First 4 Winners!

Since I wrote this post I've done two auctions for Darby. One I did with a friend and Angel Tree Warrior for Mariah. We were blessed by lot of donors and bidders and raised just over $700 to split between the kids! Then I did a quick Mary Kay auction and split the proceeds between Darby and the Rhodes Family FSP. Again, you all were incredible and we raised $364 altogether! Between the two auction and the donations that have come in Darby's grant now reads $2041.40 with $539.40 coming in during Angel Tree (so far)!

When I started the giveaway for Darby he had $105 in Angel Tree donations and I said I would draw a winner every time his grant went up $100....which means I now need to draw 4 winners! I put all the entries from the blog into an Excel file and then used random.org to draw the winners!

The first winner is:

 

#5 Jennifer Picard, liked CapsFor Causes

 

 

The second winner is:

 

#12 Christina Scott; Shared on Facebook

 

 

The third winner is:

 



#31 Kandis, Praying daily

 

 

The fourth winner is:

 

#37 Deb W, followed Mandy's blog

All winner please go to Caps For Causes to pick out your prizes and you can message me through that page as well! Thank you!

All of the entries that I have so far will continue to be entered in the next giveaway which will take place when Darby's grant reaches $605 in Angel Tree donations! I have money to add from both auctions so be sure to get your entries in. Find all of the entries and leave your comments on this blog to have them added!

There are lots of free ways to enter! Every time you share on facebook or Twitter, is another opportunity for someone's heart to be broken for the plight of these children. Every $1 you give does matter and it does add up to helping all of these children find their forever families.

A Giveaway for Darby

I have lots of fun things planned to help meet the $1000 Angel Tree goal for Darby .If you're just joining me and don't know who Darby is or what the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree is, click either of those links or read the first blogpost on this new blog!

The  fundraiser was going to be an auction on my Caps For Causes fanpage but, I'm still putting that together :) So, the first, and, ongoing, fundraiser is this giveaway for a customized set, like any of these

These are just examples, you can completely customize your set up to a $30 value which could get you 6 bows, necklaces, or pairs of earrings. Or 15 clippies. Or a photo pendant and earrings plus a necklace for your little one etc etc.

How to enter is below. I will draw a winner using random.org every time Darby's grant goes up $100. His Angel Tree contributions as I write this are at $105 so at $205 I will draw a winner. I will draw another at $305, at $405 etc.until we meet his $1000 AT goal!

 I will keep a spreadsheet with all of the entries starting today on it. All of your entries will be entered every time we hit a $100 milestone!

Here's how you can enter:

1. Share this post on any of your social networking sites, Twitter, FB, Google+ etc. and leave me a comment on this blog post that you did so with a link to your share. To get the link on FB or Twitter click on the timestamp under your post and it'll open in a new window, click the URL in your address bar and copy it, paste it in your comment here.  You can get one entry per method of sharing PER DAY. So share every day on fb and twitter and you get 2 entries per day. Just leave me a comment with every thing you've done that day on this blog post.
2. Follow this blog for 2 entries. In  your comment leave me your blogger name or Google+ name, whatever you're following with.
3. Follow Mandy's Blog for 2 entries (plus she has a Keurig Vue giveaway going on that you'll be entered into as well, clicking that link takes you to the post about the Keurig giveaway).
4. Pray for Darby and all of the waiting children on Reece's Rainbow, put in your comment that you did so for 2 entries per day.
5. 'Like' my facebook fanpage Caps For Causes for 2 entries. If you already liked the page just leave that in the comment.
6. Donate to Darby's Fund by clicking the donate button on his box over on the right hand side. Entries as follows:
1. $5   =     1   entry
2. $10 =     3   entries
3. $25 =     10 entries
4. $50 =     45 entries
5. $100 =   100 entries 

Thank you in advance for any thing you can do to help!

Our (Planned) Trip to Holland: Keurig Vue for You?

If you're just finding this blog and didn't follow it over here from my previous blog then you may not have met the Rhodes family yet. But, you should! Mandy was my introduction to the world of special needs adoption and Reece's Rainbow. We got to be a part of most of their journey to bring home Vaylo and Samuel and it was a blessing to watch their faith during the process and to see their boys come home, to see them thrive. Now, they're going back again for their son Samuel's best friend 'K' ! Let's help them get her home! Click the link to be taken to Mandy's giveaway for a brand new Keurig Vue plus some K cups and help them get K home! There are lots of ways to enter, many of them free so you can enter even if you can't donate right now!

Our (Planned) Trip to Holland: Keurig Vue for You?: I love to do giveaways, so to celebrate our new blog and our new "vue" of life, we're giving away a Keurig Vue. I have a Keurig that some am...

It Matters to This One: Meet My AT Baby

Ok, I started a new blog! I couldn't get in the habit of posting much on the mutantmama blog so maybe this will be a fresh start! I am so excited! A few weeks ago I saw a little face on Reece's Rainbow that just took my breath away. Don't get me wrong, I feel for and pray for every child on Reece's Rainbow, those with committed families, those still waiting, and those that have come home that I've had the joy of holding in my arms. But, this little one just pulled at my heart.

You know how I knew he was different to me? The first thing I noticed in his picture was his smile and his sweet eyes. It wasn't until I pulled my eyes away and started reading his description, Down Syndrome and a repaired cleft palate, that I saw those things in his picture. I've asked my friends that have adopted/are in process how they chose their children from all those waiting. The response was usually something along the lines of, "We saw him/her and just fell in love...." And, I didn't really get it.

See I've been looking on RR for almost a year now trying to find the child that I could see being a part of our family (And, no Steve is not on board at the point, but, that doesn't stop me from looking). To be honest I shied away from those with Down Syndrome thinking for me personally I would be better suited to getting a child with a physical condition like CP or Spina Bifida or even HIV than one with mental delays. And, so I'd go on RR and search the other angel boys (yes I knew I wanted a boy) in the 0-5 categories (I feel like for me personally I'd want a child younger than Nick) and I did find a few that pulled at my heartstrings, and, I rejoiced when they were committed to. Most were in a country that I don't think would be an option for us if I ever do get Steve on board. Then, one day in the RR facebook group for advocated and adopting families someone posted this link to Darby and I fell in love almost instantly.

I actually touched base with a family that had adopted from his region to find out about the process and requirements....turns out we most likely won't qualify in his region. I know that God is bigger than any red tape and reluctant heart so part of me still hopes that he might be our's...yes I know that may seem crazy, my husband would agree with you that it is! But, in case he's not our's I want to find his family. So, I signed up to be his Prayer Warrior and then snagged him to be my child for the Christmas Warrior Angel Tree project on Reece's Rainbow.

If you are reading this but are not familiar with Reece's Rainbow, about the orphan crisis, especially for special needs children outside the US I will try to post some of the journey that lead me here in future posts. But, this is already getting long and I don't want to lose you.

If you'd like to find out more about being a Prayer Warrior or a Christmas Warrior check out those links. Please don't be thrown by the $1000 goal for Christmas Warrior's! 1. It is a goal not a commitment if you don't get there with fundraising you don't have to pay it out of pocket. 2. There is an amazing group of advocated and adopting families that will help you, I've seen them come together to get families funded, to see waiting children have their matching grants met etc., you will not be alone!

The Christmas Warrior program doesn't actually kick off until November 1st. At the time all the proceeds from my page Caps for Causes will go to Darby's fund. He is already close to having $2000 in his fund and I know by November 1st he'll be there. The costs associated with these adoption is often what keeps families from stepping forward, by, raising these children's grants the family's burden is lessened and the children are more likely to be chose. I'm committing to help Darby find his family and when he does have a family commit to him I'm going to help them bring him home!

I have some fun fundraisers planned to help Darby. In the mean time all the proceeds from my page are going to Bryson'e F.U.E.L which is a non profit started by the parents of a child with cancer to benefit other families going through the same thing! I make and sell bottlecap jewelry, keychains, ornaments etc and have just added some photo pendants and an antique inspired line of jewelry so please check it out!