Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Fishin' in the River of Life

Dad loved to fish. In Colorado, he took his fishing pole everywhere, just in case he got to stop at that mountain stream or lake. I was thinking this morning, I could just imagine Jesus, Dad and Grandpa sitting on the banks of the River of Life doing a little fishing ( catch and release, of course). I'm sure that his family that's already there were so glad to see him, but we're sure gonna miss him. I love you , Dad and plan on seeing you in Heaven, someday!Posted by Picasa

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Christmas Decorations


Three posts in one night - unbelievable! L-R, Top to bottom. 1. Country Christmas tree in our living room. 2. Snowman tree on victrola in entryway. 3. Gingerbread tree on kitchen table. 4. Gingerbread wreath in kitchen. 5. Dining room table - Quilted table runner compliments of my sister Holly. 6. Greenery on antique secretary in dining room. 7. Greenery in doorway between dining room and living room. 8. Smudge under snowman window in living room. 9. Decorations on top bookcase in living room - compliments of my sister Dixie. (not a great photo - sorry!)
Disclaimer - I did take good photos that included the tops of the trees, the entire arrangement on the dining room table, etc. but this collage thingy squishes the pictures and leaves out whatever pieces it wants!!!
One more note, the light colored spots on the big Christmas tree are crocheted cream colored snowflakes, also compliments of Dixie. I love them, they really added to my tree this year. Would love to have a few more. Hint Hint!!
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Happy Thanksgiving!

Mike stirring the gravy. He made the stuffing and the mashed potatoes.
Our table set and ready for us to eat!
Sweet Potato casserole - yummy!
Fresh cranberries - especially for my husband - he loves them but I don't care for them.
We decided on Wednesday that we would be staying home for Thanksgiving, so at 9:30pm, we visited
the grocery store and bought all the makings for dinner. Turned out great!
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Thanksgiving, Christmas Tree, My Arm, Adoption, Etc.

Had a great Thanksgiving, just the two of us! Would have loved to be with family, but it just didn't work out. We managed to get our Christmas tree (a real one - gotta love that fresh piney smell) up and decorated and decorated the rest of the house. Will hopefully post pics later!
Am having a very nasty allergic reaction (I guess) at the incision site on my left arm. Itches and burns frightfully. Red, swollen and blistered. I go to the doctor tomorrow - wonder if I am allergic to the dissolvable stitches or if it was the steri strips. Don't know, but it sure isn't fun to be awakened in the middle of the night to a severe burning and itching that makes chicken pox seem like a very small irritant. I was a bad girl and went ahead and removed the wrap and the steri strips today. Isn't itching quite as badly. Just oozing from every blister. By the way, lest anyone think I am taking this lightly, I did call the ortho doctor on call and she simply told me to wash any remaining Betadine off and take some Benadryl. I told her I was worried about possible infection, but she wasn't, even kinda laughed at me, so... I'll see what my ortho doc says tomorrow.
On to other things - our ADOPTION HOME VISIT IS FRIDAY!!I'm kinda freaking out about that cleaning, cleaning clearing up clutter, etc. I will be glad to have that over with.
Other things of note - the population in our fish tank is declining, Smudge has had a positive attitude adjustment for which we are all (Nick and Little included) truly grateful, and we had a truly relaxed Thanksgiving weekend. TaTa for now!!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Hello - do I have any readers left???

It's been a while since I've been on here! A lot has happened in a couple months. Dad was in a serious car accident in October and is still slowly recovering in a hospital in Denver. I flew out to be with Mom and Dad for a week right after the accident. To keep up with his progress, check out my sister Dixie's blog - she writes updates daily.

We are stiil working on adoption stuff. I have another educational worksheet to finish and send in, then our homestudy home visit can be scheduled. We are hoping our homestudy will be completed and sent to immigration before 2008 is over. We also have some online adoption education modules to complete.
I had outpatient surgery on my left wrist yesterday - DeQuervain's release. I've been having trouble with it since April, had cortisone shots, wore a splint forever, etc. but nothing worked, so hopefully the problem is corrected. It's in a half cast and wrap until December 1st, then probably another splint and therapy. It's slowing me down quite a bit, which is very frustrating. But as my husband tells me I had better be careful so I don't damage any good that's been done.
I have SO MUCH to do in the house before our home visit and now I have to rely on my hubby to do much of it. Bless his heart, he's gonna be lugging stuff all over for me, as well as putting up the Christmas tree (hopefully next weekend.)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Paperwork, paperwork...

I know I haven't posted much lately, but life has been busy! Yep, that's what they all say! We are moving forward with our adoption process, working on the homestudy and all its requirements! We have a meeting with our home study agency next Friday. I'm trying to get as much paperwork in process as I can. If only I had known I would be doing this at age 35, I might not have lived in so many different states. I have to obtain a criminal and child abuse clearance from every state I have lived in since I was 18. That's seven clearances! Many forms, many $$ and much headache. But I will persevere! Oh, we also need 9 letters of reference - 6 for the home study process(NJ requirements) and 3 for our adoption agency. And that's only the beginning... P.S. Mike only has 2 state clearances to obtain - lucky dog!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

More Kitty Pics!

The big guy is Nick or Fat Boy as I like to call him. He really thinks he is just a cute snuggly kitten - 20 lbs. of snuggly!





Scamp or "Little" as she often gets called. She is very affectionate aand very fun. Likes people, especially her people.
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Kitty Pics!


Smudge - all grown up. She's a year old now and just a little jealous of her new

brother and sister, but she is adjusting.

Cute little Scamp!
Just a few pictures of our kitties. The big gray one is our latest acquisition. He was given to us by our boss, who was moving and couldn't take him.
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Sunday, June 15, 2008

Oops

Am having difficulty with this thing. I posted some other pics of the wedding, but obviously, they didn't post. Not sure why and it's time for bed, so maybe another day!

More Wedding Pics!


Just a few more of the over 1,000 pictures taken by the Weingard family! Digital cameras are definitely a wonderful invention.
Of course I had to put in a couple pics of the "Best Man." Awfully cute, isn't he???
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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!




Happy Mother's Day to the most wonderful mother in the world! Thanks for always being there for me. 2 years ago around Mother's Day she was sitting with me when I was in the hospital, Tonight she is sitting with Dad in the hospital. Please pray for her and my dad, as he had a stroke this afternoon. It is sounding like they got him help quickly enough that they may be able to reverse most of the effects. I pray that it is so.
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Thursday, May 8, 2008

Scamp


Looks like Scamp has become a permanent part of our household. She is absolutely adorable and we have just fallen in love with her. It took a while, but Smudge has finally come around. They play together or Scamp plays while Smudge looks on like a proud mother. Scamp is already totally litter trained and at approximately 5 weeks is eating canned food from a dish. She is a people kitty and loves to be on us if she is not playing. I was lying on the couch this evening and she climbed up on to the couch and settled herself on my shoulder, purring loudly.We are definitely enjoying our new little one!
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Another Orphan


Found another kitten yesterday. She is absolutely adorable and is drinking well from a bottle. I think she is approximately 4 weeks old. I think I will just be able to keep her as a foster kitty since Smudge goes into hiding every time she hears the slightest Meow. :) Anyone looking for a kitty??
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Sunday, April 20, 2008

Miscellaneous update!

Wow! it's been over a month since my last post. It's definitely been busy. I have been working many hours on Mother's Day frames. A BIG thank you to those of you who ordered.
We've been fingerprinted for our immigration / adoption approval, got photos for passports (finally) and received Mike's birth certificates. My little sister Lyndi got engaged and is getting married June 7th. June 7th - yikes! that is not too far away. I am also trying to work on the flowers and the reception decorations in my spare time! :) Smudge had surgery on Friday and is recuperating nicely. I believe we will have a much calmer kitty as a result. We also had company in the last month! That's a rare and welcome thing in these parts. We don't live close to any of our family so rarely see them, but Mike's mom and dad came for a few days following their spring church convention. It was great to have them here.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Mother's Day Gift Anyone?




These frames are another of my adoption fundraiser ideas. They are 5"x5" with the center opening being 2.5"x 2.5". They are $5.00 each plus shipping and handling. The center saying can be replaced with a photo if desired. If your church would be interested in buying these for Mother's Day, I would need to know by the end of March. To order, email me @ heidijoann@juno.com. They will come in a variety of colors. If ordering only one or two you may specify colors and I will do my best to comply.
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On Hold!

We are currently in a holding pattern in our adoption process. This is for financial reasons. Not the way I really want it to be, but Mike and I have discussed it and decided it would be for the best for a few months while we try to pay some things off and perhaps have an adoption fundraiser or two. While waiting there are still quite a few things we can do, like apply for passports, finish our pre-adoptive training, collect some of our paperwork, write our autobiographies for our homestudy, and work and save like crazy. I have been following the adoptions of several families and while I am very happy for them, I so want this to move faster. But God knows what He is doing and sees the big picture that I don't see. If you have any fundraising ideas, money-saving tips, etc. let me know!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Eating an Elephant!

I know I don't post daily, but it has been very busy around here. Mike has been sick with a nasty virus most of the week, which required me trying to fill in for him as well as do my job at work. We are also working on a new inventory control system and it is a hairpulling experience to say the least. When it is complete, it will be great, but until then...... ADOPTION UPDATE: We have turned in our contract and fee, our application for USCIS approval and fee, and have started our pre-adoptive training. We have been officially accepted into the Colombia program and received our Dossier instructions on Friday. It looks quite overwhelming at first, but as my mother always says, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." I think I have been trying to do too many things at once, running the risk of choking :) I have received all 5 copies of my birth certificates, requested our marriage certificates and am finally finishing up the request for Mike's birth certificates, now that I think I have all the correct info. That has taken a few chunks out of the elephant, but believe me, there's a lot left!!! This week, we should apply for passports, complete 2 or 3 more hours of training and fill out some more paperwork. I have also turned in my rough draft of our Letter of Intent to Adopt and am waiting to hear feedback from the agency. I have also talked to two different families who have adopted through La Vida and they can't say enough good things about the agency. That really made me happy with our choice!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Adoption Update

We have been accepted with the new agency to adopt from Colombia, South America! We are both very excited about this and have to decided to request a sibling group of two or three as they often are the children that wait the longest. Colombia tries to keep siblings together as much as possible, and not many people wish to adopt more than one at a time. The scary part is that this could really reduce our waiting time, which means we have to come up with the financing a little quicker. We have stacks of paperwork to get started on, birth certificates and marriage certificates to order. I have already ordered 5 copies of my birth certificate and should have them in about a week to a week and a half. Mike's is a bit more complicated as he was born in Guatemala (also a lot more expensive) and could take up to 8 weeks to receive. We hope to get the first round of papers and money turned in this week. It's a big step, but we are trusting God to work it all out!

Valentine's Weekend!


Since we both work long hours, doing something fun on Valentine's day wasn't really an option, so we went to our favorite place in Lancaster for the weekend. The second photo is my Valentine gift! Looks great in my Living Room. I love it! Before we left Mike was starting to get sick, so I told him we could just stay home, but he insisted on going anyway. He was rather miserable most of the time, but he really tried to act like he wasn't! Poor guy. He's so sweet!
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Smudge Update



Smudge is now 6 months old and is almost all grown up. She still loves to play and loves to sit in the windows behind the blinds to keep an eye on the neighbors!
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Christmas with my family!

Since most of my sisters posted Christmas pictures, I tried not to duplicate them. These are mostly random snapshots.
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Christmas with the In-laws!


We were all able to get together at Susie and Wesley's house. Had a great time except for getting sick and sharing it with everyone!
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Christmas at our House!




A little late I know, but hey it's not as late as Christmas in July!!
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Friday, February 1, 2008

There's still hope

Thank you to all who left kind comments on my last post. I spent some time crying and praying about all this and then spent several hours online the other night checking out different agencies, countries and requirements, etc. I found an agency I think is for us and another country. I requested an info and application packet and received it today. The agency is in PA, not far from the other one. I also talked to someone at that office yesterday and she was very kind and very helpful. Sooo... we are going to fill out this application, send it in and see what happens. I must say I am even more excited about the prospect of adopting from this country than China, and so is my husband. The country requirements are not near as strict, so Mike being one handed should not be a problem. The lady I talked with at the agency said she was sure it wouldn't be, but she would double check with that country for our peace of mind. This adoption could possibly go even much quicker than China, provided we can come up with all the fees in time. I'm not sure whether to say which country or not until I find out if we'll be accepted or not. So hang in there with me and I will let you know!!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Rejected

We have been officially rejected by China for adoption, because Mike is one handed. We are not even allowed to adopt a child with a similar physical problem. That hurt, also made me quite blue. It is one of China's newest requirements for prospective parents. Our agency really tried. They petitioned the CCAA for us several times but the answer was still NO. Now, it means starting the process all over with another agency and another country. We are looking at Bethany Christian Services as a possibility. Anybody know anything about them??

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Catching up a little!

Just a little late posting I know, but we did have a good Christmas. We were able to see both of our families. Now that's pretty good for living so far away from everyone!! It's hard to believe January is almost over. Where does the time go?? We've started pursuing our adoption a little harder only to have possibly run into a wall. With China's newest rules, we may not be eligible for adoption. We are still waiting to hear from our agency who was contacting China's Center for Adoption Affairs. We will be disappointed if we can't adopt from China for that means we will have to find a new agency to adopt from another country as our current agency does only China adoptions. I don't mind trying another country but we both really like the agency we're working with. They have a wonderful staff of caring people.
I read so many stories in the news about parents who have killed their children and it makes me want to cry. I love kids and would love to have a couple and can't, while so many parents are "throwing their children away." Sin has created many monsters in this world, sad to say.
Not trying to get morbid here, so on another note I will try to post some pics of our Christmas and the time that has elapsed since my last post almost two months ago! Wow! has it really been that long since I posted??? It has been busy. Hopefully my pictures will be up before the weekend is over.