WELL.

It has been an eventful week since we last talked, dearest roztimers!! Man alive, has it ever been.

First, let’s have some snuggly-baby kittens-rainbows-SMUAH shall we?

Recently we’ve been waking up at 5am or 6am, and then having slightly difficult days due to wanting to nap twice – the second being smack dab in the middle of access. This is shortly after waking up on the 5am day; I was zonked due to going to bed at my usual 1am (what? I can usually bank on sleeping til 7!). So I couldn’t bring myself to care that I had just spent ages the night before repacking and restocking those.. the access bag and my diaper bag. Like my Ecojot communication book??

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Sometimes I can forget how angry I was at a situation, or gloss over my past anger. I just wrote a paragraph about how I think I overreacted to that previous church drama given the resolution that’s started with the meetings of this past week. But that initial emotion was real, and it was in some ways the right response. (*God talk*) As in, we should be angry as Christians when our ‘family’, the Church, strays from where it’s supposed to be. Centred around love and humility, especially in the leadership. Yes, I fully include myself in this (I hope); know that I (we) did apologize to the church elders at our meeting for what we were at fault for.

Go figure, that meeting totally restored my understanding that God really can work through all churches. I know this mentally, but it can be hard when you’re dealing with someone who is just. so. DIFFICULT. We presented our information really well, if I may say so, and now we just wait for their decision. I feel good about it, at peace. I missed church (thanks Maria!) and instead had a good, quiet, full of peace time with God. During naptime, of course. Because really, that’s the only time anything gets done around here.

Like this wedding cake. THIS WEDDING CAKE. I think I gloss over the difficult bits when I volunteer myself for things. You know, because wedding cakes? Totally easy! You can just whip one up in a few hours! Or at least, that’s what my memory told me. Bloody good liar, my memory.

Like the baby. I gloss over my memories of Maria’s first 6 months. Okay, more like disassociate as soon as I think of them. Yeah, totally ready for another baby..

FIRST,

Weird eh? Mountains of shredded carrots! Needing to make 3 batches of the 20L recipe means loads, and I do mean LOADS, of shredded carrots. And nutmeg. I’m not sure there’s anything more fragrantly wonderful than freshly ground nutmeg.

One of the youth came over the last couple days to help me run errands and make this cake (with Maria in tow), which was good for both of us. Reminded me of how much fun hanging out with teenagers can be. Sometimes makes you feel old, like when they’re talking about all the drama and all you’re thinking is, ‘Really? Why? Wait, which girl is this? Wait.. I thought.. What? Who are we talking about now?’

So the cake number two has just started beeping that it’s done cooking.. And it’s not nearly done. So much for sleeping this side of midnight (4am start to the day this morning, WHEE). Then there’s another batch, then crumb coating, then freezing, then Saturday putting it together and doing the last two layers of icing including the decorations. Thankfully I’m no longer doing fondant…

BABY. Because if you’re like my mother, you’re all WHAT? WHAT IS GOING ON?? WHY HAVEN’T YOU TOLD ME? WHAT BABY?? OH MY GAH I HAVE TO KNOWWW. Not that my mother is that desperate. Ahem.

Maria has a not-yet-born (unborn, roz? Yeah, that’ll work) sibling that may need a fost.er home, and so we’ve volunteered ourselves. Would be likely to happen in the next month or month and a half if it does happen. Without saying too much for confidentiality’s sake, there are some better arrangements for the child that are hopefully being tried before they get to us. Yes, I know this is certifiably insane on our part, taking another newborn who will be as difficult biologically (if you catch my drift) as Maria was, while still having Maria and youth work and married life and WOE IS ME MY LIFE IS SO DIFFICULT. I’m not sure exactly how we’ll do it, but we’ll hopefully manage. Heh, we are nuts, eh.

(I was looking through some archives to try to find posts from the first 6 months, and apparently I did not write very much about the physical effects, both the acute short-term and the long-term developmental effects of Maria’s ‘condition’. Just this one.. So maybe it really wasn’t that bad! Right? Right?! Look! Rainbows and kittens!!)

TOTALLY got a new cell phone and it is CRAMAZING. An HTC Legend that I cannot part with, I am now on Twitter all the time, and have suddenly become stalkerish on facebook too. Let’s not even talk about the amount of photos I upload all over the place from it. Technology is fascinating, especially touchy touchy technology. Heh. Merry Christmas to me in July!! (No really. I needed a phone to talk to Leader Y for the fall, because picking up the phone from a phone call is so last generation. No, really. It drives me nuts)

Did finally get approval for taking Maria with us to camp. Workers are still bending over backwards to get the kids back with parents. I’m still on both sides of the fence on the issue.. am still trying to get her back with family of some sort while also not sure where the chance in hell is for that to happen. Oh! Riight, chance in heaven. Yeah, it’s late and I’m apparently punch drunk on the tasty tasty drained pineapple juice from my cake making extravaganza…

I just used the word extravaganza. It’s only going to get worse from here. BEDTIME! (screw the cake! Automatic shutoffs on the oven FTW!)