Avon Walk: Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures

Holy cow, y'all! Only 39 days until the Avon Walk in Chicago and I'm $900 away from my goal! Time to step up my game!

For this week only, I am offering an autographed copy of Jenny Lawson's "Let's Pretend This Never Happened".

If you are unfamiliar with Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, check her out here: The Bloggess Chooses her Battles

I'm starting the bidding at $20.

Additionally, if I raise $500 between now and May 7, I will dye my hair pink for the walk! If you think I'm bluffing, rest assured, I've already spoken to my hair stylist. We're gonna do the dang thing! I've even done a mock up of what my hair would look like (please ignore the helmet head, I used MS Paint):

Look Ma, it's PINK!

In conclusion: Bid on The Bloggess' autographed book. Bidding starts NOW at $20 and will go until midnight, 4/28. To bid, leave a comment on this post, please. :)

Also, help me reach my goal so I can be the prettiest one at the Avon Walk! Thank you for your support!

P.S. T-shirts are still available for purchase. P.P.S. Here's the link to donate to avoid an EPIC fail: http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/Chicago?px=5276065&pg=personal&fr_id=2171

Avon Walk: Fundraising updates!

Hello again from Crazyville! It's been a crazy couple of weeks around the Shoup House.

I have some results to give for the fundraising efforts:

Winner of one Whip It UP! Cakes by Tish: Learic Cramer!!
Winner of the 2012 White House Easter Eggs: Jennifer Moss Kinkaid!!

Thank you ladies! I'll be in touch shortly regarding arrangements and such.

It's also time to announce our next fundraising effort. I am selling T-shirts with our team logo on them. All proceeds will go towards my team's fundraising effort. I am accepting payment via Paypal. These are good quality, Guildan T-shirts and I have a range of sizes available. When indicating your purchase, let me know if you want pink

or gray:

T-shirts are $22 plus shipping. If I sell out, no worries. I can always order more! Please email me at tnkgurl @ yahoo . com (minus the spaces) with your orders!

Thanks everyone for your support. I am only $905 away from my goal! So close!!

Avon Walk Chicago: The fundraising goes on!

Soon, I'll be announcing the winner of a "Whip It UP! Cakes by Tish" cake! Huge thanks to everyone who donated in the month of March!

We're exactly 60 days out from the big event and this girl still has some fundraising to do! Therefore, I am announcing an auction style fundraiser. Every week in April, I will post an item that you can bid on. It's not a silent auction, so people can see what you bid. Your final bid will not include shipping and handling, though there won't be tax (bonus!)! Please leave a comment with your bid on this blog, not on Facebook.

First item up for bidding is a set of 2012 White House Easter Eggs.

You get the full set, including the Bo egg shipped to your door. These eggs are special as it is the first year Bo gets his very own Easter Egg!!

The bidding starts at $10 and goes up in $1 increments. Bidding ends at midnight on April 7 and winners will be notified April 8th. Payment is requested 24 hours from the time of announcement.

Remember, this all goes towards a good cause and you get a really cool prize! Thanks and happy bidding

Keeping the blessings going

If I didn't lose you after my last post, then thank you. If you're interested in hearing how little Katerina is doing then, hopefully by now, you're following The Blessing of Verity. Susanna has alluded to obstacles being moved in trying to get Katerina home sooner than the anticipated four months. Keep sending good thoughts her way so that may happen. In the meantime, Susanna has been able to speak with a caregiver about what Katerina needs and to make arrangements for Katerina to get supplements in her absence. How wonderful that this woman is open to giving Katerina the care she needs while she waits to go home. Not many adoptive families, or orphans for that matter, receive this blessing, so things are definitely working in strange and wonderful ways for Katerina.

While in Katerina's orphanage, Susanna has been overcome with emotion for the other orphans whose condition is very similar to Katerina's. There are eleven on Katerina's floor. The wonderful news is that four orphans now have families committed to adopting them. Seven more still need families to commit, so please, spread the word. One of the orphans with a committed family is Liliana. Liliana is 11 years old and weighs 10 lbs. She needs a miracle as much as, if not more than, Katerina.



Her family is in the very beginning stages of the adoption process and need mountains moved to be able to get to Liliana in time. To give you some perspective of how tiny Liliana is, the upper portion of her arm measures 3" in circumference. A woman with a huge heart for orphans is raising the funds needed to bring Liliana home. If you'd like to donate, then you get entered to win some pretty cool prizes. Here's the link to Adeye's blog post about fundraising for Liliana: Adeye's blog

I know that Susanna is taking advantage of her time in Katerina's country to change perceptions about Down Syndrome and open doors to adopting children with DS. Please send her good thoughts that she may move the hearts needed to end the suffering of these children. Please also use this as a reminder that kids with disabilities of all types have feelings and need love, just like the rest of us. Advocate in any way that you feel comfortable with. You may think it won't make a difference, but it definitely makes a difference to this one: