Thursday, May 31, 2012

New Asia Family of the Week

Hey guys! I am dying for you to meet today's family, the Boutins, who are adopting from The Phillipines. This video is awesome and you'll be moved when you get to 'meet' their son, Aaron, at the end. There is such a need for parents for older children, especially boys. Not everyone is in a position to do it, but if you are, please consider, and have a look.




And remember to share this post. Not only does it generate more donations to help get Aaron home, but it will help spread the word and advocate for the older boys out there. Donate here.
***So far the Boutin family has received $3500 towards their adoption!!!***

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Another Wonderful Update!

Remember the Johnson family, with the super adorable, make you laugh and cry at the same time, video?

Well, they've had a lot going on, and a lot to celebrate, since their Give1 week in February. I asked Mama Johnson (Danae) for a little update, and here's what she wrote:

Give1Save1 Family –

I am so happy that I get to update you on our family’s progress!  When we were the featured family back in February, we had just accepted the referral of our son.  We were filled with excitement and a little overwhelmed at the idea of becoming parents.  Now, we are almost ready to go pick him up (we’ll be doing that at the end of June)…it is so hard to believe that we are almost to the finish line of this adoption process.  And next?  We get to work on being a family!  And you know what?  We couldn’t have done it without you…every one of you.

When I was asked to write this update, all I could think about was how much I wanted you guys to know what you are doing MATTERS.  You all are actively helping unite families.  Every week.  Sometimes it may not seem like your dollar matters, or that it isn’t that much.  But, I can assure you it does matter.  Your dollar, your friend’s dollar, their friend’s dollar…it all adds up…and it adds up to making families whole.  What better way could you possibly spend a dollar?  I can’t think of one.

So, from the very bottom of my heart: thank you.  Thank you for your support of all of these families who are working hard to bring home their kiddos.  Thank you for your loving words of encouragement when the process gets tough.  And thank you for being a part of a journey that will be remembered by our family, by all of these families…forever.

Our first family photo…that you helped make possible:


The Johnsons
Please say a prayer for the Johnsons as they await final approval to bring this little heartbreaker home. And help unite another family by giving your dollars this week.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Monday, May 28, 2012

New Africa Family of the Week

Good morning everyone and Happy Memorial Day! I hope you have a BBQ and a pool to head to! Well, it's that time again. Time for a new family. You guys killed it last week bringing in over $3,000 for the Braniff family and this weeks Asia family, the Belotes (scroll back a few posts if you haven't seen their video yet, it's to die for), are right about there too. Let's show a little love to the Gentry family. They are adopting another little lady to hang with these sweet girlies. They are about to turn in their dossier, and that check is a doozy, so let's see if we can help out, shall we? You can donate right here.



***So far the Gentry family has received $634 to go towards their adoption***

Friday, May 25, 2012

The Wait - Day 6 (Don't Laugh)

Pinned Image

Some people have a short wait and some people have a long wait. It all just depends on  who you’re adopting (and a million other teeny bits of information). But I can tell you from experience that each day we go on with life and each day half of your brain is willing that phone call. I’m wondering if my foreign born child is born yet. Still with parents? Already in the transition home? Paperwork on my family coordinator’s desk? Maybe she’s just out to lunch and then she’ll call me when she gets back. Maybe. Or maybe he’s not born yet.

Well, here I am almost one week into The Wait. Our agency won’t keep a public list of “who’s next in line” so our Yahoo group has attempted to take on the task. Only problem is that it’s totally inaccurate and there’s just nothing that anybody can do about it. Some people aren’t on the Yahoo group so they don’t get put on The List. Some are, but maybe don’t mention that they are open to special needs, so that skews it. Every week everyone goes and checks The List to see if anyone has moved over to the Received Referral party, therefor bumping us all up one spot. But remember it’s totally inaccurate so you never really know where your spot is. So actually the whole thing might just make you loco. And even if it were accurate and we were number one in line it still wouldn’t mean jack because it all comes together like it’s going to anyway. Only God knows what day is our Referral Day, but still I wake up every morning and think maybe today. Probably not. But one of these days it will be today. I actually hope it’s not today today because my kitchen is sort of smelling funky and we have this plan to throw and impromptu party on Referral Day. And I don’t think I’m up to it today. Maybe tomorrow. Probably not though.


Thursday, May 24, 2012

New Asia Family of the Week

Hey guys, it's been forever since we've had an Asia family in here. For those of you who don't know, we're sort of playing with the idea of expanding to include other programs and are giving it a shot with Asia and Haiti. The super cool idea would be that all the Asia crowd would pop over and donate to the Africa family of the week and vice versa. Let's see how that plays out. Last time I was so excited to see you guys all embrace the idea and not balk at being asked for yet another dollar. That's because y'all are awesome.

You know what else is awesome? The dance that takes place at the end of this video. Say hey to the Belotes. I love these guys instantly. Seriously love them. And I want to eat Zeke up! Holy cuteness. If you are one of those givers that doesn't watch the videos, I get it, no worries, and I love that you trust me to pick good families for ya... but today you're gonna want to watch this. I promise it'll make you smile.




Not only will they be traveling to get Baby Zeb just like the rest of the adoptions, they are also looking at surgeries and such when they get home, so let's really spread the love and see if we can take a load off for them. If you'd like to donate to the Belotes adoption you can do so right here.
***So far the Belote family has received $2004 towards their adoption!!!***

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Hitting You Up Again.

Hey guys, you know me, always hitting you up for cash. I'm actually going to do it again tomorrow. We've got a new Asia family of the week tomorrow that could use a few bucks. And you know your situation, so give what you can and don't give what you don't have unless the Spirit prompts you to. But I read something in my Bible this week and I don't really know how to not take it literally.

"Give to everyone who asks you." Luke 6:30 

I really just can't see that that means anything other than what it says. So, this particular week we are cuh-razy broke in a way that we're not used to. My mind is changing as to what 'broke' means, and what trust means, and what obedience means, and what community means. Luckily, a few verses down we read

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38

What I love about being part of this little group of people is how we take care of each other and how, in doing that, we're blessing the greater world. So every time I come on here asking for money it's with uncomfortable humility because I know most of you are fundraising too. I hope that one day you'll be on here with the whole bunch holding you up for a week. Anyhoo, this week I read this, and I actually asked God to let someone go ahead and flat out ask me for money, and if they did I would give even in my 'brokeness'. And then I got an email from Jenna Knight, one of our past mamas of the week. She's headed back to Ethiopia, Korah specifically, to help restore some of the community. This video taught me a lot about the region and tells us what's going to be happening in this trip. The trip is $3,000 and all the money is due June 1st, so it's time to rally and see if we can send one of our own back and change some lives on far away soil, where are hearts are anyway.




Now, know that Jenna's just asking me and her email list for a little donation, not all of you. She didn't know she would be on here today. But I'm actually grateful for the opportunity to be tested with my money lately and welcome the challenge and blessings that come with it. And I wanted to extend the opportunity to you as well.

So, that's all for today. If you'd like to donate a few bucks to the Korah mission you can do so here. If you'd like to donate more than a few bucks and need a tax deduction, go to Jenna's blog and follow the instructions. Thank you so much. I love you all.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A Tornado and Adoption

A year ago, a wickedly devastating tornado whipped through Joplin, MO. We live a couple hours away from Joplin, and after watching coverage of the damage for a few days after the storm, my husband and I couldn't sit in our roofed house any longer...we headed to Joplin to help.

Sounds awesome, right? Like, "we're here, we're volunteers, get used to it." Give us a wristband and throw us where you need us most. We can handle it. We're gonna pull survivors from rubble. We're going to change people's lives, one downed tree at a time. Face mask? Nah. We're self-sufficient. We're tough. We're here to HELP.

Not exactly.

We arrived at the community college where the Red Cross was registering volunteers. Or maybe it was FEMA. Anyway, there were BUSES of people arriving--people with way more equipment than the gloves and lunch bags we had. (You know, because we didn't want to be a burden.) We were given face masks and water and taken to what used to be the high school.

Devastating.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Gone.

Nothing was more than 10 feet high....for as far as we could see...in the middle of town.

Dirt, wood scraps, carpet pieces, torn clothes, broken glass...everywhere.

Everything looked the same, like it had been an abandoned war-torn city a few decades ago.

And everything smelled old and wet.

But hey, we were there to help. Put us to work.



We walked around and saw spray painted crosses and numbers on every house. They were codes for rescue workers -- the real rescue workers, not us handy volunteers. And those workers had already been through the neighborhoods. Our job was to clear debris. So we headed to the worst houses. Of course, right? Nope, said our Americorps guide. Those houses would be flattened. So we went to houses that would be saved. An enormous tree through the roof? No problem. And we cleared what we could, one skinny branch at a time.

I held it together for most of the day. But then I was helping clear debris from an apartment. The roof was completely gone, and the contents inside looked tossed about. The front wall of the house was half-down. And a woman, the resident, sat on her front steps waiting for her family to come. And she just looked helpless...hopeless. I did what I could to make her front lawn look less sad...and then I broke down. This woman had nothing left. She needed real help. And here I was, creating a pile of junk in her front yard.



ALL this to say, I never want to forget how lucky I felt that day. And I never want to forget how helpless I felt that day. I didn't save anyone. I didn't change the world with the dirt I got on my face, arms, and hair. I was no hero in Joplin...I was exhausted.

BUT. I did something. And I can never regret that. It wasn't big or significant or awesome. But I did exactly what I hope others would do if I were sitting in my roofless, wall-less house.

Often I wonder how, in the world of adoption, I'm "being the change" and helping even one child have a family when there is a WAIT LIST for these kids. But then I realize, if I left the "line", that's eventually one child who doesn't have love. The need for adoptive parents isn't a static, one-time-only thing. It's constant. And that line has to constantly be there for the children who will forever need those parents.

No, I'm not Brangelina. And I'm no Mother Theresa or Gandhi or Muhammed Yunus. But I am doing what I hope others would do if I was an orphan. Be there. Show up. Get in line. You may feel much smaller, and more helpless, than you initially imagined when you signed up for this journey. But you're doing something you won't regret.

Monday, May 21, 2012

New Week, New Family

Good morning, all! Let's get this party started. This is such a fun video to start your Monday with. Everybody, say hello to the Braniff family. They're adopting a baby boy from the DRC. Mom, Angela, is traveling likely next month and will be staying for 6 weeks! Let's see if we can help out with that.  Ok, you know what to do. Let's blast that button.



***Here's where we'll keep the running total, which right now is in the ballpark of $3050!***

Friday, May 18, 2012

You Guys Rock, and Also a Sweet New (to me) Shop

Sorry I'm so late posting today. I think my internet is finally back in business. That threw a little kink in Sponsorship Day, but yesterday was awesome! 9 little girls now have sponsors and Give1 is making a little footprint on Ethiopian soil. I'm so proud of us and I can't wait to meet our kids! I'll be posting a page next week that anyone can use to find a kid to sponsor anytime. We're just getting it updated. So more to come, but I won't slam you with a sponsor day for a couple of months. Though it was kind of awesome for me.

But today, let me just leave you with a shop that I just found. I love me some Bible verses that don't look cheesy. I adore all these today from Fancy That Design House. Go check them out.

11"x14" art print - Mighty To Save - Aged & Worn, Vintage Colors Typography Poster Print - Zephaniah Scripture Bible Verse

8x10 art print - Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow - Typography & Pattern Poster Print

8x10 art print - "Pray More, Worry Less" -  Burlap Texture Typography Poster Print

Not to mention their beautiful, fun and funky, graphic designs.


8x10 "Chevron Stack" - Wooden Texture - Art Poster Print

And once again, THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored a child. There are plenty more to go around if you would like to join in! Email me at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com and we'll get you all squared away. I love you all! Have a good weekend!

***Oh yeah, and guess what?! We're finally DTE today!!! Cupitts coming at ya, Ethiopia!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Tariku

How about some love for the guys?! Check out this cutie! This is Tariku. If you'd like to sponsor him through Children's HopeChest just shoot me and email at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com. He's adorable.


***Tariku is being sponsored by...***

That's all for now!

Hey guys, I know I said I'd post the kids one by one until 5pm today, but my internet is GONE. I'm blogging on the fly from my mom's place today, but I'm headed home to my internet free home. So I'm posting a few. Still email me at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com is you want to sponsor. We have about 45 more kids that need them! I'll be back as soon as I can and I can't wait to update you (and me)!!!!

Estubdink

Look at this beauty! What a gorgeous smile. This is Estubdink and she needs a sponsor. Let's keep this ball rolling! To sponsor Estubdink through Children's HopeChest, email me at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com and we'll get you all set up. You guys are changing lives today!

***Estubdink is being sponsored by the Laman Family***

Kalkidan


This one has a sweet face. Don't you want to scoop her up? If you'd like to sponsor Kalkidan through Children's HopeChest, email me at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com and we'll get you set up. I'm thinking this little lady could use a doll.
***Kalkidan is being sponsored by the Laman Family***

Mekedes Fitwi

Hmmm... Same last name as Bethlehem Fitwi. I wonder if they're sisters. So cute. Email me to sponsor this darling! B.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com.

***Mekedes is being sponsored by the Laman Family***

Another Bethlehem

She looks like mischief, right?! I adore her. Don't you? If you'd like to sponsor her through Children's HopeChest, email me at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com.

I'm blown away at your generosity today. Do you know that the quality of life is improved at Greenlight for everyone when one more child is sponsored. And you'll be building a personal relationship with this precious child. Who wouldn't want to know her?!

***Bethlehem Fitwi is being sponsored by the Marrs Family***

Eden

She has the sweetest smile. I love her and I love that name. Eden is on my short list of names. Email me at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com to sponsor this sweetie.

***Eden is being sponsored by the Klassen family***

Bethlehem

This is Bethlehem. How adorable are the pigtails?You know you love her! Email me at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com to make sure she is well taken care of.

***Bethlehem is being sponsored by the Yoder Family, our family of the week. Don't forget to donate to them too! I love that they are so willing to step out in faith to help this little girl while counting on us to help them. I love being in God's family.

Tsinat

Ok, how darling is she?! Is this your girl? Picture that face on your fridge! Email me at b.cupitt(at)yahoo(dot)com.


***Tsinat is being sponsored by the Ramsey Family***

Good Morning. Here We GO!!!

Ok, guys! Ready to do this thing?! I hope you were here yesterday for the prep for today. I'm praying that God will move mountains and use US to bless Greenlight in Addis. When one child gets sponsored, I'll post the next one. I'll be doing this til 5pm today. I hope you've been praying! Open your heart and you'll recognize a special face when the Spirit nudges you. And stick with me today! We're going to be praising and celebrating with each child and that whole community! I'm expectant and hopeful today! What about you?!

First up is the ever so darling Hiwot. I mean, seriously, melt my heart! Would you like to sponsor her? Pray for her every day? Would you like to be the one to make sure that this sweet face has a coat when it gets really chilly and a meal in her belly? If not you, can you help me find someone for her? It's time to put Facebook to good use! Email me when you're ready at b.cupitt@yahoo(dot)com.


***Hiwot is being sponsored by The McBride Family*** 

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Sevenly

I just love businesses that incorporate giving. Social businesses are popping up everywhere, and they just warm my heart. Not nonprofits, not entirely for-profits. Sustainable do-gooders.

Before the business/fundraising geek in me comes out, I have to tell you about my new favorite: Sevenly—a do-good company that sells tshirts and gives $7 for each purchase to charity. “One design. One week. One charity.” So every week, there’s a new collection of shirts with designs specifically for that week’s cause. And this week’s shirt is just gorgeous! (There are variations of this design in different shirt styles on the web site.) The money raised for this week’s shirt goes to Together We Rise, which is dedicated to improving the lives of foster children.



So far, this company has raised nearly half a million dollars for various charities. Very cool.

Much like Give1, Sevenly places a big emphasis on social networking and spreading the word. So do just that, and be part of the do-goodness. In fact, the reason I’m writing this post is because I shared this week’s design on Pinterest, and someone from Sevenly took the time to tell me thanks for doing it! I figured that deserved a little Give1 love.

So AFTER you donate to this week’s family, check out Sevenly.

In Preparation For Tomorrow...



Remember my Mother Theresa phase? I'm going to throw a few more your way today, but they're a little tougher, so it might hurt a little. But you'll feel better in the end.

Tomorrow is a big day for us. We have teamed up with Children's HopeChest and have been assigned a community of children that need us. And here's the kicker. They made sure that our community, Greenlight, is somewhere where we can go and visit 'our kids', in Addis. Anybody going to Addis anytime soon? Thought so. So how cool is that?!

Let me tell you a little about Greenlight. It's a drop-in center, which means they take in about 80 kids and provide everything they need because their parents can't. They are not available for adoption, but that's the beauty. These kids are not yet orphans, but they are what orphans are made out of. Their parents are still with them and love them very much, but poverty makes people very vulnerable. We know all too well that it often splits up families over there. Today and tomorrow is about prevention.

These sponsorships are a most tangible way to provide for these kids most basic needs. The drop in provides food, clothing, discipleship, education, everything. You can provide that for $32 a month. And that might seem like more than you can spare right now (it did to me), but sometimes we just could use a perspective change to see that that is most likely not the case. I don't know your financial situation right now, so this is something I'd love for you to pray about today and tomorrow. Because tomorrow, one by one, I'm going to show you the names and faces of some little girls that need help in Greenlight. It's a one to one, personal sponsorship. You will mean alot to these kids. And the sponsorships are life saving and life changing. So, are you ready for those hard Mother Theresa quotes I mentioned?

“Live simply so others may simply live.”

If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.”

It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

When a poor person dies of hunger it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.”

Told ya it might sting. I seriously was considering not sponsoring right now because we are in the crunch time bit of fundraising for our adoption and we're living tight. When I say living tight I mean I cringe when we get invited to a birthday party and I'll 'have to' stop and get a $20 gift for a kid I don't know so we don't look lame. Or that I feel whiney because I can't quite justify buying that new long dress from Target (apparently I need them all). Or we can't go out to Chuy's for dinner for a while. I'm such a brat! Anyhoo, I've been learning (painfully) lately that my stuff is dragging me down and the only solution is to get rid of my money! Will you join me? Today I'm planting a seed. And tomorrow I'm praying for you and for those kids. You'll see the first one in the morning. Then we'll get her sponsored and I'll post another one. Think about it. Talk to your hubby. Pray. Fast. Let's see how many we can place tomorrow. One of them might be yours. Think of her today. This is who I think is more important than the pretty Target dress.



Her name is Tenaye. I painted her last week and didn't even know it. Now her painting hangs in my home as a reminder to pray for her.



Also, as an added little bonus, I'll be glad to paint your sponsored child for you so you can have the same type of reminder. More on that tomorrow. Today, just pray. I'll meet you here in the morning.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A Drop in The Ocean



You guys, I am on a major Mother Theresa kick lately. She was the embodiment of what a modern 'saint' should be, and though I'm no saint (technically), the Bible repeatedly refers to us as such. Mother  Theresa taught something that is so crucial, but I find myself struggling with it all the time. Tell me if you've ever thought this... There is a wait list months, sometimes years long for a child. Am I really filling a need if there are a million others who are jumping through the same hoops?  All I have is a dollar. Is that really going to help? I can only sponsor one child and I can't help the other 80. 

Sometimes I feel like what I can do is not enough. I can't save the world all by myself. The best I can hope to be is a light, and that's all that's asked of me. And you. But imagine if we didn't...

Here's a few more Mother Theresa gems for you:

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life?' rather he will ask, 'How much love did you put into what you did?"

“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

“If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.”

Get the message? Small counts. Really really counts. You might not be changing the whole world, but you make a difference to someone. It's enough. It's plenty.



And on a different note, does anyone happen to recognize the original source of this photo? I adore it like nobody's business and I'd love to throw some love their way. In fact, in a perfect world I'd have this gigantic on my mantel, so if anyone knows where it originally came from I'd be stoked!

Monday, May 14, 2012

New Week, New Family

Happy Monday, y'all! I'd love to introduce you to a sweet family, the Yoders. They are on their way to Africa in a few short weeks to meet their baby girl, Dalila. Don't you love that name?!  Their video is so cute, too, you have to watch it!




Can we help them buy those plane tickets?! Yes, we can! Come on, let's do it! Give! Share! Let's do some good in the world this week!
***And here's where we'll keep our running total, which right this second is $929***

Friday, May 11, 2012

The End? Period.

Have you heard of 58:? I don't remember how it first came across my computer screen, but anything claiming to do what it thinks we can do is worth a few minutes of my time. First, the tag line - 58: Fast. Forward. The end of poverty.

The end? I didn't think they could mean the end. It must be one of those fine print kind of things, like, perhaps they meant end poverty in a specific region? I quickly saw this statement, as if they were reading my mind:
End extreme poverty? Are you serious?At 58:, we believe God is calling us today to live out Isaiah 58 in an effort to end extreme poverty. And here’s the good news: not only is it possible, it’s already starting to happen:

In the past thirty years, extreme poverty has been cut in half. In 1981, 52% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty (defined by the U.N. as living on less than $1.25 per day). But by 2006, that number was 26%.

I know, I need to back up. What is 58:? According to their website,
58: is an unprecedented global alliance of Christians, churches and world-class poverty-fighting organizations working together to end extreme poverty in our lifetime by living the True Fast of Isaiah 58.

We are a movement of Christians who are willing to make personal sacrifices (or “fast”) to free up resources to help the poor… who give to effective projects led by world-class poverty fighting organizations (the 58: Alliance), and who pray to align our hearts with God’s will as expressed in Isaiah 58:

"to loose the chains of injustice… to set the oppressed free… to share your food with the hungry…to provide the poor wanderer with shelter… when you see the naked, to clothe them”

When you've seen severe poverty and the toll it takes on the people living among it, it's beyond heartbreaking. Poverty breaks you and changes you; it's overwhelming. I had learned that instead of allowing myself to feel so overwhelmed, if I felt I could affect just one person, it was worth it. Impacting even more people was great, too, but even one was worth the effort. I still believe that, but taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, I realize that one really does make a difference. Each one of us, impacting another, creates this momentum of fighting, and beating, poverty.

At 58:, they believe there is power in numbers. There is also power in strategically working together. How cool is this: 58: has created an alliance of some of the most experienced and biggest powerhouses in poverty-fighting and unified them for this important cause. What happens when you join forces of Food for the Hungry, Compassion International, Living Water, World Relief, Hope International, Plant with Purpose, Micah Challenge, International Justice Mission, CRWRC and ECHO? (for the list of partners, click here) Something pretty powerful.

58: released a full length movie that Nick and I had the opportunity to screen. It's the kind of film that exposes you to things of the world you can't imagine exist, but leaves you hopeful for the future and believing we can make a difference.




They also have this pretty sweet thing going on in 2012 called 58: Global Impact Tour. Each month, they focus on a different country, poverty issue and a project working towards changing that issue. I love this.

There are plenty of ways to make a difference in the world. The thing I love so much about 58: is that it's about uniting our efforts to make a difference bigger than the one we could imagine individually. That's one of the reasons I love Give1 so much, too. Together, our $1 makes a difference. How about we pull together this week and allow our dollar to help bring home another little child? Go donate to the family of the week and let's see how strong our forces are.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Art Girls Fundraiser

Hey everybody! So guess what?! The longest dossier ever to grace the planet (mine) is gone! It's out of my hands. There is nothing to do now but sit here and wait for 'the call'. True story. 2 hours ago I wrote a whopper check for nearly $8K that I am happy to send (though I am so very sad to see the remaining balance - it doesn't even end in a K at all ). Oh, well, that's the nature of adoption, right? Now I often highlight Etsy shops, particularly of adopters trying to get their kiddies home, and for some reason I haven't wanted to showcase mine. I don't really want to take any attention away from the family of the week. And that is still the case, so don't even look at this post if you haven't donated yet!

Oh, you have? OK. Well, I humbly (REALLY humbly, kind of cringing, actually) would like to show you what I've been doing on the side to raise a little funds. I make these little art girls. They don't have faces. Mostly because my daughter doesn't have a face to me yet. So I started making them and they are selling really well. My Etsy shop is dead empty, but it's because I usually make custom pieces so they never see the shop. They are $45 + a few bucks shipping, and if you have a little girl that could use some custom art done, email me and I'd be glad to chat with you and come up with something just right. Here's a few of my faves...






Anyhoo, that's that. If you need some art done, email me at b.cupitt@yahoo.com and we'll chat about verses or quotes, color schemes, and style and get you something really special. All the while helping us out in a huge way. Win-win. Sorry about the shameless plug!!!



Update: Just started making these Africa pieces as well. Let me know if need a certain verse or color scheme.

Summer-fy Your Skin

An unseasonably warm spring is here – at least in the “mid South” of Arkansas. As I sadly put my sweaters toward the back of my closet, I realize it’s time to pay attention to the skin I’ve been hiding all winter.

So here are a few of my favorite summertime skin products:

I love products that serve dual (or triple) purposes, like tinted moisturizers or lip balms. Neutrogena Glow Sheers combine antioxidants, SPF 30, and just a touch of color for sheer, lightweight coverage – perfect for summer.


Garnier’s new BB cream is very similar, with SPF 15. “BB” stands for blemish balm.

If you’ve been neglecting your sock-covered feet all winter, you can save lots of money by skipping the pedi and pampering them at home. After you exfoliate, try Bath and Body Works’ new Glycolic Acid Cracked Heel Treatment or Callus Treatment. To keep your feet soft and sandal-pretty, the Shea Butter Foot Cream is fantastic. And finally, get some color on those toes AND help children with Essie’s new Barefoot in Blue for TOMS shoes.


Of course, if you don't have time to make your feet sandal-ready, you can always hide them in some adorable shoes. This has nothing to do with summer skincare, but I just love these shoes from TOMS...


Or these comfy kicks from Payless for just $15!


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Double Blessings

So how about some updates for the week? The Elders, since their Give1 week in January, have accepted their referral for Camp, and guess what?! He comes with a bonus! You read that right. I had to read it several times, but yes, TWO. Head on over to their blog to read more about it. Hey Wynne, we're all going to need new shirts!


And speaking of double the blessings, the Kulenkamps have their two newest little bundles, Stella and Porter, home safe and sound. And they have just celebrated their very first birthday! Happy birthday, guys!