Lately….

It’s been a while. We have had a lot going on lately. We went to the beach the first part of June. My grandparents had a condo in Gulf Shores and when they passed away,they left it to my mom and her two sisters. I grew up going there and it is so much fun to now take my kids!

We have still been trying to sell our house. To say we are weary is an understatement. This has been a very difficult road but I continue to say out loud to myself, God is good. He has a plan. His ways are higher than my ways. So I have to believe it and move forward.

Joey starts his new job Monday. He will have to commute for the time being- about an hour and 20 minutes one way. We obviously tried to avoid this, but until we sell our house…this will be our life! Again, God is good and I know He loves us. I have to remind myself DAILY that He has a plan. The not knowing when it will sell has been so hard. We’re ready to move and be settled in our new town!

In adoption news, in case you didn’t know… we withdrew from the South Korea program. Some issues came up and we just didn’t feel comfortable moving forward. This was one of those times when I asked specifically for God to open or close a door. And He did. The very next day! So I knew we were doing the right thing. We just sent in our application to a new program. I will keep you updated as it plays out. Hoping to hear good news! Our homestudy will be updated when we move. And we just got our Favorable Determination Letter in today. So we are still making progress.

I’ve been selling tshirts to raise money for our adoption. We have sold about 25 which I am thankful for. I ordered 50 so I’m hoping we can sell those as well. Once our application is approved, we will have to make several more payments to our agency so I’ve got to get on the fundraising ball! If you would like a shirt, you can pay through our paypal link on the right and specify a size! I ordered extra of each size. If anyone has any fundraising ideas they would love to share, I would appreciate any!!

In other news, I started a new business with a great company called Rodan + Fields. I’m very excited about this company. With adoption costs coming up, I figured Why not?! Rodan + Fields is a skincare company started by the doctors who created ProActiv. They are a new direct selling company in the ground floor stages. They have not yet reached momentum so it is a GREAT opportunity! If you are anyone you know might be interested, I would love to talk to you more about it. Timing is everything. Rodan +Fields is changing skin and changing lives! They are offering average people the opportunity to own their own business and gain financial freedom! Check out my websites: www.jcarpenter1.myrandf.com  www.jcarpenter1.myrandf.biz

Okay, so I’m obviously very excited about Rodan + Fields!

So, I guess that’s about it for us. Please add us to your prayers: for our house to sell and for our adoption. We greatly appreciate it. This verse has been my motto lately!

Romans 5:3-5 “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us.

Here are a few beach pictures to leave you with. My kiddos have brought me so much joy lately. Joey has had a more laidback schedule this month so we have greatly enjoyed our time together! When I get down about some of the difficulties in our lives right now, I remind myself of my blessings. And my family is surely one of my greatest blessings! :)

-Jill

Placing Tshirt Order Today!!! Get yours!

I’m placing our adoption tshirt order today. If you would like one (or two! or more! ) please email me or comment below. For a donation of $20, one can be yours. We greatly appreciate your help!

Jill

 

Winner!! Updates!!

Mady picked the winning name today! McCall…. YOU WON!

Thanks to everyone for entering my first little giveaway. It was fun! And thank you for sharing the word about our tshirts! I have some new steps in the adoption journey to share soon, but not just yet….. so stay tuned.

In other adoption news, Joey has his biometric fingerprints scheduled for next Friday. We had to reschedule our first visit and when they sent new appointments, we didn’t get the same day! But I’m going to go with him and hopefully they will let me do my fingerprints the same day! Which will keep us from making another trip in a few weeks!

We also got our passports in the mail a few weeks ago, so I feel like we are still making progress! Thanks for keeping up with us and continue praying for us! Oh and we’re still trying to sell our house, so add that to your prayer lists too!

Have a great Saturday, and if you haven’t already….check out our new adoption tshirt! Grab one for yourself for a donation of $20 toward our adoption. We greatly appreciate it!!!

-Jill

New fundraiser and a Giveaway

Okay my friends. We have finally decided on a design for our adoption tshirt!! I’m so excited. I have been working with the tshirt people for a few weeks and this is what we came up with!

Yes, I know this is not the best picture but you get the idea! Defend the Fatherless in bold blue- the verse beside it in white is “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” Psalm 82:3 An outline map of the world is the background of the shirt. I love the verse on the shirt. God calls us to care for the fatherless and the weak. To help the poor and the oppressed. Jesus did it all the time in the Bible. So should we.
The shirt will be a dark gray color. I definitely wanted a shirt that was not just a woman’s shirt! I wanted men to be able to wear it too! For a donation of $20 toward our adoption, this tshirt can be yours! Joey and I are beyond excited as to where this adoption road is taking us. More details to come. But just know that we have been praying for direction and guidance. Until more details come about, we need to raise some money. So please consider supporting our adoption of a precious child and make a donation. You will get a tshirt in return! Plus you will be helping us bring our little baby home.
I know I’ve said this before, but adoption can be so overwhelming in the beginning. When I first thought of all the expenses, I just could not figure out how we could come up with $20,000 to $30,000; however, God has consistently provided when we needed it. It is overwhelming, yes. But God is in control and He is good and He will provide!
Okay, so if you would like to order a tshirt….. email me at jillcarpenter@hotmail.com  I hope to get my Paypal set up on the sidebar of my blog next week so that people can order that way as well. But until then, please email me or facebook me your order. And if a tshirt isn’t your thing, you can still make a donation. Joey and I truly appreciate any and all support!
And to help spread the word about our shirts, I’m going to have a giveaway. I will be giving away a tshirt to one lucky person! Here is how you can enter:
1. Become a follower of my blog and let me know by leaving a comment (or if you already are, tell me so in the comments)
2. Facebook, tweet, or blog about this giveaway using this link http://thecarpenterstory.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-fundraiser-and-giveaway.html and leave a separate comment for each letting me know you did. (Each gets an entry: 1 for Facebook, 1 for twitter, 1 for blogging)
3. Order a tshirt and leave me a comment letting me know you did! 1 entry per tshirt ordered- so if you order 3, that’s 3 entries!
Okay, so lots of ways to get entries for the giveaway. The giveaway will end next  Wednesday, June 6th. Make sure you leave your comments below. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE spread the word about our tshirts and our giveaway. We need your help to get the word out!!!

Supporting a friend

My friend Mccall and her husband are going on a mission trip to Africa and are raising money by selling tshirts. Go check out her shirts at http://www.leemeandthegirls.blogspot.com/2012/05/calling-all-you-senders-and-giveaway.html

 

then head over to my friend Allison’s blog and enter her giveaway for a chance to win one of these tshirts!!! and spread the word!

http://lovinmuch.blogspot.com/2012/05/double-memorial-weekend-giveaway.html

Thanks!

A fun weekend

Saturday morning we left for Murfreesboro, TN to see my cousin graduate from high school. Joey, myself, M, JH, and my mom in one car! After the long and interesting ride there (an 18 month old and 4 year old always make car rides interesting!), we visited my aunt and uncle and cousins Laura Grace and Caroline. We then checked into the hotel and did some shopping!

Graduation with two little ones was also interesting and did not last long. Joey and JH ended up outside after about 30 minutes. Mady and I were not far behind them! We then ate some good food at my Aunt Harriet’s house topped off by some great cookies. We congratulated Laura Grace and headed to the hotel.

(It was so funny because Mady was so attached to Harriett every time she saw her! She would not leave her alone! She constantly wanted her to hold her!!)

Mady fell fast asleep but JH was a little more difficult. After some twisting and turning, he finally passed out. As did Joey and myself!!

The next morning we said goodbye to Aunt Harriet after a shopping trip at Target and headed to the Rainforest Café in Nashville to eat lunch. The kids loved the restaurant. It is so neat. The elephants and tigers and monkeys all move and make animal noises. It thunders and lightning flashes. They really enjoyed it.

We then headed home which made for another interesting trip. All in all the kids did great. However, Joey and I decided we would definitely drive at night on the way to the beach in two weeks and let the kids sleep!

Summer is here!

I know it’s not officially summer, but around here….we feel like it is! Popsicles, water sprinkler, playing outside all the time, sweating like a crazy person, etc! Plus, kids are getting out of school and in just a few days Joey won’t have to be at work at 7 every morning! How nice it will be for that one extra hour in the mornings before he has to go to work! Until August anyway!

A few pictures of the kiddos from lately….

Joe Hudson had his eighteen month check up last week. This was my little man at the doctor’s office. All was well. I praise God everyday for their health.

Mother’s Day was wonderful. I’m very thankful and blessed beyond measure. Joey surprised me with a cake. I know it’s sideways but just tilt your head! It says- We love you Mommy.

 Like I said earlier, our days have been filled with popsicles! My kids love them. As much as they eat them, we will be opting for sugarfree next shopping trip.

Joe enjoys helping me water the plants. He loves to walk around with the water hose and getting a little sip of water every now and then.

Big Sister. Mady picked out her outfit this day. I obviously would not match seals with a skirt. But they were both pink as she pointed out!

Walking around the neighborhood has been happening a lot lately. Before it gets too hot! This was Joe giving Sister a little love!

Snack cups! Our newest addition. How did I not know these existed until now? They are wonderful and for the first two days, the kids would not part with them.

 

I also mentioned we’ve been outside A LOT lately. I can’t stand being cooped up inside so every chance we get, we head out! M and JH are enjoying a little artwork here!

Last week, we went to Delta Grind in Water Valley. They showed the kids how they grind the corn and other stuff. Pretty neat. Joe tried to eat it of course. He’s always eating something that’s not edible.

This is our house. It is for sale. Spread the word. The End.

Obviously we have really enjoyed the beginning days of summer! We are so excited about moving back to Carrollton; although we will miss our church family and friends here in Oxford. We can hardly wait to get back to the country and raise our kids there. God is teaching us a lot in this time of waiting. Waiting for our house to sell, waiting for things to happen with our adoption, and so on. I know He uses times like these to make us dependent on Him. We just have to remind ourselves of that. Daily.

Lately, it seems like there is so much sickness and heartache with people we know. I lift these people up each day in prayer. Today, I learned of a little boy who passed away from a brain tumor. He and Mady were born just a few days apart. I didn’t know him personally but I would read his blog from time to time and lifted him up in prayer. It’s stories like these that I remember we live in a broken world. There are so many things we may never understand on this side of heaven. But this is what makes heaven all the more desirable. This is not our home. It reminds me of the song “Blessings”. Even though this is not our eternal home, I pray I will serve Him in all I do and say until the day He calls me home or He returns.

On a final note, I mentioned in my last blog post about a tshirt. It’s coming soon! So, please check back and support us on our road to adopting a child.

-Jill

Not much goin on…..

Not much goin on around here lately. Just to fill everyone in, we took the year off from Mother’s Morning Out. The kids and I have just hung out together the whole year. And I must say, it has been GREAT. Of course, there are days when we might get a little bored. But we always find something to do. I have still tried to work with Mady on learning basics like her letters, writing, drawing, numbers, etc. I try to remember she is only 4! But she enjoys learning new things….. for about 10 minutes and then she wants to move on to something else! So, we have definitely enjoyed our time together. Joe Hudson has been so much fun to watch as he is growing up! He is now quite the talker! And such a busy body- he is into everything! I mean everything!

In other news, we are STILL trying to sell our house. I never in my life would have thought this would be such a task, but God has definitely taught me a lot in this time of WAITING.

Joey starts his new job in July so we are eager to sell our house and move on to this new chapter.

Adoption news- We are currently waiting for some direction from God in this area. Some changes and such are occurring and so we are just…. WAITING. Is  this a recurrent theme in our lives? Anywho, we could use some prayers in this area.

Which brings me to my final point! We are currently working with someone to design a tshirt specific to our adoption. I really like the shirt. We’re working on a few changes. It’s very basic and would be great for guy/girl/kid. I’ll let you know about a price when we get it all straightened out. In the mean time, if you’re interested in one let me know. I’m going to take pre orders for about a week. This will really help me get an idea of how many to order. ALL proceeds from the tshirts will go directly to our adoption fund. And just in case you hadn’t heard…. adoptions can range from 20,000 to 30,000. So…. we gonna try to sell us some tshirts to help bring our child home! Plus, who doesn’t love a tshirt?!

Here’s a few pictures from about this time last year for ya to enjoy! Hope everyone has a great Mother’s Day!

Oh my how my babies have grown!!!!

-Jill

Here Lately

A few pictures here lately….

Joe Hudson thoroughly enjoys cutting the grass!

Pretty girl

Sibling Photoshoot!

a little Double Decker fun!

Sweet tea anyone?

Mady loved the bouncy house!

Mady and Sage- love their poses

Lots to be thankful for. Looking at pictures always reminds me to count my blessings one by one!

-Jill

Shop with me!

I’ve created a little shop that displays what jewelry I’m selling to raise money for our adoption. We still have a lllooonnnggg way to go to raise what we need! So, shop around and get some cute jewelry! I hope to add some other pieces to the shop soon. Thank you for supporting us!

Click on the tab above that says, “Shop with me”. This will take you to our shop!

new 147 shirts

I just placed an order two days ago for some earrings and necklaces and so I missed this super cute shirt they just put out!!! It says 147 Million Orphans in rainbow colors on the front.

I know that’s not the best picture so go here to get a better look: http://www.147millionorphans.com/Rainbow-Love-1_p_152.html

On the back, it says Love 1 in pink. They are $22. Let me know if you’re interested in purchasing one. Here’s another cute tshirt which I just ordered for myself!

Short sleeve baseball tee $30

I have some beaded necklaces as well as blue, brown, and green glass earrings. Any purchase supports our adoption as well as 147 Million Orphans.

Email me if you’re interested! jillcarpenter@hotmail.com

Beaded necklaces

These necklaces are made by women in Uganda from recycled paper. These women are able to help provide for their families by making these necklaces. 147 Million Orphans allows adopting families like us sell these necklaces to help fund our adoptions. By clicking the Buy Now button to the right, you can purchase one for $20!

Length may vary a bit as well as the colors (all are multicolored). Limited quantities so you can email me prior to purchasing to determine quantity left.

Pinterest

I don’t look at Pinterest all the time,but when I do….. I find ALL kinds of ideas! These are two recipes I tried with my family and were a HIT so I thought I would share.

Frozen Yogurt Drops- These are simple (not really even a recipe, just yogurt) and my kids LOVED them. Even Joey and I couldn’t stop eating them! One pan was gone by the end of the night!

http://pinterest.com/offsite/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.onegoodthingbyjillee.com%2F2012%2F03%2Ffrozen-yogurt-dots.html&token=35b9722bc426a1c58169eb21d3a8881b&pin=169729479676720825

Smores treats- These are oh so good. Although, mine did not look like the picture in the link below….. they were still just as good. These were gone within two days!

http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/2011/09/smore-krispy-treats.html

Lately….

I hope your weekend was wonderful. What beautiful weather today! Many times today when I was just so so thankful for moments with my family.

Anywho…. I have not blogged in a bit so I thought I’d see what I could come up with.

1. Not much updates on the adoption process. Just waiting. Praying God will guide us and that we will trust in Him for provision. Adoption is so expensive. I get so caught up in it sometimes that I could lose my mind. How are we going to pay for it? What can we sell? Etc.  And then I remember….it’s out of my control. I have to trust in Him. I know He has called us to do this, so I know He will provide.

2. The kiddos are so funny these days. Joe is really starting to talk and it’s hilarious trying to guess what he’s saying. Mady and Joe are starting to play together more and enjoy each other. They chase each other up and down the hallway screaming and laughing. I love watching them play and laugh. Nothing like listening to your kids laugh!

3. Our house is for sale. Somebody please buy it. :) The end.

4. We’re moving- hence, the reason our house is for sale! Joey recently took a principal job in his hometown of Carrollton. We are very excited. This was not planned, but just sort of happened. So, we really need our house to sell in about two months! Joey starts his new job this summer, so we would obviously like to have our house sold before then so he doesn’t have to commute. So, add us to your prayers please. We know God is in control- just have to remind ourselves sometimes.

5. I still have some cute earrings for sale from 147 Million Orphans. I have 8 pairs left. They come in blue, light green, light brown, and clear. $18 (Great Mother’s Day gifts!) As always, a purchase supports our adoption.

6. My sweet nephew got “babatized” (as Mady says it) tonight at church. I was so proud of him. He has such a great heart and LOVES the Lord! And boy, can he pray! Whew! So thankful God has stirred in his heart the desire to know Him as his personal Lord and Savior.

7. Yesterday, April 22nd, marked two years since Joey’s ruptured aneurysm. SO hard to believe it has been two years ago. I am SO THANKFUL for my living, breathing husband to continue in this life with me. I catch myself so many times thinking- I could be raising these kids by myself. I could have been a widow after three years of marriage.

God spared his life and for that I am beyond grateful. I pray we live each day for the glory of God doing His work because none of us know when we will be called home. And when I am called home, I hope I hear the words….  “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21

So…….I guess that’s about all. Hope everyone has a great week!

If you get a minute, become a follower of my blog and keep up with

(PRAY FOR) our adoption journey! :)

-Jill

A Friend’s Giveaway

Sweet Meaghan and her family are adopting from Ethiopia. They are having a giveaway so head on over to her blog to find out more details and enter! You could win a $25 gift card to Deep South Pout in Starkville!

http://thewesgordonfamily.blogspot.com/2012/04/deep-south-pout-is-helping-bringmaxhome.html

Earrings

I’m still selling items from 147 million orphans. They just got a shipment in of earrings made by Haitian artisans. The earrings are made from broken glass. As always, a purchase from 147 millions orphans supports not only our adoption, but also orphans around the world. If you’re interested in them, let me know. I’m going to place an order today because they go pretty fast. They are $18 and come in 4 different colors.

Light Brown

Clear

Light Green

Cobalt Blue

Email me if you would like a pair. jillcarpenter@hotmail.com

I also still have a few Ugandan beaded necklaces left for sale.

Easter!

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter! We sure did! Here are a few snapshots from this weekend- Enjoy!

 

Love these kiddos! Easter was extra special this year because little Mady really started to understand Jesus dying on the cross. She was able to tell us the story with all the details. So thankful for the opportunity to teach my children about Jesus.

One more thing, I’m posting this video of Francis Chan. I LOVE THIS VIDEO! They showed us this video during revival at our church. A great reminder to live a crazy, radical life for God. I need to be reminded of that daily!

Have a great day! – Jill