Top Ten Tuesday--Happiness Is...

This week's Shabby Blogs TTT's theme is "Happiness is..."

1. Happiness is my husband.

2. Happiness is my pug, Petey and Cinnamon, my doxie-beagle.

3. Happiness is knowing God has a plan for me even when it seems like there's no hope.

4. Happiness is having clean water to drink, food in my pantry, and clothes on my back.

5. Happiness is Spotify. (Seriously. Check it out!)

6. Happiness is being content no matter my circumstances.

7. Happiness is baby thigh rolls, bellies, double chins, and elbow dimples.

8. Happiness is arts and crafts. (Check out tomorrow to see the new wreath I made!)

9. Happiness is my family, near and far.

10. Happiness is grace found only through my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ!

Be Still My Heart

Source

My heart and my mind are OVERFLOWING! I have soooo many things I need to share, but I haven't wanted to blog. I am SO stinkin' busy, it's ridiculous! Buuut, since Max is playing trains (and the little goober does NOT want me to play with him!!) I thought I'd take a few minutes to update all of my faithful (???) readers out there on what's going on in the Bailey household!

1. We moved! It went well! Out apartment is a disaster as we try to condense two years worth of HOUSE build-up into a 2/2 apartment. We definitely need an Ikea trip in the near future to take care of a couple of issues furniture wise (like a new entertainment center since what we've been using is way too big for the area in which it needs to fit!) We've used the pool at least 7 times in the last two weeks. Definitely loving that we moved in right when it got warm! When the mess is put away, I will definitely post pictures!

2. We celebrated two SPECTACULAR years of marriage! I have no pictures of the event, as we didn't make a huge tado about it! We plan on celebrating somehow later, but we don't have the extra money/time to do it right now. We both worked that day (June 19th), came home, exchanged sweet cards, had awesome homemade Asian food, went to our apartment complex's gym, swam, watched a movie, etc. It was a sweet night! I adore my husband with every ounce of my being. To me, there is no greater guy in all of eternity (excluding Jesus, of course!)

3. I gained/lost weight. Yeah. During those couple of weeks of packing/moving, we didn't cook a lot at home due to our stuff being packed/not wanting to buy a ton of food before we moved. Soo...I gained a few pounds. BUT...I've also lost a couple of them already this week. I was super frustrated and discouraged, but my My Fitness Pal buddies have been seeing me through! Set backs happen, but I'm not allowing myself to fall this hard next time!

4. Still no baby. Sigh. Two years of marriage signifies two years of not being pregnant. It's difficult, but not super difficult for me. I was reminded today of God's perfect (although sometimes ironic) planning. He orchestrates things to work out for the best. For that, I am extremely grateful! I had to cancel my doctor's appointment this week because I needed to watch Max. We're going to try to reschedule sometime next month, though. With all that being said, it leads me to my next point...

5. We've decided to further explore/start the process of....foster care! Yep. We may be foster parents soon! It's hard to believe that I, the woman who swore she'd never do foster care because "it's scary," is so stinkin' excited about it! We're (ideally) hoping to adopt through foster care. We have pretty strict criteria for the type of children we're willing to take into our home, though, so it could be a long road. We basically don't want to foster kids over 3 years old. I don't feel like I'm old enough to take in a 10 year old, let alone a teenager. Speaking with people who have experience in the foster care system (have I ever mentioned that all of Vance's 6 siblings were adopted through foster care?) and people who have adopted through foster care, we NEED to make our specifications and stick with them as they WILL call about kids outside of your criteria. I'm getting ahead of myself, though. Before we can even have children enter our home, we have to go through the process, which includes a home assessment, financial statements, background checks, references, medical exams, a 30 hour training course, etc. The next course is in September, so that will be the one we attend, if all goes well. We also plan on attending an into to foster care class before then, just to make sure we're going to do this. I feel super strongly about this, though. I feel like God is telling me to do it. I feel a sense of urgency about it, too. I don't know. It's weird, but I'm trying to be obedient. Please pray with us about this! It's a HUGE deal!

I think that's about it, for now. Please pray with/for us about our future, weight loss journey, our new home, our marriage, etc. We can't do anything a part from God!

P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures!! Here...have a picture of my cute babies enjoying their bed in our new bedroom!

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Day 6--30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for my dogs, Cinnamon and Petey. They have brought so much joy to my life these past 2-2.5 years. I adopted Cinnamon in May '09, and Vance adopted Petey for me as an early birthday present in October of '09. They became instant brother/sister. Petey brought Cinnamon out of her shell, taught her how to play, etc. Cinnamon became Daddy's girl after I met Vance in June '09, and Petey was an instant Mommy's boy. People say dogs help you live longer. I full agree. :-)

Cinnamon (L) and Petey (R)

Cinnamon 

Petey

Cinnamon and Petey snuggled up and sleeping.

Care to join in on the fun? Create a post each day, sharing one thing that you're thankful for that day! Feel free to grab/post the button on your blog so that others can join in, too!
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If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

An Echo of My Heart

"Maybe I’ve become desensitized to the pain and disappointment. Maybe after more than a year of negative home pregnancy tests and blood tests and crying in the doctor’s office, it just doesn’t come as a shock when something doesn’t work out in the baby making department."


Amy, from Dandelion Paperweight posted the above statement on her latest entry over here. Upon reading that paragraph, I literally said, "YES!" It's so nice to be understood. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels that way. It's nice to read something and think, "I could have written that!"

Thanks, Amy, for continuing to echo my heart when it comes to conceiving. :-)

Oh and some Petey cuteness needs to be included. I was showing the hubs how Picnik works last night...and I ended up making this. Good thing Petey Pug loves me so much!

Petey Pug says, "Merry Christmas in July!"

Petey Pug

Until I actually conceive a human child (and if he has it his way, even after,) this is my baby. His name is Petey. He is a purebred pug. Petey was an early birthday present from Vance back in 2009. He was adopted through Pug Rescue of NC located in Summerfield, NC, however, Vance first found out about him via petfinder.com.

When Vance told me of my early birthday gift, I was ecstatic! I have ALWAYS wanted a pug of my own. I adopted a dachshund/beagle mix, Cinnamon, a month or so before I met Vance, but I still wanted a pug sometime in my future. Anyway, there were several steps in adopting Petey, just like in adopting a child. I guess the biggest step for us was actually CHOOSING Petey. Vance originally intended to adopt another pug at the same house where Petey was fostered. When we went there, it was like pug heaven. There were at least 10 pugs living in that house! The pug we originally came to visit, Charlie Brown, really didn't give a rat's patootie that we were there. He also was older and his back legs were turning arthritic. We sat on the kitchen floor trying to see if Charlie Brown would engage with us. Well, Petey Pug had other plans. He pounced on us. He jumped directly into Vance's lap, looked him in the eyes, and basically said, "Hello, Dad!" He then shoved his friend Mugsy out of the way and jumped onto my lap, all the while grunting and panting like only a pug does. That's when we learned that Petey was adoptable, too. The decision was a no-brainer for us.

We had to wait a couple of weeks before we could pick him up and bring him home. The moment we arrived to get him, he went CRAZY. He does this funny little whine that sounds almost like an infant crying. His little cinnamon roll tail was going crazy. My heart soared! He remembered us! After signing some paper work, we were on our way. Now, in my dog experience, dogs lay down in the back seat and sleep. Not Petey. Where'd he want to sit? On my lap, and most importantly, under my arm by the window on the armrest. He rode in that spot the entire hour drive home. To this day, that is still his preferred car-riding location.

Petey, the handsome pug.

Now that Petey lives with us, he enjoys lounging on the couch, chewing on his nylabone, chasing his sister, Cinnamon, around the house, "rabbit running" (he tucks his body under and looks just like a rabbit when he runs...he even uncurls his tail!) sniffing ANYTHING that comes into his path (he is unusually sniffy for a pug), curling up against me in the nook of my legs, and of course, every pug's favorite...eating.

When Life Hands You Lemons...

(This post is part 1 of 2 postings! Be sure to check back tomorrow for the other half of this post!)

Today was a bright, sunny, WARM day here in good ole NC! The high was around 89 and the sun felt HEAVENLY! Today, also, was a lemonade day! All day I craved it. I read blog entries from others about lemons. Then I remembered...WE HAVE LEMONS! So...I made lemonade. :-)

Yesterday, the hubs and I discussed tonight's dinner. We decided on chicken burgers with black bean-corn salsa. We have never made this before. We have never eaten this before. We really have never heard of it before. This recipe is a compilation between some online recipes and our own brain child. See tomorrow's posting for this recipe!

 Please comment below if you're planning on trying either recipe and especially if you do try it! I KNOW lots of you read my blog, so show some lovin'!!! (And remember that if you post this recipe elsewhere, to link back to this blog!)

(Really. I am an attention whore, like my pug. We just NEED attention!!!)
Photo Credit: Me

Ahem. Anyway...for your drinking pleasure, I give you...

Homemade/Freshly Squeezed Strawberry Lemonade

Photo Credit: Me

By: Angela Bailey
Makes 1/2-3/4 Gallon

Ingredients:

• 8 Lemons
• 1- 1 1/2 c Sliced Strawberries
• 1 c Sugar

Instructions:

1. Slice strawberries. (I suggest doing this the day before and let them sit in their own juices in a ziplock bag in the fridge, but if you have to do it at the time of creation, no big deal!) Add them to the pitcher you plan on using.
2. Cut 1 lemon into thin slices. Add slices on top of sliced strawberries in the pitcher.
3. Roll the remaining lemons between your hand and counter several times each, to loosen the pulp and juices of the lemon. 
4. Cut each lemon in half.
5. Using a juicer, juice each lemon. (If you do not have a juicer, just squeeze each lemon into a bowl making sure to loosen as much pulp as possible.)
6. Add the juice and pulp to the pitcher. (Before pouring the lemon juice and pulp into the pitcher, be sure to remove the seeds!)
7. Add sugar on top of the ingredients already in the pitcher. (I usually clean up before doing this step so the strawberry and lemon juices have time to mix a bit.)
8. Using a large wooden or plastic spoon, mix the ingredients in the pitcher.
9. While continuing to mix, put pitcher under running water and fill to about 3/4 of the way full. 
10. Stop water flow and stir thoroughly. 
11. Remove spoon and fill the pitcher the remainder of the way.



Photo Credit: Me

12. Add ice cubes and place in the fridge until time to serve. (I also freeze glasses in the freezer for a more chilled beverage!)

Tune in tomorrow for the second part of this post...chicken burgers with black bean-corn salsa! YUM! :-)


Cheers!
~A

Photo Credit: Me