Friday, October 29, 2010

Foster Parent Fall Party

Our foster parent association held their annual fall party not too long ago. It was a great time of pumpkin painting, pony rides, hay rides, barrel train rides, food, and a bonfire. The kids had a great time. I love getting together with other foster parents to find out what they are going through and such-it always amazes me, I often feel like I am the only one going through what I am, but I go there, and suddenly I realize I am not alone. It is also a great time talking to other foster/adoptive mom's who have the same hair issues as I do...as my children clearly have different hair as mine-it requires a great deal more work, and it is nice to hear what other mom's are doing, etc.

Friday, October 8, 2010

So Tired!

I think I have really been working myself too hard! I fell asleep much earlier than I normally do last night and had a very hard time getting up this morning. I had to run the kids to school today because we were all sort of struggling to get motivated. Last night was a little rough around here. I will be completely honest and say that I am not playing the single parent roll very well since my husband is working out of town and won't be home until next Friday. The kids are tired of him not being home, I'm wearing out, and I know he isn't happy right now being away. I keep telling myself I am thankful he has a job, and that he provides for his family, we are just missing him.

Last night the big guy wasn't feeling very well, so he was very upset and unsure of what would happen today if he couldn't go to school. He doesn't do change very well, so it was very hard to reassure him that everything would be ok and we would deal with the issue, if it even was an issue, in the morning. My 5 year old princess, bless her heart, took to peeing in her pants yesterday. I don't know why...if you ask her, she'll say, "I don't know" so obviously not much help. She went on the floor right next to the toilet too, again "I don't know" was the answer I got. Today she was fine... I really think it had to do with the big guy's TSS being here and not having her attention...one can only guess with T. And the the precious wee one...she is missing her daddy desperately. She is a daddy's girl through and through. Bedtime is the worse for her...it's the time she has to really remember that daddy isn't home, nor is he coming home anytime soon. It's so hard rocking her through the screams and cries...it really breaks my heart...to be so young and to not understand. Shoot, I am 30 and have a hard time dealing with the fact that he isn't coming home tonight!

After I got the kids to school today I ran to the store, as I was doing my pumpkin yesterday I realized I had no freezer bags as well as the vegetable oil as I had mentioned yesterday. I got both this morning. When I got home I was sooo tired. The little one and I just laid around watching her favorite, Elmo. It was a nice quiet morning at home.

I had the privilege of meeting up with my sister and nephew, for lunch. It was nice to get out of the house for a little bit. My little one doesn't like me wanting to have adult chats, but none-the-less, it was still a nice time. My sister has been very busy with the local fairs, so it was nice to finally see her and not talk to her through text or on the computer!

Came home, and got the kids off the bus. While they ate, I got my pumpkin pureed and in the freezer. I didn't freeze it as I wanted to...for my pumpkin pies, I usually use 3 1/2 c pumpkin, and silly me at the store only got pint bags instead of quarts..oh well, we'll make it work! I feel good about getting that project done. Tomorrow I have a busy day, if my kids allow, to clean up the mess of a room called a kitchen. It has been worked hard over the last couple of days...it deserves a good cleaning. I have to think of a project/activity the kids can be occupied with to get it done though.

Well, the kids are watching a movie, so I better use the time wisely and get a basket of laundry folded.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Busy Busy

The last couple of days I have been very busy!!! My mom, my cousin Lynne, and I went to the Apple Harvest over the weekend. We had a nice time even though they said I was grumpy and didn't know how to behave since not having my children with...trust me...that was not the case! I was having a nice time not having to correct anyone and just being able to sit and enjoy watching people when my little legs got tired. I found a cute little wrought iron pumpkin with some garland around it for on my table at home. After we were finished walking through the booths and such, we left and went to the apple orchard. We all got some apples, I got more than the other 2 though. Yesterday I was busy busy busy trying to get things made with the apples so they didn't go to waste. I ended up freezing 2 apple pies unbaked (as I just learned that I can do that), I baked 2 apple pies (1 for the freezer, 1 to eat now), 3 pans of apple crisp (2 for the freezer, 1 almost all gone), and a dozen apple dumplings. Other than the apples I got for the kids to eat, all of the apples were put to good use, I think. I am very proud of myself, especially about my apple dumplings...I never made them by myself before! They don't look the prettiest, but they taste wonderful, so I guess that's all that matters!

Today is pumpkin day! My dad gave me a couple of pumpkins when I picked up my car after the Apple Harvest. They have been moved from one corner to the next in my kitchen...the kids think they are the neatest toys. So today I decided I must get them cooked off and in the freezer before they are unusable. I have the last one in the oven roasting now. I need to dig out the food processor here in a minute to start getting it in the freezer. I wanted to make pumpkin whoopie pies today, but realized I don't have enough veggetable oil, so I need go to the store to get that tomorrow. For today I will just get it all cooked off and ready.

I tell ya, being domestic is tiring! Ha Ha! I fell asleep early last night and still feel like I could sleep the day away! Luckily the sun came out, so the house is much brighter than it has been for the last week or so, so that helps keep me going today!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Love the Purr of the Sewing Machine!

I finally got to turn on my sewing machine last week for the first time in months...really since the beginning of the summer. I sewed a binding on a quilt that I had made for my husband before we were married.


When I was at one of my favorite fabric stores the other week, I got some Halloween fabric pretty cheap. My family isn't one to go all out for Halloween, but we do allow our kids to dress up and go trick-or-treating. I decided to make each of the kids their own trick-or-treat bag, of course! Each one is different. The big guy's has bats on it, T's has little black cats & pumpkins on it, and then for the littlest one...she has jack-o-lanterns. It was so hard getting a good picture of them because of the dreary, dark, gray, rainy days we had since finishing them.

7 Years Old!

2 weeks after we celebrated T's birthday, it was time for the big boy to turn 7...don't get me started on how this boy has grown over the last year.

5 years old!

So back at the beginning of August, we celebrated T's 5th birthday...I can't believe she's 5 already and in kindergarten...where does time go?!

(don't mind there are only 2 candles...seems to be a theme for me...always forgetting the candles)