Bonfire night

Saturday night was the fourth get together of local summer LID families. This time we met at the home of Sonia and Hugh for a bonfire chili night. It was an absolutely perfect, cold, crisp evening with clear skies. It was a blast
sitting around the bonfire with everyone, chatting and having a great time. Especially fun was to watch Seth and Eammon, being little pyros, seeing how big they could build up the fire. Sonia made 2 different kinds of chili,
both of which were wonderful, and I added my Fruit & Nut Turkey Chili to the mix. We also had grilled hot dogs & kielbasa, mac & cheese, various dips, appetizers, desserts, hot mulled cider and of course s'mores. Delicious food all around. Thank you Sonia & Hugh for hosting a fabulous evening!


Lisa's Fruit and Nut Turkey Chili

2 T. olive oil
3 c. onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
3 T. chili powder
3 T. ground cumin
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T. hot curry powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2 4-oz. cans diced green chili peppers
2 med.Granny Smith apples, core, peeled and chunked
1/2 c. raisins
2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted
cheddar cheese
sour cream

In large pot, saute onions in the olive oil until golden brown. Add the garlic and the ground turkey, cook until the turkey is browned. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, cocoa, curry powder and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute to bring out the aroma of the spices. Add the tomatoes, chili peppers, apples and raisins stir to mix in well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook one hour, stirring occasionally. Add the black beans and almonds, heat thoroughly. Serve with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Toes in the sand

Sixteen out of the past 20 years, I have spent the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas soaking up the sun, obtaining a deep, dark winter tan, as I basked on the pink sand beaches of Aruba. Eammon, being the very white English/Irish boy that he is, has spent 6 out of the past 8 years we've been together, soaking up the sun, obtaining a distinctively pink-milky-white color as he basked on the very same Aruba beach.

But this year, we decided to forgo our beach holiday because we expected to travel to China before Eammon's vacation year ended on April 30th. It was worth saving most of his vacation time for a trip that was far more important and special than another trip to paradise. But, delays in referrals now make travel to China before the end of Eammon's vacation year impossible.

So, last night Eammon and I were talking, saying how bummed we each were over the referral delays. I complained about how I am not enjoying the cold weather, even though we've had maybe two days of it thus far and how I wasn't looking forward to going through the winter looking all pasty white. Eammon said it was too bad we hadn't planned on taking our annual trip and wondered if it was something that we could still do, without breaking the bank.

Much to my surprise and delight, this morning I was able to obtain frequent flyer tickets for both of us to Aruba. Though I couldn't get tickets that allowed us to be down there the full time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will still have 2 full weeks to soak up the sun. Before booking the tickets, I called my parents to see if they would like some last minute visitors and they said yes, so tickets have been booked!*

Now the upside of referral delays; Aruba in December...Yeah baby!!!

* Good thing I was on the ball and have all of my holiday shopping completed. Being a little obsessive sometimes pays off!

How to avoid the holiday rush

I don't like crowds, traffic, or having to search for a parking space. Each year I do my best to avoid these situations by planning ahead as best as possible. If I could avoid all stores, grocery included, between mid-November and January 2nd, I would be a very happy girl. So in my attempt to get as far ahead of the game as possible, I made a list of all the upcoming events for which I would need to shop:

• Saturday 11/19: Local Adoptive Parents pot-luck bonfire evening.
• Sunday 11/20: Parents arrive for the week...need food in the house!
• Thanksgiving (at the home of our friends Al & Anita, but I am still making lots of yummy things to bring with us.)
• Day after Thanksgiving (because we are having turkey day at Al & Anita's, Eammon would miss out on his leftovers if we didn't recreate the meal!)
• July Dragonfly December Secret Pal Gift. Theme: Welcome to your forever family.
• August China Blossom December Secret Pal Gift. Theme: Welcome to your forever family.
• CCAI December Secret Pal Gift. Theme: Picture frames or albums.
• Miscellaneous holiday parties
• Wednesday 12/14: Neighborhood bunco group holiday party with cookie swap and Yankee swap.
• Christmas Dinner
• Christmas prezzies
• New Years Eve
• July Dragonfly January Secret Pal Gift. Theme: Chinese New Year.
• August China Blossom January Secret Pal Gift. Theme: Chinese New Year.
• CCAI January Secret Pal Gift. Theme: Chinese New Year.

I've already purchased all of my December and January Secret Pal gifts and they are ready to be posted. If I could, I would take them to the post office today, but that wouldn't be any fun. So, I will get them into the mail very early in December and then the January gifts will be mailed after the holiday rush so that shouldn't be too bad. I have finished all of my holiday gift shopping for everyone and in addition, I have an abundance of hostess gifts so I am set for almost any situation. Now no more department, specialty or mall stores!

On to the groceries. I realize that I can't do all the grocery shopping now, for the rest of the year, but I can get myself through the end of the month and get pantry items though the end of the year. So, yesterday started my two day shopping frenzy. I started at , list in hand and I got everything that I need, so I am done with that store until 2006. Then last night I made my weekly call to IKEA, to see if my desired desk, which has been out of stock since the store opened, was available. They told me that they had 2 in stock and could only put a hold on one until 9PM! Well, that was at 7:40PM, so I hopped into the jeep, raced downtown and bought my new computer desk! Now we shall see how long the boxes sit in the family room before we get the thing assembled. By 6:30 this morning, I was on my way to Super Walmart to do the majority of my grocery shopping, stocking up on all the pantry items I need through the end of the year! By 8:30am I was at BJ's getting the final big items that I needed...Another store off my list until next year. On Monday, I need to make a very quick run to Harry's to get the turkey, some specialty items, and fresh veggies. Then I am DONE!!!

Now I'm able to sit back, relax and enjoy my newest addiction, tea. A few weeks ago when the MTB meet for lunch, Sonia introduced me to a delightful herbal infusion. Magical Garden Rooibos, a blend of roses, lemon grass, botanicals and rose hips with Rooibos. This infusion is caffeine free and I can drink it even in the evening. While at the tea shop, I found a tea which is truly intoxicating. Winterdream, a blend of black tea, coconut, chocolate, mint and whole red peppercorns. This tea could be dangerous to my precarious sleep situation and I must limit myself to one cup per day, and only before 8am. Though after one cup...OK, as you can see in the picture, a large and quite adorable mug...I can still smell this tea and I crave it all day long. I think I'm addicted! So now I am battling two addictions, blog stalking and tea! Guess it could be worse.

Who loves baby?

This month, the July dragonfly dtc secret pal swap theme was "something for travel to China." Check out all the cool stuff that my pal sent. The book Who loves baby? holds pictures and will be perfect to include in the package we send to Baby S when we get our referral. All the other wonderful items have been set aside, ready to be packed for our trip. Thank you my July dragonfly pal!

100 already!!

Difficult to believe, but this is my 100th blog post!!

Just to show that I am not a total slacker, I am showing off my weekend project. After talking for months about needing to work on Baby S's room, I finally got myself motivated. I cut, sewed, stapled, hammered and glued this weekend as I made and installed Baby S's valence and curtains. One step closer to having the room ready for her arrival!

Lions, tigers and bears, oh my!

Well, more like tigers, monkeys, bears and... ducky?

Yesterday I received a fabulous package from my August secret pal. Once again everything was wrapped in gorgeous paper. I am making quite a collection for Baby S's scrapbook with the paper and adorable tags that she adds to each package.

This month's theme was baby bath time and here's the booty.

The outfit will be perfect to bring when we travel to China. It is difficult to see, but the onesie has tigers, monkeys, birds, hippos, elephants, palm trees and my favorite, giraffes!! Also, check out that monkey face on the back of the pants... How cute Baby S will be with that on her adorable bum! The bear tub faucet and handle covers are a soft terry cloth and so fun... Then there's a yellow ducky!! Thank you Secret Pal, Eammon and I love everything.

277 days

Today marks the three month anniversary of our dossier being logged in at CCAA. Based on original estimates, this should be our half way point to referral. Due to the recent slow down in referrals though, it is more likely that we are only 3/8 of the way to referral, or dare I say it, only 1/3 of the way. We started this process 277 days ago, but the past 90 days have felt as if they've taken longer than the first 187 days. When we were paper chasing, there was always something to do, filling out forms, proving we weren't criminals, photo copying, mailing and of course stalking the postman. Now it is sit and wait...Stalk the adoption boards and blogs for rumors of referrals. Guess I could get motivated and work on the nursery, seeing that I haven't made any progress in completing the room!

Isn't it adorable!

Shrimp boil; that is the wonderful culinary delight that Daphne & Greg cooked up Saturday night. Eammon and I always enjoy dinner at their home, as the food is delicious and the company and conversation, fun & interesting. Hopefully Eammon and I didn't make complete piglets out of ourselves. Everything was so tasty, we just didn't want to stop eating! In addition to feeding us wonderful food, check out the adorable outfit that Daphne bought for Baby S. Thanks D & G!!

Barbarisms & Solecisms

Last night I dined with a group of ladies from my old neighborhood, at the Pinetree Country Club. My critique; the food was wonderful, perfectly cooked and seasoned, especially the asparagus which were divine. The quality of the service though, was truly lacking. My dinner and evening as delightful as there were, are not the subject of this post. This post is an addendum to this interesting conversation.

On my drive to the restaurant I was listening to talk radio. A man called into the show to discuss how people, not in line with his political views and party, are unintelligent and vacuumous! Yes people, he said vacuumous!! I bet his English teacher is proud of him. Not only is he redundant, but he doesn't even know the correct word when trying label others as vacuous. I got so silly hearing this, that I had to call Eammon and share. He and I both cringe, then giggle when we hear such creative words.

Everyone seemed to enjoy when we previously shared our barbarisms and solecisms, so I thought we needed to revisit, share and add to the list of most annoying verbiage.

Just to get you started, here are some delightful George W. solecisms. Please add your personal "favorites" to the comments and give everyone a good cringe.

Tell me it isn't so!!

Melissclued me into this on the CCAA website:

How long will it take approximately the CCAA from the time of accepting the adoption application to thetime of issuing "Notice of Coming to China for Adoption of Children"?

Date：12,Oct,2005 Source: CCAA

The duration from the time the CCAA accepts the adoption application to the time it issues the Notice of Coming to China for Adoption of Children is restricted by various factors, such as the number of foreign adopters’ applications and the number of children who can be placed out for inter-country adoption; whether or not the adopters’ desire could be met; and whether or not the supplementary materials and the feedback of Letter Seeking Confirmation from the Adopters can be received in time, etc. At present, it will take the CCAA about 12 months from the time of accepting the adoption application to the time of issuing the Notice of Coming to China for Adoption of Children.

Local adoptive families meet again

Last night our local group of May-September LIDers met for an Italian pot-luck night at the beautiful home of Jill and Seth. This was our third group get-together and once again, we all enjoyed lots of delicious food & drink, great conversation and a fun night was had by all.
BTW, we have some wonderful cooks in our group!

Now we are all looking forward to our November get-together where we will be having a bonfire & chili night! If anyone reading this is local and wants to join in on the fun, send me an email.

Thank you Jill & Seth for hosting!!

MTB* Tea (updated with recipe)

Today I lunched at an adorable local tea house with Cindy, Jill and Sonia. As you can see, we adorned ourselves with the appropriate accoutrements of ladies, who do tea...OK, we each wore a fun hat. We talked, laughed and compared notes of our adoption progress all while enjoying a very civilized full afternoon tea.

Our menu included:
A wonderful tea: Magical Garden Rooibos (a perfect selection by Sonia)
Seasonal fresh fruit
Freshly baked Scones
Lemon curd, lemon curd and a wee bit more lemon curd
(I used everything on the menu as a vehicle to have more lemon curd!)
Amaretto cream
Assorted Tea sandwiches
Miniature Tea desserts
Chicken Salad croissant
Each time our little MTB* group meets for a quick get-together or lunch, it turns into a 3 or 4+ hour event. I am so lucky to have met, through the adoption process, such wonderful new friends. It is fabulous that we live so close to one another, and I can't wait for the day when we can have tea parties with our daughters.

Lemon curd

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Whisk first 3 ingredients together and then strain through a fine mesh sieve into a medium sized metal bowl. Stir in sugar and then set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water). Whisk constantly until thickened and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the mixture registers 160°F, about 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from over the water. Add butter; whisk until melted. Transfer curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd. Will keep refrigerated for about a week.

* Moms-to-be

Misty Morn

In contrast to my previous post. No diamonds on the water this morning, just spooky mist. The pond must be preparing for Halloween. I'm looking forward to temps in the 70's this weekend as the cold weather is getting to me. At night, even the down comforter isn't enough, I have to use this to keep my tootsies warm.

Snug as a bug

Yesterday was our first cold day of the season. While I realize that temps in the high 50's/low 60's is still quite warm to some, to many of us living in the south, that is winter. Though unusually cold for this time of year, it was a truly spectacular, sunny day. When I returned home mid-afternoon, I was greeted with what looked like sparkling diamonds on our backyard pond. Just something about the cold, crisp air and the sparkling water made me happy and I wanted to share the view with everyone. Unfortunately though, the picture above just doesn't do it justice.

The cold weather then prompted me to change our bedding over to "winter" mode. So last night we snuggled under a fluffy down comforter as well as a deliciously soft chenille blanket.

I have to wonder if Baby S will love to snuggle under big fluffy blankets, or if she'll be a cold weather person. I don't like the cold and I often tell people that the happiest day of my life was the day I sold my snow blower and shovel. I hope that Baby S has a preference for aquatics or sailing as opposed to skiing and skating. We shall see what the future holds, but for now I guess that I'll deal with my southern "cold" weather, especially considering that tonight, New England may experience some snow flurries!

Trafalgar 200

Today, Eammon and his office mates are celebrating the 200th Anniversary of Trafalgar Day with a Limey (OK... it's lemon) cake that I made, to look like a British White Ensign. So no calling in with complaints of Scurvy.

Trafalgar Day is the celebration of the victory won by Admiral Horatio Nelson's British fleet, over the combined French and Spanish fleet, at the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805.

Kikalee & Julie, I added all those links especially for you, because I know you love them and can't stop yourselves from clicking on each and every one!

Prezzies for all

Today prezzies arrived for each of us! First these beautifully wrapped gifts arrived from my August DTC Secret Pal. We opened the packages very carefully so that we could save the lovely paper, which we will add to Baby S's scrapbook. Once the paper was removed, both Eammon and I were treated to a book.

Eammon is looking forward to starting on his (if I don't sneak and read it first). And mine, well, it is just perfect. Of course Eammon will benefit from my book too because I love to cook and he loves to eat...well so do I. My book gives wonderful descriptions of hundreds of ingredients used in Asian cooking, then at the back of the book there are recipes. I think that Shrimp Coconut Curry with Red Curry Paste is now on the menu for this weekend. I'll let you know how we do with it!

Next, I opened a package from my friends Angela & Rich. They sent Baby S a wonderful book all about London in which Angela wrote a beautiful inscription. Also included was an adorable padded hanger with a Teddy bear on it, from their pup Teddy, who is just as adorable and looks almost like the bear.

Thank you August Secret Pal, Ange, Rich and Teddy too. We love everything!

Come out, come out, wherever you are

We see you lurking... We know you're there. So go ahead, say hello once in a while. We have found it interesting to see who is visiting and following along on our journey. We've had visitors from all 50 states with the most U.S. visits coming from California. Over the past week we have been watching to see where our foreign visitors hail from. Here is the list:

Africa: Mauritius

Argentina: Buenos Aires, Federal- Entre Rios, Mendoza, Rosario-Santa Fe

Australia:
Australian Capital Territory: Canberra, Duntroon, Majura, Weston Creek New South Wales: Abbotsford, Applecross, Bexley, Drummoyne, Garema, Hazelgrove, Helensburgh, Hunters Hill, Lakemba, Lane Cove, Lindfield, Pymble, Seaforth, Sydney, Toongabbie, Tumut, West Pymble, Urayarra
South Australia: Adelaide, Norton Summit , Woodville Queensland: Belmont, Dinmore, Gold Coast, Myrtletown, Pullen Vale, Wacol, Woolooga
Victoria: Armadale, Ascot Vale, Box Hill, Campbell, Derrimut, Essendon , Hallam, Keilor, Laverton
Western Australia: Perth

Austria: Fritzens-Tirol, Linz- Oberosterreich, Vienna- Wien, Werndorf- Steiermark

Belgium: Boekhout-Brabant, Brussels- Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Vilvoorde - Brabant

Bermuda: Hamilton

Brazil: Adrianpolis-Rio de Janeiro, Campos- Rio de Janeiro, Cordovil- Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba- Parana, Lapa- Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre- Rio Grande do Sul, Salvador- Maranhao, So Paulo- Sao Paulo,

Brunei Darussalam: Bandar Seri Begawan

Bulgaria: Sofia Grad Sofiya

Canada:
Alberta: Calgary, Canmore, Edmonton, Hobbema, Medicine Hat, Morinville, Okotoks
British Columbia: Britannia Beach, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Cowichan Bay, Gabriola, Kelowna, Macalister, Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach, Summerland, Trapp Lake, Vancouver, Victoria, White Rock, Williams Lake
New Brunswick: Aroostook, Fredericton, Saint John
Northwest Territories: Cambridge Bay
Nova Scotia: Digby, Halifax, Mahone Bay
Ontario: Barrie, Bridgeport, Don Mills, Elora, Guelph, Ingersoll, Kanata, King City, Kitchener, Leitrim, London, Mimico- Port Dalhousie, Ottawa, Scarborough Township, Simcoe, Stoney Creek, Stratford, Streetsville, Swansea, Thornhill, Toronto, Willowdale
Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown
Quebec: Beaconsfield, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Gatineau, McMasterville, Mont-Royal, Montral, Outremont, Pont-Viau, Richmond, Roxboro, Sainte-Foy, Thetford Mines, Waterloo
Saskatchewan: Regina, Saskatoon

Cayman Islands

China: Beijing, Beiqiao- Shanghai, Imjanjpo -Heilongjiang, Shandong- Fujian, Shenzhen- Guangdong, Tianjin

Chile: Porto Alegre- Rio Grande do Sul, Providencia- Region Metropolitana, Rinconada- Tarapaca, Santiago- Region Metropolitana, Valdivia- Los Lagos

Colombia: Bogot- Cundinamarca

Denmark: Copenhagen-Staden Kobenhavn, Frederiksberg- Vestsjalland, Glostrup- Kobenhavn, Tranbjerg Arhus

El Salvador: San Salvador

Finland: Helsinki, Jyvskyl, Karabacka, KoivistoKylml, Mankans, Rahola, Soidinsuo, TampereVaasa

France: Amiens- Picardie, Angers- Pays de la Loire, Arche- Limousin, Avregny- Rhone-Alpes, Bazoches-sur-Guyonne Centre, Boulogne-Billancourt, Caen Basse-Normandie, Cesson Ile-de-France, Clichy Ile-de-France, Fouju Ile-de-France, Grenoble- Rhone-Alpes, Levallois-Perret Ile-de-France, Lyon Rhone-Alpes, Noyelles-Godault- Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Orgon- Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Orlans- Centre, Paris Ile-de-France, Pinet Languedoc-Roussillon, Poitiers Poitou-Charentes, Puteaux- Ile-de-France, Quincieu- Rhone-Alpes, Roubaix Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Saint-Jean-de-Beauregard- Centre, Seichebrires- Centre, Vieux-Maisons- Ile-de-France, Ville-d'Avray- Ile-de-France

French Polynesia

Germany:
Baden-Wurttemberg: Degerloch, Feuerbach, Gundelfingen, Kornwestheim, Malsch, Neidlingen, Rintheim, Stuttgart, Ubstadt-Weiher, Viesenhuserhof
Bayern: Altenburg, Grafing Bei Mnchen, Moos, Munich, Regensburg
Berlin: Gartenfeld, Tiergarten Brandenburg: Wolfslake
Hamburg: Hinschenfelde, Neu Lokstedt
Hessen: Bellersdorf, Hoxhohl Niedersachsen: Bad Salzdetfurth, Heine, Oldenburg, Veltenhof
Nordrhein-Westfalen: Bonn, Brusterhfe, Bockholt, Bottenbroich, Dortmund, Dsseldorf, Kleinehhe, Paderborn, Schwerte
Rheinland-Pfalz: Gabsheim, Herschberg, Kaiserslautern, Mainz, Nauort, Rieschweiler, Schmitshausen, Wackernheim
Sachsen: Dresden
Thuringen: Erfurt

Guam

Hong Kong: Caroline Hill, Choi Hung, Happy Valley, Ho Man Tin, Sheung Wong Yi Au

India: Bombay-Maharashtra, Delhi, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Jaipur- Rajasthan, Madras- Tamil Nadu

Ireland: Drumcondra- Dublin, Dublin, Letterkenny- Donegal, Limerick, Luttrell's Cross Roads- Dublin, Naas- Kildare, Rockbrook- Dublin, Waterford

Israel: Haifa- Hefa, Ramat Gan- Tel Aviv

Italy: Busiago- Veneto, Cadine Trentino-Alto Adige, Cesena Emilia-Romagna, Marcigliana- Lazio, Mariano Comense- Lombardia, Milan-Lombardia, Musocco- Lombardia, Orta Nova- Puglia, Rome-Lazio, Villaverla-Veneto

Japan: Akasaka- Tokyo, Asagaya- Tokyo, Asahi- Chiba, Bamba- Tochigi, Ebisucho- Kanagawa, Fukagawa-Ishijimacho Tokyo, Fukiage-Saitama, Fukushima, Hommokucho- Kanagawa, Itsukaichi- Tokyo, Konan- Aichi, Morowa- Aichi, Sarugakucho- Tokyo, Shimo- Saitama, Toyama, Wadahommachi- Tokyo, Yamagata

Kuwait

Malaysia: Kampong Pandan Quarters- Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur - Wilayah Persekutuan, Puchong Batu Dua Belas- Selangor, Salak Selatan - Wilayah Persekutuan

Malta: Mdina, San Gwann

Mexico: Cuernavaca- Morelos, Las Vigas - Nuevo Leon, San Miguel Amantla- Distrito Federal, Santa Mara Ticomn- Distrito Federal, Tianguistongo, Zapopan- Jalisco

Morocco: Beni Brour- Rabat-Sale, Hajja- Rabat-Sale, Rabat- Rabat-Sale, Sidi Bouqnadel- Rabat-Sale

New Zealand: Auckland, Brightwater

Netherlands: Arnhem-Gelderland, Amsterdam Noord-Holland, Berkenwoude Zuid-Holland, Beverwijk Noord-Holland, Delft Zuid-Holland, Goyse Dorp-Utrecht, Hilversum Noord-Holland, Nekkeveld- Gelderland, Nijmegen-Gelderland, Leijenbroek-Limburg, Ridderkerk Zuid-Holland, Roeleveen Zuid-Holland, Rotterdam Zuid-Holland, Schiedam Zuid-Holland, Spijkenisse Zuid-Holland, Tilburg Noord-Brabant,Utrecht, Veendam- Groningen, Wageningen Gelderland

Nigeria

Norway: Vevle - Hordaland, Forus - Rogaland, Lillehammer- Oppland, Tretten- Oppland

Oman: Ruwi- Masqat

Panama: Camino El Comercio

Peru: Lima

Philippines: Makati- Rizal, Philippine- Benguet

Poland: Pogwizdw- Rzeszow, Warsaw- Warszawa

Portugal: Aores- Aveiro, Cortegaa- Aveiro, Monte Da Carvalheira- Beja

Republic of Korea: Chungnam Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Seoul Seoul-t'ukpyolsi

Russian Federation: Tomsk

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh - Ar Riyad

Singapore: Bukit Batok New Town- Dakar, Kampong Sungai Jurong-Dakar, Windsor Park Estate-Dakar

South Africa: Cape Town- Western Cape, Parow- Western Cape, Pretoria- Gauteng

Spain: A Corua- Galicia, Barcelona - Cataluna, Cabanabona- Cataluna, Ciempozuelos- Madrid, Granollers- Cataluna, Guaro - Andalucia, Hmera- Madrid, Ibiricu- Navarra, Ibiza-Islas Baleares, La Joyosa- Aragon, Las Palmas De Gran Canaria- Canarias, Los Maridos- Andalucia, Madrid, Santander- Cantabria, Sevilla- Andalucia, Valencia Comunidad Valenciana

Sri Lanka: Colombo

Sweden: Biel-Bern, Gteborg-Vastra Gotaland, lvs- Vastra Gotaland, Mrsta- Stockholms Lan,Jnkping-Jonkopings Lan, Sdertlje- Stockholms Lan, Sjulsarvet- Dalarnas Lan, Stockholm- Stockholms Lan, Therwil Basel-Stadt

Switzerland: Bern, Dbendorf- Zurich, Massagno- Ticino, Saint-Prex Vaud, Sornetan- Bern

Syrian Arab Republic: Damascus- Dimashq

Taiwan: Chiencheng- T'ai-pei , Taichunghsien- T'ai-wan

Thailand: Bangkok- Krung Thep

Togo

Turkey: Antalya, Trk- Burdur

United Arab Emirates: Dubai-Dubayy

UK: Abingdon- Oxfordshire, Accrington- Blackburn with Darwen, Basingstoke- Reading, Birmingham, Bletchley- Milton Keynes, Bloomsbury- Newham, Bracknell-Bracknell Forest, Brighton, Bristol, Chiddingfold-Wiltshire, Coatbridge-East Dunbartonshire, Croydon, East Kilbride-East Renfrewshire, Elmton- Rotherham, Harold Wood-Havering, Hebden Bridge- Calderdale, Hoxton-Newham, Ickenham, Isleworth, Kings Walden-Norfolk, Kingston On Soar- Nottingham, Kingston Upon Hull, Lancaster-Blackpool, Llandudno- Conwy, London-Lambeth, Maidstone- Kent, Milton Keynes, Newbury West Berkshire, Radlett, Reading, Rossington-Doncaster, Rusper- Birmingham, Saint Johns Wood- Newham, Sheffield, Shenley- Redbridge, Salford, Shoreham-by-Sea Birmingham, Slough, Stevenage-Norfolk, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Tadley- Reading, Telford, Walford-Shropshire, Warrington,Walsall

Uruguay

Venezuela: Caracas

Vietnam: Hanoi, Dac Lac

Some of our U.S. visitors live in places where the city name just tickle me:
Amf Ohare, Illinois
East Wenatchee, Washington
Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
Homosassa, Florida
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Olive Branch, Mississippi
Ooltewah, Tennessee
Orem, Utah
Owasso, Oklahoma
Passumpsic, Vermont
San Juan Capistrano, California
Swisher, Iowa
Wantagh, New York
Weehawken, New Jersey

Thank you to all our visitors, for following along on our journey and for all the comments, emails and support. Something that this list has made me realize though, is that I need a major geography lesson!!

You can't always get what you want.

But sometimes it works out even better. After my five blissful hours of sleep Thursday night, I had hopes and dreams of future restful nights, but that was not to be the case. But luckily for me, Saturday night was the invasion of the Shannons so I didn't end up wandering the house all night, aimlessly and alone. Late Saturday afternoon, after their long drive that morning from the Carolinas to Atlanta, followed by a brief 8 hour shopping spree at IKEA, fellow bloggers Shannon and Shannon arrived at our home for an overnight visit. This was the first time we have met in real life and OMG what a hoot these two girls are, playing off one another like an old married couple. Shannon R. had us in such a state, with stories of her life and times, that Eammon and I struggled not to pee in our pants whilst holding our tear stained cheeks which ached from laughing so hard. For some reason while talking to Eammon, with his London accent, Shannon R would lapse into her version of an English accent. Sorry Shanny, not only are you not going to win American Idol with your singing, but you have no hope of doing international voice overs. It was so funny as her words started in Dick Van Dyke cockney and ended some where in Pakistan but not before taking an unscheduled tour of New Zealand. It was soooo fun.

It was a gorgeous evening and we sat outside until after 11P.M., eating, talking and laughing. By that time all of us were full and quite tired so we all went off to bed. But for me, sleep proved elusive yet again. I heard one of the Shannons up and wandering around so I got out of bed and joined Shannon R. in the family room where we talked and laughed until 4 a.m. when she finally was ready to sleep. I crawled back into bed and managed 45 minutes of sleep before deciding to call it a night and start my day. Sunday morning proved a slow start for all of us, but after sitting around and chatting some more, then a light breakfast, the Shannons bid their farewells and headed back to the Carolinas with their car loaded down with IKEA booty. Thanks for the visit girls and for all the fun loot.

Five delightful, blissful, glorious hours

Well, not all in one go...But I did actually sleep for a full 5 hours last night. That's the most sleep, within a 24 hour period, that I have had in over 2 months! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to finally get some sleep!!! I hope that my bout of insomnia is winding down, and maybe tonight I'll get 6 or more hours!

Bobbie and the bean stalk

Eammon and I have been living in Georgia for 6 years and we are currently in our 3rd home. (Please, No more local moves!!) Two years ago we sold our home in gun city Kennesaw to a woman named Bobbie. Now, each time I go by the house and see its current condition, I find myself depressed. I knew when we met her that she wasn't going to do anything good for the house or the neighborhood, but I never thought it would be as bad as it is. Before we moved, all the exterior window frames were freshly painted and the gardens and beds were all weeded and looked really good. Our backyard was a park like setting with a beautiful flower and vegetable garden near the house. Now, the backyard and garden is an overgrown mass of weeds and kudzu. All the window sills as well as the entire back portion of the house, are covered in mold. In the picture above, that side of the house was lined with beautiful, lush daylillies which put on a show to stop traffic. Now it is a mess of weeds and what is with that bean stalk?? That thing got that big in 2 years and it's going to damage the foundation...which I am sure will be *my* fault. See Bobbie blamed me for all her problems when she bought the house and it all started at the closing.

Though the years, between buying, selling and re-fi's, I've probably participated in over a dozen closings and never has one taken more than an hour. Well, that was until Bobbie and her incompetent agent Ken, where the closing took 6 1/2 hours!!! Ken informed us that ALL of his closings take 4 or 5 hours so this was nothing new!!! Can we say useless, incompetent boob! Why they hadn't reviewed the closing documents and didn't have her funding in place was beyond me. Had we not been doing 3 closings back-to-back, I'm sure that we would have walked out. So when did the blame Lisa game start? Well, that would be on the Monday after the closing, when I dropped off the keys to her.

First let me tell you, in Georgia, closings and the transfer of the home is done a little differently. We had our closing on Friday...all frikkin day!! <~~ feel the anger even 2 years later! Saturday, the people whom we were buying from, moved from our new home into the new home that they had just purchased. Sunday was our day to move from Bobbie's home into our new house and then Monday, Bobbie was able to move into her new home. I have never lived anywhere other than here, where the transfer of the home didn't occur at the closing, but oh well. About a week before the closing, I contacted the electric and gas companies to inform them of our move and get the services for both our old and new homes transferred as of the Monday after closing. Bobbie was required to contact the companies too, as she had to be the one to set up service in her name.

Monday morning I meet Bobbie at our old house to give her the keys and the garage remote. She tried the remote and nothing happened so she said to me in her very snotty voice, "guess you couldn't be bothered to put in some fresh batteries, could ya?" I knew that the remote had worked the day before, so I told her that maybe Eammon put the opener into locked mode for safety and that we could check it. So, we went in through the house, out to the garage and there was no little red light. So I thought maybe a circuit tripped, so I went over to the box and turned on the light and *nothing*. Light dawns on Marblehead here, and I asked, "did you have your electricity turned on?" Out comes the snotty voice again where she informed me that she called the electric company and that since I wasn't having the electricity turned off until Monday, she couldn't have her electricity turned on until she called the office on that day. I said that she could have asked for continuation of service and all they do is read the meter. Then I thought to ask her...When did she call? Oh yesterday,(Sunday!!) she "didn't want to pay for me living in her house and using her elecrticity!!" Well OK...maybe that's why the opener didn't work, not the batteries you B****! So, I gave her the keys and she signed off that we didn't do any damage to the house during our move out and I went on my merry way.

Two days later, 5am Wednesday morning our phone rings and it's Bobbie!! She wanted to know what *we* did to her water heater before we moved out, as she needed to take a shower and go to work and there was no hot water. Luckily my brain was was working and immediately asked if she had her gas turned on. Yes, Tuesday they turned it on. So, trying to be nice I let her know that the pilot light was out. Then, she wants me to tell her how to "turn it on"!! No frikkin way!! Just my luck she would do something wrong and it would be my fault. So, I politely inform her that I am no longer the owner of that home nor am I a service technician. If she has a problem with her gas, call the gas company, call a friend, but she was never to call me again. Ahhhh...life without Bobbie!!! Yeah!!!

Desperately seeking...

As of today, CCAA has had our dossier logged in to their system for a full 2 months. I think of our dossier with all its pictures and official, notarized, certified & authenticated documents, just sitting there in a huge pile surrounded by hundreds of other dossiers, waiting until it becomes eligible to move into the coveted Matching Room<~~~oooohhh, ahhhhh.

So, am I anxious about this whole process and wait? Well that was the question raised yesterday when I lunched with other local adoptive Moms-to-be, Cindy, Jill and Sonia. We were discussing anxieties and stress related to the entire adoption process and especially now, as we are all experiencing the long wait for our referrals. I said that I am just going with the flow, but then had to wonder about that statement. Maybe I think that I'm not stressing or don't openly realize it, but could that be the underlying cause of my current bout of insomnia?

I have so much to do before the arrival of Baby S, but with my lack of sleep and an energy level of zero, nothing is getting done. If push came to shove and miraculously someone said that our baby would be ready for us in 2 weeks, trust me, we would have the crib together and the nursery though not perfect, more than ready for her arrival. I am amazed though at how some parents-to-be are so organized and ready with nurseries complete. I sit with a painted room and some furniture...and of course a lot of pretty clothing but nothing practical. I have been asked to set up a baby registry at some stores so that people will know what we need. The problem is, I don't know what we need! What are the necessary items for an approximate 12 month old girl? It is soooo overwhelming. We have the crib & changing table, a stroller as well as his & her carriers. I know we need a car seat and a high chair, but after that, where do we go?

So my blogging buddies, help out your poor, disorganized, uninformed, insomniac friend and let me know what things Baby S and her parents *must* have. Also, if you're stressing, how do we deal with it?

Thanks!!
L~~

Prezzies!!!

Last night Daphne & Greg joined us for dinner. They arrived, arms filled with gifts! Baby S now has her first Sonya Lee doll...Actually it is her very first doll of any kind. They also brought a little baby leather giraffe for Baby S's room, which is currently hanging out with my other leather giraffes. On top of that, they brought Eammon his first Harley Davidson t-shirt! It was a fun evening, and thanks for all the prezzies!

I'm sick and tired...

Literally. I have been suffering from insomnia for almost 2 months now and let me tell you, getting less than 4 hours of sleep per night sucks and so does Lunesta. Yes, I have tried Ambien too and no, I don't drink any caffeine and I even avoid beverages listed as decafe. I do though sometimes enjoy my favorite herbal tea but that shouldn't be impeding my sleep. On top of that I have a sinus infection, double ear infection as well as Costochondritis. So, I can't breathe, smell, taste, hear or sleep. I am extremely dizzy and every bone, joint and muscle in my body feels like I have the worst case of the flu ever. Only 3 more days of Levaquin and who knows on the Antivert. Amazing all these meds that cause sleepiness, knock me out so that I can't really function, but don't allow me to sleep...AAAHHHHH! OK, another whinge over.

Update on the adoption: CCAI announced that on 10/4, they received 81 child matches which included all families with a March 2005 LID. Congrats to everyone who received their referral. We're still hoping to be on track for a February 2006 referral. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Update on the nursery: Nothing, nada, zip, zilch...haven't done a thing (see whinge above).

A Classic good time

Tonight Eammon and I dined with 32 local people who have LIDs between April and September 2006. We all met at Classic Gourmetand dined on sushi, oysters, shrimp, crab legs, soups and desserts as well as Chinese, Korean and American foods. We all chatted about our upcoming adoptions, comparing notes and stories. Check out my blogging buddies who were also there, Bonnie, Clyde & Bubba Jr, Cindy & Jimmy and Daphne & Greg. This is the 2nd gathering of this group and we are all looking forward to our next monthly get together. Hopefully at the October get together it won't be just Bonnie & Clyde with their referral but a few other families should have their referrals too!! The evening was a lot of fun and really makes the long wait to referral much more enjoyable. Can't wait to see everyone in October!

It's just so me!

Now that the four very sweaty and slightly malodorous men have left me to my comfy cool home, I decided to venture out to the mailbox. There I found not only a few more lovely pieces of fabric and wonderful wishes, but also a prezzie for me!!! My August dtc pal sent *me* (even though it says "The Shanahan's") this absolutely precious little dish with a ladybug on it. This months theme was ladybugs...Isn't it just fab! I love items that are unique and individual. Thanks my August pal!

Out with the old...

Today I spent my day watching and listening as four strange men traipsed through my home banging, cutting and doing who knows what, as they replaced all three of our 18 yr. old a/c systems with brand spanking new ones. In addition to the new systems, they added four additional returns (hence the cutting), replaced four registers with new ones that should help improve airflow and added three fancy new electronic, programmable thermostats. During their long hours in the attic and crawl spaces, they managed to knock out our satellite but luckily for them they quickly remedied that situation. I feel sort of bad for these guys but I guess it could have been worse. It is only 85F today so not as hot as it has been, but I can only imagine how hot it was up in the attic.


I am hoping that this will be our last major expense for a very long time as this wasn't the way I had planned on spending my last few pennies (need more adorable pink baby outfits) before the arrival of Baby S. But at least she will be one cool, comfortable little baby once she's finally here.

One HOT baby!!

Back in May, I found the perfect baby food for little Funshine. Now for Rod & Mary-Mia, the salsa loving parents-to-be, I've found Funshine the perfect Halloween costume.

Sometimes I hate...

Yes, it is true...sometimes I hate the USPS. They did surprise me by being extremely efficient with all my dossier documents, they deliver to my mailbox fabric squares and wishes multiple times a week, they bring me wonderful gifts from my secret pal, and they even make sure that my bills are delivered on time. So why you may ask, do I hate them now? Well, it's when I pay extra for special services, and they just don't come through.

Here's the situation. I am somewhat compulsive about tracking packages that I mail as I want to make sure that they arrive. Well I tracked one such package, and this is what USPS.com is telling me:

DELIVERY STATUS:
Label/Receipt Number: 0303 1290 0001 3790 XXXX

Status: Notice Left
We attempted to deliver your item at 12:00 pm on September 19, 2005 in LYNN, MA 01902 and a notice was left. It can be redelivered or picked up at the Post Office. If the item is unclaimed, it will be returned to the sender. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.

You're thinking to yourself, so Lisa what's wrong with that? Well the problem is, I know for a fact that this package was delivered and received by the recipient on Friday, September 16. Now how and why would they leave a notice three days after the package was already delivered??? Why do I pay this extra money to track packages, when the information provided to me is worthless??

Whinge, whinge, whinge...

July Dragonfly Secret Pal

In a previous post I mentioned that I had been out shopping for my secret pals, which was a lot of fun. But even more fun was today when I received a wonderful package from my July dtc group secret pal. She sent a wonderful book on parenting that I haven't read yet. As soon as I opened the package, I had to start on it and I can't wait to read more. The book is extremely interesting and if you don't have the book, I can already recommend that you add it to your reading list. She also sent a red thread bookmark with ladybugs. What a perfect gift for a reader like myself. In addition she included a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory where I can get one of my all time favorite lunches, consisting of The Incredible Grilled Eggplant Sandwich. This months theme was something for Mom, and she definitely has me figured out and is spoiling me and I love it! I hope that my secret pals enjoy their gifts as much as I love mine! Thanks my dragonfly pal!

Six years ago...

Six years ago yesterday, Hurricane Floyd threatened the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Up until that date, Floyd was one of the biggest storms ever measured. With winds over 60 miles per hour in a space 600 miles in diameter, bigger than the state of Texas. Hurricane Floyd caused Disney World in Orlando Florida to have its first unscheduled closure ever.

So where were we on that Wednesday? Well in Orlando of course, trying to get ready for our wedding the following day. Eammon's brother & SIL, Tim & Jenny had arrived from England on Tuesday and my parents arrived early Wednesday before the mandatory shut down of all businesses at noon. Eammon and I ran out to the grocery and along with thousands of other tourists and residents we stocked up on all the essentials; ice cream, chips, cookies, brownies, beer & chocolate, just in case we couldn't get out of our condo for a few days. Fortunately Eammon and I were in a lovely condo so Wednesday night while the storm knocked at our windows the six of us enjoyed a fresh cooked dinner. So there it was, the night before our wedding and my parents were meeting not only some of Eammon's family but they were meeting Eammon for the first time! It was a good night though as we celebrated my Mom's birthday with a delicious chocolate cream pie and everyone saw that Eammon and I were very much in love and a good match for one another.

The day of our wedding was glorious with bright sun and a cloud free sky. We received a phone call from England a group of Eammon's friends had planned on flying over to surprise us by showing up at the wedding. Unfortunately all flights into the Orlando area had been cancelled, so they weren't able to come. Eammon and I spent a quiet day at the pool, we met with the notary who would be marrying us and we found the lake side spot where we would hold the ceremony.

On the afternoon of Thursday, September 16, 1999, Eammon and I were married.

Because of the storm we weren't able to get a cake, so after the ceremony we all shared in the cutting of a giant decorated chocolate chip cookie. Later that evening my parents took all of us out for a great dinner.

All in all, it was a really good day. Now it's six years later and we are looking forward to not only many more years together but the arrival of our daughter... How exciting our future together will be!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I know that the pictures aren't great, as they are pictures of pictures, but you get the idea!)

One month down, 5 to go...hopefully

Saturday marked the one month anniversary of our dossier being logged in at CCAA. I am keeping my fingers crossed that in 5 months, we will be holding a picture of our daughter. I have been a little disheartened in reading that some people who received their referrals in the past week or two, have not been able to get consulate appointments until November. What this means is that once they receive their referral, they have to wait an additional 8 weeks or more until they can travel to their child. I hope that the U.S Consulate in Guangzhou speeds up somewhat, now that the move to their new location is complete.

So, how am I passing the time? I have been trying to keep busy, busy, busy. Thursday night I had my book club meeting where we discussed both The Color of Water and Doctors from Hell. Then I came home, and since I have been having a major bout of insomnia, I read our next book selection, The Secret Life of Bees. By the time our October meeting rolls around, I'll have forgotten what I read! Friday I attended a delightful luncheon at my friend Barb's home. It was a glorious day and we were able to lunch on the lanai, sharing stories, recipes and laughs. Friday night I went to Aspen's for dinner with the ladies group from my old neighborhood. It was good to visit with them, as now that we've moved, I see most of them very infrequently.

Saturday I met with fellow adoptive Moms, Cindy, Jill & Sonia where we lunched at The Fickle Pickle and then shopped at Little Shop of Samples where Sonia found an adorable outfit for her daughter. Saturday night, to continue with my weekend of food, my subdivision held a Mexican Fiesta night at the pool, where they brought in a frozen Margarita machine and catered food. It was fun meeting and conversating with our neighbors. Sunday we were scheduled to have a BBQ, but luckily it was cancelled and I was able to go shopping for prezzies for my secret pals. I have 2 secret pals to whom I send gifts monthly, up until about the time of our referrals. For my July DTC pal I was shopping with a "something for Mom" theme in mind and for my August DTC pal, the theme was "ladybugs". I found some wonderful items, but I can't tell you what they are, as my pals may read my blog! But, I hope that they like what I found, as I would love to have all the items that I purchased.

This week I plan to continue working on the nursery. I need to go to Home Depot to get the supplies to make a cornice board, and also pick up some curtain rods. I may even pull out the sewing machine and make the curtains. At lunch on Saturday, Sonia shared her daughter's wish book with us, it is spectacular and it has inspired me to get started on Baby S's book so I plan to work on that this week too. I also need to cut some fabric and get some wishes made for the August DTC swap, in which I am participating. I have to order The Pilots Wife for my November book club meeting, and I have already read The Kite Runner, our January book. I have 2 doctor appointments scheduled for this week, and just waiting for them, since they both tend to run extremely late, will kill 2 days. I have to do some research on air conditioner units and schedule some companies to come give us estimates, as all 3 of our compressors need to be replaced before the end of the year!! Friday is our Anniversary and we have planned a quiet weekend of together time. Maybe though, over the weekend Eammon and I will attempt to assemble the crib, then again we do have 5 months.

Working on the nursery.

Now that it is official and have our LID, my attention has turned to the all important...Decorating the nursery. In my mind the room is lovely and fun but as of yet, I have nothing set-up. The crib still waits to be assembled and the items that I do have are just placed in the room. Here are the things that I have thus far for Baby S's room.


Side table, for when I eventually get a chair in the room.


Matching book holder (see the book in there from my July DTC Secret Pal!)


Just a few, "small" stuffed animals


Table & Chairs, which will probably be used in the family room.
Giraffe shelf for the nursery.



Funky little night light lamp


Last but not least, the bedding!

Our official countdown has begun

August 10 is our official LID (log in date) at CCAA so, our 6-7 month wait to referral has begun!

So, what does all this mean? For those of you who are going through this frustrating, aggravating, exciting, stressful, wonderful process, no explanation is necessary. But for those of you who are just along for the ride, let me explain what has happened to date, and what will be happening. So that you stop asking me daily if we have our daughter yet.

On Valentine's Day 2005, we were approved by our agency CCAI to adopt a child from China. We have spent the intervening *205* days proving that we were born, documenting our marriage, submitting to having our lives, values, ethics, marriage and home critiqued, scrutinized and inspected. We have been poked, prodded, investigated, fingerprinted, and inspected. Both of us needed to have our passports updated.We have met with local officials to get signature after signature on all of our documents. We have dealt with four different Secretary of State offices as well as three different Chinese Consulates in both the UK and the US. We have trusted the USPS time after time and have been pleasantly surprised with their efficiency. In addition, we survived our dealings with the USCIS, submitting form after form after form, patiently waiting for their response.

On the plus side, we have learned a few very important phrases in Chinese, obsessed over appropriate names and I have purchased just a few outfits for our little girl. We have met other wonderful families and bloggers who are also adopting children from China. Our blog detailing all of these events was listed on China Adoption News as their featured blog. And even though I failed homeEc years ago, I am learning to sew, hoping to make the 100 Good Wishes Quilt for our daughter...All of this in 205 very long and stressful days.

Now, we wait, wait and wait. It will be approximately 6 months before we get our next piece of news, which will be a big one. Hopefully in February 2006 we will receive our daughter's referral photo and a medical report. Once we accept the referral, we will hopefully travel to China 6-8 weeks later, making all the work, stress and grief worth it, when we finally hold our daughter in our arms.

Fun filled night!

Last night, Eammon and I hosted a potluck for a few local couples, ( including 2 blogger buddies) all of whom have a DTC date between April & August 2005. We met some really fantastic people, and had a fun evening filled with wonderful food, and lots great laughs. We all had so much fun, we are already planning a get-together for September, and have decided to get together on a monthly basis.



Our poor guests all got tortured with a tour of the painted room which will be baby S's nursery. But they got me back and disclosed to Eammon, my "secret" stash of baby clothes, which now has taken over our guest bedroom closet! His only complaint with the clothing, is not the amount, but the overabundance of pink, pink, pink! Is there ever too much pink in little girl clothing? I think not!! Guess though this means that I'll just have to buy additional outfits in other colors...Maybe Watford colors would appeal to him!?!?

Ahhh, but one my guests must have known, of my love for baby clothing (and pink)...Thank you K for adding such a cute outfit to the Baby S collection!

Still "patiently" waiting for our LID

Dear Lord,

So far today I am doing all right.

I have not gossiped,

I have not lost my temper,

I have not been greedy, grumpy, selfish or self-indulgent.

I have not whined, complained, cursed.

I have not even eaten chocolate.

I have charged nothing on my credit card.

But I will be getting out of bed in a minute, and I think then, I will really need your help.

Eammon sent the above prayer to me and I had to post it as it's completely accurate and very appropriate.

Guess what Mr. Postman delivered

It's our brown envelope from the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou! I wasn't expecting this until after we received our LID (log in date) , which I expect hope to receive later this month when referrals are announced.

So, what is all the excitement over this brown envelope? Well, it means that the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou knows that we are approved to adopt an overseas orphan and that when we show up at their door, they are authorized to process Baby S's case. Ahhh, not so fast though. First, the brown envelope contains *more* forms to fill out! Then there is the matter of a physical. Before they can process Baby S's approval, she must undergo a medical exam, and they kindly list, in English and Chinese, all the various approved clinics and hospitals along with the associated fees. There is also an instruction sheet that lets us know that the Adoptions Unit will accept our credit card for the payment of Baby S's visa...Good at least they think there is still money to back that card!

One other thing that one of the forms says, is that on the afternoon of our scheduled appointment for our oath ceremony, that we must leave all cameras and recording equipment at the hotel, as they are not allowed because of security concerns...That sucks! Such an important moment, and we can't capture it on film, what's the deal with that? They also kindly include a map of the U.S Consular Section and the surrounding area, where they list a few places in English, but most locations are written in Chinese. The map though, was obviously designed by a man as it lists the necessary locations as well as a sports center, but not one mention of any good stores or shopping places.

So, the upshot of all of this. The contents of the brown envelope are disappointing, but I am relieved to know that the consulate knows we are on our way!

Another week closer to Baby S

Even though we don't expect to hear anything regarding our actual LID (log in date) until referrals arrive later this month, I know that CCAA received our dossier on 7/26. Thus, I expect that by now, we have been logged in and have officially started our 6-7 month waiting period until referral. Many people have said to keep busy during this time, and I have been doing just that.

Earlier in the week, I cleared everything out of the room which is to be Baby S's. My poor dining room, the table is covered with all my books. A futon, computer desk and file cabinet litter the room along with a 5-foot tall stuffed giraffe, a large stuffed elephant and lion. If anyone is in need of a cheap futon and/or computer desk, contact me! The painter got into Baby S's room and did his magic. I had the walls painted lilting laughter, which even though on my monitor, looks like light putty, it really is just a blush of peach. The trim is Oat cake which is more of a putty color. The room glows with the wall color and during the day, I keep thinking that I left a light on in there, but it is just the brightness of the room.

Mid-day Wednesday, my Mom arrived for a 3 day visit from the mecca, for people who are retired. That afternoon, I had the windows measured for new blinds, which should arrive and be installed within the next 3 weeks. My Mom looked at the fabric that I had planned for the window valence, and she convinced me, that it would be better to use it on cornice boards, and I think that is a better option too. I have to wait to make the cornice boards though, as I need to see how far the new blinds extend, so I know how deep I have to make them. Even though I have the fabric for the curtains, I still have not decided on exactly what I want, so we didn't start on those either. Oh well, maybe when she returns at Thanksgiving time, we will do some of the sewing.

Thursday, we went out to the Fickle Pickle, for lunch with my friends Teresa and Mary. Then my Mom and I went and spent lots of time and money at my favorite store, Homegoods. My Mom then bought Baby S this crib. Thanks Mom & Dad!

Friday, after my Mom left, I started clearing out some of the stuff that is littering the dining room. Finding a new place for my 200+ unread books is proving to be an issue. I am a voracious reader, finishing 2-3 books a week. I do not hold onto books once I have read them, but my problem is, I have to read books in the order that the author wrote them, but not necessarily all in one go. For example, if an author wrote 20 books, and I have all the books, except book #2, I will read book 1, but will hold onto books 3-20 until I get and read book number 2. I'm doing this with probably 25 different authors at any given time. I am always going to the used book store and collecting books, and even though I go through them quickly and sell them back, they still pile up. Once again, If anyone needs a cheap futon or computer desk, I'd love to get them out of my dining room...call!!

Saturday for breakfast at Einstein Bros., I met another CCAI mom-to-be, Sonia. We chatted for hours, and it was like we had known each other for years. After breakfast, we went over to a new scrapbook/stamping store to look at all the fun products and to get information on taking a class so that we can make our wish books fun, interesting and beautiful.

Today, I have to work on getting out some fabric and wishes to some of my swap buddies. I love all the fabric and wishes that people have been sending for Baby S's quilt. The fabrics are all lovely and the wishes, beautiful and touching. I love going to my mailbox...Thank you! I also need to continue to clear out the dining room, as I have made plans to have some local, Summer 2005, DTC (Dossier to China) families to my home for a pot-luck in less than 2 weeks! Thus, I have plenty of work to do, to keep my mind off of the long wait to Baby S.

Meet & greet weekend

Friday night was spent getting the new computer set-up, but after that, our weekend improved dramatically.

Saturday, we were invited to Daphne & Greg's home. We had a fun afternoon and evening, eating and chatting with another CCAI couple. Greg was the grillman of the evening, making some of the best burgers that Eammon & I have had in years! We've never had Bubba Burgers, but let me tell you they were awesome! Greg did a great job cooking them to perfection. The dogs and sausage were good too, but those burgers... They're what make burger fantasies a reality

Sunday, I met Cindy for the first time, and she is also a CCAI mom-to-be. We met at the Cheesecake Factory and spent a couple of hours comparing notes and whinging over the long wait before we have our daughters. Funny thing, we were walking out to our cars and we walked to the same place. She said, this is my car, and I thought, wow we ended up parking right next to one another. So I said the truck? She said no, the Jeep. No...That's my car I said. Oh yeah she said, the tag is different. Her same color, same model, same everything Jeep was a few cars further down the row! Weird Aye?