I don't post often but I really hope some of you can help out on a project I was just made aware of. It is to make 100 dresses for girls in impoverished areas. I'm sure there are enough of us on this board alone to take care of that and I am also going to let my 7 year old make a pillowcase dress for the project as well! (she loves to sew) Please check out this website http://hopefulthreads.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-2012-monthly-project-announcement.html All the information is available through links to the above blog and there are people all over the world who are taking the completed dresses for the project so anyone can join in!

We are currently in process for a little girl from China with mild cerebral palsy. I was diagnosed 18 mo ago with breast cancer. It is not true that China will no longer accept someone who has had cancer. You need an agency who is willing to ask for the waivers and you do need to be open to special needs and/or older children.

I was diagnosed with DCIS which is Ductal carcinoma in situ, I've never heard of BCIS but has she had surgery to remove it yet? You can not get a definitive diagnosis of if it is only in the ducts until after surgery. If it is just DCIS then she will be more than fine....my doctor used the CURED word when I saw her 6 months after my surgery. I chose a mastectomy (due to family history) I needed nothing more than that surgery, no radiation or chemo. If the cancer has spread outside the duct, even if only a tiny bit, it upgrades the cancer to a stage 1 or higher depending on how far it has traveled outside the duct. Triple negative has to do with which hormones the cancer is receptive to. A great place to get all your questions answered is over at community.breastcancer.org/

The most important decision right now is to decide on a country. You need to know which countries you qualify for and which you do not. Korea is going to be stopping their program in the not too distant future so you have to decide if you are willing to risk loosing out on a referral after a long wait and lots of money spent. Haiti is taking YEARS to get the kids home who have already been referred. (I have a friend who flies down every 6 months to visit with her son and he is growing up before her eyes) Foster care in IA is no better or worse than an institution I have seen bad FP in China and bad orphanages as well. We are currently in the middle of a special needs adoption from China (which is the ONLY viable program for China) The cost is running around 30K by the time it is all said and done but the Lord is providing that money in ways we never expected so don't let that be the breaking point!! We tried to adopt from the US foster care system but we had our license for a few months with no calls and realized that waiting for a single child who was free to adopt wasn't going to happen unless they had severe special needs. Do your homework. Find a country, then ask for recommendations for that country as far as agencies, and take it from there. Adoption is the greatest thing to ever happen to our our family but it has been VERY challenging and we expect it to be another challenge this summer when we travel again.

I've only been to 1, China, and we'll be going back there this summer to adopt another daughter. I guess you could say we've been to Hong Kong as well but I don't consider a 4 hour layover as a visit. LOL

when they come to our town we just call the police. In order to legally sell anything from their truck they need a permit (even the ice cream man needs his permit) EVERY single time we've called they do not have one. (we listen on the scanner for them to be pulled over) When they come to our house and ask if we want to buy anything, I just ask them if they have a permit. They say yes but leave quickly and I call before they are in their truck again. There is a real YUCK factor to people who drive around with nasty rusted out pickups with beat up look like side of the road picked up fridge strapped in the back of it!!!

Only if she is using a regular brush/comb. You MUST be using a wig brush or it will frizz it out in no time. There are MANY videos on you-tube though if it needs to be reconditioned so don't panic if she does.

I was diagnosed in August of 2009. For me, my thumb and index finger went numb. After a couple weeks of being numb I went in and they were checking for a pinched nerve in my neck but when they couldn't find anything they ordered several more test including a MRI and it was discovered I had MS. I have had approx 4-5 flares in that time and I'm having one now brought on by some very stressful things in my life. When I flare, my neck and upper arm are very painful due to muscle spasms. I also get spasms in my forearm on the other side and calves during this time. I get tired quickly as well. My Ms is what's called relapse remitting so I'll go a while with just my normal numbness and then occasionally I'll flare. I could go in for steroids and another MRI to verify it but for me it's not worth it. I hate the steroids and another MRI isn't going to change anything. (I get one yearly anyway) I take a shot 3X's a week which is not fun but when I was off of them for 6 months last year I went from shrinking lesions on my brain to a new one so I figured it was worth it to start back on them. If you need someone to chat with PM me and I'll be glad to talk to you. It's scary hearing those words but at least you will know you are not crazy and the things you are experiencing are not in your head! There are other things it could be though so don't worry yet...oh and stay away from Dr. Google, he is NOT your friend!!!! Dawn

We have had several of each type of doll and I'll be honest if she is going to play with it a lot then spend the money and get the "real thing" I am making doll dresses right now for our youngest DD who is playing with her older sister's hand me down dolls. We figured out the oldest is 8 years old and they are still in excellent condition, even the hair is in good shape. Spend the money on the doll, save money on the accessories and clothes!

I would say at least 5 of the 7 days a week. I do have MS though and things have been rough lately.

DD7 doesn't drink much soda but like Dr Pepper best of the choices given.

I regularly descale mine, I don't wait for the light to come on. I do it every 6-8 weeks exactly like coffeemama described. I've had mine for about 18 months without any problems. I hope you get it fixed, I would cry without mine!

Wow that's beautiful! I'm impressed, I can sew straight lines but that is the extent of my skills! I envy those who can create works of art that are also functional with their sewing machines! GREAT JOB!

Another Keurig fan here!!!! I'm not sure I'd grab it in case of a fire but if I had to pass it on the way out I might consider it!! LOL One thing I found was to use filtered water, it keeps it from getting clogged. I had trouble at first with straight tap water but since switching it I have not had to clean it of sediment in months! I love the option of changing flavors, decaf, to regular, getting hot water for hot coccoa etc. It was worth the extra expense for sure. I was at Walmart the other day and saw that Mr Coffee has a machine that work with the Keurig coffee cups so that is an option too.

Well since you asked, LOL, if 30K would fall from the sky right this very moment I would in line for a VERY SPECIAL little just turned 3 year old with CP from China!!!! She has stolen my heart in ways I can't describe but there just isn't any way for us to come up with that money right now! The climate of adoption changes daily, sometimes hourly! Our youngest is a SN adoption from China whom we brought home 5 years ago in January. She is the greatest blessing I have ever received! She was 20 months old when we traveled. She struggled for years with anxiety attachment issues but continues to heal everyday. Younger does not always guarentee a better transition though. I know parents who had tiny infants who did not bond with their parents as well as teens. The type of care they received prior to coming to your home more important than the length of time they were there first! As far as travel is concerned to somewhere like China it is NO LONGER required for both parents to travel for the adoption to be final and the child to be a citizen, I know MANY people who travel alone to do the adoption for many reasons and you have a guide with you at all times and usually a travel group so travel alone is not nearly as scary as it sounds! We currently are licensed foster parents in our state (since Apr 14th) and have not received even 1 call yet. We are even willing to take legal risk kids (a child who is still a ward of the state and not had parental rights terminated yet) The biggest problem with FC adoptions right now is that usually the only children adopted through FC are adopted by their foster parents but those parents must wait sometimes years for the adoption to be finalized. They are at risk of reunification that entire time though. RU is the goal of FC and you have to be willing to support that and hope for adoption. Some programs are adoption only but there are not many kids who are just waiting to be adopted, UNLESS you are willing to take a large sibling group, a child with major medical needs, or a teen. It is still not an easy road if you are willing to go down that route! All that is to say that you HAVE to follow your heart. Adoption has many twists and turns to be sure, and a decision made before you are ready to proceed will only end in heart brake because countries open and close all the time, domestic agencies change their rules because there will always be more families than children available (especially Caucasian girls :( ).