Random blogging to get back in the game

I've been out-of-sorts lately, discouraged by all the rumors of long waits and small referral batches - needing a little break from my obsession with the blogosphere. However, I think I'm back again. There's referral out there again today with more July Dragonflies meeting their babies. One very popular blogger (cause she's entertaining as all get-out) just got matched with twins! I know they're ecstatic in salsa-land. Jump over to see a photo of some cutie-patooties. Twins!! Glory be.

Now, back to my little life....

I made this little jacket for Moonbeam. The yarn wasn't the correct guage for the pattern so I just measured length and width of fabric as I went. I think it all went well except the collar - it's a little wonky.
This is thick yarn that made into a thick fabric that will be very warm - jacket like. the problem is that the neck is way too open when one needs a warm jacket. I'm gonna have to either pick up collar stitches and fill it in somehow, or ..... any suggestions?...Help...



Photo #2 is of the cute cute bibs I received in the CCAI yahoo group bib exchange. They are lavender (yummy color) with the one on the right saying "cute as can be" with pink little ladybugs. Love 'em thanks Katherine A.!




#3 - I've been keeping our pal Sophie while her momma is vacationing. Here's a photo of Sophie and Lannie playing twister on my new hip rug (kind of reminds me of olives -?- the colors work great in the room, ok!). Check out the new hardwoods - they were a pain, but worth it!

Doggie Disneyland

I took the pooches to Chatfield Resevoir today. There is a 200 acre off-leash dog park there complete with ponds and a river in which to swim (Leo) or splash (Lannie). Bottom line is that it's great for all involved - I get to walk without wrestling them on their leashes and they get to be dogs running, swim/splashing, sniffing other dogs parts, barking...
Here's some photos... I doesn't hurt that you have a beautiful view of the front range.



I definitly subscribe to the old addage " A tired dog is a good dog." They were very good dogs the rest of the day. ;)

UFOs

Still in the heat of summer, but anticipating fall coming, I guess I’ll rev up the ol’ knitting motor.  
I currently am working on a sock.  I historically struggle with things that are pairs.  Right now in my UFO stash are 3 single socks and one thrum mitten. (They're all scrunched from being in my UFO pile for several years now). My goal this year is to finish these pairs.  The sock I’m working on now is the second of a pair (yeah) the first one I finished in France last fall.  Perhaps the second I can finish in Greece this fall – they then can be my traveling socks.  The mitten should be next and then the other two socks.  The other two socks are actually matching – crazy colorful stripes – one adult, one baby.  Maybe I’ll finish before moonbeam arrives and we can wear our matching socks.  On second thought, these are actually too colorful for me who usually only wears white or black socks – yep pretty boring in the sock department.  But, maybe Moonbeam and Aunt Donna can have matching socks…there’s a great idea.

I've posted close-up photos of the heels of the two different socks. The rust-colored pair turn the heel in a series of short rows, the crazy-colored socks in a more traditional heel flap. Since these are the only two socks I've made, I don't know yet which I prefer. Anyone out there with experience here? preference?

Happy Birthday Jules

Happy Birthday Jules! It was fun celebrating you tonight. My dear friend celebrated her b-day today (8/10).  She’s awesome, just did a triathalon this past weekend – go girlpower!  She and her husband are in the process of building a totally cool “green” house.  It will have straw bales for construction/insulation, and many other conservation features ( I don’t even have the vocabulary for all the incredible energy efficient things they are doing)  I’m trying to talk her into a blog so we can all watch this project.

We went to the Denver Botanic Gardens to see Nanci Griffith – I love this artist. She is spunky and delightful, and a true folk icon. She definitly has a 60's bend and I love her stance on peace, and loving each other. From a Distance is ONE of my many favorites of hers and was my first introduction to Nanci Griffith in '88 or so. True to her folk roots, her songs are about social justice, peace and love.

Well, I’ve been tagged.  I was actually tagged once before, but was in a funky space and thought it was hard.  Today Melissa O tagged me and this seems much easier (maybe it’s my space)
4 jobs I’ve had in my life
Nurse’s Aide
RN
Nurse practitioner
…not much variety here
I did do a short stent selling lemonade at concerts during grad school.  Free admission
4 movies I would watch over and over
Princess Bride
When Harry met Sally
Under the Tuscan Sun – not academy award winner, but I love the redefining of “family”
Amalie
4 places I have lived
Missouri
Colorado
North Carolina
Hawaii
TV shows I love to watch
American Idol!!
Oprah
Starting Over
…I am such an emotional grrl
hmmmm…no cable or satellite, don’t watch much TV
4 places I have been on vacation
Holden Beach, NC
France
Sailing: St Lucia to Grenada
Camping/ car trip from Glacier National Park  to Banff, Canada
I LOVE vacations!
4 websites I visit daily
I usually check in to see what’s happening with
WendyZ
Millicent
Salsa in China
And Naked Ovary since her referral
4 of my favorite foods
chocolate lava cake
French fries
Ice cream
(notice a theme yet)
4 places I would like to be right now
I love where I am: in my chair with the pooches at my feet
China – bringing home moonbeam
Traveling – another sailing trip would be good
In Missouri with my family
OK, so whom to tag... how about Stacy and Katherine

More presents! Wow, this cyber shower is great!

Look at the ADORABLE outfit and fun toys that Verna gave me. I lovelovelove them. I may have the best-dressed baby around. A cool thing about Verna, she's calling her baby Moonbeam too.

Meet the other furbaby

Lannie was feeling neglected so I promised her I would post her picture too, it's just that yesterday was Leo's birthday. She didn't think it was fair that I didn't post about her on her gotcha day, but I wasn't blogging then. I did just realize that her gotcha day is the same as my DTC (the day my Dossier was mailed To China - for all you non-adopty folks). Very cool.
Lannie was abondened at Wal-mart in Broomfield, CO and given to me on 5/4/02. It turns out she has a skin disease that poodles often get called sebacious adenitis. She doesn't produce any oil in her skin and it damages her folicles causing her to itch and have very bad hair (which has potentially saved her from the fufu poodle cuts).
She's quite a love despite being a little raggedy.

Leo is 6!!!

Happy Birthday little dude!

Thanks for all the fun times.
For the last 6 years the words most frequently uttered by me have been: "Leo, sit. Leo, down. Leo, zip it! zip it! I mean it! What did I say? Good boy. Hey, leave Lannie alone...."
I love this dog. He's what you would call "enthusiastic". He makes me laugh. a lot.

Here are some photos of the dude on his birthday. Luckily he doesn't understant that it's his birthday because his momma was lame (again)and didn't get him anything - oh, other than the medicine for his raging ear infection and his monthly shot for his Addison's disease.


He's trying to look very nonchalant as he's snickering inside about raiding the recycling bin (evidence behind him). Dude, you're busted! Now go clean it up! (I wish)


The ol' "Bow to your queen" command - pretty good huh?

He's just waking on his birthday...isn't he cute?

Weekend Fun

Saturday morning I went to my friend Elianna's birthday party - she turned 3. This is one cute little pumpkin and you'll have to trust me, cause no photos. It was really great to see all of her 3 year old friends playing. It made me rather wistful for the day when Moonbeam will be here. While I was watching them, I began to realize that these girls are gonna be too old to want to play with Moonbeam, so I started pushing my friends to have another one! I think it's a great idea!

Saturday evening - a Rockies game. Yep, a professional sporting event. I know they played the Padres and lost and that's where the knowledge ends. See, it was "Stitch and Pitch" night. The entire section I was in were donning knitting needles. Fun and silliness.
Check out the "Rockies" Hat - those knitting needles have lights on them.



This is my lone photo of the Dragon Boat Festival on Sunday - it was taken as we were leaving since that was the only moment we were willing to leave our spot in the shade. 100 friggin' degrees - hothothot!
Too bad I wasn't more willing to take the heat, because there were tons of booths selling gadgets - like the cute pink umbrella the boy in the water is holding.
CCAI had a boat again this year. We arrived after they won their first race and left right after they won their 2nd ( a feat they apparenlty haven't been able to accomplish for a while). Ultimately, the Buddist temple won - again. I wanna be on the boat next year! It really looks fun.

Threatened I-171H

There's a real threat out there. As the time to referral gets longer and longer, the threat of the blessed I-171H expiring becomes a real liklihood. If this were to happen, I've been told by folks in my agency that it could cost another $1500 to redo all the paperwork and file for another I-171H.
For any of you reading this site, please take the time to support all of us in this process and write to your representative to support the bill below. My friend, editor by trade, wrote this letter and gives permission to use what you can to write your own representative. Just write!


Dear Congresswoman xxxxxxx,

I'm writing to you on behalf of a friend of mine who is adopting a little girl from China. The overseas adoption process these days is taking longer and longer, which puts my friend and other families up against a visa deadline. Once ample, this deadline now poses a significant financial risk to adopting families. If 18 months pass before the adoption is complete -- which seems increasingly likely --
my friend and others like her will have to spend hundreds, and possibly
thousands, of dollars to resubmit their applications, only to satisfy a
formality of paperwork that appears to do nothing to help the families
or the children.

I'm writing to ask that you help Rep. Heather Wilson of New Mexico get the Helping Families Adopt Orphans Act passed, which would extend the I-171H “Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition” deadline to at least two years.

Please help both the thousands of families across the U.S. and the
children worldwide who are waiting to "come home" by supporting this
act in any way that you can.

With sincere thanks,

xxxxxxxxxxx