Happy Birthday Eric!

To You,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear daaaad....

Happy Birthday tooooo yoooooooou!

Family Members (Especially Those Who've Traveled to CA Recently) & Very Closest Friends

Your much asked about Baby Notes update is now available.

We return now to our regularly scheduled programming.

Thank You.

For Kathy

Please, dear lady, tell me-

what's your pleasure?


No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4

No. 5

No. 6

Yep, Pretty Much Sums Me Up

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

13 Impressionist, 13 Islamic, -8 Ukiyo-e, -21 Cubist, -13 Abstract and -5 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Feeling Good

Feelings are much like waves, we can't stop them from coming but we can choose
which one to surf.

Jonatan Martensson


I just thought that was a nice thought to start my day today.

Hope you're feeling well today, and happy.

:)

Birthday Boys and Dogs

First of all, Happy Birthday to my little guy!

3 years old!

And, secondly, a puppy update.

You remember Ceiba?

Yes?

She's huge now.

(Well, relatively speaking.)

And Koa's still her same old self- "Big is Beautiful!"

;)

Poor dear- she needs a good run.

(Every day.)

After about 50 attempts to get a good shot showing how big Ceiba is now compared to Koa, I was forced to settle with this one.

That little brown furball is a blur in all the rest.

And, she still pesters her "big sister" mercilessly.

And, as you can tell, she feels real bad about it.

Breathing Out

Well, the meeting yesterday went well enough that- at least for now- we won't be making any major changes in our adoption plan/proceedings.

(Update here.)

We'll see how things go as the year progresses.

Thanks again for everyone's love and care. :)

For the next little while we're going to try focusing on "breathing out".

The stress leading up to this meeting was incredible, and we are wiped out.

Here We Go

Well, I'm leaving in just a bit to pick up Pete- we have a meeting this afternoon
with our adoption agency to try and iron out the "kinks" we've run into lately.

We're hoping things go well.

We did contact a local adoption attorney (just so we know what we should ask at our meeting today, and so that we have someone to go to should today's meeting not go well),
and I personally feel a lot better after having talked to her.
She knows the adoption laws of our state, whereas Pete and I are just your average "joes" and don't know anything about how things work legally.

So, even if today's meeting with the agency doesn't go well, things are starting to look up and we are feeling a little better about it all.

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers, and please continue to do so. :)
We'll keep you posted.

Being Honest

So, I'm going to attempt to continue blogging- not because I have much to say, but because I think it's become good for me.

Kind of like a strange combination of chatting with a friend and journaling.

So, I'll try.

I guess I felt like maybe I wouldn't be able to post anything for awhile because I intentionally work to keep this blog as my "happy place".

But, being honest, we- as normal, everyday people- aren't always "happy".

It's not that I'm particularly "unhappy", it's more just that, right now, I'm really stressed out.

A very large UNKNOWN has been added to our pile with the way our adoption process is currently standing, and it's a very big stressor.

But I'm so, so thankful for the reminders I've gotten just lately that, "it's okay."

Our Sunday morning meeting was so very good and encouraging.

And our Sunday gospel meeting was too.

And because of them, I was reminded that it IS okay- because I have the very best comfort source available.

I need to be even more diligent these days about reading and praying-
because it's so many things- a comfort, a source of peace, a "lifesaver" :), and it helps me keep it in perspective- that my life is just so tiny in comparison to God, and He loves me, and He knows my need. And, no matter how "good" the natural things are I want in life, my spiritual needs must always, always, come first. And, for me anyway, sometimes the natural struggle can get so "up close and personal" that I can forget that.

Plus, as I was so kindly reminded by someone who loves both my hubby and me :),
life must go on.

I've kind of had the tendency to want to put anything "nonessential" on hold until we figure out how our family is going to be added to.

But, life must go on.

And, in the mean time, God will work His plan- and it will be so much easier on me if I don't get in the way! :D

So, to those who do read my little blog, thanks for caring for us.
We really, really appreciate it.

And, I think today is a good day to get right back into the knitting game!

:D

In For A Rough Ride

It'll probably be quiet around the blog for awhile.

The adoption situation is not resolving itself as we'd hoped yet, and we could very well be in for a rough time for awhile.

So, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and I'll get back to blogging when life once again takes a turn for the better.

Because, that's what we're doing our best to keep faith in right now-
that God only has our best interests in His plan, and-
somehow, in the end-
things will turn out better than we ever could have hoped.

Nevermind.

If Pete and I end up adopting again, we've decided we'll be going through a different agency.

We're out of the running for the baby.

OH. MY.

Well folks, we got a call tonight.

And we celebrated by eating something sinful.

We are keeping our fingers crossed.

"V" is for Victory!

If only "Uncle Sam" actually was telling us to do this! :D

We could be a healthier, gardening-nation.

Yay!

Anyway, I found a cool site that I want to share with you all-
especially you garden-lovers out there.

It's The Modern "Victory Garden", and it's kinda cool.

I'm thinking of myself as a Victory Gardener!

Because, I like the idea- a lot!- and also, because I like the old war-time posters.

:D

"V" is for Victory! Rah, rah!

Yeah- ANYWAY, I'm just really enjoying the planning of it all.

So, for those who doubt themselves, or might be new (newer than myself even!) to gardening:

(Oh, and also- pictures of the pups coming one of these days soon by request. Today I'm still feeling low enough that I just don't have the energy to find the camera. Someday soon. I promise.)

Yay!!!

(My apologies on today's post- the linking is seriously messed up. Grrr.)



The first of the seed catalogs came today!

I'm like Nikki, and can't wait to get planning!

This year I want to focus on:

*Getting enough amount and variety planted that we can- for the most part- NOT have to buy it this summer.

*Do what I can to grow truly organic crops.

Call me crazy if you want to, but with all my little weird food sensitivities, allergies, and nutty little problems, I've been wondering more and more over the years if any of them could have been caused by the abundance of chemicals in our world.

Like, Genetically Modified food crops made into foods that I buy at the store and eat.

Or "stuff" that's in our soils and water due to years of pesticides, man-made fertilizers, etc., etc.

And then, of course, I watched this

and wondered even more. :D

So, this year I'm hoping to buy (at least some) organic seeds to do our edible gardening with.

Anyone know of any good organic seed companies, with relatively low prices?

(That's always the tricky part- at least for me- cost effective organics.)

Leave me a comment with your tips and tricks!

Especially on how to harvest your own seeds for next year- I can't afford to buy all organics, and I certainly can't afford to buy them every year, so I want to harvest our own organic seeds each year to use the next time.

Hopefully in the next month or so (depending on how long they take), I'll be starting my little seed pots.

My lovely mother in law also suggested this book:

when I complained that we want to grow our own but don't have much room.

I found it at the library (sorry to the others in our tiny town- I'm hoarding it until I can buy it used off Amazon!), so we'll be using it too.

I can't wait!

Please Help Take Action

Please Help Save Handmade


Much thanks to CoolMomPicks for all the information in one location.

Yummm.

I must be hungry.

Every once in awhile I get the overwhelming urge to drop everything and cook!

This urge would not be a problem if the dishes I feel it necessary to delve into were ones that were familiar to me.

That I wouldn't ruin on the first try- thus avoiding my husband coming home to a house that has a distinct "something's burning" odor to it.

But, alas, that is never how it goes.

Clean underwear? Who needs that? Forget about the laundry I'm so far behind on that the closet looks like we've recently moved out- I need to cook me some loaves of French Bread!

The bedroom that I can't walk through at the moment? Why bother picking up in there? Let's make Shrimp Penne instead!

Mmmmm. Yummy.

And, this site so does not help when I battle these compulsions!

In fact, the photos of the food, and the preparation, make it worse.

Sigh.

So, today I'm busily at work.

Really. It's very important housework I'm doing today.

I'm planning a week's worth of meals for us.

Well, a week of meals that will start when we have another paycheck to put in the bank.

So I can go grocery shopping.

(Funny how the "work" thing and the "money" thing are so intertwined. Can't have one without the other. Bummer.)

And then, I'll make these!

(I must have been Italian in a previous life.)

Bon Appétit!

Lessons Learned

I've highly appreciated reading Elizabeth's post on the lessons she learned while on bedrest the last part of 2008.

Thank you Elizabeth- though we've never met.

I think some of those same lessons are ones that I am supposed to have been learning as well, during this oftentimes difficult part of Pete's and my life.

I hope to be a better listener, and learner, in 2009.

Bleck.

I just had to change the music for today.

We are just not feeling that upbeat 'round here.

Pete and I got sick the day after Christmas, it lasted three full days, and now we're a bit
under the weather again.

Well, I'm a "bit" under, he's waaay under.

Poor guy.

Here's to hoping tomorrow starts off brighter, healthier, and with the "crud" gone-
this time for good.

For Ikea Lovers

If you love Ikea, you'll love this!

Happy Birthday Kathy!!!

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday, dear M0-m...

Happy Birthday tooo yoooooooooou!

I love you, and I hope you have a wonderful day.
And, look! I even made you a cake! ;)
Wish I could be there!

Eat some chocolate for me!

Love,
Jenni (& Pete)

Happy Birthday Emily!!!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday, Dear Emily...

Happy Birthday toooo yooooou!!!

We love you!

(Have a little birthday cheesecake for us today!)

Lots of Love,
Jenni & Pete
:D