I am sooooo excited about our final fundraiser to benefit the travel expenses to complete the adoption of our daughter from Ethiopia. This 'finale' so to speak will be a gathering of the 'sisters' of all ethnic backgrounds...those who are currently natural...those who are curious about going natural...and those ladies who just need a social break.
Save the date and be sure to check it out. I expect that you'll begin to be able to purchase tickets for a really modest donation. The best of all of this is that not only will ladies have a great time hanging out and loading up their bags with products from the product swap , but you'll be helping another 'sister' cover the travel expenses to plant her daughter from an orphanage in Ethiopia to her home here in Maryland. This has been a 4 year journey and we're so excited to possibly share it with you. Come back to the blog this week to find out how you can support this awesome event if you're not local.
So...please share it with your friends. The goal is to sell 60 tickets...that means lots of products for you to swap and lots of great convo! Hope to see you there!
Check out Tony, the boys, and I as we share our Week 4 adoption challenge BUT be sure to watch to the very end. We are a bunch of silly people and wanted to show this outtake with you. SMH still.
If you're just becoming familiar with our family, here's the deal. We've been in this adoption journey since 2009 and we are now so close to traveling to Ethiopia to meet our daughter and go to court. So exciting! The one obstacle we had is that we were short about $6,000 to take care of our travel costs. (For Ethiopia adoptions, we are required to travel twice, each trip lasting 7 days...not inexpensive by any stretch of the imagination but she's worth it!)
So we decided to dream big. We decided that each week for 6 weeks, our goal was to save and raise $1,000 to cover our travel costs. We have been so blessed in that we have been able to radically cut back at home, save money, and also raise funds. Every week, without fail, we believe that God has blessed us to meet that goal every single week and now we're on Week 4!!! Please consider supporting us.
You can donate directly to www.gofundme.com/selah OR you can purchase a necklace at www.etsy.com/shop/lifeabitsweeter
Congratulations to Lenneil T., Ashley G., and Lori T. who each one a copy of the book 'Better Than Good Hair' by Nikki Walton. What a great book. Can't wait for you all to devour it like I am.
If a family decides to host and participate in fundraising for their adoption, doesn't that communicate that they really can't afford to raise another child?
Well...take a peek as I discuss this very issue in the below quick clip:
(GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MONDAY, MAY 6TH!) When it comes to taking care of African-American hair naturally and promoting healthy, gorgeous hair, hands down, many of us would agree that psychotherapist Nikki Walton is the go-to expert that many of us follow. Not only does she carry a mean sense of style herself, but Curly Nikki, as most of her fans would call her, is "the most credible online source in regards to natural hair care, maintenance, and decoding the psychological ties between black women and their hair."
As a huge fan myself, I'm excited to share her wisdom in the form of a giveaway. Beginning today, you can enter to win 1 of 3 copies of Nikki's new book, "Better Than Good Hair". The book title in itself makes quite the statement if you're familiar with the old stereotypes of what defines 'Good Hair vs. Bad Hair'. Whether you're a natural hair enthusiast, considering a big chop, want to maintain and grow your relaxed hair, or are a vanilla mommy raising a chocolate little one, you don't want to miss this giveaway. Trust me, you'll thank me. This book is chock full of product recommendation, home care recipes, advice for parents on how to manage their child's hair, and the psychology of hair as it pertains to black women.
Don't miss this great opportunity! The giveaway closes on Saturday, May 4th at 11:59pm Eastern. All three winners will be announced on Monday, May 6th.
To enter, it's REALLY SIMPLE!
For the first two entry types (Twitter & Instagram), you'll need to copy (right click and save) this Giveaway Badge to your computer.
The ways to enter are in the image and also in the video below. Take a peek at both and let's roll! I can't wait to send these three copies out. I'm loving mine!
P.S.
Here are a few rules (beyond what's shared in the video above):
Don't forget to come back to the blog to let us know in the Comments Section if you posted via Instagram, Twitter, or made a donation.
If you win a copy of the book, shipping is at our expense except if you are outside of the United States.
For any comments left on the blog, please be kind. While I love discussions to challenge our thinking, it's important to be supportive and non-judgmental of others. I reserve the right to delete any harsh comments which may disqualify individuals from the contest.
It took a LOT and believe me when I say A LOT of being challenged by a couple friends to put in action the plans to fundraise again. Fear followed by a dose of pride is a mean, toxic cocktail when swallowed. It grips our heart and nearly kills our soul. It can prevent us from allowing God to move on our behalf.
Because we finished our saving and fundraising for the adoption over a year and a half ago, I didn't want to have to come back and say, hey we're short some funds. No, we didn't do anything crazy with the funds like adding an addition on to our house -- our donated funds are managed by a third party, Lifesong for Orphans. Part of the deficit that we have is in a very small part because I was a little more modest on projected travel expenses for the two 7-day trips to Ethiopia (travel and in-country expenses). The other really BIG HITS we took in our adoption fund is that the process took much longer than anyone would have ever expected. What should have been a 12-18 month journey, turned into a 3 1/2 year journey to complete and she's still not quite home yet. The longer things take to complete, the more money we've had to spend for document renewals which is by no stretch of the imagination cheap. In fact, we're scheduled to go back to Baltimore in two weeks to do another set of Biometric fingerprinting through the Department of Homeland Security (I mean did my fingerprints change in the last year....go figure!) BTW: I'm very thankful for the extended wait now because when we received our referral, she's a perfect fit for our family. I couldn't imagine any other child, in large part, my own childhood and adult journey has prepared me for some of what she may go through
I've been so afraid of what I THINK other 'people' would think, it's paralyzed me. Just when I thought I had enough money set aside to take care of our deficit, the engine in our truck died. There was no repairing. We were told we'd have to completely replace. Given that we're soooo close to paying it off, I didn't want to buy a new vehicle, especially since we're cutting costs at home to manage the day-to-day expenses associated with a new child. So finally, I realized, okay God, this is still not about me (you'd thought I would have that particular memo memorized by now!) The awesome thing that happens with fundraising is that it brings more people into the journey and also exposes more people to the problem at hand.
So my friends....I need YOUR help! Whether you're a first-time donor or returning donor, please know that EVERY SINGLE BIT helps us to reach the finish line until little Miss Selah is finally upstairs in her crib being loved on by her family. The years have been excruciatingly long but God has done some incredible things in that time lapse. Please consider donating and/or spreading the word. I believe we can do this but I'll be honest...I need your help! Thanks for being a part of the journey!
Some things just leave you speechless. This video is one of them. With just tears welling in the corners of my eyes, I get it. I just pray that those who don't yet understand adoption and the why's will understand the pain but more importantly understand the LOVE more to get beyond their own hangups.
