I may have an addiction....

So I came to the sudden realization today that I may have another addiction.  I previously wrote about my blog addiction.  I was willing to come to terms with that one and do something about it.  This one...I'm not so sure I can give it up.  Someone is going to have to try hard to convince me to give it up.  Let me just say, I have been addicted for years...even before it became popular again.  Those who know me well know that it is kinda my signature.  As I wandered around my house tonight (which still needs A LOT of unpacking and organizing) I started to notice my addiction a little bit more.

The dish set that I got for Christmas 2010!!

Keeps the stove top clean.

Coffee Mug...who doesn't love that it is orange?!?

My new wine glasses from Pampered Chef.

Joel and I solve all of our disagreements with this rule...."He can be right, but I will win."  This little magnet reminds him of that.  He better think twice about starting with me...unless he is prepared to lose. :)

Even bought a house with perfect wallpaper in the "kids" bathroom.  That is one room that will not be redecorated any time soon!

Thirty-One caters to my addiction with these patterns.

New slippers that my mom gave me this weekend.  So cozy!!

A new blanket that I bought for Gus' bedroom since his room has a similar pattern.

My pillowcase.  Yes, even my bedroom linens have it.

Towels in the master bathroom.

Wrapping paper for all occasions.  My husband will tell you that I am also addicted to buying wrapping paper.  He just might be right about that....

So I think it is official.  I have a serious addiction to polka dots.  And I KNOW that there are many more things in this house and in my classroom with polka dots.  I am an addict....but this addiction, I plan to keep!!

I Gotcha Baby!

Cool Dude!

It has been a year since Gus officially, legally, became Lil' Stape!  I can't believe how quickly a year went by.  It seemed like it took so long for his adoption to become final.  I remember sitting in my office at school when I got the voicemail telling me that the agency had received word that it was final.  I could barely breathe, I was sobbing so hard.  We had been through a lot and this meant that all of my worries were gone.  I immediately felt a sense of relief.  The waiting was over.  He had our last name now.  Our names were finally on his birth certificate as the parents.  We could finally move on how and not thinking about the adoption process for a while.  I think that I sobbed most of the day after that.  I am the luckiest girl!!

I gotcha!!!

The Force

As I said before...I am a Ford girl all the way...but this little Darth Vader is ADORABLE!!! This was my #2 favorite commercial from last night. Raise of hands...who could see Gus doing this some day?? Or Joel (the Star Wars fanatic) doing this??

Detroit Pride

Let's just make this known...I am a Ford girl all of the way! But seriously, those of us who live in southeastern Michigan were filled with pride as we saw Detroit showcased on the national level during Sunday's Super Bowl. I love how the city was presented to the rest of the country. I feel that Detroit has gotten a bad rap. Detroit has a lot to offer that most people don't see. They see the flailing automotive industry...the dilapidated buildings...the Lion's records...crime/poverty...lack of quality. What they don't see is the beautiful history that is there....the devoted sports fans (in good times and bad times)...different cultural areas  (Corktown, Greektown, Mexicantown) ...theater/opera/music...Motown history...hard working people who have persevered...need I go on? This girl from west Michigan was pretty proud to be an import to southeast Michigan last night when I saw that commercial. Finally, the people of this country were able to see what Detroit really does have to offer.

Feel Good Friday #1

I know...this makes two posts for me today.  But this is my blog...I write the rules and today I decided to jump on this bandwagon.  So I caught wind of this through Mommy on the Spot who got it from The Girl Next Door Grows Up.  I really liked the idea of finding the positive in our lives.  All I do is pick a prompt from The Girl Next Door Grows Up's site and write my response.  This week I am choosing to find 5 things that made me happy this week.

ONE
We found out that we will be closing on our new house in two weeks!!  It is suddenly becoming real that we will be finally moving.  A dream come true!

TWO
The new Thirty-One catalog became available on Tuesday!  I love the products that I sell and I love the new catalog that has come out.  Lots of really fun new things.  I can't wait for my first party with the new catalog.

THREE
SNOW DAY!!! Need I say more?  Loved getting to stay home with Gus-Gus and play all day.  Not only that but we all got to catch up on some much needed sleep!

FOUR
I found the coolest bowl today at TJ Maxx.  It is a very navy and white polka dot bowl.  (I LOVE polka dots!!)  And there was the added surprise of the inside of the bowl being lime green.  Ooo-la-la!!

FIVE
I won today!!  I don't usually win random prizes...but I did today!!  I entered a contest at Unofficial Mom.  I won a $50 gift certificate to Home Made Happy.  And boy did that ever make me happy today!


Would you look at that?!?  Five fun things from this week that made me happy.  As I started thinking about it, I discovered that I could have gone on for quite a while.  Lots of happy things going on!  I challenge you to focus on the happy things in your life!

Does adoption change your family?

Today I was approached by a freshman in our building.

"Hey!  You and your husband adopted a baby, right?"

"Yes, we did."

"Can I ask you a question?  How did it change your family?"

I was at a loss for words for a minute.  First of all I was so taken off guard but I immediately became curious as to why she was asking.  Turns out that her parents are planning to adopt through foster care.  They are looking to adopt a girl between the ages of 9 and 12.  After she told me this, I realized that she was nervous and insecure about her place in the family once someone new entered their home. (At that point, we went into the counseling office so that we could chat privately.)

But her question still sits on my heart tonight.  How did adoption change our family?  Truth be told...it didn't change our family at all.  It made us a family!  It made me a momma!  I am sure that when we add number two, our family will change but that will have nothing to do with adoption and everything to do with having another baby in the house.  So does adoption change a family??  In my opinion, no.  But did Gus change my life?  Absolutely!!!

Bipolar Day

Well, today was a little bit of a bipolar day.  We got the call yesterday that we have a closing date on our new house!  We are so excited that this dream is becoming a reality!  We also got a call last night that school was canceled for today!  How exciting!  Good news about the house and we get to sleep in the next day and play with Gus all day!!

Today all three of us took advantage of sleeping in.  Gus slept until 9:30!!  I don't know when that have ever happened!  (But I LOVED it!)  We spent the rest of our day playing and packing.  Now that we have the closing date, we decided we can really start packing up our house.  We have packed a lot of it...but now we are really getting serious.

I worked on our closet first....we have a lot of crap in there!  Four large boxes full and still not even 1/2 way there.  I was almost embarrassed about how much we have in there but then I stopped and realized that with such little storage space in this house, a lot of stuff gets jammed in the closets so I don't feel quite as ashamed.  Now I must admit that I am totally motivated to organize and discard unnecessary items.  My friend, Katie, at The Terp Blog has been organizing in 2011 and I am so jealous of her!  Check out her blog and what she has been doing.  I am LOVING her wooden hangers!!  Look at the mishmash that I packed today.

I have every intention of only putting things that we need in our house and discarding the rest.  We have already been sorting through as we pack things but I am sure that there will be lots more once we get into the new house.

I then moved into packing Gus' room.  I kept out only the things that he NEEDS!  I did keep out his cars, the car ramp, a few books and his blocks.  Other than that, all toys and books are packed.  All other baby related items are packed.  We have clothing to get us through and the baby "essentials".  It is almost like living out of a suitcase for him.  But I think the bare minimum right now is necessary.  I was a packing machine.  Wasn't phased by any of it until I saw this....

...and then I lost it!  Lots of tears.  It brought me right back to the fall of 2008.  We had finally got on "the list" at the agency and since you never know when you might be matched, we thought perhaps we would slowly get the room ready.  This is what the closet looked like in the beginning.  I remember thinking that I couldn't wait until those cubbies were filled and that there were clothes on that rack.  I remember how desperate I was to be a mom.  Looking at this almost empty closet made all of those feelings come rushing back.  I pulled myself together and finished emptying the closet.  Check out how great these matching hangers look!

I love that all of Gus' hangers match.  No store hangers ever brought home.  Oh!  And I love his little cowboy hat that fit perfecting in this box upside down and keeps the hangers from sliding around!  (Yes, the box is labeled "hangers and a hat" and it is color coded so we know that it goes to Gus' room.)

I emptied on of Gus' chest of drawers.  Found the box that holds his first comb used at the hospital.  That boy had a head of hair!  And I found his hospital bracelet...and the baggie of hair from his first hair cut.  Tears again!  (It doesn't take much.)

I finished up packing Gus' room.  For the most part, that boy is packed and ready to go.

So when people ask us why we felt the need to move....this is why!  Look at all of the boxes from one little boy's bedroom.  Poor kid has no room to breathe with all of his baby stuff, toys, books, etc.  Can't wait to get into our new house where Gus will have his bedroom and a play room!  What a lucky boy!