And the winners are. . . .

Before announcing the winners of our "Bulgaria or Bust" Silent Auction, I would like to again thank each and every one of you who helped make this auction a success. We were able to raise over $600 and we are so appreciative of the help and support of so many of our family and friends. All of you are such a big and important part of this journey and we feel blessed to be able to share this journey with you.

Now, without further ado, the winners of the "Bulgaria or Bust" Silent Auction:

Toddler Dress (Green/Yellow)- Tiana ($8)

"For the Birds" Rag Quilt Set- Cynthia ($60)

Toddler Dress (Buttons and Bubbles)- Cynthia ($22)

Toddler Dress (Flowers)- Tiana ($16)

"Feed the Birds" Baking Set- Cristi ($28)

Hand Knit Hat by Lollipops and Cupcakes- Cristi ($31)

Infant Car Seat Blankie by Pocketful of Posies- Shauna ($25)

"Bot Camp" Baby Rag Quilt Set- Tiana ($33)

"Sweet Cherry" Baby Rag Quilt- Tiana ($42)

Custom Barn Star- Cass ($60 + $15 for 3 small stars)

Fine Art Portrait by Creative Juice Photography- Jill ($35)

Hooded Bath Towel by Pumpkin Patch Designs- Cynthia ($28)

Custom Blog Makeover by Country Girl Designs- Cynthia ($40)

The "Thumbelina" by Cherry Blossoms- January ($10)

"Kiwi" Rag Quilt- Tiana ($67)

Photography Session with Charity Brown Photography- Liz ($30)

Custom Fairy Tale Art- Sarah ($20)

Butterfly Barrettes from Wynken, Blynken and Nod- Cynthia ($14)

Angel Ornaments- Tiana ($7)

Custom Felt Design T-Shirt- Julia ($25)

Vera Bradley Bags- Tiana ($38)

"Spring Fling" Baking Set- Angelea ($40)

Winning bidders have the option to pay via personal check/money order, paypal or to our grant fund at Reece's Rainbow.

If you choose to make your payment to our grant fund (tax deductible) we request that you do so by check rather than paypal (Reece's Rainbow absorbs all paypal fees so that the full amount of each donation can be credited to the grant funds of the children/families. As you can imagine, the paypal fees can become quite extensive, so payment by check, or including the cost of the paypal fees in your payment, are greatly appreciated). Checks for the grant fund can be made out to Reece's Rainbow and sent directly to us (we will send all checks to Reece's Rainbow together which will make it easier on the director of RR who does all accounting manually)!

To receive our paypal account information and/or our address to send payment, please contact me at desisdelights@gmail.com

When you contact me, please be sure to include your contact information so that we may ship your items to you or pass your information along to those who will be shipping your items.

We would also like to announce the winners of our giveaway! We are so grateful to all those who participated by donating, bidding and/or "advertising" that we decided to choose two names. And the two lucky winners are. . . .


Heather and Charity, thank you both so much for donating to our auction and for helping us get the word out! We appreciate your support so much! For your prize you may choose from the following:

16" Custom Barn Star
Felt Design T-shirt
6 Felt Chocolate Chunk or Iced Sugar Cookies w/sprinkles
Reversible Children's Apron

As always, we are overwhelmed by the love and support that we have felt from friends, family and even strangers as we work to bring our children home. That love and support is deeply felt and appreciated and we know that we could not do this without each and every one of you! You are all AMAZING!

"Bulgaria or Bust" Adoption Silent Auction

Welcome to our "Bulgaria or Bust" Adoption Silent Auction!

To be honest, I hate asking for money and I have a really hard time accepting it! But I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support of family, friends and even strangers as we work to bring our children home from Bulgaria! I am very excited to be able to offer so many amazing items in return for your support!

Here is how it will work:

Each auction item will be listed in a separate post (so be sure to keep scrolling so you don't miss anything!). At the bottom of each post, the current auction price will be listed. If you wish to bid on an item, simply post a comment with the amount you wish to bid.

I will try to update the auction price as often as possible, but please be sure to check the comment section to ensure that you are bidding high enough to become the highest bidder.

The auction will run from Sunday, November 1st until Sunday, November 15th. At the close of the auction I will post a list of the winning bidders and ask that you contact me so that I can get your contact information in order to ship your item(s) or pass your information along to those who have donated items to the auction.

You will have several payment options. The first is to make your payment to our tax-deductible Family Sponsorship Grant with Reece's Rainbow (click on the blog button in the side bar for details. . .or to see a picture of "Sofia"). The second option is to make a payment directly to our personal adoption account through paypal. And the third option is to send your payment by personal/bank check or money order.

In addition to the auction, we will also be doing a GIVEAWAY and it is completely free (and easy) to enter!!! To enter the giveaway simply post our auction information to your Facebook page, Twitter or Blog to help us get the word out! Leave a comment on THIS POST to let us know that you have shared the news and your name will be entered into the giveaway.

And just what are we giving away?? The winner of our giveaway will have the privilege (at least, I'd like to think it's a privilege) of choosing one item from my Etsy shop, Desi's Delights (don't worry, I am slowly working on listing more items and promise there will be much more to choose from by November 15th!).

I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of those who have donated their time and talents to making this auction possible: Crystal Bailey, Katie Chapman, Charity Brown of Charity Brown Photography, Kiley at Cherry Blossoms, Heather at Wynken Blynken and Nod, Madeline at Lollipops and Cupcakes, Alyson at Pocketful of Posies, Country Girl Designs and, of course, my incredible family, for their support as I pulled all of this together! We appreciate each and every one of you SO much!

It's TRIPLETS!

No, we are not literally expecting triplets (been there, done that, grateful that there is no way I will ever experience a triplet pregnancy again)! The photograph above is of my very first ultrasound over 5 years ago. . . . the ultrasound that revealed that we were expecting not one, not two, but THREE babies! What a day that was! And what an adventure it has been ever since!

We will, however, officially be expanding our family by three once again!

The same day that we learned that our agency finally had "Sofia's" file, we also learned of another little girl. . . . a six year-old girl who had just been added to Bulgaria's list of waiting children at the end of July, whose file our agency had just obtained. The first time I saw her sweet little face staring back at me it took my breath away. I was immediately drawn to her and I found myself returning to that face many times throughout the course of each day. When we learned, two weeks ago, that we had not been chosen to be Desi's family, I was disappointed, but I knew that the Lord was not done with us.

Initially Richard said no to this other little girl. He did not want her to be a "replacement" for Desi and, we were already firmly committed to two children, which had been our "plan" from the beginning. But as the days went on I couldn't shake the feeling that we were leaving someone behind and I knew that someone was this little girl.

Last night, over my birthday dinner, I shared this nagging feeling with Richard and, after much discussion, we decided to take the leap and bring this beautiful little girl home as well! I could not have asked for a more amazing birthday "present" (or a more amazing husband!). In finding and committing to this little girl, I have realized Desi's purpose in our lives. Desi was the one who brought us to Bulgaria and it was our love for, and commitment to, Desi that kept us there during all of the ups and downs that we have experienced. There have been many times over the past 9 months that we seriously considered switching countries and/or changing directions, but we could not walk away from Desi. If we had not had not stayed the course, we would not have received "Sofia's" file and we would never have known of our other little girl.

There is no doubt now, as I look at the faces of the three children that will soon be mine, that these are the children that the Lord has always intended for our family. It has been a long (though faith-promoting) journey, and I know that it is far from over, but we are exactly where we should be and I am thrilled to be bringing these three, beautiful babies into our family!

And now. . . .a sneak peek of the beautiful "babies" that will, hopefully, soon be the newest members of the Rieben family. . .

CLICK ME!!!