Goodbye 2013!

Hey y'all, Kevin here.  Just sitting here awaiting my rice to finish for our Taco Salad, ["it's really just like Nachos right?" Direct quote from Brooke (insert a teasing wink here).]

I'm catching up on what all my friends are saying on Facebook and being New Year's Eve some are sad to see this year go, some can't wait to send it out with Roman candles.  I'm left with a feeling of excitement but also a feeling of numbness.  Maybe it's the fact that the DRASTIC Tennessee winter has left me feeling "exhausted" or maybe it's my own recap, but this year has been a period of growth but growth isn't ever easy.  This time last year we were still reeling from our news of infertility and 'where we do we go now?'  At years end we have selected Bethany as our agency for adoption and today we had our meeting with our "case worker", which seems crazy.

It's not an easy path we've chosen but it's one that we both agree will lead us to a fuller life. Thank you friends who have helped us in 2013 and now on to more awesome things for 2014.  Lots of love from the Maschmeier clan.  Happy New Year and we're praying lots of blessings for you all!
- Kevin

with a song recommendation from Brooke:
'What Would I Do Without You' - Drew Holcombe & the Neighbors

Tins for Tots!

For Christmas, we partnered with friends of ours who are also adopting & decided to do a Christmas fundraiser.  What’s one of the best things about the holidays?  D-E-S-S-E-R-T!   We didn’t advertise the fundraiser, but with just a simple word-of-mouth strategy, we asked our friends & co-workers if they’d be interested in purchasing treats. 

We decided to call it ‘Tins for Tots’ (<<thanks Kathe Legg).  Sign-ups lasted about a month & by December 13^th we had 91 orders! We felt the love with every additional order placed. 

How many cookies does it take to fill 91 holiday tins, you ask?  Well…hundreds…& maybe add another couple hundred to that! 

We had many gracious friends help us not only make additional treats, but to also load all of these tins!

 

Jaye not only made cookies, she also helped cover some pretzels in chocolate on the fly! 

 

Krista & Adria

(I promise we didn’t sample any of these goodies while we worked!!!!!!)

 

 Jesse helped make the marshmallows & then we just organized an assembly line to fill all the tins.

 

What started out as a simple cookie tin idea, developed into tins full of not only cookies but Buckeye’s, marshmallows, & chocolate-covered pretzels.

 

 

After every last treat was distributed & all the tins delivered,  we raised $1,600 towards our adoptions.  How cool is that?!? 

Learn more about the Aguirre's & follow their adoption story!

Thank you to everyone who ordered tins!  We hope you had a **sweet** holiday season!

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Holidays are usually hard...well they have been for a few years now. You find happy moments, you learn to smile & schedule every waking moment with 'something' to make time slip by faster. It's how you cope.

This was a great holiday for us & I'm so lucky to share it with him. We started a movie marathon on Christmas Eve & stayed in our PJ's all day. Trevor & Blake came over for dinner. We laughed 'til we cried, ate too much food & all but fell asleep on the dining table.

It's moments like these that make our holidays special. It seems like a big production for 2 adults to sit around a tree & open presents. To watch Christmas cartoons that we've seen hundreds of times. But you do it because it's the holidays.

My dad said this would be the last quiet Christmas for us & I don't know if that's true. I can't allow myself to believe that, but it's a nice idea. I bought Kevin a little fortune-telling book of names & we flipped through each page. I gave him a DVD of An American Tail & he said, 'our kids will love to watch this some day.' We allow ourselves these little moments in moderation because our hopes have the tendency to get away from us.

I enjoyed seeing our family via Skype & got a laugh over our niece & nephew opening the presents we sent them. We'll have Christmas with them next month & it'll be awesome to see them in person.  I loved seeing friends & their children opening presents. First Christmases, new toys, snowmen & first bikes. Thank you for sharing these moments with us.

We annoyed everyone with photos of our Koola & Khloe because they're our kids & no one better argue with me. :) They kept us entertained all day.  For all of these moments, I'm thankful.

In one of my favorite Christmas films, Rosemary & Bing sing the words: 'When you can't sleep count your blessings instead of sheep.' That's what I'm doing now & it's therapeutic in ways I never imagined. I'm so grateful for Christmas & the ability to be in awe of something bigger than I am. I hope & pray that I can hold on to this spirit of thanksgiving throughout the coming months.

My hope is that you all have a wonderful holiday & an exciting new year. I hope that 2014 will be full of new experiences, fresh starts & wonderful memories. Kiss your spouse, hug your kids & have some fun. Don't take a single moment for granted.

Merry Christmas, friends!

Brooke

Tupperware Fundraiser!

If there's one thing I love, it's kitchen organization. I'm seriously not kidding. Buying canisters & storage containers is just about as fun as buying school supplies for me!

Again, we are very grateful for those reaching out & offering to help us bring a new little Masch into our lives. So just in time for Christmas, we're hosting a big fundraiser & it'll run through December 15th!  40% of every purchase will go towards our adoption.  How cool is that?!

Follow the link below to shop & maybe to entice you a little more, we have some awesome prizes for those who place an order!

Prize drawing #1: place an order & you'll be entered to win a Crystal Wave bowl set. (Not pictured, sorry.)

Prize drawing #2: place an order of $25 or more & you will be entered to win 1 of 2 prizes: a travel case or an entertaining tray. (So 2 winners total!)

Prize drawing #3: place an order of $50 or more & you will be entered to win 1 of 2 prizes: a bread keeper or a set of 4 plates & bowls. (2 winners at the $50 level too!)

At the close of the party, we will draw names for each prize (1 prize per winner...let's spread the love, people!) & we will mail the prizes out.

I'm telling y'all, Tupperware has some amazing products & their quality makes them last for years. It's a great investment to keep your food stored in safe, efficient products. (Some of my fave products are the FridgeSmart containers, the Crystal Wave microwave bowl, & these handy dandy cups:

Here's the link to our party:
http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www/!twx$eparty_ctl.p_guest_welcome?pv_eparty=eb8e228c6536c3985d9dc109d7e55f00
(There's a gray banner with Kevin's name towards the top of this page.  To the right, inside the banner, you will see a link that says 'shop this fundraiser'.  Click that & your order will be included!)

Share this with your friends & remember to get your orders in by December 15th!

Simple Twist of Fate

As I type this, Ingrid Michaelson is singing 'Keep Breathing' & it's reflective of my mood right now.  We have been holding our breath for the past couple of weeks.  We submitted our formal application for adoption right befor Thanksgiving hit & we were told it would be weeks before anyone would look at it because of folks being on vacation.  So we wait.

All we can do it keep breathing... 
   

...this just in: 
 

OUR APPLICATION WAS APPROVED!!!!

Seriously...that was God's timing.  I am always amazed at how He surprises me. 

HAPPY FRIDAY!