Happy Birthday Sweet Tori!!

Tori (9)

This precious little girl's name is Tori. Right now she lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe (EE), the same orphanage that my little brother Elijah is in. Actually she used to live in the same orphanage as my brother. When she turned 4 last year she was transferred to a mental institution, where she has spent the last last year of her life. Why was she transferred to the unspeakably horrible life in the institution??? Because, she has Cerebral Palsy. Does she look like she should belong in a mental institution??? No, she does not. All orphans in EE that have some kind on physical defect (Down Syndrome, Cleft Palate, Fetal Alcohal Syndrome, Club foot, Cerebral Palsy, etc.) are given up at birth (with encouragement of doctors!) because the society does not want them; and there is no help or support given to families if they decide to keep these precious little ones. So they are sent to orphanages, some nice, some very poor. The orphanage that Tori was in, and Elijah is in is one of the poorest one's in EE! In between the age of 4 and 6, this orphange being 4 years old, the children are transferred to institutions. Over 85% of these child die within the first year. If they somehow survive to age 18, they move, one last time, to an adult handicapped home, where they live out the rest of they're days.

Sweet Tori does have Cerebral Palsy, but she isn't delayed developmentally (she is as much as being in the metal institution for a year would make her!). Below is her information from Reece's Rainbow, where she is listed for adoption. There are many people advocating and raising funds for her in the Reece's Rainbow blogging community, and we are working together to raise a full grant for her so her forever family can step forward and bring her home to the loving family she so desperately deserves. If you would like to donate to her grant you can go to my mom's blog, and there is a Chip-In on the top of her blog. It is higher than it shows because it's having a problem updating. Today is Tori's 5th birthday and please consider helping us get her out of that horrible institution by her next birthday. She didn't deserve to spend today without the loving arms of a Moma and a Papa she can call her own, so lets make that happen!!!

Tori (9)


Girl, Born October 14, 2005

CP and Spinal Hernia

SIGNIFICANT RISK, PLEASE ADOPT ME SOON!!

This little angel can just light up a room with her smile and her giggle. She is constantly happy, very alert and playful, and is an orphanage favorite. We are waiting for some new photos of her, but she is registered and available to be adopted now! She has had surgery for her spinal hernia (not spina bifida), but it was unsuccessful in her country. She is not able to pull up or stand/walk on her own. We hope she would have much better chances of correction here in the US, but we will not have any x-rays or other records available prior to your trip to share with a doctor for review. She has decompensated hydrocephaly as well.

Children from this orphanage are sent to the institution promptly on their birth date, so we are working hard to prevent that for this little sunshine. She will be bedridden for her short life if she is transferred. Please consider rescuing Miss Tori!
UPDATE: Tori has already been transferred to the institution. It is imperative she be rescued right away.

I have $1896 in my grant fund towards the cost of my adoption! 

Block Party Report #1

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you probably remember when I had the Block Party last spring. (You can read everything about the Block Party here.) I asked knitters and crocheters to make 6 inch squares or blocks for me. We then got together, and sewed the blocks into blankets that we sent over to Ukraine. We ended up with over 300 blocks, which made 8 blankets. We also collected a lot of other things, such as baby hats and slippers to send over to Ukraine. I am planning on doing the Block Party again this year, probably at the end of February. I have already received lots of squares for it! Although it is a very big goal, my goal is to double the number of blocks we receive this year from last year. That means over 614 blocks! WOW! I did the math for last year, and it took me about 25 minutes to make a square, and we had 300 squares, so that's 6000 minutes, plus it probably took longer than 20 minutes for most of the squares. Which means, if we added it all together, it would have taken one person over 5 straight days (24 hour days) to make all of these squares!! Wow! The pictures in this post are all pictures of the wonderful squares and baby hats I've already received for next years Block Party.

Thank you to my Great Aunt Janice and her friend Dorothy for these wonderful blocks! My aunt supplies the yarn, and her friend knits for her.

Look at them all! There are enough here to make a blanket with!

She also made these warm baby hats!

These granny squares are from Ms. Valerie W who helped us last year.

These blocks are from Mrs. Geri E, a wonderful 95 year old lady who gave squares last year too!

I had this typed up for awhile and I was going to wait until we got closer to next years Block Party to post this, but I have add on to it now because I have received more squares and baby hats!

My great aunt's friend Dorothy also made all these knit squares!! There are about 150 here! I can't imagine doing all that knitting!! I hope to make some of these knitted squares into a blanket or two as soon as I catch up on my orders, finish my Christmas presents, and don't have any upcoming Craft Sales. :)

All the different colors



All the warm knitted baby hats!

 Thank you so much to everyone who has given squares and hat so far and who will contribute squares as we get closer to the Block Party!!!!