Foster Friday: Names

Like any expectant parent, I am thinking about names.  Although my names aren't the typical ones you think of.  I have Turnip, Parsnip, and Rhubarb running through my head.  Yes, vegetables!  Let's start at the very beginning.  A very good place to start.

I married an English major, who comes with an insane vocabulary and particular fondness for otherwise obscure words.  When we were dating, it was revealed that "Rutabaga" was his favorite word.  Really?  In fact, he was serious.  So serious that we made a promise that I never thought we'd keep to name our first pet Rutabaga.  Once I realized this promise wasn't one of those forgotten when the buzz wore off, I quickly bought two fish.  The first was named the obligatory Rutabaga (Rudy for short).  The second was a safety fish in case there were any more favorite words that needed to become a moniker.  There weren't any- thank God.  So he was deemed Rex.

The Amazing Rutabaga

We moved and the fish were given to the family who lived below us.  They were incredibly excited but overly concerned with the care of these fish.  Do you feed them today then skip tomorrow then feed?  Or do you feed, skip, skip, feed?  Anyway, I digress...  Soon a little puppy came into our lives.  I thought the obligatory Rutabaga had already been used.  Boy was I wrong!  Apparently fish aren't real pets- who knew!  So much to the dismay of our breeder, the puppy was officially named Rutabaga with a call name of Rudy.  Actually he was named Cameo Mean Old Man Rutabaga, but that is a whole other story about buying a pure bred.

Our Rutabaga!

Now that we are on the last step of this licensing process (!!!) , I figure we should have some names ready for our foster child(ren).  The good news for us is that our foster child(ren) will come with real names.  The only naming we will be doing is code names for the interwebs to maintain the confidentiality of the case.  Since Rudy is really our first born, he set the trend with the vegetable theme.  We considered encompassing all produce, but the fruit theme is so 2004 with the one and only Apple.

So what vegetables do you think we should consider? We are particularly fond of the more obscure vegetables (hence Turnip, Parsnip and Rhubarb) and the ones with good nicknames (Gus for Asparagus).  Any suggestions from the peanut gallery? 

P.S.  Radicchio is already reserved for our next dog.  Don't worry he'll go by Rocket.  You know, rocket lettuce?

P.P.S  We aren't the only wacko's who come up with code names for our foster child(ren).  You can read about Big Boy, Little Man and Sissy here.  Or Snap, Eaglet, and Jacket here.  Or Blitzen, Dasher and Dancer here.  You get the picture.

Heaven in Foil

Hershey's Coconut Creme Kisses are delicious.

That's all.

Leaping for Leap Day!

I have always loved leap day.  There is just something about it that has intrigued me and made me happy when it came.

Leap day of 2008, we closed on our house.  Most little girls dream of their wedding.  I dreamed of my house.  Side note: This isn't to say that my wedding wasn't up to the standards of little girls' dreams- I'm pretty sure we surpassed that.  But buying my own house was a HUGE achievement.  It was the first time debt was good.  And it definitely made me feel all grown up.  This house would be our first real home.  The first home that we can really make ours through painting, decorating, repainting and redecorating.  It would be the house we would bring our first puppy home to.  Our first (foster) child home to.  And hold so many cherished memories.  And it was extra exciting that this beginning fell on a special day like leap day.

While I expected this leap day to fall short compared to last leap day, it has been surprisingly exciting! 

***drum roll please***

Our foster parenting application is on the move and one step closer to being finalized.

***squeels of excitement***

I just received notification that our foster parenting paperwork is being sent to the state. 

This is where you ask:  What the heck does that mean?  Translation please!

The next update I will give (in 45-60 days) will be that we are licensed foster parents!  Then all we will have to wait for is "the call"!  Woohoo!  I'm so excited for this journey to begin!

So Much More

These are my neighbors.
 Some live down the street.  Some live around the corner.
Some have lived here for a while.  Others have just moved in.
Today one moves away.

These are my friends.
We are all so different, yet have so much in common.
We share dreams, fears, advice and endless bottles of wine!
We have laughed together, shopped together, drank together, and cried together.
But most importantly, we have stuck together.

These are my girls.

They have seen me through some of the best times of my life. And worst.
They have taught me so much about myself.  And about life.

Always add a little spice. Put your family first.  Buy funky colored shoes.
Drink wine.

This is my family.

The family that I have picked. 

Not because I don't have an awesome family, 

but because these girls were just meant to be part of it.

We can no longer call ourselves neighbors, because we are so much more!

Birthday Recipe

Yes, it is my birthday!

Yes, I love anything cake batter flavored.

Yes, I love me some sprinkles.

May I present, the perfect birthday treat!

Birthday Cake Rice Krispie Treats
3 tablespoons butter 
1 10oz bag of miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup of yellow cake mix
6 cups of rice krispies
1+ 10oz container of sprinkles


Melt the butter in a large pan.  Then add marshmallows.  As they are melting, add the cake mix (dry) one spoonful at a time.  Stir so that it gets all mixed in.  Once you have complete gooeyness, add the rice krispies.  Stir to almost combined.  Then add sprinkles.  **I'm a huge lover of sprinkles so I added the entire 1.75oz container.  But if you want to be less fun, you can tone it down a bit.**  Put mixture into a baking dish.  I use 9x13.  Then top with sprinkles.  This step is essential, so don't be all no fun now!

Mmmmm... breakfast!