Saturday, March 08, 2008

Starfish Totals...This Was A Big Week for Donations.


Vicks 5
Tylenol 10
Motrin 17
Sunscreen 2
Oatmeal 20
Craisins 12
Teething 4
Onesies 21 (there are more than this because I counted packages as one)
Shoes 35
Boots 3
Pants 3
Coats 17
Shorts 18
Sleepers 106
Girls Outfits 88
Sheet 1
Bottles 6
Boys Outfits 48
Sweaters 15
Gloves 3
Booties 6
Socks 35 (there are more because I counted packages as one)
Sun Hats 9
Bibs 17 (there are more because I counted packages as one)
Baby Hats 19
Hats 3
Shirts 58
T-Shirts 22
Sweats 16

Postage Fund $740.00

Thank You Lisa!


Thank you Lisa for all of these darling summer outfits! I just adore each one of them. I can't wait to see them on the Starfish girls this summer. Lisa's blog is 'Osborn Odds 'N Ends'.

Thank you also for the coffee and gift card. I am so happy that I won the contest on your blog : )

Thank You Caroline!


Thank you Caroline for all of these wonderful clothes for Starfish. My children thought it was so cool that your oatmeal boxes are written in French! Caroline's blog is 'China Calling'.

Good Morning Everyone and Welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group!


Good Morning Everyone! I missed you all last weekend and have been really looking forward to today : )
I have 3 questions that I would like some help with. I can't seem to be able to find Kate from 'A Special Family'. We used to e-mail back and forth and I had access to her new blog, but it has been months now and I haven't heard from her, I can't get to her blog and I am worried. Does anyone know where she is?
Also, what is going on with blogger? I can't add anyone to my favorite blogs or make changes to the bottom of my blog.
Also, what is everyone using for a music player since e-snips doesn't auto play anymore? I got a good suggestion from Cougchick, but I couldn't get it set up right. Maybe I should get Tim to help me.
If you are new to the chat group, just go in to post a comment and you will see everyone in there talking.
If you would like a blue or yellow Saturday Morning Chat link for you sidebar, just let me know and I will e-mail to you : )

And a very special Thank you to Lisa from 'Osborn Odds 'N Ends' for sending me the best coffee I have ever had in my life. I am drinking it this morning and savoring every drop!

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Still Packing...

Many of you have asked me what a space bag is and the photo above is of a space bag. You fill it with bulky clothing and suck out the air with your vacuum. Then you are left with this really funky looking bag that takes up much less space in your box. It doesn't damage anything.


Here I am tonight sorting and removing tags.


Tim's taping up the boxes.

Tyler has really been wonderful this past week. He just seems to get what this is all about and is so eager to do anything to help. I have been really proud of him during this project.



There are 6 packed boxes in the back waiting to be shipped, 3 very large Hefty storage bags filled with clothing that still needs to be packed, the Target bag is filled with shoes, even though I have been putting some into each box and there are 3 coats that still need to be packed up. Most of the medication has been packed up, also most of the oatmeal, and all of the Craisins are packed. Whew! I'm going to bed now.

Thank You to the Sisters!


Thank you Kelly and Karen! I tell you, I tried to get it all into the picture, but I just couldn't. Thank you so much for these donations! Kelly's blog is private 'Katie's Antics', Karen't blog is 'K1'.

Thank You Meredith Teagarden!


Thank you so much Meredith for your darling donations. I know that these clothes have been dear to you. Meredith's blog is 'Not So Long Ago'.

Thank You Crystal!

Crystal, thank you so much for these darling clothes for the Starfish babes. I think the Baby Einstein outfit is my favorite....can you tell? I am so glad to hear that Savannah Hope will be coming home soon! Crystal's blog is 'Johnson Angels'.

Thank You Glinda!

Glinda, thank you so much. The coats are very nice and those little dresses are darling. I like that frog too. These will be darling on the Starfish munchkins! Thank you also for your generous donation to the postage fund. Glinda's blog is 'Give Me Back My Slippers'.

Thank You So Much Liz & Ava!


Thank you so much to two of my favorite ladies in blogland. I watched these two come together in China and form the perfect family. All of these clothes are just beautiful! Thank you for always being such a great friend. I still have the ladybug on my cell phone after all this time : ) Thank you also for your generous donation to the postage fund. Liz's blog is 'My Red Thread to Ava Grace YaHan'.

13 Months Closer...

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

No Movement Today...

I couldn't find any good boxes at work today, so there won't be any packing tonight. I will look again tomorrow and so will Tim. Hopefully we can get our hand on 3 or 4 good sized ones.

I have heard from several of you that you are concerned about your boxes getting here in time. If you have mailed your boxes recently, please leave a comment on this post so I know everyone's that I need to look out for. I will use this post as a checklist. I will not ship out until I have everyone's items. So, please do not worry.

Quote for the Week...

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

We Started Packing Everything Up...

Well, tonight was interesting and fun to say the least. We began as a family to pack up the Starfish donations. First of all, we removed the tags from the clothing so they they don't appear new. This can keep Amanda from having to pay a tax on the boxes. We pooled together, all of the medications, oatmeal, Craisins, coats and shoes so we can divide them up between the boxes so that if one is lost, there will be similar items in other boxes.
Tyler removed the oatmeal packs from their boxes and put them into Ziploc bags for easier shipping and he helped me remove tags. Tim was in charge of sucking the air out of the spacebags (he loved that) and taping up the boxes. Zach carried some things downstairs for me. I folded everything up and got it organized.
All in all it went well, but the hubs and I don't agree on how full the boxes should be. I have been told not to overpack them because if they burst along the way, all of the contents will be lost. Tim is a pack rat and can't bear to have a spare centimeter in the box..so we had a few 'discussions' about it. I think we've found a happy medium.
After 3 hours, I think we're about 30% done. We have 4 boxes filled. I'll try to take some photos of us packing tomorrow night. We're getting a pretty good system together. : )

Connie...I am So Sorry!!


Connie, your Starfish donation came today in the mail and I opened it up and the clothes are absolutely beautiful. Since it came today, it was set on the floor by the desk downstairs while we had dinner.
After dinner we began getting things packed up to send out to Starfish in China. The boxes were brought down that we were planning to pack tonight. Your box was mixed in and the good news is that all of your items are packed up. The bad news is that I didn't notice and didn't get them photographed to post.
I am sorry! I feel awful that you won't be able to see your items posted.
Let me tell everyone that I know some children will be wearing those gorgeous outfits on their gotcha days.
Love You Girl! Please forgive me...if you could have seen the piles of clothes tonight, you'd have mercy on me : )
Connie's blog is 'Mommy 2 4 Treasures'.

Monday, March 03, 2008

6 Posts Tonight...Starfish Totals.


Starfish Totals:
Onesies 18
Shoes 34
Boots 2
Coats 10
Shorts 13
Sleepers 92
Girls Outfits 48
Sheet 1
Boys Outfits 22
Sweaters 4
Gloves 2
Booties 6
Socks 25
Sun Hats 8
Bibs 13
Baby Hats 17
Winter Hats 4
Shirts 43
T-Shirts 17
Sweats 15
Vicks 5
Tylenol 11
Motrin 17
Teething 4
Bottles 5
Sunscreen 2
Oatmeal 18
Craisins 12
Postage Fund $635.00
The Supply Raiser is officially over. I want to thank everyone who has responded. It has been a miraculous experience for me and for my family. I know that there are still more boxes coming, and I will be keeping a look out for them. I am hoping to have everything boxed up and shipped by this Saturday.

Thank You Kimber!

Thank you Kimber for your Starfish donations. All of these little clothes are so cute. And thank you also for your generous donation to the postage fund. It is all very appreciated! Kimber's blog is '3 Peanuts'.

Thank you Cathy!


I want to send out a special Thank You to Cathy. She is a friend of Kimber at '3 Peanuts'. Cathy is not a blogger or an adoptive mom. She's a woman who heard about our cause and wanted to help. Thank you so much for all of this medication. Your generosity is truly wonderful.

Thank You Fliss!


Thank you so much Fliss for calling me today and giving me such good advice on how to package up everything and ship it off to Starfish. I really had a great time talking to you. You are so funny! And I love your accent, it's fabulous!
Her blog is 'Fliss and Mike Adventures'. She mailed some clothing to Starfish last Christmas and was able to send me copies of the paperwork I will need to fill out with FedEx and also some helpful advice about how to ship our items.

Thank You Michelle!


Thank You so much Michelle! I know that these bottles are really needed and that sleeper is so soft! Michelle's blog is 'Searching for Sophie'.

Thank You Kim!


Thank you so much Kim for your wonderful Starfish donations! The sleepers are so soft! Kim's blog is 'Journey to Baby Lem'.

Time With My Friend...

Happy Monday Everyone! I spent this weekend with my closest girlfriend Julie. She has two little girls; Olivia and Savannah, ages 4 & 2 and I brought Eli who is in the middle at 3. They had a great time playing together. Savannah is my Goddaughter and Julie and her husband Joe will be Sophia's Godparents. Tim was away this past weekend in Florida taking care of his sister. Her husband (my BIL) is in the air force and has been sent to Korea for a year. She was having surgery last week, so Tim went down to help her.
Julie's husband is an airline pilot and was also away for the weekend. So, this was a rare opportunity for us to be alone together. Well, as alone as you can be with 3 preschoolers...but we had the best time. I am so renewed. I have known Julie for 13 years now and we have been through it all together. I love her very dearly. She is one of the key women in my life who I rely on for balance and advice.