Woohoo!!! We celebrated 10 years of marriage last week!

Wow, time really does fly. I am blessed to have Jack in my life, happy 10 years for us honey! We celebrated by eating out our one meal a month with no coupon!! :) Here's a picture of us at our celebratory dinner.

Did it again...

I shopped CVS this morning out of boredom LOL.



Paid $2.54, Saved $219.62. Here's what I got:
2 Saturday Freeman papers (for the coupons); 2 pks HP Multi-purpose 500 sheets; 2 Oral B Stage 1 toothbrush/paste kits; 1 Fleece red robe (for me); 5 Airborne "Squid" soap pump for kids; 5 Green reed diffusers; 19 Nivea trial care body washes; 6 Carefree pantiliners; 4 Thermacare Arthritis hand 2 ct; 3 Sinucleanse kits (for nasal irrigation); 2 rulersWhat's not pictured and I forgot to include:2 Golden Emblem mixed nuts trial sizes (for Jack); 2 Golden Emblem whole cashews trial sizes (for Jack)

Crazy, huh?

Oh yeah...I have this blog...

hehe. Throw in a vacation to a coast and my mind escapes me! Jack and I had the privilege of going to San Diego, CA two weeks ago for seven days and we had a wonderful time. We went to the beaches, Wild Animal Park, Sea World and I went to L.A. for a day to meet up with some adoption moms from online! So we've gotten back into the swing of things now, I'll try and post more often.

BTW - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK!!! a big 36

FREE CHOCOLATE!!!

I knew that would grab your attention! Click on this link every Friday for your chance to win a coupon for a FREE candy bar from M&M/Mars. I have done this two times and already got one coupon in the mail..that's less than 6 weeks!

My "TV Debut"

Okay, so I was asked to appear on this tv show/webisode called Aroma Cafe TV. You can watch it here on http://www.my1channel.com/, click on AROMA CAFE - LADIES OF FAITH. I am being interviewed with a lady named Rebecca. Thank goodness Tom and Becky have the gift of editing! I rambled a bit and I'm glad it didn't make it on the show, I can't imagine if it was live! Now I know that I will not watch myself on tv again. We would love for it to become a daily tv show here in the Milwaukee area to replace the radio station I was employed at, as I've said before, the best job I ever had! But, God knows what he's doing! Anyways, enjoy the show!

My 1 Channel - Aroma Cafe

Second listing on Craigslist of baby boy clothes

This is my next lot of clothes I have gone through. Baby boy 18 months old, looks to be mainly fall/winter, 22 piece lot. I will sell this lot for $15 if local. Here's my Craigslist ad for a description of what is in the lot:

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/bab/1213245550.html

Thanks for looking!

For Sale

I just posted on Craigslist my first infant item sale!!



This is a 54 piece lot of 12 month old baby boy clothing. I was putting away some other clothing I got Friday and thought, I should sell the clothing I really don't need right now. If you know of anyone interested in it, I am selling it for $60, cash only. Here's the Craigslist ad I placed, listing all of the items in the lot.

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/bab/1211960877.html

Thanks!

Adoption Word of the Week: Home Study

Week #2's word is: Home Study

A home study is sometimes called an "adoption study," or "family assessment", and is a written report containing the findings of the social worker who has met on several occasions with the prospective adoptive parents, has visited their home, and who has investigated the health, medical, criminal, family and home background of the adoptive parents. If there are other individuals that are also living in the home of the adoptive parents, they will be interviewed and investigated, if necessary, by the social worker and included as part of the home study. The purpose of the home study is to help the court determine whether the adoptive parents are qualified to adopt a child, based on the criteria that have been established by state law. This is also necessary for foster parenting.

Spent just 70 cents at Kmart yesterday during double coupons week there. All of that 70 cents was just tax, I got everything for "free" per se with coupons. So I got 2 cans of Oust, 2 boxes of Johnson & Johnson Safety Swabs, 2 Bic Soleil razors and 3 Johnson & Johnson Buddies Soap Bars. I will definitely keep the swabs for our baby pile, and donate the rest. The limit of doubling coupons at Kmart this week is just 10 per customer PER DAY!?! That's okay, I spent an hour there yesterday going up and down the aisles and was noticing that the products have been marked up big time for this, as I was thinking to myself, "boy, CVS is cheaper on this product!" and CVS is usually higher than Walgreens. So shop away!

Enjoy a cheap date with this coupon!

TGI Fridays is doing the BOGO Free deal again with this coupon 6/2 through 6/22. Jack and I have been able to go out for $9 total, plus tip. Please read the restrictions as posted on the coupon. Enjoy!

http://www.tgifridays.com/promos/JuneBogoCoupon.aspx

my1channel.com

Head on over to my1channel.com and watch Aroma Cafe TV. It's a great Christian ministry here in Milwaukee! You can find Aroma Cafe under the Talk Shows channel. Yours truly will be on the next webisode to be released, possibly June 8th about using the couponing for providing a store for single moms at a spa day our church recently held. I have to tell you, I ramble! I wanted to stop and redo so many times, but the Holy Spirit pulls you through and puts the words in your head and they come out of your mouth. Enjoy the shows!

Adoption Word of the Week: Adopt

I decided since this blog was to encourage everyone joining us on our adoption journey, that maybe some can learn an adoption term. There are plenty of words used in the adoption realm, so a weekly word will do.

First word: adopt

• To take into one's family through legal means and raise as one's own child.
• To take and follow (a course of action, for example) by choice or assent: adopt a new technique.
• To take up and make one's own: adopt a new idea.
• To take on or assume: adopted an air of importance.
• To vote to accept: adopt a resolution.

[Middle English adopten, from Old French adopter, from Latin adoptāre : ad-, ad- + optāre, to choose.]

a·dopt'a·bil'i·ty n., a·dopt'a·ble adj., a·dopt'er n., a·dop'tion n

My how time goes by!

What a crazy couple of months it has been. End of the school year brings graduations, and this year we had 2 graduations in one family, an 8th grader and a senior in high school. We had this in another family last year here.

As noted in our last update in April, we were getting our adoption profile books updated with our Hawaii (anniversary) trip and they had been sent off to Lifetime. June marks our one year anniversary with Lifetime Adoption.

So what's new with us? Not a whole lot really. Jack is doing real well with his company. They're all settled in at their new location and even hired a new employee, so now four technicians on staff besides Jack and his business partner, Mike. I, on the other hand, have not been as successful with employment. I have been trying to get temporary work as the wonderful world of adoption throws a lot of "what-if" situations at you. I still serve as Foster Care Support Coordinator for Mission: Hope and am on the board at the Hartland Food Pantry. Jack hasn't been able to fly out a whole lot now as he is now President of the aviation club he belongs to. That boy is in meetings besides his job, 3 out of the 5 business days a week, with all of his extracirricular activities!

Jack and I are going to San Diego in 3 weeks for Jack's business training. He was so sweet in how he tried to book the vacation by himself, saying it was just business, until he forwarded me an e-mail of his plans, and they were including me! Going to have to take advantage of these child-less opportunities!

Tomorrow I will be appearing on a local t.v. show, or webisode actually. It will be on the web next week at http://www.my1channel.com/ under Aroma Cafe (talk show channel). Check it out, along with my short hairdo! This is a wonderful ministry to serve those of us here in the Milwaukee area, keeping the Christians abreast of what's going on, just like our old job at the radio station.

Also, you'll see on the left there those "annoying ads". That is actually one way I am trying to raise a bit of money for us due to my unemployment. I just received a few medical bills in the mail and boy am I in shock. Let's just say the OOP expenses for the year are half met and it's just two doctor visits...sigh. So, that's our update at this moment! Till next time, keep praying for us, to keep our eyes on Jesus and let all other things come second to Him!

Look at that...

Well, another 2 months have gone by before an update and not a single person hounded me about that. Praise the Lord! hehe.

Well, I've been busy with Mission: Hope as we had launched the week before my last post.

We even threw a trip to Hawaii in there for our 10th anniversary, a few months early as the weather was best this time of year. BEST VACATION EVER! I posted the pictures from our trip on facebook, so I have to get a few on here soon.

Still job hunting, even changed resume formats a little to see if it will bring some news.

We are in the process of sending out another batch of profile books to LA.

So there's your update from us, well..on me. Have a Blessed Easter everyone!

I know..I know..

It's February 6th and I am just getting to putting another post on here. There, ok, it's done. A new post for a new year. HA!

I'll come back later and think of some terrific things to say. Oh!

Our home study has been updated and approved for another year. We are off to Hawaii in March for 9 days and my oldest brother and his wife are joining us out there for 7 days.

Otherwise, on the hunt for a day job to keep me, and well Jack too, sane.

Ciao for now!