As Chinese New Year approaches I begin to get a little nostalgic about our adoption experience with our daughter, Catie.  Almost three years ago we had the thrilling experience of traveling to China to meet our beautiful little girl.  She and her older sister, Jenna are the lights of our lives and along the way we have made new friendships with other parents who have also adopted, or are waiting to to travel and meet their child.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine (Pamela Ferris-Olson) who is a writer contacted me to let me know that she was about to publish a book she’d written called “Living in the Heartland: Three Extraordinary Women’s Stories.”  She thought the storyline would be appealing to me as a mother of a Chinese-American child, as it chronicles three women’s search for identity, self-esteem, and happiness.  The book poses interesting points of view from these women as they’ve learned to celebrate their cultural differences.  It’s a compelling story of real Americans − women who are heroines not because of remarkable feats but in the graceful way they live in the face of challenges.  Pamela has also created an online blog where others can contribute to discussions or post questions (click here).  Check it out, and buy your own copy of the book here.

As a side note, some of you know that we introduced a series of new framed clutch bags last year in honor of Catie and her “China Sisters” who also found their forever families.  The 3 bags are the Cate, the Reagan and coming soon, the Marin.  You can find the bags on our shop page or by clicking here.