The Other Side of the Fence

In my support group www.2ofus4now.org we have been talking about adoption or infertility artwork we would like to see produced. That got me thinking that I would like something to hang in my home. To the internet I go.....
My findings were very disapointing. Not only did I not find any artwork, but all the search results that came up were very negative towards adoption. These websites went on and on about the lies that birthmothers are told and how we decieve them. I was shocked. Now I understand that placing a child for adoption will be the hardest experience a girl/woman could ever go through, but I have to disagree with these websites!
When we first started learning about open adoption one of the first things we were told was don't promise more than you can give because if a birthmom has a bad experience she will tell others and then they may choose to raise their baby themselves.
That is something I still struggle with. Really who am I to say that Josh and I would be better parents than someone else. We don't know that. What we do know is that our hearts ache to become parents. We want to have a family and raise a child as our own. We don't care that we can't have a child of our own. We are extatic to adopt. But it still bothers me when I see girls choose single parenting. Maybe they aren't bad parents, but maybe things could be better. Do you know what part of us adopting bothers me the most? For 6 months that child will only be ours for our earthly lives. We can't be sealed in the temple until the adoption is finalized and state requirement is 6 months. I can only imagine that my thought will always be chaotic. What if something happens? What if our baby or one of us dies? We won't be a forever family! Those thoughts haunt me!
I'm sure that every case is different. And I know some girls do have bad experiences when they place their baby. I'm sorry. I hope we can be better than that. These girls goes through Hell. I don't want to make it any worse for them.
FYI - our thoughts on open adoption right now are:
We want to meet the birthmom before the birth and get to know her.
We want to exchange gifts at the 1st meeting at and placement of the baby. We have actually already bought a few things we felt inspired to get.
After placement we want to exchange pictures and letters. That shouldn't be a problem knowing how much I love to take pictures! The whole reason for this blogsite was so it would be easier to share pictures and info.
After that we are a little unsure so we have said we will be open to other options as time passes. It is easier to give a little at a time rather than to give it all and then try to take it back if things don't work well.
We are considering visits after placement, but preferably in a public place.
We have seen several families do open adoption and it is a wonderful situation. We know it is the right things. Birthmoms shouldn't have to wonder what happened to their child. They will always have an attachment and they will always remember their baby. And those children will want to know someday about their birthmom. We have no secrets to hide. Adoption is a beautiful thing, but it is also a very painful thing.

Creepy Snippets

If you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved on watching over you.

Worldwide, bats are vital natural enemies of night-flying insects.

The common little brown bat of North America has the longest life span for a mammal it's size, with a life span averaging 32 years.

In about 1 in 4 autopsies, a major disease is discovered that was previously undetected.

The Ouija Board ended up outselling the game of Monopoly in its first full year at Salem. Over two million copies of the Ouija Board were shipped.

Halloween dinner

Here is some pictures from my 3rd annual Halloween dinner!

Witch hats filled with Chocolate pudding. I wanted to use chocolate cones, but I couldn't find them. Curse living in a small town when I need special foods for cooking!

This is my cousin Krista. She couldn't wait for dessert!

This is my nephew Preston. He loves spaghetti.

This is my cousing Konner.

This is Josh's Grandpa and his cousin Kyle.
This is my sister in-law holding Kaitlyn. She and Konner are twins.

This is Kynlee & Krista with their mom and Grandma. - Did you catch all the "K's?" The family is Kyle Don, Krista Dawn, Kynlee Diane, Konner Dean, and Kaitlyn Deann. Say that 3 times fast!

Krista loves to have her picture taken.

Yay - I got the Edward pumpkin. He has fangs! We had "Worms for Brains". That is spaghetti in orange peppers carved into pumpkins. Then we had broomsticks (breadsticks). We also had witches brew punch - it was orange. Dessert was the witches hats. We had a ton of fun.

Spider Pops

My mom found these for me. Aren't they cute? I wish I had time to make them, but I don't know. Maybe I'll have to make them next year (along with those ghosts I posted earlier).

Materials

4 black pipe cleaners

Lollipop

Googly eyes

Glue

Holding all four pipe cleaners, center them at the base of the opo and wrap them around the stick once so there are four legs on each side. Bend the legs. Glue on googly eyes. Not, is it a trick--or a treat?

Just Being Lazy

Aunt Maxine went through the temple today

Josh's aunt Maxine went through the temple today. It was such a great experience. She was sealed to her parents and to her husband and also her son. Newell (her husband) passed away two years ago so it was a bittersweet experience.

Top 10 Most Disgusting Treats...

On Halloween night, some houses struggle with the idea of candy. There are good houses, and there are bad houses. The best trick-or-treaters know to avoid the latter. At the food site Serious Eats, we all love Halloween, but wish certain homes would just stop handing out the classically bad "treats." They weren't good last year, the year before that, or now. Our own Erin Zimmer put together this list of our top 10 Halloween treats that nobody wants...

Toothbrushes Dentists and orthodontists should not be allowed to celebrate Halloween if they're going to get all tooth doctory on us. Do not bring your work home with you, folks! We all have a personal responsibility to brush, and maybe some of us will forget, but your complimentary bristles on a stick (instead of a Snickers) will not help us remember. It will make us despise you and your trade.

Raisins Little boxes of stuck-together shriveled globs are not what little kids schlep around the neighborhood for all night. When they say trick-or-treat, they want candy that will rot their teeth, not wrinkled grapes. (Using an empty box as a kazoo-like instrument, though, is kinda fun.)

Candy Corn The most polarizing candy of all. The fruitcake of Halloween; it just never goes away. If you love them, fine. But don't subject the rest of us haters to the sickeningly sweet triangle that tastes like neither candy nor corn.

Smarties and Necco Wafers These chalky candies are supposedly "fruit-flavored," but no fruit I know tastes like dust -- and makes everything eaten after taste like dust, too.

Dum Dum Lollipops Usually, foods on a stick are yummy (corn dogs, ice pops), but Dum Dums just can't be included on that list. Not even if they were breaded and deep-fried and served at a fair.

Apples Long before "poisoned candy" scares, evil people were handing out apples instead of candy on Halloween. This disappointing "treat" is the main reason to avoid unwrapped food while trick-or-treating.

Tootsie Rolls It looks like chocolate and sort of smells like chocolate, but the mini brown tubes are not real chocolate. They taste like watered-down chocolate, and have a chewy texture that will strip the fillings right off your molars.

Miscellaneous, Wrapped Hard Candies Halloween is supposed to be a holiday for young people, not senior citizens who suck on hard candies all day. Something about the strawberry-shaped strawberries, gold-wrapped butterscotch, and peppermint feels past the expiration date. (These usually get set aside for Granny.)

Laffy Taffy I do not laffy when I get these. I sobby. I get depressedy. Because it gets all stucky to my teethy and doesn't even taste that goody.

Anything Fun-Sized Who started calling it this? Since when is one bite fun?! Give us the rich houses with the sprawling driveways and full-sized candy bars any day. Portion control doesn't need to start this young.

13 Not-So-Scary Movies for Halloween

*The Adventures of Icabod & Mr. Toad

*Casper

*Corpse Bride

*Ghostbusters

*The Halloween Tree

*It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

*Mad Monster Party

*Mickey's House of Villains

*Monsters Inc.

*The Nightmare Before Christmas

*Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie

*Scooby-Doo

*Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Necklaces

Tonight was Home Enrichment. I missed the first half because I was at my scrapbook group. They made memory boards, but I didn't do that. I bought one yesterday that is being custom made for us. I think it will be awesome. Also tonight they did Crockpot cooking. One lady gave a ton of tips, but I was only half paying attention becuase I was busy visiting and making necklaces. It was so much fun!

I Heart Your Blog!

YAY - my blog is starting to get some attention. Before when I have done these tags, it was because someone "tagged whoever hadn't done this," but this time I was mentioned by name by Michelle at http://www.inpursuitofparenthood.com/. Thanks Michelle! She has the coolest blog and can always express my feelings about infertility. I Heart your blog too!
Now, the way this works, is I answer the following questions with single word responses, and pass the award on to 7 other bloggers: 1. Where is your cell phone? Charger
2. Where is your significant other? Driving
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? Busy
5. Your father? Humerous
6. Your favorite thing? Books
7. Your dream last night? Pleasant
8. Your dream/goal? Parenthood
9. The room you're in? Kitchen
10. Your hobby? Scrapbooking
11. Your fear? Lonelyness
12. Where do you want to be in six years? Idaho
13. Where were you last night? Church
14. What you're not? Mommy
15. One of your wish list items? Baby
16. Where you grew up? Roosevelt
17. The last thing you did? Crafts
18. What are you wearing? PJ's
19. Your T.V.? Off
20. Your pet? Zipper
21. Your computer? Slow
22. Your mood? Sleepy
23. Missing someone? Yes!
24. Your car? Focus
25. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
26. Favorite store? Dressbarn
27. Your Summer? Short
28. Love someone? Josh
29. Your favorite color? Pink
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday
Now, I'd like to pass this award to 7 bloggers who I love to always hear from.
http://4brothers1mother.blogspot.com/
http://inkysmiles.blogspot.com/
http://gotters.blogspot.com/
http://desisays.blogspot.com/http://theroadtoparenthood.blogspot.com/
http://mytewfamily.blogspot.com/
http://jte-theevans.blogspot.com/
http://howtoraiseadoginloveandrighteousness.blogspot.com/

4 Tricks to Treat Halloween Candy Concerns

I found these tips while looking around on the internet. I thought they were pretty good. I think Josh needs this list....

Halloween is fast approaching and, as many parents know, this is one of kids' favorite holidays. Why wouldn't it be? Dressing in costumes is a wonderful form of play... and there are sweets involved! The candy collection and consumption of trick-or-treating is what drives kids to worship this holiday. Unfortunately, it's also one of parents' main worries. Here are 4 tried and true ways to handle your concerns about candy consumption...

Make it Last

Better not to rain on their parade by letting concern for candy binging distract from kids' fun. Parents can, however, help their children take stock of their inventory and encourage them to consume less by explaining it will make their bounty last longer.

Encourage Sharing

Encourage kids to share with people they care about such as a relative or favorite teacher. Creating small gifts of candy in plastic wrap tied together with ribbon and a small note. Sometimes it is little gestures that make the most impact on a child.

Focus on Safety

Channel nutritional concerns into attention on safety issues. Make sure costumes are injury-free and on Halloween night keep tabs on the whereabouts of your child.

Fuel-Up Beforehand

Take some attention away from the candy with a good, hearty meal before venturing out to trick-or-treat. Make it fun with a quick easy pumpkin soup. Serve it with their favorite sandwich cut into ghost or pumpkin shapes using cookie cutters. This will get a festive evening off and running! Remember, this is their holiday. Help them build positive memories that will last a lifetime

It made me cry...

I was at a boutique today and I found a plaque that made me cry. It says

"Everday Holds The Possibility...

Of A Miracle."

I bought two! One for us and one for our future birthmother for when we finally meet her. I might use it as a placement gift. I also have a Willow Tree figurine I plan to give her. Oh, and before you ask, no we don't know who she is yet. But we love her already and pray for her daily.

Random Thoughts

Wow, I have a lot on my mind right now!

First - I am sore! I started taking dance class a few weeks ago. We've been doing tap class for 30 minutes, but last night we decided to also do 30 minutes of jazz dance. It is fun, but my legs are stiff today. I'm not very good at dancing, but I am having a great time.

Second - Our adoption website is coming along. I have abandoned the old website for now so I can concentrate on the new. I still can't completely figure out how to upload my pictures on the old website. I think they are there, but I also think they will show up thumbnail size. The new website finally has a sample page we can view so I can get a better idea of what needs done. I still need more pictures of us! This weekend we went to Grandpa's to take pictures in his leaf pile, but his tree hasn't even changed colors yet! Maybe next weekend...

Third- My Halloween dinner is this weekend. I think I finally have a menu planned out. I still need to decide on a drink and pick a dessert out of the many I marked.

Fourth - This is my biggest thought right now. On Sunday I was released from the Relief Society. I had only been in there for a year, but the rest of the presidency had been in for a few years so it was time for a change. I was so nervous when I was put in the Relief Society, but I loved it so much. I don't want a different calling. I love interacting with the ladies. I had always been in Primary before that. I do know which calling I DO NOT WANT! Please, please, PLEASE, don't call me to YW's. I know, of course that is what I probably will get; there is an opening there right now. They pulled someone from their to fill my spot.

Candy Corn

It's no secret that candy corn's fave time of year is Halloween, right? Why? Well, mostly because of the totally Halloweenie colors! The orange, yellow and white colors totally scream Halloween to me! About 20 million pounds of candy corn will be sold this Halloween. That's totally over 8 billion individual pieces of corn! That's a ton of candy! Sheesh!
The actual ingredients of candy corn involves corn syrup, sugar and water, but the Goelitz people add a bit of a special marshmallow ingredient to give their candy corn a truly "gourmet" taste. The corn starch is poured into a tray, and then they mold it into the shape of the corn kernel. After that, they fill the shape up, one squirt of color at a time. The candy is then aged for a couple of days, and then it's separated from the corn starch. After that, the candy is dumped into a huge mixer, and bee's wax and candy glaze are added to the mix. This polishes the candy corn up with a great, sweet taste. After that, the candy corn is put on an assembly line and is picked over to make sure only the most perfect kernels get packaged up for sale.
The best candy corn is super-sweet tasting and has an almost vanilla flavor. It should be nice and soft when you bite it, and it should be totally fresh. If you see a bag of candy corn on the shelf that looks like it's from last year, odds are it'll taste like it's from last year, too!
So, this Halloween, if you get a bunch of candy corn in your trick-or-treat bag, you'll totally know something about where it comes from! Don't get a tummy ache from all that snacking!

Cranberry Cheese Spread

Okay, I'm not excatly sure what is Halloween about this appetizer, but it was in my Halloween Taste of Home Magazine and it was so yummy! I didn't spread mine over an entire plate like they did in the picture. Instead I made up the mixture and let it set up in a bowl. Then I transfered it to a plate. It came out in an almost perfect shape. For crackers I had multi grain wheat thins and another multi grain cracker. I thought they would be better than a salty type cracker.

Cranberry Cheese Spread

Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (16 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Assorted crackers
Directions: In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, honey and cinnamon until smooth. Spread onto a serving dish or plate. In a small bowl, stir cranberry sauce until it reaches spreading consistency; spread over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with almonds. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Serve with crackers. Yield: 12-14 servings.

Funny Bone 4!

Funny Bone!
* Why did Dracula take cold medicine? To stop his coffin.
* How does a witch tell time? She looks at her witch-watch.
* What’s the best place for a haunted house? On a dead-end street.
* Who did the zombie invite to the party? Anyone he could dig up.
* What do you call serious rocks? Grave stones.
* What did the waitress ask Dracula? “How do you like your stake?”
* What is the favorite game of ghost children? Hide & shriek.
* Why are monsters good at playing hockey? They score lots of ghouls.
* Where do mummies go to swim? The Dead Sea.
* What kind of music do ghosts prefer? Spirituals, of course.
* What do you get when you drop a pumpkin? Squash
* “Mommy, Mommy! All the kids call me a werewolf!” “Never mind, dear. Now go comb your feet.”
* What is a mummy’s favorite music? Ragtime.
* Why should skeletons drink 10 glasses of milk per day? It’s good for their bones.

Funny Bone 3!

Funny Bone 3!
* What kind of coffee does Dracula like? De-coffin-ated.
* What should a mummy do when he’s stressed? Unwind.
* How many vampires does it take to change a light bulb? None. They like the dark.
* What do ghosts eat with meatballs? SPOOK-etti.
* Why did the witches cancel the baseball game? The bats flew away.
* Where do ghosts go fishing? On Lake EERIE.
* What did the witch mommy say to her screaming child? “Don’t fly off the handle.”
* Why do vampires need mouthwash? They have bat breath.
* What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman? Frostbite.
* What is Dracula’s favorite ice cream? VEIN-illa.
* Where do baby ghosts go during the day? Day-SCARE centers.
* What do monsters like to see at the theater? Romeo and GHOUL-iet.
* How do ghosts like their coffee? With scream and sugar.
* What kind of makeup do witches wear? Ma-SCARE-a.

Scentsy Party

My party was so much fun! I forgot to take pitcutres, but I did get a few at the end. And I did take one of the food before we started into it. It was so good! My favorite was the cranberry cheese spread with crackers. The fudge was way good too.

Apple Dip w/ crisps, Couldrin Dip with Peppers, Halloween Fudge, Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip with Crackers.
Melanie trying the Magic Potion Punch.
Barbara & Misty talking about Dallon (he's halfway through his mission!).
Preston playing with the Halloween chicken.

Funny Bone 2

* Why was the skeleton afraid to cross the road? It didn’t have the guts.

* What does a ghost get when he falls and scrapes his knee? A boo-boo.

* What do you get when you divide the circumference of a jack-o’-lantern by its diameter? Pumpkin pi.

* Where do fashionable ghosts shop for their clothes? BOO-tiques.

* What do mummy children call their parents? Mummy and Deady.

* What is a witch’s favorite subject in school? Spelling.

* What is a baby ghost’s favorite game? Peek-a-BOO.

* How can you predict the future on Halloween? Read the horror-scope.

* What kind of music do mummies listen to? Wrap.

* Did you hear about the skeleton that couldn’t go to the party? He had no body to go with.

* What kind of mistakes do ghosts make? BOO-BOO’s.

* Why was the vampire race a tie? They were neck and neck.

* How do you make a skeleton laugh? Tickle his funny bone.

* What did the monster eat when he went to the dentist? The dentist.

* Who goes to a vampire family reunion? All the blood relatives.

New Family Picture

We just had our family picture taken and I think it is the best professional picture we have ever done. I have one at work and several people have told me how nice it looks. One lady actually called my husband gorgeous! I had to agree, but I tend to lean more towards sexy myself.