We are moving!!!

I have started another blog, simply because it is so much easier to post pictures to it. I will add a link here http://www.spaces.msn.com/fromhomeandback/
that will take you to it. You can either copy and paste or click (if it works) to take you there. There are a lot of neat things on this one and yes, this blog will be linked to the new blog. Sorry for the inconvence, but it is just so much more convenient to post the pictures. I just hated to be in Ukraine and trying with out success to post pictures to this blog.

Thanks - Kristi

WOW!!

I didn't realize how many people visit my blog on any given day. Today we are up to 21 at this moment. I would love to hear from you, where are you located etc....

Please introduce yourself.

Thanks

Waiting....

It seems like that is all we do, in fact it is. We are waiting for a letter in the mail, which by the way I am not obsessive about at all now. I even let Kelso get the mail now, because I know it is highly unlikely that we won't be getting anything anytime soon.

The adoption center is closing in April to make the move to the new ministry and it has been said that they will reopen in May and double the amount of the adoptions. So, who knows when it will be. Hopefully before I have to redo all of the paper work.

As I said before my quilt is finished. We have had a wonderful person offer to make the raffle tickets for us at no charge at all. What a blessing that was, its amazing how many kind hearted people there are. There have already been several tickets sold and I don't even have them yet.

I was a little anxious about doing the raffle. I just feel guilty about it I guess, maybe that isn't the word, but anyway. Here we are trying to add to our family and we are asking people to give money in order to do so. I can't help but feel that there are so many more people out there who could use money, perhaps more than we can. As someone else said to us, God has chosen us to do this, to go and find this child that was meant to be ours. This child has not come to us in the way that one would naturally have one, but this child was chosen by God to be ours and we were chosen by God to be this childs family. Unfortunately it takes more money than one would need otherwise.

What I really hope is that we will not only have enough money for our adoption, but to have more than enough. I would love nothing more than to take the extra money and buy what those children who are left behind need. I think that I read somewhere that $2.00 will buy 20 pairs of shoes. That $100.00 will buy enough medicine to make it for one winter. I would love to be able to go and buy blankets, clothes, socks, hats, coats, toys, and even fresh fruit for those that will be left waiting for their Mama's and Papa's. I know it will be so hard see those that will be left. I have been told numerous times by those families who had gone and found their children how hard it is.

So for now, that is all there is. A whole lot of hope.

OH and by the way, I fixed my links to the right for those of you that would like to visit them.

New info..

A law has been passed only giving jurisidiction to the old ministry through March. They will shut down the whole month of April and hopefully be opened again in May. So..... there ya have it.

Oh and an update on our homestudy will be $300 not $600 as initially quoted, so that's good right? LOL

Bleecchhhhh!!!!

Yep, I have to start redoing paperwork again. Our homestudy expires on April 20th. I was told this morning that an update would be $600.00. Now I need to take a closer look at our INS forms, as well as everything else to see when they expire as well. I can't tell you how much I stressed over the paperwork and here I go again. Not to mention that this is going to cost us even more.

THERE!!!! It is finished

finally it is finished. The quilt that is. I lost the charger to my camera and am expecting a new one to arrive in the mail today. I will be taking pictures and hopefull I'll be able to put some on here. So, hopefully everyone will be able to see what I have been working on.

No word yet on the adoption front. Our paperwork starts to expire in April, at least our homestudy does and we need to get an update done on it. The only thing is that I have tried to e-mail the woman who did it and for the last two weeks, going on three, I still haven't heard from her. Everything else starts to expire in June/July. Bleechhh. I hated doing the paper work and here I have to go again and do it. Whoever said that when you adopt there is no labor involved, well they sure are wrong. LOL

Talk to you soon,

Kristi

Almost, almost just about there....

I am almost finished with the quilt. All I have to do is finish the edging on it. I tried to do it the other night, but some one had been sewing with my machine. That someone is about 4'8" tall with dark brown hair and big blue eyes and she just loves to sew. How many 9 year olds do you know that love, just love love love to sew on a sewing machine? I don't mind that she does it at all. The only thing I mind is when she gets something tangled up or when it quits working right. I just wish she would tell me right then instead of keep sewing right along. Needless to say I have to take it apart and clean out all of the thread that has seemed to make a nest in where my bobbin is and then get my bobbin out. LOL

She is very proud of the fact that she can use a sewing machine. She has made countless pillows for friends and teachers. She has even made me a few pin cushions or 3 or 4 for me and these are by far my most treasured.

So, my goal this weekend is to finish the quilt and then I hope to post a picture on here so that all can see.

40 days....

We started the 40 Days of Purpose at church. Today was my turn at the rotation with the kids Sunday school class. I spoke to the coordinator about something that I have been wanting to ask, but I really did not know who to ask. This lady is wonderful by the way. Talk about a multi tasker and so organiazed. I wish that I were more like her. Anyway, I approached her about have the kids do something, if possible. I wondered if we could have the kids collect money and after we find our child, take the money and buy things for the groupa(class) that our child is in. Things like shoes, socks, clothes, toys, etc.... I am going on memory here but I think that I was told that $2 will buy 20 pairs of shoes over there. I think I was told that $100.00 will buy enough medicine to last through the winter, so on and so forth. She is going to take it to the education board and see what they think. I just think that it would be great to be able to e-mail back and forth while we are there and send pics to show them what their hard work has done for children who have no families to take care of them, to show them what their kindness and caring for others can do.

Kristi

Our girls came in second place in State

Needless to say they lost, they were so disheartened and I do not think that their heads could have hung any lower. They do not realize yet that we are still so very very proud of them. It will take a few days for it to sink in, that no they did not win the State finals, but they did win second place and that is farther than our school has ever gone. Runners up!!!!!!!! I am so proud of them, but it was so very hard to watch the defeat on their faces.