{APPROVAL}

We got our I-800 Approval letter today!!! That means our government said YES we can bring Makayla home as our daughter!!! YAHOOO!!!!!

NEXT STEP...we wait for this document to magically turn into an ARTICLE 5, then it is TA time!!!

Also, I sent for Makayla's "FINDING AD" this morning. I am praying there is a picture of her! It would be the only thing we have from when she was a baby. Makayla (Wu ShiLei) was abandoned at 3 1/2 months old. The Finding Ad is:

In 1999, the Chinese government developed a policy requiring all orphanages to run a provincial newspaper advertisement for children who were found and brought to the orphanage. These "finding ads" contain information about where and when the children were found, which orphanage they were brought to, the age when they were found, and info from when they were found. These ads often include a picture of the child the day they were brought to the orphanage.

Thank you all for your prayers and for following along on our journey!
Have a blessed day!
Fonnetta

{Visa's & Passports}

What an EXCITING day!!! I got up first thing this morning to an email from our Travel Adviser, Nancy at GWCA. She wanted us to fill out our visa applications and send them to her with our passports. Because I am so excited and think that if I do my part quickly, then the process will go faster, RIGHT? Probably not, but at least my part is finished and I am now waiting on them=) I sent off ALL the needed information and $718. Now everything will arrive to GWCA on Monday morning before 10:30 am!!! Well... we wait... AGAIN!!

More EXCITING news...I just got an email from Ann at the Red Thread and she said that Makayla received her package!!!! Yeah! I hope everything fits, she loves it and she gets to see pictures of us. Every little bit of exposure to us helps!! Funny thing is though... now... we wait... AGAIN!!!! We are now waiting for the orphanage director to answer the 12 questions and mail them back to Ann. She will then translate the answers and email them to us. That is the part I am most excited about.

We are having a HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE tomorrow from 1-4 PM!! Please come by and check out all the cool items for sale! My cookbook and earring will be for sale plus many great items just in time for Christmas. As a special treat, I have made the Blackberry Brandy White Chocolate Cheese Cake with a Butter Cookie Crumb Crust (pg. 67), Fresh Yummy Salsa for the Boys (pg. 19), and the famous Beans and Rice Salad (pg. 18) for tasting!!!

Here is the flier with all the information. We hope you can make it! A portion of the proceeds go towards our adoption fund.
Blessings,
Fonnetta

"But let patience have it's perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." - James 1:4-5

{OUR "Something Heavenly" COOKBOOK FUNDRAISER}

After many months, lots of cooking and dishes, not to mention eating constantly...we finally finished it!!!! This is our families recipes and hopefully a fabulous way to raise funds for our adoption. We are going to go to China in just weeks and are still in need of Makayla's Orphanage Donation. China has a mandatory "Orphanage Donation" of $5,100, so will you please help us by ordering our "Something Heavenly" cookbook!


Here is the scoop...

• $20.00 a book-does NOT include shipping & handling
  

• SHIPPING:
• 1 book ADD $3.00 = TOTAL $23.00 (First Class)
  
• 2 books ADD $4.00 =TOTAL $24.00 (First Class)
  
• 3 - 4 books ADD $5.00 (Priority Flat Rate)
• 5 or more, contact me and I can check the shipping cost.
  
  
• 104 pages, 69 recipes, full color pictures of every recipe, food for thought on every page, conversion charts, recipe substitutions, and food safety guidelines.
  
  
• Coil bound with a clear protective cover and hard plastic backing
  

• Size: 5.5" x 8.5"
  
  
• To purchase please use the Donate button and pay by PayPal on the top, right-hand side of my blog.
  
  
• In the comment section on PayPal please leave your name, address and email, so I can ship them to you. Then I will email you to let you know when they have been shipped.
  
  
• Thank you so much for your support!

We are raising money for our Orphanage Donation of $5,100 and we only have a few weeks left!

{HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE}

My very sweet friend has coordinated a HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE fundraiser!!! It is a one stop shopping, cash & carry event with LOTS of great vendors like Mary Kay, Tupperware, Creative Memories, Pampered Chef, Committed 29 clothing, Cora's Classy Covers...and MORE!!!! I will also have my cookbook there o sell with samples from it for you all to try!
CASH & CARRY
Saturday, November 21st from 1-4pm
5024 N. Penn Spokane Valley, WA
Our family receives a portion of the proceeds to hep with our adoption costs. Right now we are trying to raise $5,100 for our daughters Orphanage Donation. Here is the invite for you to see...you are not going to want to miss this opportunity!!

{COOKBOOKS}

I just talked to Breanna (at the printing co.) and she said the cookbooks will be done TOMORROW!!!!

I thought I would post a couple pictures, so you could see how it looks. They will be $20 each if there is no shipping (hand delivered). I am checking with the post office to see how much it will cost to ship anywhere in the USA, book ...flat rate. I took a vote and it was unanimous to have all the pictures at the front of the cookbook (thank you to all who voted), since we could not afford to have a picture on every page. There is a full index and 69 recipes with color pictures (in the front of the book with reference page numbers) for everyone of them. We named that section "Visual Inspiration"!!

I hope you LOVE it!!! We ordered 100 for the first round and are praying they sell quickly in order to place and additional order of 100 more and so on. We are needing to raise $5,100 as our mandatory "Orphanage Donation". Thank you all for your support in our adoption process!


Blessings,
Fonnetta

{SO CUTE}

I just realized I didn't get to share this LO with you that I did of Makayla!
Isn't she CUTE!!!! I cannot wait to be with her!
Have a BLESSED day!

{NEWS}

It isn't BIG news, but it is news and in the adoption world this is good news...
We got our I-800 receipt in the mail today!!!! YAY!!!!
Baby steps, right? I am grateful everyday for God's hand in moving our adoption!
Also, I wanted to let you know our cookbook is at the printers and will be ready for pick up of the first batch of 100 on Thursday of next week!!! We are so excited to have that ready to sell. I will post it and the final price in a few days. If it is not mailed it will cost $20, but I will be checking on shipping in the next few days.


Blessing!
Fonnetta

{PACKAGE}

We sent a package to Makayla today through "The Red Thread China" company. Ann, the woman who runs it, just sent me a picture of what is in Makayla's box and I wanted to share it with you!!! It should get to her this week. We paid for FAST shipping, which was only $8 more and will be delivered right to the orphanage!! The items she chose are ADORABLE and I hope Makayla loves them! We chose the "PJ Care Package" and then added a personalized bag (for the orphanage to put her belongings in order to have her things ready when they bring her to us) and also a pair of Squeaky Shoes. She is even going to check to see if Makayla got the photo album and blankie we sent to her through another adoptive family in September. I have been VERY pleased with Ann's customer service and the cost of the packages. If you are planning to send your kiddo's a package you should seriously consider Ann and The Red Thread China Co.
I also wanted to let you know that the CCAA in China received our LSC on Monday November 9, 2009. YAY!!!! Please continue to PRAY for our paperwork to jump through hoops. We really want to be with Makayla in December.

{HERE & GONE}

PRAISE GOD it is ALL in His hands and out of ours...AGAIN!!!
OK...here is our story!

• FedEx came today at 12:05 pm and put in my hands our official LSC document (I didn't even open it, thought I would wait for my Hubby...that was so nice of me, right)!!!
• I immediately sent him a text and he said he would be right home!! He got here in about 15 minutes and we signed and organized our documents. We had the I-800 and Makayla's DS-230 ready and waiting for this moment.
  
• We jumped in the car and headed to FedEx to send the documents to their proper places.
  
• The DS-230, the original LSC signed, and a check for $560 were sent Priority Overnight ($28) back to GWCA. They should get it first thing in the morning. They will then overnight it to China tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.
  
• The I-800, cover letter, signed certificate of more than 10 hours of Hague classes completed, penalty of perjury signed by GWCA, a copy of the I-797C, all Makayla's Documents (English and Chinese) and our I-864W were sent to USCIS in Texas, Priority Overnight ($28) they too should receive them in the morning.
• WHEW...time finished and shipped 1:35 pm!!! Can you believe all that can happen in 1 1/2 hours!!! Only by the GRACE OF GOD!!! It is OFFICIAL...Makayla is ours!!!
  

I have to say though, the part that touched me the most and brought tears to my eyes was when I was reading the official LSC. Here is how they refereed to our little girl...

Identity: institutionalized child whose birth parents cannot be ascertained...

I had to pause for a moment and then say a prayer for her Chinese mother. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain, sadness, and love she must have felt for her daughter when she set her down in a public place and had to walk away. All done with the hope of her being found quickly and to insure that she would be taken care of. My heart thanks her for her sacrifice. I pray that she feels and knows in her heart, someway somehow, that her daughter is going to be taken care of FOREVER!

We are on our way Makayla, your parents are coming!

Here are a few pictures of our hour and a half...
Signing our official LSC!

Thanks so much for your continued prayer and support!

Next step:
WAIT...patiently?? Doubt it!!!

We are now waiting for our I-800 to be approved which takes up to 10 days. Then it is wired to China to be matched with our LSC. Those two together become and Article 5. That is what we need in order to get our Travel Approval(TA). Then, at the same time our DS-230 will be sent to China and that will take 4-6 weeks. This document is Makayla's Visa. We have to start that before we go and it insures us an appointment in China...Please don't quote me on this...I think MY head is spinning!!!
Our prayer is that we will get to be with her for Christmas!

One last thing (that means absolutely nothing) but it makes me feel better...our official LSC was signed on October 29, 2009 which actually makes our wait time from LID-LSC 63 days instead of 68. Our paperwork got caught up in the Beijing snow storm or it would have been here sooner. However, what is MOST important is that it got here safety and is on its way to CHINA!!!

READY~GET SET~PRAY!!!!!

Blessings,
Mike & Fonnetta

And now these three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love.
But the greatest of these is LOVE.
~1 Corinthians 13:13

{We Got Our LSC}

FINALLY!!! After 68 days of waiting, the phone call came today and we got our Letter Seeking Confirmation or LSC!!!! Evidently there was a snow storm in Beijing and our papers were a day later than they should of, but HEY they're here now and we're THRILLED and half packed!!!!!
Now, we sign it (because of course we still want our precious little girl) and mail a copy of the LSC and our I-800 to the USCIS Department of Homeland Security. Then we send the original LSC and our daughters DS230 to GWCA and they send it to the CCAA, then we wait! Yes, I said wait...AGAIN!!! But this time we are waiting for our Article 5 and then our TA. PLEASE pray hard for us during this phase as we would LOVE to be with Makayla for Christmas!!!! Thanks for all your prayers and support! So far I have sold 14 pairs of earrings!!!

{WE'RE FUNDRAISING}

I have been making little ladybug earring as one of our fundraisers!!! I originally made a pair just for myself, so I would always have a Ladybug with me. As I wore them everywhere people were commenting on them and really liked them, so I thought...should I be making these??? I decided this might be a way to help raise some money for our adoption. I hope you all like them!!!



Here is the scoop...

• $12.00 a pair-includes shipping & handling in the USA
  

• Made from all sterling silver: findings, small bead, and ear wires
  
  
• Ladybug bead is made from Czech glass
  
  
• Finished size is 1-inch long from where the wire fits in your ear to the end of the bead.
  

• Earrings come on black velvet earring board, with earring backs, the legend of the red thread and in a small plastic packet.
  
  
• To purchase please use the Donate button and pay by PayPal on the top, right-hand side of my blog.
  
  
• In the comment section on PayPal please leave your name, address and email, so I can ship them to you. Then I will email you to let you know when they have been shipped.
  
  
• Thank you so much for your support!

I have several pairs made in advance and will be making more as the orders come in.