In a funk

So I have been in a bit of funk lately that I just can't shake. I think it is the holiday season rapidly approaching. Every year for the last 5 years I have said "At this time next year we should have our baby..." Well here we are another holiday season and we are still waiting for our baby.

I am trying to keep myself occupied so I don't think about it but it is hard. I know that I am being totally selfish. I realize that something truly sad has to happen for my baby to find me but I want that darn phone to ring.

We are going on almost one month of no referrals again and that stinks. There are people at my agency 2 weeks away from hitting the 12 month mark. My heart goes out to them. I know what kinds of crazy thoughts are going through my head so I just can't imagine what they are thinking. There are just these days where hope for the start of our family goes out the window. Today has been one of those days.

Halloween is such a kid oriented day and last year we really thought we would have an adorable little one to dress up and enjoy the day with. Instead I carved a pumpkin just so my dog could lick it off and I am here tonight handing out candy to all the adorable little kids of my friends. I will plaster on a smile and fake my way through it and again tell myself that at this time next year I will have a baby.

Blog Union 2009

I just learned about this Ethiopian Blog Union 2009. I am so excited about this. It is for families who have adopted from Ethiopia and are bloggers. That will be me! The best part is that next year it is in Chicago. YEAH!!!

I have said on more than one occasion that the friends I have made through blogging are what is getting me through my 9 plus month wait. They get it. They have been there, are there or will be there soon. They understand the good days and the bad. It will be so great to get to meet some of my fellow bloggers in person.

If you are a blogger and adopting from Ethiopia, click on the link above and sign up. This is the second annual Blog Union. I heard briefly about the first one and wished I could have been there.

The one slight down fall is trying to convince hubby that this would be a great way to spend our 10th wedding anniversary. We have time to decide but I RSVP'd yes because I REALLY want to go and I know we will make it work.

Mural part 3

This is a BIG project but oh so much fun. Here is what it looks like now. I am painting by color so hence there are only 2 colors completed so far. So I have a boat, a roof, 2 headless giraffes and a few waves.

Happy Birthday to my oldest and dearest friend!

To my dearest friend:

I cannot be with you today but I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday. I know you are boarding a plane and heading to Montana so I didn't want you to think I forgot about you if I can't get ahold of you today.

I could never forget about you. Who else answers the phone when I am in tears and has been there for me when I needed them the most. You have been more than I could ever ask for in a friend. You are truly amazing and I am so glad we met freshman year of high school. I can't imagine my life without you.

I know we live thousands of miles apart but that hasn't stopped us. Sure there are times we don't talk as much as we want. We are really good at phone tag but you will always be my bestest friend.

Over the last 17 plus years we have been through the highs and the lows. The weddings, the babies or trying to have babies and so much more. Distance will never keep us apart. I miss you like crazy. Oh to go back to the days of chips and salsa and Days of Our Lives...

I hope you have a fabulous trip and the girls travel well. I can't wait to hear how it goes. So Happy Birthday and thanks for being my friend.

Love Ya!

Secret Pal gift and mural part 2

I decided to only do one coat of white so we taped up the pattern last night. That was a little bit of a chore but we did it. Today I spent 3 plus hours tracing the pattern on the wall. Yes you read that right. It was nuts! I tried to take a picture of the traced pattern on the wall but those didn't come out too well. Just imagine the picture below without the seams and white paper and that is what the wall currently looks like. I still may paint a little today but I am taking a break. My hand hurts!
Yesterday, when I checked the mail I found a package from my Secret Pal. I always love those days each month. When I opened the package inside was the adorable toy you see below. I had so much fun pulling the toy around the living room. That is until the dogs discovered what I was doing and decided that this was their new toy. So I put it away for safe keeping and we will face that battle once baby starts playing with it.

Still not a lot of adoption news to report. A family did get a court date for December 16th. So that was exciting. Hopefully more families will get court dates soon and we will start to see those referrals pouring in.

Mural part 1

Well the time has finally come to start the mural for the nursery. Dave even helped. I needed help taping off the area that will be the mural so I could paint that white. He even got to use his new laser level so we could make sure it was all even and straight. So here is a picture of our yellow walls with the blue tape outline for the mural. The mural is 5 feet 5 inches tall and 6 feet and 10 inches wide.


Below is a white rectangle that will be the background for the mural. I am unsure if I will paint 2 coats or leave it at one. I have to wait for it to dry and then check. I am leaning towards leaving it since I am putting more paint on top. We shall see...

So the next step is to tape up the pattern and trace it on the wall. I am hoping to do that tonight. Tomorrow, I am going to one of my favorite places. Michael's (the craft store not the custard place). I have to purchase the paint for the actual mural and the detail brushes that I will need.

It is the perfect time to start this project as the weather outside has become quite cold and I even saw snow flakes/sleet today. Yuck! It will be nice to have a project to focus on in the nice warm house.

So far no adoption news to report, hopefully soon!

Sleepy pugs

Guilty as charged. We love our dogs and can't help taking pictures of them even if they are trying to sleep. But they are so darn cute we just can't resist. See for yourself..

So here is Sebastian all wrapped up in the blanket one night.

We have proof that Sebastian does like Badger. Aren't they adorable cuddling on the couch together? We thought so. Badger can be a pest but when it is cold in the house Sebastian is A-okay with snuggling.

Badger loves to sleep under blankets. At night he sleeps under the covers in our bed. It is like we have our own heated blanket and it muffles his snoring which is a big plus.

Stay tuned for the first stages of mural painting...