Yard Sale Success

Our yard sale preparations to raise money for our adoption started months ago as we began cleaning out and gathering donations from our wonderful friends and family.  Few days went by in the past two weeks where I didn't come home to discover yet another donation awaiting on our front porch.  And with every donation and every inquiry and every prayer and every step towards Saturday, we felt so supported and touched that our baby half way around the world already has a grand bundle of people who love him/her and are helping us work towards bringing him/her home.  With that being said.....check out the yard sale!!

Starting to put merchandise out on Friday afternoon!  Melanie in the background was a HUGE help in organizing and making sense of everything while my brain raced and drifted.  :)

Getting set up!  Kathy showed up very last-minute to help us price items!!  I don't know what we would have done without her input and yard sale expertise!  

Brenda stopped by, stayed and helped and even called in her "army" as I called them in the form of her teenage sons and their friends to come help out!  What a blessing!

Tables filling up!

Daddy, Daniel Isaac and Noah David after they got the tent set up!

Daniel Isaac and Noah David testing out the tent!

Daddy and Daniel Isaac ready to go to sleep in the tent!  They slept in it part of the night to guard the yard sale items!  Daniel Isaac felt like his Daddy needed to have his real sword with him "in case some bad guys came to take the stuff".  They did an excellent job guarding the sale, though!  Way to go big brother!

Daniel Isaac and Michael testing the toys.  (They all worked really well.)

The most wonderful friends and volunteers in the world!  From left to right, Geraldine (we call her "Deane"...she is our "church grandmother" and is so wonderful!),  Feng and Ye are so sweet and were a big help Friday and Saturday, and Melanie who kept things moving for us!  They were each a God-send!

Shoppers starting to trickle in!

Miles!!!  One of our cutest shoppers!
(Cape shirt made by me and available custom made for sale for $17, proceeds going to fund our adoption)

Isa, Deane and me as the afternoon approached!  What wonderful helpers they were!

GET THIS!!!!  My cousin Wendy and her two girls Peyton and Kirsten came all the way from Birmingham to surprise and support us!  It was so wonderful seeing them and having them here! (And my boys appreciated the ring pops the girls brought them!!!)

"Taata"...Daddy and I stop for a second.  We can't wait to have our little one from Uganda nestled between us.  

 The Raffle!

Marie Mann has a wonderful photography business where she captures absolutely beautiful, priceless photos that are forever cherished!  She very generously donated a photo session and CD of the images for us to use as a raffle to raise money--a $300 value!  Please check her out and book her for any and all of your photography needs!  www.sarahmariephotos.com

Daniel Isaac was our "drawer" for the raffle!  A very big responsibility for mukulu ("big brother").

Eyes closed....and he draws........

Congratulations to the Hulings!  Enjoy your photos!

And this sums it up!  This is how we all felt after all was said and done!  EXHAUSTED!!


Before announcing the grand total raised, I absolutely must thank everyone for your help!  Mom and Dad were such good sports to allow us to overtake their front lawn for the weekend and were so helpful.  Daniel's parents helped with the boys a great deal...especially when they got "yard sale fatigue".  Our volunteers, Deane, Feng, Ye, Trey, Ashley, Isa, Melanie, Brenda, Kathy, the Nell boys, David, were all so wonderful and helpful!  Heather and Race....words can't even begin to describe their help but I'll go with indescribably generous and awesome.  And the homemade sweet potato biscuits with butter delivered to the scene Saturday morning by Heather are still making my mouth water.  And a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who donated items to be sold!  And another HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who came and shopped.

I must say that I expected lots of "bargaining" to be done by shoppers...afterall, it was a yard sale.  But I had less than a handful ask us to come down on any prices.  Instead, ya know what?  People would UP the prices!  I'd say, "Oh that's $2" and get a reply "How about $5?"  Um, yeah!  And then a lady who came by to shop that we didn't even know came up to the check out and said, "I don't need anything today, but here is some money for your adoption," handed us $40 and walked away.  Another stranger dropped off 8 five piece place settings of china to be sold when she heard what we were doing.  And as tiring as all of the work was, even more so was the overwhelming feeling of people rallying around, loving and supporting us and our future baby.  It literally felt like a tidal wave of love being poured out as everyone worked together to make this yard sale happen.

And one last story...when Deane arrived at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning, just she and I stood on the dew-filled, cool lawn.  She wrapped her arm around me and said, "I want to pray."  So she did...she poured her heart out and wept over our baby in Africa and asked the Lord to bless the sale and help us.  She asked Him to protect baby as he/she is being knit together in mama's womb.  And I got to hear another heart interceding on behalf of our family and our baby.

And did He bless the sale?

I'd say so....

to the tune of

$1,675.20

Thanks and praise to the Lord, our Provider!

Expecting

Expecting our next child...

No anticipation over a pregnancy test or first ultrasound appointment to have a first view of the tiny little growing baby bean. No growing belly or hiccups within. No feet or elbows stuck in my rib cage. No middle of the night trips to the bathroom. No monthly photos of growing tummy. No maternity clothes. No swollen hands and feet and face. No belly rubs from my boys. No admiring smiles from strangers. No kicks or rolling around or punches from inside my womb. No cravings or extra large appetite. No staring down in wonder and awe...

But oh, the preparation for our next child...it's different but it's very much here and feels really good. It's the good kind of overwhelming....

Strangers and old friends and new friends and family messaging their thoughts and prayers. Dozens of friends and family pouring donations for our yard sale onto our front porch, shed, friends' barn. People following our adoption process and praying and supporting and encouraging. Dear friends volunteering their time...offering to be up at the crack of dawn with us...willing and eager to do anything to help. Precious souls opening their hearts, hands and feet to help us.

Literally "a village" is rallying for a precious baby who will be born half way around the world to a mama who can't care for him/her. Our family and many of our friends and family here in Alabama preparing and praying and hoping and helping and ready to open our hearts and arms and home to this child. It feels indescribably good to have so many people loving our baby before he/she is even home, and I cannot wait to tell him/her this part of his/her story one day!

One of our many preparations in the fund raising part of this adoption journey has been occurring and is going to finally be here this Saturday. Our first yard sale! We have accumulated a grand collection of items to sell and will be working all day tomorrow to get everything priced and hauled and loaded and unloaded and set up--spread all over Mom and Dad's big lawn just waiting to be bought. And every penny will go towards paying our adoption expenses...our overall goal--$30,000.00.

I must say, I'm already deeply touched by the outpouring of donations and help for Saturday, and I cannot wait to see everything spread out and ready to be sold. Pictures will be taken and tucked away and then put into baby's book to show all or the love and preparation that took place before he/she came home. So please, keep spreading the word, keep praying, and keep loving this precious child who will one day be a part of this wonderful, loving village!

THIS Saturday, April 21, 2011
Adoption Fundraiser
YARD SALE
414 N. 10th St.
Opelika, Alabama
7:00 a.m.- Noon