Bring Ellie Home with a "happy" for someone you love...

So, I am going to occasionally offer some of the cute stuff I've made and am in the process of  making on this site as fundraisers for Elli's adoption. I am trying to decide if I want to pay to bring my Etsy site up again. I'll let you know. In the meantime, if you need a last minute "happy" or birthday, anniversary, or "just because" gift please let me know. Here are some options. Scroll all the way down because new pictures post themselves often wherever they want to.

See these and all our other fun items at our 

Facebook Page

Kate 'n Elli's

https://www.facebook.com/KatenEllis 

and while you are there

like us! :)

These are my Jr. jewelry holders.
most are about 10 inches tall
and 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches square.
Obviously they all don't have their hooks yet.
$25.00

Here is a new Jewelry holder
It's 13 1/2 inches high
and 4in x 4in square
It's larger than my jr. jewelry holders
and similar to the previous ones I made.
$35.00

This is similar to the above adult
Jewelry Holder
13 " high
$35.00

This is so classy.
13" high and $35.00

Cute, cute,cute
Same as above
$10.00

Another cute frame
Dimensions are the same as the one above
$10.00

I love how these coasters turned out.
I can make you some just like these in almost any
color scheme or from your favorite photos.
6 coasters. $15.00.

This is so cute
It's about a 10 x 12 frame with Chicken wire
It's a hot pink, high gloss.
$20.00

Keep your eyes peeled as there will be more added throughout the weeks and months ahead. Thanks for checking it out. Send my blog and or Facebook link to anyone else who might be interested in buying a little something to support bringing our Elli home. Thanks...

I also have some lovely pearl sets that Michael brought home from the Philippines that I am selling. If anyone is interested in seeing them please email me at Prvb2119@comcast.net. I have pictures. These are not just plain white pearls, there are several sets that are very colorful as well as have crystals incorporated with them.

Whew, I'm exhausted...

Very Special Agent
Michael J. Farhart

Last week Michael and I had to write our autobiographies. Yeah, well, it's not that easy. It's not like we could write what we wanted, the Home Study agency had their own guideline as to what they wanted us to include in the penning of our illustrious lives.

grave site
Rebekah Joy Farhart

Michael wrote about his upbringing, all the places he's lived, all the people in his family and the explanations of why he is who he is. He wrote about his career in Federal Law Enforcement and how all of those things shaped his life. But that's not enough. You see, they want to know about happy times and sad times. Things you regret and things you'd change. And... UGH, seriously? You know there are just certain things that you purpose to leave hidden in those little compartments locked up and with the plan to never unlock them again. Alas, it is not to be so. He had to write about Rebekah's death 16 long years ago and the journey to healing and normalcy. There was nothing easy in that for him and it was kinda a shame that he had to pull it all back up.

My awesome brother and I

I too had to share my thoughts. My problem was that my definitions of "happy" and "fun" are very specialized and hard to define and honestly it wasn't until I was in the midst of writing that I could  remember any happy moments in my childhood. Most of those revolved around my brother and cousins and lots of time playing in neighborhoods that were safe and welcoming until the street lights went on and all the parents, aunts, and uncles called our names to come in and bathe for bed. I had forgotten about all those nights in elementary school and actually laughed out loud at the memories they brought back. But I too, had to discuss my "issues" with family history and memories that may have shaped who I have become and what "they" perceive as acceptable to parent a precious, forgotten, abandoned little girl from China. Some of those memories were fighting to stay in their compartments and so many of my words weren't adequate to rightly explain how I came to be me. In the end all I could conclude with was that it was all hard, growing up, being married, parenting, being a Child of the King, all very, very hard and yet hard is good. "Bring on hard" I said. 

That wasn't the end of it though. On Saturday we had our 2nd and 3rd Social Worker visit at the same time and it was a long day. A lot of intimate questions, soul searching, and rehashing of what MJF and I unleashed in our autobiographies only to quickly lock it all back up hoping to throw away the keys. Verbalizing it is a lot more tiring than writing it down. By Saturday night I was needing a bubble bath and a good cry. Neither turned out to be an option. 

I am shocked at how exhausted I felt by Saturday night. What was more shocking was that I really didn't want to go to church the next morning. You see I find myself sifting through my "walk" every Sunday morning as I listen to Pastor exhort us to obedience. It's not one iota of "touchy-feely" and although I'm thankful for the opportunity to examine myself and prove myself to be holy and true (as if that is really possible of today's American Christian) I felt I had examined and poked and prodded myself sore and that I wasn't enthusiastic about doing it some more.

What I had to remind myself of was that there was Abundant Life that comes from obedience and examination is actually a good thing. I was also reminded that one day Elli will have memories she will want to or have to put on paper or share with someone. I have a huge role in helping to shape those memories. I want her to be very unlike me. I don't want her to have such a small definition of happy and fun that she struggles to list anything. I want her to have so many excellent memories that she can't think of just one outstanding event but many. 

It was a good lesson this weekend. One that exhausted me but one that was important. I'm glad for it, just as I am glad for most of my hardest and most difficult lessons.

It's just the beginning...

Her name is Elizabeth Hope and we will call her Elli. We haven't met her yet but we've already committed a whole lot of time, energy, money, and heart to her. It is true, you can love a little girl you haven't even met when God has placed a spot on your heart with her name on it.

 My Elli Hope

It's really a bit surreal. I am 49 years old in just under 1 month and I am adding another child to this crazy family. Granted we have a big spread. Four kids ages 21 - 9 but MY plan was to just ride out the rest of Kate's childhood and then who knows what big things God would put in my path. If I was really "lucky" He'd put really big things in OUR path. The idea of Michael and I serving somewhere together whether it be just in our local church or on the mission field together was a dream that I knew had potential but wondered if we would be mobile enough as we'd be REALLY OLD by the time Kate was on her own.

Isn't God funny? In case you don't know how to answer that, the answer is YES. Yes He is. He is very, very funny. Actually He is HILARIOUS. Did He not understand my plans? Actually, I think He understood my plans very well and he laughed at them. This had nothing to do with my plans at all.

He spent two years using our daughter Kate to warm us up to the idea of adoption. An idea that was not foreign to us but one that after all these years and all these kids just didn't seem to be a part of our vocabulary for our family. Oh we of little faith. Once the seed was planted there was nothing left but to watch it grow.

This is Kate.
She is nine.
She wants to be a big sister.

And grow it did. Taller and Taller and stronger and stronger and thicker and thicker until it burst through the clouds and could be contained no longer. OK, that was the Beanstalk that Jack planted but it was too good to pass up. Needless-to-say, we were hooked and before too long, as 2011 ended we had and agency and decided that we all - children included - wanted to adopt from China.

Our file was twice this size
before today.

So here we are, February 2nd, 2012, just about finished with all the initial paperwork necessary to get our dossier put together and shipped out to China. I wish that it was as easy as Fed Exing everything to the proper agencies and then mailing it off to the other side of the world but it's not. We are beholden to people all over the country in government offices in many states to run background checks, and write reviews and send it all back in a timely fashion to the right person so she can put it all together for the Chinese authorities. They aren't adopting. Most of them have never even considered it. They have no idea that every day that goes by turns into a week and that turns into delay and delay can mean a myriad of things in terms of international adoptions.

But God's got it. Really He does. It was His from the beginning and just like our 4 children here with us He's got Elli too. Wherever she is He knows her name. He knows her Chinese name and he knows her face and he knows her precious little heart. It's our job to wait on Him, however fast or slow that wait is. To trust Him with our whole hearts knowing full well that at just the right time - His time - He will introduce her to us and we can then begin the plans to travel across the world to pick up our little China princess.

Just as HE adopted us forever,
We too will be Elli's FOREVER family.

My Elli's Hope is also our hope - that sooner than we can imagine she will be looking into the eyes of her forever family. That sooner than she ever dreamed someone in her orphanage will come to her and tell her that a family in America loves her and wants her to be their daughter. What a day that will be - My Elli Hope. I love you already. You have stolen my heart and my arms are open and waiting to hold you.