New Baby :)

Some of you know about my eyes and the fact I can't see. It wasn't a torn retina and they believe its either a tumor or too much spinal fluid in my brain pressing on my eyes. I feel like its the last one because I fit the profile, overweight, female and still pretty young (I can call 31 young right?). Anyway, basically I can't see, can't walk straight and have a headache so bad I feel like I'm going to puke. The other reason I don't think its a tumor is because I had a MRI on Thursday and I feel like if I had something wrong like that, they would of called me back into the doc on Friday.
Ok so on to fun things. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself Thursday afternoon and I have been spending a lot of time at my dad's house. When I came home, my tomatoes had fallen over and were all shriveled up. So of course that set me off, poor me, can't see, my head hurts and I don't even have tomatoes. I went out to water them and I heard a "thunk" "screech". My first thought was one of my outdoor cats had been hit by a car. I finally figured the sound was coming from a small ditch area on the other side of my retaining wall. What I found was a kitten just 3 or 4 weeks old!
At first I thought I should just leave him alone but on closer inspection, he was covered in fleas. I thought he was a calico he was so dirty. I knew that if I took care of his filth that his mom wouldn't take care of him anymore. But my goal for 2006 is to fix all the ferral cats in my neighborhood so I won't keep finding kittens (see I want to keep them and even at the reduced fees clinic, its several hundred dollars to get everyone fixed). So I made the decision to take the kitten now and tame him so he would have the chance of having a home where he would be loved on and fed.
So I took him inside and started washing him with baby shampoo. The blood poured off of him from all the flea eggs. He wouldn't even suds up in the beginning. I felt so bad for him, I knew he was just miserable. It took two baths to get him presentable and he actually turned white :)
So here I am, cat #8 in my hands. I made the decision to take him to Petsmart to give him to the no kill group and pay for his fixing and shots. When I got there they were too full of kittens to be able to bottle feed one. One of the people working there showed me how to bottle feed him and the next thing I knew, I had 8 cats. Who on earth could give up a kitten that they had bottle fed?
So kitty 8 (unnamed at this post) gets daily fleabaths which he loves (he likes the warm water and the hair dryer) and gets 6 teeny bottles a day. He eats a little more than the chart says he should but I think he was dehydrated, he didn't have a scruff and you could see his ribs. I am happy to say he is now a rotten roly poly who likes to crouch on my stomach, take a flying leap and land on my face. If I'm lucky he'll chose to bit my nose (which doesn't hurt) but normally its my lip (ouch!). He has quite a set up, most the time he is on me somewhere but he also has a very posh pad in the bathtub. He loves this particular rug and likes to hop around on it. He also has 2 bunnies which I rotate out that he'll just lay on, kick with his back legs then come back a lick to say he's sorry.
So here is my new baby :)

Who the heck are you and why am I in a pot?

My big belly



Hi!

Die bunny die!

Blogathon

Got $10? Got more? Throw it Doug's way, he is doing a 24 hour blogathon to raise money for Half the Sky. His goal is $600 which pays for a nanny for a whole year!

http://www.hendersonhomeonline.com

Oh Well

I am sure that hundreds of adoptive families wrote to the White House for today's meeting. This is what we got:

Donald, from Anaheim, CA writes:
With international adoptions taking much longer to complete, how is the USCIS addressing requests to lengthening the time that I171H and other related documents are valid?

Dr. Emilio González
Thanks for your question, Donald. We are very much aware of this issue and recognize that there are concerns with the process. Currently, USCIS is closely reviewing the existing regulations regarding the I171H which is the inital step in the approval process for parents seeking international adoptions.

I think this answer screams politician, no real answer, no admittance of guilt or promise of a solution. Too bad.

Karma Shmarma

Karma bit me in the ass this weekend.

When I don't want to do something, I happily tell the other person "No thanks, I'd rather poke my eye out". PC? nope, but it very visual and much worse than no thanks. Its kind of like the horrid part of bad you know?

So anyway, last week I woke up with a sore eye, didn't think much of it. Took some allergy meds and off I went. By Friday it really hurt and I lost half my vision in that eye and was seeing spots. How did I hurt it? I have no idea. I am not a good sleeper, I talk & walk a lot in my sleep. I have been known to clean and pack luggage before a big trip. I've knocked over stuff and one time put my hand through a window (luckily I didn't cut myslef) all while "sleeping". I'm guessing I walked myself into a door. To sum it up, I poked my poor little eye and hurt my retina.

Tomorrow they are going to laser it so I'll stop seeing spots and the cloudiness will go away.

Lesson learned, I'd rather NOT poke my eye out, my mom was right.

USCIS Director Gonzalez

Please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/ and post a question to USCIS Director Gonzalez to extend the expiration date of the 171H from 18 to 24 months.

Be sure to tell him exactly what sort of burden it would place on your family to have to get a new 171H. It does require a new home study and all the paperwork assosciated with it, a new filing fee and fingerprinting fee. For me this is close to $1800.

Without going into too much detail, tell him a little bit about you. Are you married? Are you single? Is this your first baby?

The idea is to show power in numbers with adoptive families posting a similar question. Don't make it too long so they won't even read it, but be concise with your information.

Thanks! - Kim

Well its just super ;)

If you haven't seen, go now and see it....it was worth me buying the soundtrack and messing around with this blog.

New Deal

I've come across a new deal. Go to www.mycpvisa.com and sign up for a choice rewards card (click on the button that says you don't have a code). There is no annual fee, 1.9% APR on purchases through Feb, no balance transfer fees (altho if you need to balance transfer, you need to get the Citi Rewards card, its a year not 6 months) and you get 24,000 points. These points can be cashed in on hotel rooms and you should be able to get three for free :)

Remember if you get it that you have to make a purchases on it before Nov so they'll give you the bonus. I always make that first purchase then log in the account and pay it before the statement comes out to guarantee the points :)

I am going to add these nights to the Disney trip, where will you go?

New Disney Pictures

I don't think I'll need to take a single picture of the resort on my trip in Sept, I keep finding great pics online :) This is the place we are staying, its pretty cute for a value resort (no fluff). I figure you spend all your time in parks, you only need a shower and a bed. Here is the Pop Century Resort....

Whew! Friday!

Ok, how did my Friday's become so complicated? This was suppose to be my wind down from a stressful work week. I am remote on a lot of Fridays so that means I'm sitting here in my PJs!

So listen to my "quiet day". Up at 6, yard sale at 7. Fridge shopping at Home Depot after that. Grocery shopping next. Home by 10 to log into my PC for work. Off work at 2:00 today because I don't feel like working overtime (ha take that!) get ready for the evening then off to the mall to meet my friends at 3:30 (don't forget post office first!). The girls have some mall errands to run then off to Applebees for half price appetizer and 2-4-1 drafts. Then we are off to then the Fun Fest parade at 6:00. Parade until 8:30 (we hope not longer than that...the crap we do for a free tshirt). Pirates at 9:30 then out at midnight. Home at midnght:15 then sweet sweet sleep!

People tell me this is great practice for the baby, I just need to tie a wet 20 pound bag of potatoes to my back and blast my ear with an air horn every 3 minutes.

So I really started thinking about scheduling and what I'm doing right and wrong. I feel like more remote time would help (save an hour in commuting, save $5-10 in lunch and snacks) and instead of taking occasional social breaks I'll be tossing in loads of laundry. Food is another issue I've not given a lot of thought to. I eat now about half the time out and half the time here. I don't think there is anything wrong with a sandwich for dinner and that there doesn't need to be 7 courses a night. I think I'd rather serve turkey on wheat, give her a piece of cantaloupe and some carrot sticks than going the processed food route. I've also read lots of posts from people that cook one time a month and freeze it all. I am not organized enough for that sort of thing but I think I need to be. So I guess my quest for the weekend to read into this cooking in batches idea to see if it could work for me :)

A bad day for the Nov DTC group

I am sad (and horrified and just sick) to say that someone in our DTC group was rejected last Friday and just found out about it today. Its about a medical issue that was 100% cleared up several years ago and its such a non issue now. I can't imagine how they feel right now :( I'm really sorry :(

There are several other rumors floating around that China is going to start using BMI for parents and whether they will grandfather those who are LID already or not. I would *think* they'd wait with next adoption cycle which starts on Dec 1 because that is right around the corner.

But regardless, here is my next purchase. I am spending $37 a month for the Y and not using it. I don't want to shower there before work and a lot of times I have to work from home at night. So its the same $ OOP in a year but I can walk on it in the morning before work. BMI- take that!

Frugal?

What exactly is today's definition of frugal? Is it the people that save their empty Wal-Mart bags to make topiaries for Christmas celebrations or the people that just plain old behave with their money?
The reason I question this, is I've considered myself frugal for a good 5 years. My everyday living is pretty simple most days. I'd rather buy something new that will last instead of buying 4 used versions. I have a limit on clothes, $15 for tops, $40 for pants (jeans are expensive!) and I own 3 pairs of shoes. I only buy purses when I need them. Heck people, I made my own detergent first because of allergies, second because its 2.5 cents a load. That alone should get me a gold star!
So heres the thing that makes me question if I am frugal... the amount of stuff I have bought for the baby. Keep in mind, I've not paid full price for a single item I've bought her. Books come from TJ Maxx, clothes from various sources (yards sales or 75% off sales), even her bedding was half off through ebay and Pottery Barn clearance. But yet people I know say I'm not frugal because I didn't carve a carseat out of a block of wood then knit a cover for it. I counter- quality is frugal in the long run. A co-worker told me I had spent too much on my carseat that his kids did great in a $50 seat. First of all, and I've said this before, you don't mess around with car seats. You buy the Cadillac of car seats for your Hyundai. You just do. I don't understand the concept of buying an infant seat, regular seat then booster seat. My little girl will use her seat up to 65 pounds. One piece of quality, not three pieces of substandard equipment. That my friends makes me frugal!

Whew!

What a day!
First, I got my carseat and it isn't all gray, its gray and blue! I was surprised about the blue but I think its ok. My theory is, get the lesser expensive pattern and get a spare cover if needed...that comes out to the same price as the pink one. The gray is the exact color of my car's interior, yay!

Second, I put the last coat of clear stuff on the nursery floor. All I need to do is quarter round before I start moving furniture on Sunday. So the furniture from the back bedroom goes into the new nursery, the office stuff now in my breakfast nook (that has been here a year because of the living room remodel) goes into the back bedroom and I finally have the master bedroom, nursery & office set up like I've needed. I think once the nook is cleared out I'll mess around with the kitchen. I've already put in tan tile and painted everything white, soon it will be time to add color back and coordinate everything.

Third, today is Walgreens rebate day! Don't forget to pick up your free back heating pads, shampoo and styling product :)

Fourth, we have set the yardsale date on the 15th. We are having it at mom's in her unfinished basement. Its nice having it there because we don't have to worry about weather or setting things up the day of the sale. Tomorrow I am taking a car load of stuff over, I love to see it leave the house. After I clear out the cheapo stuff its time to start ebaying again. It my goal to own almost nothing, I'm tired of things. I can't wait to clear out my closets, I want to toss old stuff that I messed up when I started remodeling the house (I have a lot of t-shirts with paint on them). If its too small/too big, its out too!

And last, www.disneystore.com is having a sale. Spend $75 and you get free shipping. Get the code off the front page and save $15 off of $60 (stackable). Sign up for their credit card and get a $25 instant credit. You also get a free beach towel with a $50 order. Whew did you catch all that? This is what I bought - 4 patriotic mickey t-shirts for Sept (2 for me, 2 for mom), 15 logo t-shirts (yes 15 - 8 for me (ok that is a lot but they were 3.98 each, tell me where I can get a disney t for 3.98..taking them on the trip!..3 for my mom, 4 for my dad) a stitch beach towel, a nemo beach towel (my office is in a Disney theme, I'll be hanging these on the wall like posters) and a set of bambi lithos (office again). It came out to 97.53 which qualified for free shipping (no tax either for TN which saves another 9.75%) minus the Nemo towel (free promo) and the $15 coupon code, so $73.79. I then applied an old $15 gift card so its $58.79. For those following the promos, with the credit card offer of $25, you'd pay just $48.79. If you have a lot of Disney fans in the house, this is the time to stock up on birthday/Christmas presents.

Room Update :)

I took the day off from work so I could work on the nursery :)

I finished the sanding the bad spots in the walls and I got all the pink up :) As soon as I catch my breath I'll be doing the last coat of clear stuff for the floor today. Then Saturday morning I'll do the baseboards, windows and door in white and start moving her furniture in on Sunday :)

YAY!

The color of the walls is between the two colors, my camera didn't pick it up well. It was really pepto before I added half a gallon of white to the color THD tinted for me.

I need a new light fixture, a new light switch and new outlet plugs. Then after that little stuff its all decorating. I think as I move things from her old room to the new one, I'll keep track of what I've spent just for giggles. I need to clear out half her loot anyway, its just too much. Hello yardsale!

Happy 4th of July!

Fantasmic

Here is a little fun fact about me..when I lived in Orlando I worked for a contracting company that placed people in positions at Disney. I worked in the Marketing department and got to go to the Fantasmic press event and see the very first Fantasmic show! I still have my press pass, masks, pens & t-shirt from the event. I need to get a shadow box :)

I can't wait to see it again in Sept!

Car Seat

Today I was very mature.
Today I bought a car seat.

No its not pink altho I did spend some time yesterday petting the pink one at Babies-R-Us.
Its gray, the color of my backseat. Everyone keeps telling me that I'd cry the first time the baby puked on her pretty pink car seat.

So it's gray.
Gray is ok..I guess.

One of the reasons I got this particular one, is its a step up from the pink one (Decathlon compared to Marathon)and it was $219 total instead of $305.
Before you say that's an insane amount to pay on a car seat, let me stop you. You don't buy cheap car seats. It kills me to see Graco car seats in Mercedes. Just say no to Graco...mothers against cheap plastic crap, unite!
But back to my point...the whole pink thing. If she never pukes on it, I'm going to be mad, like park ape mad (My fav APC quote - thanks Mary!)

Trip Update

Last night, after being wired from drinking WAY too much tea, I stumbled across a Disney Hints website. I started checking out the forums and they were talking about reservations for food. Silly me, I thought I could just walk up to a place and eat there?
So after a sleepless night (mostly of me running through Disney chasing characters, I REALLY need to lay off the tea) I called at the crack of dawn to make our dining reservations.
For those of you who missed the promo, Disney was giving away free food for our Sept trip which is one of the reasons we could afford it. 6 nights at the Pop Century, 6 days of park tickets and 6 days of food (6 dinners, 6 lunches, 6 snacks, 1 planey hollywood meal) for $470 each.
But listen to what we can eat while we are there!
Lunches are things like roasted chicken, burgers, ribs and salads.
Dinner #1 Tonys
- Crispy Calamari tossed with olive relish and drizzled with caper aioli
-NY Strip Steak with roasted potatoes, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and spinach tossed in a warm pancetta vinaigrette, topped with red wine gorgonzola butter
-Caramelized Apple Cake - Caramelized heirloom apples with cinnomon gelato and a warm sour cherry sauce
Dinner #2 O'hana Polynesian Buffet
Fried Wontons served with peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and harissa
Mixed greens with a honey-lime dressing
Spicy-sweet and sour shrimp
Honey-coriander chicken wings
Marinated Sirloin Steak
Asian Barbecue Pork Loin
Mesquite Grilled Turkey
Hawaiian Pork-sausage with pineapple terriyaki glaze
Maui Scalloped Potatoes
Stir-fried Vegetables
Dinner #3 Le Cellier
- Shrimp Cocktail - wasabi slaw and horseradish chili sauce
- Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon - wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb beurre blanc, topped with fried parsnips (we are big steak eaters)
- Happiest Celebration on Earth Chocolate Whiskey Cake - chocolate cake brushed with whiskey, layered with chocolate mousse, finished with orange marmalade
Dinner #4 Hollywood and Vine - Fantasmic Package
This is a standard buffet, probably very similar to Golden Coral but done in a Disney style. They save us a place in line for Fantasmic, that is why we are eating here!
Dinner #5 - Chefs de France
- Tartare de saumon legerement fume, sauce moutarde - Tartare of raw salmon lightly smoked with cucumber dill and honey mustard sauce
- Jarret d'agneau, servi avec une polenta cremeuse - lamb shank with creamy polenta and fresh tomato compote
Dinner #6 - Mama Melrose's with Fantasmic Package again :)
- Mozzarella and Tomatoes - with marinated sweet onions, balsamic drizzle, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil
- Spicy Italian Sausage with rigatoni pasta, peppers, onions, and a tomato basil sauce topped with caprino cheese
- Honey Hazelnut and Ricotta Cheesecake with a blood orange sauce and dollop cream

Whew! That's quiet a list for someone who had a hotdog for breakfast!

Babies, Tomatoes & Cars!

Ok, I really have been productive today, I promise. Yes I've spent a ton of time online but I've been cleaning while catching up on all my reads. You see, yesterday was the end of all my projects at work. I have just a few small things to do on Monday then things can get back to normal. I've been just a little stressed so I guess its ok to take a day and do nothing?

I got word that Miss Kendall has made her appearance. Isn't she cute?

I did a little bit of deck gardening today. Look at how big my plants have gotten, there are 11 tomatoes on them! :) Not too shabby for a used free bucket, $2 of plants and $2 of dirt :) unfortunately I put the dog kennel next to them during a bad storm for support and they have grown into it. It guess that is a redneck tomato cage to the extreme?

I've also decided to buy a new car. I currently have a 2000 Elantra and I am going to buy a new one in 3-4 years after I've saved up the money. This has been the best car in the world, its peppy, gets 30 MPG when I drive like a maniac (33 when I'm good)and has all the features I need. Did I mention my insurance for it is $18 a month? My mom and I went to the dealer and they had one with an automatic transmission for $11900 (she is thinking about moving to a smaller car). I want a 5 speed and I get an extra rebate because I already own one, so I am looking maybe $12,000 including tax minus my trade in (which I know won't be a ton but I keep cars pretty long so its OK). Everyone is like get a van you are getting a kid. I am getting A kid, not 7. She'll be just fine in the back seat with her sister. I wouldn't move up to a larger car unless I had more than 2 kids. Hehe if I had more than 2 kids, I wouldn't be able to AFFORD a big huge car so it all works out :) It is shown in black, I will more than likely buy another white one, thats my fav color on a sedan.

Stroller :)

I have a stroller, its a demin Osh Kosh one in like new condition, I got it at a yard sale for $10.

The more I look at it, the more I CAN'T see my baby in it. It looks to boy-ish and heck, I'm adoptiong a girl and I want something cute.

We just got a new Babies R Us and they send me a circular. Evil evil store, because look at what they have! $179 for baby pink perfection!

AND they have come out with a new pink Britax Marathon seat called Olivia. I never got to see the first pink one for comparison, but this one looks pretty cool! But its $259. UG..where's the shower fairy when you need her?

Happy News!

I got a quite a bit off track because of the second beach trip and the Disney trip, but I set up the second and last CD that I need for travel. I have $1,000 of my travel money in escrow with Remax on the junker house but I'll get that back if it falls through. So I guess I'm done? I want to take some money to buy things with, I really really want a set of salt water pearls in about a 20" length. That would be $800 here and its just $100 in China. If that is the only thing I buy while I am there, I will be a happy happy girl.

I put the CD into a 9 month special for 5.55%. It runs until the end of March which is pressing my luck. My goal is to not get into either of those CDs and use them for the first part of DD#2's adoption and save another $7500 for the travel portion.

Plus the interest from the CDs do help towards the new trop $, its a little over $350 a year. I know there are better ways to max out my interest but this is my baby money...you don't touch risky investments with baby money!

Rain, flowers and a cutie pie

Oh its been raining..I mean like REALLY raining! Like I wonder if my roof is coming off raining? Worthy of finding my camera raining. Can you see it?

But it makes for lovely flowers!

Who's that cutie pie in the flower bed?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.....

visit the Rumor Queen site. She provides a way to find your state reps and who to contact concerning the extension of the 171H from 18 to 24 months. I don't know how much it will cost to get my 171H redone, but it is at least the filing fee of almost $600. I will also need an updated home study, I am not sure how much that will cost (nothing has changed, I hope its cheap!). So frustrating!

Marvin strips - the single sister is adopting from China. I wish them th ebest but the first strip is already wrong. You can't adopt a 2 month old baby from China.

Reality Check

http://www.worldonfire.ca/images/worldof.mov

12 Months

Ok, the wait is up to 12 months. I've accepted it.

That puts me with a Dec referral (LID 12-5-05) and traveling in Jan/Feb.

Bye bye tax credit for April 2007!

Curried Hummus - yum yum!

I am hooked on this stuff with wheat crackers:

• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans chick peas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 teaspoons curry powder
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt, to taste
• Hot sauce, to taste

Just whirl it around in your food processor :)

(Conversation with a friend....curried what? Hummus. Hummus? Um I just bought potting soil with Humus in it and its cow poo..no way am I eating cow poo. sigh.... sometimes its hard living in a little town!)

2nd House

I found out that I still have an active offer on a fixer upper house. I am the back up offer if the people in front of me get tired of waiting. The contract expires Oct 31st to give them enough time to go to court and fix the title (foreclosure).

Just a history of the house, I was the only bidding on the house with mortgage company #1 back in Dec. They found out the title was dirty 3 months later and weren't willing to clean it up and sold it to another company and just took it off the market and returned my check. Nice huh?

The new mortgage company listed the house with another realty company. I can see it when I drive to work and I saw people walking into it one day (people walking into MY house!!). I called my realtor and I had an offer in that day. Even though I bid more than the asking price (which BTW, was 7K less than my offer in Dec with the other company) I was second in line.

If I do get the house, and I still optimistic that I will, once fixed up, make 35-40K depending on repairs (notice the bad part on the roof). It will get all new paint, inside and out, a new gutted bathroom & kitchen and new windows. It will be cute when its done :)

More kids :)

My indoor kids in their favorite spot, on top of the washer and dryer. They love looking out that window :)

The kids :)

When my 15 year old Siamese died it about killed me. Like taking a week off from work bad.
So when Siamese cats started appearing outside my house I didn't know what to make of it. The first that appeared looked just like her but had a different meow (when I first saw it I thought I had lost my mind!). That kitty stayed for a couple of days then another one appeared a few days later. Keep in mind, up to this point I had seen 1 outdoor cat in the 3 years I had lived here. Two Siamese cats in one month?
The second kitty decided to stay and I called her Bella Blue for her eyes. She was already pregnant when she arrived on my door and the thought of having kittens again (my "youngest is almost 7) really excited me. She had the babies the first week of may 2005 while I was on vacation. When her babies were 8 weeks old she was killed by a dog.
The first week was really bad. They would sit on my deck crying for their mother, they didn't know where she went. I'd spend several hours in the evening just petting them. I didn't have the heart to separate them, they were a matched pack.
So back to the reason for the post, I don't take enough pictures. I have several of my indoor cats but none of the outdoor babies. I wish I had a picture of Bella but I spent some time tonight trying to get her kids to hold still. They don't look like their mom but they have her personality. I just wanted to introduce my outdoor kids to you :)

Who ordered the box of kittens?

Insomnia Strikes!

This evening's thought pattern...
If referrals speed up, she's been born!
Oh, she's been born and I've not decided on a name!
Wait, yes I have, or have I? I did hold off on monogramming her blankie.
Blankie.....hhmmm...I wonder if I won those curtains to her new bedding set?
Bedding..bedding..crud, I forgot to get paint mixed at THD today that matches her bedding....
Wait, can't paint until the floor is done, I should put another layer of clear coat on it..
I wonder if I have another brush since the other one turned into a brick...
brick...I should buy more stepping stones for the yard before they stop selling them..
yard...i should take a picture of my flowers while they are so pretty
wait I did that yesterday, its still in the camera
remember that commercial with the kid stuck off the diving board
hhmm..pool
I want to go back to the ocean
ocean..seashells....seashells around my flowers
hey here is a picture of my flowers! and my tomatoes! Good night!

:)

For the whole 3 people that read my blog, you are probably wondering why I even do it. I know its boring, I'm not in denial :) I am doing it so I can remember what on earth I did during the wait, my mommy brain has set in early!

I wanted to share the goodies I bought at the beach. I've spent a lot of money this month I guess because my savings for the trip later this year (look at me being optimistic) is in really good shape. I am usually pretty frugal and don't spend a lot on "pretties". so let me just share what this shop-o-holic has been spending these past 2 weeks! :)

My first bad of the trip was to break down and buy the new towels I wanted. Huge pink fluffy towels, almost the size of a beach towel (and twice as thick!). Ralph Lauren...light pink...I won't share how much I spent :0

I got a second hot pink Asian diaper bag while in SC because I had 4 people tell me they wished they had one and out TJ Maxx didn't get them. I figure out of the 4, 3 were just being polite and one looked at it, then at me, then at it again... like she was trying to figure out if she could run faster than me. I got the bag for her, you know who you are ;)

Right before I left for the beach, I got a pastel pink diaper bag in a different brocade pattern. It is not a messenger bag like the cool hot pink one, more of a traditional lumpy fluffy one. Its really pretty but not cool like the other one. My dad needs a diaper bag but he won't carry this one lol I guess its going back after I look at it for another week :)

My new baby bedding arrived while I was gone too! Its a really cute set I am glad I bought it. It is white on one side and has embroidered/patchwork hearts and paisley swirls in pink, yellow & green. On the back is a pink color that defiantly in the pepto family. I am going to take it to Home Depot and match the paint then get them to lighten it so it won't be so loud. I am stalking matching curtains on ebay right now, I hope to get two windows worth for $30. I also got a small throw rug that is the same color as the darker pink color in the set (like a raspberry color) for a whole $4 :)

I also found diaper wipes for her cloth diaper collection. I had already bought a chenille bath robe to cut up for wipes (yardsale 50 cents!) but I found pink striped washclothes for $1 for TWELVE. They were really big and thin until I washed them, then they shrunk & plumped up to look like a regular washcloth. I got 48 total and I really wish I had gotten more, they would of been an excellent cleaning rag.

I also bought a 512 Ram chip for my PC and I am a happy camper. It was $30 after the rebate and my PC runs like a dream now. I was considering buying a new PC but no more, I'm good :)

I also bought clothes, something I rarely do! I got a pair of crops that actually make my rear end look good, they have orange flames on the pockets and have a turquoise butterfly embroidered inbetween. They also have those little ragged spots on them, look how cool I am ;) I got a plain turquoise t to wear with them and turquoise leather sandals with sparkly butterflies on the toes. I also got orange sandals, dark brown sandals and light brown sandals. I also got a great brown peasant type skirt that is very light and floaty and looks great with t's. I spent $115, that is a major clothing spree for me!

I was also excited that I found a bar of the mysterious laundry soap at Food Lion near our hotel. Detergent was starting to make me itch and I found a recipe online for homemade laundry detergent. Basically, regular detergent from the store has lots of bad stuff in it. Perfume that makes you itch, phosphates that rob our water supply of oxygen and toxins that seep in through our skin and clogs up our livers (yup, I'm blaming 10 pounds of fluff on my laundry detergent ;) All those bubbles you see? Bad stuff for us and the world and they are just there for show, bubbles don't clean anything. So anyway, homemade "detergent" is actually a mix of three products. One is a laundry bar of soap. I found a calagon (sp?) bar..most people use Fels Nap but I couldn't find that brand locally. You crumble up the soap and it makes about 1.5 cups of crumble. You then add 1.5 cups of borax & 1.5 cups of washing soda (not baking soda, that will tear up your clothes). You mix this all together and it makes 55 tablespoons of product and you use one spoon a load for a front loading machine (prob two for a regular machine). I was wary on how well it would work but it took makeup off my bath towels and a t-shirt like regular detergent. I really like how it smelled and that I didn't have to use a dryer sheet. This mix will strip the old detergent out of your clothes and rinse clean and you just don't need it. I have read of people using 1/3 of a dryer sheet to reduce static but I'm not having that issue. Have you ever taken your towels out of the washer and they were crunchy feeling? You used way too much detergent (I used to do that all the time) and you need extra dyer sheets to soften it back up. When you use a soap product your towels come out of the washer soft, I was really surprised. What else surprised me is that my clothes always came out of my washer wet. This load of towels and sheet came out 80% dry, its like the soap mixture released the water too. It took 20 minutes at low heat to dry a full load of towels and sheets. If you are curious, here is the cost break down if you use up all your ingredients- 6 bars of the laundry soap ($5.90), one box of borax ($2.29) & 1 box of washing soda ($1.69). So its 9.88 to make 6 batches of 55 scoops or just 3 cents a load. Interesting huh?

Okie I think that's it for now. I am off to my dad's house for a Father's Day meal. I bought him and Patti a front load washer earlier this year just like mine. Where I paid $600 for mine, his was $350 including tax because it was the floor model. He was wishy washy (haha) about buying it so I got it and said Happy Mother's day, Happy Father's day, Happy Birthyday, Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas. I figured that I spend $350 on them a year for these events and they never use what I give them. My dad has his Christmas presents from me (new Pjs, shirts, robes, things he needs because he won't buy them) and he doesn't want to open them up until what he has it worn out. What he doesn't get is most of his stuff wore out in 2002! lol

Myrtle Beach

I am back from the beach again, we found a cheapo room for June and decided we'd try it out. After going to Myrtle Beach so many times, I thought I would share my wisdom with the world :)

The first thing to keep in mind is that Myrtle Beach is not a classy beach. You should not be spending a lot of money on your room or on your food. Its a quantity verses quality thing..pack in the people and send them to buffets.

I like to go the week before bike week in May. Sometimes that is the first week, sometimes the second week. I usually leave the Fri/Sat that everyone starts to roll in. Another great time is to go the last week of August before labor day or anytime in Sept. You'll notice that I try to avoid times when kids are out of school. When I say kids, I mean the 19 year old ones that are really excited to be sneaking a beer at the pool. Shoot, I'd give them a beer if they'd just be quiet! ;) But anyway, rooms are in the $40-60 range during these times and the weather is great.

Where to stay....
Dayton House. Yup that's it. I have statyed at several "resorts" over the years and Dayton House is very clean modest proprty in the northern section of Myrtle Beach. The rooms are older but very clean, and they come with a full kitchen. I was in an ocean angle side view room, two from the end, and it was just as good as an ocean front room. Other benefits of this room were the comfortable beds, full fridge, large TV, large kitchen table with a fold out leaf and the sink area in the bathroom being separate from the shower area allowing two people to get ready at the same time. Our room also had new carpet, fluffy pillows, a fully stocked kitchen (we didn't need any of the kitchen stuff we brought) and a housekeeper that did a great job. So you are probably thinking why on earth stay at a place with an older room? Pools! They have the best pool, I loved it. They also had several hot tubs, a couple of indoor pools and a sauna. More great features included a grassy area between the pool and beach, gazebos with swings and picnic tables that you could use all day for your family (with umbrellas!). They also had an excellent "pool cop" that made sure people could quietly rest at the pool if they wanted.

So where else have I stayed?
Sand Castle - South = I was very disapointed in our room last week. It was just dirty. The pools were dirty. It was obvious that they hadn't done anything to the "resort" since the last time we stayed there, over three years ago. Three years ago it was sqeaky clean and so nice, I was horrified to see its condition, especially since I had recommended it to one of my friends who stayed there two weeks ago. She was nice enough not to say anything. It amazes me that they are trying to sell rooms in the building for 180K..maybe they should focus on the GLASS in the swimming pool and the tiles that had fallen off the lazy river?

Best Resorts - This was the cleanest hotel room I had ever been in my whole life. They called it a green room, there were air purifiers, water filters and real plants in the room. When we drove past it last week, it seemed like they were adding on a lot to this property. The reason we stayed there in 2001 was I didn't have the money to go to the beach and really wanted to go. The room was $30 a night in August because they didn't have a pool. We spent our time on the beach, it was great.

Blue Water Resort = This is my second choice on the beach. They have many different types of rooms and a lot of pools but it is always so busy (busy=loud).

Sand Castle - North - Smaller pool and lazy river but a nicer (cleaner room). I would stay here again if I had a really good deal.

Where to eat- New China in North Myrtle Beach. For $10 you get chinese with a lot of good seafood and sushi. Be sure to look for the 20% off your bill or $1 off early bird coupons.
Dennys - Yup, I said Denny's. They have great breakfast food and they give you so much you end up eating the leftovers for lunch! Note- I don't eat at the $25 buffets at the beach, I think that's stupid. That is another night I can add to my trip since I split the room with someone.

I think that's it for now, I will add more as I think of things. :) - Kim

12 months?

From a dependable, European agency: The CCAA thinks they can do the rest of June in June.

They are trying to decide whether to send what they have now and do the rest before the end of the month, or whether to wait until the end of June and send everything then.

I love the Rumor Queen site!

My name in Chinese :)

I found my name online in Chinese. If it doesn't really say Kim will someone let me know? Lol Thanks! - Kim

Thought I'd share a couple of work in progress from the "Nursery Take 2" project. The first picture is the color the floor decided to be. When you work on an old floor sometimes you take what you get. I like it tho, its a little redder than the rest of the house but you'd really have to look for it and know its different. The odd room is actually the floor underneath the baby clothes. It turned out much darker, it's really pretty. My dad put in the windows last summer, he did a really good job with those too!

I just knew I had made my mind about the red but I'm getting very fond of the pink and white Ashley set and I just bought it. If I don't like it, it will head off to ebay! :) I am thinking pink walls and white curtains with strips of ribbon on them to match the colors in the set. Depending on how much it costs, I'd like to make a border of ribbon going all around the room at arm chair level. Unless I totally break down and do the grooved wood halfway up with the trim in white and just do pink above it. Either way it will be cute, stay tuned :)

Your Linguistic Profile::

55% General American English

25% Dixie

15% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

0% Yankee

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Some of my favorite things

When you are depressed that referrals are taking so long, its always a good idea to go play in the nursery. People ask if I am ready and if I've bought any of her stuff yet. Um yes. Like all of it but the car seat and a mattress. I have way more summer clothes than winter clothes but I'm set from size 6 months to 3T. I didn't buy all of it new, but when I did, it was a great bargain and I decided to take some pictures today.

So I went and took some pictures of my favorite outfits to share with those who need a baby fix.

Gymboree sweater bought with my birthday giftcard from my friends at work and the most $ I've spent on any one item ($18 hehe) . Osh Kosh top and pants were from Ross :)

This is my loud lollipop outfit that no one likes but me from Ross, I can't remember who makes it. The bubble is a Samara one, new with tags from a yard sale for a buck. It goes with her bedding, I might hang it on the wall for deco :)

Left, Baby Gap polo with a kitty on it, right, Gymboree western looking shirt that is super cute. You can't see the pearl buttons in the pic :)


These are both BK Kids outfits, I got 7 of these in an Ebay auction for $3.50 each (kitty polo, two matching outfits below, sailor outfit and three outfits not pictured).

More BK Kids outfits, these are the softest cotton I've ever felt. They are like chambray that has already been washed and softened up. Love it!

Left, sweatheart dress, right, youngland! I really like youngland over Samara because the fabric and embroidery is a high quality. Plus when you wash them they don't roll up like some gingham.

Left, turtle bubble! I think this is just a target brand bubble I think its really cute (she's going to be mad at me hehe) and the cheap super cute sailor outfit by BK Kids.

Every adoptive parent from China is required to buy a red and white gingham outfit with ladybugs on it, I chose Youngland :) The other checked outfit is Osh Kosh from a consignment store with a sparkly cherry on it :)


Left is a dainty Samara outfit, and a baby gap dress that I just love.


Pool time! Bathing suit is Old Navy and hat is Gymboree. They don't match perfectly but they pretty close in real life :)

Left, silk baby Gap dress. Right, my Old Navy polka dot dress that I now call my Mali dress because I think she was wearing it in one of her pics. She looked pretty darn cute, can't wait to see it on my little girl :)


Aloha! This starts the "you paid what?" section of my clothes. The three dresses in these two pictures were $4 each, baby Gap folks. The hat was a buck! It was total random luck, she was literally marking them down as I walked in the store :) The pants and hat were $5 total, Gymboree!

Toys :)

Mom and I ran errands today and I got these two Fisher Price toys at a yard sale. They look brand new, I have had a lot of luck this year with finding these type of toys. Mom said when I was little, all my toys were FP and it looks like my cutie pie will be the same way. I paid $8 total for both pieces, according to the site it is $62 of toys, not bad :)

Flylady

I can't decide if I really like this site or if I find it horribly annoying. You can go to http://www.flylady.net/ and sign up for her Yahoo group and she will email you 20 times a day to remind you to do stuff.

I think the concept is great but it is geared towards a stay at home mom. In the beginning she even reminds you to shower and get ready in the morning. Hello? Who the heck doesn't get ready in the morning? Even on my off days I am able to accomplish a shower. Yikes

But anyway, check it out, its interesting. The thing I do like about it is they preach not to clean all day but to do things in spurts. That is how I clean anyway, 15 minutes at a time, it works well for me :)

Walgreens June 2006

Attention cheapos! This month's freebies at Walgreens is a little slim but you get a free toothbrush and floss. You can never have too much tooth loot, what you don't use in a year you can include with your angel tree gifts in Dec.

So go, get your freebies and have lovely teeth!

Kim

Nursery - Take 2!

I am reorganizing the house, what a mess! I decided that I wanted the nursery in the front bedroom because I want a dedicated nursery. When Charlotte is ready for a toddler room, I'll move her across the hall into a room decorated it in a color she likes. So I managed to get the new room cleared out (formally known as the cat's bedroom/tool room) with a lot of help from my dad and I have sanded down the floor. Tonight I am putting down stain so I can have the floor finished by the weekend. Why? Because this Saturday my dear friends is the day that I paint!

I have been flipping back and forth but I made up my mind a few minutes ago. I am going with my original plan and use my red and white baby bedding. It is a really cute set by Pottery Barn, it is red gingham on the back and white on the front. It is then stitched with little scenes on what a child does during the day like eating breakfast, tying their shoes, brushing their teeth. Its redwork and I do like it. But my problem is, once the quilt is hung, you mostly see white. Her crib, dresser and changing table are white. Do I paint the walls red? Its a 10 X 10 room, will red work? How much red is too much red? I just can't decide. Wall one has just the door at the end so it leaves 8 feet of red wall. But there will be a white crib with a solid back against that wall and a white quilt hanging above it. Wall 2 has a window in the middle, so its about 4 feet of red on each side of very full down to the floor white curtains. Wall three has the same window in the middle but has a tall armoire on one side and a changing table on the other side. Wall 4 is solid and would be 10 feet of red. Too much? I can't decide if the white furniture will be enough to break some of the red up. I thought about getting some art canvases at Hobby Lobby and making my own pictures for that all red wall. If I painted the background of the canvas white I could paint red flowers on it. Maybe toss in some other colors.

And I think I am going to do color theme #2 in my kitchen instead. I think lime walls with a turquoise table set and white cabinets will be cute. I already have white curtains that I can trim out with the ribbons and yarn that I bought for the maybe nursery colors. I think it will work.

I'll post pictures once its done. I did attach a pic of my bedding, cute huh?

Update 6/01 - I've been knocked upside the head with a cold so I haven't gotten past the staining of the floor. Considering the floor is 58 years old, I think it looks great!

Bone Marrow

A year or so ago I signed up for the bone marrow program at work because Citi was paying for it and I thought it was a good idea.

2-3 months ago I got the call that I was a 6/6 match to a man in his early 40's who had childhood leukemia which is way worse to get as an adult. They called on Friday afternoon and Monday morning they sucked out a ton of blood to see if our different bloods were compatible (basically that his didn't try to attack mine) and to see how well we matched on the last 4 markers. Halfway through testing of the blood he passed away and we just found out.

So if your husband or dad died recently and was AB+ and had childhood leukemia and they told you they were working on a match then it might of been me. I am sorry he passed away before they they could complete his transplant :(

Sigh....

Changing Table!

Check it out, I got this changing table on Sat from a yard sale. It was $150 from Penny's and I paid $25. I am in the process of spray painting it white, it is looking really good :) I thought 5 cans would do it but I need more like 8. So I guess its my $33 changing table/stuffed animal holder :)


Update: it took 10 cans of spray paint but it looks great! For those of you who might paint a changing table, the cheap $1 a can spray looks great and dries to a hard finish that will be easy to clean.

Fun silly blog things

Your Brain is 67% Female, 33% Male

Your brain leans female You think with your heart, not your head Sweet and considerate, you are a giver But you're tough enough not to let anyone take advantage of you!

What Gender Is Your Brain?

May Deals

I am the queen of promotions. I like to sign up for stuff, I love rebate and love points! I am going to start posting deals and I find them :) If you decide to do multiple credit card offers and they give extra $ in the first few months, be sure to stagger them. After all you can only buy so much.

1. I got this from the coupon machine at Food City. I was really surprised because I work for Citi and didn't know we had this deal. Go to www.apply.citicards.com and use code N1C1 to get a new credit card. You get 0% APR for a year, your balance transfers are free for the first round (normally 3%). But here is the fun part, you get 10,000 Thank You points the first time you use it. Once you make your first purchase, you get these points that you can redeem for $100 gift card. Citi likes to give points out as rewards to employees and I will be able to hook up my work account with my personal account and merge points. Some of the gift cards include The Home Depot, Target, Exxon and lots of restaurants. Be sure to set your cable bill and power bill for auto pay on the card to get more points :) 3 month potential is 10,000 plus another 1200 points (gas, power, cable, groceries). Cash value = $112

2. At a BP station coming back from the beach, there were paper brochures attached to the pump. You get this BP card and get a $40 gas credit when you make your first purchase (not sure if this comes in a gift card or on your card statement). For the first 2 months, you get a 10% rebate on BP gas purchases. Plus if you charge $1,000 the first 3 cycles, you get an extra $35 credit. So let's pretend you spend 1K in 3 months and $300 of that is in gas. In three months you will get a $40 bonus, a $35 bonus, $30 in gas rebates ($150 X 3 X .10) and another $7 from your other charges (1% rebate). Interesting that it comes out to $112 just like offer #1. I have not found the online link for this card yet, I will post it when I find it!

3. The Disney Card by chase is offering a $40 credit good towards the Disney store or a Disney trip. If you have a trip planned, every person in your party should apply for one and apply the credit to your trip. As an update, we added an extra day to our Disney trip and we are paying about $475 each for 6 nights in a Disney hotel, 6 days of tickets, and 6 days of a meal plan. I used a $44 credit that I had saved up on my part and my mom applied for a new card. You can go to www.disneyworld.com and click on a banner ad to get this offer. 3 month potential is $40.

4. Walgreens Rebates - I love them! This month you get an Oral-B CrossAction Battery Operated Toothbrush, Softsoap Body Wash, 18 oz. & Advil PM Caplets, 20 Pack for free after rebate. To get started on Walgreen's rebates, go in and buy a $30 gift card. Pay for your order with this gift card (you'll have some left over, this month's rebates are about $15). When you fill out the rebate form, you'll have the option put your rebate back on the giftcard that you just bought. They will give you a 10% bonus for this option (its much cheaper for them to credit a card than cut a check) and you get it in 2-4 weeks. You keep cycling this $30 credit over and over. Some months are $40, some are $15, it averages out to $25 a month (yes I'm a nerd and I used to track it hehe). 3 month potential is $75

That is it for now, I'll post more when I find them :)

Perfection!

Ok, make fun on me, I am really excited. This my friends is my new diaper bag. I got it at TJ Maxx for a whole $25, I should of bought two! After searching online I discovered it came in many colors, maybe I'll luck up and find a second one in a different color. I LOVE IT!

I'm back!

Did you miss me? I went to Myrtle Beach for 9 days and had a good time. We stayed at Dayton House this year and their pools were the best of any hotel that we've stayed at. Rooms were a good price too I think, we had a full kitchen and it was $68 a night.

The rumor mill has been turning while I've been gone. I still have 900 email posts from APC to dig through but from what I've spot read, we might get TWO weeks out of this batch of referrals. At this point since I have so long to wait its not really important, I still think I will get a referral at 15 months, around Feb 2007. I was pretty upset at that but really, what is another 5 months? Its a lot of extra $ saved up that's for sure.

My house fever has hit an all time high. I want a house on a certain part of one road. You would think that would be hard to find, but it seems like one comes for sale every 6 months. There were 2 for sale before I left and one sold. Now there are two new ones that are 50K less because they are 20 years older. One of them I really like..I really really like it....twitch twitch...its really hard to be good!