Over the years my husband and I have collected some books, most of them bought new. Anyway I had this great idea that I would take them to Powell's Bookstore and sell them. I thought it might be an easy $20. I remember about 10 years ago, I traded some in and got maybe $10 or $13.
So I packed up my baby and a big bag of 30 or so books all in great condition and headed to Powell's.
I'd say it took the lady all of 60 seconds to narrow down my stack to 2 books they'd buy from me. Yes...2. And for a whopping $2.50. Two dollars and fifty cents.
Needless to say I was a little disappointed. So I took my two dollars and fifty cents and bought a frozen yogurt. I ate my feelings.
End of story.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
iPad Mini Giveaway
We are getting closer to traveling and still working hard on fundraising. Now we are giving away an iPad mini! We have a brand new iPad mini and Apple smart cover, that has been generously donated to give away.
The way it works it so simple and the odds are good.
The goal is to get 40 entries or draw on June 14th, whichever comes later. Each entry is $20, and you can enter however many times you want.
STEP 1
To enter donate $20 for each entry you want to our Reece's Rainbow Family Sponsorship Page account here Donate here to enter giveaway
STEP 2
After making your donation email your receipt to DarrellBuhman@gmail.com
We will enter all the names into Random.org and draw a winner!
We are so excited to do this giveaway as we are getting close to traveling. Please feel free to share this giveaway with your friends and family.
And remember to email your receipt to the link above so we know you've entered to win.
Thank you so much for your support, and good luck!
 |
| iPad mini and Apple smart cover |
The goal is to get 40 entries or draw on June 14th, whichever comes later. Each entry is $20, and you can enter however many times you want.
STEP 1
To enter donate $20 for each entry you want to our Reece's Rainbow Family Sponsorship Page account here Donate here to enter giveaway
STEP 2
After making your donation email your receipt to DarrellBuhman@gmail.com
We will enter all the names into Random.org and draw a winner!
We are so excited to do this giveaway as we are getting close to traveling. Please feel free to share this giveaway with your friends and family.
And remember to email your receipt to the link above so we know you've entered to win.
Thank you so much for your support, and good luck!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Craigslist Experience
For the last 5 months, I've been stalking Craigslist like a crazy lady for a double stroller for a good price. I have found several that I like and that are reasonably priced. But I always hesitate because that would mean spending money. So when I finally email the person listing the double stroller, it's been sold.
While fundraising I've bought nothing in preparation for our son coming home. I just feel so guilty spending any money. Okay, that's not totally true, I bought a potty chair for $7.99 at Ross. All the clothes I have for Copeland are ones that my friend/neighbor has generously given to us. The day she sent me home with three huge bins to go through, I cried at how much she blessed us. I now have a dresser full of clothes from 2T-4T. Amazing! And my family has also been sending us super cute clothes.
Getting back to the Craigslist experience. As I was doing my daily search for a double stroller, I came across one that had been posted for less than 12 hours for a very reasonable $75. I emailed the person who listed it and she said it was a few years old and in great condition. After I got off work I met her in a grocery store parking lot.
She is the mom of three little ones and on her way to Bible study. Turns out she goes to a church where I have lots of friends. I told her about our adoption and she said they would love to adopt someday too. I gave her our information so she can see the progress as we move along through the process.
I gave her the $75 for the double stroller and she gave back $25! I tear up as I'm typing this. She very easily could have just said "here's the stroller, good luck." But she gave back. A perfect stranger to me, but so perfectly orchestrated by God.
It would be so much easier if we went into this adoption being fully funded, but we would have missed out on meeting so many great people. We would have missed out on spreading awareness about orphans with special needs. We would have missed out on so many blessings.
It reminds me of the lyrics to that song "...If we are the body, why aren't his hands working.."
And we've gotten to see so many hands working. I wouldn't trade any of this experience. It has taught me to not judge a donation at a car wash by the car a person drives. And that you might be surprised who your biggest supporters are.
I have also learned that I don't need to fill a room with all news things to bring a child home. It's not about the stuff. We too often want to keep up with everyone and the last 5 months we don't even think about. We have other things to worry ourselves with, like getting to our son. And after we bring him home, we will continue to help other families trying to get to their children as well.
While fundraising I've bought nothing in preparation for our son coming home. I just feel so guilty spending any money. Okay, that's not totally true, I bought a potty chair for $7.99 at Ross. All the clothes I have for Copeland are ones that my friend/neighbor has generously given to us. The day she sent me home with three huge bins to go through, I cried at how much she blessed us. I now have a dresser full of clothes from 2T-4T. Amazing! And my family has also been sending us super cute clothes.
Getting back to the Craigslist experience. As I was doing my daily search for a double stroller, I came across one that had been posted for less than 12 hours for a very reasonable $75. I emailed the person who listed it and she said it was a few years old and in great condition. After I got off work I met her in a grocery store parking lot.
She is the mom of three little ones and on her way to Bible study. Turns out she goes to a church where I have lots of friends. I told her about our adoption and she said they would love to adopt someday too. I gave her our information so she can see the progress as we move along through the process.
I gave her the $75 for the double stroller and she gave back $25! I tear up as I'm typing this. She very easily could have just said "here's the stroller, good luck." But she gave back. A perfect stranger to me, but so perfectly orchestrated by God.
It would be so much easier if we went into this adoption being fully funded, but we would have missed out on meeting so many great people. We would have missed out on spreading awareness about orphans with special needs. We would have missed out on so many blessings.
It reminds me of the lyrics to that song "...If we are the body, why aren't his hands working.."
And we've gotten to see so many hands working. I wouldn't trade any of this experience. It has taught me to not judge a donation at a car wash by the car a person drives. And that you might be surprised who your biggest supporters are.
I have also learned that I don't need to fill a room with all news things to bring a child home. It's not about the stuff. We too often want to keep up with everyone and the last 5 months we don't even think about. We have other things to worry ourselves with, like getting to our son. And after we bring him home, we will continue to help other families trying to get to their children as well.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
For the first time since January...
...I feel like I can breathe. Since we started the adoption process in mid January, everything has been a whirlwind.
We started the crazy paper chase immediately, collecting mortgage documents, birth certificates, financial statements, tax documents, medicals, pet exams and their paperwork. Not to mention all of the things required for our Home Study and the training/education.
And we hit the ground running with fundraising all at the same time. Our first fundraiser was an online auction. It spanned about a month or more between getting everything ready and shipping items when it was all done. Then we've had a car wash and a garage sale. We have so many things left over, we'll be having another one too.
Our next fundraiser will be an iPad mini giveaway. My grandma and little sister are also selling hand made items down in Eugene. And we'll have another smaller auction online again.
But with all of this hard work by everyone involved and generous donations we have raised HALF of our $25,000! Praise God. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. I can see us getting to our son. When people give to help us we are SO THANKFUL and humbled. When I see that somebody has made a donation to our account we feel so blessed.
My brain is constantly thinking about what I need to do next with paperwork and what I can do to raise money. From the moment I wake up until I go to bed, it's all consuming. I have to remind myself that it's going to be okay and to have Faith in God.
We are estimating traveling to go get Copeland in early July. Which means we have less than 2 months to raise as much as we can. We've been working at this for 5 months now. I've heard that sometimes people don't know there is a need unless they're told. We are in need. Would you pray and consider helping us reach our goal? www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorbuhman
And if you have already donated, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are truly grateful for all of your help.
I have hope that we can do this. I can see hearts being moved.
At our garage sale this weekend I had a poster with several orphan's photos and a table with items my sister made- children's and adults aprons, children's blocks, and coffee cup koozies. And out of the 100 or so people that came, a handful actually asked what the cause was of the fundraiser.
.JPG)
It means so much to me when someone takes the time to listen to our cause. It gives the waiting orphans a voice for just a few minutes. The little ones that spend their lives waiting need others to know that they exist.
Go here and see the faces of children that wait Reeces Rainbow
And because I haven't shown our little guy's face in a while, here he is.
We started the crazy paper chase immediately, collecting mortgage documents, birth certificates, financial statements, tax documents, medicals, pet exams and their paperwork. Not to mention all of the things required for our Home Study and the training/education.
And we hit the ground running with fundraising all at the same time. Our first fundraiser was an online auction. It spanned about a month or more between getting everything ready and shipping items when it was all done. Then we've had a car wash and a garage sale. We have so many things left over, we'll be having another one too.
Our next fundraiser will be an iPad mini giveaway. My grandma and little sister are also selling hand made items down in Eugene. And we'll have another smaller auction online again.
But with all of this hard work by everyone involved and generous donations we have raised HALF of our $25,000! Praise God. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. I can see us getting to our son. When people give to help us we are SO THANKFUL and humbled. When I see that somebody has made a donation to our account we feel so blessed.
My brain is constantly thinking about what I need to do next with paperwork and what I can do to raise money. From the moment I wake up until I go to bed, it's all consuming. I have to remind myself that it's going to be okay and to have Faith in God.
We are estimating traveling to go get Copeland in early July. Which means we have less than 2 months to raise as much as we can. We've been working at this for 5 months now. I've heard that sometimes people don't know there is a need unless they're told. We are in need. Would you pray and consider helping us reach our goal? www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorbuhman
And if you have already donated, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are truly grateful for all of your help.
I have hope that we can do this. I can see hearts being moved.
At our garage sale this weekend I had a poster with several orphan's photos and a table with items my sister made- children's and adults aprons, children's blocks, and coffee cup koozies. And out of the 100 or so people that came, a handful actually asked what the cause was of the fundraiser.
.JPG)
It means so much to me when someone takes the time to listen to our cause. It gives the waiting orphans a voice for just a few minutes. The little ones that spend their lives waiting need others to know that they exist.
Go here and see the faces of children that wait Reeces Rainbow
And because I haven't shown our little guy's face in a while, here he is.
 |
| We're coming for you Copeland. We love you already. |
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Little Ones Saved
With all the paperwork and fundraising that has been happening sometimes it's good to regroup and remind ourselves why we're doing what we are.
The little ones who wait for a family to find them have a bleaker future as time goes on. Not only is their health at risk from neglect and malnourishment, but the children with special needs are less likely to be adopted. Most people want a young healthy child. In fact our home study agency said that we were their first clients who were seeking out a child with disabilities. Usually it's the opposite.
A child born with a heart defect might not have the time to wait to get appropriate medical care before it's too late.
Here are just a few angels that never had the chance to experience the love of a family here on earth. They are safe with Jesus now, no more suffering.
It is common for children in orphanages to be in their cribs almost 24/7. Babies learn after a few months that crying won't get them what they need, so they simply stop trying.
I could go on and on about the staggering statistics of all the orphans and maybe it will change somebodies heart. But I'm hoping you will watch the video below and be filled with hope and see that these children are worth it. Every child deserves a family, period.
The last little girl in the video is Sophia Grace. Her family inspired my husband and I to adopt, and they are already going back to adopt again. The little boy they are adopting has a limb difference just like our Copeland. If you would like to help them, I know they could really use the support as they've used up most of their resources with their last adoption. http://reecesrainbow.org/58324/sponsorhorton-2
Not everyone is called to adopt, but you can help support those that are. It's all about these kiddos that are just left waiting. Waiting for an end whether it be for a family to find them or to be with their Heavenly Father. Harsh I know, but sadly true. Pray, advocate, donate.
The little ones who wait for a family to find them have a bleaker future as time goes on. Not only is their health at risk from neglect and malnourishment, but the children with special needs are less likely to be adopted. Most people want a young healthy child. In fact our home study agency said that we were their first clients who were seeking out a child with disabilities. Usually it's the opposite.
A child born with a heart defect might not have the time to wait to get appropriate medical care before it's too late.
Here are just a few angels that never had the chance to experience the love of a family here on earth. They are safe with Jesus now, no more suffering.
 |
| Walden |
 |
| Stacy |
 |
| Dayna |
It is common for children in orphanages to be in their cribs almost 24/7. Babies learn after a few months that crying won't get them what they need, so they simply stop trying.
I could go on and on about the staggering statistics of all the orphans and maybe it will change somebodies heart. But I'm hoping you will watch the video below and be filled with hope and see that these children are worth it. Every child deserves a family, period.
The last little girl in the video is Sophia Grace. Her family inspired my husband and I to adopt, and they are already going back to adopt again. The little boy they are adopting has a limb difference just like our Copeland. If you would like to help them, I know they could really use the support as they've used up most of their resources with their last adoption. http://reecesrainbow.org/58324/sponsorhorton-2
Not everyone is called to adopt, but you can help support those that are. It's all about these kiddos that are just left waiting. Waiting for an end whether it be for a family to find them or to be with their Heavenly Father. Harsh I know, but sadly true. Pray, advocate, donate.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Car Wash Success
We had our car wash fundraiser yesterday and the weather couldn't have been more perfect and our friends and family that helped were AWESOME! I was nervous when I scheduled it at our local Les Schwab that the weather wouldn't be great because it was only the first weekend in May. But as it got closer it wasn't the weather I was worried about, it was having enough people to wash cars.
My family drove two hours north to be here for us, while my mom watched our Leenie at home, my dad and sisters came to work. My little sister had a bake sale going on at the same time which did very well. As people waited for their cars, they could pick out goodies to eat.
A little ways into the car wash Copeland's advocate came with her son to help. She was advocating for Copeland's family to find him before we ever laid eyes on him. It's such a small world that we ended up living within just a few miles of each other. She continues to help raise awareness for other orphans and to help us raise funds.
Everyone worked non stop from 10:30am until 4pm. We were either holding signs in the sun or washing cars and we couldn't have done it without the help of everybody there. Everyone played such an important role. We are so blessed, and Copeland is so blessed to have such a great support system.
We did not have a set price for someone to have their car washed, we just told them the cause and let them give whatever their heart told them. We got $3 from a couple people and $40 from another. It was very humbling to have someone give and then come back with more money after going to the ATM.
And for something funny, we had two Santa's get their car washed. The first one came and he had photo I.D. that said "Kris Kringle" and shared some candy canes. The second Santa came by later and he drove a red car with the license plate "Sleigh". He however did not have candy canes, so I think we all know who the real one was. They both wore Hawaiian shirts and both gave generously.
The grand total of the car wash was $425! It was a lot of work but so worth it. My muscles are feeling a little sore, but I would do it 100 more times to bring our son home.
I have to admit, before this I have never stopped at a car wash fundraiser, but now I will. If I have my kids with me and it's not a good time, I will simply make a donation. There's nothing more pure than manual labor to raise money.
I hope that from the car wash, people that have never heard about Reece's Rainbow go home and check it out.
Things have moved to warp speed (side note, I like Star Trek). We have our appointment with immigration on Tuesday and then we hope to be submitted and waiting for our travel dates by the end of May.
If you feel moved to donate you can do that here. www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorbuhman
We are so appreciative for any amount you are able to give.
This coming weekend we are have a garage sale. We've been collecting items and donations for the last couple of months. I think it will be good weather again.
My coworker brought her niece to help out as well
My family drove two hours north to be here for us, while my mom watched our Leenie at home, my dad and sisters came to work. My little sister had a bake sale going on at the same time which did very well. As people waited for their cars, they could pick out goodies to eat.
A little ways into the car wash Copeland's advocate came with her son to help. She was advocating for Copeland's family to find him before we ever laid eyes on him. It's such a small world that we ended up living within just a few miles of each other. She continues to help raise awareness for other orphans and to help us raise funds.
We did not have a set price for someone to have their car washed, we just told them the cause and let them give whatever their heart told them. We got $3 from a couple people and $40 from another. It was very humbling to have someone give and then come back with more money after going to the ATM.
And for something funny, we had two Santa's get their car washed. The first one came and he had photo I.D. that said "Kris Kringle" and shared some candy canes. The second Santa came by later and he drove a red car with the license plate "Sleigh". He however did not have candy canes, so I think we all know who the real one was. They both wore Hawaiian shirts and both gave generously.
The grand total of the car wash was $425! It was a lot of work but so worth it. My muscles are feeling a little sore, but I would do it 100 more times to bring our son home.
I have to admit, before this I have never stopped at a car wash fundraiser, but now I will. If I have my kids with me and it's not a good time, I will simply make a donation. There's nothing more pure than manual labor to raise money.
I hope that from the car wash, people that have never heard about Reece's Rainbow go home and check it out.
Things have moved to warp speed (side note, I like Star Trek). We have our appointment with immigration on Tuesday and then we hope to be submitted and waiting for our travel dates by the end of May.
If you feel moved to donate you can do that here. www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorbuhman
We are so appreciative for any amount you are able to give.
This coming weekend we are have a garage sale. We've been collecting items and donations for the last couple of months. I think it will be good weather again.
My coworker brought her niece to help out as well
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Workin' at the Car Wash
This Saturday we will be soaking up the rays and washing cars. This will put the FUN in FUNdraiser! We've got signs, buckets, and treats to sell. Since the weather can be very a little unpredictable here in the great northwest, we are saying some prayers the sunshine will stick around. Right now they're saying the weather on Saturday should be 81 degrees, let's hope it stays that way.
We're still looking for more volunteers. So if you're in the Portland area and want to help play a role in bringing our little guy home we'd LOVE to have your help. (No seriously, we would. Just leave a comment with your contact info. I won't publish it.)
We've made up flyers to pass out and can't wait to spread the word about the orphans that are waiting for families to find them.
We have fundraisers going on the next three weekends with two online fundraisers happening at the same time. We are busy busy.
Time has just been flying by. It was just in January that we committed to adopting Copeland and here we are a little more than two months away from traveling to get him.
And if I haven't mentioned it yet, we are almost half way to our fund raising goal. Praise God! We are so touched by every donation. Thank you to everyone that is helping us. Words cannot express how grateful we are.
We're still looking for more volunteers. So if you're in the Portland area and want to help play a role in bringing our little guy home we'd LOVE to have your help. (No seriously, we would. Just leave a comment with your contact info. I won't publish it.)
We've made up flyers to pass out and can't wait to spread the word about the orphans that are waiting for families to find them.
We have fundraisers going on the next three weekends with two online fundraisers happening at the same time. We are busy busy.
Time has just been flying by. It was just in January that we committed to adopting Copeland and here we are a little more than two months away from traveling to get him.
And if I haven't mentioned it yet, we are almost half way to our fund raising goal. Praise God! We are so touched by every donation. Thank you to everyone that is helping us. Words cannot express how grateful we are.
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