Pillow Pets for adoption....what a FUNdraiser!

I am SO EXCITED to announce we are partnering with PILLOW PETS for our next FUNdraiser! How COOL is that?? Just in time for Christmas too! I was so thrilled when we got the e-mail! Here is the what, when and how of it all:

What: "The Coriell Family Adoption Fund"

When: Will run from November 1st-30th

How :

Step 1
Visit the website, www.mypillowpets.com

Step 2
Browse the site and shop the extensive line of cuddly pillow pets, blankets, backpacks, and slippers. Add your selections to your shopping cart.

*Step 3

(Very important)
At checkout, enter the promotional code “adoption” in the space provided at the bottom of the "checkout" page and complete the process. By this code they will know to credit us for the sale. Your selections will be shipped directly to you by Pillow Pets!

It’s that easy...at the end of the term, we will receive a check for 30% percent of all the sales! Which will go directly into our adoption fund! How great is that? You buy an adorable gift for your child/ren, or a Christmas gift for someone you love and it supports our adoption at the same time! It's a WIN WIN :)

* Helpful Tips*

Non-Pillow items (blankets,slippers,etc.) and Mini Pillow Pets that are sold out, will not be restocked until next year.

If the PILLOW/S you want are not available be sure to check back daily as they get their PILLOW shipments in DAILY :) (After a week into this I have yet to see them restock daily ;)PLEASE keep checking back though!

UPDATE:
Looks like they are finally updating their site with more stock! RUN don't walk..these sell out fast!

Here to model just a few of the MANY ways she loves on her Pillow Pet is my little one Madelynn :)

So don't delay! Order now in time for Christmas, get some great gifts and at the same time help us in our efforts to raise money for our adoption! Thank you and God bless!

Chosen Marathon , Chosen Heroes!!

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
2 Timothy 4:7
I got a *glimmer* of this verse this past weekend at
Chosen Marathon for Adoption .

Over 1200 people ran in support of adoption and adoptive families. Over $100,000 was raised! Praise God!!

Nathan ran to support our church's adoption fund. Which will help support adoptive families with the financial burden. It was so great to see many from our church running and crossing that finish line, including my niece Katie and her boyfriend Jay. Our dear friends from our community group Brian and Sid, you guys ROCK!!! All who ran are truly my heroes! They easily could have saved their money and slept in. Instead they spent one beautiful morning sweating it out along 13 miles of scenic New Braunfels Texas. All so that it would be made possible for children to be placed in their forever families!!! Heroes I tell you!

There is one hero though that I would love to draw your attention to ;) Yes that is him, the one with the look of determination on his face.





As this daddy was running he thought about his kids that God has blessed him with. He thought about the deep sweeping, overtaking love that he has for them. Then he thought of Selah who we have yet to meet. We have not been matched yet, not even a homestudy started. Yet God has placed her so strong in all of our hearts. As he was running, thinking of Selah and how that same love just swept over him for her. As he ran he would say " I am coming baby, I am coming."

Oh dear one, do you know how much you are loved??? You have been loved LONG before you were ever born. You have been WANTED for so very long. Yes ...as your daddy said, We are coming baby! We are coming!

The GREAT Provider!

Adoption fundraiser Yard Sale

Day 1:





Preparing for this fundraiser has been months in the making! With many of our amazing friends and family donating to our sale my prayer for one packed garage was answered!

Being that this Yard Sale is a 2 day sale, I thought "Hey, Friday might be our "slow" day but that's ok. It would give us an extra day of selling and even if only a few things sold, that was a few dollars more than we had before. But as of late I have really started to struggle with fear in a new way. Fear induced by other peoples words. People naturally and not meaning any harm at all, question why I would have a Yard Sale on a Friday?? Well....that's what they do out here ;) At least , that's what I have seen. But then I started questioning myself. Then doubting...would anyone even show up?? Would we be sitting out there like fools with our yard totally loaded and not a person in sight? "Oh God, it really doesn't matter if I look a fool. I just pray that you will bless this sale. Please help us! Bless our efforts, Send us buyers so that we can raise the money we need to bring Selah home! Keep showing us that you are with us and will provide!"



We got up at 5am (Yikes! I know but there was ALOT of stuff!) to get everything out and organized. We officially started at 7am and right at 7am people started pulling up! It was NONE STOP all day! What was really amazing was sharing with others about our adoption journey and the bonds and connections we made with neighbors and people in our community that we had never made before! To watch and listen to God moving on their hearts, I never want to forget these precious moments!



When we finally wrapped things up for Day 1 and got everything loaded back inside, we got the money together and counted it up..........$500 WOW...ok $800...$900 "No way!".....$1000! Finally when every last piece of change was counted.....$1128!!! THANK YOU JESUS!!!! That was just on Day 1...and on a FRIDAY!!! In a still small voice I could hear Him whisper to my heart " He who is able to do exceedingly beyond what we ask or think!" He loves to not only show up but to show in ways that we don't expect. How great is our God?!?



Day 2

It did not take very long for that fear to creep back in. How is that??? God just moved a major mountain and did a miracle, what a miracle it was! However we are made of flesh and in keeping it real I will be honest with you with my struggles. Fear DID creep back in and the next day I started having thoughts as we set back up. "Well, you sold most of your big stuff yesterday. Surly today wont be as good." What they heck kind of thoughts are those? Even if we did not do "as good", yesterday was such a BLESSING it should not matter! I quickly tossed those thoughts out. I would not allow them to have a place. This day belongs to the Lord as did yesterday. "God, I give you this day. Please bless it. May we be a blessing." Things started off slow then all of a sudden the WAVE hit! Things and people started moving all around. I must take a side note here to say we were also so incredibly blessed with people stopping by to visit to bring us lunch and to help watch our children for us. We could not have done this with out them. To those of you, you know who you are. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Thank you, Thank you!!

By the end of day 2 we brought in another $700 dollars!! For a grand total of $1828dollars !! But wait there is more...sense then there has been a few more things that have sold our total is now at $1900 dollars. PRAISE GOD!!!

It is just mind blowing, I started off with a secret hope that maybe just maybe we could earn $1000 over the 2 days. I really did not know if it was even possible and I was not holding onto any expectations, I just turned it over to God the great provider asking that he would help us and provide. Not only did He provide but he near doubled it :)

That leaves us at $2700 to go to cover our homestudy and agency fees. We still have a few more months to come up with it but as we all know there is going to be MANY more fees and payments to fundraise for in the future. There is so much work to be done but God is faithful and He is spurring on my faith. Ever so gently whispering "I am here, I am with you, do not worry! I will provide. It is my Joy!"