Amazingly Enough....

Starting at 5:30 AM, I actually did clean out the closet. Later I moved on to the garage. Dia & Cindy....you wouldn't recognize them. :) I was actually going to post before and after photos but honestly I was too embarrassed about the before. The garbage man is going to faint.

Maybe next weekend I'll start on the "catch all room" in the basement. Maybe......

We did start the day with PW's Sour Cream Pancakes, Breakfast Potatoes and bacon. Friday we had her breakfast burritos. Can you tell I'm loving her cookbook???? I have been really bored lately so it's nice to have a change of pace.

J was supposed to be outside playing while I was cooking dinner. Looking out the window I "caught" her raking the street instead. What has gotten into my girl????? You won't catch me complaining!

She finished watching Sound of M*sic tonight and was happy as a clam.

I have just finished baking her birthday cake on the down low. (Yes...I know we celebrated at the beach but decided at the last minute to do a cake and have my parents over for dessert.) The first birthday cake I've ever baked. Seriously. I don't care for cakes (and I'm a horrible baker) so my family typically gets pies. Baking is too serious. You have to follow the recipe or things turn out badly. I'm more of a pinch of this and a dash of that kinda girl. Tonight I lived on the wild side and made PW's Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever. Hoping it doesn't kill anyone. Keep your fingers crossed.

3 teeth under her pillow (actually in a box on her bed side table. She's too light a sleeper to put under her pillow). She lost one on the plane on the way to Vegas (the 2nd time she's lost a tooth on the plane), one in her sleep last weekend and one last night. Since I'm a horrible tooth fairy I'm just getting around to it. Fairy dust coming and some bucks.

Accomplishments

Huge workday around the house. I threw away tons of stuff and cleaned closets and cabinets. Somehow stuff accumulates and in the middle of the night it multiplies like rabbits.

All my stacks of paperwork has been put away in the proper places. (Nothing short of a miracle.)

Laundry washed and put away. Sheets washed and beds made up.

Kitchen cabinets cleaned out.

Laundry room and laundry room closet cleaned.

Two chests in my bedroom were cleaned out.

I can finally see the seat of a chair in my bedroom. The first time in months.

My closet floor was cleaned out. Unfortunately my closet floor accumulates the majority of the "crap". It was a scary place. More clothes will be removed tomorrow. Typing for accountability.

All kitchen cabinets and pantry cleaned out and reorganized.

Microwave cleaned.

Oven cleaned.

Toaster oven cleaned.

All kitchen counters and counter stuff cleaned.

My bathroom was given a major cleaning. Even my shower which I loathe doing.

Garage (another scary place) will hopefully be the recipient of some time well spent tomorrow.

J worked like a soldier today. I was so proud. Working really hard and she had a blast.

She swept the whole driveway, sidewalk and front porch.

Vacuumed the whole house (even the carpeted rooms!).

Dusted the whole house.

Washed the windows on the door into the garage and the front door.

She swept the deck, raked the backyard and had tons of fun jumping in her pile of leaves. Earlier in the day I asked her why she was working so hard and she said, "so we can have a clean house and I want to do something really nice for you." Awwwwwww..... Then she went on to list all of the things above that she was going to do. I actually teared up. Asked her why she thought I was crying and she said, "they're tears of joy, mom." I thought her list was a really nice sentiment but never thought in a million years that she would actually do it. She did. Without any direction from me.

Tonight we celebrated all our hard work by watching the S o u n d of M*sic and eating chocolate cake in front of the TV. Unheard of in our house.

Right before bed she asked what could we do tomorrow to accomplish some more. I'm thinking sleeping late would be a good start. :) Late is 8 AM at our house. The garage and the rest of my closet can wait till the afternoon (or next month.....). :)

Joys of a Full Moon

I pulled over tonight and took this photo. Anyone else wishing it would start waning? Then throw in a time change. Yikes.

Claudia's Book

I've had Claudia's book since the first week it was released. However, I was 10 books behind so I loaned it to our AT to borrow while I was completing all the books I needed to return. Kristy loved it so much that she had to buy her own copy. She also asked permission (before her copy arrived) to loan my copy to several other people that she thought really needed to read it.

Last week she returned it to me and I saved it till last night for my weekend reading. I started and finished it last night. It was that good. Halfway into it I knew there was no way I could go to bed without finishing it. Excellent read! As with her blog, I am impressed with Claudia's "realness", honesty and humor. Her passion for her children and for finding homes for kids is contagious!

Everyone involved in foster care or adoption should really read this book. Buy it! You won't be disappointed. If you're in the process of adoption or just contemplating foster care or adoption, buy the book. You need this in your arsenal. She also had many wonderful tips for parents in the process of finding their children. How I wish I'd had her book before I started this journey. So much of it I had to learn the hard way. Persistence, persistence, persistence. Contacts, nagging, being the squeaky wheel is all part of the equation. I guess that means she wasn't too mad at me when I kept bugging her (so she would bug Sk's worker) about Special K. :)