Our Decision to Adopt.

HI friends! Our new blog post is located on Bubblews because we get paid for every like, view and share from the article site and these earnings are credited to our adoption fund. Please visit our article here: http://www.bubblews.com/news/2192992-our-decision-to-adopt

Thank you all for being with us on this journey and showing your faith in us! So long for now. G

An Auction for a Baby??

Hi all! As many readers know, we have been trying to have a baby for almost five years. After three 2nd trimester losses and several miscarriages, we've learned that I require a surgery to make a healthy baby a reality for us. We've tried every possible thing we can think of to raise the $8,000.00 we need for the surgery because insurance doesn't cover it. Some people have asked what we are doing to raise the funds for this surgery. We've got a few things going in hopes of reaching this goal before I reach 'that' age where it isn't realistic anymore. Well....it's gotten a little better for us. A friend of ours created an online auction ( https://www.facebook.com/NavyVetsSurgery ) to help us reach our baby fund goal! There are a BUNCH of items up now and we will add more as we can. Some people are even donating their items to be used in the auction. All the proceeds will be credited to the Baby Cantrell Fund! We feel blessed to have a small group of AWESOME friends who've been with us through this journey and offered their support in all sorts of ways.

We are saving what we can from our pay checks. I have some trickling Knotty Wicks orders. I'm a rep for Jewelry in Candles, The Cantrell Family Fundraiser, the articles I write for Bubblews ( http://www.bubblews.com/account/119567-wishingforbaby ) which pay me for every like/dislike/comment and share. I complete menu images for zMenu, we just managed to get 17 of my Cabbage Patch dolls sold to a lovely friend of ours, we held the Hero event (most of you are aware how that went and we are still waiting on media coverage). ALL the money I make from the work listed above is credited to our surgical fund. We have a blog where everyone can follow our progress and learn more about why we are doing this, learn a little about our angels, etc. and it is enabled to receive revenue for each ad readers click on when reading. We also have a crowd fundraising page. There are NO fees to us on this page. We have researched and they are a legitimate company. We are really trying to find a way to earn these funds but have now reached out for help because we realize we can't do it alone. We are trying to keep hope and we are doing everything we can to raise this money. We pray every day that we reach this goal. We don't want anything more than to have a healthy baby and we are going to keep faith that we will. :) I'll update when we have anything exciting to report. :) So long for now!

Navy Veteran's Only Wish | Medical Expenses - YouCaring.com

Navy Veteran's Only Wish | Medical Expenses - YouCaring.com

December 20, 2013 is a BIG Day for Praying for Baby Cantrell!

Hi friends! As many of you know, we have been trying to earn and save for the funds for the surgery we need to have a healthy baby (almost $8,000) for over a year. We've saved, penny pinched, created Knotty Wicks Candle & Soap Co., I took to paid blogging, selling Jewelry In Candles candles....you name it, we tried it. Well.....a lot of our hard work has finally begun to pay off. We have an account on the Hero Network.

The Hero Network has graciously offered to provide us with a Text to Donate day to help us raise funds for Baby Cantrell! to participate..Simply text 'WISH' to 80077 on December 20th. Donations are $5, completed from a mobile device. Please ensure you reply 'YES' for your donation to count. The rules are simple and everyone can attend so PLEASE SHARE this event and please invite everyone you know! :) We have ONE day to raise as much as we can so please help us make this go viral! This is a public event, has been shared on multiple news outlets, social media pages and shared via text. PLEASE SHARE AND REPOST THE INFORMATION WITH THE LINK BELOW! Even if you cannot donate, we welcome you to join us in support. Thank you all so much for your support and sharing this event to help us reach our goal! ;)

You can also view our Hero Network account, our activity and ways we have granted others wishes here: http://heronetwork.com/wish/index?id=1511623 *******We have been advised by event coordinators with the Hero Network to share our event link and get the word out as much as possible before our ONE DAY TEXT TO DONATE Event for Baby Cantrell! We have created a Facebook event where everyone can join together for updates, links, even verbiage for posts. ;) Please visit us and join the event at this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/653310661378327/

Image Source: http://ellecandco.com/post/13882583945/love-this-movie

DETAILS AND RULES of Text to Donate: "$5.00 donation to Wish Upon A Hero. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. YOU MUST TEXT 'YES' for your donation to be officially accepted for Baby Cantrell's fundraiser. Must be 18 years of age or have parental permission to participate. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 80077 to STOP. Text HELP to 80077 for HELP. Full Terms: mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy"

The Minimum Wage Increase Debate in the U.S.

Hi all! A subject of hot debate right now is the potential to increase The United States Minimum Wage. The President has decided to support a bill to increase the minimum wage here to $10.10 USD per hour from $7.25 USD per hour.

Naturally, a LOT of U.S. citizens, and even those who aren't, have a lot to say about it. Many argue that if we raise the minimum wage, prices for everything will increase. The most heated argument in recent years is over the issue of this potential wage increase. Of course, those with the most to say are the people who make well above the minimum wage and still want to hoard their millions instead of paying for cost of living increases. Some fast food workers have also gone on strike in an effort to have their wages raised to $15 USD per hour. Additionally, a meme (photo) of military workers, gun in hand in a battle zone with the quote by Sarah Palin claiming that our Military makes LESS than minimum wage and people expect to make $15 USD per hour for 'flipping a burger'. Following is my personal opinion on the situation.

IMAGE Source: http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Strong-Opinions-52137900

For those who are whining and complaining about raising the minimum wage, you need a reality check. Have YOU tried to support a family on minimum wage? Minimum wage at PART TIME because companies can't 'afford' to offer insurance for full time employees due to Obamacare? I know, your next argument will be that the ones who want a raise should go to college and get better jobs. Let me tell you that I have a college education, a good amount still yet to pay in student loans and am not working in my field. Not even close to my field because there are no openings after having to leave my last position because services were transferred to another county to cut costs. I have friends who live in Canada who are nothing short of astonished at the way the U.S. treats their citizens. In fact, one of my Canadian friends said, "It's really sad. It's almost like the U.S. wants their citizens broke, sick and homeless." I'm not saying pay $15 an hour but a reasonable increase is way past due. I think $10 per hour is reasonable. Do you realize that while the cost of living has increased at a dramatic and consistent rate, minimum wage has increased by pennies on the dollar during all that time? Increasing the minimum wage would also cut down on welfare dependency, thereby decreasing the funds spent on it. Those funds could help with other things this country desperately needs.....like a decent, EFFECTIVE health care system. There is a serious problem when the CEO's of some companies, including a local one here, make over a half million dollars a year PLUS stock options and 'bonuses' so he/she can golf, ski and take vacations; while their employees are struggling to keep food on the table. Many companies don't even offer *small* Christmas bonuses, not necessarily monetary in nature, to the employees who bust hump all year long to keep the CEO's in their million dollar homes and vacations. It's ridiculous. Yes...I saw the post from Sarah Palin about Soldiers making less than minimum wage. What PLANET is that on?? I can tell you, for a fact, as a spouse of a Navy Veteran, it's not this country at least. Stop whining about increasing the minimum wage and do what's right so EVERY family can thrive, not just the ones deemed important by others with their own interests at heart.

IMAGE Source: Businessinsider.com

~~~~~~As you can see, I'm less than pleased with the current wage here in the U.S. and the debate about whether to raise it. I'm absolutely disgusted by Sarah Palin's blatant LIE to further her own agenda. I have friends who cannot provide a Christmas for their families because they can't afford it. I'm not talking about a small fortune in Christmas gifts and an extravagant dinner with a ski trip to Aspen. I'm talking about a decent meal and a Christmas tree..to help get into the spirit. I realize that is not what Christmas is about and so do they but would you like to see the heartbreak on their faces as they try to explain to their families that Christmas will not happen this year? Would you like to see their children's faces as they try to explain, without breaking into tears themselves, why Santa won't visit their homes? All of this happens in homes around America as CEO's are jetting off to other countries for Christmas vacation holidays. Maybe the working class should trade places with the CEO's for a day and see what happens to the wages in this Country after that day. It likely won't happen but it's something to ponder. So long for now, K

Jewelry In Candles!

Hi Friends!

I have recently become a rep for Jewelry in Candles! Jewelry in Candles gives you a choice! Choose your candle scent, *your* size in ring, a necklace or earrings! How great is that?! Jewelry that fits YOU in the scent you choose! Visit our website, have a peek and place your order today to ensure delivery before the holidays at the link right there ~~>! https://www.jewelryincandles.com/store/khrysticantrell

SOURCE of PHOTO: http://worlegifts.com/BabyFundPotOfDreams

My commissions from these sales will still be credited to our surgical fund! If you are interested in candles but are not interested in the jewelry, we also have a new site with a small selection of candles, ornaments and gift cookie mixes too! You can find that site here: http://knottywickscandles.weebly.com/

Our Most Recent Loss on Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day.

Hi friends. Today, October 15, 2013, is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.

We always extend our greatest sympathies to families learning to live with loss and keep them in our prayers but even more so today. Not only is this intensely personal for us but with our loss yesterday, today has even greater meaning. There is NO loss like that of a child and while we know that no words ease the pain, we are TRULY sorry for each and every loss. A parent should *never*, under any circumstance, have to feel the soul-piercing agony of burying their child. We hope that, some day, there will be technology to save pregnancies and babies who are not considered viable today. If you know someone struggling with loss, PLEASE do *NOT* tell them to get over it, move on or that it was for the best. We never get over this loss and feeling this grief is NEVER the best for anyone. If you cannot find the words to offer comfort or just don't know what to say, simply tell the grieving parent/s that you're sorry for their loss and understand that they need time to accept their 'new' lives. No words can offer a grieving family comfort but knowing that you care *DOES*. It helps them to know that you don't minimize their sense of loss and that they're baby is not dismissed or forgotten.

I was struggling with whether to even post this but decided I should since our followers are a part of our lives now, good and bad. On the 12th, we had a positive pregnancy test and confirmation. We only told close family and those on our private pages for many reasons but of the many, one was the fear that things might not go well as they have before. After a doctor's appointment, something was just not right. It was confirmed late last night that we lost our baby. We knew the reality of this but were praying for the best anyway. In light of this, we have decided to close Knotty Wicks and turn inward for a while. We need to focus on healing from this loss and, eventually, make plans to continue save for the surgery. It was *not* an easy decision nor one we take lightly. It is just that we have come to the point where Knotty Wicks seems to be a LOT more work than I can handle right now, with work, family life, the site and product expenses are making profit VERY difficult and the sole purpose for Knotty Wicks was to earn the funds for the surgery. We are leaving our fund raiser, found here: http://celebrateplus.com/event_detail.php?eve_id=432 , up for the moment and will continue to share here and on our Cantrell Family Fund Raiser page on Facebook periodically. Thank you all so much for your support, prayers, positive energy and well-wishes as we tried to make this work. We genuinely appreciate each and every one of you.

Someone on a social media site mentioned that we probably lost babies because of Karma because I was rude to her at some (unknown but I'll take her word for it) point. I assured her that if I, of all people, was rude to her, it was because she must've really been doing something horrible. I also advised her that this isn't Karma. This isn't about attention. Someone else implied that I made this post seem very traumatic. Well...to me, loss is traumatic as a whole. When I say, "Heal from this loss", I mean that we need to accept it and decide what our future plans look like. Apparently, that was lost on some people. I do know that the majority of you understood what I meant. If you would like to lite a candle in memory of the babies gone far too soon and support of those who remain, please feel free to comment here or on our Facebook page with your image. I will post every comment for those purposes today. Thank you all. Much love and hugs. So long for now. George and Khrysti