How to Blog When You Cannot Blog?

I've received a few helpful comments warning me that blogger is not available in China. Oh no! :o)

That's ok though!! A long time ago my wonderful friend M3 and I devised a back-up plan for my time in China. I will email posts and pics to her and she'll make sure they're posted for you to follow along the amazing journey to Hannah!!!

I am so excited to share this time with you so as my sweet baby girl's schedule allows I'll post as often as possible for your sake....and mine. I have a feeling that time will fly all too quickly while in China and I want to preserve as many of the memories of our beginning days together as possible. This blog will be a wonderful place to do that and you're all invited along for the ride!!

30 days until Hannah day!!

Now, off to wake up my sweet niece and her best friend for our annual Apple Picking adventure. For 5 years now we've talked about the year when Hannah will join us and this year we're already celebrating and talking about how next year Hannah will be with us for sure to join in all the fun!!

Looking for Blogger Help ** Updated **

My sidebar has decided to take a trip south and can now be found at the bottom of my screen. Hmmm...I'm guessing that would no longer make is a 'sidebar' but a 'bottom feeder?'

Looking for help to get it back up where it belongs! Any hints, suggestions greatly appreciated. I know I'm not the first person this has happened to.

I didn't make any changes to it that I'm aware of, it just took a dive all on it's own.

** Update**
Thank you Lisa M!! You fixed it...and I'm not sure I ever would have found it! A couple of posts ago I received an HTML error when I tried to post and bad me just clicked the box 'Don't show any more errors' and published it anyway. Well, that was it. Somewhere in the background of my post was an incomplete < div > < /div > tag that caused the problem and the sidebar moved south. It's back up where it belongs...ahhh, that feels better! Thanks Lisa!! Your help was greatly appreciated!

Wow! A Stadium Full!

It was fun today to check my stats and realize that sometime over the weekend my blog passed 50,000 views! Phew! Who would have thought some 20 months ago when I began this 'living journal' for Hannah that so many people would find my little 'ol life interesting enough to come back more than once.

I have said over and over and will again now how amazed and thankful I am for the wonderful bloggy friendships that have formed through this great avenue. We have had a long wait together and some of us still have a good amount of time in front of us. While we wait....friendships form!

I think this would also be a fun time to find out who some of my 'behind the scenes' readers are too. If you like to visit but haven't commented I'd love to know who you are! I have a feeling many local family and friends check in occasionally but don't leave comments. Today's the day! If you want to, I'd like to know who you are! Please click the word 'comment' below this post and leave me a message including signing your name. Just click the 'anonymous' button and your comment will post.

No pressure...but it will be fun to find out who some of my quiet prayer warriors, readers and supporters are! Come one...come all!

All is Well...

...just busy! I feel like I've neglected my bloggy friends this past week but life is just a bit busier than normal right now. It will slow down again shortly and I'll post as soon as I can. Hopefully in the next couple of days. Have been trying to keep up on blog reading, just sadly lacking in posting.

Thanks so much for those who have checked in. I'm doing great...just a little short of having enough hours in the day/night to do all I want and squeeze in a little sleep too.

Will be back soon...very soon. I miss you all too much to leave for long.

Question re: Comments in New Blogger

Ugh! I'm having a bunch of trouble commenting on friend's blogs and am wondering if others are having the same trouble here? (That may be a void question if you can't post a comment telling me it's not allowing you to post a comment!)

Anyway, when I go into friend's blogs and attempt to comment I have 2 different problems.

1) The word verification box is empty with just a red X
2) When I enter the correct word I'm told it's wrong and won't accept.

Anyone else having this trouble? Any resolution suggestions bloggy friends?

Saving Blog to CD

Hmmm...After the responses to yesterday's post about preserving our blogs I started to play around a little bit. I'm guessing there are companies we can pay to preserve our blogs but I'm not sure who nor am I sure it's where I want to put my $$ right now.

Anyway, this isn't an 'easy' solution but at least it's a bit of a solution. I'm going to work on creating a Word document for each month and then burning those onto CD's. My concern is how long will Word documents/CD's be readable? Will they go the way of 8-track (oh yah...dating myself), cassettes and floppy discs? I'm concerned that they will so I'll probably still venture into paper printing my blog entries as well as creating a Word document for each month.

I've found a way that I can create the document and include the pictures and comments in it so thought I'd share it with you here. I'm sure I'm not the first person to do this but wanted to share anyway just in case it helps someone out.

To create the Word document:

1. Open a new Word document

2. Go to the 'Edit Posts' screen of your blog

3. Click 'view' beside a blog entry. Your entry, pictures and comments should be displayed.

4. Highlight entry, pics and comments.

5. Right click and 'copy'

6. Go back to Word document

7. Right click and Paste entry

8. Repeat again...and again.....and again!

9. Save document and burn to CD

I realize this is a long, slow task but hopefully if we eat away at it little bits at a time we'll get it done.

Does anyone have any better ideas or suggestions for preserving our blogs? All ideas welcome!

Wahoo!!!

OK - just noticed something I really like about new blogger. I can see all my old posts. With the old one I couldn't figure out how to see anything past the most recent 300. Yah, yah...I talk a lot and am closing in on 400 posts so had no way to access the 'behind the scenes code' for the older posts.

Glad to have you back old friends! I'm still working on printing them all off to put in a binder for later. Originally I thought it would all fit in 1 binder. I'm working on #3. Oops! Chatty Cathy strikes again!

A GREAT tip for China

A friend is in China right now and I read the very best tip on her blog.

When you're in China, to read your blog posting information in English, go to: ttp://www.blogger.com/?hl=en

Now that's a tip worth filing away!

Oooo...Got Me!

OK. I must confess. As I've read person after person saying that they we're 'forced' into using the new blogger I gloated (just a little) in the safety of my 'old world' until moments ago when I too was forced to switch over. OK - not gloating any more. Eating humble pie with my friends.

We'll see how it goes. Most of you have had fairly smooth transitions so I'm hoping for the same. I'll let ya know if it gives me any grief. Yup...you'll hear me whining.

A New Adventure...My Adoption Blog

Wow...this is new for me! I've read a few blogs that others have wrote but never really considered writing one...until tonight.

Many friends have encouraged my to journal my adoption journey so this sounds like a great way to do it and at the same time share this exciting journey with family and friends. I have been praying and praying about this adoption and am seeking God's Will. Do you think if I talk to Him 20+ times a day about it, He'll get tired of me? :o) I sure hope not because God and I are talking about this a lot! I want HIS WILL...not mine!

I'm not sure how often I'll write or exactly what I'll write about, but it does sound like a fun way to share what's happening in my little corner of the world.

I'm guessing most who read this will know my adoption journey to date but for those who are new here it is in a quick summary:

January 11, 2005 - While in Burnaby, BC on vacation with a friend I felt led to look seriously into adopting a precious baby girl from China. I'd wondered about this in the past and prayed about it off and on but now really felt led to pursue this avenue.

January 21, 2005 - Was told by all 3 Ontario agencies that their singles waiting lists were currently full and they anticipated a 3-8 year wait before more openings might be available. 1 agency was currently reviewing their list but still wasn't sure what the time frame would be.

January 29, 2005 - Spoke with Deborah Maw at Open Arms (OA) who told me she had room for me on her list! God took 8 years and turned it into 8 days!

February 27, 2005 - Attended an information session with OA - met 4 other singles there also waiting to adopt. Was told by Deborah it would probably be fall when I could begin my homestudy.

April 30, 2005 - Helped with OA Silent Auction to raise funds for an orphanage in China.

May 30, 2005 - Spoke with Deborah who said I could begin my homestudy! Woohoo!!! Yippee!!! Yikes!!!

June 13, 2005 - First visit with Social Worker - Sal. Went very well and I learned lots!

June 15, 2005 - For lack of a better term...hit the wall today! What am I doing? Is this what God really wants for my life? I only want what He wants....please show me Lord.

June 16 onwards - still praying, seeking God's will. Asking Him to guide and direct.

June 28, 2005 - met with my Pastor...such a wise man! I was afraid he might say that it was wrong Biblically for me to adopt but he did not say that. He is standing with me in prayer about the adoption. Along with many of you, we are seeking God's Will regarding this possible adoption. I want it but is it what God wants?

July 6, 2005 - called Sal and explained where I was at and that I didn't think I could go on at this time. I feel God telling me to 'wait.' He was very understanding and felt it was a 'mature' decision to wait until I was totally ready to move on...if that's the way God leads.

July 8, 2005 - spoke with Deborah and had to share the same thing with her. She too was very supportive of my decision. She asked how long I thought I would need and I told her I would let her know in the next 30-60 days where I was at. I told her I would give up my current spot if she needed me to but she said that wasn't necessary right now...just to keep her posted! What an answer to prayer! With singles spots so hard to come by it was very scary telling her I'd give mine up if she needed me to. So glad she didn't!

July 10 & 17, 2005 - spoke with 2 different Christian couples who are close friends. Both very supportive of my adoption and feel I could handle being a single Mom. Yes it would have many challenges and added challenges due to my being single but they both felt I could handle it. Phew! I feel I can but then again...I've never been a Mom! BUT....I also can't imagine not being a Mom! Not an hour goes by that I don't think of her so I believe that in itself is saying something!

July 26, 2005 - Today....Still praying for God's guidance and leadership. My heart is at peace that I should continue. I've asked God to write His answer in the sky but so far...no skywriting....or email for that matter! :o)

Regardless of what happens I want God's Will...His Perfect Will for my life. Spending time in prayer and studying the Bible, asking and seeking His will.

Please pray for this with me, will you?

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Well, for my first entry, this has ended up being a long one. Not that that's any surprise to any one of you as you know my fingers fly as easily as my mouth talks! Oh no!

I look forward to sharing my chatterings with you again!