Wish Us Luck

This will be our first week using public transportation but believe it or not I actually have some peace about it. Yes I said "peace". The sermon Sunday was about patience and this is a subject that i really need work on, so I think this van thing is how i am going to learn patience.The " peanut" doesn't care about riding the bus or anything else she told me as long as I am with her. I am her full and complete security and am thrilled to be this.Please pray for the raising of the funds to fix the car and our safty of our travels this week. I'll let you all know how it goes. Some great friends have already helped and are already signed up to help this week. Thank you Jesus for your people!!!!

O.K. God What Are You Teaching Me Now?

Not only do we have 11 appts. this week again but it looks like we will be doing them using public transportion. Let me explain. This is where I ask, what is God teaching me now. I have to back up about 10 yrs. I was granted SSI in 2001 because I was diagnosed as having bi-polar disorder. I used to say I was bi-polar until I decided not to label myself. So... The "peanut" and I live off a VERY limited income but I do get medicaid. So my car broke down last night and I will not be able to fix it probably for about 4 months, but medicaid offers free taxis and free bus passes. "ergo" public transportation. I do still wonder what God is trying to teach me. I think I already know, and that it is to be more frugal with the little I do have.He has always provided just enough for us. We will take the "peanut's" schoolwork with us and do it while someone else does the driving for a change. I will also be saving money on gas so I can put that toward the repair and my car insurance will go down while the car is not driveable. There's more to save. Praise God!!! Please Pray for us as I am not going to lie and tell you I didn't cry alot today but I am all better now and have wonderful friends who have all offered to help me including the secret pepper person even with her crazy life.lol

The wonderful weekend

Praise God for wonderful slow weekends. After having 2 consecutive weeks of  11 appts. and this next week we are at 11 already we cherish our weekends.Neither one of us likes to go out and do alot of stuff so we work well together. We did go out Friday night with a great friend of mine. He takes The "peanut" and I out About once a month. We went to a very good steak resturauntcalled Acropolis and then went to see a show. "Peanut" loved the food, but didn't care for the show. She doesn't seem to enjoy much unfortunatly. A friend said it could be due to her level of brain damage.Even though she is almost 16, she functions at about 7, except for her hormones. They are right on target so all I heard all night was "mom that cute boy has been looking at me all night. I like him." Of course Uncle Jeff is the bodyguard! LOL Today we were running a friend home and the "peanut" looked at me and said "OOPS" so I said "what?" and she giggled and said " i don't have any shorts on" She was sitting around in her sleep shirt playing on the computer all day. We like to be comfortable when we are at home.  Have a Blessed Week!!

It's only Thursday and we've already run 10 appointments

Last week we ran eleven appointments and this week we will finish the week with 11. Next week we have 11 already schedueled and we are not even there yet.My little "peanut" gets very tired after all this running around so luckly she can rest in the afternoon. We homeschool and can fit that in anytime. I teach more daily living skills than academics. She is stuck at a first grade level and I would rather her be as i ndependent as she can. She can cook a few things, do some laundry, do dishes and feed the animals. i am hoping to have some pictures up soon. The secret pepper person has a camera she is giving me. YEAH!!!

more of the story

As the secret pepper person was telling me about "peanut" I was already falling in luv with her. She was free for adoption or so we thought. My ex and I went through all the classes, background checks, homestudies and so on. They were ready to move our "peanut" in with the 4 of us. My two big kids were very excited and we have never raised them to see color so the race factor was not a problem. She moved in in August. We all moved that following december because I didn't want her growing up in a all white neighborhood. A week after the move my friend and I were painting my living room and out came "peanut". You have to remember that even though she is now 4 she is the size of a 1 year old. She was holding her head and crying. I knew something was teribbly wrong. I rushed her to All Childrens Hospital where our journey with that wonderful institution and it's amazing nuerosurgeons(espicially Dr. Tuitte) began. To this day my "peanut" has had to endure nuerosurgery going into her brain to change her shunt over 50 times. Yes folks I said over 50 brain surgeries. She has also had an additional cardiac surgery and many other procedures. She has been through more than most of us will ever go through. Anyway I got a call from her case worker one day to tell me to my horror that they had found paternal grandparents who wanted MY "peanut". I was DEVASTATED!!!!!! Luckly the grands lived in rural georgia 2hrs away from medical help and the grands had no transportation. I thought I would have lost her because of the race difference but because of her health we won. She then was legally adopted on MARCH 8TH 1999. PRAISE GOD!!!!

I'm back

It was 1998 and I was married at the time. Since then I have gotten a divorce unfortunatly.My bio kids were 9 and 6. I was out in front of my house playing with them and I saw a lady with a girl on a special tricycle. The mom was white and the little girl was black so i assumed foster care or adoption. I had always wanted to adopt a special a special needs child. Heck, i wanted 9 kids when i got married. I never knew how my ex felt though. We didn't talk. I introduced myself to this woman who many of you know as the secret pepper person and asked her about her daughter who you now know as the teenager. She told me she adopted her and told me a little about her story. And then....... She said " there is a littlt girl who needs you" And  went on to tell me about my "peanut"

In the beginning

I am new at this so please be patient. I am a single mom of two grown biological kids and a special needs adopted daughter. My oldest daughter is 21 and lives in Knoxville Tennesee. She is amazingly independent and mature. My son is 18 and is a gentle giant at about 6ft.6in. He works at the YMCA with children. My youngest daughter will be 16 in December. She wasn't due untill April but her bio mom was 10 when she started having babies and could never carry full term.The "Peanut" only weighed in at 17 and one half ounces,and was 13in. long.She had a grade 4 brain bleed and needed a shunt implanted in her brain on day one of birth. She also had gastroschisis which is when the her insides are on her outsides. that took 2 weeks of surgery to get those back in.She also had open heart surgery on day 1. Needless to say she had a tough beginning. She spent her first 8 months of life in the NICU and then went to a medical foster home. Three and a half years later is when my family comes into play. Little did I know that i would meet my "peanut" through who many of you know as the SECRET PEPPER PERSON. More to come.