Crud Update

Remember a few weeks back (12/19/2008) how I was beyond bummed that our family update that I sent to BH's birth family got returned? I explained the tumultuous relationship we had with the adoption agency, and how the writing is on the wall--mismanagement would run that place out of business.

Here is the update. I just looked up another agency in the same city and left a message asking if they knew what had become of ABC agency or could they direct me to someone who could. Check it out, within 24 hours, I got a call back from this agency with some answers, and they did it out of the kindness of their heart. After pulling teeth to get ABC agency to return my calls, it was quite refreshing.

The news, ABC is bust. But, I got the phone number of the guy who does the state licensing for adoption agencies in that state, and he could help me.

And oh what a conversation with him that was! By the way, he returned my call within two hours. Again, not used to this kind of on-the-spot help with my east coast adoption.

The guy from the state, let's call him Denzel (just because), knew exactly who I was talking about, specifically Jeff, the guy who ran the agency. I got this barage of questions, "Is your adoption finalized?" "How did you manage to adopt a child from our state to your state?" "Did you do an interstate compact?" I felt kind of interrogated because I am having to defend my rock solid adoption, orchestrated by my lawyer, certainly not by Jeff, ABC's former director.

Turns out, he is asking me these questions to make sure there isn't another Jeff botched adoption out there. I answer his questions and assure him we are finalized, and you could hear the "whewie" in his voice. I explain that I am legally obligated to give family updates, and we also feel morally obligated to do this. You can absolutely tell Denzel's thinking is, "This is the least of my problems dealing with ABC! But I'll chat with this woman anyway."

Denzel tells me how to cover our tracks legally, and also advises us to double check with our lawyer to make sure we are not delinquent from that end either.

I also tell Denzel the story you all know about our dealings with Jeff. I can hear him nodding on the other end. He tells me Jeff won't even speak to him, but only his supervisor. "And I am fine with that!" he finished.

So, we concluded by agreeing that we are the lucky ones out there. There are birth families and adoptive families who have been messed over by Jeff's mismanagement, and Denzel's job these days is the clean up the mess. He agreed with me that the real victims in this are the birth families and adopted kids. Sigh....

Do I want to scare anyone out of adoption? Nope. Not at all. Do I want folks to have circumspect intuition when dealing with fallen people to put together a family? Absolutely! Just like you would check out an ob/gyn, hospital, and nursing staff before giving birth. I would also check out an agency. I have fully checked out, worked with, and endorse the agencies I have listed on my blog. There are countless others out there who are willing to take a few extra steps for the adoption world, and help others, and I certainly felt that in talking to Denzel and others just figuring this out.

Time to Say Goodbye

This couch, oh let me give you some serious history here. We got this couch about a year after we bought our house in September of 1998. It was given to us by someone who delivered furniture, and it had been traded in for a younger model by a previous owner. So it had some history before we had it. We liked it! It beat the futon we used as a couch at the time. It was a nice couch, almost ten years ago.

Since then, we reupholstered it with this sage green fabric I still love today. It has a gardening motif I really like.

This couch has seen history:

* I have held, read to, slept with and cradled both my babies on this couch.
* I have slept on this couch when I have been mad at my husband, and my back screamed "foul!" the next day. It's not good to sleep on if you have back issues.
* Both of our kids have been sick with their blankies on this couch and stared glazed over at the TV on it.
* We have entertained guests on this couch.
* Toys have found their way into the inerds of this couch, only to be found by me. I know where the cracks and crevasses are.
* This couch has had it's cushions removed and the covers washed oh so many times for so many icky reasons, let's just agree on that.
* One end of this couch has a serious butt-impression. The left side is the most conducive to TV watching, so if you sit there, your knees will meet your collar bone. I haven't sat there for quite some time.
* This couch needs to go to couch heaven. Why?

Because it bites! As you can see by the front, the little skirt is bunched into the couch. Why? There is a nail sticking up and it gathers the fabric each time one sits on it, where the butt-impression is. We have dealt with that for over a year, and just avoid the nail.

About a month ago, I did my motherly sweep into the cracks and crevasses for toys and money. I got my right hand fingers sliced open by a nail that wasn't there the last time I did the sweep. Nostalgia aside--not cool! The couch is growing teeth and you have to kind of watch where you're sitting. More than a few nails have been found. Scary!

So, I have done my research. I want a leather couch for two reasons. 1) Durability. Two kids, husband, dog, cat. Need I say more? 2) When things spill on it, I can wipe it off, instead of it seeping into the cushions only to stink badly two days later.

Much shopping, sitting, dragging, internetting, saving, and cajoling later, we bought a couch. It got picked up today.

New furniture. Nice huh? Well, there is a process that happens when you take the old one out, there is all the garbage underneath, nearby, inside, outside the area of the couch that one must clean up before putting a pristine, shiny leather couch in it's place.

Enjoy the pictures!

Goodbye old friend!

And the piles of junk, toys, wrappers and mounds of dust after our old friend goes away. This was a two hour project of vacuuming and dusting. Notice how thick the dust is on the lower shelves of the bookcase.

And when the dust is gone and all is vacuumed, trashed, and put away.

Our new friend has arrived. Five bucks says it's not that shiny in two months.

The Eagles Have Landed

We have the birds. I met the gal in a McDonald's parking lot to do our chicken deal. Felt kind of clandestine and dangerous. Dangerous more than anything if a chicken got loose at the busy intersection.

Anyway, we have names I think. The Gold Sexlink (I wanted to name her after a famous pinup girl only because her breed is so sexy, but that is just me, and try explaining that to young boys) is Goldie. Surprise! The Wyandotte is named Beaver. Why? Because her colors are awfully close to Oregon State's colors of black and orange.

Let me give you some translation of the chicken behavior I have seen so far....

Lizzie still in the roost. "I ain't coming out, I hear birds, and I don't want to
play!" Doesn't she look good though from her raccoon beating?

Finally a bird that appreciates my recycling of an old ladder, she actually perched on it! This is Goldie checking out the new place. She is all curiosity right now. Her thoughts are, "Where is everything?? I need to know where the washer and dryer are, the fridge, and the bathroom."

Beaver stayed in the box for quite a bit in this stance.
"What? Why are you looking at me and flashing that thing at me?
This is weird!"

Bringing Home Our New Ladies

We got pictures! Here are the pictures of the new ladies coming to join our coop on Tuesday. The top picture is our new Wyandotte. Very different looking picture than what I found the other day, but very typical of Wyandottes, they come in all kinds of two tone colors. I really like the brown and caramel combo. I sound like I am shopping for purses, I realize. Chickens come in all kinds of colors and combinations, not just the white ones we always picture.

The second one sounds like a naughty pinup chicken. Her breed is a Golden Sexlink. Yes, I typed the word sex. The breeder has really been watching the flock these two are in for the last week, and I so appreciate that. She didn't have to do that for me. She says these two are definitely the most docile out of them. And I realized after having two almost identical chickens, it would be nice to be able to tell them apart easily.

So both birds will lay brown eggs. Both are docile breeds. Both are about 20 weeks old, and not quite laying yet. Hopefully will be in about two weeks. That could change easily with our super cold weather, adjusting to a new home, etc. But at least we won't be buying store bought eggs for six months.

Okay, now we need suggestions for names?? Anyone?? The kids have no idea yet, and it would be nice to give them some ideas. Two names not allowed, Henny and Penny. Please feel free to post suggestions under comments.

Also, everyone wave to your computer--seems the stalker is back, and is checking out the blog again. Seems she always shows up around the holidays, just enough to make everyone edgy. Hello!!

Annual Purge

It's the annual get-rid-of-every-toy-that-is-broken-missing-pieces-outgrown-annoying-requires-too-many-batteries-need-more-space-for-incoming-toys-from-overindulgent-family-members-who-think-we-have-a-12,000-square-foot-house-instead-of-1200-square-feet.

The hubbie surveying the under side of the bed that keeps getting jumped on, and support slats keep getting broken.
And after. Fixed bed. Heck, you can see the bed! Toys are in bins, shoes are in bins, sheets are tumbling in the washer, and Dad and Mom get to tackle the tree now.