blogging with belly laughs and tears

Two blogging adopting friends recieved referrals this week. Jane and Judy's funny and touching referral stories have made me laugh out loud and cry messy tears because they are so sweet.

tonight's drum solo interrupted

So, I'm in the middle of my drum solo tonight playing "Rock Band" on the Playstation and the phone rings. Kevin answers. It's the adoption agency. Of course, when the adoption agency calls... you stop everything, even your drum solo. I don't care if I'm booed off the stage. That's the end of my performance! My adoring fans on the Nintendo Playstation will have to deal with it. When the adoption agency calls, the concert is canceled!

You can stop holding your breath. This wasn't the referral phone call.

Yes, we're at the top of the list. Yes, referrals have been moving very slowly. Our referral will most likely come from St. Lucy's Center. We discussed our case and how make our family shine to it's fullest potential when being reviewed. I'm confident that our coordinator will strongly advocate for us should issues arise.

Seems like I've been saying "any day now," for a long time. A referral is still any way now, but I'm not counting on one before Christmas. I'm trying very hard to think like Kevin. "It will happen when it happens."

If you'd like to join me in prayer, pray for the social workers and caregivers in Taiwan. They make decisions every day that shape the lives of the little children that are entrusted into their care. I pray that they read our adoption paperwork and see that we're a couple that will be great parents. We're ready to open our hearts and our home to a little one that will become the center of our world. Hannah's becoming more and more real to me in my heart every day.

Until then, rock on. I'll be on tour with the band trying not to obsess about all things adoption (my usual state of mind). If you're local and want to come over... come on in and belt out a few tunes or bring your cowbell. We'll always need some more cowbell.

Our Family Rocks Together - Thanksgiving 2007

My family's Thanksgiving gathering was Saturday, and here's the pics from the event. There was a little rockin' going on in the basement before and after dinner. We took a lot of pictures to make a scrapbook for Grandma. She doesn't have much short term memory anymore, so we made a scrapbook with notes from family members and photos of the day for her to take back to the nursing home. We're sending a similar scrapbook to my cousin in Botswana in the Peace Corps.

I was on a walk with Sedona dog and my mother this week. During the walk a little neighbor girl asked my mother if I was her sister. Mom thinks this is just great and laughed about it all day! Man... I know that I'm way overdue to have my hair colored, but I didn't know that it was that bad. Waiting for baby must really be bringing on the grays.

a little Thanksgiving blessing

Sophia and her mommy and daddy are home!

9 months paper pregnant

It's Thanksgiving, and we're officially nine months paper pregnant.

Still waiting... and hoping... and wishing... and praying.

We've got our fresh bird, and will be setting it into the brine overnight Friday night for my family's Thanksgiving gathering on Saturday. The Rock Band game for the Playstation arrived at our house yesterday. I've been playing the drums and Kevin's on lead guitar. We need a vocalist if anyone wants to come over and sing! We didn't know what to name our band, so we named it Sedona Sunrise, our dog's name, by default. When Sedona jumps up in the middle between us while we're playing, we've had fun accusing her of trying to spit up our band. Family beware: you'll be expected to join our rock band at the Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings this year. Bring your own drum sticks and cowbell if you like, because "I got a fever, and the only prescription... is more cowbell!"

Kissed Studio Sale and 30% off Gymboree Early Bird Specials (30% off then 20% more off with promo code!)

I got some good sale e-mails in my in-box that I'd love to share with you.

Kissed Studio makes digiscrapping templates:

To show how much we appreciate all of our fabulous customers, we're offering up to 50% off the merchandise in our store! The sale runs through Sunday night, November 25, 2007. Come in and stock up!! 50% off All TP Template Packs, Recipe Packs, Printables, Mini Albums & Calendars. 25% off All Signature (SP) Template Packs. Kiss-n-Kaboodle Packs as priced. We have a new Kiss-n-Kaboodle pack up in the store. It contains ALL of our TP Template packs! 100 layouts total!

Gymboree is having a Black Friday Early Bird Special tomorrow 30% off your entire purchase in stores opening thru 12pm or online now through Friday at 3pm Eastern time. After the Early Bird Special expires, things will be 25% off your entire purchase until November 25th, and you will earn $25 in Gymbucks when you spend $50 or more.

Update: I placed an order online tonight... and was very surprised to learn that the website also let me use a 20% off promo code that I received in the mail earlier this week! My promo code was 418272337628 if you want to try and use it. Not sure if it can be used more than once. It expires 12/24/07. These outfits are so sweet and make me feel all gooey happy inside. Retail therapy at it's best!

Like Free?

Digital Scrappers, here's the motherload of freebie links! Check out Scrapping with IkeaGoddess. From here you'll find links to lots of designers that have nice quality freebies because they want you to test drive their designs, and then buy from them. Sweet.

All I want for Christmas...

I added the option of Christmas music to this blog today. You can click on the button at the top of the sidebar to let it play in a background window. The first song on the playlist is Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You." That's my theme song right now. All I want for Christmas is to see the picture of my little girl.

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is...
You

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas day
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
You baby

I won't ask for much this Christmas
I don't even wish for snow
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe
I won't make a list and send it
To the North Pole for Saint Nick
I won't even stay awake to
Hear those magic reindeers click
'Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do
Baby all I want for Christmas is you
Ooh baby
All the lights are shining
So brightly everywhere
And the sound of children's
Laughter fills the air
And everyone is singing
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need
Won't you please bring my baby to me...

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to see my baby
Standing right outside my door
Oh I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby all I want for Christmas is...
You

All I want for Christmas is you... baby (repeat and fade)

retail therapy for winter

I haven't had any baby clothes retail therapy since a t-shirt purchase in September, and I finally broke. This striped toddler sweater dress with a hoodie was just too cute and I couldn't resist. Too cute!!!

stockings hung by the chimney with care...

I had the day off today, so I spent it sleeping in till nearly noon and decorating the house for Christmas. Hannah's stocking arrived this week. I'd so love to shop for baby toys for Christmas.

We have a toy stuffed nativity scene that reminds me of a handmade nativity scene that I used to play with as a child. Kevin thought it was pretty funny to throw around Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and the "wise guys" around the room and watch Sedona carry them around her in mouth. Sedona doesn't tear things up, but she does like be chased around the room with baby Jesus in her mouth!

Photos from the past... just for laughs.

Last night Kevin found a hard drive that contained all of my mom and dad's scans of their slides. I love going through old photo albums, but looking at these computer images was even more fun because I could edit the digital pictures and share them in fun ways with others. Here's some photos from my past, just for laughs.

Cousins in the tub.

Sarah and her baby sister.

Halloween fun back in 1984. I'm a witch and my sister is Poochie.

I was a "glamorous witch" this year at work on Halloween.

Maybe I enjoy being witchy?

Fun with Taiwan Lucy

Lil' Miss Lucy is such a cutie! This week I helped her momma Jackie with her Taiwan Lucy blog design.

Happy Birthday to Kevin!

Happy Birthday today to Kevin, the love of my life!

Stork Alert Downgraded from Orange to Yellow: keeping busy getting ready for Christmas

I'm not expecting any adoption news until after Thanksgiving. Our adoption coordinators are in Taiwan with volunteers renovating a birthmother home at the St. Lucy's Center in Tainan.

That's all right. We've got plenty of things to do until Thanksgiving. Kevin is gathering up his ingredients to cook another Good Eats Roast Turkey that marinates in a brine overnight before Thanksgiving. (This is very good! Try this recipe this year!) Kevin's brother Shane is visiting is from Florida. What does the nice sister-in-law do to a visiting brother-in-law from a warmer climate? She makes him help clean her garage and get up on a chilly rooftop to hang up her Christmas lights! I've cleaned most of the house last week, and this week I hope to put up all of the Christmas decorations. Last year I left a empty spot where our Christmas stockings were hung by the fire. This year I ordered a matching embroidered needlepoint stocking for Hannah. It has a navy blue background and features Santa's sleigh with reindeer. I hope that that we'll have her referral before Christmas so Santa can fill her stocking. Hannah has lots of clothes, but the poor girl has hardly any toys at all!

last year's Christmas mantle with an empty place where Hannah's stocking should hang

Keep Nicole and family on your prayer list

Please keep my friend Nicole and family on your prayer list. They'll need a lot of strength, patience, love, and wisdom as they work to help their daughter adjust to her new life and family.

Fun with Blogging Mama Andrea

I created this design for Blogging Mama Andrea this weekend. I'm happy with the soft color palate, and I hope she'll like it too.

presents from Jia

The journaling on this page reads: There were some surprises in a box waiting for me when I arrived home from work tonight. I opened it up to discover a present from Jia to Hannah Claire. Jia, with the help of her mommy Jane, sent Hannah Claire some of their favorite baby items. We're now proud owners of a pair of Baby Legs (in pink and brown!), stacking cups, and a no spill snack cup. Kevin was pretty impressed with the snack cup. In typical Kevin fashion, he tested out the snack cup with one of his own snacks. I wonder where we can get some adult sized no spill snack cups? Haha!

Dear Jane and Jia, thanks so much for the baby goodies! They're very sweet. I'm very much looking forward to kissing little feet while pulling on pink and brown babylegs.

The tips for new bloggers blog

I wish I had found this blogging reference a year ago: Tips for New Bloggers. I used this as a guide to figure out how to give Tiffany's blog the black polka dot background.

looking at the calendar towards the nine month mark

I'm looking at the calendar thinking... "Let's see what day nine months on the waiting list falls on. I'll be paper pregnant and overdue that day!" The 22nd of this month falls on Thanksgiving Day. I'd sure like to have something extra special to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. My mother's due date with me surely wasn't calculated correctly, as I was born 28 days after the due date!

Added 11/7/07: Right from the source... my mom posts that her due date really was calculated correctly and I truly came into this world a month late. I'm sure that being 9 months pregnant for an extra 28 days wasn't comfortable. Sorry, Mom!

Fun with Sweet N Sassy Sophia

Today I created this header for Tiffany's new blog Sweet N Sassy Sophia. Sophia is such a little beauty, and her mommy hears that she's going to be quite a little sassy handful. If we lived closer, I'm sure that Tiffany and I could be great shopping buddies! Thank you for your donation, Tiffany.

Four day 30% off sale at Gymboree

November 8-11 save 30% off at Gymboree using online code: GYMFRIEND. If shopping in-store, e-mail me and I'll e-mail you a printable coupon. Yes, it's hard for me to hold back... so I'll shop vicariously with you. Oh, wait a minute! Maybe my cutie niece needs some Gymboree for Christmas?

Speaking of shopping, here's a line of stores owned by Gymboree called Crazy8. I haven't bought anything from them yet, but their lines are lower priced and very cute as well.

Happy National Digital Scrapbooking Day

Yesterday was National Digital Scrapbooking Day. My favorite digiscrappin' shop Peppermint Creative is having a 30% off sale this week. They have a new autumn kit titled October Rust with leaves, browns, and greens that is my favorite kit ever. If you are looking for something to scrapbook your Halloween photos with, their Witches Brew kit is just adorable.

grouchy: need retail therapy

Yes, I've been quiet here. I apologise to the people around me in real life that read this blog. I'm grouchy and get emotional very easily right now. I've raised my voice with people at work too. The girls at work and my husband all need medals for putting up with me and my ever changing mood swings. Working nearly 60 hours this week out of necessity to cover a coworker's vacation doesn't help either.

I bought a pink tote and some perfume for a little retail therapy to perk myself up. It is from an Asian retro line titled "Miso Pretty." Cute stuff!