Things on My Mind...

1. On Turning 33…
Just over a week ago I turned 33, and so far I’m OK with that. Birthdays (and just about every holiday) the past few years have been somber and somewhat torturous reminders that my life is still childless, and usually make me sad. However, this past birthday was more of a blessing and seemed absent of that sinking feeling I’ve come to expect. Trace started my day with a humorous version of happy birthday (have I mentioned that my husband is SUPER goofy?!?) he totally makes me laugh! Then I had lunch with some really special girlfriends- women that I want to be like when I grow up. Cake at work was fun, and then Trace and I went to a comedy show at a church in Dallas. Yup- comedy at church! We saw Michael Jr. a VERY funny guy, and I think part of it will even be on Comedy Central. THEN we met some of my favorite people at Denny’s after the show and stayed out until 3:30 in the morning! I can’t remember the last time I stayed out that late and it made me SO happy to spend time with them! I went to bed feeling blessed and peaceful. Sometimes it’s nice to feel thankful instead of just choosing to be thankful =)


2- On Projects…

Even though I am anxious to start my gallery wall (and have the required 11 frames to do so) there are other things I need to tackle first…or so Trace keeps reminding me. He is right (as usual) but I feel torn. Maybe if I just finish the gallery wall first I will be able to focus on the truly important things in my life? Or perhaps Trace just needs to hide my frames…

3- On Pumpkin…
I’m looking forward to the cooler weather that comes with the glorious season of Fall…and all things pumpkin. Trace and I do not see eye-to-eye on eating and drinking things that contain pumpkin (in this he is clearly wrong) but I am determined to try at least 3 new pumpkin recipes that I have skillfully collected from Pinterest. Not really sure if skill has anything to do with it- lots of people on Pinterest seem to like pumpkin related items, therefore proving my point that something must be wrong with my otherwise-usually-right husband.

 

4- On Adoption…
I would like to adopt a child…specifically one from Ethiopia. (OK, I’m in a strange mood today.) Per our case manager it’s looking more likely that we might hear some good news about the partnership with the additional orphanage soon, meaning our chances of receiving a referral this calendar year increase! We are cautiously hopeful but are trying not to think about it and go on with life as normal. Apparently “normal life” for us is to have an adoption yard sale about every 6 months, so we planned another one for Oct 15th. Thanks to many wonderful people we already have lots of stuff to sell (but I’m sure could fit more in if anyone has items to donate!) so next week I will begin going through and organizing/ pricing everything in preparation.  I'm tired just thinking about it, but we've been blessed SO much by these sales that I am thankful for a great way to fundraise for our adoption!

I’d love it if you would share what crazy things are going on in your life right now.  Am the only one that wants to focus on home projects instead of truly important things???

Things on My Mind...

1- Inactive Blogger. I just looked at our blog and noticed there are only about 2 posts in the span of a month- so sad! The guest posters I mentioned have not panned out quite yet, so I will renew my focus on that and ask for others to contribute! Personally, I love learning from others so it would be super fun for me to read and share with you as well.

2- Recent Trip. Trace and I made a last minute trip to visit two of his sisters and their families this past weekend, and we had a BLAST! Our nephews Luke, Judah and Isaac are growing up waaaaay too fast- so it was awesome to have some time with the little guys. They are really at a fun age/ stage where they don’t mind that Aunt Randee “needs” 25 hugs a day and happily oblige. Priceless. Due to the non-holiday visit we adults were able to actually hang out and talk resulting in quality time. Also priceless. Staying up until 2 am two nights in a row was worth it J

3- Dresser Make Over. I’ve determined that I am about 65% finished with the steps it will take to refinish Trace’s dresser, but in reality I’ve done the hardest/ time consuming parts and feel about 80% finished. I still have several coats of paint and/ or polyurethane to apply and need to put the hardware back on, but that is all. I am making it my goal to finish by the end of this weekend. That will be one {major} project done, and at least 3 more to begin!!!

4- Project Craziness. I am on a project kick at the moment {see #3} and am getting all kinds of BRILLANT ideas from the blog world. The cool thing is that I think I can actually do many of the projects due to incredible tutorials and such. Now, I may regret this later, but I think the time has come to join…Pinterest. I just need an invite- can someone help me out???  Umm- maybe you shouldn't tell Trace about this. Just. Yet.

5- Adoption. Our adoption saga is A L W A Y S on my mind, but since we hit another milestone next week I’ll save the in depth update for another post.  Ooohhhh- that will mean two posts in less than a week...


Happy Weekend to everyone! I am SO looking forward to mine- I have big plans to: meet up with a new friend, work on the dresser, take my man on a date night (I’m planning it so we can do what I want- which is take Trace to see ‘Captain America’ and go to dinner), go to church, and hopefully fit in some house cleaning. Other than the house cleaning I’m excited about everything else J 

5 Things On My Mind

***I must start this post with the disclaimer that there are MANY more than 5 things on my mind at the moment- these are the just the 5 things that I decided to share***

1- There is nothing new to report regarding our adoption.  It's going as slow as molasses.  Is there anything slower than molasses?  If so, I would use that to describe our adoption process at the moment.

2- I trimmed all the bushes and weeded the flowerbeds in the front yard and now I no longer feel that I should be considered the "outcast neighbor" in my subdivision.  I guess I got inspired when Trace bought some new pruning shears at Lowe's the other day, because in reality I happen to despise (aka HATE) yard work.  As a child growing up in AZ my sister and I had to weed the desert landscape (rocks), and I think it's possibly one of the worst childhood jobs ever.  Make no mistake though, my kids will be weeding as soon as they are old enough...

Anyway, I think I like using new things and that (and the fact that the front of the house was embarrassing) was why I went to town on the bushes.  I do feel quite the sense of accomplishment- never mind that this is a very common household responsibility!

3- If you sell your car make sure to fill out a vehicle transfer notification and send it in (in Texas you can also take the license plates off your vehicle before handing the keys over).  This way if someone fails to register the title in their own name and are involved in a hit and run accident, per se, you would not be named in a lawsuit.  If you had a bill of sale proving someone bought the car from you, that would definitely help matters, but if not, the whole situation is a huge pain.  Random I know, but it's on my mind and I thought I would share this nugget to store in the back-of-your-mind for future reference :) 

4- My house has officially recovered from having puppies and a massive yard sale!  Translation: all furniture and items have been returned to their original spot/ room.  Our garage is still half filled with items for, yes, another yard sale.  We were blessed with SO much this last time that we had an incredible sale plus we have more to set out another time.  I also have about 5-6 larger items to put up on Craigslist to sell, so my plan is to get to that very soon.

5- Lastly, I wanted to let you know about an auction that is happening right now for a family raising funds for their own Ethiopia adoption.  In addition to helping a wonderful family raise the funds to bring an orphan into their home, this is also fun because you also can win an item you like!  Click on the button to go to their blog, and then click on individual links to see each item.  And don't worry if you out bid me- I got a little crazy and bid on several items at once, but then later realized I probably should have been more strategic about my bids!  Trace was a little surprised to find out how much we might be supporting their adoption :)  Bless him for putting up with my wackiness!  The sale ends this Friday the 10th, so be sure to go soon and check it out.

Things on My Mind...and blackmail pictures

After my success of two blogs posts two days in a row I needed to rest and try and think of something interesting to say :)  Although I will not claim that what I am about to write is all that interesting- it is just what occupies many of my thoughts at the time being.

1- Nephews.  This coming weekend I will get to see four of my adorable, kissable (all under the age of 4) nephews.  One is less than 3 months old so he is extra kissable (maybe because he cannot run away from me like the other three quite yet).  There might not be a need to say more except that I also love the parents of those adorable nephews and really enjoy seeing them as well.  And I also should mention that I love seeing my sister that does not yet have any children- and she better not since she is 20 and single...

2-  Yard Sales.  We are preparing for our FOURTH adoption yard sale coming up on April 16th.  The other three have been immensely blessed so we think it's time to go for it again before it's too hot, or before we start traveling for the adoption.  I feel somewhat like a yard sale perfectionist when it comes to pricing and organizing, so it takes me a long time to prepare for one.  Already we are getting donations from some unexpected places (strangers even) and feel so grateful that people are willing to help.  God is good!!!

3-  Distraction. These "waiting for our adoption to happen" days can be filled with lots of thoughts and emotions.  Many of those emotions are not necessarily healthy if you dwell on them for long periods of time, so I've found distractions to be a welcome friend during our adoption process.  Now distraction is not always good (ex. I should be cleaning the house, but I'm distracted watching TV) but it can be a wonderful coping mechanism to focus our energy on things other than how many days it's been since our dossier landed in Ethiopia...to name one.  Thankfully, I've had many distractions that are productive- a bonus!!!  The upcoming yard sale is a great example of this.  Another fabulous distraction I have coming up is a litter of puppies my dog Colette has due the end of March.  There is 2 months worth of focus and energy sucked up right there!

4-  Marriage.  I LOVE being married to Trace!  Recently we had the opportunity to attend a free one-day marriage conference.   We have been married 8+ years so while we are not "old vets" we are also not "newbies" either.  If you know us very well you know that we are co-dependant really enjoy each other and being together.  I see our many childless years together as being a wonderful chance to grow our relationship deep and hope that will help us build a solid foundation from which to parent.  I adore my husband and am thankful for him every single day.  Seriously, I don't deserve him but I thank God he helped me catch him :)

5.  Silliness.  All week that I've been participating in the dress up theme days at work I've been thinking about whether or not I would post visual evidence for the world to see how crazy I am.  Apparently the competitive nature that displayed itself when I played sports growing up did not end when I ceased playing softball and soccer in high school.  After I got pretty good scores the first day for dressing up as Charlie Chaplin I decided to really go for it (there are prizes to be won!) so while I may regret this later (and may remove this post) I hesitantly present my silly pictures.  I am generally a low-key kind-of-person, not the artistic and creative person these pictures might suggest.  Trace is the really the one behind me even posting them- he's been telling me all week to share them.  The theme was "Movie Week"- so at the risk of losing all potential "serious Blogger" credibility, here you go...

As Belle on "Disney Day"

On "Western Day"

As Charlie Chaplin on "Comedy Day"

Things on My Mind...

1. I wish I still lived in Tulsa so I could have a couple of snow days and stay home dressed in pj's drinking coffee be close to so many family and friends that live there.  As it is now, the temperature is around 24 degrees and feels like 6 with the wind chill- this is VERY cold for East Texas, but there is no pretty snow to go with it!

2. My dad recently asked if we were going to go through withdrawals since football season is almost over.  I told him no since I didn't care all that much about the football season this year anyway (and I'm sure it has nothing to to do with the Cowboys stellar season.)  I actually keep forgetting that the Super Bowl is this coming weekend.  We'll definitely be watching it though , and cheering for Green Bay- sorry Steelers fans!

3. I'm thinking about starting a sort of series on my blog talking about the things I am learning about adoptive parenting.  Of course this will be before-hand knowledge until our son comes home, but we have learned so many incredible things this past year as we prepare to parent an adopted child.  I thought some of this knowledge might be useful for those that are welcoming an adopted child into their sphere via family or friendship.  Stay tuned...

4. We are definitely in a season of developing new friendships and I am SOOOOOOOOO blessed by this!  Everywhere from getting plugged into a wonderful home group at our church, to the other adoptive families working with our agency, to new blog friends, to deepening friendships with a few people already in our life- it's incredible!  While I greatly treasure our long lasting friendships, I am also grateful for these newer relationships as well.

5. My cute dog Colette needs a middle name and I need help coming up with one (yes, you read that correctly- I give our dogs middle names and I'm only slightly embarrassed of that fact.)  Seriously, I need ideas since so far my nephew Joel suggested "Lamar" and that is out of the question.  Colette Lamar- come on, only a 19 year old guy would actually think that's a good name :)  Feel free to take pity on this sweet girl and send me some suggestions!

Thank you for reading my ramblings today- I guess I'm in a strange mood!

Exciting Things on my Mind

There have been lots of things happening lately but none more exciting than...

1- The birth of my new baby nephew this past weekend! I have to “tell” you the short version of the story since it’s so cool. Trace and I were driving to Tulsa for his sister Gigi’s birthday party and when we were 30 mins out I got a call from my brother in law that my sis Nickee was at the hospital because her water broke!!! She was 3.5 weeks early so this was TOTALLY unexpected. So, Trace took me to Nickee and Marcus’ house so I could help him pack for the hospital (Nickee had most things in piles, so she wants it to be known that she was mostly packed) and we headed to the hospital to get ready to welcome Micah James into the world. Nickee was amazing and didn’t complain during labor but ended up needing a c-section at 1:30am. There are lots of amazing details, but I’ll keep it short and say that God is good and Micah was born healthy at 6 lbs and 13 oz! Trace and I waited in the hospital room during the c-section (me pretty impatiently because a nurse told me baby would be out within 15 mins and they were gone for a good 40…) until Nickee, Marcus, my mom and MICAH came back! Here are a couple of pictures from the big night/ morning:

Nickee is cute even when she in labor!!! Hopefully that is genetic cause I might be able to use it someday :)

Trace and I with little Micah. I am smiling for the picture but Trace is taking his “holding of the baby” privilege very seriously and is pretty focused.

2- We are puppy FREE!!! After 8.5 weeks of cute puppies in our house they all have wonderful families and moved to their forever homes. It was a blessing to have them, and while they overflow with cuteness, they also demanded a great deal of my time and made our house smell other than good. Trace boycotts our office once the puppies hit the 5 week mark, so he is thankful to be able to go in there again :) I look forward to the extra time I have now to devote to other things…like organizing my garage. No really, I need to get to that…

3- Still so thankful for how our raffle turned out!!! This weekend I heard from/ of several people that wanted to get tickets but forgot to get them in time for the drawing. If that is you, and you are reading this blog, don’t worry, we just might have another opportunity for you to get involved in our adoption in the upcoming months :) But honestly, Trace and I are still overcome by the generosity of so many incredible people!

4- I have recently connected with several other AMAZING women that are adopting through the same agency we are. This means our children are together in the baby home in Ethiopia and will have a very special bond when they are placed in our families someday. These women are such a blessing to me and I already value their friendships greatly. Trace and I have been blessed with family and friends that are supportive and genuinely excited about our Ethiopian adoption, and these women are a new type of family to me as we are experiencing a really wild journey together. I thank God for them!


5- I am looking forward to Christmas in a few days! I can’t wait to see all my nephews on the Jones’ side experience Christmas now that they are a little older and more able to understand what’s going on. Christmas is so much more fun with kids around and these little guys are simple adorable!


6- Families in our adoption program have been getting referrals and we *might be* close to 9 on the waiting list!!! Our agency does not have a strict list of who is where, so I can’t be entirely certain, but based on the fact that we were 14th on the list when our dossier was sent to Ethiopia, and at least 5 families have received referrals since that time (maybe 6) I do think it’s safe to say that we have moved down on the list! Of course this gets me super excited, but it is a cautious excitement because we still may be waiting the 6-8 months to be matched with a child. I did want to give you an update as this is DEFINTIELY on my mind :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Branching out- Something NEW

So, I am going to make an effort to update my blog more than just every three or four weeks and in order to do so I’m going to change things up a little and talk about more than just our adoption *gasp*! One of my new (and already dear) friends Ashley S. is a fellow adoptive-parent-from-Ethiopia-in-waiting, and she has inspired me by changing up her blog by posting everything from very challenging thoughts, to witty/ funny thoughts interspersed with updates on her adoption. I’m not a funny/ witty writer in general (nor am I great at deep spiritual posts) but I’m going to challenge myself and venture out a bit.

The first thing I’m going to copy, I mean borrow from Ashley is her idea of “5 Things on My Mind”. So here goes…

1. I have to talk about how thankful I am that our yard sale went SO WELL last weekend! We were given so many items that our driveway and yard were full, plus we had a bunch of items in our garage! I wish I would have taken a picture (I’m so bad about taking pictures) but here is a picture of the signs we posted letting people know why we were having the sale. Upon recommendations of others that have-gone-before we had a donation bowl and were even given $150 in donations! SO BLESSED!

2. Our official paperwork for Ethiopia- affectionately called the paper chase- is underway! There are 25 individual documents that must be perfectly filled out (signed in blue ink, all notarized etc.) and so far I have 6 in hand. That doesn’t sound too fantastic until you consider that 8 of these documents Trace and I will just print off and sign in front of a notary ourselves, so that leaves 9 to get from others (and 2 we already received and need to re-do.) Next week I will be focusing HARD CORE on the dossier paperwork, and I think I’ll get most of what I need.

3. Next Tuesday we will be fingerprinted and “in the system” from now on. Better be extra good after that :)

 
OK- so 3 of my 5 are adoption related….



4. As of tonight we will be down to 1 dog for a bit. For those of you that know about our dogs…Dakota went to live with my mother and father in law in Houston, and now our puppy Marie is going to a new home. Dakota is already doing great and I’m certain Marie will be much happier with her brother Obi than with her mamma Savannah (mom is SO old!) The house will be quiet for a while…until we have 2 litters of puppies in October- more on that in a later post…

5. Football season is essentially here and I’m both nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous because if you haven’t noticed it is LONG season and now there are games on about 3 days a week! Of course my husband Trace can hardly stand it he’s so excited, and he believes football season provides lots of “quality time” for us.

He loves it that:

a. I am OK with him watching just about as much football as he wants (NFL that is- I sometimes draw the line at college football because then it invades up to 4 days a week.)

b. I usually will watch football with him (hence the quality time)

c. I generally enjoy football and don’t complain about it being on all the time.

I like fall and it feels like football ushers it in each year. I like coming home from church on Sunday and having the afternoons to watch games together. I like that my husband doesn’t let the outcome of the Cowboys’ games alter his mood (for the most part :) and I like having something to rally around and entertain us. This year it just doesn’t sound as fun as in years past- probably because the adoption occupies so much of my time and headspace. I wonder if I’ll ever be “normal” again? Probably not since HOPEFULLY next year by this time we’ll have a little son running around- YAY!

WOW- so now I managed to bring adoption into football. I guess you can tell what I think about most of the time!!!