Today....

we are making laundry soap.....via the Duggar recipe. Let you all know how that works out. We have made laundry soap before but the recipe I had involved more measuring than the Duggar one does.

We are also doing our first painting in our Picasso series. Totally stolen from the Confessions of a Homeschooler blog. I would post pictures of that process but Ki annoyed me so bad with his stupid faces in my pictures that I told I was never taking another picture of him. You can go over to Confessions and see some cute pictures of better behaved children!

Dinner is in the crockpot. The lady over @ Crockpot365 says that I can make baked potatoes in my crockpot. I am choosing to believe her and we will be having a baked potato bar for dinner tonight. Except for Alainna and I, it's her long dance night, we will be eating out. I might have planned it that way, you know just in case the potatoes don't turn out!

And finally, yesterday I went to a resale store in my area and purchased, 3 shirts, 3 pairs of pajama pants, a pair of pajamas and a pair of mittens for Alainna, a Halloween costume and 3 shirts for Kieran, 2 shirts, a winter coat, mittens and snow boots for Maximus, 3 shirts, a winter coat and snow boots for Emersyn and a race car track toy for $67.00.

Then last night I bought Alainna a pair of Uggs on clearance for $50.00 @ another store near me. I may or may not have run in 10 minutes before the store closed after I found out about the boots being on clearance.

Hmmmmm......do with that what you will.

'til next time,

Still Have One...

Still have this this one set of 3 ornaments left! You want them just hit donate for $12.00 (or more) and they are yours!

We applied to our agency this week and were APPROVED!! We are now going through the big pile of policy documents that they sent us and are hoping to have them turned in sometime in the next week or so! I forgot how much paper is involved! My poor printer was going for about 20 min. straight last night and that was not even for the dossier guide!

I tell you even though this is our 3rd adoption, hearing your approved by your agency still makes my heart smile! We are going to for either gender up to 24 months. Our new agency does things a little differently, here once you go on the waiting list you get your number. You can be on a bunch of different lists at the same time. Example: #12 for infant boy and #33 for infant girl.....I think this will be kinda neat, before we never really knew. I can imagine with my personality though I will become obsessed with it very quickly!!!!!

The kids are all in a big discussion right now about boy or girl....and most of us have chosen sides, because this next little person will break the tie in our house!! So much pressure for someone who is probably not born yet!

We are still in the process of putting money together and getting everything lined up, Brian is great at helping me slow down.....it goes something like this.....

me: "Maybe we should....."

Brian: "No"

Good thing I love that man! He has also been working very hard to get all orders done in a timely manner! I have had to give him a bedtime or he will just keep going. Now I just start shutting off lights one by one until he gets the hint!

By the way we will be taking orders until Dec. 10. So only about 2 more weeks and then we will shut down until after Christmas and come back with some different things! Please consider placing an order, they make great teacher gifts, ornaments for your tree, or presents! And every order gets us a little closer to our goal! Africa w/ Love (our Etsy Store).

Thanks so much,

til next time
me

10 Things About Me....

Lots of clicks coming in from all over right now so I thought it would be fun to put some random information out there! Of course I am all about random right now because I only HAVE like 7 more posts and I have made it through this November post everyday mess.

10. I was an only child until I was 16 years old, then I got identical twin brothers, what 16 year old wouldn't want that right?

9. My first car was a 1992 Geo Metro in Easter egg blue. We just donated it about 5 years ago and I am not ashamed to admit I cried a little.

8. I always knew I wanted to get married and have kids young. I thought I would have stopped with the kid thing well before know though.

7. The older I get the bigger my feet get, how is that even possible?

6. I never thought about adopting once while growing up. It honestly never occurred to me until my husband mentioned it! And then I was all like, more kids, bring it on!

5. I have absolutely ZERO desire to hold down a "real" job. Serious lack of work ethic around here. I have so much respect for those people that can do it all. I can't even do half of it without the day job. Let me state for the record though that I can and have held jobs when needed!

4. Emersyn (our Ethiopian daughter) was a huge surprise, seriously everything we bought was some variation of blue. Babies R Us super hated us after that call!

3. I secretly envy Alainna (7) doing competitive dance, and am most probably living vicariously through her dancing. Yup, I'm that mom.

2. If I had more courage I would move my whole family to Ethiopia.

1. All I really want is world peace, or my own reality t.v. show. Both of which are unlikely.

'til next time

me

A Funny Thing Happened at Breakfast Today

Today we decided to take the kids out for some Big Boy breakfast buffet. It's always an interesting experience taking our family out as we challenge the norm in almost every possible way. Today though turned out very inspiring.

As we were sitting eating our breakfast a very nice women approached our table and explained that she had been a high school teacher for 18 years. She said that she learned in that time that to make a 5 minute assessment on incoming students and that when she saw our family that instinct kicked in. Basically she came over to praise my oldest son (12) on how she saw him treating his 2 year old brother. How she saw someone that took the time to see to the needs of his brother before seeing to the needs of himself. Making sure Maximus had what he needed and was taken care of. How she would love to have someone like Griffen in her class and the learing that they could do together. She then noted how cute it was that Maximus tried and tried to use his fork to eat his sausage and then finally gave up when he just couldn't get it and used his fingers. But that she loved the way he tried first. Silly boy. For Griffen's part he handled the compliment with a grace much older than his age and Maximus continued to eat his sausage with his fingers. Yet another proud moment.

Honestly we get comments like that more often than not, but every time we do. It makes me proud. We don't always see the things our big kids do for their younger siblings, sometimes all we see or hear in the bickering that happens. But when someone takes the time to compliment your children it does make me sit up and take notice.

Sometimes I just take for granted how our "big" kids help our "little" ones or how the "big" ones will stick together in situations. I don't see that they help with coats and shoes or food. I just expect it. Really I should notice more, because how lucky are we? I hope they are creating a bond that will stick with them long after their dad and I are gone.

But today we were just a family eating breakfast, doing what we do. It's nice to see that it's working.

As an added bonus, someone, not sure who, gave our waitress a $20.00 bill to give us to put towards our breakfast. Wow. Thank you. I hope one day we have a chance to pay it forward.

'till next time

me

There is Nothing Better

than snagging your big sister's after school peanut butter and banana sandwich when she's not looking. Thanks sis!


Also I see that I am getting lots of traffic linking in from other sites.

Welcome! I hope you see something that you like! We are hoping to get everything rolling w/ our new addition by March 2011 so every small step is a step in the right direction and we can't do it without you! Please feel free to share with EVERYONE!! :)

'til next time

me
Africa w/ Love (our Etsy store)

I Got Nothing..

Because I am sitting on the couch with a Diet Pepsi and a bowl of microwave popcorn watching The Biggest Loser.

Because Brian is playing with his new Ipad. That he bought with his saved up weekly spending money! How does he do that?

Good job honey!

Now he has to start saving that money for our new little person! He will probably out save me!

Because of those things, I leave you with gratuitous pictures of our puppy, Leo. Ain't he precious?

'til next time

me

Dear Diet Pepsi

Dear Diet Pepsi,

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I think I love you. Who knew? For years I have had an on going love affair with Mt. Dew, oh I know, could I have possibly picked a worse love? Who else was more guaranteed to rot my teeth out of my head, while my dentist made repeated trips to the bank to cash my checks? Yes, I know that Mt. Dew has more sugar in it than all the other soda pops combined (not really I know, but it's my blog and I will write what I want to)! But I craved the Dew. I was, dare I say it, obsessed with the neon green goodness. I would take it over ice, from a warm can, straight from a 2 liter, if I could have found a way to pump it straight into my vein I would have.

But then one day I came out of my caffeine induced stupor and realized while I loved the Dew it didn't love me back, rotting teeth, extra pounds, and a non-stop craving. It was time to kick the habit! So I took up with Diet Dew it didn't take me long to realize that he was bad for me too. And oh, the after taste. If I wanted to drink cough syrup I would at least make sure it had some codeine in it. So I went over a few spots on the fountain pop station to The Real Thing. Diet Coke, hmmmm, is it still the real thing if it's diet? I tried and tried to make it work with him I really did, I mean you can get him large for a buck at McD's. But it just wasn't right even though he was cheap and easy I just didn't feel the connection. Most of the time I just left him full and sweating on the table. Who wants that in their relationship? So I had to move on, I tried to be gentle about it and still give him a call if I happen to be at Mickey D's.

And then I stumbled upon you, my new main squeeze, Diet Pepsi, most of the flavor and none of the calories, I imagine you are still rotting my teeth but I say the trade off is fair. You are the perfect combination in my eyes of caffeine and drinkability. In my favorite form, from a fountain machine over ice, with a straw....pure bliss I tell you, pure bliss.

Thank you Diet Pepsi for waiting for me while I fooled around with others while you watched. I'm sure it was hard but I'm here now and I have a feeling we will be together for quite awhile.

Love,

Jillienne


*Don't forget to enter my FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY!! (Click to go Enter)! Ends Sunday Night (11:59 p.m.) November 14th!*

Venti Eggnog Latte

This is how it happened. I procrastinated, I waited too long, I put it off, I cut it too close to the wire. However you want to say it, that's what happened and that's what put me in the grocery store this morning at 9:30 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving, with both of my one year olds. Yes people Emersyn is still one. 23 months and 3 days is STILL a one year old last time I checked! Bah!

I was lulled into a false sense of security do to the fact that I had Brenna and Griffen here to load them into the car. I was blissfully blocking the fact that I had to drop Brenna and Griff off at school BEFORE hitting the grocery store. I was even tricked by the fact that once I arrived at said grocery store, amid the never ending,

mommymommymommymoiveon? mommmmmmmyyyyyyon! mommymommymommymovieon?,

that there was a parking space right by the door! Yes! What glorious luck, thank you, thank you! And then I started to get them out of our bus, I mean car, hmmmmm...... can't carry both babies in by myself. Ok, lock them in the car, run to the cart corral, grab cart, GO!

Awesome, carts are all wet from our never ending drizzle. Here is the point that I look around like maybe magically some paper towel will appear. Nope, mentally kick myself for talking Brian into cleaning out the kidmobile for me. Finally, use the sleeve of my sweater to wipe the cart down.

Grab Max out of his carseat. Place Max in the car with the belt around him. Reach back in to grab Emersyn, go to place her in the front of the cart, ooops, Max is already twisted backwards and trying to stand up. Throw, I mean gently deposit Emersyn into cart. Twist Max back around and taking a deep breath walk into the store.

Ok, in the store, doing good, stop to get some sweet potatoes. Stop looking at sweet potatoes and turn Max back around, doesn't this stupid belt tighten? Oh sorry lady didn't realize my cart was blocking the whole walk way. Move cart, turn Max around.

Grab my potatoes, grab some pies, the lady in the bakery hands me cookies for the "Cutest little kids, and oh my look at her hair!" Give Emersyn her cookie, give Max his cookie. Emersyn takes a bite, Max throws his on the floor. Perfect.

Moving on, continue you grabbing items on my list, continue turning Max back around, listen to Emmy say "cookiecookiemommymommy" over and over and over and over.

Finally get to the checkout. Turn Max back around, unload cart, agree with the cashier that Emersyn does in fact have just the most adorable hair. Turn Max back around. Ask cashier for suckers so that maybe Max will just stay SEATED!!

Tell the man who is bagging my groceries that I can take them to the car myself as I am going to stop at the Starbucks in the store first. He politely tells me that I have my hands full and he will just wait with me. GREAT!

Pay the cashier, hand Emersyn her sucker, turn Max around, hand Max his sucker, cashier hands me change, Emersyn hands me her cookie and sucker wrapper, I grab my purse, the cart and what's left of my sanity.

Walk down to Starbucks with the Helpful Bagger Man trailing behind me with my groceries. Walk in the wrong way for the Starbucks line, yes she's cute, yes her hair is adorable, yes, doesn't he have the biggest eyes, pick Max's sucker up off the floor, give Max his sucker back (sue me). Hand one of the workers Emersyn's cookie and wrapper for the garbage. And order a VENTI EGGNOG LATTE!

I am going to stop here and not even get into the drama of the parking lot, not even the part where Helpful Bagger Man takes Emersyn out of the cart while I am trying to get Max in the car and sets her down in the parking lot. Not the part where I almost spill my flipping latte, and definitely not the part where I told Helpful Bagger Man that my babies are from Ethiopia and he said it looks like I was doing a good job fattening them up. Nope not going all the way there.

What the hell was I thinking ordering a VENTI EGGNOG LATTE! Do you know how my flipping calories are in that things? Not to mention the sugar and the carbs. I don't think I can eat for the rest of the week. Sigh, I got stressed and ordered the most awful thing possible I think.

Serious, f***ing 610 calories, 27 grams of fat, 69 carbs, and 64 sugars. I know because I came home and checked, you know you really can find ANYTHING on the internet nowadays.

So what do I do? Pour it down the drain? Nope I'm flipping drinking it. I Suck.

Moral to the story: Procrastination is bad!

Crazy Day...

Dropped half a box of Cheerio's on the kitchen floor

Max (aka Stretch Armstrong) dumped my coffee all over the rug and the carpet in the dining room

Brian got a ticket for get this Impeeding Traffic? Seriously?

Had to skip Brenna's volleyball game because Brian had to work late putting up Christmas lights.

Ummm.....5 kids and me in the bleachers, two of whom are 1. Nope.

Missed Alainna's Thanksgiving Feast because

1. I have it on the calander for tomorrow

2. Miss Alainna did not give me the paper she had with a reminder on it

Had Alainna in tears because I missed her Feast even though she was happy as a clam when she walked in. Ooops shouldn't have mentioned that I meant to be there.

I am done with today! I made it through, with NO freaking MT. DEW!!! but now I am done! I am not sure if all these kinds of things happen on a day to day basis ALL the time and I am just noticing because I can't stress eat it away or if this was just a rare over the topper. Whatever the case, DONE!

'til tomorrow

me

Following Blogs.........

Confession....I follow a lot of blogs!  I know, I know big surprise isn't it!  I have blogs on here and about a million more on Bloglines.  So if you don't see your blog on my side bar please don't be offended, you are most definitely being followed, I am a little freaky that way!  But if I had all the blogs I followed down my side bar this blog would never end.  If you would like to request that I add your blog so it's visible for all the world to see just let me know and I can, 'cuz I am like, super popular and I know that everyone wants to be on my sidebar, not!

Seriously though, how many blogs do you all follow?  How many is too many?  And do you all comment on every blog you read or do you mostly lurk?  Inquiring minds want to know!

'til next time

me