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Dear Ellen,

November 18, 2011

Dear Ellen,

I was watching your show on Tuesday and I cried tears of joy when I watched the Collins family. Their story about adopting the four boys from Ghana was amazing! When the mom told her story about going to Ghana to pick up those three brothers, and then the one other boy coming up to them and begging to come along (“If I only eat one meal a day and promise to clean your house, can I come home with you, too?”), I seriously lost it. I bawled, right there at my kitchen table.

Then you gave them the $15,000 gift card to Sam’s Club to help out with groceries, and I remembered again why I love you so much. Because you use your power in the media for something good. You take the power and influence you have with businesses and advertisers in the country and use them to help people from all walks of life. You inspire me, Ellen.

As the show went to a commercial, I saw a cue pop up telling me that this family was going to get another big surprise at the end of the show. I was SOOO hoping it was going to be more money or even a new vehicle. I just knew you would do something more for them! This family seemed so amazing– so worthy!

So when you called the family back up on stage, I got goosebumps. You talked to the parents about how the mom’s car had 200,000 miles on it, the dad’s truck was in bad shape… and my heart started pounding… they were getting a new vehicle… I JUST KNEW IT! OH how badly a family of 6 (with four growing boys!!) needed a nice big vehicle.

BUT, wait. What did you and your “friends at Toyota” give to this wonderful family?

A four-door 2012 Toyota Camry.

Seating for FIVE.

For a family of SIX.

Did Toyota forget they make those things called……MINIVANS?

Kind of a letdown, Ellen.

Sincerely, Jenni

P.S. Well, I had hoped to show you a video of the family getting their gift card and 5-passenger car, but the Ellen show has already pulled it from their website. Bummer.

P.S.S. The Ellen Show also deleted my comment from their site. I’m a little disappointed. Apparently, they censor their viewers and only want completely 100% percent positive comments being made. (IMy comment wasn’t completely negative, but I did question the whole thing about giving them a car that wouldn’t fit their family.)

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Filed Under: On My Soapbox, TV Rocks Tagged With: , , ,

Extreme Makeover, and why I hate Craigslist.

May 5, 2011

All I wanted to do is furnish a child’s bedroom. It shouldn’t be that hard, right? A bed, dresser, desk, a couple lamps, maybe a cool picture or bulletin board.

It should be simple. Easy, peasy. Right?

Given the fact that I might soon be the mother of five children, I am trying to learn to be more frugal. Thrifty. Fiscally conscious.

Notice I am trying to refrain from using the word cheap.

So my mission began. I made a list of every item we expect to need eventually for a new child coming into our home. Furniture, bedding, clothing, coats, shoes, toys, books. It’s a bit overwhelming. But I’m a planner. I like to make lists, I like to be prepared for every possible scenario. So I budgeted, I planned, I ran numbers. I spreadsheeted… (is that a word?)

It totally is now.

And I realized that I needed to pull in the reins and remain steadfast in my cheapness frugality.

So I cleaned off the practically new dresser we’ve been storing in the basement. (FREE!)

I found a nice desk at a garage sale across the street. ($15.00)

Now what I really needed to find was a bed. Mattress, box springs, frame, headboard… so I decided to turn to Craigslist.

Oh Craigslist, why do you hafta tease me so?

So I begin my Craiglist PAR-TAY by searching for “twin bed.” I was excited when tons of listings popped up in my area.

Well, the excitement soon ended when I began clicking on the listings and seeing the pictures, and then the PRICES people were asking for these “treasures.”

This little gem is selling for $200:

Here’s another for $150:

I won’t even bother to show pictures of the other beds some people are trying to pass of as being in “great” condition. YUCK. People seem to think that because they paid a lot of money for something, that I should have to then also pay a lot for it after they’ve used it for a few years. That’s not how the world works. I posted my frustration on Twitter yesterday and Stan was quick to remind me to watch out for bedbugs when buying furniture from people I don’t know.

Like our adoption journey, I just have to throw my hands in the air, quit being such a control freak, and remember that making over this bedroom is going to be a work in progress.

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Filed Under: Around The House, Mah Money, Mission: Adoption Tagged With: ,

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