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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Weekly menu



Today's baskets were awesome!  Here's the list:

Conventional:

Romaine lettuce
Tomatoes
Corn
Artichokes
Orange bell peppers
Carrots
Peaches
Oranges
Cantaloupes
Bananas
Apples

Organic:

Romaine lettuce
Cauliflower
Purple kohlrabi
Baby carrots
Butternut squash
Green onions
Cucumber
Oranges
Cantaloupe
Pears
Mangoes
Apples
Raspberries

As for recipes for this week, I don't really have any to link to.  For Sunday, I am roasting cubed butternut squash which I will combine with black beans, verde enchilada sauce and Daiya pepperjack cheese, and roll into corn tortillas.  The dessert for is kind of lame, but something easy and yummy that the kids like.  I fill muffin tins with cupcake liners and put a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each one (Western Family wafers are egg and dairy-free).  Then I fill the cup with cheesecake flavored Jell-O pudding (which is vegan if made with nondairy milk) and top with fruit.  This time I'll be using some of our strawberry-vanilla bean jam.  

On Monday, I'll be chopping up the kohlrabi and cauliflower and defrosting some kale I froze from a previous basket.  I might add some carrot, too, if I need to extend it to feed all of us.  I have both green curry and red curry paste, and I'm not sure which I'll use, but I'll mix a few tablespoons with 3 cans of coconut milk and cook everything together, and we'll serve it over jasmine rice.

Tuesday we're having a giant salad bar again with all manner of veggies, beans and toppings.  

Wednesday is super easy.  I crumble 3-4 packages of tempeh into the crock pot, add chili sauce and some diced bell pepper, and cook it on low for about 4 hours.  

On Thursday, Curtis is making some cool heart-shaped pasta and will be steaming the artichokes and whipping up some aioli.  

Friday is a repeat from last week since we didn't end up making that dish.  Saturday is sketchy because we have two dance recitals and an acoustic show to go.  We'll be lucky to eat anything.  ;o)


Friday, May 25, 2012

To Thalia

Dear Thalia,

I just finished tidying up the kitchen and got the dishes and laundry washing.  Later I'll be going to the grocery store and running some errands.  Thinking about what I have to do today got me thinking about what your day was like.  Since it's nearly 11:00 pm, I'm hoping you're asleep right now, but what did you do earlier in the day?  Did you have a bath?  Did someone help you get dressed, or can you do that all by yourself?  What did you eat for breakfast?  Do you eat the same thing every day?  What did you learn about at school today?  Did you do anything fun?

It's amazing to me that I can know so little about you, but love you SO much.  I guess it's because I know the important things:  I know that God helped us find you, I know that you need a mommy and daddy, and I know that your whole family will adore you.  I know those things, and I know I love you.

Still, I wonder about your likes and dislikes, your temperament, your personality, your strengths and your weaknesses.  I wonder if you'll prefer baths over showers, if I'll have to start making congee for breakfast everyday because you'll refuse to eat anything else, and which sibling you might want to share a room with.  I wonder if you have a favorite color, if you like music and dancing, and who you feel most connected to in your children's home.  I wonder if you'll respond to sign language and if we can finally get you talking (you're coming to the right mama for that!) and how you'll like school once you get here.

Last night our family went to play frisbee on a big grassy field.  It was so much fun to have everyone there, laughing and playing together.  I can't wait to have you with us on those occasions, to see your sweet face at the dinner table, and to snuggle you to sleep.  I can't wait to hold your hand and hug you and kiss you and dance with you while we blast music and clean up the dinner mess together.  I can't wait to see you playing with your siblings, learning to ride a bike, and helping to make cookies.

I hate that we have to be apart for so long, but we're doing everything we can to get to you as quickly as possible.  In the meantime, we trust that our Father in Heaven will watch over you and keep you safe.  We pray every day that you are happy and healthy and loved.  When the day comes that you are finally in our arms, we will hang on and never let you go.  You will be an orphan no more, my sweet baby girl, and will be part of your forever family.  You will NEVER be alone again.

I love you.

Love,

Mommy

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Where are we in the process? A checklist!

I borrowed and adapted this list with permission from a family that is adopting a little guy with Down syndrome from China.  They are just about ready to travel.  I'm so excited for them!


We have completed everything in bold.  I will repost this each time we complete a step.

Major Milestones in the U.S.—China International Adoption Process:

Application to Home Study Agency
Home Study completed
Application to Adoption Agency
Application reviewed/approved
Home Study reviewed/approved by adoption agency
Submit Pre-approval documents (including Letter of Intent) to CCCWA (China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption)
Receive Pre-approval from CCCWA
Submit I-800A application to USCIS-NBC
Receive biometrics appointment
Receive I-800A approval
State authentications
Authentication by Chinese consulate
Dossier to China
Receive Log-in Date
Receive Letter of Acceptance from CCCWA
Submit I-800 to USCIS-NBC
I-800 Provisional Approval cabled to US Consulate in Guangzhou
US Consulate signs Article 5
CCCWA issues Travel Approval
Adoption agency makes Consulate appointments
Travel/Placement

"Our" Haitian orphanage

It's been a long time since I've written anything about Haiti.  I've been so focused on our current adoption that I think of little else these days.  But today I want to share a video that highlights the lives and work of a couple in Haiti who run the orphanage that our Haitian kids came from.  Haitian adoptions have slowed to a trickle since the earthquake, and people who commit to adopting can expect up to a 3-year wait.  But the need is still so great.  There are SO many children who lost parents and who are true orphans.

The orphanage director and his wife started taking children in many years ago, and today have a beautiful new facility high in the hills above Port-au-Prince.  I'm glad to see them finally moved in as this has been in the works for years (we visited the foundation of the building on our first trip to Haiti in 2005), but it hurts my heart to know that there are still so many children for them to care for.

Please watch the video, "Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children" on this page to see the great work they are doing.  This couple's lives have been filled with loss, including the deaths of many close friends and relatives during the earthquake, and the kidnapping of their young son just prior to the earthquake.  They have never seen or heard from him again, and yet they continue to love and serve other children every day of their lives.


Monday, May 21, 2012

And it's off...

FedEx picked up our dossier around noon today, and it should be at the agency tomorrow morning.

Enjoy a sweet video in celebration.  :o)





"A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this

One step closer

[Chorus:]

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

One step closer
One step closer

[Chorus:]

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Sunday, May 20, 2012

4 months later: the birth of a dossier!

Maybe I shouldn't call it a birth.  Maybe I should liken it to an ultrasound picture.  In any case, this is our COMPLETE DOSSIER and I'm just a tiny bit EXCITED!  I have it all ready to overnight to our agency tomorrow morning, along with a copy of the dossier and a couple more we-realize-you-can't-guarantee-our-outcome-type signed acknowledgments.

I hope to hear that we're DTC (dossier-to-China) by the end of the week!


Saturday, May 19, 2012

Weekly menu


We got a huge variety of stuff from Bountiful Baskets today!  I got 2 conventional baskets, 2 organic baskets, and a ton of blackberries which I'll be turning into blackberry freezer jam.

Lemons
Apricots
Bananas
Blackberries
D'anjou pears
Honeydew
Apples
Avocados
Cantaloupe
Blueberries
Pineapple (from last week)
Oranges (from last week)
Watermelon (from last week)

Corn
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Onions
Carrots
Green bell peppers
Cauliflower
Onions
Red bell peppers
Carrots
Italian parsley
Cauliflower
Butternut squash
Cherry tomatoes
Green onions
Brocolette
Green beans (inedible)
Potatoes (from last week)

And here are the menu and recipes for the coming week:


Chipotle butternut squash & black bean burrito bowl (I'll be adding green bell pepper
Orange pan-glazed tempeh
Beer-battered avocado tacos (one of my very favorite vegan meals!  I use O'Doul's amber)

I'll also be making a boatload of blackberry-vanilla freezer jam since my strawberry version turned out so yummy!

They're here!

This morning we received ALL of our Montana documents back from the Secretary of State's office, and they were ALL certified!  This is the first time we've ever had them all correct on the first try.  :o)

I'll be mailing our dossier to our agency on Monday morning!  Woo hoo!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Mailbox sadness

I really thought we'd get our SoS documents back today.  No such luck.  I'll hope for tomorrow!




Monday, May 14, 2012

Think positive thoughts!

I think I've mentioned before that every time we have adopted, we have had at least one notarized document rejected by the Secretary of State's office because of some nit-picky error.  When we adopted the first time, we had all BUT one rejected!  I mailed off all our Montana documents to the SoS today, and I'm hoping against hope they're all right this time.  I think they're OK, but I'm too gun-shy to say I'm certain.  Cross your fingers!  We could be DTC by the end of the month!

Weekly menu

I'm just a tad late with this (not that I think anyone is holding their breath until I get this posted!) but I finally got it done.

Here's my produce list for the week:


Tomatoes
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Carrots
Avocados
Spinach
Romaine lettuce
Green leafy lettuce
Eggplant
Red potatoes

Apricots
Pineapple
Strawberries
Blackberries
Watermelon
Apples
Pears
Bananas
Mangoes
Honeydew melon

I also have some kiwis and summer squash left over from last week, plus a couple coconuts, and some mushrooms, oranges, bananas and grapefruit.

You may find my Sunday meal a little strange, but since we were having family pictures taken after church AND it was Mother's Day, I wanted some comfort food that was fast and easy to make BY SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME!  Chili Frito pie is one of my guilty pleasures.  As is the giant bowl of vanilla Soy Delicious ice cream with crushed up Oreos that I ate for dessert.  ;o)

The other meals don't really need a recipe except for the lasagna.  I'm using this recipe, but I will be adding thin-sliced eggplant and will be using Daiya mozzarella and the cheese sauce below in place of the ricotta and egg.  I use this every time I make lasagna and it is yummy.  It is a bit runny when you first add it to the lasagna, but when it bakes, it firms up and is very ricotta-like in texture.


1 cup blended silken tofu (blended until creamy in a blender or food processor)
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dairy-free plain soy milk or almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 T. tahini
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt, or to taste
2 T. corn starch

The salad bar will use up all our greens, plus tomatoes, mushrooms, and avocados, and I'll add chickpeas, croutons, Bacos, sunflower seeds, walnuts and any other yumminess I can scrounge up, all topped with my favorite Annie's Goddess dressing.  Heaven!  (Oh, I'm I'm going to roast up a bunch of summer squash that night, too, but I forgot to put it on the menu, and we'll also be having mangos, which likewise didn't make it onto the menu.  I'm too lazy to fix it.)

Sunday, May 13, 2012

A *perfect* Mother's Day

Joshua

One of my gifts from Teffy

More goodies!  

Cute Curtis

Ack! 
Poppy

Ethan

Sofie

Ac again!

Beautiful Loundia

Jackson digging for gold

Poppy

Sofie and Poppy

Ethan helping Maizie on the ripstick

Beck would only be happier if it were a dump truck

Ethan catching air

Sofie

Sofie

Lily

Go Lily!

I don't know what I'm doing, but Cora is looking rather ghostly!

Poppy

Joshua kick 1

Joshua kick 2

Joshua kick 3

Joshua kick 4

Joshua

Adorable Ethan and Beck

I love this photo!

Joshua's superhero pose

Straight for the windows!

Beck (who really never sucks his thumb!)

Zoe

Zoe and her friend K

Joshua

Cora, who left her glasses inside and can barely see  ;o)

Jack attack!

Jonah on a scooter

Me, after I jumped off the railing and fell

What poise!  What grace!

Me

Sofie

Sofie

Ethan pointing the way

Curtis with his new freeline skates

Ethan

Ethan

Curtis 
Poppy

Me, looking confused

Dork alert: Ethan


Zoe's friend K

K looking especially charming  ;o)

Joshua

Abs of steel

Zoe

Joshua and me



Jonah on a scooter

K and Zoe

K and Zoe, contortionists

K and Zoe

Sofie, following in her big sister's footsteps

Beautiful Zoe



Oops

What a throw!

Jonah with a football

And Jonah spitting out the bug he inhaled

I got it!

Lily

Beck