A real-life update: weddings, ulcers, mochas, shopping, fall

So here's a real update on life's going (no art or foster children). 


Last weekend, I went to Texas for a wedding.  Congrats to the happy couple!  Love you guys! 



Here's my immediate family!  My brother is so grown up now!

Here are the newly weds: Michael and Jessica!  Since all of my cousins are getting married, it's nice having more girls in the family!  The wedding was just gorgeous, and the reception was one heck of a party.   My family is so wonderful, and I miss them so much.   I'm so blessed to have the support of so many wonderful people.


This week, it was hard to get back into the swing of things, but I managed to survive.   I had some crazy cases, but they seem to be doing alright.    I also had my annual exam.   Much to my surprise, I had significant pain on palpation of my upper abdomen.   It's been 3 days since my appointment, and the pain never really abated.  For the last year and a half, I've had...well it sounds like morning sickness.  Inappetance, nausea, vomiting almost every single morning until about 10 am.  And NO...I'm not expecting.  In May 2012, I was 165 pounds...by October that year I was 150.   I've been maintaining about there since then.   For the past couple of months I've also had a little more heart burn than usual.   Some nights as I'm trying to fall asleep...I feel like I could breathe fire.     So my doctor ordered a full ultrasound, a whole bunch of blood tests, and told me to take omeprazole twice a day instead of just once.  I've been taking it once a day...but it doesn't really seem to help much.   Anywho...I'm waiting for the bloodwork results, and the ultrasound is next week.  After that, she said we'll talk about an upper GI.    Oh joy!  


This weekend, Beth and I went shopping.  Why not, eh? Who cares that I wear blue jeans and a scrub top every single day...  I'll dress up after work for going out.  Yeah...going out.  Fine. I just enjoying owning cute clothes!   CHURCH!  That's where I'll wear them...

After a long day of shopping, a Salted Caramel Mocha sounded just right.  I never drink these frou-frou drinks...but this one was particularly enjoyable (even though I only drank half).

New clothes!  The best part of having an ulcer (or whatever is wrong with my stomach):  Weight loss was effortless.  Not feeling like eating breakfast..and then eating months of salad...or pita with hummus for lunch...or deli meat rolled around a piece of cheese. I lost 15 pounds like it was nothing.  None of my shorts fit anymore...
So the pants with the blue shirt...I tried them on as a dare.  They are shiny, black denim..they actually worked as part of the outfit, and apparently no one else had wanted them since they were 60% off the sale price.

I also couldn't resist this silk, black and white, floral cami with RUFFLES!   I thought it went well with the cardigan I just recently bought...

In other news, fall is upon us with her crisp nights and frosty mornings.     So far these are the only flowers holding on.  My gourd plants have all turned brown and died...so hopefully I will have some nice gourds to paint come spring time!  I will leave the actual gourd crop out there to dry out over the winter.

As far as my art goes, I'm working up the energy to paint my Christmas card line.  I'll admit, I've started watching Christmas movies to get myself in the spirit.  I'm hoping to have a line or two out by Thanksgiving.  




Anyway, if you read this blog...know that I appreciate you!

Peace and Love, y'all!

WOYWW - quilting

 

It's been a long time since I participated in WOYWW!   And I'm a bit late this morning... So what's on my workspace this week?   A whole box of t-shirts (with a wet, blind kitten on top - it was Stevie's bath day), a stack of books about quilting, my ott light, and just some odds and ends.  I've been researching a quilting project.  I have about 22 of my late grandfather's flannel shirts (right now they are spread out on my guest bedroom bed).  I first wanted to make wedding presents for the 2 cousins getting married this fall....then I thought.. but what about my parents, 3 uncles, and 7 cousins...who all loved my grandpa.   Is there a way to make something from 22 shirts for 12 different families (including mine)?  Maybe a 2 quilt block wall hanging for each one.  Then I started thinking...there's no way I can get them finished in time for even the weddings...and I recruited help from an aunt.  She came up with the idea of making it a collaborative project between all the women in my family.  Awesome!  So in a couple of weeks we'll have a fantasy shirt draft (the women's counterpart to my family's fantasy football draft).   

I'd love ideas on what to do with my grandpa's shirts (and my t-shirts too)!  Maybe once Operation Papa Shirt Project gets moving I'll share some pictures from it!

Peace and Love, y'all!

The Davions in Your City

The story of Davion had us all wiping away tears.  This brave young man went before a church and begged to be adopted.   “I'll take anyone.  Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don't care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be” he said.  His courage and his ardent plea for a family to “love me until I die” brought his plight to America’s attention.   “I think I’ll be more successful, and have more opportunities if I had a family.  And I hope that I do find one” he says while wiping away tears.  What breaks my heart…is he was overlooked.   Overlooked for YEARS until his plea went viral on the internet.    It looks like he’ll find his family as 10,000 people have inquired….

Did you know there are more “Davions” in your community?  In your state? Possibly even in your neighborhood?  

Patrick- 14 years old.  He loves arts and crafts, sports, and hip hop dance.  He’s got a fun sense of humor.  He deserves a loving family.

William  - 13 years old.   He loves sports, and can’t wait to find a family who will cheer him on in the stands!  He does well in school and is proud of his grades.  He deserves a loving family.

Samantha  - 18 years old.  Samantha is a devoted catholic young lady looking for a family to help her transition to adulthood.  She loves animals.  She has been in the foster care system since 2005.  She deserves a loving family.

Or what about Anika?  - 16.  She loves football, creative writing.  She has a passion for church where she can be treated like a normal kid.  She deserves a loving family.

Or Justin? - 12. Justin says he feels all alone, but he loves normal boy things like video games and wrestling.  He deserves a loving family.

I picked out just a few of the HUNDREDS of Missouri children to mention here.  There are children of all ages, races, and genders who need a home.

But I’m single…You’re not excluded from this either.  Alicia, here,  is looking for a mother to love her.  She doesn’t care if you are black or white…or how old you are.

But adoption is expensive… WRONG.  In most of these cases, the state pays for legal expenses.

But I can’t afford another child… For most children in the foster system, there are government subsidies that continue to help financially support the children even after adoption.  Many of these children qualify for scholarships so they can go to college.   Additionally, healthcare and daycare might also be covered.  http://www.dss.mo.gov/cd/adopt/masp.htm.  Honey, let me tell you…Chase and I are in more educational debt than most people can imagine, but that’s not stopping us! 

But both of us work…  That’s ok!  Adopted children can go to daycare, and the state may even help you pay for it.

But adoption is time consuming and I don’t want the government nosing around my house…  Well parenting in general is time consuming.   Of course adopted children may have a few additional challenges facing them, but they are still just children who need loving families.   If you were in the government’s shoes…and you had to try to find a safe home for a child in your care, wouldn’t you do some research on a prospective placement’s home?  Of course the government wants these children in loving and safe homes!  Chase and I have been through the entire home study process, and it wasn’t bad.  You know what we had to change?  We had to purchase a larger fire extinguisher, install more child safety locks, post a fire escape plan with emergency numbers, and change our fire alarm batteries more often.   They asked A LOT of questions about our upbringing just to find out what parenting styles we were raised with…

But I don’t have any parenting experience… That’s ok.  Neither did we when we first became foster parents. 

But what if the birth mother decides she wants her children back… After a court has terminated parental rights, that’s pretty much a permanent thing.   After a child is adopted, if the case goes back to court 98% of the time the child stays with adoptive family.

More misconceptions addressed here.  http://www.adoptuskids.org/for-families/how-to-adopt/common-myths-about-adoption#age

Why do I care so much?   I care because of God.  God loves these children.  God CARES about the orphans and widows in this world, and the church has a God-ordained call to help them. 


Besides…after you’ve seen their faces, how can you turn your back on them? 

Peace and love, y'all

My blind kitten

So this is my precious little blind kitten Stevie. I think we can say that she's probably going to stay in my house,

 but we'll just have to see how it works out.  I keep trying to find her a home, but every time I tell someone she might need surgery they don't seem interested anymore.  Poor kitten, she has some pretty severe congenital defects. She's missing part of her eyelids and she's also got eyes that are too small for her head . So far, she seems pretty comfortable despite these issues. However there's a possibility she might have frequent infections. If that's the case she will probably require surgery to remove the extra tissue (ie, the defective eyes). But for now we'll just keep an eye on her.