HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Tonight's the night. We are having our Annual Halloween Party! I'm excited and looking forward to the night. Hopefully, we will have a good turn out, but not too good, because my house gets pretty HOT when there's lots of people running around. I just hope that my dog doesn't freak out. She loves people and gets really excited when there's lots of people and energy flowing though my house.

Can you Believe It?

It's already Thursday and I still haven't finished my Halloween Costume. I started it last night, but I want to add more "Stuff" to it. I don't have long. We are expecting people at our house right after work tomorrow to eat Chili, and enjoy Trick-or-Treaters. Then to Par-Tay...
We have a Halloween Party at our house every year. We have more and more guests come every year. This year we are expecting about 60 - 70. I will be taking tons of photos, and I shall share them this weekend, once i recover.
We have a costume contest, and have some really great costumes each year, so it will be tons of fun. I am looking forward to it. Halloween has got to be my favorite holiday.
It will be fun when we have kids to dress up and carve pumpkins with. I will definatly be the mom that goes all out on their costumes, and follows them around the neighborhood when they go out Trick-or-Treating!

Finally

Conference room, originally uploaded by sensitivetype.

We have finally answered every question that the SW asked of us. She has all that she needs. Now she will talk to Josh, Elisabeth, and our renter Andy. She promisses to do this by the end of the week. Then she will begin her write up of the homestudy. She expects this to be done by Mid November, but knowing her, I think it will be more like late November. Then, we get to start the matching process. I can't believe it...

When we got to our meeting today our SW informed us that she almost didn't make our meeting today because she had to take her girls into the doctor this morning and they thought they might have had strep throat. That would have made me irate!

Well, my mind feels easy and I am satisfied with today's meeting, although truth be told, it could have been done over the phone.

Finally...

Still on for today. In a few hours we will go to our homestudy interview that was rescheduled. If she doesn't call me or send me an e-mail in the next 1.5 hours, then I will be glad to say that is behind us.

Today is also my niece's birthday, and we are going to celebrate with the family at Chucky Cheese. I am a bit bumbed because I left my camera at home, and I won't be going back before we go to the celebration. Guess I will have to use my camera phone, even thou the photos won't be that great. I am excited to see her open her gift. We went in on a Nintendo DS with grandma. She will be so surprised! It's pink! We also got her a few games, I can't wait to see her face.

On the Bottle

On the Bottle, originally uploaded by gemjlo.

Little Stinker. Last night after I got home from work my little Tullah was sick. She couldn't hold any food down, nor water. I was in a panic because our last dog Treena had a habit of eating things and getting them stuck in her intestines, and she was showing all the same signs of this.
So, I decided that I would try giving her little sips of water to see if she could keep just little bits down. I did this every 30 minutes until bed time. Then I gave her a handful of food, but she would only take a bite. I figured that was alright, as long as she was still drinking her water.
It seemed to do the trick, she kept it down all night. Then this morning when my husband let her out, she struggled to poo, but after 5-10minutes was able to finally work the blockage out. The little stinker ate one of her rope toys. Ugh, what am I going to do with her?
If I hadn't have known the symptoms, I would have freeked out and taken her to the vet, and it would have cost me hundreds of dollars.
Safe to say, NO MORE rope toys for Tullah.
She's just like a little kid. I have to watch her like a hawk.

At Odds

I had a talk last night with a member of my family that was so upsetting. It was not because they upset me; it was because what we were talking about was upsetting. You see there are people in both of our lives that are not taking good care of themselves, or their families and it’s totally under their own power to fix. How do you make someone become more responsible? As an adult I don’t think it’s possible to force another adult to be responsible without holding them by the hand and doing it with them. But, then you are not helping them be responsible since you are involved in the action.
I am a person who believes that you reap what you sew. I also believe that hard work will pay off. You don’t get something for nothing. So, I sit and stew about it. It’s really hard when you see children being hurt by irresponsible decisions of others. It makes me feel powerless and a bit depressed. I could help, but it would be like giving someone a fish instead of teaching them to catch their own. Ugh, what to do? Do I stick with my principles, or do I concede for the sake of a child?

Homestudy Rescheduled, Next Tuesday

Got an e-mail today. We are now scheduled, AGAIN, for our follow up interview with our Social Worker. So, we are going to try this again over our lunch breaks. I refuse to getmyself excited about this scheduled meeting. Not until it's actually over.
Tonight, I am cooking Chili and Corn Muffins for Dinner tonight. Does is seem like I talk about food alot these days? I guess I do. It's probably the weather. I have been feeling a need to nest and snuggle in now that it's getting cold out.
I am a little nervous because Trouble will be going into the Vet tomorrow. She's been hacking at night, peeing on the floor, and drinking lots of water. I worry that there's something happening to her kidneys. She's 14 years-old now, and off the charts for her breed as far as age. Hopefully, it's something fixable. Poor girl. Send us your prayers, if you could.

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Roll, originally uploaded by gemjlo.

Yesterday, I was feeling like Suzy Homemaker. I went home, fed my pets, and then prepared homemade Mac & Cheese, then baked a pumpkin roll with pumpkin cake and cream cheese frosting. After that, I uploaded some photos, did some laundry, cleaned the refrigerator, and did a little sewing on Jerry’s Christmas stocking.
Days like this always make me feel good, because I feel like I got something accomplished and didn’t just while away hours after work doing nothing, which is what I usually feel like.
I was trying to recreate a Macaroni and Cheese dish that I had at a new restaurant in my neighborhood. It turned out a little thicker and creamier then the dish I was trying to emulate, but it was still very good. Next time, I will use milk instead of half and half in the recipe.
I have never been that much of a baker. I do bake my fair share of cookies, but that’s usually where I stop. So, baking a pumpkin roll was a change of pace, and it was really fun to see the outcome. It tasted yummy too.
Twice a year I go through my refrigerator and throw out all the expired condiments that are housed on the door. I couldn’t believe all the stuff that just expired over the summer that was in my fridge. It’s nice to have that stuff gone. At least I don’t have to look at it anymore, and when I open the fridge, I don’t see goo from syrup, or ketchup smudges on the shelves. In a few weeks we will be having our Halloween party, and I didn’t want people going into my fridge and seeing that mess.
Today, I am hoping to finish up my laundry, and hopefully wash the curtains in my bedroom. They are looking a little dusty, so it’s about time.

Also, I have added the followers gadget on the side of my blog. If you haven't already done so, it would be great if you follow my blog that you add yourself. It's an easy way for me to check out the blogs that all of my readers have by clicking your picture. If you don't want to I understand.

Kid's Fezs

Kid's Fezs, originally uploaded by Glen Mullaly.

This weekend was so much fun. We had the Rugrats over Friday night. This is the second weekend in a row we have been able to see them.
We did a little Wii Bowling, then played Monkeyball on the Wii. Jerry has been getting really involved with them when they come over. It just melts my heart when he pulls them close and give them a kiss on the top of their heads.
On Saturday we made a big breakfast, painted some pumkins, and then it was off to the Shrine Circus. We took them last year, but they were much more into it this year. Sorry, I have no pictures this year because they busted me at the gate with my camera. UGH. Once Jerry ran back to the car to lock it up, we walked into the arena to hundreds of flashes and cameras. I 'm a bit miffed. I didn't get any pictures of the kids riding the ponies after the performance was over.
We ate quite a bit ; hotdogs, snow cones, cotton candy, mini donuts and nachos. I can't believe we ate so much considering we had lunch before we went.
The kids were also able to get some autographes from clowns and some other acts. It's so cute when children meet clowns. Just the awe on their little faces is fun to watch.
On the way to drop the kids off at home, the rugrats were so sad. They wanted to spend more time with us. I love those little buggers so much.
Can't wait for the new ones to come in the next months.

Stocking

Stocking, originally uploaded by gemjlo.

During my Nap Study this afternoon I was able to finish the first of two felt Christmas Stockings that I am sewing to replace the ones my dog ate two years ago. Last year we used the origional red ones that we had before my grandma knit us ones with our names on them.

So, an update on my sleep study. Everything went well last night and today. I was able to fall asleep 3 out of the 4 naps I took today. For some reason all that naping with 2 hours of waiting in between really tired me out. I could have used another nap when I got home this afternoon.

If you have ever had a sleep study you will know that it's not that easy to fall asleep with wires hooked up to your head, legs, and fingers. I am a restless kind of sleeper, so there was more then one time the technician had to come in and reconnect something I had pulled off.

It's a bummer that I won't get the results for another week. I am anxious to see how it all turned out.

Sleeping like a baby

Sleeping like a baby, originally uploaded by Chris Gin.

Tonight I have another sleep study. This means that I have to leave my house at 8:00pm, arrive at the office, ring the bell, and be brought into a room equipped with a bed, nightstand and TV. I then have to change into my pajamas that I don’t mind people to see and be hooked to all kinds of wires and instruments for measuring a handful of different things. This is all in preparation for Thursday where I will be instructed to take a nap which I will be awoken from after a few minutes when they have their data. This will happen about 5-6 times. This is all in an attempt to determine if my brain falls asleep correctly.
I have to go through this process because my CPAP is not helping me feel refreshed in the morning, even though I am now getting the restorative sleep that my body needs. If my brain is falling asleep correctly, I might have some other problem with my brain chemistry. If I have that, they will give me a medicine to stimulate my brain during the day. To me this doesn’t sound like fun, although it would be nice to not feel tired during the day.

Fall Day Out My Window

Fall day out my Window pane, originally uploaded by gemjlo.

The weather has been pretty gloomy these past few days, and I am hoping for some nicer weather to come. It makes my mood gloomy when the weather is bad. Maybe I have Seasonal Effective Disorder, or something like that.
I still haven't heard back from our SW yet to reschedule our interview. We don't have availability next week anyways. We got a letter in the mail yesterday for a Reunion night for our Adoption class. I won't be able to make, but I do often wonder if the others from my class are having the same issues that we are?

Little Elves

Little Elves, originally uploaded by gemjlo.

This weekend we had the little monsters over on Saturday night. We woke up yesterday and made a big breakfest. After breakfest we made sugar cookies and then decorated them. We had tons of fun. Little Guy came to us with some new words this weekend. First, we were on the way home from their house and he asked if we could go to Chucky Cheese, and my DH said not this weekend, and little guy's response was , "awe, that's so bogus."
Another new word, "Uncle". Little guy has finally started calling my husband Uncle. Previously, he wouldn't call him anything, or he would need to be prompted. He's so talkative. It's wonderful.
We also got the news on Friday night that their mom is going to have another boy. Sunni showed us the ultrasound pictures, and I think the new little guy has the same profile as little Naz. That's a great thing because he's such a cutie.
Good news for next weekend! We have tickets to the Circus, so we will get to see them again next weekend. Yay!

This weekend is going to be busy. We have to get back in to the SW for our reschedule, then on Wednesday night I have my second sleep study to see if they can figure out why I am not feeling better after starting CPAP. I will be in their offices all day on Thursday for additional test. I am not looking forward to it, but I am optomistic that they will be able to diagnos my sleepiness.

gretchen

gretchen, originally uploaded by gemjlo.

So, yesterday, I showed you the drawing of Prissy. Today, I am sharing with you a drawing of myself. I think it turned out fairly well, although my nose is a little big, and my eyebrows aren't as bushy as they are in real life.
The reason I have been drawing so much lately is because I read a post on Flickr the other day about drawing cartoons. I wanted to try it, and I don't even come close. I will continue to practice, but I am sure I will get bored and it will go by the wayside just like everything else I get all excited about. I have so many half completed projects around my house. If I were to finish some of them, I would have so much more storage room. I can't bare to through away all the fabric, paper, yarn, beads, paint, brushes, floss, etc. There's so much time and energy wrapped up in those things for me.
I guess that explains a little of my personality right? I start projects with a fuery, then when something doesn't go like I would like it, I drop it like a hot potato and then start something new. It's a good thing my realtionships aren't like that, or I wouldn't have any friends and family that would talk to me, huh?
I hope everyone has a good weekend. Enjoy the fall weather for those of you that have pretty fall colors to look at. I know that I will. I just hope it doesn't rain. I don't want to spend my weekend cleaning up muddy puppy paws.

Not a good Day

I just got a call from my sister-in-law and she told me they had to put little miss Prissy down to sleep today. The world works in such mysterious ways. What are the odds that I would put a post up about her this morning, then get a call like this just a few hours later. I'm so sad.

Little Miss Prissy I will miss you so.

Ugh, Need to Vent

I don't know what's going on with this lady. A half hour from when I was about to leave to go to our appointment with the social worker, I got an e-mail, not a phone call, but and e-mail to tell me she had to cancel because she was having car problems. This is so unacceptable. Why does she have such a problem following through on commitments, and why does she have such a career where time is sensitive to people? 'nuf said.

Miss Prissy

Miss Prissy, originally uploaded by gemjlo.

This is a drawing of the sweet little kitty that lives in the abandoned store behing my sister-in-laws house. She's taken care of by the her landlord, but for the most part lives outside and seems happy to do so. We have been going down to Missour to visit my sister-in-law every year for maybe 4-5 years now and everytime we pull up in front of thier house we are greeted by little miss Prissy. There have been a few times I have thought that I would love to sneek her into my bag and take her home with me. Over the summer when we were down visiting my inlaws I noticed that she's getting very thin. My sister-in-law said that she's been taken to the vet, and she's alright, but I wonder if she will be around when we go down next year. I hope so, because I have grown attached to her. Whenever I am down there I make it a point to sit in the grass and pet her as much as I can. We have a connextion the two of us. We are like kindred spirits or something.

On a lighter note...Today's the day we have our appointment with the Social Worker. So, we get to answer all the remaining questions that she might have. Then, we leave it up to her again. Ugh. That's the hardest part of this, there's not a lot of contol over the situation really. It's always in someone else's hands.

My husband last night decided to buy a plasma TV. It's ment to go over the fireplace in the house we are building in the spring. His company gave the employees a very good deal then we could pass up. It's a 42" tv. We put it into our den for now, but we aren't down there much because we just finished the painting, and now we need t get carpet, but once that's done, I think we will certianly be using it more.

And Another Thing that Makes Me Unique

I went back to the sleep doc this morning for my checkup. I was looking forward to this visit because I am still receiving no relief even after religiously using my CPAP machine. I still need to take naps at lunch and I often feel too tired to do anything. Well, she wants me to come back for another overnight sleep study with a nap study all the next day. This will be taking place next Wednesday and Thursday. She will be looking for signs or narcolepsy. If that’s not discovered then I will be treated for Idiopathic Hyper somnolence This basically means that a person is excessively sleepy with out an identifiable cause. If this is the case I will be one of the 200,000 people that live with this. Good thing it can be treated with amphetamines, not. That makes me nervous. I could be a 32 year old on Ritalin.

Old Friends

On Friday night I had dinner with my sister and some friends of ours from the neighborhood we grew up in. I have not laughed so much for a real long time. We had drinks and ate good food. We told stories of what we have been up to, and how our lives have changed, but then the conversation turned to bodily functions like it always does when girls get together.
The funniest thing came out of these conversations. Prepare yourself; how can you tell the difference between a cat fart and a dog fart? Well, a cat fart smells like fish. So obvious, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. It’s so much fun spending time with friends that have known me so long that we can talk about anything and everything. I feel a little regret because I know that we only get together once a year with everyone’s busy schedule and I won’t see these special girls for another year. But, I am so happy that we make the time to do it.

One last thing for this Monday Night, Go VIKINGS!

On the cold front

For the past few days, my butt has been dragging. I feel like I am on the verge of a cold, and it just won't come full force. It's just a naggy annoyance. Tonight, instead of going home and crawling under the covers, I have to go to school and sit in class for an hour and a half. I also want to watch the VP debate tonight. I should also do some laundry so that tomorrow morning I can get dressed without scrounging though my Husband's sweaters to find something to wear that will keep me warm. I haven't pulled out my winter clothes yet, but I know that I should. We finally had to turn our heat on yesterday morning, but we held off as long as we could. So, alas, tonight will not be restful nor recouperative like I could use.