Friday, December 29, 2006

Now Seeking Advice

The last few months here on this blog have, admittedly, been a little dry. I think I've lost a few readers. I haven't been reading or commenting much on others' blogs, which doesn't exactly help maintain readership either.

But some of you are still out there. And for that, I do thank you.

So, Kirkland, Reston, Herndon, Dublin, Seattle, Dayton, Roanoke, Dallas, Birmingham, Columbus, Chicago, St. Louis, Danbury, Spartanburg, Franklin, Camden, Norwalk, Cherry Hill, San Diego, and all you Blogliners - I need you. Cuz you are all I've got out here.

I am now seeking advice in the following areas:
1. Food prep:
- looking for a tasty way to fix kale (okay, that was a bad one to start with. I promise they won't all be that hard.)
- looking for a sugar free cake recipe that is moist as well as tasty (the cake, not the recipe.)
- wondering what I have to do to keep the center of the yolk from getting rubbery when I make hard-boiled eggs

2. Technology:
- need a recommendation for a decent (not loaded with bells and whistles, but decent) digital camera that can capture action shots (meaning: it can snap a candid of three wiggly children before the "moment" is lost.)
- need help figuring out what command I am accidentally activating (in my web browser?) whereby I can't use the apostrophe or slash keys without opening up a "search" feature. I use Yahoo! e-mail and my browser is Mozilla Firefox. (Though I think it is Firefox b/c it happens when I am composing both e-mails and blog posts.) If you know what this is, could you also tell me how to UNdo this command?
- wanting to hear more about the merits of Blogger beta (which isn't beta anymore.)
- I want to use "Quick Editing" on my blog, but for some reason, I can't. It is on, it just isn't working. Is it a problem with the code for my blog? My browser?
- can anyone recommend a freeware for photo editing?

3. Health and Hygeine:
- need a product recommendation for dry, itchy scalp that is safe enough to be used on a child.
- need a recommendation for a good aerobic workout DVD. No Denise Austin. No boot camp instructors. Just a good 30-40 minute keep-your-heart-pumping workout that I don't need a degree in dance to accomplish (and is readily available for purchase.)

And that is all I can think of, for now. I look forward to hearing from you. And thanks in advance for making my life a little bit easier.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Okay, the New Year Cards? Maybe Not.

(Updated at end of post.)

So, we got this new computer.

Granted, that was over a year ago, but I digress.

Before hooking up this new computer, I had enough presence of mind to print out all the address labels that I needed for our Christmas cards. I kept all my addresses on a little floppy disk in a MS Works database file.

Life was simple. I was happy.

But the new computer didn't have a floppy drive. In itself this is no big deal. We didn't have a ton of stuff on floppies we needed access to. And the few things we did need to access (address list included) we simply attached to an e-mail to ourselves.

Yahoo has been graciously storing those files ever since then. Thanks Yahoo. I mean, thanks Yahoo!.

Anyhoo! (Did you like that?) Some time ago, I finally downloaded the address list file onto our computer. The computer which, by the way, came with WordPerfect already installed. Why WordPerfect has to be all one word, I will never know. But even more nonsensical to me is how to operate said program. I'm used to MS programs. And, after spending (literally) two hours trying (unsucessfully, thankyouverymuch) to figure out how to do something that I could have done in (literally) two seconds in MS Works, I was done. D.O.N.E. with all things WordnotsoPerfect.

Which means that I never did purchase the office suite to accompany WordPerfect.

And so, astute reader, you have by now correctly surmised that I have no database program. And that file with my addresses on it? You're right. It is absolutely useless.

Are you dizzy yet?

But, remember those New Year cards I am attempting to send out? Well, I sorta need the address list to do that.

Dilemma.

I could just buy MS Works and download it tonight. Not my favorite option, but looking all the better as the hours go by. However, before I gave in and actually spent money (eeek!) on MS Works, I decided I'd try an option that I'd been putting off for a long, long time.

So I went over to the Open Office website - recommended by a friend who loves computers (and hates Microsoft.) I tried to download the most current version of their office suite. For those of you who read my recent PSA about trying to renew my McAfee subscription, you know that downloads and I do not get along very well. (No, I never got THAT one to work either.) But, I really would like to open my address file. And come to think of it, I'd like to be done with WordPerfect turning my documents into jibberish. (Oh yes, it did. On more than one occasion.)

Off I went to download my brand new Take-THAT-Microsoft-ware.

Until a little "Alert" box popped up on my monitor. It seems that while I was attempting to download, "550 failed to change directory."

And, to be fair, who could blame 550 for that? Change is a scary thing, y'all.

Change is a scary thing.

(I am happy to provide you with this update, because I know you won't be able to sleep tonight if Idon't. Open Office is now downloading. My computer estimates that it will take approximately 12 minutes, 37 seconds. Give or take 9 hours. So, by the wee hours of the morning, I should have my database installed. I LOVE dial up!)

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But Let's Not Get Catty About it.

For the second time in as many days, Mr. Bug has taken on the identity of a cat.

Today he came to me with a ball of yarn and asked me to wave it around in front of him so he could bat at it.

That's fine. I humored him.

But yesterday, the cattiness began just as he finished a bowl of apple sauce at the kitchen table. At just about that time, Bao spotted a card with a cat on it and, pointing to it, proudly proclaimed, "caaaaaaaat!"

This must've sparked something in the boy's imagination. He loves to entertain her, after all. So, he got himself on the floor and started meowing at her feet.

Bao enjoyed this immensely, so I let it go on for a little while. But I had to resume my mothering duties at some point, so, when enough time had passed for an adult to tire of the all the meowing, I gave Bao a job. (That's what mothers do, right?)

Here is how the conversation went:
Me: Jonathan, put your bowl and spoon in the sink, please.
Bug: MeOOOOW!
Me: (Pause a few moments. Let them have their fun for a few more seconds.) Mr. Bug, put your bowl and spoon in the sink.
Bug: MeOOOOOOOOOOW!

Then, in a classic display of my passive aggressiveness, I turned to Paul and said, "Dad, would you please tell your pet cat that if he doesn't put his bowl and spoon in the sink he is going to have a spanked bottom."

Mr. Bug stood up, placing his hands over his bottom. "Cats don't have bottoms," he said.

"Oh, yes they do," I retorted.

He looked at me a moment then made his way toward the table and, just as he was about to grab his bowl and spoon, he stopped.

"MOM! Cats don't know how to hold a bowl!"

Have I ever mentioned that I am not such a big fan of cats?

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Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Better Late than Never

Well, Ms. Boo approached me today with this:

"Mom, remember last year how we made a birthday cake for Jesus?"

"Yes."

"Well, can we do that again?"

"Sure. There's a cake mix in the cabinet. Go get it."

The cake is in the oven now.

Mind you, the REASON the cake mix was in the cabinet was because I did actually PLAN to make the birthday cake for Jesus. It just didn't happen. Not so much because I was overwhelmed with holiday to-dos. Just because. Well, I don't really know why.

But I blame the digital camera.

See, it broke. And we haven't bought a new one yet (though we are working on it.) And when it got so late in the season that we couldn't get the photo taken for our cards in time.... well... I just let it gooooooo.........................

And figured that a New Year card would suffice.

And hey, there's not really a deadline for a New Year card, is there? I could send it just about any time in the month of January and still be well within the "New Year" time frame.

So, I'm thinking maybe this approach to the Christmas cards may have worn off in other areas as well. Namely, the birthday cake.

Just don't ask me to take care of the water bill, mkay?

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Monday, December 25, 2006

The Books of 2006

I read twelve. Ranked in order of how much I liked them.

1. Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. You can read my review here. Fantastic book.

2. Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience by Ronald Sider. I read this after God's Politics. It was a much easier read, but it got me thinking as much, or more, than GP did. You can read my reaction to Scandal here.

3. God's Politics by Jim Wallace. Wallace seemed long-winded, particularly about the war in Iraq. But, this book was a good jummping off point for me in that it has me thinking much more about fair trade, helping the poor, and the "consistent ethic of life." Read more about the stuff Wallace covers in the book here.

4. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. This is the last one I read. Just finished it today as a matter of fact. I have to say the first half better than the last. But the entire book was an easy and enjoyable read. I particularly liked chapter 7, in which he talks about the concept of grace. I suppose I liked it because I could relate to it. He could have written that chapter about me and it would've turned out the same. I also liked his discussion of how we treat love like money. A good reminder of the error I often buy into as I attempt to live out the Christian life. Overall, I liked that the author pointed the finger at himself more than anyone else. It reminded me that I am the only one that I have authority over when it comes to how faith is lived out. I also liked this book because it is a great read for Christians as well as those who are interested in Christianity, but are afraid they'd have to become what they hate in order to embrace it.

5. Approval Addiction by Joyce Meyers. This helped me to recognize some things that I needed to change, but I also found it very encouraging.

6. A Separate Peace by John Knowles. I read this book because I needed something to read and I remembered liking it when I read it in the ninth grade. I don't know what made me like it so much then - probably all the teenage angst. It was an easy read and not altogether boring, but I can't say I LOVED it. I don't know why - probably all the teenage angst. (?)

7. Every Man's Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker. This book was helpful for understanding how mens' minds are influenced by their eyes. It's good to know for anyone who has a husband. As a woman though, I found the information about how to train your eyes and mind very helpful. Some parts of it made me feel uncomfortable, like explanations of what visual stimuli turn men on (they weren't graphic, but you can't help get an image in your mind, and it usually wasn't one I wanted to have there.) One part that made me uncomfortable was a red light, of sorts for me, because it made me realize that I have some beauty issues of my own to deal with. Altoghter, learning as much as I did from this book, which is supposed to be for men, got me interested in reading Every Woman's Battle, which I have now added it to my reading list.

8. Boltzmann's Atom by David Lindley. A bit dry in parts. I did enjoy the glimpse into the human side of science. You can read my ramblings about the book (and faith) here.

9. Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman. I liked the first three chapters - learned some interesting things that I'd never understood before. The fourth chapter made absolutely no sense to me. The fifth chapter wasn't much of a help in my understanding of gravitation, though I can't say I was as lost as I was in the previous chapter. I read the last chapter about quantum mechanics because I wanted to finish the book. I nearly quit. QM is hard stuff, so I don't know how anyone could identify it as an "easy piece." I understood the parts I already knew. The stuff I didn't understand before reading, I still didn't understand after reading.

10. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. Some parts I found completely uninteresting (namely, his sexual exploits.) Some parts were okay. One or two parts were insightful. I found it annoying that none of the conversations recorded in the book contain any quotation marks, a fact which sometimes made it difficult to read. Also annoying were his random jags into daydreams that seemed far too cliche and, well, LONG, frankly. Long past getting the point. I was hoping to be able to relate in some way to this story of a teacher. I didn't.

11. One Size Doesn't Fit all by Gary McIntosh. Easy to read, but with an annoyingly unnecessary narrative. McIntosh tries to give information about how churches of various sizes function, but he does it in story form. GAAAAAH! I read this book because my pastor gave it to everyone on the long range planning committee. The information has been very useful to us, but the entire book is summed up (at the end) in one chart that makes reading the book unnecessary. DOUBLE GAAAAAH!

12. Five Star Families by Carol Kuykendall. My overall impression, (since I have no real recollection of anything of substance that I learned from this book) is that it is full of touchy-feely generalities about raising a family. Lot's of stuff that you read and think "yeah, I know, can you tell me something new?"

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Sunday, December 24, 2006

Merry Christmas

These last few weeks at church, God has placed in my heart a new sense of awe over the birth of Christ. I've read the passages from Luke and Matthew countless times before, but they are new for me this year. I wonder at the glory of it all. All of history had been pointing to his arrival, and this was the night it happened.

Of course, angels came to announce his birth, but I just can't fathom what that must have been like. What could it possibly have sounded like? Their King was arriving to do all that He had determined to do since before time. This was THE night.

No wonder the shepherds were scared!

What I cannot fathom is how the world managed not to break in half. How could this world possibly hold such glory?

I don't know how it worked, but I am beyond grateful that he came.

Praise you, God. Immanuel has come.

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Friday, December 22, 2006

Reading Through the Bible

I mentioned previously that I was considering doing the "Bible in 90 Days" program. Having read more this year than any other year in my adult life (post forthcoming,) I kept getting the feeling that I should be devoting more of my time to reading Scripture. So, I decided to do the program. I will begin on January 10. If you don't know what that is, or if you are not sure if you want to join me, you can read more at the "Bible in 90 Days" website.

I would love for anyone who is interested to join me. I will not be starting a new blog or even posting consistently to this blog. But I will be e-mailing people with thoughts and encouragement during that time. And, since I will also be leading a group at my church, I may also share any interesting tidbits that I get from the accompanying video segment. I'd also like to enable participants to share their thoughts as well, so I may be getting a yahoo group started, depending on the response.

You do not need to buy the 90 Day Bible to participate. I will give you the list of daily reading as well as some of the tips for success that they outline. I do suggest you get a participant's guide, which are available at the website. But if nothing else, please ask a real life friend to make take the 90 Day challenge with you. It will increase your chances of success as well as give you someone to dialog with as you go through the program.

I hope you will join me. Let me know in the comments if you are interested.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Public Service Announcement

For those of you who are using any browser other than Internet Explorer AND also using McAfee for your virus protection, please read the following:

You can't renew your McAfee subscription unless you have Internet Explorer. Don't worry though, because the folks at McAfee are really nice about it, what with giving you the link to download it and all.

Of course before you download, Microsoft will need to know what version of Windows you are using. And don't worry if none of the options they give look like anything you have ever seen before, because they are really nice about it and tell you how to figure it out if you are too stupid haven't developed your computer literacy enough to know that already.

But just so you know, Microsoft will need to validate that your computer is actually using Microsoft products. Which makes total sense, of course, because we all know how those crazy Mac users are always trying to download Microsoft products. Just to, you know, see if they CAN.

Oh, and don't worry that that validation thing will require a plug-in. They show you how to do that too. And while you are waiting the estimated 23 minutes for the latest version of IE that you will never use except once a year to renew your McAfee subscription is downloading, you can put together a fun post for your blog. It would go something like this:

Look... 11% downloaded. Quick! Someone figure out what 89% of twenty three minutes is!

I know you think this is a whole lot of madness, but I'm telling you it is all WORTH IT! You do NOT want your computer to catch a virus. That, my friend, could lead to ALL MANNER madness on your computer, and fixing it would require that you become its slave. You'd be sitting there staring at it for, like - ever - trying to get it to perform one simple task, and it would take you something like 10 times longer than you thought to accomplish it.

You do NOT want that. No, you do NOT!

(Look! 27%)

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Friday, December 15, 2006

It'd do You All Some Good if You Were Just a Little Bit More Like Me

It's been done millions of times in a thousand different ways. It isn't a new concept, but when you actually do it, it is a blessing, indeed.

Last night, three friends and I met at my church where I'd reserved the large kitchen. We unloaded all of our groceries, utensils, and storage containers and got to work.

We talked and laughed our way through the evening, and at 12:15 a.m.* we walked out of the church. Each of us was carrying meatballs, potato soup, homemade macaroni and cheese, rigatoni al forno, chicken tarragon, a quiche, lentil barley vegetable skillet, and baked spaghetti.

Enough of each to feed our entire family.

I had a great time. And my freezer is full.

Now, don't you think you'd all like to be more like me?

* Yes, the local police man DID pull in to question us about all of the stuff we were hauling out of the church at such an early hour. Ha!

Monday, December 11, 2006

I was Debating, but now I'm Sure

(Revised)

I have had an idea for a post in my head for a very long time. Been debating whether I should do it. I've thought it could be helpful to others to hear, but there is a potential that this could lead to some backlash for me. The real debate, I suppose, has been whether I want to open myself up to that.

But tonight, I drove by a church in a nearby town and, immediately, my decision was made. Their lighted sign prominently proclaimed the following message:

"We are to blessed to be depressed."

Now, lest you all think I am going to don the gear of the grammar police, let me assure you that this post is not about the difference between a preposition and an adverb (as important as that is....)

Let me begin by saying that I think I am fairly cognizant of the fact that I am blessed. I might even be so bold as to say that it is possible I am more aware of my blessed estate than the average person. I am abundantly, immeasurably blessed.

But you know what? I am also depressed.

I don't know what that person meant when they put up those words in front of their church. Perhaps he did not intend for "depressed" to be interpreted in the clinical sort of way. Perhaps he was simply trying to find a word that rhymed with "blessed." I don't really know.

But I do know this: there are plenty of Christians out there who think that depression is a state of mind that can be overcome by a good dose of faith.

You should really think more positively. Don't you appreciate all the things God has done for you? If you would submit to the Spirit, you would find joy.

No one, Thank You JESUS, has ever spoken such words to me, but I know similar things have been said (or whispered) in churches all over the country. It's hurtful and counterproductive.

I believe that there are many Christians out there who feel ashamed to begin treatment for depression. They won't see a therapist or take a pill, because they feel like doing either is some sort of failure on their part. There are pastors out there who tell their congretations that anyone who sees a therapist isn't trusting God to take care of them. People feel guilty about taking a medication for myriad reasons.

I have seen a therapist; a good Christian therapist who prayed with me before I left every appointment. She wasn't some sort of hocus-pocus soothe-sayer. She just knew a whole lot more about how the brain and emotions "work" and taught me pracitcal strategies that I WAS NEVER GOING TO HEAR BELLOWING FROM THE CLOUDS DURING MY PRAYER TIME. Make no mistake, God was (and is) doing the work of healing me. He's just doing it, as he has done with so many others throughout Church history, through another believer. Imagine that! Using a sister in Christ to bring me healing. (I don't know if you've noticed, but he's big on that kind of stuff.)

I believe that part of the blessing to be found in what I am going through is that I can encourage and minister to others who may be going through the same thing, or know someone who is. I want others to know that depression doesn't happen because you lack faith. Or because you aren't thankful enough. Or because you aren't submitting to God enough.

Having said that, I am going to drop the big bomb because I think this could be potentially freeing for someone who is reading this:

I just finished a year-long stint on Z0l0ft.

Now, let me be clear before I say anything else, I am NOT advocating that every depressed person start taking Z0l0ft (or any other medication.) The reason I mention taking this drug is because the benefits were, for me, unbelievable. I can't exactly describe the differnece it made but I can give you examples:

- I cried less.
- I laughed more.
- There were times when I felt happy to the core of my being, for NO DISCERNABLE REASON.
- As the feelings of anxiety and overwhelmed-ness (?) subsided, I was able to start doing things that I needed to do to combat depression. Things like exercising and restoring some semblance of orderliness to my home. Both of those things affect the severity of my depression, but in my depressed state, I couldn't even begin to tackle them. Now that I have had time to practice these things, I feel more prepared to handle them when I am not on medication.
- I enjoyed my family more.
- I have been able to think more clearly about what things are important to me. What I really want to make time for personally and within my family.
- I feel like I have a better understanding of what it means to be more emotionally balanced. Now, when I start to feel that heaviness set in, I am able to recognize it for what it is, and take steps to curb it, rather than just letting it continue as if it was "normal."

That year on medication helped get me over a huge impasse that was growing worse with each passing day. Feelings of anxiety, heaviness, lonliness. I felt overwhelmed. I was despairing. I don't deny that exercise and diet change can affect positive change in the life of a depressed person. I just didn't have it in me to make those changes. I needed help. And that medication was it. I believe God used it to help me through that impasse.

Now that I am off the medication, I am a little scared of falling back into those feelings again. I am, however, at a place where I am much more able to be proactive. A year ago, there was no proactivity in me. There was nothing "pro" at all!

I am sure there are people out there who question my faith or my devotion to God because of my depression or the treatment I have chosen. So be it. If this motivates anyone towards getting help and healing, then that's a small price to pay. Right now, I am counting it a blessing to have had the kind of treatment I did. God used it to reveal himself - and myself - to me in a new way.

Thank you, precious Father.

If you have a question about my treatment, or if you would like me to pray for you, please leave a comment or contact me at inepti2d at yahoo dot com.

If you think that you or someone you know might be depressed, you can learn more here, or here.

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Saturday, December 09, 2006

Remind me, again, what planet I'm on...

So, today was one of "those" days. I will not go into all of the details.

But I will share with you this conversation that took place between me and Mr. Bug:

Me: Son, why do you have wet washcloths on your head?

Bug: We're having a wedding, mom.


I have no words. None.

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Thursday, December 07, 2006

Getting Dressed: A Mother's Perspective

"Mom! It snowed. Can I got outside?"

"Yes, Boo. Let's get the winter clothes out. Bug, do you want to go out too?"

"Yeah."

Lug four storage boxes out of a closet, because, of course, the winter clothes are on the bottom. Rummaging. Rummaging.

Huh? I thought we had a pair of size three snow pants. Where could they be? Garage, maybe?

"Mom, where are MY snow pants?"

"I don't know Boo. Where did we put the ones you wore last year. That's all we have right now."

"I don't know where they are, mom."

Run to garage.

Rummaging, rummaging.

Okay, here are Boo's old pants. But where are those size threes? What in the world did Boo wear when she was three, and what did I do with them? Never mind. I guess these fleece-lined overalls will work.

Boots. We need boots.

Back to closet.

Rummage some more.

Oh, here are some snow pants that'll fit Bao. Bug can wear these boots. Don't we have size five snow boots for Bao? What it in the world did Boo wear when she was in fives and what did I do with them?

Back to garage.

No size five boots here. Wouldn't Bug have worn those last year? Could they be in the pile I stored under the crib? It would be just like you not to clear out the stuff under the crib for an entire year...

Back to the bedroom to look under the crib.

No, not here.

Over to closet again.

"Bug, put your shirt on."

I guess these size sevens will have to do for now.

"Where are MY boots mom?"

"We don't have boots for you yet, Boo."

She always gets snow boots for Christmas. Why does it have to snow before Christmas?

"Can I just wear my sneakers then?"

"Yeah, I guess that will have to do."

Get snow pants, coat, and hat on Boo. Direct her to get her mittens out of the bag by the front door.

Go to hall closet to look for the rest of the mittens and hats.

How did all these winter things end up all over the floor of the closet? Now I can't find that other white glove. I TOLD those kids not to play with this stuff! And what is the DEAL with all these useless scarves that are 2 inches wide? I need to get these out of here.

"Bug, put your SHIRT on!"

Back to closet to store useless scarves.

Man, those white gloves were the warmest ones I had for Bao. I guess the pink ones will do.

"BUUUUG! PUT YOUR SHIRT ON!"

Get Bug dressed. Beginning with the shirt.

"Mom, I want a scarf."

Back to closet. Pick out scarf. Wrap up Bug, send him outside to join Boo. Dress Bao in too big boots and not warm enough mittens. Send her outside.

Run to laundry area to find clothes for self.

How, how, HOW is it possible that the underwire has broken in EVERY SINGLE bra that I own? Stupid bra manufacturers. Why is it so hard to find a decent bra without the undewire, anyway? Stupid underwires.

Put wash in the dryer.

Dress self.

Grab camera.

Go outside and take whatever pictures are left on the camera. Run back inside to get Bao's earmuffs, and my own.

Walk Bao around the yard a while. Look around.

"Where is Bug?"

"He went in the house, mom."

Yes. Yes, of course.

Take Bao inside.

"Mom!"

"What, Bug?"

"It's COLD out there!"

Oh, really? I hadn't noticed.

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Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Praise

My BFF, Helen, called this evening to tell me that they finally received a referral for the adoption that she (and her husband) started pursuing 2 1/2 years ago.

When I first told Helen that Paul and I were thinking about adopting (in the summer of 2005,) Helen just said "no way!" She and her husband were thinking about the same thing - had already started looking at agencies, as a matter of fact. So, once I'd told her what we were thinking about, she told me, "we are going to adopt too!"

That was 2 1/2 years ago. Our adopted daughter has been home for over a year. Helen and Jeff just got their referral.

If the situation wasn't so odd, I'd blame the whole thing on Helen, who likes to let me undergo major life changes first. This way she can watch me royally screw them up, then learn from my mistakes (all the while offering sage advice to me.)

But, her situation is too crazy for her to have purposed. They began their process wanting a child from Sierra Leone. Things went crazy there, and adoptive families just aren't getting children from that country with any degree of certainty. So they decided to adopt from Ukraine, which several months later put their whole system under a massive overhaul and hasn't really been getting kids into families since.

Their new choice of country, Ethiopia, required them to apply with a new agency. Which means new paperwork (in addition to renewing things like fingerprints which had, by this time, expired in the eyes of the Department of Homeland Security. How, exactly, can one's fingerprints expire? I don't know, but they can in the Department of Homeland Security.)

All the while, Helen was concerned about the spacing of their children. She wanted the child to be close in age to her daughter. She was discouraged because, as more time passed, this seemed less and less likely.

But they got pictures of their sons today. Yes, sons. A. turned two in October. B. will be one in January. The two of them are 15 months apart. A. is 17 months younger than Helen's daughter.

There was never any guarantee that they would be able to get siblings, but that was what Helen really, REALLY wanted. They got them - and they are spaced just like she had wished.

I am so thrilled for them. YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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Saturday, December 02, 2006

500

What Boomama did in one year has taken me two and a half years to accomplish, but I've accomplished it nonetheless.

Post #500.

To celebrate, I give you the recap of some of my favorite posts - because there is nothing like commemorating your 500th post by NOT posting something new.

Faves
Bringing home my baby!
My housekeeping failures exposed

Feed my narcissism
Some of my quirks
Some more of my quirks
Uh, more?
My rules about ice cream. (Everyone has rules about ice cream, right?)
Silly things I like
Why PEZmama? (List has not been updated.)
A "Me" meme

My favorite funny ones
My uncool blog
Cleaning tips
Annoyed Lady
ABC Meme

A few rants
Forwarded mail
The one about how I'm supposed to want more stuff
Illogical fundraising

Learn of me
Chemistry nerdiness
Where science meets my faith
Ten things you might never have known

Adoption
On the phrase "you are so good"
On the phrase "she is so fortunate"
Our referral

Miscellaneous
Learning from God's Word

Friday, December 01, 2006

91.7%

Finished the last of Teacher Man, by Frank McCourt, last night. I can't say it got me terribly excited or that I learned much from it. But it was a book. And I finished it.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Now I am looking for my final book of this year. I picked up Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. But, I decided I am in the mood for some lighter reading.

Still haven't decided what to read. I have Desiring God and The Hiding Place on the bookshelf, but neither of those really qualify as "light" either. Hopefully I will find something before December 31.

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