Our Website is up and running now...

Check out the Penny Jar Project website. It is up and running. You can donate your pennies now on the site. Don't forget to take a picture of you and/or your family after you have filled your jars! We want pictures. Everything is explained on the site.

http://www.pennyjarproject.com/PJP/Welcome.html

Yard Sale Results

We had a great yard sale to start the fundraising for our adoption. And we also launched The Penny Jar Project and everyone loved the idea. We even had some people at the yard sale give us a "jar" ($10 gift)! We raised over $1800!!!!!!!!! Thank you to all who helped with the sale. And a special thank you to my wonderful in-laws for hosting this at their house. Marilyn worked so hard to get this done for us. Thanks Marilyn! And thanks to everyone who came out to support us. We are still moving right along in our final paperwork and will soon be on a waiting list for our babies! I will add pictures as soon as I get them from my mom.

Introducing the Penny Jar Project!

Like all families considering adoption, the daunting question of finances loomed over Toni and I like an impending storm cloud. There was never much conversation about whether we could afford $25,000 or not. In fact, the only sound you would’ve heard when that amount was mentioned was a collective snicker. And yet, we knew God had led us to this decision. I began researching all of the possible financial aids. Grants. Loans. Credit Cards. Tax Credits. There are many great organizations ready to assist families looking to adopt once the home study is complete. So I bookmarked the sites that I would eventually come back to and we waited for our home study…

 I should mention here that I have an entrepreneurial spirit. At least that’s what I would call it. My wife would just call me a hopeless dreamer. But somewhere between the bookmarks and the home study, probably over a good cup of coffee, I got the idea to start filling Penny Jars. I know… genius, right?

 The Penny Jar Project was birthed from a desire to include our children in the financial process. We pray as a family every night for the adoption. Sophia and Silas pray this prayer; “God, we pray for the adoption; for the kids, for the paperwork, for their salvations and purity, and for the money.” Sincere as it is, it occurred to me that they had no idea how much money it would cost, or the sacrifices it would take unless they too contributed. Hence the penny jars. My recollection of past penny jars was that a full jar equated to approximately ten dollars. Unless of course your whole jar was full of bills, in which case you were much better at saving than I.

 So… $25,000.00 / $10.00 = 2,500 jars… Suddenly the ugly, grey storm cloud that loomed began to seem less intimidating. 2,500 jars are attainable. Not simply by my family, of course. This would require the collaboration of many. Those we already know, and hopefully many more that we don’t. Compassionate people with a heart for helping children. Children who, unfortunately, face nearly insurmountable odds to merely survive past the age of five without being rescued. People that can spare their loose change or small bills for a month or two. Friends who believe with us, that ten dollars is a small sacrifice to save a life. Friends desiring to share in our journey to adoption.

 2500 friends to be more specific. Friends that we have affectionately termed, “Jarheads”.

So, here's what you do... 

1 / Fill it! Pick a jar from home and fill it. 

2 / Snap it! When it's full, take a picture of yourself (or family) with your jar and upload it to www.pennyjarproject.com. 

3 / Give it! Then count the change and donate that amount via paypal. 

Thanks. The Kingsbury's

 

Our Angels in Africa Fundraiser
Adoption Yard Sale / Bake Sale and more...
When: May 15-16
Where: 512 Tyler Ct. White House, TN
(Mike and Marilyn Kingsbury's home)
What Time: 8-4

Thank you to everyone who has already donated (even some from Michigan). We will have all kinds of items and some great baked goods also. The kids will be doing a lemonade stand too. If anyone else has anything they want to donate please email me at tonikingsbury@cox.net . I will be bringing some things from Oklahoma with me too. I will fit as much as I can in my van. For those in Oklahoma, I will be having a yard sale at our new house too if you want to donate. Thanks again for everyone's help. And, if you would like to help in any way we will need LOTS of hands to help! Please come out and help us bring our babies home from Ethiopia.

A Thunder-Snow in March

Well, here in Oklahoma we have what they call "Thunder-Snows"! It is a snow storm with thunder and lightning. Go figure! Crazy weather! It started with thunder, lightning and heavy rain this morning and then turned into heavy snow fast. And now we have about 6 inches and it is still coming down very hard. Here are some pictures of the kids having fun in the very heavy thick SNOW.

We have leaves and snow on the trees at the same time...

Sophia had some friends over last night and they wanted to play outside. They got so wet fast!

Well, we had fun in our Thunder-Snow today!

We adopted a new member to our family today, Fluffy.

Yes, we got another pet. We got a guinea pig today named Fluffy. Sophia has been saving up her money to get a hamster. They lady at the store said that the hamsters were harder to hold and they bite a little. So then we looked at the guinea pigs. They cost $20 more than the hamsters so that would mean we have to pitch in some money. Sophia was going to get the cage and everything. Well, guinea pigs are bigger and need bigger cages. So, you guessed it, we pitched in a lot more than we planned. Anyway, he is cute and cuddly.

So far, Chester (our cat) sniffed him out and then has left him alone. Lucy (our dog) doesn't care.

She is so proud of little Fluffy. He is about 4 weeks old. They say he could live about 7 years. I never had one live that long. But, she is planning the next 7 years out with Fluffy. So cute!

Fluffy has made himself right at home and went to the bathroom on our bed already. Yes, Fluffy was on our bed with the kids already.

My mom is taking pictures for a cause...

My mom and dad live in Michigan. My mom loves to take pictures and alway has as long as I can remember. She has been doing photo shoots for years for family and friends. Now she has decided to help us bring our child(ren) home from Ethiopia with her talent. Here is what she posted on Facebook.

"I'm taking appointments for photo shoots of families, couples & children, etc. from Spring thru Fall 2009. $100 for 1 to 2 hours at a park or my backyard gardens, with change of clothing if desired. You will receive 1 or 2 CD's with 100 to 200+ digital photographs, some enhanced with special effects. 100% of the cost will go towards a fund raiser to help my daughter and her family adopt a child (or two children) from Ethiopia. There is a sample album uploaded, that includes pictures of Toni & Scott and their children, Sophia (7) and Silas (5). Please help me to help them bring their precious child(ren) home from Africa. Contact me on FB (Nancy Rudnik) or email for an appointment. I'm looking forward to working with you. May God bless you.More photos and information on my Kodak website - http://www.kodakgallery.com/nansplace ."

So, if you live in Michigan and want your pictures done, here is a great way to help us too. Even if you don't live by her, you can still enjoy many pictures of my family on her website. She is very talented and loves what she does. Here are some samples:

On hold!

We are on hold right now with the adoption process. We are still waiting to see if we are going to be moving or not before we can complete our home study. The home study is a big step in the adoption process and until we can get that done we are on hold. Gladney is our adoption agency and they are ready when we are to complete it. We will know by March 23rd if we are moving or not and then we can move forward with our home study. Yea!
Also, on a conference call today with the Ethiopian team at Gladney I learned a few things. The wait time for our home study paperwork to be completed will be 4-8 weeks after the actual study. Then there are still many other details that need to be in place before we are placed on a waiting list. And, once we are on a waiting list the wait is about 6 months average right now in Ethiopia. Then when we accept a referral it is another 4-6 months before we can bring the child/children home. This puts this into a little more of a "real time" for all of us. I just wanted to share that with all of you. We pray daily for these children and can't wait to meet them.

Our house...maybe

Well, we were going to close on our new house today. That is not going to happen now. In fact, we may not even get the house now. The loan is approved and ready to close except for one important detail. The bank wants us to pay off the rental until June when our lease is up or have a renter with a contract. Well, this is new to us in the last couple of days as far as the "paying off the rental contract" goes. And we, along with many other people, are trying to find a renter. We have had some people come through the house and even apply for the rental but then changed their minds. So, today is closing day and nothing is happening. We extended our contract until next Friday, so there is still a chance to get this done. Right now, Scott and I are just ready for all this to be over either way. I will keep you all posted.

We are finally blogging!

Well, I started this blog in MI over Christmas and now I am only writing my second post. The reason I have taken so long is because I have been knee deep in adoption paperwork since we got back from Christmas break. I have a small break in the paperwork until we do our home study next month. So, the latest on what is happening is: #1 we are buying a house and closing next week, #2 we are waiting until we get into the new house until we can do our home study for the adoption, #3 we are still working on our dossier (Ethiopia paperwork) and #4 we are trying to keep up with all our daily activities in the middle of all this. But that is all!

My First Post

Well, welcome to my blog. This is the start to our Adoption journey from Ethiopia. Our whole family doesn't even know yet that we are adopting. We are in MI with my family and just told my mom and dad. We are headed to TN next week to tell Scott's side of the family. We are so excited. I will post more later after we have told everyone in the family. I just wanted to get my blog set up and ready to go. And the journey begins...