Bring Thalia Home

I know, I know, you're dying to hear who the winners are. If you're one of them, we'll be contacting you shortly! :) In the meantime, I am posting a list of the winners below. Before that, however, I posting some screenshots of the randomization program that I used. We had planned to use random.org or randompicker.com, but both required a fee ($35 and $25, respectively) due to the number of entries we had. Randomizer.com allowed us to randomize the entries without a fee.

We had 1298 entries, and Randomizer chose numbers for each of the prizes. There were 34 non-local prizes, so we had the program choose 60 numbers to allow for the possibility that more than one of the same person's numbers might be chosen. In the event that a person had already won a prize, we simply moved to the next number in line. I am not posting screenshots of the numbers, but if anyone would like copies, I will email you one.

All 1298 entrants were in the running for the nonlocal prizes. After winners were identified for those prizes, we did a second drawing for the five local-only prizes, using only local names who had not already won a prize. There were 175 local entries (who had not already won prizes).

And here is the list of winners! The numbers you see correspond to the Randomizer-selected numbers.

1 Everyday Happy Herbivore – Adrian H. 1089

2 Happy Herbivore – Jennifer J. 507

3 Usborne Fashion Dolls – China – Parker S. 324

4 Usborne Sticker Dolly Dressing – Heather S. 889

5 Mother’s necklace – Carli K. 130

6 Sane Woman’s Guide – Amber T. 1181

7 Atenti bag – Stephanie 11

8 Scentsy set – Laura S. 1136

9 Dish towel set – Janine Y. 985

10 Dish towel set – Stacy 267

11 Dish towel set – Lynne W. 1247

12 Dish towel set – Nancy P. 1067

13 Dish towel set – Patti L. 401

14 American Girl nightgown – Karen L. 761

15 Handmade soap – Heidi W. 21

16 Handknit dress – Joy P. 807

17 Nursing cover – Sheila A. 1229

18 Carseat cover – Karen R. 1207

19 Original artwork – Jamie S. 845

20 2 lb custom roasted coffee – Angela H. 707

21 Pampered Chef pizza pan – Bob R. 786

22 Daily bread print – David H. 544

23 Did you think to pray print – Corine C. 969

24 I am a Child of God (blue) print – Stacie 216

25 I am a Child of God (multi) print – Crystal K. 1145

26 I am a Child of God (multi) print – Katy W 31

27 I am a Child of God (multi) print – April W. 592

28 Love One Another print – Tanna W. (Ellen B.?) 259

29 Pampered Chef pitcher – Nicole C. 145

30 $20 Amazon gift card – Andrea S. 578

31 Blendtec blender set – Dina B. 493

32 iPad – Alli C. 514

33 $200 Amazon card – Sherry L. 1178

34 Kitchenaid mixer – Thea G. 796

And here's a list of the local-only winners:

1. Dairy Queen card – Evan T. 70

2. John Stockhill Jewelers gift certificate – Maria S. 163

3. Custom cupcakes – Jaime R. 27

4. Saw sharpening – Sarah J. 42

5. Bed and Breakfast – Cathy G. 121

Congratulations to our winners, and THANK YOU for your participation. Our family is forever grateful for your generosity, prayers and love. Once Thalia is home, we are committed to doing what we can to help other children and families unite. Thank you, thank you, thank you! With your help, we raised TWO THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY-THREE DOLLARS!

Hello friends!

We'd love for you to help us, and in exchange, you could win an iPad, a Blendtec blender, a Kitchenaid Mixer, a $200 Amazon card, or one of over 30 other prizes!

In case we haven't met, we're the Whicker family and we're adopting sweet little Thalia Fearn SongGuo from China. Thalia is 7 years old and has Down syndrome, and we probably have another 5-6 months before we can bring her home. If you'd like to learn more about us and our adoption journey, you can visit us at our regular blog, Harmony and Havoc.

To help us raise the needed funds, we're having a giant fundraiser with tons of wonderful prizes, including a Blendtec blender, iPad, Kitchenaid mixer, and $200 Amazon gift card!

Here's a rundown of what we've gathered so far toward our adoption:

$1500 Fender bender (other guy at fault) insurance check
$1000 Grant from YES Kids
$1000 Grant from our adoption agency for adopting a Special Focus child
$4000 Homeschooling materials sales and auctions
$225 Donations (not including the items donated for this fundraiser)
$7500 Personal funds

$15,225 Total

We still need to raise another $14,775. That's a daunting figure, but having adopted several times before, we know from experience that God sets the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6) and that if we work hard, He will bless us to gather the funds we need this time, too!

Here's how the giveaway works:

Free* ways to enter:

Share this fundraiser on Facebook (indicate in comments below): 1 entry

Share this fundraiser on your blog (indicate in comments below): 1 entry

Share this fundraiser on Twitter (indicate in comments below): 1 entry

*You can share each day, just be sure to comment each time you do so I can keep track of how many entries you'll receive.

Or, donate to our Reece's Rainbow account via the Chip-In at the top of the sidebar:

(Donation is tax deductible, and you'll receive a receipt in the mail)

2 entries for every $10 donated, from $10-40

3 entries for every $10 donated, from $50-90

4 entries for every $10 donated, from $100-190

5 entries for every $10 donated, $200+

For example, if you donate $70 and share the giveaway on Facebook and Twitter, you'll receive 23 entries (21 for the donation, 2 for sharing.) If you donate $250, you'll receive a whopping 125 entries (plus any freebie sharing entries)! There is no need to comment if you make a donation as all of that is tracked by Chip-In, though you're certainly welcome to if you'd like. Commenting is only required for the freebie entries since we have no other way to know that you've shared. You'll need to comment each day that you share.

Please note the "fine print":

We have a few prizes that will be awarded to local folks only, and those are clearly marked below in red. All other prizes will be shipped directly to the winner.
Winners will be chosen by randompicker.com.
Each prize will be drawn for separately, starting with the big-ticket items. That means that everyone will have a chance to win the best prizes.
The giveaway will run from July 9 through August 10th, with winners being drawn and notified via email on Friday, August 10th.
Extended family members may participate, but immediate family members are excluded.

We want to express our sincere thanks to dear friends and family members who donated prizes for this giveaway, and to those of you who will help support this endeavor with your entries. Best wishes to everyone!

NOW, ON TO THE PRIZES!

#1&2 Autographed copies of Lindsay Nixon's two cookbooks! The Happy Herbivore, and Everyday Happy Herbivore.

#3 Usborne Fashion Dolls: China - fun stickers, coloring pages and stencils. Filled with interesting facts about the food, holidays traditions, clothing, flora and fauna, the Fashion Dolls series takes paper dolls to a whole new level, allowing children to learn about culture and customs with creativity. Donated by Stacey Ulferts .

#4 Usborne Sticker Dolly Dressing "Around the World" - Each page of this beautiful sticker book shows dolls from around the world, with over 250 stickers to dress them in their traditional costumes. The colourful stickers include beautiful silk saris for an Indian wedding, elegant flamenco dresses in Spain, colourful robes from Tibet and lots more. Includes a world map with stickers to place on the country for each doll. Donated by Stacey Ulferts .

#5 Beautiful heart-shaped crystal and sterling silver mother's necklace, donated by Linda Ballsmith/Ocean Breeze. Choose your children's birthstones! (Includes up to six heart crystals; others available at minimal extra charge.)

#6 Autographed copy of A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family, by Mary Ostyn (and donated by Mary Ostyn). More information here, and see her popular blog, Owl Haven here.

#7 Gorgeous Atenti bag, retailing for $125! Donated by my sweet friend Ronda Worley at Pleasantries.

#8 Scentsy gift set, donated by Elizabeth Joyce. Elizabeth is the mother of a beautiful angel-daughter with Down syndrome.

#9-13 Dish towel set (5 sets total) with crocheted ties, donated by Jennifer F. (actually, by her sweet mother!)

#14 American Girl doll nightgown, created and donated by Rebecca B.

#15 Handmade soap set, donated by Rebecca B.

#16 Hand-knit dress, size 2T, created and donated by Annie T.

#17 Nursing cover, created and donated by Carli Clayton/Sew Be It.

#18 Carseat cover, created and donated by Carli Clayton/Sew Be It.

#19 Original artwork, donated by Andrea Cockrum

See artwork here!

#20 Two 8-oz bags custom roasted coffee, donated by Cheri R.

#21 Pampered Chef Pizza Grill Pan, donated by Jan Mauzy

#22 LOCAL ONLY Gift card for Dairy Queen sheet cake, donated by Tab and Santos Fleming of Miles City Dairy Queen

#23 LOCAL ONLY $10 gift certificate to John Stockhill Jewelers

#24 8x10 "Daily Bread" print, donated by Susan Garner/Persimmon and Pink

#25 8x10 "Did You Think to Pray" print, donated by Susan Garner/Persimmon and Pink

#26 8x10 "I am a Child of God" print (blue), donated by Susan Garner/Persimmon and Pink

#27-29 (3 total) 8x10 "I am a Child of God" print (multi), donated by Susan Garner/Persimmon and Pink

#30 8x10 "Love One Another" print, donated by Susan Garner/Persimmon and Pink

#31 LOCAL ONLY One dozen custom cupcakes, donated by Jaime Richwine/The Crazy Apron Cake Studio

#32 LOCAL ONLY Free saw blade sharpening, donated by Evan Thorley/Thorley's Precision Sharpening Service. Choose from two options: 1) Sharpening three carbide tipped saw blades (up to 12 inches in diameter) or 2) Sharpening a combination of scissors, knives, and garden tools (up to 7 items).

#33 Pampered Chef Family-Size Quick-Stir Pitcher, donated by us

#34 $20 Amazon giftcard, donated by us

#35 LOCAL ONLY (Unless you want to come and visit us, which would be awesome! If you're from out of town and would like to have your name included when we draw for this prize, please let me know in the comments section below.) - One night's stay in the beautiful Horton House Bed and Breakfast, Miles City, MT