Intentional Shopping

 

I've received a large number of body butter orders this week.  It turns out several bloggers have featured our organic whipped hair & body butters on their blogs.  What a fun surprise!  A big thank you to Ashlee, Sharla, Lovelyn, Lora, & Kristen for encouraging families to check out our products! :)  It's a great way for me to pass the time while we wait to find out if the little one we're matched with will be joining our family or not.  It's been a hard wait this week, so I'd appreciate prayers for that.

As we look forward to our day of thanks tomorrow, and the shopping that traditionally begins right after that, I am thankful that our family keeps it simple.  Both sides of the family exchange a bare minimum of gifts, and keep the focus on the reason that Christmas exists -- to celebrate the birth of our Savior!

This year, I've been reminded that the shopping that we do has the potential for feeding into the consumerism that surrounds us, or making a difference. 

If you are looking for opportunities to shop with a purpose this Christmas, check out this post, by Lovelyn.  Every idea posted is an opportunity to invest in helping women in other countries support their families, assist an organization that cares for orphans, or add to the adoption fund of a family bringing a new little one home.  I will be checking our budget soon.  There are some awesome products listed, and I can't wait to buy a few!

If you didn't find everything you need there, check out Andrew and Lora's blog, Vitafamiliae.  They said, "Every shop on this list represents a family or ministry raising money for adoption and orphan care. This Christmas take your gift-giving to the second power by buying gifts from these families."   Be prepared to enjoy a lot of browsing and find some very unique gift ideas.  There are almost 60 links here!

Then, since by this point you're staying up until 1am anyway, take a few more minutes and check out on of my fav blogs, Rage Against the Minivan.  Kristen says in her Gifts that Give Back post, "In a season marked by giving, I love the idea of giving back to our community and our planet. A few years ago, my family decided to forego gifts for the adults, and give donations in each person’s name instead. It’s been so fun thinking of each family member and finding ways to honor each of them with a unique donation.  Here are some great ways you can do your Christmas shopping and give back at the same time."

If you know of any other great lists, please let me know.  I'd love to post them here!

Oh, so easy.

Want to support our adoption fund while shopping for something fun for yourself?  Check out these links! 

We earn a 15% commission through Chunky Bling.  Their necklaces, bracelets, rings, and watches are beautiful! 



At Kelly's Closet we earn 5% on all orders through our button.  Kelly's Closet does not just sell cloth diapering supplies.  They also sell baby carriers, bedding, swimming gear, laundry detergent, skin care products, nursing supplies, and Mama care items. 



Truly Pure & Natural also sends 15% our way.  I recently blogged about them here and here.  Awesome company.

Our body & hair butter is now sold through Curly Is Cuter.  Check out Rachel's beads and beaders, snaps & barrettes, hair & skin care products, etc.  She has a huge assortment for sale, and you can do all that shopping from the comfort of your own home. Watch out -- don't get addicted to the hair bling! :)

If you want to grab our button and spread the word about our fundraisers, the html code is on our blog home page.

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Thank you, thank you for supporting our adoption fund!  It is humbling to see how many of you are supporting our efforts to bring home our baby.  Family, friends, acquiantances, and people we have never even met.  It is such confirmation of God's call for us to be available for one more precious child.  Even now, He is paving the way for him/her to be joined to us. 

Work is picking up for Andy, and if all goes well he will be able to fully support our family again in the next few months.  As soon as we are off partial unemployment, we will be ready to be presented to expectant Mamas through our local Christian agency.  We are so excited! 
(If you need a licensed architect for your home addition or other project, please let us know. :)

Change is Good

 

My very talented sister-in-law, Sarah, generously donated her time and materials to help us turn this new fundraising idea into a reality. 

Awesome, huh?  She came up with that cute little poem at 3am while up with her youngest.  I definitely don't think that clearly in the middle of the night. LOL

We would be happy to give a decorated jar to anyone who would like to toss in their change at the end of the day.  If you live out of state, I can mail you a label to put on any jar you have around the house.  After all, it's amazing how quickly a little change can add up. :)

Sarah also designed these beautiful labels for our body & hair butter.  I love how they turned out! 

In other fun news, our body butter is now being sold through an online store that features hair and skin care products for curly-haired cuties.  Rachel started Curly is Cuter while fundraising for her own family's adoption.  It became so successful that she kept it up even after their little one came home! 

When Rachel learned about our fundraiser, she offered to include our products on her website, just to help us out.  She sells a lot of great stuff, and her prices and shipping are both very reasonable.  Please head over and check out Curly is Cuter -- you won't be disappointed!  (For those of you with non-curly cuties, she has barrettes and headbands that you'll love, too. :)

Body & Hair Butter

  

Whipped Body & Hair Butters ~ Luxurious moisture for dry skin and curly locks. These butters are homemade with organic, unrefined ingredients for maximum benefit for skin and hair.

I have been making these whipped body and hair butters to help raise money for our next adoption.  It's been quite the project!  But I am really excited about how they're turning out, and I've been getting great feedback from family and friends about the finished product. 

If you'd like to support our next adoption by ordering some, click here. :)

Oh, baby!

I am so excited.  This is the creamiest, most luxurious hair and body butter I have ever made.  It is amazing on my kiddos' skin and in their curly locks.  Made from 100% organic, unrefined oils and butters, for maximum benefit for your skin and hair, it is safe to eat as well as wear!  Good thing, because it is so yummy my kids lick it off their skin. :) 

I have three tubs made from 100% organic, unrefined coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter (natural cocoa scented from cocoa butter), and one tub of 100% organic shea butter, coconut oil, and mango butter (mild shea/coconut scent).  The mango is refined, so it is unscented. 

It costs me approximately $6 to make each tub of body butter.  We will distribute these on a donation basis.  The cost of supplies will come out of our family budget, so 100% of what you donate will go to our adoption fund!

Comment here to claim a tub.  First come, first served.  Only 4 tubs in this first batch.  Thanks! :)  Update - the first four tubs have been claimed!  Watch for another post this week with more body butters, and I'll also be making raw sugar body scrubs.  Yum!

shea/cocoa/coconut -- Kim, Monica, Stephanie 
shea/mango/coconut -- Lucinda

Future batches will come with other combinations of oils and butters, and in a few scents, such as orange and peppermint.  I will also fill smaller tubs that will mail well for those who do not live in the Valley of the Sun. 

Thank you for the amazing response, and for choosing to support our family this way!

Body Butter

 unrefined cocoa butter

Update, 11/02:  The company we order ingredients from has been out of shea butter for the last few weeks.  But they have finally restocked, and my order is on its way!  I can't wait to receive it and get started.

Wow!  I am blown away by the response to my post about selling the hair snaps.  They were all sold within 3 hours.  What a blessing!

I am considering selling homemade body butter next, as another way to bring in a little income while Andy continues to search for full time work.  I make body butter for our family a couple times a year, and it is does wonders for my kiddos' dry winter skin.  Our homemade body butter is equal parts organic unrefined cocoa butter, shea butter, and coconut oil.  It smells like chocolate, and sometimes we add a few drops of orange essential oil and it smells like chocolate orange.  Yum!  The kids are practically edible after bathtime. 

If you might be interested in purchasing a tub of body butter, please leave me a comment here on my blog (no emails, please...they will get lost in my overflowing inbox!).  If it looks like there will be enough interest, I will figure out the size and cost and take pre-orders.

If you are interested in body butter that would NOT smell like chocolate, please let me know that, also.  I could use mango butter in place of the cocoa butter. 

Thanks so much for your support.  God is providing! :)