donations

Thanks for all the donations!

A huge bag full of clothes!

Lots of balls! (oh, and one car!)


Granola bars and other assorted treats and toys!

The clothes are going to the orphanage and the toys and food will be handed out as we are out and about on the street. It feels good to know I will have something to share with these beautiful kids. It makes me happy to know they will at least eat that day and own a toy of their very own.

Busy, Busy!!

There is simply not enough time in the day. This weekend I felt like I worked on stuff non-stop and, as usual, I have barely scratched the surface. I had Friday off for our State teacher's association meeting so I was up by 6:00 and at Home Depot by 8am. My dishwasher died sometime last year and I have been managing without one. Since it's been just me and I don't entertain much and I am fine with seeing dishes sit for a day or two. OK, I am not fine with that but sometimes it happens cause I am too tired to do them and since it's just me and I rarely cook it's manageable. I know better than to think I can keep up this routine with two people in the house, though. I can't imagine being surrounded by my stuff plus bottles and/or sippy cups and all the other additional accumulated dishes for a couple of days. So, I trudged down to HD and bought a new dishwasher. The cheapest model. I hope it lasts a few years until I can afford a nicer one. I also bought a new toilet seat. Mine broke off the hinges and slipping off the toilet at the crack of dawn isn't fun, let me tell you. I know.. tmi. So, dishwasher and toilet seat. Necessities, yes, but damn I hate spending money on crap like that!

I left HD and headed to Target where I got a new shower curtain and one towel. I know, who buys one towel at a time? Me. Basically I'm too cheap/poor/frugal/practical to buy more when I have several perfectly good towels already. And I just spent a few hundred on a dishwasher :( But I wanted at least one that matched my new shower curtain so I bought one. I also picked up some cleaning supplies for my marathon cleaning session I had on tap for later in the day. After Target I went to pick up some children's clothing hangers someone was giving me for free (love Freecycle!) and peeked in Goodwill to see if there was anything interesting. Found two cute 2T dresses for $1 each!

Around 12 o'clock the heating company that I had hired came over to replace my thermostat which wasn't sending the signal to the boiler. I just bought it last year (the thermostat that is) but it's been temperamental. No heat in 40 degree weather is tolerable for me with a space heater and a down comforter but I knew I had to get it fixed before I come back from Ethiopia with a little one. Had to do it, but dang it if I hated writing that check, too! Unfortunately, I also learned that my hot water heater is the cause of the leak in my basement. Grrr... I saw there was leak a couple of months ago cause the carpet had mold on it, but I wasn't able to locate the source. Great. A new hot water heater will run me in the upper hundreds. Not to mention replacing the carpet. I wish someone had told me home ownership was one bill after another. I don't know if I would have bought a house. It's a freakin' money pit.

Later on in the afternoon I went to visit a daycare center recommended by a friend. It's not far from my house, the kids looked happy and well-cared for and it's *only* $250/week. I put my name on the waiting list. Right now the next projected infant opening isn't until May but as of now, it's my only option. I am having a really, really hard time trying to find affordable daycare or one with a space for an infant. Of course, it would be really helpful if I knew the age of my child. I tell them "probably an infant but she could be up to about 18 months." Seriously vague. It makes it hard to find a place when you can't even tell them if you will need an infant space or a toddler space. If I had options I could tell one place infant and another place toddler, but so far this is the only place I have found. The owner was pretty understanding about the situation though. For one, their infant room is for children from birth to 14 months and I think she will fall in that range. But she understood as her twin neices were adopted from Ethiopia. They are in kindergarten now but she was so excited to share her family's story. I will probably put my child there if a space opens up.

After the daycare visit, I went to the grocery store and came back home and cleaning, cooked and did laundry. A few hours later I plopped down for a movie and was asleep my 9:30.

Saturday was the marathon cleaning session. I cleaned for 5 or 6 hours straight! Excuse the poor camera phone quality, but seriously, check out my fridge:


It's sparkling clean. Makes me so happy! Can I just tell you, though, that it's completely exhausting doing everything by yourself. I tell myself that all this work and all the details in life need to be shared. One person shouldn't be expected to do it all alone. If I were married, my husband could take care of some things. If I were rich the housekeeper/personal assistant/chef/butler could take care of some things. The only other way to make my life easier is to move where life is less expensive (where I could afford to hire help on my small salary). I'm not sure what my life holds for next year (marriage, coming into some serious cash or moving) but I do know that something's gotta give. I think I'm tired now! I can only imagine how much more tired I will be as a new mom.

The heating man had to come back to finish up his work on Saturday and was here for a couple of hours. While he fixed my thermostat I cooked more food, cleaned, took out the trash, returned phone calls and did more laundry. Then I watched another movie and crashed.

Today, Sunday, I had five tasks on tap: go to church, register for a test required to teach English as a second language (trying to create options for next year), fold clothes, address fundraising letters and do some schoolwork. I haven't done any of them. I better get crackin' cause I am not going to bed without at least crossing one of those off the list. I'm going to start with addressing the fundraising letters. I can not believe I haven't sent them out yet! In it I ask for donations for my yardsale on October 31st and donations for the gift bags. Just with posting the letter on this blog and on Facebook I have gotten some donations already! I am so appreciative!! Thank you A1S for the granola bars! Anyone else who would like to donate for the gift bags still can. See sidebar for the address.

Now, off to address envelopes. And then maybe (if it's not too late) tackle this:


Man, I am so screwed when I have to take care of someone else. LOL

Donations Needed

When I traveled to Ethiopia last spring I requested donations but I don't think I gave folks enough time to get them to me and I wasn't specific about what I would like donated. This time I don't want to make that mistake so I am starting early.

Donations needed in my orphanage are infant clothing 0-8 months, infant Tylenol and baby powder. Any of these items would be useful for the caregivers.

For the children in Addis I would also like to create mini care packages. My plan is to fill 100 sandwich-sized Ziplock bags with assorted goodies and have them to hand out to the children I meet. In the bags I would like to include granola bars, small toys, jewelry and hair accessories. I can label the bags "boy" or "girl" before I leave home and every time I venture out of the guest house, I can stuff them into my backpack and hand them out to the children I encounter.

If you are interested in donating any of those items it would be greatly appreciated!

Here is a copy of the official fundraising letter I sent out:



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Dear Family, Friends, Colleagues and all those with a ♥ for adoption,



As many of you know, my life as I know it is about to change in a huge way! For the past two years I have been in the adoption process and, if all goes as planned, by the end of 2009 I should be bringing home a beautiful baby girl from Ethiopia!

The adoption process has been long and character building ☺ but the paperwork is done and the waiting has begun. One of the hardest parts has been the financing. Ethiopian adoptions cost approximately $20,000. This figure includes document preparation and translation, hiring of attorneys and other professionals in the U.S. and Ethiopia, travel and more. I have been blessed to have the support of many wonderful friends and family members and for that I am grateful… but I could still use your help.

♥♥♥

When I travel to Ethiopia this winter, my goal is to bring 100 mini care packages for the children living on the streets of Addis Ababa who will not be adopted. To create these care packages I am collecting the following items: small granola bars, jewelry & hair accessories and small toys. I will be filling sandwich-sized zip lock bags with the assortment of goodies. Would you be wiling to donate a few boxes of mini granola bars, some plastic jewelry or perhaps a few action figures? Be creative. For many of the children these items will become prized possessions. I am willing to decrease my luggage space to make room for your donations but please remember the airlines are strict about weight so the smaller and the lighter the better! Think small! ☺

I am having two yard sales: one on Sept. 26th and another later in the fall. If you have anything you can donate—furniture, clothing, art, toys, etc. please consider donating those items to me. Email me to arrange a pick up or drop off of your items. If you are not the donation-gathering type but will still like to help, I am of course also accepting monetary donations and/or donations of miles to help defray the cost of our travels.

And finally, I can’t say enough about the power of prayer. Prayers for my daughter’s first family, prayers for her health, prayers for our safe travels and prayers for our adjustment as a new family are also very much appreciated.

I know that times are tough. People are pinching pennies and keeping to a budget. The timing of my adoption finalization isn’t the best for me financially, but the time is now. Getting to this point has been truly humbling and now I am just ready to bring my little girl home. Thank you for considering us! I can’t wait to share her photos with you.

With much love and appreciation,


Laura (soon to be a mom!)

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If you would like to donate anything --infant clothing, baby powder, infant Tylenol, granola bars, small toys, stickers, jewelry, hair accessories, money or miles--please email me at:

EthiopiaTen@aol (dot) com

Thank you!!

Love This!

By SHARON HENDRY

Published: 26 May 2009 in The Sun

SINGLE mum Jane Surtees certainly has a Lotto heart.

Like millions of others, the mum-of-five had dreamed of winning the Lottery and buying cars, houses and designer clothes.

But she also had another wish — to help the plight of countless starving children in Ethiopia she had seen on television over the years.

So when Jane scooped a £7.5million jackpot five months ago, she immediately started planning her trip to the African country.

Speaking exclusively for the first time since her win, Jane, 48, says: “Winning the Lotto has changed my life and now I want to help change the lives of others.

Care for kids ... Jane Surtees visits the orphanage

“I’ll never forget seeing the faces of so many beautiful children left poor and starving by events in Ethiopia and I wanted to go and see how I could help.

“In the end life is all about luck. Because of my good fortune, I will never have to worry about money again but these children have been left vulnerable and orphaned by problems that aren’t their fault.”

Jane travelled to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa last week and headed straight to the Kidane Mehret Children’s Home, which cares for 120 orphans. The youngest is three days old, the oldest 17 years.

Run by Maltese nuns sister Lutgarda and sister Camilla for the past 40 years, it takes in orphaned and needy children from the street and provides them with shelter, food, clothing and love.

The cramped orphanage is run purely on donations and can only feed the kids three small meals a day. Meat is a once-a-week treat and toys and books are scarce.

But Jane was struck by how contented the kids seemed despite having so little.

Close to tears, she says: “To have the opportunity to come here and see and feel the pride these children have is incredible.

“The nuns have achieved so much with so little, it is humbling. To see it is worth all the money in the world. It has changed my life.”

Jane immediately donated £50,000 and has pledged a sizeable annual commitment to support Kidane and a project called Beyond The Orphanage (BTO).

Founded by Australian Geoff Hucker, 45, BTO provides shelter, education, counselling and medical treatment for orphans who cannot find homes and those forced to leave their orphanage on reaching maturity.

During her five-day trip, Jane met 15-year-old Workeneh Fanetay.

After losing his parents to tuberculosis when he was just four, he had to bring up his two-year-old brother alone.

One of 50,000 children on the streets in Addis Ababa, he bought minimal food with money he earned running errands on a building site and helping neighbours.

Since joining BTO 18 months ago, Workeneh and his brother Yismalem have moved into a modest mud house, planted vegetables on their plot and both attend school.

An estimated five million Ethiopian children are orphans - 800,000 of whose parents died of Aids or HIV-related causes, a figure that is steadily rising.

Baby love ... Jane meets some of the orphanage's

younger residents

In the past, famine, conflict and other diseases contributed to Ethiopia’s massive orphan population.

Jane’s new life as a philanthropist is a world away from her former one as a single mum to Rachel, 23, Richard, 21, Naomi, 12, Leona, 11, and eight-year-old Jasmyn.

She says: "Before the win, money was a problem. We lived in a three-bedroom semi and weren't able to afford holidays."

Jane's lucky numbers, chosen from family birthdays, came up on December 10, 2008.

She recalls: "I flicked on Teletext to read the story about Woolworths going bankrupt and saw my numbers on the screen.

Blown away ... kind-hearted Jane now has the chance to

help others

“I knew them off by heart but didn’t connect at first. I kept thinking: ‘What are my numbers doing on this page?’ ”

The enormity of her win is still sinking in. Jane says: “The most overwhelming feeling is that of having security and choices.”

Jane has treated herself to a new four-bedroom house in her hometown of Whitby,

North Yorks, another five-bedroom one in York and three BMWs for her, Rachel and

Richard.

And in July she will marry long-term partner Mark Lisbon, 42, a stunt co-ordinator.

But Jane is adamant that children in Ethiopia will continue to share her win.

She says: “So many people say: ‘Well you can’t save the world so what’s the point in trying?’ but my attitude is even if some of my money can help a few kids, it might inspire others to do the same.

“The sisters at the orphanage are modern-day saints. What I have seen in Ethiopia will stay with me for the rest of my life.

“If everyone who won the Lottery shared their luck, our world would be a better place to live in.

To support Jane’s Ethiopian charities, go to beyondtheorphanage.org and fcj-kmch.org.