We were still deciding whether or not to try a fundraiser in 2018, or if we should wait until 2019, when Erica suggested this "Piece of The Puzzle" idea to me. For $5 family and friends can sponsor a piece. We will do a 1,000 piece puzzle, and raise $5,000 for the adoption. I honestly didn't think we would get close to our goal. Then we had a loving patron pledge to match anything we raised between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then the gifts started pouring in. From over 30 different people, we have been blessed with $2,060 as of Dec. 16, 2018!
Piecing this puzzle together has been an absolute blast and I wanted to share some photos with you so you can visualize the great support we have received.
First, the puzzle itself. This is an InGoooood puzzle, purchase from Amazon.com (we redeemed Discover Cash Back Points for it). We wanted something that would be colorful and fun, that our future kids can hang in their room and keep for a long time. We wanted a 1,000 piece puzzle and we wanted high quality pieces.
Here is the one we selected: 
The puzzle is artful and colorful, playful and fun. It looks like it would be fun to put together and it would be a nice piece of art on the wall of a bedroom for kids. We already have some really fun owl and butterfly decor that the girls like in their rooms, so it made sense to go in this direction.
Most importantly, the subject of the puzzle is symbolic. There are five owls in the painting. Joseph, Erica, Nesira, Gracie, and Eden are the current Blaschke family. The owls are comfortable in their little tree home, but there seems to be room for more (see the bottom left branch). To the right side and the left side, just beyond the borders of the tree trunk, are three butterflies. We don't know what God has in store for us as far as future kids go, but we have consistently said "yes" on the multiple (possibly siblings) questions for all of our documents and applications so far. Butterflies symbolize new beginnings, new life, new birth, and in so, so many ways, the adoptive process is all of those things. This was the perfect puzzle for us!
Thank you all once again for supporting us through your giving and most importantly through your prayers. We are working on self-assessment (biographies, really) for the Home Study. Having the wisdom to articulate accurately about our strengths and weaknesses and dealing with feeling inadequate as a parent at times but also desiring to obey God's call and be the Mom/Dad that these kids do not have ... it is a humbling challenge and a daily awakening to be better. We work to pause in the moments and enjoy each other and our girls. We work to be patient knowing that there is a process in place for a reason and we just need to trust and obey. Thank you for walking with us.
Here are some more cool pictures:
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| The puzzle station - a folding table will all the fixin's for puzzle goodness. The puzzle is upside down, because that is how we outline the pieces for the next person's donation. |
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| This is the portion of the puzzle which is already completed with donations. It represents nearly $2,000 of gifts from family and friends. |
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| If you look carefully, you can see the outline of the gifts; especially in the top right corner. This will be the back of the puzzle once completed so that there is a permanent record of those who supported this process. It will hang on the back of the finished puzzle. |
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| This shows the puzzle front and back in mirror. |
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