tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26352681886815600022024-02-06T22:10:45.219-08:00th'E' familysoon to be announced; we are adopting from ...Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-14411007871790585022012-04-30T17:11:00.001-07:002012-05-09T21:01:42.108-07:00be back soon<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hi... , if you are visiting to check out this blog it will be inactive for now and updated once we are back in the adoption process. fyi: while waiting for news of Vietnam to reopen, which became no-news, we've decided to now move on & review information soon on a second country.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">thx for stopping by- ;)</span></b>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-12799310057641232592012-03-05T23:41:00.002-08:002012-03-09T00:29:56.357-08:00(sigh)<strong>No comment :/ No news to post on potential adoption because the U.S. has/will? not approve country agreements y.e.t. , (per word of our potential agency) eventhough (the) waiting country has re opened. After Years. Has orphans just waiting when they should not be, orphaned! Come on! united states of America, get 'er done! good grief. </strong><br />
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<strong>my vent!</strong>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-18074957489333339192012-03-02T13:53:00.002-08:002012-03-02T13:53:32.407-08:00all good thingscome to those that? Have Patience!<br />
<br />
adoption news: waiting to wait to start new international program. <br />
and then, oh yeh, wait again.<br />
that about sums it up☺<br />
<br />
worth it though, completely.Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-23461137834148005572012-01-25T16:03:00.000-08:002012-01-31T02:47:10.936-08:00blog overhaul to come<strong><span style="color: #134f5c;">have not posted here much at all but reason is there is no news to post. we are in a waiting phase. this blog will become more active this spring. we will be finding out more information in the next few months. i look forward to updating when we have information on the new program we will be applying for. it IS very exciting.</span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #134f5c;"><u>this is no longer an Ethiopia adoption blog. as mentioned before, ETH sadly slowed down their adoptions to an abrupt crawl. i have not changed the header on this blog however once we announce the new path i will be redesigning the header !!</u></span></strong>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-87240412697341199222011-12-07T02:38:00.001-08:002011-12-07T02:42:46.582-08:00note to blogupdating this blog!!!! we have decided to go with another country program for our adoption. ethiopia was turning into a long long wait with their new procedures that went into affect this year. we have been waiting on another program and got some good news on it recently. as we know more we will share it here. when it gets closer to announcing which program we are applying for i will be able to write about it. for now we continue to try and do our fundraisers and save money for early next year when we will be applying to the program. good things to come! stay tuned.Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-86435298644463510622011-08-02T20:53:00.000-07:002011-08-02T20:53:46.344-07:00an august postjust to keep this blog from getting stale, here is another monthly post!<br />
with ALL the uncertainty and confussion coming out of Eth this entire year, it seems nothing has resolved in how they intend to go forth with adoptions. for now we have decided to opt out of this program as it seems too scattered and unstable as of now. we have known for some time but i had not posted. we have been focusing on another personal chosen path these past few months. and perhaps a different international program next year. we will see what is to come ;)Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-9086370106767242232011-06-11T21:25:00.000-07:002011-06-12T17:26:13.730-07:00a June post ;)<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">no updates here. just an update that there is no update. LOL!! the international adoption system of eth seems to be mucked up in all directions. and yes that is mucked up with an M , lol. we have put that on very distant hold and have come to find ourselves enjoying some <em>other</em> good decisions we have made that are all-good. not revealing too much here now. will one day update with time ; ) till then, have a good June!</span>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-90574602012148362852011-03-17T20:00:00.000-07:002011-03-17T22:58:20.407-07:00not good? (turns better !) an updateupdate: when the post below was rumor milled it was a truth. but what has occurred since, the head of MOWA and some of their employees (those in charge of implementing such drastic changes) were fired two days after announcing what caused such a stir. we hear this from other wonderful blogs so this info has been made available so it can be shared. Eth adoptions are still processing and mowa settles into thier new administration. the change seems to not be as drastic as the recently fired head of M had proposed yet they remain unsure of the changes to the program as far as the qaunity of adoptions. agencies continue to update as they are informed on the final flow of things. that's all anyone knows : ) but it is something. we continue to see how this palys out - we follow our inner voice, continue to do what we need to do as a family.<br />and for us, in the meantime we have made some Very Good decisions recently. good and real ones. while keeping this other door open still. the answers will reveal and come with time ; )<br />- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br />Ethiopia has been placed in the 'rumor-mill' as having tentative plans to cut down its adoptions by 90% starting this month. 90% ! we are stunned. while i generally pay no attention to here say, i have researched this one, and for now it appears to be. how a country can disregard its orphans and close 45 of its orphanages knowing the children will die or be placed on the streets is horrifying. once on the wait list (which takes 4-6 months) the wait for a child would now be an additional 3 years! - compared to 3 months as it currently stood. it is too hard to think or write about Ethiopia right now as it only causes mixed & hurt feelings; we may not be continuing with this particular path and possibly need to refocus on another path. SO this blog will be post-free for awhile while i focus on keeping sanity.Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-28467697748518337112011-03-04T19:46:00.000-08:002011-03-04T20:24:50.585-08:00multi-colored Binoculars<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IQNoVXO5D9w" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></div><br />
<div align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SCCcnA4aR00" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qgwV0Z0bkq0" title="YouTube video player" width="430"></iframe></div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-29231053850629144532011-02-28T22:09:00.000-08:002011-02-28T23:15:14.457-08:00hush; now...<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">lyrics of her songs certainly do pull on heartstrings and interpretations by the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">ones listening. in particular, words from this are humbling; singing dual </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope to the ears of Both this waiting adoptive mama & our future son.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">" [and, the world thought had it all But was waiting for you; Hush, now see a light in the sky, it's </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">almost blinding; can't believe been touched by an angel with love; Let the rain come down, wash </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">away tears, Let it fill soul, drown fears. Let it shatter walls for a new sun. <strong><em>'a<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> new day has come'</span></em></strong>, oh] "</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">upon our Gotcha day i look forward to linking back to this post, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">as a reminder of the calm of musical peace it offered. and as reference </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">to a song i already knew would be used within our family video.</span></div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-54916398273138621522011-02-24T03:05:00.000-08:002011-02-26T22:40:42.488-08:00trump!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/money%20sucks/beautyinthegutter/Graffiti/sentences_005.jpg?o=2" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p177/beautyinthegutter/Graffiti/sentences_005.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo source: beautyinthegutter </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>... this post causes a step back with pause & thought searching. it is a question many want to know about adoption. yet also very personal. but it is at the forefront of thought. people are curious by nature. we all know adoption is not cheap. heck, it is downright expensive. but up until now i have hesitated to even post about the totality of expenses involved because i do not like to give power to money. the paper dollar is not the forefront of adoption, it is only the tangible token to pass go. and because i do not like to empower the deception of the green bill, i still Must recognize it in adoption. before continuing, it cannot be stressed enough that for an adoptive parent, adoption is not about money but it is required to proceed. whether one has '$' or not, adoption is about love. and to be fair, the agencies involved in adoption are not money hungry; not the majority. they do genuinely want to place children with families. but there are guidelines, there are fees, there are fees in each direction of the compass. that is just how the ball rolls. domestic , international, government, foreign, you name it the fees add up. i have found myself in anger visualizing a waiting child half way across the world, turning my eyes to us as the prospective adoptive parents also sitting here waiting, and in between are - green bills? is it fair? No! and it has hurt my feelings that this power facade of the coin must be recognized to reach a waiting child . and that bothers me. deeply. hard core bothers me. yet, learning now to accept this 'unfairness' has given calm and as quick as those hurtful feelings come- no is the answer! <em> 'don't go there'</em> comforts my mind and my focus turns to God knowing He will provide. money is just the illusion to scare and create doubt. this is when my Faith rises and i know that God has placed adoption in our hearts for a reason. it is a path we are to follow. nothing can smother our feelings of Love for our journey. Faith does conquer the green dollar and trumps doubt. and that is what keeps us focused. to sum this up, we have been asked in subtle ways, 'how much will your adoption cost overall' and today i will answer that question because grace in truth opens doors for peace in Faith. the cost- 30,000. do we have that sitting in the bank? nope, not at all. will we be taking the path of sacrifice , fundraising and Faith to fulfill our path, yes we will. to humble oneself in being open is a good thing. and being open about this here is a learning experience for i do not enjoy that when we talk about adoption, money has to also be discussed. it is part of the package. money may have its palms up hand in adoption but we have the greater hold of faith. it makes us appreciate each and every struggle, step forward, step back, and everything in between that takes us toward that goal we reach along the way. it is the journey that defines and strengthens us, not the destination.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>As others have inquired, we will share:</strong></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">our adoption total will be 30,000 +</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">the small fees start in the beginning.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">the fees grow as the adoption progresses.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">there are hefty lump sums due to move forward.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">each fee must be met to progress onto the waiting list.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">more fees upon acceptance of referral</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">in country fees </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">travel alone will cost us 10,000.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>that was a <em>very basic outline</em>. there is so much more detail than that but maybe that will help others understand and get some idea of the process. something i have not liked to discuss, is now here written out like a bad sticky note tucked away. but now i feel moved in my humble validation of how money plays it part in this process. that sticky note can now cling to the frig in view and no longer receive my <em>growl</em> but my smile. it no longer is a deterrent but a mirror of our accomplishments . </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>others may wonder? why are you doing this if you don't have 30,000 in the bank. now lets get real! the truth of adoption is about 1/2-3/4 of committed prospective adoptive parents do not have that kind of cash. most adoptions consist of fundraising, refinancing homes, loans, etc. it is all about sacrifice for the children. those of us who have to work hard toward paying these fees are parents who are truly in this with the appreciation and humbling grace knowing our efforts will be validated in form of a sweet little boy. all the obstacles and patience of our journey to get to him will be shown in the reward of love and grace.</strong></span><br />
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<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/faith%20and%20hope" target="_blank"><img alt="hope. faith. courage. Pictures, Images and Photos" border="0" height="320" src="http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/xospislovexo/3words.jpg" width="248" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo source: xospislovexo </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>conclusion? Truth! money won't get you through adoption </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>nor anything </strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>else. </strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>only inner strength will endure and ones Belief </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>system sustain! </strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>money sucks- the good out of Hope and the Truth </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>out of </strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>what is real. </strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>within adoption </strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>it is not the green dollar, it is </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Convictions that get that token to pass Go! </strong></span><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">now, when invisioning a </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">waiting child </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">and then us also waiting, green </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">bills are no longer part of </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">the in between. now, Faith, Love, Hope, Courage, Stength and </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Conviction </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">are what are in between the present and the future. </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Faith trumps </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;">all stinkn thinkn every time ; )</span></strong></div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-36151518665067813942011-02-23T16:07:00.000-08:002011-02-26T22:44:56.292-08:00toll road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaKSIqTgqmHSGX64ILuuWdJs64IgscgyxFflv4FyL2N2JaEEaJT8cMUdPgexCvQa24CGfU5lJWTNCJD3usi8iDFVG1MqfMGQ-YMT8mqOzWxTSYDjC6UHo3tWSgbsRcW4t83q_YSrrW6KH/s1600/half.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaKSIqTgqmHSGX64ILuuWdJs64IgscgyxFflv4FyL2N2JaEEaJT8cMUdPgexCvQa24CGfU5lJWTNCJD3usi8iDFVG1MqfMGQ-YMT8mqOzWxTSYDjC6UHo3tWSgbsRcW4t83q_YSrrW6KH/s320/half.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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okay, so an addendum to last weeks post. as some unexpected </div>
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expenses sprang up we will have to wait a little bit longer to send in our </div>
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second agency fee. the positive side is we still did manage to save half of what we </div>
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need and put it in savings! in a couple weeks we should be posting an updated </div>
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post that we were able to mail in our fee in full ! patience and time is being learned </div>
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and taught to myself in full force. and, i have come to see this is a good </div>
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quality to have going forth in the adoption process ; ) it is similar to </div>
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pulling up to a toll booth with .50 when you need 1.oo. ; coming back </div>
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later waiting for that bar to raise to continue on your path. My husband</div>
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told me just today, ' God is preparing us with patience for our journey with him' , </div>
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and that is exactly what this woman needed to hear. </div>
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- <em>thanks hon</em>! -</div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-52197106077800618462011-02-16T15:24:00.000-08:002011-02-23T16:32:37.389-08:0023Feb<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKXaGDk4hFCx4eI8R2dR9Dy9yNyXSNRN09_UqeafdRJcGV1MyQTZEItjkDe46x7bQa7qvC69Dc8URgTjtVhPN33AH5dwQSRLzKgSaKsqlIQeCEmKegDhyphenhyphenkEBjjA5l6Bt8U7cdcwho5Y2k/s1600/day+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKXaGDk4hFCx4eI8R2dR9Dy9yNyXSNRN09_UqeafdRJcGV1MyQTZEItjkDe46x7bQa7qvC69Dc8URgTjtVhPN33AH5dwQSRLzKgSaKsqlIQeCEmKegDhyphenhyphenkEBjjA5l6Bt8U7cdcwho5Y2k/s320/day+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">next Wed. we mail in our Request </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">for </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adoption </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">form </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">& our second agency fee.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">next? we receive our list of papperwork to compile </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">for our Dossier. prepare for home appraisal as </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">equity is needed toward heavier agency(s) fees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">set up our Home Study interviews. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">and for the next </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3-5 month we paperchase!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">there is some</span> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">yee-hawing</span> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">& a happy dance around</span> <span style="font-size: small;">here; as </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: small;">for months now, we have worked <u>very purposely</u> to get to this point & we both </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">are happy, content & <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">proud of our persevering patience & focus</span></span> .</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">so Hello sweet seven (sabat) days ; )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">one step closer. one day at a time. for one little boy.</span></div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-19155826601320870252011-02-14T09:02:00.000-08:002011-02-22T17:58:10.980-08:00V to my B<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvOetJ4EARKMQfVMM8SrONkkjBciSn3ZphPfYEKVA5lwh9SRRqFIidNIT931OafIFIfh2J_NMS_zQRZnV6EHMP84AVUuRevWHqeyXdCoyXoZ96c_y27tXcX7GHjPEv7LKKSAjyENuWQHs/s1600/lub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvOetJ4EARKMQfVMM8SrONkkjBciSn3ZphPfYEKVA5lwh9SRRqFIidNIT931OafIFIfh2J_NMS_zQRZnV6EHMP84AVUuRevWHqeyXdCoyXoZ96c_y27tXcX7GHjPEv7LKKSAjyENuWQHs/s1600/lub.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">happy v-day, i love <u><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Us</span></u> .</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photobucket.com/images/dr%20suess" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong><img alt="Dr. Suess Pictures, Images and Photos" border="0" height="400" src="http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb447/bearmonkeybottoms/Cotton%20Prints/DrSeuss.jpg" width="400" /></strong></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">" You know you're in love </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">when you can't fall asleep </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">because reality is finally better </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">than your dreams "</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">- quote source Theodor Suess <span style="font-size: x-small;">Geisel -</span></span></span></div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-68523657064878201832011-02-12T01:09:00.000-08:002011-02-13T13:43:21.276-08:00five stars<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/popcorn/Heather110277/Popcorn.jpg?o=77" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c186/Heather110277/Popcorn.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
referring to one of my recent posts <span style="color: #b45f06;"><strong><u>H</u></strong></span><a href="http://ourinfertilityjourneytowardivf.blogspot.com/2011/01/making-switch.html"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><strong>ere</strong></span></a> ,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
bye bye satellite tv, hello mr. Flix.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it was SO refreshing to see the high <span style="font-size: large;">quality</span> and quanity of the movies, <br />
<span style="font-size: large;">documentaries</span>, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
television shows, etc. available thru netflix. <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">- no more glaring ' assortment ' of brain numbing broadcasting .</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
for shows that aren't streaming, dvds can be queued.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
our first two are:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Hotel Rwanda</u></span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="190" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mYwuXvA589A" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
and, <br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><u>Babel</u></span></strong><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="190" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/chNzbahOn_w" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
with about one day turnaround to landing within our mailbox.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
our first documentary thru streaming will be,<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><u>The Cove</u></strong></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="190" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4KRD8e20fBo" title="YouTube video player" width="240"></iframe><br />
<br />
all three are based on truth, and offer to educate those listening.<br />
<br />
researching The Cove, it without a doubt is heartbreaking.<br />
in the Hope of its' documentary may it alert all of us viewing to this<br />
tragedy happening to one of Gods most peaceful creations, the dolphin.</div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-69766360723592535662011-02-07T00:00:00.000-08:002011-02-07T01:26:30.082-08:00couponing<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photobucket.com/images/piggy%20bank" target="_blank"><img alt="Piggy Bank Pictures, Images and Photos" border="0" height="200" src="http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn108/a8itgreat/piggy-bank.jpg" width="172" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So, I have been doing my research on ways to save at the market. <br />
For awhile now I have become interested in finding ways to coupon that actually make <br />
a dent in food bills. I am new to this. If anyone has hints or advice on other sites <br />
or these, and ways to get the most for your buck, please chime in. <br />
I know there is an art to <span style="font-size: large;">good</span> couponing, so if any artists of the <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">savings kind</span> <br />
are reading , please leave a comment if you have strategies or techniques <br />
you have come across putting pennies back into the <span style="font-size: large;">piggy bank</span>. <br />
Not looking to become a fanatic about it nor become overwhelmed as coupon <br />
sites may reveal, but am looking to <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">not just</span> a couple square papers which only save <br />
minimally short term, but rather <span style="font-size: large;">to</span> a ziplock full of paper savings which result in <br />
the gratitude of walking from the market feeling proud. <br />
I already offset between the market with the dollar store which <br />
does create savings within itself. i <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">love</span> our small town however our <br />
local paper does not spill out with savings so i would like to find ways to <br />
get the most from couponing; at an angle that supports <br />
consumer savings and effort.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> These are the sites I have come across so far. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://save-a-lot.com/"><span style="color: black;">http://save-a-lot.com/</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kroger.com/Pages/default.aspx"><span style="color: black;">http://www.kroger.com/Pages/default.aspx</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thethriftycouple.com/"><span style="color: black;">http://thethriftycouple.com/</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hip2save.com/"><span style="color: black;">http://www.hip2save.com/</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/"><span style="color: black;">http://moneysavingmom.com/</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.coupons.com/"><span style="color: black;">http://www.coupons.com/</span></a><br />
<br />
Curious if anyone is using one or more of these sites and if so, do you recommend?<br />
<br />
For now, continuing to research this art form <br />
and preparing to sharpen up the scissors : }</div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-14283593524110345162011-02-04T15:20:00.000-08:002011-02-04T16:55:52.626-08:00rhythm<strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="190" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/344OpaQCAQI" title="YouTube video player" width="280"></iframe></span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Mr. Watts </strong>is <u>ROCK'n</u> that beat. <br />
LOVE it !<br />
- goove'n it into the weekend ...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">borrowed from a fellow adoption blogger </span><a href="http://heatherandrolyn.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: x-small;">Here</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">; thanks for the share :}</span>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-55613325527274535232011-02-01T17:05:00.000-08:002011-02-02T00:52:40.661-08:00jeep'ers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BGyZrUP2Qj_YliWOIUByGhPe5penxWpRGcobnzTNwtFIpVBovlcOqwSGndLsgcjUFXIX1EvgiSNmkI_CNhH-r8tOiVwe2UKaePgVDslZQMc0JH68BT457QFQVbwKPacZL5XKpvvLGzkQ/s1600/jeep1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BGyZrUP2Qj_YliWOIUByGhPe5penxWpRGcobnzTNwtFIpVBovlcOqwSGndLsgcjUFXIX1EvgiSNmkI_CNhH-r8tOiVwe2UKaePgVDslZQMc0JH68BT457QFQVbwKPacZL5XKpvvLGzkQ/s320/jeep1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">with my husbands touch, things tend to not only get fixed but become</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> part of the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bigger picture within our family's path. together, we are good at seeing things </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">from the inside out; so when we saw this needed vehicle, offered at a heck-of-a-deal </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">from a friend, an <span style="font-size: large;">'88 Jeep</span>, loaded not only with <span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;"><strong>personality and charm</strong></span>, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">but more importantly </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 WHEEL DRIVE; this baby had us at hello.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">it has become hubby's project, with a cause as it will offer us more flexibility, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">especially with weather. it allows us an alternate to drive </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">at <span style="font-size: large;">lower gas costs </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">compared to our current work vehicle. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he has worked purposely over the past months, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">toward its' delicate transplant. next, finding<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"> <span style="color: black;">a</span> <span style="color: black;">donor jeep</span></span></span> was crucial for </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">replacing </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">needed parts; as it would offer up a replacement motor. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and as of today, the motor exchange is almost complete.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">with some love and attention, it will be fabulous.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> like adoption; we saw something that needed us, and we needed. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">under our arm we mix in some patience, understand </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">what needs to be sustained, for this lone gem to Shine.</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZRcrZiMzk9MUwUisO2wpO-LbA-lmOWqEwPRj6XslIGvETsb3AJ8XND2NPn64nmq242zb8zAz4hQZPcUUMfVsbBNKklB9-aCIpqX6We5A2t-SN47TyWzrK7nMDX46TFuWLg1vCM39whzc/s1600/jeep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZRcrZiMzk9MUwUisO2wpO-LbA-lmOWqEwPRj6XslIGvETsb3AJ8XND2NPn64nmq242zb8zAz4hQZPcUUMfVsbBNKklB9-aCIpqX6We5A2t-SN47TyWzrK7nMDX46TFuWLg1vCM39whzc/s320/jeep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the Donor.</span></div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-15842133196583800792011-01-30T14:18:00.000-08:002011-01-30T15:12:25.471-08:00happy content cookies<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqW87uAL611mikEPLviPOed7SR4lfwBnjKrX-uc6OcAJkdtmHPbafYM4A7ZmzjZpzzlUG1sHCIYuM0pmJP7qlBxA0BdFIXIhoo_taGpV1cSPUWaAZGuN4PF88gJpQBSsXdDos6CPW_MIo8/s1600/cookies+004.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 251px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568107450064759298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqW87uAL611mikEPLviPOed7SR4lfwBnjKrX-uc6OcAJkdtmHPbafYM4A7ZmzjZpzzlUG1sHCIYuM0pmJP7qlBxA0BdFIXIhoo_taGpV1cSPUWaAZGuN4PF88gJpQBSsXdDos6CPW_MIo8/s320/cookies+004.jpg" /></a>well-balanced nutritional facts filled our souls as our grins grew</div><div align="center">in knowing these two fillings were<span style="color:#000066;"><strong> right on</strong></span> !</div><div align="center">- - - </div><div align="center">last night my husband and i had Chinese food. </div><div align="center">we decided to travel to the next town over for our favorite </div><div align="center">take out, since it had been a long while since we tasted it </div><div align="center">as our local spot suddenly disappeared.</div><div align="center">- - - </div><div align="center">bringing it home and enjoying our movie night, </div><div align="center">we cracked these puppies open.</div><div align="center">- - - </div><div align="center">...and well, the dessert was simply<span style="color:#000000;"> </span><span style="color:#000066;">scrumptiously inspirational</span><span style="color:#000066;"> .</span></div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-23746890358624414412011-01-27T19:45:00.000-08:002011-01-31T19:19:46.201-08:00more than<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="290" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IwtcwQwgdsA" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="340"></iframe><br />
" you are more than the choices that you’ve made<br />
you are more than the sum of your past mistakes<br />
you are more than the problems you create<br />
you’ve been remade " ,<br />
<blockquote><strong>entitled</strong> ' you are more ' & just now hearing this song today, i must say it is wonderful. a solid lyrical reminder for those <strong><em>listening</em></strong> to hold your Faith knowing you really are <em><strong>more than </strong></em>.</blockquote>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-5215417665315852832011-01-24T06:17:00.000-08:002011-01-24T18:28:48.300-08:00yay!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AdrYWTu3zINV-Xe3UIXTzfPb7eVEt2tHp2jgLpw-vCr82Tl-EpKxtANVQoYFoKEr2-ljYYOTQYbGjZE2XFEeSt2p3s58Oo36o6dlB6NTu5CA8xlEAp_Ajq_qexUb8znP92jmjWgIyZGe/s1600/CARPET.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565942208909165026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AdrYWTu3zINV-Xe3UIXTzfPb7eVEt2tHp2jgLpw-vCr82Tl-EpKxtANVQoYFoKEr2-ljYYOTQYbGjZE2XFEeSt2p3s58Oo36o6dlB6NTu5CA8xlEAp_Ajq_qexUb8znP92jmjWgIyZGe/s320/CARPET.jpg" style="display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<div>our carpet is home ! ... link to our<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="http://whatloknows.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-carpet.html"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #0b5394;">CatBlog</span></a><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"> </span> for post : )</div>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-25616962907595495842011-01-23T11:49:00.000-08:002011-01-24T13:11:24.936-08:00making the switch<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI11wne4gdz95S93ukASX7lOwIkaOWh4Gm74aQwwDTbOomorf4XxTMAVfmdlFEKwg01rRcwkLPZCVYZyjkylSB9exdhEh4G5DQhLNBrJEziba9NLB790HtIsBsH4ToZsyJOyRrTf-4T9ob/s1600/tv.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 314px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI11wne4gdz95S93ukASX7lOwIkaOWh4Gm74aQwwDTbOomorf4XxTMAVfmdlFEKwg01rRcwkLPZCVYZyjkylSB9exdhEh4G5DQhLNBrJEziba9NLB790HtIsBsH4ToZsyJOyRrTf-4T9ob/s320/tv.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565471529655578354" /></a><br /><blockquote>our thoughts based on our experience with satellite television. we have since found a better solution. an alternative to high bills and the avalanche of shows overflowing 'package deals' . we were not asked by a company to review alternative media products, lol. posted by my own free will : )</blockquote><em>dearest satellite television</em>: your service has been a ?friend? for some years now. what, with your blinding endless channels of program viewing. and your monthly love letters we receive. you have been so unknowingly helpful with your customer support and friendly service. and, oh how we love your option of paying <strong>5.oo </strong>to watch a movie because we do not subscribe to THAT channel. however, we appreciate that you have allowed us to watch <strong>ALL 5</strong> of our favorite channels over the years simply by offering no choice but to buy your package deal THOSE 5 channels happen to be placed within. clever, on your part. your online guide is amazing; all those mind blurring channels you have allowed us access to skim. oh how we enjoy the headrush of scrolling thru endless shows, 3/4 of which are nonsense and , in our opinion, contributing to the downfall of youth television not to mention the brain function of the adult community. OH, and the commercials. gotta love em. my ears ring in harmony when the ads are pitched in a volume 5 times greater than the actual show. my mute button has never been used so much. <br />thank you for your entertainment value which if i were to create a ratio of such it would rank 1:100 as your programs are only worth a hundreth to the love letters you send us each month; those letters so generously demanding their share of our complete viewing pleasure.<br /><br />well, in the visual of the television Mop commercial who has gracefully been replaced, so have you, satellite. are you shocked that we will save 80.00 a month from dropping you? and don't try and sell us on the 10.00 discount if we stay with you. please! and guess what, you are being replaced with consumer friendly entertainment whose love letters arrive with a note of 7.99/ month. no more scrolling thru endless stupid shows listed on the guide; which we <strong>had</strong> to pay for . now, we will be able to pick what we want to watch, when we want to watch, and not be polluted with an overflow of programming that serves no purpose. please dont plea to us about the sports programs or other packages as such we will miss out on; we are not a sports watching family! we do not buy into your package deal any longer. now, who is your conqueror you ask? did i mention 7.99 month? easily and manualy installed onesself, the Roku player (the cost of one unit is lower than our satelitte monthly love letter) has the capability to pause shows, limit commercials, and put us back in control of what is coming through our television. So, you ask, what programming has won us over? two names have beat you out, NetFlix and Hulu Plus. ah, don't make fun of their names. don't be envious; be happy that customers who have been true to you for so long will now be treated better! be happy for us. we will save <strong>80.00 month</strong>, that is close to 1,000 a year (even more since we had to pay 5.00 per movie with you) . and that 1,000 will go into a great cause; savings for our adoption of our son! see, it is something to be very excited about. a friendly suggestion, you may want to consider more options, satellite tv- i must say, as a former friend, the friendly Roku player is your competitor now. it allows Netflix and Hulu Plus to be watched directly thru our televisions. in conclusion: there are five factors that concreted our decision to let you go; <strong>saving money each month</strong> to be put toward our adoption of our little boy from Ethiopia- <strong>that one wins hands down</strong>, control of our television viewing, no hassle programming, choice, and did i mention, oh yes i think i did, saving money. take care satellite tv. i think many more will be letting you go in the near future as well. oh yes, of course those who <strong>have to have </strong>thier 'packages' will stay with you. but those who see the pros of the Roku and the savings will see the light; symbolically the light weight love letter they receive each month compared to your hefty one.<blockquote>the above is our opinion only. it obviously does not reflect the population at large. we are one family who has decided to make the switch. for us, it is logical and practical. our choice. and, it works for our family. oh yeh, and so how does this particular post tie-in to our adoption- two words, Saving Money! we also recently ixnayed xm radio- a savings of 170.00/year. it ALL adds up.</blockquote>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-85555769887164651792011-01-22T09:37:00.000-08:002011-01-24T18:14:22.010-08:00star light. star bright.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SwvZdmsAeLAPbJCJ3qb014YirdRqOTHRWv4rBg3BGkQ4fJZaXEusgRXG28E2O2wwQSBgmLt0S8Lg2CTjq13EfKObiUddd4EgE-SYfkKFqyZgjTZaXXQNzheethPQzXV4TaeQMbCkb1_r/s1600/star1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 290px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564694903985693474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SwvZdmsAeLAPbJCJ3qb014YirdRqOTHRWv4rBg3BGkQ4fJZaXEusgRXG28E2O2wwQSBgmLt0S8Lg2CTjq13EfKObiUddd4EgE-SYfkKFqyZgjTZaXXQNzheethPQzXV4TaeQMbCkb1_r/s320/star1.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZhZvPG2-p8KbFBx3TYRoSj4lnGl-3dOvb5Rey0IXqH4YYQcyL4se2YOU8ju9ED4gEYT70icNt9S0SH20LYhqaFjKDl-xKopN7neePmCI23QFmxfAVnd_7fH-Zpse-Rvr5ptQpcNJvnUT/s1600/star2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 167px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564694901689497442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZhZvPG2-p8KbFBx3TYRoSj4lnGl-3dOvb5Rey0IXqH4YYQcyL4se2YOU8ju9ED4gEYT70icNt9S0SH20LYhqaFjKDl-xKopN7neePmCI23QFmxfAVnd_7fH-Zpse-Rvr5ptQpcNJvnUT/s320/star2.jpg" /></a><br /><blockquote>... one & one-half months & we begin our journey to the second phase of our adoption timeline : )</blockquote><br />so where exactly are we in our adoption process?<br />it has officially been 1 year since we made our decision to adopt from Ethiopia.<br />we made our decision in jan., 2010. as everyone is aware that was when the economy was in the 'eye' of its' flop. this affected our decision to postpone getting started, slightly; because one of our steps toward our adoption is refinancing our home to use some of our equity. well, with the market being at a standstill at that time we decided to focus on another project, which was to finish reconstruction of our garage into a bedroom. our bedroom; as our 'old' room will now be for our son. so, we spent a good part of 2010 working on the room. it was a step toward being prepared for our home appraisal as well. it must be completed first. and i am happy to say our room has been built; which included some sore muscles and some sweat on our part which involved constructing an entire new floor base, removing all old interior trim that had once been part of the garage (thanks B) hanging new drywall, taping & mudding it, two coats of paint, creating a closet and now... as of Monday , we will be able to pay off our carpet which is being held hostage and get in down in our room. we have done all of this with our own two hands. wouldnt have it any other way. so what does this mean. well, it means that the appraisal is just around the corner (originally we had hoped to get it done by the first of the year, but with property taxes, bills, paying off the carpet, and christmas, well, it had to be postponed a bit longer, since the appraisal itself it not cheap). the market is picking back up and we are ready to go for it. with the economy it is a guessing game, but we know whatever part of our equity we can get back, is better than none and will enable us to start with our homestudy plus get some agency fees paid. i continue to do seasonal fund raiser projects. we both have concrete faith that we need not worry about the lot of adoption fees ahead but rather be firm in our belief that God does provide. our purpose is to adopt our little boy from ethiopia, keeping him safe, and we firmly walk hand and hand knowing that one day he will be here with us, cozied up under a safe fuzzy blanket, cuddling his parents; and if truth be known he will probably prefer to stay in his mom & dads room for some time as we adjust , the one that was built toward the dream of his homecoming, versus his own room. and , well, that is just a-okay with us! a-okay X a zillion. because mommy cant wait for all those snuggles & hugs, looking around our room remembering our goal, and realizing it has come to be while snuggled within my arms .Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-47424276093625985142011-01-15T09:38:00.000-08:002011-01-21T12:01:03.474-08:00hope endures in Lincolns symbolic shadow<object width="380" height="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/e8_1NYYKixM?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/e8_1NYYKixM?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="280"></embed></object><br /><br />Happy birthday Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. !!<br /><br /><em>sidenote:</em> i came across a blog post today i would like to link to <a href="http://filledwithpraise.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-birthday-dr-martin-luther-king-jr.html"><strong> Here </strong></a> ; one siblings' words for his brother.Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635268188681560002.post-64148382494793617602011-01-12T20:13:00.000-08:002011-01-21T11:59:25.744-08:00lullaby<object width="380" height="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/p3MdQP3OK4s?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/p3MdQP3OK4s?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="280"></embed></object>Us4 Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11739127381541688361noreply@blogger.com0