Two years ago I started a business, Believe bistro. The idea came in response to my older foster daughter wanting a job. Her intellectual limitations made typical teen employment – fast food or babysitting – impossible. During the five years I parented Sabrina*, I did my best to give her a normal life. So I launched a coffee & tea business – selling on-line and at local events/shows.

Sabrina loved counting out teabags and organizing the inventory. It was perfect for her. Then she grew up and left for a somewhat grown-up existence. Sabrina will always require the input and guidance of a responsible adult. My role as that came to an end last summer.

I’ve carried on with Believe bistro. My friend’s two teen foster children sometimes help out. They lack Sabrina’s attention to detail and exceptional work ethic.

As I stay up late sewing cup cozies and sorting through packages of fragrant tea, I wonder what I’m doing. Typically people don’t just start up a businesses. I know that now. A woman representing Pampered Chef or the likes there of informed me of this when I set up at a large scale home show. I didn’t bother telling that woman why I started it, she had a hard enough time wrapping her mind around the nerve I had to begin something original.

It wasn’t necessarily nerve, just an idea that got away from me. And now my vast walk in closet is stacked with pretty blue boxes containing lovely white packages of tea.

Sometimes I wonder why I’m carrying on. It started for Sabrina. But who is this all for now?

Tomorrow we’re heading to a local sale. In addition to tea, I’m selling off my collection of vintage children’s clothing. For the 1st time I’m bringing my daughters with me. Normally they help with set-up. Then they’re off with a babysitter or we depart leaving the table in the care of a friend.

Raine and Athena are incredibly interested in the business. They’ve been asking for a chance to be at the table to sell. Being 6yrs and 5yrs of age the actual sale may not interest them after all. But we’re going to give it a try for a few hours before my friend comes.

“I want to wear a really fancy dress so people will say, ‘that girl’s so cute I should buy some tea’,” said Raine this evening.

“I won’t smile, but will say ‘Do you want some tea?'” Athena informed me.

Though I began Believe for Sabrina, I suppose I carry it on for Raine & Athena. They witnessed me come up with an idea, make it a reality, and continue to work at succeeding. This is the example I want to set for them – the importance of believing in yourself.

*name changed

It’s Thursday. Quite some time ago I deemed Thursdays my new adoption update day. After that, I took a look around my house and life. It was a series of incomplete projects.

When I previously traveled through the adoption approval process, I had one teenager who was incredibly tidy. My house was always clean and ready for visitors. Now days, with a 4yr old and 6yr old who are anything but tidy, it’s impossible to get back to that previous standard. And at the moment we have a dog who is shedding profusely!

My adoption paper work is done. I simply need to make an appointment with my social worker. She’ll come to the house to meet with my girls and I. Then, when she takes the paper work with her, the ball will be very officially rolling.

treating Athena’s hair

Here’s what I’ve been doing that’s kept me from making that call. Dealing with lice! As school drew to a close my friend alerted my she’d found lice in her daughter’s hair. When I checked, Athena was saturated. Raine and I went untouched, but I treated all of our hair. In 6yrs of fostering this was my first encounter with lice. Needless to say, that’s rare. More often than not children enter care with lice. So I can’t really complain.

upstairs bathroom

I’ve also replaced both bathroom sinks (still need to put new flooring in both), wallpapered the upstairs bathroom, replaced the downstairs bathroom door, built a canopy over my back deck, reorganized our school space, reorganized my room (moving my business hub from the basement to my walk-in closet), added a new bench to my front garden, painted a new front door (which still needs to be installed)

In the midst of all that we’re enjoying summer as well.

new art cupboard in the school area!

There’s been a couple rounds of cherry picking – once with my sister, another time with a friend. We’ve been to the beach. One evening a local dairy farm offered a free dinner and tour of  the farm. That was lots of fun. There’s been a reasonable amount of ice cream these days. And the kids’ favourite adventure has become walking to one of the two bakeries in town. That’s a request I can’t say no to.

Going to work on getting the mounds of laundry put away today. Then I’m going to make an appointment with my adoption worker. It’s time to shift out of snail’s pace!

picking cherries at the orchard a few doors down from our house

Port Dalhousie beach