EVERY. SINGLE. DAY...

When we decided to adopt, I began to imagine our little girl. I hoped that she would be a little girl that liked to dance, play with dolls and wear dress up clothes. Well, be careful what you wish for! Grace is all that times ten.

At first is was cute. The days of the little pink outfit are now a thing of the past. She has moved on to more sparkle, color, sequins, and tulle.

She is CONSTANTLY performing. She LOVES to dance.

Yesterday, she decided to add a few more accessories. Did you know that "Fancy Nancy" is her hero? She even made a sign to tape to our fridge just like Nancy did. She wants us all to be "more fancy." She has discovered her sister's old dance costumes. Oh boy...

This is Grace today. AT 7:00 A.M....got that? She wakes up and immediately gets "fancy." EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I sort of let the play make up slide when we are home, but really? A fully made up face at 7:10 A.M.?

The funny thing is, I know she is disappointed in me. As I type this, I am wearing sweat pants, an adoption t-shirt (of course) and a baseball hat. Poor girl. Who is going to be her role model? I guess Fancy Nancy is.

Eyes That See - From Ezra's Eyes

The past few days I have written about Eyes That See and the amazing work they are doing in Ethiopia. The founders of Eyes That See, Matt and Nikki Ness, have a 12 year old son who was adopted from Ethiopia at the age of 10. PLEASE take a couple of minutes to read HIS words re: how supporting Eyes That See can make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate in Ethiopia...

****I am sharing this post with permission of Nikki, Ezra's mom****

The following post is from our 12 year old son, Ezra. He is sharing a unique prospective on what Eyes That See means to him. Ezra spent 10 years living in Ethiopia. If he doesn't go on to play pro soccer, he will probably kick us out of our job in a few years when he takes over Eyes That See.

If you asked me the way I look at Eyes that See, this is how I would answer. I can put myself in the kid's spot, and I would wonder what am I gonna eat TODAY, what time do I wash my uniform, and when do I do my chores. Those are very challenging things for kids my age. Here in the US most kids don't have to worry about that because their mom or dad do that for them.

Kids in Ethiopia that get help from Eyes that See are relieved from that worry because they have somebody to help them. They don't have to worry about uniform, school supplies etc...

That is the blessing that Eyes that See has been for those kids. I can't explain in words the different feeling I had. You have to be your own parent and take care of yourself. You eat by yourself, wash clothes by hand, and still keep up with school. You don't want to fail and be in that grade for a long time. You have all of that going on in your brain. It was really hard for me and I even had a grandma taking care of me.

Parents are different, and not having that was just different. When someone does that for you the kids get excited. I would have been really excited to come to Eyes that See to come and eat and stuff. When you run out of pencils at school you know you could get another. When you need a backpack or anything, someone is there. It is also a big blessing that parents who are living don't have to worry about the needs of the kids. They want to care, but they have to work extra hard for food and stuff. It is a really hard time for the parents going through so much stuff. It is usually a mom and she often will share about life with the kids. That is hard because you can't do anything about it, but you worry about it. Sometimes you have those worries that you can't do anything about and you just get stressed out. Other times you get really sad because your mom has to work a really long time and you can't help.

For some of these kids, when they find out their moms have to sell their bodies at night, well that is a hard thing to think about. It would be really sad to have your mom not be able to get a job because of lack of education. I'm glad that Eyes That See helps with the lack of education. They give education so that the mom can get a job that she doesn't have to hide from her kids.

I know it would be hard, but try to spend the next 24 hours trying to put yourself in that position. Then you can probably understand things better.

-Ezra Ness

****I was in tears when I read Ezra's words. I met Ezra in November and can tell you that he is a special boy. He tried to help interpret an Ethiopian word for me that Grace had been using... He welcomed my 11 year old son on the soccer field for a game even though my son had never really played soccer (by the way, my son was blown away by Ezra's skill with the ball). Ezra's words are so powerful to me because they are his real feelings about what life was like for him in Ethiopia. This is REAL. We tend to forget when we come back home to the U.S. I can't imagine little boys like Ezra living in Ethiopia with so much pressure, responsibility and courage. Please visit Eyes That See for more info on how you can help.****

***All proceeds from the sale of our necklaces also go to help to support Eyes That See***

Thanks to all of you who have bought necklaces...Please keep the orders coming so that we can sponsor some of the awesome women who need micro loans to start their new businesses...

Necklaces=Loans to Women In Ethiopia...come on...

Perfect for the little girl who is a little on the "wild" side ;)

Check out my previous post to see how you can get a necklace like this and help out some amazing women in Ethiopia.

Selling Necklaces For Micro Loans= Cute Easter Goodies!

Throughout the month of April, I am going to work hard to promote a "month of change" around my home. The Easter season is the perfect time for us to focus on something bigger than ourselves. In keeping with my goal to work to empower and support others in Ethiopia, I have made some more necklaces to sell. I am so excited about what these necklaces represent and what the money raised through selling them will be able to do.

Remember when I wrote about how hard it is for women in third world countries? Remember that these women face incredible obstacles, sickness, and disadvantages? Well, I also quoted Shayne Moore "There is no limit to what our one compassionate voice can do when it is shared with others in making the world a better place. I am only one woman, with one voice, who lives in one town, and goes to one church- but all our "ones" add up. Together we can change the world."

Well, my idea is simple, yet it may have some amazing opportunities with it. As you may know, I have sold these little bottle cap necklaces for a few months and have been able to send over $2,500 to Ethiopia to support various programs (Eyes That See, Hope for Dube Bute, Ethiopia Reads). Well, another fantastic opportunity has presented itself to me and I am SO EXCITED to jump on board. Eyes That See is a non-profit, Christian organization dedicated to exposing the full worth of children, families, and communities worldwide through education and development

Through the sale of necklaces, I hope to earn money to support one of their programs, The Keziah Project.

I hope to be able to provide micro loans to women who have recently graduated from the Keziah Project. Some of the women want to start a beauty shop together and are in need of micro loans to get started (can you believe a loan of only $120 can make all the difference in their lives and the lives of their children???)

One more exciting part...those of you who said you might be interested in going back to Ethiopia on a mission trip? Well, we may have the opportunity to go back, meet these amazing women, encourage them, offer them support and actually see the how they are growing, healing, and providing hope to others.

So...I need to sell some necklaces!

I have a limited supply of necklaces - they are all made and ready to ship to you. I have even incorporated some Ugandan magazine bead charms (beads made in Uganda!) on some of the necklaces...check them out...

"Girly" cross necklace $6 ($5 plus $1 shipping). Perfect for Easter (think baskets, etc.) I will be sending you one of these adorable necklaces- if you have a preference, you can leave a comment in the "note to seller" section of paypal- I can't really guarantee a particular necklace unless you email me with a request prior to purchase.

"Hope" necklace with charms- 18" chain- $8 ($7 plus $1 shipping)

"Hope" Necklace with paper beads- 24" chains $7 plus $1 shipping

Women from the amazing program that Eyes That See has started in Addis Ababa. They are given the opportunity to turn their lives around, learn a trade, learn about God, and have an opportunity to graduate from "beauty school" and start their own businesses. Read more about their graduation here.

It is so exciting to see the women working in the same facility that we toured when we were in Addis. The program and facility has come a long way since last July when the grounds were first rented. These are women who have come from VERY difficult circumstances. VERY difficult and VERY different from anything I can imagine. I am so humbled to be able to support them in some small way.

"The women that we get the opportunity to work with often know about lives being torn apart. They are in need of seeing restoration take place, and for many of them we get to be the vehicle through which this is seen. At the Keziah Project we have counseling, community, food and showers available to the women. Even more than this, when they are ready they can select from a variety of vocational skills to train in. The purpose is to be able to have a stable job where they can excel. As they learn this vocation, they develop the life skills and confidence that needs to accompany this new opportunity. The hair stylist school was our first group to go through this program, and now the Keziah Project will work exclusively with women like those who recently graduated from the program!"

"Cross" Necklace with charms - 18" chain $7 plus $1 shipping

"Cross" necklace with paper bead charms - 18" chain $7 plus $1 shipping

I have about 40 necklaces to sell...come on, help me out - remember, you are helping me provide loans to women in Ethiopia!!!! My goal is to provide at LEAST two micro loans by the end of the month...

Nine Months Home

Nine months home...

Loves...dancing, being "fancy," ice cream, her "babies," wearing dress up clothes, make up, bubble baths...

Wants to be a "princess" when she grows up...

We are all so blessed...

A Month of Change

We are so excited to be partnering with Eyes That See to help raise funds for them through the collection of coins. What a pleasure to collect money knowing that the funds will help out women and children in Ethiopia. I first met one of the Eyes That See founders (Nikki Ness) a few years ago. She was kind enough to drive two hours to meet me for coffee so that I could pick her brain about Ethiopia, adoption and how our family might get involved with the beautiful country that was weighing on my heart. Nikki was able to tell me all about KVI (the orphanage that she started with her husband Matt) and Arise for Children (our adoption agency).

MONTHS passed after our first meeting. We were still not completely sure that we would adopt. It took almost a year for us to contact Nikki again and sign up with Arise to start our adoption process. Well, here we are now, 8 months after bringing our daughter home and we are thrilled to have the chance to help out Eyes That See. And, by the way, it turned out that when we received our referral of Grace, she was living at KVI. Whenever Grace talks about Ethiopia, she refers to KVI as her "house in Ethiopia."

Eyes That See has some fabulous programs they are running in Ethiopia for women and children. I can't wait to write more about them soon....stay tuned for more amazing ways you can help...

PLEASE check out Eyes That See and consider adding a jar of some sort to your kitchen counter, office desk, business location or anywhere that you can to allow people to throw in their extra coins. The entire month of April will be considered our "collection month." The Eyes That See blog will keep you up to date with info about the coin collection and other great programs they are working on in Ethiopia. The coins will be counted throughout the month to see how much is being collected. It will be fun to watch our coin collection grow (watch out those of you who visit our house...we will be looking for your spare change).

Visit Eyes That See to learn more about their programs and to sign up to be a collection site.

I promise, Grace is putting IN coins, not taking them out.

Awesome Hair Care Products- Buy One Get One Free!

As I have posted before, I am addicted to buying bows, flower, headbands and "pretties" for Grace's hair. I also love to try new products on her hair. I feel like the perfect product is out there waiting for me to discover it. Well, I have a couple new ones and I am pretty excited about them. I recently read about Shea Moisture products on a haircare blog. The best part- this week Walgreen's has all Shea Moisture products on sale. If you buy one product for $9.99, you get the second product free!

So...last night I headed to Walgreen's. I always wonder what people think when I shop the "ethnic" aisle for hair care products. I was so excited to see the Shea Moisture products in stock- you see, we don't have the largest AA population where I live ;).

I bought the Curl & Style Milk and the Curl Enhancing Smoothie. They smell so good! I seriously want to eat the smoothie- it smells that good!!!! Now, I can't really endorse the product too seriously because I have only used it once on Grace's hair (before bed last night), but when I used it, it was really nice to work with. I just put some on Grace's damp hair, and her hair looked really nice. It felt nice too.

So, with a deal like this, I would run out to Walgreen's today or tomorrow (sale ends April 2) and pick some up. Oh yeah, my favorite part about the products (besides the awesome smell) is that the makers of Shea Moisture:Dennis and Tubman also strive to make a positive impact beyond our skin. The company purchases ingredients directly from women cooperatives and indigenous farmers in Africa, paying above market prices to help improve the standard of living for those suppliers. They are working closely with local and international organizations, including ECOSERVE and AFRICARE, to protect the integrity of ingredients and improve production processes to ensure sustainable harvests. Partnering with organizations such as The Liberian Education Fund and Todee Mission, the company is working to build schools and provide access to education for impoverished girls in Africa, many of who are suppliers of Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and other natural ingredients.

I also noticed that Optimum Oil Therapy was on sale at Walgreen's. I probably wouldn't have given it a try, but it was FREE with an in-store coupon. So, I picked this up too. Haven't tried it yet. You might as well grab a bottle when you pick up the Shea Moisture products.

And one last thing...this is Grace's idea of a soccer outfit. She is ready to start soccer this spring, but she is not ready to give up the dress up clothes for shorts and t-shirts.

If I had to bet, I would say that she will be awesome at soccer. She is so good at whatever she tries. She is spunky and seems coordinated, so I think she will do really well with soccer (and she does NOT want to wear shoes while playing- maybe it has something to do with how she first played "football" in Ethiopia?).