Shopping With A Purpose

"A Place Called Simplicity" is graciously hosting a "Shop With Purpose" link up!

Pop on over and see many families who are selling tee-shirts, jewelry, handmades....all sorts of things to help fund their adoptions.

Buy something unique......and help bring a child home!

A wee bit about our family.

We are the Johnstons......

Kenny and Julie..

Evangeline (7)

Landis (5)

Samuel (2)

and are waiting to get the call on our domestic adoption!

(We don't know who our little one will be.....boy/girl...special needs/healthy....we are excited to see whom the Lord brings into our family!)

I am sewing children's clothes.....

mostly dresses and skirts for little girls...

and aprons for girls and mommas....

to help bring our peanut home!

Pop around on my site for a bit, or hop back over to the link up to find more families!

************

(And if you do not follow Linny at "A Place Called Simplicity", I'd encourage you to do so. She has so much wisdom and experience in the adoption arena. I most appreciate her devotion to prayer. Each time visit Linny's blog...I come away encouraged to pray and praise! Visit and be challenged!)

SALE!!!! Long Sleeve Flitterbugs in Little Sizes!

Many of you have asked for a sale price on smaller size Flitterbugs.

I made a little stash of Long Sleeve Dresses....ready to ship to you!

They are just $25 each....shipping is included in that price.

If you would like to purchase a dress...just leave a comment or email me...first come first serve! I will mail the dresses out in the morning.

Size 6-12 Months- Pink Polka Dots

Size 6-12 Months- Freebird Flowers

Size 12-18 Months- Woodland Delight-SOLD!

Size 12-18 Months- Fall Dots-SOLD!

Size 24 Months- Moda Flowers

Size 24 Months- Pumpkins-SOLD!

Size 24 Months- Tweet Tweet Butterflies

******************************************
You can also pop over and see all of the lovely Christmas fabrics. Christmas orders are rolling in....place yours before your favorite fabric is gone!

What If It Were Today?

Each day......several times each day, I think, "Will it be today?"

While writing out the date, I often wonder, "Is our baby being born today? Is our birthmother's due date today?"

Sometimes, I cast a glance at the phone, as if I could will it to ring, yet at the same time and in some supernatural way, I am content and confident to let the Lord write this adoption and timeline. (As if I have any control of it anyways!)

Some days, Kenny bluntly and randomly states, "I am ready for our adoption to happen." He has a child he loves and longs to meet.

It has been 8 years since the Lord wrote adoption on our hearts....15 months since we officially began our adoption journey.....and 5 months and 3 days since we were officially homestudy approved and waiting. Honestly, I never thought we would be waiting for so long....and I a ready for the waiting to be over. Oh, please let it be today!

This morning, "could it be today?" casually crossed my mind, as it does everyday. Then me heart realized, as a Christian, I should live in that state. Jesus is coming....what if it were today? Do I not long for that day? I admit, I rarely think about it. It could be today, it could be tomorrow....it could be in a thousand years...but it will be. Why do I not think about that as I wake, plan my day and prepare for tomorrow? Would it not change the way I live...would I not walk my days in a more eternal perspective?

Four years ago, in a unexpected blink of an eye....I almost met my maker. One day I will share those moments and what went through my mind. I will tell you it has changed my perspective on life and how I live. How I mother, what kind of wife I want to be and my desires in life have forever been altered. But even though I experienced first hand how quickly our lives can end, I still do not often think.....

"Today could be the day! The eastern skies could split, the trumpet could sound and the Lord could descend. Hallelujah!"

Just as wait in hopeful anticipation for the phone to ring, just as we long to receive that call and meet our child, I want to live in hopeful anticipation and expectation of the Lord's return. Heaven and Earth have been waiting for over 6,000 years....and it could be today!

"So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." Matthew 24:44

What if it were today? Are you ready?

*****************************

(If you are going on the "Created to Care" retreat.....scroll down to yesterday's post to leave yoru link!)

Who Going?!?!? LINK UP!!

I am so, so excited about the "Created to Care" Ladies Retreat in February....and so thankful my parents and hubby are making it possible for me to go. (And really hoping I have a little peanut to tote along!)

After I registered.....I sort of realized....."ummm, I going on a weekend retreat...where I do not know anyone."

If you know me...this is so not like my shy self! Kenny tells me that adoption and orphan care has brought out something in me that nothing else ever has....and he thinks it is good.:)

I am sooo excited about meeting so many ladies who I have gotten to know through the "bloggy" world....and would love to know if any of you are going?!?!

Sooo......leave a comment or link up your blog below. I'd love to know who all will be there!

Are you going on the Retreat? Link up here!

The Lord's Provision...and His Generous People

I think we plunged into this adoption journey as many families do: excited, hopefully, eager and with high expectations. You hear stories of families who complete their paperwork overnight, get FBI clearances before they are even fingerprinted, receive a check in the mail on day one to cover all expenses, get their referral call 3 hours after the waitlist, get the call for twins, have the kiddos placed in their arms the next day and never have so much one second of court holdups. Our adoption...just like every other hopeful families....was going to go just.like.that. :)

Then we started to process, and the Lord showed us that His ways are not our ways...and praise Him for it!

Many days we have wondered why He led us down the domestic path, even after approval with AGCI for Ethiopia....and then praised Him at details of our current journey. Many days I have cried over the exhausting hours of sewing and fundraising...only to realize precious little has been raised.....then PRAISED Him as His faithful followers have bestowed their love and means upon us. Many days we have sat frustrated as we sit waiting....knowing that there are millions of children who are n desperate need of a family.....then praised Him as we pray for our birthmother, whom we so long to meet.

Most of our encouragement, support, funds, and excitement have come in ways, and from people, we had never anticipated being a part of our journey.

Day by day, detail by detail, He is proving to us that this journey...this child....is His, not our. He is writing this story, and His narrative is higher and greater than ours.

This past week, He has once again encouraged and strengthened us....in the most random of ways!

One huge aspect of sewing...is fabric. And fabric, nice fabric, is not cheap. I spend tons of time on the Internet looking for nice, high quality fabric at sale prices in order to offer Flitterbug clothes at a good rate to you all. Making a garment, from start to finish, takes a lot of time....and some days it seems like to slowest way possible to fund an adoption!

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from a lady I do not even know....a "friend of a friend" she stated. Could she send me some fabric as a "donation" of sorts for our adoption?!?!

Wow~how neat! I am constantly surprised at the creative ways in which people have been a part of our journey. Her email was such an encouragement to me.

Over the course of the last few days......we have received package after package after package of beautiful fabric from our, now dubbed, "secret fabric lady." Each yard of fabric has been met with squeals of delight and gratitude! Yesterday, the children and I took to posing with our new, beloved stash:)

The Lord has once again provided through the generosity of His people, and we are left praising Him for it!

I wish I knew who this "secret fabric lady is....I would hug her neck and smother her in thanks!!! (So if you know who she is....please do so for me:)

See the fabric stash in the above pictures?!?! It is enough to make 120 Flitterbugs.
I'm ready to sew like a deranged woman:)

Praise the Lord, who gives good gifts in His time, in His ways and for His glory!

Two Winners and Free Shipping!

Thank you, thank you to all who entered the Long Sleeve Flitterbugs Giveaway!

We had close to 100 entries left here..and on Facebook...and emailed in.

The children and I had fun pulling 2 names out of the hat!

The winners are:

Lauren Evans

and

Erin McCoy

Ladies...I'll send you an email with more info!

**************************************************

How about a special on this beautiful fall day?!?!

FREE SHIPPING ON ANY ORDER PLACED TODAY ONLY!!!!

Just pop on over and see what style of Flitterbugs you like...then choose your favorite fabric.

Email me with your selection...and I'll make your little ones Flitterbug!

Have a lovely Columbus Day!!!!

GIVEAWAY!!

Thank you, thank you to all who invited your friends to follow Flitterbugs on Facebook!
We are over 500 fans.....so it's time for a giveaway.

Winner will receive a Long Sleeve Flitterbug Dress....

any size and fabric of their choice!

You can enter up to 3 times!

To Enter:

**Leave a comment below (or email me your comment..and I will leave it for you)

** Leave a comment on Flitterbugs on Facebook

**Share this Giveaway on Facebook

We will draw the winner on Monday morning.

Have a beautiful, blessed day!

11 Away.... Then a Giveaway

If you follow Flitterbugs on Facebook...then you may have noticed a Giveaway is coming.

We are up to 489 fans....as soon as we reach 500 it will be time for a Long Sleeve Flitterbugs Dress Giveaway!

So pop on over to Flitterbugs on Facebook......click "like" and invite your friends to follow.

I occasionally offer sales and giveaways on Facebook that I don't post here....

head on over and don't miss out! Winner will get to choose any size and fabric they would like for their little one's dress.

This beautiful fall weather is making me want to bake.....perhaps the next giveaway will be for a ladies apron.

What would you like the next giveaway to be for?!?!