Fundraising, Auctions and Yard Sales

We have started raising the funds that we need for our up coming adoption through running a candy bar and Home Interiors fund raiser. I gave some friends and family the fliers to help us fundraise and to my surprise we raised the initial money we needed to start the ball rolling with the adoption agency....which was the application fee.



I had approached my boss at work to see if I could add an extra day or two to my work schedule to bank that money for the adoption, however, it was a no go since the company was going into their slow season. I really didn't want to lose those 2 days anyway with Andrew. I really enjoy our time together and feel it's important to be home with him anyway, therefore, I wasn't too disappointed that my boss turn me down for adding extra days. I know that God will bring the money forth one way or another for this adoption and I already had some other ideas to go with.



Robert and I discussed it and decided that we could go to auctions, purchase items for minimal cost and resell it to raise the money. Robert found an ad in the paper for a storage unit auction and to my surprise it was being held on one of my days off and right down the street from our house. A couple of days ago Andrew and I went to the storage unit auction and ended up purchasing one unit that was full of what it looked like file boxes (about 30 of them) older office furniture. Nobody seemed to want this unit and I almost walked away from it myself (thinking that Robert was going to flip when he saw how jammed packed the furniture was thrown into the unit), but ended up purchasing the whole unit for $20.00. Let me just tell you that to our surprise that was a very profitable $20.00.



We found computers, printers,and a multiple amount of copper, brass, and steel pipe fittings in the until which we sold to a metal dealer. We sold all of the office furniture last weekend at our first Yard Sale as well as we sold the rest of the plumbing supplies, motors etc (since the unit was formerly owned by a previous Plumbing and Heating company). Robert and I were floored that in just a couple of days we came up with all of the money we needed for our Home Study Report just from a couple of days work. Praise God for multiplication and supplying our needs for the adoption. God is so Good! Hallelujah! Needless to say that I'm sure will be the first of many auctions to come.

Andrew the Elephant at Preschool Circus Play

Andrew and the rest of his class were assigned to be elephants in the school Circus Play. The parents had to supply the costume for this play. I figured since the school sent out a memo that the parents had to supply a simple costume I did just that. I had Andrew wear his gray sweatsuit and attached elephant ears I made out of felt to the hood of his sweat jacket and made a tail as well and attached it to the back of his pants. I purchased a soft plastic elephant nose for him to wear which he loved but he ended up wearing it around his mouth instead of is nose.





Robert and I were anxious to see the show and ended up sitting in the second row since we arrived early. The elephants were first to perform and were led out to the circus ring by their teacher. They had to walk around the circus ring one behind the other. Andrew looked so cute and was a little timid and followed the other children just as he practiced. When Andrew spotted Robert and I sitting in the audience taking pictures he busted out into crying. I wasn't sure if he was crying because he might have had an accident (since he was recently toilet trained and might have been nervous) or what. He kept following the other kids walking in the circle as he was crying and then the director of the school brought Andrew to us to calm him down. Andrew immediately wanted to sit on our laps and and was content watching the rest of the show from our laps. In a way it was odd to see him crying and doing what he was supposed to do instead of what he really wanted to do which was to sit with his Mommy and Daddy. I thought about it after the show and am surprised that he didn't just run over to us if that is what he wanted.


All in all it was a very cute and entertaining show. The strongman was hillarious how he had a built in muscles that was a costume he wore. He had his shades on and hammed it up a bunch.

Jonah & the Whale

Recently when teaching Andrew's Sunday School class at church one Sunday, I was surprised at how much Andrew was listening and paying attention to the lesson on the story of Jonah and the Whale. The next few days when we were traveling in the car he would recite how Jonah was in the belly of the whale because he didn't listen to God and go to Ninevah to tell the people there to be good. I proceded to explain to him that God put Jonah in "Time Out" since he didn't listen and do what God asked him to do. I then explained to him, "just like when Mommy has to put Andrew in Time Out for not listening, God had to put Jonah in "Time out" in the belly of the whale for not listening until Jonah promised God to do what God asked him to do and tell the people in Ninevah to stop being bad and start being good and to tell all the people about God and His goodness."



I asked Andrew how long Jonah was in the belly of the whale and he said for 3 days and 3 nights. I was amazed at how intently he must have listened to the lesson since other Sundays when I would teach his class all he wanted to do was play and not pay attention.



He was fascinated with the story of Jonah & the Whale and Andrew would periodically ask questions and talk to me about Jonah for the next couple of weeks.