An Amazing Blog Fundraiser!!

This Blog Fundraiser is now Closed!! See doitfortheorphans.blogspot.com for the winners.

Derek and I have put together this Blog Fundraiser as a different way to get donations towards our mission trip.  The last trip opened up our hearts as well as so many others that we shared our experience with.  Several of our friends have decided to go with us on  this next trip, several of our friends started sponsoring kids from the care point we are involved with, and so many people are now interested in helping the kids of Grace Baptist Care Point.  We have been asked to share our stories, pictures and videos of our trip and kids to several groups. God has definitely showed us that our hearts are in orphan care and the vulnerable kids of Ethiopia.   

This giveaway will run from TODAY through FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28th at MIDNIGHT EST! Winners will be drawn at random and announced on Saturday September 29th! I will e-mail you also, so don't worry if you forget to check back!

Here's how this will work. You can do ONE of these things or as many as you'd like! Just keep track of how many entries you get and let me know what you want to put them towards!

Donate (over on our left side bar) = $5 will get you one entry. Easy!

                                                                  $10 will get you three entries!
                                                                  $20 will get you seven entries!
                                                                  $50 will get you twenty entries!
                                                                  $75 will get you 35 entries!
                                                                  $100 will get you 50 entries!

BLOG About It OR Post on Facebook (comment below or e-mail me so I know!)= ONE ENTRY

You can put your entries toward whichever items you'd like to have a chance at! Distribute them however you'd like to. So if you have five entries, you can put them all toward one item, or put one entry toward five different items. Whatever you want to do is fine with us! 

If you make a donation toward our mission fund, just be sure to write which items you'd like to have your entries go toward in the NOTES section of your payment. If you forget to do this, just e-mail us to let me know!

For example:

Item #1 -  2 entries

Item #5 -  3 entries

If you choose to get involved for FREE, just blog about it or post about it on Facebook (honor system!) - just leave a comment below (or e-mail us) with this information so that we know! 

Item #1

Crystal from The Canvas Heart is an awesome person.  She has helped fundraise for different orphanage needs in Ethiopia NUMEROUS times.   She is just awesome and even LIVED in Ethiopia for a few years! She creates absolutely beautiful Africa-centered Amharic and English art pieces.. just beautiful for your home!  She created this 8x10 canvas piece of art especially for our fundraiser.  Isn't it awesome...I love it!!

Item #2

My mother in law, Carol, has graciously donated some of the jewelry she makes.  She is retired now and loves to do arts and crafts.  She has made these earrings, which make great gifts or you can keep them to add to your current collection of jewelry.  If you love her designs and you want more contact us!!

Item #3

This next donation is from Deanna's favorite Etsy store, JUNK POSSE!! Tracy's designs are her Passion with a Purpose & when you purchase items from Junk Posse you help to support several non-profit groups and Adoptions in several ways.  This bracelet was made just for our Blog Fundraiser.  This is the "One of a Kind" Sterling "Ethiopia" Bracelet.  It is a custom hand stamped bracelet and is 7.5 inches long.  

 Also visit Tracy's blog (click on the Junk Posse Button)

Item #4

These four Ethiopian Scarves are beautiful, light weight and so soft.  Any woman would love them!!   

Item #5

A home made and thoughtfully created baby basket made by Amy's Creative Crafts, "A little bit of everything".   Amy is a friend of mine who has graciously made some items for our fundraiser.  This is a yellow lamb canvas bag filled with a lot of goodies.  It includes baby washcloths, teether, bottle, pacifier, burp cloths, onsie, Taggie, diapers, wipes, Boo Boo Bunny, spoons, baby wash, baby lotion and desitin.  Amy also does embroidery so she has offered to personalize the burp cloths and onsie to the lucky winner of this baby basket.

Item #6

Amy, from Amy's Creative Crafts, has also made some beautiful pictures which is an art called Quilling.  This collection consist of a dragon fly, tulips, and daisies.   Quilling has been around since the Renaissance age.  Quilling or paper filigree is the art of rolling thin strips of paper into different shapes and using the shapes to form designs.

 

SEANC Banquet: Featuring Steve Lawson

SEANC: State Employee 

Association of North Carolina

Last night SEANC held their 29th Annual Awards Banquet where Derek's dad (Steve Lawson) was asked to be the host.  It was a "Black Tie" event with dinner.  Derek, his mom and I went to support Steve and watch his on stage performance. 

Needless to say, he did awesome and you would think that 

stand up comedy was his full time job.  He had 4-5 slots during the banquet when he came out to entertain the audience.  He had the entire ballroom of people laughing.

Derek wasn't ready to take photos when we got there 

as you can see by his facial expression

  

Carol, Derek and I

Dinner was awesome and the Guilford Ballroom at the Koury

 Convention Center was beautiful

Steve when her first came out on stage...in a white and black tux

with pink vest and bow tie

Sorry for the poor quality of pictures...these pics were taken with my 

cell phone from the back of the room

(Steve was on the jumbo screen)

Brenner Walk and Bike Race-Fighting Childhood Obesity

This morning Derek and I participated in the Brenner's Walk to help fight childhood obesity.  The walk was at Old Salem and it was a rather beautiful day but very humid.  My workplace, Northwest Pediatrics, Inc., was a sponsor for the walk.  The proceeds of the walk benefit the Brenner's Fit Program which is a family centered  program to help improve the weight and health of the child as well as the family.  

This was an interactive walk, which means that during the walk you could stop at 10 different stations and participate in obstacle courses, balance activities, and dancing.  The first activity concentrated on balance and the amount of sugar you consume when drinking soda.  You were given a sandwich bag of sand that represented the amount of sugar you would consume if you were to drink 1 soda a day for a week and you had to balance the bag on your head for about 100 yards.  This was rather easy but it was a very neat way to get the message across to drink more water.   

Derek and I, Bethany (Northwest Pediatrics Office Manager), her daughter and her mother.

We should have taken a before and after picture but this was after the walk and we were all rather hot and sweaty but we had lots of fun!!

Bethany was able to capture a picture of Derek eating a banana after the walk.  As some of you may know, it is very rare to catch a glimpse of Derek eating any type of fruits or vegetables (this is ironic considering we were at a walk that promoted a balanced diet) 

Labor Day Fun

This past weekend we went for a fun day 

at the pool with our friends, their kids and two of the Mullis kids.  

We had so much fun...and we were do 

worn out by the end of the day.  

Derek, Micah, Will and Nate

                    Me and Micah, Carolyn in the background                  Derek and I

Micah, Maggy and Nate 

Will, Charley (part of the Nowotny clan) and in the background, Derek, who doesn't like to cooperate with picture taking.