Decorating and Shopping

This weekend Steve and I started to get "our holiday on" around the house...

On Saturday we continued unpacking and organizing the house. Then we went out and got a Christmas tree - a 6 ft Noble Fir that looks and smells AMAZING:

We also got a wreath to hang on the (inside) of the front porch, and put up a few white lights out front. It looks very simple and cute I think:

I also cooked a turkey dinner on Saturday. Complete with greenbean casserole, cranberry jelly, and the rest of the fixins. Since we had Thanksgiving at my mom's the day before our move, we didn't get to partake in leftovers, and we were both craving it. So we did a smallish turkey, stovetop stuffing, etc. and it was still pretty darned good!

Today we went downtown and saw the movie, "Four Christmases". It's gotten mixed reviews, but I love Vince Vaughn, and I thought it was a cute, lighthearted holiday movie. It made us laugh out loud a few times. What else can you ask for? Afterwards, we walked around the Riverfront Mall. We ducked into Gymboree because this fall they've had a lot of "Scottie" themed girls clothes, so I was hoping for a sale...and I found one! I love the clothes with little black Scotties, because they look so much like my black mini schnauzer, Luna. So with Lia in mind, Steve picked out one outfit:

And then I picked out one too:

Steve also bought me a little Scottie watch they had on sale. Of course, it's meant for little girls, but it fit my wrist and is so cute:

So the most amazing part of this venture was when we went up to the checkout. The salesgirl asked if we realized we'd purchased items in several different sizes...and I said, yes, we are adopting and we're not sure what size she will be (so we are covering all bases!). The girl said, "I was adopted! 28 years ago...see? Adopted kids turn out OK!" and I laughed and agreed with her, telling her yes, in fact I work for an adoption agency and see great families made thru adoption all the time. So she asked which agency I worked for. When I told her, her eyes lit up! SHE WAS ADOPTED THRU THE AGENCY I WORK FOR - 28 YEARS AGO! How cool is that? So then she says she and her husband are anxious to adopt their next child, and are looking at Africa, so I told her about our Ethiopia program and how quickly it is moving right now, etc. She asked for my card and I told her I'd be happy to answer any questions... What a cool encounter. It just goes to prove, family recruitment can happy anywhere...even Gymboree!