Basement Update

Before:

After:



Before:


After:



Looking good. Now let's rent this bad boy out!
Mama needs some rental income!

Dining Al Fresco

We dined al fresco tonight! I love my new deck. Now all I need is some nice furniture and an umbrella. And a beautifully landscaped yard. Maybe next summer!




All done!

After dinner we went down to my embarrassingly dry and neglected yard. I haven't watered it once this year and it has been extremely hot. Not that there is much grass there anyways, mostly weeds, but even the weeds are dry and stiff and dead. Naomi doesn't have sensory issues, but she walked in the 'grass' and said "Owie!" LOL



We played in the weeds and then we had Popsicles.

Cleaning the Closet

Oh my poor house. It wishes it were clean.
So do I. I just can not keep up.
Case in point: this was my closet.


Something had to be done.

It was totally out of control but it's SO hard to get anything done with the new resident who moved in last month. But desperate times called for desperate measures so I tackled it.

It took awhile because in between someone was very, very busy entertaining herself :)


She got in a box.


She put some of my shoes in the box with her.


She got out of the box and carried it with her into another room.


She came back and tried on shoes.


And hats.

She pretended different things were phones.




And the she put on a scarf and walked in another room.


And took it off and got in another box.


I kept an eye on her but still eventually got it done!

Here's the after.


Ahhhhh.

Maybe tomorrow I can tackle another room!

WOW!!!

I have never seen so much snow in all my life! This is the craziest, snowiest, most unpredictable, most unusual, most unDC-like weather ever! It's unbelievable! It's crazy to think that I shoveled my walk and cleaned off my car yesterday--it had NO SNOW on it-- and spent a long time shoveling out my parking space and now it looks like this!!!

Of course, now I am completely second guessing my decision to not stay in that rediculously long line at the grocery store yesterday to buy more food. I swear the line stretched all the way back from the registers to the back of the store and then crossed the store perpendicularly and went almost all the way to the other side. There must have been at least 50 people in line! I just did not have the patience and my cabinets are full of food so there was no need. If I was snowed in til May I wouldn't starve. I just wanted what I wanted (cookie making ingredients, wine, ice cream.. no wonder I'm not losing any weight!)

So, I am without Toll House cookie making ingredients but I am nice and cozy inside while the wind whips about my windows. It's scary, to be honest with you. I am so grateful for this warm house. It sure is cozy in here with my tea (seen here in my favorite "COCOA" mug I made)

but I wouldn't be surprised if we lost power. I had read that the weight of the snow was making peoples awnings and roofs collapse. That is a very scary prospect. I cleaned off my awning as best I could yesterday and this morning I thought about the skylight in my bathroom. I pulled it open to clean off the snow that had accumulated. Look at all this!

I need to do that every hour. So, yes, I am off work for the rest of the week with loads of time to work on the nursery and prepare for my daughter's arrival but it won't be as relaxing as I had anticipated.

It's whiteout conditions out there. Our second blizzard in a week! I will never forget this winter, hence one of the names I gave my daughter: Naomi Winter Almaz.

Crafting and Cookies Make Everything All Better

I had a lovely day today! I woke up early and looked at craft blogs. I got some creative ways to decorate my house for the holidays... which will last through January over here since I am getting such a late start.


Then I got to the thrift store just when it opened and picked up some great Xmas gifts! I am so excited to give them because they are really, really nice and oh, so economical!

Then I got a wonderful massage.

Now I am about to bake cookies (...yeah, i ate all the ones I baked earlier in the week! lol) and get ready to do some cool crafts. Look at these awesome snowflakes I found on Crafty nest!



They are made out of Popsicle sticks! So easy and so simple yet elegant. Love them! I also love this idea which I saw on Little Big Nest:



How cute is that?! I think I have a stick in my backyard I can use and I bought some mini ornaments today at the thrift store for $.90!

Ok, gotta run! Cookies and crafting are calling my name! I'll post photos of the results!

Thank You Party

There is no way I could have lasted throughout this whole process without the support of my friends and family. I have leaned on them in so many ways, so many times, and they have been there for me...for over two years! They have lifted me up with encouraging words, they have listened to when I bitched and moaned lamented and allowed me to cry on their shoulder. They have given donations, spent time at my yard sale, wrote letters, sent me books and cards, gave me bits of wisdom and advice... and most of all encouragement and prayer. It has been a challenging 2+ years and I am so grateful for all of them.

To thank them, I threw a little party in their honor. It turned out so nice! Everyone mingled and enjoyed chatting over the mulled cider--my winter specialty drink! I got several similar comments that evening: One was how nice my home looked which is so nice to hear cause I have a love/hate relationship with this money pit - lol. Another comment was how relaxed and happy I seemed. This really meant a lot to me as well as I have not felt relaxed nor happy very often lately. I am usually too stressed out to feel that way, but on Saturday night I really felt happier than I have in a very long time. Being surrounded by loving, caring people who only want the best for me and knowing in my heart that I will soon be a mother to a beautiful Ethiopian girl bring me a lot of joy.

Towards the end of the night I asked for everyone's attention and we all gathered in my kitchen. I went around the room, introduced all the guests, and shared how they had come into my life. Some of my friends I have known for decades and others a relatively short time, but each guest was supportive at some point, in their own way, and I really wanted them all to know how very much appreciated they all are. After going around the room and sharing how each person contributed to the process I dropped the news that I had gotten a referral. The room erupted into cheers! What a memorable evening.

Coming Out From Under the Fog

Thank you for your supportive comments. It's been a rough week. November is here and with it comes the start of the holiday season and the reminder that once again I will be celebrating without my own family.

Growing up, my family made a big deal out of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Family traditions were repeated year after year. Like many families, it's a special time of year. I have yearned for the day when I can share our traditions and create new ones with a husband and children. For years I have yearned for the day when I can decorate my home with symbols of the season, host Thanksgiving dinner and prepare elaborate holiday meals and treats. For years I have wanted to be the couple who threw festive dinner parties and cocktail parties. For years I have dreamed of the day when I can make gingerbread houses and Christmas cut out cookies with my kids, go caroling, choose a special gift for my husband and help my children wrap gifts over mugs of hot cocoa. I have dreamed of putting out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer and seeing my child in the Christmas pageant... I could go on and on. Somewhere along the way I thought the Norman Rockwell vision of the holidays was meant for me. Trust me, being in your 40's and going home for Thanksgiving and Christmas alone is so not Norman Rockwell. Sure, I have a wonderful family who loves me and welcomes me into their homes and hearts despite my whining, negative attitude, constant complaining and feeling sorry for myself. Of course I am not like this all the time and I am sure someone will comment about how ungrateful and self-absorbed I am in this post. And it's true. I am. But I am tired of going through the holidays as an adult without a husband and children. I was 100% sure that this year would be different, but as it turns out I am going to have to face these holidays again with a smile even as I see childhood friends with their husbands and children and as I field questions and comments from friends and family about why I am still not married. Blah.

Don't get me wrong, I know I am blessed. Not every family with spouses and or children is a happy one. Not everyone even has a place to go on the holidays. I am healthy, I have a job, I have friends. But, as as the days inch ever closer to Thanksgiving and then to Christmas, it is a reminder of the things that I don't have, the things that I want more than anything else in the world. I wanted so badly to be able to celebrate my daughter's safe arrival with my parents this holiday season. It brings me to tears to wonder if they may miss the opportunity to ever do this.

Gosh, this is a depressing post. I guess I am still reeling and all emotionally out of wack by the events of this afternoon. I was at work, eating lunch in my classroom and randomly decided to check my phone messages. I had two from ADT saying my alarm had gone off. Panicked, I called them back and they said that the police had responded and informed them that my basement door was open. I grabbed my things, tearfully told my vice principal I had to leave and sped home. I was so scared. I knew I could eventually replace the material items-not that I have much-but I couldn't wrap my mind around someone being in my home, going through my things...not to mention that very few of my photos are backed up (...guess I better add that to my overwhelming to do list...).

I arrived way before the police which annoyed me to no end but gave me quite a bit of time to calm down and put things into perspective. At least I wasn't home. No one is hurt. I can't imagine what kind of response I would have if this had happened when I was home asleep. Or if my girl was sleeping in the other room. Gosh, I don't even want to think about that. So, the police arrive and it turns out that one of them had responded to the call from ADT. She said that the basement door was open (which set off the alarm) but you couldn't gain access. She showed me that indeed it was open about an inch but because I had placed one of my dining room chairs under the doorknob the culprit wasn't able to gain access. I don't know if was the chair or the sound of the alarm, but this evening I am counting my blessings that nothing was taken and no one was is my home and no one was hurt. Praise God.

Seriously, Praise God.

Am I nervous to go to sleep alone tonight? You bet. Being single on days like this really f'n sucks. Damn if I don't want a strong burly man to hold me tight tonight. Instead, my mug of Earl Grey with cinnamon vanilla creamer will have to suffice. And tomorrow I will be adding more security measures to my home.

So, yeah, I am going to spend the holidays without my baby but there are much worse things in life. Am I sad about it? Absolutely. Will I be removing the baby seat from my car and putting it and all reminders of a baby in her room and shutting the door. Sure will. But I am not going to complain anymore. Instead, I am going to celebrate my single status, my freedom and make the best of this holiday season as I possibly can. I am going to decorate my home as if there was a child here to enjoy it. I am going to host dinner parties and cocktail parties. I am going to make gingerbread and Christmas cut out cookies. And I am going to thank God for what I do have and try to remain focused and faithful that this is all in His plan.

Busy, Busy!!

There is simply not enough time in the day. This weekend I felt like I worked on stuff non-stop and, as usual, I have barely scratched the surface. I had Friday off for our State teacher's association meeting so I was up by 6:00 and at Home Depot by 8am. My dishwasher died sometime last year and I have been managing without one. Since it's been just me and I don't entertain much and I am fine with seeing dishes sit for a day or two. OK, I am not fine with that but sometimes it happens cause I am too tired to do them and since it's just me and I rarely cook it's manageable. I know better than to think I can keep up this routine with two people in the house, though. I can't imagine being surrounded by my stuff plus bottles and/or sippy cups and all the other additional accumulated dishes for a couple of days. So, I trudged down to HD and bought a new dishwasher. The cheapest model. I hope it lasts a few years until I can afford a nicer one. I also bought a new toilet seat. Mine broke off the hinges and slipping off the toilet at the crack of dawn isn't fun, let me tell you. I know.. tmi. So, dishwasher and toilet seat. Necessities, yes, but damn I hate spending money on crap like that!

I left HD and headed to Target where I got a new shower curtain and one towel. I know, who buys one towel at a time? Me. Basically I'm too cheap/poor/frugal/practical to buy more when I have several perfectly good towels already. And I just spent a few hundred on a dishwasher :( But I wanted at least one that matched my new shower curtain so I bought one. I also picked up some cleaning supplies for my marathon cleaning session I had on tap for later in the day. After Target I went to pick up some children's clothing hangers someone was giving me for free (love Freecycle!) and peeked in Goodwill to see if there was anything interesting. Found two cute 2T dresses for $1 each!

Around 12 o'clock the heating company that I had hired came over to replace my thermostat which wasn't sending the signal to the boiler. I just bought it last year (the thermostat that is) but it's been temperamental. No heat in 40 degree weather is tolerable for me with a space heater and a down comforter but I knew I had to get it fixed before I come back from Ethiopia with a little one. Had to do it, but dang it if I hated writing that check, too! Unfortunately, I also learned that my hot water heater is the cause of the leak in my basement. Grrr... I saw there was leak a couple of months ago cause the carpet had mold on it, but I wasn't able to locate the source. Great. A new hot water heater will run me in the upper hundreds. Not to mention replacing the carpet. I wish someone had told me home ownership was one bill after another. I don't know if I would have bought a house. It's a freakin' money pit.

Later on in the afternoon I went to visit a daycare center recommended by a friend. It's not far from my house, the kids looked happy and well-cared for and it's *only* $250/week. I put my name on the waiting list. Right now the next projected infant opening isn't until May but as of now, it's my only option. I am having a really, really hard time trying to find affordable daycare or one with a space for an infant. Of course, it would be really helpful if I knew the age of my child. I tell them "probably an infant but she could be up to about 18 months." Seriously vague. It makes it hard to find a place when you can't even tell them if you will need an infant space or a toddler space. If I had options I could tell one place infant and another place toddler, but so far this is the only place I have found. The owner was pretty understanding about the situation though. For one, their infant room is for children from birth to 14 months and I think she will fall in that range. But she understood as her twin neices were adopted from Ethiopia. They are in kindergarten now but she was so excited to share her family's story. I will probably put my child there if a space opens up.

After the daycare visit, I went to the grocery store and came back home and cleaning, cooked and did laundry. A few hours later I plopped down for a movie and was asleep my 9:30.

Saturday was the marathon cleaning session. I cleaned for 5 or 6 hours straight! Excuse the poor camera phone quality, but seriously, check out my fridge:


It's sparkling clean. Makes me so happy! Can I just tell you, though, that it's completely exhausting doing everything by yourself. I tell myself that all this work and all the details in life need to be shared. One person shouldn't be expected to do it all alone. If I were married, my husband could take care of some things. If I were rich the housekeeper/personal assistant/chef/butler could take care of some things. The only other way to make my life easier is to move where life is less expensive (where I could afford to hire help on my small salary). I'm not sure what my life holds for next year (marriage, coming into some serious cash or moving) but I do know that something's gotta give. I think I'm tired now! I can only imagine how much more tired I will be as a new mom.

The heating man had to come back to finish up his work on Saturday and was here for a couple of hours. While he fixed my thermostat I cooked more food, cleaned, took out the trash, returned phone calls and did more laundry. Then I watched another movie and crashed.

Today, Sunday, I had five tasks on tap: go to church, register for a test required to teach English as a second language (trying to create options for next year), fold clothes, address fundraising letters and do some schoolwork. I haven't done any of them. I better get crackin' cause I am not going to bed without at least crossing one of those off the list. I'm going to start with addressing the fundraising letters. I can not believe I haven't sent them out yet! In it I ask for donations for my yardsale on October 31st and donations for the gift bags. Just with posting the letter on this blog and on Facebook I have gotten some donations already! I am so appreciative!! Thank you A1S for the granola bars! Anyone else who would like to donate for the gift bags still can. See sidebar for the address.

Now, off to address envelopes. And then maybe (if it's not too late) tackle this:


Man, I am so screwed when I have to take care of someone else. LOL

New Year, New Schedule

It feels like New Year's Eve. Well, New Year's Eve minus the champagne and great party. Tomorrow is my first day back to work and I have created a schedule for myself which kind of has a New Year's Resolutions feel. I am preparing for a fresh start and have a made some plans for what to eat, how to spend my time...basically how to proceed from this day forward.

By the end of the year I am going to be a mom and I have some things I want I need to put into place before that day arrives. On that list include things like losing weight, learning how to manage stress, getting organized, cooking, becoming more efficient with my time, etc.

I created a list on the right side of my blog of things I planned on taking care of this summer while I was off. I was able to accomplish some of them but I need to accomplish all of them before November. With a little less than 2 and a half months left, I needed to write down a schedule for myself so I don't waste time on being inefficient and distracted and lazy.

So here it is. My schedule. Don't laugh. Trust me, I need to schedule myself down to the half hour if I want to get it all done!

Monday - Thursday
5:00-7:00 workout
7:00-7:30 get ready for work
7:30-5:30 commuting to & from and working
5:30-6:30 cleaning & organizing
6:30-7:30 dinner
7:30-9:00 taks
9:00-9:30 get ready for bed
9:30 - bedtime

In the evenings from 7:30-9:00 if I finish up my tasks early I can watch TV, read, talk on the phone, blog, etc. Fridays are more relaxed. Still plan to workout in the a.m. but the evening is reserved for fun/dates. Weekends are for large projects like organizing my basement, decorating the nursery, menu planning, creative endeavors, church, etc. but also the main goal is to be able to relax on weekends and do what I want to do and not what I didn't get done during the week. I have already turned down three(!) invitations this week telling the people that Mon-Thurs really aren't good days for me--that I'm too busy--and all three agreed to postpone our get togethers until this weekend! Perhaps when I am in the swing I can carve out time during the week for dates/fun, but for now it's gotta be off limits.

I am going to ease into this schedule this week (it's after midnight and I am still up cause I am still on Pacific time and not tired!) but I plan to be in full swing by next Sunday. Wish me luck. It's going to be somewhat of a change from my current lifestyle but it will be good to get myself into a routine. On top of all of this, Mon-Thurs I am going to "eat clean" which basically means no sugar, no alcohol, no red meat, no sweets, no fried foods, no rice, no pasta, etc. I figure I can do that 4 days a week knowing that the next three are free days. Four days on and three days off. It's a schedule I think I can live with and it should get me organized, thinner and more relaxed and ready for my baby girl who is likely to arrive in three months!

Clothes Contest - update

Well, my first contest was fun! I got 7 comments and out of those seven no one guessed the exact number of dollars I spent on that huge pile of clothes. Maybe I wasn't being fair cause it was kind of a trick question... I spent $0 ~ someone gave them all to me for free! I went on Freecycle and asked if anyone had girl clothes up to size 2T and someone wrote me back saying she has twin girls and tons of clothes to give away. So I drove to her house and met her and her daughters; then she dragged this ginormous suitcase down the steps, unzipped it, and let me take whatever I wanted! It was amazing! I didn't pay a dime (well, except for the gas to get there) and she said we should keep in touch cause her twins will keep on growing! Since I don't have any nursery furniture yet, I hung up all the dresses in my closet and gosh if they don't look so darn cute hanging there.

Truth is, though, I need to stop buying clothes. I'm glad I've gotten some free stuff --or at least haven't paid too much money for clothes yet-- because I have no idea what age/size she will be at referral. For all I know I will get a referral of a toddler and most of these clothes will be too small! So, no more buying clothes for the rest of the summer. I am going to sit tight and wait to find out who she is first.

So Shawn, you didn't guess exactly correct but you were the closest to $0 with your guess of $10. If the blogging community doesn't mind, I will send her the gift or better yet meet her and bring it with me because she lives in my area. Congratulations to everyone for playing!

July Goals

It is July 1, 2009. I only have 6 weeks left of summer vacation. It's time to get focused! I had my time to relax and I got 2 days at the beach, but July is here and before I know it the summer will be over and I will have nothing to show for it. So here are the goals for July:

1. Health
2. Organization
3. Fundraising

That's it cause currently, I am being pulled in just too many directions!!! I would love to do some international travel but that's not in the cards this summer. I would enjoy spending my summer on three of my hobbies - writing, scrapbooking and photography. I have children's book ideas in my head that are begging to be down on paper. I want to create an album of firsts for my daughter. I need to read my new fancy camera's manual and learn how to really use it.

I should spend some time with family in Pennsylvania. I should be counting calories. I want to try out some new recipes. I want to start up my business idea.

There are a million things I should or want or need to do but I simply can not do them all. So, I am going to only focus on those three for July.

Health:

I am not going to worry how fattening something is or how many carbs or calories or fat is in something. Instead, I am going to work out every day, take my vitamins and eat more meals at home. I am also going to set up doctor's appointments. I want to be as healthy and fit and as strong as possible when I become a new mom. Single parenting is going to be exhausting (mentally and physically) and the more prepared I am, the better.

Organization:

I am going to get this house together once and for all! It is so cute and has so much potential but with all my clutter it's cuteness is buried deep underneath my junk. My clutter has led to injury, loss of money, stress, frustration and more. It's time to get it under control!

Fundraising:

I continue to worry about not having enough time to bond with my child while staying home on unpaid leave. I know I will take off two months but what if I feel like an additional month or two is needed? I need to plan for that. I also need to raise funds for travel. At the moment I do not have anyone going with me to Ethiopia. I had asked someone to go but due to their financial situation, it may not be in the cards. This person is my first choice. If I was able to pay for part or all of their flight, perhaps it could still happen. So, aside from the adoption expenses those are two things that I hadn't planned on that require additional money. If I start now I won't have to worry about them when the time arises.

So, for the month of July I will devote my time only to health, organizing and fundraising. Sure, I will go on dates and see family and work on my books but those things will not be the priority. I will post photos of my progress from time to time.

Wish me luck!

Tying Up Loose Ends

I love the end of the school year. I love my kindergartners but it's so nice to know that at the end of the year I am no longer responsible for them. I can throw out all the files I kept on them and everything with their name on it and start fresh with a new batch in the fall! This has been a crazy past couple of weeks with end of the year assessments and report cards, etc. and then I threw in an end of the year performance for their parents. It was a lot of fun and so worth it!

Monday was the performance and my students performed their little butts off! They were too adorable! Tuesday report cards were due and it was the kids' last day. Today, Wednesday, I went in to clean up my classroom. And now I'm officially done with the school year. What a load off!

In adoption news, my dossier was approved by my agency and will be making it's way (back) to DC by the end of the week. I'm not sure how long it will be there before heading off to Ethiopia. But it feels good to have that done, too! Yikes! Things seem to be happening so quickly all of a sudden!

So..

School year- done.
Dossier - done.

Now onto the next task: organizing my house! I didn't do so well with Week of Purge. I don't think the timing was right. I had way too much other stuff going on. But now I have time! This week I will move all my crap to the basement (command central). In command central I will put things into 4 piles:

* sell
* donate (i.e. Goodwill)
* give away (to friends or on Freecycle)
* throw away

I can not wait to get rid of all this clutter! And then it will be on to preparing for my daughter!

WoP update

Week of Purge isn't going so well.. or at least I should say it has gotten a mighty slow start. I started out by doing my first post on Freecycle. I gave away ten T-shirts! It was so liberating! I still have to makes piles of sell/donate/Freecycle/throw away but it was a start. There is more room on that shelf in my closet! I can't wait until I get into full swing.

I love Freecycle! I love that things are given to people who truly want what you are donating. I love that junk is staying out of landfills. I love that one person's trash is someone else's treasure. I love that people will come right to your house to pick the items up! And if I could ever get it to work for me, I am sure I will love when I get some cool stuff for free! There are some really expensive, good quality things that are given away for free..it's unbelievable! I have seen televisions, kitchen appliances, furniture, clothes.. all.for.free. Trick is, you have to see it as soon as it posts or someone has surely beaten you to it.. and I have yet to be fast enough. Tami did see a TiVo on there and got it for me. How awesome is that?! I have tried to get the following advertised items: a brand new dishwasher, a pull out sofa, a bag of infant girl clothes and a CD player but no such luck. This summer when I have more time I will be checking the site much more frequently and hopefully will have better luck.

Well at least I can say that ten T-shirts are no longer in my closet. That's great. And I defrosted the vegan chili from my freezer and ate that last night for dinner. But other than that, I haven't done much. And I bought dinner tonight which I said I wasn't going to do. Oh well. Baby steps towards purging and tomorrow is another day.

Meanwhile, I hope to mail off the stinkin' dossier this week. It's still sitting here ready to go but I can't mail it off yet because I noticed that one of my references dated her letter 2008 so I am waiting for her to resend the letter with the correct date. When that arrives, I can mail the darn thing off. I am so ready!!!

OK, the night is young. Let me see what I can get done...

Good-bye Quiet Vacations

One last day of vacation before back to work I go. Wow. I don't know why, but I just realized that these quiet, do-what-I-please, me-focused vacations are really about to become a thing of the past. This is in fact my last child-free spring break and one of the last vacations where I can really relax, sleep in, and do as I please. Since I don't have the luxury of being able to take an exciting international vacation I utilize my time off with a mix of visiting family and spending time trying to get things done around the house. I really wanted to get a lot done this week (my TO DO list was 5 pages long!) and I am happy to say that I did get quite started on quite a bit-- i.e. identifying odd jobs and hiring someone to take care of them (like fixing the broken drawer in my bathroom, hanging a shelf above my refrigerator, dealing with the moisture in my basement, etc.); removing clutter; setting up the nursery; organizing files, closets and drawers-- and also made time to visit family.

Here are a few pictures from my break.

I ran into some old childhood friends at church. I found out my dear friend Rebecca and her husband are also in the adoption process!

Here's my dad reading the Ethiopian adoption bible copy of Melissa Fay Greene's book I brought for them.


And of course I got some pizza!
It was a great Spring Break!