So I added a new page to my blog above titled "wish list". 
My techno-genius friend, Brandon, suggested it.  It highlights some of our upcoming expenses and other ways you can help if you are interested!



In other news we have our fingerprinting appointment on Jan 3rd in Nashville.  At the same time we are downtown we plan to get the State Seals we need for our paperwork bundle.  Once we receive those seals then our paperwork heads to Washington DC and then off to Ethiopia!!

I was talking with the Director of our adoption agency this morning and she told me we are #2 on the wait list for a little girl!!

As I was talking to her she told me that Ethiopia celebrates Christmas on Jan 7th - which is awesome because that is our son's birthday.  (Coincidence? I think not!) Their calendar year runs differently than ours as well as their Christmas traditions. 

Christmas in Ethiopia The Ethiopian Christmas known as Ganna is celebrated on January 7th. The day before Ganna, people fast all day. The next morning at dawn (around 4am), everyone dresses in white and attends church. Most Ethiopians don a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends. The shamma is worn somewhat like a toga. This celebration takes place in ancient churches carved from solid volcanic rock and also in modern churches that are designed in three concentric circles. Men and boys sit separately from girls and women. Also the choir sings from the outside circle.   People receive candles as they enter the church. After lighting the candles everyone walks around the church three times, then stands throughout the mass, which may last up to three hours.  

Food served at Christmas usually includes wat, a thick, spicy stew of meat, vegetables, and sometimes eggs. The wat is served from a beautifully decorated watertight basket onto a "plate" of injera, which is flat sourdough bread. Pieces of injera are used as an edible spoon to scoop up the wat.   Gift giving is a very small part of Christmas celebration. Children usually receive very simple presents such as clothing.  Religious observances, feasting, and games are the focus of the season.  After the service is over the rest of the day is spent dancing, playing sport and feasting. Around the time of Ganna, the men and boys play a game that is also called ganna. It is somewhat like hockey, played with a curved stick and a round wooden ball.   Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ. The children walk to church services in a procession. They wear the crowns and robes of the church youth groups they belong to. The grown-ups wear the shamma. The priests will now wear their red and white robes and carry embroidered fringed umbrellas. The music of Ethiopian instruments makes the Timkat procession a very festive event. The sistrum is a percussion instrument with tinkling metal disks. A long, T-shaped prayer stick called a makamiya taps out the walking beat and also serves as a support for the priest during the long church service that follows. Sources:

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/christmas-traditions-around-the-world-ga4.htm

http://www.santas.net/ethiopianchristmas.htm

Christmas this year will be much different at our house. 

The holiday season is always full of giving and this year I'd like to encourage people to give with a purpose.  There are so many websites and opportunities to purchase a gift that will benefit someone else besides the gift receiver.

Please consider visiting some of these websites for your gift purchasing this year.  not only is there some great products out there but it just makes sense to help out others as well.

Visit http://www.olivetreepromise.com/ where there are many different products listed from artwork, apparell, jewelry and much more.  When these products are purchased you can choose a family to donate half of the proceeds to!  (We are listed under Ethiopia but of course you can choose any family that you might want to help!)



Coffee Lover in the family??  Visit www.justlovecoffee.com/thejohnsonfamily to purchase a wide variety of very delicious coffee.  There are a number of blends available - my favorite is the African Skies blend.  For every bag of coffee purchased, $5 will go towards our adoption.

Visit http://hannahjames.storenvy.com/ to purchase very cute, unique jewelry.  This family that sells the jewelry not only is adopting themselves but helps out other families adopting.  The family that runs the site picks a partnering family each month and 50% of the proceeds for their month is sent to that adopting family.

They've got these adorable rings, hair pins, earrings, necklaces and duffel bags!!





Search etsy.com for the word "adoption" and you can find a lot of products for sale with proceeds going towards adopting families.

Gray/orange Kenya bead bracelet

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82009688/kenyan-pops-of-color-wrap-bracelet-shop

Visit http://www.toms.com/ and purchase a pair of these cool shoes!  For every shoe purchased they donate one pair of shoes to someone in need.  They have some pretty neat videos on youtube where they have documented shoe drops all over the world.



Visit http://www.amazima.org/7ways.html to learn about ways you can help the wonderful people in Uganda.  If you have a person who you really don't know what to get them for the holidays considering sponsoring a child in their name.  You can also donate formula and many other things in their name.




Check out our adoption agencies "shop" page.  There are several cute items that are for sale that benefit their humanitarian programs.  http://www.celebratechildren.org/store/EthiopiaShop.php

Visit my "for sale" tab on my main blog page to check out wreaths, lion pillows, earrings, bows and tshirt scarves I have for sale.  I plan to start an etsy shop but I just haven't had time quite yet!

If you know of any other websites that help support please leave a comment and I will add it.