Good Friday to you all! It's time for another Favorite Ingredients Friday recipe exchange! I'm so sorry I missed last week with no notice.  It was a long holiday weekend and I got busy with my family!  I hope you understand.  If any of you would like to re-post recipes that you might have published last week, please feel free to do so!

Here's what the user makeiteasy4me came up with.

Labels: cooking, Favorite Ingredients Friday, recipe exchange

Okay, I'd like to see a show of hands here. Who's going to see S*X and The City: The Movie? It's in theaters starting tomorrow. Don't be shy, leave me a comment and let me know either way.

I must confess that I've been eagerly anticipating this movie for about...oh I'd say the past 2 years or so...since whenever the T.V. series ended. Back then, I made my husband pay for HBO just so that I could watch this series. And when it was all over, I went out and purchased the entire DVD set.

My husband gleefully informed me that he's read that there are already bad reviews for this movie (as a man he doesn't understand what all the hype is about). I think that any true S*X and The City fan is going to be hard-pressed to give this movie a bad review!

Personally, as long as Carrie and Big get married in the end, I'll be happy! I'll find out this weekend when I go see the movie with a bunch of my girlfriends. Plus, I can't wait to see all of wacky yet fun designer outfits the ladies will be wearing throughout the movie!

My husband has already been fair warned that he'll be in charge of dinner and bedtime routine that night because I'll be unavailable!

Just for fun, I thought I'd share some of the movie promo pictures I've found online. Enjoy!

Labels: just for fun, movies

If you remember, I posted not long ago about the fact that the time is drawing near to let go of Baby Bug. I think the thing that has stressed me out the most is the thought of never seeing her again. I'd always wonder how she's doing and what she looks like as she grows older.

Last week I was on the phone with Baby Bug's dad, discussing an upcoming visit and out of nowhere he says to me, "We've been talking and if you don't mind, we'd really like you and Oronzo to keep in touch even after Baby Bug returns home."

I about fell off my chair when I heard those words and I wanted to cry in relief! I told him, "I've been trying to work up the courage to ask you if we could maintain some form of contact after Baby Bug goes home. We've grown quite fond of your daughter over the past 6 months!"

Baby Bug's dad told me, "You and Oronzo have been so good to our daughter, and to us, that it wouldn't seem right to get her back and never see you again."

Thank you, God, for answering my prayers! Knowing that Baby Bug's parents are willing to keep in touch with us after she returns home and will allow us to visit her makes this reunification goal so much easier now.

I feel as though a great weight has been lifted off of my shoulders!

Labels: Baby Bug, foster children, fostering, leap of faith

It's time to pick a winner for my May Pay It Forward Book Exchange. I've used Random.org to find my winner.

And the winner is...

# 4-Lori with Lori's Reading Corner who wins Purity In Death by J.D. Robb.

Congrats, Lori! Please email me your mailing addresses so I can send out your book! If I don't hear from you soon, I'll have to pick another winner.

And for those of you who didn't win my giveaway, there are 17 additional books still up for grabs this month thanks to PIF giveaways being held by other bloggers! Hurry quick to enter to win!

My next Pay It Forward Book Exchange will be held on Monday, 2 June. I hope you'll join me then!

Labels: books/reading, giveaways, Pay It Forward, winners

Sorry I've been absent from my blog for the past few days.  I've been a bit busy hanging with family and friends.  I'm sure you understand.


I'm designing custom-made tutus! Sorry, this picture doesn't do this one justice. I'll have Oronzo take a better picture soon. I'm working on a local order and when I finish it, I"ll be making a 4th of July tutu and will post it for sale.

Labels: holiday, Sparkle and Charm Boutique

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer is hosting an interesting carnival, What's In Your Car?

To participate, all we had to do was clean out our cars and provide a list of what we found. Simple, right? Wrong! Still, my car was in desparate need of cleaning so I decided to get motivated and join in the fun!

Before we get started, let me show you a couple of "before" picture, just so you have an idea of how bad it is! 





Here's what I found in my car while cleaning it out yesterday, in no particular order:

Labels: What's In Your Car?

I just wanted to remind you all that I'm choosing the winner of my May Pay It Forward Book Exchange this Saturday. You still have time to go sign up to win!

Also, there are 17 more books up for grabs thanks to the additional Pay It Forward giveaways that other blogs are hosting. Check it out!

Labels: books/reading, giveaways, Pay It Forward

The clock is ticking and our time with Baby Bug is running out. As a result, simply put, I'm struggling.

Another milestone has been reached in her case. Beginning this week, her parents now have visitation with her Monday-Friday, 9 AM-4:30 PM. It's almost to the point where they have more time with her than we do. I know this is as it's meant to be.

By the end of this month, we will have had Baby Bug living with us for 6 months. The past 6 months with this precious child have been hectic, chaotic at times, and somewhat muddled (lack of sleep and all) but it's also been joyful, rewarding, gratifying, and a blessing.

At 6 months old Baby Bug has more hair (I put it up in a little pony tail at the top of her head this morning for the first time). She's more vocal, wants more interaction, is getting 2 teeth, is trying to sit up on her own, is rolling over a lot, and is quite engaging. She's back to sleeping through the nights, although she likes to wake up at 5:30 AM still to play and then go back to bed around 7 AM. She is a beautiful child who is good natured and quick to smile. She charms everyone she meets. She has melted my heart.

Last night after tucking her (and the other two kids) into bed, I had a bit of a pity party. I laid in bed with Oronzo and cried at the thought of her leaving for good. I explained to him that, although he seems to have come to terms with this inevitable conclusion and has found peace with it, I am still struggling.

I truly admire Baby Bug's parents and I'm proud of the painstaking progress they've made with their case plans. They're still both 100% compliant and anxious to have their daughter back home. Intellectually, I support this and I know it's right for her to be reunited with her parents but my heart still aches at the gradual letting go.

I told Oronzo last night that I'll need his support now more than ever (as the visits increase) and when she is reunited with her parents for good. I need him to allow me to grieve, without reminding me, "We knew this was the way it was going to be early on."

I told him that I need to be the one that packs up her things and carefully places them in her bags to go home. I need to have quiet time alone with her to hold her, say my goodbyes, and pray for her.

I need to see Snuggle Bug holding her one last time and I want to take their picture together. Based on how attached he's gotten to her, I know he'll miss her too. After Baby Bug is gone, I'll probably want to pull Snuggle Bug into my lap and rock him as I used to when he was a baby, just to remind myself that I have a child that is most certainly staying.

I warned Oronzo that I'm going to be emotional for quite a while after she's gone and that I'll want a bit of time before we're put back on the open call list for another placement. We'll still have Boo (I assume) and I'll be content with just her and Snuggle Bug for a while as I grieve for Baby Bug.

I also told Oronzo that I want to approach Baby Bug's parents and ask if they'd allow us to be a small part of their lives, even after Baby Bug returns home. We've had a good relationship with them from day one, so I hope they won't feel threatened by this request. They don't have much family or a lot of friends here in this city and I'm hoping they'd be interested in counting on us for friendship and support even after they're totally finished with CPS and the system. I'd love to be able to visit occasionally and see Baby Bug grow and develop, maybe attend her first birthday party or take her to play in the park with us.

Of course, I understand that this could all just be my little fantasy. Her parents may say, "We'd rather not, we just want to put this all behind us." Or maybe they'll tell us "Yes, that'd be fine," but then never return our calls. I have to accept that once Baby Bug returns home to her parents for good, I may never see her again. I pray that this is not the case because she'll be taking a piece of my heart with her and I want to know that she's happy and safe.

Please pray for me as I accept that it's time to truly begin to let go, that my role in Baby Bug's life as her advocate and protector is nearing it's completion.

Labels: Baby Bug, foster children, fostering, leap of faith, letting go

Before I begin, I'd like to thank all of you who participate in my Pay It Forward Book Exchange giveaways, whether you're entering to win books, or even hosting your own giveaways to share books with others. I've been tickled pink with the interest this exchange has generated! Keep it up, will you?! And be sure to check out all the books up for grabs on my May PIF Book Exchange!

Now then, I've noticed that there is quite a variation in the way that people are hosting their own Pay It Forward Book Exchange giveaways. Some of the variations I love, like Cloudscome's version where she's giving away a CD/DVD this month. Other variations seem to be causing a bit of confusion so I'd like to revisit the guidelines that I initially established and recently modified in the hopes that we can all be on the same page and have consistency for our readers. Please pay close attention to item #4.

If you have any questions or comments regarding these guidelines, please let me know. I'd be happy to chat with you about them.

Here are the guidelines for my Pay It Forward Book Exchange.

Most all of us love to read and get “new-to-us” books, right? And if you’re anything like me, you love winning things (what a rush), not to mention getting fun stuff in the mail! So here’s what this book exchange is all about:

1) On the first Monday of each month I'll pick a couple of books to give away to two lucky readers (you don’t have to have a blog to enter). It may be a book that I’ve purchased new or used, or it may be a book that someone has shared with me that I really like. It’ll probably be a paperback, just to make things easier, but no guarantees.

2) Details on how you can enter to win will be listed in each monthly post.

3) If you’re the lucky winner of the book giveaway and you have your own blog I ask that you, in turn, host a drawing to give that book away for free to one of your readers, after you’ve had a chance to read it (let’s say, within a month after you’ve received the book). If you mail the book out using the media/book rate that the post office offers it’s pretty inexpensive. If you're a non-blogger who has won the book, please consider donating the book to your local library or shelter after you're done with it.

4) If you’re really motivated and want to host your own Pay It Forward giveaway at any time during the month, grab the PIF button above to use on your own blog post and link back to my original Pay It Forward Post. Be sure to let me know about your giveaway so I can add your link on my original PIF post directing my readers your way! I'd appreciate it if you would not use Mr. Linky on your blog and require that your readers post about your Pay It Forward book exchange on their blogs to be eligible to win your book. If you'd just ask your readers to leave you a comment on your post to be entered to win, and then direct them to my blog to review the master list of other Pay It Forward giveaways, that would be much appreciated and I think less confusing for all participating!

So there you have it, my Pay It Forward Book Exchange, designed to encourage people to read, to share good books, to possibly get you out of your reading comfort zone, and to get fun stuff in the mail instead of just bills!

Labels: Pay It Forward

A while back I wrote about how I needed to declutter our house.  I never imagined that I'd be forced to de-clutter to an extent by getting robbed!

Yes, while we were on vacation, our house was broken into (the robber(s) somehow forced open our sliding glass door in the back of the house) and many rooms were ransacked. Drawers and boxes were thrown on the floor and overturned, with papers and clothes scattered everywhere.  

Oronzo's sister was actually the one to discover the break-in when she stopped by the day before yesterday to pick up something that she wanted to borrow.  She contacted us in Mexico to let us know.

I spent the rest of our vacation stressing about the robbery, wondering what had been taken and feeling angry that someone felt they had the right to break into our house to steal from us!  Coming home to the mess late last night was awful!  We tried to shield Snuggle Bug from the mess as much as possible.  Thankfully his room wasn't too bad.  The girls' room was a mess but they're too young to notice and we tackled their room first to set it right.

Here's the list of things that I've noticed thus far that were stolen:

* Princess cut ruby in gold band setting (This was a family heirloom.  It was a gift from my aunt that was given to my mother on her high school graduation day.  My aunt, whom I was named after, died when I was very young.  My mom treasured this ring and as a little girl she told me it would one day be mine.  She gave it to me last year.  I was honored to have it and I treasured it greatly.  Now it's gone, stolen and probably pawned by now.  This is the one item that hurts me the most to have stolen because of the sentimental value.).

* Pear shaped ruby necklace and matching ruby earrings (gifts from Oronzo for one of my birthdays).  These can be easily replaced.

* Custom made Mother's Day necklace with Snuggle Bug's birthstone set in it.  This breaks my heart that it's gone but Oronzo thinks he can go back to the jeweler and have it re-created.

* My celtic cross from Ireland.  I guess I'll have to go back to Ireland and find another one.

Labels: robbery, vacation

Happy Friday! It's time for my Favorite Ingredients Friday WeightWatchers Edition! Thanks to Tami at 3 Sides of Crazy for suggesting this theme. I love it!

Ingredients
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
1 cup chopped onions
1 large eggplant
3 medium zucchini
2 large green peppers
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
2 cups crushed canned tomatoes
fresh ground pepper

Directions
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook garlic and onions until tender.
2. Cut vegetables into 1-inch pieces.
3. Add the eggplant, zucchini, pepper,oregano, parsley and stir well.
4. Saute for about 5 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes.
6. Serve hot or cover mixture and refrigerate to serve chilled.

Labels: cooking, Favorite Ingredients Friday, recipe exchange

Even though I'm on vacation, I'm still hosting my Favorite Ingredients Friday WeightWatchers Edition tomorrow, thanks to the modern feature of Blogger that allows you to schedule posts in advance. I hope you can join in. I'll be with you in spirit as I'm sitting on the beach sipping a margarita!

I want to Thanks to Tami at 3 Sides of Crazy for suggesting this theme. If any of you have new ideas to share, please leave a comment.

Labels: Favorite Ingredients Friday

Happy Wednesday to you! It's time once again to post another WFMW tip!

Before I post my tip I'd like to let you know of the launching of my new business where I'm selling a few of my items in an effort to raise money for the web design of my online store. I'd appreciate it if you'd stop by and take a look. And there is a giveaway being offered!

Now then, this week I'm coming to you live from Mexico, where the internet access is spotty but the margarita's are refreshing and it's always 5 o'clock somewhere (according to Jimmy Buffet)!  My husband I are here with our 3-year old son and 15-month old foster daughter.  We're having a blast hanging out on the beach, eating fresh seafood, and enjoying those margaritas!

I thought I'd share with you some of our vacation pictures.

Labels: vacation, Works-For-Me Wednesday

Good Friday to you all! It's time for another Favorite Ingredients Friday recipe exchange!  Before we get started I'd like to invite you to stop by later this morning and check out some of the goodies I'll be selling as part of my launching (sort of) of my Sparkle and Charm Boutique!

Labels: baked goodies, Favorite Ingredients Friday, recipe exchange

Happy Wednesday to you! It's time once again to post another WFMW tip!  Shannon has asked us to post things that do NOT work for us!

Labels: Works-For-Me Wednesday

Rember this?


Last August I posted a "Name that business" contest to help generate ideas for the home-based business that I want to start. I even gave away a prize, despite the fact that I never did select a business name.

Well, I've chosen a business name and I've secured a URL and found a web hosting site. Now all I need is a blog design done. I'm hoping to use Susie at Bluebird Blog Designs but I haven't heard back from her yet and I'm not sure how long I can wait. Can anyone recommend other web designers out there? I need to find someone affordable. I can't afford the $300+ prices that some charge.

So, what is my business name, you ask? Well, I'm about to tell all. I wish I had a cute button to show you for my new name, but I can't seem to get creative enough to design one myself. I know for my business site I'd like to use the colors pink, green apple, and white so I suppose I'd like a button with my name in those colors. Anyone care to create me a button?

Okay, my business name will be

Labels: home-based business

In case those of you who use Blogger missed the announcement on the Dashboard, you are now able to schedule future-dated posts! How fabulous is that?!

Our family is going on a mini-vacation, leaving 9 May and returning 17 May, and I worried about my poor little blog being left all by its lonesome while I was gone (internet access is doubtful where we're going). I thought about arranging guest bloggers to come in and publish posts for me but now I don't need to!

Now I can write up a couple of posts in advance (like a BloggedIn Highlight, Works-For-Me Wednesday, and Favorite Ingredients Friday), hit "publish post" and let Blogger take care of making sure they get published at the correct date/time. Blogger will do the work for me while I'm on vacation hanging out on the beach or frolicking in the ocean with the kids!

And you know what, this works! I tested the future-dated posting with this very post that you're reading now. I wrote it the night before and scheduled it for 6:00 AM (well before I'm up and about) and got a wonderful message on my dashboard that read, "Your post will be automatically published on 5/3/08 at 6:00 AM."

I am so loving Blogger right now!

Labels: bloggity goodness

Happy Friday! It's time for my Favorite Ingredients Friday Greatest Hits Edition! I'd like you to share one of your favorite FIF recipes that you've posted in the past. If you're brand new to FIF, just post one of your favorite family recipes.

Labels: bloggity goodness, cooking, Favorite Ingredients Friday, recipe exchange

It's time for another one of my free Pay It Forward book giveaways!

For those who may have missed out, please read about the guidelines right here.

Labels: books/reading, giveaways, Pay It Forward