T-Shirt Clearance Sale

Hey friends!

We've gotten word that we should be traveling to China to bring Isaiah home by the end of July...only two months away. Jadyn asks no less that 10 times a day if we can go get Isaiah. Obviously, there's a lot of excitement in our home.

As you know, we sold tee shirts in the winter to help save this orphan. We want to say thank you to all who donated to the cause by purchasing a tee. You have no idea how much that means to us. I love seeing them around church or town. I always think, wow, that's a great t-shirt.

This is our third adoption in three years. We didn't actively try to raise funds for the first two & we were amazed at how God provided. We were once again reminded that God always supplies the resources to accomplish what He calls us to do.

As we knew He would, God is also providing the resources to bring Isaiah home. One way He's providing is through those of you who bought Serve One or Save One Tee's or dresses that Amy has made. So, we can't say thank you enough.

If you didn't get one, but would like to have one now that summer is here, we're making it easy for you. We're having a clearance sale. You can now buy one Tee for $20.00 or two for $30.00. If you want one, just see Amy or contact me or her on our Facebook page & let us know. You can also see the dresses she makes on her Facebook if you're interested.

Here is a rundown of what shirts we have left:







Gray Save One shirts - 4 larges (sold out of all other sizes)
Blue Serve One shirts - 2 smalls, 8 larges, 3 XL and 1 XXL
Silver Ladies Save One - 1 small, 10 larges, 10 XL
Black Ladies Serve One - 4 smalls, 8 mediums, 10 larges, 11 XL
Black Long Sleeved - 1 XXL and 1 medium (These are $15.00)

We've got some funds left to raise before we head to China in July. We would LOVE to sell out of these shirts. If you would like a shirt, please let one of us know. And now, you can see what you have to choose from. Shipping is included in the price if you don't live here!!

Thanks for helping us bring the little man home.

Where We Are

Here is just a quick update of where we are in our adoption. As you know, we received our LSC from the CCAA in China. We quickly signed it and overnighted it back to our agency so that they could get it back on it's way to China.

We are also required to submit another form to USCIS which is called an I800. We submitted the I800A along with a completed homestudy and some other documents and were approved to adopt Isaiah. Now we have to submit an I800, which is a 10 page application, along with a complete copy of Isaiah's referral packet and a couple of letters from our agency saying that this information is true and correct and that we have completed our Hague training. So, in other words, we have submitted another form to get an approval of our approval. Make sense? No, it don't to me either.

But, that's the hoop of the week that must be jumped through. So, we are jumping away. We submitted that form last week and it is taking about a month for this approval. Next step is then our Travel Approval which will be issued through the CCAA in China.

Please pray that this happens quickly and that the person who has received this very important piece of our paperwork will work efficiently and smoothly.

I'll keep you updated and let you know when we get this piece of exciting news.

Thanks for checking on us and for praying.

LSC/LOA!!!!!!!!!

Just got a call from Karen, our social worker with Heartsent! She just received our LSC (Letter Seeking Confirmation). This is the piece of paper that we check the box that says YES we want this child, then we sign it and send it back to the CCAA!

We have some immigration paperwork to complete and send in. PRAY that it is processed QUICKLY! She said that it was talking about a month. Next step is the TA (travel approval) which is taking about 3 weeks or so after that! So, reality is, we could be looking at...


wait for it...






JULY!!!!!


I need to get that little man home! Thanks for praying friends.

Some Great Fabric Choices

Just in case you are interested. I have a few more fabric combinations that will make some super cute dresses.

Here is the first one. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this fabric. It's called art gallery fabric.







Got enough fabric for one dress.



Here is the next set. It's the cupcake fabric, but with a vanilla background. Believe me, the green polka dots make this the cutest dress EVER!





And finally, this is another great set. It's perfect for all you purply lavender people. It is BEAUTIFUL fabric and will make a beautiful dress.



So, there you have it. Some more choices for these super cute dresses. I am sewing quite a bit, as I have time. I LOVE making these dresses. The prices are as follows:

Dress $30.00
Any embellishment - add $5.00 (ribbons, ric rac, applique etc.)
Monogram or name - $6.00

I am working on getting this information to a separate blog. Thanks for your interest and if you would like to order a dress, just let me know.

It's Gone!

If you were wanting the dress from the last post, it's GONE...


...but, never fear, there is more where that come from. I am going to try to get these posted to another blog and move this information so you can order straight from there. I am also trying to get fabric swatches posted also. Stay tuned!

Serve One, Save One by Drinking One (cup of coffee)

I know a lot of you think Pat & I are out of our minds. Adopting one orphan is one thing, but adopting three international orphans at our age? What in the world are we thinking? Well, we're simply thinking we want to be obedient to what God has called us to do.

God has gripped our heart for the 147 million orphans in the world. In James 1:27, He specifically told us, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." We're so thankful to be a part of a church that takes God's Word very seriously. We have a large and growing number of people who are taking care of the world's orphans by adopting & many more who are taking care of orphans through sponsorship or by helping bring one home.

Amy & I didn't really do any kind of organized fund raising for Jadyn or Alyza Kate, but bringing Isaiah home so soon after Aly Kate is going to require that we try to raise a little cash. So, we've developed two different ways you can help.

First, buy some Java. We've set up an account with Just Love Coffee. You can go to our JLC webpage and order a bag (or ten). Believe me, this coffee ain't no joke. It's some of the best coffee I've tasted and you know that I'm a coffee snob. For every bag you buy we receive $5.00 . So, let's drink some coffee people. Why not buy yourself a couple of bags & also a friend a bag. They really do make a great gifts. To purchase go to www.justlovecoffee.com/hoodfamily

Second, buy a T-Shirt for everyone in the family. I know you want to be stylish, so we've designed a few Tee's to help us bring Isaiah home. I really feel called to start a ministry that advocates for orphans called One Orphan. The title was born out of the statement, "I can't help them all, but I can help one." It is our prayer that once we have the funds that we need to bring Isaiah home, we can continue to support their orphanages, help families who are adopting, and sponsor unadoptable orphans worldwide. We desire for this ministry to help change the lives of many orphans in our world.

There are 147 million orphans in this world. That's a little overwhelming. I can't help them all, but I can help one. I can't save them all, but I can save one. I can't serve them all, but I can serve one. I can't sponsor them all, but I can sponsor one. You get the point.

So, we've designed a few shirts to help us save this ONE from a life with no parents & no name. You can be very fashionable as you sport a Save One or Serve One Tee or both. We have them in men's & women's. The long sleeve are the common Anvil Tee. The short sleeve are Next Level. They're much softer than the Anvil. The women's combo burnout is one of the hottest shirt's on the market.

We'll have these shirts next week. You can pre-order (please pre-order) by emailing me at amyrhood5@gmail.com. We need to sell about 250 shirts. So, you can also help us by getting the word out. Viral marketing is the best. So, help us bring our little man home.

The men's short sleeve Save One is charcoal.

The men's short sleeve Serve One is stonewashed denim.

The women's short sleeve Save One is silver. (S-XL only)

The women's short sleeve Serve One in black.

The ladies long sleeve combo burnout tee is dark chocolate & white. (S - XL only)

The long sleeve Anvil is black.

Sizes are S - 2XL

Prices are $25.00 for the short sleeve Next Level & the long sleeve Anvil for both men and women. The women's long sleeve combo burnout is $30.00

Remember, you can pre-order by emailing me at amyrhood5@gmail.com If you live away and would like to order, we will be glad to ship your shirt(s) to you. Shipping will be $5.00 extra on your total order.

Dear USCIS

Today, my I800A went into a FedEx envelope and was sent on it's way to Lewisville, TX. I am sure that it will be processed immediately and we will quickly receive our fingerprints appointment. :)

Well, at least that is what my prayer is! It was a form that kind of had me freaked out this time. It's not like I've never done this before, but this one made me a little paranoid. I was teetering on the edge of being VERY paranoid about the whole form. I filled it out online and then checked it a million times. I second guessed some questions, called Lisa several times, went over it again, called Lisa again, oh well, you get the picture. It took SO long to get our immigration paperwork when we filled it out for Alyza Kate. Five months to be exact. I need this paperwork to be processed very quickly as we have a deadline to get our dossier to China. So, USCIS, when you receive our application - get on with it!

I am working on dossier paperwork and am nearing completion of all of it. When we receive that coveted immigration piece of paper it can be sent on it's way. One step closer to bringing little man home.

So, pray with us if you will. Pray that it falls in the hands of a super efficient person and that all the pieces of the puzzle fit right together. Thanks for checking in on us! I'll let you know when I hear something.

Where Are We?

Just in case you have been staying awake, night and day, waiting on my next blog post, her it is!
I've got to do a little better at keeping this journey of this adoption documented on this blog. So, here's an update.

First and foremost, some pictures of our little man.




Isn't he the most precious thing in the world? We think so.

We have decided on a name. His name will be Isaiah Yang Hood. We didn't have a whole lot of trouble this time deciding on a name. There were few names that Pat and I both like, so the pool to choose from was relatively small. Almost non-existent in fact. :) But we both love the name Isaiah. For the record, Pat likes the dumbest names. Why is that always the way it is?

We are moments away from having our homestudy complete. At that time, it will make it's way to immigration and they will QUICKLY process our immigration paperwork. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We are waiting on our final, approved copy and off it goes. In the meantime, I am working on dossier documents and as quick as we get that coveted piece of paperwork from immigration, our dossier will be on it's way to China. Please pray that all of this happens very quickly.

So, that's kind of an update of where we are with this adoption. We cannot wait to get our little guy home. He needs to be with his family and we need him here. Please pray that things move quickly. But not too quickly, we've got some money to raise! Ah yes, it's God's perfect timing that comes in to play once again.

Thanks for reading and love you all!