As promised, our online auction site is up and ready to be previewed. For your sneak peek, please visit www.expectingfrompolandauction.blogspot.com.
We only have about 20 items up right now, but we have about 50 more to add this week. Be sure to keep checking back to see what's new. Also if you would like to donate an item or service, please let us know by Wednesday, November 27th.
Start your Black Friday holiday shopping at home and online! Bidding starts Friday, November 29th at 12AM CT and will end Friday, December 6th at 6PM CT.
Please share our auction link with your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers! Help us spread the word. We appreciate all of your support. Happy Bidding!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
One Step Closer
As discussed in an earlier blog, Wally and I sent in our 1-800a and were waiting for our appointment receipt to go to Homeland security in Milwaukee for our biometrics appointment. We received that on our anniversary - best anniversary present ever! It was exactly 2 weeks after sending in our I-800a. Our appointment was set for 11/6. I had read on other adoption blogs and forums that as long as you have your appointment receipt, they will usually take you early if you stop in. We decided to take a chance.
We both took personal days the very next day, said a prayer, and headed to Milwaukee. I was a bit nervous, but I kept reminding myself that God can move mountains, He most certainly can move someone at Homeland Security...right? We had to wait a bit, but they let us in and we were able to get our biometrics done. Praise God!! So, where does that leave us now? Well, we are now waiting on our I-797s. That is it! That's right, only 1 piece of paper left, and our dossier is complete. One. Piece.Of. Paper. How crazy is that?!?! After all of the paperchasing, its hard to believe that there is only 1 document left. The not so so great news is that it could be another 60 days before we see it. I am going to remain hopeful that we will have it before the end of the year. We are further along in the process than we thought we would be at this point, so I will just continue to celebrate that!
We should have our online auction site up this week, so keep your eye out for that. Also, as you begin your holiday shopping, don't forget our Amazon link on the right side of the blog. Amazon pays us marketing fees for every purchase! Every little bit helps!
God is moving in our adoption - we feel it, and we can see it. Thank you so much for your prayers, and we ask that you continue to pray for us and our little as we continue on our journey. Your love, prayers and support mean the world to us!
Ephesians 4:1-2
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love,
We both took personal days the very next day, said a prayer, and headed to Milwaukee. I was a bit nervous, but I kept reminding myself that God can move mountains, He most certainly can move someone at Homeland Security...right? We had to wait a bit, but they let us in and we were able to get our biometrics done. Praise God!! So, where does that leave us now? Well, we are now waiting on our I-797s. That is it! That's right, only 1 piece of paper left, and our dossier is complete. One. Piece.Of. Paper. How crazy is that?!?! After all of the paperchasing, its hard to believe that there is only 1 document left. The not so so great news is that it could be another 60 days before we see it. I am going to remain hopeful that we will have it before the end of the year. We are further along in the process than we thought we would be at this point, so I will just continue to celebrate that!
We should have our online auction site up this week, so keep your eye out for that. Also, as you begin your holiday shopping, don't forget our Amazon link on the right side of the blog. Amazon pays us marketing fees for every purchase! Every little bit helps!
God is moving in our adoption - we feel it, and we can see it. Thank you so much for your prayers, and we ask that you continue to pray for us and our little as we continue on our journey. Your love, prayers and support mean the world to us!
Ephesians 4:1-2
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love,
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Y'all Put the Fun in Fundraising!
As you know, Wally & I had two bowling fundraisers in October - one in Rockford & one in Madison. We were absolutely blown away by the generosity and support from our friends, family, and even some people we just met at the events. Thank you so much for helping us get one step closer! We would also like to say a special thank you to all of our volunteers - we would not have been able to do it without you! We had so much fun, and hope you all did too! It is so awesome to watch so many people come together to help us bring the little home. I can't wait to show them the pictures someday!
We would also like to recognize and thank the organizations that provided donations for our silent auctions.
We simply can't thank you enough! Your prayers are working, so please keep them coming!
2 Corinthians 9:8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work
We would also like to recognize and thank the organizations that provided donations for our silent auctions.
- Anna's Pizza & Pasta
- BPI Printing
- Cheryl Anne's Closet
- Claudine's Pet Grooming
- Color Exhibition
- Ebonite
- Edible Arrangements
- Eickman's
- Flip Dog Designs
- Groovy Grammas Creations
- Rockford IceHogs
- Tyranena
- Vintage Brewing Co.
We simply can't thank you enough! Your prayers are working, so please keep them coming!
2 Corinthians 9:8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Back on Track
Wow. Where to
begin? So much has happened since my
last post.
Let’s start with a little hiccup we encountered in
mid-September. We received an email from
our social worker about a paperwork problem she had encountered with other families. We found out that the WI Secretary of State
would not apostille the child abuse clearance forms as they were not
originals. The procedure for those
documents, as laid out by our primary agency, was to add an affidavit to the
back of the documents and have it notarized.
Just to be clear – EVERY document in our dossier must be
apostilled. No exceptions! Apostilled is just a fancy word for
authenticating – basically saying the document is legit. Anyways, we got in touch
with our primary agency and they suggested we get our documents in to be apostilled
ASAP. Wally and I had almost all of our
documents anyways, so we decided to give it whirl. Since we live near Madison, I was able to go
drop off our documents in person. My
friend Becky had to drive me because I was so nervous, and I seriously thought
I was going to get sick when I handed all of those documents over. So much so, that I had to inform the person
in the office. She laughed and guessed
that I was adopting. I must not be the
only one to have those feelings! She
reviewed my documents right in front of me and said everything looked good and
that I would get a call when they were done.
I felt pretty good about it, but knew I wouldn’t be able to rest easy
until I had them back. She called the
next morning to inform me they were done.
What? I thought that was going to
take a week! Feeling confident, I picked
up our documents, and everything, including our child abuse clearances (the
forms in question), were apostilled.
Praise the Lord! With all of the
ups and downs of adoption, it sure is nice when something just works out.
Meanwhile, Wally and I were still waiting to receive our
final home study. There were a couple of
documents that got missed, so there was a lot of back and forth with our
primary agency and social worker. It
seems like it took forever, but we FINALLY got it! What does that mean? Well, it means more “hurry up and wait”. Along with our home study, we received our
instructions for our I-800A. This
document will begin our process with USCIS (immigration). We got that filled out and sent in the next
day. Now we wait to get an appointment
at the Homeland Security Office in Milwaukee for our biometrics. After that we will receive our I -797 – the final
piece of our dossier. Once we have that,
we will get it apostilled and our dossier will be complete! It feels like we are getting close! Our hope is to have our dossier in Poland
before the end of the year. Please pray
this process goes smoothly. I will be
sure to keep you posted.
The love, support, and prayers that have been coming in from
all over are amazing. Thank you all so
much for being a part of our journey.
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled
with joy.” -Psalm 126:3
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Polskie Doświadczenia
In the beginning of August, Wally and I had the opportunity to go to Pulaski, WI to attend a Polish workshop. We learned about some of the history, traditions, geography, current political and economic climate, and we got to try a sampling of Polish treats. Poland has such a rich history, and Wally especially enjoyed that. I liked learning more about the traditions that we can bring home and incorporate into our family. As most of you know, it is very important to Wally and I to share our little's Polish heritage with them. This workshop provided Wally and I with a great overview and jumping off point.
We couldn't leave Pulaski without stopping at the Polish bakery - Smurawa's Country Bakery. There we bought traditional Polish pastries called punchki (picture 1) and some homemade pierogies. They were delish! After the workshop and the bakery, Wally and I were inspired to try our hand at some Polish baking. We decided to make kolaczki (picture 2 & 3). We made one batch with raspberry filling and another with a pecan filling. They were pretty darn good if I do say so myself. They quickly disappeared when I took some to work, so I think my co-workers would agree.
Wally and I will begin learning Polish this month. We know that we probably won't be fluent, but we at least want to be conversational. It is important to us that we can continue speaking Polish to our little once they are home.
Once again, we want to thank all of you for your continued support and prayers. We will be updating you on the progress of our home study soon.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.” – Psalm 127
We couldn't leave Pulaski without stopping at the Polish bakery - Smurawa's Country Bakery. There we bought traditional Polish pastries called punchki (picture 1) and some homemade pierogies. They were delish! After the workshop and the bakery, Wally and I were inspired to try our hand at some Polish baking. We decided to make kolaczki (picture 2 & 3). We made one batch with raspberry filling and another with a pecan filling. They were pretty darn good if I do say so myself. They quickly disappeared when I took some to work, so I think my co-workers would agree.
Wally and I will begin learning Polish this month. We know that we probably won't be fluent, but we at least want to be conversational. It is important to us that we can continue speaking Polish to our little once they are home.
Once again, we want to thank all of you for your continued support and prayers. We will be updating you on the progress of our home study soon.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.” – Psalm 127
Monday, September 2, 2013
Help Us Pack The Lanes For The Little
We have event dates! We will be having 2 bowling fundraisers - 1 in Rockford, IL and 1 in Madison, WI. See details for each below.
Rockford Moonlight Bowling Fundraiser
When: Saturday, October 5th - 9:30pm
Where: Forest Hills Lanes, 7742 Forest Hills Road, Loves Park, IL
Madison Bowling Fundraiser
When: Saturday, October 26th - 12pm - 4pm
Where: Badger Bowl, 506 E. Badger Road, Madison, WI
Rockford Moonlight Bowling Fundraiser
When: Saturday, October 5th - 9:30pm
Where: Forest Hills Lanes, 7742 Forest Hills Road, Loves Park, IL
Price: Adults: $25 in advance / $30 day of; Children 10 and under: $15 in advance / $20 day
of; Children under 3 are free
Includes: 3 games of Bowling, Shoes, Nachos and a Beer Ticket
(Must be 21+ for alcohol, soda ticket available for minors)
Extras: 50 / 50 Raffle and Silent Auction
Includes: 3 games of Bowling, Shoes, Nachos and a Beer Ticket
(Must be 21+ for alcohol, soda ticket available for minors)
Extras: 50 / 50 Raffle and Silent Auction
Madison Bowling Fundraiser
When: Saturday, October 26th - 12pm - 4pm
Where: Badger Bowl, 506 E. Badger Road, Madison, WI
Price: Adults: $25 in advance / $30 day of; Children 10 and under: $17 in advance / $20 day
of; Children under 3 are free
Includes: 3 Games of Bowling, Shoes, Unlimited Pizza Buffet with Bread Sticks and Salad.
Includes: 3 Games of Bowling, Shoes, Unlimited Pizza Buffet with Bread Sticks and Salad.
One non-alcoholic beverage. Candy Bar for the kids!
Extras: 50 / 50 Raffle, Silent Auction and Kid’s Halloween Costume Contest
Extras: 50 / 50 Raffle, Silent Auction and Kid’s Halloween Costume Contest
100% of all proceeds will go to the adoption costs.
If you are interested in attending either of these events, please email me at afrancis1024@gmail.com or comment below, and I will send you a registration form. Please invite your friends and family!
Thank you for all of your prayers and support. We hope to see you there!
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Hurry Up & Wait!
I am sorry that it has been so long since our last post, but we have been super busy!
Our home visit went really well on the 22nd. Most likely we won't see our social worker again until after we are home with the little(s). We are still waiting for our FBI clearance to come in and my record check from IL. Other than that, our social worker has everything she needs to complete the write up. Our primary agency is very detailed (which we love), and very specific regarding the home study requirements. Our local agency will be working on the write up this month, and it should be sent to our primary agency for review by the end of this month. Our primary agency will send back any changes, if necessary, or the approved study. Our social worker thinks we can expect to have the approved home study in our hands by mid-September. WooHoo!! Once we have our approved home study, we can send in our I800A. That is the final step in completing our dossier.
We have all of our documents ready for our dossier except for the immigration clearance. The I800A that we have to send in to the USCIS is an application to get approval to bring a child into the US. Once this is sent in, we will receive an appointment date to go to the Homeland Security building in Milwaukee to have our biometrics done. Once that is done, we wait to receive our approval. Unfortunately, we have heard that this can be a long process - possibly up to 6 months. As soon as we have that we will have all of our documents apostilled, and send our dossier to our primary agency for review. Once everything is approved, it will be on its way to Poland. Poland will then review our dossier, and once they approve it, we will officially be "waiting" for our little(s)! We are praying this will all be done before the end of the year.
We have also fulfilled all of our adoption education requirements, and then some. So at this point, everything is kind of out of our hands. The hours at my second job have picked up quite a bit, and we are busy planning for the fundraising events (more to come on that). Other than that, there isn't much we can do for the adoption.
On a side note, I have to share with you that I had quite the surprise at work on Thursday. A group of co-workers from my department got a bunch of puzzle pieces, decorated them, and surprised me with them during a meeting. Any of you that know me well, know that it is quite difficult to surprise me, so I was very impressed by that. You can tell that they put so much time and thought into these pieces. It was so sweet!
As always, Wally and I want to thank you for your continued prayers and support. We ask that you keep the prayers coming. Lord knows we will need strength and patience to get through all of this "waiting"!
Our home visit went really well on the 22nd. Most likely we won't see our social worker again until after we are home with the little(s). We are still waiting for our FBI clearance to come in and my record check from IL. Other than that, our social worker has everything she needs to complete the write up. Our primary agency is very detailed (which we love), and very specific regarding the home study requirements. Our local agency will be working on the write up this month, and it should be sent to our primary agency for review by the end of this month. Our primary agency will send back any changes, if necessary, or the approved study. Our social worker thinks we can expect to have the approved home study in our hands by mid-September. WooHoo!! Once we have our approved home study, we can send in our I800A. That is the final step in completing our dossier.
We have all of our documents ready for our dossier except for the immigration clearance. The I800A that we have to send in to the USCIS is an application to get approval to bring a child into the US. Once this is sent in, we will receive an appointment date to go to the Homeland Security building in Milwaukee to have our biometrics done. Once that is done, we wait to receive our approval. Unfortunately, we have heard that this can be a long process - possibly up to 6 months. As soon as we have that we will have all of our documents apostilled, and send our dossier to our primary agency for review. Once everything is approved, it will be on its way to Poland. Poland will then review our dossier, and once they approve it, we will officially be "waiting" for our little(s)! We are praying this will all be done before the end of the year.
We have also fulfilled all of our adoption education requirements, and then some. So at this point, everything is kind of out of our hands. The hours at my second job have picked up quite a bit, and we are busy planning for the fundraising events (more to come on that). Other than that, there isn't much we can do for the adoption.
On a side note, I have to share with you that I had quite the surprise at work on Thursday. A group of co-workers from my department got a bunch of puzzle pieces, decorated them, and surprised me with them during a meeting. Any of you that know me well, know that it is quite difficult to surprise me, so I was very impressed by that. You can tell that they put so much time and thought into these pieces. It was so sweet!
As always, Wally and I want to thank you for your continued prayers and support. We ask that you keep the prayers coming. Lord knows we will need strength and patience to get through all of this "waiting"!
I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!
Matthew 25:40
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