it's all about ME

Amazing Giveaway!

2011-05-18T17:55:00.002-04:00

What could bring me out of a blog sleep of over a year & a half??? The chance to win my very own Silhouette!!!

All you have to do is head over to iheartorganizing - my new FAVORITE blog - to learn all the details! The best part is there are 6 different ways you can enter. With this post I'm eligible for them all!

So what exactly can you win? 1 Silhouette SD, 1 Package white flocked heat transfer material, 1 package teal smooth heat transfer material, and 1 package dark pink smooth heat transfer material! Just make sure you enter before 9:00 p.m. central time Monday, May 23rd. The winner will be announced on iheartorganizing on Tuesday, May 24th! Good luck!

Why haven't I been posting????

2009-10-06T10:38:00.000-04:00

This post is WAY past due but once I explain you'll understand why I've been MIA for so long. So, drumroll please...

we are now a family of FOUR!!!

After years of hoping and praying to add to our family through adoption, our dreams finally came true! On August 7th Emilea Nicole was born and was lovingly placed into our arms and hearts forever! As you can imagine it's been an exciting, emotional, and exhausting 2 months. (Actually, it's been 4 months - we were "picked" in the middle of June.) Dave, Lexie and I are so happy - we still can't believe how blessed we are! God is SOOOO good!!!

And now for more pictures...

Funny YouTube Video

2009-07-31T01:00:00.002-04:00

It's been a pretty busy summer so I haven't had time to post like I thought I would. But I thought I'd share this video a friend of mine posted on her Facebook page. I think it's hilarious!!! Hope you enjoy it.

Please pray for Kate

2009-07-07T22:12:00.002-04:00

I was so moved by this post I saw over on Blessed by 3 Miracles. I can't even imagine what the McRae family is going thru. Their 5 year old daughter Kate is at Phoenix Children's Hospital fighting a brain tumor. I'm just glad they have faith in God. I'm joining them in praying for a miracle for Kate. Please watch the video and then say a prayer for Kate and her family.

Slice of Life Friday

2009-06-13T22:40:00.011-04:00

Fridays I'll fill you in on what we've been up to over the last week (or longer). As you may have noticed, the last 2 entries have been a day late. That's because the past few weeks have been really crazy around here. Here's just a little of what we've been up to (at least the stuff I took pictures of):

1. Lexie lost tooth #3 (she was playing dress-up with her cousin)

2. We brought the class pet (a guina pig named Cookie Dough) home for a weekend

3. Lexie got to play catcher again - her favorite position

4. Lexie and I visited a bunch of garage sales. Here are my great finds (After getting rid of the iron, I plan on painting the bench black - it cost me $2!!!)...

and Lexie's purchases (all made with about $9 in change Daddy gave her)...

5. Lexie learned how to ride a bike without training wheels and got a new bike. (Yes, it's the one she wanted. Was there ever any doubt we'd get it? Target only had one and it was kindof dirty so when we went to check out I asked the girl if we could get a discount because of that and she gave us 10% off! It's always good to ask.)

6. Lexie's class went on a field trip this past Wednesday to a place that had bounce houses and put-put golf. She actually got a hole in one on the 4th hole!!!

Wednesday night we went to Lexie's end of the year program then on Thursday we went to her 2nd to last T-ball game. Then yesterday (Friday) was Lexie's last day of school (I was there most of the day). They walked to the park around 11am, played, ate lunch, played more, ate ice cream, played even more and finally headed back to school after 2pm. At 5pm that night we went to Lexie's teacher's house for a pizza party. It was such a nice way to end the school year but Lexie and I were REALLY tired by the time we got home. (Dave didn't go because he went to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately, the Red Wings lost but it was still a cool experience just to be there.)

So now school's out and we have 2 1/2 months to relax, have fun outside and just enjoy being together. I'm definately ready for summer vacation, especially after the busy week we've had. The thing I'm looking forward to most is sleeping in! Yeah!!! (Did I mention I resigned from my job at the library? My position had a "set schedule" and with Lexie on vacation I couldn't work those same hours. I'm hoping to reapply in the Fall.)

Review Time Thursday

2009-06-12T08:29:00.011-04:00

On Thursdays I'll review a book or movie that I liked (and maybe even warn you about a few I didn't like). Since it's summertime and the kids are home wanting stuff to do I thought I'd dedicate today to kids' books. As you know Lexie is 6 1/2 (actually it's more like 6 3/4). She LOVES to read and began reading on her own when she was 4. She's read so many differnt kinds of books over the years but this year she's really gotten into chapter books and series. She likes the same ones most little girls her age are into like American Girls, Rainbow Fairies, Junie B. Jones, Judy Moody, and Hannah Montana. However, she has a few other favorites that you might not have heard of.

Araminta Spookie Books by Angie Sage
There are 5 books in total and they are suggested for children grades 2-4. The School Library Journal published this review: "Araminta Spookie lives in a sprawling haunted house. She spends her days hunting for ghosts, avoiding her cranky Aunt Tabby, and helping her nocturnal Uncle Drac. In the first book, her aunt wants to sell the house and the little girl does all she can to scare away potential buyers. Things turn out better than expected when the ghost-loving Wizzard family shows interest but decides instead to move in with the Spookies. In the second book, Araminta and the Wizzards' daughter find themselves in danger when they try to retrieve a sword from a cave for the house ghost's 500th birthday... Kids who use "weird" as a compliment will delight in the charming details of Araminta's life. Trapdoors and secret passageways get her into forbidden places. Frogs, bats, and ghosts are part of the family..." Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK (Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The Frog Princess books by E.D. Baker

There are six books in the series and they're suggested for children grades 4-6. Here's a review by the School Library Journal: "In E.D. Baker's twist on the classic fairy tale (Bloomsbury, 2002), Princess Emeralda has quite an adventure when she kisses a prince-turned-frog and everything goes terribly awry. The book follows her exciting quest, along with the frog prince Eadric, to transform themselves back into their human selves. The text itself is weak, with poor story logic, many fruitless tangents, and excessive detail. However, the dialogue between the perky princess, her valiant but foolish prince, and some of the other odd characters they encounter is often genuinely funny...This romantic comedy and non-violent adventure would appeal to youngsters fond of twisted fairy tales, but some of the jokes and sophisticated vocabulary will be beyond the intended audience." by Jenna Innes, Edmonton Public Library, Alberta, Canada (Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.)

The Sisters Grimm books by Michael Buckley

There are 7 books in the series which is suggested from readers Grade 4 to 6. Here's the review from Booklist: "After their parents disappear, sisters Daphne and Sabrina Grimm are placed with a grandmother they have never heard about. Sabrina, the eldest, is highly suspicious; why didn't their parents mention Granny Relda? She grows more concerned once they arrive at Relda's home in the New England town of Ferryport Landing, where Relda serves emerald-green meatballs in rooms lined with books about magic. Then Relda reveals the truth: the Grimms are descended from the famous storytelling brothers, and Ferryport Landing is a magical town, populated with "Everafters," characters straight from fairy tales. After Relda goes missing, it's up to the girls, and their new magical friends, to rescue her and stop a corrupt politician--a well-cast Prince Charming. Buckley's debut novel gets bogged down in labored world building and sometimes stilted prose, but the wild parade of magical folk in the gleefully fractured fairy tales (Snow White teaches school; the Three Little Pigs are policemen) may draw some fans." by Gillian Engberg (Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.)

Some of the reviews weren't that glowing, however, I can tell you that Lexie absolutely LOVES all three of these series. Since she's a kid, and I assume the reviewers aren't, I'd encourage you to try these books out. I hope the kids in your life enjoy them as much as Lexie does!

Family Life Wednesday

2009-06-10T22:51:00.004-04:00

Wednesdays are all about "family life" - I'll probably write about things like parenting, our adoption journey, marriage and my faith. Today I thought I'd share a recent strategy we've been using for discipline.

You may have noticed the recent additions to my reading list - Kid Cooperation, The No-Cry Discipline Solution and She's Gonna Blow! (That last one was for me.) I suddenly found myself dealing with a teenage attitude from my 6 1/2 year old and I didn't know how to handle it. Everything was suddenly "I don't care" and "I don't have to" and "So what." Then there was the yelling and the hitting and the kicking. Lexie became this little monster (not like herself) and I didn't know what to do. (Dave has been traveling a lot lately so I think that may have contributed to the behavior but it's still no excuse.)

Of course I never really had time to read the books but what I did read at least gave me comfort knowing that I wasn't alone. (I'll have you know, I took a quiz in one of the books to see what kind of parent I am. Turns out I'm a "Balanced Parent," the book even said "why are you reading this book?" That made me feel a whole lot better.) The books also reminded me of the importance of being consistent, something Dave and I always try to do but it's much harder when there is only one of us around.

Lexie has always done better with positive reenforcement than with punishing bad behavior. When we reward the good things she does she wants to do them more and I think she focuses more on being good. However, if we yell or take something away, it's like a downward spiral and the behavior stays the same or may even get worse.

With this in mind, I created a REWARD CHART for Lexie.
This is something we started a couple of years ago when we wanted Lexie to start helping around the house more - make her bed, clear her dishes, keep her room clean, etc. I updated the form and started using it about 3 weeks ago and it's already worked wonders. She doesn't get second chances, if she yells once, she doesn't get a sticker on that square; if she doesn't make her bed in the morning, she doesn't get a sticker; if she yells at me, she doesn't get a sticker. It works so well, I wish I'd started using it sooner. Now don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying Lexie's behavior has totally changed. (Just check out the first 3 behaviors - we've still got some work to do!) However, she knows that if she acts correctly she can earn daily and weekly rewards. (Click on the picture to get a closer look at her possible rewards.)
The first week she earned $1, the second week she got $1 plus she got to bake with me and the third week she earned $1, baking with mom plus a playdate! I'm really proud of her progress and the best part is I don't feel like I'm "gonna blow" anymore! :)

At Home Tuesday

2009-06-09T15:56:00.006-04:00

I'm going to try and dedicate Tuesdays to posts about our home. (Things like organizing, home decorating, green living, etc.) So today I thought I'd show a few pictures of my most recent painting project, our entry way. The area is 2 stories tall and I went back and forth trying to decide if I could paint this myself. After borrowing a ladder from my brother-in-law I decided I'd be able to do it. It wouldn't be easy but I thought I could accomplish it. I think I did pretty good. What do you think?

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Okay, I guess I'd better show you all of it...

As it turns out, even with a tall ladder, I couldn't reach the very top of the wall. I did fine with the 1st story, but the 2nd story turned out horrible. I did one coat and it turned out very streaky and, worst of all, I got paint on the upper molding. SOOOOO, turns out we'll have to hire someone after all. Oh well, lesson learned.

Mealtime Monday

2009-06-08T08:37:00.010-04:00

I'm trying something new this week. I'm going to try to blog a different topic every day like book reviews one day, recipes another. If it works well I may continue this the whole summer. So today is Mealtime Monday and I thought I'd share a recipe for the best kindof food - dessert!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
This dessert is a real winner with my family - it's become my signature dessert. I think my family is actually disappointed whenever I make a different dessert because they love this one so much! :)

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels (pretzel sticks work best)
4 1/2 T. white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
1 (6 oz) pkg strawberry flavored jello
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen sliced strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush pretzels until they measure 1 1/2 cups. I use a meat tenderizer mallet.
2. In a 9x13 inch pan, mix together the crushed pretzels, 4 1/2 T. sugar & melted butter. Press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.

3. In a medium bowl, beat 1 cup sugar & cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes then move to next step.

4. In a medium bowl, stir together the jello mix & boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries & stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour. ENJOY!!!

Bye-Bye Training Wheels!!!

2009-06-07T10:53:00.012-04:00

Yesterday while Dave was golfing with my dad, Lexie and I kept busy for an hour and a half with something pretty exciting. I'll let her tell you what she did (1st scroll down to the bottom and pause the playlist music)...

Okay, you got all that? As you can see, she was very excited. She had actually already done it 2 or 3 times but this was going to be the first time I videotaped her doing it. So, like Lexie said, "Yeah! Yeah baby! Rock this show!!!"

Sorry for the abrupt end. Don't worry, she DID stop...in our neighbor's driveway (much better than the street!). Phew!!! Stopping is definately something we need to work on with her. She keeps stopping by dragging her feet on the ground. (Note to self: next time have Lexie wear tennis shoes, not flip flops.)

As you can see, Lexie has really outgrown her bike.

So we're headed out today to look for a new bike. We promised her that once she learned how to ride without training wheels we'd get her a new bike. She's doing so well, I think it will be even easier if the bike is the right size for her. Here's the bike Lexie has her eyes on:

New Life

2009-06-03T22:24:00.003-04:00

Lexie and I noticed last week that we had a bird's nest in one of the trees close to our front door. I got the ladder out and looked inside and saw there were three Robin's eggs so I took a few pictures of the nest. (I was careful not to touch anything that might upset the mama bird.)

We've been checking it daily and have even seen the mama sitting on the nest a few times. Yesterday we decided to quickly check it before going to Walmart for groceries. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a tiny head sticking out of the nest with it's mouth open!!! I ran inside, got the camera and attempted to take a few pictures before the mama came back. I had to just hold the camera up and HOPE that one of the pictures would turn out. Most of the pictures were out of focus or only captured a part of the nest but the last picture I took turned out even better than I expected... (Make sure you click on it for a closer look.) The picture took my breath away! It looks like this tiny bird who has just recently been born is hugging the other two eggs, his siblings. It was such an amazing sight, I'm glad I got a picture of it. Simply amazing!!!

Today when we went by the nest the mama was there so we didn't get to see if the other eggs hatched. I'll be sure to post any new pictures.

According to ME

2009-06-03T21:04:00.006-04:00

Sometimes I think it's the "little things" that are most interesting about people. I might not care what your job is but your favorite ice cream or your favorite TV show? Now we're talkin'!!! So when I saw a fun questionaire on just us I couldn't resist filling it out and posting my answers here. Hope you enjoy it!

When I was a child...my best friend was my sister and, even though we went through some tough teenage years, she still is
I can't imagine my life without...books (Lexie is the easy answer)
If I could be anywhere, I'd be...home
My least favorite chore is...washing the dishes (I have a pile calling my name right now - boo!) though laundry comes in a close 2nd
If I could be on any tv game or reality show, it would be...Deal or No Deal (I've only watched it a few times but I'm always telling the contestants what to do. "That's more than you came with - say DEAL!!!")
If a mystery package arrived on my doorstep, I'd hope it would be...oh, that's hard...a Mac, a SLR digital camera and a new set of pots & pans.
My guilty pleasure is...Reality TV (my fav is Amazing Race)
I thought I would never...be the mom of just one child for 6 1/2 years and counting :(
If a genie granted me three wishes, I’d wish for...oops, already got the mystery package, so I guess it would be...our house to sell, people to care more about our planet/the environment, and a magical cleaning fairy
You would never guess it, but I...never watch the news or read the newspaper

Now it's your turn. Post a comment and fill in the blanks 'according to you.'

Win Art for your Walls

2009-05-28T20:27:00.005-04:00

Have you heard about vinyl wall art? They're easy to apply and easy to remove and they look like they were hand-painted on your walls. It seems like everywhere I go I see it - I've even bought a few vinyl quotes that I plan on putting on some of our walls. Well, there's a stay-at-home mom who has made a business out of vinyl wall art. Brittany Hughes, owner of Lewa's Designs, has lots of cute designs and her prices seem very reasonable.

She has a great giveaway going on until June for anyone who has a blog. All you have to do is blog about Lewa's Designs then e-mail her a link and you will recieve your choice of 3 wall decals (a medium caterpillar, a baby swirly bird or a baseball) in your choice of color . It's that easy! Everyone wins! How great is that?

Spring has Sprung (Part 2)

2009-05-21T13:26:00.014-04:00

I know the saying goes "April showers bring May flowers" but around here it's been May SHOWERS, not flowers! Of course Lexie doesn't mind. She just grabs her rain boots, coat and umbrella and makes the most of it.

This is Lexie's first year of T-ball and she's loving it. She's gotten to play first base,

catcher-her favorite (the only day I didn't bring my camera!) but most of the time the girls stand (or squat) near the pitcher's mound and try to beat each other to the ball. :)

One of Lexie's favorite parts is getting to bat.

I love watching her run around the bases - she has gotten pretty fast!
But her favorite part of all is getting to spend time with her best friend from Kindergarten (to the left of Lexie). They go to different schools now so they don't get to see each other as often as they'd like. Once T-ball is done I'm sure they're going to want to keep seeing each other 2 times a week!

Lexie's school participated in the Young Inventors' program a couple weeks ago. Lexie's invention was called the "Sleepy Head Solution." (Click on the picture to see a close-up of her board.) It's an alarm clock that doesn't turn off until you physically get out of bed. First we duct taped the clock to the nightstand. Then, Lexie tied/taped one end of the string to the on/off switch and then I tied the other end loosely around her hand. When the alarm clock goes off in the morning, Lexie gets out of bed which pulls the string which turns the switch to the radio. Lexie had a lot of fun working on her invention and Dave and I were proud of her creativity. This a picture from the Young Inventors' Night at her school.

Every year for Mother's Day Dave and Lexie make me "breakfast in bed." This is my favorite part of the day. This year I stayed in bed and finished a wonderful book I'd been reading. (It's called Sarah's Key - I would HIGHLY recommend it.) Dave made his specialty - egg sandwich on a bagel (I LOVE this!) and Lexie helped Dave make a smoothie for me. All of this was brought up on a tray. (Of course Lexie had her Daddy bring up a tray of food for her too.) As you can see, I had no problem finishing my breakfast!
After I ate they gave me my cards and the presents Dave had bought me - a couple of movies and CDs (my favorite was the Sound of Music DVD - love that movie).

Lexie had given me her homemade gifts earlier in the week - a trivet she colored herself and a flower planted in one of her old shoes.
She also gave me a homemade card with a poem she wrote inside - "Your Favorite color is red My eyes are blue And a happy mothers Day to you."

In the afternoon my sister had us over to her house for a Mother's Day BBQ. Here's a picture of my mom, my sister and I. (I DID wear a nice shirt that day but it was so cold I ended up putting on my sweatshirt - I wish I'd taken it off before the picture!) We had a great time - Dave's mom even came!
But as we sat there watching baseball AND golf AND hockey I made a decision, next year I'm going to have Dave take Lexie somewhere and I'm going to spend the day at home by myself. (It IS a day about me, right?) I'll treat my mom to dinner another day.

Probably the best thing that we've done in May was last weekend. Lexie and I went with her class to Toledo where we spent the night AT the Toledo Zoo.
We drove down late Thursday and arrived around 6:30pm. We spent the next SIX hours having fun at the zoo - we got to touch 6 different animals including a snake (our favorites were the hedgehog and the opossum)
and the kids did enrichment activities which were given to the animals the next day.
Finally after midnight we were finally led to the aquarium where we spent the night on cots. This is the only picture I got of Lexie - keep in mind that it was probably 12:30 by then, it was dark and all I wanted to do was sleep - that's why I didn't notice that Lexie was LAUGHING in the picture! :) (It took another 1/2 hour before she finally fell asleep!!!)

The next day our day started before 7am! We ate breakfast then got to see the animals enjoying the items the kids had made.

Eventually we got to split up and go look at whatever we wanted. Lexie had a great time hanging out with her 2 best friends.
We left the zoo around 12:30 and drove to the botanical gardens where we spent 2 hours then finally drove home. Needless to say, we were all exhausted but the trip was so much fun! I'm so glad I got to share this incredible experience with Lexie!

Spring has Sprung (Part 1)

2009-05-20T20:27:00.016-04:00

It's been such a LONG time since I posted any pictures, that I decided to make this post all about pictures. Here's just a little bit of what we've been up to this Spring.

Lexie was student of the week in March and that Friday we took Sandy to school to meet Lexie's class. (It happened to be a special reading day where the kids dressed like cowboys/cowgirls so I dressed Sandy up too.)

Another special reading day was favorite book character day. Anyone know who Lexie's supposed to be????

That's right...Fancy Nancy!

How cute is her teacher's costume? I just had to take a picture of her because "Where the Wild Things Are" is Dave's favorite kids book.
I kept busy in February and March painting. I painted the kitchen, great room, stairway, upstairs hallway and the area by the back door. As you can see (left of fireplace), we always have to try out a bunch of samples before we pick the perfect color.
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
I know it looks the same but it IS different. The old color was very gold/yellow and the new color is tan/khaki. (The stairs and hallway is a lighter shade of khaki and the kitchen is an olive green.) My next painting project is our entryway which is two stories tall. I definately need to buy a taller ladder first!

Lexie was in a school play at the end of March. She played a weed - with attitude. It was really cute - the weeds song was a rap..."We're the weeds, we're cool, we're the weeds, WEEDS RULE!!!

A cute little flower (AKA Madalyn, my neice) came to watch the play along with my sister and my mom and dad. Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE living close to my family?

Easter was a little crazy for us because we were gone for Spring Break in the Bahamas the week before. (I'll have to do a seperate post for that.) So it was after 8pm on Easter Eve when we finally got around to coloring the Easter eggs!!! We still managed to have fun - look how proud each of us is of our 4 eggs...

(Did you notice, Lexie got her hair cut right before our trip - probably about 6 inches. I wanted her to grow it out more so she could donate her hair to "Locks of Love" again but she REALLY wanted it cut.)

We had my parents and my sister and her family over for Easter dinner.

Doesn't everyone look nice...

...except for Dave who decided to take the day off from dressing up. (Just kidding hunny.) And me who was so busy I never had time to put on makeup!!! Yikes!

Shortly after Easter Dave and I went to a wedding reception. The best part was spending time with Dave's mom and with his brothers who we don't get to see enough of.

Finally, at the end of April Lexie's school had a 50's dance/sock hop. All three of us went and we even dressed up!

Check out this cute couple!

I'll have to do a "Part 2" of this post so I can include pictures from May. Until then, Happy Spring!!!

What happens to your trash?

2009-05-04T15:30:00.002-04:00

I just got done watching Oprah's Earth Day show (just a couple weeks late). It was a real eye-opener. The show started with a video talking about how the biggest garbage dump is actually in the Pacific Ocean. It's 2 times the size of Texas and spans from the coast of California all the way to Japan!!! You MUST watch this video!!! I will never be able to pass by liter again without picking it up!

As if that wasn't bad enough, look at what happens at our landfills! A few things really struck me in this video:

1. That is a HUGE amount of garbage being sent to our landfills every day - 8,500 tons (6 days a week) at just this one particular landfill in California! Think about how much garbage is being collected every day over the entire world!!!

2. Lots of things are being thrown away that could've been recycled like paper and plastic bottles. I was shocked to learn that PAPER is the largest thing that's found in the landfill!!! It's so easy to recycle - why aren't people doing it???? Even if your trash/recycling company doesn't take paper, look for other locations that will take it. Lots of our schools and the library in our town have recycling dumpsters in the parking lot for paper products. The best part is that the organization is getting paid for every piece of paper you donate. We have a special basket in our home for paper - every time it's full I just take it to work with me and throw it in the special dumpster. Click here to find a dumpster near you.

3. Like I mentioned in my post the other day, people are throwing away things that others would love to have! The thing that really got to me in the video was when I saw the piano being tossed onto the ground! Our family would LOVE to have a piano! Even if it was broken we could pay less than the cost of a new one to get it fixed. I wish people would stop throwing things away that someone else could use!!!

4. Each day the huge "garbage cells" at the landfill are covered over with dirt. When I heard that I began to wonder: What happens to the soil once all that trash decomposes? What chemicals are being released into the soil and eventually our water systems?

Another shocking thing I learned from this show is that each person on Earth uses 300 plastic bags a year! Think about it - garbage bags, Ziploc bags, bags your fruits and veggies come in, grocery bags, shopping bags. I've already changed my usage of plastic bags: for the last 2 days, I've packed my lunch items in reusable containers and when I got take-out today (non-styrofoam container) I gave the plastic bag back. What can you do to reduce your use of plastic bags? (Also, be sure to recycle the bags you do have at places like Walmart.)

I know the last few posts I've really been "standing on my soapbox" so to speak. But that's because I really feel strongly that each one of use should be doing our part, everything we can, to help the planet and future generations. I want to end on a postive note, check out TerraCycle, this amazing company who sell items made from waste. They started out selling fertilizer (aka worm poop) packaged in old water and pop bottles! They also make lunch bags and other bags out of juice pouches. What a great idea - turning trash into something we can actually use! I love it!

What are you throwing away?

2009-05-02T15:45:00.002-04:00

Since I'm on the "going green" topic thought I'd share something I read in a recent Dear Abby column that my mom gave me. It's a list of how long it takes common trash items to decompose in our landfills (or anywhere):

Paper...2 to 5 months
Orange peels...6 months
Milk cartons...5 years
Filter-tip cigarettes...10 to 12 years
Plastic bags...10 to 20 years
Leather shoes...24 to 40 years
Plastic containers...50 to 80 years
Disposable diapers...75 years
Tin cans...100 years
Aluminum cans...200 to 500 years
Styrofoam...NEVER!!!

While reading thru this list I see a lot of items that can be recycled like paper, plastic bags, plastic containers and cans. If you're not already recycling I hope this list inspires you to start now. We've been recycling for years, but we still had about 2 or 3 bags of trash each week. However, since we've started recycling cardboard and paper in addition to the plastic, glass and cans, our trash is down to ONE bag a week!

When I read the list I was suprised by the leather shoes. It seems like items like that should be donated, NOT thrown away. I can't tell you how many items I see in the trash in my neighborhood every week that should've been donated instead of thrown away! As I drive by I think to myself "I'll bet someone else could use...that tricycle...that bike...that baby gate..." (The worst was when my neighbor told me she had thrown away a bunch of baby clothes!!!) Why don't people donate these items instead of filling up our landfills???

The item that really got to me on this list was styrofoam. I didn't realize it NEVER decomposes - that was shocking! Everytime we get carryout or a "doggy bag" I worry about the styrofoam containers they come in. (A lot of places have plastic ones which isn't perfect but it's better than styrofoam.) Next time you're thinking of getting a "doggy bag" please think twice, I know I will.

So the next time you go to throw something in the trash, think about this list and ask yourself these questions: Can I donate it to someone else? Did I really need to have this item in the first place? Can the item be recycled? In other words, "Reuse, Reduce and Recycle!"

Don't Buy Bottled Water!

2009-05-01T11:45:00.004-04:00

I just watched the trailer for Tapped, a new documentary about the water bottle industry. WOW!!! Please go over and watch it! Remember how the 2004 documentary, Super Size Me, changed the way you thought about fast food? Well, I'll bet this movie will change how you think about bottled water! The trailer already did it to me!

Our family doesn't buy bottled water, instead we have a filter on our fridge that probably makes our tap water healthier than most bottled water out there. Dave, Lexie and I all have our own reusable water bottles that we take to work and school every day. If you are a family who usually buys bottled water, please consider making a change. Use reusable bottles, buy a filter for your sink, and/or use filtered water from your fridge. Not only will you be helping the planet but you'll also save money in the long run!

Check out these other easy tips for Going Green at home!

Let's Play Ball!

2009-05-01T11:16:00.002-04:00

Lexie started T-ball last Thursday. She's never played on a team before. On the way to practice it was so cute, she asked me, "Mommy, will I be a batter or a thrower?" I let her know she'd get to do BOTH! She was happy about that! After practice I asked her what her favorite part was and she said hitting the ball off the T. She actually did pretty good with everything but I did see her crouched down looking for rocks at one point. :) I think keeping the girls' attention on the ball is going to be the hardest part.

Monday will be her first "game" - it's timed (no more than an hour). They don't keep score, don't keep track of outs and everyone gets to bat each "inning." The bad thing is they've only had one out of 4 scheduled practices because of the rain we've had here the last 2 weeks. Hopefully Monday will be nice so the girls can actually learn how to play! I can't wait to see it!

Do you hear music????

2009-04-28T23:15:00.004-04:00

Well, that's because I added it to my blog using playlist.com!!! What do you think? I'm not sure how this will affect those of you with dial-up - please let me know if it makes it harder to read my blog. Also, if you're at work trying to read this and don't want to get "caught" you can scroll down to the bottom and turn off the music - just hit the "pause" button.

Another change especially for you Mom (and the rest of my family and friends without their own blogs) - I've changed the comment settings. So now, even if you don't have a blog, you can leave a comment. (If I end up getting strange comments from unknown people I'll change it back.)

Hope you enjoy the music - I'll add more songs later!

A Great Movie (and a Not So Great Movie)

2009-04-25T18:16:00.004-04:00

If you haven't seen it yet - you MUST see Slumdog Millionaire! I watched it the other night while Dave was out of town and LOVED it! It has everything a movie should - sadness, happiness, action, adventure, love, hate...at one point I'd be in tears because it was SOOOO sad and then almost standing up and cheering at other parts. Trust me, it's awesome! But don't take my word for it, see it for yourself!

Then there's Twilight...I read all four books and really liked them but was not happy with the movie at all. There were some parts that were good but overall I was very disappointed. First off I didn't think the characters looked like how I'd pictured them in the books, especially the Cullens. In the books the Cullens were take your breath away, drop dead gorgeous but I didn't think that in the movie. As for Bella, she looked fine but her acting wasn't great. Jacob was another one who didn't look like what I thought he would - I thought he'd be better looking. Edward Cullen was the only one I thought did well and looked close to how I'd pictured. Then there was the connection/attraction between Bella and Edward. I just didn't see it - I don't think it was developed or explained well enough - especially if you hadn't read the books. I could go on and on with the things I didn't like about this movie. I don't know if I was just expecting too much, but I was pretty disappointed. So consider yourself warned - you may be disappointed too...So rent Slumdog Millionaire instead!!! :)

God is Good!

2009-04-20T08:30:00.004-04:00

God is so amazing! Just when I was ready to give up all hope of ever adopting God stepped in. (NOTE: Before you get too excited - we have not been choosen.) A week ago I wrote in my journal about how frustrated and confused I was with our journey to adopt. When I read it I can feel the confusion, sadness and plain hopelessness in the words I wrote. At the end I prayed that God help us. As always, my prayers were answered but in an unexpected way.

Saturday Dave and I attended an adoption seminar put on by a local church. I had read an article in the paper about it and decided to go. I was hoping to learn more about foster care thinking maybe God doesn't want us to adopt, maybe he wants us to be foster parents instead.

The seminar included some inspiring testimonies from several families who had adopted internationally. Then there were 2 women from an adoption agency who spoke about their agency and specifically about international adoption. I began to wish that Dave and I had pursued international adoption, I thought that if we had maybe we would already have a child. Then, at the very end of their presention, they mentioned that you could adopt from the Oregon foster care system then they sat down. One of the seminar organizers asked if they could speak more about that topic.

As the woman explained how it was possible for MI families working with their agency to adopt thru the Oregon foster system I started to feel excited for the first time in a long time. Hope began to rise inside me and I wondered what Dave was thinking. Was he as excited as I was? Someone asked if you could transfer your approved homestudy from another agency to this program and the answer was "No" - you have to be with that agency. So I asked if, in that same situation, you could have them do a whole new homestudy. The answer was "Yes!" In addition, because of the low fees for adopting thru the foster care system, it would actually be less money than if we were to adopt domestically thru our current agency! Dave and I looked at each other and I knew we were on the same page. He was feeling the same excitement and hopefulness I was!

We had a break shortly after that and spoke briefly to the women from the agency. I could tell that they felt bad for us when we told them how long we'd been waiting. However, they spoke of waiting on God's timing and His plan. They were very nice, encouraging and genuine. One of the women gave us a book to look thru with the pictures of the children available for adoption in Oregon. As Dave and I looked at all the beautiful happy faces of the children my heart ached for them.

Then I turned to a picture of a little boy and girl laying in a wagon and my heart stopped. I felt such a pull as I looked into their beautiful innocent eyes. (They are brother and sister, he is 3 and she is 1.) I paused at the page but then continued on to the other pictures in the book. But my mind kept going back to those 2. I could picture them as part of our family! I wanted to be their mom!

The only thing keeping me from that are three things: 1) a new homestudy which will take 3-4 months to complete, 2) an okay by the committee responsible for picking the families for the children (there may be other families interested in those kids - the committee chooses who they think would be best for the children), and 3) most importantly, my husband's okay. You see, Dave has always said he only wants 2 children even though I've always said I wanted 3. But I agreed to only have 2, that is until we decided to adopt. I've told him that if we adopt we need to do it twice, so that the children could have someone else to "relate" to, someone who knows what they're going thru. Also, I didn't want our kids to be called "the adopted kid" and "the biological kid." But this reasoning still hasn't changed Dave's mind so why would he change his mind now?

After we got done with the book I couldn't help flipping back to the page that had tugged at my heart. I had one last look with Dave before giving the book back. We then spent the next hour and a half listening to a woman from Bethany talk about the thousands of children in the MI foster care system who need a family. It's so sad and I felt like I should want to adopt thru MI but I kept thinking of the kids in Oregon.

We were barely out the door at the end of the meeting when I asked Dave, "So, what do you think?" As I suspected, he was as ready as I was to pursue an Oregon foster care adoption! On the drive home I reminded him of the little boy and girl in the wagon and asked what he thought about them. To my surprise, he didn't immediately say no. In fact, he asked a couple questions that lead me to believe he isn't totally opposed to the idea!

We have already submitted our pre-application and we will now wait to be contacted about the next steps. There are a lot of unknowns, like whether or not that brother and sister will still be available by the time we get thru with the homestudy process. We don't know. As always, only God knows what will happen. But I do know one thing, last week I was feeling sad and wrote this in my journal: "I wish our path was clear to both Dave and I. Lord, please give us direction. Please give us the strength to get thru the wait and the peace with whatever path you choose for us." Wow, did He ever answer that prayer (and then some)! Isn't God amazing?!!! Not only do we have direction but where I was once filled with worry and despair, I am now filled with hope and excitement! Glory to God!

Great Book!

2009-04-17T14:41:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to quickly tell you about a GREAT book I just finished! It's called "The Middle Place" by Kelly Corrigan. A patron at the library suggested it to me (wish I could remember who so I could thank them).

Anyway, it's a true story about a 30-something woman (wife and mother of 2 small children) who gets breast cancer and then she finds out her father, whom she's really close to, has bladder cancer at the same time. I know it sounds depressing but it's actually a really funny book. The author wrote it so well! She alternates the chapters, one is about when she was a child then the next one is about now. It's called "middle place" because she's in the middle of being an adult - a wife and mother - but still a child - a daughter. I can't say enough great things about it! I couldn't put it down! I'm adding it to my list of "favorite books" right now! Hope you enjoy it too!

p.s. If you've never read "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, that's another great book I'd highly recommend! (I thought about this book several times when I was reading "Middle Place.")

First Free Day in a LONG Time

2009-04-17T13:57:00.002-04:00

WOW! It seems like it's been FOREVER since I had a free day all to myself! It's been so nice today - I didn't have to work or volunteer at Lexie's school or run errands. I had the whole day to do whatever I wanted! So what did I do?

1. Took Lexie to school
2. Ate a leisurely breakfast and read
3. Downloaded pictures from my camera, Lexie's camera and my mom's camera
4. Organized the pictures and then burnt them to discs
5. Caught up on my e-mail
6. Posted to my blog
7. Went for a long walk with Sandy (Boy am I out of shape!)
8. Caught up on some TV (Samantha Who? and Survivor)
9. Ate lunch in front of the TV (I can't remember the last time I did that!)
10. Took a shower around 1:00 in the afternoon (because you can take one whenever you want when you have a free day!)
11. Made a bunch of calls - scheduling appointments, etc. (because I knew Dave would be asking about them)
12. Started the laundry (since I'm wearing my last clean pair of underwear)
13. Started post #2 to my blog - Yay me! :)

Wow! I feel so proud of myself. I'm going to just dwell in all I've accomplished for awhile before I start thinking about the hundred OTHER things I still need to do and probably won't get to today. Like painting and grocery shopping and cleaning the house and putting the clean dishes away and loading the dishwasher and the trunkful of returns I need to do and I haven't even thought about what we're going to have for dinner!!!!!!!

Ooops. I got out of my happy place.

Did I mention I did 2 blog posts today? Hope you're enjoying your Friday.

"Mommy, am I fat?"

2009-04-17T09:18:00.003-04:00

Something very disturbing happened a few nights ago with my daughter. She was in the bathroom and she called me in and asked me this question: "Mommy, am I fat?" WHAT?????!!!!!! Keep in mind she is 6 1/2 years old and that the word "fat" is considered a bad word in our house.

I don't know that I really handled it well. I said the first thing that came to mind. "Where did you hear this from? You are 6 years old! You shouldn't be thinking about this! Where did you hear this from?" I know I repeated the last question but I was in shock and angry - I wanted to have her stop watching whatever show she saw it on, or stop reading the book, or stop hanging out with the "friends" that said something...you get the picture.

She assured me she hadn't heard it anywhere. She just looked down at her belly and squeezed it so that cute little rolls were between her thumb and her fingers. Then she said she thought she was fat. Of course this got me boiling again. I felt mad at TV, at society, at books, at magazines - for having my SIX year old daughter already worry about this!!! It killed me to hear her say that she was anything less than what she is - a beautiful little girl.

But I pulled it together enough to tell her that she was NOT "fat." I explained that most of her pants have the adjustable waist because she's so skinny. I also told her I didn't want to hear her talk like that again. Then I hugged and kissed her and she brushed her teeth and got into bed. Meanwhile, in my head...

Did I handle that well? No, I did everything wrong! What should I have said? What is the "right" thing to say? I can't believe she's already worried about how she looks! I thought I was doing such a good job of building her up. What happened? Where did I go wrong? I thought I was teaching her that it's what's inside that's important. That who she IS is more important than what she looks like. What about all those times I've seen her in front of the mirror, primping and preening and I didn't say anything? I should've said something! All those poses she does, pretending she's Hannah Montana, I should've made her stop that. Maybe I should remove the mirror from her room?

But I didn't say any of that to her, instead I just told her that I didn't want her saying anything like that again. (Brilliant right?) Then she lays this on me, "I just said that because I thought you'd laugh Mommy." !!!!!!!!What???!!!!!!

Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But one thing I do know, I'm going to pay a lot more attention to how she looks at herself in the mirror and about what kind of images she sees around her. As her mother, it's my job (for the next 12 to 50 years) to build up her confidence in who she is - inside and out.

Wish me luck!

My Review of Tonic Studios 12" Guillotine Paper Trimmer: (30cm) w/Large 12" Base

2009-04-10T09:22:00.001-04:00

RitzCamera.com

Perfect for scrapbooking and home office desk tops. Always ready for use without taking up valuable space. The Kushgrip comfort handle features a stainless steel blade for a clean straight cut. A paper clamp with integrated finger guards presses down firmly to ensure paper does not move while cu...

I'm loving this trimmer!

Jenn MI 4/10/2009

Pros: Clean Edges, Cuts Straight, Good Cutting Capacity, Sturdy

I'm a scrapbooker and I've gone thru many different trimmers over the years - the Fiskars personal trimmer, the Cutterpede (green), and the big Fiskars rotary trimmer. None of them gave me a consistently straight cut. In addition, when I would try to cut a sheet of pictures I wasn't happy with how the edges looked frayed (not true with the rotary trimmer).

I have been VERY happy with this guillotine cutter. It seems to be doing a great job so far - even with pictures! I was tempted to give it 5 stars but I'm still getting used to it. I do wish it had marks on the board for normal picture sizes like 4x6, 5x7 & 8x10 but I guess I could make the marks myself. Overall I think this is a great cutter!

()

Happy Belated Birthday Dr. Seuss!!!

2009-03-03T15:44:00.003-05:00

I'm a day late but how cute is this Cat in the Hat!?! (On the white stripes Lexie wrote rhyming words she found in Dr. Seuss books.)

Our YouTube Video

2009-03-03T12:31:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to let you know, our youtube video profile has been added to our Bethany online profile. Maybe this will be what God uses to lead us to our child/lead our child to us. We continue to hope and pray.

(I'm not very happy with the quality of the video/pictures. I used an online company called One True Media which allowed me to do the video for free. Does anyone know of a different program / free online service that would give me a better quality but still be easy to use? FYI - I have a PC.)

I've been tagged!

2009-03-02T16:09:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I was "tagged" almost a month and a half ago but didn't realize it. Sorry Stars in the Sky - better late than never I guess. :)

So here's what I'm supposed to do:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!
6. Tag five other people to do the same!

So the book that was closest to me was "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (the 3rd Twilight book). I just got it from the library today and I'm only on page 38 so this is going to be really hard for me - I never skip ahead!!! Here goes:

"I don't think you were in any danger."
"I told you I didn't want to fight with Charlie."
"Nobody said that you had to."
I glowered at him. "I can't help myself when he gets all bossy like that - my natural teenage instincts overpower me."

Well, that wasn't too bad. So what are you reading?

I tag (I know I'm supposed to have 5, oh well):

http://wisecake.blogspot.com/
http://americanandi.blogspot.com/
http://homeschoolingonedayatatime.blogspot.com/
http://heckeladoptionjourney.blogspot.com/

* By the way - I just added a new list on the right side of my blog. It shows what I'm currently reading. Okay, so I'm not ACTUALLY reading all of them but I do have them all checked out from the library and I'm attempting to read them. :)

A bad day turned into HOPE

2009-03-02T14:39:00.003-05:00

Yesterday started out pretty good. We couldn't go to church because Lexie wasn't feeling well but we made the most of it. The three of us cuddled in bed together and watched a couple shows on Animal Planet. Finally I got up and decided to put the second coat of paint on the living room walls. All went well until I was finishing up the second wall when suddenly I had the saddest feeling. I began to wonder if we'll ever really adopt. I felt so sad I almost started crying but I didn't. Instead I said a prayer that God take away our desire to adopt if that's not what He has planned for us. I asked that He guide us to His will for us, whatever that may be. So I went on with my painting (turned out GREAT by the way), but my heart still felt heavy.

At some point during the day I realized why this day, out of all the days, I was feeling so sad. It dawned on me that on this day, March 1st, I could no longer tell people we'd been waiting "almost 2 years," or even "2 years." We have now been waiting MORE than 2 years! We never thought it would take this long. When we started the adoption process (paperwork, meetings, homestudy, etc.) we told Lexie we might not adopt a baby until she was 7 years old. We said this so that she wouldn't expect us to bring home a baby brother or baby sister the next day. We told her that it would happen when God planned it to happen. But honestly, we were preparing her for the long wait that we really didn't think would happen. We thought, "we're a nice couple, a good family, good parents, certainly someone will pick us soon." Our case worker reaffirmed what we already thought when she said, "Oh, it will happen before THEN!!!" when we told her what we told Lexie. Yet here we are 2 years and 2 days later, still not being choosen.

It's so overwhelming when I think about waiting indefinately. I mean how long can I keep hoping. It's just soooo hard! Yet, I know if this IS what God has planned for our family the wait, any amount of wait, will be totally worth it! I just need to trust God and know that if it's not His plan for us that He will take that desire away from our hearts.

All that keeps going thru my head right now is some bible verse that says something like "those who wait in the hope of God." When I typed that in google I found a website Hope Is Real. Four bible verses really jumped out at me:

Psalm 39: 7 NIV "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

Psalm 25:4,5 NLT "Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."

Isaiah 40:31NLT (one of my favorite bible verses) "But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

Jeremiah 29: 11 NLT "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

So here I am today, officially waiting 2 years, 2 days and counting, but continuing to find MY hope in GOD.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2009-02-09T08:23:00.003-05:00

Lexie said something this morning that I want to hurry and write down before I forget. After we kissed "good morning" she had us kiss each other on each check - first one then the other. Then as I was walking away here's how our conversation went:

Lexie: "I think in France they kiss with their tongue."
Mommy: "Really?" (Said in a slightly grossed out tone.) "Where did you hear that?"
Lexie: "School...I hope it's with the person they're married to!!!"
Mommy: "Yeah!" (Trying hard to hold back laughter!)

Say "Happy Valentine's Day" with Hugs

2009-02-08T14:31:00.006-05:00

Happy Early Valentine's Day to everyone! Just thought I'd share another easy recipe I've been making since October. I discovered the recipe for "Pretzel Hugs" on Becky Higgins' Recipe Blog. They're a great treat to make for all the different holidays - just change the color of M&M's you use. For Halloween I made them with orange, black and purple M&M's. For Christmas I made them with red and green M&M's, put them in clear goodie bags, tied them with pretty ribbon and gave them as gifts for my co-workers and Lexie's teachers.

After making them with a few different shaped pretzels and different sizes of M&M's we've perfected the recipe. All you need are these 3 ingredients:
(Unfortunately we couldn't find the mini M&M's for Valentine's Day so we had to settle for the regular sized ones this time.) Hope you enjoy this tasty treat - we love them!

PRETZEL HUGS
1/2 a bag of pretzels (the square ones work best but you can also use the small knots)
1/2 a bag of mini M&M's
1 package Hershey "Hugs"

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place pretzels on baking sheet. Unwrap the Hugs and place one on each pretzel.
Bake for about 8 minutes (just keep an eye on them, when the Hugs start to melt they're done). Remove from oven & promptly place 3 mini M& M's or 2 regular M&M's on each pretzel, pressing into the melted chocolate.
Allow to cool before serving - this takes several hours. (Or put whole cookie sheet in fridge to speed up cooling.) Makes about 70.

* Lexie loves helping with this recipe. I let her do all the steps BEFORE they go in the oven, after that it's my turn. Of course her favorite part of helping is when it's time to eat the pretzel hugs!

Lexie's Poetry

2009-02-08T09:38:00.016-05:00

On Friday Lexie's class had their 2nd writing celebration of the year. Last time they each read a book/story they had "published." This time they shared their own poetry at a special "Coffee House Poetry Night" - complete with hot cocoa, cupcakes, cookies and lots of great poems. Here are Lexie's poems (sorry about the sideways video - I used Lexie's camera and I didn't know I couldn't turn the camera when I did video):

Purple

Snowdog

I tried to upload video of her 3rd poem but for some reason it wouldn't work. Here it is (I typed it exactly as she wrote it):
LEXIE
Loves every thing
egg sanwiches are my favorite food
xtara speail (extra special)
i like fruit
everybody is my freind

Cheesy Mostaccioli

2009-02-05T22:37:00.003-05:00

Tonight I made a favorite dish of ours that I've been making since before Lexie was born. (I believe it's a Pampered Chef recipe.) As I was making it I thought about how easy it is to prepare. I know I always love getting new, easy recipes so I thought I'd pass this onto you. The greatest part is that you probably have most of the items in your kitchen already! Just add a salad and some bread and you have a great meal for the whole family! (The leftovers are great too!) I hope you enjoy it!

Cheesy Mostaccioli
1 package (16 oz) mostaccioli/penne pasta, cooked
1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef, browned & drained
1 t. ground black pepper
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 jar (28 oz) Prego spaghetti sauce
1 can (11 oz) cheddar cheese soup
3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pasta according to package directions. In frying pan brown meat and drain. Add pepper and seasoning to meat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and soup. Combine pasta, sauce mixture and 2 cups cheese in pan of your choice. (I use the Pampered Chef Baking Bowl but you can make it in a lasagna pan.) Mix to combine. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake 40 minutes. (Makes 12 - 15 servings.)

Time Management

2009-02-03T14:59:00.008-05:00

I've recently taken over the kitchen desk as my own little "home office" space.
For the last year and a half it was Lexie's but she's only really used it as a spot to drop all her junk. So I've moved her junk to the scrapbook room - since I can close the door and hide the mess. (We'll get around to organizing it later.) I know it doesn't really look like much but I am so excited to have my own little desk to keep all my paperwork organized, etc. Obviously I still have some work to do - like buying a chair/stool instead of using our step ladder as a seat. :)

My only worry is that this beautiful clean desk will quickly become messy with my stuff if I don't work out a system for dealing with all my paperwork. But where do I start? The answer came while I was watching a decorating show yesterday. They were re-organizing a home office which of course turned out great. However, the best part of the show for me was when the personal organizer told the woman she couldn't keep the room neat without time management. She went as far as having the homeowner schedule time in her blackberry for all household chores including paying bills, grocery shopping, laundry, etc. When the organizer said that it was like a light bulb went off in my head! That's excactly what I need to keep my paperwork in order and more!

The idea of time management isn't new to me. I've written out my daily schedules a lot over the years, especially after I had Lexie. (Don't worry, I know I'm wierd.) However, I haven't done a new one since the summer. Of course a lot has changed since then, the biggest thing being my job. And since I've started working again, I've really struggled with keeping up on all the household chores while still finding time to spend with Lexie and Dave. And of course there's always guilt that goes along with either choice - "I should be doing that instead of what I'm doing right now."

So last night I sat down and started my plan - I went "old school" and hand-wrote it since I don't have a blackberry. :) First I wrote a list of all the tasks I wanted to get done during the week and then I wrote down how many times during the week I'd need to do each activity. (For example, I need to deal with paperwork once a week, make dinner every day and I'd like to scrapbook a few times a week.) Then I broke my day into 1/2 hour increments and plugged in the different activities to the times/days I thought they'd work.

So now I have a rough schedule and I'm excited to implement it! (I know, I know - wierd, that's me.) I'm happy that I now have a plan for all the chores that I never seem to find enough time to accomplish (like cleaning the house, making dinner, laundry, exercise, etc.). But what I'm most excited about is making time for the activities I like to do that I'm always trying to squeeze in but never seem to have enough time for (like scrapbooking, blogging and reading). I really hope this works! Wish me luck!

A Christmas Eve I'll Never Forget

2009-01-11T20:22:00.027-05:00

I've been wanting to write this post since Christmas Eve but wasn't sure exactly what to say. I wanted to get it perfect. I also worried that I didn't have the "right" to do this post since it's not just my story, it involves my whole family. But after running it by my mom, I'm finally ready to share the story of a Christmas Eve I'll never forget.

It all began when I spoke to my mom the day before Christmas Eve. I could tell when she said "Hi" that something was up - there was something in her voice that seemed different. She said something like, "Remember the son I gave up for adoption?" I said "Yes." She continued, "Well, he found me and he wants to meet all of us tomorrow." (He lives in North Carolina and was only going to be in Michigan for a little bit for the holidays.) I'm not sure what kind of reaction my mom expected but I said something like, "I think that's great!!!" As she talked and shared all the details she knew about my brother Kevin, I got more and more excited to meet him. (Technically he's my "half brother" but I don't think like that - he's my brother plain and simple.)

Though I've known about Kevin for over 20 years my mom and I have never really talked about all the details surrounding his adoption. In fact, I have learned more over the last few weeks than I have my whole life. When I was in my teens maybe even tweens my mom told me and my sister that she had placed a child for adoption shortly before she met my dad. She told me that it was a boy and that his family already had a lot of kids when they adopted him. (Turns out he has 5 older sisters and 1 younger sister!) Besides that I didn't know much else. I could tell when my mom told us that it was difficult for her to talk about. Even at my young age I think I knew this was a painful subject for my mom and I think I avoided the subject so that I wouldn't make my mom sad.

Of course many years later as Dave and I turned to adoption as a way to add to our family, I couldn't help but think about my brother and what my mom had gone thru so many years ago. At one of our first meetings at a potential adoption agency Dave and I were told that most domestic infant adoptions aren't from young teenage mothers like most people think. The majority of birthmothers are actually single mothers in their 20's who already know how hard it is to raise a child on their own. I couldn't help but think of my mom.

As I mentioned before, this is not just my story, it's my mom's (and Kevin's). So it's not my place to talk too much about what happened 40 years ago. However, I can say that my mom was a single mother going thru a divorce and raising my brother Chris who was around 3 1/2 at the time she discovered she was pregnant. It must have been so hard for her back then - working and raising a young son on her own. When she discovered she was pregnant and then the father (who turned out to be married) disappeared I can only imagine the fear and anguish she must have felt. She must have been so worried about how she would be able to provide for another child, since she was already struggling with one child. After my mom had Kevin she tried to keep him for a few months but ultimately decided that adoption was the best thing for him. I can't even begin to imagine the immense love and deep pain my mom must have felt as she gave her small baby to his new family. What a miracle that almost 40 years later she got to hold him in her arms again!

I met my brother Kevin and part of his family on Christmas Eve. In his words, "the only wierd thing was that it wasn't wierd." Of course at first it seemed a little strange - I felt like I kept staring at him to see if he looked like any of us. (I kept thinking he reminded me a little of my uncle - my mom's brother - when he was talking. Then when we got the pictures back I thought he and my mom had the same kindof smile. As I study the pictures more I wonder if I see myself and my brother and sister in him too - the eyes, the shape of the face?)

Kevin turned out to be a really great guy! He also brought his wife, his youngest daughter who's 17, and his granddaughter who's 2. We all got along so well - especially considering that we just met.

The kids - Lexie, my 2 1/2 year old niece and Kevin's granddaughter - got along really well and had a great time playing. Here they are dancing together:

As the kids played Kevin talked about how he found mom. While looking for addresses for Christmas cards this year Kevin plugged mom's name into whitepages.com and that's how he found her! It turns out he had a letter that my mom had sent him when he was still a baby so he had her name from that. He has always known that he was adopted which I'm so glad about. I know back at that time adoption was often a big secret. I'm so happy for him and for us that his parents were honest with him from the beginning.

One of the coolest things about the day was that Kevin brought a scrapbook of his life that his wife had made which he GAVE to my mom. It included pictures of him as a baby, all his school pics, pictures from adulthood and a page for each of his kids and one for his granddaughter. (He has 3 kids - 2 girls ages 20 & 17 and a boy age 19.) This scrapbook meant so much to my mom and to all of us. It was cool to be able to see a little bit of the almost 40 years we've missed. (My mom and I are already planning a scrapbook for him - a scrapbook about our family so he can learn more about all of us.)

The whole night felt so comfortable! It was pretty amazing! He got to my mom and dad's a little after 1pm and didn't leave until after 7pm! I think he probably would've stayed even longer but his granddaughter was tired. When I hugged him goodbye I said "Thank you for finding us." As I was hugging him (and holding back tears) I couldn't help but wonder if this was it. Would he want anything more to do with us? Did he feel as comfortable with us as we did with him? Did he like us as much as we liked him?

Well, all my fears were put to rest a couple days later when my mom told me that Kevin had called her. He now talks to her a couple times a week & has even begun calling her "Mom." He called me a couple weeks ago and we talked for over 20 minutes. He's also talked to my brother Chris (who lives in Florida) on the phone a few times. They're even making plans to meet each other soon!

I'm so excited to get to know Kevin, though it's all kind of surreal. I've thought so much about my mystery brother over the years, especially since Dave and I decided to adopt. I can't believe Kevin and his family are now a part of our family! What a wonderful Christmas gift! God is good!

Adoption Profile Slideshow

2009-01-02T17:47:00.003-05:00

I've been working for a couple months on this Dave & Jenn's Adoption Profile Video. I spent ALL day today finishing it up. I'd love to know what you think before I post it on YouTube and Bethany's website. Just click on the link above and you should be able to just watch it. Please let me know if you have any problems looking at it. Thanks for your feedback!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

2008-12-12T12:14:00.004-05:00

It finally happened! It took over two months but Lexie finally lost her first tooth! We were eating tacos Monday night and Lexie said her tooth hurt. I looked in her mouth, saw that her tooth was barely hanging on and their was some blood. So I twisted her tooth a little and it came out! Lexie was so excited!

I had to go to a school meeting that night so Daddy helped her put the tooth in her special pillow. (It's actually the same pillow I used when I was a kid.) She also wrote the tooth fairy a note that said "Dear tooth Fairy I lost my first tooth today and it is a bottom one I lost it by eating a taco! Love - Lexie PS if you would give me something for my tooth right now it would be a Foohy" (A "foohy" is a type of eraser that a bunch of kids at school have - they look like monkey heads.)

Lexie woke the next morning to discover that the Tooth Fairy had taken her tooth and left some special gifts for her. In the pillow, where the tooth used to be was a $1 coin. The Tooth Fairy also left a Cheetah Girls muscial toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste and a note.
The note said "Dear Lexie - Congratulations on losing your first tooth - it's a beautiful tooth! I can tell you've been taking great care of it. I hope you enjoy the new toothbrush and toothpaste I'm leaving for you. Sorry I didn't give you a Foohy but maybe you can use this special coin to buy one for yourself (or you can save it for something else). I have a feeling I'll be visiting you again real soon! Until then, keep brushing and flossing! Love - The Tooth Fairy" The Tooth Fairy also accidently left some of her fairy dust all around the pillow and gifts! Lexie was very excited about everything and didn't seem disappointed at all that she didn't get a Foohy. She was very curious though about how the Tooth Fairy gets in the house and what she does with the teeth she collects. :)

Then yesterday Lexie ran into my bathroom in the morning with her finger in her mouth. There was blood all over the tip of her finger and all around her other loose tooth. This tooth was a little harder to get out but after a few twists it did come out. Lexie left it in her pillow last night and woke up this morning to find a $1 coin and more fairy dust!

Lexie told me on the way to school yesterday that she thinks that the Tooth Fairy uses all the teeth she collects in her wand instead of batteries. (How cute is that?!) She also decided not to save her money but instead she plans to use her $2 to buy a Foohy. I just think it's funny that our little girl can sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" this Christmas. :)

Winter Fun

2008-12-12T11:46:00.009-05:00

Now that winter is really here I don't know about you but I don't feel like doing much of anything! I always feel so cold - even when I'm inside! My favorite place to be right now is bundled up in a thick blanket - reading, watching TV or watching a movie. It is WAY too cold to do much of anything else!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE going sledding with Lexie - it's actually one of my favorite things to do in the winter but lately it's been too cold to do even that! But one cold day late last month Lexie and I managed to brave the cold weather and build a snowman! Last year I bought a snowman kit that had everything you needed to make a snowman except the snow and the sticks for the arms and this was the first time we used it. Lexie and I had so much fun - Lexie even tried to make a dog on the right side of the snowman. The face is on the right, the tail is on the left, closest to the snowman. (Don't tell her I said this but I kindof think it looks like an armadillo.) :)

Ever since Lexie was 2 we've been making Gingerbread houses together as a family every December. This year I bought a gingerbread train kit instead. So on the same day we built the snowman, the 3 of us put the train together. We were so focused on doing it, I almost forgot to take pictures!
It was just as much fun as the gingerbread house and it was nice to do something a little different. Lexie even decided to name the train "The Polar Express" and make a sign for it.

The Cheetah Girls ROCK!

2008-12-07T08:52:00.008-05:00

On December 2nd I took Lexie to her first concert - The Cheetah Girls - One World Tour. She was so excited! I was upstairs getting ready and when I came downstairs I discovered Lexie making a "poster" for the concert.
It was sooo cute - she actually ended up making 2 posters, one for me and one for her. :) We got to the Palace early so there weren't that many cars but Lexie couldn't believe all these people were going to see the Cheetah Girls. She thought there must be some other event going on. I assured her that the Cheetah Girls were it!

We had GREAT seats - 4th row on the right side of the stage! (Thanks to a business contact of Dave's who gave him the tickets!) I made sure to let Lexie know that normally you don't get to sit this close for a concert. In fact, I've never sat that close so it was pretty cool for me too!
When the opening act - The Clique Girlz - started Lexie just kindof sat in her seat and stared at them. Lexie and I had never heard of this group - Lexie said they looked like 3 Hannah Montanas. :) I also thought they seemed like a female version of the Jonas Brothers - since they look like sisters.

Anyway, by the time the Cheetah Girls came to the stage Lexie was warmed up and ready to rock!
She stood up most of the concert, danced around, sang and screamed...at least I think she screamed - I actually had ear plugs in my ears so I couldn't hear her (but she looked like she was screaming). :) Lexie wore ear plugs too - I think it would've been WAY too loud without them, especially sitting that close and having all those screaming girls around us. (I know, I know, I guess I'm getting old.)

It was a great concert! My favorite part was when the girls sang above the stage, each in their own individual chandelier chair.
There was also a cool part where the girls gatherered together and sat and sang while a slide show was going - they were so close to us!
Lexie loved it all, especially when her favorite Cheetah girl came over and sang right in front of us and even waved to us.
But her favorite part of all was at the end when they sang "One World" while standing on these columns which were raised out of the stage and then confetti was dropped on us. Lexie was so tired at the end but I could still tell she had a GREAT time! We both agreed, the Cheetah Girls definately rocked!

Our Fall

2008-11-15T08:42:00.009-05:00

Since I've started working I haven't blogged very much so I thought I'd take the time to tell you about what we've done this fall and show you some pics too.

For Dave's Birthday in September we visited an apple orchard near our house. We went on a hay ride,

walked through a corn maze,

and fed the animals.

As you can see, it was a beautiful Fall day and we had a lot of fun.

At the beginning of October Lexie got her first loose tooth - actually two of them - her 2 bottom front teeth. She is very excited and can't wait for one of them to fall out. The one on her left side is getting pretty loose so hopefully it will happen soon!

Towards the end of October Dave and I went to the Michigan v. Michigan State game. It was cold but it was still a fun day.

Next came pumpkin carving which we did one night right after Lexie took a shower - notice the wet hair and pjs. (This is the "before" picture.)
Lexie even got to help carve this year but it was Mommy's job to get all the yuckie stuff out of the pumpkin first.

We were really happy with how the pumpkins both turned out.

October ended with one of Lexie's favorite holidays, Halloween. Can anyone guess what Lexie decided to be? That's right, Hannah Montana! All we had to buy was the wig & microphone, the rest came from her closet!

For the 2nd year in a row we had my parents, my sister & her family, and my sister's sister-in-law's family come over to eat and go trick-or-treating. Here are the 3 girls - Hannah Montana, Daphne (from Scooby Doo) and Princess Madalyn - aren't they so cute!?
It was a lot of fun trick or treating, especially because the weather was so amazing. It was in the 70s most of the day so Lexie didn't even have to wear a coat!
My niece Madalyn is now 2 and she had so much fun trying to keep up with the big girls!

In the end, the girls came home with over 100 goodies in their bags!

The last big thing for us this fall was the election on November 4th. Dave and I have spent the last few months watching all the campaign news on CNN and Fox News. We were very excited for November 4th to finally arrive and we were glued to CNN all night watching the election coverage. As I watched Barack Obama's speech I was so moved, I felt I was listening to a historic speech, one that will be remembered and quoted in history books.

Dave and I are so happy with the choice of Barack Obama as our next president. This is the first time in a long time that the person we voted for actually won! :) We both feel very hopeful about the future of this country under the direction of President-Elect Obama! Congratulations to him and to this country!

With winter almost here, we look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas and also to the new year. We continue to pray that God adds to our family and that we have patience while we wait for His perfect timing.

Happy Anniverary to Us!

2008-10-21T08:49:00.010-04:00

Last weekend Dave and I celebrated our 9th anniversary!!! As usual we went away for the weekend, just the two of us. Dave always does all the planning for it - picks the location, makes all the reservations, etc. All I have to do is pack and find someone to watch Lexie and Sandy for the weekend. This year he chose one of our favorite spots - Mackinac Island.

The timing of our anniversary weekend is great because Dave is always just getting done with budgets. This means that the couple of weeks before our anniversary are especially busy for him - lots of late nights, some out-of-town trips, etc. So this special weekend is a nice time for us to relax and reconnect. This year I appreciated it even more because with me working and Lexie's nightly homework I feel like I never have enough time to do everything, let alone spend quality time with Dave. So this weekend came at just the right time for both of us.

We packed so much into so little time, it's hard to include everything. So I thought I'd share some pictures and a list of 10 of my favorite memories from the trip:

1. That first view of the island (especially the Grand Hotel) from the ferry
2. Sleeping in until 9am two days in a row!
3. Walking hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm everywhere with Dave

4. Riding bikes around the island - over 8 miles!

5. Eating ice cream after our bike ride - YUM!!!

6. Stopping at the "Somewhere in Time" site - I love that movie!

7. Taking our "secret" path to the Grand Hotel

8. Making friends with a horse that Dave named "Honey-pie Pony"
9. Watching how scared Dave was walking up the stairs to see the Arch Rock

10. Enjoying the beautiful Fall colors

But I think my favorite thing of all about the weekend was that I got to spend 48 hours alone with Dave. It was so nice having no schedule to keep, no place to be, just doing whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Oh and we got to eat whatever we wanted too!!! :)

I've got a JOB!!!

2008-09-16T21:00:00.002-04:00

No more sitting around the house eating bon-bons all day...I've got a job!!! With Lexie in school all day (and no new baby in the house) I knew I needed to find a job to fill my days. Of course I could've found LOTS to do around the house! But I thought I'd at least "look" for a job. I didn't think I'd really get one though with my limited schedule - no nights, no weekends - and not having had a job for over 6 years...I mean who would want to hire me???

Turns out our local library wanted to hire me!!! :) I am now working part time as a Page. I work 4 days a week (18 hours total) while Lexie is in school. It has taken a lot of getting used to. The first full day I started second-guessing myself - I came home with a headache, a sore back and aching feet and I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Who knew working at a library could be sooo physically demanding - lifting heavy books, pushing carts with TONS of heavy books all over the library, straightening shelves of heavy books, etc. (Did I mention that the books are HEAVY?!) Luckily after the first few days and a change in shoes (who cares if they're pretty, as long as they're comfortable right?), I am really enjoying myself.

I usually don't start working until 9 or 10 am so I still have an hour or two to myself in the morning. Then my workday ends around the same time Lexie gets out of school so I get home just in time to meet her at the bus stop. On my day off I plan on running errands and catching up on housework. That's what I "plan" on doing, we'll see if that's what REALLY happens. :)

So far it's been great having a job but there is one bad thing - I'm sooo tired at night! In fact I've been going to bed by 10pm most nights and even earlier sometimes! Speaking of which, my bed is calling to me now...

First Day of School

2008-09-03T09:54:00.001-04:00

Lexie had her first day of first grade yesterday!!! She got up before I even went in to wake her up! (She only pushed her snooze button twice!) She quickly got ready and was so excited that she wouldn't even eat breakfast. We were ready early and were able to take a lot of cute pictures...

Then I drove Lexie to school and took her up to her classroom. Even though she didn't know anyone she didn't seem nervous at all - she just kept smiling. I, on the other hand, was very nervous - What was her teacher going to be like? Would Lexie like her teacher? Would she make any friends? Would she miss me too much? Would she like the lunch I packed for her? You get the picture - mostly I guess I was nervous about how I would do all day without my girl. :(

When I finally left (No, I didn't have to be asked to leave by the teacher in fact there was one other mom still there - of course her son was crying - but at least I wasn't last!!!), Lexie was sitting on the rug and didn't even care that I was leaving. That's always the hardest part - one more sign that she's growing up and doesn't need me as much.

Luckily my day alone flew by with lots of excitement - washing dishes, doing laundry and vacuuming - and before I knew it school was out and I had to go meet the bus around the corner.
As promised I brought Lexie her scooter so she could ride it home - like she'd seen some of the other kids do last year.
Once home I didn't get many details about Lexie's day just that she made a monkey, had Spanish class (she learned to say "me llamo Lexie"), had 2 recesses and made a new best friend Elizabeth. She also mentioned that she missed me and of course I missed her too. But I think we both did pretty well on our - oops I mean "her" - first day of school.

Addicted to Blogs

2008-08-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

It's funny because a little over a year ago I didn't even know what a "blog" was. Now not only do I know what one is, but I have one of my own and, worst of all, I'm totally and completely addicted to reading them. I guess it'd be okay if it were just one or two blogs but it's WAY more than that! So I thought I'd share my addiction with everyone. You can thank me later. :)

The blogs I read can be broken down into categories.

First came the scrapbooking blogs:
Stacy Julian
Lisa Bearnson
Ali Edwards
Becky Higgins
Cathy Z
Elizabeth Kartchner
Donna Downey

Then came blogs I found thru the Bethany adoption forums - these are all written by women who are hoping to adopt or have already been blessed by adoption:
Our journey to adoption
William, Glenna & Isaiah
Blessed by 3 miracles
I love you more than there are stars in the sky
sugar & spice speaks out

One of the biggest problems with reading blogs (besides eating up your time) is that most blogs share links to other blogs (just like I'm doing right now). So you just keep adding more and more blogs to your favorites, like these:
Nesting Place
creative organizing
Recipes to Share
SouleMama
Hello my name is Heather
no time mom
Today's Creative Blog

So there you have it - my secret revealed. The first step in ending an addiction is admiting you have a problem...right??? Oops, I gotta go I saw a great idea on "Nesting Place" when I was creating the link!!!

Maybe I'll try to stop tomorrow...

Fall Giveaway at Simple Mom

2008-08-22T22:32:00.000-04:00

What's your favorite thing about Fall? Mine is the weather, the leaves changing and going to the pumpkin patch & apple orchard. Now another great thing about Fall is a chance to win prizes! Simple Mom is giving you a chance to win over $200 worth of prizes! Just head over to their website and leave a comment telling them what your favorite part of Fall is. It's that easy! Good luck! (Hurry! The giveaway ends on August 25th!)

Touching Infertility Video

2008-08-04T13:25:00.000-04:00

Though infertility is not what has kept us from being parents again, I can really relate to this video. (Thanks to Angie and Aaron for posting a link on their blog.) The only thing I would add is that instead of unsolicited advice I want PRAYERS (in addition to the other things listed towards the end of the video) - nothing can help more than that!

Cardboard Testimony

2008-07-23T21:42:00.000-04:00

I found this video thru another blog. It made me cry and got me thinking about what my own cardboard testimony might be. Maybe "hopeless" then "full of hope."

We are all broken, but through God's Grace we are all made whole.
I'm so glad that no matter where we are, God is always there for us ready to welcome us to Him with open arms.

I pray that you are as moved as I was by watching this and that it gets you thinking about your own cardboard testimony.

Fun in Northern Michigan

2008-07-18T14:56:00.001-04:00

We just got back yesterday from 2 weeks of camping in Northern Michigan. I don't have much time for an entry (lots of laundry, cleaning, planning and organizing to do) but I thought I would quickly share some pictures.

The first week was spent with my parents in Traverse City enjoying the Cherry Festival. We had a great time - ate cherries, watched the air dogs (one of our favorite events), attended the pet show, did lots of walking, watched an Indian Pow-Wow, ate tons of yummy s'mores, and spent time with lots of our old friends.

One of our favorite parts of the Cherry Festival is watching the parades. We were able to watch only one parade this year - the Children's Parade whose theme was the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osbourne (Lexie was so excited about that).

The best part of the parade was that we got to watch it with some of our old friends. It was so fun watching the girls together - it was like we had never left.

We celebrated my 37th birthday while we were in Traverse City. We went out to eat and then played putt-putt.

We were all sad when it was time to leave (some showed it more than others)...

Our 2nd week of camping was in Gaylord with Dave's mom. Unfortunately Dave couldn't go with us but Lexie, Sandy and I had a great time anyway. We ate s'mores again (this time with Reese's peanut butter cups - YUMMMMMM!!!), walked a lot (thanks to Sandy), ate ice cream,
enjoyed the beach (the water was MUCH warmer than TC),

Lexie rode her scooter a LOT (she got really good at it), and spent lots of quality time together and with Grandma Nancy.

We were all suprised to discover that the Alpen Festival was going on while we were there. So one night I took Lexie (Grandma Nancy babysat Sandy) and she went on a few rides and played some games. Her favorite part was when she played a game and won a goldfish!!!
She kept saying, "I can't believe I actually won a fish!" It was so cute. She named the fish Josefina - like the American Girl doll -and she now lives in a fishbowl on Lexie's desk in the kitchen.

We had a great 2 weeks but we're all glad to be home together. The next big thing will be Lexie's 6th birthday party - better start planning!!!

Contest at simplemom

2008-06-25T21:16:00.000-04:00

I found out about another contest. It's thru simplemom and is for a chance to win a cool online budgeting tool called Pear Budget. Check out simplemom for yourself and while you're there enter the contest! Good luck!

Update on the Birds

2008-06-19T00:38:00.000-04:00

***UPDATE - A couple weeks after this entry all the birds were gone from the nest. Bye-bye birdies!!!***

Just wanted to give you an update on the three baby birds we found. They are growing fast!

On Saturday we noticed that one baby had "fallen" out of the nest. Maybe she was learning to fly and wasn't quite ready. I looked online for what to do if you find a baby bird. It said if the bird had it's feathers that you should leave it where you found it. It said that the mother bird would still feed it/take care of it until it learned to fly. (If it didn't have it's feathers you are supposed to put it back in the nest. It's not true that a mother bird will smell your scent and not go back to the nest.) So we kept an eye on the little bird (from afar) and by late in the day it was gone. I told Lexie that it must've learned how to fly and it flew off. This is much better than the other possible scenario - that a neighborhood cat or dog ate him. I really hope it was the first option! Good luck little bird!

I've got the blues

2008-06-19T00:01:00.000-04:00

I am having a really BLAH! day. I don't know what's going on with me but I've felt like I'm on the verge of crying all day long today! I know I've been really anxious about adoption lately. We've been waiting for almost 16 months now and the wait never really bothered me until the last few months. Sometimes it's all I can think about! I keep wondering..."Is it ever going to happen?" "Will anyone ever choose us?" "Are we supposed to be a family of three?" "How do we know when to give up?" "When should we throw in the towel?" "Is adoption really God's plan for our family?"

Someone on an adoption forum I often visit gave me a great idea to help me with that last question. She said that I should pray that if adoption is not what God has planned for us that He take that desire away from me. So I've been doing that lately, and...I don't really know. The desire for a child is still there but I've now started thinking about becoming pregnant again. It's been 2 years since I spoke to a Hemotologist about this and maybe there have been advances with medication I may be able to take. I'm currently waiting on a call back from my Hemotologist. (Of course the Hemotologist never said that I shouldn't become pregnant, they told us about medications which Dave and I were worried about at that time.) So now I've begun to obsess about this. But does this new idea of trying to get pregnant come from God or does it mean I'm tired of waiting or am I simply questioning God's plan?

So now I'm praying once again that God leads me to do HIS will (this is a recurring prayer for me). Should we look into my becoming pregnant? Should we continue to wait for our family to grow through adoption? Should we accept that we are a family of three and get on with life? Only God knows the answers. I'm praying that He guides us to the right path, His path. Please pray for us.

Odds N Ends

2008-06-10T10:15:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I posted anything so I thought I'd share a bunch of recent pictures.

YEAH WINGS!!! Dave was lucky enough to go to 2 of the games and he even got his picture taken with the cup a few days before they won it again. What fun!

Lexie's last day of swimming class was Saturday. She had a great time and will probably take lessons again in the fall.

Check out this cute pirate...no it's not Jack Sparrow, it's our niece Madalyn playing dress up with Lexie. :)

Last weekend we had a short visit (too short) with our nephew Joey who lives in Florida. We managed to get one decent picture of the 3 cousins together:

Check out what Lexie and a friend found in one of our trees. They are 3 baby birds. Can you say "AAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!"?

Last but not least, Lexie was downstairs waiting for me this morning as I walked in from taking out the dog. Not only was she fully dressed but she had also put on her shoes and tied them all by herself!!! Dave and I are so proud of her! (Did you notice how tall the socks are? That was all Lexie's doing. Of course I couldn't help myself, I had to push them down a little before she left the house. :) )

The Toddler Cookbook Giveaway

2008-05-30T00:51:00.000-04:00

Host: Fun, Crafts, and Recipes
Prize: The Toddler Cookbook by Annabel Karmel
End Date : The contest ends on Sunday 06/08/08 at 6:00 pm est. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Monday 06/09/08.
How To Enter: Go to Fun, Crafts, and Recipes for instuctions on how to enter.

Dr. MOZ’s “Big Daddy” Father’s Day Giveaway!

2008-05-30T00:04:00.000-04:00

Win Cool Prizes for the new Daddy in your house!

Host : The Dear Dr. MOZ Baby Blog
URL : Dr. MOZ’s “Big Daddy” Father’s Day Giveaway!
Prizes : (Click on the link above to see)
End Date : 15 June 2008

How To Enter:
Click on the Contest URL above and follow the instructions to enter (just comment on the blog). If you blog about the contest you'll get an additional entry!

Updated Adoption Profile/Book

2008-05-15T10:12:00.000-04:00

Well, it's taken me FOREVER but I've finally updated our profile book (because of the move). Just thought I would share it since some of you have never even seen the old one. I'm going to the Bethany office today to drop off the original and 2 copies. Now we have nothing to do but wait. In February we reached the one year mark of waiting. It's been hard but we continue to pray and we have faith that God's will will be done.

Locks of Love

2008-04-23T08:56:00.001-04:00

It all began about 2 years ago when Lexie made what seemed like a cute statement at the time, "I want to grow my hair down to my toes like Rapunzel." At the time she looked like this...
so we didn't think anything of it.

WELL...fast forward 2 years and her hair was, though not down to her toes, already at her waist!!!

This hair growth has not been easy - it's a pain to wash and dry, it is always getting in her face, she gets syrup and other food stuck to it, we find long hairs everywhere, and she's had to have gum cut out of it. However, all of that pales in comparison to the #1 worst thing about Lexie's long hair...the brushing! I absolutely DREAD brushing Lexie's hair. When Lexie wakes up there are always, without fail, knots in the back. As I carefully brush her hair I hold my breath waiting for the screaming, crying, and yelling which are sure to come. Depending on her mood there may even be hitting, kicking and escape attempts. As if that wasn't bad enough, I have to go through the the whole thing again after baths!

For this reason Dave and I have spent the last six months trying to convince Lexie to get her hair cut. We've explained about Locks of Love and how her hair can be made into a wig for another child. Last month I showed her the website www.locksoflove.org and we learned more about the kids who receive the wigs. We discovered that a large number of the children have an auto-immune disorder called alopecia. Alopecia, which causes the hair follicles to shut down, affects 4.7 million people in the United States alone. There are varying degrees of alopecia and unfortunately there is currently no known cause or cure for it.

Still, Lexie wasn't convinced so we decided to drop the subject for awhile. Imagine our suprise (and relief) when, a couple weeks later, Lexie said that she wanted to get her hair cut! I then suprised myself by becoming a little sad about the whole thing though I didn't let on to her. But I quickly snapped out of it and made an appointment, before Lexie could change her mind.

When the big day arrived Lexie was very nervous and sad. To be honest, I was nervous too. But it all turned out great and I think her haircut looks so cute!!!

BEFORE
AFTER

Afterwards when I asked Lexie what she thought of her haircut she said, "I like it, but I don't love it."

I just keep reminding her that she can grow her hair back (which she already plans on doing) but the child who gets a wig made out of her hair will never grow hair. Dave and I are so proud of Lexie and we think she looks great!!! Of course my favorite moment was this morning when I brushed her hair and it took about 2 seconds and there were no knots, no tears, and no screams! Life is good!

Forgotten Memories

2008-04-05T20:49:00.000-04:00

First I need to get this off my chest...I am SICK of Lowe's!!! We are just finishing up our basement and I think I've been to Lowe's (and/or Home Depot) 20 times in the last month! Lexie, who usually doesn't complain about going to stores, is also SICK of Lowe's. We went today and the worst news is we have to go back tomorrow! We ordered the counters today but the Lowe's we went to didn't have enough variety of carpet so now we have to go tomorrow to a different one!!! UGHHHH!!! Oh well, after the carpet is ordered I refuse to set foot in another Lowe's for at least a week!

On to the reason for my post...
Last night I started organizing a bunch of old notebooks/journals I've kept since Lexie was born. I've been dreading this task and have been putting it off for years. Well, it ended up being a lot of fun. I read about lots of things I'd forgotten about. Here are a few of the forgotten memories:

* Lexie used to call her pacifier "DAB-DA" - I can't believe I'd forgotten that!!!

* Lexie has the cutest dimple in her left cheek (4/5/03) - When I first read this I thought, "how sad, she doesn't have her dimple anymore." Well, was I ever wrong!!! I checked out her cheek and it's still there, as cute as ever! How wierd that I haven't noticed it in soooo long.

* "Oh Lexie, you're so pretty! Welcome!" (8/18/05) - this is what Lexie said the preschool teacher would say to her when she saw Lexie on the the first day. How cute is that!

* "Mommy, someday when I'm a mommy if my kid asks me for chocolate or sweets or whatever, I'm going to say "Yes." I'm always going to say yes. I'll teach them different rules. The rules are going to be - he can go to Burger King, I'll let him have treats every day (if they ask) and I'll buy them whatever band-aids they want!" (may/june 06)

* "Mommy, when will you be really old like Grandma and Papa?" (8/30/06)

Okay, I could go on and on and on but I think I'll end with that one! (sorry G'ma and Papa!) :)

Sorry I don't have pictures to add to this post - I need to download some but haven't had time to since we've been living at Lowe's lately!!! Hopefully I'll have something next week. Well, I'm off to uncover some more forgotten memories!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-26T09:09:00.001-04:00

We had a great Easter! Lexie loved her dress and she looked so pretty in it. She especially loved her shoes - she kept calling them "high heels." Towards the end of the night she said "My feet are killing me but that's what happens when you wear high heels!" Too funny!!!

Lexie had so much fun searching for eggs and other surprises the Easter Bunny had left her. Later on in the day she created an egg hunt for her cousin Madalyn. Madalyn is almost 19 months now and looked very cute in her Easter dress. Of course she was smart enough to wear her favorite Backyardigans tennis shoes instead of heals!

Of course I had to get some pictures of the 2 girls together:

Here's my favorite - they just happen to both look so sad. How cute is that?

Well, that's it for now. Hope everyone had a great Easter!

I have my own blog!

2007-10-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it, I have my very own blog! Over the past year or so I've enjoyed many different blogs but never thought I'd have my own. I've considered it many times but just didn't know how to do it. Well, I'm finally fed up with my current method of journaling - keeping notebooks all over the house, writing on spare pieces of paper or backs of receipts. The worst is that I have no system for organizing it all, until now. This blog will not only allow me to organize future journaling but I hope it will encourage me to journal even more.

I'm not sure exactly how this blog will look, I'm sure it will evolve over time. Some of the things I'll probably be talking about are:

* My daughter Lexie - she's 5 years old and in her first year of Kindergarten. (That's our 3 year old labradoodle Sandy with her)

* My husband Dave - we just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. We've been together for over 10 yrs!

* Our journey to adoption - As of 2/26/2007 our home study was approved (for domestic adoption). Soon after that we completed our family profile/ scrapbook. We have been waiting ever since. http://www.bethany.org/A55798/bethanyWWW.nsf/0/106391C1BDD1C24F8525729C0064885D) We just keep praying that God blesses us with a child.

* Being a Stay-at-Home Mom - I've stayed home with Lexie for her whole life. It's been amazing and I feel so blessed to have had so much time with her. However, things are changing now with her in Kindergarten - I'm sure I'll have lots to write about this subject. Some days I feel like I'm going through an identity crisis - I'm a stay-at-home mom with no child at home. :)

* Going Green - over the last year I have become more educated about how what we use/consume/buy affects the environment. I'm trying to do my part to help. I started by buying organic foods whenever possible. Now I'm reading a great book called "Green This!" (http://www.amazon.com/Green-This-Greening-Your-Cleaning/dp/1416540555/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-2243972-2223962?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193365945&sr=8-1) about using green cleaning products. Who knows what will be next! My husband isn't as enthusiastic about all the changes and he often calls me a "Tree Hugger" which I gladly accept. :)

* Scrapbooking - I've been scrapbooking for over 10 years. Unfortunately I'm pretty behind - my 5 year old daughter is only 5 months old in her scrapbook! But I love the hobby - especially the journaling, photography and organizing my supplies (I know, I'm weird).

* Organizing (& Family Management) - I LOVE to organize (you probably figured that out) and have for as long as I can remember. We recently moved to a new house and I'm still trying to get everything organized. I'm sure I'll be sharing what I learn along the way.

* & much, much more...

I can't wait to really get started!