Bonehead

Sometimes I'm so dumb.

Sometimes I spend so much time focusing on all the ways I've messed up I forget how much God has redeemed me.

Sometimes I focus on what I want and forget that I'm not supposed to be in the drivers seat any more.

Sometimes I get disappointed because things don't work out my way and I forget that God's way is always much, much, MUCH better.

Sometimes I forget that last point a lot.

Like, A LOT, a lot.

This has been a HUGE issue for me this week. I've struggled with coming to grips that I may not finish school when *I* wanted to. I've had a hard time dealing with perceived (possibly not even real) rejection. I've played over scenes in my mind where I feel I've acted like a dolt and analyzed everything I said and did a thousand times. Then I spend hours beating myself up (figuratively) over it.

Why?

I struggle so much with this idea that I can truly accomplish what God has called me to without intervening and interfering with His plans. If they are HIS plans shouldn't I bet letting HIM carry them out? I guess in some ways I'm still trying to figure out my part. But that's the whole crux of the situation isn't it? Isn't it always about the journey, the shaping, the molding, the changing that results in the beautiful end product?

So, that's my closing thoughts on this past week. It's been an interesting one complete with a roller coaster of emotions. I feel as though I'm slowly moving into a new stage of my life but I have no idea what it looks like. I have no idea where I'll be in 6 months or how I'll be making a living or even if I'll be earning money doing it. I have no idea who will be walking this journey with me or if I will be going it alone. It's scary and exciting and crazy all at once. And I can't wait to jump in.

Personal Update

So, this month has seemed to be pretty much all about fundraising and raising funds and getting funding. At first I was going to end the giveaway this week but I've decided to extend it until the end of the month. Then we can do a fun little Halloween night drawing for prizes! Also, can I say how excited I am about Halloween? I love the fall. I love how it marks the start of the holiday season and how there's a change in the temperature. I'm really looking forward to a pumpkin carving/bonfire/s'mores night with friends next week. We're also planning a corn maze/petting zoo/corn box/hayride/ more s'mores day in early November. Maybe I'll work some hiking in the North Georgia mountains in before Thanksgiving too. Now is the best time to go while the leaves are changing color.

Today is my one of the few days that I have off where I can actually get some things accomplished around the house. Right now that means filling out 501(c)3 paperwork and reading articles for school. I'm working on my integrated project for school which is basically a doctoral thesis without conducting the actual study. That means about 30-40 articles for the lit. review alone. Good thing I like the topic (for anyone interested I'm researching Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in children adopted from Eastern Europe and Russia and how that contributes to parental stress and attachment).

Everything with school, internship, and charity seem to be kind of just creeping along at a somewhat consistent pace. Of course I would like to fast track everything but I've been trying to rein myself in, especially over the last couple of days. I realized that if I keep up the stress and worry then I'll just end up having a melt down (never pretty).

Other things of interest...my dad is getting a new car, I busted my hand on the door frame last night when I literally jumped out of bed at the sound of the outdoor cat fighting with another cat or maybe a opossum at 3:45 in the morning, and I'm still knitting. Evidence:

Socks for charity.

Big puffy multicolored blanket of awesome. Also for charity.

I went to see Looper a couple of weeks ago with my brother and sister-in-law. Highly recommend the movie. Also, we went to the rich people's movie theater so the seats were these big leather recliners. Seriously. It was awesome.

I can never watch movies in a regular theater again.

 Oh, and I made an apple crumble. It was the best thing I've made in a long time. I ate it every day for breakfast for a week.

It's ok to be jealous.

It's been kind of fun talking about random stuff in life. Maybe I should that more often...

P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaway! I'm doing the drawing on Halloween night.

Thank You From Sliven, Bulgaria

No, I'm not in Sliven, Bulgaria. But I wanted to send out thank yous on behalf of the orphaned and abandoned children there. They may never know the many individuals who made it possible for them to have pajamas and socks this winter but I do and I want to say a huge "THANKS!" to the people who have come together and donated:

Beth, Ash, and Will M.
Laura A.
Barbara C.
Derek C.
Jessica S.
Loriann F.
Melissa G.

These 9 people have helped us cover nearly 80% of the shipping cost of the pajamas and socks.

I decided to pull a few pictures from the Special Helping School's Facebook page so you could see first hand the kids who will be enjoying the donations.

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If you are still interested in helping, every penny you donate to our giveaway will go to helping orphans, specifically the ones at the Special Helping School. And you can win some incredible stuff! All the items except for the iPod Nano are handmade in Romania, another Eastern European country with many orphans in need of help. Check out the goodies below and, if possible, share this giveaway with friends. There are only a few more days to enter!

 

 

 

If you cannot see the donation button above please email me at info@eerop.org to find out how to enter. You can also send a Paypal donation to melissambrown@hotmail.com to enter the giveaway.

Upping the Ante

As you may already be aware, the Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project is trying to raise some money towards a large shipment of pajamas and socks. These necessities were sent to the Special Helping School in Sliven, Bulgaria as part of our partnership with the Linda McDonald Foundation. All 100 sets of pajamas and 100 pairs of socks were graciously donated by the Molnar family of North Carolina.

We've had our Paypal widget up for awhile now but it's time to up the ante. We're turning this into a giveaway.




















To enter all you have to do is donate using the button above (if you are using a smartphone you will have to log on using a computer to see the widget, sorry) or you can email me at info@eerop.org and I can get you the info on how to donate*.

For every $5 you donate your name will go into the drawing 1 time. So, $5=1 entry, $20=4 entries, $50=10 entries, and so on.

What can you win? Glad you asked...

Two people will be entered to win a miniature incense burner and candle. They measure about 2 inches in real life and are from Romania.

One person will be entered to win a hand painted egg from Romania. This is a real egg and is incredibly decorated.

One lucky winner will get a hand carved, hand painted mini wooden plate (about 2.5" across). Again, all the way from Romania.

Another lucky person will get a BEAUTIFUL hand carved wooden box. 100% Romanian craftsmanship.

Next we have some hand blown Romanian glass ornaments. There's a simple glass bulb, a teal colored heart, and a small water bulb (you put water in it and stick it in a plant to automatically water it just the right amount). These will go to three separate winners.

 

The final "grand prize" isn't from Romania but I think it's pretty nice. It's a brand new iPod Nano.

Yeah, brand new. The little green tabs are there to prove that I haven't even taken the protective film off of it. These typically retail for about $125. And I'm giving it away.

Please consider donating, please share the word with your friends, please put a widget on your own website. This is all about helping orphans and vulnerable children.

I may not be able to save all the children but I will continue to try and ease their sorrow with gifts, as best I can. - Roger Dean Kiser 

*Any monies raised above and beyond the $575 total will go towards my next trip to Romania where I will be working with orphans.

Donations

Another round of thank yous for some wonderful donations to the Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project! These were received in either August or September. I still have some more September packages to go through so if you don't see your name here, don't worry, there's more to come!

First off, a couple of hats and some socks from yours truly (I have in fact been crafting despite the apparent lack of documented progress):

Some baby mitts (super cute), socks, and hats from Beverly J. of Santa Fe, NM:

Tiina S. of Augusta, GA sent tons of blanket squares that look like these:

Carol L. from Kentwood, MI sent socks, hats, 4 gorgeous sweaters, and some mittens:

 B. J. M. from Salisbury, MD sent a blanket, some scarves, and some hats:

Valerie H. from Morris Plain, NJ sent 38 (!) pairs of mittens and a pair of slippers. These were given in memory of Dorothy Coombs whom Valerie tells me would have liked nothing better than to see these used by children in need:

Callista W. from Lakewood, CO sent some hats and a sweater:

Mrs. James W. of Kerrville, TX gave some darling booties, some hats, and tons of knitted toys:

 And LeeAnn G. from Denton, TX sent a large wrap, toys, mittens, scarves, cute headbands, and a hat:

Thank you so much to everyone who donated! Please remember that we are still taking monetary donations for the shipping to Sliven, Bulgaria. The shipment was pajamas for the orphans of the Special Helping School. Please check out their Facebook page and consider giving a donation below (if you are viewing this blog from a smart phone the widget will not appear, sorry!):