Crafty Deliciousness

I'm pretty sure I get my crafty creative gene from my mother. She has a passion for knitting, crocheting and sewing. And she's pretty damn good at it. Just look at this GOR-GE-OUS blanket she made for Mia!!! The colors are perfect, of course. And it's so soft. I absolutely love it!
My sister and I had been on her for awhile to open a little shop on Etsy. She's retired now and we thought it would be a nice way to supplement her income. Plus... her talent is totally Made-Of-Awesome. Well, she finally did! And she has some super cute things in her store. She makes just about anything from baby shoes, scarves and sweaters to different kinds of photo props. But her big thing lately has been making hats. She loves her some hats.

You guys know Stefanie from Ni Hao Y'all? And you've probably seen her adorable children? Well, mom decided to participate in Stefanie's 30 Days of Giveaways project in order to generate some interest in her store. She offered up a whole box of funky hats. But Stef's kids fell in love with the hats instead. So outta the kindness of her heart.... my mom decided she wanted the kids to just keep 'em. In exchange for cute pics of the models, of course. Check them out here. Totally adorable, right? The kids and the hats! I love that sock monkey. I think that's my fave. Although the black and white with the hot pink flower is so my style, too. Oh geez...maybe I need one of each. LOL!

Sorry ...no chance of winning one but you can check out Mom's shop to place an order. I think she's now planning something else to send Stefanie for the giveaway. I'll let y'all know when I find out what it is and what day it's up.

Mom also sews like nobody's business. Her granddaughters have all been blessed with sweet little twirly skirts and dresses. I already have several requests in for Mia when we figure out her size. ;) Mom made curtains for several rooms in my house. Growing up we had handmade Halloween costumes that were the envy of all the other trick-or-treaters. She even made the bridesmaid dresses for my BFF's wedding many years ago. So I'm really hoping she opens up her Etsy shop to some sewing projects as well at some point.

I already have a pair of crocheted little Ugg type boots on reserve. Oh and a pair of crocheted Mary Janes. Gawd are they cute! Wait til ya see.....

So go check out my mom's Etsy shop called

"Not Your Average Grandma"

and tell her you're a friend of mine if you place an order.

Updates

After listening to everyone's advice and weighing all the options, I chose the Nikon D3100. I liked that Nikon was reported to be more user friendly than Canon. I absolutely need user friendly. I also didn't want to spend too little or too much. Something middle of the road was my thinking. This one fit the bill. And I found a pre-Black Friday sale with a magnificent price so I jumped on it. Amaz0n will be shipping it soon. Then I'll just have to figure out how to use it. My brother has promised some lessons.

Laurie asked in the comment section about what luggage I ended up buying. A lot of folks both here and on Rumor Queen were singing the praises of rolling duffels. So that's what I got. The link to my LL Bean large duffel is here. Of course, I chose the pink print fabric. ;) I used it for my Florida vacation and I really liked it. You can fit a ton of stuff inside and it's still pretty lightweight. My only complaint is that it doesn't stand up on it's own. Which is annoying. But not that big of a deal. Especially since it'll be my check in bag. So it's not like I'll be lugging it all over the airport.

Carol - if you're still out there... I might take you up on your offer to borrow yours though. My sister will need something to pack her clothes in. But I still have plenty of time to figure it out. :)

For those of you praying for Christian, the 16 yr old son of a fellow officer who was struck by a car, he's hanging in there. He's had some surgery to start repairing the broken parts of his body. The day after his accident, we heard he had a "severe brain injury" which was very concerning and didn't sound optimistic. But a couple days later it was reported that his neurosurgeon was "impressed" with his progress. We're still not really sure what that means. But just the fact that he's fighting is good news at this point. So thank you for the prayers. They're being heard.

Which Camera?

I mentioned in an earlier post that I really need a better camera. My sucky point and shoot can barely catch a good shot of a stationary object...let alone a hyperspeed baby. So it's time I upgrade to a DSLR camera.

And it occurred to me that now is the time to do it. Like right NOW. Black-Friday is just next week. Then there's Cyber-Monday and a gazillion other h0liday sales. If I'm gonna find a good price...it's now.
But I have no idea what I need. I haven't done ANY research. I have no idea what kind to buy. Then I thought... why research? I have a blog! That's what this thing is for, right? I'll just ask the blogosphere. LOL! So here's where I need all the mamarazzi out there to guide me. And you guys, too. I'm open to suggestions from anyone. :)

I want something pretty easy to operate. I don't need a lot of bells and whistles that I don't understand. Remember, I'm a beginner. But it also has to be something that'll grow with me as I learn to use it properly.

I'd love to take beautiful photos a la Lisa or the uber talented Kitchu .....but I'm not that optimistic. I'm very technologically challenged. No, I mean VERY. Gadgets are just not my thing. However I do consider myself pretty artistic. So I'm hoping with some practice I'll get the hang of it and capture some really great moments with my little girl.

I just wish I'd started the practice sooner. But I still have 2-3 months before referral (or more. Who am I kidding ....we ARE talking China adoption, right?) and then those 6-8 weeks before travel. I'm hoping I can maybe take a photography class or something during that time.

So help me out all you experienced-with-the-camera-people. What do you suggest?

Miserable Day

It's been raining all afternoon. Dark and gray and gloomy. With just enough chill in the air to make you wanna curl up in your pajamas. It seems fitting for my heavy heart. Our police department has been hit pretty hard over the last few days and the mood at work is somber, to say the least.

Last night I went to a viewing for a young man named Eric who was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday. His father and uncle are fellow detectives. Both veterans of our department. Eric grew up as a member of our police family. He was only 24.

I stood in line for nearly 2 hours to pay my respects. It was comforting to see so much support for the family. But it was heart breaking to see a mother and father grieving the loss of their oldest child. Absolutely heart breaking.

Then this morning when I got to work I learned another officer's 16 yr old son was struck by a car last night as he walked along the highway. He was air lifted from the scene and is now in ICU in critical condition. His injuries are massive. By this afternoon the news was not good. But we're praying.

If you're so inclined, maybe you could say a few as well. His name is Christian.

Two of my friends. One learning to live without his son. One facing a very long road of recovery for his son....or worse. Two tragic events within a matter of days of each other. Doesn't even seem real.

Hugs your kids a little tighter tonight. And be grateful that you can.

53 down

Thanks for all the advice about how to handle the sleeping thing. It's a lot to think about. Hearing your stories helped immensely. The biggest take away is to let my daughter guide me. I'll do whatever works best for her. Because no matter what... we both need good sleep. Stay tuned. I'm sure they'll be another over analyzing freak out coming soon. :)

Co-sleeping... yes or no?

Alright y'all. Here's the deal. I know you're out there cuz I can see ya on my sitemeter ....but very few are speaking up. I'm not a comment whore. Normally I could give a shit less. But like I said..... I'm only 21 days of LID's away from a referral. That could translate to me becoming a mom in just a few short months!!! Albeit a long distance mom at first... but still a mom. And I'm freakin' the bleep out!!!!

Seriously though. I need help. I need advice, opinions. I need the wisdom of all the been there done that moms out there. So I'm asking you to weigh in. Please. My brain is about to explode from all this over analyzing.

Today's topic... co-sleeping.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately. A LOT. There's a thread on RQ that started my mind a'spinning. Now I know this is one of those issues that people have strong opinions about. Some agree that it's a great idea... and some don't. So please no flaming. Everyone's decision is right if it works for your family. And I need to hear all perspectives so I can make an informed decision about how I'm going to do this sleeping thing.

Way way way back in early 2006, when I first started this adoption, I definitely planned to put Mia in a crib in her own room. That's what you do with babies, right? Plus I'm a selfish sleeper. I want my space in bed. I wanna be comfortable. And I made that beautiful room for her, ya know. So naturally I would prefer her in it.

But.... now I'm not so sure. I'm leaning the other way.

Everything I'm reading right now seems to be promoting the benefits of co-sleeping for attachment, especially in children who started out in orphanage care. And I wanna do what's best for my daughter. At all costs. I've already let go of all the selfish notions I've carried around all these years of being a single, carefree woman. My daughter comes first. I come second.

But as usual I'm overthinking it all. I'm trying to imagine how it would work. Like the true logistics of it and how I would practice it in my own life. So tell me peeps... how does this work for you? Do you co-sleep? Or not?

With co-sleeping....do you put her in bed with you? Or on a mattress in your room? Or just pull the crib up to the side of your bed?

Do you go to sleep when she does? But babies go to sleep REALLY early, right? So do you wait for her to fall asleep and then get up to do chores, have some "alone" time, watch TV, etc? Or do you just go to bed at like 8 o'clock at night?

How does your morning routine work? Does she wake up when your alarm goes off if she's in bed with you? Or can you get up and get ready for work while she stays asleep awhile longer?

Am I sentencing myself to a lifetime of having her in bed with me if I start this? How do you ever get them into their own bed? In their own room? Uhmmm.... intimacy? I know I'm single but a girl still has needs. Does co-sleeping mean I'll never get laid again? Ever? LOL! Yeah yeah, I know. Single mom = probably not much anyway.

I know my situation is unique and not like yours. I know you can't give me an instruction manual. But I'd like to hear how you do the co-sleeping thing, how it works for you. Or if you don't do it and how that works for you. If you're not comfortable sharing in the comments section, feel free to e-mail me. My link is on the sidebar.

Thanks so much, guys. I'm looking forward to hearing your perspectives as I work through these things and make decisions about how to best raise my daughter. Sigh... my daughter. I like the sound of that. :)

Let's Catch Up Bullet Style

• As has become a tradition, I went trick-or-treating with the T's. Braeden joined us again this year. The two oldest T's aren't too big to go begging for candy but are apparently way too cool to do it with their parents and younger siblings. So they're not pictured since I didn't see Travis at all that night and only saw Tanner for about 5 minutes. Teagan was supposed to be a race car driver but at the last minute abandoned his costume in favor of the one he wore last year. Tatum is some sort of medieval queen. At least that's our best guess. She picked it out. The other two need no explanation. It was a fun night made even better by the beautiful weather. And it's so very exciting to know that next year Mia will finally be here to join us!

• I finally got my furnace fixed. In true procrastinator form I didn't take care of it over the summer. Even though I knew during those last couple of cold spring days that the pilot light wouldn't stay lit. Nope. I waited until it started getting chilly again. So that was a huge pain in the ass. But after some trial and error the problem was diagnosed and corrected. Now I breathe a huge sigh of relief every time I hear that old monster start rumbling and then feel the glorious heat. Thank goodness that's done.

• I also just bought a new washer/dryer. The old dryer finally kicked the bucket. But I got my money's worth out of it. I bought that set from an ex-boyfriend in 1996. So it was already "used" at that point and lasted 14 more years. But O>M>G am I loving doing laundry now! Seriously. My clothes are cleaner than ever before. And in way less time. Who knew laundry could be so exciting? Dear gawd... I need to get out more. LOL!

• Random thought... is it really almost Thanksgiving? How is that even possible?

• At work the other day a female suspect in one of my cases was upset and complaining that the arresting officer had violated her "prostitutional rights". And no she's not a hooker. Just stupid, apparently.

• Anybody watching Dancing with the Stars? I can't believe Jennifer-Grey is 50 yrs old. She looks damn good. Did you see how far she extended her leg last night? Wow. Truth be told.. I have a major crush on Maks. That's my excuse for watching.

• I'm currently reading this book. So far I'm really liking it. I think it'll be one that I come back to from time to time for advice. I read "Attaching in Adoption" by Deborah Gray which is one of the often recommended books in IA. I didn't dig it. I didn't feel any more educated after reading it than I already was just through other blogs and RQ all these years. Plus it seemed geared more towards older child adoption and foster child adoption. Any favorite adoption/attachment/parenting books y'all want to recommend? I'm power studying in these last few months before referral.

• Speaking of referrals, CCAA has matched through May 23rd. Which means I'm only 21 log in dates away. 21! That's not a lot. The next batch will be telling. How far they get and when the batch comes will help me narrow my prediction window better. I'm still thinking January is possible. Probable even. But it could push into February. Hopefully not March... but again it could definitely happen. Who ever knows with China? But one thing is for sure... I'm getting very close.