Third Fundraiser Announcement

We're well on our way through the second fundraiser, so I think it's time to announce fundraiser number three!

A Garage Sale!



And I'll bet you can just guess how you can help us with this one... Yup. If you are interested in getting rid of any of your old stuff (note: not crap/junk/trash) and are looking for a way to get rid of it, look no further, (unless you don't live near me, then you may need to look for a Goodwill or something!)

As of right now, we are planning on hosting this garage sale from August 15th (Friday) through the 16th (Saturday). This means that we would like to collect all your donations for the garage sale by Sunday the 10th of August if possible, in order to prep everything well.

We'll gladly take any of the following items if you have them, are willing to part with them and they are in good condition:

• Clothes
• Baby
• Child
• Adult
• Accesories
• Jewelery
• Hats
• Ties
• Scarves
• Etc.
• Electronics (In working condition)
• TVs
• Computers/Laptops/Tablets
• Cell Phones
• Radios/Clocks
• Chords
• Kitchen Equiptment
• Etc.
• Furniture (If anything large, please double check with me beforehand)
• Chairs
• Tables
• Desks
• Lamps
• Ottomans
• Etc.
• Decor
• Vases
• Centerpieces
• Artwork
• Baskets
• Etc.
• Toys
• Dolls
• Action figures
• Stuffed Animals
• Games (board games, lawn games, etc.)
• Balls
• Sports equiptment
• Etc.
• Kitchen Goods
• Utinsels
• Measuring cups/spoons
• Glassware
• Flatware
• Servingware
• Etc.
• Pet stuff
• Collars/leashes
• Beds
• Crates
• Training equiptment
• Etc.
• Books
• CDs/DVDs/Blu Rays
• Dorm stuff/Back-to-school gear

You get the idea.

Anyway, please connect with me on Facebook or via email at cormicanadoption@gmail.com if you are interested in donating! We're in the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities, so if you are close and have donations, we'll make it work!

Thank you for all your support! You donate it, we'll sell it for adoption funds!

Looking forward to a great fundraising weekend and connecting with you about your donations!

Sound familiar to anyone?

Do you need engagement photos done? Do you have a new baby on the way? Do you need a more personal gift for that loved one? Or do you just want nice-looking family Christmas card photos this year?

If any of these, (or any from the bulleted list below) resonate with you, read on!

A couple weeks ago we announced our second fundraiser: Celebrate Family - with Christie Rachelle Photography! This is your chance!

Between now and Labor Day, if you donate $125 or more directly to the Cormican adoption fundraising campaign, you will receive a full family portrait session at NO CHARGE! This includes a 90-minute session on location (Twin Cities area), a disc of high-res images and a print release! The only requirement? The session must include more than one (1) person.

So what photos do you need taken?

• Anniversary
• Engagement/Couple photos
• Birthdays
• Graduations
• Family reunions
• Newborn + family
• Christmas card photos
• Homecoming
• Showers/Parties
• Modeling/For fun
• And anything I forgot to mention that can be done for one or more people!

Don't forget, that with the disc of high-resolution images, you can make gifts for parents, kids, spouses, siblings, etc. - like photo canvases, blankets, mugs, mouse pads, puzzles, posters and more! These all make great presents for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas too!

Think and plan ahead, and donate today! Your photo shoot is good for one year after you donate, so even if you are planning a photo shoot for a later date, Christie Rachelle has you covered!

See the original 'Second Fundraiser Announcement' blog post for how to donate.

Thank you for your support of our family - now, enjoy a photo shoot with yours!

Want to know much has been donated?

If you are wondering why that little ticker with our donation amounts hasn't changed much over the course of our last two fundraisers, here's why:

Pure Charity, (the website/organization our fundraiser is hosted through), is fantastic; however, there is one small thing they can't do, and that is show donations that don't go through them. Many of the bracelets from the first fundraiser were paid for in cash, via check or through Pay Pal and has gone directly into our adoption account, which is precisely why the amount never seems to grow much on that little donation ticker.

Want to know how we're really doing? Take a look at the Updates on our Pure Charity fundraising page to see see how much you all have actually donated toward providing a forever family to an orphaned child.

You can also get these updates sent to you by doing one (or more) of the following:

• Click the 'Follow' button on our Pure Charity page
• Type your email into the 'Follow by Email' space in the upper right hand corner of this blog and click the 'Submit' button
• Click the 'G+' button and add me to one of your Circles

Take a look and see how much you and the rest of our amazing community have helped us raise on the Pure Charity site, follow us in some way to gt updates, and keep sharing our Pure Charity page, blog posts, and fundraising efforts! We couldn't do this without you!

Meeting Grace Halfway

Early on in the process of adopting I realized that there was one thing that Tony and I did not have in order to complete the adoption. Yes, we have the desire to love and care for a child, we have the space for them in our home, we have food in our fridge and cupboards, we have child care lined up and we have all the other important things ready for baby when he or she comes home. Sure, we also have passed our background checks, been fingerprinted, done tons of paperwork and will be able to complete all the rest as we go. There's just one thing that we will fail to do on our own...

to provide all the funds needed
to complete this adoption 
by the time we leave for Uganda.

But from the start I also kept hearing that Voice I know so well repeating a promise that I have continued to doubt, saying...

"I'll meet you halfway."

Last week I was reminded of this promise yet again when we found out that we needed more work done on our home study -  a good chunk of work that would cost a pretty penny, (or technically, a few hundred-thousand pretty pennies)...

I was devastated.

For those of you who don't know, we've been in the process of switching agencies for a few months now; the process has been more difficult than I care to describe, and there have been many breakdowns because of this. Now, after we finally thought we were just about to get past it, we found ourselves in one more bind that would cost more than we planned...

folks, adoption is not cheap to begin with.

And here we were with even more to come up with financially. It's not to say adoption isn't worth it -I'd pay any amount to bring home our child- and we knew the choice to switch agencies was right. God in His goodness planned this adoption, and I knew that, but I was having trouble seeing past this new bill to pay and weary having to take this uncharted, next step to the process...

"But He said to me, 'My grace is

all you need. My power works best
in weakness...'" 2 Corinthians 12:9

His grace is enough. The very next day our new agency contacted us to say they would help us front the new, surprise cost...

they said they'd meet us halfway.

Friends, don't ever doubt that when God calls you to do something that He will leave you hanging. Too many times I have done this now, but time and time again God has reminded me of His promise -to get us at least halfway to that (gigantic) amount needed to bring home Baby Cormican- and He's doing it! Through your donations, gifts, our fundraising efforts, and more, God is meeting us halfway...

He meets us exactly where He's promised to meet us.

"...The Lord always keeps his promises; He is
gracious in all he does." Psalm 145:13