dd2 sullivan adoption

Cleaning out your closet?

2012-01-29T14:06:00.001-08:00

My next door neighbor is an amazing woman. She's in her early-mid 30's, has a brain tumor, is going through chemo (for a previous stomach cancer before they discovered the tumor), had brain swelling from the tumor which caused her to have a mini stroke and left her with partial paralysis on her left leg! Through all this she still has a positive personality. Because she has to take it easy and is on heavy duty treatments, she has gained a little weight and asked me if I knew anyone who is willing to donate size M women's clothing.

Soo....if you have any size M clothes or know someone who does, please let me know so I can give them to her. Thanks!!

My Inspirational sport art up for bid!

2012-01-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

Bid on my Inspirational Sports art for our friend's adoption fundraiser & help them bring their daughter home from Columbia! Click on the link below.... Let me know if you can't view it:

ADOPTION SILENT AUCTION

Help a Sista Out!

2012-01-14T18:30:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Our friend Wendi & fam are having an Adoption Silent Auction to raise the fees & bring their daughter home from Columbia! One of the items up for bid is my custom made, 15in Laptop sleeve with adjustable strap. This bag is made from a burlap coffee bag that I got from a local coffee roaster. It will fit a laptop with a 15in display screen (see listing for exact measurements).

Only 4 days left & bidding is already up to $20... click on the link below and please pass this on!

Adoption Silent Auction

A New Year

2012-01-05T17:33:00.000-08:00

Nate and Lily

Hey we made it to another year!

2011 ended with a few road trips and major blessings. 2 weeks after our Hawaii trip, Nate & I jumped in the MINI and took off to St. Louis. I do NOT recommend taking a vacation 2 weeks before your Christmas trip. The week before, I was swamped with custom burlap bag orders and when I finally finished...no sooner had I got the decorations up and I was only able to enjoy them for a couple of days before we had to leave again. Crazy! However, we wanted to be with family for Christmas and Nate had not seen his Sullivan cousins in 3 years. Two of them are already in college and it won't be long until they may go in different directions, so we really wanted Nate to spend time there while the family is still in one location!

The day we left, a blizzard hit the exact route I had planned to take to St. Louis. Rather than risk it (considering my limited blizzard driving skills in the desert), I took the looooong southern route through El Paso & Abilene. And long it was. Day 1, Nate and I spent 12 hours on the road. Day 2...14 hours! Ugh! But, it turned out to be the wiser choice since they closed down the hwy on the fast route due to the snow and were fishing tons of people out of the ditches. I didn't see a single flake of snow the entire trip up.

Thankfully, Nate is a great traveler. He played by himself or watched his dvds the entire time. By the time I got close to St. Louis, I was beat. That hotel bed felt GREAT. Next day in St. Louis, Nate and I toured the Arch & the St. Louis Zoo (free and AWESOME!) That night, we met up with one of the families we went to China with and got to see their daughter, Lily, for the first time since we left China 4 years ago! It was interesting to see how similar but different the 2 kids are. Some of their facial expressions and personalities are the same, but Lily is definitely the more outgoing of the two. Seeing that family made the long trip worth it. The next day, before we headed to the grandparents house in Kansas City, we stopped by our adoption agency, Children's Hope International. It was nice to put faces with the people who helped make our adoption happen and they were thrilled to meet Nate.

Christmas was a ton of fun with Gma & Gpa Sullivan, Aunt Susan, Uncle Stuart and all the cousins. Even though they range in age from 12-20, Nate had a great time playing with all of them. We spent a week with them, visiting other relatives, eating Braums ice cream and exploring Kansas City (which has an amazing downtown... I'm a bit jealous because I love busy & interesting downtown areas).

It was a great trip and over too soon. You'd think I'd be wore out from all our travels but actually, it's just fuel to the fire. I love traveling! Maybe I get it from my parents. haha. I know you're reading this mom. hee hee. However, I think I'll stay put for awhile. At least until Africa! Still waiting to get a referral...hopefully within the next 3 months. Which reminds me... our first New Year blessing. Another Sullivan family in Pinetop (3-4 hrs north of us) saw our blog and contacted me. They had adopted a girl from Ethiopia and are in the process of adopting a child from China. AND they are going through the same adoption agency! How wild is that?! They were in Tucson during New Years, so we hooked up for lunch and had a great time.

Hope you all have a VERY BLESSED New Year!!!

Don & Denise

Looking down from the top of the St. Louis arch

Nate & 3 of his cousins (Kily was working)

Visiting family in Kansas

Sullivans meet the Sullivans

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T18:04:00.000-08:00

Nollaig Shona Daoibh! Maligayamg Pasko! Kung His Hsin Nien Bing Chu Shen Tan! Melkin Yelidet Beaal! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our Irish/Filipino/Chinese/Ethiopian (to be) - American family to yours!

Aloha!

2011-12-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

BRRR!! Just got back from an awesome trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. Warm and sunny there, 55 degrees back in Tucson. Take me away! We figured this was the perfect time to do a family vacation because next year, when we adopt from Africa, we won't be going anywhere for quite awhile. We exchanged our timeshare for the Wyndham Kona Hawaiian in Kailua-Kona and it was beautiful! Vintage Hawaiian decor and gorgeous grounds. Tons of free activities and close to the action. We would definitely stay there again. We did so much, 4-wheeling, snorkeling, hiking, beaching, exploring....I am pooped out but we all had a great time. Here's a few photos. Aloha!

The Place of Refuge - Kealakekua

Green Sand Beach

Black Sand Beach with Crush!

Thankful

2011-11-23T14:36:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for so many things...a husband who loves me, loves God and is an amazing dad.

Our son who makes me so proud to be his mom.

And thanks to God's blessings on my art this year, our adoption is paid for!!!!!!

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!

WOW!!!

2011-11-16T06:52:00.001-08:00

Our Connection Group with the shoeboxes

Our Connection Group at PRCC has been challenged to raise 150 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. We got the word out but didn't know what the result would be. Last night we had our packing party and I was amazed at the bags and bags of shoebox gift items that people kept bringing in! One person got their local grocery store to donate a gift card and went shopping. Another person invited her facebook friends to participate...and one of the friends even showed up!

That night we filled 105 shoeboxes...AND STILL COUNTING!!!!!!

That's 105 kids who will receive a special Christmas gift and hear the good news about Jesus. YES! I'm so excited and proud of our group. Woo hoo!!!!

The assembly line

Kohl's

2011-11-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Mom amongst the butterflies....

While visiting my brother in Cincinnati, my parents discovered my art on a bath collection in Kohl's!! Didn't realize it was in those stores yet so I will have to do an "I Spy" in our local Kohl's. On the tag it reads ©Denise Sullivan by Saturday Knight Ltd. So exciting!!!!

Shoeboxes!!

2011-11-12T19:33:00.000-08:00

Friend Patty & son M, donating 4 shoeboxes!

I am STOKED about the Operation Christmas Child shoebox stories from everyone. We have to raise 10 boxes per person by next week and so far we've raised 13! Three were donated by us, 3 more from a friend Wendi, who I have never met but we have connected through this adoption blog. Wendi & fam also adopted 3 beautiful kids from Columbia so we have another connection. I was thrilled when she facebooked me and said, "Our kids want to participate."

Another friend, Patty, who I have not seen in nearly 15 years donated 4 boxes! We hooked up in Phx while we were attending a wedding and it was great to see her and meet her kids. Then our next door neighbor wanted to pay me for some art product samples so I said, instead of paying me, why not donate shoeboxes....so she donated 3 more! Very excited to know that 13 more kids will have special gifts this year, but more importantly, knowing the best gift...Jesus!

We only need 7 MORE SHOEBOXES so if you are out of town and want to participate, you can! It's approximately $15 to fill a shoebox and you can send the money via PayPal or giftcard. If you are in Tucson, I can meet you for a pickup...just email me: ddsullivan2@msn.com

Adoption Update

2011-11-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Adoption update:

For those who have asked, it looks like wait time for our child-to-be is approximately 1 year (for us that is next March). However, since we requested a toddler, it's possible the wait time may be shorter. Still so much to do so we are not in a hurry!

Thanks for prayers.

Trick or Treats

2011-11-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

We had a fun night Trick or Treating. Nate went as the Transformer, Bumble Bee and we handed 120 rice krispy treats before we ran out and had to turn off the lights. And there were still kids running around! One of the benefits of having a small bucket means you're not stuck with a ton of candy to tempt you. haha. It was fun seeing the families in our neighborhood. Best costumes were 2 Geisha girls, a Dorothy holding a live Toto dog, & a homeless boy with a cardboard sign "Will work for candy".

Angry Birds pumpkins

On Target

2011-10-29T14:14:00.001-07:00

Ahhh, they're finally here! My leaf art on paper plates, napkins and tablecloths in Target. Yay! Look for them on an endcap in the party goods section. Unfortunately my name isn't on them since Target has a new policy to disallow artist's names and signatures. But regardless, it's very cool to see my stuff in a major chain!

Also received a photo of my Winter Pinecone & Winter Cardinals art on candle holders. This was taken in a speciality gift shop by the manufacturer. They are probably in "mom & pop" type stores across the U.S. so you'll have to keep an eye out. What great better half of 2011!

Nate's Big 5 at Disneyland!!

2011-10-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

ZZZZZzzzzzz....I could seriously take a nap right about now. We just got back from our awesome trip to California and Disneyland for Part 2 of Nate's BIG 5 BIRTHDAY! What a great time we had! Nate was SO excited to go. We got his birthday button and everyone in the park would wish him Happy Birthday when they saw him. They even announced his name and birthday on one of the rides! We celebrated with a Mickey pirate treasure cake and wore ourselves out over 2 days of rides and fun. His first "big kid" ride was the Tower of Terror at Disney's CA Adventure and he didn't even flinch. That's my boy! Here's some fun pics for you.

Happy Big 5!

2011-10-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

Our Natester turned 5 this past weekend and we had a fun time celebrating. Just a simple birthday with the fam, but since 5 is a big deal in our house, we are excited (ok, I AM excited) to take him to Disneyland during fall break! Unfortunately, we have to wait a couple of weeks and that can't come fast enough for him. In the meantime, he gets an extra long birthday party!

Awesome Movie!

2011-09-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

Very excited to see this movie. I've seen the previews and they look pretty good. The movie opens this weekend and our church is going together on Sunday, Oct 2 at the AMC Theaters inside the Foothills Mall, 4:15 showing (but be there by 3:45 to get a decent seat).

If you're in another city, please support this film by going on their opening weekend, Sept 30-Oct 2!

MORE OF MY ART IN STORES!!!

2011-09-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's the store & product I had to wait to tell you about...

My Autumn Mums art is on garden flags in Walmarts across the U.S.!!!!!! Click on the link below and to the right of the flag, you'll see "Pickup Information" where you can find it at the store nearest you. There are only 2 Tucson locations that carry it. YAY!!!!

MUM ART WALMART LINK

On another note, I visited Berean Christian Stores and discovered my Inspirational Sports Art with The Athlete's Prayer necklaces! Sweet!!

Steinmart sighting!

2011-09-16T14:07:00.001-07:00

Just discovered (thanks to my art agent, Karen), that my Mayflower Mums are in Steinmart on paper plates and napkins! Very excited!!

One of Many Fall Blessings

2011-09-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

My leaf art (middle) on paper guest towels in JoAnn Fabrics

I am SOOO excited to see all the different products with my art on them, this fall. As far as major stores, God has opened the doors to JoAnn's Fabrics, Target, Kohl's, Bed Bath & Beyond and another MAJOR retailer that I can't name yet until the products are stocked!! Here's the first sighting of the fall...my leaf art on paper guest towels in JoAnn Fabrics! Plus I noticed yesterday that all the fall stuff is 50% off. Double bonus! Keep your eyes out and let me know if you see anything else. Here's what to expect below (click on the image for a larger view).

Birthday Week!

2011-09-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Today is the start of our annual BIRTHDAY WEEK!! Hubby's birthday is today and mine is Labor Day. Looking forward to good friends coming down to celebrate with us....AND take advantage of all our birthday freebies! haha. Here's a look back at us celebrating our first birthday's together...25 YEARS AGO in 1986! Wow!! What's up with that hair??!

Kindergarten!!

2011-08-08T11:29:00.001-07:00

What a morning! Today is Nate's first day of Kindergarten! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. Nate was up early (before 6am) and we piled in the car to head out for a good breakfast. It was mayhem at the school....mainly because the brand new school has barely finished construction! The school had their final safety inspection THIS MORNING and tons of families ended up waiting over an hour before the inspection was finished. It was hot, humid and they ended up passing out water bottles to everyone. Poor Nate was already overwhelmed by the crowd, hot & sweaty and losing patience quickly. Thankfully, I remembered the camera and let him take a bunch of photos to get his mind off the wait.

Finally, we were all able to go to class. I felt a twinge of sadness at my boy hitting this major milestone, but mostly so proud of him! The ironic thing, is that a little girl who was irritating him while waiting in line, sits right behind him in class! Oh boy! We'll see how that goes. :-D

Gotcha Day Anniversary

2011-08-05T21:23:00.001-07:00

4 years ago in China...Nate with his (now "well- loved") panda.

We had a fun day celebrating the 4th anniverary of Nate's Gotcha Day! Off to a movie with friends, lunch at a chinese restaurant (with Meiji Hello Panda cookies for dessert) and finished the day with Nate meeting his Kindergarten teacher and new classroom! Whew! It was fun reminiscing about that day 4 years ago. Hard to believe he's already starting Kindergarten. We are so proud of our little man!

Checking out his Kindergarten desk!

Summer's End

2011-07-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is almost over...at least in terms of "going back to school". Nate has had a great time completing Level 2 of swim lessons, learning how to take a breath while swimming without gagging on a mouthful of pool water. He has also been in karate lessons for a month and loves it. He has the best instructor at the YMCA and is picking up the moves quickly.

Our biggest "YAY!" is that Nate was tested for early entry into Kindergarten and PASSED!! Since his birthday falls past the AZ cut off date, every public and private school we looked into refused to test him (or anyone with late birthdays) for early entry. I was getting discouraged and had resigned myself to the fact that he would be taking a 4yr old preschool class...again...and hoping he wouldn't be bored. But then, a charter school opened up near us that has an accelerated academic curriculum AND early entrance testing. Nate went into the exam room by himself but gave me detailed info on what they asked him! Pretty much everything he's learned in preschool and a few extras we had taught him at home: Identifying shapes, colors, upper and lower case letters and sounds, identifying and creating patterns, counting to 50, writing his name and drawing a picture of himself...etc etc.

I've been told countless times that he would be better off being held back a year (especially since he's a boy). But we have kept a close eye on his social and academic development and I think most every parent knows what their own child is capable of. He would've been fine repeating preschool again but I'm so thankful he had an opportunity to at least "try out" for Kinder. I think being an only child with parents who already have high expectations, constantly being in the public eye, playing with all our friend's kids who are older plus his own keen development all contribute to his ability to transition early into Kindergarten. (Although in my opinion, what's "early"? Several states have their cutoff as Dec 31). Anyway, that's my soapbox.

He is SUPER excited about starting Kindergarten and I'm glad he'll be in a school where he will be challenged. He is so proud of himself for passing that test. I hesitated even telling him it was a test, although the word doesn't make him break into a sweat like I would. ha! To him, learning is fun and he cannot seem to get enough of it. I hope it stays that way for a long time.

More Art Products in the Works!

2011-07-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

More good news from my art agents! Kohl's and Bed, Bath & Beyond will be featuring new bath collections in their stores this fall! And 2 more awesome contracts this fall but can't reveal those yet. Very excited!!

In Kohl's...."Inspired" bath collection

In select Bed, Bath & Beyond stores..."Hope" bath collection

Famous Duo

2011-07-03T15:54:00.001-07:00

Many of you know I am an Licensing Artist and I have 2 agents who market my art into the retail stores. When my art is picked up by a manufacturer, I usually receive a few samples for my collection (or to give away at Christmas!) Yesterday I received some very awesome samples of a few Father's Day cards that were printed by Crown Point Graphics using my artwork that featured a photo of Don and Nate! This was taken in San Diego when Nate was just 2-1/2 yrs old. I'm not sure where these cards ended up or if they were even available this Father's Day. They may have only been available in the manufacturer's catalog, but it was exciting to see my two guys in print!

Catching Up....Maybe

2011-06-15T15:44:00.001-07:00

There has been so much going on, I can't keep up with it! Between creating art, sewing laptop bags, doing graphic design work for the church and other church ministries...I am BUSY. Let's see...where to start. Much to my surprise, my burlap laptop bags have been a hit on Etsy. I've sold more than the purses I used to make, to people in the U.S., Ireland, England and Canada! Crazy considering they're not exactly cheap. I'm excited because I found 2 coffee roasters in Tucson who supply me with very cool burlap sacks. However, I may have to start ordering the other supplies online because I keep buying out everything at Hancock Fabrics or JoAnn's!

While Nate finished up his last 3 days of school, we took a MUCH NEEDED getaway to San Diego. Oohhhhh......it was so very hard to come back home. 3 days was not nearly enough time. We had just started to relax and it was time to leave. I had a GROUPON for the Crystal Pier Cottages...a place I have been dying to stay at for over 15 years!! It was worth every minute to be there. The cottages are right on the pier and we left all the windows and doors open to listen to the crashing waves every night.

When we came back, my parents arrived for a week. Nate was THRILLED. Grandma & Grandpa time is very precious and he took advantage of every minute of it. It was great to see my parents, and we even did some running around despite the heat.

After that, we were due to go up to Greer last week for another Groupon getaway, but sadly, the Wallow wildfire was raging and growing and Greer had to be evacuated. Fortunately, the lodge and many other residences were not damaged in Greer, but our absolute FAVORITE playground, Alpine and the Bear Wallow wilderness are burned up. It is still raging along with another massive wildfire just south of us. Crazy dry out here and no sign of rain.

With Nate out of school, I am trying to figure out how to keep him busy so I can get work done! I am twice as busy as last year and even with a faster computer, it's hard to keep up with everything. Next week, he goes to Kinder Camp, then in July he has swim lessons. In the meantime, we are taking advantage of the slip-n-slide and summer movies and trying not to eat too much ice cream. haha. I get really itchy to travel during summer because we looked forward to that as kids. Even though I've been married 21 years, and we rarely travel during the summer, I still FEEL like I should be doing it!

Happy Summer to you!

Putting Burlap to Good Use

2011-05-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

13inch Laptop Case made from burlap coffee sacks!

I've enjoyed designing my coffee purses out of recycled coffee bags but they were just too labor intensive to sell at a reasonable price. So then I started a different venture that has exploded! Laptop cases made from burlap coffee sacks! They're selling like hotcakes on my Etsy site.

The good thing is that these are much faster and easier to make and are great for guys as well as girls. Then I remembered that Tucson has its own coffee roasting company, Arbuckle Coffee Roasters. I paid them a visit this morning and had a great time talking to Denney and Pat about their company. Also left with several very AWESOME burlap bags! Can't wait to start sewing! All of the proceeds from these bags go toward our Ethiopian adoption. Speaking of which, we are in the waiting stage and will probably find out next March if we're getting a boy or girl!

Each laptop case comes with a power cord case

made from recycled coffee bags.

www.etsy.com/shop/dsbagdesign

HAPPY MOM'S DAY!

2011-05-08T22:37:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you awesome moms out there! And to my very awesome mom....thank you for always being there for me, supporting me, encouraging me, and keeping me grounded in faith. I love you!!

Mom and I, 1970

Me and my little stud!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

What a great day! We have been going, going, going...and then some for the last 3 months, preparing for Easter services at PRCC. We've been so busy I didn't have time to color eggs with Nate until this evening. Guess we'll have to hide them tomorrow! It was awesome seeing new faces at church services and all the volunteers who worked SO hard over the past few weeks. 250 today....normal attendance is around 120 so that was awesome!! Hope you all had a great Easter. Here's photos for you.

PRCC Diaper Drive!

2011-04-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's a soggy Diaper Drive (pardon the pun) but we still braved the rainy weather and set up the truck. I feel like the last few weeks, Satan has been doing everything in his power to discourage us during our pre-Easter events and preparations. Things haven't all gone the way we've planned or bits of negativity have sparked up. BUT, we can't help but notice the GREAT things God has been doing. As we (when I say "we", I'm talking about people in church plugging away), keep the faith and are determined not to be discouraged, we are thrilled with what God is showing us.

We've seen many new faces at church, people stopped by to drop off boxes of diapers despite the bad weather.....including a person who received a door hanger and looked up our church to bring the diapers to us, donations have come in to help us promote all our pre-Easter events as well as the big day itself, we have a baptism tomorrow, leaders have come together for Christ's work....so much more! God is awesome!

There's still time to bring diapers to the church, tomorrow April 10. We'll still have the truck there and as of last count....nearly 4,000 diapers collected!!!!! Yay God!!

PRCC - Pusch Ridge Christian Church

440 W. Calle Concordia, Tucson, 85653

www.prcctucson.org

IT'S OFFICIAL! WE'RE A WAITING FAMILY!!

2011-03-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

Just got this email today from our adoption agency............ Yay!!

Dear Denise & Don Sullivan,

I just wanted to send you this quick email to let you know that your dossier has been sent back to our office from Washington D.C. You are now on the waiting list for a referral. We will be keeping your dossier in queue here in the St. Louis office until it is time to be expressed to Ethiopia. Congratulations on having this piece behind you!!!! You're now a waiting family!!!

After you have accepted a referral, the dossier will be translated and authenticated, and presented to the Ministry of Womens Affairs (MOWA), which is the first entity in Ethiopia to approve you to adopt the child.

Waiting for a referral can really be a difficult wait for most families. We suggest keeping busy and doing those things that you may not have a chance to do once your child comes home. You also will want to read as much as you can related to raising adopted children, bonding and attachment, transracial adoption, Ethiopia, etc. etc., and you may even want to start learning some phrases in Amharic.

This would also be a good time to look into the immunizations that you will need for your trip. Some immunizations are good for 3, 5 and even 10 years so it's not too early to start. Visitwww.cdc.gov/travel . Information is also noted in the CHI Ethiopia Travel Guide located on the CHIFamily.net website.

Please know that we are here to support you during your wait and answer any questions that you might have.

Congratulations again, you are one step closer to bringing your little one home!!!

Blessings,
Angie Thorn

Ethiopia Adoption Consultant

Ethiopia Adoption Petition

2011-03-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

Please consider signing a petition asking that Ethiopian officials consider alternate options as it relates to the new process that is to be implemented by the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PETITION AND MORE INFO

Adoption News...

2011-03-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

Just found this out. I'm not worried about it as I know everything will happen in God's time. We found that out with Nate and wouldn't change a thing. However, the adoption agency keeps us in the loop and we'll keep our eyes and ears open...and prayers going up.

Statement on the Pending Reduction of Intercountry Adoption in Ethiopia

7032011

Statement on the Pending Reduction of Intercountry Adoption in Ethiopia

Last week the Ethiopian Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs announced their intention to reduce intercountry adoptions by 90% beginning March 10, 2011. The Ministry’s plan for a dramatic reduction is apparently based on two primary issues; 1) the assumption that corruption in intercountry adoption is systemic and rampant and 2) the Ministry’s resources should be focused on the children for whom intercountry adoption is not an option. Without further announcements by the Government of Ethiopia, it is our understanding that the Ministry’s plan will be initiated this week.

The Ministry’s plan is a tragic, unnecessary and disproportionate reaction to concerns of isolated abuses in the adoption process and fails to reflect the overwhelmingly positive, ethical and legal services provided to children and families through intercountry adoption. Rather than eliminate the right of Ethiopian children to a permanent family, we encourage the Ministry to accept the partnerships offered by governments, NGOs, and foundations. Such partnerships could increase the Ministry’s capacity to regulate service providers and further ensure ethical adoptions.

The Ministry’s plan which calls for the processing of only five adoption cases per work day, will result not only in systemic and lasting damage to a large sector of social services, but will have an immediate impact on the lives and futures of children. Moving from over 4,000 adoptions per year to less than 500 will result in thousands of children languishing in under-regulated and poorly resourced institutions for years. For those children who are currently institutionalized and legally available for adoption, the Ministry’s plan will increase their time languishing in institutions for up to 7-years.

Joint Council respectfully urges the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs to reconsider their plan and to partner with governments, NGOs and foundations to achieve their goals and avoid the coming tragedy for children and families.

____________________________________________

In addition to this formal statement,we are also preparing a large scale advocacy, education and awareness campaign, which will launch later this week. We will post details here, so please check back for the launch of this urgent and important campaign.

We hope you will join us in advocating for the continuation of intercountry adoption in Ethiopia.

ETHIOPIA ADOPTION UPDATE!!

2011-03-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

Well everyone...after 9 long months and a few snags, our adoption paperwork (dossier/or paper pregnancy) IS OUTTA HERE!!!!! We were finally able to send it off to Children's Hope International who will prepare it for translation to be sent to Ethiopia! Now we wait a few months to be matched up with our child-to-be!! I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Having the paperwork around was a nagging reminder that was haunting us.

Now we have $13,000 left to raise for the remainder of the adoption fees. Scary, because at this point, we don't have it, but I know God will provide..through fundraising, through my art licensing royalties and other means.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. I know that you are as excited as we are and I looked forward to telling you this news.

Don't forget our MARCH COFFEE FUNDRAISER in the previous post and please share it via Twitter, facebook, blogs, emails...any way to get the word out! Thanks!!!!!

Denise

MARCH ADOPTION FUNDRAISER!

2011-03-03T21:02:00.000-08:00

IT'S JAVA TIME!!

Our goal...sell 200 bags of coffee in the month of March!

When we reach 10% of our goal, everyone who bought a bag will be in a raffle.

The winner gets a free bag of coffee and a coffee mug from our fundraiser store.

Share this with your friends!

Click on our website to buy your first bag.

Thanks for your support and enjoy your cup 'o joe!

www.justlovecoffee.com/TheSullivans

Bods4God

2011-02-09T09:14:00.001-08:00

I'm very excited! We're starting a Bods4God Connection Group at our house,

THIS SATURDAY at 9:30am - 10:45am....all families invited!

(Gladden Farms area - NW Marana)

Our goal...eat healthy, get active, lose weight...feel great! We will walk, hike, eat right and read the book, "Bod4God" by Steve Reynolds.

Time to start taking care of our bods.

Email me for directions and bring a pair of walking shoes.

ddsullivan2@msn.com

TONIGHT!! SWEET TOMATOES FUNDRAISER - Feb 7

2011-01-27T11:15:00.001-08:00

Hi Tucson friends!

We have missionary friends who just found out the parents and possibly their two little children, have severe lead poisoning. Since the treatment costs thousands of dollars (for just one person), they are holding a fundraiser tonight at Sweet Tomatoes. You can have a healthy meal and another church is matching all funds raised!

PLEASE PRINT THE FLYER BELOW AND PRESENT IT AT SWEET TOMATOES. Pass this on to your other Tucson friends and family!! Let's help this young couple get the treatment they need. You can also check out their blog at: http://kellersc23.com/blog/

TUCSON FRIENDS...GOT A FAVOR, ASAP!!

2011-01-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

Hey Tucsonans... If any of you have baby and/or kids items that you would be willing to donate for an adoption fundraiser for us, PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP! (ddsullivan2@msn.com) I just discovered an easy fundraiser in Tucson, but I have to collect everything by Tues, Jan. 18...TOMORROW! Ack!

Basically, it's a massive consignment fundraiser and we would receive 65% of the sales to put toward our adoption. If you have anything you're willing to donate, I will be happy to swing by and pick it up tomorrow. Items must be in good condition (no stains, nothing broken, no missing parts, no rips/tears, etc). Below is a list of items:

Clothing (preemie to junior sizes)

Toys

Infant/kids furniture

Blankets/bedding

Games/Books

Shoes (must be in really good condition)

Dvds/video games

Sorry for the short notice, but as I said, I just found out about it myself!! Thanks everyone,

****ALSO, if you choose to do the fundraiser for yourself, please write my name as a referral on the website registration and we'll receive $5 for everyone who participates! www.jbfsale.com****

-Denise

Email: ddsullivan2@msn.com

FACELIFT

2011-01-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

A cream area rug screams "Blank canvas! Do something to me!" So...I did. Our 11ft x 12ft area rug came with our house. For a year, I looked around at other rugs, eyeing bold colors and patterns but never justifying the hundreds of dollars I would have to spend. Then, a few days ago, I stumbled across some internet articles about dyeing a rug. I thought, hey..I can do that!

So for the last 2 days, I have worn out two spray bottles covering our rug in RIT dye. I found an interesting rug pattern on the internet and used it as a guide while adding my own twist. The result was better than I expected (plus I got an amazing workout on my legs and gluttious maximus. ha!) Below are the photos.

Spraying on the RIT

Adding shapes

Looks like a mess but that's how I roll.

Base colors down....taping the template for the half circles.

Almost finished!

Border painted...Done in a weekend!

In the Blink of an Eye

2011-01-10T20:57:00.001-08:00

I am still numb from the tragic events in Tucson last Saturday. I have shopped at that Safeway store many times. I know several church members and friends who would've been there that morning, but for various reasons....running late, change of plans...they, thankfully, were somewhere else. Tucson is a city with a small town feel. People live here to get away from big city crime and problems. No one expected to ever deal with anything like this.

It is hard to know how to help. It's not like a natural disaster....rather an emotional disaster. My heart aches for that young girl's parents. Several of our church members and friends know someone who was killed or injured in the massacre. It is a reminder that life is fragile and it doesn't have to be a car accident or plane crash....it can be taken away unexpectedly. And that poses another question in mind...

Did the 6 murdered victims know about Jesus? And if not, why not?

One church member posted a thought provoking facebook status, "One thing is clear...one person was not transformed by the gospel". Every opportunity is an important one for Christ. Not to try to change a person ourselves...but to plant a seed and give them the chance to make that choice for themselves. But a seed can't plant itself.

We have prayed for opportunities for us, our church to minister, serve and witness to our community during this time. We've prayed for those affected by the tragedy. We've prayed that hate not be given priority but for God's intervention.

And one thing is clear through all this:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38

PRAYER VIGIL TONIGHT (Sat)

2011-01-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

PRCC is shocked and saddened by the senseless tragedy in our community Saturday morning.
Our hearts go out to those whose families were affected and those who losttheir lives. We want to encourage our community in this time by offering a

Prayer Vigil tonight at PRCC
7pm

We invite the community to join us for a special service tomorrow,
Sunday, Jan. 9 at 10am

Happy 21st!

2011-01-05T12:42:00.001-08:00

Newlyweds 1990

Yesterday, hubby and I celebrated our 21st anniversary! 21 years ago and I was 21...getting hitched. Hard to believe time has gone by so fast. It's been awesome to be married to my best friend all these year. Happy Anniversary babe!

Happy 2011!

2011-01-03T14:53:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a great time during the holidays. We've wrapped up 2010 with amazing travels, visits with family and good friends, our first mission trip, new friends, and progress with our adoption.

In December we completed our CIS/I-600a fingerprints (federal fingerprinting). That was a whopping $830 expense and almost missed Don's appointment, but thanks to an early flight home, he made it! Many have been asking where we are in the adoption process. We are still getting our dossier paperwork together. There is one adoption class to finish, several AZ docs that need notarization, all AZ docs also need authentication by the Secretary of State, Visa photos to be taken, and awaiting the 171H form from our fingerprinting. Once we have all that done, we can send our $4100 and dossier off to the agency for double-checking, translation to Ethiopian and then it can be sent to Ethiopia for processing! The dossier is much more than paperwork and very time consuming. We call it our "paper pregnancy". haha.

So, we look forward to 2011 with hopes of a referral later this year! We have raised over $7,000 to date (both our funds and donations from others). Thank you EVERYONE who have made this possible...both for our family and for an orphan.

We are still fundraising through our Just Love Coffee fundraiser, our Adoption Bug T-Shirt fundraiser, and if you don't need coffee or t-shirts, but want to help, you may donate using the DONATE button to the right of our blog or on our Adoption Website: Three and Counting-Sullivans Ethiopian Adoption.

Thank you everyone and here's to the possibilities in 2011!!!

-The Sullivans

Almost halfway to our goal!!!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

This year, we spent Christmas at home, after a great deal of recent travel....no more travel days left! I missed being with family but thank goodness for skype! On Christmas Eve, Don made his traditional braided bread and we delivered it to the neighbors. We finally got to know the neighbors' names and even met a couple exactly our age who are also starting their family.

Then we went to see the Winterhaven Festival of Lights (an entire historic neighborhood in Tucson that decorates their homes for Christmas). We stopped at Starbucks to get hot chocolate...the "light" thing was very spontaneous...but they were closed, so we settled for good 'ol Circle K. It was a very festive night and after we got home, I read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to Nate, we set out the Santa cookie and milk (and even a carrot for the reindeer) and got the Natester off to bed. Then we chilled on the sofa for awhile before assembling the Santa gift (A Disney Cars garage).

Today, we were surprised by one of the neighbors, to whom we had delivered bread, stop by to drop off some homemade cookies and doggie treats! The funny thing, is that this was one of the neighbors who we thought didn't like us very much. ha! He ended up staying for nearly an hour shooting the breeze with us. God does amazing things through the spirit of giving.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)
⁶ For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
MORE CHRISTMAS PHOTOS LINK

Christmas and 4 yrs

2010-12-21T13:07:00.000-08:00

This year at Christmas has been fun with the Natester! Several "firsts"...first Christmas concert from his preschool, first time to smile with Santa, first letter to Santa, first time to make gingerbread cookies almost all by himself! Here's some photos for you:

CHRISTMAS PHOTO LINK 2010

Christmas Capers

2010-12-19T15:53:00.001-08:00

So, the other day, I showed Nate the advent calendar...which is a wooden bird house with little wooden doors. We were late getting started and I had put chocolate santas from Day 7 to Christmas. He opened Day 7 and was excited to find a very tasty surprise in there. Then I said.."Now we only open one day at a time until Christmas and you might find another surprise!", thinking I was so clever and all.

Three days later, I put Nate to bed and realized we had skipped some days, so, I decided I would "make-up" for the last 3 days and help myself to some chocolates. I opened Door #10 and saw....no chocolate. Hmmm....maybe I accidentally missed that door. So I opened Door #8...#9....no chocolates!! By this time I'm truly baffled. So I opened up every door left on the calendar and.........NO CHOCOLATES!!!.....except one! WHAT?!

Don was out of town so I called to talk and asked him, "Did you eat those chocolates before you left?" "What? No!", was his reply. And then it dawned on me.

So that's why Nate hasn't been hungry the last 3 days....

And that's why Nate's been complaining that his tummy hurts....

And that explains his Jekyll and Hyde attitude!!!!

So the next morning, I said to Nate, "Hey! We haven't opened our calendar in a few days. Let's go see what surprise is in there!" He just looks at me with a "should I be excited or not?" type of look. I open the empty doors and pretend to be shocked. Then I ask him,

"Nate, do you know where the chocolates are?"

"No"

"Nate, I know dad didn't eat them, and I didn't eat them, so don't lie to me. Did you eat those chocolates?" *eyes looking side to side...silence...and then....*

*Shakes his head "yes"*

"Did you eat them or hide them somewhere?"

"I ate them"
(A few days later I discovered the empty chocolate wrappers stuffed in the bottom of the bathroom trash can.)

So, from that day on, he opened the door to find advent calendar broccoli and carrots....and mom is one year wiser.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is coming....

2010-12-16T14:25:00.001-08:00

Nate's 4 yr school photo

......and I'm determined NOT to pack on the pounds! Wow, I am seriously behind in my blog. It has been a whirlwind since we had our Mexico Mission trip back in Oct. First Mexico, then grandparents in for a week, then Israel, then swamped with artwork, then Disneyland, then more art while Don was preaching in Michigan, 2 sick guys on top of all that.....and here we are today. I'm looking at the Christmas packages sitting under our tree, waiting to be mailed. Thinking it might be a gift card type of year. ha! Haven't even got the Christmas lights up yet. At least we managed to do the tree.

I'm thinking back on everything...Israel was amazing. What a great perspective to have, seeing all the different places that Jesus ministered and King David walked. People celebrate Christmas for different reasons but all we can think about, is the great gift that God gave us all. The gift of friendship, leadership, grace, and love through Jesus and his sacrifice. I wasn't sure what to expect from Israel and thought it would be another historical place to see. Surprisingly, I felt a much deeper connection there. It's as if I met a long lost relative, in fact, part of me regretted leaving. It wasn't like a spiritual "high" or any "wow" factor. Just a longing for that part of my beliefs that stayed with me after we returned home.

One of the highlights that stuck with me was when we visited the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee....where Jesus recruited his disciples. Our guide spoke of forgiveness and each of us picked up a large stone, prayed for God to help us let go of our anger or frustration toward a person(s) and threw that burden out into the sea. I'm not really a groupie when it comes to this stuff. (I felt like I was in group therapy for a moment)...but casting that worry out into the water and knowing this was where Jesus performed so many miracles....well, I admit it was therapeutic, in a way.

I remember being in a tiny circular chapel in Bethlehem, singing Silent Night. A group of Astonians were sitting behind us and they joined in....in their native tongue! Two groups of people singing the same tune in two different languages. How awesome is that!?

I was amazed at the massive amounts of tourists there. At first it was annoying...crowded...pushing to get into the historic places to get a decent photo. But then I stopped and realized, "Wow, we are all here for the same reason. A pilgrimage to Israel to see the places where Jesus walked, lived & breathed." Can't get much better than that.

I was proud of my man, leading a communion service in a VERY tiny chapel at the Garden Tomb. What better place to remember Jesus and have communion with everyone we'd traveled with?

Jerusalem was amazing. So many conflicts there...so much history. Sometimes I'd stand on the ancient streets and stones and wonder about Jerusalem's past and future. I didn't realize how close the Mt. of Olives was to Jerusalem. It's literally just up on a hill overlooking the city. Kind of like being in Tucson, up on A-Mountain, looking down on the city...or up on Camelback Mtn in Phoenix overlooking the city. Definitely an experience I will never forget.

Well, I have to get back to being productive. I love Christmas...the magic I remember as a kid, being with family (sadly, not this year. *sniff*), people thinking about other's needs, and remembering the miracle of our Savior's birth and the best gift ever! I have Israel's memories to help me not take that gift for granted and remember it every day... not just Christmas Day.

Shalom Aleichem (peace be with you).

One more Photo Link

2010-11-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

View of the Mt. of Olives from the House of Caiphas

Here's the last photo link for our Israel trip:

ISRAEL PHOTOS DAYS 8-10 LINK

Jerusalem and More...

2010-11-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

Here are more photos of Days 6-7. Be sure to go back & view the Days 4-5 in the previous post as I added more photos.

We walked through the streets of Old Jerusalem today. Incredible experience! More writing later...it's late & it took forever to get all these photos uploaded. Wake up call is 6am and we're going to the Dead Sea & Masada tomorrow. Can't wait to float on it!

ISRAEL PHOTOS DAYS 6-7 LINK

The Holy Lands

2010-11-14T21:25:00.000-08:00

Standing on the original street in Bethsaida where Jesus would've walked.

Sorry to keep you all waiting! We FINALLY have decent internet service in Jerusalem....where I am currently writing to you.

What an amazing trip! We actually stood...STOOD...on a street in Bethsaida where Jesus would've walked. How surreal is that?? Not only to see the historical sites but we have received so MUCH historical background about the culture during that time. The scriptures make so much more sense now.

I have very limited time to write but I did want to include the photos for you. Check out these links below. I will try to write more tonight. Our days begin & end from 7am - 5pm every day..filled with Bible studies, lectures, visits, etc. Today we visit the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem & much more.

More later....for now, here's photos!

ISRAEL DAYS 1-3 PHOTO LINK

ISRAEL DAYS 4-5 PHOTO LINK

Tomorrow....

2010-11-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

Packing...*check*, house somewhat clean...*check.

Time for me to hit the sack. Tomorrow, Mon., we are up at 4:30am to load up our stuff and head to the airport. By Tuesday, we will be in Israel!

We were very humbled and blessed to have this trip "gifted" to us. Otherwise, who knows when we would have the opportunity to go? Nate is flying with us to Georgia, where he will "sleepover" at Grandpa & Grandma's house while we're gone. Lucky kid!

I will try to update the blog and facebook as often as I can. Every day is packed with tours from 8am-5pm. They said once we get back to the hotel, all we'll want to do is eat & sleep! I believe them.

Please pray for safe travels! Shalom!

-Denise

TWO MORE DAYS!

2010-11-05T23:20:00.000-07:00

SO MUCH TO DO!! Packing, cleaning & catching up on artwork..........

Two more days & we're off.....guess where?? (no, not Africa...yet).

HAPPY TRICK OR TREAT!

2010-10-31T22:27:00.001-07:00

I....am.....BAKUGAN!

MISSION TRIP TO ROCKY POINT, MEXICO

2010-10-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

The team!

What an amazing weekend! We just returned from a 4-day trip to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco), Mexico with One Mission.....an organization who builds homes & community for impoverished families. This was my first mission trip ever, and I don't know why I waited so long. I had a vague idea of what to expect but the trip was nothing like I expected.

5 of us from our church were meeting up with 22 from another church in Phoenix at the base camp. We had no problems on the drive from Tucson to Rocky Point. No fake checkpoints along the way or hitches of any kind (that we kept hearing from everyone). It's a 3 hr drive to the border, then 1 more hr to Rocky Point.

We drove into the One Mission camp and set up our tents on the sandy dirt lot. There were hot showers, bathrooms, a community kitchen and even a place to do laundry so we were set! I didn't sleep well the first night...mainly because it was windy & the tent made weird noises. Then someone's alarm went off at 2:45am....but my cell phone said 3:45am so I had no idea what that was about. I found out soon enough when we woke up & not a single person was stirring at 7am (according to my cell). Come to find out, there are 2 different mayors in Rocky Point. One mayor declared one side on daylight savings time, the other on Arizona time. Turns out, the cell tower happens to be on the side that didn't "fall back". ha!

We met the people from the other church, had a good breakfast burrito & headed out to the family's place where we would build their house. The area is called the barrios (or the San Rafael subdivision). Basically, you drive down and endless maze of sandy dirt roads (soft, deep sand, not packed dirt), passing various "homes" made out of....well, anything they could find. Turns out, the place used to be a landfill. But the govt didn't clear it out. They just dumped a big pile of dirt on top of the trash and sold the land lots. As we were digging out the area for the foundation, we were digging up trash too. Not to mention the flies were horrendous. (I have a vague idea of the infamous 7 plagues, now). Very sad. Poverty in Mexico is very different from the U.S. We are fortunate to have some resources like shelters, food banks, welfare, etc. But in Mexico, if you are down & out, too bad. There's nothing & no one to help you, so you find food where you can get it (like the trash), friends or family. This was a hard working family whose father lost his job. (But man, he could stucco a building like no one's business!).

The family's home was a variety of boards and whatever else they could find, nailed together, with a cut out hole for a window. 4 kids & 2 parents made their home there. Another smaller shack became their outhouse. This was the only bathroom for the day so I only drank enough water to keep me hydrated (and very little coffee the entire weekend). ha. We met the family (who were the nicest, kindest people BTW), and began laying out the groundwork to pour the foundation. Many of the locals showed up and put in more muscle than I could even muster. I've never seen such hard working people. Seriously, they would work very hard for a long time, and finally take a break.

We had 2-1/2 days with 27+ people to build a double-wide (40'x20'). I started off mixing cement. Holy cow, what a workout! My arms & abs were burning. Nate had the job of putting a handful of fiberglass in the dirt/cement mix. Without it the mix wouldn't bond. By the end of the day, we had the foundation laid and some of the framework finished.

Day 2 we put up all of the framework, tar paper, chicken wire, tarred the roof & the first coat of stucco! Day 3, 2nd coat of stucco and finishing touches. Somehow we finished...all by 12pm! Then it was time to dedicate the house to the family. I've never seen such grateful faces.

We were blessed to get to know many of the locals and Nate had an awesome time playing with their kids. He couldn't speak Spanish & they couldn't speak English but it didn't matter.

I will never forget this experience & can't wait for the next trip! Here's all the photos:

ONE MISSION HOUSE BUILD LINK

GOOD NEWS!!

2010-10-18T20:17:00.001-07:00

Good news!

Our Online Adoption Tupperware Fundraiser has been extended to this Sunday, Oct. 24!! There's still time to order + 15 extra products that were added last Wed. Thank you to everyone who has placed an order. So far we have raised $342.60+ ($857 retail)!!

If you click on the link below, it will prompt you to sign in and direct you to our special Fundraising Catalog (Please order items from theFundraising Catalog, not the regular catalog. Only Fundraising Catalog orders will count toward our adoption).

For every order you place, Tupperware will donate 40% OF THE SALE to our adoption!! Our goal is $3400 to send the dossier off. Your order will be shipped directly to you, after Oct. 22.

Please forward this link to all your family, friends and co-workers.

With your help, anything is possible! Extended deadline is Sun., October 24.

Sullivan Tupperware Fundraiser!

Thank you so much for supporting adoption!!!

P.S. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. You may receive this invite twice as many of us have the same friends!

Many Blessings,

Don & Denise Sullivan

Email: ddsullivan2@msn.com

Delivering Meals to a Welcome a New Baby!

2010-10-18T11:29:00.001-07:00

We're organizing meals to bring to one of our PRCC families who just had a baby! Congrats to Leanne and Steven and their new baby girl, Hayley. The family lives in Catalina. If you would like to bring a meal this week or next, please comment or email me at ddsullivan2@msn.com with the day you will deliver and we'll get directions to you.

Thanks!

Denise

NEW! Adoption Fundraiser Website

2010-10-12T00:56:00.000-07:00

I finally got an official fundraiser website set up. Check it out! Add to your favorites & forward to your friends & family.

http://sullivanethiopianadoption.weebly.com/

Baby Girl Stuff

2010-10-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

If you have a baby/toddler girl or know someone who does, here's a fun way to help another family bring their baby girl home from China! They are auctioning off many of their other daughter's clothes to raise funds. She has super CUTE stuff from Baby Gap, Gymboree, Crocs, Sketchers, etc. If we had a girl or knew we were getting one, I would be all over this. Might just bid anyway. ha.

Here's the link. Hurry though...auction ends Tues Oct. 12!!

http://bringinghomefinley.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-auction-works.html?spref=fb

BEFORE YOU HAVE THAT GARAGE SALE.....

2010-10-11T16:36:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to throw this out there...

A friend is trying to round up items for a family who lost everything in a fire. And when I say, "everything", I mean EVERYTHING. They are in IMMEDIATE needs of many household items and also have a newborn + a 2 yr old (boys).

If you are willing to part with any items you have, please email (ddsullivan2@msn.com) or facebook me ASAP & I will make arrangements to pick up the items. Below is the list. Thanks everyone!!!!!

LIVING ROOM

sofa, chairs, side tables, lamps

DINING ROOM

kitchen table & chairs

KITCHEN

coffee maker, silverware, pots/pans, spatulas, coffee cups, towels, dish cloths, glasses

MASTER BED

queen or king bedding/sheets, side tables, lamps

BATHROOM

shower curtain, trash can, towels

LAUNDRY

washing maching, iron, ironing board, vacuum cleaner

FAMILY STUFF

diapers (NB & size 4), wipes, baby wash, clothing (3-6 mo & size 3T-4T).

BIG NEWS!! Tupperware HOLIDAY fundraiser flyer!

2010-10-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! On Wed., Oct. 13, our Tupperware fundraiser will include a special..

HOLIDAY FLYER
15 Additional Products!

Very cool stuff! Including the round, shapes toy that we grew up with! Just check back on Wed via the link below and the Holiday flyer will be available. Remember you have until Oct. 22 to order Tupperware for our fundraiser! 40% of the sales will go toward our adoption!!

http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www/!twx$eparty_ctl.p_guest_welcome?pv_eparty=d236a21cf364f84a9c12647b79338ffb

UPDATE My Kid is NOT a Blue Light Special!

2010-10-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

****UPDATE****

So we talked to the teacher today & happy to say that everything went very easily & peacefully! Turns out that one of her friends (affectionately) refers to her 3 adopted kids as her "store-bought" kids..(not saying I agree with that mom, but...well whatever). So, said teacher didn't think anything about using that phrase since her own friend refers to her adopted kids that way. We explained that regardless, we did not want that term used and why. She was VERY apologetic, understanding and appreciated that we took the time to talk to her about it. I don't anticipate any more problems.

We know this teacher adores Nate and we wanted her (and anyone else reading our blog or facebook) to be aware of what is said to adopted kids. If we had yelled at her, or gone over her head without talking to her, we would have missed an opportunity to positively change one more person's view of adoption. I'm glad everything worked out the way it did.

_______________________________________

I've heard the stories. Comments people have made to parents who've adopted kids. So far we had been spared many of those comments. Probably because everyone assumes I gave birth to Nate since he looks similar to me. However...I knew we wouldn't escape it completely.

So hubby goes to pick up Nate at preschool. There are several teachers there and all classes & teachers converge during the lunch hour. In a word...chaos! As he's gathering up Nate, his lunch box and whatever papers & crafts he did that day, while dodging other preschoolers winding up their lunch time....one of the teachers finds out that we adopted Nate and *****drum roll*****, says...

"Oh! He's one of our store-bought kids!"

What??? Are you kidding me? Did I hear that right? Then hubby informs me that she goes on to say, "We have lots of store-bought kids in our preschool!"

NO. WAY.

We did not go shopping one day, see Nate sitting on some shelf & decide to purchase him with our half-off coupon. Oh wait. The coupon expired so I guess we'll have to pay full price! Un...be...lievable!

Now I know she didn't intend to be cruel. She has a rep for saying whatever pops into her head. But at the same time, she does need to think about the impact of her words. I mean that's just setting up future "let's make fun of the adopted boy" moments. I could just see a thoughtless kid telling him he must have come from Walmart because they found toys there that were "Made in China". Show some tact!!!

Needless to say, poor hubby was dumbfounded...speechless (and if you know my hubby, you know that's a miracle). By the time his head cleared, chaos was still around & teacher was off somewhere. So when Nate goes back to school tomorrow, we will have to have a talk with said teacher.

A friend informed me that there's a young adult book out called "The Store Bought Child" (about a girl's adopted brother who was killed in an accident). I don't know if that's where this teacher got this term but regardless....it's definitely not appropriate to use for adopted kids. No kid wants to be looked at as an object or dehumanized.

This was on top of another incident earlier in the week when one of my hubby's facebook friends (from way back in high school) decided to question our decision on adopting internationally rather than domestically. It's one thing to ask. It's another to demand to know "how on earth could you do such a horrible thing" type of attitude.

ALL adopted kids...domestic or international have the right to be loved & to a family. God called us to this and He will place the child we are meant to have. We have a heart for orphans and there are many many millions of orphans world-wide who need a mom & dad.

'Nuf said.

-Denise

Nate's Birthday Weekend!

2010-10-03T21:35:00.001-07:00

Blowing out the candle on his fighter jet cake!

My little man turned 4 this weekend and we did way more celebrating than I anticipated! Don was out turkey hunting with friends on his birthday (Friday) so we had his actual party today. However, I have to celebrate ON the day so we ended up at Denny's for his free birthday Grand Slam...Trail Dust Town to ride the train & see a shootout, school carnival to play endless games, and a free kids meal at Sonic..then getting the house, handmade cake & food prepared for 20 people at his party today. Crazy!! I think my "Clark Griswold" thinking totally kicked in. I'm exhausted!

Here's photos of his birthday weekend for you:

NATE'S BIRTHDAY PICS

TUPPERWARE ONLINE ADOPTION FUNDRAISER!!!

2010-09-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I'm so excited!! We are doing a very easy and fun Tupperware fundraiser to help bring home our baby from Ethiopia! For every order you place, Tupperware will donate 40% OF THE SALE to our adoption!! There are NO parties involved. Instead, there are two options available....

1. An online order link

2. A packet with order forms where you can take orders from your co-workers, local-friends & family. **TUCSON ONLY**

Tucsonans can do both if you'd like. Email the link below to your out of town/state friends & family...product would be shipped directly to them.

********************

When you use the packet & collect orders, my Tupperware rep has generously decided that you will receive 1 Raffle Ticket for every $50 in orders you collect, for a drawing for $100 of FREE TUPPERWARE!! This is only for local/Tucson orders you collect with the packet (not via the online link).

Packet orders ONLY will be shipped to my rep & I will deliver them to you. Please let me know if you'd like to take a packet of order forms & I will get that to you asap. Deadline to order is Oct. 22.

********************

ONLINE ORDERING:

If you click on the link below, it will prompt you to sign in and direct you to our special Fundraising Catalog (Please order items from the Fundraising Catalog, not the regular catalog. Only Fundraising Catalog orders will count toward our adoption).

For every order you place, Tupperware will donate 40% OF THE SALE to our adoption!! Our goal is $3400 to send the dossier off. Your order will be shipped directly to you, after Oct. 22. No parties...very easy!

Please forward this link to all your family, friends and co-workers. With your help, anything is possible! The deadline is October 22.

http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www/!twx$eparty_ctl.p_guest_welcome?pv_eparty=d236a21cf364f84a9c12647b79338ffb

Thank you so much for supporting adoption!!!

P.S. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. You may receive this invite twice as many of us have the same friends!

Many Blessings,

Don & Denise Sullivan

Email: ddsullivan2@msn.com

Get Your Kicks......

2010-09-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

So, on Thursday, Don comes home from work & says, "Hey! Feel like going up to Williams?" He wanted to scout for turkey for his upcoming turkey hunt next weekend. Naturally, who am I to say "no" to a road trip? Especially when we haven't had a 2-day family weekend since January!

Well Williams is a 4-1/2 hr drive north...about a hour south of the Grand Canyon. It was already late afternoon so I started buzzing around the house throwing things together to go camping. A quick "Google" on campgrounds in Williams and we were off. As expected we went off & forgot a few things (like Don's coat...good thing he brought his Snuggie. haha!).

We decided on Kaibab Lake campground and it was beautiful! We could see the lake from our campsite...temps were 40's at night, high 70's day. Considering we left behind 100+ degree temps, that was heaven to us! Leaving so spontaneously, the only tent we had was Nate's.

Yep..that's right. We ALL squeezed into his tent & when I say "squeezed", I mean SQUEEZED. After 2 days of feeling the ground in my back and barely being able to turn over, I was ready for my own bed!

We had a great time though and enjoyed touristy Williams on Route 66, scouting the back roads for turkey (and finding a herd of sheep instead), and just being in the cool, quiet pines.

I was SO not ready to come home! Click on "Williams Photos" below to see more pics.

WILLIAMS PHOTOS

BIRTHDAYS

2010-09-14T11:55:00.001-07:00

I have been so crazy busy lately...art, art & more art, church art/events, a rambunctious toddler, adoption stuff....celebrating birthdays (priorities people!)

Don & I just celebrated our birthday week and enjoyed having good friends visiting to help us eat the cake and supply us with Snuggies...ha! We also had FREE birthday pizza at Grimaldi's....(can you say YUM? I knew you could). Thanks to everyone for the cards. They are proudly displayed on our piano! More photos below.......click on "Birthday Photos".

BIRTHDAY PHOTOS

EASY WAY TO SERVE TUCSON!!

2010-09-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

I am totally doing this! Meet me at PRCC this Saturday at 8:30am. I'm handing out cold bottled water to motorists....yes, standing on a big island in the middle of the road and serving motorists with FREE BOTTLED WATER. The more we can hand out, the better. If you want to donate, bring by your case of water to PRCC. Don and I are purchasing as much as our budget will allow....but obviously, that's not enough. Whatever you can donate is MUCH APPRECIATED!!!! Thanks everyone!!!! Hope to see you there!

440 W. Calle Concordia, between La Canada & Oracle Rd

www.prcctucson.org

Do you GROUPON??

2010-08-30T14:38:00.001-07:00

I admit it, I am hooked. On GROUPONS that is. A friend told me about and I'm sure she regrets it because I keep advertising for referral credits. haha.

Groupons is a website where you can get awesome deals around Tucson...or other cities...for deep discounts. Today I got one for the Seven Cups Tea House. For $5, I got a $10 gift certificate. The one I'm REALLY excited to use is at Chad's Steakhouse on the east side. I spent $5 and got a $30 gift certificate for steaks! Just in time for our birthdays! So far I've got screamin' deals at Tohono Chul Park, 17th St Market, gifts for family in other states...

Well, see for yourself. It's free to register and get your GROUPON!

www.groupons.com

Adoption Fundraising Update!!

2010-08-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yay! We've just put 3 dots on the mileage map! To date we've raised $2,117!! Thanks to the Ramos, Kirk Bushell, Slater, Miracle, McKinney, Corbin & Jackson families for your coffee, T-shirt & purse purchases. You helped us raise $153 of that total! We are so thankful for your support.

We passed our first milestone marker so it's time for our first raffle drawing for 2 sets of Thanksgiving (4 cards) & Valentine (8 cards) greeting cards featuring my artwork & signature. Retail value $27.00.

And the winner is..................LOU KIRK!! Congrats Lou!

There are more raffle drawings coming up for everyone who purchases our fundraiser items or donates via the PayPal button on our blog. More fun products with my art including: Custom Coffee Purse, Print of my art, Wood plaque with my art, $25 gift card.

Still working on our dossier paperwork. Thanks everyone!!!

New Chili Pepper Purses!!

2010-08-18T11:08:00.001-07:00

**UPDATE****** Just finished a chic little wristlet clutch. Love it! Click on my Etsy store link at the bottom of this post to purchase. Remember, all sales go toward our adoption!

Clutch - $16.99

Messenger/Diaper Bag $34.95

I'm having too much fun creating these chili pepper purses! A few more for sale in my Etsy shop!

I made a large messenger bag..or diaper bag...and I like how it turned out. It was a bit laborious to make, mainly trying to get dimensions and pockets to work. This one has an adjustable strap and is fleece lined to make it sturdier. It's not intended for a laptop or several heavy books but will definitely carry several items and electronics like Kindles, iPads, etc. There's a small pocket on one side to hold a cell or keys. If you're like me, I hate digging through a large bag for my keys!

This morning I finished a cute little chili pepper purse...perfect for a night out with your favorite man or just the girls. It would also be a fun purse for a teen.

$19.95

You can view & purchase them in my Etsy store: www.etsy.com/shop/dsbagdesign

1st Football Game!!

2010-08-15T20:22:00.001-07:00

On Sat., Don got free tickets to the AZ Cardinals football game. Nate went to his very first pro game and I had the afternoon & evening all to myself!!

Nate had a great time, got a little bored toward the end, but loved it when the Cards scored & people all round cheered & Hi-Five'd. He was carried into the house zonked out when they got home.

I enjoyed the peace & QUIET and decided to treat myself to a movie that night. Wish I picked a better choice. I saw "Eat, Pray, Love" and the only thing I liked about it was the scenery. ha. Oh well. Still a good day.

Click below to see a few photos....including a couple from a fast, intense summer storm that blew through tonight.

FOOTBALL PHOTOS

HOT New Chili Pepper Applique Purses for Sale!!

2010-08-12T23:09:00.001-07:00

Well, this was fun! I just finished making two applique purses from recycled coffee bags, with a fun Chili Pepper design.

But the kicker is..........

The interior is lined with my chili pepper fabric! Kaufman fabrics printed up a few different designs using my chili pepper art and marketed them to quilt shops across the U.S. They sent me about 2 yards of each design so I decided to use them to line my purses. SWEET!!

I also started experimenting with a way to make the seams and handle loops sturdier. Voila! Double folded seams & canvas loops worked out perfect.

Check out my Etsy site to view & purchase the purses. Please pass it on to your friends & family! All proceeds go toward our adoption.

www.etsy.com/shop/dsbagdesign

1ST DAY OF PRESCHOOL!!!

2010-08-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

My baby is growing up into a handsome little boy. Today he started his 1st day of preschool!!

Ok, but.... let me back up a bit.

Monday, we got him ready for school, totally pumped him up for his BIG first day! Got all the way there and my first thought was, "Where are all the kids?" We walked up to the classroom only to hear the teachers say, "Uh...yeah...school doesn't start for him until WEDNESDAY!"

Doh!!!!!! I'm already scatterbrained on my kid's first day of preschool!

Poor Nate was SO disappointed & sad. How do you explain to a 3yr old that you screwed up on the dates? He looked ready to cry but he didn't. Sooo......I had some making up to do. That day was a 100% "Nate" day. We went to Sbux & got his favorite chocolate milk. Then we went to the fabric store where he picked out fabric for a shirt that I PROMISED to make him for his official first day. Then we went to the mall where he had unlimited play on the playground, rode up & down the escalator & glass elevator multiple times. THEN, he got an ice cream cone.

I also told him not to expect this every time..that it was a special treat. haha. So we made up for the mixed up dates.

And finally, the big day arrived. I made him the shirt I promised (and believe me, he asked about it), and he had a great day at school! Got good remarks from the teachers..in fact...one of them was sad that he wasn't in her class, and ate his entire lunch, including the carrots!

So proud of our little man! Here's photos (click on the words below).

NATE'S PRESCHOOL PHOTOS

Apple Annie's Orchard

2010-08-07T18:20:00.001-07:00

Today we took a little road trip to Apple Annie's Orchard & Farm in Wilcox, AZ...about 2 hrs southeast of Tucson. We had a GREAT time and it was easy to get carried away. They gave you a bucket to pick peaches and we had to restrain ourselves from over picking! You have so much fun, you don't realize how many peaches you've picked until it's too late.....then you realize you have to pay for them. ha. They were handcranking homemade peach ice cream and we had homemade peach pie ala mode. Ohhhh so good!

My grandparents used to have a peach tree & I loved picking as many peaches as we could while mom took them home to make peach cobbler. (speaking of which, is in the oven. yum!)

After our peach pickin', we headed over to their farm to pick veggies. Nate had a great time, picking black eyed peas, okra (which is sort of like brushing against fiberglass. He & I kept complaining we were itchy), yellow squash, zucchini, and eggplant. We had a ton of veggies and still only cost $18. Don found a caterpillar and Nate thought it was interesting until it tried crawling up his arm. haha.

It was a great day. Don & Nate are shelling the black eyed peas (which Nate still thinks is "fun"....and we'll let him.) and I can't wait till this peach cobbler gets out of the oven!

Click on the words below to see the photos:

PEACH PICKIN PHOTOS

ETHIOPIA ADOPTION UPDATE

2010-08-06T13:19:00.001-07:00

Every week, we receive a newsletter regarding Ethiopian adoption from our agency. This adoption will be different from Nate's, in that we will have to make 2 short trips to Africa, appear before a judge in Ethiopia, and different paperwork requirements must be met. Below is the latest newsletter on what we would expect from our first trip to Ethiopia:

ETHIOPIA UPDATE 8-6-10

Dear Families,

Hope you’re looking forward to a great weekend.

1ST TRIP (OF 2 TRIPS)

Our first group of families to travel for the 1st trip of the new 2 trip process has returned to the US after visiting their children and giving their consent to the judge to adopt the child that they were referred. I think the greatest words that the families heard during their entire trip was when the judge said “He’s (she’s) yours”.

After arriving at court in the morning with a Children’s Hope representative with them, the 7 families found themselves in a full room with other families nervously waiting to present themselves before the judge. The families were called one by one (as a couple) into the judges chambers to answer a series of questions and give their consent to the adoption. Families reported that the judge was so pleasant and seemed genuinely excited and happy for them and glad to hear their stories. This made the families feel more at ease. The entire hearing for each family took on average about 5 minutes. Some of the questions that the judge asked were about the children (if any) that the couple may have already at home – their ages, gender, etc., how were their children at home prepared for the adoption; why the couple wanted to adopt, why from Ethiopia, questions asked about addressing the race and cultural identity of the child; if the couple had actually meet the child that they were referred and the couples consent to adopt the child - then “He’s (she’s) yours”. The adoption was approved at that point. There is still a lot of paperwork that has to be done now in order for the children to come home (adoption decree, passport, birth certificate, visa medical, TB testing – for children 2yrs and over), but the judges’ approval made the adoption final. Families were also reminded that the adoption can not be overturned in Ethiopia once it has been approved by the judge.

Both parents are asked to appear in court for the first trip. However there will be exceptions made for families who have a valid reason as to why the other parent can not attend. This reason has to be documented in a letter to the court along with a Power of Attorney from the non travelling spouse.

Regarding the families leaving their children behind in Ethiopia until they return for the 2nd trip to bring the child home, one family mentioned that it gives them an opportunity to prepare their home and family for the new child now. They know his personality, what size clothes to purchase and just what he will need when he comes home. They called it a blessing to know what to expect and how to parent him. They also mentioned that the care that the children receive for the staff at the HOH (House of Hope) is excellent and therefore they had no reservations leaving their child as they know that he is in very good hands.

The time in country is only 3-4 days for the first trip. These families were able to visit their children more than one time on this trip. All of the families who could, stayed at the HOH guest house and they bonded so well together that they are looking forward to going back together as a group for the second time. Keep in mind that it is very likely that the group that you travel with on the 1st trip will be the same group that you will travel with on the 2nd trip, but not always. For example, if a family’s passport, fingerprints or CIS approval are close to expiring and they have to get documents renewed after returning from the 1st trip, depending on the timing of receiving those documents back, it could push someone off schedule as far as traveling with their original group for the 2nd trip. Therefore, please always stay mindful of when your CIS approval and fingerprints expire - even your passport, if you have had it for a while, and have them renewed so that there are no delays later. On average we expect a 5-6 week wait between court approval and travel.

Two more families will be traveling home this weekend with their new children. Congratulations!

ETHIOPIA STATS FROM JULY

__8_children home to _8_ families

__4_ girls _4 boys

__0_ sibling groups __0_ set of twins

__1_ single completed this month. After transferring from the Vietnam program after its closure and waiting 14 months for a referral in the Ethiopia program.

As of today

_ 44_ dossier families on the waiting list for a referral

_ 22_ families with a referral waiting to travel

103 families in the Home Study/dossier prep stage

Happy 3 yr Gotcha Day!

2010-08-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

3 years already?? Still seems like yesterday when we met our son for the first time in China. I'm sure I'll be saying that every year for the rest of my life. haha. Nate is older now and we've told him that he is adopted and how we flew on an airplane all the way to China to bring him home. Of course, he doesn't fully understand it but he smiles, nods & says, "Yep!" He knows how very much we love him.

Our little Nathaniel is growing up. Today we had preschool orientation and Monday, is his first day of preschool! He is so excited. I know he's going to love it. The kid just loves to learn!

Tonight we'll celebrate low-key and try out some Dim Sum at a local restaurant. We'll have to watch his Gotcha Day dvd and get all weepy eyed again. Ahhhh...what awesome memories to have forever.

So reminisce with us. Here's photos of our journey to China..click on the words below.

OUR JOURNEY TO NATE

Swim Lessons Finished!

2010-07-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

Nate & his instructor, Isaac

Nate took his last swim lesson today & had a great time! He's become very comfortable in the water, holding his breath longer & learning strokes. Definitely worth it! Today all the kids got to go on the giant slide at the pool & I was proud of Nate going by himself...head first!!

Click on SWIM PHOTOS below to see the rest of the pictures.

SWIM PHOTOS

Parker Canyon Lake

2010-07-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

We took a spontaneous road trip to Parker Canyon Lake this morning, in southeast Arizona. The weather was beautiful...a storm blowing through dropped the temp down to 75 (YESSSS!!!) and left big puffy clouds. Don & Nate caught a ton of bluegill...threw them all back...but Nate had a great time fishing. Don got a cane pole at the dock shop, threw the line out & a second later hooked a fish! I went on a 5-1/2 mile hike around the entire lake (not knowing it was going to be that long!) It was gorgeous & cool out and we were wishing we'd brought a tent to stay the night.

Here's photos...click on LAKE PHOTOS below (I just assume everyone can see these photos. If you can't, leave a comment & let me know):

LAKE PHOTOS

1st Swim Lessons

2010-07-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Nate had his first ever swim lessons today & had a great time! I came prepared to get in the pool with him but he didn't need me. haha. There were only 2 other kids in his class so they all got some good one-on-one attention. Two weeks of swim lessons for only $20. Can't beat that! I'm glad I didn't get in because I was able to take a few photos. Got all the way & realized I'd left my camera at the pool so I had to go back. Doh!!

Here's photos below:

SWIM LESSONS

PATAGONIA LAKE

2010-07-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well, Becky P...you'll be pleased to know we went on another spontaneous adventure today! At first we planned to go to a movie, but I really felt like "getting out of dodge", so I said to my man, "Hey! Why not just go for a drive?" Don, naturally, has to have a purpose to that drive, so he ran into the garage, threw a bunch of fishing stuff, chairs & what-not into the truck and said, how about Patagonia Lake? (well, whatever, as long as it's out of dodge!) The lake is a little over an hour south of us.

So we headed out & about halfway there, we noticed the temp had dropped from 100 to 85!! Woot! Woot!! Road trip definitely justified. We stopped in Sonoita & picked up some fried chicken and other stuff for a picnic (Don was eyeing the local steakhouses). I had forgotten how beautiful the scenery is down here. Finally, we made it to Patagonia State Park and discovered the beach area. I think the last time we came down here, it was in the winter, so we overlooked the beach. But today was perfect for wading or swimming. Had we known, we would've brought our swim suits, tubes, noodles & whatever else. As it was, I only waded in as far as my pants would roll up & Nate shed his shorts to go partially buff. haha.

He had a great time, even making friends with some of the older kids. It was funny to watch because he just quietly invaded their groups and they had no choice but to pay attention to him.

It was a nice day and perfect little getaway. Here's photos for you:

PATAGONIA LAKE PHOTOS

Easily Entertained

2010-07-15T08:47:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, my dad took us to a ton of different summer-kid activities....summer reading programs, Wallace & Ladmo performances, VBS, etc. Now I get to do the same thing with Nate. However.....it's EXHAUSTING! Or maybe it's because I'm a parent later in life and a little lacking in the energy department. ha.

I'm glad there's no shortage of fun, free stuff for kids out here. Nate's craft project stash is steadily growing.

Next week he starts 2 wks of swimming lessons...then it will be time for preschool! He picked out an IronMan lunch box and we've decided on Light the Way preschool at Desert Son Community Church. Summer has flown by.

And I haven't made it to the ocean yet.

**click on the links below to see more photos**

SUMMER PHOTOS

Connection Group Swim Party

CHUGGING ALONG

2010-07-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

UPDATE 7.22.10: Had a few more donations to our adoption so that puts us at $1075 total. Thanks everyone!

Just finished a funky tropical messenger bag made from recycled coffee & snack bags. Check it out for sale on my Etsy site!

www.etsy.com/shop/dsbagdesign

Don't forget to stop by our Just Love Coffee website if it's time to stock up on more beans. We've nearly used our 2 bags (Ethiopian Sidamo & Ugandan) and I love the flavor (believe me, we are picky about our coffee!)

www.justlovecoffee.com/TheSullivans

You can show your pride in saving orphans by wearing one of our adoption tees for sale at our adoptionbug site.

www.adoptionbug.com/theSullivans

EVERYONE WHO DONATES WILL BE ENTERED INTO A RAFFLE!! Prizes are selections of products with my art on them (prints, note cards, wall plaques, etc).

July 4 Carnival

2010-07-05T20:46:00.001-07:00

Had a great time at our church's July 4 carnival fundraiser! I was basically at the church from 8:15 that morning until 9pm that night. It was hot, sweaty work setting up the booths after service and I think I was a little dehydrated from the heat & over dosing on coffee to keep me awake, but thanks to several volunteers, we managed to get everything set up by 5pm! It was so awesome to see families arriving & having a great time. I really wanted a Starbucks basket up for auction but the price got too high for our budget. Next time I'll have to put a stash of $$ aside!

The fundraiser was a HUGE success in many ways..financially (sorry, not revealing the final fundraising amount until Sunday!) and being able to meet many new families. Fireworks from the nearby resort topped it off. Here's photos for you:

JULY 4 CARNIVAL

GETTING READY FOR THE 4TH!!!!

2010-07-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

What a day! Our church is putting together a July 4 carnival fundraiser.....to build homes in Rocky Point, Mexico and today we did a ton of set design & construction. HOT HOT HOT but so many people stuck around to get 'er done!

We got a lot of AWESOME items for the silent auction...in fact...I'm bidding on the Starbucks gift basket (complete with coffee grinder & plenty of Starbucks to keep me going!). I donated my "Tranquility" bath collection that's available in Anna's Linens ($170 value) and one of my coffee purses made from recycled coffee bags. But there are several very cool things, like tickets to Breakers Water park, gorgeous 20" square tile, a 30 minute airflight in a Trike.....

I'm so excited and hope that tomorrow is a very successful day!! Here's photos of our work today (click on July 4... below)

JULY 4 CARNIVAL PHOTOS

NATE IN THE CHI BLOG

2010-06-30T09:09:00.001-07:00

Nate's fishing photo made the CHI (Children's Hope International) adoption blog! Check it out here (click on CHI BLOG below)

CHI BLOG

SUMMER KID FUN

2010-06-29T14:59:00.001-07:00

I had to watch Nate's friends today while their mom had an appt, so I decided to let them play in the pool after breakfast. Yep....it's hot enough in AZ to actually play in the pool at 9am. I figured that would wear them out & keep them entertained for awhile. They had a ton of fun, and then I decided to whisk them into the truck & head to Bookmans for some fun. Bookman's is a used bookstore out here & they have free kids events over the summer. Today they got to decorate their own book bag. Nice activity to keep them occupied. Unfortunately...not as long as I had hoped! They did a great job so we went over to the kids area to look at books until their mom arrived. After that, Nate & I spontaneously decided to join them for a free summer movie (well, ok it was $2 for adults!) so we headed off to the dollar theater to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Very funny movie...but my stomach was GROWLING by the time it was over. So I loaded up Nate & headed to Chik Fil A across the street for a free kids meal & free ice cream!!

Turned out to be a pretty busy but really great morning! Here's photos...click on SUMMER FUN below:

SUMMER KIDS FUN

NATE IN THE NEWS!

2010-06-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was excited to find out that this week's Northwest Explorer had a photo of Nate on Family Fishing Day!!

NW EXPLORER PHOTOS

Adopting Issues to Consider

2010-06-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

A few of you have asked if Nate will still be the oldest child since we have applied to adopt a child older than 1 yr. The answer is "yes". We receive monthly updates on the Ethiopian program from our agency. They had an article about adopting out of birth order that I found interesting and thought I'd share. -Denise

Adopting out of birth order

As a general rule, Children’s Hope does not place out of birth order. Meaning that we do displace the age order of children currently in the family, though it has been allowed on a very small scale here. The idea of placing out of birth order is a controversial one and you can hear many discussions on the subject listing both pros and cons. We have found throughout the many years of placing children into adoptive homes that an out of birth order placement is not the preferred placement and can be one of the most challenging. In the Ethiopia program since the ages of the children are estimated, and older children can be 1 or 2 years older than the age that is given in the background information (though we have our doctor at the HOH to estimate the age of the child before referring them), we have to use more caution when placing that child to try to ensure that the child bring placed will not all of the sudden turn out to be the oldest child in the home (above another child), due to his estimated birth date. Most will agree that displacing the oldest child in the home should never be an option. The child has already established his/her place in the family as the oldest and will certainly have issues if he/she suddenly became the middle child or youngest child. As well, the child being placed in the middle of 2 children may actually need to be the youngest in the family due to their development stage, background, etc.

Also, when considering out of birth order, not only is the age of the children currently in the home considered, but also the age of the child coming into the home. In Ethiopia often times an older child will live with other children, siblings or cousins, etc.; you have to consider, where has that child’s place been in the family that they lived with? Were they the youngest and now are the middle child, or the oldest? Of course sometimes their place in their birth family may never be known.

There are so many things to look at and consider when thinking about adopting out of birth order, What are the dynamics of the family and the child that the out of birth order placement will be with? How much of an age gap is there between the child that is being placed and the child being displaced? Will that placement now turn into artificial twinning, which is another challenging adoption scenario?

Basically, families, children and situations vary so greatly that to say that an out of birth order placement will not work for any family is false; however, much care, consideration information and education must be given to any family considering such a placement.

Splash Pad

2010-06-24T12:52:00.001-07:00

Here's more splash pad photos. Click on "Facebook" below.

FACEBOOK

Fun in the HOT Sun

2010-06-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

Faceplant!!

Last night, one of our close friends took Don to the Diamondbacks game. I had the rare occasion of no band practice so I tagged along up to Phoenix and took Nate on the town. Phoenix has a great outdoor mall called Desert Ridge with a splash fountain....PERfect for summer heat (113 in the afternoon). Nate had an awesome time and played for over an hour before he was shaking from the cold water. We shared slider burgers for dinner, treated ourselves to ice cream and checked out a toy store that had a play area.

At about 8:30pm, there was a loud POP and the entire mall went black. The sun had just set so we were in darkness. The retailers were rushing people out of the stores & locking up before people got the idea to shoplift. I feel sorry for the people stuck in the restaurants with half eaten food...it was pretty dark in there too. Plus it was still 105 at 8:30pm and with no air conditioning....well, you get the picture. I wonder how they got everyone out of the movie theater too! The surrounding neighborhoods were out as well & it was a crazy madhouse trying to navigate through lines of cars, out of the mall. People seem to forget the concept of 4-way stops when the traffic lights go out & I held my breath going through intersections, hoping no one would hit me!

I had to figure out what to do with Nate because the game wouldn't be over for another 2 hours! So I drove to a Barnes & Noble at another mall & let him play in the kids section. That entertained him....it was funny....I thought he'd be really grumpy for having to stay up way past his bedtime, but he was treating it like an older kid who had the rare opportunity to stay up late! He was in a great mood, even though I could tell he was getting tired.

Sadly, the DBacks lost to the Yankees (boo!) but it was a fun night and special treat to get out of dodge.

Happy Father's Day!!

2010-06-20T17:41:00.001-07:00

Me & my dad

My dad...a great grandpa

Cheers to all you dads out there and especially our dads! I have many great memories of my dad & here are a few that stand out:

1. Watching World Beyond on Sat mornings...especially Godzilla!

2. Going to fun places like Wallace & Ladmo shows, playgrounds, & teaching us silly songs.

3. Making sure we had our daily quota of sweets!

4. Always teaching us the importance of honoring God in everything we did

5. Encouraging us & supporting us in our dreams

6. Letting us shave his face with the electric shaver (I don't think I would've been that brave!)

7. Building the coolest VBS and youth worship props. Still remember the robot he built that talked & made cool beeps & whirs.

8. Running the puppet shows for youth worship & recording our voices for 4 different puppets!

9. Teaching us to be generous givers (to this day he always brings us a Costco sized supply of toilet paper! haha)

10. Teaching us to make awesome Filipino food!

Now I am really thankful to have the chance to see my dad be a great grandpa to Nate. Thanks dad for being the best dad ever! My husband was also taught by his parents how to be a great dad. He has a unique way of looking at the world differently and I love how he instills values, strength, integrity and leadership in our son, in his own creative way. I find it interesting how Nate responds to him and I see the importance of having a good dad in his life.

I am really blessed to have the positive influences of my dad, my husband and my father-in-law in my life. Happy Father's Day!!

Another great dad!

FISHING FUN

2010-06-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

Nate showing Nia his worms!

What a great morning we had. We went to the Family Fishing Day at Silverbell Lake...sponsored by our HOA. Don & Nate went early, to breakfast at IHOP, then to fish and I arrived later with the camera. haha. We met a family, originally from Jamaica, who were fishing next to us & also moved to our neighborhood a month after we did! Nate had a great time showing off his worms to their little girls (hehe) and it was cool to see so many families with little kids trying to catch a fish.

One guy near us caught the mother fish...a huge catfish! All the kids went running up to see it..of course giving the rest of us false hope since no one around us caught anything. Well...I had a couple of bites & the fish (or maybe the turtle) ate my bait! We had a fun time though. The HOA loaned out free fishing poles, had door prizes and bbq'd hot dogs. By 9am it was HOT...upper 90's and when we left at 10am it had hit 100!

Here's more photos for you from our MAY/JUNE ALBUM on Facebook. Hope you Tucsonans will join us for more Family Adventure Days coming up!

Another Awesome Fundraiser!

2010-06-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

Show your support of adoption with these super cool tee shirts! They also make great gifts for friends and family. When you purchase a tee, a portion of the sale will be given to our adoption fund. Click on the photo below & bookmark our fundraiser website: www.adoptionbug.com/theSullivans

ON OUR WAY TO AFRICA!

2010-06-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here we goooo!!!! We have several fundraisers lined up to help us get to Ethiopia and back!

Every $$ we raise turns a dot on the map below, yellow. Help us fill all the dots & bring our child home! There are 3 ways to donate and get some cool stuff in the process!

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING AN ORPHAN AND GIVING A CHILD A FAMILY!!

When you donate or purchase a fundraiser item, your name is entered into a raffle to win these GREAT prizes.

1117 Miles = boxed cards featuring Denise Sullivan's artwork!
4468 Miles = Custom made Coffee Purse!
8936 Miles = 11x17 print of Denise Sullivan's artwork!
13,404 Miles = 11x17 Wood Cross Plaque of Denise Sullivan's artwork!
17,872 Miles = $25 gift card to a restaurant & FREE print of Denise Sullivan's artwork!

THE FUNDRAISERS:

Purchase coffee at www.justlovecoffee.com/thesullivans

Purchase awesome tee-shirts www.adoptionbug.com/theSullivans

Purchase a recycled coffee bag purse on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/dsbagdesign

Donate $1 or other amount by clicking on the button below:

JUST ARRIVED!

2010-06-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm.....love the smell of coffee. Just got our order in of our fundraiser coffee & can't wait to break open the bag! Order yours today & help support adoption!

www.justlovecoffee.com/thesullivans

Random Act of Kindness

2010-06-14T22:17:00.001-07:00

A friend at church (I'll call her "P".) facebooked me & said she had a "surprise". I love surprises! But I would never have guessed what she had to give me. Apparently, one of her friends bought some fabric and was showing it to P. P saw it and said, "That's my friend's art!!!" The lady was so taken that she make this...............

How awesome is THAT!!??! I've never met the lady and she made me a sweet apron using fabric with my art! Thank you B. for your awesome talent and random act of kindness. I will treasure this always!

BOB THE BUILDER IN ACTION

2010-06-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

Nice cool morning in the shady sand.

FIRST ADOPTION FUNDRAISER!!

2010-06-09T08:49:00.001-07:00

We are doing some easy online fundraisers this time around...there's some great organizations out there who are willing to help adopting families.

That being said.....THIS IS FOR ALL YOU COFFEE LOVERS!! We have partnered with a coffee company who will donate a portion of their coffee sales to our adoption! 12 oz bags of coffee are $12.95 & shipping is $5. You get great coffee & we're one step closer to meeting our adoption fees.

I plan to buy all our coffee from this site & hope you enjoy it too. Here's the website below. Please forward the link below to your friends and family!

http://www.justlovecoffee.com/TheSullivans

Good Stuff!

2010-06-08T14:39:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! Good stuff going on.......

Tonight is our new Connection Group at 7pm, Barnes & Noble at the Foothills Mall. Various topics on life-stuff that most everyone deals with.

Tomorrow morning we're going to Tower Theaters to see Madagascar 2 (PG). Kids FREE, adults $1. Meet us at 9:30...tickets sell out fast!

Sunday afternoon we're going to see The A-Team (PG-13) at the Foothills Mall. Time TBD.

Hope you can meet us if you're in the Tucson area!!!

GREAT NEWS!!!!

2010-06-08T14:20:00.001-07:00

June 8, 2010

Dear Don & Denise Sullivan

Congratulations! Your application for adoption has been approved by the Program Director.

We will be mailing out your approval packet today or tomorrow with instructions on how to proceed.

We are very excited for you, and wish you well as you begin your adoption journey!

Gloria Akers

The Intake Department

Children’s Hope International

On a Roll

2010-06-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hey! I know you!

While we are waiting for our adoption app to be approved, we are getting our paperwork ducks in order. There are about 25 items that need to be notarized, then state sealed, then embassy sealed for Ethiopia. Fun, fun paperwork. We've contacted our homestudy agency...same one as with Nate...and they are looking forward to working with us again. More paperwork to fill out for them too. At least this time around, we can refer to Nate's dossier to see what we have to do. After 3 years, I had put all that in the back of my mind!

In the meantime, my licensed art is really taking off. Thanks to God for all the contracts I've been able to sign & products that are selling. We were able to pay off the LAST CREDIT CARD!! Yippee!!! We were also able to set aside some of that royalty check to start our adoption...put toward our other car...our commitment to our church AND.......unexpectedly, a new Mac....and a visit to the computer doc for my external hard drive. When it hits...it all hits!

I had all my art files...I mean ALL of them backed up on an external hard drive & the thing crashed. Of course, that was right when a client needed some of that art for a big buyer review!!!! Fortunately, my agent had some of the files I had to modify for them, but.....I still need to retrieve my files off the drive! The plan was to get a new Mac & transfer the files to it, but the stupid hard drive crashed before I could do it. My new Mac has 1T of memory on it! I don't even really know what that means except it's a wicked amount of Gigabytes! I could've stored all my art on this new computer instead of using an external, & backed it up online. Now I may have to shell out another $500 just to get the files! The sad thing is...I NEED them & I'm praying like mad that they can be recovered. Otherwise....I will literally have to re-create every single piece of art, from scratch. Can you say *OUCH!*

So....learn from my mistake...don't rely on an external hard drive as backup!

I love my new iMac though. It's fast & has a gianormous 27" screen so I can really see the art I'm designing and will hold all my massive files. Seriously, one art file can be over 200 MB! And I have to design 4 to make up just one collection...add to that all the collections I've done over the past 4 years & that's a lot of memory. I've had a great deal of interest in the Men's Inspirational collection I just finished. One client wants to present my art to the Dollar Tree buyer (nationwide) and another wants to present my art to their K-Mart & Wal-Mart buyer! Let's hope the buyers like it!!

Well I'm rambling & it's almost midnight....thought so...my stomach always starts growling around midnight. Time for a little late night snack & then I should probably put down my new "toy" & get some sleep! I was having a little too much fun experimenting with it's new iPhoto Booth app!

dd2 sullivan adoption

Cleaning out your closet?

My Inspirational sport art up for bid!

Help a Sista Out!

A New Year

Merry Christmas!

Aloha!

Thankful

WOW!!!

Kohl's

Shoeboxes!!

Adoption Update

Trick or Treats

On Target

Nate's Big 5 at Disneyland!!

Happy Big 5!

Awesome Movie!

MORE OF MY ART IN STORES!!!

Steinmart sighting!

One of Many Fall Blessings

Birthday Week!

Kindergarten!!

Gotcha Day Anniversary

Summer's End

More Art Products in the Works!

Famous Duo

Catching Up....Maybe

Putting Burlap to Good Use

HAPPY MOM'S DAY!

Happy Easter!

PRCC Diaper Drive!

IT'S OFFICIAL! WE'RE A WAITING FAMILY!!

Ethiopia Adoption Petition

Adoption News...

Statement on the Pending Reduction of Intercountry Adoption in Ethiopia

ETHIOPIA ADOPTION UPDATE!!

MARCH ADOPTION FUNDRAISER!

Bods4God

TONIGHT!! SWEET TOMATOES FUNDRAISER - Feb 7

TUCSON FRIENDS...GOT A FAVOR, ASAP!!

FACELIFT

In the Blink of an Eye

PRAYER VIGIL TONIGHT (Sat)

Happy 21st!

Happy 2011!

Merry Christmas!

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)

Christmas and 4 yrs

Christmas Capers

Christmas is coming....

One more Photo Link

Jerusalem and More...

The Holy Lands

Tomorrow....

TWO MORE DAYS!

HAPPY TRICK OR TREAT!

MISSION TRIP TO ROCKY POINT, MEXICO

GOOD NEWS!!

Delivering Meals to a Welcome a New Baby!

NEW! Adoption Fundraiser Website

Baby Girl Stuff

BEFORE YOU HAVE THAT GARAGE SALE.....

BIG NEWS!! Tupperware HOLIDAY fundraiser flyer!

****UPDATE**** My Kid is NOT a Blue Light Special!

Nate's Birthday Weekend!

TUPPERWARE ONLINE ADOPTION FUNDRAISER!!!

Get Your Kicks......

BIRTHDAYS

EASY WAY TO SERVE TUCSON!!

Do you GROUPON??

Adoption Fundraising Update!!

New Chili Pepper Purses!!

1st Football Game!!

HOT New Chili Pepper Applique Purses for Sale!!

1ST DAY OF PRESCHOOL!!!

Apple Annie's Orchard

ETHIOPIA ADOPTION UPDATE

Happy 3 yr Gotcha Day!

Swim Lessons Finished!

Parker Canyon Lake

UPDATE My Kid is NOT a Blue Light Special!