Regrets

getting crafty

I had a little fun this week sprucing up some old pieces of furniture that had seen better days. I found this neat bench on the curb. It looked like someone used it as a surface to pot some plants. There was dirt all over the bench, but it looked like it would just brush off and I could recover it. I put it in the backyard and didn't get to it for several days. Forgot about my puppy and he ripped up the arm of the bench. Drat. Then I had to pad and patch the arm THEN recover it. I used an old chenille blanket. love how it turned out.



Next I had been meaning to get to the dresser in on of the girls' rooms. It's an old wood laminate dresser and they've been picking the old laminate off at night. I filled in the parts that have peeled away and then I painted it with a thin coat of blue. Karianne loves it but nicely pointed out that I really didn't do a good job of painting because the brown shows through in some places. I don't think she really believed me that I did it on purpose. She said it's ok, it looks nice anyway. :-P

Orphan Alert: 6 yo sweetie

Look at this sweet little girl! She needs a family. Love Without Boundaries is advocating for her and she is on the Shared List in China. Her name is Sophie and her SN is listed as Rectovaginal Fistula - she had a colostomy and should receive surgery to repair her fistula and reverse the colostomy, soon. This is what is written about sweet Sophie:

Six-year-old Sophie has been waiting for a family to call her own since early 2010. When LWB became aware of her availability through the Waiting Children Program, we immediately started collecting bits of information on her from people who have met her and from her LWB reports. Every piece of information portrayed Sophie in one light: ”Bright.”

Everyone’s comments about Sophie…her big eyes, her enthusiasm for life, her kindness and happiness…brought me back to this one word. I think even these few photos of her reflect her bright personality.

She is a ray of sunshine that brightens the day of those around her.



Sophie is helpful in taking care of children younger than herself. She has fun riding an adult size tricycle and even enjoys cleaning the floor! Her caretakers see her blossoming into a beautiful young girl.

She tries not to let her special need hold her back in life, although it can be difficult with her level of activity. Another surgery is pending for Sophie, and hopefully after that there will be nothing to stop her from taking life by the reigns!

Love Without Boundaries proudly advocates for adoption but is not an adoption agency. We invite you to contact adoptionassistance@lwbmail.com with questions about a child we have featured and encourage you to contact your local adoption agency for more information about China’s Waiting Child Program.

Karianne flips

Bargain Brag

Yesterday I went to a church rummage sale. They had a nice but dirty dining room set for 8. I really liked it, but it was $275! I sent a picture of it to Brent (who was not with me) and asked him if I might have it when the sale went half price as church rummage sales usually do. He said no, that was still to much for us. I came back to the sale around noon, everything was half price. The table was still there but they were very confident it was going to sell. I didn't think so. I asked the woman in charge if I might leave an offer and if it didn't sell by the end of the day, then maybe they could give me a call and consider my offer. The lady asked, "how much?" I said, "forty dollars." (Brent was glad he wasn't there. HAHA!) The lady looked at me in disbelief and said with a sneer, "Uh I can tell you right now, we won't be accepting THAT offer. We have PEOPLE that will take it (meaning the thrift store). She refused to take my number and would rather give it to the thrift store who really needed it as opposed to me and my $40 who actually needed it too. Geez!

Spunky girl that I am. I went back to the sale around 4pm. Table was still there as I suspected it would be. I walked up to the woman and asked, "how much is the table now?" She growled, "five dollars."
"Um, do you mean the big table with the 8 chairs?"
"Yes, five dollars!"
"OK, I'll take it."

I quickly gave her my Five dollars and loaded it up in the car. I was a little concerned that she'd remember that it was beneath her to accept $40 a few hours before!

Love my table! It's the first time I've been able to fit everyone around the table and fit the food on the table as well. For years I've served the food buffet style. Who hoo!

Orphan alert beautiful 13yo girl, agency fees waived.

Helen will age out of adoption eligibility on January 20, 2011. She is smart, beautiful and has NO Special Needs. She just NEEDS a forever family!! :-) :-) She is very educated. She knows A LOT of English!!!!! !!!!!!! She is brilliant and very driven and motivated. She is a tough little cookie!!!!!! !!!

MAA is offering a Hope grant to waive all fees for this child if a family comes forward who can adopt her in time. (Any potential family MUST have a completed HS or one that is almost complete to be able to adopt her in time). MAA is also willing to transfer the file for any family who is LID with another agency who we feel will be a good fit.

Qingdao has also offered to waive this child's orphanage donation!!!

Please contact diana.maa@ comcast. net (without the spaces) asap if you are interested in this child. Please also help spread the word about this gorgeous child.

A tooth!

We have our first lost tooth! And the winner is...

Woosy did it

Lucy. She is such a crazy kid. She keeps us all hopping and laughing. She always manages to get up before me and when I wake up, I am often confronted with crazy messes. When I ask who made the mess, she quickly confesses, Woosy did it!"

Today she was walking behind me on the sidewalk and I said, "you are such a slow poke." She said, "No I not, I Woosy."

We were in a crowded store and she was showing me stuff and backing in to people. I said, "watch out for people, and she turned around and yelled, "Watch out People!"



Always polite, she shakes her hand in front of her and says, "No fank you." If she doesn't want something.
If I ask her sisters to apologize to her, she readily apologizes as well even though she was the offended.

She paints her lips with red nail polish. Very well I might add. She also has done body art all over her tummy with my favorite tube of lipstick.

If I hold out my hand and I ask, "What's in your mouth?" I am more likely than not to get a handful of slimy dog food.

Oops, I was on the computer too long. Found a stool pulled up to the counter and half my sugar cubes missing. A loaf of bread is missing and a very happy, hyper Lucy, soaking wet, outside picking green oranges from the tree. Gotta go.

Short kids

One of the moms at school told me her son came home on the first day of school and told her there was a little girl in his class. He insisted there was no way she was 5, she must be 3. He held his hands about 8inches apart and said, "she's only this big mom, for real!""
She knew he was exaggerating of course. She was telling me this story as we were waiting for our kids to get in to their class. She spied Angie and immediately guessed she was the 8 inch tall child he was referring to. She was right. Kinda funny, she asked how old Angie was too, she didn't quite believe she was 5 either.

Orphan Alert: 13 yo girl ageing out soon.

This sweet girl has lived her entire life in an orphanage. She will turn 14 in January when she will no longer be eligible in China to be adopted. Can you imagine dreaming your whole life for a family and slowly watch the dream fade? She just has 4 short months for the miracle to happen for her. Most children look forward to each birthday on their teen years, a sign of maturity and more responsibility. This birthday will indeed mark the end of childhood for her, and a new responsibility of trying to figure out how to make it on her own for the rest of her life. Please, lets find a family for her.

She has a repaired cleft lip and palate. Contact Dick and CHeryl Graham of Bringing Hope to Children at iaap2000@gmail.com for more information about her. I'm not aloud to post her name on a public forum but you can ask for more info about the girl that will age out in January. Her birthday is 1/19/97.