 Kids and I think you'll like it, too.   Let me know where you send your cards!

You can also get involved with Samaritan's Purse through Operation Christmas Child.  The process is simple: pick an age, fill a box with goodies (details on website) and drop it off to be sent to a child who may not have much more for Christmas.   Click here to find a drop off location closeby.  (Lots of churches participate.)  You can read about the process and find other ways to get involved, like volunteering and giving.

What are your favorite holiday traditions?  Thanksgiving meal with family and friends? Christmas eve service? Driving around to see the lights?  Baking with your kids? As a little girl, I couldn't wait to see cousins at Thanksgiving and Christmas and to open 1 gift on Christmas eve.  Now my boys love that, too!

See ya soon!

Supporting Each Other

Hey there...have you donated to the Tuckers? Thank you very much!   (you've given $250 so far!)  Not yet?  Well, you're in the right place!  Traveling 2x to China has added unexpected expenses to their family, so your gift is appreciated.   You can follow along on their blog.  Will you share their story on Facebook/Twitter/your blog, too?   I love the support of the adoption community!


Looking for some cool gifts?  It is getting close to Christmas, ya know! Check out Zoe Clothing this week for lots of great tees and other cool stuff.  You will be supporting my family's adoption   if you type in "garrick" when you checkout. ($15 from each adoption tee goes to us!)

Need some art? Beth, from Give1Save1 Africa has her artwork for sale.  You need to look at her work. I've ordered mine!  (Here it is on Facebook--Artistic Adoption...go like it!)

I found some beautiful little girl dresses that support adoption, too. The neat thing is that when you buy one, another dress is donated to a little girl in an orphanage. Take a look at their Facebook page....The Remnant Dress.   Shopping for a cause is awesome!

Like Noonday? Stephanie's blog has a link to some great jewelry!! (and, again, it supports their adoption!)

Thanks so much for stopping by our page. Leave me a comment if you have gift suggestions or want to leave your blog link for others to visit!

New Week-Tuckers to China

I hope you had a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by today.  Are you enjoying the fall weather? I did buy some pumpkins, so I'm feeling very accomplished.

Do you remember the Tucker family? They were our very first Give1Save1 Asia family a few months back. (click here for the original post) Thank you for supporting them during this journey.
The Tuckers traveled to China several weeks ago to bring their little boy home. Things did not go as planned.  Watch their video

and read what Tim and Kristen wrote...

As many of you may remember, we traveled to China to meet our son on August 16, 2012. Just 30 minutes until our “gotcha” moment was to happen we were told Ethan was in an Intensive Care Unit in a hospital in Changzhou. He was not coming. We were told that we should just ask for another child. This was something we were not going to do. He had already been abandoned once in his young life, we were NOT going to abandon him a second time. Ultimately, we were sent home without our son.

The last several weeks have been some of the most trying times we have experienced since we began our life in adoption back in 2005. Our emotions have been beat up and bruised, but we have remained committed to our son.

Through each of our adoptions we’ve learned many things. God has sure been teaching us a lot of lessons during Ethan’s adoption. We wanted to share with you what we feel is the most important lesson we have learned about adoption. Before our church service this morning we would have told you that all our adoption journeys were a mission for God. We now understand that attitude is actually the wrong attitude to have.

When you have an attitude that you are on a mission for God, you might find yourself questioning God (as we did through much of Ethan’s adoption). When things go wrong (as something always does during an adoption) you might find yourself saying, “God why is this happening?” or “We are doing this for you God, why did you let this happen?”

We now believe that we are NOT on a mission FOR God, but we are on a mission WITH God. This is God’s story that He is writing through Ethan and our adoption. We have had more than our fair share of tragedies through this adoption. Many of our family and friends have told us they are praying for a miracle to happen for us. Miracles don’t happen just because you want one. They don’t happen just because your need one. They happen when you’re on a mission WITH God, allowing Him to do His work through you.

We are honored to be walking WITH God on this mission. Ethan’s story is having such an impact on others in so many different ways. On Saturday, Kristen had the chance to talk with a mom that has a little boy adopted from China. He too had heart surgery in China before coming home. Her son had been coming home from school very tired and lethargic. He had many symptoms of an upper respiratory infection. One day she was talking to someone that told her about Ethan’s video we posted from the hospital. As she watched the video, she immediately began to think of her son. The video panned over to the monitors in Ethan’s hospital room. She knew her son was even sicker than Ethan. She felt God telling her to make an appointment with their doctor. They discovered he too was in need of a pacemaker!

He has since had surgery and is now doing so much better. She told Kristen that Ethan saved her son’s life. God’s plan is so much more perfect than ours. Sunday’s message at church seemed to be directly targeted at our hearts. Had our mission FOR God been successful, who knows what impact that could have had in other situations. Our new found mission WITH God will bring even more miracles to even more people.

Want to donate to the Tuckers this week? They are appreciative of all of the support they've been shown so far. They will be traveling back to China next week! Let's show them some love!

Who Won?

Congrats to Vicki for winning the beautiful 31 bag!! Contact me to let me know how to get it to you!

If you haven't donated yet, there's still time!  You can still donate through the weekend to the Campbell Family:)  (just click that big donate button to the left!)  If you missed their video, watch it here.    Thanks for donating to them and sharing on FB!  So far, you've paid for a hotel night and a meal or 2.

Here's one more pic for ya...

Isn't she precious??

Beautiful Girl

Donate or share and comment
for your chance to win me!!

Here are some very sweet pictures of Miss Maya Grace.....the newest Campbell family member!

Looking at pics of her family!!!

Just being beautiful:)

Mama and Daddy are ready to meet her today, but have a few more weeks.  DONATE today (big button to the left!)  to help them out, then comment and share their story for a chance to win the 31 bag! It's a win-win!

Thanks for helping us break $100.....we're climbing towards $200  thanks to your generosity!