The Adventures of a Georgia Girl

2010-01-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up my grandfather had a blue bumper sticker on the back of his car... it said: "I live in America's Greatest Little City: LaGrange, Georgia!" I did not share the same sentiment as that sticker and there were many years after I was old enough to move away from LaGrange that I vowed to never make my home there again. Small... too far from a big city... few choices in shopping, eating & entertainment... people always knowing your business; as a young adult I much preferred the excitement, variety & anonymity that a big town provided. After I had a family of my own we found ourselves transferred far away. Being a parent can make you appreciate things you once took for granted. Simplicity... semi-isolation from the big city & its influences... everybody knowing your business. As I became a 30-something mother-of-many-small-children, LaGrange began to appeal to me in ways it never had before and years later we made the choice to make our home here again. We could've moved back to Atlanta... to crowded surburbia where we could just be faces in a crowd with hundreds of options for dinner... but LaGrange ironically had more to offer. Approaching 40 I would proudly but a copy of my grandfather's bumper sticker on the back of my car... no longer a restless teenager eager to spread her wings for something more exciting, but an adult and mother who recognizes the beauty of small-town life. But it is not my motherhood that truly opened my eyes to the preciousness of LaGrange... it is being a daughter.

This past weekend I watched as one of my best friends from high school lost his mother to cancer. At her funeral when I took my seat in the balcony of the packed church I fell in love again with LaGrange and realized that I as much as I love "living" here... I want to die here. My friend's mother walked in the same shoes my own mother had worn a year ago. Both young and active, they tragically learned one doesn't have to be old to get sick and die. And though my mother and my friend's mother shared the same suffering and death, many things about their lives were very different. They ran in different circles and participated in different activities. They had different friends and lived in different neighborhoods across town. Their childrens' friendships made the other's name familiar with the other, but they were not "friends." With all that was different about the lives these women led on a day-to-day basis, because they shared the same community their dying was greatly the same. The same small town who met every need my family had a year ago, met hers this past month. The same community that prayed for and cried with and showed up to care for my mother and her family, surrounded my friend's family as well. The people who made things happen with one phone call... no matter the hour on the clock were the same. The friends may have been different but the values were the same. The churches were different but the love and service towards the hurting was the same. The women were different but the compassion they received was the same. I took coolers of drinks to my friend's childhood home last Wednesday night. The driveway was crowded with the cars of those who came to be with his family and his mother. I remembered. I remembered the love and attention and security. I remembered the amazing gratitude I felt toward the people who dropped everything to surround us with comfort and meet our every need. They were at his house now. Their names were different, but their hearts were the same. These are the people who make up the City of LaGrange. They are what make it "America's Greatest Little City." A city where I want my children to grow-up and myself to grow old. And no matter how "old" I am when the Lord chooses to call me home, I know that the same small-town that helped my Mother and Mrs. Claire die with dignity, in peace and comfort and surrounded by an outpouring of love will do the same for me.

2010-01-16T18:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009 Recap

Christmas was bad from the beginning. I wasn't into it this year and I'm not sure why... I am thinking the stress of finishing up the school semester maybe... or general laziness. Nevertheless, the Saturday after Thanksgiving passed by without the traditional purchasing and trimming of the Christmas Tree so we started "The Season" on the wrong foot. A week later Big Daddy T brought a tree home but then it stood naked in the corner before we decorated it. Sad. My Christmas cards sat in a bag for weeks collecting dust before I got the pictures copied, envelopes stuffed and addressed them. There was no trip to see Santa at the mall... no Fantasy in Lights... no traditional Christmas outfits bought. Even that darned Elf on the Shelf couldn't get his act together... he took several nights off... cozy and warm atop of the fridge or china cabinet and unwilling to brave the North Pole's freezing temps just to tell Santa about some sassy kids in Georgia. Those same kids were plagued by sickness during December... regualr flu and the stomach flu mostly. I nearly washed the skin slap off my hands in an attempt to avoid the dreaded illnesses but alas, my efforts were in vain. Christmas Eve morning I got up feeling fine. I went to the grocery store... cooked... cleaned and then decided to take a short nap before that evening's festivities. I awoke a different person. I knew immediately something was wrong. I was in trouble. Oh no! And to make a long story short I spent the rest of the night like this:

Ohhh... it was awful. I am convinced God sends me these experiences to teach me to show more compassion for my children. All 4 had the stomach bug and my common responses were causual "just go lay downs"... or "please don't throw up on the carpet".... or "honey, I can't give you any medicine you just gotta give it time." I had forgotten how horrible they felt. It had been almost 9 years since I experienced such misery... since morning sickness with My Baby Boy attacked and crippled me. But the stomach bug came back Christmas Eve with a vengence. I limped along for an hour or so but by 8:00 p.m. I was a goner. Poor Santa! Mrs. Claus would be no help this Christmas Eve and if not for a trusty elf, his flight may have been destined for cancellation! But Santa never fails and the kiddos woke up unaware of the night's challenges.

The tree was surrounded by the things they had asked for. I managed to drag myself out of bed and plop on the couch. No Christmas morning casserole... no hot, spiced, delicious wassail... no pictures of kids peeking out of the door waiting for the o.k. to see what Santa brought. It took me so long to get vertical and situated they were cranky and on the verge of a coup before we said "come out!" I had been sidelined before the annual "just one present (which is ALWAYS matching Christmas pajamas) on Christmas Eve" opening and Big Daddy just put them to bed best he could. Here's My Firstborn with some of her loot. She doesn't look so sad that her mother is in agony does she? Of course not... who cares about mom puking her guts out when you got cozy Ugg boots and a new laptop!

Poor Dreamgirl. She woke up acting as bad as I felt. She is NOT a morning person and at only 2... with all her needs and most of her wishes met on a daily basis... Christmas morning didn't have anything totally unusual to hop out of bed for. After some minor fits I finally put her with a cup of warm milk on my bed and turned on her shows and she re-emerged later to open her gifts at her convenience. Any other Christmas I may have cared... not 2009... whatever!

And after a long hour on the couch I headed to spend Christmas day alone in the bed like this:

2010-01-11T14:30:00.001-08:00

January 11, 2009 was a Sunday. We were running late for church as usual. Driving down the street towards our church I noticed people on the sidewalk out front. I looked at the car's clock... maybe we weren't as late as I thought... people were still talking outside. No... it was 10:38... we were late... weird. As we drove closer I noticed my Dad among the crowd... and then the crowd began to resemble more of a huddle than a loose gathering of church members... and then I saw my Mother at the center of the huddle... she was hunched over. I ordered Big Daddy T to drive practically up onto the curb and I flew out of the minivan in a wild panic. I first thought she was throwing up and as I burst into the middle of the huddle I realized my Mother was bleeding from her head. I was quickly informed of what had transpired as someone ran out of the church saying "the ambulance is on the way."

By this time last year doctors had exhausted all possible treatments for my mother's cancer. She was dying. Not in the "we're all dying" sense but really dying... her 58 year old body was being eaten alive by a ruthless killer. Her body was in constant pain. We maintained a meticulous 24/7 cycle of pain and anti-nausea medications to keep her comfortable. She was yellow. She was less than 90 pounds. She slept more than she stayed awake... no longer leaving the house except for the doctor and going to church. Going to church was her favorite activity. And though she would doze on and off... or leave early... or visit the bathroom numerous time... she would muster all her strength to be able to attend Sunday worship. And on this particular Sunday... there just was not much strength left. Even though the church graciously made an impromptu parking space sign out of a dry-erase board that shouted "RESERVED" in the parking space closest to the door... her frail thin legs could not manage the step up off the sidewalk and back she fell.

Not wanting to wait for an ambulance we quickly wisked my Mom into the front seat of my warm minivan that was still parked on the curb of the sidewalk. I hopped in the back and we rushed towards the ER as my Dad and sister followed in a car behind us. As I wheeled my Mom into the Emergency Room the admissions secretary allowed us straight back. My mom no longer looked like an average patient. The bleeding goose egg on the back of her head paled in comparison to the appearance of this frail, sick woman... no one needed to ask... they understood she needed and deserved extra T.L.C.

I suppose I am writing about this today, because January 11th sticks out in my mind as when we really began to give my mother round-the-clock care. Over the next 6 weeks our participation in her daily routine would increase until we said goodbye. Even though it may seem sad... those were the most precious 6 weeks of my entire life. I wanted nothing else than to be by her side. Honestly, I came to resent my poor children many times during those weeks because for the first time I didn't want to take care of them. I didn't want to do homework, or drive carpool, or say prayers... I wanted to park myself in my parent's house and give Mother my full attention. And we were surrounded by so much love. Precious, dear friends met all our needs. They visited and laughed and helped. My sister came from Florida and my brother from Indy. We were together more than we had been in close to 20 years. My mom got more mail than a rock star. We'd save the mail and when my Daddy would come in he'd sit close to her couch and read them to her. Most she heard... but some she couldn't stay awake for him to finish. And so it went. Some of those days were really good, some days not so much. But I'd take any of them back. Even the worst day... because she was there. I would sit on the end of her couch and put her feet in my lap and we'd talk. I heard her voice. I held her hands. If she dozed off I would watch her breathe. I studied her face. I wondered what it would be like when her body was no longer lying there but in the ground. I would always kneal beside her on the couch when I said good-bye before going home for the night. I could rest my head on her chest and she could rub my hair. Many times as I drove away those last 6 weeks I wondered if I would get a call in the night. I never did. Those winter morning dawned and God allowed me another day with her until it was so bad we prayed for the end to be merciful and come quickly.

This January 11th my Mother is healed. This day she not only made it into church but is sitting at the very feet of Jesus Himself. She is rejoicing... as am I that my sweet Mother is alive and well.

2009-12-13T06:02:00.001-08:00

Dreamgirl Growing Up

I have had requests for new, updated pictures of Dreamgirl who turned 2 during my blogging hiatus. If I told you all the things I think about her I would sound like the most conceited, bragging, obnoxious mother on the face of the earth... she continues to keep me mesmerized everyday. She has plenty of days of "terrible twoness" that make me want to scream, but mostly I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world because she belongs to me.

2009-12-06T06:22:00.000-08:00

Time is running out!

The day that I have been dreaming about since mid-August is now coming too quickly. My final exam for my Women's History class is Tuesday night and my Ed. Tech. class closes the same day. Here is all I have to squeeze in:

1. Be a parent to 4 children who are not going away for the next 60 hours.

2. Finish a 367 page book on the Black Freedom Movement. I am on page 129.

3. Write an analysis on the book on the Black Freedom Movement. Just a little 'ol 3-pager... no biggie!

4. Finish the final copy of my term paper... a book review essay.

5. Study for my final exam. 7 weeks of material for an all-writing test. No multiple choice or fill in the blank.

6. Help host a baby shower for a good friend.

7. Attend a Christmas brunch for which I am responsible for bringing my mother's famous Wassail.

8. Create an Excel document with 5 new emerging instructional technologies. Who cares???

I am going to have to come to grips with the reality that sleep is not going to be an option until Tuesday night. I mean if medical residents can pull 60-hour shifts so can I... right? I also have to decide whether to continuously pop Adderall to stay awake and focus or Xanax to calm my nerves. That may be the biggest job of all!!!

2009-12-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

This is what happens...

You let your messy daughter wear your favorite black tank
In addition to not cleaning her room, your messy daughter does not feed her guinea pig regularly
You allow the laundry pile in aforementioned daughter's room to grow so large it encroaches upon guinea pig's caged home
The guinea pig, due to insufficient amounts of alfalfa hay, celery and guinea pig kibble dines upon your favorite black tank

I only have myself to blame.

2009-11-30T07:13:00.001-08:00

R.I.P
I'm not sure how I forgot to mention that during my semi-grad school hiatus, my mom-mobile died. Yep, after 165,000ish miles and 3 transmissions she was finally laid to rest.... there were just too many other automotive complications to justify purchasing transmission #4. I was newly pregnant with My Baby Boy and sick as a dog when we got the old girl... I remember hoping I wouldn't throw up in my first brand new car ever! She paid me back for all the rotten sippie cups, missed car washes, marker drawings, trash pile-ups, baby puke, dirty cletes and closets worth of abandoned clothes I let ruin her interior by dying on me on the way to class on a rural Georgia highway. So, I am currently in the market for a new vehicular unit. I don't really want another minivan, but with a brood of 4 who are often accompanied by other friends, I really need the space. I sure would rather have a Surburban or something "cool." Minivans are practical... not cool. But then again I'm not that cool. I would more appropriately describe myself as tired... or grumpy... or busy.

2009-11-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

Here I Am

I couldn't believe it myself. After a friend updated her Facebook status with a final farewell to my adventures I logged into Blogger out of my own curiosity. September 17th??? That was the last time I posted? Wow... where have the past 3 months gone? Were did fall go? If you'll look to the left, here is what I have been doing since August 13th. Reading, reading, studying, reading, writing... zzzzzzzzzzzz.... not fun. Well, I take that back. It would be fun if I didn't have four children, a husband who prefers clean laundry over dirty and hot supper over a bowl of Frosted Cheerios, and other responsibilities.

Let's see if I can recap:

August: Ordered too many clothes for Dreamgirl from home parties
August: Granger football began and loved new reserved seating and tailgate group
August: Finally got Big Daddy T to doctor for blood pressure that is a high as my Macy's bill... very high... almost ugly. Started medicine. No cure for Macy's bill found
September: Kids annual photo made... actually not painful and only had to threaten son with no supper once
September: Baby Boy starts football and now thinks he can tell people his last name is Tebow
October: Firstborn finally quits swimming. Sad, but glad no longer fighting daily
October: Fall Break vacay in mountains was rough, rainy, and almost disasterous. High point: I defended my Putt-Putt Champion crown
October: Husband quits blood pressure medicine.... diet begins so I can be prepared to snag Hubby #2
October: could not get excited about Halloween... tried to convince kiddos to wear last year's costumes and was considered mentally ill. Was finally worn down and purchased new which were quickly soaked on a rainy, cold Halloween night.
November: Happiness found as Big Daddy T takes all four kids hunting and camping so I can have study time. China is not informed that Dreamgirl has bullet shells in diaper bag
November: New shock collar purchased for dog in an effort to keep myself from ripping his tongue out with my bare hands. Sign oath in blood never to adopt another animal... EVER!
November: Lesson learned- cannot skip month getting hair colored
November: Disappointed missed Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade but first major holiday without mother was successful and celebrated with no tears.
November: Apathy towards Halloween contagious... dreading decorating for Christmas. Hopeful that Final Exam completion in 10 days will bring renewed excitement.

2009-09-17T14:20:00.001-07:00

To Push or Not to Push???

That is the Question!

I have always been ordinary. Always straddling the fence between being a "C" type person... average and "B" type person... above average. There have never been any "A" moments in my life... EXCELLENT! I am not a knockout beauty, I am not remarkably talented, nor do I posses exceptional character traits like abundant generosity, unconditional mercy or consistent self-sacrifice. I am simply ordinary. My parents never pushed me to be more than average. Though, I was never expected to be below-average, just being mediocre was o.k. They never sought to develop any hidden talents, never signed me up for a S.A.T. course to get in a distinguished college and never counseled me on how to ensure success in the professional world. And that wasn't wrong. I had a great childhood. I am a happy, well-adjusted adult. But I sometimes wonder what I could have been? Instead of being a moderately good cheerleader, maybe I could have harnessed the power of my height and been a star basketball player. Instead of an honor graduate, maybe I could have been salutatorian? Instead of going to a small school maybe I could have braved a large university or even grad school?

And now, I am the parent. I have four of my own children who I assume have great potential. They do not all possess the same talents, but each of them I am sure can be extraordinary in something. So how hard do I push? How do I translate the "what ifs" of my childhood into developing my children's fullest potential. And yet I don't want to relive my childhood through theirs. I don't want to make them run for class officer because I wish I had. I don't want to run them ragged from activity to activity because I want them to experience all I did not. Here is an example of my dilemma. Baby #1 is a good swimmer. Different coaches have suggested she may possess college scholarship potential... big college potential. My first impulse is to make sure she has every possibility to do that... send her to expensive camps, get her private lessons, make sure she is at training every day. Well, after two years of such a schedule Baby #1 is wanting to buck my system of swimming development! What to do? Her dad and I know that would be an amazing opportunity. She has a gift that has the potential of being something EXTRAordinary. Do I act "knowing what's best for her" or do I let her call the shots? Where is the balance between my ordinariness and her potential for extraordinariness? Where do my dreams overshadow hers? Does a kid even have the ability to realize the benefits of hard work in order to develop their fullest potential? Will she thank me for not letting her waste her childhood sitting on the couch watching "Witches of Waverly Place" every afternoon or for pushing her to excel at something other than backyard trampoline jumping? Or is being ordinary O.K.? Is it o.k. to look back and say I was good at lots of things but not really awesome at anything? Is being happy and well-adjusted the ultimate success? Having faith and family and friends and being content with God's extraordinary gifts.

2009-08-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

*Update: Carley is going home from the hospital today, Friday 8/28.

My Silver Lining Needs Help

My Mother's death has been a dark cloud in my life this year... her illness the two years prior. But there is always a silver lining to each dark cloud. Silver linings come in many shapes and sizes. As I announced a few weeks ago, my father remarried. His wife, Judy, is a mother of 3 and "Nanny" to 4 (with #5 one the way.) I have new family. Judy was a friend before she was family. Did you know my parents named Judy & her first husband Jim as my brother & sisters' guardians in their will, if my parents had both died before we were 18? Not my grandparents... not my Dad's brothers... Judy & Jim. Growing up Judy's daughter was a good friend of mine... as good of a friend as you can be at 5. It was fun to visit her when we would return to Michigan. Her parents had a pool... how cool was it to have a pool??? Totally! And she was pretty and fun and had her own room. We were pen pals until high school... when we abandoned the ritual for boys & cheerleading & driving in cars with friends. She began her family before I did and I watched it grow through annual Christmas cards from her parents to mine. A daughter followed by two sons and another baby girl as the caboose. Now... all these years later we are both the mother of four... and old friends reunited when my Dad married her Mom... sisters of sorts... a silver lining.

I mentioned my old friend turned sister has four children. More family. I tell you this today to ask you to pray for her oldest daughter, Carley. Seventeen-years-old and a rising high school senior, Carley is active in sports and recently became aggravated by a sore right arm. Thinking it was probably a sports related injury, her mom & dad consulted a doctor. Physical therapy was prescribed. After several weeks there was no improvement. Tingling and loss of feeling began to develop in the hand. The therapy actually seemed to make the pain worse. The surgeon who operated on my friend's hand for carpal tunnel was contacted. The appointment at his office revealed a series of blood clots in her forearm resulting from THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME. She was immediately admitted to the local hospital in Kalamazoo where she was started on heparin to try to dissolve the clots. After 2 days and 2 angiograms doctors realized the clots were not resolving and her condition was worsening and she was life flighted to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit where she had emergency by-pass surgery of the artery in her arm. The progress has not been good. She has endured several more surgeries, including another emergency surgery when the by-pass formed a clot leaving little blood flowing into her hand. We are asking for prayer that her hand will be saved. Doctors fear that her fingertips may already be lost... and are waiting to see how much more of the hand may not have enough blood flow to sustain it. She was moved to a regular room today after spending more than a week in Intensive Care. She will undergo more surgery tomorrow... a skin graft will be preformed to close the wound on her forearm.

When I was seventeen I was worried about how high I could tease my bangs and being the tallest girl on my cheerleading squad. The summer before my senior year I was worried about getting a good parking space and passing Mrs. Wilde's english class. My biggest horrors were not being allowed to go to Panama City Beach for spring break and having to drive my Mom's hand-me-down station wagon. Though those things may have seemed like big things... they were really small beans compared to losing part of one's self... literally. I can't imagine the challenge it would be to accept such Providence. Please pray. Pray for the miraculous restoration of Carley's right hand. Pray for her to accept the outcome. Pray for strength for her parents... can you moms and dads out there even imagine watching your child go through what they have over the past 10 days??? Pray for grace and hope and wisdom. Thank you friends.

2009-08-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Pop Quiz

What is the most dangerous?
a.) driving drunk
b.) texting while driving
c.) driving with this gorgeous distraction in your rearview mirror

2009-08-08T02:05:00.000-07:00

Trail Feet
This is how your feet look when you hike 5 miles in the Great Smoky Mountains wearing Tevas. Not the smartest thing I've ever done. Will shop on Zappos again soon and return to the mountain trails with appropriate footwear.

2009-07-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

She's So Close... but yet, So Far Away

Yesterday, I went to be with my Mother. I had not been to her cemetary since the day we buried my Grandmother... right beside her, just a little over a week after Mother died. It is so pretty there. It's out in the country. It's quiet. Cows graze in a beautiful pasture across the rural road. It is where my Mother grew up... near the things of her childhood... her family, her school, her church. We took her "home" in a sense. She lays next to her parents. I know my Mother isn't there. But her body is. Underneath that red Georgia clay is my Mother. In the pretty pink jacket she picked out, given by a friend to fit her shrinking frame. Gently folded are the hands that I held. Closed, the eyes that watched my children enter this world. Cold is the cheek that I rested my own upon in those last days when it was too painful for us to hug her. The ears that heard a gazillion of my problems hear no more. Silent, the mouth that always said "Hey, Aim" when she left a message on my voice mail. The arms that were the first to ever hold me are motionless. The ribs that were broken in a car accident 30 years ago no longer expand with breathing. The legs that rocked her babies are resting. The feet that walked around the kitchen and cooked my supper are still. They are there. And while she is gone... parts of her remain. Precious parts. Parts that will be raised and glorified and perfected. Parts of hope and anticipation. I loved being there. I loved seeing her name. But hated it at the same time as it served as a proverbial "nail in the coffin" that she is gone. I am glad my friend Kim went with me because I am afraid I may have not left before nightfall. Walking away was hard. I cannot wait to go back again.

I think it's beautiful.

My sister chose the first flowers for her headplate and I brought a small bouquet from her yard to lay next to her name.

My Daddy had her favorite saying put on the plaque.

Me smiling & happy with a broken heart.

The body that rests beneath me is not longer sick, but healed.

2009-07-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

Introducing for the first time...

Bob & Judy Niedrach

July 20, 2009

Covenant Presbyterian Church

LaGrange, Georgia

2009-07-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Where is Everybody?

Our end of the lake was pretty dead on Saturday. I took this picture in the middle of the afternoon and there's not a boat or a jetski in sight. Not even a stray duck or lone bird. For the biggest holiday of the summer, looked like maybe others stuck close to the pool or remained inside in the air conditioning. What did you do?

2009-07-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

My Mother died 4 months and 12 days ago. She's been dead 132 days and my Dad is getting married. Yes... I mean married. There was a proposal, there is a ring on a finger and a tentative date. I will introduce her in the weeks to come but for now I will just tell you briefly that my Father's fiance is lovely. A dear friend of my Mother's for 35 years, she lives 800 miles away and has been a widow for six years. I have known her my whole life... for as long as I can remember, her family has been friends with my family. God does amazing things. But, again... more of that later. Today I just want to address the FACT that my Daddy is getting married.

I had a friend tell me recently "if your Dad thinks people aren't going to talk... that they aren't going to raise an eyebrow... he's crazy!" To her I would honestly say... I hope they do talk. But what I want them to talk about is probably different that what she intended with her comment. I want people to talk about the fact that my Father was a loving, committed and faithful husband to my Mother for 38 years. I want them to talk about how hard he worked to provide for her and her children... that she loved him unconditionally and that it broke her heart to think about having to leave him behind on this Earth. I want them to talk about how he was her greatest cheerleader during her illness. He encouraged her and fought beside her and prayed for her. I want them to talk about how he made her protein shakes of every flavor and consistency to help her gain weight. I want them to talk about how he poured over articles on the Internet about pancreatic cancer trials and studies and treatments. I want them to talk about how he took her to any restaurant she wanted on "chemo days" because he knew her appetite was best on those days and wanted her to have as delicious a meal as she could get down. I want them to talk about how he sat in the recliner next to her couch for days & weeks & months keeping her company when she got too weak to be up much. I want them to know how he mixed Miralax into her Starbuck's Frappacino every single night before she went to bed. I want them to talk about how he knew her pills and prescriptions backwards and forwards... for them to talk about the countless pills he dispensed with precision and care so that my Mother would be comfortable. I want them to talk about how he cared for her bed sores and helped my Mother to the bathroom and changed her clothes... without passing the buck on to someone else. I want them to talk about how my Mother in her final days would perk up when he passed by her bed... the smell of his cologne rousing her to consciousness. I want them to talk about how he laid in that hospital bed with her... patting her gently and kissing her forehead softly... telling her how beautiful she was. Call ME crazy... but those are the things I hope they talk about. He fulfilled his vows to her. He loved her for better & worse as long as she lived. He never broke his covenant vow made before God.

And now this man is alone. Not lonely... but alone. When people want to "raise an eyebrow" at my Dad's quick engagement I want them to think about how many times they have raised the phone to call and see how he was getting along? How many times did they raise a pen to write him a note of encouragement? As we all go about our busy lives do we think about those who come home to an empty house? Who's social calendar has been erased by the death of their partner? My mother would not want him to be alone. She would not have wanted him to be forgotten. She loved him and wanted him to be loved.

It is going to be different seeing another woman married to my Daddy... perhaps even painful at times. I'm not denying the fact that it is soon for him to be moving on with his life. Widower-hood is almost like a purgatory... no longer in the first life, but without "permission" from society to move along to the next. Him being alone isn't going to bring my Mother back. No amount of tears is going to bring her back to life. She is gone and he is here. Would I change it if I could? Yes. But I can't. So we go on and pray for the grace to be gracious. We hope for the best... being thankful for God's provision for my Father... and to wanting be a friend to his new wife.

2009-06-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

You can't be surprised...

This is "Mommy's" Beach Trip... no kids or a husband... only fun friends, good books and cold drinks. I gotta savor every minute of it because these true vacations are few and very far in between!

2009-06-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

Tiny Dancer

Bustin' those kind of moves requires some serious rehydration! Dreamgirl collected all the kids' drinks for herself while they continued to light up the dance floor!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

2009-06-22T05:36:00.000-07:00

Reunion: Day 2

On Thursday we headed west to Gulf Shores to spend the day with Family Mendelson's dreamgirl, Miss Addie, and her beautiful big sister Eloise. We had a very fun day watching the little travelmates get to know each other once again. Dreamgirl has no biological family. No mother. No father. No sisters. No cousins or aunts or grandparents. But, she does have Addie... and the thousands of other girls who are Daughters of China living here among us. Keeping my Dreamgirl in contact with these girls is important to me. It is a small, yet monumental connection to her homeland. Roots. History. Addie joined her family the same day My Dreamgirl joined ours. She has and will experience the same things My Dreamgirl will... things other American children will not and cannot understand. When we left Addie's family in China I was so ready to come home I would've said good-bye to my right arm. But this time saying goodbye was harder. I didn't want to say "see you next year!"... I wanted to say "see you tomorrow at the pool" or "see you Sunday at church." Having this family as our friends is a gift and I hope to see them not only next year... but the one after that and that and that and.....

The day was HOT but the kids had a nice mini-ocean of their own.

There was LOTS of playing in the sand.

And building of sandcastles.

And fun before saying Good-bye.

2009-06-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

Reunion

When we found out friends from our China trip, Kelly & Brad and their daughters Eloise & Addie, were going to be at the beach... only 18 miles from my family's condo... we hopped in the car and came for the week for the chance to see them and catch up. These are some then & now shots... from our trip & then our first meeting on Tuesday. I took a gazillion pictures today when we spent the day on the beach. Will sort & post.

Then...

NOW!!!

In China...

American Girls!!!

My fun friend Kelly

New Baby Adelaide

Big Girl!!!

2009-06-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

We are on a really neat trip to the beach... can't wait to post pictures & details.

2009-06-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Swinging & Skinny Dippin'

We don't have a swing set at our house so when Dreamgirl heads into the city to her cousins house she gets to do all sorts of fun stuff she doesn't get to do here out in the country. Her favorite thing to do is swing... while I'd rather sit on the patio with my sister... drink a cold one and talk about the day. But alas, because I'm such a great mom I hike out into the backyard and swing my girl... at least until her big sisters come around and I make them do it. Today I documented the experience of swinging through Dreamgirl's eyes.

And she's off...

Fun times = One Happy Dreamgirl!

Then because either:
A.) It's so stinkin' hot in Georgia we need to let the kiddos cool off OR...
B.) There's a good possibility we picked up poison ivy in the woods OR...
C.) Water entertains the kids long enough for my sister & I to finish those (now luke warm) cold ones and an entire conversation ...
we strip the kids and turn on the hose! Yee haw... nothing like some Georgia redneck babies running around the yard naked. Dreamgirl has this new game of NOT looking at me in the face when I have a camera in my hands. She can be laughing & playing & smiling and as soon as I try to capture it on film... SHAZAM!!!... Mama gets the cold shoulder. I think it's passive agressive toddler rebellion.

See what I mean... looking away at anybody but me!

And then she gives and decides to look... (probably to stop me from saying "Dreamgirl... look at Mommy!" 500 zillion, gagillion times)... but she will not crack a smile. No way Jose! I have to stalk her like paparazzi and get those shots while she's not looking. It's worth the effort!

2009-06-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

Computer Kids

I saw a link to the site KNEEBOUNCERS on my friend Carrie's blog. I have a teenie tiny Facebook addiction... plus checking out the daily news headlines, reading and sending emails and writing the occasional blog post... I spend a fair amount of time on the computer. My Dreamgirl has now decided she wants to also use the computer... and it's usually when I'm using the computer and this website is perfect! Check it out if you have little ones who aren't yet old enough to play computer games. We haven't discovered all it has to offer... I usually pull up the Music-Maker game and let her bang away on the keyboard. Hopefully this will give you fellow Mamas out there a little bitty break from your little bitty ones!

2009-06-08T14:25:00.001-07:00

Honey Bee

While I'm working on my Weekend Wedding post I thought I'd give a totally unsolicited shout out to my new photographer. I keep a tradition my Mother started when I was a kid... I get my babies pictures made each year on their birthday. When Babies #1 & #2 were little I was super strict... most of their photographs were made on their actual birthdate. I've grown a teenie, tiny bit lax in my old age and have the pictures made around their birthday. Since My Firstborn is a March baby and Pretty Kitty is a May baby I usually get their pictures made together in April. More convenient. New Mama Georgia Girl would've had a cow if she had missed the photographic documentation of the new year by more than a week or so... the horror! Anyhoo... back to the photographer. I have used many photographers over the years.... professionals, Olan Mills (ick!), the Sears in Naples did a great job... no really, they did. Since moving back to Georgia almost 4 years ago I've kinda been all over the place... not really settling on a particular person or place until I found my new gal, Melissa Cotton, right here in my small town. She is sweet, easy to work with, reasonably priced and, most importantly, a great photographer.

Here's her super cute logo... click on it to be redirected to her site & her blog.

My Firstborn. Now 11 years old.

Pretty Kitty... now a big kitten who's 10.

Last month she took My Dreamgirl's 18 month picture. When they're new I do the kiddos at 6 weeks, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months. After the 2 year-old picture it spreads out to once a year. Dreamgirl was really 18 months old in February... actually turning it on the day my Mother died, February 20th. I was a little busy that day and finally got it done in May... at 20 months. But we'll never tell... will we? Here are her beautiful photographs from Melissa.

2009-06-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Wedding Weekend
We spent the weekend in South Carolina for my very sweet & very handsome cousin's wedding. He married a very sweet & very beautiful girl. It was fab... details coming soon!

2009-06-02T17:14:00.001-07:00

This Makes My Heart Happy

2009-05-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

My Dad was out of town last week. When I got back from the beach I went to his house to get his mail. After emptying the mailbox, I let myself in the house. As soon as I go in, I breathe in the smell. It still smells like my Mother. I guess it smells like my Daddy too, but when I go there, the smell reminds me of my Mother. When I'm alone in the house I always go into my parents' room. I stand in the middle where my Mother's hospital bed was and I look up... as if to somehow get a glimpse of the path she took to heaven. Did she see herself laying there as she left this world? Then I sit on the bed. I sit in the same spot I did for that week we watched her slip away. I remember looking at her. I remember listening to the sound of the morphine pump. I remember laughing with my sisters. I remember my brother coming in and saying every time... "hey sweet Mama." I remember my Daddy saying "do you want me to lay down with you?" and her nodding yes. Then I go in the bathroom. I look in her drawers... even though nothing is there... I cleaned them out. I remember her perfume bottles on the counter. I saw my Daddy's wedding ring there. Knife to the heart. He is not married anymore... death has parted. On my way out I look at her pictures. I remember her teeth and the way she did her make-up. I can't believe she's gone. I want her to come back. I want to see her again. I know she is in a better place. I am happy she is free from pain & medicines & worry & doctors. The Bible tells us that heaven is "better by far." I will have to wait to be there myself to talk with her again. My life continues without her. I am a daughter without a mother.

Somewhere across the ocean there is mother without a daughter. It's been a year now since we went to China to bring our baby home. It's been almost two years since My Dreamgirl was left at a gate... only hours old. Does her Mother walk past that gate like I walk through my Mother's room? Perhaps she stops and sits in the spot remembering what her baby looked like... new and sleeping soundly. Do the sounds of horns & passing cars remind her of that day? Does the sun remind her of the discomfort of being pregnant in the summertime? She probably hoped for a boy as much as I hoped for a miracle for my Mother. But her reality meant letting her baby go. Go to a better place... never to see her again. I couldn't empathize with her grief last June as I walked the streets of Jiangxi Province. I couldn't fathom her relief... that her baby would have life greater than she could provide even though it meant saying good-bye. Now, as I sit on the other side of my Mother's death I can imagine how her heart feels. Waiting for time to mend that broken heart but thankful that the one she loved is in a better place... safe & sound.

2009-05-23T09:26:00.001-07:00

2009-05-19T05:30:00.001-07:00

Almost June in Georgia???
I took this photo on the way to school this morning... not believing my eyes! Tell Al Gore I'm totally on board with his "global warming" theories... N*O*T!

2009-05-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

This & That

I am pretty much convinced that I am the Mother of the cutest kid on the planet. Many may equal, but none exceeds! But... I am perplexed as to why My Dreamgirl squats every time I take her picture... hmmmmmmmmm?

This picture has not been staged or modified in any way. And this was not the first time I found Pretty Kitty sleeping in this position. Can it really be comfortable?

Notice that as our resident "Scaredy Cat," Pretty Kitty is sleeping in my bed... with her guardian stuffed animal "Bluesie" keeping watch on her shoulder. Ain't nothing get past him! Again... this photo has not been staged or modified in any way. Lawsie!

I do NOT like putting the silverware away... AT ALL! I am looking forward to summertime when my kiddos will be home during the day to put it away for me for a couple months.

I had to say goodbye to an old and devoted friend this week. She was loyal even though I didn't give her the greatest locks to work with... and even after I burned her with the flat iron on numerous occasions... oops. Goodbye, ole girl... R.I.P in the beauty shop in the sky!

2009-05-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

Temporary Insanity

What?

did?

I do?

2009-05-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

Field Day Fun

Ah, Field Day. Is there a greater day in the life of an elementary school student? Oh no, no, no! Not even the approaching last day of school compares in excitement to Field Day. My Baby Boy came home from school sick last Wednesday and "refused" to go to the doctor Thursday morning for a strep test. He "refused" until I told him he needed to make sure he was good to go for Field Day and then... wa-lah! at the mere thought of missing out on the B*E*S*T day of the year, he willingly got in the car, pranced in the office, opened his mouth wide and endured the tickle/gag of the strep test. (All's well that end's well... he was strep-free!) Anyhoo... everyone bounded out of bed without cohersion last Friday morning... donned their grade level color coordinated Field Day t-shirt... and hit the school yard running.

Once again this year I was the parent volunteer "large & in charge" of The Bubblegum Contest. This is the best venue to operate. Though perhaps not the most exciting game, The Bubblegum Contest is always located in the gazebo. Last year the gazebo kept me cool in the shade as the sun shone brightly heating up the school yard to about 110 degrees by 9:00 a.m.... this year, it kept me dry as a heavy low lying fog spit on us all morning until the clouds burned off after lunch.

Here's My Firstborn working on a big gumball. Contestants had about 2 mintues to chew it before the bubble blowing contest began.

Yeah!!! 3rd Place for My Firstborn. I swear I wasn't partial... honest to goodness. Here she is being awarded the Bronze Star!

Alright... let's get to where the real action was. And where's that??? Oh yeah... TUG-O-WAR baby! This is where champions are made. Here My Baby Boy & his posse of 1st Graders gets ready to do battle against other 1st graders.

PUUUUUUUUUULLLLL!!!!!

Sweet V*I*C*T*O*R*Y!

His class went on to dominate the entire First Grade. Here the victors pose with their trophy!

This is my favorite picture of the day. Here Pretty Kitty & her class are competing in The Fireman's Relay. Though already wet from the aforementioned low-lying fog cloud spitting rain droplets all morning, the 4th graders squealed like little girls as they passed the bottle down the line!

Wanna know where Dreamgirl is??? Just look for where you may see students mobbed around a stroller. They all are so sweet to Dreamgirl. They think she's "soooooooo cute!" Me too kids... me too!

Or you could find her attached to my legs crying to be picked up. I don't know if it was the weather or not being able to have a gumball every time a new class entered the gazebo... but Dreamgirl was in a bad mood! She had to go home at lunch... and was NOT allowed to return to Field Day for the afternoon activities! A big, fat nap was calling her name.

But my other kiddos were having a much better day. Here's Pretty Kitty & her girls.

Things were good in 5th grade for My Firstborn & her friends.

And My Baby Boy with his buddy. You gotta love that toothless grin!

Speaking of 5th Grade...

after My Firstborn's class also dominated the Tug-O-War competition it was time for

the creme-de-la-creme event: THE GIRLS...

against THE BOYS!!!

Guess who won?

The GIRLS!!!

Easily.

Maybe those boys just haven't blossomed yet???

So until next year... GIRLS RULE & BOYS DROOL... ('cept my sweet Baby Boy of course!)

2009-05-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day 2009
I have been a Mother for 11 years today... ever since she came into my life:

Today was my first Mother's Day with her:

And my first Mother's Day without her:

I began the day with breakfast in bed with my Baby Daddy & our four babies... coffee & doughnuts... yum! And ended the day with dinner at my Dad's. He made the dinner extra special with this presentation at the dinner buffet... and hit another homerun on another holiday without her.

2009-05-08T13:18:00.001-07:00

iTunes Toddler

Either my Dreamgirl is very smart or she is the product of having 3 older sisters & brother. As soon as the big kids hop out of the car she takes control of the iPod and rock-n-rolls! She knows how to wear the ear buds, press play and stop. Wonder if she enjoys Miley Cyrus, Jason Mraz or The Fray best?

2009-05-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Extreme Moisture

Do you think a girl can ever get too much lotion for her itchy, dry skin? I don't know the answer to that question... but I DO know it took two showers & a bubble bath to get all the lotion out of Dreamgirl's hair!

2009-05-04T04:45:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today I gave birth to a beautiful baby kitten. I didn't know my heart had room enough to love two... but the instant she arrived my heart miraculously doubled in size as I fell in love with her, as much as I loved her sister. Happy Birthday Pretty Kitty!

2009-05-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

The First Time... Ever I Saw [Her] Face

A year ago today... May 2, 2008... was the first time I ever laid eyes on my beautiful Dreamgirl. I had wondered for years what she would look like... and as I opened up the email containing the attached pictures of my newly referred baby girl I fell in love.

Those beautiful, big, brown eyes...

That perfect, porcelain skin...

Look at those pouty little lips...

And before the end of the day... her photograph look like this:

Life Back on Hold...

2009-03-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

Marie Carlisle

"Mama Ree"

11-26-20~03-02-09

Dear Friends,

My Grandmother died today and is now with my Mother & Grandfather in Heaven. Though we are in shock, I can only imagine the sweet reunion that transpired this morning when my Grandmother arrived. I am guessing it looked a lot like the photo above... only this time, the smiles will never fade.

Life Goes On...

2009-02-26T05:25:00.000-08:00

After many precious weeks with my Mother, we'll be changing gears quickly this week and traveling to Augusta for My Firstborn's weekend competition in Georgia's 14 & Under State Swimming Championships. She has worked so hard and we are excited for her opportunity to compete against Georgia's best swimmers. She is pictured below with the other 6 swimmers from her team who have also qualified to compete this weekend. Tomorrow night is event #1... the 500 Freestyle with 5 events on Saturday and 5 events on Sunday (her birthday!!!) We'll bring you updates from the pool... we are proud parents!

2009-02-21T04:47:00.000-08:00

***In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Covenant Presbyterian Church Building Fund (c/o Covenant Presbyterian Church 118 Church Street LaGrange, GA 30240) or Explorer’s Bible Study (c/o Joanna Flynn 3006 White Oak Ct. LaGrange, GA 30240.)

Many of you receiving this email already have heard that Mother is now with the Lord. She died Friday night, around 7:20 in her room at home with her pastor, Boyd Miller, reading her the following verses:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:1-4

When Boyd finished that final, beautiful promise of a verse, he noticed no more breathing and called my sisters into the room. Her tears that she cried for her family have been wiped away. She cried many tears over the past few months... grieving in advance for us as she prepared to leave her husband, children and grandchildren behind. She fought the good fight and with God's grace conquered the last enemy and now, for her, there will be no more death, sorrow or crying. And now, her body which had suffered so greatly over the past 2 years and especially 2 months has been healed. Praise the Lord! Great is Your faithfulness.

Arrangements are scheduled as follows:

Visitation on Sunday, February 22nd (her birthday!) at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary (1010 Mooty Bridge Road Lagrange, GA (706) 884-8636) from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Funeral Service on Monday, February 23rd at First Baptist Church on the Square (100 Broad Streeet Lagrange, GA (706) 884-5631) at 2:00 p.m.
Graveside Service following the funeral at Meriwether Memory Gardens at 4:00 p.m.

Dear friends... I cannot tell you how much your prayers, love and encouragement have meant to us as we battled alongside Mother as she fought. You were God's hands that helped us, His arms that hugged us, His love that lifted us up. We are forever in your debt.

With much love on behalf of all the Niedrachs!

2009-02-16T05:34:00.000-08:00

Going Home
Inspired by that intense longing for another place.
~Sara Groves

I've been feeling kind of restless. I've been feeling out of place. I can hear a distant singing, a song that I can't write, but it echoes in what I'm always trying to say. .

There's a feeling I can't capture. It's always just a prayer away. I want to know the ending, things hoped for but not seen, but I guess that's the point in hoping anyway. .

Chorus: Going home, I'll meet you at the table. Going home, I'll meet you in the air. You are never too young to think about it. Oh, I cannot wait to be home.

I'm confined by my senses to really know what you are like. You are more than I can fathom, more than I can guess, and more than I can see with human sight. .

But I have felt you with my spirit. I have felt you fill this room. This is just an invitation, a sample of the whole, and I cannot wait to be going home. .

Face to face how can it be? Face to face how can it be? Face to face how can it be?

2009-02-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

Making a List...
I was going through the cabinets & cupboard today seeing what I needed to add to my grocery list.

Do you think I need more Ground Allspice?

Jiminy Christmas! Did I buy a new bottle for every Thanksgiving & Christmas pumpkin pie I made for the last 5 years? This is typical behavior from me.

Well, should I pick up a bag of Tostitos?

It must be against my religion to actually finish a bag of Tostitos before purchasing a new one. I have 7 OPENED bags of Tostitos and 1 UNopened bag waiting to be devoured. Somebody help me organize my life. Please!

2009-02-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

Update on Mother~

We finished up our first full week on Home Hospice on Friday. We are able to keep Mother's pain under control. She rests comfortably on her couch and does stay there most of the time. She is able to get up with assistance, she took a shower yesterday, she can eat at the table. We have had some dear, wonderful visitors this past week... she is alert some days more than others. She was able to attend church last Sunday... she said it was her favorite thing to do all week. I have posted a fun picture I found once while waiting to bring My Dreamgirl home. International adoption certainly was a wild ride on the "Emotional Rollercoaster." I am finding death to be another turn on the dreaded ride. You start some days out good and end up discouraged by a pain episode that brought on full panic and left Mother wiped out and drugged up. Some nights you say good-bye expecting to get a call in the middle of the night only to wake up to a better day of her having renewed strength and a quick wit. We truly take it "one day at a time." Thank you again & again for the cards, letters & pictures many of you send. She loves the flowers that come to the door... as petals on some begin to droop and fall, new bouquets appear to brighten her room & heart. You have sustained us with delicious food... I'm sure I'll weigh 500 pounds soon... toffee bars, chocolate chip pound cake, chocolate mousse, key lime cake, cakes from fancy Atlanta bakeries... I now officially eat dessert before AND after every meal... including breakfast! Thank you mostly for the prayers you lift up for our family. We experience new mercies each morning along with strength and grace for each day as we walk down this unfamiliar road. I feel silly just saying "thank you." It is inadequate indeed.

2009-01-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

A best friend buys your toliet paper when your kids have been using Kleenex for two days.

A best friend scrubs baby puke off your carpet.

A best friend feeds your children spaghetti while you visit a friend at the funeral home.

A best friend marries someone who will bring you milk on a Saturday afternoon during play-off season.

A best friend will sit with you while you are "Miss Green."

A best friend rubs lotion on your dry, dish-pan hands.

A best friend is honest with you, even though it may be hard to hear.

A best friend lives in a house you can crash anytime.

A best friend tells good stories.

A best friend carpools your kids when you need to be somewhere else.

A best friend calls to make sure she picks up just the right baby wipes for your baby's tiny tush.

A best friend finds you a maid.

A best friend will hunt for a mouse with you instead of run home screaming.

A best friend hugs & kisses your children and treats them better than you do.

A best friend makes you laugh 'til you wanna wet your pants when sadness is all around you.

A best friend will drop everything on her plate to help you with all that's on yours.

A best friend treats you so good, you KNOW there is nothing you will ever be able to do to repay.

2009-01-22T09:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I hope this note finds you well. Though we are heartbroken at our house, we are secure in the love of God and grateful for His goodness to us. Mother & Daddy met with Dr. Duttera this morning... perhaps for a final time. At this appointment, Dr. Duttera confirmed what we may have already knew... there are no further medical treatments to be considered for Mother. Even if a clinical trial could be found, he believes her liver to be too compromised to withstand any experimental treatment. She grows more jaundice each day.

"God's people are supplied with enough strength, faith and power to get through any crisis, knowing that our Lord is with us- comforting us, loving us and reminding us that all things are under His divine control and will eventually work for our good... the more we understand the way God works in our lives and the stronger our faith in Christ, the better we are able to find the sweet acceptance that proves so elusive for others without that personal relationship with Him... there is never a reason for despair, bewilderment or feelings of abandonment when we experience His lovingkindness and understand the truths of His word." ~ Deborah Howard

Are we sad? Yes. Is that o.k.? YES! As her family and you as her friends, we are sad and disappointed and scared. Mother has moments of fear and dread and worry. The Bible calls it "the valley of the shadow of death." ~Psalm 23. But we are not, nor we need to be angry or hopeless or desperate. Our goal now... our business for the next few weeks or months is to shower Mother with as much love, care & kindness as we can. To let her know we cherish her. To talk about the eternity we will share together in Heaven... never having to say goodbye again.

"But we do not want you to be uniformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you... that we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." ~1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

"We can do great harm by attempting to do more than we are equipped to do. Yet we can all be comforters- we can be there for the hurting person, and we can share with them the comfort we have received from God." ~Susan Hunt

Y'all have been so faithful to Mother over the past 23 months. We owe you a debt of gratitude that we will NEVER be able to repay. We encourage you to continue sending those cards, notes and letters. About PHONE CALLS: Mother does NOT do well on the phone anymore. If you call, you will probably get one of us or our Daddy. We are Mama's personal secretaries! I don't even get to talk to her when I call. Let me simply encourage you to send her a note instead. She loves reading them or having them read to her. She enjoys the stories of your families, the memories y'all made together and, as always, encouragement from the Word. She does like visitors... but when she knows they're coming, she says she cannot relax because she feels like she has "to be on." If you would like to arrange a visit we encourage you to do so. We may also be asking some of you to come sit with her for a time, while we need to be elsewhere for a little bit. She will be admitted to the HOME HOSPICE program immediately. She is very weak and very tired. She loves to sit and listen to others talk around her even if she cannot keep her eyes open or continually keep up with the conversation. Not unexpectedly, she has good days and not so good days and there may be occasions when we need to reschedule.

Also, KEEP PRAYING!
1. Pray for PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTAND... especially for Mother. Pray for acceptance, trust, hope, calmness, rest, joy and happiness.
"Being a Christian doesn't exempt us from the pain, but it frees us from it's power." ~Deborah Howard
2. Continue to pray for our Dad. He has been AMAZING!!! Pray for continued patience, lovingkindness, strength and peace.
"Understanding God doesn't mean we face the death of a loved one with a smile on our face or whooping with glee... it makes any situation "get-through-able." ~Deborah Howard
3. Pray for safe travels for Jim, Amanda & Baby Lauren this weekend as they come for a visit from Indiana.

We do NOT discount the fact that God CAN do a miracle. We whole-heartedly believe God COULD heal her in an instant. We also believe Psalm 139:16 "All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." Before her birth on a cold February night 1950, God had already made the decision on the day she would die. Her death will not untimely, her death will not be years "too early"... her death, like our own, has already been perfectly determined. Whether or not we choose to believe and find comfort in that, determines on how we handle the death of someone we wanted to enjoy for 20, 25, 30 more years!

"When I get to heaven I’m gonna go find Job

I want to ask a few hard questions, I want to know what he knows

About what it is he wanted and what he got instead

How to be broken and faithful
I want to be broken and grateful

I want to be broken, peaceful, faithful, grateful, grateful" ~Sara Groves

I will be in touch with updates on how she is doing and to pass along new prayer requests as needed. THANK YOU AGAIN & AGAIN for loving us and offering to share in our struggle as we walk down this unfamiliar path.

With much love

"Death rescues us from the endlessness of this existence; it is the means by which those who love God finally are brought to Him." ~Erwin Lutzer

2009-01-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

Let's Make a Deal

I used to love watching the game show "Let's Make a Deal" on t.v. when I was a kid. Now as a diaper bag carrying adult, I'm quite certain I could win gobs of money if I were a contestant on the show. I think about it each time I grab my diaper bag or purse for what they are meant to carry... diapers or money and pull out just about anything but. Here is a documentation of the last time I cleaned out my Dreamgirl's diaper bag.

Here is the bag. Looks pretty good from the outside.

A checkbook... pretty normal. Why it isn't in my wallet I'm not sure???
Leaves. How did leaves get in my diaper bag? Someone explain.
An old Park-n-Ride ticket. Last time I flew was in September. That old girl's been hanging around for a while!
1 sock. Would be nice if the match was in there too.
A bar of soap. A mystery greater than that of the leaves.
Magnetic tap strips. Maybe I could make refrigerator magnets out of the leaves?
An assortment of pens & pencils. If I kept some of these inside at my desk I wouldn't have to write the kid's teachers notes with magic marker.
My Bath & Body Works lip gloss. I love this stuff. Go get you some girls. I think my color is "Plum."

Round 2:

My socks. Why I took them off & stuffed 'em in my diaper bag I'm not sure. I'm going to bet it was because I had worn my boots around town all day... my feet were killing me so I yanked them off as soon as I got in the car after my last stop.
A receipt. One of a gazillion.
Used lint brush strips. Is using a trash can against my religion?
Swim ribbons. Guess My Firstborn thinks she's such a swimming hot shot she doesn't need to keep & display these ribbons... she must be planning on winning lots more.
My make-up mirror. How many years of bag luck have I accrued from all those breaks & cracks???
Dreamgirl's used raisin box. See end of #3.

Jackson is coming to see if there's a can of tuna fish in the bag. Heck, if there's a bar of soap in there I wouldn't be surprised to find cat food.

Round 3:

Dreamgirl's shoe. Since I paid $32.00 bucks for those suckers I better find the other one.
My Bible study homework materials. Those would be better served inside the house.
C.D.'s of my Mother's Explorer's lectures. I'm putting these in a vault for preservation. What a treasure!
A pamphlet I picked up about a Chinese circus that came to Atlanta. I'm kicking myself now for not going.
Pretty Kitty's wallet. Don't tell her I had it.

Hi there Jackson. What a pretty boy you are!

And finally, a diaper.

2009-01-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

Two Words:

2008-12-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve

I usually dread New Year's Eve. With a capital "D." You always feel like you should go out but don't know what to do. Too many choices or too far or no babysitter. Big Daddy T is in Atlanta. No problem for him. He likes going out. I was happy to sit here alone, with 1/2 my crew and not give a second thought about what to do or where to go tonight. Call me lame. I don't care. Maybe I am lame. Well, maybe I will give it a second thought and this is what I think:

I WOULD HATE TO: go downtown Altanta to see "The Peach Drop." Bad parking, too crowded.

I WOULD LOVE TO: go to Atlanta for the Chick-fil-a Bowl and see GT play LSU.

I WOULD HATE TO: go to Times Square to see "The Ball Drop." Too crowded. I'm too afraid of terrorists.

I WOULD LOVE TO: watch "The Ball" drop from the balcony of a lush hotel suite overlooking Times Square.That sounds like fun!

I WOULD HATE TO: go bar hoppin'. I'm too old to stand up for hours, fight for a stool at the bar, be polite to strangers, shout over loud music and pay $9 for a crappy mojito.

I WOULD LOVE TO: go bar hoppin' like we did in Arizona... really nice hotel bars with plush seating, good views, nice music, attentive waiters and pay for good beer in a frosty glass.

I WOULD HATE TO: go to a friend of a friend's party. Call me a royal snob (or worse) but I just cannot stay up past midnight making small talk with strangers about work or kids or the economy or the weather. I don't want to dodge some drunk crazy person going around trying to kiss everyone at midnight. I'm not going to spend the night on someone's couch and I don't want to have to wait for a safe ride or tote a bunch of wasted adults around.

I WOULD LOVE TO: Go to a friend's/neighbor's house... watch T.V... play games... drink... laugh... talk... and then I could sleep in their guest room or walk home.

I WOULD HATE TO: be in the car with my kids tonight. If I'm not where I need to go by dark... I don't go. Man, do I need a Xanax or what? All this nervousness is making me nervous.

I WOULD LOVE TO: celebrate New Year's Eve on vacation. I like to travel. It would be fun to be in a snowy cabin somewhere or on a Caribbean beach. Ahhhh... maybe next year???

HAPPY 2009 FRIENDS!!! Wherever you are... BE SAFE!

2008-12-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

My Mother has been a Mama for 36 years today. And to celebrate we had dinner together (with my Daddy) tonight. It was so lovely. I love you Mama! And Daddy... thank you for my flowers.

2008-12-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

Carol's Christmas Candy

(It's to die for!)

Last week I received a gift from my friend Carol. It was homemade candy. When I arrived home at my house I suppose I was busy carrying Dreamgirl inside or groceries or something and left the candy in the car. Later that afternoon I got back in the car to go pick up the big kiddos from swim. Feeling a bit hungry & needing a snack, I remembered the homemade candies from Carol in the backseat. Risking an accident I turned around in my seat, taking my attention away from the road and towards finding the chocolaty snack in the back. Bringing them up to the front I initially thought them to be chocolate covered peanut butter drops. But upon biting into the first one I 'bout ran off the road! It was a most unexpected deliciousness of creamy coconut and nuts covered in thick, dark chocolate. I think I said "Oh my gosh!" outloud to myself. POP! into my mouth went another... then another... and another. Finally I told myself I should save the remaining candies for dessert after dinner. I twisted the bag and put it in the passenger seat. Then I grabbed them again, untwisted the bag and POP! POP! POP! ate the others up by the time I arrived at the pool. SOOOOOOOOO... all that to say.... if you LOVE coconut and chocolate and yummy, gooey goodness.... try this recipe for an amazing holiday treat. And... they make great gifts... like Carol gave to me. Thanks C.K.!

P.S... Iced Sugar Cookies barely beat out Red Velvet Cake as the favorite holiday treat among readers. RVC is my F*A*V*O*R*I*T*E cake and don't think I'm gonna let the holidays go by without sharing my Mama's recipe. But for today... make the chocolate... yummmmm....

Carol's Christmas Candy

2 boxes powdered sugar, sifted (I use a little less than 2 boxes so they are creamier - maybe about 1 3/4)

*1 can sweented condensed milk1 stick margarine or butter (I used butter)

*2 tsp vanilla

*2 cups chopped nuts

*1 cup flaked coconut

Directions: Melt butter, add sugar, milk, coconut, vanilla, nuts. mix well. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet and refrigerate over night.

Chocolate coating

*12 oz semi sweet choc. chips (Recipe calls for two 12oz pkg chips, but one was just enough)

*1/2 bar parafin wax

Melt together in double boiler. Dip balls with toothpick and place on waxed paper. cool. It helps to keep them cold before dipping so just take a few out of the frig at a time to dip. Makes about 120.

2008-12-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

What's Daddy Doing?

Two weekends ago, on a wet, cold, rainy Sunday afternoon we went to our neighborhood Home Depot to get our Christmas Tree. That probably sounds really lame to all my friends up north who get to go to REAL fraiser fur tree farms... walk in the snow, go for a genuine sleigh ride and let the horse pull it back. Ahhh... that sounds dreamy. Anyhoo- here in west, central Georgia we do the best we can and for us this year it was HD! Big Daddy T wanted to go shoot guns with my Daddy so he was very prompt in getting the tree inside so he could go play. My Dreamgirl was probably thinking "Lawsie, what are these crazy folks up to now???" but she found it quite amusing and wanted to get up close for a good look at this American Christmastime tradition.

First, she circles the tree and is surely questioning why we have brought a tree inside the house."

Next, she walks over to see why Daddy is laying on the floor UNDER the tree.

"Strange indeed," she whispers to herself.

She sees this may take a while and decides to have a seat. May have been because of this conversation:
BDT: "Is it straight?"
Me: "No a little to the left."
BDT: "Now?"
Me: "Oh I'm sorry, I meant right."
BDT: "Now?"
Me: "No... too far right go back a little more left."
BDT: "Now?"
Me: "Try spinning it a little left."
BDT: "&#(*@() @&$(*Q)@& #@%$^#!!!!!!!!"
Me: "It's looks great honey, just like that!"

Now, she gets brave and decides to venture under the tree herself!

She decides watching Daddy put water in the tree is a bit boring and come closer for a hug.

Or... maybe to play? Attack Daddy!

Nah... a hug sounds better.

2008-12-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

Catching Up

Oh my blogging friends. Here I am. I am alive. And thankfully... I am well. So where have I been? First of all... I hate my computer. It's slow. How slow??? This slow.

As slow as a slimy, creeping snail.

Or, as slow as you may go if you had to follow this kind gentleman up a flight of stairs.

And definitely as slow as this 3-toed sloth is at getting up & getting going!

So having bad equipment is frustrating to this Blogger who likes to use pictures in her posts. Perhaps this guy will help me out:

And I've had a bit of writer's block. I've been uninspired. For so long I used this blog as an outlet for the frustration I had with waiting for Dreamgirl. Then, after returning home I was so joyful I used it to brag and spill all the details about her. Six months later I'm settled. No longer desperately needing to vent my fears and questions and anxieties about an impending adoption and a bit calmer from the hysteria of those first few months as a proud new mama. But I do like my blog. I love to scrapbook but don't find much time to do that either. This blog sort of acts as an on-line, public scrapbook of my life... my children growing and our adventures. So here I am... back in the saddle.

So... during my "va-cay" we celebrated our SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY with Little Miss Dreamgirl. Can you believe it? Six months she's been ours. Six months since that day she walked into our lives in the arms of an orphanage nanny. Six months since we stepped of an United airplane as a new family... tired, jet-lagged and unsure of how our transition would go. And we made it! It feels like she's been here forever! And yet, at many times I am so aware of how much time we missed with her. She's growing so fast... and to think of those 9 months she grew without us watching. I am still mesmerized by her... I catch myself staring at her... her big, brown, almond eyes... her tiny, little, peanut body... her beautiful thin fingers. She's so smart. She's funny. She's mine.

This is what our Dreamgirl looked like this time last year:

This photograph was dated 11/27/07. November 27th was Thanksgiving Day this year. Saying we're thankful to have her home is a gross understatement!

And here she is six months later at 9 months old, sitting on a bed in room #1320 of the Gloria Grand Hotel in Nanchang, China... only about an hour after we got her. I can't imagine what she must have been thinking!

And look at our beautiful, big girl today. She's stunninginly beautiful if I do say so myself.

Be back soon, friends... and I promise!

2008-11-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

Guess Who We Met... FINALLY!

Last weekend My Dreamgirl and I finally got to meet the long-awaited, highly anticipated Miss Kai. Her amazing Mother invited friends over to meet her beautiful baby only 2 days after deboarding a 30 hour flight back from Vietnam. I was in a coma the weekend after my trip... numbly glued to my couch wearing pajamas wondering if I would ever be the same... and Kai's Mama was radiant, energetic and beaming as she introduced us to her daughter. Kai is healthy, happy, adjusting beautifully and settling into her world here in America.

Hello beautiful Kai... we've waited so long to see you and have you safely at home. Kai is 2 months & 10 days younger than My Dreamgirl.

Kai & Dreamgirl seemed to connect like old friends. I hope they are friends forever!

Hey... where'd those smiles go, you pretty girls? They both look like "Oh geez... here they go again with those flashy thingie mabobs. We wish they'd give it a rest already!" O.K. sweet girls, back to your play... so THANKFUL, espcially this week, that you are both H*O*M*E with your families!

2008-11-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

I Have Become my Father

Every grown child has a moment when they say something or do something and it hits them... "Oh my gosh... I heard my Mother say that a million times!" or "My Dad did the same thing when I was a kid!" That happened to me this week as I found myself unable to throw away a bottle of hand soap that had just a little bit left in the bottom. I unscrewed the top of the old bottle AND the new bottle and flipped that old bottle upside down and let the unused contents slowly drip into the new bottle... totally emptying the old bottle. Growing up my Daddy did this with ketchup, dishwashing soap, syrup... basically, all bottled products. And there I stood in my very own kitchen now doing the same. What do you do that your parent always did? Anything?

2008-11-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

I Love It!

This is my Oprah-esque post about some of my favorite things. Today's feature is ZAPPOS! Ever tried it? Zappos.com is an on-line shoe store that has available just about any style & size of shoe, boot, sandal, slipper, high-heel or tennis shoe for men, women & children. It's awesome! Now... this is not a discount shoe site. You won't find any real terrific bargains BUT... here are the super-duper benefits of shopping on Zappos:

FREE shipping BOTH ways. They send shoes to you free & if they don't fit you print off an UPS shipping return label... at home... and drop the box off at the nearest UPS store... which in my case is right next to Publix, to which I go just about on a daily basis. So, the price you see is the price you pay!
They are delivered to your door via UPS at LIGHTNING SPEED. Lightning I say. When you check-out choose the FREE SHIPPING option... which says like 3-5 business days. Do not be fooled by that. THE SHOES WILL BE AT YOUR HOME THE NEXT DAY! It's amazing... it's like they have tiny shoe elves who work through out the night and fly on Santa-like sleds to bring them straight to your door. I ordered my mom some Ugg boots. They arrived at her home around 5 p.m. They were too small. I took them home with me after eating supper with she & my Daddy and after my kids went to bed got on the Zappos site and ordered her a bigger pair. This was like 9 p.m. The new boots were at her house by 5 p.m. the NEXT DAY! For FREE! And then I returned the smaller pair... for FREE!
They will credit your credit card quickly. This company is about CUSTOMER SERVICE and they've got a loyal one in me for FO SHO!

Did you know there are NO early detection devices for Pancreatic Cancer. PC is often known as a "silent disease" because in it's early stages it produces NO easily recognizable symptoms. Therefore, PC is usually not diagnosed until it is in ADVANCED stages. Warning signs to look for include weight loss, jaundice, pain in the upper abdomen and/or back and diarrhea.

2008-11-08T16:53:00.001-08:00

Did you know Pancreatic cancer research constitutes less than 2% of the National Cancer Institute’s federal research funding—a figure far too low given the severity of the disease. And that my friends, is a F*A*C*T!!!

2008-11-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

Getting to Know Big Daddy T

I thought I'd let you get to know my Baby Daddy a little bit better this Friday afternoon. Besides keeping his laptop & cell phone in a holster permanently attached to his waist, he is a huge SEC college football fan, loves to make variations of tuna fish casserole, hates my cats and is a procrastinator. I'm not sure exactly what to blame the procrastination on... it's not exactly laziness or full-out rebellion... here's an example. This is verbatim, a text message I received from him after he left out of town for work this week:

"I meant to tell u to stay away from the police cause our tags r expired... just watch in ur mirrors and avoid..."

Now his birthday is at the FIRST of October and he had all month to get the tags. Instead, now I in addition to picking kids up, dropping kids off, referring fights, passing back snacks to a baby who hates the carseat, playing DJ... I have to be on the lookout for cop cars and then "avoid." I'll do my best.

2008-11-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2008

Well, I'm a little slow getting these Halloween pics. up... seems like I'm slammed these days and seems like little Miss Dreamgirl doesn't exactly like entertaining herself while I waste the day away on the computer... go figure? Anyhoo... here's our recap. Let's begin a couple weeks before Halloween... on a sunny, Wednesday afternoon when my 3 big kiddos convinced me it was a good day to drive to the nearest "big-ger" town to purchase their Halloween costumes. Party City looked like downtown Atlanta at 4:00 on a Friday afternoon... it was a ZOO! With all 4 kids in tow we managed to manuever through the crowds and get the costume each of the Big 3 wanted... for the bargain price of $139.00. That's right... (BDT don't call me or text me or have a coronary... the money's already gone and it ain't comin' back!) When did Halloween become so expensive? There's hardly any money left for poor 'ol Santa Claus now!!! Well, they were all happy & excited and I was happy it was over... but little did I know... it wasn't over. My Baby Boy's jumpsuit needed to be hemmed... big time. My Firstborn's costume was really for a woman & had boob darts for the "woman" who would wear it & her big boobs... my boobless 10- yr-old was mortified and demanded that I totally reconstruct the dress to get rid of the boob darts & gathers... oh and while I was at it could I possibly make the skirt gold instead of turquoise? And finally, Pretty Kitty was a bit too rolly-polly for her "Disco Dolly" dress and even my smallest girdle didn't help enough. So I found myself reconstucting that dress too... adding shiny hot pink panels on the side for extra "comfort." My early start and $139.00 seemed in vain as I put the final stitches in the costumes just hours before sunset Friday afternoon. Whew! But it turned out good and they were thrilled... doesn't that make it worth it???

Here is My Firstborn starring as a modest "I'm embarrassed to have my picture made alone" Egyptian Princess.

I gulped hard when her make-up was complete... she looked so grown-up... and so beautiful. Where'd my baby go?

Here's my Pretty "I'm never embarrassed to have picture taken & will offer you 100 of my own poses" Kitty. She looked glamorous as our Hippie Chick!

See? She's a supermodel when the camera comes out!

And My Baby Boy as "The King"... Elvis. He was an absolute hit! Poor girls totally got the shaft when neighbors answered the door... everybody looooved Elvis! He does look pretty awesome doesn't he? Here he's giving me his "thankyaverymuch" pose.

An upclose smile for Mama!"

And where??? you may ask, is My Dreamgirl on her First Halloween looking all cute in her fuzzy, wuzzy bunny rabbit costume? Here she is....

Here she is. Uh, huh... that's right... asleep. I asked Big Daddy T to watch her while I got the Big 3 ready, fixed dinner, etc. and this is how he did... he let her fall asleep and therefore miss the entire event. Nice. That's my payback for the $139.00... we're even!

Did you know that Pancreatic Cancer research is at the level TODAY where breast cancer research was in the 1930's??? That's pretty pathetic for the cancer that has the highest mortality rate among all cancers!

2008-11-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

It's November Again!

November is PANCREATIC CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. I try not to get so sick of all the breast cancer awareness attention that the media bombards us with. I have a grandmother & great-grandmother that had breast cancer... and heck, I have breasts! But, watching my mom fight PANCREATIC CANCER for the last 20 months has made me acutely aware of how scary and dangerous this type of cancer is. This month I will inform my readers of some facts to help you understand this devestating disease better.

PANCREATIC CANCER FACT: 75% of patients with Pancreatic Cancer will die within one year of diagnosis.

2008-10-29T09:08:00.001-07:00

Waiting for Kai

I have a dear friend here in my small town. This friend and I have only seen each other a handful of times. We've never been to each other's house... we've never gone shopping together... we've never done a "girl's weekend." This friend and I have a bond, though... despite our busy schedules, different social circles and activities. You see we are kindred spirits because we're both adoptive mommies who have shared the same cup of wanting, waiting and desperate hope. We know the feeling of living on the computer desperate for news of our little ones across the ocean. We know how the other has sat in an empty nursery that waits for the baby to needs it so desperately. We know the agonizing fear that our daughters may not have what they need and the powerlessness of being able to help them. We know the hours the other has spent on their knees praying unceasingly for God to open the doors behind which our little girls waited. We know. We just know. While close friends surrounded both of us as we waited & waited... offered encouragement... pleaded to help... only those who have walked in the same shoes truly know the specific feelings and desire and fear associated with international adoption. My adoption journey was rocky. And my friend's has been the same. Soon after I returned home with My Dreamgirl in June I met this friend for lunch. That day she was hopeful to travel to Vietnam "any time now" for her daughter Kai. That "time" was much longer and more agonizing than she ever imagined. The end of the story is that finally, Kai is coming home. My friend and her husband overnight have received final approval from the USCIS and now boarding that plane will be sweeter and more joyous than it ever could have been this past summer. Congratulations to my sweet friend. My Dreamgirl & I cannot wait to meet your long-awaited daughter and celebrate with you today!

2008-10-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Where Did I Go Wrong?

Recently, through Facebook, I was able to reconnect with an old high school friend I probably haven't seen or talked to since our high school graduation on a muggy June night in 1991. I knew this friend had left the South to pursue a new life out West, while I created my adult life here in the Peach State where we grew up. Upon becoming my friend's "friend" again on Facebook, I was able to view his children... beautiful girls... and cute, seemingly well-behaved dogs (unlike mine) and then I got a glimpse of this...

This breathtaking photograph is a picture of his backyard. As in... what he sees when he looks out his backdoor. I was in awe. The scene was so beautiful and idyllic that I immediately was jealous of the beauty & peace that surrounds his family everyday in their home. Gorgeous. With a capital "G." And as the days passed... as I walked around my house looking out upon my backyard... I wondered where did I go wrong? Let's look out my backdoor and see if it compares to the Colorado beauty of my friend's.

Greeting you when you walk out my back door is the brown shag rug that belongs in my big girls' room. My cat pooped on it one night... right in front of me. I freaked!!! and threw the cat & the rug out the backdoor. I haven't called the carpet cleaner out yet to sanitize it so on the back porch rail it waits.

Next is a trash can that is overflowing with empty cat food bags. Does Big Daddy T need an invitation to empty it's contents into the dumpster?

Here is my cat responsible for the aforementioned pooping and eating of the cat food once contained in the peach bags.

Here's another picture of my friend's backyard. Look at his dogs playing happily. The mountain stream flowing through the property. The picnic tables set up on the manicured lawn.

Here's my backyard. My naked pool, which is growing colder by the day and spending autumn collecting leaves that fall from the trees that surround it. Another summer passed without us finding time to landscape around it. The pool equipment stands unhidden for the world to see... like a zit on the face of my pool area. Nice, huh?

Here's a hole that My Baby Boy put in my deck last week. Oops. Glad that the outdoor fireplace screen will now spend the winter covering the hole rather than shielding us from the sparks of the fire. Looks like that fireplace screen has spent one too many days in the rain.

Sitting side by side on the holey deck I saw one of my good cereal bowsl... wonder which baby left that out there... sitting next to one of my snorkle fins. There is no telling where the fin's partner is. It appears the kids confiscated this one, used it in the chlorinated pool & left it to weather in the hot, beating Southern summertime.

This bowl has been out in the backyard long enough to become a yellow jacket graveyard. I wonder what it's like to drown in Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk?

Do you see any cereal bowls, dead insects or forgotten area rugs in this picture?

And finally, the creme-de-la-creme of the backyard: the trampoline. We have a broken down Pottery Barn patio chair. I guess they still use it as a ladder to climb up on the trampoline. We have a bike that will soon suffer the same fate as the fireplace screen & snorkle fin... (note to self: remember to remind kids that Santa sees how his gift is being treated... could produce a month of good behavior.) And the protective green spring padding that has been tossed aside onto the ground. Guess my kids are now "too cool" to have their little fingers & toes protected from the pinchy springs.

So until I find the time to create a dreamier backyard... perhaps I'll blow this photograph up & place it in my window as my inspiration and share in the beauty of my friend's yard... all the way back here at home.

11 Days Until Election Day

2008-10-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

No offense to my delightful Democrat friends!

2008-10-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

How Big is Too Big?

I cannot stop staring at this portrait of My Mother & My Dreamgirl. What would be a totally obnoxious size to order & frame this print? 16 x 20? 20 x 24? Poster size? This is what happens when a photographer is able to capture a dream with her camera.

2008-10-14T17:36:00.001-07:00

I Get Some Doozies!

Being a white woman walking around with a Chinese baby somehow attracts all sorts of "interesting" (a.k.a stupid) comments from strangers. I guess 'cause they compliment her as "cute" they think they can ask questions or make comments that you'd never pose to someone else. Like would you walk up to a complete stranger in a wheelchair and say "why can't you walk?" NO! NEVER! Would you walk up to a mother with a mentally handicapped child and ask her "does your son know he's retarded?" NO! That would be AWFUL! But, strangers come up to me all the time & disguise their comments in a compliment and ask me all sorts of crazy (a.k.a. stupid) questions or make dumb statements. Here are my TOP 5... these are real, people... I am NOT making these up... pinky promise!

"Do you think she'll have an accent?" Uh... yeah... a southern one! We call it a "drawl." My baby is learning to speak English... just like every other 1 yr-old. Why because she was born in China mean she'll have a Chinese accent?
"Is that a Chinese baby?" I just got this one this afternoon. This woman pulled her cart along side of mine and asked me that. Like you may say "Oh, is that a Dooney & Burke handbag?" or "Are those Gap jeans?" No... she's an American baby who was born in China... her race is Asian. And asking about my baby is a little different than asking about my watch or my kid's tennis shoes!
"Where'd you get her?" This is another one like #2 that you may ask about something other than a child! Like, "Where did you get this chicken salad recipe?" or "Great pedicure... where'd you get it?" I mean... what if My Dreamgirl was six-years-old and could understand these comments? I'd have to hire a babysitter every time I went out in public just to protect her self-esteem!
"I hear those babies cost a lot!" Attention strangers... I did not order my baby from the L.L. Bean catalog or bid on her from ebay. Would you ever go up to someone you knew had in-vitro and say "I hear it cost you a butt load to get pregnant!" NO! You would never dream! I didn't buy my baby! I adopted her and paid the fees associated with that process. Just like I paid the OB-GYN & hospital for delivering my 3 big kiddos! Hello???
"Will you tell her she's adopted?" Rounding out the TOP 5 Stupid Comments/Questions is the dumbest of them all. Will I tell her she's adopted? Well, unless she has oatmeal for brains... which she doesn't... I think she'll figure it out. Something about the way we look different may be a clue or the fact that STUPID people like YOU won't leave us alone as we shop for Pop Tarts & roasted turkey! How would that answer be?

2008-10-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

My Baby Boy had a Birthday!

Yesterday, my Beautiful Baby Boy turned 7 years old. The day he was born was one of the happiest of my entire life. It was a great day. Easy labor... amazing OB... my Mama was there... and a son. I loved him instantly. I almost lost him about a year later (long story... will tell another time) and so each birthday is precious to me. A celebration of not only his birth, but his life.

He picked everything we ate for dinner... hamburgers, hot dogs, Doritos, Funyuns, hashbrown casserole, baked beans, Sprite & Coke! It was good!

He also chose a Cheesecake birthday "cake" instead of the traditional cake & ice cream. When you're the birthday boy, it's all about YOU!

Make a wish!

His favorite part of the party!

Looks like Baby Sister found herself a party favor. She snuck her baby cousin's pacifier and locked down on it tight!

2008-10-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

I'm Looking for...

A mom named Christine left me a comment a couple days ago. She has a Jiangxi Dreamgirl from the same city & SWI as I do. If you're Christine, I'd love to email you but don't know how to find you. Will you find me again? Hope so!

2008-10-10T10:20:00.001-07:00

Look What Came In!

Since many of you won't be coming to my house anytime soon to see these displayed, I thought I would brag just a little bit more about my Beautiful Baby Girl and share with you her 1 year-old portraits. These were made August 23rd... 3 days after she turned 1 and just arrived. She wasn't too smiley that day, but I think they're beautiful. The dress she is wearing was custom made for her during our stay in Nanchang in Jiangxi Province... were we first met our Dreamgirl and in the Province of her birth.

2008-10-09T06:12:00.001-07:00

Pick a "P"... Pitiful, Pathetic or Par-for-the-Course

As I set about setting the table for supper the other night I suddenly became aware of how grotesque my everyday glassware has become. I no longer even have 5 glasses of the same size, shape & pattern to set my dinner table with. Is that pitiful (as my Daddy would say,) pathetic or just par-for-the-course, after 4 kids and 13 years of marriage. I was able to capture for you the dysfunction of my table setting... and just how random my collection has dwindled down to.

2008-10-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

Real Dinners for Real (Busy) Moms

I am busy. Real busy. And I don't work... "outside" the home. You girls that do... how DO you do it? One of the weights that plagues me every. single. dog-gone day is WHAT TO HAVE FOR DINNER? I need something easy. I do not have time to julienne vegetables or grow fresh herbs or make my own chicken stock or whip up my own pumpkin butter. I need something good that everybody will eat. I need something that will feed 5. I need something that I can cook with ingredients I can easily pick up at The Pub or Wally World... I don't have time to trek all over the southeast looking for fancy-smancy stuff. I like to cook. I like to bake. But I just ain't got the time to do it everyday. Are you girls with me? Are you? Hello?

So, I thought I'd pass along some dishes that I have found that fit the bill described above for a busy mom like me. These are not my original recipes... I'm not intentionally plagiarizing here... and if I know where I got it... I'll pass it along. If I don't and you know who came up with it... tell them I said THANK YOU! Some of them I've tweeked here or there... usually to make it more simple or less time consuming. Let's go...

Ham~Potato Casserole

I found this casserole in Southern Living's "Easy Weeknight Favorites" cookbook and have tweaked it just a tiny bit. O.K... this is yummy... all my kids love it AND you can easily make it as low-fat or calorie packed as you like... depends on what kind of ingredients you choose. So, here goes...

*1 package of frozen hash browns (chunks... not the grated kind)

*1 cup of cheddar cheese (here's where you could use 2% and make it "light" or you could throw in more to make it cheesier!)

*8 oz. sour cream (again, use "light" or "fat free" for a slimmer version)

*1 can Cream of Potato soup

*1/2 to 1 stick of melted butter (use as much as you feel comfortable... and you could omit all together if your diet conscience gets the best of you)

*ham (I have used everything from ham steaks, to canadian bacon, to smoked pork chops. You can do as much or as little as you want according to your taste... I usually do 1-2 steakes diced into chunks.)

Now... just mixed it all up together and throw it in a greased 9 x 13 Pyrex... cook at 350 for about an hour OR until the hashbrowns are soft. I ALWAYS have to give it a taste to make sure the hashbrowns aren't still hard & frozeny like.

Last night I added a side of green beans and rolls and it was a hit. Hope this helps another busy mom out there... good luck girls!

2008-10-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

Big Daddy's Big Day

He ain't 40 but he feels 60. Make a good wish Big Daddy T... hope it comes true!

2008-10-04T05:25:00.000-07:00

The Other Side of the Coin

For as beautiful as My Dreamgirl can be... she has lately begun to show her "other" side. The "I'm not a happy-go-lucky baby anymore" side... the "I'm becoming a toddler who wants what I want" side... the "I want something specific but can't vocalize it yet so I'm going to get really mad because you can't figure it out" side.... the "I want to be held & entertained 24/7 please" side... the "do NOT leave the room to empty the dishwasher or start a load of laundry" side... and the most popular "I would rather roam around a dangerous, moving mini-van than be strapped in this stinkin' car seat" side. Oh, we've had some fun, fun days 'round here lately. Especially in the car. Instead of hearing about the big kids' school day or NewsTalk radio or our favorite CD... we usually get to hear... "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" all around town. It's big fun I tell you... big, loud fun. Can't believe my beautiful, angelic Dreamgirl is capable of such behavior? Here's proof:

Here we find Dreamgirl in her LEAST favorite spot... her Britax carseat.

*I was a passenger and not the driver when these photographs were taken.

A momentary reprieve...

As you were.

These were taken yesterday morning. What could cause such a fit you ask?

Notice the spoon in her hand. I would not let her play on the couch in my cereal bowl of left over milk and not getting her way caused a MELTDOWN!

Such a sad face on for a pretty girl. Cheer up Dreamgirl... life's not that bad!

2008-10-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Snapshots of a Beautiful Baby

You may call me conceited. You may think I'm boasting. You may go tell your friends "That Georgia Girl is nothing but a vain bragger!" You may pray that I would be convicted of my outrageous pride. But I'm sorry. Please accept my sincerest apologies. I admit, I am partial. I cannot get over the fact that My Dreamgirl is one of the most beautiful children I have EVER laid my eyes upon. Photographs do not do her beauty justice. The camera cannot possible catch the sparkle in her big brown eyes or the silkiness of her dark hair or the creamy softness of her perfect skin. I am mesmerized by her. When people compliment her "cuteness" all I can say is "Thank you... I know, she IS cute isn't she?" After all, it's not my genes that created her so that does make my awe more tolerable right? Like if we're out to dinner and someone tastes my grilled salmon and says "Wow... that is so good!" and I say "I know... it really is." I didn't cook it... I didn't choose the recipe.... I didn't create it's presentation. So when I go on & on about how good the salmon is... it's o.k. Right? She was "perfectly & wonderfully made" by her Creator. And graciously given to me. When I was waiting for My Dreamgirl I prayed for her safety. I prayed for her to be healthy. I prayed for her to attach to me. I prayed that I would bring her home before her 1st birthday. And I prayed for her to be beautiful. I admit it. I did. It may be shallow, but I did. And the Lord granted me all that I requested. Would I have loved her if she weren't oh, so very beautiful? Oh yes. Would I be totally devoted to her if she were ill? More than you know. Would I give my life for her if she was older than I dreamed? You betcha! The answers to all my prayers is not about me... or her... but Him. Thank you seems so inadequate.

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me

what I asked of Him."

1 Samuel 1:27

2008-09-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Becoming a Pro

After weeks & weeks of a couple steps here... PLOP! A couple steps there... PLOP! More steps here... PLOP! Even more steps there... PLOP! It seems like Little Miss Dreamgirl has finally got the hang of walking down. And when she's holding a hand... watch out... she can really get movin'! It does get a bit complicated when she tries to walk with a cup or one of her favorite activities... putting a bag over her shoulder & saying "bye bye"... copying myself and her big sisters walking out the door with a pocketbook or bookbag... it's so dog gone cute I could pinch her little cheeks off. I finally captured some shots this afternoon of my two-legged baby in action!

"Hey there Dreamgirl... come see Mama!"

Here she comes!

Walking with a ping pong ball in her hand does not apparently cause a problem in balance or stability.

"Now... let's go back the other way."

She wants my camera so she's happy to oblige me.

Good girl! Back and forth... holding an object... with no PLOPS! BRAVO!

2008-09-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

Weekend Round-Up

I'm still here. I've had some inquiries as to my well-being and location... but I'm here. Remember... Big Daddy T leaves me here alone... A LOT... so I'm basically raising 4 yungin's and trying to run a household BY. MY. SELF. It keeps my busy... just a tad. Anyhoo... we survived the weekend alone... me & my chicks and have successfully begun a new week. Fall around our house not only means football Saturdays, it means SWIM SEASON! We're swimmers 'round here... keeps my jolly, round chicks in shape & off the couch. This past weekend we kicked off the Fall Swim Meet schedule and here's how things went down...

Saturday's swim meet was My Baby Boy's very first meet. Awwwwwwwwwww. Here he is about to head to the blocks for his first race ever... still with nacho cheese on his right cheek as he gobbled up a "pre-race" snack... leave it to my kiddos to always make the healthy choice... NOT!

Here he goes...

He was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room of rockin' chairs. He gets a final "you can do it" pat on the back from Coach Wendy.

"Take your mark..."

And off he goes!

Smooth, clean water out in front of him... lookin' good for a 25-yard freestyle!

Like a good, competitive boy all he cared about was "winning!" He didn't quite grasp the whole meet divided into heats concept... he just cared about coming in 1st place.

Well, looks like he did it! In his heat at least!

My Dreamgirl is a ROCKSTAR at swim meets. As soon as the girls hop out of the pool, the swarm around Dreamgirl like she was one of The Jonas Brothers. Swimmer-extrodinaire Miss M. helped me with Dreamgirl for a while so I could cheer on my swimmers & snap some pics.

Even though Pretty Kitty is a member of the swim team, she's still a bit too nervous to compete... no shocker there. She much prefers playing games with the other swimmers in between their events.

Here's My Firstborn getting some last minute instructions from Coach Y. We've just undergone a coaching change and our new "interim" staff is AWESOME! We're never letting them leave.

And here she comes doing the butterfly leg of her individual medley race.

Looks like all her hard work paid off... she won her first meet trophy! Way to go Firstborn!

I hope whatever you did and wherever you were this past weekend you were safe and productive. Have a great week & check out the N*E*W*P*O*L*L!

2008-09-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

Chillaxing in the Arizona Desert

Our group flew out to AZ on business... football business baby... and the Dawgs got the job done. But before Saturday's big game we headed out into the Arizona desert on Friday for some R & R at The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa. Now I'm not saying I want to live in Arizona, but it was a very cool place to visit. It was my first time out there and I do want to go back and definitely want to return to The Boulders. Good call, J.M... good call. I had never been in the desert before... never seen cactus up close or sandy gravel in yards instead of grass. The sky was so blue and the mountains were amazing. I was in awe of the beauty and diversity of the world God created. Thanks S.H.C. for the pictures... since I brought my camera ALL the way out to AZ only to leave it in the hotel room... smart!

The Arizona landscape was nothing I had ever experienced before. We all loved staring out the windows as we drove out to The Boulders taking in all the new sights!

Upon entering The Boulders property you quickly come to The Golden Door Spa. Ahhhh... I love the spa. I do. I'm that kind of girl. I could spend a month's salary there in one day. The Boulders Resort were built to blend into the landscape... little casitas for rooms, adobe looking building only 1 story as not to interfer with the view. The Golden Door is THE NICEST spa I've ever been to. First class... all the way. Anything you need, they provide... from fresh organic snacks to razors in the showers to little plastic bags for your wet bathing suit. NICE.

After our massages and tiny tea cups of potassium broth (ick!) we headed out back to soak up the sun at the pool. And here is what we walked out to. Nestled in between big, amazing bolders was the pool. It was gorgeous.

Notice all the elements for a P*E*R*F*E*C*T afternoon poolside:

A beautiful sunny day, crystal blue sky and gorgeous surroundings.
A pool AND a hot tub.
An umbrella for when you think you're getting too much sun.
A menu & a waitress who will bring food & drinks to you at the pool.
Friends.

They had big, lush towels waiting in each lawn chair... complimentary sunscreen for our fair skinned friends, glass carafes of lemon ice water & iced green tea... we could've just had the kids shipped cross country and lived there.

Before we headed back to Scottsdale we decided to hike around a bit to check out the views from the top. See if you can spot a house built into the mountain in this picture! Did you find it?

And in typical accomodating fashion, The Boulders has a nice cleared trail for visitors to use.

Up we go...

Very cool to walk THROUGH the boulders.

I loved this giant cactus we found 1/2 way up the mountain. Did you know that this type of cactus doesn't get it's first arm until they're 70 years old??? These old giants have been around a while! Look how beautiful the view is... the bright green golf course was a pretty contrast to the brown rock.

Keep going up!

I really look dressed for the occasion in my Ann Taylor capris and flip flops!

Am I a dork or what???

Amazing how rocks can be amazing. Doesn't this one like it would just topple over at any second?

And here we look out from the top. I love seeing how the clouds cast shadows on the mountains. Cool, huh? Hiking was fun. Maybe I should become a hiker. Where to hike around here? I'll just have to go back to AZ regularly I suppose!

2008-09-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

My Mama Ree is Gonna Die!

A shocking people magazine will hit stands this week that will knock your socks off. Well, if it doesn't yours it will my Grandma's. Poor Mama Ree thinks Clay Aiken is America's sweetheart and may very well gasp a horrified "Well, I declare!" when her copy hits the mailbox later this week. My Mama Ree has become a habitual magazine subscriber in her old age and now receives everything from Shape (I don't know why) to Country Living (which I steal) ... with the giant-sized Reader's Digest and T.V. Guides in between. She was just telling us at dinner last night all about seeing Clay Aiken on American Idol Rewind a couple days ago (she's also a t.v. fanatic) and how he should've won over Rueben Studdard and how much "prettier" the song Clay sang was than Rueben's. Well it turns out that Clay's even "prettier" than she thought... even though we've all known it all along!

2008-09-22T20:47:00.001-07:00

The Guys and The Girls

Going on vacation with Big Daddy T and his friends isn't exactly what some would call a "romantic" getaway. Fun? Yes. Crazy? At times. Romantic? No. Why you may ask? Because when "The Guys" get together they're thicker than thieves and that leaves little room for us womenfolk in their shenanigans. (That can be a good thing.) It was even suggested once during the trip that the girls room together and the boys room together. Lucky for me Big Daddy T's friends married some nice, fun & funny girls... that makes the trip a success when "The Guys" are walking 10 steps ahead of y'all all weekend. Let me give you an example:

Here we are at dinner Thursday night in downtown Scottsdale... which is a very cool city by the way... and by "cool" I mean as far as atmosphere... not temperature. Our friend and tour guide, J.M. made our group reservations at The Old Town Tortilla Factory. Notice how we all are seated. "The Girls" sat down while "The Guys" parked the car. There were empty seats next to each of us. Did "The Guys" come in and sit next to their sweethearts? Uhhh.... NO! See 'em all huddled down at the end of the table together? Only one couple ended up together... Tour Guide J.M. and his wife B.... there on the right. Oh well... the girls were super cool & I had fun hanging with them for the weekend. I'll have more from my trip as the week goes on.

Now, let's talk P*O*L*L* R*E*S*U*L*T*S from last week. Seems like most of you suffer from the same incurable disease I do... Sugarholicolitis. It's a sneaky, wicked, dangerous illness... one that has held me in it's grips for years. Throughout those years I have been besieged by half-baked chocolate cookies with scoops of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream on top (the agony!).... Heath Blizzards from Dairy Queen with extra Heath (the shame!).... Peanut Butter M & M's (the horror!)... and don't forget the Chic-fil-a Cookies-n-Creme Milkshake (oh my aching hips!) Sugarholicolitis has ruined wardrobes on beautiful size 8 clothes, it has zapped my energy and it has created a belly pooch I may never get rid of. In order to be successful on my new diet I must conquer this great foe once and for all! How will I do it??? I'm not quite sure. Stay tuned. But I do know I have found some G*O*O*D "diet food" that I can share with you today.

Now... this ain't no Snicker's bar but the new GoLean Crunchy bars from Kashi are pretty good. At 170 calories, they're my new choice for breakfast (especially great when I'm on the go) and eaten with a cup of coffee they go down pretty easy.

I've got 2 suggestions for lunch and they're terrific for working gals and those who stay at home. The Oscar Mayer Deli Creations are my fave! For around 300 calories you get a hot, cheesy sandwich that tastes G*O*O*D! My faves so far are the Buffalo Ranch Chicken and the Chicken Bacon Ranch. They fill me up... paired with a Diet Coke & a yogurt... I'm good to go until dinner... usually.

My second favorite "diet" lunchtime meal are the sandwich wraps from South Beach Living from Kraft foods. For around 230 calories you will get 2 wraps and a jello cup... bonus! Eat 'em cold or hot, these are equally as convenient as the Deli Creations and cheaper than heading through the drive-thru. For these I'm recommending the Southwestern Style Chicken and the Grilled Chicken Ceasar.

*Check out the N*E*W P*O*L*L and have a great week friends!

2008-09-22T05:58:00.001-07:00

I'm Back!

I'm back in good 'ol Georgia after a 4 day trip to Arizona to watch the UGA Dawgs beat up on Arizona State. I've got pictures to share... but laundry to catch up on... will post later & be back with a new poll!

2008-09-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

China Trip Tuesdays: The Pearl Market

Next to jade, Chinese pearls are a hot souvenier for parents to buy & bring home for their new babies. Pearls for My Dreamgirl to wear on her wedding day were #1 on my "MUST BUY IN CHINA" list. Like cattle going to market, us adoptive parents were herded onto the tour bus during our stay in Guangzhou and shipped off to a huge building filled with nothing but wholesale jewelry stores. We wondered how much our guides were getting paid on the down-low for bringing eager American shoppers in by the dozens.

This shot was taken on the first floor looking up. I can see at least 5 floors.

Here's another view. You can make out directions to different departments... silver, pearl, turquoise, etc.

Here's a look around the ground floor... jewelry kiosks lined the center of the building. In these, like the stores you could buy jewelry already made or choose from loose stones & have something made for you while you waited.

Another look...

Our guide, Connie, recommended a couple different shops for us to buy from. Wonder how much free jewelry she's getting for sending folks to these shops? Now, that is just not nice... why am I so skeptical about that??? Anyway, the shops were nice & the salespeople were nice to us.

It is really too late & I'm really too tired to write about this subject accurately tonight so if this sounds like blah! blah! blah! please forgive me. Anyhoo- we went into the store and told the girl helping us we wanted a strand of pearls and matching earrings. There are different quality of pearls and we asked to see medium & high. Not high high, like Mikimotos, but medium & high of the "regular" grade pearls. In this picture, the girl has laid out many different strands for us to look through. You look for shape (you want them well rounded... as spherical as possible) and smooth (they can get grainy and scratchy looking.) Once we chose a stand for the necklace, we chose from loose pearls for Dreamgirl's earrings. We sifted through an entire quart sized bag looking for just the right size, shape & color.

In this photo it looks like Big Daddy T is trying to joke around with our saleslady and it was confusing her. Poor thing is trying to speak basic english & Big Daddy T is trying his best Jerry Seinfeld on her. If I remember right I think he was asking her how much if he wanted to buy the entire bag of loose pearls. And she couldn't figure out if he was serious or not.

Then after choosing a strand you choose the clasp. There are all different classes here too... silver, gold, real, fake. Oh... there's our amazing national guide Chen Chen in the background... "Hey Chen Chen... we miss you! How were the Olympics?"

We splurged on the gold.

And lastly our little sales lady adds up our ticket. I'd thrown in a black pearl pendant for myself... and then added the mathching earrings... and then I found some fresh water pearl earrings to match a necklace I had back home... and then My Firstborn found a bracelet... and you can tell by the way he's standing, Big Daddy T is beginning to sweat as the number keep piling up! Oops!

But he was a very good sport and I came home with what I went there for. My Dreamgirl and a strand of Chinese pearls for her to wear on her Wedding Day from her Mama... and Daddy too.

2008-09-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

Because I Have Nothing Better to Do

That's a lie. I do have better things to do. Things like cleaning, raising yungin's and watching Fox News about where my money is. But, enough of those depressing things. This is more fun. Tonight Pretty Kitty & I had a rootin' tootin' good time playing on the website Yearbook Yourself. Oh lawsie, it was funny. Check out our looks & then create your own. Unless, you can find something better to do.... and then tell me how I can do it too!

1952

I'd be a few years younger than my G.G. if this was real.

1958

1960

1964

1966

This shot looks eerily familiar. I am always paranoid that I have "helmet hair."

1968

This is the year my Mother graduated from High School. If I'm lyin', I'm dyin' but my Mama Ree had a portrait of my Mother hanging in her living room my entire childhood and my Mother had the exact same hairdo... EXACT!

1974

This was my look in college... but I parted mine on the side... when I wasn't being a sorority chick tying it back with a big, fat grosgrain ribbon.

1976

1978

I think Pretty Kitty 'bout wet her pants when this one popped on the screen!

1982

Oh my!

1984

Folks, we're getting to the shots where I can go back and dig out actual photographs of myself that look identical. I had big hair... bigger than big. Big with a capital "B." Abnoxiously big. Can't believe I ever got a date big. Aqua Net hair spray was my B.F.F.

1990

This is the year before I graduated high school and I swear this looks just like my hair. I used to pull the sides out, spray them... with Aqua Net, of course... blow dry the spray so it would solidify & be able to withstand Tropical Storm force winds... and then pick out the curls created by a perm & hot rollers. And I did this every. single. day.

1994

This was my junior year in college and though I could totally see myself pulling off this look... I had "matured" to the 1974 look.

1996

This photo is interesting because it shows me as a blonde. I've never been a blonde before. It reminds me of a photo of my sister when she was in college... 'bout this time.

Then we had some fun with Pretty Kitty!

You gotta try it... so go on... go!

2008-09-14T13:19:00.001-07:00

A Letter to Myself... (written too late.)

Dear Georgia Girl,

I like you. You have many good qualities. Really... you do. But girl, I gotta be honest with you and I hope this doesn't hurt your feelings... you look like a freak. Why are you on a cheerleading squad when you're practically 6 feet tall and all of the other girls are 5'2" at the most? O.K... maybe there's a 5'5" in there somewhere... maybe. Don't do this to yourself. Yes, it's good exercise. Yes, it's fun. Yes, I commend you on your school pride. Yes, this is a time in your life when you don't have giggly arms or cellulite and you can where a short skirt without shame & embarrassment. But look at yourself. Don't you think you look just a little out of place? Don't you realize one of your best friends C.E.H's arm is practically going numb from having to reach so high around your neck? C'mon... let's try out for the basketball team instead. You won't need that much talent being so tall. Or maybe the tennis team? Ever thought about softball or track? This is just not a good look for you and I don't want you to want to kick yourself when you're 35. O.K.?

With love,

Georgia Girl

P.S... and what's up with that absurd overuse of concealer? It looks like you use it more as Indian war paint than covering dark circles. We'll talk about that more later.

2008-09-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

What Do You Think?

People ask me all the how how Miss Dreamgirl is adjusting? What's it look like to you? She looks pretty dog-gone comfortable to me. You think she could stretch out any more? And like any good Hillbilly Baby she takes her nap in just her drawers. Yee haw!

2008-09-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

More Dangerous Living

First of all, let's look at (or should I be saying let's NOT look at) the nasty craw-doo that is lining my dishwasher. I swear on a stack of Bibles that I have N*O*T noticed that filth before viewing this photograph on the computer monitor today... and I am appauled. I will be cleaning it immediately... before the Health Department comes to close my kitchen down for health code violations.

Now... on to the buisness at hand. What is a girl to do once the stairs have been gated (thanks Grampy) and she can no longer live dangerously trying to sneak up & down the stairs? Why yes... she finds the dishwasher with (besides gross food droppings lining the edge) sharp knives, kitchen scissors, the cats' tuna plate & the dog's slimy water bowl. How lovely. Let's just climb on in... where it's slippery & dangerous... and grab dirty dishes out of the washer and toss them on the floor making more work for mom. Good job!

And if they don't land on the floor the first time... she'll just sit down, pick them up and toss them down where they belong.

"Oh hey there Mom! I was just... uh, you see... well it happened like this... would you believe I'm emptying for you? Darn... I'm busted again!"

The smile fades as Little Miss Dreamgirl realizes as soon as I put down that camera, out of the dishwasher she will come. Wonder what trouble she'll get into next? Lawsie, I'm afraid to find out!

2008-09-10T09:42:00.001-07:00

Who Cares 'bout Hair Care?

Y'all are getting so good at voting on my polls that I'm 'bout giddy! What is wrong with me that it is so exciting to see what other people think??? Most of the time I vote with the majority. Like on last week's poll... I am a switcher-upper... I go back-n-forth.... like most of y'all. And since I've had a lot of practice... I thought I'd pass along my suggestions... since y'all asked and all. Huh? What? You didn't ask? Oh... well just in case you were thinking about asking... here goes:

If I'm going cheap I buy Suave. It's the best "cheap" shampoo to me. And... like the commercial says, I really can't tell the difference... if I'm being honest. I like the 2 in 1. I usually buy it for my girls too. Even though we're on an Aussie kick now because I can find it in a pump which seems to keep the top from "accidentally" being left open & slowly running down the drain during the night.

I buy the "Suave for Men" for My Baby Boy. Makes him feel like a M*A*N... it smells good too. Big Daddy T. could care absolutely, positively less about what he puts on his hair. He is the POLAR OPPOSITE of a "metrosexual"... he would wash his hair with my Palmolive dish soap if I let him.

Now... I've already told y'all I'm into this Purology Hydrate Shampoo for Color-Treated hair. It's da bomb & smells so good I'd like to use it for a bubble bath & bathe in it... yummmmmm!

When I go middle-of-the-road I like Pantene.... and especially this Restoratives Breakage Defense series they have out now. Since I blow dry and flat iron my hair... I can create some nasty split ends. According to Pantene, this shampoo is a "defense" again the damage I inflict on my hair after I get out of the shower!

Now... whether I buy fancy shampoo or Wal-Mart shampoo I use the same conditioner. Neutrogena's Triple Moisture leave-in conditioning "creme" R*O*C*K*S! My girls use it... I use it... my dog uses it. Nah... not 'ol Henry... he's lucky to get a bath. It's non-greasy & light... the non-greasy part's the best.

Alrighty... on to styling products. These tend to last a lot longer than shampoo & conditioner so I usually splurge on a salon-brand volumizer... since I have stick-straight hair. I'm into the Bed Head products at the moment and their "SUPERSTAR" (oh, that's right) thickening spray. It smells like grapefruit and is not sticky. I hate sticky volumizer. Or as my brother-in-law would want me to say... "I really do not care for sticky volumizer."

Lastly, we'll cover hairspray... and if you want to keep a "do" here in the hot, sticky, 100% humidity south... you gotta have some good hairspray. Definitely. Like my shampoo I flip-flop back-n-forth between the salon & drugstore brands. Lately I've been liking Bed Head's "MASTERPIECE" hairspray... even though my hair is F*A*R from a masterpiece. Most days it looks like a master piece of @#$%^&! But, this is good stuff for keeping the pieces in the same place I put them.

And when picking up some hairspray at the drug store I like Pantene's Texturize Ultra-Hold hairspray. This Texturize line is serious stuff. The mousse is the definition of "a dab will do ya!" I put an entire golf ball size poof in my hair once and 'bout had to use a jig saw to cut through the stuff. This line will hold... hold with a capital "H." And if you've ever you need that kind of spray... it's here in Georgia.

Check out the new poll for the week & keep voting!

2008-09-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

China Trip Tuesdays: Magical Moments

The highlight of our trip to China was definitely "Gotcha Day." Some people hate that name & may call it "Forever Family Day" or "Maggie Day" (or whatever their child's name may be) but 'round here we refer to it as I first learned it... "Gotcha Day." The day that we met & "got" our babies. In our travel group there were 18 families. 14 of us went to Jiangxi (pronounced Jee-ung-shee... but gotta say it fast) Province where we received our babies at The Gloria Grand Hotel in Nanchang (pronounced Nan-chung.) 13 babies game from the same orphanage... and I cannot remember the name or location and our baby came from a foster home in Nanfeng (pronounced Nan-fung) about 3 hours south, southeast of Nanchang. (Too see why we got a baby from a different SWI go back to http://www.whereislilly.blogspot.com/ and look back to the June 19th post.) The last 4 families went to other Provinces for their referrals, which were SN assignments and beautiful babies indeed. In our group of 14 in Nanchang there were 6 families adding to their numbers and there were 8 families who were parent's for the very first time. How exciting! How emotional! Today's China Trip post shows off some of my favorite "Gotcha" moments from that day! A picture is worth 1,000 words. Enjoy!

We'll start with one of my most favorite pictures of the entire trip. Here Mama J. has just become a first time Mom and the raw emotion of that moment is heart wrenching, as Proud Papa S. beams at his girls. If I thought the wait was excrutiating with 3 kiddos underfoot, I can't imagine what it was like for parents desperately wanting to start a family. I'm sure the joy of that moment was too much to contain. If I had an adoption agency, I'd frame this photo & put it on my wall.

Here is another estatic first time mom... Mama K., with Baby Brighton, who pose for their first Mother~Daughter photograph taken by Dad.

I love this photo too. Baby Lily (the one "L" Lily) meets her sweet Mama for the first time. While Mama G. has had weeks to study Lily's photograph, this is the moment, still in the arms of an orphanage worker, Lily comes face-to-face with her Mother. As a nurse, with 2 grown daughters and a 10-yr-old son, Mama G. was ready to accept the challenge of Baby #4... and I think I heard rumblings that before she left China, she was thinking about #5???

Baby Lilah was the most vocal of the babies that morning. You could hear her cries from the hallway loud & clear in the ballroom where we waited. Here Mama J. soothes and sweetly sushes her newest baby girl. Though her eyes were still red & swollen, resting on Mama's chest made Lilah feel much better!

The beauty of this day was that men & women not only became parents, but girls became sisters! Here Baby Lia meets her big sister for the first time! Yeah!

Here's another framer. The first time I saw this picture on my computer after downloading them from my camera all I could utter was "awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww." Papa M. is head over heals for his new girl, Baby Zoe.

And Zoe's pretty Mama is smitten too! Look at that smile... it's ear to ear! How could it be anything but?

Mama K. & Papa B. are all smiles getting to know Baby Adelaide. These two are used to sleepless nights & the baby routine since their eldest daughter was only 10 months old on Gotcha Day!

Mama C. lifts Baby Annika high into the air to get a good look at her new girl. Look at Mama C.'s face... it's joy personified. It'll be almost two weeks before they can introduce Baby Annika to her Big Brother, anxiously waiting at home for his new sister.

And finally, this photograph captures the first time I ever touched My Dreamgirl. I didn't want to get all up in her face right away, so I first just reached out my hand to see if she'd respond. The nanny gives her a little help... placing her tiny hand on top of my finger. We had a little more time since Dreamgirl was delivered about 30 minutes after the last of the 13 babies was united with her family. Since we were the only family dealing with this particular SWI we could take our time. It wouldn't be long before I'd get my hands on her and start kissing those cheeks! Mmmm...mmmm...good!

2008-09-07T18:45:00.001-07:00

From time to time I will get questions from fellow bloggers about how to do this or that on their blog. I am not the most computer savvy person, but since I'd rather tinker around on the computer sometimes that do more laundry or mop dried mandarin oranges off my kitchen floor, I will fiddle around until I figure an element of a blog page out. So, to be nice (because I am oh, so nice... I think) I thought I would pass along some little things I've figured out in my 2 years of blogging. I feel fairly certain someone out there knows how to do what I'm doing better, so if you find them tell them to teach me better. Until then... here goes.

We'll start the first lesson on something a fellow blogger just emailed me about today: MUSIC. Now, I have mixed feelings about music on blogs... heck, I even toyed around with it on my blog. I decided that it's O.K. to visit sites with music because:

1.) If I like the music.... I'll listen.

2.) If I don't like the music... I'll scroll down to the playlist & hit the "pause" key & click it!

It's a win-win. So what do you do if you want to put music on your blog. First, make sure you select music that I like to listen to. Nahhhh... I'm just kidding. O.K. I'm serious now.

Go to http://www.playlist.com/. That is my playlist building site of choice. Again, I'm sure there are others, but this will get the job done.
In the top, right-hand corner click on "SIGN UP" to create a free account.
Select a username & password for you to be able to log-in.
Then they'll ask you to log-in. Do what they say & log in. You would probably figure that out. Am I going too slow? Is this too elementary?
Then you are able to start search for music. You can search by artist, song title. I'll use the example "John Mayer"... because I love him. Seriously. I do. Do you think he would be interested in a domestically challenged Mom of 4 who has an annoying dog, a dirty minivan AND... needs to lose 30 pounds ? Rats, me neither.
Next to all the John Mayer songs they have available there will be 2 buttons. An "arrow" button allows you to play and listen to the recording. Once you click the arrow it changes into a "square." If you click the square it stops the music. The other, a "plus" sign, will add the song to your playlist.
If you click the "plus" sign you will add the song to your playlist. You are able to keep 100 songs on a playlist. That's a lot! You can either "continue" to look for new songs or you can go to your playlist in order to arrange the order in which the songs will be played... IF you want the in a specific order. You can also choose for them to play "randomly" and then I suppose it really doesn't matter how they're arranged... does it?
Now, once your done adding songs to your playlist click "go to my Playlists."
Then click "delete or rearrange music on a playlist."
If you make changes MAKE SURE to click "save changes" button at the bottom of your Playlist. Don't even ask how many times I've had to start all over 'cause I forgot!
Then... above your Playlist click the "View Songs" tab, and the little playlist icon will appear with a big arrow in the middle.
Then under the icon there it will say "Share playlist." Click on "GENERATE CODE."
Then click "LETTER F: Get code for any other social network, BLOG, or personal website."
Choose which playlist you want to post... IF you have created more than 1.
Then you'll have to make a couple decisions... what color you want your icon background to be, the random start thing, auto start. Now, if you select "auto start" I do believe the person viewing your blog will have to go down to the icon & click play for him or herself.
Once you've made all your decision click "GET CODE."
Highlight the code they produce and the right click and choose "copy."
Now... go to your blog.
Once you sign in click on "CUSTOMIZE."
On the sidebar click on "ADD A GADGET."
Scroll down and click on "HTML/Java Script"
You can give your Playlist a Title like: "Songs from High School" or "Holiday Favorites."
Click in the "CONTENT" square and then right click again & click "PASTE" and your Playlist code will be there... hopefully... if you haven't messed it up. Oh, I'm just kidding.
Click "SAVE," of course, and the place the gadget in the position you want it on the sidebar.
Click the orange "SAVE" again to save your template and then WA-LAH... you're blog should have music.

Sure hope this helps somebody out there in bloggin' land and hope I didn't make you pull your hair out going so slow. Good luck!

2008-09-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Somebody Likes Me!

Mrs. Guru at Off the Beaten Path recently awarded The Adventures of Georgia Girl the

Brillante Weblog Award! Thank you so much Mrs. Guru, who herself has a fun blog that chronicles her adventures as a Texas Newlywed. It's good to know that somebody out there besides my kiddos & their friends (hey Car Car) read my nonsense & foolishness everyday!

As part of accepting this award, I have been instructed to pass the award along to Brillante Blogs of my choice. Here are my Top 5 Award Winners:

A Belle and Her Beau

Here's is another Southern Newlywed who manages to make me laugh EVERYDAY! You want someone who can "keep it real?" Well, this is your gal! Blogs that make me laugh are my fave! You'll love this funny Southern "Belle."

Gingham & RicRac

This blog, authored by a fellow adoptive mom, will amaze you with her creativity. This woman can sew like nobody's business and the things she whips up are awesome! I've been so inspired, I've spent the week buying patterns & fabric, dusting off my sewing machine and taking measurements of my girls to see if I can duplicate some of her work. She also has an extensive list of blogs she likes on her sidebar that will lead to more amazingly creative blogs, as well as, a compilation of "tutorials" for projects you can try at home.

Lawyerish

This small town ballerina turned New York City lawyer writes with such eloquence & detail that I can't get enough of scrolling through her archives and gobbling them up. You will laugh & cry with her posts of her "Childhood Trauma" (see categories on the bottom of the lefthand sidebar) and recent stories of heartbreak as she waits for a child from Vietnam. Brilliantly written.

The Pioneer Woman

This blogger is big time. Like, she gets THOUSANDS of hits to her site a day. She will neither know, nor care that I am bestowing this award upon her. So why do it? Well, she would be who I consider my "blogging mentor." I'm not sure how I stumbled upon her blog a year or two ago, but since that time I have been on her blog everyday. Every. Single. Day. She's funny... VERY funny. She's creative & her posts on photography & cooking are instructional & inspirational. She is a mom of 4 living on a working cattle ranch in Oklahoma & I have considered many times packing up my kiddos & moving out there. Do you think she'd have me arrested? Am I bordering on "stalkerish?"

The H.O.D. Blog

This smart & sassy collegiate reminds me so much of myself at her age that I want to drive to her house & warn her not to do several different things. It's especially good reading for those living in central Georgia because she mentions lots of fun things to do, especially around Columbus. The oldest of 8 children, this blogger is mature beyond her years and her well written blog makes me laugh with her "honest" observations of the world around her.

2008-09-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

I Think I May Have Made a Mistake
Last night I stopped over at my parent's house. While in the kitchen I saw a blue paper plate full of brownies sitting on the counter.

"Oh yum!" I said as I cut a sliver off & gave them a try.

"Mrs. Renae made me those," my Mother said as she warmed up my Daddy's dinner.

"That was nice... they're good!"
"Please take them," my Mother responded.

"Nope. No way. You keep them." I tried to sound like I gagged at the thought of bringing a chocolatey, thickly iced dessert into my home.

"No... I can't eat those." she said. I understood. Chemotherapy has done crazy things to her appetite & taste buds.

"Well, I bet Daddy wants them."

"No, no... you take them. Give them to the kids," she insisted again.

Just then my Dad walked round the corner.

"Daddy... don't you want these brownies Mrs. Renae made?"

"No! You take them & give them to the kids," he said as he continued walking through the kitchen on his way to change his clothes from the office.

"Well O.K..." I said, feeling kinda guilty, but yet excited at the same time. I went home with the brownies and fed my kiddos their supper, bathed them and put them to bed. Then I curled up on the couch to watch the RNC and went to town on my brownies.

This is what the plate looked like after I finished watching Sarah Palin's speech and waddled my own self to bed. And laying there trying to doze off I thought... wait a minute... I bet my parents meant give the brownies to MY KIDS... not THEIR'S!!!

It was an honest mistake. Really. You do believe me don't you? Hello? Anybody? Children don't need a rich, decadent dessert like that on a school night. Right? Please tell me I'm right. I was keeping them healthy by devoring such an enemy to nutrition before they could get their little paws on them. Right? And my parent's didn't say specifically "give them to YOUR kids" they just said "kids" and my brother & sisters weren't around so I was their only "kid" there. You wouldn've been confused too wouldn't you? I mean really. Hello? Anybody buying this? Anybody?

2008-09-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

A Love Letter
Dear Gymboree,

I love you. I love your clothes. I love that your clothes are well made. I love your stores. I love your sales. I love your classic styles. I love your hair accessories. I love your underwear. I love your pajamas. I love your bathing suits. I love your website & how you always remember what's in my cart even if I put things in it 6 weeks ago. I love your girl clothes. I love your boy clothes. I love that you sell "husky" bluejeans for My Baby Boy who takes after his Mama & is a little "fluffy" around the mid-section. I love that your clothes hold their value when I sell them on ebay or at a consignment sale. I love the little rocking chairs & goofy videos in the back of your stores that entertain my kids while I shop. Did I say I love your sales? I have loved you for over 10 years now... since I started shopping for My Firstborn... and I love you as much today as I did then. It's o.k. that you're not some fancy smancy boutique. Who needs a closet full of Vive la Fete or Peaches N Cream clothes you're afraid to stain? Big Daddy T. would send me packin' if I spent money like that. You help my marriage. I can only go to so many Chez Ami & Kelly's Kids parties. Shopping online helps me manage my time. I love that. Now, I would love it if you made Prom Dresses. Could you work on that in the next 6-8 years?

Love always,
Georgia Girl
XOXO

2008-09-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

China Trip Tuesdays: Ever Seen This???

Our first hotel in China was a nice one... it's Chinese name was the Chang an Grand Hotel... but when we got to Beijing we saw the Comfort Inn Suites sign on the side. They had run out of regular rooms and we were forced to suffer for 3 days in a plush suite... I like that kind of suffering! This hotel had a seafood restaurant on the first floor. It had tanks of seafood... fish, crabs, shrimp... that I suppose you could request for supper? And opposite those tanks was a small blue pool that housed the hotel seal. That's right.... our hotel had a seal. I haven't traveled extensively around the world, but I have staying in a fair share of hotels and I don't remember ever staying in a hotel before that had it's own seal. Lawsie mercy I hope that seal wasn't on the menu!

He's a cute little thing isn't he?

Poor little guy probably got real sick of American gawkers pointing and taking pictures of him... but he was a good sport. I wanted to throw him some fishy treats or something... or smuggle him out to the ocean.

He would swim back-n-forth across the pool.

And he even did tricks like standing on his head. We all cheered & applauded.

But after shooting our photographs we had to leave him behind and move along to a new hotel and the poor little guy stayed behind... ready to entertain new visitors. And in no other hotel did I see a resident seal... have you?

2008-09-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

Four Days at the Beach

Day 1: Friday

You may remember this photo from Friday's post. We let the kids play hookie from school (yes, we're those kind of parents) and got down to Florida before the holiday weekend began. Notice the beach is empty and the seas are calm... lake-ish... swimming pool-ish... disappointing to My Firstborn who wanted to catch some waves on her boogie board.

Day 2: Saturday

Folks have started to arrive for the Labor Day weekend and have claimed their spots on the beach. The skies are clear, the sun is bright and the seas remain calm.

Day 3: Sunday

The surf is picking up as Hurricane Gustav enters the Gulf of Mexico and begins to travel north towards the Gulfcoast states. The skies have turned mostly cloudy (and contribute to my sporting a goofy racoon suntan thanks to wearing my sunglasses & no sunscreen on a cloudy beach day) and the wind has picked up considerably. I just love windy days on the beach. I sat out there way too long... as the rains stayed south... and the kids finally got to body surf thanks to the red flag waters. For as many tourists & Labor Day vacationers who were packing up & getting out of town, there were 10 citizens of Louisiana seeking shelter in the Florida panhandle.

Day 4: Monday

We awoke this morning to a much different scene than Day 1. Hurricane Gutav was about to make landfall only 180 miles west and our condo was feeling tropical storm force winds & rain. The skies are dark & stormy and the storm surge has pushed the surf nearly up to the dunes protecting the first floor of the condo. It was fascinating to watch the seas roar and the waves, which were completely absent on Days 1 & 2, rise 6-12 feet into the air. We were able to make it out of town in between rain bans and hope to return another sunny day!

*New poll ALERT: Y'all are getting better at voting... keep it up!

2008-08-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

Jellyfish Fields
There are several things that can spoil fun in the surf when you're at the beach.

Seaweed- gross... who wants to swim in slick, slimy goo???

Rough surf- the threat of rip currents & undertoe make moms a nervous wreck and scare small children. Only My Firstborn gets pumped up about a "red" flag day.

Red tide- this toxic algae can cause burning eyes, throat as well as breathing difficulties. Not good for a mom with a Pretty Kitty with asthma.

Jellyfish- these gelatinous pests can come in groves to ruin a perfectly good swimming day.

This trip to the Florida Panhandle has landed us right in the middle of #4. But we had someone looking out for us... ready to keep us safe from harm as we enjoyed the later summer afternoon with our toes in the sand & surf.

Even playing nicely in the sand was risky as the jellyfish would wash ashore in the light surf. My Baby Boy would not allow an harmful tenticals to reach his sisters!

Armed with only a net, The Jellyfish Hunter patrols the shoreline that surrounds his womenfolk.

He spots something large floating earby.

Bravely, into the water he goes!

Gotcha!

Say hello to your little friends you villian of the sea! You won't hurt my sisters today!

Our friendly patrolman has been busy... that's quite a collection!

And if you look down the beach, you can see the setting sun reflecting off the dozens of jellyfish other Jellyfish Hunters caught thoughout the day.

2008-08-30T07:26:00.001-07:00

First Time in the Sand

Yesterday was the first time Little Miss Dreamgirl ever put her cute little toes in the sugary sand of a Florida beach... well ANY beach for that matter. She had a great time... despite ingesting some of the grainy stuff... which seemed to bother me much more than it did her. After sitting under the sun shade for a while we headed down to the shoreline to introduce her to the waves.

She was all smiles!

She kept wanting to crawl INTO the ocean... we just kept pulling her back. This lack of fear could be dangerous later on. My Firstborn has little fear & has done more in her 10 years than I've dared to do in 35.

Then something caught her attention & distracted her from crawling face first into the surf.

She looks cute when she's victorious.

It's Pretty Kitty looking cute too!

2008-08-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Wish You Were Here!

Here's what I'm looking at this morning. Yep, we snuck away to the beach for a long weekend. We're in the Florida panhandle and there are no signs of Gustav. The next couple of days will provide lots of blogging material I'm sure... so check back. Until then, anybody seen the suncreen?

2008-08-28T07:32:00.001-07:00

An Unusual "Pet"

This may be one of the most random posts I've ever made but what the hey... here goes.

I have spent the summer allowing a new "animal" to take up residence here at my residence. We have 4 cats & an annoying, doll-chewing, squirrel-chasing dog and one of our most favorite things to do is look for turtles to bring home after a heavy rain... which we humanely release after allowing a six-year boy jostle and carry and poke for several hellacious hours. Well, this past summer I noticed a new "animal" right living outside. And since he seemed content to live outside... I allowed him to stay. If he had try to come inside... he would've been smashed flatter than a fritter! Let me introduce you.

Can you see him? Know what it is?

Yep... it's a great big black & yellow spider. Let me put the emphasis on BIG.

Here's another view. And each time I walk out my front door he's there. He never moves. He's always in the center of his gigantic web... patiently waiting to catch flying insects that would bravely come to annoy me in my house. He's like a watchdog... a watchspider... catching flying intruders before they invade my home. At least I hope he is.

And then... about 6 weeks ago I noticed he had a little Ladyfriend. She's smaller... like her web... but equally docile and content to catch insects in my front yard bushes. I was happy My Spiderfriend had a "friend."

Here they are side by side... soaking up the sun and simultaneously covering their ears so the eardrum shattering screams of my 4 wild yungins don't make 'em deaf. Wait... do spiders even have ears? They make a nice couple don't they?

But then last week I was appalled to see a NEW Ladyfriend on the other side of my Spiderfriend. And I thought... "that little, no-good, lying, cheating, player of a Spider. One woman wasn't good enough for him so he went out and got him a younger, prettier model! So typical." And she is a pretty little thing too and what is with that zig zag pattern in the middle of her web? I gotta do some spider research. But, I've grown used to my two-timing Spiderfriend and have allowed him to continue his adulterous ways right off my front steps. He just better not try to bring his funny business inside!

2008-08-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

China Trip Tuesdays:A Little Anniversary

Sorry 'bout missing last week. Big Daddy T is to blame... big shocker there. He's been working on Mondays which means he's gone... which means his laptop is gone... which means my China Trip pictures are gone... so I'm having to make do with what few photos I have here at home on my sorry, good-for-not-much dinosaur... I mean computer. Wow... do I have a bad attitude or what? Pause while I try to adjust it a bit....

O.K... I'm back. Today is August 26th and the 3 MONTH ANNIVERSARY since Little Miss Dreamgirl became ours. It seems like it's been a lot longer than that, but alas it has not. 3 little months... that's all. 3 little months since that Monday May morning when she was brought through the door, carried by an orphanage nanny into our lives. She was happy... she didn't freak out... and I remember as I held her for the first time how tiny she felt in my arms. She also kinda stunk. Not like poo poo or anything like that... kinda like old musty house or stale vinegar... this is what she smells like today.

Mmmm... mmmm.... yummy!

Anyhoo... we'll talk a little bit today about that day... 3 months ago today... when she made my dream of adopting a Chinese baby girl, a reality.

Here we are together on May 26, 2008 just a few moments after she was handed to me for the first time. I recognized her from her pictures... her big brown eyes & her head full of dark brown hair. It's not black like I assumed Asian people had... but instead it's a very dark brown. And this is what she was wearing.

Hot pink jelly shoes. The nannies were scrambling to get these shoes on her feet as they were walking her into the hotel conference room. I suppose they wanted her to look "just right." She likely had never worn shoes before and she never has since. We got barefoot here in the Southern Summertime! These shoes make me laugh. First, notice the bird perched on top like the hood ornament of a fancy car. You get a good profile shot of the back shoe. If you look close to the right of the bird/hood ornament you see tiny little crabs inlaid. Now if the bird were a sea gull or a pelican I could see the relevance of having a crab on these summertime sandals. But this bird is more a little robin or blue jay... one you'd find in your wooded back yard. Somewhere you wouldn't find crabs.

Do you know what these are? Look close.

My Dreamgirl was wearing split pants on the day we met. This shocked the heck out of my little sister when she saw them. I guess I've been in "Chinese Adoption Land" so long I'm used to them, but yes... many children in China DO NOT WEAR DIAPERS... they wear split pants... and you can see why they're called such. How in the world they train these children is beyond me... and the "training" is where I first heard stories of neglect/abuse in orphanages when babies were tied onto "potty chairs" and left for hours. We would see children walking around China with their little hinnies hanging out all over... you see children squatting to pee here or there... parents holding them up to trash cans to go and yes... even once we saw... brace yourselves... yes, a little boy go poo... yep, right there on a pedestrian sidewalk. I was too astounded to be mortified at the time. Poor Dreamgirl's split pants were homemade looking and you could tell she'd had an accident or two. I had a diaper on her in about 2 seconds after the Director Lu from the orphanage & her nannies left the hotel.

And finally her little shirt. Our agency told us not to bathe her on the first day. They reasoned that the change might be so traumatic that it would probably be best just to let the babies have 24 hours in the last thing that remained of their "old life"... their clothes. Made sense to me. And it was my plan... but by late afternoon I couldn't stand it... that smell... those dirty fingernails & toe nails and don't even get me started on her belly button. Plus our doctor suspected they may have scabies... so in the tub she went... and she FREAKED! Anyway, I did put the shirt in the crib with her for the first couple days... just so she smelled something familiar... she slept good... maybe it worked? I still haven't washed these clothes... and when I get them out of their little ziploc storage facility I smell them everytime and examine them again. I love these clothes because they're such tangible reminders of where she came from, the situation she was in and the children that remain.

And here she is today. Dreamy huh? At a year old, we've had her 1/4 of her life. Does she even remember anything different?

Then...

Now!

2008-08-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

If You Need Me Today...

First, I'll be dusting and loving it! Yes, that's right. O.K... "loving" might be a strong word to describe dusting, but I do "love" this new Dust & Shine cleaner from Swiffer, and the Lavender Vanilla scent is oh so yummy! Swiffer claims that because it's "wax free" Dust & Shine can be used on not only wood furniture, but leather and granite as well. It's multi-purpose... I like that. But, the best thing is the smell. I'm going to call it Swiffer "Dust & Shine & Smells Divine!" Whatcha think?

Then I'll be shampooing my color treated hair. "Shampooing"... that sounds like my Grandma... does your Grandma say that? I usually say "wash my hair." Like... "I have to get up early to wash my hair...." but my Grandmother would say "I'm going to shampoo my hair this afternoon." Anyhoo... whether you "wash" or "shampoo" your hair and it's color treated try the product line from Pureology. I have an on-going shampoo battle in my life: salon vs. regular. Sometimes I'm convinced Pantene or Suave really is as good as the expensive stuff and I'll buy that for 6 months. Other times my hairdresser, Darlene, will pursuade me that salon-sold products are the ONLY way to go, so I buy those for 6 months. Back-n-forth... back-n-forth... but these days I'm addicted to Pureology's Hydrate Shampoo (I only shampoo... I don't condition... which Darlene is also working on me to do) and I love it... I pay $25.00 a bottle and it lasts me cut to cut so that's $25.00 divided by (approximately) 42... we'll say 'bout .50 cents a day... not too bad... I guess for now... in 6 months I'll be back with Pantene I suppose.

Then I might mozie on across town and treat myself to a Starbuck's Green Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade. Oh lawsie they're good. A little minty and a little sweet... a perfect treat for me as summer stays hot here in Georgia. Plus, at 130 calories it's A LOT smarter choice than my 790 calorie Cookies-n-Cream milkshake treat from Chic-fil-a. Especially since driving across town is the highlight of my aerobic activity today. Sad... I know. I know.

2008-08-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

A Beautiful Day

The looming rain bans of Hurricane Fay can not dampen my day today. No... despite the clouds & wind & slick roads I am singing a happy song. Why? Well, you'll have to be a parent to understand. And a middle-class parent. If you have gobs & gobs of money... then nevermind. But for ordinary parents like me you will certainly understand my joy... for today, I am almost finished with THE LAST CAN OF FORMULA. With Dreamgirl now officially a year old, and the transfer to (organic) whole milk underway, next week I will be $24.99 richer with Similac off my grocery list. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing. A beauty which is only equaled by the last pack of diapers.... but one step at a time.

2008-08-22T13:36:00.001-07:00

A Bit of Advice

Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend to know everything. But I'm going to be so bold as to offer you ladies a small piece of advice this Friday afternoon... just in case your Baby Daddies are coming home with a new set of hair clippers like mine did last weekend. So... here goes:

Ladies... DO NOT allow a man who has a computer degree pretend to be a Barber on your son's hair the week of school pictures. It's risky behavior. The results can be irreversible... (at least for a couple weeks until the hair grows back.) Allow me to make my case:

Hope this helps...