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My Overthinking

Philly Area mom, Life forever changed by adoption

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Hidden in My Heart for The Sparrow Fund

5.17.11

Hidden in my heART
Psalm 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Amylee–wife, mother of two girls aged 7 and 5, country girl, and artist. She has claimed a quote by Oswald Chambers in her approach to her giftedness in art — “My personal life may be crowded with small, petty happenings, altogether insignificant. But if I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God.”

And, in her obedience, she creates. Each one of her pieces incorporates the word of God–sometimes it’s right out there and sometimes it’s hidden, but it’s always there.

She was glad to support The Sparrow Fund this May by giving 10% of her total sales to help us build the nest. And, I’m glad to be able to introduce you all to her work since she’s relatively new to etsy and if you are like me, finding another gem on etsy is oh-so-fun.

Take the time to go look at her creations. I’m partial to the tree ones–wouldn’t a tree one with Romans 11:17-18 be sorta cool? And, visit her blog and her Facebook page and give her some love for supporting adoption, adoptive families, and the work of The Sparrow Fund. And, you can tell her her work pretty much rocks too. I’m sure she’d like to hear that as well.

Please go see all the shops supporting The Sparrow Fund this month by clicking on the button below

TSF



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Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: The Sparrow Fund May drive

Modern Vintage for The Sparrow Fund

5.16.11

Very, very pretty things.

 Black and Gray Studded Top

All with a vintage look but a modern twist on it.

Ivory Ruffled Top

The owner Danielle lives in Utah and hand chooses each item to sell. And, she clearly has a knack for it.

 Black & White Diagonal Top

Visit her store and “like” her on Facebook so you can see new things coming in and be on the “in” with her shop. Go splurge and buy yourself something special to wear–and know that 10% of that cost will be donated to The Sparrow Fund to support adoptive families.

Beige Floral Trim Tank

It’s not everyday you have a good excuse to buy yourself something special–you have my permission, ladies, to totally use The Sparrow Fund as a reason to treat yourself from Modern Vintage Boutique. Now, go. Sit at your computer with a cup of coffee and shop with a purpose. 

Please go see all the shops supporting The Sparrow Fund this month by clicking on the button below

TSF




Click on these buttons below once a day–

it will bring new viewers and more attention to what we’re doing for adoptive families

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Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: The Sparrow Fund May drive

Cydil Waggoner Photography for The Sparrow Fund

5.16.11

I “met” Cydil several months ago when we featured a piece she wrote on We Are Grafted In about her sweet little ones Ellie and Reni, both whom they adopted from Albania. What a neat family they are–so wish KY was just closer to PA, you know? 
Cydil contacted me, eager to partner with The Sparrow Fund this May, and we’re so thankful that she did.

She started Cydil Waggoner Photography in 2007 photographing weddings though her interest behind the lens dates back to when she received her first camera at the age of 5 and was coached by her father and grandmother who were photography enthusiasts. Her first year “setting up shop,” she shot 7 weddings, 13 the next, and 17 the year after…

Since becoming a mom to Ellie and Reni, her subjects have become much younger in age! While she still loves photographing weddings, she finds the most fulfillment in photographing families formed through adoption. A partnership with our family’s pediatrician (an international adoption specialist) has blessed her with the opportunity to meet many wonderful adoptive families in central Kentucky whose children’s portraits now grace the office’s walls.
Cydil recognizes the need for grants from The Sparrow Fund for preadoption support and medical reviews. She told me —

This can be the most confusing, challenging, and emotional of all parts of the international adoption process. We know this because just 1 year ago my husband and I were unexpectedly presented with the possibility of adopting a special needs child from Albania. That child was born without legs below his femurs, for reasons unknown. Over the course of several days, we did lots of research and consulted with our wonderful pediatrician and adoption specialist, Dr. Taylor (at ACT Pediatrics), before ultimately choosing to pursue this little boy’s adoption. We are so glad we did! The medical review process alleviated some of our fears and prepared us for some issues we might face down the road raising the baby who would become our son. . . . We know that medical reviews can provide a lot of clarity for families as they prepare to open their home to another. 

That’s why we feel so strongly about the work of The Sparrow Fund, because of families’ experiences like Cydil’s. Special needs adoption or nonspecial needs adoption–these services can bring so much clarity and support to families as they prepare to bring a child from another country into their family.

Visit Cydil’s website and her photography blog, go check out her personal blog to learn about their life as an adoptive family, encourage her and thank her for support The Sparrow Fund in our efforts to build the nest this May. And, if you know of anyone in the Lexington general area, encourage them to contact her for some amazing pictures.

Please go see all the shops supporting The Sparrow Fund this month by clicking on the button below

TSF



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Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: The Sparrow Fund May drive

Art by Erin Leigh for The Sparrow Fund

5.14.11



Some connections are clearly a “God thing.” And, my connection with Erin from Art by Erin Leigh was one of them. I just “randomly” found her shop on etsy…well, I don’t so much believe in random.

Erin Leigh is a mixed media collage artist, meaning she uses paper, paint, pastels, markers, and anything she can find basically to create. She combines rich texture and color with quotes and scripture that encourage. The result is nothing short of brilliant. I have fallen in love with her work.

Erin Leigh told me – 

I believe that we are all born with a gift that is meant to be used and given away. It is pure joy to have discovered this gift and to trust that God will use it for his glory. In being able to create, and provide for my family, I am living a dream for which I am unspeakably grateful. 

The same day I told her about The Sparrow Fund and asked her to consider being a part of our May fundraising drive, she posted this on her blog about her heart for orphans around the world. 

From the very start, she has been so excited about The Sparrow Fund and supporting us. And, her encouragement and excitement has been just what I needed.

She told me –

The orphan crisis weighs heavy on my heart. We are not in a place to adopt right now, so I love that i can be a part of this in some small way. . . . I’ve always seen adoption on this earth as a beautiful metaphor for the life that we have been given in Christ . . . We are sons and daughters of the king. We’ve been saved and adopted by our God, and it is impossible to read God’s word and not hear his heart for the fatherless, for the orphan, for the least of these. I am in awe of the families who open their hearts and homes to God’s little ones. I am thrilled to be able to use the gifts that God has given me to help bring even one of these children home, just as I have been called home, through his grace.

I’m so pumped to have Erin partner with us and look forward to a long-term partnership. I’m doing my best to recruit her to be a permanent fixture with The Sparrow Fund. We’re dreaming and praying about it. So, keep your eyes open for news about that!

Please take some time to go admire her pieces in her store. Order one (or two or three) prints or an original piece of art to encourage you daily in your own home. Maybe you would be encouraged as well by the print of the original piece now encouraging me daily in my sunroom where I like to sit and read with mug in hand.

The story of Esther, though it never explicitly speaks of God, overflows of God’s providence. As with Esther, God has already prepared good works in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), and He is actively equipping us for those tasks and preparing us to answer His call and do them well. As I am now parenting 4 children–each with their own unique needs–while also serving through We Are Grafted In, Jiayin Designs, and now The Sparrow Fund, I just thought I needed this verse on the wall so that I could remember everyday.

He has prepared me. He has called me. He is equipping me daily for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).

Please go see all the shops supporting The Sparrow Fund this month by clicking on the button below

TSF



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Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: The Sparrow Fund May drive

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