Some of The Starfish Babes...

The little girl above is Heather and she is currently available for adoption. She is listed with Small World Adoptions. For more info, please visit the Chinese Starfish blog.

Thank You Cyndi...

Thank you so much Cyndi for your donations to the Starfish home. The children will be very warm and cozy in these snow suits, slippers and sleepers!
Cyndi's blog is 'Waiting for Lilly Rae'.

Sunday...

Starfish Supply Raiser Update!

I really didn't expect for a lot to come in our first week, but it really was quite successful. Here are our stats:
9 onesies
9 pairs of shoes
4 coats
4 t-shirts
19 sleepers
13 girls outfits
9 boys outfits
4 packs of socks
1 package of bibs
2 hats
2 boxes of oatmeal
2 packages of craisins

$65.00 in the postage fund

I think that's pretty good for week 1! Thank you everyone.

Thank you So Much Dannye!

Thank you so much Dannye for your wonderful donation to Starfish. Thank you also for your generous donation to the postage fund! It was very fun to get your box this morning. It came during the Saturday Morning Chat.
Dannye's blog is 'LayDFrog'.

Welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group!

Good Morning Everone! Welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group. I want to thank everyone who is participating in the Starfish Supply Raiser. It has been an incredible experiencee for myself and my family.
Earlier this week we received a box of donations and my son Tyler became a little emotional about it. He said, " Mom, one person can make a difference in the world can't they?" And I told him, "Yes they can." "The people sending these clothes are making a difference". I was so proud to see my son understanding what this was all about.
We're going to have a lot of fun this weekend. Tonight we are celebrating Chinese New Year by meeting Steffie and her family at our favorite Chinese restaurant for the Emperor's 10 Course Dinner. We are very excited about that. Our families will be able to meet each other.

Thank you Heather!

Thank you so much Heather. My heart was just so touched when I opened your package today. When I saw the clothes in this box, my eyes teared up and I thought of Amanda's beautiful children and how great they are going to look with all of their new clothes to wear. And if you look on the bottom right, you can see some red maryjanes. I can't wait to see a photo of one of the Starfish girls wearing those!
Heather's blog is 'Our Little Ladybugs'.

Please Shop at My Sidebar On-Line Shops...

When purchasing gifts, please try to remember to look at the blogs of the families who are raising money to bring their children home. I have always been very happy with the items I have purchased from them and I know that my money is doing much more good being spent this way than it would be giving it to Target or another store.

Happy Friday...

All I can say is that I will be so glad to have this week over with. Eli has had a bad cold, we've had terrible snow storms, and we've been just way too busy running around. I can't wait for this weekend. Tomorrow morning is the Saturday Morning Chat Group and I'm going talk about the plan for boxing and shipping out our Stafish donations. We are going to celebrate CNY tomorrow night at an Emperor's Feast Dinner with Steffie and her family. It's just going to be a fun and relaxing weekend!

Secret Buddy 2008

ATTENTION SECRET BUDDY 2008

I have not forgotten all of you. I will be matching everyone up over the weekend. So, if you don't have your questionnaires back to me, please do so quickly.
If you are interested in joining, please e-mail me at timnkim@gmail.com

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone!

Thank You So Much Gail...

Thank you so much Gail for these wonderful gifts and for your generous donation to the postage fund for Starfish. I just couldn't believe it when I opened your box. Amanda says she will be posting photos on her blog of the children in their new clothes. Gail's blog is 'Aging With Grace, Too'.

A Year...

Quote for the Week...

This Family Needs Some Encouragement and Prayer...

Please take some time to say a little prayer or leave a kind word for the Johnson Family.
They are Gwen Oatvall's in-laws and are working hard to bring home their daughter Savannah-Hope. I have become friends through e-mail with Savannah's Grandmother and she asked me to pray for her daughter. I know how comforting it can be to open up your comments and find a flood of good wishes.

This was taken directly from the Johnson family blog 'Johnson Angels'.

Due to the fact that we have still not received our paperwork and can't get any response back from immigration, I have scheuded an infopass appt with the immigration office for Wednesday at 1:45pm. This gives me the right to drive 4 hours to Memphis each way after three nights in a row of working the overnight shift, with four children just to sit in the office of someone that thinks my daughter is just another number. I will be taking pictures of Savannah-hope with me and a sack of documents proving that they have had everything they need to process the paperwork for the past 5 months...including my check for $850.

Cost of gas= $3 a gallon

Sleep deprevation = -8 hours

Waiting 5 months = patience

Frustration of waiting = Trust in God

45 mintue phone call to immigration = waisted minutes on my phone

Visiting Elvis' birth place= irrelevant and not going to happen

Bringing Savannah-Hope home = priceless

P.S. Mimi will be traveling with us to help with the driving and keep me awake. Please pray that God brings us a miracle and places the I-171H in our mail box tomorrow and saves us the trip altogether.

A Special Concert Tonight...

Tim and Zach are away at hockey tonight. Eli and I decided that we would take in the as of yet undiscovered talent of Tyler. Tyler, the worlds most talented novice frenchhorn player. We heard hit after hit, the ever popular Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Old McDonald Had A Farm to name a few. Truly, it was an unforgettable evening.

The First Starfish Donation...Thank You Kelly!

Thank you so much Kelly/Truly Blessed from 'Katie's Antics'. These outfits will look darling on the Starfish babes!

New Items List from Amanda at Starfish...

Hello everyone. I just received an e-mail from Amanda and these are some items that she is really in need of. So, if you haven't started shopping yet, please use the list below as your guide. ALSO, Amanda said that she would be very happy with gently used items.

• Shoes and sandals from 0 to 6 (This can be summer or winter)
• Craisans
• Instant Oatmeal
• Sleepers (Girls and boys all sizes up to 3 T) You know the kind with the footies and the zippers
• Boys winter clothes (9 months)
• 18M boys and girls winter clothing for the day and night.
• 2T Boys and Girls winter for day and night.

A BIG THANK YOU TO THE 29 FAMILIES WHO HAVE RESPONDED!

Sunday...

Zach's First Dance...

Tonight Zach is going to his first school dance. It's called 'The Swirl'. He's going solo and meeting up some friends. Isn't he so handsome? Look at my boy!

Welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group!

Good Morning Everyone! Today is the launch day for the Starfish Foster Home Supply Raiser! If you would like to help, please contact me at timnkim@gmail.com or leave a comment with your e-mail address so that I can contact you.
All supplies will be sent to Amanda, who is woman in China who started her own foster home to help China's most fragile special needs babies who may not survive in a traditional orphanage. Her orphanage is what we would consider a mid-sized apartment and she has up to 15 children living there at a time.
She raises money on her own through LWB to pay for their lifesaving surgeries and goes with them to provide the love and support that they need to survive the procedures. She loves and cares for them as she prepares them to be available for adoption.
If you join in, please put the graphic on the upper left hand corner onto your blog sidebar to show your support. Also, please feel free to do a post to help the cause, I would really appreciate it.
If you would like to send a note for Amanda and the children, I think that would be wonderful and if you want to make a donation for the postage you can, but it is not expected. We are willing to cover the cost of shipping.

Starfish Supply Raiser...

Starfish Foster Home is always in need of small-item donations! Some things are just difficult to get in China. At the moment, we need the following items. Due to import regulations, it is better to receive new items.

1. Long sleeved onesies or body suits from 0-3to 2T. We need some for next year
2. Winter sleepers, the ones with covered feet from about 6-9 months to 3T.
3. Any summer clothes, Preemie to 2T.
4. Summer shoes from 0 to 6 children's.
5. Vick's Baby rub
6. Infant Motrin and Tylenol
7. Gripe Water from Amazon.com
8. Pelican plastic bibs
9. Baby sunscreen
10. Plastic backed changing table covers
11. Plastic backed bibs
12. Playtex Bottles (the ones with the bags in them)
13. Playtex nipples (the have four different kinds some of each will do)

If you would like to help the Starfish Foster Home by supplying any of these items or any other items for small children, please leave a comment or e-mail me at timnkim@gmail.com
I will be collecting the items throughout the month of February and then mailing them to Starfish at the end of the month.

If you are not familiar with Amanda or the Starfish Foster Home in China, please visit their blog at 'Chinese Starfish'.

THANK YOU SO MUCH VERNA FOR ALL OF THE AMAZING SUPPLY RAISER GRAPHICS!

Half The Sky is asking for Help...Please Do What you Can...

Thank you for bringing this to my attention Jennifer.

*I just had a Secret Buddy e-mail and ask me what I thought about her making a donation to Half the Sky this month in the name of her person. I think that would be amazing. My Secret Buddy has done that for me in the past. I felt wonderful about it.

Dear friends,

Greetings from Beijing. Every year at this time we send you a note
celebrating and welcoming the Lunar New Year. This year, the Year of the
Mouse, promises prosperity (we hope!) and good fortune and there should be
plenty to celebrate.

But in these days leading up to the holiday the weather has dealt China a
heavy blow. You’ve probably heard about the millions of workers stranded
all over the country, struggling to return home to their families for the
Spring Festival Holiday. But I don’t know if you know how rough these
days are for our children in welfare institutions, who, of course, have no
families to go home to. You won’t read about them in the news.

Despite power outages and downed phone lines, our Beijing staff has been
reaching out to all Half the Sky orphanages by whatever means possible.
We’ve reached all but five. In some places, conditions are pretty grim.
We’ve managed to get word to all of our sites that we are going to do
whatever it takes to get the children the help they need. I am asking for
your help.

Today Half the Sky launches the “Little Mouse Emergency Fund” to help the
institutions purchase what they need to get through this disaster. If
there are funds left over when the weather clears and services are
restored, we will take the balance and help each site establish a store of
emergency provisions so that this never happens again.

You can give to the Little Mouse Emergency Fund by clicking “Donate Now”
on our website. Please note in the “Special Instructions to Half the Sky”
that your gift is for the Little Mouse Emergency Fund.

I am trying to get on an airplane right now (even airports are crazy!) but
I will write more details about the needs and conditions in individual
orphanages as I fly. Will send more just as soon as I can. I'd be very
grateful if you'd forward this message to others who you think might care
about the children.

Please be safe and warm and well….

Love and thanks,
Jenny

Jenny Bowen
Executive Director
Half the Sky Foundation
www.halfthesky.org

Half the Sky was created in order to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects
for orphaned children in China. We establish and operate infant nurture and
preschool programs, provide personalized learning for older children and
establish loving permanent family care and guidance for children with
disabilities. It is our goal to ensure that every orphaned child has a caring
adult in h er life and a chance at a bright future.


Want to receive our free Half the Sky newsletter, full of stories and photos,
via regular mail? Just go to our website www.halfthesky.org and click on "Join
our Mailing List."

Mother Meets Child...A Heartwrenching Account.

I have been having an incredible experience this week and I can't keep it to myself. Do yourself an amazing favor and read Lynn's day by day account of what is happening to her right now in China as she is creating a relationship with her daughter Olivia. Start at the very first post and do not stop. Grab a box of kleenex. Lynn's ability to put the emotions into writing is just so amazing. Every night I have to read her latest post. I know that one day I will be in her shoes . One day I will be with my Sophia and will face this transition with her. I am really just in complete awe.

www.bringingoliviahome9.blogspot.com

7 Things About Me...

I have been tagged by Kim at 'Journey to Baby Lem' to reveal seven things about myself that you may or may not know...

One...I love fire, not a pyro, I love candles, fires in my firepot on the porch in the summer, campfires, my fireplace, you get the picture.

Two...I am a cat person.

Three...I love classical art, I took many classes in college involving art and art history.

Four...I love classical literature, I am an English major.

Five...I love cooking and baking. Paula Dean is my hero.

Six...I believe in ghosts, ufo's and that there is a huge conspiracy surrounding the death of JFK.

Seven...Toes gross me right out, unless they are baby toes. I love baby toes.

Wishing for A Good Night's Sleep with the Hubs...

Well, let me tell you about the nights around here (and no girls, it's not going to get you all giddy). My man snores. My man snores badly. I have shared this before and I got some really good advice. My husband went in last Sunday night for a sleep study. They hooked him up to all sorts of monitoring nodes and tracked what his sleeping behaviors are. We are waiting for the results. I just know that he has sleep apnia (don't know about the spelling). He literally stops breathing for a number of seconds and then jolts awake enough to start breathing again. This initiates the snoring and it's all a vicious cycle that ends up with me on the couch every night. Well, the snoring compounded with the fact that Eli likes to climb in bed with us every night.
I'm excited for the results of the study.
I'm hoping that they will have something to help us. I miss waking up with my husband. When we first were married I was a very sound sleeper and his snoring didn't bother me, but when Eli was born my mother's ear returned and I wake up instantly whenever Eli is restless. I wake up also when my older boys are up in the night, but it isn't as often with them.

Seventh Diamond Secret Buddy II

I have been thinking about starting a new Secret Buddy Group for 2008. If you are a member of last years group, nothing is changing with you. This is a new group for people who would like to be a part of a Secret Buddy circle.
Please keep in mind that this is a commitment to send a monthly gift of around $20.00 a month to another person until they bring their child home. With the wait times becoming what they are, this could be a commitment that lasts for years. I will tell you though from personal experience that it is a lot of fun. It's fun when you are shopping for your assigned person and it is fun waiting for your special gift to arrive in the mail.
If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, e-mail me at timnkim@gmail.com and let me know your name and LID. Also, you don't have to be adopting from China, we have people who are adopting from all over involved in last years group.
Do not try to sign up on this post, or people will know who you are....remember, it's a secret!

Quote for the Week...

One Month...Two Secret Buddy's! Thank You!

This month there were some changes to the Seventh Diamond Secret Buddy Group. Our dear friend Lynn is in China right at this very moment to bring home her daughter Olivia. Their blog is 'Somewhere Under The Sun'.
So, with Lynn leaving our group, some new matches needed to be made and I stepped in as a substitute secret buddy for the month and was able to send a gift and also receive one. So, I got two wonderful secret buddy gifts this month!
And isn't this darling? This is the Panda Dress that is hand made by Robin at 'Red Thread Stitches'. Thank you so much! I just love it!

Are You In The Bow Swap?? Need A SB Gift??

I know that most of you know Gwen from 'The Oatsvall Team'. She just brought Maggie home from China.
Well, their family is anticipating the arrival of another child, a darling girl named Savannah Hope. Gwen's MIL is making these bows to raise money to bring Savannah home. So, if you are assigned to me in the bow swap, these are the bows I'll be ordering. ANGEL BOUTIQUE BOWS

Sunday...

Welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group!

Good Morning Everyone and welcome to the Saturday Morning Chat Group! Verna made a fantastic sidebar graphic for us that will automatically link you to the chat group. It is in html, so if you would like a copy, let me know your e-mail address and I'll send it to you.
Today I am going to focus on housekeeping issues and then we'll be at Zach's hockey game tonight. What are your plans?

Also don't forget to sign up today for Dannye's Year of the Rat Giveaway. You need to go to her blog 'LayDFrog' to enter. There is a post if you scroll down. The drawing is tonight.

The chat room is closed for today, thanks for a great morning!

Hockey, Hockey & Hockey

Tonight Zach has a game at 5:30pm, tomorrow Zach has a game at 6pm, Sunday Zach has a game at 11:30am. So, if you are wondering how the weekend is looking...It's looking like Hockey. We love it though. We are the LOUD hockey family. We are the ones yelling and jumping around. Even Eli gets right up to glass and yells "Go Zachy!" and "Come On!" and "No Way!" It's so funny.