I'm here...

and busy...

September has been a busy month of a trip to Colorado for a pig roast and to see siblings and family. A trip to Texas with my cous to see my sister and her family and my in-laws here for a visit and a camping trip. And of course work on the house when we can :)


I am alive and kicking and having a great day. Hope all is well w/my readers. I will write more soon and post some pictures.

love, Chatter

Thursday Thank You's

I love my boys...
here are some pics of little man trying out his Halloween costume and the gorgeous sunset the other night. Life is good. Too tired to write tonight but I'll update soon :)
C

Deep thoughts...by chatter

It's Sunday night, 9:30 and I'm in bed. I was about to call it a night and decided to post on my blog for my handful of readers. Well readers, guess what I did today?? I went for a jog! That's right. I jogged for 25 minutes, totaling 2 miles. If you do the math, you'll see that my jog was practically slower than a walk. But I don't care. My "excess skin" was shaking and it felt great. I took little man in the jogger stroller and he chatted the whole time about the birds, bugs, etc.. It was great. We didn't pass a single vehicle and I enjoyed the beautiful fields and countryside. Through all the mayhem I've not taken the time to enjoy the one thing that made us buy this place; the property! I sat outside for a bit chatting w/hubby today enjoying the view and breeze. It was very necessary and something I should do more frequently.

It's easy to lose focus on what's important when you are remodeling a home. There are many days that I do not like the person I've become. I used to be that gal that was always doing great. I didn't have anything to complain about and was well aware of how fortunate I was every day. But these last couple months that girl has gone missing. I'll think she's back, and then 3 crickets will skitter across my living room, and I'll kill 5 ants in my kitchen and I'll feel me slipping away. I try to keep my ground but slowly, slowly, she fades away. Which is why I'm on my computer right now. To tell you all how blessed I am. And to bring back the old Chatter and to not let her slip away. This stressed, overwhelmed, burnt out, whiny Chatter needs to hit the road FOR GOOD. So, with that, I'm going to try to keep all of you posted on all the good things in my life happening (with some occasional sarcasm of course).

Now, for the good stuff; little man. Little man will be 2 at the end of October. I can hardly believe it. He's such a joy to be around and sure makes it hard to discipline. As soon as my scolding comes out of my mouth all I have to do is look at that face and it breaks my heart. He of course responds typically with "I know mommy". As in, I know I'm not supposed to pee my underwear, I know I'm not supposed to spill water 10 x's/day, I know I shouldn't write on walls, I know mommy. I love him to pieces and I had so much fun hanging out with him and dad :)

Hubby cut out trim for several more windows today. I'll prime and paint them tomorrow and then we'll get them hung and then I'll actually post more pics of the house. I know I've been slacking but I've been so excited to show you "finished" photo's. I'm trying to be patient with the progress and unfinished-ness (no this isn't actually a word) of the house. Hubby has been relaxing with me a bit more and I think it's been good for us. And of course exercise. Today the feeling rushing through me was so peaceful. Yes, this was while jogging folks. Very crazy but so very wonderful!

Next is music. I finally dug my ipod out of the garage and I can't believe how much that does for me. It takes me to another place during times I feel myself getting frustrated and annoyed. It can be calming, energizing, or meditating depending on what I need. It makes me feel so relaxed most of the time!

And lastly, our precious little one waiting for us in Ethiopia that we will one day be paired with. I wish I could say he's on my mind constantly but we've had so many distractions that that isn't actually the case. But with each day that passes I know I am closer to finding out who "he" actually will be. I still think about his family. For any new readers, we've not been actually paired with a baby, I'm just thinking in general. I know when the day comes for the actual referral I will be so sad thinking about the loss of those who have loved him up until this point. I will mourn for them. I will question the adoption, if what we are doing is right? All of which is surely normal...

We still haven't received our 171h(adoption approval from the US) from the USCIS office yet so this will be hanging over me for the time being. And I need to mail in our passports for updates which I will be expediting (3 week processing times). I'm sure it will all work out but you know how it is....

So that's life in a nutshell. I promise to re-introduce you all to the REAL chatter who has been MIA for the past couple months. Have a happy Monday and wonderful week :)

love, C

I need an exTERMINATOR

While I am too cheap to fork out $30/month for unnecessary TV I am strongly considering calling the Orkin man to come kill our crickets and ants that are making themselves at home. And these are not the baby crickets I remember in Indiana, they are the big black (8lb according to hubby as he just killed one) nasty creatures. I am sick of killing them in the morning, during the day and at night. I'm pretty sure that between the two of us we kill anywhere from 5-10/day. Yes, some days there are only 2 but others there are plenty more. And there is one hiding out that we can't find that loves to chirp at night when everyone is in bed. And of course little man is always quick to point them out to me (while I'm using the bathroom and there is one on the floor behind the toilet). Or when I went to check on him while he was supposed to be sleeping and when I walked in he said "spider, icky". Sure enough, he was in scrunched up against the edge of the crib b/c a cricket had decided to keep him company. Yet, I try to remain positive and LOVE our house.

Then there are the ants that decided to raid one of our kitchen windowsills and along the sink while we were out of town this weekend. It was our "welcome home" present from our new roommates. Ants; and too many to bother counting". So everyday while I'm washing dishes, washing my hands, brushing my teeth (we don't have a bathroom sink) I kill ants. The layer of cinnamon I put on the window sill no longer smells good and apparently has not thrown off the trail either.

I love you house but I am not enjoying our new visitors. Hopefully they don't eat me in my sleep tonight.

Did you ever wonder....

how to remove crayons from your wall??? I'm guessing most of you have wondered it at one point in your life. And after learning that all it takes is a baking soda/water paste I'm cringing thinking back to childhood when we had to scrub it off with a washcloth and soap (it took FOREVER). So for those of you with children who have not scribbled on your wall and fridge with a crayon, make a note. Baking soda paste and a washcloth. It works AWESOME!

That's my tip for the day. Good night :)

Disclaimer: Thanks to a friendly tip it is my responsibility to inform you that it MAY remove your paint. It did not however, remove our Behr paint.

Grab your coffee...

Because it's gonna be a LONG one...

This past Friday I left my little man for the first time ever. I was able to say good bye just before his nap time and forced myself out the front door. Definitely the hardest part was pulling out of the driveway. Then my road trip began. 10 hours, 9 pee stops later, I was at my alma mater, Purdue University, W Lafayette, IN. My sister had to remind me where the liquor store was, picked up my beer (bottles of course since I'm so much more sophisticated now), and headed to meet the sisters (4 of them to be exact - missed you Amb & Keel). One of them was already plenty tipsy (to put it politely) so I knew I needed some alcohol in me if I was going to tolerate this drunken crowd :). We played some games, hung out and laid in bed talking until the wee hours of 6:30 a.m.. And of course I woke up by nine a.m. to face the day. Went to get some groceries and back to the house for some smoothies (and aspirin). Then off to my alumni bar, Harry's Chocolate Shop, for the 30 year anniversary of my old employer's owning the place. It was great to see old friends and co-workers and hang out with my sisters. We played some euchre, ate lots of yummy food and managed to drink from 2-midnight without stumbling home (errrr.... maybe not cujo). I hung with the college kids, played songs on the juke box and felt very old. I'm only 26 but wise beyond my years (heehee).






























I arrived home just over 50 hours later and was greeted by my little guy at 10:30 pm (way past his bedtime but dad got him up so I could see him). I was soooooo excited. I thought for sure he had changed drastically in the two days I was gone. Lots of hugs and kisses and a late night with mom and dad. It felt good to be home. And to top it off hubby had the house all clean and he had trimmed out 3 windows, two doors and some baseboard. He did awesome!! So much for convincing him I can't get anything done b/c little man keeps me busy. I guess I need to come up with some new excuses (suggestions welcome).



















It's been a busy week and more action this weekend. In adoption news, it looks like referrals should be starting back up very soon!! Hip hip hooray!!! We will be moving up the list again and we will soon be at the top. Can't wait to share the news of our new baby!