New at Wild Olive!!!

Hey.....head on over to check out Wild Olive's NEW Christmas t-shirt. It's gorgeous!

But me? Thanks to a friend who got me the PERFECT gift for my birthday (a Wild Olive Gift Certificate), I'm going to pick up a couple "Beloved" t-shirts: one for me and one for Chloe for Christmas.

It's the perfect gift for her because she LOVES to match her mom. How cute is that? (Even if I feel a little bit like a nerd doing it!!!)

FYI

If you were thinking of buying Barefoot Books to benefit New Day, this weekend would be a great weekend to do it. They are offering 20% off ANY order, and free shipping with orders of $35 or more!

I'm placing my order tonight! I love a good deal on books! :)

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And....if you plan to do ANY holiday shopping at Am@zon.com this holiday season, please use this link to get to Am@zon. If you do, New Day gets 5% of the value of your purchase back to take care of their kids!!!

Two Quick Things

Thank you for your prayers for Jill, Steve, and their kids. It was evident to me yesterday at the funeral that God's strength and comfort is sustaining them right now. Please continue to pray for them over the coming months. I've heard that once the funeral is over and time passes that often, the grief becomes more difficult. As shock wears off and the reality of life without your child sets in, I cannot IMAGINE how you get through every day without the absolute grace of God.

Steve and Jill have a strong faith that gives them hope in the face of even the unthinkable, but please pray that it will not be shaken as the weeks and months pass. Losing a child is awful enough, but to now immediately face their first holiday season without them.....it's just hard for me to even think about it. And they are LIVING it.

Thank you for your prayers. I know they helped the family get through the day yesterday.

Jill told me yesterday, that they found out on Monday that they are next on the list to be matched with their next child from China. Please pray for them through that too. With another SN list "due" before Christmas, it's possible that they will have a referral in the next few weeks. They talked about it over the weekend, but she told me their kids absolutely insisted that they not put their plans to adopt on hold. They knew Grace would not have wanted that. But, it must be impossible to even think about for them in some ways right now. So, please pray that God will just make it SO CLEAR to them what to do at every turn and give them strength as needed for them to bring their fourth child home.

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If you haven't read Sara's post about Orphan Awareness month, go read it now. It is beautiful.

Please Pray

Would you all please pray for some friends of ours, Jill and Steve, who lost their 5 year old daughter, Grace, on Friday very, very unexpectedly? Tomorrow is her funeral, and I just can't even imagine what it must be like to go to bed the night before you have to bury your child. Or how you get up the next morning.

It was a conversation with Steve and Jill that was the turning point for Scot in our decision to adopt (they brought Grace home from China in 2005), so they are close to our hearts. It meant so much to us that they would take the time to share their story so honestly with us. Who knew the way the story would turn just two short years later?

I always wish in situations like these that there was more I could do. However, I know asking God to draw near to them and to help them draw near to Him is the BEST thing we can do for them right now. I'm thankful they have the hope of heaven and the knowledge that they will see their daughter again someday, but until then, will you join me in praying for them and for their two older children as they grieve their loss and try to find their new "normal"?

Thank you!

Buy Books for Christmas-Help Orphans in China

It's been almost a year since I first heard about New Day Foster Home in China.

It has been 7 months now that I have been reading their blog daily and getting to know the kids whose lives they save.

Its been 5 months since we started doing what we could to support them.

And, during that time we have become consumed with one thought: what more can we do to help?

I believe so whole-heartedly in what New Day does that I knew I had to do whatever I could to support them above and beyond just sponsoring a child or participating in a Christmas gift drive. But, I honestly didn't know what to do.

Then, one idea came to me. I LOVE children's books. I LOVE children's books with beautiful artwork. And, beautifully illustrated children's books that help kids explore other countries, understand other cultures, and develop an awareness of the diversity of humanity.....well, these are among my favorites as I wait for my son or daughter to come home from China.

I discovered Barefoot Books awhile ago through a friend, and immediately I LOVED what they are about: engaging stories, gorgeous artwork, promoting diversity, and sharing the love of books with children in Africa. They have an enormous collection of books about other countries and cultures that would be INVALUABLE to any adoptive parent hoping to use books to connect his/her child to their birth country in some small way.

What does Barefoot Books have to do with supporting New Day???

OH, I am SO glad you asked!!!!

Between today and December 20th, I am hosting a fundraiser through Barefoot Books to raise money for New Day! 20% of every purchase will be donated to New Day Foster Home. Here is how it works:

* Use any of the the blog buttons in this post or in my side bar to link to Barefoot Books' web site (this is the KEY....linking through the blog buttons in this post or in my side bar is what attaches your purchase to this particular fundraiser).

*Buy books for your children, your family, and/or your friends for Christmas. 20% will automatically be donated to New Day.

It's THAT simple!!

OH, and did I mention there is also little GIVEAWAY involved???

If you would like a chance to win $30 in *FREE* Barefoot books, you can help spread the word about this little fundraiser designed to make a big difference! If you would like to post the blog button on your blog, e-mail me and I will send you the code (scjchardy@yahoo.com). You will earn one entry for posting the button on your blog! If you also write a blog post about this fundraiser with the blog button in the post, you will earn two entires! If you do BOTH, you will earn 4 total entries into the giveaway!!! Just leave a comment letting me know what you did, and you will be entered for the appropriate number of times. I will choose a winner on December 6th!!!

I hope you will help to spread the word. However, I also hope that you will buy books for your the kids in your life this year that will not only give to them for years to come, but that will give back to the children of New Day who need our support so much!

OH- if you are an adoptive parent, when you go to Barefoot Books you MUST check out Motherbridge of Love. This book is a MUST have for any parent of a child adopted from China!

One last thing.....did I mention that you get FREE SHIPPING with any order of $35 or more right now????

So....head on over there and finish your Christmas shopping!!!! :)

PS- I didn't link any text in this post because in order for the credit to go to New Day, you MUST link to Barefoot Books through any of the the blog buttons in this post or in the sidebar and NOT any other way!! It was hard not to link up all sorts of things... I just love linking!! :)

Adoption Update

This will be short, because there really is no big update. The update is essentially this: we did put our names on the Waiting Child list back in July. We are believing God for a referral in the next 6 months.

And, once we have that referral, we trust we will have quite a story to share.

Hopefully you weren't hoping for more. I sincerely wish we had more to say. Well, I do have more to say, but that will have to wait till after we have some news.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween....it isn't my favorite holiday of the year in many ways, but I do love that it celebrates what is for me one of the best things about being a kid: playing dress up.

Sawyer had two costumes this year. First, he decided to dress like a cowboy for a friend's party. He put this together entirely himself with dress up clothes we had here, and he was very pleased with the results.

Sleeping Beauty. She's been waiting for this day for months, and she told us of her love for trick-or-treating all night long!!!

Sawyer's "real" costume: Wolverine. He takes this whole dress-up thing VERY seriously.

All in all, it was a FUN night.