Happy 4th America...

My little Baraky wishing everyone a Happy 4th...

Happy 4th to all... regardless of race, colour, religion, political beliefs... may everyone be happy and just get along in life... and happy belated Canada Day for the Canadians... and happy whatever to anyone else...

(A sunrise from Hillsboro Beach, Florida - just thought I would throw this in. I took it last week when we were away for a little bit)

I know I am not around to visit people as much right now... but things are busy... not only with work but travelling when I can... still getting some paperwork done... getting things for Shauna together... I have decided to not stress about the 'lists' of what to and not to take to China... I figure that the country has been around long enough that if I don't have a certain medicine I could either get it there or I am sure that there is going to be someone over there who has something I need that they don't and I can buy it/trade it off them, and vice versa... I will split Mike's, Shauna's and my clothes into our carry on luggage (not sure if we will check it through or carry on) and so if one bag disappears, we will be good with the other. If we need to buy clothes for her there, then we will buy some for her there and get through our agency a backpack that has diapers, medicines etc in there and then when we get to Beijing it will be waiting for us in our hotel room...
Though having said all this... the Immigration Office has asked for my mother and father-in-law's police clearances from the ages of 18 years old... even though we are doing the I800a and of course I hit the roof... though the lady I deal with at the Immigration Office is nice and helps as much as she can - we were grandfathered in, the only thing I can think of is that they were using a 'template' of a letter that was meant for the I800a... we need to do these and a fingerprint statement for my mother and father-in-law as they need their fingerprints done all the time as they don't ever 'take' so that is an endless thing... of course I was beside myself - considering we are so incredibly close to getting our referral and so I am desperate to get this figured out but at the same time... I am sure things will fall into place... so, once everyone starts working again after this little holiday I will get hold of the Immigration Office and make sure that things are getting fixed... fingers crossed for that... I am trying to not stress over it.
The guy at work still hasn't spoken to me and to be honest... it is actually peaceful and I have that little bit less stressed :) So, I can live with the silence! Though I be the bigger person and say 'Good Morning' and 'Good Bye'... I am to old for this stuff and besides that I have got bigger things to deal with...
As you can see, the picture of Mama Bird on her nest in the rain... I had to admire her for sitting there on her egg protecting her baby... I go into Shauna's room every other day and look out the front window there to see if Mama Bird is doing ok... I was going to put a shelter there for her but I am sure she wouldn't know how to get to her nest or something... I will try to catch up when I can... If I am not around for a while... I still think of all the friends I have made along the way... cannot wait to the end of the month for our Colorado trip - have to find my happy place at work so Colorado it is :)

Back to reality...

These drawbridges are everywhere down south... so the rich people can drive their houses through here... pity the day was so overcast.

Sunrise on Hillsboro Beach

After a few days away in Fort Lauderdale... it is back to reality of life... I am so over work (who isn't) to much drama for my liking... one of the people that I work with has decided to not talk to me cause I wouldn't take notice of him when he was being a goofball at work and he got in my face and so I turned around and let him have it back that I had work to do and wanted to get that done... so now I am not being spoken to him - please don't do me any favours... so it ended up taking me nearly a whole day (when we were away) to get over the stress of that... though I won't say anything... I won't make out it was ticking me off... once we got down to Ft Lauderdale... what did we do... NOTHING... the first night we were meeting up with a girl that Mike use to go to school with... he hadn't seen her in 25 years... she was a nice person and I could have easily sat there and chatted for hours... after dinner we went to have drinks on the beach and Donna and I had a Pina Colada but poor Mike was the driver :) We have promised to catch up next time we are down there... turns out there were a few people down in Ft Lauderdale area that I could have visited but had I had more warning we would have planned something... next time... we were invited to a FCC luncheon where there would have been alot of families either who have adopted or are adopting... one of the ladies I know invited me... our FCC is clicky... if you aren't part of that group... you are against the wall... anyway... more photos later of Ft Lauderdale...
I did meet up with a photography friend... I would love to have taken more photos but the weather wasn't that great but still, it was fun to goof around and catch up on the photography gossip :)

The next day was spent floating around in the ocean... we were in there SO long that we were so pruned up... at one stage it started to rain... and jokingly I told Mike we had to get out of the ocean before we got wet from the rain... lol... ok... my weird humour there :)
That night we met up at another restaurant called 'Bru's Room' and the dinner was nice... I would go back again... we met up with a rep Mike deals with and his wife and sons (triplets) were there and it was nice to meet everyone. We were meant to go out on his boat to fish but the boat was in the shop... oh well... next time...

The other weekend we were up in Daytona Beach and went to Ponce Inlet to where there is a lighthouse that I had never climbed but wanted to... well, after climbing 200+ stairs my legs were killing me but I felt it more the next two days...

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Daytona Beach above...

I did get a copy of Lisa See's new book 'Shanghai Girls' and haven't started reading it yet but will in a few days... and she even signed it for me... I must say I loved her book 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' and that is the one that got me stuck... I now have it on my iPod as well as having the book and read it countless times... I need a 12 step program :)

Other then all this, not a great deal going on... so busy with work, getting little things together for our referral so I don't have to run around later on doing it all... still can't believe we are SO close to our turn... never thought I would see the day... I am feeling happy, nervous, giddy, excited, scared - a completely different feeling to what I had during the whole wait... I don't have all my photos on here but I will put them on next time...

I nearly forgot... I was outside yesterday putting some coral I got from the beach down south in the little garden in front of Shauna's room... well, I get the hose to wash my hands, I look up and there is mumma bird sitting on the egg... well, I seem to have wet her (hope I didn't scare her away) but I hadn't seen her sitting there... had I, I would have been more careful... but when she flew away, I knew this was my chance to look inside and this is what I saw... just outside our front door... can't wait to see what happens...

Barack Singing

Showing off his feathers...Behind the keyboard`

So this is what happens when you are waiting for your adoption to come through... get obsessed with a feathered friend...well, this is a little video that people have been wanting to hear. Barack singing the Addams Family theme song... well, it is hard to get a good video of him cause he knows when the camera goes on, he shuts up so I had to hide it and you will hear some background noise... he isn't really getting into the song here but you can hear bits of it... he doesn't sing it as a whole song but bits of it here and there... so, for you viewing and listening pleasure... there is nothing on this post but bird... the feathered variety...

This video... you won't see anything cause the camera was hidden.

Stork has landed...

Once again... another batch of referrals have come out... my agency only has referrals coming out until the 16th but there are other places saying that they had referrals out for the 20th - I am not saying this is the case... at least until I read for myself that it did indeed happen...

Though I have two friends (that I know of so far) have gotten a referral... so congrats to Debz and family on the referral of their daughter Jazmyn... and the other Nikki and Larry are in the middle of waiting for the all important call for their daughter... so congrats to both... and then there is Kim and her family who are in China now and got their daughter... once again... congrats to you all...

Sophia....

Jazmyn...

It makes my head spin to know that our turn is just around the corner... (LID April 5th)... when we get the call is anyone's guess but I do think - no, I do know it will be this year and I bet that we will travel this year... I will admit that I find myself more nervous, excited, antsy, happy with this part of the wait - then how I felt with the big wait... I was thinking today that I need to get out and look for a doctor that I can talk to before heading off to China... there is one in town who has experience with alot of the adopted kids in this area and so I think I will go to her for now... I am on the look out for 'lists' too... so, if anyone can send me a few good ones... you know you can send them my way... I don't want to be inundated with lists and running around later on...

I have made alot of friends along the way... though as everything in life... I know that in time that alot of these friends I have met now, I will end up losing touch with... the way I see it... people come into your lives for a purpose... learn lessons from them etc and then when those lessons are learnt (whatever they are) then you end up parting ways... I do know that I will stay friends with a handful of these poeple (whoever they are)... it is like, alot of the people that I am friends with now... we are all together to help each other through this crazy wait... at least this is the way I see it... I maybe wrong...

Not a great deal going on around here... life has been pretty much work... which is a good thing I guess... next week we are heading to Ft Lauderdale... so that should be nice to get away for a little bit... then July... Colorado... that is the one I am looking forward too... I did get myself a new Point and Shoot Digital Camera since a little bird brain decided he was going to go for the shiny parts on my camera and pick the lens apart... if he wasn't so cute I would pull all his feathers off...

I will catch up again soon...

Bird Flavoured yoghurt

Ok... so I don't have the kid stories to tell or anything like that but couldn't resist this one... about my beloved little Cockatiel Barack... I as working late last night and got home at 10pm so since I hadn't had any dinner and was feeling a little hungry I had a Vanilla yoghurt and Granola... of course, as soon as Barack sees I am eating he is over there to check out what is going on (though, he should be in his cage and covered up for the night by this hour)... and he is standing next to the bowl and looking in and before I could stop him, he jumps into the bowl feet first... right into the middle and the more he flapped his wings, the deeper he got in the yoghurt... now, my little bird knows when he is in trouble by the tone of my voice adn when I got 'cranky' at him he knew he done wrong but I was actually trying to not laugh cause it was funny... so I got that little feathered brain bird and was washing his feet in the basin... he doesn't like to have his wings held done but it was funny... suffice to say... I didn't eat the rest of the yoghurt...

For the past few weeks, a few minutes a day I have been teaching him to sing the 'Addams Family'. Only now you can hear him whistle some of the song... it is so cute...
I did have a day off yesterday and we did go to see 'Angel and Demons' and must say that I loved it... then went out on an airboat ride... I can say I never tire of an airboat ride... not a great deal of Alligators around as it is mating season... we usually go out on St John's River... This photo of the butterflies was taken when we were out at Camp Holly where we go to get the airboat... there was about 8 butterflies... and they were fluttering all around me... it was amazing... there must be something on the sand that they liked...
That is it... not a great deal going on... just looking around for rumours on referrals or the referrals themselves... let's hope they get a few done so they get alot closer to April 5th...

Who said there was a rumour?

Ok... I am not saying a word... nor am I saying I said it... nor am I saying it is true... and you didn't hear it from me... but... I can't keep my 'thoughts' shut now about 'what if'... I just snuck over to the Rumour Queen page again... as you may know I am not much of a RQ person but I do find myself sneaking a little peek... since no referrals had come out of late I decided to waltz on over there and read a few words... and pretend I am not reading rumours... now if the rumour I am reading is true - and it is rated a 1 so there is nothing to that rumour BUT what if... what if it were 1/2 true... I can live with the 'rumour' that the month of March is matched... you didn't hear it from me... mum's the word... but I can't help but get a little excited but at the same time I am not getting my hopes up... I was talking at work today to the girls... our little Shauna would be born by now... somewhere over there... she is waiting...

I do find myself thinking more and more about the adoption and today I did think more of the adoption more then usual... I try to not think of it but it was on my mind... so, I am going to let myself think about it for a change... still... wouldn't it be great if this vicious rumour were true... oh well... one can only dream and wish... I need something to cling to... besides my crazy bird (oh and the hubby) - don't ask me why Cocktiels tap like Barack is doing in the video but it is cute...

Baby Shopping.... oh no...

Well, it wasn't really baby shopping.... but of course - things just got away with me and next thing you know... and actually it was kind of exciting knowing that I were getting stuff for our little Shauna's room... I can't put the Hutch up until the bottom part gets fixed... grrr... the fan needs to be bought and put up... maybe one or two things and it will all be done. It was actually nice being out of work on a warm sunny Summer's day and driving my new wheels on my own... stopped off at Target to get these Storage Bins that I had wanted for the closet... not sure which shelf they will go on yet but I will figure it out... her few winter clothes will most likely be put in the Hutch - it isn't like I have a ton of them... you don't really need Winter clothes here in Florida... oh and I bought some stacking cups but these are meant for the bath... they have little holes in the bottom of them... actually, I love 'em... It was time to finally drag out the Tinkerbell lamp I got so long ago... so it was nice to see it out in the fresh air again... Not sure where I am going to put it when the top of the Hutch is finally up...

I got a letter from Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan), well, an invite to go to the book signing of her new book 'Shanghai Girls', but she had a note inside that she knew that where she was having the book singing that it was to far for me to go and so offered to send me an autographed book... oh I cannot wait... I tuly loved 'Snow Flower'.... I have read that book SO many times...
Well, I had to do it... I finally had to clip little Barack's wings... oh... it kind of broke my heart... I would love him to have his little wings to fly free around the house... I don't want to have to keep him 'caged' by not being able to fly... alas... he had finally got his flying wings back to elevate and sure enough... up on the blinds he went... I was thinking then that it was time to clip them... I left him there for a while but later in the day he flew over the upstairs balcony to the room downstairs and all I could think was the ceiling fan was... I tried to catch him but to no avail... then I hear a clunk... "OH NO!"... I thought he had ended up in the fan and I would have to sweep up his feathers etc then I heard him chirping... after having my heart in my throat like that I decided it was time to get them clipped - what is worse... not flying or getting sliced by the ceiling fan... ahhh... that is a no brainer... so I called a friend who works in a Vet's Office and does this often... she came down... we had him wrapped in a towel and of course he hated it and just as she got the feathers that needed to be clipped back, he moved and she got his blood feather... oh... the screech from him was awful... he was hating getting his wings clipped right back... like I said... I don't want to hold him back but I don't want to have him end up in a ceiling fan. These bottom photos are before the clipping...
The photo here is Barack up on the blinds... oh, he liked being up there... then sometimes he ends up walking into the bathroom while I am in the shower and likes to stand near the water of the shower and has a little bath himself... so, I open the door and a towel on the ground and he has a little shower... it is so cute to watch... can't you tell he is my little baby...

We just booked our hotel for Georgetown, Colorado... oh... I am so looking forward to heading there... I just love that state... then at the end of this month we are going down to Sth Florida to do a little fishing etc should be nice but touch wood - no hurricanes, since we just started the season... I think I will still go either way... well, not so much fishing... :)

Work is driving me crazy... the stress... it is everywhere I know but my boss is so controlling and doesn't want to listen to anyone else. So, I have gotten to the point of going in, do my job, get my pay cheque and go home... our boss wants to do everyone's job and make decisions on what to do there... fine by me... let me do what I have to do and I won't think... then again I have gotten to the point where I am not going to let it stress me... I have to think all about China... that is my main concern right now... getting a referral... getting to China...

That is it for now... the next few days... work, work, work...

The Mummy Mobile

Well, here it is... the new Mummy Mobile... my new zippy little 2005 Ford Escape - after days and days of looking around and finding nothing but overpriced cars... I was to the point of complaining and whining to Mike... when we came across this little puppy... it is basically like a cream puff... I can't really pick anything about it... I drove it today... it is so different then my last car... an Astro Van... a car in which I felt sad to lose cause that was the one I learnt to drive in when in America... it was like my security blanket but still... I am glad I got this... this was the 2nd car on my wish list... my #3 car was a Jeep Liberty... my first though was a #1 Toyota Rav 4... one day I will maybe get one of those... until now... I am very happy with my little car and already my tripod for my camera has taken pride of place - just in case I need it when out taking happy snaps... in the back... the window opens but so does the door... Guess I will be living poor for a while... looking forward to the next batch of referrals though to see what is going on and how far they go... I am guessing that by October 2009 - worst case scenario that we will have our referral... for now... just sit and wait - still...
32The other day Mike and I were standing outside and this is what we saw... these huge and disgusting big clouds just rolling in... yep, Summer is here... the afternoon thunderstorms that Florida is known for...

Coin Bird Barack

Here is the latest of the bedroom... I am glad I finally all the shelving done and wanted to get the boxes unpacked and into the closet - so I could get the crib set right etc as you can see I put it near the ladder that leads to the loft... yes, away from the curtains. The room has no real wall space... there is the 3 small seats you see near the curtain... they will most likely end up being moved when the room is completely done. For the closet I want to get some storage bins I will put her very few winter clothes that I have in the draws of the Hutch... I don't plan on buying Winter clothes for her. In Florida you don't really use them that much but I am sure I can pick them up as I go if need be so most of the clothes hanging are summer stuff. I need to put another shelf on the wall... wanna get that Hutch fixed first and put up... the ceiling fan needs to go in... you can see the four small pictures on the wall in the 2nd photo... they are Tinkerbell Postcards of the 4 seasons and have a Disney Castle on the bottom... they are so gorgeous... then under that is a shadow box full of Tinkerbell Pins that you can't get anymore... ones that are for members of Disney only... and a Postcard of a convention in Las Vegas in the 1980's with Tinkerbell on it... That little chair under the pins, it folds out and has a little sleeping bag there... I remember when my niece had one of these and she used it like crazy... so you have had a peek into the latest of Shauna's room... Yep, another little video of my little bird... he likes to get this coin and pick it up in his beak and will take it to where the keyboard is and drop it... I have to pick it up and put it back on the table... he is so funny to watch... it is kind of 'long' but still cute...

The Stork Has Finally Landed...

There I was - the last two months I had been 'waiting' for referrals etc and thinking that none were going to come out for a while... I have been so busy of late and not really having the time to read up on anything when 'bam'... all of a sudden I see people getting referrals left, right and centre... oh me oh my... of course this makes me happier then a pig in poo... the latest is that the C.C.A.A has done up to March 14th... this is amazing... I am so happy... this means we are literally just around the corner... I remember back watching people coming out of December and getting excited that finally they were into 2006 Dossiers... now, it is just a matter of months... if things go the way they are... my worse case scenerio guess is we could get our referral for Shauna by October... remember - worst case scenerio... if there is one thing I have learnt is to not get all excited and hopes up to high... though I will admit that I swore that when March started coming out... I would get excited... so, come on April 5th... I am happy to say 'BRING IT ON'... I am so over the waiting thing... but still have plenty of work to do at work, stuff to do around the house, still working on Shauna's room, my photography... so I have enough to keep me busy :)

Congrats to all the families who got their referrals and who are getting ready to travel....

WHOOOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Love ya Tanya....

Now, I must say something about my friend Tanya... we have been friends for eons and eons... knowing each other through times when we had boyfriends, marriage, kids... we have told each other our secrets... talked music forever on the phone trying to figure out who song what song from the 80's... the list is endless... I lived in New South Wales and Tanya in Melbourne, Victoria - funny thing... we have never met... but like I said... we have talked for hours on the phone... and we only lived a State apart... she is my Aussie supplier... always sending me a DVD or CD of Aussie music... a stash of Tim Tams or jars of Vegemite... a true blue trooper she is... well, about a year after starting this absurd and crazy wait she sent me this package telling me that I was to NOT open it until we had Shauna.. well, I figured that since I was doing Shauna's room and that package was there... that I would open it - I have waited long enough and it killed me... well, we were going to have the 'baby shower' but it was called off (for many reasons, to many to go into) at least until another day... so, I opened it and this is what I found... a special bear all the way from home... you press it's hand and it says "I LOVE YOU"... Thank you Tanya... thank you 1,000 times over... you have turned out to be one very sincere, fun and true friend - even though we have never met... it is you that I have always been able to rely on for anything... of all the 'friends' that have come and gone... you are the only one who has still been there... even when we don't talk for months on end... we can get on the phone etc and chatter away... I promise you one thing... we will get to meet - we should try to work something out to meet up next time I am in Australia when I have Shauna... love ya and thanks so much...

On another note... this is the closet and the stain is dry and finally I have been able to drag Shauna's clothes out of the many boxes and start to hang them up... it was so exciting... you can also see the tiny little backpack... and yep, it is a little Tinkerbell backpack... I promised mum I would put this photo up of all her little clothes... the crib is a temp home to many pillows etc once we get the room finished... they will find a home somewhere but had to put the bear in here...

Now the shelves...

(BEFORE STAINED)

(AFTER STAIN - THIS PHOTO DOESN'T DO IT ANY JUSTICE)

Well, finally the shelves are in and I am quiet happy with them... as you can see that I have put some clothes in here just to get the rough idea... Mike wanted to keep them plain but I didn't... cause the rest of the room is darker wood...

So, I decided to stain them with the same stain I had done the running boards... (for those in Australia... skirting boards)... of course I am impatient and had the guy put the shelves in first cause goodness knows when I would get him over to put the shelves in after I painted them... so, I painted them when they were put in the closet... I taped around them and done all the right things... well, I painted the whole thing on my own and yep, as I was painted I never noticed what I was doing and had accidentally flicked bits of paint on those pretty yellow walls in the closet and even at one stage... my hand slipped onto the yellow paint and there has a BIGGER bit of brown stain in the back corner of the closet... I recalled I had yellow paint that was leftover in the garage so I decided to go over the brown flicks of paint... hahahahaha... you can now see the patching... Mike just shook his head and said "You just couldn't wait" and nope, I couldn't... but you know what... I am not getting rid of the brown stain in the back of the closet... cause in years to come... that is my 'sign' to show that I done all the painting with my own hands :) Though one thing I did learn... a painter I am not... but in truly Aussie style... I gave it a go...

Now, I am still waiting on the shelves to dry fully 100%...

At last... the quilt...

Excuse the photo... I was so tired from work that I have raccoon eyes... and if you look close you will see my little Barack sitting on my shoulder... I need a new Point and Shot cause my little feathered friend picked the lens shutter off... errr... so the quality of the pictures with the camera is going.

I never thought I would see the day when the 100 Wishes Quilt was done... there is a few squares leftover the lady who made the quilt will make a small one to put in her crib. This quilt was done as a gift for me... she is actually a customer at work... when I finally got to see the finished quilt at work I nearly started crying... I can't recall who did what but I am sure you know your square and if it isn't there... it will be on the smaller one... I still believe it...

Though I am somewhat perturbed by all the rumours floating around that some agencies are saying that referrals are cancelled until further notice, then some agencies saying that they are coming out... well, I will admit that it drives me nuts... can we just have one rumour... I do actually want to have my daughter by the time I hit 40 this year... at least...

I must say a few good things have happened to make me see that something good has happened... the quilt, the shelves for Shauna's room are being put up tomorrow and I am trying to decide whether or not to paint the shelves... then I 'won' a necklace made by Mel...

Will put update photos in a few days of the shelf when it is all done...

Happy Mother's Day

First of all... a huge congrats and super Mother's Day to Tonja - and Robby and Caitlin for finally getting hold of their gorgeous little Marissa... I know there is a light at the end of this long tunnel called 'International Adoption'... Just want to say Happy Mother's Day to everyone and Happy Mum's Day To Be... to all those waiting... I know that somewhere out there, little Shauna is waiting for us... next year I am going to make the BIGGEST deal out of the whole affair :) At least I have my bird - maybe he should have bought me something... well, at least Mike done all the washing today and cleaned out a closet that was bugging me no end... what a guy...

Last but not least... my mum... we are 10,000 miles apart but there is not a second that I am not thinking about you... you have loved me, even when I was being the bitch from hell growing up... so mad at the world... I know you were just helping me get on the right track and that you never stopped loving me... I admire you for all your have done for us kids all our lives... having to be mother/father for so long... I admire you for your strength and I admire you for you loving and giving heart... I also admire you for the loving Grandma that you are... who knows Ma... maybe next year I will get to fly back home with Shauna... fingers crossed... I love you forever and just hope that I can do a great job with Shauna like you have done with us... xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

For My Little Munchkins

This is on here for my nieces and nephews but I know that Maddie will like this the most... it doesn't matter how hard things get... you need to just keep on climbing to where you want to go in life and not give up. I love you all and am missing you all like crazy right now... I am always thinking of you all... Love Aunty Sissy x x x x

Lyrics | Miley Cyrus lyrics - The Climb lyrics