Going Down

The latest rumor? Possibly through 12/8/05.

Your Candy Giving Personality

SInce the biggest candy day of the year will soon be upon us, I thought this article from the NY Times was appropriate. I left out the calorie info. If you want that scary info, follow the link! If I gave out candy, I'd give out skittles. The kids at school love 'em. Personally, I'd rather have a cookie than candy. The candy EATING personality quiz is at the bottom. I have way too much time on my hands...

Here's hoping that referrals arrive soon and go throgh 12/12/05 - or else we're all gonna start eating the candy we don't like, too! =)

CANDY-GIVER ANALYSIS &HISTORY

3 Musketeers Does well in groups but is somewhat pompous. Prone to fancy costumes and arcane weapons. Wears hats in public that are ill-advised. Created in 1932 by Mars, the candy bar got its name because it originally had three pieces in one packet: vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.

Almond Joy I'm going to put aside my aversion to coconut in praising these folks as happy-go-lucky. Introduced in 1946 by the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Co. in New Haven, Conn. It's a companion to the Mounds bar, which arrived in 1920.

Bit-O-Honey They have contradictory personalities, hoping to express generosity but also having the passive-aggressive desire to damage the fillings of trick-or-treaters. The honey-flavored taffy was first manufactured in 1924 by the Schutter-Johnson Co. of Chicago. It is now made by Nestle.

Butterfinger Evasive, slippery, not necessarily to be trusted. Invented in 1923 by the Curtiss Candy Co. of Chicago. The crunchy bar wrapped in chocolate is now made by Nestle.

Candy Corn Purely deluded people. They don't get that candy shouldn't attempt to imitate other food groups, particularly corn. Invented in the 1880s, it was first manufactured commercially by the Wunderle Candy Co. in Philadelphia and by the turn of the century at the Herman Goelitz Candy Co. in Cincinnati.

Good & Plenty Optimistic, perhaps overly so. A little bit of Weimar energy. Strong advocate of gay rights; acquainted with the bitterness at the center of most lives. The licorice candy was first produced in 1893 by the Quaker City Confectionery Co. in Philadelphia and is considered the oldest branded candy in the country.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Generous souls. Those who understand the salty in life, as well as the sweet. Created by Harry Burnett Reese in the 1920s. Reese was a former dairy employee of Milton Hershey, founder of the Hershey Co. In 1963, the Reese candy company was sold to Hershey for $23.5 million.

Snickers Just going with the crowd, the safe candy choice, guaranteed to please the masses. Not ambitious, but dependable. Created in 1930 by Mars, Snickers bars sold for a nickel. The Fun Size was introduced in 1968.

Twix Both brittle and supple in social situations; sort of trapped between personality types. A Mars product, caramel-and-cookie Twix bars were created in the United Kingdom in 1967 but weren't sold in the United States until 1979.

Twizzlers Sickos. Truly demented. Plastic people living plastic lives. The Twizzlers brand was introduced in 1929. The red licorice strips are manufactured by Y&S Candies, a company established in 1845 that is now a Hershey subsidiary

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

Very popular, one of you is not enough.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Just Thinking

With so much thought time on my hands I have been trying to figure out what I would like to change in my life. Being in limbo in so many aspects of my life does that to me! =) After seven years of speech therapy in the schools I have become a bit...let's say, disenchanted. For a few years I have thought I would make the plunge and teach Kindergarten but since I was expecting Ellie "any month" and knowing my regular routine so well, I figured it was best to stay put. I have lots of things running through my mind right now, and one of them is this change. Still researching it and of course I'm debating if it is the best move. Where is my magic eight ball???
It is finally cold(er) today! Yeah, 68! Almost fall-like!! So I hope to catch up on all your blogs. Here's hoping the cold weather blasts those darn mosquitos into oblivion. They're still munching on me! Aaargh!

My Favorite Show

Fr*day N*ght L*ghts. The characters get you emotionally involved and the coach isn't bad looking either! The bummer is that the network just changed it to air on...Friday nights. Good thing my mom tapes it for me. Yeah, so I can't figure out the VCR still even though they're pretty much obsolete! FNL is the only show I've watched with any regularity. What shows would you all recommend so I can get off the computer (i.e., RQ site) and sit in a different spot?! =)

Congratulations....

to my SLP friend Amanda & family. They just found out they are having a boy! Congratulations also to M & family who just learned that their family is growing, too! More playmates for Ellie! =)
RQ rumor-matching has begun. Bring on the referrals!

My thoughts

and prayers go out to all those in California affected by the fires.

Davis Turns One

Kaitlin hands out the party hats.




Davis prefers a bowl hat.




Aunt Shi-Shi and the Birthday Boy.
Davis, Cookie Monster & Daddy.
Cake? For me? Finally!
The F*sher Pr*ce Elliptical! Look at all the goodies Davis collected!

The Birthday Family!

Moon Festival 2007

I brought Kaitlin to act as a buffer so I wasn't standing around looking like the poor 20-month-since-LID-no-end-in-sight person! =) Highlights of the moon festival for Kaitlin: the event was held at the zoo, a craft table was avaliable, and most importantly...beautiful face paintings!


I think the only downside for K.(other than leaving without playing in the fountains!)was the moon cake. She tried to put her bite back in the serving dish and then promptly went to the trash can to spit out what was in her mouth. Oh well...I warned her it wasn't going to taste like cake!

Here she is quickly climbing off the spider web when a group of pheasants wandered over and scared her!
Here's to Ellie being home for Moon Festival 2008!

One Year Old Today

Happy Birthday to the handsomest nephew ever! Davis turns the big ONE today! It seems like just yesterday Kaitlin was announcing she was going to be a big sister. And now the former little munchkin is starting to walk! We party on Sunday so pictures will be on the way. =)

Tomorrow will mark...

months since my dossier was logged in (LID). What more can I say?! =)

Sick and Blah

I'll catch up with everyone soon.

A Day Off...

...sort of. I've decided I am going to use up *all four* of my professional leave days this year. After spending the past two years trying to save up all my sick days for my trip to China and leave and trying to save money, I feel like I'm bored to death and that I haven't learned anything new professionally. So...tomorrow I'm attending a seminar on autism and in November I am off to Boston for a big ol' speech convention. March is the Virginia speech convention. I am living not only holiday to holiday, but professional day to professional day!
Especially after reading the latest "rumors" about the CC** pretty much not ever getting back up to speed again. August of next year for Ellie, maybe? So tired of just treading water. Gotta try and move forward in some way.
Hope you all are, too.

Clueless All Around

Today I received a general letter and email from my agency. Basically the notes said the agency understood client concerns about the wait but were unable to tell us anything but hang in there. Also, they have no clue when the next agency LID 12/7/05 would get their referrals (Nov or Dec.)
So other than getting a letter, there was no real surprise. =/

Update Questions

I know I will need to get a new homestudy again in November and re-fingerprinted at the end of this year. The way referrals have been going, do y'all think it will have to be redone again next year? Don't homestudies/prints have to be current for a month or so after you return in case there are problems? Also, does the fiscal year for CC^^ end in October or November? I've heard various answers. Thanks for the info- it's been a downer day. =( Thank goodness my mom brought back some See's for me from her trip out west!
Update: According to RQ, the fiscal year starts Jan.1.

Moving Past Referrals...

Something like 5 links on the RQ site to referrals. What's up with that? BTW, are y'all planning on posting your referrals or keeping your privacy?
Anyway...
Here is a sneak peek of Ellie's bathroom. It has been un-wallpapered, painted, tiled, re-lighted and re-toileted! Soon the medicine cabinet and faucets will also be replaced. All thanks to my Dad. =) The bath tile is that ugleeee yellow so I thought this shower curtain would match. But since we painted the walls white, and the tile was changed to white, now the whole room is like one of those loony bin rooms! Oh well. I've never had very much style sense. Over the next year I am also looking forward to new carpet and a new kitchen sink. It seems Ellie will be only exposed to the finer things in life! =)
Speaking of nice things, my Dad and I went out for Indian food last night. YUM. I always order my usual dishes but I think I may be ready to branch out. Any favorites y'all can recommend?

Referrals have started to Arrive

Congratulations to those families who have finally been matched with their child! It looks like referrals through November 30, 2005 (not official). I certainly don't mean to take away from the happiness of those families, but this was a measly allotment of 5 days of referrals (two of which were weekend days). Were there *that* many families logged in? *That* many fewer abandonments (hopefully)? We'll never know. Crazy (my new word for the year).