Adoption day

Last Friday Lil M and I celebrated our 2nd adoption family day. Well, I did. She doesn't quite know what it all means yet. :) But she will! I treated us, and sis and nephew, to Indian food and Starbucks. I know it wasn't Chinese food for our anniversary, but it was a treat. :) We all love Indian food. Yes, even Lil M had some!!

It's been a wonderful 2 years together. I just can't believe how fast it's gone and how much she's grown!! I'm still completely happy with the decision to go it alone. I know people find that odd, but it works for me/us.

Here's to another 2, 10, 80 years of family days and happiness Lil M!!! :) Mommy loves you.

Peace.

Chicken potato corn chowder recipe

I made a new recipe... and sort of made most of it up myself! :) Here it is. It turned out quite good. I think the key is to put the milk products in toward the end and turn it on simmer.

1lb chicken (cooked and chunked)
10-15 potatoes (i wanted this to be predominately a potato soup)
2 cans corn
4 cups or more of chicken broth (to cover the potatoes - i used chicken broth that i had made from a chicken before. you can use water here, but i think it gives it more flavor)
1 can cream of chicken
1/2 can condensed milk
1 cup milk

I cut up probably 12 potatoes (peeled and cubed) and put them in a pot of chicken broth only (probably 4 cups) - bring to boil

I took about 1lb of grilled chicken breast that i cooked the night before... it was cold, and i cut it up in small chunks.

Added 2 cans of corn
Added the 1lb cubed chicken
Added some spices - maybe 1/4 tsp onion powder and dehydrated onion, pepper

Then after about 20 minutes,
add 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
add 1/2 can of condensed skim milk
add about 1 cup of whole milk

Turn on low and cook until the potatoes are done. :) Season to taste.


Peace.

Moving forward

I've mentioned many a time to friends, family and my fellow bloggers that I have a heart for adoption. (or perhaps that's just really obvious anyway!!) A couple of months ago I started the process to get certified as a foster/adoptive parent with my state. I've gone through all the classes (except CPR and one make-up class), and am ready to start my homestudy. But here's the thing, as I've been going through the process I've been praying about what is best for Lil M and me together. And right now, I'm hesitant to bring a child into the house that is older than Lil M. I'm not 100% sure that being a therapeutic home would be the best thing for us right now, because it will take a lot more energy, resources and time. And, I'm conscious of my own daughter and her needs. She's not super-needy, by any means, but I want to make sure I give her what she needs, too. And she's not even 3 years old, yet. So, I'm re-considering another international adoption (of another infant).

That leads me to Kazakhstan. The biggest reason, so far, to go with Kaz is because they allow adoptions of infants. They also have children of Asian descent available for adoption. The biggest negative - the cost. So... again... I pray. (I've also started a separate blog to write my thoughts down about this process, and it is closed right now, but if you want to be able to read it, send me a request and I'll add you.)

God has put me in a place in life where I am moved by adoption. Whatever got me here, I'm happy with my decisions and I am open to the future and what it holds for me and for us as a family. The other nice thing is that Scott and I talked about all this and he is in agreement of me looking into Kaz. So, even though the plan is for me to do this as a single again, he's on board with the decision. That's good. :)

Of course, if I can't afford it, nothing will happen. So... pray, pray, pray!!!

Peace.

Feel better

I'm starting to feel better this morning... whew, finally!! I'm not sure how long it will last, or it if will all day, but so far so good.

Lil M is doing great. She was looking through one of her books the other night, that has those push-buttons on the right that say the numbers... and she would count the items on the page (like ducks) and tell me the number and then pick it out on the right side. :) Very smart my little one!! Lest you forgot, she's 2 years 9 months old. She was able to count up to 6 on the page. :) After that she got a little unsure.

Anyway... it's Tuesday! Go make the best of it!

Peace.

Strep

I have a horrible sore throat this week, and feel just terrible... headache, no energy, glands in my neck are swollen... did I mention the horrible sore throat? So, I went to the Dr. today. It's official. I have strep throat. :( boohoo.

The Dr. prescribed antibiotics, and I started taking them about 1pm. Apparently, I will be contagious until tomorrow (at least). Great. Oh well, it could always be worse!! LOL

My friend MK brought me some dinner, Lil M some dinner and brought Lil M home from daycare for me!! She's so nice. :) Apparently, I have a tough time asking for help, but she always seems to know when I need it!! I was hoping she and MK2 could come in for a bit, but since I'm contagious it isn't such a good idea I guess. Oh well. There will be other days!!

Anyway, hopefully I'm the only one with the sickies this week!!

Peace.

Birthday and Memorial Day

Sis, Mia, Me and Chase at dinner for our birthday. :)

Leaving on a jet plane.... but we're back now! :) We were tired, 'cause it was early in the morning and we hadn't slept much the night before... but we still had fun!


Had a great birthday... lots of friends came and we all had dinner on Thursday. Then we went to meet Scott's family on Friday. Had a great time.

Today we're just hanging out at home, recuperating. :) lol I hope everyone has a blessed Memorial Day. God bless our service men and women...those still with us, and those who aren't.

Peace.

Birthday thoughts

Today is my birthday. Actually, it's Sis' birthday, too! :D There's a group of us going to dinner tonight, and that's going to be awesome. Scott's going to come pick Lil M and I up at the house and then we're going to meet everyone else. Then, after dinner, we're going to drive up to Sis' house and spend the night with Sis and Nephew! Tomorrow morning, we fly to Atlanta to hang out with Scott's family for the weekend. I've not met them yet, and am a bit nervous. But, I think it'll be OK. :)

I guess my main thought today is that I'm truly THANKFUL for my life and for being able to live another day. No, there isn't anything wrong with me... I've just been wanting to make sure I remember to be more appreciative for every moment of every day, because life is short. Even, when some days I feel old! But I don't ever want to "be old"... you know, in spirit! I will, however, be thankful to be as old as God sees fit! :)

I've been kind of blah lately... so, I'm hoping the new birthday brings renewed happiness and life! And, oh, here's to thanking God I'm not quite hitting the next decade yet!!! LOL (ok, it'll happen, but not for awhile yet) The past recent months have been pretty darn good. But I had about a year there where life just kind of sucked (and in no way because of my daughter). So, here's to a new (birth) year for me...

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!!!! :) Love you!!

Peace.

Live Intentionally

Do you live intentionally? I mean, do you really live moment by moment by moment? I know I don't always do that. But when I do, I feel more alive and more satisfied. But I have gotten bogged down by fears of this so called thing called life... and I find I have to re-commit to myself to live intentionally.

What does this mean? Well, for me, it means that I enjoy these few moments of quiet. Turn off the TV. Sit and watch the dogs play. The baby play (or as of right now, napping in her bed). Listen to the birds. Look at the flowers. Take a walk. Enjoy the actual moment I'm living in right now. :) What a concept, eh?

Think about it though... we Moms, Adults, Women, Working People... ALL People... don't we just go, go, go most of the time? How often do you just enjoy this moment right now?

That's my prayer for you and me both today. Enjoy this moment. Whatever it is. It is fleeting.

Peace.

Decisions

I'm still in the prayer phase of a 2nd adoption. I've been going through a foster/adoption agency that works with mostly older children. And, today, I realized that I am still not 100% sure about that. I would like to adopt another baby. So, now I've got to figure out next steps. Still praying for SAFY and that I might be able to help there. I'm not saying I'm not going to foster or adopt from there. I just still think I want a younger child. :) So, let's see...

crockpot tater tot recipe

I want to try this:

Green Bean Tator Tot Crockpot Casserole $5.87
1 lb. ground turkey 1.99
1/2 t. salt .01
1/4 t. pepper .01
1 onion chopped .15
1 lb. bag frozen string beans 1.49
1 can cream of mushroom soup .49
1 c. shredded cheese .43
1 -21 oz. bag tator tots or equivalent in raw shredded potatoes 1.79

1. Crumble raw ground turkey in bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Layer remaining ingredients on turkey in order they appear in ingredient list.

3.Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook for 3 hours.

Sounds yummy, doesn't it? :)

Peace

Flower Garden

Wow, today was busy! I bought 4 rose bushes, buy one get one free today at Lowes!! :) Got them planted, close to the Japanese Maple tree. Then, Scott came and brought mulch!! WOOHOO! I really wanted to get some mulch laid, and we got it done. I know they all look small, but here are a couple pics. Oh, and planted 3 boxwoods... a fennel bulb plant and a small green ground cover plant. Whew! It doesn't seem like a lot, but it is looking great, I think!

Happy Mother's Day to ALL the Moms out there!

Peace.

Three thoughts in one day

I'm sitting here thinking just how lucky and blessed to have Lil M as my daughter. My friend MK said that Lil M didn't want to sleep at her house, and when she told her Mommy was there her little lip started to quiver and she wanted her Mommy!!

Color me loved. I love that baby more than words can say.

Happy Mother's Day weekend (to me, hahaha)!!!

God Bless the Mothers.

Peace.

Loss part of Adoption

Each and every day I'm reminded that there is a part of Lil M's life that she lost when she came to be my daughter. It is not insignificant. It is not unimportant. Do I wish I knew more about what her first parents circumstances were? Yes. I do wish I knew more. I know someday Lil M will ask about it, and it saddens me that I don't really have any answers for her.

I'm so glad she's my daughter. And the cool thing is, that I don't really feel like I need anyone else's recognition of our Mother/Daughter relationship this weekend. Just knowing she does love me makes all the difference in the world! :)

So, for this Mother's Day weekend, I will pause and remember with great respect the woman who gave birth to my daughter. May she be blessed in her days, no matter what her circumstances are, were, or may be.

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all the Mom's out there!!!

Peace.

Huggies commercial is awful

I hate the new Huggies commercial for Mother's Day. And I mean HATE.

It goes something like this: It is the one where they are giving away free Huggies for a year to qualify must: Unite male chromosones with a female egg. Once fertilized, retain a radiant glow for about 9 months, after morning sickness. Frequent emotional mood swings, letting people touch your belly and then spit out a baby... eww.

And, WHAT ABOUT THE ADOPTIVE or IF/IVF parents????? OMG.

I realize we're in the minority, but still. Could the companies think outside the box on occasion? This totally just set me wrong. Mother's Day things should, IMO, celebrate ALL mothers... and people have babies who need diapers... and those babies don't necessarily come from this way. They should have at least mentioned that in the disclaimer or something, that ALL moms with babies are welcome to participate. Not just the pregnant ones.

Peace.

A Tree

I planted more things in my flower garden Tuesday night. Most notable was a Japanese Maple (weeping) tree. Very pretty. I also planted a small blue evergreen bush and a couple more perennials. :) I'll post pics when I get the chance!

The front still looks pretty bare. I'm hoping things fill in this year!! I need more mulch, though, that's high on my to-do list this weekend.

Peace.

Planted

I got the garden asters (sort of look like daisies) planted last night. I also planted the 2 azaleas, 2 lavender plants, one thyme plant, and a begonia. I didn't get the bulbs planted, but will do that this weekend. Gotta get some mulch, too, and get that down this year!!

Oh, and I had a veritable onion garden growing in my flower bed. Oh boy. Got part of those pulled. I hate all that bending... so, I'll finish up weed pulling this week, too. :)

Someone said that gardening is just "activity" not "exercise"... well, either I'm just that out of shape, or they're wrong! LOL That digging worked out my arms and back pretty well!!

Peace.

Gardening...

Just the idea of me gardening is quite humorous. :) I am allergic to grass outside, so I tend to not do anything with flower gardening or food gardening. Plus, frankly, I never had the time!! I find it kind of funny that I have more time now, with a 2 year old and all... but I am home more... and I think she'd like to hang out outside more.

So, this year I've decided (again) to plant some new plants outside... I ordered:
- 40 Blazing Star bulbs (20 white and 20 lavender),
- a 3 piece Garden Aster set, and
- a 2 piece Azaleas set.

I'm going to try to get them planted early this week, 'cause they came in on Friday.

Now, I need to find a bush for the front yard, and a tree. Both need to be not-too-tall (bush, maybe 2' tall, but spread... and tree, not over 10' tall I'd say). I'm looking at a Dwarf Lemon Tree... but haven't bought it yet.

For more fun, I'm considering a blueberry bush, too. But, not for the short bush I need. I'd take out a couple of the ones next to the house that I don't like...and put this in. We'll see. I am going to start small, and work my way up!!! haha

The ones I'm most worried about are the Azaleas. They are pretty, but it said something about shade/partial day sun... and I was going to put it in full sun. So, I might have to change my spot for them... I wonder how they'd do under my two pine trees in the back yard...?

Any gardening tips to share?!!!

Peace.

Rejects

I've been looking at foster care and foster-adoption lately. It's one option for me when looking at family building. One thing I have found interesting when talking to people is that they feel like fostering a child would be out of the realm of possibility for them because the children are "too messed up" for them to care for. That the children might be to difficult or, God forbid, have things they have to deal with in order to heal.

Is it ugly? Yes. Do I understand how these people hurt their children like they do? NO. Is it easy to help someone when they've gone through SO much and are only a child? I'm absolutely sure it won't/wouldn't be.

Should we reject these children just because they have baggage and hurts we don't understand? No.

The odd thing for me is that I don't feel like these people say they do. If anything, I feel like I'm probably not good enough to take on such a worthy, amazing task. I have my own flaws. I am by no means perfect. But for some reason, I feel like I'm supposed to help somehow. And if that means taking a risk, then that's what I will do.

Now, here's the thing. I seem to be a worrier by nature. (or was that nurture?) I'm not as much worried about the child(ren) I might foster/adopt as I am my own capabilities as a parent. It seems other people aren't this way. Which I find odd. Other people seem to have this self-confidence, that I don't have. And why that's weird is because I've had Lil M for almost 2 years now! You'd think I'd be more confident by now. She's great. We're great... but it is a pretty well known fact that she's a fantastic child.

So, I pray. I'll continue to pray about this situation and moving forward. I'm in the process of becoming certified as a foster/adoptive parent in my state. And, I hope by the time that process is finished that I will feel more confident that I can help a child who needs me. It is in God's hands, and I am confident that God knows what is best for all of us. :)

I also pray for those rejected by their families. My heart breaks for them.

Peace.

Budget update

I had to tweak the budget this month because I'm converting from a consultant at work to full-time.

Good news is
- that our insurance is extremely reasonable (includes dental and vision)
- the company pays for short term disability
- the quite nice company match to 401K contributions (after 1 year)
- that the company pays for a decent amount of life insurance
- that even though long term disability is paid by me, but is reasonable
- that the vacation is good, plus the actual days off for holidays give me more time with Lil M!!

The Not so good is the pay cut, of course. So, I had to revise the budget. The loss feels bigger than it probably would because I'm starting 401k contributions again. I know the market took a huge hit this year, but I'm a big believer in saving for retirement. I'm only putting 6% in, to start, but once they contribute that'll automatically double. Plus, they give an automatic 3% on top of that! So, next year, It'll go up to 15% without me doing anything! Woot!

I have to remember this when I look at my monthly income, though. Yikes.

The other good news is that Sis got a small raise where she works. So, that'll help. She's made huge strides since all the crap happened with ex-hubby to get back on her feet. And this is good for her. I still hope she gets her resume together, though, and eventually finds something else. They don't treat her that well there, and have taken advantage of her (mainly in salary).

I'm still working on getting the debt paid down. To date, Sis has one credit card paid off. As of this month, that'll be 2. Sweet! For me, I have paid off 3 credit cards, and have 3 more plus the line of credit to go. I'm still on target to get 2 more paid off by September. Which leaves just 2 big bills left. Sis will take much longer than that... boy, is divorce expensive. (i'm glad she's almost done with all of that, for many reasons... the least of which is money related!!)

Peace.

Pasta salad recipe and Mayo

I found a post I wanted to share about a pasta salad recipe... here

She asked an interesting question, that came up at my family's Easter dinner table today!

Are you a Mayo person or a Miracle Whip person?

Me... Mayo all the way!! :)

Here's part of her post:

I have a habit of making a big pot of pasta once a week. It might be elbows, bowties, or wagon wheels. Whatever I find in the pantry, mostly. I drain it and coat it with some olive oil and keep it in the fridge for a quick dinner. I might top it with spaghetti sauce or add some parmesan and serve it with chicken tenders. More often in the summer, I'll make pasta salad. The recipe is pretty free form - but it always, always contains hard boiled eggs. Eggs are a great source of protein and hard cooked eggs stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week.

For Easter dinner tonight, I mixed the pasta with a couple big spoonfuls of light Miracle Whip - I'm SUCH a sucker for that stuff - which brings me to this stumper, thanks to The Hubster - are you a MAYO person or a MIRACLE WHIP person? He's the former and i'm the latter and we argue about it allllll the time. I grind in some salt and pepper, and then the eggs. ALWAYS four - or more - hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped. That's the basic salad, the part that never changes. Today, I added chopped tomatoes (I can't WAIT for summer tomatoes, that makes the dish 100000% better) and diced green pepper. That's it, that's all. It was delicious. Sometimes I add cheese cubes, diced meat, pickles, frozen peas (which defrost almost instantly and remain just a bit crunchy) - the list goes on and on.

I'm going to try this. Sounds super easy!!! :) And, I completely agree with her about the summer tomatoes. Can't wait!!

Peace.