HERE is Love With out Boundaries newsletter! What a great group of people doing a wonderful job helping the kids in China. If you can not adopt an orphan, but you still want to help the kids LWB is a great place to give some money. Your help will really save and change lives!



If you link on to Amazon.com (at the bottom of this page) from my website then 10% of what you buy goes to LWB and the good programs they have for orphan children in China. If you plan to buy books or gifts on Amazon then just use the Amazon link below!

Sarah stayed with her very first babysitter last night. I guess she cried for a few minutes, but then was fine. We woke her up for a few minutes after we got home from dinner. She was a little shaken up. Then I began telling her how proud I was of my brave girl! She got the biggest smile on her face. We crossed a very important mile stone. Hopefully Juergen and I can get out more and more. We had a super time with our friends. There were 8 of us eating a feast at a Chinese restaurant. I miss my friends! I have great friends!

Today is Halloween. The kids will probably go trick or treating for an hour tonight. Then they are going to an alternative party at a local Baptist church. Sarah has a number of costume options. We haven't decided what she will wear. Philip is going as Spiderman, and Thomas isn't sure yet either. We have a costume trunk...and he has choices. I would love to see photos of your kids Halloween costumes. If you have a link to your child’s costume on a blog, please add it to my MR Linky. Have a very sweet and safe day!

Here is a warning about a movie that is about to come out called The Golden Compass. It is something you may want to think twice about. In the end of the book trilogy the children kill God. It is a very anti God movie to counter CS Lewis.

I want to tell you about a 2 year old boy in China that needs a mom and dad. He has
tetralogy of Fallot, this is a very common heart defect that can be corrected with surgery. My oldest daughter Jessica was born with ToF. It is very correctable. This cute boy's file is due to be returned to China soon. The agency has received a grant from A Child Waits. Along with the agencies grant of $1500, and a normal fee reduction for SN kids, The fee's have been reduced between $5000-$6500. If you know anyone who may want to adopt a really cute boy with a very correctable heart condition HERE is the information.

His file says this about him...
He is very handsome little guy. His eyes that are not big, but very bright and his round face make him very adorable. He is very lovely and brave. He likes to play outside. He is also very happy when he plays indoors with other children. He likes to watch TV when he has nothing to do. He will shake his buttocks with the music on the TV programs. He is so funny at this moment. When he plays games with others, he likes to play balls, shake hands and tell nursery rhyme most.


I also found more photos and information about this little boy they are calling Justin (they don't list the childs real name). It is on a family site. These people met Justin and took pictures. They say he is a real great kid! When you look at this web site, just click on pictures, and there is more information about Justin.


One more word...with the adoption tax credit Americans get, this adoption is basically free!

I got a wonderful package today from my blogger friend Jill at Waala house of fun . Jill it made me cry! You are so thoughtful! Thank you so much for the birthday gift!!! Jill even got a gift for Philip (they share the same birthday). I'm sending you a christmas gift! You are the BEST!!!

Hi, I just joined the fall blogger give away. I'm number 288 on the list. I'm going to send a box of German Chocolate Christmas ornaments to the winner of my give away. The winner will be chosen from the people who leave me a comment to this post. If you want to sign up to win many other prizes, follow this link...it will lead you to loads of other great prizes. Leave me a comment by Friday to enter the give away.

If you are just visiting my blog for the give away, it is all about waiting for, traveling to, and adjusting to our 4 year old adoptive daughter Sarah. She came from Nanjing, China. She is our 5Th child. We live in Germany. I am a Christian and I have a passion for adoption. I believe every child should have a family. If you are thinking about adoption, or just curious about helping orphans I hope you'll consider visiting our blog over and over! We also have a family blog. Thank you for stopping by!

While I'm thinking about it, here is more information about Hep B. There is a great yahoo group for families with Hep B+ adoptive kids. These people know much more then I do. If you adopt a child with Hep B, you will need to monitor their blood. If their virus is active you'll need to have the disease treated. There are different types of Hep B, and some types of the disease respond to certain drugs better then other types. The drugs they have to treat this disease are always improving. They expect to be able to cure Hep B in 5-10 years. I hope Sarah will not have to deal with this forever! Try to find a Dr that has experience treating children with this disease. The local Dr is OK for the monitoring stage, but find a Dr for treatment just in case you need it.

If a person gets Hep B (not born with it) they will probably get pretty sick. They may become very tired or experience flu like symptoms. They should find a liver treatment center. They can probably recover with treatment. Untreated they could develop serious liver problems. Hep B attacks the liver.

People with Hep B should do everything they can to protect their liver. Some drugs and some foods are not the best thing for them. They should never drink alcohol. They should also be vaccinated agents Hep A, and avoid risky behavior that can cause them to contact Hep C. You always hear about people with Hep B developing liver cancer. This can happen. Generally it happens to older people and to those who were not careful with their liver (drinking and smoking etc). Men have a higher rate of liver cancer. It is very important to test their blood every 6 months so if the body starts to recognize and fight the virus it can be treated.

People with Hep B can have children. The partner needs to be vaccinated agents the disease, and the baby should have the vaccination right after birth. Also in a world where there is HIV, and other sicknesses all our children should be taught not to engage in risky sexual behavior. Kids with Hep B even more so!

Children with Hep B can do nearly everything anyone else can. Swimming for example is something Sarah loves to do. If she gets a bloody nose or cut, that is what the chlorine in the pool is for. It kills the virus. We need to be careful and responsible but it doesn’t affect us much. The biggest thing is really being careful to protect Sarah. We are due for another blood draw soon. She is a brave kid. She takes having her blood drawn very well. I’m very proud of her. If you have any questions about Hep B, I’ll try to answer you. I hope people will consider adopting a child with this special need. There are so many children that wait because people are afraid. You don’t need to be afraid. It is really pretty easy to handle this special need. Many children in China are not even allowed to attend school if it is known they have Hep B. I could never imagine Sarah, who has such a hungry mind not being allowed to learn because of this minor special need. Some of you have the power to change their whole futures just by getting past your fear and saying yes to them. I do not think of Sarah as having a Special need, I only see her as special!

If you want to send a Spook-E-mail created by Better homes and Gardens then just click here. It is a cute e-card that talks.

I ended up having a very nice birthday. I talked to allot of family and friends on the phone. They made me feel very loved! The movie was a bit stressful. I let the boys bring one friend. 3 boys together can get very loud! They tend to egg each other on. It wasn't the nice bounding time I had hoped for. The movie was really cute, but a little too long for Sarah. She still isn't use to too much. She lived such a calm boring life in the orphanage. She ended up having a very big temper tantrum on the way home. I've gotten pretty good at calming her down. She ended up saying she was sorry to me and the boys before we arrived home. Still, the noise gave me a head ach.
My wonderful neighbors gave me this cute book on smiling. I scanned a few of the pictures for you. I've got great neighbors! Juergen and Nicole made it home from Hanover by 10pm. I got to eat birthday cake with my sweetheart. You know everything else is just frosting on the cake…Juergen is the greatest gift I could ever have!
Tomorrow night, God willing, I get to go out to diner with Juergen and some friends. My brave and wonderful friend Kerstin will try to baby-sit Sarah for the first time. Sarah loves Kerstin so I hope it will work out good.

Here are the links to a few families that got their kids today...

Forward to Lily


Rylee for Life

It is such a beautiful thing to see children being brought into their forever families!

Well, I just talked with Juergen on the phone. We did not win a Werte award. The man that did win the award was about 73 years old. He helps families nearly full time who have a dying family member. He, in other words cares for those who care. The man does such a special thing I can say honestly it is an honor we were even considered in the same category. Juergen had no chance to promote adoption. That is OK too. We learned allot about the need, and we will pursue a path to help provide more money for families that would like to adopt. Who knows, perhaps in 20 years we may even deserve to win this award. Today I am really honored to have been nominated. I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote for us online. You are really great! Thank you Claudia for even thinking of us.

This morning I was cuddling in bed with Jessica and Sarah. I looked forward to the extra hour of sleep (our clocks get set back one hour today). The light switched on at 7:15 am (new time). It was Thomas with a big birthday hug and this cool picture of a mission to mars. Mann...how sweet! I miss Juergen and Nicole this morning, and the coffee I'm sure they would have made me. Still, how many people are blessed by a world class trip to the red planet?

Tomorrow is my 46Th birthday. Juergen and Nicole (our A-team) will be in Hanover to represent our family at the Werte awards. I'm a little sad I won't be with them on my birthday but we have great plans to celebrate on Tuesday instead. I hope God will bless their time in Hanover. I have a babysitter tomorrow afternoon for Jessica. I hope to take Philip, Thomas and Sarah to see the movie RATATUI. I remember my last birthday, and also Christmas. All I wanted was to have Sarah home. She is home now. Praise God!!! I will try to enjoy a bag of pop corn for all those waiting families who would do just about anything to enjoy such a day!

More on Hepatitis B...
How do we protect our family (we have 4 other children) and others from getting Hep B? Before we got Sarah we went to the Dr. and had our blood drawn. We checked to make sure everyone in the family was immune to Hep B. It turned out that Philip and Thomas were not immune; even thou the shot records from Thailand said they had been vaccinated. In fact we had to redo all of Philip and Thomas' vaccinations (not all at once but one at a time). The vaccination for Hep B is actually a series of 3 shots taken over a course of about 9 months. We are all immune to Hep B, but we will have this checked about every 5 years just to be safe. I feel perfectly safe in wiping Sarah’s bloody noses and scraped knees. I would use rubber gloves if I had an open wound on my hand. We do not share a tooth brush with Sarah, and she also has her own finger nail clippers. When she is older she will need to handle her menstrual blood carefully, and have her own raiser if she wants to shave her legs. I also clean the bathroom sink with bleach just to make it safe for everyone who uses it.
Most people have the Hep B vaccination, but not all people. If you have a child with this disease, you are not required to tell people. In fact most people suggest you don't tell people because a child can not protect themselves from the possible prejudice of others. We live in Germany, and mostly people from the USA and other countries read my blog. Only a few locals read my blog. For this reason I feel comfortable writing about Sarah. I have told the teachers at Sarah’s kindergarten. They need to know how to handle things correctly if she has for example a nose bleed. It is a very good kindergarten. The staff has been very well trained. I do not tell the other parents. If one of the kids does get exposed to Sarah’s blood, the staff has an obligation to inform the parents. If that child isn't already vaccinated for Hep B (the kindergarten has everyone’s vaccination records as a normal part of the kindergarten registration) then the child needs to go get a vaccination with in 48 hours. If they get vaccinated they will most likely not get Hep B. I also tell Sarah’s dentist, and her Dr. Most people do not need to know. They do not run any risk of exposer to her blood.
When we were in Oregon, Sarah got a small bloody nose at a pizza restaurant. It was only a few drops of blood all on a paper of napkin. I put the bloody napkin on the table. Then I thought, no I should not have done that. I told the manager to spray the table with bleach just in case (Hep B virus can live for 7 days on a surface). He thanked me, and after we left He took the table out of the room and washed it down with bleach. He was not worried. He had the vaccination (most people do). It was just being careful. That is what we do...we are careful. It is not hard to handle this!

So...let's start talking about the special need Hepatitis B+. Hep B is a virus found in the blood. It is spread like HIV, by blood and through sexual contact. It can not be spread from casual contact, a kiss, urine etc... You can only get it by direct contact with blood. Sarah most likely got exposed to Hep B at birth. There is a very good chance her birth mother did not even know she had the disease. Most people who have a chronic case of Hep B have no symptoms. Their bodies do not recognize the disease as a virus, and do not try to fight it. If Sarah begins to fight the disease, she will get sick. If her body fights the disease, she could get permanent damage to her liver if we do not treat the Hepatitis. This is one reason we must monitor her blood (once every 6 months she must get her blood tested). If her liver values go up, we will probably begin treating her with drugs. They have very good anti viral drugs that are pretty good at fighting this disease. On the one hand you hope they never get sick. You hope their body never recognizes the virus. On the other hand you hope they do get sick. If they start fighting Hep B, they can (with the help of the new drugs) actually convert from a positive to a negative status. We actually pray for Sarah's status to reverse. Then she will be totally free from this sickness. I will write more tomorrow.

Isn't this a cute 5 year old? Here is her adoption information. Her special need is Hepatitis B. Sarah is also Hep B +. Juergen and I thought about weather we should tell people about her SN. Many parents advise you to keep the information to your selves. Some people get nervous about being around people with an infectious disease. We felt like most of our friends and family already knows, most people already have a vaccination agent the disease. Many children on the waiting lists have this special need. We find it pretty easy to manage. We hope that our being open will help encourage other families to consider adopting a Hep B+ child. I'm hoping the people I know in Germany will not show any prejudice towards us or Sarah. We hope that we are not making a mistake by being open about this...but that our openness will help others. Anyway, I will be writing what I know about Hep B over the next few days.

These 3 kids are available for adoption in Washington State. They are very involved in their church activities. They are active children who enjoy doing many different things, both indoors and outdoors, including art, music, and sports. They have done great in foster care and are now ready for a forever family. If you think you might want to adopt, but don't have the budget for an international adoption then maybe these 3 kids could be your answer! You can read about these kids HERE. If you look on this page, they even have a video clip of these 3 sweethearts!

This is from the agency website

We’ll waive both your $250 application fee and your $2,000 adoption fee if you adopt a child who’s 7 or older (that includes many of the children featured in A Family for Me), or a child with significant medical needs. E-mail the US Kids program for more information.


Adoption Requirements
Singles and all couples are welcome to adopt. Remember that children affected by neglect and abuse have particular immediate and long-term needs. In order to adopt such a child, you should know about these needs and be willing to address them. You're required to complete the foster and adoptive parent training available in your community.
You'll need to have a homestudy completed by a licensed adoption agency. WACAP conducts homestudies in Washington, Oregon, New York, Connecticut and Alaska only; in other states, WACAP can give you the names of licensed agencies.

You may specify the child’s age, gender and ethnicity. We serve children and families of all ethnic backgrounds. Families who can document Native American ancestry will receive priority for Native American children. In some situations, it may be easier to adopt if you obtain a foster care license.



Travel Requirements
To help your adopted child make the transition to your home, you will be asked to visit the child in his or her state of residence.


Required Documents
Approved homestudy


TOTAL FEES AND ESTIMATED COSTS: $3,750
* These fees are waived for families who adopt a child who's 7 or older, or a child with significant medical needs.
** Family may use no-interest loan for this fee—see financial assistance section below. Or, services may be covered by state reimbursement.
*** Varies by agency; may be waived.

Today Juergen and I sat down with a local adoption social worker. We wanted to understand the present state of the German International adoption system. Some of you know our family has been nominated for a German national award for values in the everyday life , The Werte Award, "Heroes of the everyday life". The award ceremony is on Sunday afternoon in Hanover. There have been some amazing individuals nominated for this honor. We would be pretty surprised if we actually won something. We felt it was only right to go to the award ceremony because we were invited. Juergen wants to visit with his parents any way. They only live an hour from Hanover. His mom is very sick. This is why our whole family will not be going. We are sending Juergen and Nicole (the A team - Adoption team). The German National Minister of Families will be there. We hope to have a chance to share with her our ideas on improving the adoption system in Germany. German families receive no benefits for International adoption. Not even the right to deduct adoption expenses on their taxes. They also do not receive the benefits other Germans receive when they have a biological child. Our adoption trips were made on our vacation time with no Maternity leave. Perhaps we will be able to influence the adoption system in some positive way. International adoption should not be a privilege of the rich. It is rather expensive to adopt (15,000 Euros on average/ $20,000+ USD). The social worker told us of one case she handled. A young woman had no womb and could not bear children. Her grandparents saved for years so this woman could adopt a child. She now has a beautiful son from South Africa. Germany has a negative birth rate. Almost 20% of the population has trouble conceiving children. For every 1 German child available domestically for adoption, there are 22 sets of parents waiting to adopt. International adoption is a win win for the nation of Germany. They need to make some changes to make adoption a possibility for more families. Please be praying for Juergen on Sunday. It would be really cool if we won a prize, but what would be even better is to find some kind of audience with the family minister. Please pray that the time Juergen spend in Hanover will have a positive influence on the International adoption laws and benefits in Germany. The result would equal children finding families. Nothing would make me happier!

Sarah has been a real Papa's girl lately. This morning Juergen said goodbye to her and took Philip to school. Sarah sat on the stairs and cried for a half hour. She would not eat or get dressed. She is overly tired. She will not go to bed at a descent hour. Juergen and I still take turns putting her to bed. Lately she cries when it is Mamas turn. She only wants Papa. In the mornings she could sleep a few hours longer, but she insists on getting up to say goodbye to her Papa. Something has got to bend here! She is overly tired. She gets really mean and clingy when she is tired. I guess Sarah and I are very much alike. We both are obsessed with Juergen, never get enough sleep, and never want to say goodbye to the man. The big difference is I’ve got coffee.

Ladybug gloves

IAAP has a real cute waiting 3 year old on their new list. She has a arachnoid cyst which causes some weakness of the left side of her body. It sounds like she is basically healthy and smart...and really cute. The girl that looks just like Sarah is also still available. I know many of you think we should adopt her...but I think we just are not ready to adopt again. Maybe in some time or maybe never again. Juergen is 48 and I'll be 46 on Sunday. We don't have so much energy or money anymore. Sarah has really taken a toll on us! I am praying this Sarah look alike finds a family soon!

I tagged my oldest sister Shelley to share 8 things about her very nice Kitchen. She is really just beginning to blog. She has so much to say. It’s a great post. I hope you will visit her blog and say "Hi"!
Shelley also just added the letter her beautiful daughter Lisa wrote this week. Lisa and her husband Nate just lost their first son Isaac. He was Shelley’s first grandchild. If you want a good cry, but also a very strong dose of courage and grace I encourage you to read this post.

My Fish!

I just read about a set of 7 year old twin girls who desperately need to find parents. They live in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The girl’s information can be found HERE. The site reads,"These 2 girls are in a rather precarious situation and we would like to find them a home asap. They have never known their mother and their father is not involved in their lives. They are living with a non-family member who cannot take care of them." I do not know much about adoption from Haiti, but all that information is also on the above website. I think they have beautiful smiles and I pray they find their families soon!

Some of you may have noticed I deleted a rather long, angry post. It was in response to something another blogger had written. I admit it was an over reaction. Boy did I over react! Something she wrote pushed a very sensitive button in me. For this I am very sorry. In a way it only illustrates how very human I really am. I hate it when people try to make us out to be anything other then what we are...parents. I realize that there are allot of people stuck in an indefinite waiting line to adopt from China. The wait is the hardest part. I am very sorry you have laid your whole life out on paper, signed on the dotted lines, notarized everything, and made copies and now you are stuck waiting. It is very painful to wait. All parents deal with pain in the course of bearing or raising their children. It embarrasses me when people try to place us in any other category then the category of "parent". As Dr. Dobson said in the title of his book, parenting is not for cowards. I pray God grants courage to those who wait...and that he helps me learn to exercise some self control next time someone pushes one of my buttons. Kim, I am very sorry I reacted the way that I did.

I just entered the scary photo contest with this photo I call "A mine field in Israel". I took it in Northern Israel in 2005.

Enter a "Scary Pictures" photo contest and you could win up to 2,000 4x6 prints. I think this is a great prize. I am going to have to think of a good idea for a scary photo. Any ideas? Winkflash also has a sale now on Photo books. It does not matter how many pages you order, the price will be $19.95. It's a good time to order photo books as Christmas gifts or get your adoption or vacation photos printed into a book!

Poor Sarah! Philip and Thomas just rode off on their bikes and they didn't take her! This kind of thing happens all the time. The boys are getting busy doing what 9 and 10 year old boys do. They can ride bikes, play football at friends house. They experience a certain level of trust and independence a 4 year old just does not have. If they can go...why can't she? Sometimes the 5 year age gap really is a problem. Sometimes I think we should adopt another girl close to Sarah’s age. Of course Juergen does not share this way of thinking!

Juergen worked with the kids in the garden this morning while I cleaned the house. Our mosaic in the front yard is almost finished. Juergen has taken it on and is really getting into finishing this art project. I'll be sure and give you pictures of the final project once it is done. A mosaic is a very interesting symbol. It is made up of hundreds of pieces of broken ceramic...but together they form a beautiful picture. We are not perfect people...but our family is a beautiful mosaic that has been placed together by the hand of God. Alone we are not so grand but together we are a work of art!

I'm beginning to question myself. Why am I blogging? It gives my practice writing. It makes me a better photographer. It helps me see a day to day what we have gone through...and how far we have come. Mostly I want to blog about adoption just to promote adoption. I am passionate about this whole miraculous process that brings children into families. It's the most wonderful act of redemption...and it is man willed. We can will to change a child’s life. It's not the easiest process in the world; I've tried to be honest about this. On the other hand it could not be so hard or we would not have been able to manage it! I've thought about quitting my blog lately. I'm busy, and I've got other goals. I enjoy blogging...but I want my motives to be correct. I think I'm going to keep doing it for now. Maybe I could convince one person to adopt. I wish I had the words to convince someone to please adopt. Maybe if you could see what being in a family has meant to Sarah, Philip, and Thomas you would consider adoption? I can only hope!

Sarah took these highly attractive photos of me today. If you would like to post 5 photos from your child then please add your link to our Mr. linky. See the world from your Childs perspective.

The photos are from this week. Sarah is wearing Philips scary teeth, Philip& Sarah build a Lego tower, we decorated the house for Halloween, The flag is from stand up agents’ poverty day, and Juergen and I had breakfast out to celebrate our 17Th wedding Anniversary. Our Anniversary is Oct 6TH but I was in America then. We still haven't had Sarah stay with a babysitter at night but that is going to happen soon. Mommy and Daddy need to spend time out with out the kids. For now I'm glad Juergen could take the morning off while Sarah is in Kindergarten.

Happy Birthday to Jill at Waala House of Fun! Jill and I have the exact same wedding Anniversary (same day and year). Jill & Philip have the same birthday. I just love this woman!!!

We may never really know the real day of Philips birth. He was found in November of 1998 in Central Thailand. He was placed in a basket in a crowded market place. The police came, and no one came forward to claim him. Philip had 2 holes in his heart (ASD and VSD). Thailand gave him a birthday of Jan 1, 1998. Maybe he really was 11 months old, or only 2 months old? We don't really know. We are changing his birthday to October 17TH. My mom had a dream about the date of his birth. It's a long story, but we are going with the date in her dream. Today Philip is 9 years old. He is very excited. He expects ALL GOOD THINGS today. He has been saying, "on my birthday I want this to eat", and "on my birthday, I get to do that"! He plans to milk it for all it's worth! I am so happy to give him this special day, even if it may not actually be the real day. Today he is a prince and we honor the day he was born!
The photo was taken in Thailand September 2006

This waiting boy is 8 years old. He can be seen on Wide Horizons web site. You only need to give them your e-mail address to get access to their waiting kids. Juan Carlo is from somewhere in Asia. I'm guessing the Philippines. BTW the Philippines allows singles to adopt. His profile reads, “Is a cheerful and attentive little boy who is Hep B positive, but otherwise is in good health. He is good at sharing and particularly enjoys physical activities, singing, dancing and drawing. He is learning English and appears to be motivated to succeed. He is well-behaved in school and relates well with his peers." My son Philip turns 9 years old tomorrow. Boys are allot of work at this age but they are also a huge joy to have! Boys wait so much longer then girls. Please pray for this adorable boy to find his family soon! We often consider what we want in a child, like we are shopping for a car. I am trying to write to those of you that would consider what you have to give. All kids need families. Older kids and boys need families. 80% of the people who adopt will only adopt a girl. Please, are there any families who will consider giving a boy a family? If you want to adopt a boy, but a baby then check AAI's new waiting child list from China. They have a beautiful baby boy that is Hep B+ and only 11 months old. . AAI does not photo list their kids, but if you want to take a look then you can e-mail Ky at AAI kyaai@olympus.net.

I mentioned my sister Shelley in my last post. I have sad news. Her daughter Lisa was expecting a baby. The baby died. I guess Lisa even needed to go through labor to deliver it because of how far along she was. I've never miscarried so I do not no the pain she is going through. I'm sure many of my readers do understand this pain. Please pray for Lisa and Nate, and also Shelley and her husband Eric. This child was very loved. The loss is so sad!This was their first child, and the first grand child.

I've been tagged by Beverly to show you 8 things in my kitchen. First you need to know my kitchen is so small it can only hold about 8 things. I'm not really sure how I manage to cook for 7 people every day in this very small room...but it's what God gave me and I am grateful for my house!
1. I have magnets on the refrigerator. This big magnet is from OSU (Oregon State University). I graduated from OSU in 1984. I was 5 years old when I graduated!

2. I've got this cool coffee can from Israel. The coffee in Israel wasn't very good, but I love the can! I actually keep my ice coffee mix in the can.

3. I have this photo of Rick's cafe on the wall. I love the movie Casablanca. My brother is named Rick. I found the photo in the trash...waste not want not!

4. This is my new cast iron skillet. I just carried it home from America and I love it! It isn't washed because my facet just broke this morning. Here is Juergen trying to fix the facet!


5. This is where we keep the cookies.

6. This old wooden wall hanging came from route 66 in the good old USA.

7. I got this pig at a second hand store.

8. I have two sets of Staffordshire dinner ware. One set is red, and the other is blue. I plan to give these dishes to two of my kids (probably Sarah and Nicole). I got the dishes on E-bay . As you can see I shop at second hand shops, and on E-bay allot. I never (ever) pay full price for anything! I love looking for treasures in all kinds of places.

Those are my kitchen 8. My sister Shelley just started to blog. She has a very nice kitchen. It's about as big as my whole house! Shelley I tag you to share 8 things from your kitchen.


This is Shelley's beautiful kitchen, not mine!