Happy Thanksgiving!

Elizabeth — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:27:03 +0000

Dear Hazel,

Today was a wonderful day! I spent the day with 10 of your cousins and 9 of your aunts and uncles.

That does not include the other 6 cousins and 4 aunts and uncles that live far away.

I created a Thanksgiving Treasure Hunt for the all the kids. They had to look for things like bark, oak leaves, bird feathers, flat rocks and all kinds of other cool things. Once they found them they had to create a forest on a paper plate with all their treasures.

Then we made turkey cookies with sugar cookies as the base, coated with frosting, candy corn for feathers, sno caps for eyes, and licorice for the gobbler.

I look forward to the day that you can run and play with your cousins.

I hope and pray (very hard) that next year you and I will be a lot closer than we are today.

Love,

Mommy

Please Join Me …

Elizabeth — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:58:12 +0000

Rethink Christmas with me.

What do I mean?

The story of Christ’s birth is a subversive story of an upside-down kingdom. It’s a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love that is still changing the world to this day. So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. And when it’s all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling that we somehow missed its purpose.

Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again by turning our focus back to the birth of Christ? What could happen to your family if this focus was celebrated in loud, bold and totally unexpected ways? What if you could actually trade your season of stress for a season celebration and unbelievable memories with your friends and family? What if all of this could save a life at the same time? It can. http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

Three years ago I made the decision to rethink Christmas.

Inspired by Adoption

Elizabeth — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:58:22 +0000

I donated my very first collage to this online auction for Chinese orphans. I couldn’t believe the interest in this piece. It sold for $45. It’s inspired me to do more collages.

I created this piece early this year. I made it for Hazel’s room. After I finished it I loved it so much I want to do more. So, I ordered a whole bunch of canvases, Asian charms, coins and ephemera. I’m ready to make more.

I have another one finished. It’s similar but different.

Over the years I’ve given a lot of my artwork away to friends or family. I’ve never tried to sell it.

Let me know if you’re interested I’d seriously consider making more collages and selling them. I think $30 is a fair price for this size.

I’m Baaack!

Elizabeth — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:21:47 +0000

I went missing for awhile. Actually a long while; 4 1/2 months to be exact.

I thought it fitting to return to blogdom with a pimped out blog.

Diana did a great job. Please click on over and hire her to pimp your blog!

Why did I go away and why did I come back?

Stick around. I’ll tell ya later.

This n’ That

Elizabeth — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 18:32:29 +0000

This is a catch- all post.

I had a great week with my niece. Elizabeth, I miss you terribly!
This past week I have been sicker than I have been in a long time. I had to rearrange some very important travel for work. I have spent the last 3 days on the couch coughing up my lungs and I have vertigo!
With a lot of couch time I have been doing some math regarding referrals. (OK ~ me and math ~ dangerous)

Here are my findings:

There are 234 referral days (current referred to 01/0 9/06) until my LID of 9/1/06.

If the average referral batches are:

30 days of referrals that's another 8 month wait = a true miracle
15 days of referrals ~ 16 months = a wish and a prayer
10 days of referrals ~ 23 months = more realistic - not probable
7 days of referrals ~ 33 months = if the next 2 months are only 7 days of referrals I'm trading the 4-door for a another convertible, forget I'm adopting, save for a vacation and enjoying the next 3 yrs as a single girl (wink-wink)
5 days of referrals ~ 46 months = most likely scenario and is causing me to reconsider a concurrent adoption

The above thinking is my brain on 6 days of Nas0nex, Tri@minic and &udafed. Perhaps after the fog clears I might seriously pursue scenario #5. I'm not sure my propensity for guilt will allow me to pursue scenario #4

Medicine Head signing off and back to the couch!

Oh the Irony!

Elizabeth — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:42:39 +0000

Let me interrupt April Fool’s Day to report 19 down.

For Jules

Elizabeth — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:47:29 +0000

The package arrived Wednesday!! I video the grand opening. I will post here soon. I haven’t been able to prep the raw footage and load it on YouTube and then post here.

It’s been a loooooong week and when you see the video you will see the package arrived exactly when it was suppose to.

My niece Elizabeth, who is 11, is on her way from Nashville, via $outhwest. She is arriving in 2 hours.

Sooooo much to do before Niece Bethie gets here. I am bravely taking next week off in the middle of a huge project. YIKES!!

Jules, you have made this wait for Hazel wonderful. The gifts keep it real. And you made me feel very special. No one gets enough of feeling special and for that words can not express my gratitude. I am forever grateful. I am so glad you are apart of this journey.

Love,

Beth (in the next 24/7 I’m going to be exclusively Aunt Bethie)

PS Later today I am taking my princess to the ballet. I’ll be posting pics and vids of our week together.

Happy Easter Hazel!

Elizabeth — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:40:53 +0000

” />

Eighteen Down ~ How Many More To Go?

Elizabeth — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:35:16 +0000

I have been saving this little ditty for the 18 month LID anniversary. Once upon a time when my agency still thought the wait would be less than 12 months. I called them to find out about my 1-797C renewals. I was concerned, because the rumors where indicating a 36 month wait for 2006 LIDs. That meant 2 renewals and lots more money. They kindly and confidently assured me the wait would never reach 18 months and I didn’t even have to think about renewing at all.

OK, 12 months have come and gone. I have done my first renewal. Where’s my baby?

Ignorance is not bliss in this case.

I am peeking over the top of my rose colored glasses and I see the 2nd renewal in August ‘09 and a late 2009 referral.

Disclaimer:

(I love my agency. I know that they never intended to miss guide me.)

On the lighter side, my friend Cindy will be seeing her baby’s face in the next few months. WOOHOO

Plucking Daisies!

Elizabeth — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:41:11 +0000

Decorate Hazel’s Bedroom, Decorate her bedroom not, Decorate Hazel’s Bedroom, Decorate her bedroom not

I grew up Catholic and my mom’s best friend and her family is Jewish.

Our families grew up together. They celebrated the Christian holidays with us and we celebrated the Jewish holidays with them. It was wonderful.

My brothers and I called ourselves Cath-o-lic-ish. (We had absolutely no undertones of disrespect for either religion, we just felt special that we had both religions in ours lives. We wanted a special name for just us.)

If you want a visual, imagine Yiddish words coming out of the mouths of 5 little Catholic kids. I am saddened that I have lost much of that culture in my life today. That’s another post.

If you are not Jewish or Cath-o-lic-ish you may be thinking “What’s this got to do with decorating Hazel’s bedroom?”

A lot! Our families and friends never bought a gosh darn thing or had baby showers until the baby was born and safely home. I apologize to my Jewish and Cath-o-lic-ish friends if there is a spiritual or biblical meaning, but I learned it was just plain bad luck. Kind of like jinxing, throwing a whammy or a hex on the pregnancy or birth. I am pretty sure there is a real good Yiddish word for it. Wendi help me out here. My Yiddish vocabulary has vanished right along with my size 10 hips.

Well, I am no longer a practicing Cath-o-lic-ish, but I still practice the guilt. I joined our Yahoo LID Secret Pal swap, with a lot of Cath-o-lic-ish guilt thrown in. I have since gotten over that guilt, sort of.

Without Jules kind words, extravagant gifts and beautifully thought out wrappings I would have gone insane. You have no idea how much glee and excitement there is in my house the days, weeks after that package arrives. It’s a wonderful reminder that this adoption is real.

Also, I have bought a few things for my dear little love bug; mostly irresistible bargains at &ymboree Factory Outlet and Targ´et. The first purchase I made for her was her first baby doll. That was very important to me to be the one to give her that. That’s a whole another post.

OK back to plucking daisies …

Now, are you getting the picture? Yup Cath-o-lic-ish guilt. (I love the way spell check wants to change that word and I won’t let it. Spell Check 0. Beth 6.) I really want to decorate her room. I am ready. For the last 2 years I couldn’t get my brain around the idea. I am ready and the guilt won’t go away. UGH!

It’s not because I don’t believe this adoption will happen. I just don’t want to anger the wives tale’s gods. It would be like breaking a mirror than kicking the black cat walking in front of me as I am walking under a ladder.

I thought if I wrote this down and got it out of my head and gave it to the universe the answer would reveal itself.

All for not, in revealing my inner turmoil in this post I recalled a childhood memory that may have gone missing had I not started plucking daises.

I am going to go find some real wood to knock on and then throw some salt over my shoulder; just because I’m still thinking about decorating her room.