First Things First

Hello everyone! It seems like I have been chasing down leads to make money for the adoption for days. I think I have looked at every adoption loan and grant that is out there. I have also been trying to come up with some fundraisers to do. That last part isn't coming along so well. I think I will see if the grocery store will let me do a hot dog/bake sale and I'm going to start gathering things and taking donations for a yard sale. If I can ever make it out to the store, I am going to put together a nice gift basket and take chances on it. There is a candle fundraiser I could try too, if I can get some people to help me out selling them. I am going to make up some flyers with the donation account on it and see if businesses will let me put them up on their billboards with all the other random ads. I may even get creative and make some bracelets or something to sell, but we'll have to see if I'm any good at that sort of thing first. I want to have some shirts made to sell, but I don't know of a place that would do it cheap so that I could make some profit from it. If any of you can come up with some other ideas, pretty please, let me know.

I have applications for all kinds of adoption grants, but there is one little snag. The majority of them require that you already have your home study done before you can apply for them and the the other half require that you have already signed your contract with an agency. First things first, we need to settle on a house ASAP. While the hubby is gone to work these two weeks, I am going to be doing a lot of driving around and looking at the places we narrowed it down to. I would really like to be able to get the paperwork started on one by the end of the month and no later than the middle of January. Hopefully things will go smoothly this time, unlike the two other times we tried to buy a house, and we will be able to close on it by the end of March. I was really hoping we could get a house and get the home study done by the end of April in order to meet the deadline for the first set of grants that go out, but it's not looking good. Patience was never one of my strong points and I find myself getting more and more restless and anxious. For once, since my first miscarriage, I am again excited and hopeful that I will be holding my own little baby in my arms soon. The really wonderful thing is that not only will it make my life so much more, it will be giving a home to a baby that desperately needs it. That's an amazing thing to think about.

The next thing on the list, after the house and the home study, is deciding on which agency to use. This is a decision I have been struggling with a lot. Of course, some are cheaper than others and they all provide different services, but I just can't decide. I have narrowed it down to about four, but I still need to get a little more information before I make my final decision. Once I pick one, I can go ahead and fill out the application. I have to be approved before we ever start talking money or signing contracts. Ultimately, I have to decide if I am going to pay a little more for the full service of an agency or pay a little less for a facilitator. If I choose a facilitator I will pretty much have to do most everything by myself and that is a scary thought since it will be my first time.

Money, money, money..that's what it all boils down to. I feel like I've got to get some of our monthly debt paid off so that we have more to put towards a loan payment after the house and so it will raise the hubby's credit and we will be eligible for more on the adoption loan. It feels like a completely pointless task, but I 'm trying. I just filled out a form tonight to try to get my student loans cancelled since my college lost its accreditation. Hopefully that goes as planned and I won't have to worry about student loan payments anymore. We cut out television completely and we really don't have any other luxury expenses. Everything else we have to pay are things we have no choice about. The first thing on my list is to tackle the credit card debt. It's not much, but we will need those credit cards for the adoption and paying them back off will up hubby's credit score some. I really need to get some fundraising money or donations coming in so that we can pay the first part of the payment to whichever agency we decide to go with. I am relying heavily on my friends and family to help me get the word out to others and to help with the fundraisers. I hope they are up to the task.

Well, I really just wanted to give everyone a brief update as to what has been going on. If anyone wants to help out by donating money, you can get in touch with me or go to the donation page. If you would like to donate items for a yard sale or to take chances on, then get in touch with me directly or a family member. I ask that you please share my fundraiser page, blog and/or Facebook page with the people you know via Facebook, Twitter or any other means you choose. Thank you everyone that has shown their support, you will never know how much it means to us. Love and baby dust!!

http://www.gofundme.com/CallieTorreyAdoptionFund