Handbag drawing and other stuff

I'm drawing a name tonight. The lucky person will get a customized handbag from www.sassyklassy.com! I'm so happy that $235 was contributed to Oleg's adoption grant fund. I'll be even more tickled if some wonderful family commits to him during the Christmas Angel Tree Project!

Here's what I did - I put all the names into column A in a spreadsheet. I then generated a list of random integers and put them into column B. Then I sorted the two columns by the numbers in the random list. This gives me a random list of names. Next I used a random integer generator to pick one number - the corresponding name is the winner! Am I a geek or what?

The winner is - #12 Laura Mendez! Woo-hoo! I can't wait to see how your new creation turns out.

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

I spent the day organizing my bills and stuff. I just put the bills in a pile until I have money to pay them - great system, huh? The pile was getting out of hand, but now it is under control again.

Part of the big pile is claim forms for our health care flexible spending account. This is a way to use pre-tax money to pay for medical bills. For years I have sent in copies of receipts along with a form to be reimbursed for medical expenses. This year our company sent out a Visa card to use instead.

I was so happy about not having to send in receipts and forms. It was going to be great. Except one thing - 3 of Ralph's 4 prescriptions are from a compounding pharmacy. When I use the Visa card there the payment gets rejected every single time. The dentist payment was rejected, too. So today I spent today tracking down receipts and filling out forms - the very thing I thought I wouldn't have to do anymore. GRRRRRRRR!

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

I personally put Ralph's cannula back on 17 times today. (Other people in the house also replaced it a time or two.) Yes, I counted. I seemed like 100 times, but it is not right to exaggerate, so I counted.

I have a long mirror propped against the wall in the hallway where Ralph plays. It is so funny to watch him crawl down the hall while looking in the mirror! He crawls back and forth, looking at himself all the while. He even shares his bottle with the baby in the mirror, so I know he won't die of thirst like Narcissus!

Ralph has a couple of new signs, eat and all done. He uses both appropriately. We are going to start working with flash cards very soon. My goal is to teach him some sight words along with their signs. He's a very bright boy. I don't see any reason why he shouldn't be learning to read!

Last day...

Today is the last day that you can chip-in for Oleg through my blog. He is still waiting on a family to commit to him. I think he is a cutie, but then I have a big soft spot for little boys!

Oleg is one of the many beautiful children which are photo listed in the Waiting Angels Gallery at Reecesrainbow.com. You may want to consider a gift to one of the other angels listed. You can also see the totals of the gifts received for each child since the Angel Tree project started on November 1. Pretty impressive, huh?

Extended by Overwhelming Poor Demand!!!

You may notice that the custom handbag chip-in has been extended by one week. Interest has not been as great as I had expected. It is understandable.



Many of my readers are already big fans of Reece's Rainbow and there are many raffles going on right now by families who will soon be traveling to bring home their new children! You could enter a raffle for a laptop computer, a Visa gift card, and TWO for a Wii, just to name a few. Some folks are just raffled out.



This is really not such a bad problem to have. This month alone, at least 18 new families have made commitments to adopt a child featured on Reece's Rainbow. There have been many homecomings as well. Praise GOD! Many of these children have been waiting for a very long time. Oleg is still waiting.


I've extended the chip-in for another week in the hopes that my friends would spread the word to people who may not know about Reece's Rainbow. Maybe you could skip a super-sized value meal or designer coffee this week and chip-in a 5-spot to a little boy with Down Syndrome who is facing a dismal future?



On a bright note, a sweet friend of mine has given me a check for $40 for Oleg's grant fund. So that would bring the chip-in total up to $115.



Also, exciting news - the Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree Project goes live tomorrow. Starting at midnight tonight the Reece's Rainbow prayer warriors will be praying over each Angel Tree child for the next 24 hours. I'll have more information about Angel Tree Project in the next few days.



My thought for the day (I'm meditating on this) - God does not always call the equipped, but He always equips the called!

OK, so I missed Sunday and Monday and I've messed up the 31 for 21 challenge. I'm just going to start fresh today and press on just like I do in real life!

Some odds and ends today...

Ralph is doing well on 1/4 liter of oxygen. He visits the cardiologist Friday, so I hope to know for sure then.

Richard does not need a cast for his stress fractures. In fact, he is beginning to put a tiny bit of weight on his bad leg while still on crutches. YAY!

Sometimes Leroy is so bright and funny. Today we went shopping at Lowe's. When we parked, he asked me if this place was the "hard work Walmart." I love the way he makes sense of the world!

Don't forget about Oleg! His fundraiser ends next week and I'm giving away such a nice prize. Oleg really needs a family to find him quickly and his grant fund will be a great incentive.

Special Exposure Wednesday - Tale of Two Boys

Two boys. Oleg on the left. Ralph on the right. Very similar, and at the same time, very different.

Both little boys are creations of a loving God, made in His image to accomplish His purpose. Both boys have Down Syndrome. Both of these little boys have dreams and potential. Both of these little boys have captured my heart.

One little boy lives in a wealthy country with opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, one does not. One little boy has access to quality medical care and adequate nutrition, one does not. One little boy has a loving mommy and daddy, one does not. One little boy almost 18 months old, one is nearly 4! The one is a bit small for his age, one appears to be quite tiny.

One little boy is about to be shut away in a mental institution for the rest of his life.

Will you join me in praying for Oleg and the countless children like him all over the world, children facing a dark and uncertain future? Will you consider whether God is leading you to adopt one of His children and rescue them from that dark future?

Not everyone is led to adopt, but will you consider supporting someone who is? There are many families in the process of raising money to rescue a child like Oleg. Visit http://www.reecesrainbow.com/ to find out more. Chip in for Oleg, if you can. If you cannot, do something even better, pray - and God bless you.

October Raffle One-of-a-kind custom handbag!

Do you remember Oleg? If not, then read this: http://ralphcrew.blogspot.com/2008/09/let-me-introduce-you.html He needs his new mommy and daddy to find him soon!
This October raffle is very special to me and will help build up Oleg's adoption grant fund! My friend, Michelle, has a company called Sassy Klassy 'n' More which makes wonderful, high quality handbags. The winner of my October raffle will get to create their own photo bag. With Michelle's expert assistance you will choose your own photo in black & white, color or sepia, choose coordinating fabrics, and any other customization you would like. This is over $100 in value!

Isn't this a darling bag in sepia? The photo has been transferred into the fabric! Take my word, this looks fantastic close-up and in person. Hmmm...I'm thinking this would be a great Christmas present for any grandma.Here is another example in color:

For even more examples of photo bags and available fabrics check out the Sassy Klassy website: http://www.sassyklassy.com/.

If you contribute to the chip-in AND post about the raffle on your blog I will give you an extra entry for every $5 you contribute. So, a $10 contribution plus a post on your blog gives you 12 entries. $5 by itself gets 5 entries. Get it?

Use Mr. Linky if you post on your blog don't forget to leave a comment for me here. The contest ends on October 31 and the winner will be announced November 1. Thank you and good luck!

UPDATE - The raffle has been extended to November 7. Good luck!