Seven Quick Takes: Mostly Cooking and Cleaning

~~ 1 ~~

I take back what I said about next semester being easy. I just put it all into an actual weekly calendar with colored in blocks (the only way schedules make sense to me) and there's a LOT of color and not very much white space. (Well, right now there's a lot of white space, but I know most of that is going to be colored in once I finish scheduling lab and work hours.) I guess I'll buy a crock pot and learn how to make crock pot meals that last for a week! Just kidding.

~~ 2 ~~

Actually, speaking of cooking, I'm going to try going gluten free this summer and see what happens. My sister has just gone gluten free and it's made a big difference to her overall health. That kind of stuff tends to run in families, we are (suspected identical) twins, and I have a lot of the same symptoms. For the record, I hope the experiment totally fails because I LOVE NOODLES and I don't want to stop eating them.

~~ 3 ~~

I'm also on the lookout for recipes that are easy to make ahead of time and then pack. I'm lactose intolerant, so combined with the gluten experiment, my old strategy of cheese sandwich is going to need to be rethought, as will my "noodles and cheese" strategy. Suggestions welcome. Easy and cheap suggestions very welcome.

~~ 4 ~~

I'm in the middle of tidying for move-out. For some reason that I don't quite get, our rooms are supposed to be ready for inspection (i.e., reasonably tidy and posters down) by Sunday night. Inspections are on Thursday. Are they just trying to make sure we get things done in time? I don't know. Whatever! Saves me some of the last minute rush to turn my disaster of a room into neatly stacked boxes. (Of course, I'll create a different last minute rush. That's just how I roll.)

~~ 5 ~~

Speaking of mess, packing, and rushing, what's the best organization book you've ever read? I have trouble staying organized and I finally figured out one big reason why: I like to have things where I can see them. If I can't see something, I won't remember it. So things that I need to remember to use on a regular basis, such as medication and toothbrushes, need to be visible. Something can only stay hidden if I only need it when I know I need it (e.g., Tylenol, spoons). But if I just set things around on top of tables and shelves, I start putting everything I have on there until my horizontal surfaces are piles of mess. Is anyone else like this? What do you do about it?

~~ 6 ~~

Did you see that the Boy Scouts now allow gay boys to be scouts? They still require leaders to be heterosexual. I will write a more in-depth post about this later, but I think this was a wise move pastorally.

~~ 7 ~~

Lastly, in orphan news (you thought I would have a SQT without orphans, didn't you? Ha, not likely): Recent negotiations with Russia have not yielded any results, and Russia will not reopen to American adoption in the foreseeable future. (Of course, with international adoption, the future is always uncertain.) Because of this, Reece's Rainbow decided to give the grants of waiting Russian children to children in other countries. Because she was my Christmas child, I got to decide which child would receive Aisha's grant. I was asked to give her grant to a child with DS who was in greater need, and I chose Mark in Latin America. He already had a significant grant, so his adoption is now nearly half paid for. He needs a family quickly--he is an older boy, and he has leukemia as well as Down syndrome. I have absolutely no idea what conditions are like in his country; I hope he is getting treatment for his cancer. But he still needs a family.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Seven Quick Takes

~~ 1 ~~

I am very sorry that I haven't posted recently. (Maybe I should make that the name of my blog. Somebody help me think of a catchy way to say "Sorry I haven't posted, but I am allergic to everything in the world and have a chronic sinus infection from it! Also I'm busy and lazy!")

~~ 2 ~~

Here's Kurt's family! Go check them out--they seem awesome to me. I am Facebook friends with his mother and he's going to have some adorable siblings. ETA Here's their blog! They need to raise about $20,000! Please consider helping them out.

~~ 3 ~~

Look at these adorable little girls: Nadia and Nancy. I love them! I'm going to help Kurt's family home and then probably start advocating more heavily for these two. FAS and siblings both scare a lot of people, so they'll need a lot of exposure to find a family.

~~ 4 ~~

Want more adorableness? Bert and Ernie. AWWW. Ernie looks like he could have been my fiance's brother. These two will also probably be on my list. Siblings and boys--another hard combination to overcome.

~~ 5 ~~

I realized that so far, everyone I've advocated or fundraised for has gotten a family except for Aisha. (Her country's new rules, which you may have read about in the news, make the chances of her ever finding a family much lower. But I'm still hoping she'll get adopted by a domestic family or a non-US family.) I would like to say that I'm a great advocate, but truthfully I think I just tend to pick adorable kids with mild needs.

~~ 6 ~~

I have figured out my schedule for next semester and it looks like I'll be taking 14 credits. This is unusual for me--a regular courseload is 15, and I have almost always had 16 or 17. I feel, however, that I have been spreading myself too thin, so I'm just going to take four courses plus my thesis and try to do a good job on less rather than a poor job on more. (Of course the danger is a poor job on less. Please pray that that doesn't happen.)

~~ 7 ~~

I'm sure you all (all two of you readers) are dying to know what my thesis topic is, now that I've mentioned I'm writing one. I haven't finalized yet, but the general topic is going to be autism from a Thomistic/Aristotelian perspective. How does autism limit or enhance flourishing? Can we talk about "autism" as a whole in this context or do we have to look at specific deficits and skills that come alongside autism? I'm hoping it will have broader applicability in the theology of disability field, but we'll see.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Teamwork Tuesday: Angelina

Sorry for the radio silence! I am still sick, but I'm slowly getting to a functional state.

Today's Teamwork Tuesday child is Angelina. Isn't she cute? She is five years old. This photo is from July 2011. She looks scared! She needs a loving family to let her hair grow out and give her a reason to smile.

Angelina has spina bifida. Her profile says she is delayed mentally and physically. There is almost $1500 in her adoption account! That is a good jump on fundraising. Angelina is in Eastern Europe, but NOT in the country that recently closed down to American adoptions.

Please consider whether Angelina is meant to be your daughter. Please share her face and donate to her grant. Thank you!

Seven Quick Takes: My Random Sick Thoughts

~~ 1 ~~

I am sick, and I do not respond well to decongestants. This morning, I've already caught myself mixing up who's and whose and thinking that $456 + $4 = $500. So be warned, and be charitable. :p

~~ 2 ~~

If I were a better person, I would write a post about how my sickness is nothing compared to the suffering of waiting orphans, or the grief of families who have lost children, or something like that. But I'm me, so I'm just going to say boy, do I hate being sick.

~~ 3 ~~

Aisha made it over her $1000 goal! Thanks so much to everyone who contributed! If you still want to contribute, you can do so, or you can pick one of the many children who are still far away from their goal. Donations can be made here. (Speaking of which, there's currently a bump match--for every child that gets bumped over $500, one child will get bumped over $1000, up to a total of $3000 donated.)

~~ 4 ~~

Still looking for Christmas presents? Look at Sevenly.org. They choose a different charity every week and sell clothing. $7 of every item sold goes to the chosen charity. This week's charity is Reece's Rainbow! The goal is to reach $25,000 raised by December 24th. The shirts are pretty cool-looking--I'd buy one if I weren't broke.

~~ 5 ~~

I am home for Christmas, and it is good to be home. I have almost all my Christmas presents bought and wrapped.

~~ 6 ~~

Speaking of presents, I stupidly left half the supplies I need to finish K's Christmas present in my dorm. Oh well. I will have at least a week to finish in between getting back to school and seeing him.

~~ 7 ~~

Please pray that Russia does not finalize the ban on international adoption that they are working on passing right now. This would be devastating to so many people, most of all the orphans.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Teamwork Tuesday: Carter

I haven't been doing my Teamwork Tuesday posts recently....I am sorry! Unfortunately this will have to be a short one because I have a paper to write.

Little Carter is five years old. He has Down syndrome and needs a family now. His profile says that he is "strong and attentive" and that he shows perseverance. He is learning to feed himself and can pull himself to standing. These are all behaviors that he will lose when he gets transferred to the mental institution. Someone needs to save him from that fate!

Carter is on the angel tree this year. His warrior, Kristi, has a giveaway for him. The top prize is a Samsung Galaxy tablet! Click here to see the rest of the prizes and enter! Please pray for him and donate if you are able.

In Memory of Henry (Link-up included)

(Image credit Colleen Novit)

It is with a simultaneously heavy and joyful heart that I share with those of you who have not heard that Henry Dobrovits died on Wednesday of complications from surgery.

I went to Mass today with Henry's family as my intention. As I flipped through the hymnal before Mass, I discovered that all the music for that Mass was joyful. And oddly (or not), everything fit.

Our opening hymn. "Have you not seen? All you have needed has been met by his gracious ordaining." Henry "should" have died alone. He was only able to be registered for international adoption because his medical condition was misdiagnosed. And a family saw him, loved him, worked so hard to bring him home. Henry spent the last year of his life in a family. He experienced so much love in that year. It was the hand of God, graciously ordaining that Henry get everything he need.

The Scripture passages. The first reading: "Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb." Henry was called to that feast yesterday. He is blessed indeed. Our responsorial psalm: "I will go in to the house of the Lord, singing my song of rejoicing." How could Henry not rejoice as he entered into God's house?

And oh, the Communion hymn. "Taste and see the goodness of the Lord." Henry gets to taste and see that goodness in a way that we have never experienced. But I am sure that it is not an unfamiliar goodness. God is love, and because of his family, Henry learned what love is. As Henry's soul slipped from his body, he slipped into true love, the place where he is meant to be and for which his family was always preparing him.

Henry is in Heaven now, and all his pain is gone. But my heart is broken for his family. Henry was the youngest of seven. His parents and his siblings miss him terribly. They desperately need our prayers.

A collection for Henry's medical and funeral expenses is being taken up via chip in in the top right corner of this blog. I have created a link-up so that Henry's family has an easy job finding lots of posts for their child when they feel ready to read them. If you have a post about Henry, please feel free to add it here.

Auction for Angels is live!

Some of the other Angel Tree warriors and I have set up a joint fundraiser. We didn't have enough items to each have our own auction, so we clubbed together and made one big one. Here are the items that I'm selling for Aisha:

Hair clips that my sister made. (Side note, my family is awesomely supportive of my obsession desire to help orphans.)

Some baby booties, knitted by me.

That elephant, of course.

Some books.

Click here to view the auction! Place bids by commenting on the photo. If you don't have a Facebook account, comment on this post with your bid amount and a way to get in touch with you.

Seven Quick Takes: Angel Tree Edition

~~ 1 ~~

Good morning and welcome! This week all my takes will be about the Angel Tree fundraiser, which has officially started! (Don't know what Angel Tree is? Find out here.) The page where you can see running totals is UP. You can see it here. It updates every 15 minutes. That's fine, I wasn't planning on getting any homework done for the next two months anyway.

~~ 2 ~~

Please pray for success! I forget to say this sometimes, but it's actually the most important part of any fundraiser I do. Don't think that if you don't have money, you can't do anything. Praying helps more than donating money (although if you feel moved to do both, PLEASE FEEL FREE. Haha).

~~ 3 ~~

Donations made through the Angel Tree link, Aisha's profile page, or either of the boxes on the right side of this blog are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE. Isn't that awesome? If you donate $35 or more, you can choose to receive a Christmas tree ornament with Aisha's face on it. Totally going to do this when I get paid. If I had $7500, I would buy one for each child on the Angel Tree. *sigh* Maybe after I marry my software engineer!

~~ 4 ~~

Don't want an ornament? Go check out my fundraisers! Most of them still have no purchases and I don't know why. These would make great Christmas gifts. And everyone knows someone who drinks fair-trade coffee, right?

~~ 5 ~~

Another way to help without money: Share! Everybody's got at least one friend who has money and would be willing to put it to a good cause like this one, or else a friend who wants something I'm selling. So please spread the word!

~~ 6 ~~

Keep your eyes peeled for an auction featuring handknit stuff by me. (I have it on good authority that the bidding for my elephant is going to be intense.) There will also be baby booties! And uh, I haven't decided what else. Haha. Stay tuned.

~~ 7 ~~

I'm also working on getting enough stuff knit up to open a store in the Reece's Rainbow Christmas Craft Mall. A lot of crafters have collaborated to make buying homemade gifts that support orphans easy. Go check it out! (I don't know if you need a Facebook account to see it. If you want to purchase something but don't have a Facebook account, leave me a comment!)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Knitting: Elephant for Aisha! (and general fundraising)

I just finished the stuffed elephant that I have been knitting to raise money for Aisha. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out! What do you think? More photos are available on the Ravelry project page. (If you knit or crochet and you aren't on Ravelry, you should be! Their pattern database is just about the most awesome thing the internet has to offer.)

I'm going to be selling this on a Facebook auction. I'll post the link here once it's up! My next project is also for this auction for Aisha--a set of baby booties. Stay tuned for those.

Random side notes: Happy Halloween! And go check out Gertie's family's blog. They have their first fundraiser: Nursing Cookies and Running Cookies. Don't know what those are? Neither did I. Go check it out.

Teamwork Tuesday: Wesley

I know, I know, I'm so bad at keeping up with these....some is better than none, right? Today's Teamwork Tuesday child is Wesley.

Wesley is eleven or twelve. He has albinism and associated vision issues. Despite his disability, he likes playing outside, especially with cars and balls, watching cartoons, and listening to stories. Poor little guy needs a family now!

As always, pray, share, donate. Wesley's grant fund is here. And Wesley's prayer warrior is holding a giveaway for him! If you donate, you can be entered to win some gorgeous jewelry here.

7 Quick Takes, The I Don't Want To Do My Homework Edition

~~ 1 ~~

Yes, this is just procrastination. No judging please. It's better than Facebook because at least I'm creating output.

~~ 2 ~~

My current knitting project (an elephant which I am going to sell for Aisha) had stalled due to a lack of stuffing, but I went on an excursion with a friend to get some and I'm back in business. Body and two legs are stuffed and sewn. Pictures coming soon.

~~ 3 ~~

With respect to that craft store excursion, it is not a good idea to make a non-time-sensitive trip off campus after lunch on the day of a 3:30pm football game for one of the most famous teams in college football when they are undefeated. Traffic patterns get changed and cops try to convince you to park in a field and tell you that they don't know what to say about the fact that you have an on-campus parking sticker and it might take you twice as long to complete the last 1/2 mile as it did the rest of the drive. Just saying for your edification. I of course would never try anything that stupid.

~~ 4 ~~

Poor little Kurt still needs his family. Someone please go get him so I don't have to find a social worker who will approve a homestudy for a newly-married 22-year-old couple to adopt a seven-year-old. And yes, if the time comes and he is still waiting I will do that. Please don't make him wait that long.

~~ 5 ~~

Go check out my fundraisers! Most of them still have no purchases and I don't know why. These are all useful and would make great Christmas gifts. (I'm thinking of buying some pasta for my brothers, who like making pasta for breakfast...don't tell them!)

~~ 6 ~~

Wow, I got all the way to six before I ran out of stuff to say! This might be a record. Ummm...go give Gertie's family some money. They have $10 in their fund. Gertie had $215.86 in her grant, and Gianna had $100 in hers. That leaves about $29,675 still to raise. Even $5 will make a difference.

~~ 7 ~~

Shoot, this is the last take. I guess I should go do my homework now.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Fundraiser: Fun Pasta!

I've just started a new fundraiser with Fun Pasta Fundraising. This is a company that makes pasta in all kinds of fun shapes. I've posted a picture of the music-themed pasta, but you can get pasta themed from everything from breast cancer support to your favorite college sports team. If you don't like making pasta, they also sell chili, soups, and cookies.

40% of your purchase will go to Aisha's fund. Please go check Fun Pasta Fundraising out!

GOOD NEWS!

This might be the blog post I've been most excited to write. GERTIE IS ON MFFM! A FAMILY IS COMING FOR HER!

Thanks be to God. That's all there is to say. Thanks be to God.

Update 10/19: Gertie's family has a profile now! They are also adopting a little girl named Gianna. You can donate to help them here.

Help Save a Life (or Two or Ten)

A few requests today.

The first is extremely quick. Reece's Rainbow is in a contest. If they get the most votes, they will get $50,000 to help save orphans' lives. Click here to vote for Reece's Rainbow!(You must be 21 because it's a wine company.) Vote once a day, every day, until October 31st. (Some people have reported that their cookies allow them to vote more than once a day--please don't do that, because Cultivate Wines can check that kind of thing and they could disqualify RR.) Want to know which kids are going to receive the money in their grants if Reece's Rainbow wins? Click here.

The second request: As you know, I'm an Angel Tree Warrior for Aisha K. There are still many, many children who need warriors. Please consider signing up. This would be a great service project for a group if you don't think you can do it alone. Here are the girls on the Angel Tree, and here are the boys. (There may be more than one page of children.) Children who don't have a grey image with a starfish next to their info still need warriors. Click here to learn more about the program and here to sign up.

The Flesher family are adopting a child with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (also known as Babydoll Syndrome), a condition that causes mental and physical disabilities. They have been fundraising in their community, but they are in desperate need of funds. Mrs. Flesher also just got hurt. They currently have a matching grant: When their funds reach $2575 they will be given another $1100. Right now they are at $710. If they don't get this money, they may not be able to proceed with their adoption. Please help them out! If you can't donate, spread the word!

Lastly, if you've been participating in the fundraiser for Gertie, September's over! Please count up your electronic change and donate it. So far only three people have put money in, and one of them was me. (I do know that some of you are still fully intending to donate and are waiting on an external factor, so please don't feel insulted if you are one of those people.)

Thanks for reading! If you're sick of reading about money, hang tight--I'm planning out a post on a totally different topic.

The End of the Story

Aisha is cute and chubby. She really doesn't look like a child who needs to be saved.
Saved from what exactly?

Let me show you Aisha's past.

Baby Aisha. Probably born to a mother who wanted her, but was told that she would be impossibly hard to care for because of her Down syndrome.

So Aisha's mother left her in an orphanage, trying to give her newborn daughter a better life.

The baby grew. She turned one. She turned two.

She turned three. She wasn't being starved or beaten. She had enough to eat. What she was missing was a family.

Now the baby is three and a half. This photo was taken in August, less than two months ago.

Shall we keep going? What is the end of the baby's story?

Meet Ksenia. Ksenia wasn't starving either. Then she got transferred to the adult mental institution.

This is Ksenia too. This is what the mental institution does to children.

Maybe that was just that one institution? Maybe that's not a pattern?

If only that were true.

Meet Nathan.

Meet Darina.

Meet Sonny.

So what will Aisha's future be? I don't want to see her turn into an example on someone else's post like this. If she is adopted, she will not be that example. Instead, she will be an example of how love and family save children.

Help me save Aisha. Pray. Share. Contribute to one of our current fundraisers.

(Just to be perfectly clear, my early life history on Aisha is nothing more than an educated guess. I have no real information about her past.)

Christmas Fundraiser: Tastefully Simple

Like to cook? Hate to cook? Either way, there's something here for you.

What it is: I'm hosting an online party with Tastefully Simple, a company that sells, as the name implies, yummy easy food.

What you're getting: There are too many options to list them all! Here are just a few: breads, serving dishes, spices, recipe books, cookies, drink mixes....and the list goes on.

How it works: Click here to get to the page of the consultant who set up the party for me. Browse for items you'd like to buy and put them in your cart. At check out, click on "Find Host" and type in my name (Teresa Gorman). Then continue with your purchase. Aisha gets a cut from the purchase price.

Christmas Fundraiser: Just Love Coffee

Are you a coffee addict? Do you know someone who is? Then this is a great fundraiser for you.

What it is: I'm selling coffee through Just Love Coffee, a company that provides fundraising opportunities for adoptive families and those in orphan ministries.

What you're getting: The coffee is organic, fair trade, and hand roasted. It comes from all over the world from sustainable and shade-grown conditions. There are many different types of coffee available, including some unroasted beans if you like roasting your own, and some samplers if you don't know what kind to try. They also sell a CD or two, some apparel, and coffee-related things like mugs, filters, scoops, and coffee makers.

How it works: Click here to get to my store info page. Then click on the button on the left that says "Shop & Support." Select your products, and check out as you would for a normal online purchase. It's that simple! Aisha gets a cut from the purchase price, and 5% of your order also goes to an organization that provides clean water so that fewer children are orphaned in the first place.

Here she is....the big reveal

This beautiful child, "Aisha K" (the name is fake for privacy reasons), is three years old and condemned to a life of neglect and abuse because she lives in Eastern Europe and has Down syndrome. When she turns four, she will be transferred to an adult mental institution and left there until she dies. Her only hope is to be adopted.

Reece's Rainbow is an organization that tries to save as many children from this fate as possible. They do this by raising funds for waiting children and families adopting children with special needs internationally. Their biggest fundraiser each year is called the Angel Tree.

Aisha K is my Angel Tree child! That means that I am going to do my best to raise $1000 for her between November 1st and December 31st. You can help by making a purchase through one of my links, or by donating money to her grant fund, or by participating in one of my other fundraisers.

Click here to view Aisha's profile on Reece's Rainbow.

Click here to view current fundraisers and sales links.

Please pray that my fundraising is successful and that Aisha's family finds her soon.

Thank you!

Teamwork Tuesday: Kate 26HA

I haven't been doing a good job with Teamwork Tuesday recently. But I'm back! (At least for now!) Today's child is Kate. Click here to see Kate's profile on Reece's Rainbow.
Isn't she pretty? She is eleven and a half and described as social, interactive, and liking dress-up. Her only special needs are HIV and "delayed psycho-motor development". Nowadays, thanks to modern medicine, being HIV+ has almost no impact on daily life. It doesn't pose a threat to people around you.
Kate has over $1000 in her grant fund. It would be nice to start an adoption with $1000 less to worry about, wouldn't it? Are you the lucky family to get Kate and $1000? If you are not Kate's family, please consider donating to her fund to help her family out when they find her. If that's not possible for you, please pray for her.

I have a Christmas baby!

Reece's Rainbow has a fundraising program every year called the Angel Tree. Some of the kids on the website are selected as targets for a concentrated fundraising effort. Each child picked has a target of $1000 raised for their grant between November 1st and Dec 31st. You can read more about the program here.

Christmas Warriors are assigned to a particular child and asked to raise at least that $1000 (this is not a legal commitment). I have a child to fundraise for. It's not Kurt, and it's not Gertie. She's a three-year-old (so baby in the loose sense of the word) with Down syndrome. I will release more information about her later--watch this space!

My sister (who blogs here) is planning to help me with some fundraisers, including an auction and a blog giveaway. If you're interested in hand-sewn items, hand-knitted items, jewelry, books, or other such items, I suggest you check back soon. Other ideas I'm playing with include a run at my school and participating in some commission sales things like Tastefully Simple or Just Love Coffee. Got suggestions? Want to help? Let me know!