100 Good Wishes for Lauren

Good Wishes #30 & 31...

2006-10-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

I've been a little slow on posting the wishes I've received, so I have to play catch up. I have several more than what I'm posting today, that I will post later on.

The wish below is from Robin of Buckeyes and Eggrolls. I love the poem she chose for this page...it's just perfect for the situation. Robin says she not a crafty person, but I think this page is so pretty with the heart doiley and tag with Lauren initials. Thank you so much, Robin!! On another note, I'm one step closer to sending out your quilt square...I actually bought the fabric this past weekend. Shouldn't be long now. ;)

This next page is from Wanda, a fellow Lady Bug Hunter Scrapbook Club member and, more importantly, a Precious Panda sister. Wanda has such a knack for scrapbooking and she puts together such great pages for our club exchanges each month. I love the colors and ribbon accents she used on this page. I also love the little "Fastenator" staple she used on the ribbon that says "sweet". That's a scrapbooking toy I don't have yet, but I'm sure I'll be picking it up at Michaels or Joannes with a coupon soon enough. Wanda, thank you so much for this wish and the beautiful saying.

Good Wishes #28 & 29...

2006-09-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

A great big thank you goes out to Shannon and her cutie pie sons for creating this adorable page. I love the little baby footprint embellishment and that she included a photo on the page. The wishes are just perfect, I especially like "May you always work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching."

Shannon also sent me some wonderful poems and some extra stickers for making my own pages. Thank you so much for contributing to Lauren's book!

Another big thank you to Sandy of Waiting for Chloe for this oh so pretty page. Love the color combination, the floral paper, and the flower and dragonfly embellishments! Sandy, thank you very much for creating this page...I just love it!

Good Wishes #26 & #27...

2006-08-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Check out this beautiful wish from Elise of Liptacks and Ladybugs. The colors, cranberry and green, are my favorites and I love the pretty background paper with the bamboo, bird, and flowers! It's such a nice touch how the flower embellishments match the background paper and I love the little Chinese coin...so cute! Elise, thank you so much for this lovely wish!

The adorable two page spread below is from my friend Amy and her daughter Emily. I have always loved classic Pooh bear and quotes from A.A. Milne. The classic Pooh embellishments are so totally cute and I love their wish that Lauren discover the joy of reading. Amy and Emily were part of the group that threw me a book shower for Lauren this past December, so their wish is very fitting. Thank you guys, I love the layout...it will be a perfect addition to my wishes album!

Good Wish #25

2006-05-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Wish #25 brings me 1/4 of the way to my ultimate goal of 100 Good Wishes! This wish is from Stephe, Giorgia's momma, who shares the same DTC and LID dates as us. She's also with our agency, A Helping Hand, and will be in our China travel group!

Check out this totally gorgeous page! She did this on the computer and used the photo from her blog header of Giorgia's baby dolls...sooo cute! The little butterflies are cut-outs and their wings pop off the page.

Thank you so much Stephe!! I LOVE this page!

Good wishes #23 & 24...

2006-05-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

Check out Lauren's latest good wishes page from Catherine, of Waiting for Hannah, all the way from Canada!

Thank you so much Catherine, I love the design of your page with Lauren's name in circles around the curve...very cute!

I also received a page from Pam, one of my co-workers at the City. Check out the adorable little ladybugs and the pretty flowers she made. There's a little flap on the page and it says "special delivery" inside...very cute. Pam, thank you so much for creating this page, I love it.

Both these pages are in Lauren's album, which is REALLY coming along. I love flipping through the pages and looking at all the good wishes!

Good Wish #22

2006-04-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

Jacquie, thank you SO much for the adorable wish page with your furbabies. Winston and Jack are always so photogenic and are just too cute on this page. I also love the wish "Whether your friends have four legs or two, we wish for you to have loyal friends throughout your life." Lauren will love this page!

Wish from Salt Lake City...

2006-03-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

Ok Lisa, I thought you didn't scrapbook, but I think you're trying to pull a fast one because this page is SUPER cute! How adorable are those little flower embellishments that just happen to match perfectly with the patterned paper I sent you.

Check out this page from my good blogger buddy Lisa, of Tate-r-Bug.

I also had to show you the picture on Lisa's return address label because it's so cute...it's her, Tate, and furbaby, Mesa. How adorable...where do I get these?

Lisa, THANK YOU so much for this beautiful page to add to Lauren's Wish Book. My collection is growing and growing!

Wish from Texas...

2006-03-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

I received an Irish blessing wish from Shelli, who is a fellow January DTC'er. The blessing is beautiful and I absolutely love the metal "wish" charm tied with a ribbon at the top...so cute!

Shelli, thank you so much for the wish and the notecard you included. I'm looking forward to getting to know you too in our DTC group during the wait ahead.

Wish from Minnesota...

2006-02-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

This wish page is from Julie W of Wandering Child and I love everything about it. Love the wish from Winnie the Pooh (my favorite), love the cool layout, and I especially love how she put Lauren's name on the bottom with her middle name running through it in the ribbon. So cute!

Julie, you've been such a great blogger friend and I really enjoy "chatting" with you. Thank you so much for this awesome page!

Wish from Georgia...

2006-02-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

I received this Wish from Karen of Paper Pregnant. I love this page, it's simple and sweet and just my style. The little paper flowers are so cute. Thank you so much Karen!

A wish from California...

2006-02-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

Check out Lauren's new wish page from Nona. I just love this page and all the adorable embellishments. The little wooden wagon says "All things grow with love"...so sweet. I also love that there's a photo of her beautiful children on the page, it really makes it special. Nona's note said that her sister-in-law, Marie, put this page together for her. Thank you Nona and Marie!

Wish from Tucson, Arizona...

2006-01-30T16:50:00.000-08:00

This wish is from my long-time friend Colleen. She's Irish, hence the shamrock theme. I love the the Irish limerick. Thanks Colleen!

A wish from Washington...

2006-01-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a wish from Gen of Bringing back Baby. If you double click on it, you should be able to read the wish to have a life full of laughter. Gen, I love the layout and design of this page, and I'm glad you added the little photo of you and Sean.

Wishes from Ohio, North Carolina, and Arizona...

2006-01-22T07:22:00.000-08:00

All these wishes came on Friday...it was a good mail day! This one is from Amy who happens to live very close by here in Chandler, AZ. Her wish is for a lifetime of happy dreams: We wish you a happy dream or two! Dream of butterflies, dream of birds, dream of flowers and dragonflies too...dream of your family who loves you! Her page includes a little embellishment off on the right of all the things to dream about. This page is just darling! Thank you so much Amy. Maybe we can get together some time and shop for our little ones.

This page is from baby Gwen in North Carolina and includes a note from her to Lauren. Karen of Gwenblog is Gwen's Momma. I love how Gwen thought to include her handprint on the page...it's just precious! Here's what her note says: I've never met your Mom and Dad in person but my Mom tells me all the time what special people they are. And I bet they'll make great paretns just like my Mom and Dad. Oh, and here's a tip I've learned since arriving home: a small laugh and a giggle will ut your Mm and Dad over the moom. (Trust me on this one!) Welcome home and enjoy your new family. They have waited a lifetime for you and will give you the world. Karen, thank you for helping Gwen put this page together...I love it!

This page is from my blogger friend Kim, of Our Journey to Grace, from Ohio. Her wish is to: Dance as though no one is watching you, Love as though you have never been hurt before, Sing as though no one can hear you, and Live as though Heaven is on earth. I love this wish and its message of not holding back and enjoying life! Thank you Kim for this very pretty page!

More wishes...

2006-01-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

This is a wish from my good friend Kim. These colors are so pretty together and I love the way she used the orange floral brads as the center of the flowers. Also, the metal flower accents she added match the paper design perfectly. Also, knowing I'm a Disney fanatic, I love her wish: When you wish upon a star your dreams can come true...perfect! Thanks Kim!

This wish is sent all the way from Germany by Katja with a beautiful poem called The Merry-Go-Round. Katja's wish says: Dear Lauren, may you always be happy and have a smile on your face like you are always on a merry-go-round. This is so sweet. :)

Katja also sent these darling little ladybug clips. I'm going to put magnets on the back and use them on my memo board as note clips. I love them...thank you, Katja!

I also got a wish from my friend Michele who is waiting for baby Ava . She just finished the first layout for Ava's lifebook and she did an absolutely beautiful job. Check it out here. She did Lauren's wish page in the same style utilizing fabric and fibers. I love the flowers and how she embroidered Lauren's name. Thank you so much Michele for this beautiful page!

There's a much clearer scanned image of this page on Michele's blog. If I ever get my scanner hooked back up I can start using it again so all my wish pages can show up even better. ;)

Latest Wish...

2006-01-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

I love checking the mail these days! On Friday I got this page from Kim in Michigan. The little pull-out on top says Our wish for you is to be very proud of who you are and where you were born. Thank you Kim, I love your page!

Long distance wishes...

2006-01-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

I got three wish pages in the mail today! Leanne sent this beautiful quilt inspired page all the way from South Australia. I don't think you can tell in the photo, but the sunflower embellishment on the bottom has a ladybug on it. Leanne, I love your design...thank you very much!

This next page comes from Marleen, in Alaska, the mother of two daughters from China (she sent me a couple of photos of her daughters and they are just beautiful girls!). I love her wish of self esteem, especially since this is something I often struggle with...I hope Lauren will have tons of it. Marleen, thank you so much for this special page!

Last, but definitely not least, is a page from Lisa of Our Journey to Baby Shanahan. She said this is her first scrapbook page, and she sure did a great job! I think Baby Shanahan needs a book of her own. ;) Thanks Lisa!

Scrapbook and new wishes...

2006-01-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

I bought a cute little 8 x 8 scrapbook for all of Lauren's good wish pages. Around the moon, it says Thank Heaven for Little Girls.

I got two new pages that I haven't linked to in previous posts. The two pages below are from my cousin Kelly, who I have reconnected with since we started our adoption process and it's been really nice! I'm so glad she included a family photo. The first page says: May you always see the sunshine, even on the cloudiest days. In the center of the flowers on the second page it says: Lauren Elizabeth, our wishes for you are to feel love, to know the true meaning of family, and to find happiness everyday. Thank you Kelly, I hope that you all can meet Lauren someday!

The page below is from Louise, of My Mei Mei Gracie and I love the saying. Thank you Louise!

The next page is from Danesha, who's a friend of Karen's from GwenBlog. She recently started her paperchase and I don't think she has a blog set up yet. The page says The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life - Richard Bach and We wish for you a lifetime of love, happiness, and joy. Always remember that your true family loves you for who you are. Love it, thanks Danesha!

Wish on the way...

2005-12-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

Lisa, of Our Journey to Baby Shanahan, has finished a wish page for Lauren. She did such a great job...check it out here. Thank you Lisa!

Another page done...

2005-12-23T22:11:00.000-08:00

Check out the fabulous page that Gen, of Bringing Back Baby, created here. Some people are so creative! Great job Gen!

First page done!!!

2005-12-20T07:34:00.000-08:00

Amy, Ruby's Mom, called me yesterday to say that she had finished her page for Lauren! So cool, it's the first completed page that I've seen. It's posted on her blog, so check it out here. Amy is just so clever...she used the cute little graphics on my packet cover letter for her page. She really utilized EVERYTHING in her packet!

I'm so excited to see that my project is taking off. I need to go out a buy a very special scrapbook to hold all these pages. Hummm...did someone say shopping? :)

Assembly line work...

2005-12-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had an assembly line going to put together a bunch of scrapbook packets. The packets include coordinating paper and some matching embellishments.

I hope everyone finds the packets easy to work with. I'm really looking forward to getting my first completed page back!

Worldwide Wishes...

2005-12-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

I'll be sending/handing out 16 scrapbook packets this week to other adoptive parents and friends who live locally who are all putting together a good wishes page for Lauren. Here's where all the packets are going:

Monroe, NC
Raleigh, NC
Lynnwood, WA
Lima, OH
Houston, TX
Cordova, AK
Walton, KY
Muskegon, MI
Roselle, IL
Greenwith, South Australia
Stuttgart, Germany
Beverly, MA
Marysville, WA

I'm so excited to have so many good wishes to look forward to for Lauren's book! Thank you all for taking the time to share in our journey!

Lots of Good Wishes...

2005-12-06T20:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I've sent out a few scrapbook packets and I'm looking forward to the pages I'll get back.

Karen of Journey to Gwen will be doing a page for me and she mentioned it on her blog today. When I checked my e-mail this evening, I had five waiting parents offering to do a page for Lauren's book...all followers of Karen's blog. Thank you Karen for mentioning my book on your blog.

I'm really excited about having pages in my book from well wishers all over the country. I'm even sending a packet out to Australia!

Share your Good Wishes...

2005-11-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here's a new project to keep me busy while we're waiting. Actually, it also gives you all a chance to be part of our journey. I'd really like to start a Good Wishes Scrapbook for Lauren. I'm picturing a scrapbook filled with pages of good wishes and pictures/momentos from family, friends, co-workers, and anyone following along on our journey.

I bought one of those big slabs of coordinating scrapbook papers in both solids and pretty prints with pinks, lavenders, blues, greens and yellows. If you would like to create a page for the book, I will send you an 8" x 8" background paper with some coordinating scraps to start your page. You can add some journaling, photos, momentos, embellishments...anything goes. It can be as simple or as fancy as you like, and I chose the small page format so it wouldn't be too intimidating. The only thing I ask is that you incorporate your name somewhere into the page so Lauren will know who created the page.

If you would like to add a Good Wish to the book and have no idea where to start on a scrapbook page, you can also send me your "good wish" and I'll create a page for you.

My goal is 100 Good Wishes, so if you'd like to join in you can let me know by either adding a comment to this post or e-mailing me here.