Tomorrow I Announce My Giveaway ~ Today I Explain Myself...

I feel the need to explain myself before tomorrow's giveaway announcement but two things first:

1) For Gramsie and Nantie: This is a Mother's Day gift spoiler alert. Please skip this post completely. Go on now..

Shoo!

For my wonderful readers: This is going to be the longest winded post to date so please feel free to skip it and check back tomorrow. Ya'll have been warned..

'Splaination: A few weeks back I had a few extra minutes and was blog roll hopping. I came across Confections Of A (Closet) Master Baker, did a double take and laughed out loud. I surfed over and found a darling little blog with some great writing. And boy howdy can this girl bake. Her creations looked mouth watering, sense of humor tickled my funny bone and I loved her new packaging.

I was hooked.

You see, back in the day I launched my own sweet shoppe and have a true envy (er, appreciation) for turning a dream into reality. With the encouragement of family and friends I took that leap of faith. I loved everything about it.. from creating my logo to the goods themselves. I hit the ground running and soon enough my sweets were selling in local boutiques, I launched my web site and had ads were running in the local paper:


I proudly partnered with Victory Junction Gang Camp and created race car chocolates that sold as a fund raiser. Their approval process was pretty intense and I was honored to get their thumbs up.

My dream of dreams was to open a shop.

Sadly, that didn't happen. My "real" job cut our hours and I had to take on 2 more to make ends meet (I was single at the time). All this and staying up until 1am filling orders got the best of me. In a matter of months I had to shut my virtual doors and it broke my heart.

Fast forward to the present.

I find this cute blog by a girl that is living my old dream and mosey over to her online store. Brilliant!! I've suddenly found my MIL's and Nantie's scrumptious Mother's Day gifts and it occurs to me later I've found my special giveaway treats to celebrate my Mommy readers and viewers of Adoption Angles.

Last weekend I searched through the site looking for gift certificates for the giveaway but didn't find them. So I wrote the company directly, explained my situation and asked for guidance. Can I simply send a short, business-like email? Of course not. I go in to this whole dissertation about wanting to give back to my blog/show friends with a sweet gift (pun intended) on a holiday that really hits home: Mother's Day. I miss my mom dearly and I feel the need to celebrate other Moms.. be it bio, stepmoms, caregivers .. you name it. Honestly I feel (as a foster mom) less significant. I wanted express to them what an honor it was for them to be "the chosen one" for such an important occasion. I may be a little fish in a big pond but these are gifts from my heart. In true me-style I blurb it all out and await a reply (time is a tickin' because I'm going to announce winners on my show on 5/5).

But I hear nothing.

Unfortunately, I am a natural born skimmer. I don't scour-read and take in all the info.. and sometimes it comes back to bite me in the bootie. Tuesday night I read through the site again and realize 1) I can just purchase the winners' chosen prizes as gifts (no certs needed) but worse: 2) I didn't realize the branches of her family tree and suddenly feel like an icky stalker. That evening I wrote again, apologizing for the previous email (the discovery of the gift option-which was a big DUH) and basically told them I felt like a buffoon (my exact words).

The following afternoon, the world gets wind of some big adoption news and I about slid under my desk. I'm looking like a complete stalker at this point. I had dropped a comment on her blog and realized it was never posted. I'm one of them.

Unbelievable.

I started to waffle on doing this particular giveaway. I thought maybe I should quietly slink away and leave well enough alone. I had already purchased the gifts for Gramsie and Nantie, let that be that and find another prize. However, after some reflection (and my own stubbornness getting the best of me.. Hello? I didn't do anything wrong) I have decided the giveaway will go on as planned.

SO that all being said, check back tomorrow for the low down on how you can win a most delectable treat. It's going to be a fun time and I'll announce the winners for the blog and show giveaway (there will be 4 total.. 2 from each) on Wednesday night's show!!!

If you made it this far, thanks for hanging in! I feel much better now..

Pretty Cool New Digs, Eh??

So, here we are. I'm still getting settled in and happy to show you around my new little home. There are a few elements that are cool that I would like to share..

First up, a huge hug and, "Thank You!" to the amazing (and patient) Lindsey at Sour Apple Studio. Working with me is no easy task. She took what was in my head and viola! Here it is. Please check out her web site and blog.. I HIGHLY recommend her work!!



Then there's our caricatures. They aren't just random iStock people I chose from that look like us. Illustrator extraordinaire, Sara Showalter, took pity on me and actually drew us from description. Not only that, as children come we can add to our illustration! How cool is that?

Home really is where our heart is and a very important part of our family. It's our sanctuary from the crazy that lies just beyond our drive. I'm really happy to have it shown in the header. Of course, we live at the base of the amazing Colorado Rocky Mountains which we love and the smattering of paw prints represents our herd of canines. Kadi's thoughts on the flowers representing Mama is PERFECT (thank you, darlin'!). Orangey-red, like her auburn hair, petite and pretty.

So, I'm still shuffling stuff around and will be adding to my tabs in the coming days. It's a wonderful distraction to our reality (one that's still in limbo, by the way) and I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out.

Yay!

Ta Da!!!

Okay, it's just coming together now.. it's not quite done yet but is the new design awesome or what!?? We've got Nantie, DH, Jack, Jill and I represented.. plus some other stuff that is meaningful..

More in a bit!

Big Changes A Comin'..

To this lil ole blog, that is.

I've been working with Lindsey at Sour Apple Studio and she has created the most darling design ever. Stay tuned, we should be live sometime tomorrow!

Nip & Tuck

Yes, a little work is being contemplated. Actually a full blown makeover, as a matter of fact. A snip snip here and a snip snip there..

For my blog, of course.

As many of you must have noticed, I'm having technical difficulties beyond my control (sidebar loading) and I think I'm ready for a change. I think.

No.. really, I'm definitely getting an Extreme Makeover--Blog Edition (minus Ty Pennington.. dang it ..)

Stay Tuned!!!

A Bloggy Shout Out

Social workers have a really bad rap. All we ever hear about are the horrifying slackers in the news. Imagine that. No matter what the outcome is in our case I can say without hesitation we are blessed to have the absolute best team in place for Jack & Jill. From Mom's worker, to ours, to the G.A.L. and her C.A.S.A. All we have met are amazing. Overworked and overloaded? Yes. But they truly care and don't take their jobs lightly.

Although we are just one piece of the puzzle we feel we are valued.

Today's shout out is for a great blog I've recently discovered called Eyes Opened Wider written by Socialwrker24/7. She is a 20 something social worker that has a heart for the Lord and loves her work. She writes beautifully and is a total inspiration. I love finding awesome social workers that poopoo their stigma.

Surf on over and give her a big Full Circle, "Howdy Do!!"

:o)

(PS Hope ya'll have a safe and relaxing Memorial Day! Please take a moment to say a prayer for our troops!)

A Bloggy Shout Out!!

My newest DMR (Daily Must Read) is a wonderful blog called Passionate Chaos. It is written by a foster mommy named Mandie who lives in the Midwest with her hubby and son (whom she is homeschooling). She rocks!

Surf on over and give her a "Howdy Do!!"

:o)

Thank You, MomDot!!!

The wonderful ladies over at MomDot have bestowed the honor of being a featured blogger this month.. surf on over and check it out!

Thank You, MomDot!!!

The Ties That Bind.. A Bloggy Shout Out

Most of you already know Kadi Prescott as a blogger extraordinaire, loving wife and super mom to SEVEN beautiful kiddos. You might even recognize her and her brood from their Super Nanny episode last season or from an aisle at a SuperTarget.

At first glance you may only notice her physical beauty. She's simply stunning and has killer sense of style (have you seen her shoes?!). Give the girl a minute of your time and you'll find there's way more to her than what's on the outside. What lies beneath is a wicked sense of humor, intellect, beauty ... and a huge, giving heart.

I can say that because I know from personal experience.

With their platters already overflowing and lives thoroughly jam packed, Kadi and her husband came by my side to help me with a situation involving my father. Being out of state my hands were tied and they were my eyes and ears. I will forever be grateful to them for what they did and what they tried to help us accomplish.

Most of you are her readers that are kind enough to come visit my blog. I have no problem with pity and LOVE that you surf on over!! The other (what, 2?) of you that haven't yet had the pleasure, please head on over and give my little cousin a big ole howdy do! She's my bloggy inspiration and I hope I'm half the Mommy she is. You can visit her at A Womb At The Inn(Sane) and also at the Super Nanny Web Site. A word of warning.. she tells it like it is.. there is no fluff.

Pictured is part of my wonderful family at Christmas.. some of my dearest memories revolve around these amazing people. That adorable baby girl is Miss Kadi and the dork in the Mom Made Vest would be yours truly. That's gotta be some form of abuse..

This Little Blog Of Mine..

.. I'm Gonna Let it Shine..

This blog was officially launched last June in part as (affordable) therapy and also as a journal for our future child(ren). I am very much aware I'm far from eloquent and thank the Good Lord for spell check. I am grateful for all of you that surf by and check in on our little world and so appreciate the wonderful comments and emails I receive. It's very humbling.

Admittedly, this blogging journey has not been all warm fuzzies and happy face icons. Since it's inception close family and friends have voiced concerns over our privacy. I've opened our lives up to everyone and anyone and I can't blame them for being worried. In fact, one of DH's exes has been following it for a while now and that has brought on a level of discomfort for them as well. For the record, none of this bothers either myself or DH. We love our family and friends dearly and know they have our best interests at heart.

My hope is to continue to write publicly as our little odyssey unfolds in the same discreet manner. This blog has morphed into my comfort zone and has helped keep me focused and "sane". My intent is to bring it to an end only when I run out of things to say (for all that know me personally, I'm certain that statement was cause for eye rolls aplenty).

I don't think my writing is all that powerful but I do hope to shed light on a process that seems shrouded by smoke and mirrors. I am grateful for the opportunity to voice (scream) my innermost fears and struggles and wish to thank all of you that have walked in our shoes for your continued encouragement. Of course, prayers from all are always welcomed! Bottom line... ya'll are my support group.

Maybe someday our kiddos will read this and really get a true sense of how much they were wanted and loved before we even set eyes on them. Hopefully they will understand we truly waited (albeit anxiously) for the right placement to come along.

Hopefully.




Oh yeah and .. Go Broncos!