Randomness

Currently reading: A Caress of Twilight by Laurell K. Hamilton

Another favorite movie: Shaun of the Dead

Watching on TV: My Name is Earl, Las Vegas, Medium, Veronica Mars, Desperate Housewives

Sad to lose this year: Joan of Arcadia, Dead Like Me

A group of us from my work ate lunch at Pizza Hut yesterday and they had advertisements on every table for Buzzword. Each table topper had a stack of the cards and we ended up sitting there for 2 HOURS playing with the cards. It was very fast paced and addictive and we weren't even keeping score! Another game I love is Balderdash. It's been several years since I played, but it's so much fun.

My husband and I are trying to decide if I will need to quit my job after we adopt the girls. Now the state pays for daycare because we have guardianship, but after the adoption is finalized that will stop. We can afford daycare on our own, barely, but that means that I would only be bringing home a couple of hundred dollars a month after paying for it. Plus the adoption itself is going to cost us a bit of money. We really wanted to get some of our credit cards paid off before we had kids, but that didn't happen! Most people get 9 months to prepare and we got 5 minutes and two kids. So, quitting my job would slow those pay offs down considerably. Is it really worth working just to give the daycare 90% of what I make?

We had pork chops, baked sweet potatoes, and green beans for dinner tonight. Mmmmm. Good fall dinner. I'm SO ready for the holidays this year and I've even started my Christmas shopping already! That's so unheard of for me. I actually bought several gifts from the Crafter's United Etsy shop. The link's over there in my "Good Reads." All the money goes to Katrina relief. I've discovered some really cool people there as well! Pesky Mac is one of them, also on the "Good Reads" list.

I guess I better go help fold the laundry! See ya!

What's it all about?

Over the last few months I've thought a lot about my blog and what I really wanted from it. The truth is, I still don't know. But, I kept thinking about random things I'd like to write about so here I am!

The girls are still with us. We started the adoption process this week! We have to have consents signed by both parents, a home study, and a court date, then they are ours forever! Angela is now two and a half and Ali is eighteen months. I'm amazed by them every day.

Just to get us started, I'm going to make a list of some of my favorite movies. As I think of more, I'll add them later. Here is a start, in no particular order:

Eurotrip
Love Actually
Super Troopers
Garden State
Notting Hill
Adaptation
American Beauty
A Mighty Wind
Bring it On
Chicago

Those are just a few. Right now my favorite is Eurotrip. I could watch it over and over and never get tired of it! I'm trying to find a "Scotty Doesn't Know" ringtone...

Okay, the dryer just quit so I need to go. Why does the house cleaning never end?!?!

Just curious, what are you and/or your kids going to dress up as for Halloween?

Just sittin here

Watching American Idol. I feel so bad for all of the contestants tonight. Their nerves must be shot! So, just let me say that I agree that this is the best top 12 they have ever had. And, while I assume he won't win, I am completely in love with Constantine. Bo is probably the stronger of the two "rockers," but Constantine rocks my world. Yes, I love my husband but OMG! I think he was singing "I Think I Love You" just for me last night. Ha ha! I would never have expected to hear it sung that way. I really think that raising the age limit improved the competition.

Recently there has been so much drama with my babies. Actually, not with them but swirling around them. For now things are stable and they are at home with us. Ali turns one on April 7 and Angela turns two on April 25. I can't believe how big they are getting! Ali is pulling herself up and walking behind her little peek-a-blocks hippo. Angela is potty training and is doing great! She tells us when she has to go and usually makes it to the potty in time. She did it 3 times at daycare today!

I'm excited because our first anniversary is Sunday! I can't believe that just about one short year ago we were in Vegas getting married. We have been together for 7 years so it doesn't seem that different, but in the last year we got married, my brother has become disabled, my MIL and SIL moved out of the state, and the babies came to live with us. Through all of it my husband has remained not only my best friend, but my rock. He keeps me sane and still loves me when I'm not.

Not much else is going on around here. I'm looking forward to spring. I'm looking forward to spring cleaning! I always feel so motivated this time of year. I just have to find the time to get everything done.

BTK

For any of you that are interested, this is information on BTK. He named himself this when he first made his murders public. It stands for "Bind them, Torture them, Kill them." I don't know what to say to express what I am feeling so I'm not going to say anything for now.

Oh my God

It's all over the news now that they have taken a "person of interest" into custody on the B*TK case here. I have just found out that it's the father of one of my best friends from middle school. They did a DNA test and are going to have a press conference in the morning but a very reliable source has already told me that it's him. My heart is broken for my friend and her family. I haven't seen her since high school but think of her often and I can't even begin to imagine what her life is going to be like now. I will post more about it after the press conference.

Drama Queen I am not

And my poor little laid back, homebody self just isn't sure how to deal with this drama. When I was a teenager I thrived on drama. If something wasn't up in the air I didn't know what to do. Now that things with my sister have turned so bad, I'm feeling like my life is on the verge of disaster. I guess that this is what you feel when you have committed yourself to a child, but man it is breaking my heart to imagine what will happen to them. Everything in my personal life has taken a back seat to making sure that what is in the best interest of my babies is what happens for them. I'm not religious, but I am spiritual. I have really had to remember to not keep this all on myself and trust that something much bigger than me is watching out for us.

I guess that's hard when I have to work every day with kids that have been abused or neglected by their parents and know that, chances are, they are going to go back into that situation or live it when they are adults.

Okay, deep breath. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

What a difference an email makes...

So, my sister told me that on Wednesday she is going to file to have our guardianship terminated so that the babies can "come home" with her. News flash, they are home. Just not at her home. I spent the weekend breaking into tears every time one of the babies smiled at me or laughed because I'm scared to death of what will happen to them if they return to her. They have been with us for over seven months now.

We have an attorney and are going to meet with her to find out what our options are. I was still majorly stressed about it so I emailed our district attorney. She rocks by the way. I had a reply in 45 minutes saying that she had forwarded my email to the head of the juvenile division so that he could consult with our attorney and decide what the best legal action was to protect the best interest of the children. I freaked out when I saw the email from her and started jumping up and down.

I don't believe that my sister will ever be able to parent any of her children (she has 4 of them, 15, 12, 21 months and 9 months). I love her, but I don't like her. Her lifestyle is completely different than mine. Drugs, violence, instability.

So now I'm sitting here hoping and praying that what ever will give these girls the best possible life happens for them. I love them dearly and it breaks my heart to think about them not being here, but more than that I'm scared of what will happen to them if they go back to their biological mother.