Saturday, December 16, 2006

What type of Yarn are you?




You are Shetland Wool. You are a traditional sort who can sometimes be a little on the harsh side. Though you look delicate you are tough as nails and prone to intricacies. Despite your acerbic ways you are widely respected and even revered.
Take this quiz!




snark....

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Christmas Ornaments









Here are some pics of some of my fav ornaments. Our tree is a little bit smaller than we usually get this year but we were able to fit them all on!!

Having Fun with a Pink Furry Hat!!





















We were watching D and he was playing around with T's hat. He was having a ball with it and I was able to grab a few pictures!!

On another night we gave him some mashed 'taters. He decided that we couldn't feed him unless it was by big T's finger or his own fingers. So cute!! While he was eating his big sister was making brownies and licking the bowl.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

6 months and ACL update




We’ve passed our six month LID anniversary on November 30th. While that is nice milestone we don’t know how much longer the wait will be. Right now CCAA is taking about 2 months to match a month’s worth of referrals. There are 5 more months until our LID and CCAA is on September. So, December would refer the rest of September



If CCAA matches 2 weeks at a time is in the first column and then if CCAA matches a full month is in the second column.


















The current trend of referrals has us getting ours in February of 2008. All we can do is pray at this point. Pray that CCAA will speed referrals back up – or at least do more than 2 weeks each month. That would be a 23 month wait. 23 long months!! By then T will be in college and L will be 10th grade!!



Wow….23 months. You know what? That SUCKS!!! It really really SUCKS!!!!


Ok - T's ACL - it ended up being his kneecap.











Your kneecap should sit straight in the socket but both of his are off to the side. When he hurt it during wrestling he pulled his kneecap out of place and then it went back in. Four to six weeks of physical therapy should take care of it. He will have to wear a special brace on both knees for wrestling and baseball to protect them. Huh...this is genetics..sorry T but you got my bad knees!!!

Monday, November 13, 2006

Life













So much has happened since the last time I posted. On November 4th my mom passed away. Though she has had problems with her heart this was unexpected. I'm still trying to come to terms with the whole thing. I miss her terribly. She was only 68 years young. This might be selfish but I wanted little T to meet her, to know her. I hurt because this is not possible now. Mom was a wonderful women, full of life, mischief, laughter, giving, and love. This time of the year, Thanksgiving and especially Christmas was her favorite. This year will be hard.




My oldest son had his first wrestling tournament 2 weeks ago. He won his first match and got hurt on his second one. We took him to the doctors on Sunday and they referred him to an orthapedic doctor. When we got there the doctor pulled of 2 3/4 vials of blood off his knee and said it looks like he tore his ACL. He goes to another doctor on Monday in Greenville that specializes his sports injuries. Poor kid, wrestling is over this year for him and most likely he won't be playing baseball either.

Monday, October 30, 2006

5 Months Down....how Many to Go??


Yes, we are celebrating 5 months being logged in today with CCAA. Where do we stand with the wait? Who knows. Some are saying the wait will go out to 2 years, some are saying the wait will stabalize at 14 - 15 months and yet some are saying the wait will stabalize at 10 - 12 months.

We are hoping to see her beautiful face next June or July and travel in August or September. Only time will tell

Quote

I saw this on the RQ site. It's a great quote about patience.















“Patience is a hard discipline. It is not just waiting until
something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus, the end of the rain, the return of a friend, the resolution of a conflict. Patience is not waiting passively until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. When we are impatient, we try to get away from where
we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere else. Let’s be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand.” –Henri J.M.Nouwen

Friday, October 27, 2006

Camping Part II

I got to thinking about T's visitors at the campground last weekend. I wonder if that is the day our daughter was born. It very well could be!! I got goose bumps when T was telling me about his visitors and he was so excited about it. Maybe...

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Foto Challenge


Double Happiness has a new challenge - Any photo with a pumpkin. Here are some pictures I took this past weekend for the pumpkin carving contest. You can see the reaction of H when we try to get her to put her hand inside the pumpkin!! She wanted nothing to do with it!

Weekend Camping






We went camping last weekend and had a great time. We belong to a private campground that has places to go to up and down the east coast. The one nearest us closes for the winter and last weekend was it for them. Yes, it was cold but we kept warm by the fire! There were a ton of activites for everyone to do during the day including a hayride and a haunted house!! There were also a costume contest and pumpkin carving contest.

While we brought the kids to the hayride and haunted house my husband decided to stay and watch the fire. He said some people came into the site and started talking to him. They even went as far as going and sitting by the fire and putting their youngest one in D's stroller. The guy of the group was filling in for the DJ for the evening dance. The family had never been to this campground, was out exploring, and needed a rest. The catch to all this? They were from China! Big T told me about it when we got back and said he is now a believer of signs! He also said that if he ignored that one then God would probably come down here himself and bitch slap him!

Anyway, here are some pictures, enjoy!!

Friday, October 20, 2006

The Lion King

























If you get the chance go see it!! What a remarkable show. The costumes were gorgeous, the singing beautiful, and the props were amazing. We weren't allowed to take pictures so these aren't mine. One of the guys I graduated from highschool with is still working as the assistant lightning director for the world wide tour of the Lion King. I was hoping he was here but no luck. I would have loved to talk to him and maybe get back stage.

We are going camping this weekend with our neighbors. We belong to a private campgound called Outdoor World. They have campgounds up and down the east coast. The one we go to shuts down for the winter and the last camping date is this weekend. They have trick-or-treating, a haunted house, hay rides, and the requisite DJ dance on Saturday night. It should be a ton of fun!!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Family FotoFun Friday Challenge #2

Donna over Double happiness is doing a weekly photo challege. I didn't participate in the first one but here's the second Challenge! I don't have photo shop but I really need to get it. All I did was blur out the faces.




Monday, October 09, 2006

50 Years Together

We just returned from a trip to Central NY to visit my parents and celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. There's some things I want to write about and share but I need to get my thoughts together first. In the meantime here are some pictures.












Mom and Dad

Sunday, October 01, 2006

4 Months Down!!


The 30th marked our 4th month logged in. It was also the 2 year anniversary of our dear friends death. G...I miss you terribly!!

We had a yard sale this weekend. I didn't get a chance to put it in the paper but we made over $100 anyways!! Yeah!!!

Not much else happening around here. We are going to NY this coming weekend for my parents 50th anniversary. 50 years...that is so amazing! We are going to get our pictures taken on Saturday and give it to them. I'll also get them another gift.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

FLB




Flat Lady Bug enjoyed her stay here in NC! She went to work with me and visited with her friends, helped me write a few programs, and even enjoyed our water fountain outside. She also went to a birthday party down at the beach. It's time for FLB to fly away now so she is heading towards Texax. Safe flight FLB!!!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

New Doll


I saw this doll from my May Magpie's group. She is called June and comes with 6 different outfits. She usually cost $50 but is on sale for $19.95!! Yeah!!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

He's growing up so fast!!

When I look at him I am amazed at how he has matured and grown. Gone are the little boy chubby cheeks, the pudgy fingers, and the innocent face. In place there is a confident handsome young man. Wow....


Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Moon Festival


The Chinese Moon Festival is October 6th this year. It is always on the 15th day of the 8th month by the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The Moon festival is also called the Mid-Autumn Festival. This is one of the most important traditional event for China and is considered a holiday for family members to get together when possible.






It is said that Chang Er drank the exlir of life to save the Chinese people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After she drank it she found herself floating so she flew to the moon. Her husband loved her so much that he didn't shoot down the moon like he did 9 of the 10 suns. Also living on the moon is a wood cutter named Wu Gang and a jade rabbit which is Chang Er's pet. In the old days people used to pay homage to the fairy Chang Er and her pet the jade rabbit.


Each Chinese festival has some sort of special food. The Moon Festival has the moon cake which is a kind of cookie with fillings of sugar, fat, sesame, walnut, the yoke of preserved eggs, ham or other material. There are hundreds of varieties of moon cakes now available.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

FLB is coming to visit!!!!




I belong to many groups on Yahoo that talk about adoption and more particularly, China adoption. This group is for everyone that was DTC (Dossier To China) in May of 2006. We have just voted on our logo and we have had a quilt swap, bib swap, and postcard swap. I participated in both the quilt and postcard swap.

We are also sending FLB around to different members so she can visit and see what they are doing as they wait. What is FLB, why its Flat Lady Bug!! She is due here this week. I'll take pictures of her doing different things with the family and then post them to the group and here. So far she has been to Syracuse, NY (my home town!)




Florida


and Indiana





I wonder what she'll do here in NC?

Friday, September 08, 2006

10 Weird Things about Me

Ok - here you go Karen!!

1. I was walking at the age of 11 months. Not weird, I know, but when my brother was born 6 months later I quit walking and didn't do it again until I was 2 yrs old!
2. When I was little I used to swallow my tongue if I didn't get my way. (I'm still spoiled today!!)
3. I love love love horror flicks!! Give me a dark room, some good buttered popcorn and a scary movie anyday and I'll be very content all day!
4. I adore chocolate - absolutely adore it!
5. I bite my fingernails down to the quick then start chewing off the skin..gross!
6. The only way I'll eat a bologna sandwich is with one piece of bread and one piece of bologna. I take the bread & bologna, fold it over, and smoosh it!
7. Even though it's bad for me I'm addicted to RQ!!
8. Speaking of addictions, I'm also addicted to the Cake & Shake from Cold Stone.
9. When I drive my left foot is tucked under my right thigh - now go figure that one out!!!
10. I grew up in a town where the water runs north.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

What happens to the ones who aren't adopted?

Good question. I'm not sure you'll like the answer. We don't truly know. I saw this on another site. It is from Amy Eldrige who works with Love Without Boundaries, a charity that helps Chinese orphans. A question was posted on APC and this is what she wrote:

"I wrote this to APC in 2004. It still stands today:

What happens to the children in the orphanages in China is as varied as what
happens to the children in America. You will not find data on this
subject. So for those who are looking for reports, they are not there. It
is all anecdotal, and those who work with Chinese orphans are told story
after story from directors of what happens to these kids. I have been told
everything from "we promise we will care for them" to "you don't want to
know".

Some children are raised with orphanage staff who truly care for them and
will try anything to help them find their place in society. There are some
orphanages who have successful vocational training programs, so that the
kids can learn a skill like woodworking or sewing. Some orphanages will
hire the older children on staff if possible, so that they will have a place
to work and stay.

And of course some will turn them out at 16 without a penny or a birth
certificate to their name.

Just as when I wrote about nutrition, it is impossible to make blanket
statements about what happens to children there. I can assure you that some
cities have forbidden orphans to marry or have children because they have no
family name to pass down (and everything in China is tied to family). But
there are also orphanages where the staff goes and argues with local schools
and companies to accept the children coming out of their care.

I have encountered both extremes. On the positive, I look at Hong, who is
the very first orphan college student in all of Guangdong. The news
recently did a 20 minute documentary on her. She has attained the highest
marks in accounting. The orphanage staff were adamant that this bright girl
be given the chance to sit for the college entrance exam. Her
accomplishment is no small feat. There are only a certain number of college
slots in China, and the competition is FIERCE. Some parents start preparing
their child for the exam at age six. And so for an orphaned child to sit
and pass this exam......oh it was a wonderful thing. The staff was so
worried about how the rest of the students would treat her since she was an
orphan. She was leaving with nothing but the clothes on her back because
the orphanage didn't have extras to give her. Thanks to some wonderful
parents, she started college with a new wardrobe and
dozens of "you can do it" letters. And she has. The most wonderful thing
to me is that she has been befriended by another student's family. So now,
during holidays, she has a place to go. That is one of the things that we
often overlook. In China, everyone goes home for national holiday and
spring festival. You go HOME. But if you don't have a family.......you
are so very alone. I am so thankful that Hong now has a family to visit.
She wrote me recently and said that it has been an uphill battle her whole
life, but she is determined to make it. I celebrate Hong, but I also think
about how large the Guangdong Province is and I think.....she is the only
one so far.

I was able to meet with orphaned adults in their 20s on my February trip.
There is no other word for their stories except anguish. They wept about
their lives. With so many orphans getting such limited education, many
cannot even read or write. To be turned out at 16 with no skills......that
is very, very tough indeed. Imagine living your whole life without a mother
or father, and then not being allowed to marry. What loneliness.

But we cannot say that working in the factories in China is a bad thing. If
we could get every orphan a factory job, I would be so very thrilled!! My
friend manages a factory in Shenzhen, and while the pay is just 26 cents an
hour, the employees show up in suitcoats and ties. They are so very proud
that they have a full time job. They get meals in the cafeteria and they
have a dorm room with indoor plumbing. For people in poverty afflicted
areas.....these jobs mean everything to them. We cannot compare our often
very comfortable lives with theirs.

It is far too complex to make blanket statements about what life would have
held for our children. Yes, you can know that the odds were definitely NOT
in their favor. Most are children "without a family name". Perhaps they
would have been blessed with an orphanage director who would move heaven and
earth for their well being. Or perhaps they would have ended up living on
the street. I am sure some of it has to do with sheer numbers, too. It is
easier for an orphanage director to take on each child as a special case
when there are only thirty kids in his care compared to 1200.

The one thing I know for certain is that these kids have the same hopes and
dreams that ours do. Yesterday I got the news that one of my favorite 15
year olds did not pass the exam to become a teacher. And my heart was heavy
over what will become of her now. She told me with such excitement in May
that she wanted to beat the odds and teach. We are all praying that the
school will reconsider. Then there is a young lady I also love who has sold
most of her clothes in order to buy paper and pens. She spends all her free
time drawing and dreams of becoming a fashion designer. I wish they could
all follow their dreams. They have asked for so very little in life."

Amy Eldridge

http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com

Monday, September 04, 2006

At the Lake

TS Ernesto might have foiled our plans to camp over the holiday weekend but we did manage to get to the lake for the day. We took our friends up, cooked out, played horse shoes, and went boating. We all had a blast! Here are some pictures.






Thursday, August 31, 2006

Conversations About Future Jobs

5 yrs ago, T is 11, L is 8

C: So T, what are you going to do when you get out of school?
T: I'm going to cure cancer!
C: L, what about you?
L: I'm going to work at Sears.
C: Hmmm....okay.

1 Yr ago, T is 15, L is 12

C: So T, what are your plans for college?
T: I want to go to college out of state - maybe in Florida or California. I want to study bio-chemistry
C: Great - better start working on your summer reading!
L: Ma, aren't you going to ask me?
C: Ok L, what are you going to do?
L: Be a baseball player or work at Sears.

6 Months ago

T: Mom, I'm going into surgery.
C: Ok, are you going to specialize?
T: Yep, I'm going to be an oral surgeon so I won't have to be on call and work all those weird hours.

1 Week ago, T is now 16, L is 13

T: Ma, I decided I'm going to become a Pediatrician.
C: What happened to oral surgery?
T: I don't know, I just want to be a pediatrician.
C: Ok, what ever.
L: Mommmmmmmmmmmmmm......
C: What?!!
L: I'm going to be a baseball player.
C: Now L, you know that being a baseball player is probably not going to happen.
L: Yeah, I know, I have a backup plan though.
C: Good job, what is it?
L: If I can't be a baseball player I'm going to work at Sears.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

The number 3

The number 3 has 3 additive angles, there were 3 stooges, there are 3 laws of motion discovered by Newton, a band called Three Dog Night, Three Mile Island, and 3 kings that visited baby Jesus. Three can represent the past, present, and future, a triangle, the Holy Trinity.

Yes, the number 3 is a magical number. Do you know what else it means? It means we have now been logged in with China for 3 months!!!!

Three...yep, I like that number!

 

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