The Magnificent Seven

Moms, that is, and they just made a big difference. Here’s the scoop:

Several weeks ago, our cousin Jessica asked me if there was anything she could do to help us in our orphanage fundraising efforts. At the time, I was stumped, but I promised to let her know if something came to mind. So I thought and thought about it and one day I finally had an idea. I had always intended to give gently used children’s clothing to the orphanage(s). My plan had been to scour the local Goodwills, Ebay, yard sales, etc. to find the best deals, but then it occurred to me that Jessica has many wonderful friends who, like her, are mothers of young children. So I asked Jessica if she and the other moms would be willing to sort through their children’s wardrobes and donate gently used clothing for us to take to the orphanages. I am happy to say that they were.

This weekend, Jessica and I got together to pick up any donations that hadn’t already been dropped off at her house. I am glad she told me to bring the truck. Here’s a picture hubby snapped of me unloading at home:

And here’s a photo of the majority of what was donated. There were some stray shoes and coats and overalls that I forgot to add before taking the picture, but I think you can see that some of the orphans in Eastern Europe will be quite well-dressed. By the way, due to the sheer volume, I had to snap this photo from our loft looking down into our entry:

I am very humbled by the unbelievable generosity that was extended through us to the children who will remain behind in our kids' orphanage(s). My sincerest thanks go out to Jessica who clearly has a huge and loving heart and offered to help in any way she could and to the magnificent seven moms, including Jessie, who so liberally and graciously donated clothing for far-away children in need.

Flower Fundraiser & Giveaway

Recently, Craig and I overhauled the landscaping in the front of our house and as part of this process I thinned out my iris bulbs. These bulbs were given to me several years ago by a dear friend who has since passed away, so they are very special to me aside from being quite beautiful. I have moved these bulbs with me through three states and hope to keep them as part of my landscaping for the rest of my life. Here’s a picture of my irises from 2009:

The bulbs bloom in three colors: a silvery light blue, a soft pink, and a dark purple and white. You won’t find these colors at Lowe’s or Home Depot. My friend collected iris bulbs for decades and had at least 50 different colors of blooms alongside her driveway every year. She shared the blue irises with me because they were my favorite, the purple/white ones because they were Craig’s favorite, and she gave me the pink irises because she said that particular color reminded her of me.

I receive lots of compliments on these flowers every year from neighbors and visitors alike. As I have done many times before in the spirit of my friend, I would like to pay it forward, so I am giving away a box of mixed iris bulbs to the first person who reads this blog entry, then emails me and says he/she would like them.

In order to raise more funds for our children’s orphanage(s), I am also offering for sale additional boxes (8 5/8" x 5 3/8" x 1 5/8") of bulbs for $5 each plus $5 flat rate USPS shipping unless you’re local and we can exchange the items in person. Simply email me at viviane8 @ yahoo.com if you’re interested in buying some of these bulbs which will make gorgeous flowers next year. First come, first served while these supplies last:

Needless to say, any and all proceeds will benefit the orphanage(s) in which our children reside.

Summer's Bounty

While we wait for our children to be found and join our family, another season of gardening has come and almost gone. Even though my suburban garden is only about 55 square feet in size, this year we have been incredibly blessed with a bountiful harvest that is still going strong. Here’s a picture of what I picked this morning to use in today’s meals:

To date from eight plants, we have harvested 393 tomatoes of all sizes from cherry tomatoes to those big beefy ones. We grew about 30 bulbs of garlic which we continue to enjoy along with a seemingly endless supply of basil, green onions, and parsley. We had around a dozen cucumbers and zucchinis, lettuce early in the spring, and carrots still to come. I might put in another row of lettuce and more green onions soon, and of course, I need to plant garlic for next year. The one thing that didn’t turn out this season are the green beans which usually climb on the deck posts. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. I won’t complain.

I hope that in the summer of 2011 we will share our garden’s bounty with our children and that my love of gardening will be transferred to them as they grow up.

Eat, Wait, Love

Waiting is hard and even though this summer has been extremely busy for us, the thought of our children somewhere on the other side of the world preoccupies our minds every day. Pondering the matter incessantly, it’s easy to get bogged down by the uncertainty of adoption, by frustrations about bureaucracy, and by the length of this process. So, this past week, I attempted to channel my waiting energy into some extra cooking, baking, and canning. Some items were old favorites while others resulted from trying out new recipes that have been piling up on my counter.

I started off my culinary extravaganza with a summery fruit cake which I took to a picnic. It had three layers: pound cake, vanilla cream and fresh berries.


Next, I made almond tea cookies which got a big thumbs up from everyone who tasted them. They may be contenders for our annual Christmas treat packages this year. Then, I made pitas from scratch and was fascinated by their baking process. I squatted in front of the oven door like a little kid watching the air spread through the dough, making it rise and puff. When Craig came home and saw the pitas on the dinner table, he said, “You made those? They look real!” Thanks, honey.

Then I made a lemon sponge pie which is absolutely delicious, especially for a lover of lemony things like me. I also prepared a vegetable frittata which turned out well, but is probably not something I couldn’t replicate or even improve upon without the recipe. On Wednesday, I pickled some cucumbers and shared with the neighbors and on Saturday, I turned part of our wonderful tomato harvest into canned salsa. Last but not least, today I made and froze pesto from homegrown basil as well as finished a no knead everything bread. It rises overnight and then bakes. So yummy.

Did cooking and baking and canning beyond the normal daily meals help with the wait? I would say it did. It gave me a couple of hours each day to focus my mind on a pleasant task and then enjoy and share the fruits of my labor with those I love. I’ll probably use this strategy again sometime when it feels like the wait is about to overwhelm me.

Art Auction Success

As promised, I wanted to let everyone know about the outcome of our orphanage fundraiser. The art auction was a great success and raised a total of $360 which will go a long way in buying supplies and gifts for our children’s orphanage(s). I will provide a detailed account of everything that was purchased with these funds at a later time. Our sincerest thanks go to everyone who looked, passed on the information, or bid so generously to help the children who have to stay behind.

And the winners are:

Photographs - Ben M. of Indianapolis, IN
Vase – Bryan and Maria W. of Richmond, VA
Painting 1 - Jessica S. of Sunman, IN
Painting 2 – Mary Ann P. of Oswego, NY (please see previous blog entry)
Cards - Sue S. of Birmingham, AL

Of course, we would be amiss if we did not express our heartfelt gratitude again to the wonderful artists in our life who were kind enough to donate their works to this cause. Josie, Yuri, Isabelle – you are the best!

Art Auction Addendum

In a turn of events that I did not anticipate, there were two people really interested in my sister’s painting and I felt sad that only one could win it. So I offered one of these bidders this two-panel painting which my sister had also given me for orphanage fundraising:

I am happy to say that this item received a generous offer from the bidder and has found a new home. I just love it when things can work out for everyone involved.

Orphanage Art Auction

After many months of planning, here is our first adoption-related fundraiser. This fundraiser would not have been possible without the generosity of the artists in our life who kindly contributed their original works to this cause. Thank you so much!

This fundraiser is not intended to alleviate or supplement the costs of our adoption. None of the money raised will be used to cover any of our personal adoption expenses. All proceeds will be donated to our children’s orphanage(s) either in the form of items purchased by us in the U.S. and then delivered personally or in cash as facilitated through our placing agency. Every dollar raised will benefit in some way the children who, sadly, have to stay behind.

If you like any of the items up for auction, please send me an email (viviane8 @ yahoo.com) with your bid. Please put Art Auction in the subject line. I will be monitoring my inbox diligently and let you know if you’ve been outbid. The auction will end on August 6, 2010 at 7:00 pm EST and winners will be announced over the weekend. I will also post the amount of money raised and later add a detailed entry about everything that was purchased with these funds. The pieces of art will be mailed to the winners on August 14, 2010.

Now, happy bidding, everyone, on these beautiful items:

My best friend from college, Josie Virgin-Crowe, is a photographer in Indianapolis. She contributed two black and white photographs to be auctioned off together: A Place in Pueblo, Texas (11.5x8 in) and The Grazing Herd (16x5 in). Each photograph is in a 20x16 inch mat. If you would like to see more of Josie’s work, please visit: www.croweseyephotography.com.

My friend Yuri Okamoto is a glass-blower and glass-blowing teacher in Indianapolis. She donated this white and violet vase which is 6.5 inches high and has an opening at the top of 2.5 inches in diameter. If you’d like to learn more about Yuri and her artistry, please visit: http://www.yuriglass.com/.

My sister Isabelle Seumel is an artist in Vienna, Austria. She just completed her Master’s Degree in Art and plans to earn her Ph.D. in the field next. She contributed this set of abstract paintings to be auctioned off together. Each canvas panel measures 7.75x15.75 inches. To get in touch with my sister about her work, please email: atelier @ lichtkind. at.

Lastly, this is a set of twelve handmade greeting cards (5.5in x 4in), one corresponding to each month of the year either through a holiday or the season. Each one-of-a-kind card contains a quote from a work of literature on the front and is blank inside. This is my own handiwork, so if you’d like to learn more, please visit: www.litbitgreetings.com.