Giveaway.... Adoption Style

In Honor of Orphan Sunday and our second adoption......

Check this out!!! Several big people in the adoption world as well as families we love and families we are just getting to know have donated the below items. 

There were so many donated items that we have grouped them into two bunches to increase your chance of winning!  The total of the two bunches is valued over $300.  With shipping you would be hard pressed to buy all of this for less than four hundred dollars

Dates: 
Today through November 10th at midnight

Winner will be announced on

11/11/11

(cheesy date, I know, but I actually did not plan it...

it was based on the 10th being the date we turned

in Tedi's adoption application two years ago)

Bunch #1:

147 Million Orphans Shopping Bag

http://147millionorphans.com/

Pitter Patter Art Custom Tee

http://pitterpatterart.wordpress.com/

Example:

 (you will contact Pitter Patter Art to custom design yours)

Feeding the Orphans

http://feedingtheorphans.com/store

Size: Adult XL

Wallace Family T-shirt and Necklace

http://wordfromthewallaces.blogspot.com/

Contact:  wallacemastiff@yahoo.com

Size: Youth Small in Charcoal Gray (blue is pictured)

"I will not leave you as orphans..."

Wallace Family Necklace

Adoption Canvas by Tiffany Kincaid

Email:  tkincaid83@hotmail.com

Jenkins Family Christmas Ornament

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EthiopiaAdoption?ref=em

Website: http://jenkinsethiopiaadoption.blogspot.com/

My Crazy Adoption T-Shirt

http://mycrazyadoption.org/

Size: Men's XL

Marquis Family Africa Hat

http://teammarquis.blogspot.com/

Elliot Family T-Shirt (short-sleeved Large) and 2 Bracelets:

http://ethiopiaminusone.blogspot.com/

Our Shirts and Ornament:

http://5millionminus1.blogspot.com/

nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Size: You Choose Color and Size

Bunch #2

Project Hopeful Necklace

http://www.projecthopeful.org/

My Crazy Adoption T-Shirt

http://mycrazyadoption.org/

Size: Women's XS

The Canvas Heart: James 1:27 Canvas in Amharic

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/thecanvasheart?ref=seller_info

Website: http://www.thecanvasheart.com/

Minus 1 Project

Got Love: Adopt Tumbler

http://www.minus1project.blogspot.com/

(cup on the far right)

O'Leary Family: Worth the Wait T-Shirt

http://fromgodtoghana.blogspot.com/

Size: Youth 2T

Jenkins Family Christmas Ornament

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EthiopiaAdoption?ref=em

Website: http://jenkinsethiopiaadoption.blogspot.com/

Borders Family T-Shirts (2 shirts):

http://borderspatrol.blogspot.com/

Sizes: Large, XL

Marquis Family Africa Purse:
http://teammarquis.blogspot.com/

Feeding the Orphans Bracelet

http://feedingtheorphans.com/store

Our Shirts and Ornament:

http://5millionminus1.blogspot.com/

nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Size: You choose size and color

How to Enter:

(Pay via Paypal on the right sidebar)

Shipping will be free to the two winners.

$10 for one entry

$20 for two entries

$30 for five entries

$50 for fifteen entries

Free entry (after paying for at least one entry) for one Facebook post about the raffle

(tag me Natalie Stewart Henderson or message me so I know you posted)

Free entry (after paying for at least one entry) for one blog post

 (comment here to let me know you posted)

*in the checkout comments, add which bunch of items you prefer
email for questions: nataliehenderson21@Yahoo.com

Thank you for everyone who donated.  I will have blogs to highlight each organization/family
 in the coming days to get their word out as well!

T-Shirts: Orphan Sunday Challenge

My friend, Emily, issued a challenge about adoption t-shirts back at Easter time...  I am going to challenge you again.  Orphan Sunday is NOVEMBER 6, 2011.   Put away your slacks....your blouses....your cardigans.....your sports team shirts.... Pull out an adoption shirt.  If you want to purchase one of ours, we would love the support.  If not, choose any adopting family with a shirt, any organization that supports adoption and REP there shirt on Nov 6. 

Maybe you go to a church that will not emphasize Orphan Sunday.  Well, here is your chance to put the idea in their hearts that serving orphans and the "least of these" really is "church". 

So if you want one of our shirts... or your entire church does....well, email me nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com ... if you don't like our shirts, then email me still and I will direct you to other families or causes in the adoption world. 

November 6.... Don't Forget!

Vacation

If you are friends with me on facebook, you have seen these and more.  If not, well, here are a few snapshots from our vacation.  On day 3, our camera lens stopped working (it slipped off the cooler into the sand...about six inches...then adamantly refused to work) We have had a great time and hate to leave tomorrow.  We have slept, walked on the beach, laid in the sun, cooked dinners, played a lot, read books, watched movies, and just enjoyed being a little family. 

Highlights:

1) Tedi seeing the beach for the first time

"Mommy, this is awesome"

2) Seeing the deer and alligators

3)  She Crab soup at the marina... amazing!

4) Sleep, rest, sleep, rest, wine

5) Laying in sun (the first three days)

6) The blessing of staying here

Responsibility

JT here.  I will write this post and know that it will cause everyone to realize how great of a writer Natalie is.  And cause everyone to realize I am not a writer (as you will see below).  I am sure our readers will be clamoring for Natalie again soon!

I came upon the following passage in a book I just finished reading: "Kisses from Katie."  If you have not picked it up, do so.  Now.  Katie is a 22 year-old woman who lives in Uganda and has adopted 14 beautiful Ugandan girls as a single mom.  Her story is amazing and her soul is beautiful.  We have some mutual friends with Katie and have known about her for over two years.  She is an inspration to many- including Natalie and I.  You can find her blog linked to ours as well.  

"But God continued to show me that adoption is His heart, and it was becoming mine.  Adoption is wonderful and beautfiul and the greatest blessing I have ever experienced.  Adoption is also difficult and painful.  Adoption is a beautiful picture of redemption.  It is the Gospel in my living room.  And sometimes, it's just hard."

"Adoption is a redemptive response to tragedy that happens in this broken world.  And every single day, it is worth it, because adoption is God's heart.  His Word says 'In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:5).  He sets the lonely in families (Psalms 68:6).  The first word that appears when I look up adoption in the dictionary is 'acceptance.'  God accepts me, adores me even, just as I am.  And He wants me to accept those without families into my own."

"My family, adopting these children, it is not optional.  It is not my good deed for the day; it is not what I am doing to 'help out these poor kids.'  I adopt because God commands me to care for the orphans and the widows in their distress.  I adopt because Jesus says that to whom much is given, much will be demanded (Luke 12:48)."

This passage, and the entire book, hit me like a ton of bricks.  It sums up many of the feelings that I have on the topic of adoption.  It also challenges me, though.  When we adopted Tedi, life for us had changed.  Not only did we add a member of our family but our outlook on life changed.  Suddenly, my eyes had been opened to the 150million kids who did not have a mommy or daddy.  Things that were important to me (like money, status and sports- don't get me started on the insane importance we place on basketball in the area we live) took a backseat to advocating for orphans.  I thank God everyday that He allowed me to see the orphan crisis up close when I traveled to Afica.  I am a changed man.  Changed for the better.  It is not an easy thing to witness- the extreme poverty and millions of fatherless children.  The responsibility that comes with it is not something I can turn off.  I am so thankful that God has called me to help love these kids.  It is so much better than debating trivial matters like basketball or politics all day!       

Recently, I was filling out a form that asked me to list all of my philanthropic work.  When I wrote out everything that Natalie and I are doing to give back to our community, it looked like an impressive list.  But then I realize that I/we are called to do more.  We have all heard the phrase, "I will sleep when I am dead."  Sometimes, I think that is our family's motto but I realize there is so much work to be done.   

The process of our second adoption has been such a different experience for me.  There are several reasons for this.  First, life is so much busier for us now. We have Tedi to care for now.  Natalie is now a pediatric resident physician and often works 80 hour weeks.  My job is extremely involved and busy- which I love.  I love advocating for children in our community who have been abused and I am so lucky to actually be paid to help rally our region around this cause.  Our first adoption was such a whirlwind that, as I look back on it, seemed to really fly by.  This second adoption is starting really slowly.  We are prepared for the process to take longer this time due to added travel and the Ethiopian government toughening some aspects of adoption. 

As I was at the beach yesterday with my beautiful family: Natalie, my gorgeous, intelligent and driven wife and Tedi, my perfect little boy, I found myself alone and staring out at the Atlantic Ocean.  I came to the realization that about 7000 miles across that big body of water is a child who is destined to become a member of our family.  He does not us; we do not know him.  Yet, he is loved by every fiber of my being.  My heart aches for him because of the "trauma" that Katie speaks about.  It scares me when I allow myself to imagine the scenarios that may have led to his becoming an orphan.  I know that baggage comes along with that.  But I'm willing to deal with this trauma and heartache because I have a Savior who did the same thing for me.  Jesus knows I am screwed up and full of issues.  He does not care and loves me perfectly. 

I cannot stop fighting for my son in Ethiopia.  We have to push on despite the heartache of the wait and the annoyance of international adoption (like having to answer questions about if I can love a child of another color.  Really?  Have you met me and my son Tedi?).

Luke 12:48 "To whom much is given, much is required."

My heart is still in Africa...

50 in 50

So I have been struggling immensely for awhile with my weight and body image but it has been magnified lately.  This is my weakest point, the place where I feel the most inadequate.  I realize that much of this is that our Western culture puts so much value on appearance.  However, as a doctor, a mother, a wife, and an advocate for orphans, how can I be okay with my "fattness"?  How can I tell my patients to lose weight if I cannot?  How can I talk about starving children when I am gluttonous?  Even more than this, I must learn to love myself as Christ loves me.  He loves me fat or thin but at the same time He gave me one body and I am ruining it...

Here is my plan.  I am posting it here publicly more for accountability than anything else.

50 pounds in 50 weeks
*if it happens faster, then great....but this is reasonable, slow, and allows for failures and bad days.  So by the beginning of October 2012, I would like to weigh at least fifty pounds less.

Exercise at least three times per week
*I often use the 60-80 hour work weeks (yes, this is really what I work many weeks) and I have a kid EXCUSES but I can no longer make these excuses.... The motto of a book I just read, How Lucky Can You Be, was "Don't Whine, Don't Complain, Don't Make Excuses".... no more excuses.

6 Glasses of Water each day
*I love diet coke. I love carbonated beverages in general.  It would be unrealistic of me to say "NO MORE SODA or COFFEE". I would surely fail.  But I can get my water in to balance this....

Fast Weekly:
*When we were in the process of adopting Tedi, we fasted from food from after dinner on Tuesday until dinner on Wednesday.  It was not fancy; it was not taxing but it was a lesson.  I am going to restart this, both to help me focus on my diet, the reason for doing it and remind me of the abundance I have, but to also refocus me on our adoption...to remind me of children and people who have little when I am gluttonous, even on a diet.  I will not complain or boast in this fast... simply take liquids and gum from Tuesday after dinner till Wednesday night... that is only breakfast and lunch (and the incessant snacking)  What do you think?

Post Monthly Progress
*I likely won't share my weight.  That is a little TOO vulnerable even for the ever honest me.... However, I will tell you if I am down or up and where I stand.  But it will only be monthly.  I hate when all someone talks about on facebook is the gym or their diet...

Run a 5K in 6 months
*My friend Erica promised to do this with me.... cause I loathe running but it is a good goal.

Reward:
*I believe rewards help us meet our goals.  As I thought about this, I kept thinking....what should I do for each milestone... A new pair of nice jeans, a massage, a purse, a Sephora trip, or some other indulgance that I love.... But after reading How Lucky Can You Be, Red Letters, Crazy Love and Kisses from Katie in the last 7 days, I can't quite stomach any of that... So I am still trying to come up with something useful, something celebratory to give back to others.... maybe donate my old clothes to a worthy cause or the amount of weight I have lost in groceries to another family... or something.  Any ideas?

*I would love if anyone interested wants to join me.  My email is nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com if you want to join or have questions or suggestions and encouragement!

Control

So I am going to write about it.  In my human heart, I am frustrated.  Even before Ethiopia is actually involved in this adoption, the process is frustratingly slow (is that even a word).  Most of this is due to fundraising.  With our first adoption, we had a few big donations early on making it much easier to have the funds for the initial fees.  Plus, with this adoption, we have to $7300 before we can send our dossier to Ethiopia, and it was ~$4000 before.  God is providing in His timing, but never in the timing we expect.

Yet, I know God's timing is pefect.  I know that He knows exactly where our next child is, when they will come home, where the funds will come from, when the papers will be mailed.  My human self is so weak and so doubting, wanting control, wanting to do it in American time (fast) rather than His time (perfect). 

So I must wait... I must do what I can in terms of endless paperwork and such but pray for God's financial provision. Pray for his peace.  Pray for me to be always aware of His timing rather than mine. 

We wait because he is worth it and the next one will be as well.

First Trip to the Beach

This was Tedi's first trip to the beach.  Thank you to my aunt for allowing us to stay in her place.  Only thing we have to pay for: gas and food. 

Our man was ready to go.  Check out a preview of a view pictures from our first day.

  

end to a great day

Treats

I do not try to hide the fact that domestic skills are not at the top of my favorable qualities..... but I am working on it.  Evidence.... before finishing my latest rotation at the hospital, I made fruit pizza cookies.... and last night, I made Cocoa Pebble Treats.  So, I thought I would include my simple recipes...from the recipe box of simplicity and the inept chef!

Fruit Pizza Cookies:
1) Cookies: Choose your favorite sugar cookie mix.  (they turn out better when you use the cookies mixes rather than the roll of cookies.... I mean of course you could make them from scratch but that requires more time than I have.)

2) Icing:   Mix 1 tub of whipped cream cheese with 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of Splenda.  Yes, it requires a lot of sugar... you can increase or decrease the sugar to taste.  We also normally add food coloring (pink or green) for fun!  Once cookies are cool, apply icing.

3) Fruit:  Choose you favorite... Once I have found to be the easiest and taste the best are mandarin oranges and strawberries. 
*Allow to set in the fridge for an hour or so for best results

Peanut Butter Cocoa Pebble Treats:
Ingredients:
6 cups of cereal
4 tablespoons of butter/margarine
1 bag of Mini-Marshmellows
1/2 - 1 tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter

1) Melt the butter in a pot
2) Stir in marshmellows until they are all melted. 
3) Remove from heat and add peanut butter
4) Then, stir in cereal slowly until all cereal coated with marshmellows
5) Pour mixture into dish and allow to cool

Vacation Reads

We are leaving tomorrow for our little family vacation/break.  We are so excited.  I am looking to sleeping, reading, praying, quiet, and quality family time.  I am going to catch up on non-medical reading...Check out my pics below!  I will let you know what actually gets read.  I plan to update from afar. 

My initial options for vacation reading..

(I even took a facebook poll)

And what is making the trip (plus Kisses from Katie for a second time)



Chicken and Dumplings

We had the pleasure of having dinner with our friends, James and Britney Armstrong, on Monday.  Brit is an amazing cook (and friend) and is quite famous amongst her friends for her chicken & dumplings. She must love us or want to shut us up every six months.  Whatever it may be, the food was awesome and so was the time with our very special friends... Check out Tedi with Gracie and Avery Armstrong.... (missing....dawit, their cutie from Ethiopia)

Tedi and Grace

....check out her 5 Million Minus 1 shirt (first edition)

Tedi and Avery

Get Your Fundraiser Promoted....

....as I mentioned in an earlier post, we are doing a huge giveaway/raffle on the blog and facebook starting at the end of October leading into the first week of November to celebrate Adoption Month as well as continue to save for our second adoption.... 

So, I have already received several great donations for the raffle.  If you would like to donate an item from your fundraiser, please email me (nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com).  This will benefit your adoption because you will definitely get more blog traffic.  Your blog address and contact will be posted.  Plus, several big names in the adoption world have donated items and will be re-posting the giveaway....increasing your traffic MUCH more than my blog ever could.

Have a great night!

4 days and courting

....until we leave on our little family vacation.  We could not be more thankful to my aunt Pam for giving us her home in South Carolina for a week.  I can not put into words my excitement....Ten hours in the car should be interesting...nevertheless, I am super pumped!

Saturday, our family was invited to sell our shirts and ornaments at a fundraiser for a Congo-based relief group.  Our friend, Megan Terry, invited us out.... I was working but the boys headed out to Simpsonville for a movie in the park.  We sold several tshirts and were able to spread the word of adoption even more.  We will be placing our second tshirt order during the last week of October/first week of November! 

T-SHIRTS are HERE

I am excited to announce that our first batch of t-shirts has arrived.  I am off today (which is a false sense of joy since I must work 8pm-9am tonight and tomorrow night and skip normal life) so I drove out to pick up our shirts from Sixth Street Print House in Shelbyville.  I spent the rest of my morning rolling each shirt and tying them with fabric strips (thanks for the idea Lindsy Wallace) and then the afternoon sorting and such.  Well, I realized 150 shirts are a lot.  Now, if you live in Louisville, we need to set a meeting time to get your shirt to you.  I have them divided out and ready to go. 

If you have not paid, you can click on the paypal button to the right or email me at nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com for our address to send a check. 

Note:  The "dark purple" is actually more blue, as you can see.  If this is horrible for you and you want another color, let me know.  There is also a 3-4 day delay on the youth sizes and adult S/M in the gray, though should not affect anyone. 

Lastly, if you missed this order and want a shirt, we will be placing second order at the end of October so email me, facebook me, comment.... whatever works

$15 each (Youth XS-Adult 4X)

Gray, White, Blue

Up and Coming....

So here is what you have to look forward to (or maybe we have to look forward to and you get to read about)...

1) T-SHIRTS:  I will be picking up our first order of T-Shirts tomorrow.... I am so excited.  Yes, we must spend money to make money in this fundraising game....however, we are so excited to see these!  So for you 95 peeps who have already ordered, they are coming and you can pay via paypal here on the blog or by check!  I will be taking a second order after we get back from vacation.... see #2

2) VACATION:  Since I started residency in July 2010, we have not really taken a vacation.  Thankfully, my program gives us four weeks each year of vacation.  Yes, I know that seems like a lot.  However, after working 60-80 hours each week (and sometimes people die), the break is much needed.  The first two weeks I had off were last August...they were spent getting to know our son.  The next was in February....not much to do then.  We were elated when my Aunt Pam offered her beach house to us.  Yes, we are blessed.  Her home is three bedrooms and three bathrooms on Fripp Island, South Carolina (near Hilton Head).  We are responsible for our food and gas (which I did a moonlighting shift in July to pay for) and her cleaning lady.  I can not tell you how excited we are.  JT and I are like two kids ready for Disney, but we are ready for sleep and a drop of wine and sleep and the sound of the ocean.  Tedi keeps saying he is going to bury his daddy with sand.  I have DO NOT know where he got that idea.  So in the middle of this second adoption, my aunt and uncle's gift is so very valuable to us....for family time and bonding AND mental health.

3) ORPHAN SUNDAY: Yes, it is coming!  November 6th.  Actually, November is Adoption/Orphan Awareness Month.  I am trying to plan something cool for it....Stay tuned

4) GIVEAWAY/RAFFLE:  You are going to be itching to get your hands on this....  a little 147, project hopeful, adoption art, tshirts.... you are going to want this... Stay Tuned.  It will be the kick off to Adoption Month!

5) Dad's Birthday:  My turned 60 on 10/5/2011.  We surprised him by showing up for his dinner.  Tedi adores my dad, as do I, and hated leaving.... I thougth I would share a few cute pics of the evening (as well as just some cute ones in general)  Enjoy!

With Dad!!!

And some silly fun with the iPhone camera

 

....now off to bed. trying to make my body be ready for two night shifts this weekend and then return to days on Sunday....not easy but mandatory. 

The F Word

Gotcha....didn't I?  Check this out.  Bono is at it again.

Fundraising for Friends

Three weeks ago, we met the Wallace Family at an art show here locally.  They are also adopting from Ethiopia and have had quite the adoption process.  They started adopting THREE years ago.....then they got pregnant.  They started adoptiong again OVER a year ago, and William, the dad, was diagnosed with melanoma.  So now, they are going at it again.  Third times a charm, we pray.  They are selling tshirts, like we are, to raise money for their adoption.  Check out the tshirt that Tedi is sporting in the picture.  They also have gray and yellow shirts... I bought a yellow one and am in love!  Check out their blog for their shirts as well as ornaments and jewelry!

“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.” G. K. Chesterton

First T-Shirt Order / Both Hands Project

Great news!  We found a couple of days ago that we are approved for a Both Hands Project.  We were blessed with Tedi's option to receive a matching grant from Lifesong for Orphans and it was so helpful.  This time we wanted to take a stab at the Both Hands project because of what it stands for and the potential. I attached the links above with more info.  There will be more posts on this come but we are so excited and just wanted to share this!

In other great news, we placed our first t-shirt order.  We are very excited.  I hope that after they come it and more people see them that we will keep selling and selling.  We were lucky enough to be invited to a fundraiser this coming weekend at a family movie night in a neighboring town.  We will be selling our extra shirts, taking orders for more shirts and selling ornaments. 

And again, this is why we fundraise.  This is why we adopt.  This is why we exist.