Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Steffie!! Have a great day! Steffie's blog is 'Never Too Many' if you want to send some birthday wishes.

Picking up the pieces...

It doesn't look like Elizabeth's referral for Grace Ryan is coming this month. I know that it will be soon. But, I also know that she could use a little encouragement from us to keep her going until the next referrals come in. It's what we do best, pick each other up when this journey seems just a little too hard. Elizabeth's blog is 'The Dragonfly and Ladybug'.

I am here my friend, hundreds of miles away but right next to you in my heart.

A Question about Blogger Etiquette...and some info...

I have a question about blogger etiquette:

When you leave a question on a blog, do you actually take the time to go back and see if it is answered in the comments? I do get questions from time to time in my comments and I don't know if I should answer them there or go to that persons blog. I see people who answer and people who don't. But what I want to know is if the question askers actually go back. Do you want me to start answering the questions in my comments?

Also, I get a lot of questions about my graphics. I do not subscribe to any type of group. I love scanning the internet for new quotes and graphics. I am a blog addict. I really don't watch much television anymore-except for Grey's Anatomy & Brothers and Sisters. After Eli goes to bed, if nothing is going on, you will find me on the internet scamming things for my blog.

Feel free to take anything off of this blog that you like. I am not a designer, if it's on here, I took it from somewhere else.

I am a Complete Trainwreck..My Son is in Drivers Training.

I know that this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is one of my greatest fears for my children. I'll give the background that many of you already know. My mother was killed in a horrific car accident when I was 16 years old. The coroner recommended that I not see the body. She was cremated. It was the most devastating experience of my life. My father had to force me to learn how to drive and get my licence prior to sending me to college. I had completely refused until that time.
Now here is my oldest son. My baby who has her eyes-wanting desperately to drive. His father (my ex-husband) had to call me and plead on his behalf for me to let him take the class. He said that it is so important to a young man to be able to drive. Well, it is so important to me to keep him alive. In tears I made him swear to me on the memory of his dead Grandmother that he would never drive like an ass. I know that is an empty promise. He will be 15 years old July 9th. He thinks he is untouchable.
Today was his first day of class-2 hours long. Tomorrow they are going to put him in a car. Can you believe that? 2 hours of instruction and you are in a car. I can't believe a 15 year old is considered old enough to drive. It's in his high school curriculum. He is taking the classes through the school.
I know I may seem like a whacko over this, but I AM A WHACKO OVER THIS. I am in tears just writing this.
Garfield is Zach's favorite, so that's why I used this image.

4th Post Today! Happy Birthday to Dawn!

Yesterday was Dawn's birthday! I hope that you had a wonderful time. Dawn's blog is 'Eggrolls and Chopsticks'.

Congratulations to Jonni & John!

Congratulations to Jonni and John on the referral of their daughter Sofia. She is such a cutie! Their blog is 'Journey to Sofia'.

Congratulations to Elisa and Jarrod!

Congratulations to Elisa and Jarrod on the referral of their daughter Zoe. I know that most of you already know, but she just posted pictures today! Their blog is 'Fortunte Cookie Monsters'.

Depth of Friendship...

Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance. I do believe that this can be true. Although there is much to be said about the friend who knows the past, the good and the bad, the mistakes and the triumphs.
But does this hold true to the proximity? Do you have to be able to see them or physically be there?
Is it really friendship through this computer?
I will tell you that I have received a lot of support and kindness here. The people here are on my mind, I worry for them and pray for them. I smile and cheer for them.
I know that you all do to.
I can say that when I met Stephanie it was great. I have also seen different groups pick a middle point and get together.
So, what do you think? If we were all in a room together, would it be this way?

Dreams...

One of my closest girlfriends had just lost her mother. It was a horrible time. Her daughter was one year old at the time and Tim and I were still newlyweds. I had a dream and I knew that it was more than just a dream. I knew that it was significant and that it was a message to me and to my friend that someone wonderful was coming. I saw her daughter at the time laying on the floor looking up at me. Her beatiful red hair was laying out around her head. With her there on the floor lying head to head with her was a baby girl. She had blonde hair and looked just like my friends sister. I knew that she was going to have another baby.

I called her the next day and told her my dream. She is always VERY logical and skeptical of the funky stuff that I believe in. She took my dream with a grain of salt. Sure enough, she was pregnant the next month. I told her it was a girl and exactly what she would look like. Her husband swore it would be a boy. Well, to make a story short, the child is a girl and she is the exact baby I saw in my dream. She is now my Goddaughter. And I believe in my heart that she sought me out before she was ever born to send a message to her mother and me that she was coming.

Has anything like this ever happened to you?

Thank you so much Liz...

I am so touched by this gift. Liz at 'My Red Thread to Ava Grace YaHaan' made this bracelet for me. It is made of red glass beads with a silver heart clasp. She sent a lovely card which says that she chose a heart clasp because each end of the bracelet represents me and my daughter Sophia, and we are joined at the heart. I think that is beautiful. I love wearing jewelry with symbolism. Thank you so much Liz, this will be cherished.

Happy Ears!

As many of you know, we have been struggling with ear infections and Elijah had to go in last month and have tubes placed in his ears. We have been on pins and needles this month hoping that we wouldn't have any more infections. Today we went in to see the ENT and Eli's ears are very healthy. This is the longest he has gone without an infection in a very long time.

I am so relieved and happy that they worked! Eli loves cornbread muffins, so that was his treat when we got home!

Seeking Wisdom...

I was reading my friend Kris' blog. She is returning to a monastary where she had gone previously in search of peace and I think maybe wisdom. It made me think about how we all are seeking wisdom in our day to day lives. Looking for inner peace and guidance. A ladybug or a conversation with God. The feelings and signs that cause us to veer in one direction verses another. Maybe we find it in a book or in our intuition. It is a constant lifelong journey. Many times we find it in each other.

Sunday Post...

Good Morning Everyone!

Good Morning Everyone. I hope you enjoy your Sunday. We had the neighborhood pig roast yesterday, so today should be pretty quiet and relaxing.

Happy Birthday to Lily!!

I hope that you have a wonderful day Lily!! You can send your birthday wishes to Lily's blog 'Life with Lily Lin'.

Quote for the Week...

Good Morning Everyone...I Slept In!!

Good Morning Everyone! I can see that Steffie and Stacy have stopped by already. Eli actually slept in this morning. I'm up now though and I'm making the coffee. Come on by and leave a comment. I'll drop by your place and leave a Saturday morning message for you.

Tim is playing in a golf outing today and it looks like Zach has been out wakeboarding already. My goal for this morning is to color my hair. The joys of getting older!

Weekend Meme!

I was tagged by my good friends at Pandapalooza and Journey to Victoria Grace for this Meme.

4 Facts About Me:

1. Rascal Flatts is my favorite band.
   
2. I am a motherless daughter.


3. I collect china and various sets of dishes.


4. My hobbies are gardening and scrapbooking.

4 Habits I Have:

1. I twirl my hair when I am tired.


2. I shower at night before I go to bed.


3. I always sneeze twice.


4. My bedroom is never tidy.

4 Things I have discovered in the last four years

1. I can truly be loved by someone. Loved for who I am, not for how I look or as a part of someone's life achievement collection.


2. How it feels to be loved while I was pregnant. Truly cherished.


3. God is completely in control. He knows the desires of my heart. He blesses me daily. I just need to trust Him.


4. Cherish each day with your children, they grow up and while they seem to need you less and less, you still need them just as much as the first day you held them in your arms.

Four Things I Want To Try or Do in the Next Four Years:

1. Work through my feelings of loss over my oldest son becoming a young man and moving out on his own. In 3 years he will be leaving for college. I'm already sad about it.
   
2. Bring my daughter home.


3. Help Tyler develop some type of interest in personal hygiene. He's very lacking!


4. Potty train Elijah.
   

Time to tag Tuininga Treasures, Journey to Gracie, Catching Butterflies, My Red Thread to Ava Grace YaHaan, Mr. Brian at All In A Days Work, Awaiting Ava, Secret Agent, With Six You Get Eggroll, Watch our Family Grow and The Monkey King.

Post Your Porch!

I accept the post your porch challenge! It was very windy out when I took my photos, but I think that the pictures came out pretty good. I don't have nice porch furniture. We have strong winds a lot, so I need the most durable patio chairs I can find. We spend a lot of time out here, especially in the evenings, everything lights up and we make fires and roast marshmallows. And yes Steffie, the peace sign below came from Art Folk.

I'm tagging a lot of peeps for this one....Laurens Journey Home, Katie's Antics, Waala Family Adventures, Taiwan Treasure, Dragonfly and Ladybug, Never Too Many, Special Family, China Calling, Mad Race for Macey, Journey to Victoria Grace, Waiting for Pumpkin, Search and Destroy Twins..and anyone else who wants to jump in.

My Lantern is Lit and I am Waiting for my Child...

At referral time, I am always drawn to thoughts of my daughter. Is she born yet? Where is she? Is she feeling love?

I am always so excited for the families who receive their photos and are able to see their child's face for the first time. I love to jump from blog to blog and soak in the little faces and leave my congratulations. It looks like another small batch of days was processed this month. It makes me wonder how long it will be until it is my girl.

Big Hugs to all of you whose special day has come!! It keeps me going to see your photos and videos. Please post them for those of us who are still waiting.

Today is our 4 month LIDiversary!

The Seventh Diamond is 5 Months Old!

This blog is 5 months old on June 6th! Thank you to everyone who drops by and leaves a kind word. I have been having such a great time getting to know everyone. It's crazy how much enjoyment I get out of this. The friendships I have made here are very important to me, it seems strange that it's only been 5 months for how close I feel to many of you.

Tell me a Dream you have for yourself...

I would love to have to my own greenhouse and sell plants for a living. I love to garden. I find such peace and happiness in watching things grow that I planted myself.
My children all help in our garden. We don't have a lot of land here,but we grow tomatoes, peppers, chives and some herbs. Along with flowers. I love flowers. Even little Eli has his own gardening tools and watering can.

Enjoy Your Monday!

I'm having a tough time getting out of bed this morning! Well, I'm off to get the kids up and off to school. Then it's a busy day at work. I hope you all have a great one.

Happy Birthday Jane!

Yesterday was Jane at 'Much Ado's birthday!

Mister Simon and Ms. Martha School of Watersports...

We are very fortunate to have Simon and Martha as neighbors. They have a beautiful ski boat and they love to teach the neighborhood children how to ski and wakeboard. Simon also helped Zachary lose his fear of the water when he was a small boy.

Tyler decided that he wanted to learn how to ski, so this morning Simon invited him out for a lesson. Here is Ty all decked out with Mr. Simon.

Bless her heart, Martha got into the water with Tyler to coach him on how to get up on two skis.

Hit it!

He can get up which is great for a first timer!

Zach got a new lifejacket and wakeboard this year, so he and Simon had to take it out for a test run!

Sunday Morning...

Create Yourself..My Theme This Month...

Create your own reality, your dreams sometimes can be true. I love this. It says to me that if you truly want something..if it is your dream, you can put together a plan in most cases to bring it to reality. So, whether it is by advancing your education, stepping out of your comfort zone and meeting new people, or filling out an adoption application, you can take steps to get you where you want to be.
There have been times in my life when I have looked at myself and thought that I could be more or do more and then I clearly defined what that was. I put together a list of things I could do to get there. It worked for me.
I think I can be more specific. After my divorce, I decided that it was time to re-define myself as a woman. I decided that I wanted to further my career, so I sent my resume to a headhunter and I got a new better paying job. I wanted to read more, so I set aside time for reading and chose books off of the New York Times bestseller list. I wanted to exercise, so I became a runner. I wanted more of a social life, so I stuck my neck out there and met new people. I wanted a larger home for myself and my sons, so with my hands shaking, I financed and bought my dream home. Money was tight for a couple of years-very tight-but I am so glad that I did it. I prayed a lot and depended strongly on my faith to get me through. Lastly, but the sweetest blessing ever, I took my boys to DisneyWorld.

Good Morning Everyone!!

There's a lot going on here this morning. Zach is waiting for our neighbor to wake up so he can go use his new wakeboard. Eli is watching Thomas the Tank Engine, Tyler is making eggs and Tim is watching Eli's show through some still sleepy eyes. I think he'll fall back asleep. I'm going to put on the coffee and check out some blogs (as usual). A special good morning to Stacy and Joannah, my Saturday morning friends. If you would like to join in, just do a Good Morning post on Saturdays and leave a comment. I'll come and visit you!

Row Row Row your Boat...

One of our neighbors had this old rowboat on the side of his house. He hadn't touched it in many years. He wanted to get rid of it and Tim instantly claimed it.
When Tim was a boy, he spent a lot of time at his Grandparent's lake. They had a rowboat just like this one. So, this boat is a stroll down memory lane for him. He has very fond memories of rowing around his Grandparent's lake fishing. Now this old boat has a new lease on life. These are some pictures of Tim and Eli testing out the boat to see if it still floats. It does!!

Passing the Time...I Had to get a Strategy

I am posting this because I need to state out loud for my own sense of happiness how I am going to positively deal with this wait. I recommend this to any of you out there who are feeling overwhelmed and sad about the constantly growing timeframes that are being put before us.

Number one, I am going to walk into a room and someone is going to hand me a living breathing human being. This concept overwhelms me. I have to say it again. I am going to walk into a room and someone is going to hand me a child. The price tag is paperwork and a 2 year wait. That is nothing compared to the gift. I can do that with a smile in my heart.

Number two, God has a specific child for us. We must be in the right place at the right time for that child. I want that child. I will wait.

Number three, I am surrounded by love and nurturing friends who all are having very similar journeys to mine. I am comforted daily. I have an excellent support group here in this blog. I can get through this with them. They will be here for me. I will be here for them.

Number four, I am surrounded by a loving family who also must endure this wait. I must do what I can to take the trauma from them and together we need to enjoy each day between now and when Sophia comes. We must live each day to the fullest and fill those days with laughter.

Number five, I love the Rumor Queen, but I cannot take the monthly ups and downs. I have to pass her blog by. It is too much for me.