Laura Story - Blessings My New Favorite Song

Maria's Tangled Castle Birthday Cake

Well, I wasn't sure at first how I was going to accomplish the latest birthday cake wish but after looking at several finished products on line, I came up with my plan. I used an old Wilton separator set that belonged to mom. I'm not sure if it's even made any more but it's the one with the center post that goes up through the tiers. I made a 14" lower cake and a 10" upper. I started with a batch of rice crispie treats to mold the spire for the top of the castle. I let that set while I iced the two cakes.

I iced the roof in butter cream and used fondant cut into little rectangles to make the shingles and fondant for the small spire over the balcony and the balcony wall.

After I had the top decorated, I formed two more batches of rice crispie treats into two halves to make the tower.


I should have let the two halves set longer than I did because the tower kept wanting to slump down as it set. I ended up wrapping a piece of plastic wrap around the tower to make it stay tight and hold where I wanted it.

I iced the tower with butter cream, decorated it with some vines and flowers and it was finished!

Maria was very pleased with the finished product! Although, as I was decorating, she did let me know when I wasn't making it quite like the picture.

She had a wonderful birthday party with all of our family here.

Happy Birthday Little Princess! We love you very much!

Happy Birthday Maria!

I can't believe she's seven years old today!

Oh how she loves sparkles........and crowns........

so what can be better than a sparkling crown!!

Happy birthday sweetheart!

The birthday party (and cake) will be Sunday. I'll post and let you know how

I come up with a Tangled Castle.

It should be interesting;)

Valentine......

.... You Melt My Heart!!

We finally got around to making the melted crayon hearts for valentines day this year. It was really a lot of fun! Maria loved making them........almost as much as Kelsey did;) We got an assembly line going. Maria and I picked colors and pealed crayons while Kelsey cut the crayons into pieces and filled the molds.

The finished product.

These two get along like a couple of battering rams sometimes

but they really do love each other.

Happy Valentines Day!

A Valentine Letter To Nola

The Guatemala 900 has asked each of the waiting families to write a Valentine letter to their little one. They are hoping to bring a new awareness to our struggle. A new valentine will be featured on the Guatemala 900 site each day of February. This is my letter to Nola.

To: Nola

From: Mami

I want you to know, every moment of every day, you're in my heart.

In the morning, before I even open my eyes to see the light, I think of you.

I wonder if you're an early riser or if you love staying snuggled

in your bed until the last possible moment.

Through the day, little things turn my mind to you.

When I'm picking up your sister's toys around the house, I wonder,

do you have a favorite toy you like to play with? or a favorite color or outfit

you like to wear? Do you like to have your hair brushed and fixed or

could you care less about such things?

It's sad that I'm your mami and I don't know the answers.

When the night comes, that's when I think of you most.

When the house is quiet and there are no distractions, I pray for you.

I pray that someone in the hogar holds you close and kisses your little cheek each night.

I pray someone looks into your sparkling eyes and marvels at the

special little girl you are.

I pray that someone loves to hear that little squeal in your laugh

almost as much as I do.

But most of all, I pray that the time comes soon when we can bring you home,

when we can hold you close and never let you go

and make sure you know how very very much you're loved and adored.

We all love you and miss you so much sweetheart

and we won't stop working until you're home where you belong.

Te amo mi hija!

Yet Another Disappointment!

Yesterday we received the long awaited update from the USCIS. There was no information in the update that we didn't already know. I guess it confirmed data. We waiting families are getting to be a pretty close knit group so when someone gets out of PGN, we all know. When someone receives the date for their Embassy appointment, we all know. So to read those statistics in the update, as if they were some sort of revelation, was disappointing to say the least! During our phone conference with Ambassador Jacobs, we were lead to believe we would find out "how many cases could be completed in X amount of time" and "what path those cases would take to completion". There was no mention of any of that.
We were told that the working group in Guatemala is meeting once a week and the Embassy is in close contact with the working group. Well gee, now that makes me feel all warm and cozy!
Maybe, just maybe, there is work going on that isn't being shared. I hope that's the case, otherwise, it looks like what we received in December were more empty promises.

The link to the update: http://adoption.state.gov/guatemala.html

Believe It Or Not!!

I couldn't decide if I should post the following or not. I have to admit, if I had heard this story from someone else, I would probably not believe it but I didn't hear it from someone else.

I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!

I was on my way home from Praise Team practice Monday night, around 9:00, about a half mile from home when something caught my eye. The road was slick so I was driving slowly and off to my left something dark was moving. When I looked closer, I saw a very large dark colored cat (I'm not talking a kitty cat here). He was moving up a small embankment and into a field. All I saw clearly from the headlights were his back legs and tail. His tail was very dark colored with even darker spots.

I put on my breaks but, of course, my car slid on the ice. I kept my eyes on the cat and watched him walk a few yards and then turn around and look at me as I tried to back up and get my bright lights to shine on him. The brights were no help. They just bounced off the snow on the embankment and I couldn't see beyond it. When I turned them down, I could no longer see the cat. I couldn't imagine a cat like that around here!

Tuesday morning, after I took Maria to school, I went to the place where I saw the cat and got out to see if he left any prints in the snow and he did!!


Don't think I would want to mess around with those claws! I came home and called the sheriffs office to let him know what I had seen and to ask what it might have been. He told me what I had seen was probably a panther! A PANTHER!!! That puts a little fear factor in the idea of back yard camp outs! I had no idea cats like that were anywhere near here but the sheriff said they have had confirmed sightings of bob cats, cougars and panthers in our area. The bob cats have been reintroduced by the DNR to the area because they were native here and were hunted to near extinction. I'm not sure where the cougars and panthers came from.
I know, it's probably something I'll never see again but believe me, I'll be lookin'!