Snapshots....LOTS of them

Okay then....so I've neglected my blog the past few weeks....it has been placed on the back burner for many reasons.

1. I am in the process of starting my own business....more on that later.
2. I had 5 sewing projects to donate for the School Auction.
3. My two out-of-town brothers stayed with us this past weekend.
4. My dad got married this past weekend....hence #4
5. 3 other projects I'm working on for my dad

WHEW!!! My brother Josh's girlfriend, Aubrey, is am amazing photographer. Check out some of here pics click here. Her photos look like they are from magazines....if only she didn't live in Washington. Anyways, Josh has taken an interest in photography & goes along with her for various photo shoots. He brought her camera with him this weekend & took some "professional" pictures for me this weekend....he even let me take some. I couldn't decide which ones to post....so I am posting lots!


Yes, the fish are still alive....not sure how.



Pink ribbons are a favorite



Stella's hands are usually covered with marker smudges.



Sometimes she begs like a puppy



I'm still getting used to the glasses. They suit her personality.




I think she is so beautiful....and therefore not allowed to date till she is 21



Stella isn't so sure



The many faces of Stella








Up in the air!




I just love these sweaters from Aunt Nick & Uncle Matt!



Sofia collected pine cones. Stella collected dirt.



I really wish I looked so great first thing in the morning.




Matching dresses!








My favorite Stella picture....and I took it!!



She loves her uncle Josh...he helped keep her entertained in the hours past her bedtime.

Ataxophobia

Ataxophobia: the fear of disorder or untidiness.

Okay, so I don't think I'm 100% ataxophobic....but I will admit to at least 80%. I must also mention that I was NOT always organized and tidy....seriously, just ask my mom. My room was never clean & I was the champion of the throw-random-items-into-closets-and-drawers cleaning method. I would have never dreamed of turning into the freak that I am today.

In high school, I started organizing my notebooks & folders. It made homework & studying a lot easier & less stressful. I went to college and my notebook organization graduated to new levels complete with color coding & labels....hmmm, organizing is fun!

Since I got married in 2001, we have lived in smaller apartments with little or no storage space. I started applying my schoolwork organization methods to my closet spaces. As our family grew....so did my quasi-OCD organization insanity. Since we moved into our house, all our items in storage at other people's houses made their way back to us. Translation: "Great! Now that you have a house....you can take back all your junk!"

Last April I gave my readers a small glimpse into the psychotic world that is Rachel Sheldon by revealing the contents of my diaper bag/purse. If you did not see it, then click here. After much debate.....I have decided to allow you to see my closet spaces & basement storage. Go ahead....open mockery is welcome & accepted. I am no longer ashamed.

Main Level Closet - the "Supply Closet"
Sofia can easily reach all her art supplies.
The shoe holder has all our winter mittens, hats, etc.
Winter items go back to storage & are replaced with summer stuff.



Top shelf



Right Side



Left Side



Basement Storage - Main Wall
Yes, I have a giant box filled with empty boxes...with the label "Empty Boxes"



Basement Storage - Back Room



Back Room - Left Side
Mostly college books & paperwork


Back Room - Right Side
Yes, all the clothing bins are labeled


Back Room- Far Wall
Sewing stuff & baby gift stuff



Toy Closet
I allow my girls to take out a few bins at a time.
If they want more, they must put away what they pulled out.
Is this tyrannical & make me a control freak mommy? Yes.
Does this keep my house clean & my sanity in check? Yes.



Upstairs Closets
Linen Closet & Bathroom Closet



Random Facts Pertaining to My Closet Spaces
1. Walmart has incredible back to school storage bin sales. This is when I buy them. I'm pretty sure I bought the smaller bins in packs of 5 for $3.

2. The wire racks are from Aldi. They occasionally get random items & crazy markdown prices. They had the wire 5-shelf units for $30....normally they go for $75-$150.

3. My husband got me a gift card to The Container Store for my birthday....it was easily one of my most favorite gifts....ever.

4. Garage Sales & Craigslist are also great places to find storage containers & organizational type of stuff. I have found fantastic deals on basic plastic containers & shelving units.

5. I love to buy in bulk...and with coupons. Now that I have the space, I feel like I have a mini-store in my basement....awesome.


So there it is. I'm really not crazy....just crazy about space usage. I feel like it's a giant Tetris game....which btw, I am the master player. (Megan G, please back me up on this one)

K82 - 1453

This post is dedicated to my birth mother & any other mother who has given up their baby for adoption.

The recent controversy regarding CBS & the Tim Tebow commercial has opened a part of my heart that I normally like to keep to myself. If you don't know anything about this, then click here. I don't share the intimate details regarding my adoption....mostly because I completely forget that I am even adopted and it feels like I'm talking about other people. Talking about the specifics of my story makes it real....which then makes me overly emotional....and I don't like myself in that state.

I finally decided that I would share some of MY adoption story as it pertains to a topic for which I am truly passionate about. I dug through my old adoption papers....and thanks to a scanner, I can share them with you.


The Story of K82-1453 Begins

I was left on a doorstep outside a the CheChon Orphanage on October 10th, 1981. I was just over 11 weeks old. This snippet states that I was "in good health & weighed 11 pounds & was 22 inches."


CheChon (or Jecheon) is about 3 hours Southeast of Seoul



A Christmas Card sent to me after my arrival in the States.
Jane White was the founder & heart of that orphanage.



Don't Mess With me....or so my papers state.
"Is very demanding. Wants to be held the minute an adult walks into the room. However, when she is with the other children she is very happy and content. Is a real fighter with the other children her age. Is very seldom the loser. I would like her placed in a Christian home in the U.S."

(This is the reason why I was placed in a home with 3 older brothers)


K82-1453 (My Case Number)
The very first picture given to my parents from the orphanage.
I carry it with me in my wallet. It is very precious to me.
Yes, I look a bit crossed eyed.



A Letter from Jane White (November 9, 1982)
"...Nam Hee is a doll - am sure you already know this. She is really a lover. Just loves to be held and cuddled. She has a real good appetite. Has been on jr. foods & drinks from a cup. In the last few days she has started to walk all over the place. She is usually happy & content - however when she is hungry she wants to eat now. Not interested in waiting a minute. Sometimes even refusing cookies..."



The other picture of me from the orphanage (I only have 2)



The purpose of this post is to say Thank You. Thank you to my birth mother for choosing life for ME. Thank you for selflessly choosing to carry MY life in your womb for 9 months and then painfully labor & deliver MY body to the world. Thank you for allowing MY life be the exception...for allowing ME the opportunity to laugh, cry, sing, learn, play, fall in love, live in a country where I can speak & worship freely, experience the joys of having my own family...and to taste cookies.

I do not take my life for granted. I do not know the reason why I was left on a doorstep. But I do know that I honor my birth mother's decision to keep my life by living my life to its fullest.

I know the counter arguments.....trust me, I have heard all of them. My birth WAS the counter argument. Social, economic, & physical factors can make a mother's decision to keep her baby seem impossible. I get it. I am posting this because this topic hits me at a very deep and personal level. As an adoptee, I will always be an a passionate advocate of choosing life....because it was my birth mother's decision that brought me here. I can not ignore the course of my life....from doorstep abandonee to happily married wife & mother of 2 with another on the way.

A Few Pictures From My Childhood

Cover Girl Rach
That's my brother Matt changing my diaper.
Not a glorious cover, but it's my small claim to fame.


Calendar Girl Rach!
Miss October...HOT!



Beach Babe
I would spend hours laying in the warm sand.



I always liked to swing.....but especially loved to jump off!



Climbing Trees
I was a super tom-boy & LOVED to climb trees.



Who could imagine the miracles that would happen from being placed on a humble Korean doorstep.
Adoption is ALWAYS an option.

And finally...the letter from the Judge, Randall Hekman
February 3, 1984
Not sure the Kent County Juvenile Court would be allowed to release such letters these days...it's a shame.



"My Dear Child....
You didn't choose the
Place or the
Time of your
Beginning when, in
Darkness,
God's fingers
Patiently and
Lovingly and
Skillfully wove a
Rich tapestry of Life called
You.

Nor did you choose the
Home of your
Growth from child to
Adult, where
God will use
Us to
Food and clothe and hug and
Train and model and console and
Encourage and rebuke and most of all
Love.

And, through it, we all will grow.
'Til nuggets of refined
Gold and precious
Gems of beauty shine from our inner
Lives to give
Glory to the One
Who patiently and
Lovingly ever lives to
Finish His work in us."