Week 24 FUNdraising Friday Update

Well, it's been a bit of a slow week as far as krafts are concerned. We only brought in $185.31 to add to our adoption fund. But, any amount gets us closer, so we are always thankful for any amount we receive. What can you do? Continue to promote my krafts page (facebook.com/kraftsbykatiehill). If you need anything personalized or a gift that will stand out among the rest, I'm your girl! Thanks for thinking of me!

On the adoption front, we have our home study finished, we have everything paid for on the front end, and now we wait. We don't know how long, and that's totally ok. God knows. We pray for our expectant/birth mother all the time and for the baby that may or may not be in this world yet. We'd love it if you would pray for her and the baby whenever you think about it. We know God is listening and covets our prayers!

Things to pray for:

• the health of the expectant/birth mother and the baby
• support from close friends and family of the expectant/birth mother
• that the expectant/birth mother would seek counsel from Bethany early on so they can help meet her needs
• that the expectant/birth mother would hear a word from the Lord and feel a sense of peace and love

We know each and every time we look into our baby's face, we will remember the sacrifice this woman made, and we will love her for her decision each and every day.

Here's the update on our fundraising this week:

Puzzle fundraiser: $4886.52 -- ALL 1000 pieces are SOLD!!!! Thank you!

Krafts by Katie: $9787.44

Jewelry Fundraiser: $266.92 (after auction)

CoupAide (gift certificates) Fundraiser: $520 We currently have 53 buyers! Can you take advantage of this great deal? You pay $20 for $50 restaurant gift certificate. Awesome WIN for both of us!

Paul's Burgers/Silent Auction Fundraiser: $2904.94

Other donations: $611.20

GRAND TOTAL: $18,977.02.............only $3022.98 left until we meet our goal!

This means we have reached 86% of our goal! 

Thanks again for all your support! Keep it coming!

XOXO,

Katie

Week 23 FUNdraising Friday Update

After an overwhelming (but good) week last week, this week has been a little down. I've still got orders coming in, but it's much slower now that summer has set in. At first I thought that may be a bad thing, but it definitely gives me a break and allows me to not be SO consumed with krafting all the time. Maybe God just knew I needed some time for me. However, God is cool in that He provided that "over $500 deposited goal" this week. He still hasn't let us down on our weekly deposit goal. I SERIOUSLY thought there was NO way we'd deposit that much this week until Jason came home this morning after going by the bank. Someone had read our story and given my dad $100 check to give us. God thing right??!!

Speaking of time for me, that is just what I've gotten this week! For those of you who know me and my husband, you know that he is a complete work out (train is his word for it) junkie! He gets up at 4:45 or so each morning, cooks a healthy breakfast (that he prepares the night before), and gets himself to the gym before work. Now, I pretty much mastered the get up and cook a good breakfast part, but getting up that early was something I just didn't understand. I used to think he was CRAZY for doing this and I never understood how ANYONE could it. BUT...I decided to join him this week. YES, I bit the bullet, went to bed a little earlier, and got up and TRAINED hard!

Let's go back a little bit. When I was younger (and admittedly, still now) I used to wonder how people could just "let themselves go." How do you look so great in high school (and maybe even college) and then just gain 50 pounds? Well, I certainly have not gained 50 pounds, but I have put on 20 pounds since I remember weighing 125 in college (so you math people, yes, that means I currently weigh 145). That blows my mind. It's been a slow gain, but goodness, that's ridiculous! I started noticing more recently that my arms looked big and flabby and I had (oh gosh I don't want to say it.......) back fat. YUCK! So, after going to the Carolina Super Natural body building competition last Saturday (that my husband WON last year), I decided I needed to make a change. And not for a season. For life! So here begins my journey to a healthier lifestyle that I can keep up!

I have been more sore this week than EVER in my life. Even though it hurts, it means change is happening. Jason has helped me so much to get up, get going, and work those muscles! I've actually been doing 2 - a - days! I go back for cardio later in the day. So, this marks the first Friday of pics and what kind of pics might you ask? #FLEXFRIDAY pics! I was never a big "instagrammer" but I am now! I love following all these fitness pros and getting tips on diet and exercise. It's really cool to see the transformations of many pros out there! If they can do it, so can I! Here's our 1st #flexfriday pic from today!

let's see how my muscles change and grow each week!! I'm excited!

Meanwhile, when I haven't been working out, I've had several orders placed this week and I've got about 9 to finish. Looking for more if anyone is interested! Visit my krafts page here to see some of the cool things I make! I will ship to you if you need it!

Here's the totals for this week:

Puzzle fundraiser: $4886.52 -- ALL 1000 pieces are SOLD!!!! Thank you!

Krafts by Katie: $9609.01

Jewelry Fundraiser: $266.92 (after auction)

CoupAide (gift certificates) Fundraiser: $520 We currently have 53 buyers! Can you take advantage of this great deal? You pay $20 for $50 restaurant gift certificate. Awesome WIN for both of us!

Paul's Burgers/Silent Auction Fundraiser: $2904.94

Other donations: $611.20

GRAND TOTAL: $18,798.59.............only $3201.41 left until we meet our goal!

So we have reached 85.4% of our goal! Anyone want to just write a check for the remainder? LOL! Just kidding! We are so close and I'm excited for the day I can tell you guys that our goal is met! I love that little thermometer that keeps up with our goal each week! Too cool! If you haven't noticed it, it's on the sidebar at the top. 

This 23rd week also marked another milestone. We had our last home study appointment with our case worker. So, she will be working on typing up our home study within the next week or so. Once it's approved, we'll be on the list waiting! More on that process in another post!

Thanks again for all you supporters out there who are rooting us on! We love ya!

XOXO,
Katie

Week 22 FUNdraising Friday (Tuesday) Update

Well, hello everyone! My my my, what a busy week 22 it was! But it was all worth it! To start off, the fundraiser at Paul's was amazing! We served about 250 people for lunch and dinner and had a wonderful silent auction and 50/50 raffle! We raised about $2900 at the fundraiser which definitely pushed us over the edge! What edge you might ask...the "I can pay off Bethany Christian Services for my adoption anytime I want to" edge! I never even verbalized doing this was a "goal," but man that feels good! Remember, our personal goal is $22,000. However, the Bethany cost of adoption is $18,000. The remaining $4,000 covers any attorney fees we will incur. Here's a few shots of the day (I wish I would have taken more):

panoramic view from our table looking at the silent auction and bouncy house's we had for the kids

Wearing my "Waiting is love" shirt...it's too cute!

So thankful for Elizabeth! Couldn't have done it without her help!

Here's the new breakdown for week 22:

Puzzle fundraiser: $4886.52 -- ALL 1000 pieces are SOLD!!!! Thank you!

Krafts by Katie: $9271.04

Jewelry Fundraiser: $266.92 (after auction)

CoupAide (gift certificates) Fundraiser: $520 We currently have 53 buyers! Can you take advantage of this great deal? You pay $20 for $50 restaurant gift certificate. Awesome WIN for both of us!

Paul's Burgers/Silent Auction Fundraiser: $2904.94

Other donations: $511.20

GRAND TOTAL: $18,360.62.............only $3639.38 left until we meet our goal!

We have completed 83.4% of our goal! This is amazing! We are SOOOO close I can just taste it! Can you continue to help? Remember to think of me when it comes time for a baby shower gift, wedding, birthday, holiday, etc! I make some cute things over at Krafts by Katie! 

Thanks for following our journey and watching this miracle take place! 

XOXO,

Katie

Week 21 FUNdraising Friday Update

Hello to a new week! And let me say...WHAT A WONDERFUL FIRST WEEK OFF WORK FOR THE SUMMER IT HAS BEEN! This being off work for each summer of my life is SO worth all the eye rolling, telling me I'm a bad teacher, smacking teeth, etc...you get the point! I'm FREE! And I'm so happy! Can you tell?

Well, another milestone has been reached this week. THE PUZZLE IS FINISHED! All the pieces have been bought and I am in the process of putting that 1000 piece booger together! Here's a few pics!

All the pieces in the ziplock bag along with the picture of what it should look like when I'm finished!

Just tonight (Friday) I have accomplished the task of getting all the edges put together! Hooray!

So, now I'll be working on getting this puzzle completely put together, and HOPEFULLY it will not take me all summer. My friend, Melissa, came over tonight and helped me a bit. I'm taking ALL offers for help, so feel free to come on over if you're local! I can use all the help I can get!

Another item off the checklist this week was our 2nd home study appointment. We went and met with our agency worker at their offices in Greenville and were interviewed (basically just had a conversation) separately. I don't know what I thought it would be like, but it was super easy and quick. The last home study visit will be back at our house not next week but the following, and we will finalize our contract and tie up a few other odds and ends. After the home study is approved, we will officially be "waiting parents." Weird huh? All the krafts and other business around me has kept my mind really occupied and it hasn't REALLY set in yet that we are almost to the point where an expectant mom could PICK US! 

**Let me just say this: if we fall into the category of waiting parents who get the call that "your baby is at the hospital...we need you here tomorrow!!" I will need all you moms with EXTRA stuff to head on over to my house and go at it! And don't forget to set aside a week away from your family to come and show me how to do the mom thing!! LOL, hopefully it will just come naturally! That's what everyone says at least:)

Here's the week's totals:

Puzzle fundraiser: $4886.52 -- ALL 1000 pieces are SOLD!!!! Thank you!

Krafts by Katie: $8942.74

Jewelry Fundraiser: $266.92 (after auction)

CoupAide (gift certificates) Fundraiser: $520 We currently have 53 buyers! Can you take advantage of this great deal? You pay $20 for $50 restaurant gift certificate. Awesome WIN for both of us!

GRAND TOTAL: $14,616.18.............only $7383.82 left until we meet our goal!

This puts us at 66.4% of our goal. We keep edging closer each and every week! I'm REALLY excited about next week's numbers. I may even have to go ahead and let you guys know that I PROBABLY will not have a FRIDAY update next week. It might be Saturday or Sunday...WHY? Because next Friday is our BIG fundraiser! I hope you can make it!

All the details for the fundraiser can be found here: OUR FUNdraiser Event Page.

We have continued to receive wonderful items for our silent auction! If you can donate or know anyone that may be interested in donating anything for our auction, please let me know! 

Thanks again for stopping by! Until next week...

XOXO,

Katie

Week 20 FUNdraising Friday Update

Well, as I hear quite often (since I have SO many mom friends/preggo friends), 20 weeks is a big deal! Some say if you can make it to 20 weeks, then that's great and most likely no huge obstacles will rear their heads. Well, I'm claiming that for our "20 week" mark. While 20 weeks is technically half way through a pregnancy, we're MORE THAN HALF way to our goal! Thanks again for the outpouring of love! It means the world!

Short story: We got a check in the mail this week from a sweet couple who read the story in Belle Magazine. They just wanted to wish us the best of luck and wanted us to know they were praying for us! We don't know them personally, but the gesture was one that pulled at the heartstrings! I know they will be blessed for giving us such a blessing! So, thank you to a sweet couple we have never met!

Also this week, we had our first home study visit! I don't know what I expected, but it was so easy. We simply showed our worker around the house and talked to her about our life story. It was wonderful for her to get to know us at a deeper level and to see how God has made this journey so apparent to us! We will meet her again next week at her office for the 2nd visit.

This week's totals:

Puzzle fundraiser: $4677.08 (960 pieces SOLD -  40 pieces unnamed...please help us name them all!) We are so close to finishing this puzzle! I can't wait to start putting it together! 

Krafts by Katie: $8567.87

Jewelry Fundraiser: $266.92 (after auction)

CoupAide (gift certificates) Fundraiser: $520 We currently have 53 buyers! Can you take advantage of this great deal? You pay $20 for $50 restaurant gift certificate. Awesome WIN for both of us!

GRAND TOTAL: $14,031.87.............only $7968.13 left until we meet our goal!

We have reached 63.7% of our goal! Thanks for your continued support!

We have our big fundraiser coming up in 2 weeks and we hope all you locals will be there! It will be lunch and/or dinner at Paul's Wood-Fired Burgers in Spartanburg. This fundraiser will act as their soft opening of the new restaurant! We will have a bouncy for the kids, a silent auction that night, and great food! We hope you can make it! Please visit our facebook page for more details!

Thanks again for another great week! 

Week 19 FUNdraising Friday Update

Whew! I have been SUPER busy this week! Can you say BEACH SPIKES? Never heard of them? Well...they are becoming the next BIG thing for summer! If you like going to the beach, everyone needs their own beach spike! Spike it into the sand, stick your drink, phone, snack, etc in there so it doesn't get wet or sandy! Take a look at these cuties I just finished monogramming a minute ago:

I bought 50 of these less than week ago! After 2 days of selling "preorders" (because they hadn't even come in yet), they were all spoken for! I had such a good time personalizing each one of these and I hope they do you some good at the beach this year! If you would like me to order more, let me know! I'm trying to decide this weekend!

Other than beach spikes, Father's Day is coming up and I've had a few orders for this wonderful day to celebrate the dads! Check it out:

Lastly, someone asked me a while back if I sold the clear keychains that could be monogrammed. I didn't at that time, but I do now! I ordered them Wednesday and they arrived today! Here's one I did for me! It's just too cute! 

So, see! I really have been a busy bee this week! On top of that, the school year is winding down and I'm so ready for summer! Summer will give me more time to focus on Krafts by Katie, and I'm so ready for that! Only one more week and I'm FREE!

Check out how we did this week because it was BIG!

Puzzle fundraiser: $4577.08 (940 pieces SOLD -  60 pieces unnamed...please help us name them all!) We are so close to finishing this puzzle! I can't wait to start putting it together! 

Krafts by Katie: $8179.30

Jewelry Fundraiser: $266.92 (after auction)

CoupAide (gift certificates) Fundraiser: $520 We currently have 53 buyers! Can you take advantage of this great deal? You pay $20 for $50 restaurant gift certificate. Awesome WIN for both of us!

GRAND TOTAL: $13,543.30.............only $8456.70 left until we meet our goal!

We have met 61.5% of our goal! We are getting super close to the finish line!!

We are also getting close to our next BIG fundraiser at Paul's in Spartanburg on June 14th. We hope you all will be able to come out and have lunch or dinner with us, bid on some pretty awesome silent auction items, watch your kids jump on the bouncy, and much more! Go to our facebook event page for more details!

Thanks for another great week! We love you guys! 

Oh and PS..almost forgot to mention: We have our first Home Study appointment Tuesday! The ball is rolling! Wish us luck!

XOXO,

Katie

Week 18 FUNdraising Friday Update (a day late...sorry)!

What a week it has been!! I don't think I've ever been so excited but yet so nervous about an event! Last week I told you that I was asked to be a vendor at an event at our church. Well, it was yesterday. I packed up all my things Wednesday night and headed to the church right after work. I set up all by myself, and I must say, it looked SO professional! I was so proud. Here's a quick look once I had everything set up! I made a bunch of generic/non-personalized canvases, necklaces and coasters, had a slide show going of all the personalized things I'd made and several windows from my house!

I made so many canvases and necklaces ahead of time because I antipicated they would sell really well. Actually, more people wanted vinyl decals than anything else. I think I had 3 canvases sell out of the 15 displayed, 2 door hangers, one cute animal print canvas (monogrammed on the spot), one set of coasters, and the rest was decals! People LOVED the iphone charger decal. But my machine didn't...

That brings me to my almost major breakdown last night. One person ordered 4 charger decals and another person ordered 2 charger decals. I let the machine do it's thing, I took the vinyl out, and..................IT DIDN'T CUT IT!!!! All that time going through the  motions and it didn't work! OH....I was so hot! And worried! I think it may be that my blade is getting old (I've had it since February) and I need to replace it. I even thought about getting an extra one JUST IN CASE, but I didn't. Surely if it cut the night before, it would be fine. Well, after playing with the settings a little bit, I got it working and everything was ok! But man, that was scary! Lesson learned...bring a backup!

All in all though, I made $302.73 last night. I've never made that much in one day before so I'd say it was a success. Did I think I would make more? Yes...But anything is better than nothing and I'm proud of how I did at my first event! Thanks to everyone who came out and supported Krafts by Katie! Here are the items still for sale that are READY to go to your home! Please message me if you are interested:

11x14 - $30

12x12 - $30

12x12 - $30

11x14 - $25

11x14 - $25

8x10 - $25

8x10 - $20

12x24 - $30

8x10 - $25

hand-stamped necklaces - $25

8x8 on top of 10x10 with monogram of your choice $30

Now, onto this week's totals:

Puzzle fundraiser: $4327.64 ( 889 pieces SOLD -  111 pieces unnamed...please help us name them all!) We are so close to finishing this puzzle! I can't wait to start putting it together!

Krafts by Katie: $7057.74

Jewelry Fundraiser: $266.92 (after auction)

CoupAide (gift certificates) Fundraiser: $520 We currently have 53 buyers! Can you take advantage of this great deal? You pay $20 for $50 restaurant gift certificate. Awesome WIN for both of us!

GRAND TOTAL: $12,172.30.............only $9827.70 left until we meet our goal!

We have met 55.3% of our goal! That's fantastic!

On a side note, today is Jason's and my 5 year wedding anniverary! To think back on all the plans we had when we first got married and to realize how much God has blessed us over these past 5 years is unbelieveable. Has everything fallen into place perfectly and exactly as I imagined? No...it's been WAY BETTER than I could have ever planned myself. That's the cool thing about God. He takes your desires and what you think is best for you and OUTSHINES you! I love it!

I remember going to the dentist 3 or 4 years back and talking to the receptionist about when we were going to have children (I've known her since I was young). She said "oh just wait 5 years or so and enjoy your marriage before you have kids." I said..."No, we want to go ahead and have them early. Five years is too long." Well...here we are 5 years in and we are adopting! I would have NEVER pictured this in my wildest dreams. But I'm so happy! If I could go back and have my way, I WOULD NOT DO IT! God's way has trumped every plan I ever had for myself.

Thanks for continuing to pray for us and love on us! We are so grateful for you.

XOXO,
Katie