Penny for your thoughts

I was finally able to connect with our caseworker today...I wanted to get an update on our quest for the second signature.  The other guy (sure wish I knew his name so I could stop referring to him as 'the other guy') signed our stuff and our caseworker sent it off to the state last week.  They will run our background checks and then send it back.  So it is moving...slower than I'd like...but moving nonetheless.  We would really like to apply for this adoption grant, and the application deadline is April 16th.  If you want to pray for speediness on the part of the state, that would be awesome.

Oh, and if you have a few extra prayers, some of my friends could really use some right now.

Lori's hubby is having complications from his cancer-eradicating surgery...and Sara has one sick little girl.   Both are in the hospital...send them some love. 

~:~

Nathan and I spoke in church on Sunday.  It has been a WAY long time since we had to do that.  I was nervous as all get out.  We've had a bumpy road over the last few years as far as church is concerned, but things are starting to smooth out.  We both spoke on the Atonement...we've known we were going to be speaking for about a month.  It was nice to have thoughts of Easter/Christ/Atonement in the back of my mind for that time.  I was amazed after we gave our talks how many people came up to introduce themselves to us.  I'm hoping this will be a good segway into meeting and becoming friends with more people at church.  It can make all the difference...that is one of the reasons Newport was so great for us - we had an AWESOME church family.

~:~

I was blog-hopping the other day and I came across a blog with a woman in a similar position as myself.  She is a hopeful mother (doing infertility treatments and pursuing adoption), pet-mommy, and stay at home...er, well...nothing.  That's what she called herself.  A stay at home nothing.  I immediately sympathized.  I stay at home...because of lack of employment...and although I am a mommy to Winston and Besta, they could really care less if I'm here or not.  I would like to be working, but I have not been successful in finding employment.  I have found myself getting bummed and depressed...until I read her post.  She listed off things she is thankful for that are a direct result of her being a stay at home nothing.  So I looked around today and noticed some things I am thankful for too.  Like having dishes always done, and laundry always washed and pets fed and cuddled and time to finish craft projects and read and blog and daydream about the future.  I am going to try and keep a more positive attitude about my current stay at home situation.  Some day I won't be so lucky to have as much free time.  (Although if the reason was because I had babies around, I'd gladly change my free time for poopy diapers and spit-up)

~:~

We have some pigeons who have decided that the space under our BBQ grill is perfect for a nest.  We've dissembled it once, but they keep coming back.  Winston and Besta aren't complaining...they love all the bird watching they get to do.  

I love my fur kids and I'm happy they get to bird watch...but pigeons are super unsanitary.  Not sure I want them nesting under my BBQ.  Anyone know of ways to encourage them to find another place to nest?

Happy Anniversary to the Windy City!

A year ago today we pulled into town. In celebration of our one year anniversary I want to share my top ten favorite things about this city.

#10 - Three amazingly beautiful seasons...the winter? I could do with a little less of it.

#9 - The garage in our condo building.  A rarity in the city...and SOOO needed for my OCD. (Did I mention Nathan's truck was broken into? Ya. While parked on the street right outside our building. So happy Helga {our new car} is safe and sound in our garage)

#8 - All the touristy stuff we get to see.  This touristy stuff is also a guarantee that we get visitors.  You hear that??  We got great stuff - come visit us!

#7 - My love of sushi started here.  I never thought I'd see the day...but some friends insisted and held our hands through our first sushi experience.  Now I crave it at least once a week...we recently even made our own.  Guarantee that will be happening again.

#6 - The pizza...there is nothing quite like cheese stuffed deep dish.  Don't believe me?  Visit and we'll show you the error of your ways. 

#5 - The church around the corner that plays its bells at noon and 6pm.  Even in the {DEAD} cold of winter, I'll open the window just to hear the bells. 

#4 - Living within walking distance to the lake. 

#3 - The two European bakeries I've found. Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake...need I say more?

#2 - The friends we've met.  Being in the military has taught me to cherish the friendships I make.  Yes, we move often, but now we have friends all over the world!

#1 - It was in Chicago that our adoption journey began and for that it will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Happy 31st Birthday to my sweetie.
I am one lucky girl to be attached to this hunk of beef for the rest of eternity.

Fabric Remnant Buyers Anonymous

Hi my name is Holly and I am addicted to buying fabric remnants.  (In Utah I worked mere minutes from a Joann's Fabric...I would spend my breaks picking through their remnant bins)

Good thing I'm unemployed right now...I can use my free time to finally use all this fabric.  I've already made quite a few receiving blankets and many burp cloths...whenever we are blessed with children they'll have enough blankets to use a different one every day for a month!

Baby Bottle Campaign

I am looking for a few volunteers.   I have been scouring the internet for some adoption fundraiser ideas...and I found what I think is a really good one!     ~More on that in a minute~       We're not all the way approved yet, but we need to raise some funds.  You may remember that I did a fundraiser back in November with some Scentsy stuff...and we raised a little bit. (You can always order Scentsy from my website...and all the money I make through Scentsy goes towards our adoption expenses)   And EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS.  The average total ticket for an adoption might be $20K-$25K, but that is made up of a few big expenses and lots of little expenses...like plane tickets, hotel rooms (traveling to the state where the babies are born) and attorney fees and court costs and FedEx-ing documents, etc.

(Click on the picture to read the poem...wrote it myself...words and all)

**PLEASE DON'T STEAL THIS POEM**

The idea I found is a Baby Bottle Campaign.  It is simple really...we get family and friends to take an empty baby bottle with them to work and get the people you work with to fill it...you figure almost everyone ends up with a little change in their pockets...and a bottle full of change can really add up!  And like I said before...EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS.  So, back to the looking for volunteer thing.   I'll send you the bottle, you fill it and send it back.  I'll also include some of our pass-along cards that you can give to people who donate.   Our goal is to send out 10 bottles...but if we can send out more that would be even better!

If you would be willing to take a bottle to work or school with you...or send one with your hubby...let me know.

Thanks!!

::slaps palm to forehead::

I called our caseworker again today.  I sent him an email a week ago Friday and I still hadn't heard so I decided to try the phone.  I had a nice pep talk with myself before so that  if  when I heard bad news I wouldn't be sent in a downward spiral...I was not prepared for a downward spiral...there was no Diet Coke or Diet Dr Pepper in the house (I'm not keeping it in the house anymore...part of my new 'be healthy' plan...no soda in the house).

Ok, back to the story.  I got him on the phone and asked how that second signature was coming along.  It isn't, he says (surprise, surprise...we've been waiting for this sucker since January).  They STILL haven't heard back from the state on the training for the new person.  "But," he says, "I'm just going to send the paperwork to the person who left the office and have him sign it."

Seriously.

I hung up the phone and told Nathan.  We giggled, then got mad, then giggled some more.  Now why he just didn't do that from the beginning is beyond us.

So hopefully if all goes well we'll have the coveted second signature in a week or so...then our paperwork goes to the state for the background check.    Not too worried about passing that..we buried those bodies pretty good.  (kidding, kidding)  Then home visit and then {{FINALLY}} approval.  Keep those prayers coming, they're working!

New Look

Got antsy for a wee bit of change today and I can't redesign our apartment so I changed my blog.  I love the little upside down owl.  I just want to tickle his cute little owl armpits. 

I am not a freak.

The power of networking

In some aspects of life, it is not what you know but who you know.  Nothing could be more true about the world of adoption.  The previous little statistic about our agency frightens me...and makes me feel empowered at the same time.  It is a little overwhelming because I feel like we need to cast our net as wide as we can...so that we can find our birthmother.  I worry that we don't know enough people or that the people we do know won't speak up for us.  On the other hand knowing that 70% of adoptions happen basically because the adoptive family looks hard enough gives me hope.

With that said...have you joined to the newest cult obsession? It is called Facebook. a.k.a. the biggest time vacuum known to man.   It is also a POWERFUL networking tool. We created a group on facebook to help get the word out. Have you joined it yet?  I know that you all get updates here and some of you may not have joined it because you are family, or close friends and you think it would be redundant.   I can see your point, but I can also tell you that YOU joining our facebook group isn't about YOU joining it, but your friends and friends of friends seeing the group.   See where I'm going with this?   For every one of you that join, it casts our net a little wider.

Since I started our group a little over a month ago, we've already made two contacts.  Neither have resulted in a child in our home, but Nathan and I are excited that the word is being spread.

So, won't you be my neighbor?  er...Facebook group friend? 

Pretty please?