HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY

(These are fireworks, people. It's as close as I could get.)

May your new year bring everything you hope for!

Sad News

It would appear that Baby Weepy has a brother or sister due in about 6 weeks.
Dear Lord, will these people never learn? get their act together? come to their senses? Learn better or simply say, "Hey, time to be an adult and take care of my kids". These are not young people, they are wayyy old enough to know better. Does the madness ever stop? But H*l* would freeze over before she would give this new baby up for adoption. God forbid, she let someone raise the baby that wanted it more than anything. I'll never understand this. Makes no sense to me. What do you think?

To the Management of Toy Makers in China...

May I compliment you on your workers tenacity in putting the toys in their boxes.
(Do you really think humans can take those things out?!)
What ever you pay your workers...they are worth every cent. They do their jobs very well.
It takes at least 30 minutes to take out all the wires and screws, staples and tape. As a bonus with every 30 minutes it takes to get the toys out, we get a 45 minute toddler meltdown. Because we can't get it out fast enough. So if we buy 6 of your toys, we have all day entertainment.
I think from now on I'm going to base what toy I buy for my child on how long I may think it will take to get it out of the box.
If you think this is an anti-theft devise, I do believe you are wrong. I think more people are apt to walk out of the store with it, then stand there and try to take it out of the box...the store would close long before they got it out. And for the nice people who don't steal, you could cut our price in half by saving all that plastic & ties & screws. I know you would save our sanity.
See ya same time next year.

Merry Christmas to all my bloggy buddies

From the handsomest Boy in the world!..and his parents.

Because Mommy wants you to wear Reindeer Ears

THAT'S WHY!

If I can't make him do down right silly, ridicules things and take pictures of it, and put them in his high school year book. Then where is the joy of being a parent?

I think I'm going to make him and my MeMe babies wear them while opening their presents too. I'm soooo mean.

Grateful

We all have a woman and her decision to be grateful to. No matter how we feel about how or why she came to her decision.
Our children have too. Or I should speak for myself & my children. I hope they can or will feel this way.
CLICK ON THIS LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhqJYOYcnAU
HAVE kleenex READY. You have been warned.

Because I want to see pictures instead of text...

Christmas Safety

It's that time of the year. On the nightly news, you hear of the terrible loss due to fires. A Christmas tree too close to the fireplace or a heater. It's always so terribly sad when someone has a house fire anytime, but at Christmas it's always more tragic. Especially if it could have been prevented. Go check out
www.BeFireSmart.com for some great tips on fire safety this time of year. As a bonus they are giving away a trip for 4 to Disney World! You can't go wrong. Go.

Knowing OR Not Knowing?

As foster parents, we get angry when we don't know what the kids who are placed with us have gone through. Sometimes I think if I knew, I could help them.
After a meeting today. I got what I wanted. What happened. How it happened. What he went through. Endured. Survived. Why he crawls into the corner of the crib in terror. Why he sits in a highchair and is happy to watch others play. Why he eats til you no longer put food on the tray.
I don't want to know anymore. I'm beginning to think we or I anyway, do not need to hear everything. There are some things I'm finding, I don't want to know.
It sickens me to realize the damage one human being can inflict on another. It makes me want to throw up when that human is inflicting that damage on their own children.
If your not going to take care of your children. Give them up for adoption, so someone else who wants a child more than anything, Will take care of them.

How Can I

Raise your hand if you know the answer & not everybody at one time...
How can I take care of this new baby
WithOut:
Knowing how old he is.
Taking him to the Dr, which is required,without having Med*caid (& you've not applied for it)
Having daycare for him (because you want return my calls about CAPs)
*No clothing
*No diapers
No idea why he's in care (they are not at liberty to tell me) hahahehehohoho, PLEASE!
No paperwork saying he's been placed in my home.
But I betcha when when the court says he has to have visitation with whoever, I better get my butt in gear and have him there when & where & for how long THEY say to. And they better be able to get in touch with me when they want.
*Yes, he has clothes & diapers,(good thing I was too lazy to put The Boy's last year's winter clothes away) but not when he got here.
I guess I'll just sit here til someone from there decides they need something from me.
By the way, I have no idea why any of this surprises me or grates on my last nerve. They do it every time. I think I always think they'll do it the right way "this time".
**added: A few of you have asked how The boy is taking this. He is his usual self. the world revolves around him. Thus the Baby does not exist. He does his thing and the Baby does his.Which is cry. The Boy said,"Baby makes alot of Loud noise!" Yep, he sure does.

A New Baby...

We finally got a placement call for a baby. They are not sure if he is 18 months old or 2 1/2. Yea, I know big difference. Either way he is developmentally delayed. He CRYS all the time. His teeth are rotted to the gum line! How on earth that happened I don't know. they must have stuck a bottle with kool aid or juice in his mouth 24 hours a day. I've never seen a baby so young with teeth that rotted. Good Grief, he just got them all in, how did they rot so fast?
Of course they know nothing about him. No shot record, no medical care, and evidently no date of birth. He doesn't want to get down to play, he just wants to sit in a highchair and stare off into space. And will not touch milk. He has been given juice his whole life. He does eat pretty good though. He only weighs about 20 lbs. I don't see anyway that he could be 2 1/2. Of course they want him taken to the Dr right away, but can't seem to get their act together to put him on M/D. No Dr will see without M/D. It's a catch 22. Do your job, or the kid doesn't get the care they need so badly.
We shall see what they do for this little guy. Should be interesting. I'll keep you posted. and maybe a few pictures of him ( no face shots of course) He looks alot like The Boy.

Christmas Traditions

**My girls do so love our Christmas Traditions. But not as much as I loved creating them for Them. We had none in my family. When poverty is your world, survival is your reward.
My girls would have better. And boy did I create some good stuff. Some by accident, like Santa coming while we were at Christmas eve services to leave P.J's on the girl's bed. When the oldest was 4 I accidently left her Christmas Pj's on the bed before we left for church. When we came back she went in her room and said,"Look mommy, Santa left me pajamas." So EVERY year for 23 years Santa has left a pair of Christmas Pj's on each girl's bed for them to find when we get home from church. To this very day, after Christmas eve service, a 26 yr old little girl, a 22 yr old little girl & a 19 yr old little girl, runs up the stairs as soon as we get home to see what Pj's Santa has left for them. (This year our son & 2 MeMe babies will do the same) They never knew how they got there til just a couple of years ago. You see, Mommy always forgot her Bible EVERY year and had to run back in the house to get it. That is when mommy put 3 pairs of Pj's on each bed. A simple thing, but HUGE in a child's heart. Tradition. We have a few. Stockings that mommy & daddy make sure is personalized to each girl's personality. And 3 Advent calenders with chocolate inside** But I read this story and thought what a wonderful tradition and thought you would like to read it, if you haven't heard it already.
#Come back and share your Christmas traditions. I'd love to hear them! #

The Story that Inspired The White Envelope Project.
This story was originally published in the December 14, 1982 issue of Woman’s Day magazine. It was the first place winner out of thousands of entries in the magazine’s “My Most Moving Holiday Tradition” contest in which readers were asked to share their favorite holiday tradition and the story behind it. Woman’s Day continues to support this tradition and The White Envelope Project today.
“For the Man Who Hated Christmas”by Nancy W. Gavin
It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it--overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears.
It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat.
Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.” Mike loved kids - all kids - and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition--one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn’t end there.You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.
Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down the envelope.
Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us.

The Birthday Boy

3 Years old! How did that happen?

It's hard to believe he's been with us for 2 1/2 years.

Time flies. Although some days it crawls.

Days crawl by.

Years fly by.

So says the mother of a toddler & the mother of a 26 year old.

I remember clearly the day his oldest sister turned 3. We lived in Japan.

She was deliriously happy with a knock off Cabbage Patch doll. Just as he was

deliriously happy with a "real" Pirate Ship. When he opened it he said,"I sooo happy".

The two events seem like they were a couple of years apart, not 23 YEARS apart!

Time Is Not Fair.

Review and a promise

Please go visit my Baby Einstein, review on my new site
http://causeyoucarewhatithink.blogspot.com/

and the promise; Pictures of the Boy's 3rd Birthday happenings!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

We're talking Turkey here!

Surprise!

Got an emergency call on 2 kids tonight. 6 yr old boy & 2 1/2 yr old girl.
More details tomorrow, cause you know they didn't have ANY AT 7:00 tonight.

UPDATE:
wOW! Why do I forget why I say no school age kids? I did write it down in a post to remind myself. MySelf is not so bright sometimes.
I dodged a bullet on this one. Seems the FP home was shut down kind of suddenly. I told them up front when the worker brought them over that I do not do school age kids. She said she understood, but you're never sure if they REALLY understand and you have a child for a year before you can get them moved. But she called today to say they found a foster placement for both of them. I'll take them into the SW tomorrow morning. YEAAAAA.
And this time I mean it....NO more school age kids...I mean it!

MEET MY NEW BEST FRIEND

I'm not sure about you. But I've always thought Clorox 2 was a bleach. So I never really thought much about it...until I got some.
(keep reading, there's free stuff at the end :) )
Clorox 2 now has a New ultra stain fighting formula that is even more concentrated. It's Clorox 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster
Living where the RED CLAY grows, is hard on kid's clothes and yours too if you garden or just walk outside. I've never found anything that would get the red clay completely out of the knees on a pair of pants and forget white socks. The clothes I tryed it on was from the summer so it was safe to say it was pretty ground in and had already been washed several times. But the tenacious red clay stayed, as it always does. Until I tryed the Corox 2. I pretreated the stains and threw them in with some more clothes, not really expecting too much. I didn't dare look until after they came out of the dryer. But when they did, WOW! I couldn't believe it really took the stains out and the rest of the load looked pretty good too.
I was sold. If all it did was take out red clay stains I'd be a happy camper, but it also took out some old coffee stains on a tshirt. So I was happy.
Go visit my new BFF at http://www.daretobecolorful.com/
Tell me what stain you would like to try it on and how it got there. Or are you more interested in the color booster part of it?
I've got coupons for a FREE 33 oz bottle for 2 of you with the best story and 1 will go to a random commenter. Comments close on 12/3/08.

Do You See What I See?

This is the Fall table the Boy and I set up in our entry hall.
He decided it wasn't really complete. So after I thought we were done, he went to his cow barn to add a little something. I guess he didn't think it looked just right. So he come and got me and said, Look Mommy, I get more". Everyone's a critic...I thought it looked fine.
Can you see the Boy's addition on the right?
you can click on the photo to make it larger.

GO VISITING...

My beautiful, lovely oldest daughter has started a blog of her very own.
She's witty and funny. Not to mention the "possessor" of my two beautiful "MeMe babies". I am not a grandmother. I am much too young for that.
But please, go visit her. Tell her, "your mama sent me"! She'll get a kick out of that.

http://blakeandcaitlynsmama.blogspot.com/

Things NOT to do...

NOTE TO SELF:
DO NOT, DO NOT get a "new" haircut on the same day you have Christmas pictures taken.
You will not be happy.
Please, Self, remember this. It's important!

Mommy, Can you take a Picture of ......

Take a Picture Me sleeping Mommy!

Take a picture of my knee!

See My Teeeefff mommy?

Can you see me, Mommy?

Take a picture of my hand!

Take a picture of my EYEEEEE!

Take a picture of my nose!

The Boy comes into the room with the camera and out of the blue starts telling me what to take pictures of. After I would take each picture he had to see them in the view finder! Where this boy comes up with this stuff is beyond me. He is FUNNY!

There's about a million more, but I'll spare you.

Still no foster care calls. I wonder what's going on.

What do you get when you put a girl, a paint brush & a pumpkin together?

NOTHING good can come of it! Except good blogging pictures. :)

WARNING: CUTEST PIRATE AHEAD!

SEE! I told you.

A good time was had by all...except maybe daddy. Who was carrying a baby or two by the end of the night. Good thing our night only lasted about an hour. He forgot to say "tree o' tweet" a few times but he always said, "thank you".

I am a bad mommy. I misjudged the size of the costume a little. I bought a 12-18 months. Because he's soooo little. It fit... except for the 2 or 3 inches a the bottom of his pants! Not too bad. He didn't notice.

He didn't want to wear the big Captain Hook hat that came with it. So we opted for the old pirate's of the Caribbean kerchief from mcD's, that was at the bottom of a toy box. It matched perfectly, it stayed on & most of all he liked it.

**Just back from *wallymart & the halloween candy is sitting nicely beside the Christmas candy. AND they were playing Christmas music! No wonder it feels like time flys like a rocket.

And YEs, Min, I wiped off the buggie handles before I used it. ***

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!

I can't wait until January for the next Bloggy Giveaway Carnival! At last count I think I saw about 1300 giveaways! With some very cool things.
Our winner is.....blueviolet who said...
When I look at that photo I think, "Skweeeeeeeee".
Thanks everyone who played, we had fun seeing the caption/names you came up with.

STay tuned tomorrow for one of the cutest pirates you've ever seen. A modeling agency really needs to see this boy (even if I do say so myself)
Don't over do it on the candy.!

Give this photo a Name & Win Books!

IT'S BLOGGY GIVEAWAY CARNIVAL TIME OVER AT

http://www.donttryit.com/bloggy_giveaways/

This is so much fun! Last time I think I won 3 great things and found TONS of great blogs.

This is The Boy's pumpkin for this year. He was painted by The Boy. A slip of the paint brush causes this little pig pumpkin to THINK/SAY OR ...YOU fill in the blank.

Up for grabs is a set of :

from the files of MADISON FINN. A SET of 6 books, volumes 1-6 for girls ages 8-12 years. These are wonderfully funny books. My girls loved them.

IF you really, really want to win, click on my etsy shop above. Tell me what you like or what you'd like to see in an etsy shop. Give the piggy a caption = 1 entry, do the etsy shop thing too =2 entries! If you do not have a blog, please leave your email address or I wont have a way to contact you if you win. Contest ends 10/31/08 @ 5:00pm

Go to the BLOGGY GIVEAWAY SITE and enter, enter, enter & find some really cool blogs!

****ANYTHING BOUGHT FROM MY ETSY SHOP WILL HAVE *FREE* SHIPPING TIL NOVEMBER 10th. At check out just put "BLOGGY GIVEAWAY" in the comments******

PUMPKIN PATCH DAYS ARE SO MUCH FUN

A Surprised Blond girl.

My big boy!

She does this on purpose! Her mommy says,"Look like your mad C, look like your mad!"She'll be sorry for this one day!

IMPOSSIBLE to get them to look at the camera all together!

My oldest daughter, mommy to Blondie Girl & Rough Boy! My babies sure are cute!

Here is my son-in-law with Rough boy. I wonder where he learned it from?

We had a wonderful time. The weather was great. The kids semi-behaved. And I got lunch at historic Sprayberry's! So it was a great day!!

Being an only child isn't so bad...

You can play with Daddy and no one butts in on the play time. No one bothers you while you watch you DVD player. The world is your oyster. We found out why we haven't gotten a call in over a year for any new placements....They have on record we have 4 KIDS in our home. I have never had 4 kids in my home. I have more sense then that! AHHHh, but we all know keeping the paper work straight is what they do best.

It's been a nice lull however. I'm sure they are mad at me for nosing around and finding out this bit of info. So it may be another year before they call, if at all.

They need to be very careful in our county. Good FP seem to flowing out the back door, quicker than anymore can be pushed thru the front door. Know what I mean?

What a great Idea! My Christmas shopping is done!

Have you ever visited Tip Junkie? I love her blog. She is full of great ideas. Plus she's funny.
Note my new little button on the left side. (I imagine she really looks like this, santa hat & all)
She has come up with a great idea for the holidays. I am soooo tired of having the same old choices from the same old department stores for Christmas. I love finding unique things for the holidays and even better if the are hand made and one of a kind. (That's one of the reasons I'm addicted to Etsy now. thanks to Anita)
This is what Tip Junkie has to say about her latest great idea:

**Welcome to our Mom-prenuer Holiday Shop-a-thon! I'd like to encourage each of you to support other women and mother's this season buy purchasing as many of your gifts from Mom-prenuers like these!I'm so inspired by their talents and drive to help support their families. My hope is that you will be too. Please blog about your favorite products and don't forget to place your orders directly from them.The holidays will be here before we know it, so start shopping!**

So click on the little button (I don't make any money from this, I just think it's a great idea)
and see what these very talented women are making. I was in awe! And I do believe all my Christmas shopping has been taken care of! Go, go look. You'll be in awe too.

Two of my Three Cutie Pies

Meet my cutie-cute girl. I don't think I've posted pictures of her since she was born. Mmmm, about 18 months ago. She's changed alot. :p
As you can see David thinks his niece is a cutie pie too! My grandson is as blond as his sister, but I can't get him to sit still for 3 seconds to take a picture of him. He is 6 months older than his Uncle David. :) Notice how one is as dark haired as the other is blond!

If I were a smarter person

I could link to this blog and in particular this story. But I'm not, and I can't.

SOO go here, http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/ and read this "what I would like you to know" series that Rocks in My dryer is doing. I love her blog anyway, but this one of course speaks to what alot of us through everyday.

and just because I think you need a dose of cuteness out of this world: Here's my Boy!

What me & my new sewing Machine have been up to...

Torina wanted me to share what I've been up to with my new sewing machine.This is:

Red cow Barn Quilt. click on the picture for more detail. It's very colorful and he loves it.

Red Cow Barn Quilt (with David) This is my first major work. I've made a few pillow cases & aprons. But David luuuvvvs Red Cow BArns, why I have no idea. Oh, and I made him a red cow barn pillow case to kinda match his quilt.

The Boy had his surgery today and I tell you God has truly blessed us as far as his comfort and pain level. He's done so well today. Almost as though nothing happened. Tomorrow may be a different day. But the good Dr. gave us some nice pain meds.

Do you know Who YOUR mama is?...

I am not an in your face , oh look at me, I have adopted children. We are pretty low key people. We've known people for years who didn't know one of our daughters was adopted.
And I realize,like my friend Min it is obvious you have adopted children, it is a reality in your day to day life. I'm not talking about that.
I know people whose whole identity is wrapped up in. To me, my children are only adopted until the court date. Then you're all mine, baby. Birth Certificate says so. Then we just live our lives like any other family you might know. My kid, lock, stock and barrel. So we don't talk adoption day in and day out. It will and does have it's place and time. (This ain't my first go round)
So I say that to say my 2 1/2 yr. old does not know a thing about adoption. He only knows what any other 2 1/2 yr old knows....He knows who his mama & daddy is. PERIOD. Me-Mama, He-Daddy. Boy named David has a mama & daddy who loves him & spoils him stinking rotten.
I ran into a friend from work, who knows The Boy is adopted. We were talking foster care because she is interested in foster to adopt because of infertility issues, ect. She had a friend with her I did not know, but who picked up on the fact that The Boy was adopted. Now my son is small for his age, but he is very smart, (if I do say so myself) He understand what is being said around him. In a lull in the conversation, she said, "Poor thing, does he know who his mama is?".......chirp....chirp...chirp. The boy looked at her and said, "Her, my Mama!" Pointing to me.
Trust me people, what he had to say was a WHOLE LOT more Christ Like, than what crossed my mind for the next 2 hours. What I did say was, "Evidently, he knows his mama".
What I wanted so desperately to say was: "Listen lady, spitting out a kid you don't want or will not take care of, does not a mama make." It especially does not make you a mama if you abandon 2 babies in 2 years and never look back.
Who says that in front of a 2 1/2 yr old?
Sometimes I just shake my head at how many stupid people there are in the world. This person had a master's degree in Social Work....shake your head some more now.

This & That & Boring Stuff

Boy, is this what life before foster care was like?
It's kind of boring around here! I never thought I'd say that in a million years.
My phones (cell & home) have been silent. No one calls me anymore. At least when I have kids I know someone will call me, EVERYDAY.
David's surgery has been rescheduled for the 29th. Nothing like getting all ready for surgery, just to have them call the night before to cancel. Something stupid, like the Dr. having an emergency surgery. Like my baby's circumcision isn't an emergency. (read sarcasm here) I know what it's like to have to call the patient, so I was nice to her. But I was hoping to be REALLY into potty training by the 29th. We were putting off the serious stuff until after the surgery, for obvious reasons :)
The Girl is doing very well in her new placement. She is adjusting well, which were happy to hear. They thanked us for loving her & treating her as though she was our own. (mark that up as a first)
If I'm away for days on end...please note my new etsy shop. My dear husband overheard me saying I'd love a new sewing machine, so I could take up sewing and quilting again. My 20 year old 99.00 machine had seen better days. So he goes out and buys one that I would have NEVER ever bought for myself. A Husqvarna Viking. So I feel I must put it to good use. So I will be off sewing my little heart out! Anyone up for a quilting bee?? Come on over, I've got thread!

BYE-BYE...

This is the long way around the world to tell you one funny sentence. Read on....
My stove has been on the blink for 6 or 8 or 10 months. A long time. But I kept thinking maybe it would heal itself. YOU know you've thought that too! It's a gas stove. When I turned it on I would smell gas (yes, I know, bad) but eventually it would light. But then a few months ago, it started taking forever to heat up and never to the temp it should. So it took like 3 hours to cook a pan of lasagna! After starting to complain about it my husband called the repair people. A man came out to diagnose my stove (70.00 just for coming out)
When the man came in, all The Boy heard was the alarm on the front door. That usually signals "DADDY'S HOME, DADDY'S HOME". So he looks up from his cartoons and asks is Daddy home? I said "No, daddy's not home, someone is here to fix our stove. It's not your Daddy" so he goes back to his cartoon watching.
In the flat 15 minutes it took him to diagnose, tell me the total, pick me up off the floor, fix it, & clean up after himself. He was going out the door. The Boy followed us to the door. The nice man said,"bye-bye" and the Boy said,"Bye-bye, somebody else daddy!"
OK, now the cute parts over.
It costs ( & I know it is not proper or southern to talk money) I was completely blown away by the total. We looked into buying a new one, because this one is a simple builders grade Whirlpool* stove. A new one would be between 500. & $600.00. So we decided to fix it.
It was almost 350.00!! And do you think they would "forgo" the coming out fee? Alot of companies do, if you have them fix whatever they came out to look at. NOOOO! That was still part of the bill.
Single women, DO NOT look to marry a Dr. This guy makes more than ANY Dr. I know of and 90% of lawyers! I'm thinking that guy makes about $600.00 an hour! And yes, he evidently is busy all day, every day. It took a week to get this appt. I can get in with my Dr the same day! But of course he never fixes me within 15 minutes.
What was wrong with the stove that costs that much? The ignition switch.. ~sigh~

It's So Quiet here.....

For the first time in five years, there are no foster children here. Just the 2 of us & David.
The Girl was never too much problem to begin with. She was pretty easy going, except for the occasional fit. But it's different knowing she gone. Not here. She's not upstairs asleep in her crib.
But I know somewhere across town, a family is starting their new life with a little girl they love very much. That little girl is on the way to a life she would have never had otherwise.
Goodbye, little girl. Mommy loves you. I'll see you real soon.

The Girl is determined to kill me...

As a parting blow.
She is leaving tomorrow night. So much has or is happening this week, I've not really had time to process it all.
First we were given our 2 weeks of transition time, for which we are grateful. So she was to move this Friday. But David is scheduled for surgery early Thursday morning,so the placement asked if they could help by picking her up Wed. night to ease the load. So the SW agreed to that.
But in the mean time TheGirl decided to be a mountain goat yesterday at daycare and climb on top of a picnic table and fall face first to the ground! The inside of her top gum is BLACK & blue, mostly black. I've never seen a bruise quite like it. And to make things good and crazy one of the top front teeth is loose. So of course, as foster parents your first thought, OH, PLEASE GOD, PLEASE LET HER BE OK. So I was up most of the night worried that some how this would turn out to be my fault or I didn't do something right or fast enough.
But we're just back from the dentist and no fractures. Alot of bruising and a loose tooth that may or may not tighten up by itself. The SW showed up for the visit, so maybe it will be OK.
I'm not going to go with my husband to take her to the relative placement, because that night we also have what I like to call "the quarterly, is your house clean & safe for human habitation" visit.
On top of that, we have to prepare ourselves for The Boy's surgery the next day.
Whoooa, that's enough for me this week, I can't stand anymore fun.
So how's your week been?

Do You Love Precious Moments? You're about to be very happy!

I have been given the special honor of introducing a new product by the company who makes the Precious Moments figurines. I love Precious Moments. All three of my girls have the Sweet 16 figurines & the 19 yr old has their Adoption figurine and she loves it.
How many times have those of you with young girls wished there was something a little more wholesome than b*r*a*t*z dolls and other such dolls? I loath them. Why do people want their daughters to grow up with that image of what a young lady should model themselves after?
Now, on the scene as of September 2nd we now have a wholesome, faith centered series for our girls. They have wonderful books & dolls. But most wonderful is a website that is safe and fun for them to have membership in.
Precious Moments®, is launching a new product line and an interactive virtual world website for girls 4-8 years old. This new concept is called the Precious Girls Club and is a virtual world that inspires, enriches and encourages that all too brief moment in a girl's life journey: being a precious little girl.
The Precious Girls Club will feature wholesome age-appropriate characters. The website, http://www.preciousgirlsclub.com/, will launch on September 1st. The virtual world website will offer games, quests, and virtual charms that reward good behavior in the virtual world, as well as in the external world. Parents will be able to go online and reward their girls with an online helpful charm, for example, when they have helped with household chores. These charms will unlock extra points online, thus providing a fun reward to reinforce positive offline behavior. The site will also provide tools to help girls form their own Precious Girls Clubs in the offline world. To visit the Precious Girls Club site, go to http://www.preciousgirlsclub.com/

**Precious Moments have been so kind as to give my readers a chance to win the very first book, "A LITTLE BIT OF FAITH". Also a web access code to start the fun of being in their virtual world.
To Win: click around on http://www.preciousgirlsclub.com/ , come back and tell what excites you about this new Precious Girl's Club. (2) random readers will receive a brand spankin' new book & the web access code cards.
This will end on Sept. 7th at midnight.
So all you lurkers with little girls....DELURK. It will be well worth your wile. I've read the book and love it for the age group it's made for. I can't wait to hear what you think!

My Beloved Tn....in pictures

We decided to go away for the weekend since the Girl would be doing a weekend visit. And there is nothing I love more than to go to my beloved Tellico Plains, Tn. It is beautiful, peaceful and uncorrupted by (most) civilization. Don't go there looking for excitment or anything to "do".

'cause it ain't happening.

My family traces it's roots to this wonderful place in these beautiful Smokey Mountains for more than 5 generations, the next 5 are scattered between Ind,Tn & Ga. All wanting more than anything to make it back to those hills, our ancestors fought so hard to get out of.

The tomb stone you will be is that of my maternal great grandfather & great grandmother, born in those hills in 1888. There are the graves of my great-great grandparents in the same area, my g-g-great grand parents and in a place called Cades Cove lies the graves of my GGGG-grandparents. Cades Cove was destroyed in 1937 to make way for the Great Smokey mountain National park. Destroying a community that existed since 1818. So my GGGG grandparents are buried in the national park & I must submit proof of kinship every time I want to visit their grave site. Very Sad.

But on to happier things: The pictures... I just noticed I didn't get any inside views. Trust me it was to die for. All the beds were hand hewn logs. As was the log swing I spent most of my time on. Sunday afternoon we had a rain shower that was wonderful. Nothing like sitting on the porch listening to rain on a tin roof.

Most of the photos are self explanatory. I must add the duck pictures were taken in Sweetwater at an aptly named park: The Duck Park. So original. But accurate! :)

See my foot? That was as close as it was getting to that cold water coming down off the mountain!

A BRIEF REPRIEVE

It looks like we have been given a brief reprieve.
There was a court hearing on Friday (surprise!) That we didn't know about. (surprise!)
I was not in the court room. But the relative placement was.
It seems the judge wanted to know why there was no permanency plan for the Girl.
And they were able to stand up and say (because of the love they have for the children)
that,"because of the length of time she was in this placement and the attachment created, it was in the best interest of the child for there to be a transition period to be determined by all 3 parties."
I didn't know whether to laugh or throw up when I heard that. Well, I guess I at least was able to give them something to say to the judge during court that sounded good anyway.
The relative placement thought we knew there was a court hearing on Friday. Of course, we didn't. But now I know why they were so hot to get her placed on Friday. Nothing like being able to stand before the judge and say you did your job. Correctly.
The SW called Friday night and very nonchalantly said," We'll do a transition, but it may go very quickly. Like she'll do another weekend visit and then go there permanently." She didn't know we knew what was said in court.
All I can do is shake my head & wonder, when & if anything in this "system" will change.
From the very smallest of problems(like getting diapers paid for) to the very largest (sitting in care for years, while a family wants to adopt you) will it ever be "fixed"?
I don't think in my life time I will see any change. Of course, 6 months is a life time in foster care. I'm sure they will wear me out way before there will be any reform.
In other wonderful news............I'm pregnant!
NO, just kidding! Good grief, I'd kill over.
We rented a cabin for the weekend in my beloved Tellico Plains,Tn. after we found out the Girl would be gone for the weekend. I'll post some pictures after my wonderful husband loads
'em up!
Really, just kidding about the pregnant thing....

Why do I expect something different from the same people?

Define stupid.
Doing the same things over & over the very exact same WAY,with the exact same People and expecting Different Results. Now who is stupid? Me or Them? Me, that's who.
Because, each and every time I expect they will do things differently THIS TIME. This time they will do it right. This time they'll do what's best for the child. This time they'll do it like the "book" says it should be done. THIS TIME. In five years This Time has not come. Nor does it look like it will happen This Time.
Remember I told you about the Boy's "Siser"? We knew the time would be soon that she would be transitioning to her new permanent placement with relatives. WE knew this was coming. But common sense & the state says there should be a transition time for the child, into the new home. Granted she has visited once a week for 1 1/2 hours for 3 months. But she does not know them. It's like we leave her once a week for an hour to run to the store or something. No overnights or weekends. We know this is the best placement for her, we don't argue that point. We WANT her to go to this relative. We think they are wonderful. But give a kid a break. We've had her since since she was 6 months old & she is now 21 months old. To her, we are her parents.
Soooooooo, I get a call from the sw saying no visit would be needed this month, because they were just going to go ahead and move her to this placement on Friday! Yes, this Friday. 2 days notice. She called at 6:00 last night.
I just told her I thought that was pretty crappy. The poor kid wouldn't know what hit her.
I asked why no transition time and she actually said,"oh, well, I just don't see kids doing transitions anymore, it's just boom, there you are." YOU have got to be kidding me. I told her of the 6 yr old we had & the transition time he was allowed. and reinerated the fact that I thought the Girl would get the short end of the stick if they did it this way & in general told her of my concerns about attachments later on, if this placement did not work, because she is still a legal risk.(since dad has decided to work a case plan after 2 yrs) Finally she said,"you may be right, I'll have to ask my supervisor tomorrow though".
All that we do to keep these kids safe, protected & loved. ALL OF IT! The appointments, the people in and out of your house all the time. Ask permission to do this, go there. And for What?
So they can yank them up at moments notice to do what ever THEY feel is right and good. Don't bother asking or informing the person who cares for them 24/7 their opinion.
I don't want a medal or praise, not even a thank you is needed. Reimburse me for diapers and let me know what is going on in the CASE and treat the kids like they have some kind of rights.
Why do I get so upset every time they do this? It's not like they don't always do it this way. They are pretty consistent in screwing things up.
I honestly wonder if they ever think of the child as being an actual child with feelings and emotions. Or if they just think of them as a case load to be presented before a judge to see if all their paper work was done correctly.
I really am the stupid one.

The physics of 8 ounces

Does anyone know why an 8 oz sippy cup full of milk looks to be a relatively small amount. Until you spill it all over the counter.? Why, when the milk hits the counter it turns into a gallon of milk that flows like the sea? I am such a klutz. They Boy was standing right at my heels (as always) and says,"oops, mama make a mess". Gee, thanks Boy, I hadn't noticed. Then he patted my leg and said, "it's OK, it's OK". Wow, when I spill Dove chocolate squares it never turns into more. Why is that?

SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO RELAX

Planning our Disney Cruise has got so bad...

I see the Olympic Rings on TV, and automatically think,"Hey, that looks like a double Mickey Head!"
If you've seen my kinda new ticker. It is 14 months & 4 weeks (not 15 months) til our 7 day Disney Magic cruise to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
I am a planner. Our first trip to Disney World a few years back was planned down to the minute almost. Dinner reservations made, parks mapped out.
This cruise will be no different. Having never been on one, I must find out everything about them, especially a Disney Cruise. I must know all about the restaurants, what is on the menu's. What the itinerary will be for the kid's clubs for The Boy. How the room is laid out, what the entertainment is. How my bags will make it on the ship. How long will it take for our passports to come. I need an extra birth certificate for The Boy, in case they loose it at the passport office. ( for some reason I don't trust government agencies. I wonder why?) And good grief, WHAT kind of clothes do you wear on a cruise and good grief I need to loose 20 pounds.
So it's no wonder I see Mickey's head in the Olympic Rings! RIGHT?

THIS BOY

Is driving me crazy!
I could swear he's turning 2 instead of 3! All he has done for the past 3 days is whine and cry. I can't even walk out of the room without him having a fit. He wants me to be right with him all the time. He was just at the doctor's 2 weeks ago, so I don't think he's got an ear infection.
He has started to cry to go home if we go somewhere, like the grocery store. Makes eating hard, with no food. But of course he doesn't eat anyway, so that doesn't bother him. He's a little young to be a recluse.
How can anything this cute, drive me so crazy?

WHOA.....

Have you seen or heard about this:

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2008/08/02/surrogate-baby-factory-opens-in-poland-offering-kids-for-couples-at-11k-a-time-86908-20680604/

Go-- take a look & come back and tell me what you think. Good Idea? WHY? Bad Idea? WHY?

Don't be afraid to say what you really think. Keep it on anonymous if you want to.
I just want some honest feedback.

My FAVORITE FLOWER

Do you know what this is?

It took me two years to find this beauty. I first saw it in Southern Living.

It is a Bat Faced plant. The photo does not do the colors justice. When you look

directly at the flowers, it looks just like a red/purple bat. The "ears" are bright red, the face is bright purple and two white stamens stick straight out and look like vampire teeth. It usually is in full bloom by Halloween and the mommies who bring their little ones up the walk are always

dumbfounded, they can't believe it's real. Someone always has to touch it. It is usually a prolific re seeder, but with our drought, it was all I could do to get this tiny sprig to come up. It is usually a big bushy type flower. I am going to have to get as many seeds as possible from this measly stalk this year. They are soooo hard to find and when you do, it's not cheap. Is it not the coolest plant? I love it!

By the way this thing can be flipped up side down later on, to make a loft bed. Rungs can be added to the 2 side by side bars you see. and the mattress will fit inside the blue "box" that is now the bottom of the bed & the canopy put back on. Pretty cool, huh?

I LOVE IKEA, BUT........

PUTTING it together will kick your behind! REALLY! When you see these pictures, look carefully. EVERY single piece is put together with nut & bolt. The drawers in the dresser thingie, the drawers themselves had to be put together. Each drawer 5 pieces each put together. the runners that they slide on, ...put together inside the 'box'. The box itself, put together with nut& bolt. The bed....Lord help me, the bed. Each stick hand screwed into place. There are slates on the bed that hold the mattress up. All 20 put in just so and screwed in, on top and bottom of the slate.

Don't get me wrong, I love the uniqueness of their furniture, It is so very functional. there are pre-drilled holes, so you can add different units and so they can be re-configured if you have the energy later on. The colors are beautiful. What I love is you have more choice than the usual suspects for children. Not your standard Spider*man or Pooh* or Cars*. Very European, if you will. Well Sweden, anyway.

Have you ever been to an Ikea store? LOVE the restaurant. Yes, the place is so big it has a restaurant.

But before you get your 97 boxes of flat wood & nuts and bolts. You have to first GET them. At Ikea you walk around a beautiful and large (many floors) showroom. You have pencil and paper at the ready...to write down the ben# & isle # so YOU can get a huge cart to drag around and YOU must pull all these boxes that you hope lead to what you want and put them on the cart. Then you get to go thru the checkout hoping they can scan everything on the cart, because you do not have the energy to take one of those huge boxes off for them to scan. But the fun is not over. You then must get your vehicle to the loading dock, where YOU will unload the million pound loot into you vehicle. and you better hope you measure just right. We saw people in Geo Metros trying to put entire bedrooms in and on the car. You see alot of U-Hauls there, for good reason.

Was it worth it? Whew, good thing you didn't ask 3 days into trying to put it together. It is alot of work. A LOT OF WORK. Just getting it was alot of work. But the quality of the wood , hardware & accessories can't be found in other stores. IMO. Without paying alot more money.

See what you think.