Thanksgiving in America is a celebrated family day, but it will be especially significant this year for fourteen children in Northeast Tennessee. They officially joined their forever families as part of National Adoption Day on Saturday in a special Chancery Court session held in the Carter County Courthouse.
The children ranged in age from infants to teenagers. In some cases, siblings found forever homes together.
Families were invited to remain at the courthouse for a special celebration, including lunch, gifts for the children, entertainment, and even a visit from Santa Claus (aka Mr. Mickey) and Mrs. Claus. The party was hosted by the Clerk & Masters Office, which serves as the Chancery Court clerk.
National Adoption Day is celebrated each year in November and serves to raise awareness of more than 100,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent and loving families. The average wait for a child in foster care to be adopted is nearly three years. More than 23,000 children turn 18 and age out of the foster care system each year without a family or permanent home.
My Mrs. Claus look of the day included over-the-knee boots by Vince Camuto and layers to keep me warm and dry on a cold rainy day. The vest was a long-ago Christmas gift from Mr. Mickey.
$$$ Boots – $ Boots – $$$ Tunic – $ Covered Perfectly Tunic – $$$ Leggings – $ Leggings – $$$ Vest – $ Vest – $$$ Bag – $ Bag
Congratulations, Willette Siebel! You are the winner of your choice of a Nordgreen watch bundle package (one watch and two interchangeable straps).
Love the look! Your boots are beautiful and they look comfortable, too.
God bless those children and their new forever parents! Belonging to each other is a wonderful feeling.
Susan, your Mrs. Claus look is glamorous! I have three fur vests that I’ve kept for decades. A black Mongolian lamb, an ivory Mongolian lamb, and a camouflage rabbit vest, but haven’t worn them in several years. I am inspired now to wear them!
Thanks for this blog post, and for being dedicated to helping out your fellow fashion sisters!
Two of my grandchildren were adopted
from Thailand. This is our first Christmas with the youngest. I couldn’t love them more.
Thanks for promoting such a wonderful initiative & so close to Thanksgiving. I really like the notes on where to find similar items with the $ signs & different $ levels. The expensive ones are out of my budget but i really enjoy looking at the items.
I get my inspiration from the high-end designer looks on Instagram and then go looking for something similar in my price range. (TJMaxx, Stein Mart, Chico’s, WHBM, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, or Talbot’s for examples.)
Thank you for offering high and low price point links. I bought a lower priced bag you styled earlier and was really surprised at the detailing on the bag! So glad you spotted it and brought it to our attention. I am enjoying it! Have a Happy Thanksgiving,
Love your Mrs. Claus inspired outfit and always enjoy hearing about your and Mr. Mickey’s work with foster care and adoption. My husband and I also participate in adoption and foster support ministries, our passion spurred when we adopted a beautiful brown eyed, curly haired baby boy nearly 14 years ago. We were 61 and 63 now, and he’s the light of our lives! So many assume there’s no role for older adults or those who’ve already emptied their nests to help with foster care and/or adoption needs, but as you and Mr. Mickey demonsrtate, this stage of life can be the IDEAL time to be involved! Thank you for your commitment to this wonderful and important mission to serve and rescue at risk children. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Oh, and congratulations to Wilette Siebel on winning the Nordgreen contest!
Thank you for sharing your lovely comment. Helping others is the best therapy of all.
I love the way you and Mr. Mickey do such good things. Those that do good things out of their heart are happier people. Happy Thanksgiving and congratulations to the winner of the Nordgreen watch.
Congratulations, Willette Siebel!
Love the outfit. I am looking for a waterproof/water resistant boot. I looked at the brand Blondo, but there were so many reviews about the sole coming apart. I want something that is stylish, but will keep my feet dry. Any help would be appreciated.
Take a look at these or these.
Congratulations to Willette!!
I’m sure Mr. Mickey enjoys his role as the jolly St. Nick… you make a lovely Mrs. Claus.
Happy Thanksgiving to you both.
It would have been nice to see what Willette wrote to win.
I just chose a random comment. They are all still listed.
Good afternoon Susan,
I can’t begin to tell you how thrill I was to win the Nordgreen watch bundle. I felt the same joy as when I find your daily blog post in my mailbox. Thank you so much for the opportunity to win and the enjoyment of reading your blog. I always learn something new in fashion, travel, and self-care.
I love seeing the pictures every year of Mr. Mickey playing Santa Claus. What a wonderful organization that supports the families. Such a joyous occasion and feel good event for everyone.
Wishing you and Mr. Mickey a wonderful Thanksgiving as you celebrate with family and friends.
A big thank you to all your subscribers for their good wishes on winning. Happy holiday to all.
I’m happy for you, Willette. There will be more giveaways before Christmas!
On a sad note, children turning 18 and leaving Children’s Services have a tough road ahead. The program meant to help them transition to adulthood has had its funding reduced where I live. A news article today pointed out that these young people are at risk for suicide. Sadly, the government where I live (not the U.S.) is a Grinch.
Thank you for sharing these happy new beginnings. And thank you, Susan and Mr. Mickey, for being bright lights in this world. You bring compassion and kindness to those who truly need and deserve it.
You look great in that outfit (a real nice modern take on Mrs Santa). Your holiday giveaways are nice.
(congrats to your first winner). Enjoy Thanksgiving!
Congratulations to the very lucky winner. Enjoy. On another note in relation to the Adoption Day what a wonderful thing to do and of course how lucky Santa had time to fit a visit into his very busy schedule.
I just watched the movie, Instant Family last night, all about adopting foster children. This has been on my heart all day, then I read your post! Lovely people to take in foster children. They are blessings.
What a delightful event to be a part of! Adoption is very close to our hearts. Our youngest son was adopted as a newborn and earlier this month, he and his wife became adoptive parents to a 10-year-old girl and her 6-year-old brother. Two more grandchildren for us to love!
Philosopher bundle
Thank you for your support of National Adoption Day. What a great day for these 14 kids! Foster & adoptive families are always needed. Such a wonderful investment in young lives!
I never dreamed of myself as an adoptive parent when I was young, but looking back now at the age of 62, I am so glad that my husband & I were blessed with the opportunity to adopt three wonderful children. It all began in 1991 & our youngest is now a high school senior. We may look more like the grandparents than the parents we are, but each of our lives are certainly richer for this life we have been given.
Your blog is always an interesting read and your photographer is terrific! Thank you for sharing your adventures.
Wishing you & all your readers a blessed Thanksgiving!
After all these photos, over several years, of you and others, do you thinks that “the camera adds ten pounds”, as is generally understood? You look so trim, but are you actually even thinner than what we see in the photos? Anyway, you look GREAT!
I get weight-obsessed around the holidays and I think it’s sad that many women dread the holidays because we know there will be temptation, overeating and remorse. We should be enjoying it!
I don’t focus so much on my weight, but I do try to be as healthy as possible. I exercise and take a brisk walk every day and try to eat mostly vegetables. I drink about a half-gallon of filtered water every day and rarely eat an evening meal. Bread, dessert, and wine are also ‘treats’ I have only about once a week. Make your Holidays about people, making memories, and enjoying the time together rather than the food. Many times I go to a party and don’t touch food. During a meal as a guest, I will serve myself tiny portions and eat slowly. I never go for seconds.
What a wonderful memory this brought back of National Adoption Day three years ago when we attended the official adoption of our precious grandson who was five months old at the time. He has brought such joy to our family. What a blessing adoption is.