Auction Listing

Let's get ready for an auction!!!! We are so excited about tomorrows event and can't wait to see everyone.  Even if you can't be with us in person, you will have an opportunity to bid on our many auction baskets. We will be taking bids via cell phone tomorrow. We have posted the auction listing for tomorrow's chili supper below. We hope that everyone will take a look and during the event tomorrow, call in their bid! We have a few rules for bidding just to keep it fair for you and easier for us.

Good Luck and Happy Bidding!

Here are the rules for bidding by phone.
1. Bids will be taken only between 5:30 and 7:30 PM CST.
2. If you win an item and are not present, you will be contacted on Monday.
3. We will not be shipping items, so if you win you must be able to pick up an item or make arrangements to pick up.



If you have trouble viewing the listing, please click the link below.

Chili Supper Silent Auction Listing

4 days and counting

All the planning and organizing is just about complete. In 4 more days we will have our biggest fundraiser so far. We thank everyone who has helped us or donated an item or their time. You will never know what it means to us. This event is going to be lots of fun and will help us reach our goal in raising enough money to make Matt and I parents again and making Clayton a big brother!
 
Chili Supper Silent Auction
When: October 27
Time: 5pm-8pm
Where: Presidents Place
            2400 Friendship Drive

Adults $10
Kids 3-10 - $5
           0-3 Free

We are serving Chili and Hot Dogs with dessert and a drink.

In conjunction with the Chili supper we will be holding a Silent Auction. We are going to try something a little different with our auction. We will have call in numbers so anyone will have the opportunity to bid on their favorite item. We will be posting the listing later this week so that everyone has an opportunity to review.  We have something for everyone including an Awesome Electronics Basket and an Extraordinary Hunting Basket.

We also have some stuff for kids. We will have a whole table dedicated to the little ones. Coloring pages, games and a little craft project, your little ones will be entertained while mom and dad have a good time.

And don't forget ELVIS will be in the building. Brad McCrady, Elvis Style Entertainment, will be in attendance to provide some rockin muscial entertainment. Mandy will be singing a couple of her favorites as well!

Its not to late to get tickets or reserve a seat. We are asking everyone who is interested in attending to contact us so that we can reserve you a seat. We want to make sure that everyone that wants to come has a seat.  So let us know soon. We hope to see your there!

Chili Supper & Silent Auction

Join us 3 weeks from today on October 27 for some great chili and awesome entertainment as we raise money to bring another child into our home. As we prepare for this journey we are doing everything we can to raise the funds to pay for the cost of the adoption and we hope that you and your family can come out and have a great evening of fun and help us celebrate adoption and raise money.

Where: The Presidents Place meeting room - 2400 Friendship Drive, Owensboro, KY.

Time: Doors open at 4:30, Chili will be served at 5:00.

Tickets are now available for purchase:

$10 for Adults

$5 for children 3-10,

Free for Children 2 and under.

Contact us at 270-313-5492 or via Email to purchase your tickets today. If you would like to pay via credit card please feel free to do so via the Paypal Donate button below. We will mail your tickets or handdeliver.

 

Brad McCrady - Entertainment Elvis Style (http://www.bradmccrady.com/) will be there to provide a fun evening of music as we raise money to bring a child into our home. We thank Brad for taking time out of his busy schedule to help us out. And I may sing a song or two! :)

Silent Auction.  We have had a number of great things donated and hope you will check back to see what we have new that has been donated. Here are just a few of the things we have already:

• Free year of Custard from Culvers
• Meals at Real Hacienda
• Car Basket with Free Oil Change and Tire Rotation from Raben Tire
• Kids Activity table
• Candleberry Candle Basket
• Avon Basket
• Mary Kay basket
• Bath and Body works Basket
• Kids Game Basket
• Boys Activity Basket
• Arts and Crafts Basket
• Hunting Basket
• Men's Work Basket with Carhart Coveralls and Craftsman Tool Bag.
• And Much More !

We will also have some fun Halloween activities for the kiddos! Check back for more information.
We still have Dominos Cards for $10.

Deadline Approaching!!!

The deadline is approaching for us to have all donations submitted for our Hand in Hand matching grant. We are so excited to reach the $3000 so that they will match it dollar for dollar.

If you would like to help us, please send your donation made payable to “Hand in Hand Christian Adoption” postmarked by September 28th, 2012 to:
Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.
Matthew & Amanda Lawson
18318 Mimosa Court
Gardner, KS 66030

For tax purposes please include our name on the outside of the envelope only…do not put our name on the check itself.

I can't wait to give the update next week that we met our goal!!! Thank you to everyone who has donated!

Grants, Chili Suppers and Pizza Cards...Oh MY!

I'm sitting at home today with a sick little boy and I'm working on catching up on some adoption fundraising planning. We have a lot of irons in the fire right now with regards to our adoption and we are always looking for good opportunities to fundraise. We are currently working on a couple of new fundraisers (more info below) that we believe will be fun and save you money.

We had another successful yard sale this weekend. Thanks to Matt & Heather Beatty for allowing us to use their yard once again. You do not know how much all of your help means to us.

There is no news on the actual adoption right now, just waiting. We are waiting for God to present us with the situation that is just for us. We are depending on Him and know that when everything has come together as He plans, our baby will come into our home.

Hand in Hand Christian Adoption Grant Update
We are very close to having the total amount needed for our matching grant from Hand in Hand. Thanks to everyone who have donated. We are only around $500 from having the full $3000 needed to receive the full grant amount. If you would like to help us, please send your donation made payable to “Hand in Hand Christian Adoption” postmarked by September 28th, 2012  to:

Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.      

Matthew & Amanda Lawson

18318 Mimosa Court

Gardner, KS  66030 

For tax purposes please include our name on the outside of the envelope only…do not put our name on the check itself.

 

Our New Fundraising Projects

CHILI SUPPER FUNDRAISER. Come join us on October 27 for some great chili and awesome entertainment. This event will take place at Presidents Place meeting room - 2400 Friendship Drive, Owensboro, KY. Doors open at 4:30, Chili will be served at 5:00. Tickets are now available for purchase: $10 for Adults, $5 for children 3-10, Free for Children 2 and under.

Brad McCrady - Entertainment Elvis Style (http://www.bradmccrady.com/) will be there to provide a fun evening of music as we raise money to bring a child into our home. We thank Brad for taking time out of his busy schedule to help us out.

Don't forget the Silent Auction. We have had a number of great things donated and hope you will check back to see what we have new that has been donated. Here are just a few of the things we have already:

• Kids Activity table
• Candleberry Candle Basket
• Avon Basket
• Mary Kay basket
• Bath and Body works Basket
• Kids Game Basket
• Kids Activity Basket
• Hunting Basket
• Carhart Coveralls
• Much More to come! 

More information to come as we get closer.

FUNDRAISING CARDS. We are now selling Dominos Delivering the Dough Cards for $10. These Dominos cards have 16 pull tabs for a Buy one Pizza at Menu Price & Receive One Pizza of equal or Lesser value Free. (Carryout only).  So for only $10 you get 10 FREE pizzas with the purchase of a pizza. That's a great deal. If you would like to get one of these cards please message me or email me and we will get one to you.

Good News!!!

I love good news on not so good days. I haven't felt very good today and when I got home Matt hadn't checked the mail, so I got to check the mail (which doesn't happen too often). When I checked it there was a lot of mail, which again is not normal. So as I am going through it I see an envelope with a very familiar logo. It was a letter from one of the Grant providers we had applied, Show Hope. I was so excited, I opened it and there it was an approval letter for $4000.

We received an adoption assistance grant in the amount of $4000.

I couldn't believe my eyes. The tears just started to flow and all I could do was thank God. I called Matt. He asked if I was shedding happy tears? Well of course I was, and I couldn't seem to stop. We are so blessed and I know that God has a plan. We have faith in Him and we will have faith in His timing. This is getting us closer and closer to raising all of the funds needed to bring home Clayton's Brother or Sister. We still need to raise the $3000 for the Hand in Hand Matching grant. (**See below for information on how you can submit a donation.) We have had a few donations and I know there are a few more coming.

**Please send all tax deductible donations made payable to “Hand in Hand Christian Adoption” postmarked by September 28th, 2012  to: (for tax purposes please include our name on the outside of the envelope only…do not put our name on the check itself)

Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.      
Matthew & Amanda Lawson
18318 Mimosa Court                                                                                                                                 Gardner, KS  66030          

We have lots of things going on and a few more things coming up. We are looking at doing a spaghetti dinner or chili supper at home and in Louisville in the next couple of months. We will be doing another yard sale in 3 weeks and I am looking for donations of items for a auction. If anyone out there is willing to donate a tablet type device (Ipad, Samsung tablet etc.) let me know. We would love to do a raffle in conjunction with some of our other functions.

I hope everyone has a wonderful night! I know we are!

God Bless!

Miracles & Recipes

I held a miracle today. Born yesterday evening, Ella is as precious as they come. She is a sweet little girl that I can't wait to watch grow up and become a beautiful lady. It is such a blessing to be able to hold one of God's miracles and know that she is perfect because of His work.  Congrats Matt and Heather on the birth of your precious little girl. We love you all and are so blessed to have you all in our lives and thank you two for all of your support and love!

As we sat yesterday and waiting for her to be born, we knew that it would happen but having patience is sometimes hard. All we could do was wait and pray. Just like our adoption it is all in perfect time. There are so many ways that I can compare a pregnancy to adoption. I may not be carrying a child in my belly, but I am carrying one in my heart. I love this child already and I don't even know if he or she has been conceived.

Holding Ella gives me hope. God has a plan for us and we must be faithful to Him and have patience to see his work. We need to get focused on our fundraising and getting the baby's room done so that we are ready. What makes this so hard is watching Clayton and trying to help him understand this process. This morning when he saw Ms. Ella's picture he was excited and thought she was cute, but he came into the room and asked when our baby would get here. I tried to hold back my tears and comfort him. He doesn't understand this process though he is learning about adoption more each day. We have to stay strong for him and help him to understand. Prayer is the key.

Fundraising & Grant Updates

Matching Grant.   We are on our way to raising the money needed for the matching grant. We know that there have been or will be donations made for about $1500. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to this grant, please send all donations made payable to “Hand in Hand Christian Adoption” postmarked by September 28^th, 2012  to: (for tax purposes please include our name on the outside of the envelope only…do not put our name on the check itself)
Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.      
Matthew & Amanda Lawson
18318 Mimosa Court
Gardner, KS  66030          

New. Cookbook Fundraiser. I am starting our Cookbook and we need your recipes.  If you would like to have your recipe in our cookbook, please send them to me via email (see our info section). You can also send a picture of you, your family or even the recipe. We hope to have it put together by the end of October and ready for purchase soon.

Yard Sale #3. We will have another  yard sale on September 15th. We are looking for donations of furniture, house goods or kids stuff. We have a ton of clothes already from our last two yard sales. If you have anything you would like to donate let us know.

Chili Supper. We are looking to get a Chili supper or Spaghetti dinner organized soon. Look for details coming soon!

Happy Anniversary!

A little late but better late than never.

One week ago Matt and I celebrated 13 years of marriage. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life and to be able to call him my husband and the father to my children. I truly believe that God knew when He made us that He made us for each other. We have always been around one another growing up and didn't know it. We had family that participating in things together, he played ball against/with my cousins, his nephew went to my grandmothers daycare. The world is just so small, but it was all in God's plan.

We have had our ups and downs but through it all God has been right with us and when we let him he leads us down the right path. Our first adoption brought us closer and I hope and pray that this process will do the same.

On the Adoption Front:

We are still patiently waiting. We are waiting for grants to come through hopefully this month. We are waiting for a birthmother to choose us for her child. We have reapplied for one grant that we know we weren't awarded. We are still researching grants and placement agencies. We are looking to expand our chances by applying to a few different agencies across the country to hopefully get a better chance in being chosen. The problem with that is with many of these agencies, their fees are much higher than All Blessings. So we have to work even harder to raise funds. But we know that God will bring us the right birthmother and right child. I continue to pray for her, even though I don't know her and if she crosses your mind, please say a prayer.

Our Current Fundraising Efforts:

Thirty One Order
We are taking up an order for 31 that we will get a portion of the proceeds. If you are intersted in ordering something please let me know. The new Spirit collection is 50% off this month and embroidery is still $5. Let me know if you are intersted in ordering. We will be closing the order on August 15th.

Benefit Dinner Planning/Organizing
We are going to start planning our spaghetti or chili supper very soon. Thinking that it will take place sometime in October. Lots of work to do to get ready for it, but I know it will be worth it. We already have a few auction items (Candleberry Candle basket & a Nice Brand New Kids Train Table) and are going to start looking at locations and getting other donations. If you know of anyone who would like to donate something or you would yourself, please let us know. If you would like to help us with organizing this benefit, please feel free to contact me and we will set up a time to meet and start planning.

Another Yard Sale
We will be having one last yard sale for the year. It will be September 15th. We are not looking for any major donations at this time. We have a TON of clothing left from the last yard sale, but if you have any household items, furniture, baby stuff or kids toys lying around, let me know. We would happy to take these things off of your hands.

And on with the Journey!

YAY!!! Good News on the Grant front!!!

If you can read the letter attached to the right then you can see that  we have been approved for a matching grant in total of $6000 from Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc. The way this works is that we will be sending out letters to family and friends asking for donations to be sent to Hand in Hand. Once we get to $3000, they will match it dollar for dollar and we will have a total of $6000 to go toward our adoption process! This is so exciting and we are so very thankful to God for providing for this process.  We are sooo blessed!                   

This was part of the scripture that was read last night at church:

"For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."-Romans 8:24-25

Yesterday was just one of those days where I needed to let go and let God and didn't. :( I had taken so much of the worry of this process back and away from Him. I wasn't letting him have my worries and my stress. I was not depending on him. I know that we are only into month 2 of our wait and there are families out there that have waited for YEARS to become parents or for their little ones to come home to them, but it was one of those days that I was just down in the dumps. I was throwing one of those pity parties that wasn't any good. On my way home from lunch though I prayed and asked God to forgive me for taking these worries, that I had given to him, back. I know where my help comes from and I know that God would take those fears of this process and the worries that I have and His will would be done.

Today has been a different day and its all because of prayer. I can't see this child that he has planned for us. I don't feel it move in my womb, I don't have those natural things that come along with a pregancy. This child is growing in my heart and it is through faith that I know he or she will come to our family. I have to, we have to, have patience and wait upon the Lord. He is working on this and will take care of it in his time. I am so blessed and will wait upon him! He has shown today that He is for us and this adoption. He will continue to bless.

More information about our grant will be coming soon. As soon as our letter is approved by the grant agency I will be sending them out. Have a great night!  Oh and don't forget about our yard sale tomorrow and saturday. We have LOTS of good stuff. See our ad below:

Adoption Yard Sale Fundraiser

Owensboro, KY - 1702 Thistle CT.
July 27-28 - Friday & Saturday - 7 am to ?
Help us bring a child into our home. We are trying to raise the fees needed to pay for our adoption and we appreciate anyone that comes out. Our son will be having a Lemonade stand to help make him a Big Brother. Some please come out and atleast get a glass of lemonade and a cookie.

Great Back to School deals! Girls & Boys name brand clothes sizes 4-7 and tons of shoes. If you need some good, clean and like new clothes, come on by and we can dress your child for school.

Great work clothes for Men and Women sizes 8-24 lots of dresses, suits, dress shirts etc. Popluar brands like Eddie Bauer, Aeropostale, Lane Bryant, Dress Barn, Liz Claiborne. Shoes and purses as well.

Baby Items include Girls & Boy clothese sizes Newborn to 3T. Baby Girl bedding set, Evenflo Car Carrier with Base, Blankets, Bibs, Toddler Booster Seat. More Girls stuff than boys, but we do have a little bit of boys stuff. Baby Toys like new.

Playstation 1 with controllers and Games. Playstation 2 with all cords and games. Over 50+ games. Palm, Misc. CD's

Variety of Furniture, 2 Tv's, Shelf, Bar stools, Lighted decorator tree, fish tanks, and we are still finding MUCH MUCH MORE!"

Our Profile

Our Profile has been published on our agency's site. You can visit it by clicking here: Matt and Mandy's Adoption Profile . We are excited to have more exposure and ask that if you know of someone who may be looking at adoption for their child, share our profile with them. If you don't that's ok, you can help us out in another way, through prayer. We can use all of them we can get.

What's Happening in Our World Right Now?

Mary Kay Adoption Fundraiser - Now through July 22. Take a look at an online catalog by visiting this link: MaryKay. You can send me your order via email (visit our profile to obtain the address, don't want spammers getting ahold of my email address) and I can get it Amber. She's working on her webpage, but its not up yet.

Yard Sale Fundraiser - July 27-28. 1702 Thistle Court. We have had lots of donations and are looking for more. You name it we will take it. Just let us know and someone will come by and get your stuff.

More to come later. We hope everyone has a very blessed day!

Planning and Waiting

The title says it all. We are planning more fundraisers and waiting on a placement and grant responses. Waiting and praying I say. I want to blog more to keep the journal of this process and hope that in the coming weeks you will see more posts. I just asked Matt if he wanted to say anything, he says "Hi"! LOL! He's not much on talking as we all know, but he is doing a great job helping me stay sane and not getting to upset with the wait. Things are very quiet right now on the adoption front, but the grant front is pretty active. We received an email today from one of the grants to which we applied. They are waiting on a couple of our references and then they will be ready to submit it to their board. We are hoping to hear good news from it soon. It is a matching grant that will match  donations made by our friends and family. We are hopeful that we will hear from some of the other 5 that we have applied for in the next 60-90 days. These grants have kept me busy for much of the wait so far, but now we are back to waiting again on multiple fronts.

We are starting to work on fundraisers again and we have scheduled our 2nd yard sale for July 27-28. If you have anything you would like to donate, please let us know. We will come to you! We are hoping for another great turnout. We are also looking at doing a Spaghetti dinner. If anyone has any ideas for our area or Louisville, let me know. We are thinking of some type of entertainment and auction. Any help organizing would be appreciated. 

What else is happening? We are enjoying the summer with our little guy who just celebrated his 6th Family Day! We are so blessed to have him and we are so grateful to the woman who allowed us to be his parents and Vilma who cared for him until we were able to pick him up. What a blessing it is to have God on our side!

We just made a trip to Holiday World. Clayton had a blast but it was HOT! What's with this heat? We are enjoying some XBox and keeping cool. Matt and Clayton are enjoying their last month of summer vacation before school starts. Matt starts back August 1st and Clayton the week after. Not sure what I will do having to get up early again, but I guess I better get used to it!


OH I FORGOT TO MENTION OUR NEWEST ADDITION!!!

May 8th we brought a new little member to the family, Pippa the Boxer. After losing our dear friend Sebastian early in the year, Matt and Clayton wanted a new puppy. Matt loves boxers and when we found Pippa in an ad we fell in love.

She is a sweet puppy with LOTS of energy. When we brought her home she was 4 lbs, shes now over 16. She's gonna be a big one, but we know she will be a loving puppy for the family. She is already a special part of our little family and we are so glad she's here.

Welcome to the family Ms. Pippa!

We have no time frame, we aren't sure how long it will take, but it's in God's hands. We are doing the best we can being patient and waiting for God's plan to unfold. It isn't always easy at times, but we know that if we will keep His faith He will bring us through this wait and will bless us greatly. He has once before and I know he will do it again.  Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

Patience

Patience is a virtue! I have heard that all my life. Well go through an adoption And you will learn patience. We haven't even been waiting long and I am having to learn patience. I trust in my Lord and know it is going to happen but I constantly have to ask for patience.

I don't want it to consume my thoughts and my actions but at times it does. At times I feel as though I am alone and no one has ever felt this way. I feel as though it is a long way off and I am miles from shore. Or that I'm running a race and I am in last place and have miles to go. But I know that is not true. I'm not alone. I have a wonderful husband and child, a great family and awesome friends and church. What other support do I need?

When I start to feel like that I pray that Gods plan will be perfect and in His time. I trust that He is leading us in this direction and is not going to lead us on a journey we can not handle. I know that he is bringing a child to our home. I just have to have faith to continue to believe and courage to continue.

God tells us in the bible that "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. "
-Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) He also tells us that..."With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." -Mark 10:27 (KJV). So forget the pity party and forget the I'm all alone in this. I am never alone for God is ALWAYS with me. He is only a prayer away.

It's a bit of a tangent tonight but I wanted to share my feelings tonight. And to the beautiful women out there somewhere, I don't know you, you don't know me but I was thinking of you tonight. I pray that God gives you comfort and strengths to know that he has a plan for you and your child. We love you and don't know you.

Good Night,

Mandy

Let the preparations begin

Well today I was up early to hit the yard sales. I did pretty good, if I do say so myself. I got a bunch of clothes, a car carrier, a bath seat, a car seat head rest, and a few other things. I am definitely in baby mood. I don't know when he or she will be here but I am trying to be ready either way.

Another way we have been working on getting ready is by completing all of our adoption grant paperwork. Let me just say, THERE'S ALOT!!! I think in total I am completing like 7 grants. We may not get all of them but anything is helpful. We have alot to raise but I truly believe with the help and support of our friends and family it will work out.

Our photo fundraiser is tomorrow, thanks to Kim Kirkpatrick. We have 10 families that are participating!!! Thanks to everyone who is and if you are interested let me know, we are trying to plan another date.

We are also looking at dates for Bunco and a few other items. As soon as I have more I will let everyone know.

Fundraising

We have all Had them, those moments in life when you look up and say, wow I really need to get busy. That project needs to be done because its due tomorrow. Yea well that is how i felt today. So it dawned on me today that
I really need to get moving on our fundraising. We have a large goal and I know we can make it happen. We just need to get to busy planning.

We still have spots left for our photo fundraiser. It's a great deal, $45 for 30 minute photo session and a CD with all pictures taken. Message me on Facebook or email me for more info.

I will be rescheduling the Bunco fundraiser very soon, hopefully this week. It's going to be a fun time. I will post date and time very soon.

We are also thinking of organizing a spaghetti dinner and show. That's in the early stages but definately something we are looking at.

More to come soon.

Thinking of her today

There is a woman out there that will carry a child for nine months and will choose adoption for her child. I don't know who she is, or where she is but she's out there. I have wondered where she is, and if she's even pregnant yet. All I know is she is out there somewhere.

This woman has been in my prayers recently as is all woman looking at adoption as their option. I think of the selfless woman who chose adoption for her son and allowed us to adopt Clayton. Maria is a beautiful woman that will always have a place in my heart and I have a love for this woman that I can't explain.

I'm so excited and know that I must be patient in all things. The initial excitement has so many thoughts going through my mind. I will trust my heart and have faith in my God that it will all happen according to his plan.

We are working on fundraisers and our next is Sunday, June 3rd. We are having a photography event. 30 minute Sessions are available for $45 and include a cd with your pictures. We only have 7 sessions left. Be sure to book it soon. Email me at lawsonadoption12@gmail.com to book a time. Money is due in advance.

More to come soon!

Let the Waiting Begin...

Today we received two great things, 1) our adoption profiles came in the mail & 2) we got notice that our Homestudy was finished and ready for our review. YAY!!! She also said that as soon as we reviewed it and let her know we approved it, we were "active"! As soon as I got home from work, I reviewed it and emailed her back. So now the official waiting game has begun. Now we are just waiting for God to bring the child he wants for us.

Matt and I were talking about the baby earlier and after we hung up he texted me. He said as soon as he hung up the phone Jason Aldeans song Laughed Until We Cried was playing the very last verse. It was pretty cool. Sometimes its neat how things work. If you have never heard the song before, take a listen:


"Oh man we were living, going crazy in the kitchen, we danced and screamed and held each other tight...we laughed until we cried." :) There are a lot of things to think about over the next months and preparations to make, but we know that the moment will come when we can laugh until we cry. I remember learning about Clayton and going to Matt's work just to show him a picture of OUR little boy. We both just laughed and cried, so I understand this song. It brings back great memories and also gives me a look at the future. The situation will be different, but it will be happy and from God.
We are so glad that it is God's time. That he has lead us down this path and if we will just depend on what he tells us, it will fall into place just like it should.

So you might ask, What are we doing now? So as we wait we have lots of fundraising to do, preparations at the house, furniture to buy etc.

Our Bunco fundraiser will be May 17th at 6 pm, at Daymar Colleges Group - New Hartford Road. During this event we will also have a vendor from 31 there who will be giving a portion of her sales to benefit our adoption. We may also have a few other vendors. If you can't make the Bunco party but would like to order from 31, click on MyThirtyOne Party !

Our next fundraiser after Bunco is even better. We have had a great photographer offer to do a photo session fundraiser day. We will be scheduling 30 minute photo sessions on June 3 for $45 each. This session will give you a 30 minute photo session and a CD with all pictures taken. She is a great photographer and took this picture for us. She took a ton of them and they were really great. This is a great fundraiser for us and we hope to really make this work. I will post more details very soon!

On the Move

Our process is on the move. This has been a great weekend. Yesterday we had our home study visit and we are now just waiting for Our worker to write it, Then it's ready!!! We can then start applying for grants and submitting to other agencies.

We held our Adoption Yard Sale Fundraiser on Friday and Saturday and we made over $1400. I was so surprised And excited! We had great weather and not a drop of rain. We still have a Jacuzzi Bathtub for $100 available.

Thank you God for every prayer you have answered. We know that if we will live for you, pray and give all our troubles to you it will all work in your plan. I'm thankful today that I have a God that loves me and has a plan for my life! Thank you Lord for your blessings on me.

Please help us extend the Adoption Tax Credit

A dear friend posted this a week ago and I wanted to share. She is adopting just like us and this bill is very important to all adoptive families. Please take 5 minutes to contact your congressman.

The Gocke Gang: Adoption Tax Credit: On April 17th, a bill was introduced to Congress which will be known, in short, as the Making Adoption Affordable Act.  This Act will  p...

Yesterday's News!

WE GOT OUR FBI's Checks today!!!!  I am so excited. I was afraid they would be weeks away, but our homestudy visit is Sunday and we got our FBI results today. YAY!!! The Lord works perfectly.

My Thoughts today: Our child may or may not be conceived yet, but he or she has been thought of today. I was thinking of what you will look like, and how much I will love you. It isn't about how you come to us, but it is that God will bring you to us. Adoption is so much more than getting a child, it is about growing our family and having another little person to love each and every day. This is an exciting process and I am so blessed to be a part of it. Your daddy and I talked about you last night. I get so excited when we talk about you as though you will be here any day. I know it can still be some time away, but I know you will be here. You are going to come into our lives and be a blessing.

Adoption Yard Sale FundraiserWe are only $200 from our goal and I am determined that after this weekends yard sale, we will have it. We have some wonderful friends and I have some great co-workers who have so willingly donated their own money and now their own stuff to help. We have had some great donations and more to come this week. I have a long week ahead of me, but it will soo be worth it.

Heres the latest info:

April 27-28
7am-? Each day.
1702 Thistle Court, Owensboro

This is a must see sale. We have it all - clothing ALL sizes, toys, huntinggear, Jacuzzi tub, table and chairs, wardrobe, 5-piece twin bed set, cornercomputer desk, household items and MUCH MORE.

We have it all including the BATHROOM TUB! :)

All money raised will benefit our adoption. Please come out and help us growour family through adoption!

Yard Sale!!!

When: April 27-28
Time: 7-?
Location: 1702 Thistle Court

Help us grow our family and support our Yard Sale!! We have lots of stuff that must go. We will have a $.25 table many items will be buy one get one! Furniture, clothing of all sizes, baby stuff, toys, holiday decor, hunting items - you name it we probably have it.

This is Our first big fundraising event to help raise money for the adoption! There are multiple ways you can help with this event. 1) donate items to sell or, 2) come and shop. Any help is extremely appreciated. Email or message Mandy on Facebook, if you can support our adoption yard sale.

I love April!

April is an awesome month. It was the month my Mamaw Tinee was born, the month my Mother was born, I have several cousins and friends born this month, and lastly I was born on the 26th. I have always been one of those that felt birthdays were special. They are the day that God brought us into the world and he must have loved us to do so. I am so blessed to have been born in April and Reborn by Salvation in April as well. Blessed is all I can call it.

April is a bit crazy for us right now. We have something going on each weekend and some are jammed packed. Like I mentioned in our last post, we scheduled our homestudy visit for the 29th, so of course we have lots of other things scheduled to happen this month. We had a baby reveal today (ITS A GIRL - Congrats Matt and Heather B.) we have a wedding shower tomorrow and Tball practive. Next week we have the first of two fundraisers scheduled (see below) and next weekend its Thunder over Louisville. The next weekend is the 2nd of our April fundraisers (see below as well) and then that sunday we have our Homestudy visit AND my sisters wedding shower. Then the next week we have a trip to the Zoo with school, Clayton's School program, another wedding shower and My Sisters wedding! Just a little bit going on over the next month. LOL! Check with me next month to see how I'm doing.

April 19th - Bunco FUNdraiser. http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/263724413719770/ See our event on facebook for more info. Prizes will be awarded for   Most Buncos, Last Bunco & Least Buncos!  There will be food and fun had by all who attend. 
Don’t forget the 31 Gift Fundraiser  Also take time between rounds to check out the wonderful 31 Gift items that will be available for order. Just in time for Mothers Day, Graduation or just a small item for yourself. The Adoption fund will receive 15% of all 31 gift purchases made during the Bunco event.

All proceeds of the nights Bunco game will benefit the Lawson Family Adoption Fund!
Donations to the fund are tax deductible when written to All Blessings International and mailed to the Lawson Family.


April 27-28 - Adoption Yard Sale Fundraiser -http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/124552341002565/
We are hosting an adoption yard sale fundraiser to offset the cost of our adoption expenses. We are asking all of our friends and family to pass on the word of this event. We are also taking any donations of items to be sold at this event.  We will be selling food and drinks as well, so come on out and get your breakfast or lunch.

NOTE: For those in my family who may want to get me something for my birthday, let me just say that ALL I wish for is donations to be made to our Adoption Family Fund. That is all I want this year, another child in our family. It may not happen this year, but it will happen.

Planning, Planning & More Planning

I'm back to our blog after a little over 2 weeks away. We had a wonderful revival with 3 souls saved. We still have many more we are looking for God to save. His plan is perfect and it's always right in time. That is Exactly how it will be with our adoption, his plan and his time.

We have officially scheduled our home study visit for April 29. I had hoped for earlier but it just didn't work out that way. Again, faith in God to believe that it is the right time is what we need to do.

We have almost hit our goal for our home study fees, just about $500 more to go. We have a number of fundraisers scheduled this month and are excited for each one.

Bunco/31 Fundraiser Scheduled!!! April 19 at 6 pm. It will be $15 to play and all proceeds will benefit the adoption. There will be door prizes and prizes for the most buncos, least buncos and last bunco. There will also be refreshments served. You will also have the opportunity to see items and place a 31 gift order where we will receive 15% of the purchases. This months 31 special is 50% off the purse of your choice when you spend $31. Great options for Mothers Day or Administrative professionals day. Look for an invite on Facebook for this event.

Adoption Yard Sale - April 27 & 28 on Lewis Lane in Owensboro. We are accepting donations of items in good condition. We would like to have all donations no later than Tuesday of that week to allow for pricing and transport to the sale location.

Thanks to everyone who has responded to our letters. We have raised $591 from those letters! We have wonderful family and friends, you all are wonderful!

Updates...

As I sit here watching Clayton play, I realize how Matt and I have been blessed. This little boy who looks at me with his big brown eyes and tells me, "I love you mommy", is a miracle to me. God didn't have to give us a child, much less one so sweet, but He did. How blessed we are to have him! I want to work for God and try to repay the many blessings he has given. God is soo good. I know that this new adoption will happen in his time and according to his plan. I just have to trust in Him and know that He is leading. And I know He is, by the donations we have received from our friends and family and the friends who are wanting to help through fundraising. This week alone we received $165. We are so blessed to have wonderful friends and family who have chose to support our adoption. Thank you all.

Homestudy Update: We are still waiting to start our homestudy. This is taking longer than what it did with Clayton because we have some things to take care of first, but it is good. Latest news on the homefront is Alex will be moving out on the 1st into his first place. We are excited for him and his friends and know that this is a great step for them. After Alex moves out and we do some room arranging, we will be ready to start our homestudy. We hope this will take place by Mid-April. We plan to have our first fee's raised ($1500) by that time. We are on our way, as we have $881.50 raised so far.  I'm not concerned at all about it. I have a sense of peace to know that it will happen.

Fundraising Update:I am going to start planning our Garage Sale and also a Bunco-31 Party. I expect to have both of these planned and on the calendar sometime in April. I will be posting here and on Facebook dates for both events. So keep a check out here if you want more info on our fundraising events. There is still opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation to our adoption. You can send a check written to All Blessings International or we have a form for credit card donations. NOTE: There is a 4% charge for credit card donations. After your donation is received, we will mail you your tax receipt.

Clayton's Matching Campaign. Clayton is still putting money in the Family Fund every chance he gets. He pull his first tooth this past Sunday and he tried to put his tooth fairy money in, but we wouldn't let him. Just the thought was enough to make us see his desire to help. He wants a sibling and he is willing to give us his own money to make it happen. He has received 2 matching donations to his original $16. Anyone willing to give to his matching campaign can send it to Clayton made out to All Blessings International.

He still prays every night for God to bring us a baby. Even tonight as he said the blessing over our dinner, he asked for Him to bring a baby.

I hope to have more updates soon, but don't worry as soon as I know anything I will be sure to let everyone know.

Gods working...

Gods working, and his plan is never wrong. I'm so glad of how things are going. It's going in his time and will happen just as he sees fit.

This week we finished our Mary Kay fundraiser and raised $115. Thanks to Kristi Mimbela for doing this for us. It's wonderful how God puts people in your life. I'm so glad to have met Kristi and her family.

We are going to start planning our next fundraisers. I'm looking at a chicken sale, bunco party and others. We have received a few donations from the letters we sent out. Donations sent to us and written to our agency are tax deductible. Contact us if you have any questions.

We are hoping to have raised our home study fee by April. We are getting very close. Then we can start the home study process.

More to come soon!

Check that off my list!

ý FBI Checks and All Criminals Mailed
ý Physicals scheduled for all

ý Fundraising started!

Its great to check things off our list!

Our FBI checks request was mailed today. All of our criminals have been requested. One step checked off our list. We are now working on paperwork and the house to get ready for our homestudy.

One of our big things right now is working on fundraising. We have had a number of people to ask to help us. One is a good friend, Kristi - a Mary Kay representative. She is doing an online sale for us starting tomorrow through the 15th. We will receive 30% of all sales made. We are doing this fundraiser through Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/181725385272496/

We also have a friend and adoptive mother who will be doing an auction for us. Tracy is awesome and I can't wait to see the product and link the auction. It is wonderful to have such great friends who are so willing to help us through this venture.

Clayton keeps talking about our baby. We are explaining that it is going to be quite a while before we are able to bring a baby into our home. If things had happened a bit differently we would have waited to say anything to him, but since alot of this happened because of what he had been praying for. God planned all of this and I know that he is leading this adoption. We are so blessed to have such a sweet little boy and such a loving God.

More updates and fundraising information to come!

Clayton's Matching Campaign

Good Morning!

Today we received a match to Clayton's donation on Friday. (See Friday's Blog post: The Sweetest Thing) He is continuing to donate his own money, even after being told he doesn't have to, and we have decided to see who out there would be willing to match Clayton's donations. He is soo excited about a new baby in our family and we are too. We can't wait to see how great a big brother he will be.

On Friday, out of his own money, he donated $16 to the Forever Family Fund. If you would like to match his donation, please make the check out to All Blessings International (501(c)(3) non profit adoption agency) and mail it to us. We will record your donation and if over $25 will obtain a receipt for you, your check is enough to show the donation as well. Please email (see my profile) me for the mailing address.

Help Clayton become a big brother!

Thanks.

The sweetest thing...

The sweetest thing happened today.

We have started what we are calling our "Forever Family Fund" in a bank that Clayton received for Christmas. Clayton and I decorated it with stickers and took the change that we had been saving in our pickle jar and put it in our new bank. It was a total of $14.

That was a couple of days ago and Clayton had not paid a lot of attention to it until today. Today we had some really bad weather, tornado warnings etc. So I wasn't thinking about the adoption or our fund. I had told Clayton to get his stuffed animals out of his room that he wanted and then sit in the hallway - our safe place during severe weather. Then the next thing I see is Clayton standing in front of me and handing me $16. He said, "Mommy, I want this to go in our Family Fund." My mouth dropped and I was in shock. I was so caught off guard, I couldn't figure out what to say. I told him to put it back in his bank and he told me no, he wanted this money to go to helping our family fund. I almost cried, I gave him a big hug and let him put the money in the bank. 

He is so excited about the idea of a baby in our family that he wants to do whatever he can to help. everytime we get change from buying something he tells me, to put it in the family fund. With him we may be able to save more money. :) He even said today that maybe we could set up a table and ask people as they come by to donate their change.  All I can do is smile when I think about what he did today. What a generous and sweet little guy that we are raising. I love this little boy!

Our Current Fundraising Ventures

We're beginning some new and interesting adoption fundraising endeavors for anyone who would like to participate.

1. Baby Bottle Fundraiser. We are going to be purchasing baby bottles and we're asking willing parties to fill one up with change -- or any currency they'd like -- over the course of one month, and then return it to us. Why one month? Because as with all things in life, if we begin something with intentions of getting to it at some point, it usually doesn't get done. We see that quite often. So we thought it would be a good idea to set a deadline. So whe

Our goal from baby bottle fundraiser:  $1,000 or more

So yeah, being able to raise that amount from the baby bottles alone could be HUGE for us! If you'd be willing to take a bottle and fill it up within one month, please contact one of us. If you don't have our contact info, you can email me at lawsonadoption12@gmail.com If you don't live near us, we'd be happy to mail you a bottle.

2. Cookbook.  We need your recipes.  We are going to be putting together a cookbook. This is going to not only allow us to raise some much needed funding, but will also allow us to keep our mind off of the waiting.  What we would like at this time would be any recipes that is cherished by your family. Could be one of your kids favorite meals, or your grandmothers family favorite.  You can email those to me at lawsonadoption12@gmail.com. I will be compiling these for the book and in the coming months, they will be available for purchase.

Please be sure to include the following:

Recipe Name

Servings

Your Name

A picture of the dish or of your family eating the dish (optional)

Ingredients

Directions

Nutritional facts if available.

We would like to get these recipes by the April 15, 2012 so that we can begin working on this project.

Thanks again for all your support!!!!

Matt, Mandy and Clayton

How you can help!

Dear Family and Friends,

We want to share our exciting news with you! We have decided to expand our family through adoption once again. God blessed us six years ago with a wonderful and sweet little boy and we are now ready to begin the process to welcome a second child into our family! Clayton has been praying for a baby for a while now and we are excited to be able to begin the process to make him a big brother.

The bible tells us that, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. _{Hebrews 11:1} We do not know exactly when this will happen or how it will, but we know it will. We truly believe that God is leading us this way once again and believe our family will be completed through this process.  We know that this process is not easy, and it will take a lot of prayer on our part and the prayers of those around us. We do not wish to depend on man, but to depend and have faith in God to lead us through this process.  Because we know, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. _{Mark 10:27}

As many of you know, our first adoption was processed internationally, a somewhat predictable and estimated process.  We have made the decision to process a domestic adoption, which is more unpredictable. For us, the difficult part of this process – other than the waiting – is the expense. As some of you may know, adoption expenses include agency fees, legal fees, document preparation costs, travel expenses and much more. We are working on a number of fundraising ideas, but our hope is to raise as much money toward the adoption as possible.  We have been and are saving but are still seeking ways to raise more funds for our wonderful venture. We need your help to make this adoption possible.

ONE WAY TO HELP! You can help make our dream possible by making a tax deductible donation to our agency on our behalf. Your donation can be made out to All Blessings International and mailed to us. When your donation is received, we will collect it with other donations received and present them to our agency and obtain a receipt for your donation. Receipts can be issued for donations over $25 only.

In the coming days and weeks, I plan to post a number of fundraising ideas and ways you can help.  We will have very limited information for a while, but plan to keep this blog updated for our friends and family. Please check it soon and often.

The above is just one way you will be able to help us. If you are unable to support with a donation at this time, we understand and ask for your prayers.   Thank you in advance for your support.

Love,

Matt, Mandy and Clayton

For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him; Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.  

1 Samuel 1:27-28

Our love

As I go to put Clayton in bed last night he gives me the biggest hug and says, I love you mommy! My heart just bubbles. I tuck him in and he starts his prayer, it goes something like this:

Dear God,

Thank you for God and help us to be good boys and girls. Please bring us a baby and thank you for your love. Amen

Sweet, precious and innocent. He has had this same prayer for weeks now. It's awesome to see God working with these young children and I know that Clayton's prayer will be answered. Gris our love and we will add more love to our family as we make this journey through the adoption process.

Oh how wonderful it is to know the love of God.

Let the Paper Pregnancy Begin!

So today starts the official journey to our second child. After six years of waiting and lots of prayer, Matt and I have made the decision to start the adoption process. We truly believe that God is leading us this way once again and believe our family will be completed through this process.  We know that this process will take lots of prayer on our part and the prayers of those around us.  We have faith that God's will, will be done and that it will be in his time not ours.

We have made the decision to process a domestic adoption. For us, the difficult part of this process – other than the waiting – is the expense. As some of you may know, adoption expenses include agency fees, legal fees, document preparation costs, travel expenses and much more. We are still working on fundraising ideas, but our hope is to raise as much money toward the adoption as possible. We need your help to make this adoption possible. In the coming days, I plan to post a number of fundraising ideas we will be doing and also ways you can help.

We will have very limited information for a while, but plan to keep this blog updated for our friends and family. Please check back soon and thank you all for your prayers.