Winners!

Thanks to those that came by and read my review of Your Big Story and entered the give-away. Special thanks to Baby Blue Eyes for picking comments number 5 and number 3 as our winning comments.

Deidre, from A Heart to Love

is a fellow adoptive momma from one of

my online groups that I joined when we sent our dossier off to China

These groups have provided invaluable support

and encouragement in the long, long journey to our kiddoes, 

as well as new friends and new readers, too!

She just recently came home with her sweet little girl -

head over there and give her some bloggy love!

and

"Aus," as he's known around here.

He's been the most faithful reader and commenter

of all things "Gang" related.

He found us through a mutual blogging friend

way back when we in China to be united with 

our Li'l Empress and has become

a huge supporter and excels at providing the

"long term perspective" as a dad to several adult children

and now to younger kiddoes added to their family by adoption.

Congratulations!

If you could please send me your mailing address via private email (attached to my profile if you click on the left sidebar where it says "The Gang's Momma"), I'll be happy to mail out the books as soon as possible. Enjoy the time spent reading them to your sweet little ones - I'll be praying that the story unfolds HIS RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF HIS PEOPLE to you all when you read together!

For those who didn't win but would still like a copy of this great little book, please head over to Amazon and  purchase your own copy now. You won't regret it!

Your Big Story

I'm really excited to introduce you to a new children's book written by my friend and brand new author, Andy Liples. In full disclosure, I freely admit to being terribly biased about both this delightful little book AND my friend. 

We've had the pleasure of knowing Andy and his sweet wife, Jess, for about 9 years now. They are solid, intentional, and generous people with servants' hearts. They serve in our local home church and give diligently of their time and talents for the encouragement of everyone who comes across their path. It's been such a joy to watch them grow together in their marriage and to see them parent their two kids as solidly and intentionally as they live the rest of their lives. They are a young couple of very strong and godly character and we feel so blessed and proud to call them friends. I was quite surprised when I heard that Andy had written a book and I could hardly wait to get my hands on it to share it with you all.

Your Big Story, By Andy Liples
is available at Amazon now!

Your Big Story is the story of the whole Bible that simply and eloquently grabs your little one's attention in the opening lines because it makes the child to whom you are reading into the main character of the whole story! How great is that? As I was reading it to Li'l Empress, her eyes would get big and she'd respond with an incredulous, "You mean ME?" every time I read, "you" or "your story." She was really engaged from the start. She especially loved that her little friend Hannah looks so very much like the little girl who pops up in the middle of each story within the story.

The best thing to me about this book is that the clear and simple message of the Gospel rings through each of the familiar Bible stories presented. They flow seamlessly into one another in a "story within a story" format, weaving together the most important themes of The Word:

God made You to be like Him.

God loves You very much and has a big plan for you.

God wants to be in relationship with You.

God gave us Jesus so that relationship with Him is possible.

The unfolding of it all throughout the book puts your child right smack in the middle of the tale. What kid doesn't love that kind of attention? But I noticed while reading that Li'l Empress was also presented with plenty of opportunities to respond along the way. She empathized with the consequences of doing bad things, solemnly informing me that sometimes she "does bad things" (oh, how I had to school my features to calmly respond and affirm that we all make bad choices!). She identified with the anticipation of God preparing the world for our arrival, telling me "just like we are getting ready for Mei Mei."  And when we read about Jesus taking all of the punishment for all of our disobedience, she asked a lot of really thoughtful questions. I loved watching her mental wheels turn as we talked about the choice Jesus made to take all that on Himself simply because He loved us so much. There's nothing so refreshing as a five-year old for boiling down the Gospel message to its most valuable points, is there?

Each portion of the story is well-supported by the adorable illustrations, drawn by Ruth Cottingham. The artwork is bright and colorful and very accessible, even in the difficult parts of the story line (i.e. Jesus' death on the Cross). Each picture brings the story right into your child's lap, and not just literally, reinforcing the title and message of the book. In addition, the appearance of the little girl participating in each vignette of the individual stories helps your little reader make the connection that this story is about her. I found the little companion caterpillar that peeks in on every page to be completely whimsical and utterly delightful. I will leave the unfolding of the caterpillar's own little tale for you to discover for yourself.

Again, I freely admit to being terribly biased about this adorable book. But I have also read a lot of children's Bible stories over the 18+ years that I've been this gang's momma. I can confidently recommend this book to you, here in my little corner of the blogosphere, and tell you that this is a refreshing and sweet new perspective on God's love letter to His children. It's a message that bears repeating. To you AND to the sweet little readers in your house!

God made You to be like Him.

God loves You very much and has a big plan for you.

God wants to be in relationship with You.

God gave us Jesus so that relationship with Him is possible.

*******************************

Andy Liples and his publisher have graciously donated

two signed copies of Your Big Story

for me to share with all of you.

Here's your three opportunities

to win one of them for your little one!

1. A first entry can be earned by leaving a comment here on the blog telling me about your own favorite childhood Bible story book(s). If you can't remember your own favorites, please share with me a book or two that your kids particularly enjoy.
2. Earn a second entry by sharing about my friend's new book and this review on your own blog. Please enter a separate comment back here and include the link to your blog post when you do so.
3. Earn a third entry by sharing this post on your F@cebook timeline or in one of your FB groups and forums. Please enter a separate comment back here and include the link in that comment. (You can do that by clicking on the time stamp of your shared link and copying the url to paste here in your comment.)  
4. Please consider "liking" and then "tagging" Your Big Story's FB page when you do share on your FB wall, so that Andy and Ruth can see how folks are responding to the book. It's certainly not a requirement and does not count as a separate third entry. It's just a nice thing to do and who doesn't love that kind of encouragement? Go. Be an encourager!
5. Comments will only be accepted until midnight on Monday, March 25th. That will give me time to get your mailing address from the two winners and send the packages on their way before The Boss and I head to China. :)

***FYI: Comments are set to blog-owner moderation

(to protect from spammers),

so yours might not appear immediately upon entering.

I will announce the winners on Tuesday or Wednesday, March 26th or 27th. Sorry for the vaguery, but as I mentioned, I'm going to China soon and things are really crazy here. Well, crazier than normal for this Gang anyway! Thanks for understanding :)


***Updated: Comments on this post are now closed. The two winners will be announced on Wednesday morning, March 27th. Thanks for playing!

A Little Tease

This is just to whet your appetite and keep you sharp.... 

I'm very excited about a little give-away

I'm hosting at the end of this week.

Keep your eyes open

and when it is revealed,

PLEASE share it far and wide!

That's all.

Have a nice day.

Sweet Give-Away Winner!!!

Good Morning all!  I'm excited to announce that Nicole from Living Out His Love is our randomly-selected winner of the Sweet Moon Baby book give-away. Her family's favorite adoption book is The Red Thread, by Grace Lin. That is a new title for me and one I'm sure I'll be checking out soon. Thanks, in fact, to everyone who shared their faves. I've got a whole list of recommendations to work with now as I build our family's library.

While I'm at it, if you haven't ever peeked over to my friend Nicole's blog, I highly recommend that you do so. She's a very gifted photographer and each time I visit her site, I'm amazed at the beautiful pictures she shares. She is also an adoptive momma who is home-schooling her three cutie pies, all while actively advocating for orphan care and supporting adoptive families in her network. I think you'll really enjoy cruisin' around her blog a little bit. Like she says, "grab a cup of coffee (or tea or whatever takes you to your happy place)...." and check it all out. For you readers who are local, you will especially want to look at her photography business. Tell her The Gang's Momma sent you to check things out!

Congratulations, Nicole!!!

I know you and your sweet little ones

will enjoy reading this tale together

for many years to come.

Love ya, girl!

*********************************************

If you are interested in purchasing your own copy of Sweet Moon Baby, may I suggest  that you enter Amazon through my friend Robin's Amazon link. (Please click on that link to be taken there directly.) She's a fellow Living Hope momma and is sewing her way fast and furious to a darling little girl named Gabi Grace. Her partnership with Amazon benefits their adoption to this sweetie pie.

If you would like to connect with the author of Sweet Moon Baby and keep up on the success of this charming little book, you can "Like" their F@cebook page. Consider letting the author know what you think of the book once you've purchased it.

Sweet Give-Away!

In celebration of the last day of National Adoption Month, I am thrilled to share this review with you and to offer a sweet little give-away to go with it.

Sweet Moon Baby by Karen Henry Clark is a charming and imaginative tale of adoption. It weaves the fantastical story of a sweet little baby girl's journey to her waiting parents. And it does so in a lovely, captivating way that my girly-girls both instantly connected to when they read it - and read it they do! Even when LadyBug is not available to read the words to her, Li'l Empress pores over the pages and tries to re-tell the story on her own. She does a pretty good job of it, as I listen in on her narrative. While I'm certain that there are more "realistic" stories out there about the journey that both children and parents travel to be united through adoption, I'm equally certain that few are as tender and creative as this one. When I flip through the pages, reading of the rivers and roads the parents traverse to their Sweet Moon Baby, I can clearly identify with the imagery that those words evoke. There is great symbolism as I read of twisting waters and soaring hills. I would imagine, as Li'l Empress grows in the awareness of her own journey to our home, she will also come to see the metaphor this tale carries. As a lover of children's literature, the weaving of that metaphor alone would make me love this book. Books that make me and my children dig and connect beyond the surface of the words on the page are very important to me.

The beauty of the words and the depths of meaning that they carry are only one reason I love this book. As a bit of back-story, it's probably helpful to know that while I love meaningful children's lit, I don't often buy a book unless the art work in the book is just that: ART.  In fact, I have a whole collection of children's books that I have purchased over the years simply because the art within the pages moved me so much. I was first introduced to this book at an adoptive parents seminar last spring. At the intermission, I wandered up and down the product tables and kept coming back to this book. Each time I opened it up, I was delighted by the pictures and the expressions on the faces of each of the characters. I bought it immediately. Truthfully, I bought it before I even read it all the way through.

This book's amazing art work almost makes me want to buy a paperback copy just to be able to take the book apart and frame its pages. Really.

Except that I don't know if I could possibly buy a book just to dismantle it. As I used to tell the boys when they were little and in "destructo" stage: "Books are our friends. You need to treat them with respect. Be gentle with their pages and covers."  I know. I know. That's a little weird. Even for me.

Each page is sprinkled with lovely images that remind me of the children's books that my Grandma had stashed on the veranda for my cousins and I. They have an air of innocence and a sweetness to them that fits perfectly with the gentle rhythm of the story. The baby girl's face, in each of the different parts of her slumbering adventure radiates such peace. The settings are serene but still carry a touch of urgency. The parents are so earnest in their quest. It captures it all. And it does so with great beauty. Patrice Barton is a gifted artist, to have captured it all in the simple and stunning illustrations of this book.

I do really love this story. When the author contacted me and offered to send me a copy for my own library, I was more than happy to tell her that I already owned it. That we already loved it. When I suggested to her that instead I use her offered copy as a give-away in celebration of National Adoption Month, she graciously agreed and I'm so excited to share the beauty of this tale with one of you.

Here's how you can win

your very own signed copy of

Sweet Moon Baby by Karen Henry Clark:

1. A first entry can be earned by leaving a comment here on the blog about your favorite children's adoption book. If you don't yet have a favorite adoption book, please share a favorite childhood book with us instead.
2. Earn a second entry by sharing this post on your own blog. Please enter a separate comment back here and include the link to your blog post when you do so.
3. Earn a third entry by sharing this post on your F@cebook account. Please enter a separate comment back here and include the link in that comment. (Click on the time stamp of your shared link and copy the url to paste here in your comment.)  Please consider "liking" and then "tagging" Sweet Moon Baby's FB page when you do share, so that the author can see how folks are responding to her work. It's certainly not a requirement for this third entry but who doesn't love that kind of encouragement?
4. Comments will only be accepted till midnight on Wednesday, December 7th. FYI: Comments are set to blog-owner moderation (to protect from spammers), so yours might not appear immediately upon entering.

I encourage you, even if you own this story already, to enter and try to win. This book makes a lovely gift for any of the children in your life who have been touched by adoption. A winner will be drawn by random.org and announced on Friday, December 7th.

You can read a personal, stirring

guest post by Karen Henry Clark

on Shawn Smucker's blog for more

about Karen's own Sweet Moon Baby.

********************************************************

As November's National Adoption Awareness campaign draws to a close, I would ask you to prayerfully consider how you can continue the efforts of increasing awareness by supporting adoptive families in your circle of friends and family. It might not be financially, but there are many other ways you can participate and honor the building of a family through adoption. I hope my posts throughout the month gave you a glimpse inside the life of this adoptive family. And that if you have particular questions about being an adoptive family, the process of adoption, or other conversations surrounding adoption, you know by now that I'd love to hear from you. If I don't know the answer to your questions, you can bet that I'll be digging up a resource for us both to investigate!

Winning!

Oh, shameful. I know. So sorry for the pop-culture, outdated Ch@rlie Sh**n reference. I couldn't help myself.

My thoughts have been consumed since about 5 a.m. with the fun of announcing the winners of the three great gifts to thank my readers for hanging around here for 1,000 posts. You are all such treasures to me and I'm very excited to have the chance to treat you!

And may I say, I'm also super excited that I chose to extend the give-away deadline. Not only did about 18 of you take advantage of the additional time, but I got a chance to lay down on the couch and rest. This cold has hit my sinuses and particularly my left eye pretty hard. Working on the computer with one eye closed is really hard on the already pounding head-ache. I'm feeling better today; or I should say, the head-ache is subsiding. The other symptoms are still a pain but I can get a ton more done without a thumping head-ache. Ya know?!

Without further ado, here are the three winners

of my 1,000th post give-away celebration:

Winning the $25 Mary Kay gift certificate is my dear friend, Emily (comment # 27). I'm especially excited about this treat for Emily. She just had another lovely little baby and could really use some pampering right now.  I've know Emily since she was a newly-wed. She married one of the young men that was in the youth group where The Boss and I served as volunteer leaders. It's so amazing to have the privilege of watching these young people grow up together and in Christ and begin raising little ones of their own. She's a great example of steadfast, diligent mothering over the treasures God has brought to their home and I LOVE that she is one of my very first readers here at The Gang's All Here! It's a fitting gift for her and for me to share this little bit of luxury with her.

The winner of the lovely Sparrow Fund necklace and earring set is known here as "Viking Clan En Mass" (comment #11). It's my very clever sister's user id - referring to their large, growing (1/2) Norwegian brood who used to live in Massachusetts. Cute, huh?! The first time she commented on the blog with that identity, I was in China for Li'l Empress's adoption trip. I was so jet lagged and wiped out that I had to read it twice or three times to figure out who was commenting. I'm excited to share this gift with my sister - she is a  creative and selfless momma to her clan and rarely buys "pretties" for herself. This set will look so great on her!

Finally, I'm thrilled to share that the $50 gift certificate to Wild Olive tees will be given to Jen (comment #26)! Jen is a brand new reader here at The Gang's All Here! She and I are part of a local on-line support group of adoptive moms in our region, and on some of the local yard-saling sites together also. Turns out as we got "chatting" via F@cebook one day that her sister used to work for my cousin in his restaurant in upstate NY. So her sister actually knows many of my cousins. Jen, her hubby, and their son are waiting to bring home a darling little guy from China. I KNOW she'll enjoy the tees she'll be able to get with this gift certificate!

I think it's kind of cool how the numbers came up for each winner. I love the wide range of experiences that brought each of these gals to The Gang's All Here! - it really is so representative of the "persona" of this blog. And each gift is such a perfect fit for these ladies.

Thank you, to all my readers, new and old. Your feedback and your support for all the crazy things I share here is so appreciated. YOU are to be celebrated, whether you won something here or not. Thank you. THANK YOU!!!!

********************************************

Before you go, here's a little housekeeping for you:

1. Please don't forget, if you are interested in purchasing any Mary Kay products, sweet Joslyn is offering an additional 10% off each order if you mention my name.
2. Wild Olive Tees are still available for our fundraising efforts by using WHITNEY407 in the coupon code at check out.
3. Our Holiday Open House is this Sunday, November 11th from 2-5 p.m. If you aren't local and want to participate, you can find the public event on F@cebook by clicking HERE or by contacting me by email! The on-line shows will close one week after the event.
4. Finally, if you won, contact me by email so that the necessary arrangements can be made to get your prize to you.

A Grand Celebration!

1,000 posts!

*EDITED: I've extended the deadline for accepting comments

till midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 7th. I'm down for the count

with a terrible cold and a crazy list of things to try and get done.

I need the break :) You need the extra time to enter!

It's finally here. How crazy is this? I know, I know, I can hardly believe it myself. And I'm so excited that you've come along for the fun! Happy 1,000th posts to me. And to YOU!

Yes, you.

If you've been reading here for any length of time in recent weeks, you'll know that this post marks the celebration of YOU, my faithful readers! Today is the day YOU get to enter the big celebratory give-away for one of  three great prizes in honor of my 1,000th post. Remember, this whole celebration is about YOU! This is my way to thank YOU for coming around, again and again. Really, I can't say it enough - I am so excited and thrilled to be able to give YOU something special for being part of The Gang's little corner of the blogosphere.

To refresh your memory, here's a quick run down of the goodies I get to bestow upon three of you lucky readers...

A $25 gift certificate for Mary Kay products

from my sweet friend, Joslyn.

A beautiful necklace and earring set

from The Sparrow Fund's Etsy store.

and.....

A $50 gift certificate for the amazing

and intentional tees over at Wild Olive Tees!

So here's how this works.  You have an opportunity to win any one of these three treasures and it's really simple!

Here's What You Can Do to Enter:

1. You can earn one entry by leaving a comment here telling me how you came to be a reader here or by sharing your favorite things about "The Gang's All Here!" that keeps you coming back. (That helps ME by giving me good ideas for topics on which to write. Gotta keep it interesting for you all, since you've been so loyal to keep coming back!)
2. You can earn another entry by sharing about our Wild Olive Tees fundraising OR Holiday Open House event with your friends on Facebook. Come back here and share the Facebook link in a comment. Sharing about both is greatly appreciated, but it still only counts for one entry. Thanks!
3. You can earn another possible entry by sharing about our Wild Olive Tees fundraising OR our Holiday Open House event with your friends on your own blog. Again, sharing about both is super sweet of you to do, but it still only counts for one entry. Please come back here and share the link to the specific blog post (as opposed to your general blog url) in a comment.
4. You can earn yet another entry by sharing about The Gang, my recipes, our adoption journey, our parenting conversations, or even a particular post that you loved on your blog (these can be additional and unrelated to our fundraising efforts). Please come back here and share the link to the specific post in a comment.
5. I'm sorry to be the heavy, but comments on the Facebook link (via Networked Blogs) will not count. The only comments that will count will be the ones entered as comments below, here at this post. My Facebook readers will have to "click through" and comment with either a google or blogger account, etc.

So that gives you a potential of FOUR ENTRIES to this give-away. That's four chances to win any one of these three awesome gifts. I'm certain you will love any one of them.

Here's What I Will Do With The Entries:

1. No comments will be accepted after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, November 7th. *EDITED: I've extended the deadline for accepting comments till midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 7th. I caught a bad head cold and have a MONSTER list of things to try and get done before Friday a.m. I've not figured out how to close comments yet, but I will watch the time stamps on my emails....
2. The winners will be announced Thursday, November 8th - as long as the pending Nor'Easter doesn't interrupt power again. (Yes, sigh. It's true. Another storm is headed our way Wednesday.)
3. In the interest of fairness, I will use random.org to pull each winner's comment by number.
4. The first winner drawn will be given the Mary Kay certificate. The second winner will receive The  Sparrow Fund's necklace and earring set. The third winner drawn will receive the Wild Olive tees gift certificate.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email before you enter. (My contact info is in the sidebar to the left.)

So go. Share. Comment.

Have a ball.

And Thank YOU, again.

For coming back and reading
for the last 1,000 posts.

Here's to 1,000 more!!!!!

My Bad.

I am running woefully behind on some major doin's here at The Gang's headquarters. I'm struggling to make a To Do list that can actually, reasonably, be attacked and conquered in the next 48 hours. Which it has to be. Attacked and conquered, that is.

In light of that, I feel it is only fair to extend the opportunity for give-away entries for my 1.000th post celebration. With this head cold and the monstrous To Do list I'm trying to solidify, I cannot possibly get around to finalizing my part of the give-away wrap up today.

You can spread the word to more friends and family.

You can enter more times if you haven't already.

My badly managed calendar may just have become your golden ticket!

Entries will be accepted until midnight tonight.

Go here to read more about it.

Sneak Peek #3

If this is the first of the "Sneak Peeks" that you are checking out,
do yourself a favor and head back to Monday's post.
Then read through Tuesday's to catch yourself up fully.
I'll wait. . . . . .

waiting....

waiting....

There. Ya done? Good, then let's get on with it. Again!

When I started brainstorming about the possible treats to share with you all, my mind immediately went to this next treasure. It's no secret around here that I am a huge, crazy fan of the beautiful, artsy tees by Wild Olive Tees. Even more, I'm completely in love with the purpose and the creativity represented by this company's mission. And seriously? The three women behind Wild Olive tees are all amazing women. In the months that we've been fundraising through their Adoption Fundraising program, I've really gotten so blessed by their hearts for moms, for those precious little ones waiting for their moms, and for their business to be a blessing and a tool in the hands of God. It's been a true pleasure to witness. An honor to partner with their minstry.

I had no idea how, but I just knew that this celebration of my wonderful readers HAD to include a treat from Wild Olive Tees. I was so convinced that I was praying about using some of the funds from our little Adoption Jar to invest in a tee or two. But I didn't feel settled about that. Instead, I kept praying and I put the word out that I had some big dreams and plans a'brewin' for my 1,000th post celebration. Boy, oh, boy, did God come through and bless me with this one!!!!!

I am OVER the MOON with excitement to tell you that a very generous, anonymous benefactor has donated a $50 gift certificate to Wild Olive Tees! Yes, you read that right.

A $50 shopping spree

at Wild Olive Tees

for one lucky reader

in celebration of my 1,000th post!!!!!

It's so much more than I could have ever expected when I was dreaming about blessing you all with a gift for hanging out here for all these 1,000 posts. The winner of this final amazing treasure will get to comb through pages of beautiful, wear-able artwork and choose some pretties. You can use them as early Christmas shopping, share them with a friend,  or just a Really REALLY cool treat to yourself - whatever trips your trigger. I'm just so thrilled to be able to offer this final treasure to one of you.

Because, when you get right down to it, the real treasures here at The Gang's All Here! are you, my readers. You are what makes this little corner of the blogosphere so incredibly special to me. And I canNOT wait to see what three names are going to get drawn by that interwebby randomizer thingy-ma-bob when this give-away finally happens. It's going to be a blast and I'm so grateful that you all hang out here to make it all happen.

Further details on just how to participate in this splendiferous give-away are just around the corner. Keep checking in and I'm pretty sure you'll be glad that you did. This is gonna be super-dee-duper!

Sneak Peek #2

If you are jumping in the middle of this series of peeks,

head back to yesterday's post to catch yourself up. I'll wait. . . . . .

There. Ya done? Good, then let's get on with it.

As I was saying yesterday, I am so excited about the milestone of 1,000 posts here at The Gang's All Here! I am still so surprised when I pick up a new reader, or when someone drops me a line and says, "Hey, I read your post today...." It's quite humbling to think that many of you who are virtual strangers would come by, take time out of your busy day, and bother to keep up with the happenings in my head as they happen to pour out on to the pages here. I don't take it for granted. I think you ought to be celebrated for your loyalty and for your support. Whether you are a new reader or you've been around since the first posting, I am so glad to have you in my little corner of the blogosphere.

That is one of the many reasons I am super excited to share this second give-away treat. I really think it's going to make you smile.

Many of you are, by now, somewhat familiar with The Sparrow Fund. This great non-profit was begun by my friend, Kelly and her husband Mark, as a means of supporting adoptive families waiting for children by offering grants for medical reviews. The files that come to families through special needs adoptions and international adoptions often require a good bit of interpretation and even extrapolation. Doctors with experience in International Adoption Medicine are very well-versed in understanding and communicating all of the potential issues and considerations. But access to those doctors is not free. Kelly and Mark saw that need and stepped in with The Sparrow Fund to meet it. We are privileged to have been a recipient of such a grant.

The Sparrow Fund didn't stop with offering grants. They have since expanded into family support before and after adoption through educational seminars, like the one in May about adopted children and school-related issues. Last month, they hosted Correcting While Connecting - a one-day seminar about discipline, correction, and training our children.

The Sparrow Fund has recently expanded yet again to meet the needs of the marriages within the adoption community. We all know marriage is hard work. Those of us know that marriage and parenting is really hard work. Well, the truth of the matter is, sometimes adding the layer of parenting adopted children adds a little extra "hard" to the "hard work." So The Sparrow Fund is hosting their first marriage retreat in February. Apparently the need is there: the event sold out within the first 24 hours of registration going live. In fact, I stayed up till midnight to make sure The Boss and I will be going. Who knows, it might be the last get-away the two of us get for a long while.... We're hoping to travel to our Mei Mei soon after this event.

But that's not all. The Sparrow Fund also supports fundraising families through a unique partnership with some adoptive moms in Kenya. These moms create beautiful hand-crafted jewelry, bags, stuffed animals and more. And each time one of these creations are sold, the money benefits both the adoptive family who sold it AND the Kenyan moms who created it. It's a meaningful and powerful way to impact multiple families in one transaction. I have several pieces of their jewelry and I love it.

And you guessed it.... YOU have the awesome opportunity to win some for yourself!

Isn't that so pretty?

In honor of my 1,000th post, The Sparrow Fund has graciously donated this lovely necklace and coordinating earrings. The necklace is just a tad longer than 12" and is crafted in beautiful fall colors of a brick-ish red/maroon, creamy off-white and metallic beading. I love this set and I'm so excited to share it with one of you!

Come back tomorrow for the finale of my Sneak Peek series....

You won't be sorry!

It's a promise.

Sneak Peek #1

I'm so excited to share this series of posts with you all. And no, before you get all excited about the possibility of a peek at Mei Mei's sweet cheeks, I'm sorry to say that is NOT the focus of this post. I am going to be a good girl and respect my agency's wishes that we wait for the more official approval called LOA (step number 8 on this visual summary).

When we were waiting for Li'l Empress, I didn't wait and my SW at the time gave me a little talkin' to. So I'm gonna be good this time. It's killing me, but I'm trying. I really am.

But I digress. Where was I? OH! Yeah. My series of Sneak Peeks.

So, when I realized I was nearing my 1,000th post, I decided I needed to make an event of it. I mean, some of you faithful few have been here since the very first post, back in May of 2007. Wow. Can you even believe it's been 5 1/2 years together, my friends? I decided we needed to celebrate together. My little corner of the blogosphere has changed quite a bit over these 1,000 posts but what has NOT changed is my deep appreciation for all of my friends and family who keep reading. Whether it is my mindless drivel or deep brewing thoughts on life, love, and family, you have kept reading. And for that? You all deserve to be celebrated.

I dare say you even deserve a prize. Yes, I said it. This celebration includes prizes. I'm so excited. I love giving gifts to my friends.

Before I announce the particulars of HOW those prizes will be given out, I'm giving you sneak a peek at the goodies I'll be giving away. Thanks to some super generous and sweet-spirited friends, I have three outstanding treasures to share. I hope you will be as excited about them as I am!

This first gift is one that is near and dear to my heart for many reasons. You might remember my crazy begging for votes back this past Spring, when my new friend Joslyn entered me into a Mary Kay make-over contest. Though I didn't win a great big chunk of change for my favorite charity or money towards our travel expenses for this adoption, I did gain a sweet friend who has been so creative and generous in her support of our journey to Mei Mei.

Well, she's done it again!

In honor of this momentous occasion,

Joslyn has generously donated

a $25 gift certificate for Mary Kay products

along with a mini Satin Hands gift set for one lucky reader.

That's right. $25 of high quality Mary Kay products, free and personalized just for you and your skin type! That's right - it's all about YOU, my friends! Head here to check out Joslyn's Mary Kay site. She's really good at what she does and is super flexible and easy to work with.

Joslyn Hooker, Mary Kay Consultant

And just because Joslyn and I want to be sure that NO ONE gets left out of the fun, she is also offering 10% off of your Mary Kay purchase if you don't win the big prize package. All you have to do is head to her site, make contact and tell her that The Gang's Momma sent you. See what I mean?!? She's super generous and really excited about helping you look your best. I'm proud to call her friend and I'm excited to see who will score this particular give-away goodie. You'll get to feel as pretty as I did when she made me up all fancy-schmanzy.

Come back later and check out Sneak Peek #2.

I promise, you'll love it. I sure do!

Pinning It for Wild Olive Tees

Those crazy amazing gals are at it again, over at Wild Olive Tees.  First they announced the release of several GORGEOUS new tee designs. My word, where DO they come up with this stuff... The beauty of the designs alone give awesome glory and honor to The Father.

But then, their hearts! Their sweet, giving, over-the-top generous hearts are SUCH a tribute and honor to God, don't ya think? I mean, did you SEE this brand new give-away they just posted?

It's up and running through Sunday, Sept. 30th and you can win some beautiful new tees. And don't forget, we are still partnering with them to raise funds for our adoption expenses. So while you are entering to win free tees, you can pick up a couple tees to help us wrap up our fundraising. (Details are on the left sidebar, if you are interested.) That'd be nifty.  Go. Enter. Good luck to you :)

I Can't Believe I Forgot This!

 

 Go. Enter. It's a ton of fun to win

and there's such a huge variety of stuff

to try for this year.

I can't believe I forgot all about it

until this morning.
But do it quick. It ends tonight at midnight.
Sorry! I know, it's really short notice.
My bad. The month kind of got away from me.

And while I'm sitting here, can I just say

"Sheesh. How on earth did it get to August 31st already?!"

There's loads and loads of craziness
crammed within the events

around here since my last post:

Shaggy's 18th Birthday.

Week 1 of  Football Camp.

Adoption Agency Reunion.

School Shopping.

Kindergarten Bus Orientation.

Crash Course in How to Be a Parent Advocate.

Week 2 of Football Camp.

Doctor Appointments.

Lab Appointments.

Dentist Appointments.

Oh. My. Word.

Listed out like that it doesn't really seem like a big deal.

Trust me when I say, the last two weeks have been

A.VERY.BIG.DEAL.

Am I the only mom that will be using the first day of school

to catch up on her sleep?

Somehow, I don't think so!

The Mother of All Give-Aways... Just For Mom!

Ever since I discovered blogs, even long before I started writing a blog myself, I've been following the goings-on at 5 Minutes for Mom. I love their sister sites, their efforts to educate and inform their audience and their regular introductions to all manner of things new. But what I love most of all???  (And don't mess with me, I'm betting you love this, too!) Is their Mothers' Day Give-away.

Each year it seems to get bigger and better. More cool products that I'd never buy for myself. New trends in jewelry and clothing that I'm totally not "up" on. Gift cards to places I love to shop. Or would love to try out but have never just jumped in to. Tickets to shows I'd love to see. The list of prizes this year is growing by the day.

Really. You need to head over and check it out for yourself. It served as my little "stop and dream indulgently" moment today. And don't we all need that a little more often these days?  Who knows? You might even win something for yourself that is truly indulgent. Wouldn't that be totally fun?  Go. Surf around. And have a few minutes of fun. It's my treat.

One Last Giveaway To Share

I have one final giveaway to spotlight for you.  This, too, is a great way to invest in someone else while shopping for yourself or entering to win the goodies. As the mom of a former China Care girly, I'm especially tickled that China Care's partner organization, Half the Sky, will be one of the recipients of the blessings of your investments.

Here's the fancy-dancy button on which to click.

And please, click away - there's some truly great stuff in store for this giveaway. Read all about it in this post and get to clicking and commenting! The first post of the giveaway went live earlier this week and has already been awarded, but you should be able to get in on at least day two or three and go from there.... Have fun!

Another Great Giveaway

I'm pretty excited about this particular giveaway - first, because it's an awesome way to shop for gifts that have incredible meaning and purpose behind them. From moms trying to help support their family, to families creating and crafting to bring home adoptive children, and more - the gifts featured here are DOING DOUBLE DUTY!

And second? Well, it's opened a whole new world to me... Can we say ETSY?!

(I know, I know, I'm so behind. Sheesh, I can't be up on EVERY trend.)

(And right now, as I typed that, I'm realizing I'm not up on ANY trends.  But anyhooooo.....)

So, head over to Purposeful Giveaways and click away.

There's some beautiful things there and while you are clicking and commenting, take a moment to pray for the family that is creating the gifts you are trying to win. And pick out something special for your loved ones.  Your support will be priceless to them, I promise!

It's A Tradition!

Okay, so I know I've not been around much lately. I've had lots to say and precious little time or energy  to say it all, thanks to a change-of-season cold that has been whipping my butt and the little hineys of The Gang plus 2 around here!  I'm woefully behind in reading some of my favorite blogs, participating in the holiday fun, and linking up to give-aways and such.  So, to ease myself back to the routine of blogging, I am sharing some fun holiday links this week. This first one is a tradition that many Mommy Bloggers anxiously wait for and I'm no different. I've won some pretty cool stuff over the years and I'm excited to share the 5 Minutes for Mom Christmas Giveaway 2011!  Head over there TODAY or TOMORROW cuz the fun wraps up on November 30th!!!!

   

Good luck - there's some mighty cool stuff over there to try for!

Huge

I LOVE a good give-away.

But more importantly, I love a good give-away

that is meant to support a good cause.

Really, I'm not a big fan of the word "cause"

as I've used it here but it's early

and I'm having a tough time finding another word

that works.

Just a little hang-up of mine....

So. One of my all-time favorite sites

is hosting a HUGE give-away contest.

HUGE. Like, 15 winners huge.

That, I think we can all agree, is awesomely huge.

Heh. There's my "finding another word" thing

cropping up again. Meh. I need more coffee.

Here's the skinny on how to get yourself entered 

to be one of those 15 winners. Once you read all the details,

I think we can all agree that the "cause" is also awesomely huge.

I think we can all agree

God's name is going to be glorified

and His hands will have lots and lots of extra opportunities

to work His Good in lots of little hearts.

Quite literally.

And that? Is HUGE.

It's Not Too Late

at least, it's not too late THIS TIME!

It's been ages and ages since I entered one of the fun contests over at 5 Minutes for Moms. Mostly cuz my computer is so slow and reading up on the many cool things they offer over there ends up taking me so long to do.  But that's EXACTLY why this particular contest looks so perfect for me.

Click on this button and check it out. They are giving away some really great stuff. NOT the least of which is a very sleek, compact, and FAST notebook. (I had to ask my sons: apparently a notebook is no longer a spiral-bound mass of lined paper waiting to be filled with pretty words! It's a little mini-laptop. Who knew?)

Head over for yourself and see the other stuff they are giving away. Maybe you'll get something great out of the partay?

So Loved. Sharing The Love.

My bloggity crush is hosting two really big, special giveaways, to help raise funds to bring home her TWO precious girls from China.  You really need to check out the fun going on over there.

The first give-away is called SO LOVED. You can ready about it by clicking on the adorable button strategically placed here in my post. It'll take you straight there, like some kind of super-duper high speed magical transporter. Give as generously as you can to help bring home little Poppy and Esther to their waiting family.

You automatically get entered with every donation for some pretty sweet prizes.  And even better?  It's an investment in two sweet little girls who need to come home to their Mommy and Daddy. It's an investment in a family that is heeding God's plan  to build their family through special needs adoptions. It's an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy way to DO the Love Of Jesus. Cuz we're all supposed to be DOING that stuff.

The second give-away is called SHARE THE LOVE.  You can enter that by posting on Facebook and/or your own blog about the SO LOVED give-away. Literally, you will be "sharing the love" by telling others. And if you do that, you can be entered to win some purty stuff.  Click HERE to see what you can win. 

Purty, huh?

So, there ya have it. Some bloggity clicking to keep you busy and to get the word out about cool prizes, a really cool family, and some fun stalking.

Ooops. Did I say that out loud?

And don't forget, when you click there,

tell her The Gang's Momma sent ya.