Bad Day

Well what was supposed to be a really good day turned into a bad day. It was my last day of class in Topeka and I was running a little late. So when I got on the turnpike I set my cruise control on 77 mph. Well there was an Altima that flew passed me and then I went to pass a group of cars with the Altima pretty far in front of me. Well the next thing I know there is a highway patrol car behind me. I pulled over and he says I'm going a little fast. He says he clocked me doing 95! I've never driven 95 in my life!!!

I tell him I had my cruise set and there was no way I was going that fast. But he claims I was and he gave me the ticket. I'll take a ticket for 77 or 78 but 95 is ridiculous! It's a misdemenor and I have to appear in court because it's more than 20 over the speed limit. The real kicker is that the court date is set for when I'm in Greece. So I'm gonna have to get a lawyer to appear for me and fight it. I can't have a misdemener. What a pain in my ass. If I ever find the person driving that Altima I'm gonna kick their ass.

Jessie

Horse

Well I'm keeping Caden tonight for Darby and Chris. Chris had a dinner party for work and then they were gonna do some fun kid free stuff. So Mr. Caden and I have been hanging out. He's actually in bed now. He was worn out. But we had a really good time.

We ate dinner and then spent like two hours playing outside. The "big boys" as Caden calls them from next door came over and played with us. They are five and nine and full of energy. We watched the trains go by, played with chalk in the driveway, and built houses out of rocks. Caden also made the big boys race over and over again because he likes to say "Ready, Set, Go". The big boys wanted to know if they could use my basketball goal so we played HORSE for a good while. I haven't played that in years and I am not so good at it. But we had a really good time. They are nice boys, I just don't think they get much attention from their parents. It's too bad because they are lots of fun.

Well I better finish up my homework.

Jessie

Shoes

**********************UPDATE**********************

So far I have ordered 4 pairs of shoes.
My Aunt Betty has ordered 5 pairs of shoes.
Let's keep it going folks. Let's help Yoel help others!

*********************************************************

This story really touched my heart and I have to share it with you all. I participate in many adoption groups online and have met some wonderful people.

Lyvone is one of those people. Lyvone and her husband have 8 children. Yes 8! In the last year they brought home a boy and a girl from Ethiopia. While they were there they met two other children that touched their hearts. So in a couple of months they will be traveling back to Ethiopia to bring home two more children. Yes they will have 10 children!

They asked their 8.5 year old son Yoel what he would like to take to his village when they went back to visit and bring the other children home. This is what Yoel decided in Lyvone's words!

Yoel thought very hard and seriously about it and decided that since his feet are beginning to heal that all the kids in his village needed shoes too. I asked him what kind of shoes was he thinking of giving and he went to our shoe closet (which is large, with 8 kids!) and he pondered which shoes would be the best for the rocky and often wet conditions in their village. He decided, all on his own, that Crocs would be the best because they are durable (my word) and washable. He said in his cute little accent, "good shoes, wet okay, dry good, no socks if hot, yes sock if cold". I stood by the closet crying, knowing how blessed he feels to have 4 pair of shoes of his own.

How can we not bring 100 pair of shoes to this village? We were planning on bringing 5 suitcases of donations again anyway. That is 20 pair per suitcase and the shoes are very lightweight. We are hoping to hear from the Croc manufacturer soon about reduced pricing. So, along with our son and daughter we have started a 'Socks and Crocs for Ethiopia' campaign in our area. We just received an email from another adoptive family that traveled when we did, to pick up their new daughters, and they have already begun to receive shoe donations and even monetary donations to help us purchase the shoes and socks.

If anyone would like to contribute for this village by purchasing a pair of Crocs or a package of Socks, they can be sent to: Yoel Lees, 922 Bradford Greens CT NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525.

I would encourage you all to consider sending a pair of crocs his way! Isn't that amazing!!!

I went online to www.payless.com I found their brand of crocs and ordered 4 pairs. Right now they are buy one get one half off. So for four pairs and the shipping it was right around 50 bucks. So worth it in my opinion. You can have them shipped right to Yoel that way. One pair costs about $12.00.

Let me know if you decided to send some shoes! I'd love to know how many pairs the group of people I love send!

Jessie

Urban Outfitters

My adoption blogging buddies Jeff and Bethany brought an issue to my attention today. It seems that Urban Outfitters has a shirt for sale now that says Adoption is the new Black. I'm so not impressed by this. In fact I'm pretty outraged. Adoption is not a decision I made to be cool, participate in a fad, or follow a celebrity. It is a decision I made to build my family. As an adopted person myself I can tell you that adoption is not something I joke about. It's serious to me. I gained amazing parents through adoption and my birth mother put much thought and planning into choosing adoption for me. It's not something that just happens with little thought, emotion, or planning. It's a life changing, time consuming, and demanding process. Adoption provides a child with a loving family! It's not something to be mocked on a teeshirt. Shame on you Urban Outfitters!

I would urge you to visit Urban Outfitters here if you disagree with the shirt and voice your concerns to them. Maybe if enough of us complain they will take the shirt out of stores.

Jessie

Pissed On?

Well I've been pissed off before but I've never been pissed on... Just when I think things can't get worse. I took Lena to get her hair cut today. This is always an event. Really a big event! She hates the vet and she hates to get groomed and she isn't so fond of the car ride there so it's a production.

But I get her there and dropped off on time this morning. I go pick her up after work and it is POURING outside. So I grab her and make a mad dash to the car with her. I put her in and she crawls across to the passenger side and immediately starts peeing EVERYWHERE! I yell at her of course because peeing in the car is against the rules. So she climbs over to me to make nice and in the process finishes the peeing in my lap!!!! So then I was pissed on and pissed off and it was a soggy ride home.

So after I changed clothes I went to the car to examine the damage. Lena managed to pee on my work planner and my homework assignments that I did on my lunch break. This sucks obviously but at least there wasn't pee on the seat! Just me and my stuff. YUCK!

She has never done such a thing. I think she was freaked out about the vet thing and they obviously didn't take her out today so she really had to go. And it was raining so I didn't let her go before we got in the car so it was just a really screwed up deal.

So if the week wasn't going so well earlier it's really gone to shit.... or well pee now!

Jessie

Catch Up

Well I feel as if I need to play catch up. So much is going on right now and I'm having a hard time keeping track of it all... Obviously I haven't blogged in awhile and that is a problem for me. Blogging helps me keep things in perspective, be accountable, and not get so overwhelmed... Obviously by not blogging I'm a bit of a crazy woman right now! Maybe I can get it straightened out today.

Work!

I have so much to get done at the office! We are in the middle of preparing for a huge Federal audit. Federal audits are a big deal and very stressful. So I'm trying to get my own files perfected as well as help everyone else. We are still short staffed I'm stuck doing a lot of things I wouldn't usually be doing. Add my practicum on top of that and I'm feeling as if I live at my office. Not fun right now. But I did have my anniversary at my job so I got my lovely bonus check. By the time taxes were taken out there wasn't much left but hey at least there was a little bit.

School!

My last day of classes is on April 30th! That seems forever away but really it's rapidly approaching. Which means I have a lot of work to get done before the end. I better make a To Do list so I don't forget anything.

Assignment 4 and 5 for my research class.
Final test for my research class.
Online article review for research.
6 workbook assignments for Assessment and Diagnosis.
Learning contract for summer for my practicum class.
Final eval for my practicum class.
Practicum proposal for next year's practicum.

That's a lot to do in the next five days!!!

Adoption!

I've now completed the additional paperwork and classes necessary for a domestic adoption. I had to make a little profile scrapbook thing for my social worker to show potential parents. That is SO intimidating!!! I have sent all of that off to my social worker for her review. She will critique my profile, make some changes and then send it back to me for corrections. Once I make those corrections then I'll get it laminated and bound and I'll mail it back to her. Once she has that then I will officially be waiting to be matched! Yippee!!! They seem to think it could be just a matter of weeks but for sure within the year that I'll be bringing a baby home.

Okay off to work I go!

Jessie

Whirlwind

What a crazy whirlwind of a day. I woke up this morning and it was a normal Friday. Oh boy how times can change!!!

I got a call from the adoption agency that did my homestudy. The one in Kansas City. Well it appears that right now they have absolutly NO families waiting for a bi-racial or African American child. They have lots of families waiting for white children but none for the others. So they wondered if I would be interested in being considered. After a brief panic I said yes. And not only did they want me to switch programs they had a birthmom that was interested in hearing about me! Holy crap.

So off to Kansas City Darby and I go. The birthmom ended up not choosing me which is okay but we got lots of information and a whole new packet of paperwork to complete. They seem to think that I could be matched with a baby in a matter of months and at least within the year. Crazy! I had always been told that the wait was way long for domestic adoption. But now it seems to not be the case. So while I was confident in my Ethiopia plan I'm now open to other options. If this is quicker and safer than of course I'm good with it. I just want a baby.

After our meeting Darby and I went to dinner and it was great food. We were halfway home when I realized that I did not have my cell phone. We called the restaurant and they swore it wasn't there. I know it is. So at this point I don't have a cell phone. If you are my friends or family you will have to call me tomorrow after 11 so I can add my number to the new phone I will get in the morning. I have to be on the road to Wichita by 10:30 to meet my own birthmom Karla for a little visit at 1 so crazy crazy here!

I'm honestly so physically and emotionally exhausted now! I've cried and laughed and screamed and freaked out more in one day than I have since the day my mom was diagnosed with cancer. So overwhelming. I'm really an organized person and spontaneous events cause me a bit of stress. CHAOS!!!!

To bed I go
Jessie

Bribery

Well I have this little bribery system I use to convince myself to do homework. Tonight it went something like this. I have a research paper due on Monday and I hadn't even started it yet. So I told myself that if I started it and got halfway done I could have a Diet Dr. Pepper. It's a bonus one because I'm limiting myself to two a day. So I worked for 1 1/2 hours and enjoyed my Diet DP.

Since I still had a ways to go I worked another 2 hours and rewarded myself with the new episode of Grey's Anatomy. It worked wonderfully! So now the paper is done. I've emailed it off to my sister for her to proof it and now I'm going to start on my research project. My reward for 45 minutes work on that will be bed!

I'm worn out!!!

Jessie

So Long

Sanjaya Was Sent Home!!!

Do you hear that sound. It's an alleluia choir singing their praises. American has voted and they finally got it right!!! Bye Bye Sanjaya. Now the competition really begins. I'm looking forward to next week and being able to enjoy a show without Sanjaya.

Happy Birthday

Have to send a Happy Birthday shout out to my Aunt Donna! Today she turns the big 30!!! It's hard to believe isn't it. I know she is very excited about it. Instead of having a huge birthday celebration she is spending the evening at baseball games for her grandsons. Maybe they will give her the game ball! Happy Day Donna!!!

I love you!



Jessie

Missing Vegas

Becki and Katie that I work with just got back from a wonderful trip to Las Vegas. Hearing them talk about it is making me want to go back to visit really bad! Vegas has to be my favorite travel destination. I always have a blast there. I would love to go back and see the Blue Man Group or another Cirque De Soliel show! Someday when I'm rich I'm going to visit Vegas at least twice a year. What I'd really love is to have enough money to have a vacation house there. I checked out the MLS listings for homes around Las Vegas. For sure out of my price range now but maybe if I hit it big on my next visit I could afford to buy one. Wishful thinking!

Jessie

This post is sponsored by www.millionsaver.com

Country Idol

Well this week on American Idol it was country week. Martina McBride was the guest helper person and that was cool. She is a good old Kansas gal so ya gotta love that. I had high hopes this week. Country week is usually one of my favorites. In some ways I was disappointed but in other ways I was pleased...

The Country Cutie

Miss Jordin Sparks looked and sounded like a million bucks tonight! I was so pleased with her performance. I have said before that she has "it". Tonight she really was at the top of her game and really showed her talent. I feel like I'm watching her become something as she sings. I love that about her! I'm predicting now that she will be in the top three and possibly the top two. I'd love to see her win this season!

No Neck No Problem

No Neck Melinda Doolittle had no problem this week! This is the first time I've liked her. She did a great job and had some zest this week. A little spunk, a little personality. She should have tried that weeks ago. When she shows her personality it is harder to focus on her missing neck. She will be safe this week.

Sanjaya Shouldn't Have

Sanjaya shouldn't have... And I mean he really shouldn't have. He shouldn't have sang that song, he shouldn't have worn his hair like that, he shouldn't have showed up! Just go home buddy, PLEASE!!!

A Beatbox Cowboy?

Mr. Blake shocked me with his performance tonight. I was a little worried about how he would do on country night. He didn't better than I expected. He looked a bit uncomfortable but he sang well and picked a good song. I really like him!

I tried to vote for Jordin about 20 times and got a busy single ever time. So tons of people must be calling in. Maybe that is a sign that Sanjaya might go this week. Could we be so lucky????

Jessie

Back and Better

Well I'm feeling quite a bit better! Still having some allergy stuff which is no big deal. My cough is gone and I'm feeling human again. Exciting stuff! I love being able to breathe without pain. Funny how that seems like a luxury sometimes.

Since I was sick I forgot to tell you all some important things... Heather found an awesome little car. She got a 2006 Pontiac G6 and it's a rocking car. It's very similar to my Grand Am but involves more chrome and a fresh car scent. She loves it and I'm happy that she has it. Now she won't be borrowing my car for long road trips!!!

Cricket took Heather and I shopping on Saturday. She wanted to get Heather some new clothes for Greece. Heather got some really cute stuff. And Cricket made that deal with me that for every pound I lost she would buy me one piece of clothing. So fourteen pounds later I came home with fourteen very cute items. I'm pleased! As we were checking out Cricket said she was really glad I didn't starve myself. So I guess it's a good thing I didn't hit the 20 pound mark like I was hoping for.

I now have only 2 weeks of classes left!

Jessie

Down and Out

Well the allergy bug I've been fighting has called it's friends and they have taken over my body. I officially name the germs the winners! I surrender to their sickness and I'm praying it will pass soon. Not only did they come in force they brought a very large elephant that I believe is now sitting on my chest and making it very painful for me to cough or breath.

So I'm spending the day sleeping and doing homework between naps. It's good times around here. The healthy people went to church and out to lunch with my grandma and grandpa. They should be home later. Maybe I will wake up and talk to them. That would be nice of me. Heather has to go back to school this evening and Dad and Cricket are leaving early in the morning when I leave to go to class.

I'm going back to nap.

Jessie

Home Improvement

Well since my Dad is here to visit it means that home improvements are occurring. He can't sit still for a minute so he is always working on something. Today he installed cabinets in my garage! They are wonderful. I have so much more storage now. What a blessing! He is one crafty guy. Tomorrow I think he is going to help me do some landscaping in my newly fenced backyard.

Heather is coming home tomorrow so that will be great. She and Dad are going car shopping for her. She drives a big truck now that costs her a fortune in gas. She is really wanting something more reasonable. Hopefully they will find her a great little program car. She should have fun looking anyways and at least it will give her a better idea of what she wants.

I'm taking tomorrow off work to just hang out and do what I want. I will have to do some homework but I'm hoping to be able to work in the yard some and relax some. That would be nice.

Jessie

Fence Update

Okay the fence is done and I LOVE IT! Lena has been running around like a crazy woman and has worn herself out. It looks beautiful and it is so nice to feel like I have a little privacy. It's like my own private paradise back there. I can't even imagine how wonderful it will be once I get all the landscaping done. It's going to be a FANTASTIC summer! I can feel it now!!!

Oh Happy Day!
Jessie

Allergies

Something must be blooming because my allergies are going crazy. My head is throbbing, my eyes are watering and my throat hurts. No fun! I love spring but hate allergies. The nice part is that it usually only lasts a few days and then my symptoms subside. I'm crossing my fingers that is the case again this year.

The guy that is doing my fence is almost done! He is working away out there right now. It will be done tonight!!! I'm so excited! Lena Lou is gonna have a heck of a time running and playing back there. I'm so happy that it will be done and we can say good bye to her leash. She can just run like a crazy woman and burn some of that energy up! It will be nice.

My Dad and Cricket will be here later tonight. They are having dinner with Heather now and then are heading this way. So I better finish up some homework before they get in and I get distracted.

Jessie

The Winner Is

Larry Birkhead

I can't say that I'm too shocked by the DNA results. My guess is that Anna Nicole knew he was the father all along. Hopefully now he can get his kid back and move on with their lives. I'd like for us to never hear of this baby again. I just think it's ridiculous that a baby is stalked so much by the paparazzi. She needs to have a normal decent life and that won't happen with a ton of cameras around. Maybe things will calm down for all of them now...

Who's The Daddy

Well I guess that today they are supposed to reveal who the father is of Anna Nicole's baby. I have a strange feeling though that something will happen and the results will get delayed. Like everything in this case time seems to stand still. It's really ridiculous.

Who do you think the daddy is?

Why Ethiopia?

After my post about the adoption process I was going through I received many emails. Some of the emails had some valid questions that I will address. Some of the emails were rather negative and honestly completely ridiculous and I will not be addressing those. I have emailed back privately to everyone that emailed me. But I'm a firm believer that if one person has a question so do many others so I'm choosing to address the questions here also... Here we go!

Why Ethiopia?

I made the choice to adopt from Ethiopia many years ago. I've always wanted to adopt and Ethiopia was the country that fit best for me. It is important to me to include my child's native culture in their daily life in my home. I felt like I could include the Ethiopian culture in a meaningful way into our lives. I feel a connection to the country, the history, the people. So the question for me was "Why Not Ethiopia"?

Why Don't You Adopt A Kid From Foster Care in The US?

This is a wonderful question and a topic I am passionate about! I work in the child welfare arena. In fact my job involves matching children in foster care with adoptive families and finalizing those adoptions. I am a firm believer that every child deserves a forever family. I encourage people often to adopt from foster care. With that said it is important to me to keep my personal life and my professional life as separate as possible. At this point in my life adopting a child from foster care doesn't fit for me. I would like to adopt an infant and that isn't very likely in foster care. I also know that I could not handle having a child placed with me, bonding with that child, and then having that child returned to a biological parent. I want to parent a child full-time.

Why Don't You Pursue A Domestic Private Adoption?

Again another great question! This is an option that I considered and researched in depth. There are many barriers for me to adopt as a single woman in the US. One barrier is that most children placed for adoption are placed by young single mothers. Those mothers have the right to pick the family their child goes to. When that young mother looks at profiles of a bunch of happily married couples and a profile of me an accomplished, dedicated, stable single woman the couples are gonna win out the majority of the time. I talked with four agencies about this and 3 of the agencies allowed single woman to adopt but had never had a single woman picked by a bio family. The other agency didn't even allow singles to be considered. So no luck there.

How Much Are You Spending To Buy A Baby?

I personally don't like this question. First I'm not buying a baby I'm financing an adoption. Second, children are priceless! And finally if you are that interested in the cost of international adoption I urge you to Google it and low and behold you will find a wealth of information to answer this question. As a side note adopting from Ethiopia is cheaper than adopting domestically.

Don't kids need a dad?

I think fathers are amazing! I'm a big fan of mine. I think that a father is an important part of every child's life and this is an issue I've put much thought and prayer into. As much as a child needs a father they also need love. When I'm prepared to offer a stable loving home environment now should I make a child in need wait until I find a husband. I think not. I think an orphan would rather have a family than not. If I find a husband someday that is great. If not I'm going to do the best I can on my own, have strong male role models in place, and be grateful God gave me the ability to be successful on my own.

Why Don't You Just Have Your Own?

Not a big fan of this question either. I have always had a strong desire to build my family through adoption. I have planned to adopt since I was a teenager and I've also planned to have biological children someday too. However, I have PCOS and that makes pregnancy difficult. As a single person I didn't want to go through all the infertility treatments, in-vitro, etc and still have no guarantee of a baby. The adoption process in Ethiopia in very predictable. I know I will come home with a baby. I don't know that I will through artificial insemination. And as a single woman that values herself enough I don't just have sex with random men. I have yet to find a man that I feel I would want to parent a child with. Therefore I'm not going to take the steps to get pregnant until I find the right person to parent with.

So that's a few of the questions I received. I hope that clears up some questions and provides some legitimate answers. If you have other questions feel free to leave them in the comments. I would encourage all of you to read the book There Is No Me Without You. And of course I would encourage you all to pursue whatever form of becoming a parent is right for you.

Jessie

Easter Review

Well Easter for sure had it's highs and lows this year. Once again another first without our mom. But Heather and I are quite the team. We pushed through, made some new traditions, and managed to hold on to some old ones. We are gonna get okay. I just keep telling myself that...

Our Easter Baskets rocked! Heather and I are getting really good at being in charge of gifts for one another! What's funny is we picked the same baskets but in different colors. We also picked almost the same goodies to go in them and we didn't shop or discuss it ahead of time. We are getting good like that! Heather gave up soda for Lent so this morning she had a basket full of pepsi and other goodies from me. She was pretty thrilled about that. I got some cheez-its, cadbury eggs, a shirt, a magazine, and a few other fun things that I love.

We were going to go to church early because they were having a big breakfast there so we got there about an hour before the service but the breakfast was already over. I guess we misread the time or something. So we went to Braums and had biscuits and gravy. We walked in and the place was almost empty. So Heather said, "well it's not obvious that we don't have a mom or anything". Which is true. We did look like the poster children for orphans eating fast food on Easter morning. But we were hungry!

After we ate we headed back to church and faced the tough part of Easter. I dread going to church anymore. I only go because I know I should and I know my mom would want me to go. To clarify I don't have a problem with God. In fact I feel pretty good about my spiritual life right now. I pray often, read my devotions, and enjoy that very much. I just dread going to church because in my mind that is where my mom should be. I've always gone to church with her. I loved going to church with her. So I cry everytime I go to church now because I miss her. I guess I thought today would be better because Easter is always such a fun service but no... Much crying for Heather and I both. The nice part is that we don't care anymore about where or when we cry. The sermon was good, the little kids were adorable, and we sang some good songs. Yippee!

After church we headed out to mom's place. We took her some easter eggs and goodies. This is where the funny part kinda kicked in. We decided we wanted an Easter picture of us at mom's place so we pulled the car up close and set the camera on top of the car. I set my camera timer and then we ran over by the headstone to get the picture. But the wind was blowing so we had to keep doing it. I got quit the little workout running back and forth but we finally got a couple good pictures. Though they are a bit slanted as the camera wasn't exactly on a smooth surface. The things we do! Nothing is every easy with Heather and I!!!

So here are some pics and I hope you all have a Happy Easter!








Jessie

Awesome Day

I had a really awesome day today. This is the first day in SO LONG that I really felt like myself. It's weird but it's almost like I've been stuck in this little cave where I can hear and see but not participate in anything. And today I got to come out of the cave and be a part of life. It's really odd and wonderful at the same time. I feel like me. And that's AWESOME!

I went in to the office today and worked for about 6 hours and got so much done. I feel so much better about things. I don't feel like I'm months behind now. I'm just a couple days behind now which is a much better feeling! My desk is even cleared off and my inbox is empty rather than overflowing. How cool is that.

This afternoon when I got home from work Heather and I colored Easter eggs. We decided to do hidden message eggs. So we split them up and wrote funny thing on them and then colored them. It was cracking me up. We wrote messages that only the two of us would get and it was pretty fun. A new silly tradition to add to the books. We also colored some to take out to mom tomorrow. We also got her some neat new stuff to decorate with. A couple mums and new things to sit out that are more spring and summer like. Gotta keep it pretty.

After we colored eggs we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa. We had a nice visit and they seemed to be doing pretty good. We took Grandpa some soup because Grandma said he wasn't feeling well and needed some but by the time we made the trip there he had perked up and was feeling good. So we just had a nice visit together.

Now Heather is counting down the minutes until midnight. She gave up soda and french fries for Lent. So once midnight hits she is having a Pepsi. I've got it all chilled in the freezer for her and she is about to go nuts. Only 40 minutes left to go now.

Jessie

Adoption Stuff

Well I have a whole blog about my adoption journey called The Making of A Mom. Since I have that blog I don't post much about it here. But today Heather and I went to immigration in Kansas City to get fingerprinted and file an I-600A. It went very smoothly and only took about 30-45 minutes. Tonight I compiled my dossier packet and will mail that out tomorrow. So now all I have to do is wait for immigration approval and fax that in to my agency. Once they get that I'm on the waiting list for a baby! How exciting is that. I'm so close to being done with all the paperwork part. That makes me very happy!!!

Jessie

Race To The Shower

My blogging buddy Julie is hosting a weight loss challenge over at her blog Flip This Body. Julie is engaged to be married in September. She will be having her bridal shower in July and she is trying to lose another 15 pounds by July 22nd for the shower. She has already lost close to 30 pounds. The girl is awesome! So she has invited others to join her in her race to the shower. I have joined in and so have a lot of other people. If you are interested in joining head over to her blog and leave her a comment. Julie is a great inspiration to me and I'm sure she will be to you too. If you don't have any weight to lose then you should still visit and cheer her on!

Jessie

Dog Food Scare

Okay the whole dog food and dog treat recall crap is scaring me. What's really scary to me is that a lot of the recalled products are coming from a factory in my home town. I'm very disappointed to say the least. I take Lena's health pretty seriously. In fact I'm probably overprotective of my dog. She really is one of my best friends. She has the coolest toys, sees the vet often, gets all her vaccines and medicine, and I thought she was getting the best food and treats. But I was wrong. Today one the newest list of recall items were some of her treats and it pushed me over the limit.

After talking it over with her vet and doing a lot of research I spent the evening making her homemade dogfood. Heather is home so she helped me. We broke out the food processor and ground up brocoli, cabbage, carrots, and meat. Heather kept saying there is no way she is gonna eat this stuff. But we put the first bowl down for her and she got so excited. She ate the whole bowl in about 4 minutes. We were thrilled. And then she started begging for brocolli. Who would have ever imagined! I'm so thrilled and proud of her. It really was a lot easier to do than I thought it would be.

My vet actually told me about a site to check out online to guide me and it had some great ideas. Anyone with pets ought to take a look and consider going to a natural diet. I don't think I will ever feed her food from a plant again. It's just to scary for me. The site that he directed me to is www.pet-grub.com. They give recipes and all kinds of information about what foods are good for certain ailments. Very helpful!!!

Jessie

Wordless Wednesday- My Niece Mattie

Road Trip

Wow today was a long day! I had a big staff meeting in Pittsburg that started at 11:00 this morning and it is 2 1/2 hours away. So I went in really early to get everything done that I needed to since I would be out of the office all day. The drive sucks! What's crazy is I spent more time driving too and from the meeting then I did in the actual meeting. How silly!

The meeting was good though. We got some things clarified about job duties, policies, etc. I also got put in charge of a committee to rewrite a few policies and procedures relating to adoption and aftercare. That's kinda exciting. I don't really have time to head a committee and I'm sure I'm gonna get stressed but I'm glad the folks higher up have that faith in me so I'll make it work.

I'm off to work on homework. Research here I come!

Jessie

Idol Review

Well I was scared to watch American Idol tonight. I'm not a fan of Tony Bennett so I was worried about what the show would be like. But I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I thought that for the most part everyone did a pretty good job.

The Idols On Top

My Beat Box Boy Blake did great! He didn't do anything to crazy this week but did a good job.

Jordin Sparks! What else can I say about the "it" girl! She is fabulous.

Lakisa looked great tonight and sounded even better. She seems to be getting back in the game.

The Idols On Bottom

Sanjaya Sucks A Lot Malakar is still at the bottom. I don't like him and I want him to go away. But I have a feeling he won't.

Haylie isn't cutting it. She is real pretty put not real good. My guess is that she will go home this week.

Melinda Dolittle still does nothing but annoy me. If she had a neck maybe I would like her more. She also needs to quit acting so surprised when people compliment her. Okay seriously she made it on the show she must be fairly good so quit acting surprised. She will hang in for awhile but she isn't going to win.

The other folks didn't stand out as good or bad to me this week. So I'm not even writing them up.

Jessie

Snake Attack

Okay now that the rain has subsided the earth worms aren't coming out anymore. Thankfully they aren't trying to take over my driveway and garage anymore. But now I have another problem. It seems I have baby snakes in my yard. And the baby snakes are scared of Lena. So Lena chases the snakes and then they run onto the driveway and sidewalk and then I scream my head off! I hate snakes. Not as much as worms but pretty close. What is the deal with this yard???? Snakes and worms I'm scared to think what will come out of the grass next!

Jessie

Cute Hair

Well for lunch today I treated myself to a cute new haircut. Instead of leaving work to go eat during lunch I scheduled my hair appointment for the lunch hour. I really like the new cut and color. She did it a little darker red than what I've had in awhile and I love that! I'm actually trying to grow my hair out longer again so she didn't take off much length. Just a slight trim to keep the ends good and did some layers and texturizing. Another 3 or 4 months and it should be pretty long. That will be nice.

Jessie

Aunts Rock!

Okay I think I have the best aunts in the world. I've always known they were wonderful but the past year has just really solidified that. If there was a best aunts of the centery competition they would win! Aunt Donna emails me often about my posts. She and Betty and Jane read my blog often and that makes them cool of course. They don't post comments but send emails instead and for some reason I like that. I like seeing their names pop up in my inbox.

And today when I really needed a little boost I not only got emails but I got happy in the real mailbox mail! Anyone that knows me knows that I love mail. I don't like bills so much but I love getting what I call "happy mail". This would include gifts, cards, postcards, catalogs, etc. I just love sending and receiving "happy mail".

So today I got a box in the mail from my Aunt Betty. It was my Easter present. I got Cadbury Creme Eggs (My favorite Easter Treat), a candle, and the cutest little note pads in the shape of a schnauzer puppy like my Lena. AWESOME! So thanks Aunt Betty.

Heather got a package from her too and even though I'm very tempted to open it I'm not gonna do it. I put it in her bedroom so it won't tempt me. But as soon as she gets home on Wednesday I'm making her tear that baby open. It's killing me!

YEAH AUNTS!

Jessie

Bye Huck

Well it was a very sad morning at my house today. Monday's are always crazy hectic. I have to leave the house early to get to class in Topeka, an hour away, and for some reason I'm always behind schedule and rushed. Today was no different.

So in my rush I decided to take both Huck and Lena outside on their leashes together for the first time. Well Lena didn't like that and started barking at Huck like crazy. And Huck freaked out because he was scared and somehow he wiggled out of his collar. So I'm trying to catch Huck and hold on to Lena and he ran in the street and got hit by a truck.

He was only three pounds so he didn't have a chance versus a truck. It was a nice older man driving that immediately stopped and tried to help us. I was a bawling mess and Lena was going nuts and it was just not a nice event. He really felt horrible and I felt horrible. I should have just not been in a rush and not taken them outside together till they were more adjusted but I never would have guessed in a million years this would have happened. The guy helped me get a towel and he wrapped Huck up and put him in a box and took him away for me.

So I'm kinda sad. I only had Huck for a couple days but I feel really bad about the whole deal.

Jessie

Food Carnival

Well today is the Postie Blog Carnival. You can find a great carnival all about food by visiting Thoughts Out of My Head. I hope you take the time to swing by and enjoy the fun!

Jessie

Insurance In Mexico

I have so many upcoming international trips that my mind is swamped with things like vaccinations, visas, and insurance. It can get overwhelming at times. You hear so many different things from different people. And some places charge ridiculous rates that just can't be right. But I'm starting to figure out that things don't have to be that complicated. There is an easy answer like aaa Mexican Auto Insurance. They have a comprehensive auto insurance program and you can add an American assist option.

What I love is that for once all of my questions are answered in one spot. I don't have to search and search and talk to ten different people to get the answer to one question. I'm don't seem to be the only person that is pleased with the product or the process involved. You can take a look at the testimonials yourself.

I hope you take the time to visit and spare yourself the torture of waiting in line at the border for insurance. Half the time you sit and wait for quite awhile to pay a lot of money for something that isn't described clearly and leaves you wondering what is covered and what isn't. For a clear description and an easy process make sure you check out aaa Mexican Auto Insurance.

Safe Travels!
Jessie

Savings

You know how I am about a bargain! I love saving money!!! Saving money makes having to spend money a little more enjoyable. There is nothing better than a great deal. One of the best ways to save some money is to use online coupons. This is a fabulous way to get the things you need at a price you like.

I shop at Old Navy quite often. With the coupons I found it makes for some awesome deals! I also love Netflix and I was able to find a great deal for it too.

This post is sponsored by www.couponchief.com. You know that site. The one that helps me save so much money!!!

Jessie

Hi Huck

This is Huck. He is the newest member of our family! Lena Lou doesn't know what to think of Huck yet but she is adjusting. Huck is very little compared to Lena so it's kinda interesting around the house. Hopefully Huck and Lena will get settled soon!