Splinter in the Grass

Easy there, Classic Mama,
this story is not nearly as racy as it sounds! ;)

The drama was unfolding while I was chatting with my mother on the phone. Dr. Doolittle was sitting behind me with tweezers and a magnifying glass, moaning and screeching about the pain he was inflicting on himself. The first splinter of bare foot season. Oh, how I hate bare foot season.

I hung up the phone after my mom and I got a good chuckle at Dr. D's quirky humor. The screeching and moaning was mostly for effect. Or so I thought. I poked around his disgusting sweaty foot for a minute and advised him to soak it in very warm water. I actually said "the hottest water you can tolerate," knowing that it would be lukewarm at best. The Boss and I set off for a nice walk around our neighborhood to look at all pretty landscapes and get some quiet time alone together. We needed it. Each of the four little gang members seemed particularly chatty and gregarious tonight. (Read: chaotic and out of control, with diarrhea of the mouth times FOUR!)

Upon return, we heard the melodic strains of Dr. D's French horn wafting through the open windows. The downstairs was empty, save for Shaggy hunched over the computer updating his little MP3 player with some country tunes (yes, another convert! yay me!!). I wandered upstairs to find Dr. D sitting on the edge of the tub, soaking his foot while he mournfully played the Star Spangled Banner on his French horn. Excuse me, his borrowed mellophone (a French horn for marching bands. Great. I'm going to be a marching band mom. yay me.) I set to work on the splinter.

What followed can only be described as hilarity. Pure dramedy. Screeching and howling and biting of towels was involved. Digging at dead skin and searching for potential entry points of the world’s largest splinter commenced. Laughing and admonishing my son to sit still, I poked and prodded. I wrangled his toe into weird and unnatural positions. I scraped some more and dug again. That little bugger was stuck and stuck deep. Out came the big guns. I thought Dr. D was going to wet himself when he saw me walk in with a utility razor. And being the sick and twisted Mom that I am, I got a little bit of a thrill and a not just a little giggle out of the suspense and dread he was now feeling. I could feel the blog post building in my head at that very moment. (These are the moments that I LOVE being a mom. Sick, I know.)

Finally, after scraping away LAAAAAAAAYERS of dead skin (I think I need a shower in some hospital strength disinfectant!) and digging the needle in under live skin, I called in The Boss for a third hand. While The Boss held the wound open and Dr. Doolittle screamed and moaned into a towel that I made him stuff into his mouth, I flicked the splinter out. I cleaned the toe thoroughly with rubbing alcohol. All that’s left for Dr. D is a little tenderness when he walks and a bit of sting - mostly to his pride. (We all heard him screaming like a girl, even through the towel!) And a strong aversion to running barefoot in the front yard while he takes practice swings with a 9 iron at the recyclables.

Now I’m off to scrub my hands with bleach. And maybe some lye if I can find it.

Favorites Friday

In light of yesterday's sad and tragic news about the loss of little Maria, Steven Curtis Chapman's gorgeous youngest daughter, I am posting today's Favorites Friday as a sort of tribute. This family has done so much for the plight of orphans all around the world, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to their mission. In fact, their family story has played a huge role in our journey to China for our own daughter.

My Favorite Songs During The Adoption Journey

• Cinderella - by Steven Curtis Chapman, this is the quintessential Daddy Daughter love song. I will never be able to listen to this song again without a tear and a prayer for this precious family.
• He Knows My Name - the Lord recently gave me this song, by Tommy Walker, to pray over Aidan during this journey. It's likely that it will be some time before she can sing it for herself so I am lifting this promise to Our Father in her stead.
• All I Really Want for Christmas - also by Steven Curtis Chapman. The Boss bought me the cd the year we started our official journey and paper chase and there have been many days that this song haunts my heart as I wait for my girl.
• He Reigns - when our former church started using this song by the Newsboys in regular worship services, I was a wreck! For months after Baby BlueEyes was born, I had this sense in my spirit that we weren't "done" and that the Lord still had an "Aidan" to be birthed in my heart. This song helped me hang in there till HIS timing was right to start the process.
• He Ain't The Leavin' Kind - this declaration of the great faithfulness of our God by Rascal Flatts serves to remind me that although our daughter will have been left by her biological family, He is bringing her to a family that will never leave her. And that our foremost goal in loving and parenting her will be to model the faithfulness of our Father, that she might learn for herself of the True Love that will never leave her.

Please, join us in continuing to pray for the Chapman family. Their grief and pain is incomprehensible to us. But it's not to our Father. He well knows the pain of their loss. He well knows the agony of their hearts.

Father God, be close to this precious family in these horrific days.
Guard their hearts and their minds against any attempt
of the enemy to scar or wound them further.
Give them strength and endurance to face the days ahead.
Give them the comfort that only you can give,
by the ministry of your Holy Spirit.
We intercede on their behalf - be near to them, Oh God!

If you feel led to give a gift in honor of little Maria,
the family is requesting donations be made
to Maria's Miracle Fund through
Shaohannah's Hope, their not-for-profit ministry
that funds adoptions, both domestically
and internationally, and cares for the orphans of the world.

The BEST Man Won!

From his achingly sweet audition tape to his outrageous performance with ZZ Top. From his amazing rendition of "Hello" to his KICK BUTT version of "Still Haven't Found What I'm looking For." Looking every inch the true American Idol that he is, the best man won it all.

America has found what it was looking for.
Finally, an American Idol for grown-ups!

I have no other words. Except, I told you so! :)

Wacky Wednesday

Today is Wacky Wednesday at our local elementary school. It's part of "Spirit Week" leading up to their annual field day of games and fun and community building. Say what you will about home-schooling vs. private schools vs. public schools. This particular public elementary school that my children attend is ACES in my book!

They have been fortunate enough to remain on the smaller side of the local elementary populations, the administration makes genuine efforts to be family-friendly, and the environment there is full of life, fun and love of learning. We feel so blessed by the numbers of Christians that we've encountered in this little community and we are regularly impressed by how hard everyone works to make our school so outstanding. Wacky Wednesday is bound to be a fun day for the kids - the teachers all get really into the spirit of things and are just as silly as the kids! As an aside, I'm particularly fond of this school because of the higher-than-normal ratio of male teachers in the building. As a mother of three boys, I love that they have great men teaching them to love learning!

Here's my two, decked head to toe in their Wacky Wednesday finery. I take no credit - they did it all with each other (a huge milestone of sibling relationship building here!) while I was sleepily checking my emails after breakfast. With the morning sun glaring on their feet, you can't really see that they both have mis-matched socks and shoes. I just hope the school nurse doesn't call me to meet her at the ER with broken ankles from LadyBug's sneaker and ballet flat! And yes, those are pipe cleaners in LadyBug's hair and monkeys hanging all over Dr. D.

Have yourself a Wacky Wednesday - you deserve it :)

Happy Blog Birthday to Me!

Belated . . .

Saturday, the 17th, was the one-year anniversary of my adventures in blogging. I'm not up on the latest trend of celebrating such an auspicious event, and frankly, we were so busy opening our pool on Saturday that I didn't even remember the date till I dropped into bed at 12:30 a.m. (I was up late helping - hovering over?- Shaggy and his first real babysitting gig for the neighbors.)

Because it's only Monday morning and I'm wrung out from a long and crazy week and weekend, I'm going to take the easy way out and share this meme with you. I found it at Ni Hao Y'all (another adoptive mom's blog that I follow). Maybe, if you've been a reader for the whole year, you'll actually learn something new about me. And if you had fun reading it, then consider yourself tagged. Here we go!

Favorite person (outside of my family)? My life-long friend Stacey G. She’s the friend who has been there through all the good, the bad, and the ugly and loves me anyway!

Favorite Food? Hot buttered popcorn.

Quirks about you? I have this weird tendency to develop harmless little crushes on celebrities – sometimes for no real reason and other times because they are just too darn cute. This mini-obsession is well-chronicled over the course of the year of this blog. And in my current side-bar . . .

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? The Boss said, "Outgoing, purposeful, giving, prudent, worshiper, thoughtful, organized, creative." I know, he rocks.

Any regrets in life? This is oddly embarrassing, but I have a couple former boyfriends that I hurt unnecessarily when I ended our youthful romances. I’ve made amends to one, but there are two to whom I’d love to go back and apologize. I was immature, selfish and not at all Christ-like and it still sticks in my craw. I know – I need therapy, I’m sure.

Favorite Charity/ Cause? I love Compassion International. I’m also very passionate about any godly, faith-based organization that supports orphans, especially in China.

Favorite Blog recently? I am pretty addicted to Confessions of a CF Husband, and recently got my husband and sons hooked on Stuff Christians Like.

Something you can’t get enough of? Hugs and kisses from my Gang. Coffee with creamy sugar-free hazelnut creamer. Also well-documented over the course of this year.

Worst job you’ve ever had? Making donuts at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday mornings in the kitchen at Messiah College. I’m soooo not a morning person, and the hour was (IS) ungodly. Seriously, is God even awake that early?

What job would you pay NOT to have? I could never, ever be a cafeteria lady at any educational facility. The left-overs, the messes on the trays, the noise? Oh. My. Goodness.

If you could be a fly on the wall, where? The Rumor Queen’s office. I have no idea how this woman is so connected and so in touch with so many facets of the Chinese adoption program – I’d love to hear even just snippets of conversations she has with her sources. See, aren’t you curious now? It’s all so “Deep Throat” and CIA-ish for me!

Favorite Bible verse right now? Jeremiah 29: 11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a HOPE and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Guilty Pleasure? My secret stash of Cheetos and the occasional Starbucks Chai Latte. Cheesy romantic comedies.

Got any confessions? Not that I’d share here!

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on yourself, how would you spend it? Probably on a diet/weight loss/training program to jump start me back on track. Maybe on some landscaping around the pool area instead.

Favorite thing about your house? My new bedroom. My front yard and the landscaping.

Least favorite thing about your house? My kitchen – cabinets, lay-out, flooring.

One thing you are bad at? Numbers and logic-related puzzles. Theology debates/discussions.

One thing you’re good at? Making my house a home. Decorating, hospitality, creating a safe environment for The Boss and the rest of the Gang.

If you could change something about your circumstances, what? Speed the adoption (and the fund-raising too) along so we can get on with the business of parenting and loving Aidan.

Who would you like to meet someday? Besides Aidan? Well, I’d love to meet Dr. Dobson and his family. Dr. Sears and his family.

What makes you feel sexy? Huh? What’s that?! Umm, newly shaved legs? The Boss’s cologne.

Who is your real life hero? Also documented here – My mom.

What is the hardest part of your job? The constancy of it. Ironically, it’s also a source of comfort for me: it’s always there, it always has to be done, and it rarely changes in its nature.

When are you most relaxed? Is it a bad sign that I really can’t answer that?! I'm not sure I remember what "most relaxed" feels like.

What stresses you out? Rushing, clutter, and repeating myself 100 times a day. Huh. That must be why I can’t answer the above question.

What can you not live without? Jesus. The Boss. Good intelligent conversation with adults, time with my family, coffee with creamy sugar-free hazelnut creamer.

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? Someone actually wrote an article about that? I had no idea . . . now I have something else to stress out about . . . . Gee, thanks.

Why do you blog? Mmmm, well, I have lots more to say than The Boss could possibly handle listening and responding to on any given day, so that’s one reason. Additionally, I have enjoyed the challenge of writing again, no matter how trite or trivial my subject matter. I love the sight of words on the screen and I kinda get high on the feeling of words and thoughts flowing out of my brain onto the screen. Plus, it’s a fun way to connect with others (old friends, adopting moms), keep up on current events, and learn from others. Really. I know, I’m a geek.

Who are you tagging? Anyone who had fun reading this can play!

New/Newer bloggers? Haven’t read any new ones lately . . . Suggestions anyone?

Bloggy friends? Kateri, Heidi at God's Grace In Practice and Bev at Happy In The Moment.

Bloggers you’d like to get to know better (or in person!)? Elissa at The Harrells. Plus, I just want to kiss her little sweeties’ cheeks off! Have you seen this child of hers? OY!

Bloggers who you don't think will respond, but you hope will? Honestly, I’m not answering this – I hate that pressure when I read my name in similar such places, so I won’t do that to you!

There you have it. Play along or don't.
But please be sure to leave a comment and feel free to speak up.
I'd love to hear more about you!!!

My Roots Are Calling Me!

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

Thanks to Hands Free Heart for this fun little quiz.

I'm still here - hoping to be more consistent soon.

Apology Accepted!

Somehow, when I posted a couple days ago about the contest over at the Today Show, in partnership with Teleflora, I missed the breadth of the controversy into which I was jumping. I admit, when I read the description of the "NonMom" Mom category, I was slightly miffed. (This controversial description is laid out in my Thursday post.) I mean, I know I'm a mom because I gave birth to these four who are mine for now. And I know that my pending adoption will only enlarge and enhance my definition of "Mom." What I missed, amidst my tears and total sap-reaction to the moms featured in this awesome category, was that they were lumping adoptive moms into the "NonMom" Mom category. Well, I didn't really miss it, but I was willing to overlook it for my own purposes. Because I loved the way that they (NBC and Teleflora) were choosing to honor these moms from all different walks of life, I assumed it was purely a lack of education about the issues surrounding adoption.

What I didn't know is that this "NonMom" Mom category had been ruffling a LOT of feathers for a couple of days. (I'm pretty clueless about most of these controversies and other world events lately!) But after a couple commenters left their thoughts on my Thursday post and I spent a couple minutes of down-time investigating the whole issue, I slowly began to realize that I jumped headlong into a boiling cauldron of hurt feelings, irritation, and anger at the lack of sensitivity expressed by the contest organizers. Several blogs and adoption boards were lit up with well-thought out comments on this topic. Several of these same sources had horrible, derogatory and mean-spirited comments flaming the powers-that-be at NBC and Teleflora. I waded through it all, and at the encouragement of my new blogging friend over at Happy In The Moment and some of her commenters, I crafted a polite and considerate email to send to NBC and to Teleflora. I got a standard, canned response from NBC, owing to the huge volume of emails that they receive. But I also got two beautiful apologies: one from Teleflora and one from Edelman, the PR group that has been working with Teleflora for this contest. Here is an excerpt from the apology on behalf of the Edelman group:

After closer examination, Teleflora recognized how this may have been offensive to moms who have adopted children… moms who are indeed real moms in every sense of the word. This show of insensitivity was in no way intended and Teleflora offers its deepest apology. It was always Teleflora’s intent to salute and celebrate all moms.

Please know that in response the concerns expressed, Teleflora immediately changed the name of the “Non-Mom” category to “Adopting Moms,” which has already been posted on the “semi-finalist” page at www.AmericasFavoriteMom.com.

I thought you might want to know. On behalf of Teleflora, I hope you have a very happy Mother’s Day.

And from Teleflora themselves, edited to avoid repetition:

In response to your concerns, Teleflora is immediately changing the name of our "Non-Mom" category to "Adopting Moms." After closer examination, we can see how this may have been offensive to moms who have adopted children -- moms who are indeed real moms to their children in every sense of the word. In fact, many of us at Teleflora are "adopting" parents ourselves, including our president and owner. The essence of this category still focuses on a grandparent, neighbor, step mom, or mom to adopted or foster children, each one raising and loving a child.

In closing, all of us at Teleflora would like to offer our sincerest best wishes to all the many women throughout the world who have worked so hard and given so much to earn the name "Mom."

I am happy to report that the boards and the blogs are all lit up now with gratitude for these apologies. I recognize that each of these organizations probably worked extra hours away from their own families to craft these responses and control the damage that was unleashed. I'm sure many of you are working moms, and I want to say thank you for the efforts that you have all put forth toward righting this offense. Your efforts are not in vain. Your apologies are accepted, and I am very grateful that you heard us and understood our thoughts and feelings. Thank you, Teleflora, Edelman and NBC.

I feel better now, don't you?

Favorites Friday is back!

I haven't done a Favorites Friday in a few weeks - seems as if my Fridays have been either too incredibly busy to allow for proper rumination and development of a scintillating topic. Or they've been too impossibly quiet and boring which thereby numbs my brain against proper rumination and development of a scintillating topic. Today is neither incredibly busy nor is it impossibly quiet. I'm sitting here listening to the conversations between Baby BlueEyes and "GoH Jus" Niece as they create their egg carton caterpillars (the absolute stretch of my creative crafty-mom pursuits!) and the steady drum of rain on the roof. All the makings of a perfect Friday morning. Especially now that I've gotten out all my big words for the day (and quite possibly the whole weekend) in the above sentences.

My mom's birthday was this week. And with Mothers' Day looming, I thought I'd share with you some of my Favorite things about my mom. This format is taken from a little survey that we had to complete for a Mother~Daughter luncheon I attended at her church last weekend with my sister, her girls and my LadyBug. I hope from it you can capture a bit of what makes my mom so amazing. And what makes all of us love her so incredibly much. She's a very special woman and I'm happy to share her with you in this way.

My Favorite Things About My Mom

Something funny about my Mom - One of the funniest things about my mom is that she can’t get through a joke (or at least a really good one!) without cracking herself up! Another is that her Boston accent returns briefly almost every time she talks with her mom or her sisters!

Something I admire about my Mom - I admire my mother’s wisdom and compassion – she’s got a gift for meeting you where you are at, but not leaving you there. I love that when I talk to her about parenting or marriage or ministry in my local church, she always gives me another perspective to think about when we're done. (See, Mom, I DO listen to you! Honest!)

A special memory of my Mom - A favorite memory of my mom is when she stayed overnight in the hospital with me when Shaggy was born. I was so scared, now that he was actually “here,” and in a lot of pain from the delivery. When I started to go into shock overnight, she got right on the nurses to get me some help and was so encouraging when I started to nurse. I also loved the sight of her holding her first grandbaby – it was thrilling!

Something that distinguishes my Mom from all other women - My mother’s anointing to be a godly mother-figure to the many younger women in her life is something that distinguishes her from other women in our lives. She carries that anointing with grace and humility and is very real and approachable in her ministry to all of us!

And an add-on to the original questions, Something that I hope to emulate from my Mom's life - I hope to grow into a steady, "rock of the family" woman that all my family knows that they can count on. I watch what my Mom is walking through as her mom ages, and I am amazed at her steadiness, her resolve, and her faithfulness to honor her mother's independence and still be sure that my Grandmother's health is prioritized. It can't be easy to watch her mother become more and more frail and I'm humbled by the way she's handling it all. Her whole family KNOWS that she can be counted on to make wise choices and it's a blessing to watch.

Happy Mothers' Day Mom.
I love you
Though I may not say it often enough,
You Are My Hero.
I want to be just like you when I grow up.

America's Favorite Mom

I'm way behind the times, apparently. For a while now, the Today show has been running a great contest in conjunction with Teleflora Florist, for"America's Favorite Mom." This morning, while making a real breakfast and sipping my creamy hazelnut coffee, I got to see the semi-finalists in the "Non Mom" Mom category. The definition of today's featured category is as follows:

"Grandparent, stepmom, or mom to adopted children,
each one raising and loving a child.
A priceless gift for everybody."

I know I'm a sap. I know I'm the worlds' easiest target for all Hallmark and retro McDonalds' commercials (you know, the one with the little sister and the big brother's letterman's jacket?). So, when I tuned in and turned it up, I knew the stories would get me. And I wasn't wrong! You really must head over and view the stories of each of today's moms yourself (Go to the "vote May 8th section of the page).

These women are doing great work and I am happy to report that the common denominator between all three of these awesome moms is their belief that they are doing God's work. That God created these families with which they have been blessed. That the children they have the privilege of parenting came to them via God's hand. It was a good thing for me to see today. And a great reminder for all of us: these precious ones are God's and when we serve them, we are serving Him!

Go. Read. Cry. Vote.
And be encouraged: you are doing God's work today, Mom!

Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself . . .

I found a great conversation about blogging, commenting, and readership tonight, by way of Happy In The Moment. By the way, I can't exactly remember how I found Happy In The Moment, but I'm thoroughly enjoying her take on the world. When I visit there, I'm always surprised by the combination of light-hearted joy that she finds in the world around her and insightful thoughts about the moments with which she has been blessed. Drop by her blog and enjoy the happiness! (It doesn't hurt her case one iota that she's a fellow David Cook fan!)

Anyway, this great conversation about blogging and commenting can be found here. And if you are one of my lurkers, DE-LURK yourself already. It doesn't hurt, I promise. In fact, it's often quite fun to leave your thoughts and feelings. To share your voice with the rest of us. Fun and not painful at all. Honest!

Fresh From My Garden

Baby Blue Eyes wants me to be sure

to tell you all that he wishes
you could smell 'yem'
cuz 'yem' smell 'weeally' good!
He's right.

Gearing Up For Mothers' Day!

I've never done this before, but I hear that 5 Minutes for Moms is hosting a huge blogger giveaway and I thought I'd get in on the action. Head over there for your chance to join the fun! I'm heading back there now to make sure I didn't miss anything really great. Come with me - maybe you'll win something too!

And The Award for Funniest Real Life Experience Goes To . . . .

Okay, a couple days ago my friend at Like I Was Saying posted about her new affinity for Giant Foods' new "shop from home" grocery service. I was excited to read her thoughts, as I belong to a consumer survey group that works with Giant Foods. This idea had been tossed around the discussion boards and there was mixed thoughts on how the service would be received and implemented.

I contacted LIWS and asked her permission to give the Giant people the link to her blog. Seems as if Giant Foods really wanted to hear what she had to say. And so did a local consumer advocate reporter. They set up a meeting at the local Giant, planned an interview and some filming time. Please, please, give your ab muscles a great work out and head over to read her behind the scenes view of the experience.

But DO NOT commence reading with a full cup of coffee.
Or with water in your mouth.
And especially not with a full bladder.
Trust me. Don't do it!


Oh yeah. If you are curious about the new shop at home service
that Giant is piloting, head here for the consumer reporter's story about it.
Pretty cool stuff!

A New Low

Last night, I had to grocery shop. Couldn't put it off any longer. But since I knew it would be a tiny trip (for us!), I grabbed The Boss and my coupons and we were off. I hoofed it through the store like a maniac, shopping and plotting and searching for coupons to match sales all with one eye on my watch. Sending The Boss off (which causes fits of panic and stress every time) with very specific instructions on specific foods to add to the cart. Gaging time needed, moving faster when necessary, and hurrying the cashiers in my mind.

I paid the nice boys with the ridiculously low-slung, baggy pants (please, did that fad not end a couple years ago?!). As we threw the last of the bags in the cart, I glanced at my watch. OH NO! 8:07 p.m. I knew that since David Cook has sung his American Idol brilliance towards the end of the last couple shows, it was likely that he'd be singing his Neil Diamond American Idol amazing-ness early in last night's show. Hurry it up!!!

The Boss threw the bags in the van, I revv'd it up and picked him up on the fly from the cart corral. Seriously, the van was moving before his butt was totally planted and the door was shut. Risky, I know. And while I was flying out of the parking lot, I called the boys and made them put the phone up to the tv speakers. I caught his first song, amid a ton of distortion, in the car with my cell on speaker while trying to responsibly and legally drive home as quickly as possible. Not the most well-known of Diamond's songs, but when you have a younger sister who loved (loves?) all things Neil Diamond in her teen years (I know, that's a whole 'nother post, I swear!!), you know all these songs. He rocked it. I drove faster.

As Shaggy was putting the phone back and laughing with Dr. Doolittle over my NEED to hear David's first song, I heard him (over the UN HUNG UP phone!) say to Dr. D, "She's pathetic. That's just sad." I couldn't believe it. My 13 year-old thinks I'm pathetic. And sad. I think I've sunk to a new low. But then (after I screeched to him, "I CAN HEAR YOU, YOU KNOW!") I heard him cracking up and laughing hysterically. That punk. He knew he hadn't hung up yet. He got me. UGH. Maybe that's my new low - he got me, and he KNEW he would. Punk.

Anyway, we got home, flew in the door and made everyone help unload and put away the groceries (I may need a treasure hunter to find that peanut butter and those canned peaches!) and clean up. Just in time. Just in time for David's second song of the night. He rocked it. Again! And his hair? Dude, I think I might get mine done like that. I love his hair! Oh wait, mine is already kinda like that. Why does it look so much funkier on him than on me?! Yeah, as I was saying, David Cook rocked the house last night. He is sooooo gonna win this. Or as Paula said:

"I feel like I'm looking at the next American Idol."

Yeah. That's what I've been saying. Since his adorable audition tape.
In Simon's words, he is "brilliant!" Yup. That's what I said.

Our Room - After!

Okay, I've killed all three of you with suspense long enough. I am so excited to share with you some pictures of my beautiful new bedroom. It's so warm and inviting that I've actually made my bed Every. Single. Day. since we finished it - just to be able to revel in the gorgeousness of it all. And I've given myself up to the luxury of crawling into bed before 9:30 several nights to read and relax in the beauty of it.

First is the view of our room from the bathroom door. Next is the view as you walk into our room from the hallway. Oh, the beauty and serenity that greets me each time I walk into my room. I cannot even describe to you how much I have fallen in love with my "new" room!

These next views are from opposing corners of our room, the top one is from my side of the bed in the corner. Next is from The Boss's side of the bed, by his dresser. We originally had one of those mirrors that hung on two very colonial looking posts, but we got a little funky and hung it directly on the wall for a more updated look. I'm so happy that The Boss encouraged me to "think outside the box" on this one - I was getting stuck on how the mirror is "supposed" to hang, as if it was sacred some how! That's not usually like me, but I'm glad that he nudged me to do it.
The color on the walls is really more of a warm caramel color, called Cumbrian Cliffs, but the flash over-lit the picture. Trust me, it's not nearly as peachy as it appears here. It's rich and warm and complements the olives of the bedspread nicely. After about 4 deleted shots, I gave up - and wished I'd had my good friend Holly take the pics when she was by for a "real life" visit (as opposed to the visiting we do via Flickr and our blogging!)

Finally, there's a close-up of the beautiful casement trim that we picked (and that I saved my hard-earned babysitting and survey job money to splurge on). The Boss painstakingly primed and painted it and all its little nooks and crannies and hung it for me. We did a similar treatment to a powder room downstairs to off-set some odd ceiling angles and loved it, so we treated ourselves to a variation of the other. You can't really see it here, but The Boss is so particular when he does these jobs that he carved, mitered and cut tiny little wedges at each place that the trim stopped or changed angles, for an amazing, seamless look. It's an outstanding labor of love, one that makes me more convinced than ever that The Boss is THE MAN for me. Forever and always. I am a blessed woman indeed. And now I have a pretty, pretty room, too!

So, what do you think? Isn't it gorgeous?! It was so worth the wait. All that's left is to find some curtains in a soft sage-y olive color. I think I've got it narrowed down to a couple choices, but I have to head to the stores to feel the fabric - it's gotta be plush, soft and luxurious to complement the rest of the beauty that is now my room. Mmmmmmm, I love it when a home project comes together even better than I'd pictured it!

Update: In case I wasn't clear enough in assigning credit,
all the hard labor was by The Boss. I create these designs
and ideas in my head and he makes them come to life in our home.
Plus, he hates it when I try to help. He's waaaay too territorial for that!

Our Room - Before

Well, before and sorta during! The Boss is famous for forgetting to snap pics of a project before he starts it, so we have tons of "before" pics that are really more "during" pics.

Here's what the room looked like as we were dismantling it and prepping. Note the white walls, white trim and white ceiling. This is not primer, nor is it an effect for the camera. This is our room. Before.

Note the boring, predictable placement of furniture and the complete lack of decor. We did have lampshades, but he put those away for safe-keeping before he took these pics.

We've been here in this house for four years. 4 Years! And we've never had any wall hangings. These wall are not empty here because we'd already taken pictures down. They were just empty.

The only reason we had any curtains is because my very generous and compassionate neighbor gave me some gorgeous antique ivory sheers to go over our room darkening shades. Which are also ivory.

Boring and un-inspired. And the LAST room in the house I wanted to spend any quality time. Before.

Big, Bigger, Biggest! (Long Post . . . )

Okay, I've been hiding. I confess. I've been hiding behind piles of laundry, mountains of spring clothes, landslides of winter clothes, and avalanches of paperwork. I've been lurking in Wind Ensemble concerts, Spring Band concerts, memorial services in upstate NY, and cousins' new houses also in upstate NY. I've been sneaking around gargantuan mounds of paperwork accumulated after only 2 partial days out of town, and tip-toeing through bedrooms full of outgrown toys and other various spring cleaning purging projects. Yup, I've been in-communicado - withholding all my witty banter and sage insights on the world from all of you faithful blog readers. But I have three big pieces of news to share that has brought me out of hiding, at least for this post. At least until my piles and landslides take over and completely force an involuntary commitment to the local madhouse.

Big News ~ I've got a new bedroom! After months of waffling on color and style and trim, The Boss devoted all last week and two weekends to painting our room and helping me re-arrange furniture (his very least favorite thing about my inner decorating diva!). We've hung pics, refreshed furniture, and re-hung curtains. The only thing left to do is settle on some drapes, but until I've got a nice little nest egg of babysitting money saved up (do I totally sound like a total like teen there? Like, really?!), I'm more than content with my lovely filmy sheers. Maybe soon I'll treat you to some "before" and "afters" of The Boss's masterpiece!

Bigger News ~ Due to some recent changes in the policies of the CCAA (Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs), we went from #31 to #20 on the list for a Waiting Child! I am sad for those families that were bumped out of line because of these new rules, but I am very excited that we may be closer to Aidan than ever.

Biggest News ~ Today's weekly email update from Living Hope Adoptions informed us of the following:

"CCAA has reviewed documents logged in
up to and including December 31st, 2006"

This is HUGE news for us! This is GOOD HUGE news for us. Basically, unless we get a call or a letter in the next week or so from our agency stating otherwise, this means that the CCAA has cleared us for adoption of a Chinese orphan. This means that we are one big step closer to Aidan. No, we still have no time frame to count on. No, we don't know how much longer it is from here. But we logged in to the CCAA on 12/14/06 and have been waiting these 16 months for this progress! For those of us who watch faithfully the progress that CCAA makes on these reviews and referrals, the fact that two months worth of LID's were reviewed and passed is GREAT NEWS!! (The last completed reviews noted were Oct. '06) So to all you fellow November and December '06 LID'ers: Congrats to us all!!!!!

So . . . . Spring clothes are (mostly) out, (mostly) washed and (mostly) folded into drawers. Once I sort, store, purge and wash, the folding and the putting away is up to all of them. And if they all get them into their drawers, well, then that's just a big 'ole bonus for me. Woo hoo! Winter clothes are stored away and all the heavy coats have been washed and stored also. The only thing left is sorting through that huge messy box of hats, gloves, mittens and scarves. I may need an extra large Vanilla Latte for that one though. I am pretty certain that there's really only one pair of gloves that actually match after the winter ravages. And Baby Blue Eyes is now fitting into the same size clothes that Dr. Doolittle was wearing when we moved into this house. How is that possible? How can it even be remotely possible that my little guy is so grown up?

Finally, with all this cleaning and purging that's going on, we're making money on our stuff! So far, Baby Blue Eyes and I have sold Rescue Heroes, dinosaurs, and Hot Wheels. We're continuing to purge and sort and clean; what we don't sell on our local craigslist, we'll be tagging for a big yard sale in June. All proceeds are heading for our Adoption Jar and so far, the take is $50 from BBE's room alone! Next up, we're tackling LadyBug's room and the bins of baby stuff that we're fairly certain we won't use with Aidan. But now, I'm putting my feet up and crashing. It's been a long two weeks and I need to crash. Before I burn!

My Fave American Idol

I've never weighed in on the blogosphere's chatter and debates about American Idol in my own blog before. I've commented lots on others' blogs (cuz you all KNOW I have somethin' to say for sure!) but never felt moved enough to devote a whole post to it. Well, okay once I did, but it wasn't about who was so amazing or so talented.

Until. David. Cook.

I've watched him with great interest and more than a little curiosity since the auditions back in February. He's edgy, fresh and interesting. No bubble gum pop music with him. And when he sang "Hello" - well, I melted. Right there in a puddle in the family room. Ask my family. I know all the questions about his supposed "originality" - questions about his arrangements abound. Just for the record, he's very quick to give the credit for great arrangements where the credit is due. I know, I read the internet. :)

Then came last night. Sigh. As much as I despise Mariah Carey's music (and believe me, I do for soooo many reasons!), he took the one song that I'm sorta okay with and. ROCKED. THE. HOUSE. I could hardly speak at first. I quickly regained my ability to speak, to leap and cheer and shout my approval. I couldn't believe how amazing it was. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Here's some feedback from the judges (yes, I took notes. I know, I'm a geek!):

"Original." "Daring." "Stood out by a mile."
"Whole package." ". . . big breath of fresh air."

Not one critique from one of the judges.
Not one.

I got a little teary (okay, I confess, I blubbered) when he teared up. For the back story on why he was so emotional, go here. I knew before the show about his brother, and just knew all night it would be his BEST. PERFORMANCE. EVER. ~ YET. ~

So, I've been saying it in comment form for several weeks - but I'm saying it here, now, in public. Well, publicly to my 5 readers. David Cook is THE ONE to watch. He's THE ONE who will take the whole AI contest. And when he does, I predict that he's going to take the whole American Idol empire to a whole new level. I know he certainly has made it a whole new experience for me.

David, if you are reading this, I have been a faithful fan
since the first time you very sweetly, humbly and sincerely
thanked the judges for the chance to go to Hollywood.
You are gonna knock this whole contest outta the park!
I just know it.

Another Gotcha Day!

Yesterday, another family came together to form forever bonds through the miracle of adoption. My dear friend (new but no less dear!) Kateri and her husband David became the legal parents to Alayna Fu Chang Lambrose. Please head over to their site and shower them with love and congratulations. It's been a long journey, and their story is one of the great faithfulness of a loving Father and supernatural provision from the God who owns cattle on a thousand hills. It's also the story of open and obedient hearts willing to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, no matter where those promptings led them.

Please continue to pray for them as they settle in and bond to this darling girl. She's had a lot going on in her little life already and the family really needs the Holy Spirit to speak loving words of comfort and security and peace to her as she learns how to love and be loved.

Monday Musings

"The only normal people

are the ones you don't know very well."

~Joe Ancis

I can't believe it, I actually got a Monday at home and I can finally participate in TCC's Monday Musings. And I'm so glad that this is the Monday I hit - the quote itself doesn't require a dictionary to decipher (just joshin' ya, TCC!) and it's actually one I've been pondering since lunch with my friend on Wednesday. Let me explain . . .

Lately, I've been spending a ton of time (for me) at home, alone or with just one or two of my kids. Flu and fever season hit us a bit harder here at The Gang's house than in winters past. Anyway, as an extrovert (like squared!), a lot of quiet time often leads me down the path of introspection. Introspection is not, in and of itself, a problem. But for me, lots of introspection turns into self-focus and self-absorption in the form of re-hashing conversations (with humans and with God) that I could have handled better. It becomes a conversation in my head of how ridiculous it is that at my age (gasp!) I'm not over this by now. That I should have learned this lesson and moved on already. If I am not diligent to stop those conversational tracks in my head the minute they start laying rails westward, I am full steam ahead to the end of the rails: comparisons that always result in me coming up short in some area. I fly right past the stations of "Wait, I'm Not Alone" and "Stop Here - Renewals by the Holy Spirit." I screech with all my brakes smoking right into "I Am So Screwed Up." Or I limp with squeaky wheels and sputtering engine into "Why Can't I Be Like __________?" By then, my tracks are a wreck and my wheels are chewed up beyond recognition.

So at lunch on Wednesday, I was sharing with my friend about some things going on in my life. It quickly became a conversation full of me, what I'm "really" like, and what's wrong with me. While the conversation was helpful and encouraging and insightful (she's a wonderful, wise woman, no matter what she thinks about herself today!), I also heard this Station Master in my head questioning me. Asking me if this was all really necessary. Checking with me to see if I could possibly be so ridiculous to assume that I was the only one who didn't have this issue (or any variety of others) together by now. Reminding me of the supreme vanity of thinking that I could be or should be comparing myself to others around me. Questioning the wisdom of my starting point that everyone else is normal and I'm the one that's beyond salvage-able.

As we ended our time together, I thanked my friend for her ability to be so real - I even used the word normal. And she is - she's vulnerable about her failings, but she's also real about her part in those failings and in her dependence on Her Father. But what struck me after I left our time together is that I thanked her for her normalcy, as if I have precious little of my own. As if being with her is what boosted my normalcy quotient for the day. And I felt convicted about that. When I was able to sort through it all by way of running conversations and debates with the Station Master, I realized that even within all of her own transparencies in our times together, that couldn't possibly be all there is to her. I realized (seriously, it was like a series of V8 moments for most of Thursday and part of Friday!) that I view her as normal, but given the things that she's shared with me, she may struggle to see herself as normal. And that others (God help them!) may actually view me as normal.

The funny thing is, all of us are normal in our propensity to screw up. In our struggle to make it through in our own steam. In our need for a Savior. In our desperate, daily need for "Renewals by the Holy Spirit!" All of us should be making those stops, cruising up to the platform and letting our engines cool down and be tuned up.

The equally funny thing is that none of us are normal. We are all individuals, all unique in our own right. We can never be fully known by any human relationship on this train route. We can only depend on Our Father to know us more intimately than any other. In this dependence, it matters less and less that we know normal people. And it matters less and less that we be known as normal people.