A.B.I.E.L.L.A.

A few weeks ago a bunch of girlfriends and I had a wonderful weekend at a cabin in the mountains.  You can read about that glorious mini-vacay here.  While we were there we decorated the letters to Abiella's name.  

While making them, none of us looked around to plan a theme or color palette, and yet when we lined them all up at the end, they worked perfectly! These letters will eventually go in her room, but for now they live on my mantel... where I can stare at them everyday.

Thanks ladies!!  Y'all are the best and I can't wait to put them in Abi's room!

xoxo

mae mae

Merry Indie Christmas

Happy Post Thanksgiving Folks!

Hope you had a great one!

We sure did.

(Pictures to come later.)

But first, if you're here from Follower's Fest, WELCOME!

Become a follower or leave a comment and I'll gladly come check out your space.

I always love to meet new bloggers and see the amazing things people are doing in their lives... it's a bit like looking in a stranger's home as you drive by at night when their lights are on... except with blogs they know you're looking and they're okay with it.

Very satisfying and slightly addictive.

On this blog, I tend to write about life, friends, family, and our adoption journey.

Today, however, in honor of a Merry Indie Christmas I thought I'd share with you a cheap gift idea.  I love word searches and at www.puzzlemaker.com you can make your own. Today, I used it to create a gift for my friend, Katherine.

 On this site, I created a word search with her name as the hidden word.  I then printed it, found her name, and circled it in red.  Next, I grabbed a clean jar (that my pasta sauce lived in last night), stuffed the puzzle inside, tied it with rafia & a ribbon, and topped it off with the letter 'H' (the first letter of her last name.)

Katherine loves office supplies, so Christmas morning this jar will be full of freshly sharpened pencils, a few of her favorite pens, and an old wooden ruler.

Done.

Way under $5 and the wrapping itself serves as a gift.

Have fun blog-hopping and cheers to the Christmas Season!

mae

Making a List & Checking it Twice

Wow.  The past few days have been awesome.  We are getting so excited for our trip we can hardly stand it. Our bags are getting packed and things are getting real.  We got our second round of shots yesterday, booked our hotel, confirmed our itinerary with our social worker, met with our pediatrician, and took two trips to Target for things we need.  Sean and I bought our first set of wipes and diapers (very exciting) and loaded up on small things we can leave with Abiella.  We're packing one of those baby chairs that bounces and vibrates and has a mobile on top.  It fit nicely into our luggage.

On Monday afternoon, Sean said, "What if I break my glasses while I'm there?" and I said, "Oh my gosh... what if you do?? You'd be blind. You need a backup pair." So 45 minutes later he was sitting in the doctor's chair getting a current prescription.  I needed a new pair as well and so we got it all done in one visit.  Here I am getting fitted for my glasses.  If you haven't been lately, get ready for the not-too-exciting contraption they put on your head to fit your glasses to your face.  It takes a magnified photo of you and then displays it on their huge screens where all customers walking by can see.  Imagine a closeup of your face times 20.  You can tell by my stance I wasn't too happy about this.

While I was at Target a mother and her two daughters were walking past me in the Christmas aisle when the young daughter spotted the "holiday" bras next to the ornaments.  Seriously Target... seriously?  But anyhow, she immediately broke out into song singing her original, "Deck the halls with bras of glory, fa-la-la-lala-la-lalala."  Her mother was humiliated but I thought it was hilarious.  I've had it in my head for two days now... and maybe you will now too.

Looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow and Follower's Fest on the 25th!!

I'll post again soon, but for now I've got to finish loads of laundry, go to the store for tomorrow's feast, and finish washing bottles and baby clothes we're taking.  What?!?  So exciting.  Meanwhile, if any of you know where to find a mobile that attaches to a crib, let me know.  We're on the hunt (we want to leave it there with her) and for some reason Target doesn't have any.  Next stop: Essex, Wal-mart, Babies-R-Us, and anywhere that sells a hot holiday caffeinated beverage... 'Tis the season!

Happy Pre-Thanksgiving Day!

Our Tickets are Booked!

Our tickets are officially booked!  In 11 days we'll be flying here

Woohoo!!!  We will be leaving the states on December 2nd. We're so excited we can hardly stand it!  We will stay for a full week, visiting Abiella everyday, and experiencing life in her beautiful country. We've been told to pack a pair of nice clothes for us and Baby Abi just in case we go to court while we're there.  This doesn't mean that Abiella would be able to come home with us, but it does mean that she'd officially be a McConnell!

Also, we had our first doctor's visit today at Vanderbilt International Adoption Clinic.  That hospital is amazing.  I love that the directions to their office included the phrases, "Go past the train and follow the big yellow stars on the ground to the correct elevator."  I felt like I was walking through the Santa's workshop instead of a hospital.  Way to go Vanderbilt!  I'm very, very impressed.

WOOHOOOO!!!

We'll be keeping you posted!!

Mary Susan

It is 4 am...

It is 4 am and my mind is racing. Tuesday we received $1,800 worth of vaccinations, yes $1,800. We knew it would be that much money, we didn't know it would be this much achiness. At the time of the shots I felt fine, but hours later I felt like I had been hit by a truck. 35 hours later my arms are still super sore and I feel basically exhausted. In addition to the yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A & B, meningitis, and other shots I can't remember at 4 am, Sean got a chicken pox shot, we both got flu shots, malaria pills, deet/mosquito repellent detergent kit, as well as some preemptive antibiotics. It feels good to have that task behind us... even if it's almost $2k out the door. When I look at what I'm protected against, 2k seems like nothing.

We have sent off our new 1-600A, got our last two papers notarized, mailed off our dossier (fed-ex overnight to a family in the states who will be hand-delivering it to Ghana on Monday) and are beginning to make plans to travel! It has been a whirlwind two days, and now we're in the process of applying for travel visas and securing a travel agent (at the advice of our agency... looks like there are a few travel agents that receive such significant discounts it's worth using one...). Bottom line? We are getting closer. Much closer. And if feels unbelievable!

When I think about holding our sweet Abiella I literally can't contain my excitement... Sometimes Sean and I just pace in our living room... A million thoughts running through our minds. I constantly look at the clock and count forwards to know what time it is in Ghana. Right now for instance, it is 9:29 am. What is she doing? Has she been awake long? What are the sounds and smells and sights around her?

It's an odd feeling to just want to hop on the next flight and not be able to. Yesterday I literally almost hit 'purchase' on a flight that would have us leaving next week only to remember one small detail: travel visas. Oh yeah... of course. Geez.

After Sean fed-exed our dossier, he returned home with a bouquet of flowers and the demand that I use an old gift certificate I have and get a massage on Friday. He called and booked it for me. So sweet.

Tonight, my friend Lindsay and I babysat sweet Preston. It was so fun being with Preston. We're so blessed to have so many great friends right on our street. Speaking of street, we took the house off the market. If we were to sell it now, it could add months and months to the adoption process. Honestly, that's been such a stress-relief... I was sad to leave this house and this street and knowing I get to stay here makes life just a little sweeter.

Tonight Lindsay gave me this print from persimmonandpink.

How sweet!! It reminds me of the meaning of Abiella's name, and I can't WAIT to put it in her room! Speaking of bedroom... I think I'm going to try to go back to sleep now... Looks like I still have a little time before sunrise.

Over and Out,
mae mae

linked with casey

Turkey Week

Today is Day 2 of Mrs. Thriftary's Turkey Week! Are you as excited about the holiday season as I am?  Cold weather, hot drinks, good company, and awesome food makes for my favorite time of the year :) This week, Mrs. Thriftary picked me up and drop-kicked me into full turkey-lovin' bliss with her 5 days of Thanksgiving inspired content. Roasted butternut squash and pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon icing? Yes, please.

You can join me on this week's walk through holiday heaven here:

See you there!

mae

~Girls Getaway~

This weekend I got some much needed rest and relaxation at my mama's house.  My stepdad built this house 7 years ago, and it's basically a dream cabin.  It rests on the bluff and is surrounded by wooded acres, a state park, and multiple waterfalls.  When I can, I love to bring girlfriends to the cabin to relax, eat home cooked food, and sleep. This weekend our entire book club was miraculously in town and we left the boys at home and hauled it to the mountain.  

It was amazing. 

 When we walked in Friday night, I was greeted by this basket! Inside the basket were loads of craft supplies and all the letters to Abiella's name.  My mom had gotten it all for us to decorate over the weekend.  

I loved it!

Since every girl can use an old-fashion sleepover, my mom made us all goodie bags... Yes, goodie bags.  Let me just tell you, getting a goodie bag as an adult is way more exciting than it was as a kid. It was filled with candy, kleenexes, and fun-colored nail polish. 

I mean seriously...

Friday night we ate chili, got in our pajamas (aka the outfit for our entire weekend) and talked by the fire until we all made pallets on different levels of the house and fell asleep to the sound of the fire crackling on the floor below. (The second floor is more like a loft...)  Sleeping on pallets with sleeping bags is seriously the best.  Apparently someone even woke up and saw me smiling in my sleep... that's how relaxing it was.

This little guy was a nice face to be greeted by in the morning. 

Saturday morning, Elizabeth drove up to meet us with Preston and we all enjoyed our second cup of coffee together on the bluff. 

 We observed rock climbers on the opposite side of the bluff... (The other side's a state park.)

Kristin, aka The Dog Whisperer, made some new friends. 

  

A few hours later, we took a picture with Elizabeth & Preston before they had to leave :(

After they left, we went on a stroll around the property...

After our walk we started decorating the letters my mom had given me. They turned out so well that I'm going to write a separate post about it. 

I mean, they're a.m.a.z.i.n.g. 

Some took a mid-day nap... (Don't miss the body on the floor.)

And then right before sunset, a few of us went on a mini-hike to see the falls...

We returned to homemade chicken pot-pie, spinach salad with goat cheese, pears, and poppyseed dressing, and spiced baked apples with oatmeal toppings for dessert.  What?!??

Sooo good.

Then, we read magazines, listened to music, told stories, and kept feeding the fire. 

 

The next day we enjoyed coffee by the fire, ate huge muffins with fresh fruit and granola, and then packed up and headed home... But not before Zeb got to swing in the hammock with his new favorite.

Thanks Mom for an amazing weekend!!!

We're coming back soon!!