Next stop China

Next stop China
Next Stop China!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Trying to think what has happened since my post last Wed.
Thursday I worked 7-3 and felt awful the whole day, esp. after eating lunch. They wanted me to stay until 7, but I was not feeling well. I thought maybe it was still lingering pain from the soy a few weeks ago, since it normally lasts a few weeks. Mom was able to get me an appt at my eye doctor as soon as I got off work, so she drove me over there. Normally when I get my eyes dilated, everything is blurry for hours and I definately could not drive. Aaron was planning to pick me up after work at Moms then we would get the car later. Well, I could see perfectly fine. I was reading signs across the road and everything. So I texted Aaron to not worry about picking me up, I could drive.
I felt sooo sick by the time Mom drove me the 2 miles back to her apartment I called Aaron again to pick me up, apparently my depth perception wasn't back to normal because 2 miles made me so car sick. I went from 1130 at lunch that day until after 8pm, I finally drank some broth. Looking back, I am pretty sure that I had the same mild stomach bug that Aaron had the Sunday/Monday before.
Good news, I am getting some glasses in a few weeks, my old ones I don't wear and the prescription is real old. I wanted a new pair to take to Ethiopia so I wouldn't have to wear contacts 24/7 and my eyes wouldn't dry out on the plane. And I was on my last pair of contacts.
Went to Coop Friday.
Worked 12 hours Saturday.
Stayed home from Church on Sunday morning with Madelyn. She has had a swollen lymph node since Friday and I don't know if whatever is causing it could be contagious. Probably not, but I am planning to take her to the doctor today. Aaron stayed home with her last night. I was supposed to work 7-11 last night, but the census was low enough they cancelled me.
To get 40 hours in each week, without having to work during the day during the week, I am having to work 12 hours every Saturday which I was doing and 3 3-11 shifts a week, plus 1 7-11 shift.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I can't be quiet, and I am probably becoming a pest

Tired of disappointing conversations about adoption with people who have so much to give.
I don't know how else to word it.
Had another one today.
Orphans are everyone's responsibility. It is in the Bible.
I know I must annoy people. And if it was my goal to convince everyone to do something that didn't matter like have white minivans because we have a white minivan, then I would shut up and stop trying to show people the advantages of having a white minivan.
But then I think of these verses
Proverbs 31: 8-9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy"
I am sure I will be even more annoying after going to Ethiopia and seeing firsthand the many children needing parents.
Imagine this for a moment
You go to a town near you and see a terrible tragey taking place. What if in that town, there were 1 in 4 women dying in childbirth or pregnancy related problems? What if there were children literally starving to death and dying of preventable problems?
What if you heard the true story of an 8 year old boy whose mother left him alone with his 8 month old sister and never returned. And he spent the next two months taking care of his sister by going place to place begging until finally someone got them to an orphanage and soon they will have a family to take care of them?
If you went to that town and someone there said "you can help, please help, you can take one of these children in and give them hope" Would you? Even if it cost quite a bit of money?
Could you do without the fancy car? the huge house? eating out?
Would you?
What about that extra room with your computer? That would fit a child.
What about the playroom? It could literally save a life!
What if you are like us and are going to squeeze 7 people into 1200sq ft ? Sounds like a great adventure to me. They may not have much room inside, but they will be full of love and family.

This place does exist and all that I wrote above exists, except it isn't in the next town from us, but thank God for technology and inventions in travel over the last 100 years , it possible for those that love God to help someone clear on the other side of the world.

Let's go a step further...if you did see all the need in that town nearby, and you helped by taking a few of the children in yourself, could you come home and not talk about it?
Could you know about this terrible need and at the same time, see all that the people you know have to offer, things that could help many of the children you saw in need.
Could you not talk about it? Could you keep it quiet so they can pretend that they aren't called to help?
So people, cut me a little slack... I see a great need... I see resources to help that need...And I see ambivalence.... and it really depresses me.
If you saw that tragedy in the town next to you and you came back and told your friends of the need and they really didn't care. I mean, they were ok with you helping, but not them.?

See I really want to stand up in a crowd and say "these statistics are real people, real children with souls, and you, and you and you can help, you can make a difference. Why won't you help? Why don't you care? And before you say that you care, let me say more "why don't you care ENOUGH to do anything? Why don't you care enough to be "burdened" (I say blessed) with another child? Is it about you? Is the Christian walk about you? Is adopting a child always going to be about you? Can't it be about them? Can't it be about Him?


But you know what I remember? I am the one blessed! I am the one that will have 5 pairs of arms to hug me (and hopefully more than that someday)
We are the ones with our quiver full of arrows!
I can only control myself, and I can only change myself.
I can only plant the seeds.
I can only do so much, but I can't pretend there aren't more orphans waiting for their parents. And I also can't pretend that adoption is only for a handful of people.
There is a need, there is a church, and I believe that God would equip the church to meet that need, IF the individuals would do it.
And before you argue that "not everyone is called to adopt" which I have heard many, many times, well, I am not stupid, I realize that, but looking at the 147 ,000 orphans in this world and God's love for them that He expresses over and over in the Bible coupled with the fact that there are numerous verses telling us to care for the needy, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, TAKE IN THE STRANGER you can't convince me that God doesn't have a plan for these children and that plan involves us.
Please, you may not be supposed to adopt, but have you prayed about it or decided that on your own? I would like to end with two things that I saw on other blogs and am probably not quoting them well, but maybe I will get the gist of them
1. I was going to ask God why he allows suffering and pain in this world, when I realized that He might ask me the same question.
2. Don't wait to be called to do something that God has alreaded commanded you to do in the Bible

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Parker Falls


































































































































I worked 3-11 last night. I enjoy that shift. Good thing about it - I know that pretty much from 8 or 9 until I get home, the family is probably asleep and I am not missing anything. Bad thing - miss out on evenings with Aaron, you have to anticipate working all day instead of going in early and being done with it. Get to have a complete schoold day at home. Oh well, we'll see how February goes. I am working 7a-7p every Saturday like normal, but will be working 3-11p and 7-11p during the week.
My eye doctor appointment was cancelled a few weeks ago when the snow came, so I wanted to get one early this morning. But they don't have any. He is only open Tue, Thur, and Sat. Bad thing is, they will have to dilate my eyes, and it seems to take hours to go back to normal. In the meantime, everything is blurry. I will have to have either Mom or Aaron take me, since I can't see enough to drive afterward. HATE that. I do not have a pair of glasses I can wear when my contacts are out that fit right. So I really want a pair to take to Ethiopia with us. Don't want to get across the world and need my glasses in case something happens to my contacts. Plus, about bedtime, with contacts in, my eyes get dry and it would be great to wear glasses on the plane, etc.
Stomach virus going around. Praying we avoid it again this year. Praying even harder that we are well before and during our trip. We are seriously considering sequestering our family for a week before we are scheduled to leave to prevent us picking up anything that might rear it's ugly head on the plane or in Ethiopia.
Aaron must be feeling better, he went to work today.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Had a great weekend. Friday we had coop for only 2 hours, then drove home and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with the girls and that night with Aaron when he got off work. Worked 12 hours on Saturday. Work went well. My tooth has hurt some, but the major pain is coming at larger and larger intervals, which I am hoping means that soon it will disappear. (Just in time for the next round of dental work.) Have two more teeth to fix on the opposite side of my mouth, then hopefully I will be done. They can be done at the same time. It will take two visits to fix this. I don't think I will have time to go until next month.
Sunday we enjoyed church then went home, ate a quick lunch and headed out to Parker Falls about 30 min from here to go hiking. Aaron read it is approx 7/10 of a mile each way. It was a good hike. Not too cold and we followed a creek for most of the way. Lots of little waterfalls. It wasn't an easy hike like a walk in the park. There was some climbing and scary cliff walking with 3 kids, but it was a great day. We have been wanting to use Sunday afternoons for hiking, but with so much snow or rain the last month, this is our first one. We did take Madelyn on a Saturday hike a while back. We are hoping to go back to Parker falls this summer, where it would be a wonderful place to wade in the water.
Aaron wasn't feeling well last night, so after Madelyn and I went grocery shopping, I took the girls to Mom's and let her take them to church. Aaron stayed home sick again today. Hopefully he is not contagious. I was supposed to work 7-3 today, but they didn't need me. The supervisor offered to either put me on call for 7-3, or I could work 3-11. I chose 3-11 since we could get a school day in and I would still get 8 hours in today. I do well when I keep my "gotta work my rear off right now so we can pay our bills later" attitude. When I get the "I miss my family and it is too hectic" attitude, I get stressed and irritable.
I went and picked the kids up at mom's, got gas, and stamps, then made it home for school.
Hard to believe that our babies should be home in less than 4 months. In one way, it doesn't seem long at all, but on the other hand, I think of all the milestones our babies are reaching without us there. Oh to hold them now.
We turned in our taxes last week. Fortunately, we will get a good sum back to put into savings to help pay our bills when the babies come. Since we are itemizing, we can't file until 2/15, but no matter, we won't be spending it anytime soon.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

I171H and court

We got our I171H in the mail today. That is the document from USCIS saying that we are approved to bring children into the US. And what a coincidence, but our agency lady Sue happened to send me an email a few hours after I got the mail asking if we had gotten that important paper yet. I emailed her back to let her know we had just gotten it today. So she wants me to fax a copy tomorrow.
And exciting news that our case will be submitted for court tomorrow in Ethiopia. Which means that we will be getting our court date in 3-6 weeks. That is "getting" our court date in 3-6 weeks...not going to court then. It still maybe be April before we get to go to court. Then after court it could be as long as 8 weeks before going back to get them. I told Aaron tonight that I am praying that we get the shortest time frames in each of our steps. I want our boys home so bad. I hate that we are missing time with them.
My tooth didn't hurt too awful bad today and I was so excited...until a few minutes ago. Why does it hurt worse at night? I don't know, but I am tired of it, but I am hoping and praying that healing will occur now that the permanent cap is on.
Our coop starts at 10:00 tomorrow morning instead of 9am like usual. Because of the snow. I guess there is a chance they may cancel altogether if the school district here cancels, so we will see.

Dental Pain

Went to the dentist yesterday. I think that was the most stressed I have ever been at the dentist. 3 weeks of pain, then wondering if I would have to have a root canal because it was still hurting. Poking me with sharp things causing even more pain before numbing me. I was very close to crying. Anyway, the conclusion they came up with for all of my pain is that pieces of my temporary cap had come off and was not covering the tooth causing pain. They took an xray and no abcess and the dentist decided to go ahead with the permanent cap. He numbed me real good and that is the only time I have ever looked forward to being numb. I hate the numb feeling, but to be free from pain was soooo nice. I felt better than I had in a while. After I got home and the numbness wore off, there was no pain. I was so happy I actually felt like cleaning the house. Then about 6pm the pain came back and it was bad. So I finally medicated enough last night to go to sleep. Took 2 ibuprofen, 1 extra strength tylenol and half a lortab and still was in pain an hour later. Finally went to sleep around 10, then woke up around 2 am and took 2 more ibuprofen, rubbed my gums with chloreseptic and laid there for an hour before finally calling in sick to work and getting back to sleep around 3:30am. I hate calling in to work, but I can't work in pain and I won't work while taking anything prescription strength.
Now I am in a delimma. Do I go ahead and have the other side of my mouth done where I need two caps or do I wait until the babies come home? On one hand it would be awesome to get it done. On the other hand, if I am going to have months of pain, I do not want to fly to Ethiopia with a toothache. I don't want to meet my boys feeling bad. But it would be easier to do it before they get here. I guess I will just pray about it.
By the way, our trash people have not come in two weeks now. All of our trashcans at the road have been full for over a week. There are trash bags stacked in here. They didn't come two weeks ago because of the snow. Then they didn't come last Monday because of MLK day. I should call the city and ask for half of my trash money back this month.
Supposed to get 1 inch of snow tonight. We'll see. They were right last time. Well 1 inch of snow is a lot when you live where we live. Don't know if we will make it to coop tomorrow if we do get that much. I am sure schools will be cancelled for that too.
Good news, we do have all we need to file our taxes. I may drop that off today. Anxious to see what we may get back this year. Hope we don't owe.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Dentist today

I am finally going to get the permanent cap placed on my tooth today. I was originally supposed to have it done on 1/6, but that was the day USCIS scheduled our fingerprints. Then I scheduled it for last Monday, but we were snowed and iced in. Today I am going. Not looking forward to the numbing, but looking forward to healing for my tooth and not taking pain medicine almost everyday. My poor belly is not enjoying the ibuprofen.
Thankfully, last Saturday, I took pepto a few times and that seemed to ward off my soy protein pains most of the day. However, yesterday, even with taking the pepto, I felt horrible the whole 8 hours I worked. It is so weird how it comes and goes. Normally lasting a few weeks.
We were going to start hiking in the National Forest Aaron works for every Sunday afternoon, but the last 2 weeks the ground has been covered in snow. Maybe this Sunday it will be sunny. I am ready to be outside.
We are right where we need to be for school days this year. Since Christmas normally marks the halfway part. Actually, there are usually more days in the Spring semester, but we are a little more than halfway done. We were able to get some school days in during all the snow. Where the school system shut downs, we can go strong.
We are on a tight budget until the babies get home. I pray that with me working 40 hours a week. Squeezing 12 hours in on Sat. 4 hours on Sunday, then 3-11 or 7-11p shifts in the rest of the week, we can have a normal school day and I can get all my hours in. My goal is to get as much money into savings as possible. I project we will be paying back up to $35,000 in loans for the next 15 months. That estimate includes guessing how much travel will cost.
Once we get our taxes back in 2012, we that will help tremendously, but until then we will be paying lots of different payments. Well worth it, but it will take some planning on our part.
I did the budget for January, (with Aaron's approval), but underestimated how much we spend on gas. I did a tight budget for groceries for January too because we had a lot of frozen meat. We have a ton of frozen deer. So, we will be doing 2 deer meals a week to use it up.
Hopefully we will get a good tax return this year and all of that can go into savings. Once the babies get home, I hope to drop down to my minimum 32 hours a month and hopefully that will cover diapers for 2 and formula for one.
Still nervous about it but trusting God to work it out. Aaron is hoping to get some overtime in with fire, but there can be no burning when the ground is saturated. God always helps us through and I am sure He will again. It is kind of fun to try to stay in budget. Unfortunately, I only have about $50 budgeted for groceries for the rest of the month. EEK! It is kind of like a game. What meal can we make now? I have bought for this whole week, so I only have one more week to go. I actually took my lunch to work the last two days even though I can usually eat for less than $3.50 at work. It is a good thing I hate to shop.
I didn't think to put tennis shoes in the budget for this month and our miscellaneous is used up, so I am trying to hold off until Feb. to buy tennis shoes. Mine are in bad shape, but there is no sense in making a budget if you are going to break it. We have the money for them, but I will be sure and budget for them in Feb. Plus, I have a certain amount I want saved by the time we get the babies home and I want to put so much in savings each paycheck.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

CVS Deals

Exciting deals at CVS this today in 3 transactions:

Transaction 1
$20 6 12 packs of Pepsi Products (get $10 ECB)
$.95 Dawn 10 oz
____
$20.95
- $5 off transaction of $20 or more
-$1.59 ECB left over from last week
-$.25 coupon for Dawn
------
15.57 total spent including tax

Transaction 2
$4.99 Dayquil (get $1 ECB)
$2.99 Crest mouthwash 8.5 oz (get $2 ECB)
$1.79 Cereal
$1.79 Cereal
$1.79 Cereal
_______
$13.35
-$1.50 coupon for Dayquil
-$10 ECB that I earned buying the Pepsis in transaction 1
____
$3.05 Total spent on transaction 2 including tax

Transaction 3

$3.99 24 pack of water 16.9oz
-$1.00 earned in transaction 2 from buying Dayquil
-$2.00 earned in transaction 2 from buying Mouthwash
_____
$1.36 total spent on transaction 3 including tax

For a grand total of 19.98
6 12 packs of Pepsi
10 oz of Dawn dish detergent
3 boxes of Kellogs cereal
20 pack of Dayquil
8.5 oz Crest mouthwash
24 pack of water bottles

Friday, January 14, 2011

I DESPISE YOU SOY PROTEIN

The title of my post sums it up. I hate how food makers somehow sneak it into many foods and unsuspecting people like me eat it.
Lets go back to Thursday. I worked 7-3. Around 1:30 I felt awful in my abdomen. Achy and a little nauseated. I was very glad to get off work at 3pm because I thought I was getting the stomach virus. By 4 or so, I felt much better.
Then today, again, I worked until 3. Around 1:30, started feeling sick again, only this time worse, my back was aching so bad. Kind of like you have a fever and your joints ache, except this aches in my back and abdomen. By around 4:30, felt good enough to eat supper. I was commenting to Aaron that I must have gotten into soy protein somewhere, because this is the reaction I have when I eat it.
I blamed work because I ate breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria the last two days and ate the same thing both days. (even though I had eaten that food before in the cafeteria without problems.)
I ate a couple of cookies for dessert after supper and happened to look on the ingredient list and what do I see under "contains less than 2% of the following" You guessed it - my nemesis soy protein. I had eaten some of these cookies the last 3 nights.
I have avoided this vile product for almost 3 years. And then in an innocent cookie eating I have doomed myself to 2 or more weeks of abdominal aching at least once a day. I am so mad at myself for not checking before eating. The weird thing about this reaction is that it doesn't happen right after eating. This time, it was about 18 hours later. Normally it is at least 4-6 hours later. Which is why it took weeks, an abdominal CT (normal) an abdominal MRI(normal) and much misery back in 2006 to figure out what was making me so sick.
Bad thing is...I am working 12 hours tomorrow. Should I tell my supervisor to plan on me getting sick from 1:30-4:30 tomorrow? Have someone else cover for me while I waller in achy misery willing myself not to vomit for about 3hours.?
I took some pepto right after I realized my mistake tonight. It helps some when I am having the pain. Maybe it will coat enough that the soy protein won't be detected. I can only hope. Pray for me...

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

More Pictures

Today we got 15 more pictures of our boys. Sue from our agency was going to be there this month. We got a couple pictures of them together, but looks like Seth the older is a little squirmy and trying to crawl away the whole time. He is a cutie though. And Ethan, the one month old actually has his eyes open in the pictures. Yeah! Both look sweet and healthy. I am so glad and can't wait to hold them. I pray for them every day and it is hard to wrap your mind around the fact that Lord willing - these will be our children in less than 5 months. I try not to think of all the time with them we are missing, but looking at the other side that we are getting them young and we hopefully have a lifetime ahead of us.
This may seem a little graphic, but I don't think Natalie will be too embarrased by this. She is 8 1/2 and when we went to the dentist last year, he was worried that her 6 year molars weren't in at all. So, when she was 8 and they still hadn't shown, (they looked good in the xrays) he decided to remove the skin above all of her molars to see if that would help. He looks to be in his mid to late 60s, and he says she has him stumped and he can't figure out what the problem is. He figures it must be hereditary. (Hannah is 6 and hers have yet to show signs of emerging too)We did the skin removing in two steps and she did real well. Went for a follow up and they had emerged some, but not as much as he would have liked. So about 2 months ago, they put what looked like tiny braces rubber bands as spacers, hoping to keep the other neighboring teeth out of the way of the molars coming in. So, after the followup today, she has to keep the spacers in for another 4 weeks. Poor girl, hasn't been able to chew gum or eat chewy candy. She has a bag of candy saved for a long time and even took 4 pieces of candy with her today to eat on the way home, since she has been saving it up for 2 months. Still can't have them.
I would not have braved the 2 miles of ice to get to the main road and would have cancelled, so Aaron decided to take her for me. Her appointment was at 9am. They got there around 8:45. At 10:15, the dentist still wasn't there. He finally showed and they got home around lunchtime. By that point, his work had called and told him not to come in, it was too icy there.
Aaron is taking me to work and the girls to mom's in the morning before going to work. I get off at 3, but Aaron won't be able to pick me up until 5 or so, so I may either offer to stay until 7 or Mom might brave the roads to pick me up at 3. From what Aaron says, it isn't bad at all in town. Really, only our road was the only bad one he drove on. Hope we make it to work ok in the morning.
Girls sledded off and on today. I sledded a few times the first few days, but it is so cold and then you get wet and it is miserable. Plus, the sledding hill is so fast now, the kids actuallygo airborne over some of the bumps. When I went Monday night I could already tell a difference and it beat your rear to death on the way down on the bumps. Tonight Aaron went out with them and helped make a new one that is longer, not quite as speedy and packed down and you don't end up in brush and small trees.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Sledding

We ended up getting 7 inches of snow starting Sunday night. We had 2 1/2 Sunday night around 9:30 and were out there sledding while it was still snowing. Aaron stayed home from work on Monday and we had a great day sledding, school, sledding, playing card games and more sledding.
Aaron stayed home today also. Monday they called me from work to tell me I could come and spend the night if I needed to (thanks) so I could work Tuesday. I told them I couldn't leave to come spend the night and they said they would send someone to get me Tuesday morning. I agreed to that and the man from EMA services called me last night for directions. He told me to be ready by 6am. I have to be at work by 6:45. So I was ready at 5:45 watching out the window. He showed up at 7am. He did call at 6:15 to let me know he would be late. Got to work around 7:15. He was going to take me home at 3, but Aaron ended up using the jeep and picking me up and picking up some stuff at the store. The last 2 miles of our trip home on the gravel road is pretty much packed down snow that is almost to the point of ice.
It is supposed to be in the teens tonight, so the road will definately be iced over tomorrow. Aaron is planning to take Natalie to the dentist for me, then go into work (maybe). I figure there will be more sledding tomorrow.
No adoption news. Hoping for more photos at some point. Our agency rep said it would probably be next month before they assigned us a court date.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Waiting for the Snow

Waiting for the 6-8 inches of snow that is supposed to fall over the next few days. It has gotten a lot cloudier in the last few hours. Aaron and the girls are outside in the front yard. He started a small fire out there, but to me it is too cold even if there is a fire. It is around 30 or less right now.
I worked 12 hours yesterday and was worried because I was supposed to work 7-11 tonight. Thankfully, the supervisor knew I was worried about having to drive to and from work in the dark with the snow so she went ahead and told me that they would call me in if they had to, but felt like they would not need me tonight unless there was a disaster.
Oh, this is so neat. I was reading the blog at www.Ordinaryhero.org Don't know the whole connection, but if you will go and read, I believe it was 12/31 post, where she talks about her trip to Ethiopia and posts lots of pictures...well there is a picture of our baby's feet. She was there the same time with our agency lady and I don't know if they traveled together, but the same exact picture is one that our agency had sent us. I emailed her to let her know that we were adopting that baby and to ask if she met our other baby too while she was there....She didn't recognize names, but I sent her pictures of both of them and she sent me another one back, which was the one we got for our referral. So neat to hear from someone else who has seen them. I think she is from Nashville. Sometime while we are up there visiting family, maybe we can take the boys to see her.
Our church already cancelled services for tonight, so we will not be leaving the house today. I decided to go ahead and get a school day in today. Trying to get as many in as possible before the babies come home. Hopefully we will be very close to being done with the year when we get them.
I can't wait. I was on Mom's fast computer this morning watching adoption videos that families have made. Made me cry...soon I pray I will be one of those moms who meets her new children.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Fingerprints again, Old Photos, Deer in the headlight and coop.

Tomorrow morning, Aaron and I have to drive 1 1/2 hours away to have our fingerprints done at 9am. The girls are spending the night with mom so they can avoid the 3 hour drive. This is for USCIS.
I worked 7-9:30 last night. I was able to go home early since I had to be back at 7:15 this morning for a staff meeting. I had to take the girls and they were able to sit in the ICU employee break room, watch tv and color ( I wanted them locked behind doors instead of in a regular waiting room for their protection, not so they wouldn't wander off) during the 1 hour and 45 min. meeting. I was so proud of them. I called the nurse in ICU at one point to make sure they weren't being wild (there was a swivel chair in there, and that always spells disaster). She said that you wouldn't even know they were in there and that a few employees had walked through and would come out shocked and ask her if she knew there were 3 kids in the breakroom. Such good girls!
We stopped by the post office and mailed a photo album to an old roommate of mine from college. 5 of us girls lived in a house together and she moved out and left her baby photo album 15 years ago. When I moved out, I found it and have kept it with me all these years. Through the 4 states we have lived in. I happened to find her on facebook last week and told her I had something of hers. She knew exactly what it was and should be reuniting with it by the end of the week.
Came home and the rain and humidity made it look like our house was in a cloud. It is sooo foggy out. Can hardly see 10 ft in front of you when you drive.
Oh and a first for me today. On our way to the meeting at 6:45 this morning, about a mile from our house, I hit a deer. I wasn't going fast, thank goodness. It was so quick. We often see them standing on the side of the road and usually stop until the deer runs off into the woods because often, they cross the road right in front of you. But suddenly, it was right beside the front of my side of the car and the next second I hit it with the front corner of the passenger side of the car. Didn't hurt the car. I felt awful because the poor thing looked like it was having a seizure on the side of the road. I was going to drive down the road and hopefully find a hunter who would kill it and put it out of it's misery. This is normally the time of morning when all the hunters are getting out of their vehicles putting on their camo and gear. But, the deer finally went limp and laid down. I was happy that it died quickly, I couldn't stand the thought of it suffering....... then a few seconds later, it's head popped up, he looked around, stood up and limped into the forest. Hope it is just bruised. That is what I am going to tell myself. I did say a prayer for it and before you think I am against killing animals...I do have a deep freeze full of deer meat. I just don't like to watch the suffering.
Friday coop starts this Friday. UGH! I love coop, but I regret signing up to teach this year. I am teaching Alabama History and The Dave Ramsey course for teenagers, which is really easy. And normally, I realize it isn't all that bad after I teach, but I am terrible at it. But I keep telling myself, it is only 16 or so more Fridays and next year I will be too busy (Lord willing) keeping up with 2 babies during coop and I will NOT be teaching anything. Perhaps helping, or sitting in, but it weighs on me to teach it. I struggle with the AL history. It's not the kids, they are all real nice and mostly attentive. I don't know. Anyway, I would love to work every other Friday and let Mom and Aaron alternate taking them to coop, but alas, I can't back out of teaching, or at least I won't.

Monday, January 3, 2011

I LOVE CVS and ECBs

We are REALLY having to budget this next year. So, I went to CVS this afternoon and got some great deals. I forgot my $5 off next purchase of $20 or more, but when I got there I was able to print off a $3 off next purchase of $15 and my $3.00 Extra Care Bucks (ECB).
This is what I got with my first order

$2 3 packs of Extra Gum for (Madelyn is paying me back for these)
$5 8 pack of Sparkle paper towels
$9.99 24 double roll pack of Angel Soft toilet paper
$9.99 24 double roll pack of Angel Soft toilet paper
$1.89 Tax
------
$28.87
- 3.00ECB
- 3.oo off next $15 order
---------
$22.87 total
With this order I gained the $10 ECB when you buy $25 worth of the Sparkle and Angel Soft in the Sunday ads
Also gained$1 ECB when you buy 3 packs of Extra Gum

I then checked out again, this is what I bought with my 2nd order

$10 3 12 packs of Pepsi products
$.69 VO5 15 oz shampoo
$.69 VO5 15oz conditioner
$.69 VO5 15 oz conditioner
$.69 VO5 15oz conditioner
$1.15 tax
------
$13.91 total
-10ECB
-1ECB
-------
$2.91 total

So for both orders I got all of this stuff for only $25.78!
If I had just walked in and bought this stuff without it being on sale or using my ECB it would have cost around $55.84. If I had manufacturers coupons from newspapers or computer I would have saved more, but couldn't find any in the Sunday paper the last 4 weeks and with dialup computer it is hard to get stuff to load. Now we will be stocked for TP and Paper towels at least until next month. It was awesome to whip out my debit card and pay 2.91 for all those cokes and VO5.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Waterfalls



















I didn't have to work today, so Aaron, Madelyn, and I went searching for waterfalls in the forest. It rained 3 inches last night, so the rivers were up and the waterfalls were more than usual trickles. Natalie and Hannah are in TN at the grandparents