Easy cookie recipe

I made cookies to give away as gifts to our neighbors and the people Chris works with. I found this fun idea and added my own twist to it. You use your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe and bake it as directed. I use the betty crocker pouches in the baking aisle. Then after the cookies are all made and cooled, you melt a cup of chocolate chips and 1 tbl. of veg. shortening over VERY low heat until completely melted. Then dip two sides of the cookie into the chocolate and then immediately dip it in your favorite candy, nut or sprinkle. I used heath bar bits but crushed peanuts, butterfinger, or even crushed m&m's would be good. Also, you could use holiday sprinkles or anything else you think would taste good with peanut butter! Then let it dry and put in pretty tins to give away! Easy and so yummy!

Through the eyes of my children...

This week was a little sad for me. Even though I had a great Thanksgiving, it was sprinkled with several friends losing loved ones and a family member going through a tough time. I took these problems as my own. ( Not a healthy thing, I know but it is how I am!) So yesterday when it was time to decorate the Christmas tree I really wasn't interested. I tried to get excited but just felt blah. But I talked myself into doing it for the girls. I AM SO GLAD I DID! Emma was such a great help and such a pro! She knew which ornaments were my favorite and which were sentimental for me and put those up first. And Izzy! It was her first time to decorate the tree and she was just in awe of the lights, the boxes with tissue paper and all the fun ornaments! She kept saying, "Mommy, LOOK!!" She was so fun to watch. We watched The Wizard of Oz while we were decorating and for a moment I stepped back and saw it all through their eyes. It brought me to tears but happy tears. Life is always going to have tough times and sadness will always be in our lives, but to see my children's joy for those precious hours was such a important lesson for me. You truly do have to find the little things and let that fill you up and remind you of all that is important to you. Enjoy this holiday season and take time for the little moments and remember the true reason for the season!

Oh so addicted!

I was without my computer for almost a week and it was really hard! I knew I was on the computer a lot but I didn't realize how many things I didn't do because I was on it. I cleaned out every junk drawer in my house, dusted everything, and found about 6 different things we have been looking for! So I am glad I had this little wake up call and am going to try harder not to be at the computer so much. I don't want to be addicted to this need to be connected at all times. Maybe I should find a support group... wonder if facebook has one? HAHA!!!!

What are you THANKFUL for?

This month on facebook I am going to put in my status one thing I am thankful for everyday. Last night as the election results came out I was pretty bummed with the ending and was pretty grumpy about it. But this morning I have realized how thankful I am to have lived in a country that we have choices on who we can vote for, the fact that we have the right to vote, the technology to watch the results unfold and the opportunity to do it all again in 2 more years! So I am going to keep reminding myself of all the things I am thankful for and I challenge you to do it too! What are you THANKFUL for?

Bullying

I am saddened to see so many kids being hurt so badly. I can't imagine what it must feel like to see the whole world against you and there is no way out. That the only way to make it stop is to end your life. That just devastates me. But what makes me MAD is the people who feel it is their job to hurt and make fun of these kids. It doesn't matter if you don't agree or understand their lifestyle! It doesn't matter that you are so insecure with yourself that you feel the need to put the spotlight on someone else! And if I hear one more person say" But they are only kids" I will scream! You are old enough to know how it would feel if this were done to you! You understand how to respect and value people.

Even though I hold these "kids" responsible I also hold the parents and the schools responsible. I think we push our prejudices off on our kids and they never have the chance to make their own decisions about how they feel. So when they are confronted with someone different then themselves they respond by how they are taught instead of what they truly think. The thing parents should be teaching is respect. We are all of value no matter who we are and EVEN if we don't agree with them. That is ok. Even dialogue about it but always respect the person. And the schools that see this happen and don't do anything until it is too late are responsible too! There should be no tolerance for bullying in every school but more then just a rule should be an atmosphere of respect and I don't think alot of schools encourage it. They set these rules but don't show kids how to treat people.

I just pray that these kids who feel hopeless will come in contact with someone who will make them feel like they are important and they are worth staying alive. And I pray that that same person hugs them and prays with them and lets them know that God always loves them and is always with them.

I am not voting anymore!

I have a friend who has stated that she will not be voting anymore. When asked why, she says that she is tired of politicans spending all their time saying what is wrong or bad about their opponents instead of talking about what they are going to do to make this world better. She also says that there is rarely anybody that she feels holds her beliefs or if they do they are willing to change them to please the masses. But the one thing that got me was when she said that in her daily life she can't see any differneces in the way she lives no matter who is in charge. She said she is tired of the fights, the issues that never get resolved and promises that are never kept. She sees people voting for someone just so the other person won't get elected, not because they agree and approve of the person they are voting for. These are all very interesting points... wonder what the politicans would do if we all decided not to vote anymore....... PS I still am going to vote but I wonder what you think?

Channeling Martha Stewart

We are going to Chris' family reunion Sat. Each time we have the reunion, they have an auction to raise money for the next reunion. They asked that we bring something hand made or sentimental. SOOOO.... what to bring, what to bring......

I finally decide to make a fall centerpiece for your table or mantle. It was easy and kind of just planned it as I went. I really didn't have a plan, just picked colors I liked and went from there. I went to Michael's craft store and bought a fake pumpkin, 1 bunch of fall colored flowers, 1 bunch of leaves with pumpkins, and 1 bunch with leaves that have berries, floral wire, wire-edged ribbon, and two blocks of floral styrofoam. These are all silk flowers and leaves by the way. I cut all the flowers at the bottom of the stems with a wire cutter. I cut the lid off the pumpkin and made a pretty big opening. Then I put the styrofoam in the bottom of the pumpkin and arranged the shorter flowers in the front and the longer leaves in the back. I also bought a cute little scarecrow and put it in the middle. Then I layered ribbon and twisted it in the middle and fastened it with wire to make a bow. Then placed it in the front of the arrangement. This was so fun, I think I will try this with Christmas decor or other holiday items. Have fun trying this!

Mini Monkey Bread

My friend Carrie Carlton turned me on to this great cooking blog called http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com. It is amazing and has a ton of great recipes. I tried this one last night and YUM-O is all I have to say!

12 rhoades roll dough- thawed but cold

1 stick butter-melted

2tbl. corn syrup

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Cut each roll into six pieces. mix the butter and corn syrup together in a bowl. In another bowl mix sugar and cinnamon. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Drop each ball of dough in the butter then in the sugar mix. Put six balls in each muffin cup. Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Let double in size. Mine took about an hour. Then bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 min. Then drizzle with icing as soon as they come out of the oven. Let it cool for 10 or so minutes because it will fall apart if you take it out to soon.

Icing-

1 cup powdered sugar

1tbl. melted butter

1-4 tbl. of milk

1/2 tsp. of vanilla

mix sugar, butter, vanilla and 2 tbl. of milk together, then add more milk to make a drizzle. She doubles this recipe so it just depends on how much icing you like. I just used this amount. Enjoy!

The pioneer woman meets Rachael Ray

I wondered what would happen if I took two recipes from the pioneer woman and Rachael Ray-ed them. Meaning that I made them easier and faster to cook. So I took the chicken and noodles and her rosemary rolls and tweaked them a little.

Chicken and noodles

1 bag Tyson frozen grilled chicken strips- thawed and diced

2 boxes(2 quarts) chicken stock

2 carrots-diced

2stalks of celery- diced

1/2 onion- diced

1 16 oz. bag of reames frozen noodles

1 tsp. salt, pepper, and dried thyme

2 tsp. dried parsley

2 Tbl. corn starch

1/4 cup water

Pour 1 1/2 boxes of stock in a large pot and bring to simmer. Then add carrot, celery, onion and spices to stock and cook for 10 -15 min. Then add noodles and a little more stock to cover the noodles. Bring up heat to medium high and cook noodles for another 10-15 minutes. Then add chicken and cook until chicken is heated through. When mixture is boiling add corn starch that has been mixed with water. This will thicken the stock. You may need to add salt and pepper again. Then take off heat and let sit for a few minutes and the stock will thicken even a little more. This is sooooo yummy!

Dinner Rolls

1 Bag of Frozen Rhoades rolls

1/2 stick butter- melted

1/2 Tbl. garlic powder

1/2 Tbl. dried basil

Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray and put 2 frozen rolls in each muffin tin. Then spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the rolls. Heat oven for 2-3 minutes on lowest setting. Mine is digital and will go as low is 170 degrees. Then turn oven off. Place muffin tin in oven and let rise for 3 hours or until doubled in size. Then take out of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Add spices to melted butter and brush each roll with butter mix. Bake for 15-20 min. These are amazing and everybody will think you slaved over these all day!

Mushroom, Onion and Bacon Quiche

I love quiche but can't have any dairy so the milk and cheese that is normally in a quiche is a problem. so I used this recipe but added and took out some things. I will tell you how I did it and what you can do if you want the dairy in it.

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust

3/4 lb. bacon- cooked and crumbled

1 large onion chopped

10oz. chopped mushrooms

8 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk( I used soy milk)

1 cup Parmesan cheese( I didn't use any)

handful chopped parsley

1/2 handful chopped chives

salt and pepper

Put pie crust in deep dish pie plate. Then cook bacon and crumble. Then in same pan saute onion for a few minutes. Then add mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes and salt and pepper. Then take off heat and let cool for 15 min. Crack and whisk eggs in a bowl and add milk and cheese, parsley, chives and salt and pepper. After onion mix cools add to eggs and add bacon. Pour in pie crust and place on cookie sheet. Cover loosely with foil and cook at 400 degrees for 1hour to 1 hour and 20 min.

Foster Care

The need for foster and adoptive parents is so huge that it is almost overwhelming. There are kids right here in our own town that are in desperate need of a mom and a dad. They are all different ages, different races, different abilities. Some are single and some are part of a sibling group. Some just need a safe place to go until their family can get back on their feet and some need a forever home. These children weigh so heavily on my heart and I hate that I can't take all of them home with me. But if ever have had even just a passing thought about what it takes to be a foster parent or how you can adopt don't let it stop there. Talk to me, research it on the web, go to a informational class but don't let the thought just pass. These kids need a loving home and if you have the ability to do that then please take that next step in faith and see what it is all about. I will put up a few websites to look at. This isn't every body's calling but for those who may be wondering please take that next step.....

http://www.moheartgallery.org/

http://www.mbch.org/

http://www.lfcsmo.org/

http://www.dss.mo.gov/

Pampering Yourself

I think as women we do for everyone else and we come last. We take care of our children's needs, our husbands, parents, friends needs and even though we love doing it, it takes it's toll. Sometimes we need to take a breather and read a book, have a cup of coffee or even have a massage or a pedicure.

I know that when we think of some of those things we like to do we worry about the cost of it. I can't see myself paying X for a pedicure but I just shelled out Yand Z for Emma's swimming equipment! So why don't I think I am just as worthy to spend a little money on as anybody else in my family? Well, I decided I am worth it and I do deserve to have someone do something for just me. Pamper and pay attention to just me. Not Chris' wife, or Emma and Izzy's mom but LESLIE! So I did it! I had my very first pedicure today and I totally loved it! Oh sure it was nice to have someone paint my nails and rub my feet but the best part was that I was taking time for me and renewing my spirit. So that I could go back into my world and help renew others! So I encourage you to take that little time and that little money and spend it on you to make a Big impact! Also, if you are in Spgfld go to Tips to Toes and see Lacey. Tell her Leslie sent you!

Amazing Brownies

Emma calls the brownies, "Emma's world famous brownies" and asks for them like that every time. Why... I am not sure because she didn't come up with the recipe and is never the one who bakes them so I still have yet to figure out why she calls them that!

1 cup flour

1.5 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick butter, melted

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup choc. chips

1/4 cup white choc. chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts(optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch square pan. In a bowl sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, brown sugar, and salt. Then add melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix well. Fold in the chips and nuts. Pour into pan and cook 30-35 min or until knife comes out clean. I didn't have any white choc. chips so I added 1/2 cup of choc. chips.

Emma turns 10

WOW! It feels like this huge milestone to say that Emma is 10! She seems so grown up and so much more then I ever was at this age. She hangs out with kids older then her and fits right in. She talks to adults with ease and enjoys their company. She is cooking on her own and it actually tastes good! Her emotions run deep from the hardiest belly laugh to the most painful of hurt feelings. Not to mention the mood swings and temper! But that is for another blog.

She works so hard in school to make good grades, do the right thing and help out her friends and teachers. She has such a huge heart that wants to include everyone and make everyone feel at ease.

On this day 10 years ago I was holding this little life in my hands and had no idea how to care for or nurture her. I was TERRIFIED! I just knew I'd screw it up and she'd be a holy terror! But with ALOT of prayers, and wisdom from others I made it through that scary first time for everything with her.

I think she is turning out pretty great and I can't wait to see how our relationship evolves and what the next 10 years has in store for her. Gosh, she will be 20! She will be through high school, part way through college, maybe had her first boyfriend, maybe she will be living away from home!?

Parenthood is this amazing gift because you get to teach this person all you can about life and its ins and outs. But what you don't realize is how much you learn along the way too! Happy Birthday Emma! I LOVE YOU!

Always...

I think one of the biggest worries I had about having children 8 years apart is that they wouldn't really be friends.They would grow up in the same house but not really together. I will have a freshman in High school and a 1st grader. at the same time. It just seemed weird to me.

I have to say I worried for nothing because their relationship is so unique and fun and they love each other so much. Izzy thinks that Emma hung the moon and gets upset when she leaves the room and wants to play with her all the time! Emma loves to help her learn new things, and she loves to get the both of them in trouble! She has a little partner in crime now! But the best thing about their relationship is how in the quiet moments they can just sit and be. This picture was taken a few days ago. Emma was watching TV and Izzy just grabbed her sippy cup and sat in Emma's lap. They sat like this for a good while and it just made me so happy to know that they will always have each other.

Stuck In Between

I feel like my life is a series of in betweens. I always feel like I am striving for something and doing better then I did but never quite achieve that goal. Stuck in between! I have found myself lately realizing though that maybe it is truly more about the journey then the destination. Now this is not my way out of achieving my goals, but giving myself a chance to learn lessons along the way. I am always so busy worrying about the finished product like raising kids, or events I need to get plan for PTA, or weight loss struggles or money struggles and many more! But I just this summer have started really trying to enjoy the little moments with the girls instead of being consumed with saying please and thank you and growing up to be our next president. And instead of being so worried about the events I have to plan, I am looking at it as making new friends through the process. Some of these people I see myself being friends with even after I am done with PTA. Now when it comes to weight loss struggles I have really had to learn to love myself and realize I am so much more then the size of my body. This has been so hard for me but I am slowly seeing myself as a person of worth. The biggest change in my life this summer is trying to overhaul our finances. We got our selves into some pretty impressive debt but we are on the other side of it now but trying to live within your means is almost harder then getting yourself out of the debt! But I have learned that my life is not about things. When my friends get something I am not jealous anymore but happy for them and happy with what I do have because I am truly blessed! The lessons I have learned from managing our money better are that I can get excited by a sale or coupon! But more then that I can and am satisfied with our life and don't always have to have the latest and greatest to make me complete. This has been a summer of praying that God fills those holes instead of things, or food, or even sleeping or reading not to deal with emotions. And by all means I am not on the other side of a lot of it. But I am stuck in between and I am finally realizing that maybe that is where God wants me to be!

Chicken Pot Pie

This is a great recipe! It is quick and easy and their is actually very little you have to cook but yet it tastes very homemade! My husband LOVES this and he is not a chicken eater. SO I hope you will give it a try. The first pic is the

inside after it has been cooked. The

2nd pic is before it goes in the oven.

1 box refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup diced onion

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt and pepper

1 3/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup milk( I use soy and it works perfectly fine)

2 1/2 cups cooked chicken( I get the rotisserie chicken at the grocery store)

2 cups frozen veg.( I get the corn, peas, green bean, carrot combo but use whatever you like/ make sure they are mostly thawed before you put them in your pie.)

Lay one of the crusts in the bottom of a pie plate. Then melt the butter and saute the onions until tender. Then add flour and mix until smooth. Then add your broth and milk. Bring up the heat to med/high and let the sauce thicken. Once it thickens take of the heat and add salt and pepper, chicken and thawed veggies. Fold it all together and pour it over the crust in the pie plate. Then top with second crust. Take the bottom crust edge and fold over the top crust edge and pinch together so none of the filling will come out. I make mine look kind off like a braid all the way around. Then put 2 or 3 slits on the top of the pie to let the steam out. Place the pie on a cookie sheet and put in a preheated 425 degree oven for 40-50 min. After the first 20 min. cover the edges of the crust with a crust cover or tin foil so the edges wont burn. Then after it is done, let it set up a little before you cut it. Now I have never been able to cut a clean wedge out of this pie but it doesn't matter because it is sooo good!

Generics

I can't believe all these years I have turned my nose up at anything that wasn't name brand. I wouldn't buy food, medicine, cleaning products or paper goods that were generic. But over this last year things at the Donegan house have been tight. So I have done a really good job at cooking more at home, finding fun things for us to do that are cheap or even free, and I have been shopping smarter for the items we need.

I was truly shocked with how much money you save by buying generic. BUT, it isn't worth the savings if the products aren't any good. So each week I try several items that I used to buy name brand and now have switched to generics.

I started out with buying generic mucinex, ibuprofen, allergy meds, and fever reducers for the girls. That has probably been my biggest savings. And they all worked just fine!

Then I moved to cleaning supplies. Again such a savings. They all so far have worked fine and haven't been able to tell any difference.

Paper goods such as paper towels and toilet paper are crazy expensive these days! You can hardly get a normal roll of toilet paper anymore. They are all double and triple thickness and cost that too! But the walmart brand of toilet paper has been great! I can get 24 rolls for 4 bucks!!!!

Now on to food, I will say this was my hardest to switch. I have found a couple of things I really didn't like. But have found a few things that we liked better then the name brand! But as a whole most of the food tastes the same and has saved us quite a bit.

I have never felt like I was a judgemental person. I tried to teach my children to never judge a book by the cover but yet I was assuming that generic products weren't as good because they weren't as pretty as the name brand. So I guess I have learned by this little experiment that not only can I save money on generics, they for the most part are the same as name brands, and that in life judging what something looks like on the outside may make you miss the value and greatness of what is inside.:)

You know what cracks me up?

You know what cracks me up? We have 100's of dollars worth of toys and books for Izzy. She has things that sing, and talk to her in 3 different languages. Books that pop up, slide out, have textures and have buttons to press. She has riding toys, pushing toys and pulling toys. She has a kitchen, a piano, and a zillion stuffed animals. We have puzzles, shape sorters and a farm and a doll house. I am telling you she has a ridiculous amount of stuff between want we already had, birthday, Christmas, and garage sales.

But what cracks me up is that her favorite toys aren't even toys. She loves my pots and pans, Tupperware, my cell phones, remotes and BOXES. Boxes with stuff in it to take out or just an empty box that she will take around the house and collect random things.

The other day she brought me a box of granola bars and wanted to sit in my lap with them. And for 20 min. (I timed it) she sat in my lap and took the bars out of the box, put them back in, handed them to me, took them from me and counted them. She would lay them in her lap and say 1,2, 5! She thinks 3 and 4 are overrated!:)

Now I know people say that kids favorite toys are the boxes that the toys come in. But why is that? It just seems like there wouldn't be so many toys geared towards this age group if there wasn't some kid out there actually playing with these toys! Also, when does this change. Because Emma loves her stuff! She has her DS and her ipod and her silly bandz etc. So when does it go from loving boxes to loving what is in the box?

It cracks me up, because it is always so fun to see what entertains my girls and usually I am totally wrong with what I think it is going to be!

EMMA

Well life with a almost 10 year old is pretty crazy as of late. The emotions and moods are up and down several times a day. She thinks I am the greatest mom and the worst mom all in an hour time span. But I just have to remember it is normal. In the middle of the battle that doesn't seem to help,but later on it is nice to know I am not the only one going through it.

But of all the many things I want Emma to know the most important is that I love her and am always proud of her! Even though we are in the heat of an argument, it kills me to think that there is even a second that she questions that. I remember saying to my mom, you just don't love me anymore! I didn't mean it, but now that I am on the other side of that statement I know that it hurts.

So today I wanted to blog about how proud I am of Emma and her swimming. She has become an AMAZING swimmer. She started out 4 summers ago swimming in a summer league and did very well at the meets. So she wanted to look into swimming year round. So last Sept. she started swimming for MSA. She swims 4 nights a week and there are meets every month. She loves it and does a great job.

I remember her first meet she came in 52nd in her division out of about 60 9-10 year old girls. I realized then that this was a totally different league then summer swim team! But she kept at it and has worked really hard all year! She crept up that ladder and now she is placing at these meets and I am just amazed! To see the love for this sport in her eyes and how proud she is when she does well and how hard she is on herself when she doesn't do so well. But what I love about her is how she keeps going and keeps pushing! She is only 9 years old and her determination is that of someone so much older and wiser. I don't have to or would I make her go to practice. She can't wait to go and is bummed when something else comes up that causes her not to get to practice one night.

I hope she keeps her love of swimming because I think it will take her far. Not only can she get awards and medals and scholarships from swimming, but it teaches her so much too. It gives her a sense of pride, accomplishment, a work ethic and a drive like no other! So when I think of her at these swim meets it reminds me of the bigger picture which is how she daily surprises me, makes me laugh, takes my breath away and drives me crazy all at once and I wouldn't have it any other way!

These pictures are the ribbons she won at her last swim meet 2 weeks ago.

The 1st place is for 50 yd. butterfly stroke

2nd place is for 100 yd. freestyle relay

8th place is for 50 yd. breast stroke

Isabella's Story Part 2

We find out that Izzy will be at our house around 4pm Friday afternoon. It doesn't occur to me until that morning that this is also black Friday! GREAT! So there Emma and I are in the middle of Target with 500 crazy people buying diapers, clothes, bottles etc. By the way, none of that stuff is on sale on black Friday if you were wondering. Check out was miserable. I was afraid we wouldn't make it in time to be home by 4pm and it was only 10am. But we finally made it home and unloaded all our goodies.I loved looking at all the clothes we bought. The little pink and purple outfits covered in flowers and bunnies and such. If you don't know Emma then let me tell you that she is a tomboy and has no interest in pink, purple, flowers or bunnies! So this was my final shot at having a girly girl.

As I am writing this I have to tell you that it never occurs to me while we are waiting for her to come that she isn't already mine. I really don't know much of her story at this point and for all I know there could be plenty of suitable family members to take her and we may have her just for a couple of days. But in my mind this baby is mine. They tell you in all your classes not to cross that line. Love the child, take care of the child but realize that this is NOT your child. Well that is easier said then done.

4pm comes and we get a phone call from the case worker that they are coming up the road and just wanted to make sure I was home. I was so excited and couldn't wait for the door bell to ring. I open the door to find a man standing with 2 diaper bags,a huge file of paper work and a teeny tiny little baby. And of course I burst into tears! She was so tiny and so beautiful. Let me tell you that that is the best way to deliver a baby. Just open the door and they hand her to you! No epidural needed!

I am sure he told me what all the paperwork said and I am sure he told me a bunch of other things but I don't remember a word. I was too busy staring and this precious baby girl. Emma wanted so badly to hold her so after the case worker left we just sat on the couch taking turns holding her. It was such a great bonding time.

When Chris got home a couple hours later from work you could tell he was kinda freaked out by the fact that he went to work with no baby and after work there was a baby! Of course I was already attached but Chris wouldn't let his guard down. It was probably a good 6 weeks before he finally started falling in love. He didn't want to get attached and then they take her from us. In the course of those 6 weeks her helped feed and diaper and all the things that go with having a baby. But the connection didn't happen until a little later. I remember he was holding her on the couch and he started talking to her and she smiled for the first time. It about melted him into a puddle. From then on I think he really hoped and prayed she was here to stay.

In the weeks that followed we met with our foster care team and no one really wanted to get our hopes up but there was always this underlying feeling I had that they really wanted adoption to happen. Her paternal g-parents were already fostering Izzys brother and her maternal g-ma didn't pass the home study. So really there wasn't anyone else to take her. Mom was still in prison and Dad got out but then soon ended up going back in. I just knew God's plan was for her to be ours.

I have to stop and talk about Izzys paternal grandparents. Jim and Anita. They did what the had to do when Izzy's brother was in need of a safe place they took him in and loved him as if he was their son. By the time I met them they were on track to get to adopt Jace. But what they didn't have to do was like us or even be nice to us. So many bio. families and foster families don't see eye to eye but somehow we formed this bond and they ended up being our biggest advocates for adopting Izzy. It makes me cry just thinking about how amazing they have been and how we have become truly a family. We even adopted our kids on the same day so they would always have that in common. Plus we see them all the time so Izzy gets extra grandparents and a great big brother out of the deal! Jim and Anita, you have been like second parents to us and we love you!

It took about a year from when we got Izzy to the day in court when her biological parents gave up their rights to her so we could adopt. It was such an emotional moment for me. The thought of signing over your child so someone you don't even know can have her. It is a pretty amazing gift. I was too chicken that day to go up to her and say thank you and I am not even sure she knew I was there but I have written her a thank you and someday when I am ready I will send it to her.

The next four months after the termination of rights were torture. It was waiting on paperwork, waiting on people in Jeff City to approve things... it was just a ton of waiting! It sure taught me patience or taught me that I have a lack of patience. But at the beginning of April we set the date to adopt on April 15th, 2010. Then all the sudden I feel like it has all gone by so fast. Like it was just yesterday that I got that knock on my door and here it is that what I knew all along was about to happen. That Isabella Nicole Donegan was meant to be our daughter.

It is amazing to me that I don't feel any different about her then I do about Emma. It really doesn't matter that I didn't give birth to her. God always knew she was meant for us, it just happened that she grew in another womb but was born into our hearts!

I am not really sure how to get the pictures actually in the post or to comment about what they are so if anyone can help me with that I would appreciate it. But the first 3 pics are of our first few minutes with Izzy. See Chris' pic where he is pretty freaked out! Then the last one is on ADOPTION DAY!

Isabella's Story

Today I wanted to tell our story of adopting Izzy. I have a hormone imbalance called PCOS. It causes many women not to get pregnant or have a very hard time trying. I was one of the lucky ones and was able to get pregnant with Emma our first try. (Chris takes ALL the credit for that!:) But the 9 months afterward were the most miserable months of my life. I was so sick and on bed rest 6 of the 9 months. It was awful! My Dr. told me that this would probably happen again if I tried to have more children. So Chris and I decided that Emma would be an only child. For years we were fine with that choice and really never thought anymore about it.

As the years went on several close friends came into our lives that had adopted children and something inside me told me to look into it. Well soon I realized that this option would not work for us because of the enormous cost of adoption. So again I put having anymore children out of my mind and went on with the one beautiful girl I did have.

But several summers ago we were at our pool and met 3 couples. One family had 4 biological children, one adopted child, and had had several foster children throughout the last 10 years. Another family was just beginning their foster care. They had 4 biological children and were getting a 3 day old baby boy as their first foster placement. The 3rd couple was very similar to us. They had one child( oddly enough named Emma) and had a foster daughter that they got when she was 8 weeks old. They were in the process of adopting her. She was about a year old by then. Something just really struck me about the families and their desire to help these kids whether it was through adopting them or just keeping them healthy and happy until an adoptive home came available or in some cases their families were able to take them back.

So of course the way I am, I just ask them all a million questions and become very interested in the idea. But oh yeah, I forgot I might want to pray about it and possibly ask my husband his thoughts on the topic.You know, 2 little pieces to the puzzle. So, I backed off. Gave my husband time to digest the idea and time for us as a couple to ask God for his plan.

After feeling very good about our decision we decided to take the next step and go to a introductory class on foster care and adoption at Missouri Baptist Children's Home. There we found out that there would be a 12 week course starting up at the end of August. So we signed up for it and the next 3 months of our lives were crazy!

We went to class every Monday night and met some amazing people! The friends we made in that class we still talk to and all have either adopted their foster kids or are very close to adoption. During this time several meetings were set up at our house, they are called home studies.They ask you a million questions and you fill out a ton of paperwork. I think there were 3 meetings all together.

Then the 2nd week of November came and it was our last class. It was so exciting to know that very soon we could be called for our first placement. When we signed up we said we wanted to foster to adopt and we were very specific about the age. We wanted an infant. The more specific you are about what you want the less calls you will get but if you know what you can handle and make that plan before hand it makes it alot easier on you. So we wait. We know it could be months before we get a call. So we all go back to our regular lives. But of course I obsess. I want to get the room ready etc. But how do you get clothes for a child you don't know the age or the sex of? So I just focused on a bed and a few toys and a couple of odds and ends.

Now it is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I get a call from MBCH telling me all our paper work is in the system and we could get called anytime. I was so excited! But what happened next I never expected. The lady on the phone says there is a newborn who needs a home and we need a family who is going to be home over Thanksgiving, are you interested? Holy cow! Yes we are interested.She tells me to call the case worker on the case and give her my info. So I immediately call her and she says she isn't for sure that this baby will be on her case load but if she is she will call me back. OMG! I can't believe this.

Wednesday we are over at my moms house cooking for Thanksgiving and my cell phone rings. Everyone in the kitchen stops and looks at me! I run over to answer it and it is the case worker. Yes, this baby will be on her case load and do we want her? YES!!!!!!! Her mother was in prison and she was born Monday at the hospital near the prison on Mexico Mo. The case worker told me they would go up 1st thing Fri. morning and get her and bring her to us. Wow! I can't believe this is going to happen. She told me her weight and height and said I could go online to the hospital website and see her picture. We all ran to the computer and pulled her picture up. She was so beautiful! The fattest little cheeks you have ever seen! Little did I know this baby girl would change our lives....... More tomorrow.

Smores Bites

My friend Lisa gave me this recipe and it is so yummy! I made it for the kiddos for VBS tonight and they loved it! I even had several adults say it was great. I took a picture to show you what it looks like but it isn't very pretty. So you'll just have to use your imagination with this one.

4 cups golden grahams cereal
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1TB. butter
1 cup choc. chips
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla

mix cereal and marshmallows and put aside. Melt butter, then add chips and syrup and stir until all is melted. Take off heat and add vanilla. Immediately pour over cereal mixture and stir to cover all of the cereal and marshmallows. Place foil or wax paper on counter and spoon out by the TB. full. Let cool for 30 min. and transfer into the fridge. Once it is chilled store them in a air tight container in the refrigerator. They are so tasty!!

BACON!!!

Oh baby does my family love BACON!!! I don't cook it very often though, I usually use the microwave pre-cooked kind.BUT, I had a package of real bacon in the freezer and I was up for an experiment this morning.

I was watching a cooking show the other day and the chef laid the bacon on a cookie sheet with a rack and cooked it in the oven. I thought this was pure genius! Now you may have heard of this or even tried this before but this was a first for me. So I tried it and it totally worked and Emma said it was the best bacon she had ever tasted. That is saying a lot cause Emma eats bacon about everywhere we go. She adores it! So here is how you do it.

Pre-heat your oven to 400.

Take a cookie sheet and cover with foil. Then lay a baking rack on top of it. I don't have a baking rack, so I used a broiler pan and its rack. Then spray with cooking spray. Lay your slices of bacon on the rack, I fit about 10 on my pan. Pop in the oven for 20 min. Viola, BACON!!

You don't have to turn it, or get popped on the arm with grease! It is wonderful! Give it a try!

Pasta Salad

Here is my first recipe for my blog! This is a pasta salad I made up but you really could put anything you like in this salad. Whatever veggies you like would taste yummy. But here is what i used.



1 16 oz. box bowtie pasta

1cup thawed frozen peas

1/2 orange pepper, diced

1/2 red onoin, diced

1 small head of broccoli, florets only

3 eggs, hard boiled and chopped

4-5 slices deli ham, chopped

1 cup mayo

2 TB. red wine vinegar

salt

pepper

garlic powder



Cook pasta according to box directions. At the last 2 minutes of cooking the pasta add the broccoli. Then drain noodles and broccoli. Add a little oil to the pasta to keep it from sticking. Let it cool completely. Then add orange pepper, onion, peas, ham , eggs. Mix the mayo and vinegar together until smooth. Then pour of pasta mixture. As far as the salt, pepper and garlic, I do that to taste. I add them all while making the salad then i do it again after the salad has completely cooled in the fridge. This is so yummy and you can eat this as your meal or as a side dish. ENJOY! Let me know what you think after you make it!

Addiction

I was kinda freaking out about it this morning. I went to my 2-liter of diet coke only to find it empty! I was trying to remain calm but was already feeling the withdrawl headache coming on. So I start trying to figure out how I am going to get to the store with Izzy being sick and maybe I could just go through a drive through with her! Yes, that is what I will do. Then I realize that I have already put her down for her nap so I can't leave.

Crap! That means I have to wait 2 hours before I can have a diet coke. Okay,Okay just calm down I say. I can have water or tea or even lemonade. I try to make do but it is NOT working. So I decide to keep my mind off of it by doing a little prep for dinner. I start looking for the onion in the fridge. It is all the way in the back behind the milk jug. So I take out the milk jug and pull the onion out and as I am doing that a shiny silver can catches my eye! Could it be.... yes it is! I see those 2 words on the side of the can that make me so HAPPY! DIET COKE! I quickly throw the onion back in the fridge and run to get a glass of ice. I crack open that can and hear the air release from the can. Then I pour it over the ice and listen to fizz. I can't wait for the fizz to die down so I take a swig and that amazing burn enters my throat and all I can do is say "ahhhhhh!" All seems right with the world again and I can focus and get on with my day. But I have to say Hi, my name is Leslie and I am addicted to Diet Coke!

Welcome to my Blog!

I am excited to start my own blog! I love reading other peoples and so I thought there might be someone out there that would be interested in my life! I called my blog A Work in Progress because that is me! A constant work in Progress. I am always trying to figure out who and what I am supposed to be doing with my life. I have lots of interests but get bored very easily so I am never very content for long.

I have a wonderful husband, Chris who is my complete opposite! From how we were raised to our political beliefs to our goals for our lives, we couldn't be more different! Which makes discussions in our house very interesting sometimes! But there is NO ONE who can make me laugh harder or make me smile bigger! He is my best friend, and even though we are so different we really do complete each other.

My girls... I have a beautiful 9 almost 10 almost 25 year old daughter, Emma. She is such an interesting combo of Chris and me. She is soooo stubborn and hard headed but sweet and tender-hearted! She would truly give you the shirt off her back. And she is CRAZY funny! She has my in stitches all the time! She is a competitive swimmer and in love with most sports. But she also loves school and was even on student council this year.

Izzy is my adorable 19 month old baby girl! She came into our lives very differently then Emma. Izzy, a.k.a. Isabella, was officially adopted into our family April 15th, 2010! it was an amazing day for us. I will blog about that whole experience soon! She fits into our family so well. Again, I have another stubborn one, but she is so energetic and excited to learn new things everyday! It makes my smile just to think about all the silly and crazy things she does.

Anyway that is my family in a nutshell. Also, I would like to share recipes with you as part of this blog. My goal is to add 1-2 recipes a week. We shall see if i can keep it up.

I thank you for stopping by and hope you will continue to check back with me!