wordless wednesday...

WOW....

Well...it was beyond what I imagined.

God was faithful and pulled together our little fundraiser...despite all the work I wasn't able to do because of being so sick last week (I knew He would do it!). Friends volunteered to help and cook and provide drinks and details. Invites went out and friends brought friends.

Our little fundraiser, was a great success. The house somehow got cleaned and somehow there was plenty of room for all the vendors and their stuff. A steady flow of shoppers (sometimes it was very crowded) just kept coming. Food kept showing up. The weather was glorious so kids could play outside (cause I hadn't even considered having the basement cleaned up for playing kids - we had shoved a bunch of things down there to clear out our first floor).

so wish I could show you T's pictures - at least the party was able to see her!

 And I felt better than I had in a week.

It was a huge blessing. The vendors I didn't know before were so wonderful with hearts for the orphan and adoption.  All our daughters sold items they had made as well as several little girls from our lifegroup and church. All our vendors were kind and supportive - and fun to have here!

To top it off, I learned that morning that it was National Adoption Day. I had not had any previous knowledge of that when I scheduled the event. God was smiling down!

Many people came to the party - thank you, thank you. We sold some tshirts, lots of our Just Love Coffee, and puzzle pieces. Nearly all our Cha-ching for Ting banks were taken. There was lots of laughter and fun. I wish I had taken more pictures (and better ones - especially during the big crowds - but I was BUSY!! (and socializing of course, what I do best...). I missed a picture of cute little Bethany with her knit hats, and many of my amazing friends who baked and stayed to help. Love you all!

Despite my scheduling snaffoos, John and Jack made it back from the chess tournament to catch the end of our event. Jack was sporting his silver medal - 2nd place in his age division for his first tournament. GO JACK!

Now for the info you are here (hopefully!) to check out:

If you were unable to attend on Saturday, or live too far away (hello to all my extended family!), the following vendors will continue sales this week that will benefit our adoption. Do some Christmas shopping in the comfort of your home over the upcoming holiday. Stay away from all the mall crowds and Black Friday maniacs (oops, sorry if you are a Black Friday maniac...).

Here are all the websites and some assistance on how to order so it benefits our fundraiser. Thanks in advance for your prayers and shopping support!

Thirty-one Bags --  www.mythirtyone.com/99632    Click on "my parties," then click on "shop now" on the Julie Snell line. (If you have trouble viewing this site from Chrome - it wouldn't open the page for me - try Firefox - I had no problem opening it there!)

Silpada Jewelry --  www.mysilpada.com/carrie.richards  Click on "shop Silpada catalog," then click on "find your hostess now," then click on "continue shopping."

Do You Bake? -- www.doyoubake.com/cindyreed  Scroll down for the event - it is listed as Julie S Fundraiser. Click "shop with this event."

Miche Bags -- www.franmetz.miche.com  you will see open parties on the left - we are Julie Snell fundraiser.

Pampered Chef  -- www.pamperedchef.biz/missycooks  click "shop on line," then type in Julie Snell, then click on Julie Snell.

Blessings Unlimited --  www.myblessingsunlimited.net/missyberry  Just order, it will go toward our event.

Tastefully Simple -- www.tastefullysimple.com/web/tholleman  Click on "host a party," then click "search" under the "searching for a host or party,"  then click "select" and type in Julie Snell VA, Nov 17

Mary Kay -- www.marykay.com/kneilson4  Just order, it will go toward our event.

Premier Designs Jewelry -- if you are interested in this jewelry, check out their website www.premierdesigns.com. Contact Jennifer at bjpuff5@gmail.com. I have catalogs for local folks!

Our family thanks you so very much for your support as we get closer and closer to bringing little T home!! God bless!

Holiday Market FUNdraiser

So I have been planning this fundraiser for a while now. I haven't been to one like it or even read about someone doing one like this (what was I thinking...).

I had several friends offer to do sales parties for me as a fundraiser. I had done that before last time for our previous adoption and it was fun. After several people asked me I thought...hey, instead of having to pick which one to host (cause we all know I am not gonna wanna ask people on multiple occasions to come shop), why not have multiple people here on ONE occasion, selling lots of things. And hey, it's getting close to Christmas, why not make it a holiday market? And hey, don't I know someone who sells such and such? And doesn't that person have a friend that sells such and such? And ...on and on it went.

So now, we have a holiday market fundraiser planned for this Saturday (1-4pm at my house for you locals just now learning of this!). We have 14 vendors coming, as well as our family selling our t-shirts and our coffees. My oldest daughter is selling her hair bows, and the little girls are selling Christmas ornaments. Little girls from our lifegroup will be selling pipe-cleaner creatures. It will all happen on my first floor (throughout all the rooms). Oh yeah, and I decided to throw in door prizes, refreshments, Christmas music -- and banks.

Banks??? Yes, I have "piggy-backed" piggy banks as an additional fundraiser. I have made 36 mason jar banks (they are pretty cute if I do say so myself, and no, they aren't really piggies...just felt like calling them that) that will be offered to the first 36 people in the door  anyone who will take them. A little explanation and some candy hugs and kisses are in the jars. Fill the jar with your loose change, bring it to us and dump into our large jug, keep the bank and collect again for another's adoption or to donate to something else. Cool, huh?

I have made a large display-board telling T's story with lots of pictures of her (SOOOOO wish I could share on here but our agency doesn't allow it) and another large display-board to show our coffees and t-shirts. We have bought a few t-shirts  (by the way they are awesome, great quality and super soft) for our family to wear.

I have sent out email invites and Facebook invites, re-invited those who didn't RSVP yet (I know I am driving everyone crazy!), made and distributed flyers, and told people. I have no real clue how many people will step through the door. My prayer is that it will be enough to give all my vendors many new contacts for future party hosting as well as some sales each. I just want there to be a continual flow of people from 1-4, when the open house market is scheduled. I am hoping for holiday cheer, good fellowship, and above all to glorify God through His people helping to give a little girl a home.

Oh and did I mention that the chess tourney I signed Jack up for, which had been pretty much cancelled due to low enrollment is now back on and will go all day rather than just the morning as I thought - meaning he and John will likely be gone all day, missing the market (John was to be my coffee guy)? Did I mention that I have been sicker this week (still not quite right) than I have been in years (I won't even go into it, you would run, but I promise - no contagious germs here anymore) and so have spent most of my time in bed or on the couch moaning about how much I have to do but unable to do it? Have I pointed out that I haven't been able to be at the bus stop to hand out the neighborhood flyers because I have looked so awful from being sick and had no energy to go down there?

AGH!!!! Help!!! I have awesome, wonderful vendors coming in one day. All have been so gracious and wonderful to give of their time as well as offer me cash rather than product rewards for hosting (some will give a percentage of sales). Say a prayer for me. Say a prayer for this event.  I have made a drawing of where all the tables will go and where each vendor will be located but having never done this before, I have no idea if this will work or what?? EEK!

The great news - even for you readers - is that for the vendors with online stores, this fundraiser will be going on for another week!! That's right. Any orders tagged on through next week, online, will count toward the total sales and thus the total of what we will earn toward our adoption!! YEEHA!!

So I will need to get emailing and posting again to my long distance family and friends to alert them to the continued sales going on to benefit our efforts to bring little T home.

Check out our next post for the listing of vendors and websites that are available and get a little Christmas shopping checked off your list! Wouldn't it be nicer to shop in your jammies by the fire, than out on Black Friday at the crack of dawn fighting off the other Target shoppers??


And keep me in your prayers. I have been so sick and so weakened from being sick (the weight loss is an added benefit!). I thank God for the timing and know he's in control of this thing, as He knows what's best and has me improving just in time for this event. I have been very discouraged, overwhelmed, and scared about how this will all come together in light of being sick and unable to get it all done on my own. I have had so many friends come alongside me to encourage me, shop, cook, and even clean my house. I am blessed with my sisters in Christ and God's sweet mercy. Thank you girls!

Up again during the night last night, feeling yucky and unable to sleep. I had my handy Bible app on my phone and the encouraging words of James that lifted my spirits - thank you Lord for your mercy, faithfulness to me, and saying just the right thing to me in the dark of the night...

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly without a second thought."  James 1:2-7 (The Message)

"Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life." James 1:12 (The Message)

Wordless Wednesday

How do you pack a Samaritan's purse?

Yay! It's one of our favorite times of the year - Operation Christmas Child Box time! It is always our first project of the Christmas season - and it's a good one! 

WHAT?? You don't know what I'm talking about??? Well, glad you asked ;) 

I am happy to tell you all about one of the easiest, simplest, most meaningful ways to jump start Christmas! And it's going on this week. Hurry... you will want to head over to Samaritan's Purse (see the button in the right hand side of the blog and at the end of this post). Many churches take part in this project, but you can also participate on your own.

Samaritan's purse, you might have guessed, is a ministry who draws its name from the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus told this story to stress the need to show compassion and assistance to desperate need wherever we find it. After telling this story of how a Samaritan helped the man that everyone else ignored, Jesus told his listeners "Go and do likewise."

Samaritan's Purse has been around for 40 years, seeking the lost and hurt and desperate to provide food, shelter, medical care, assistance, relief during disasters, Gospel teaching,  and even giving children Christmas presents!

Here's where you come in! Operation Christmas Child delivers boxes of lovingly packaged presents to children all over the world living in poverty. After you pack your box, and drop it off by the end of this week at a local drop off location (and they are everywhere - check the website), your gift will be on its way to a child who will likely receive his/her only gifts from you. The child will also be offered written Gospel materials in their native language, and in many places, be able to attend a Bible program through a local church.

Grab a shoe box and start shopping (actually the plastic shoe boxes work well and are a bit larger). Decide if you are shopping for a girl or boy, and what age group (2-4, 5-9, or 10-14). Be creative and don't stress out your bank account. Take your kids with you - we have done it every year and my teens still love it. It is a great way to teach the skill of giving to others first (before getting your own gifts). Wonderful toys that children love can be found at dollar and discount stores. Children who receive these gifts love toys but also need and love to get toiletries, clothing items, eating utensils, and candy. They are grateful. Hard for us to think of getting excited about getting socks or a new toothbrush...but I guess we would, if we didn't have any.

Click on the Operation Christmas Child button at the right or below and read all the directions about what to pack and what not to pack and how to send. You will need to send your $7 postage with your box, or you can pay online - if you do it online, you have the added bonus of being able to track your box to see what country it lands in!

What an easy way to share the love of Christ, the childlike wonder of Christmas, and teach your children to "Go and do likewise."

The pits...

I mentioned in an earlier post that three other happenings had gone on around here in the last weeks. First were the kids' birthdays, the hurricane was the second, and the third was the election.

 As the election got closer and closer, I found myself feeling more and more awkward and alone. Not an easy thing to explain and perhaps I am on Facebook way too much. The ranting and posting was making me a bit sick (luckily I don't watch much tv so I escaped the mean commercials), but I saw a whole lotta other mean stuff on Facebook.

I am not a political person and if one were to look back across my life, I have wavered and changed in my thinking of what is ok, how government should run, and how and why I choose a certain candidate.  I do not watch the news nor read it most of the time now, and perhaps to some I might seem a bit misinformed about many of the daily goings-on of politics, government and international affairs.

I did not comment on anything political on Facebook until the day of the election when I did "like" a posting of one friend's that spoke of choosing the  candidate most closely aligned with Biblical principles. I believe it may have actually been a Billy Graham quote.

I am already tired of being challenged as it is about what I believe and the choices we have made for our lives - they are not the choices that the world typically makes or promotes. My faith and the core beliefs this country was founded on are also apparently no longer what the world typically believes or promotes anymore either. 

 Frankly, I don't so much take all that too personally but feel badly that what is really at stake and what is really being challenged is my God and his Word. I do think that now more than ever we need a candidate who will tow the tough line of old fashioned values, stricter moral codes, respect for life, a government with a plan and one who applauds those who work hard. I want a leader who will seek to pay off our debt and who sees the importance of supporting Israel.

I was not excited about either candidate and quite honestly, it was hard to get too excited over the whole thing except that I want the above listed things for this country - a country that some of my children will be entering as young adults in the next four years.

I am disappointed in the results obviously, and tho' it was exciting to take my just-turned-18 year old to the polls with me (it is always exciting to me to vote - I feel very patriotic),  I felt a pit in my stomach all day and even more so as the results came in late Tuesday night.

The pit is still there...feeling sad that our country is so torn in two - sorry, but it is. Both sides of the issues are so very different - there is no in between.

 I am feeling sad that despite the victory, the tone of hateful anger from those who were for the winner - continued on Facebook for days after the election. I find myself confused - it is those very people who claim that the win was a victory over hate. Just sayin' and keeping it real folks. I have to say that NOT ONCE did I see an ugly statement from someone who felt they had lost that night - only sad and concerned comments. 

I will not comment further about this issue after this post, but I will say that I will continue to stand for what the Lord stands for:  

Life - despite the inconvenience or inability to accept the consequences of behavior.  

Babies are a blessing from the Lord.

Family - as God designed it only. 

Marriage - as God designed it only - a spiritual and holy union of a man and woman's lives. (Let me be clear - this is not about hate, this is just what the definition of marriage is according to the one who designed it).

Hard work should be rewarded and not penalized.

Debt that continues to grow without a plan to repay, is not okay. 

Israel is to be supported. 

I think we are very foolish to think that God will continue to bless a land that chooses otherwise. Needless to say, I will do my best to support our President because I love our country. I will commit to praying fervently for him and the others in the government (because as we all know, decisions are made by many in government - not just the President) as they face the future.

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right. 
Abraham Lincoln 

(insert palate cleanser here)

 Now on to another PIT...our new fire pit!!

John spontaneously built a fire pit. So strange, I had been thinking of asking him about one since we were planning the teens' party. Guess he read my mind. He built it while we were away at Jill's and we have had so many fun nights of roasting marshmallows, hanging out by the fire, and enjoying our backyard. It reminds us of many fun campfire nights with the Snell family and cousins in Maryland and Maine. 

I will leave you now with some fun pictures of our new evening past-time...marshmallows and our fire pit! I have replaced one pit with another pit - and I like this one so much more...

Sandy Sadness...

The second biggy that was going on in our lives and hearts over the last week or so...Hurricane Sandy. I am a Jersey girl...well, actually a NYC girl and Jersey girl all wrapped up into one. I spent the first half of my childhood growing up in NYC and the second half living in the suburbs of the city in Northern NJ.

My summers as a child were spent on Long Island, NY and then later, once we moved to NJ, on the Jersey Shore. Since our oldest was about 3, we have been spending a week each summer at the Shore on Long Beach Island. Beach Haven, our town, is my happy place. Our week there each year is our Christmas gift from my mom to my sisters and our families. All of our children (and us) live for this week. We are all relaxed and my mom is in her element. Others, might be confused - it isn't the most beautiful or glamorous place - but it is our happy place and nothing is like our time there or all the memories we share from our weeks together there.

I have spent so much time over the last two weeks watching youtube videos, googling photos of the hurricane and the damage at the shore. My heart breaks and the tears fall. Long Beach Island, like so many other places along the NJ (and NY) coast was completely underwater. To see the photos of all that has been lost and the damage and destruction - well, it has rocked me. Not sure we will even be able to go back next year. The photo at the top of our blog (at the time of this writing) is taken on the front porch of our rental home. Even that porch is our happy place.

My heart breaks for the families who have lost lives, homes, belongings, security in NJ and NY. My prayers are for their safety, restoration, and strength as they face the cleanup, the rebuilding, and the changes. Lord, please bless the people of the shore.

As we arrive to the island every summer, we all wait to be greeted by the LBI shack. It is a little shack 

(was originally a duck hunting club or something from way back in the 1920's). Over the years it has been many things and has been deserted for quite some time. When we started going to the beach there, it had a roof. Every year it gets more and more run down. Each year, John jokes that it's our beach house...and each year we all cheer when we see it.

The shack is the subject of many photographs and paintings found on the island. It is sort of a symbol. A symbol that you have arrived...that you can let out a long relaxing breath - that the long drive to the beach is over (it's quite a trip from Virginia with 6 noisy kids, just sayin'). It symbolizes vacation and family time and all the hopes the start of vacation holds. This summer as we passed it I took the picture above. I think it's the first time I ever took a picture of it. It is along the highway road that takes you onto the island. It sits in a field by the bay - alone, next to a billboard (which sits to the right, but not in the photo).

When the news starting coming out about the flooding, of course we worried for the wonderful beach houses, the amusement park that we visit each year on the island, our beach house and all our regular haunts. But my thoughts turned to the shack as well. Would it make it. There were actually people tweeting about the chances of the shack's ability to survive. There were reports throughout the weeks that it was still standing, that it was battered but still there.

By the end of last week, the final word on the shack's condition surfaced. It broke my heart.

It is gone.

 Rest in peace little shack. I'm gonna miss you...

I am grateful that my parents are doing well after the storm. Tho' they don't live at the Jersey shore, they still live in Northern NJ - they have only just today (nearly 2 weeks later) gotten their power back. They describe my hometown as a disaster zone - trees and power lines down everywhere. Streets undriveable, no heat, no power, no phone, no internet.  They stuck it out - they are very strong, independent, spunky 80 year olds (sorry mom, just trying to make a point here). They slept by their gas fireplace, wore gloves and sweaters, and got by for the first week. By the second week, they relented to staying in a hotel. They are glad to be back in their home, with power and heat. But their town will be cleaning up for a long time to come (and they live about an hour inland from the shore). Lord, please bless the people of New Jersey.

How to help :   Donate to the Red Cross   http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy

Website about the LBI Shack including a short documentary link  http://www.savetheshack.com/

Can it really be true?

Three other big events have happened in the last couple of weeks, amid the happy pumpkin patching and trick or treating (each deserves a blog post on its own - and will).  The first - and happy occasions -  (tinged with a sweet melancholy for this mama) - my oldest babies turned 16 and 18. Can it really be true???

I couldn't be more proud of the two of them. They make parenting teens look easy. (Truthfully, it has not been easy - parenting just isn't -  a lot of time, love, nurturing, holding on and letting go, and prayer, and God's grace, have made them the wonderful teenagers that they are). Thank you Lord for entrusting these two precious people to John and I. They make me smile and teary...if you know me, I get teary a lot...it's what I do...

Drew's b'day was first and we had all his favorite foods, John made him a really cool guitar speaker, and he got lots of money from family that went toward an amazing vintage guitar. We took the whole family out to an old favorite (a place that, since our family has grown, we don't get to go to these days). Sakura is a "fancy cooking" place (that was what Drew called it way back when he was a toddler - the name has kinda stuck with our family). We took along his girl-friend and our family took up a whole table. It was so fun. It's been years since we have been (the little girls had never been) and the cool thing is that everyone likes the food now! There were years before when the kids only ate the chicken, or one kid only ate white rice. Luckily for us, the little girls split a dish, so did Kate and Zoe. It was totally fun - and no one but John and Kate caught the tossed shrimps!

 Both Drew and Kate decided on a shared party. So cool. Many years ago they shared a few b'day parties. So sweet that they are such good friends that they want to share again at this age. Truthfully, they have many of the same friends. So we picked a night between their birthdays and went for it. They decorated the back yard (you can see the lights on the back porch through the window) with little lights and chairs all around our NEW FIRE PIT!! (more about that later). Here's the set up before everyone got here. There is a large cake on the table (hard to see). The kids (about 25-30) hung out around the food, out at the fire pit, down in our basement with the music, and surprisingly, in our family room playing Just Dance on the x-box. Hilarious game...Have I mentioned that I just love their friends? They all had a great time and we were all partied out and cleaned up by midnight. Good times...Happy Birthday guys!

The invisible man??

Singing "Happy Birthday" outside

I realized as I wrote this post that I never got a clear birthday photo of Kate. We had the cake outside and all my pictures from the cake and firepit s'mores-making didn't come out so well - too dark. Her birthday gifts were the freedom and supplies to redecorate her entire room - I think I will need to do a post to show her amazing decorating skills.  She got a pilates class (which started earlier this semester), some other fun things too, and money :) We also shared a yummy Chinese meal with her - a buffet that we all love! Here is a photo from this past summer that shows Kate's beauty and funny spirit. Love this girl...