So cool.....

First check out my new cool button! It only took me hours upon hours upon hours.....writing code will definitely not be one of my long term goals. Blah.

Second, I was asked by the people at We Are Grafted In to put a button on their site as one of the fundraising families! Hence the reason I had to figure out how to make one!

It's a very cool site that really showcases adoptive families and the challenges and joys that come with what we do.

We have never gone the fundraising route ourselves (though I love to participate, so many great ideas!) so it is amazing to see all the support we are getting.

'til next time

me

Why?

There are times I log on here to write a post with just a title and a rough idea in my head. I will sit in front of the computer and just stare at the flashing cursor. Blink, blink, blink.....

Why? Do we choose to adopt?

Why? Do we choose to keep adopting?

Why? Is it more important where we live, what we do, and how much we have?

Why? Do our choices make so many people uncomfortable?

I don't have the answers, not that will make EVERYONE happy, I only know what is in our hearts, and that is Ethiopia. So the cursor keeps on flashing and mocking me. Blink......blink.........blink. Maybe tomorrow.

'til next time

me

Christmas Frenzy

Just found a fabulous new idea on this blog. They started up what they are calling the Christmas Frenzy! And it is a way to promote other people fundraising efforts and draw attention to your own! Neat idea! So I thought I would join in. We are currently selling Africa ornaments and African Prince and Princess figurines to help raise travel and extra funds for our 3rd adoption! Please click on one of these links to check us out!

Mostly Mayhem- (blog page w/ pictures)

Africa w/ Love (etsy store)

'til next time

me (Jillienne)

Africa w/ Love Figurines

Brian has been working and working on the figurines to help us get to kiddo #7 and if I do say so myself he is just getting better and better!

To grab one up, hit the donate button over there on the right! $25.00 each and $4.00 to ship one and $2.00 for each additional!

'til next time

me

Bedtime

Bedtimes in our house are pretty scheduled. Even though we have a bigger family Brian and I still like to spend some time at the end of the day together, sometimes that is the only time we get! So in our house on school nights the 4 youngest kids get tucked in by 8:30 and the older 2 are supposed to be chilling out on their own. Then the older 2 go to bed by 9:30. We are pretty strict about that. Lots of times we give ourselves a nice big pat on the back for having it all together. But then there are the nights when we go upstairs to go to bed ourselves and find this......

The 7 year old side ways on the chair in our room

The 2 1/2 year old asleep in her sister's top bunk.

And the boy asleep on the floor in front of his door!

I have this to say, they are so flipping cute wherever they are!

'til next time

me!

Because I can....

and because it has certainly been awhile gratuitous family pictures!

Love this family, I really really do!

This is perhaps one of my favorite pictures EVER!

Babies ready for bed

Brothers on the zip-line

and sister in a trian.

Don't forget to order your ornaments and/or figurines! Go here or to my etsy store here! And share share share! Also I added a donate button on the blog (over there on the right). If you order just hit that button and "donate" the price of the item and shipping, and you can also leave me a message of what colors and sizes you want! Thanks!

'til next time

me

Jumping Back on the Merry Go Round

Oh be quiet, you knew this was coming, don't you think it would be more shocking if we said, "Hey we're done." And really meant it. Nah, that's not our style. So after much talking and questioning and carefully coming up with bitchy comebacks to the comments that we KNOW we are going to get, we have decided to take one more leap. Of course because we left big fat chunks of our hearts in Africa (emphasis Ethiopia) that is our country of choice. No decisions have been decided upon as far as age range but we will be going for either gender again.

Why are you telling us you ask? You see I had originally planned to spring this on everyone last minute and such, like "Ooooops, look what happened! Our immigration approval came in the mail today! How did that happen?" or maybe "Hey guess what I did last week? I jumped on an international flight to pick up the 9th member of our family!" But then Brian dropped this bombshell on me, wait for it.........I must have more than half of the money in the bank before I can even start. What the------? Man total killjoy. :(

That's where you come in (the whole 3 that read my blog anymore). I need your help. We created a Christmas Ornament/Wall Decoration out of polymer clay. Which is some really nice stuff to work with.

The ornaments are in the shape of Africa and are 3 1/2" inches tall strung on a bamboo cord topped off with beads to make them pretty. They are also sprayed with a glossy clear coat and can be personalized. We are selling them for $15.00 each and they will look fabulous on your Christmas tree or in your home.

There are also Medium sized Africa's (2" tall that we are selling as a set of 6) for $30.00.

Last but definitely not least we have a girl and boy figure sitting and holding Africa in their hands. These are $25.00 (each). And so fabulous!

Also for those that would like to help and order but not necessarily an Africa shape, coming very soon will be a nice ornament that can be personalized for your tree.....pictures very soon! Just let me know if your are interested. Those will also be $15.00.

I need your help, please leave me a comment if you would like to order one and tell me the size and colors that you like. If you would like one in colors other than we show, please let me know and I will customize it for you. These are handmade and will all be unique!

And for my final plea, could you please repost this on your blog,or facebook site or twitter, smoke signal, the more who see this and order means the faster I can hit that magic number for family member #9!

Also shipping will be $3.00 for any variety ornaments up to 10 (then add $2.00).

The figurines are $4.00 and can be combined with ornaments for no extra charge.

Please add $2.00 each for extra figurines.

Example: 4 ornaments and a figurine would be $4.00 or

6 ornaments and 2 figurines would be $6.00 or

11 ornaments would be $5.00 or

11 ornaments and 1 figurines would be $6.00.

Love ya,

Jillienne

*everything can be found and purchased in my new etsy shop also just click.............here

~~~~Updated with pictures of the boy figure!~~~~~~

Please repost......order......spread the word.

2 in 2 days!

First let me start by saying THANK YOU to those of you who made it through my last post. With the never ending typos and grammar errors, etc. I thought about going through and fixing it but that really doesn't seem like fun. I guess you can sure tell I haven't written anything in a while. I will try to do better, I promise, so that no one feels like they have to pull out their red pen just to read one of my posts.

On another note, I really feel like I have to share this post on this blog. A friend on FACEbook shared a link and wow. And while I have to state, our family is not VERY religious ourselves, it basically helps to sum up why we do what we do (oh and I am kind of a kid addict too, so that helps). And why we should be doing SO MUCH MORE! I will say it's heavy in my heart today. And it's got me thinking.......

'til next time

me

*seriously don't cheat, read the post, think of it as a favor to me*

Only

Recently I was talking to a friend, this friend is career driven kinda girl. In fact we met through her job. She was telling me that she is planning to go back to school this winter and that she is totally switching fields. I gave her the required, "WOW how come"? And she said that she just didn't love what she was doing anymore. My first thought was that's nice to know what you love, I am still waiting to figure out what I am going to be when I grow up! But then she said "I am starting to feel like I am ONLY _________'s wife and _______'s mom." That got me to thinking.

Is that what I am, ONLY my husbands wife and my kids mom? Is that a bad thing? How many people look at me different, like I am less than because I don't have a career or even a job? Am I supposed to feel that way myself? And can you write a whole paragraph of just questions? Seriously though, am I only an ONLY?

Why is it that we are supposed to judge ourselves based on how much money we make, how many hours we work away from our home, and what we for a living? Ok, I am going to say it, ready? I LIKE being a stay at home mom, a housewife, a homemaker. I like the relative freedom that it gives me and I like to be there with my kids when they need me or when they don't, whichever. Does that mean that I enjoy the cleaning and being a taxi or never being able to take a day off. No, not always but all and all this IS the life for me. So when people make comments about never having my own life if I keep adding kids or can't you wait until all your kids go to school you can get a job? I try to say nope, even when they are ALL in school I still don't see myself working, but then I get that look, you know the one, like I have two heads and just farted.

One more time for all you in the back row, I don't feel like I am of more value by working a REAL job. I am who I am and it's taken me a few years but I am starting to like that person and kind of understand her. She does not need to work outside the home to feel complete. Being a size 4 might do it though!

And before everyone up in the balcony starts throwing tomatoes at me, let me just say, that I believe that flip side is true also, some women want to work they like to work, it just works for them, it's their thing. And some women need to work to help make ends meet. I am all for that too! I am all for whatever makes you happy. Really I applaud you for being able to do it all. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

I am not of the opinion that my way is the right way, it's just the way that works for me, it's what I am good at. It's what I LOVE.

But I am not an ONLY! I am Jillienne, a wife, a mother, a friend, a taxi driver, a short order cook, a nurse, and happy more days than I am not. I think I'll take it.

'til next time

me