Sucking Wind

Horribly embarrassed that I've neglected this blog. My apologies. Those of you reading the private blog understand.

It was a RADtastic day. Nothing really major but boy J got sucked into a lot of RAD stuff today. I'm tired with all the new HR management, so I did not handle it very well. Blech.

Good thing I get another chance tomorrow. At least I hope I do.

Blossoming J

J is really astounding me daily. Blossoming before my very eyes. Adding Special K to the family has been really good for her and she is loving having a sister. For now anyway. It's funny to watch Special K be a mirror for J to see how far she has come. She's blown away too. There may be regression at some time but I am enjoying it for now.

When SK arrived I gave J the option of going to bed at 7:30. She's only used it once and every night announces that she is a pooped puppy and ready to go to bed. 7 may sound early but we're all naturally early risers so we start our day around 5:30 - 6ish and go hard non-stop all day. They're exhausted come bed time. Mom is too.

"J" Time

I've been expecting full blown regression from J during this transition of Special K. I haven't seen any. She hasn't blown a tire or anything. It appears that she has again reached another level of healing. I had PRN meds on hand in case she needed them to cope. Truly impressed with how she's handled everything and meds have not been necessary.

Not sure if it's from all the preparation that we did or what but I am truly grateful.

Yesterday she had a great time with Daddy G while SK & I were managing appointments. As soon as G brought her back she announced that she now understood why I needed "mom" time and she thought it was going to be really important for her to have "J" time. I understand Honey Bunny...

Proud Mama

I am so proud of this beautiful girl. J is growing up so fast. Looking at these photos is shocking for me. There's something about the last photo that really moves me. I can't believe how much she has grown and what a little lady she has become. She has helped me so much in the last couple of days. So responsible and respectful. If it hadn't been for J Puddin probably wouldn't have gotten fed or the dishes washed. She totally rocks my world. Everyone should be so lucky to have such an amazing daughter!

Too Tired

Too tired to post but I'm trying the twitter thingy.

Waiting

While I'm waiting on my newest daughter to get home tonight go click here and register for Katharine Leslie's webinar. $30.00 The class is on June 18th from 3:30 to 5 PM CST in the comfort of your own home. You must be registered by June 17th.
You won't be sorry....

Click here.

One More Day

We have one more day with Special K until we have to go home. We've both fell hard and fast in love with Special K. Hook, line and sinker. I know there are challenges coming but we are enjoying this honeymoon while it lasts.

Both of us are also so hating having to leave her here. I know it will only be for a day till she will be home but it's so hard leaving your kid behind and letting your kid fly with a stranger.

Please

Please be thinking of us as we start this new journey with Special K. We leave tomorrow to go meet her and the worker will bring her home on Monday.

Really nervous. Anxious, scared, excited, scared, hopeful, scared.....

The Crafty Accidental Mommy

Crafty (in more ways than one) Essie, at The Accidental Mommy, designed and created J a beautiful new sister gift along with cards from her and Genea & Teena. It really touched my heart. I'm trying to "hide" a few special things for J to celebrate her when Special K arrives. This is one of them. I opened the package in the bedroom and came out sniffling. J wanted to know what was wrong and I told her not to worry they were happy tears. This is going to be a hard gift to hide because I'm dying to give it to her. BTW....if you haven't checked out Essie's blog....you don't know what you're missing. Go. Now. You know you need some grins and giggles.

J's pretty scared right now. The unknown is so scary. Heck. It is for me too. I'm really amping up the bonding activities right now. Usually she goes to school all summer. The past couple of weeks I've tried to replace it with the major bonding stuff. She needs it and so do I. Today she was actually able to tell me she was scared that I wasn't go to love her as much as SK. Huge.

Finished cooking today. I hope. Pioneer Woman's meatballs were the last dish. They are divine and get rave reviews everywhere I take them.

Farmer Franny

When we got out of therapy yesterday I had a message from my mom telling me they needed help in the hay field. That's an offer you can't refuse. When the hay is on the ground you have to work like the dickens to get it up before rain appears which will ruin it. I guess that's where the phrase "make hay" comes from. (For those of you that don't know, my dad is a CPA during the day and a gentleman farmer by night.)

We sped out to the farm and I didn't even go to the house to change out of my go-town-clothes. Also did a little happy dance in my head about the opportunity to help in the hay field. I'm probably the only person I know that LOVES to get up hay. I love the smell of the hay and the feel of it blowing all around me as I'm riding through the pastures. It's a beautiful thing. A trip down memory lane too. My dad and grandfather started me driving tractors in the hay field when I was around 6 or 7. It was a blast!!!! The only problem was that I had to drive the f*rd tractor and it was a hateful old thing. I'd have to stand on the brakes and clutch because they were so hard. Evidently my grandfather felt sorry for me around the time I was 12 and got me a used Internati*nal tractor that didn't require full body weight to stop. I was in heaven! My dad did have to remark about my (not) farming clothes and shoes. I thought my cute black sandals made a real statement on the tractor. ;-)

Today that wonderful tractor is still working on the farm and yesterday it was all mine again. Oh my! I was in heaven. It's a love thing with me and that tractor. Everyone else in the field had those fancy, smancy front-end loader tractors. Not me and I was as happy as a pig in slop. Me and the Love Tractor.

We didn't get all the hay in the barn yesterday so I knew I'd get the opportunity again today. The skies were cloudy this morning and it started sprinkling on us as we went to the farm. It was a race against rain to get the hay to the barn. Full RPM's speeding across the field. What a blast! The only problem was my sweet ole tractor can only carry one bale of hay at a time because it only has a spear on the back. A front-end loader has a spear on the front and back so you can do two at a time. I was getting a little frustrated because I could only carry the one bale and not having enough time with the rain coming. You can't put wet hay in a barn. It will catch on fire when it builds up heat. The only problem was I have never driven a front-end loader. It's pretty difficult to maneuver the front spear and takes a lot of practice. The brakes, clutch, gas and gears are all in different places from the Love Tractor.

My dad must have known I was getting frustrated so he called me over to the front-end loader and gave me the 2 second lesson. Like I was going to get it. Yeah. Let's put me on a tractor I've never driven with 3 spears on the front and 3 spears on the back. I wouldn't have wanted to be in the field with me. Scary stuff. I told everyone to clear out of my way and they all went to the hay barn to unload the last trailer that had left the field. I took off on my own to spear me some hay. Bet the hay was shaking too. ;-D

The bale I was after had turned over on it's side so I had to stand it up first with the spear then back up the tractor, readjust the spear and pick it up. I did it on my second try!!!!! I threw my arms up in the air in my best "Rocky" fashion punching the sky. Thinking I was alone. Hmmmm....not so much..... When I turned the tractor around to go to the barn there stood my mom. Starting to feel all embarrassed in an instant then my mom did the "Rocky" pose too. It was very cool. She couldn't believe I did it either. You know she was standing on the edge of the field because she was worried about me. Aaaawwwww....

Maybe the Internati*nal will be J's someday....cause I think I just fell in love with another tractor. ♥♥♥

Just call me Farmer Franny....

Why?

Socialwkr24/7 posted this a week or two ago. I've watched this many times because it helps me keep my perspective of J's life and it helps me keep my compassion. When we wonder why our kids do what they do it really helps. Why I have to repeat myself and model stuff millions of times. It's a great way to explain to people why I parent my child the way I do. This video moves me to tears every time and keeps me mindful of what J went through.

Before we went to the beach I emailed it to G. I think it made him more mindful of the reasons that stuff happens and helped him see J in a different light. It took him about 4 or 5 days before he mentioned it but then he told me he sent it on to others. Yay!

Click here for Multiple Transitions

New Family Pic

Still waiting on all the other spring pics (of J) that were taken. We've been waiting about a month now. Arrrrgghhh.

P.S. Marion: I posted an edited version on the previous post to answer your question and other stuff.

Major Cooking Sessions/Edited

Major cooking sessions have been going on here. So far we have cooked and frozen:

36 Texas size muffin tin mini-quiches
6 dinners of beef stroganoff
9 lasagna size pans of macaroni bake (recipe below)
8 enchilada dinners from The Pioneer Woman

Today we're making 6 Beef and Tomato Pies.
Tomorrow we're making 8 Black-eyed Pea Pies and I'll cook the pork roast for the tamales.
Thursday will be spaghetti and tamales.

Over the past few weeks I've made lasagna, vegetable soup, etc.

One hit wonders where you can just add a salad and presto dinner is done. I love it when that happens.

Because I love you I'm going to share my friend Susan's, recipe for the macaroni bake. It totally rocks the house. I haven't met a person yet who doesn't love it so you won't be disappointed. Huge hit for kids too! J begs for it.


Macaroni Bake
1 lb of ground beef
1 yellow onion
16 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp of celery salt
¼ tsp of black pepper
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 cup cottage cheese
½ cup sour cream
¼ tsp of either fresh cilantro (I prefer cilantro) or flat leaf parsley
8 oz of baby macaroni

Brown ground beef. Drain. Add tomato sauce, celery salt, pepper, salt to taste. Cook 10 minutes or longer to let it marry.

In another bowl mix cheeses, sour cream and cilantro/parsley.

Prepare pan. I made it in a throw away loaf shaped lasagna pan. A layer of macaroni, layer of cheese, layer of macaroni, layer of cheese. Top with meat mixture.

Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until bubbly.

You can thank me later. ;-)

*****edited to add that J & I had the enchiladas for dinner and they were so good we could've taken a bath in them. Worth the trouble of frying those corn tortillas. We're on our way back to the store to buy the stuff to make another 2 more batches. Those will go quick.

Marion: I usually cook then freeze everything (like my mashed potatoes) but on these recipes I'm preparing them and will thaw and cook them when needed. It beats frozen TV dinners by a long shot!

An Unwelcome Visitor

We've had so much rain that the lake was out of the banks. This doesn't happen often. Many docks were under water. We had to walk up to the floating dock instead of down the plank as normal.

At lunch time G was taking a nap on the porch up at the house. I was standing on the walkway at the dock as J walked down the steps into the lake. I was directly behind her and saw a 4 ft. snake in the water behind her. Between me and J. Oh dear lord. I'm not afraid of much but I really don't care for snakes. Snakes on land. Not so much a problem. A snake in the water between me and my child. This is not good.

Thank goodness these days J will actually do what I say. NT practice sessions are essential to staying safe at times. There was more to this precarious situation than getting my child out of the water. I had to get her out of the water without her noticing the snake. Y'all know how hard this is with a radical kid that misses NOTHING. If she spotted the snake I would never get her back into the lake ever again.

I told her to swim to the end of the dock (away from the snake). I ran out to meet her on the dock, watching as the snake is now ON the dock between me and the way to safety. I pull her onto the dock as carefree as nothing was at all wrong. Have her sit watching the lake while I am spying on the snake. As soon as he gets into the boathouse I send J up the 150 stairs to get Daddy G up from his nap. I chase the snake through both of the boat stalls and out of the boat house onto the other side. She comes back down. Gets in the water and we repeat this whole little performance again as the snake comes back to the steps and up onto the dock AGAIN. This time he slithers onto the seawall on the far side of the boat house and I throw rocks at him. I keep throwing rocks (big rocks) for about 10 minutes.

Later we're all in the water on submersible floats. All I can think is "please, for the love of all that is holy, don't let that snake get in the float with any of us."

As soon as we got home I had to find that booger on the internet. Water moccasin (cotton mouth). The internet (and so do many of my outdoor loving friends) will argue till the cows come home that they don't live this far north. They lie. Liar, liar pants on fire.

The raised water levels must have pushed them out of their den. I'm ready for the water to recede now.

Catch Up

Playing catch up on blogs. The internet was s o o o o o o o o o sl l l l l l o o o o w w w w that it just about drove me over the brink. I swear it was slower than last fall and I didn't think that was possible. Way slower than dial up. Click on a page. Cook dinner. Click on another page. Load the dishwasher. Click on another page unload the dishwasher. No joke.

J had a blast. I found 138 shark teeth. Tons of sunscreen but we all got burned a little. The waves were huge this year. G & J had a great time riding the waves. I stayed by the pool. I only get in the ocean when it's windex water and I can see what's in the water with me. Yeah. I'm a chicken. Way too many jelly fish stings.

Glad to be home. Tickled pink to have my computer and dsl too.

Holes

Way too cold to hang on the beach or by the pool so we did the dreaded mall thing. I am NOT a shopper but it was warm. Big news: I finally let J get her ears pierced. She sat still as a mouse, didn't flinch, or scream. Yay!

She's been responsible enough lately to earn it. She's been admiring herself all afternoon in the mirror. ;-) She even managed to keep it a secret from Daddy G during their "good night" call so that he can be surprised in the morning when he sees her. Now if I can just keep my big mouth shut.

Pics when we get home cause this computer is slower than molasses.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be up to 73. Hoping....

Crossing My Fingers

This internet thing is about to get on my very last nerve. Y'all know I don't have many left. Every.time.I.do.every.single.little.thing. A O L pops up and takes 3 forevers to go away. So I uninstalled it. Have to shut down the pooter to make the changes. If I don't reappear tomorrow you'll know things went badly. Of course you'll probably all hear me screaming on the west coast shortly if this doesn't go as planned.

Here we go....

Beach Sweet Beach

Ffffffffffrrrrreeeeeezzzzzzziiinnnnggggg. No joke. Glad I brought sweats.

G will be here tomorrow. Hoping he brings some warmer temperatures with him. J ate 5 sets of crablegs. On top of everything else. She went to bed at 7 and was snoring at 7:07.

Something is really freaky with the internet here. Trying my patience. What is left anyway.

Reminder

Don't forget the Katharine Leslie webinar is tomorrow at 10:00 AM CST till 11:30 CST. I'll be there.
It's not too late to register.

Click here for the link.

Beach

Apologies for neglecting this blog. It hasn't been intentional but so much has been going on with the new addition. After our adoption drama filled lives of the last month or so (drama details on the other blog), we are leaving for the beach in the morning. Yahoo!

I'm packing on the down low so that Puddin's (furry child) anxious attachment isn't activated. Sneaking around the house and tiptoeing stuff out the door and into the car.

J is doing amazingly well. Pretend I'm whispering because I don't want it to blow up in my face. This will be J's 5th trip to the same house in North Myrtle Beach. The new tapping thingy seems to be working like a charm. And without meds.

Preparing to totally veg out, put the brain on standby and come back with a tan. Expecting to come home feeling human again instead of a paperwork puppet.