Cooking Chickpeas

I thought I would make this recipe:

Sweet and Salty Chickpeas

And I learned a valuable lesson...it has taken a few times of this happening to make me research it.

**There is a difference between wax paper and parchment paper.**

Here is the link I found to tell me more: http://www.chow.com/food-news/55408/whats-the-difference-between-parchment-paper-and-waxed-paper/

Wax paper, which I have, is not meant to go in the oven. It burns to whatever you are using with it and therefore causes smoke, which sets of fire alarms, which causes your verbal 3 year old to say, "Why does your oven do a fire alarm?" :)

Update: I expected the chickpeas to be crunchy, but they weren't. I'm not sure if this was due to the wax paper removal, mid-cooking, or that it just wasn't supposed to be that way. I am trying to think of ways to use up my sweetened chickpeas...thinking of maybe grinding them into a sweet hummus. We'll see.

Fun with MegaBloks

The girls really enjoy building with Mega Bloks, so this year I have been looking for secondhand bits of blocks. So, tonight as we listened to a yum CD that my sister made the girls we built towers, a green alligator train, letters of the alphabet, steps, etc. Teddy got the privilege of riding the green alligator. In the second picture, Kj is unable to get off of the phone for a short picture. I forgot to ask who she was talking to. Probably her cousin! She thinks of him often...even while building tonight.

Coconut Balls

I'll start the post with L's entertainment while I did some chocolate coating:


So, I decided that I would make a gluten-free sweet holiday treat, and coconut balls were ideal, because they are lactose-free as well. The fact that my grandma used to make them...or was it my aunt...and they were delicious also factored in. But I decided to add an almond as well, to make it a titch more exciting!

My recipe came from my very rarely used Betty Crocker Cookie Cookbook. Rarely used because I rarely make cookies, but I had to have it because it was a cookbook that my mom kept in our house. Some things that your mom has you "just have to have"!


Something I would note about making the coconut balls themselves, is that I would make them in to balls before refrigerating. I think they would hold together better that way, although I didn't get a chance to test that.

My attempt at making the chocolate coating took forever. I do not have a double boiler (an example) and the glass bowl that I decided would be best I gave to my sister-in-law...Aunt A...I might be asking for that back if you don't use it! :) Well, anyways, it took me a long time and the chocolate never really made it to the consistency that I had imagined (a bit runny)... I spent hours on this. About an hour before supper and an hour after.

Here are my coated coconut balls...not pretty but yummy! I haven't actually taste tested the completed product, but I can assume.

Here is my "I'm not a cookie-maker...I am not interested in rolling any more of these coconut balls" product:

And here it is slathered with chocolate on top:

Potty Training...

It's come around again! L has been making very good progress in unofficial potty training and today I asked her if she wanted to wear some panties. Yes, she nodded. Ok...here it goes... That was about 10am when I finally got the girls out of their pjs. It has been an accident free morning!!

My method...which isn't a method at all really. I ask her if she needs to go every now and then. Every once in a while if she hasn't gone, I remind her that she can have a cracker if she goes. Then she decides it is a good idea and goes. :) I thought about a nap without diaper and decided that I would but would put some plastic pants over her panties...just in case. I wasn't going to be too brave!

Other things going on today, but that will come later.

Baby-doll Blankets

My mom had made a twin quilt with these fabrics and had some scraps, so I acquired them. I decided to make baby-doll blankets with them. I think I may send one to my cousin's daughter who has the matching bedspread (almost used counterpane...from 12th grade AP English).

Noah's Ark Crackers

The girls and I made these delicious crackers yesterday. They were as easy as I expected with very few ingredients. I accidentally popped one in my mouth...Mmm...Oops...Gluten. Notice L in the background watching the crackers cook. We all were watching for a bit. I would also like to try these graham crackers.

Fancy Felt

I mentioned previously that my friend let me use some of her textured felt because she had yet to find a great project for it. So, I tried making her some hair things for her. She mentioned that the colors had reminded her of a peacock and I thought I would check Etsy for ideas. Neither turned out exactly as I had envisioned it, but still nice. I also didn't figure out what to attach them to so...there they are for her to do with as she pleases. She also found a great idea on Etsy to try...here.

Potholder

Aunt A found the finished brown potholder at a craft fair and asked if I could make a couple more for Christmas presents. I agreed. It was a fun project to work together on. Here is one of the finished products.

Fun with Friends

I got to visit some friends that I haven't seen for a while. The girls and I headed to their house and did some experimenting. My friend, T, is building a shadow puppet theatre. I think those are the terms you would use. Oh, maybe a shadow puppet stage. She made us a mini one as well to take home. Kj experimented with using cardstock and vellum paper. She made a rainbow and car. Friend T cut out and fashioned Kj's masterpieces into puppeteering tools.


My generous Friend T also let me borrow and use as I saw fit some really pretty bits of felt. They are brightly colored and textured. Have you ever seen textured felt?! I hadn't. So, I looked at my meager felt box and found a projected that I had wanted to work on but had never finished...cutting out felt numbers. I can't decide if I am going to make them into a book, game or just leave them separate for Kj and L to put on their felt board (transportation here).

Scrubber

My grandma makes scrubbers. I never really realized how great they were until I hosted a Norwex Party. My friend, Megan, was telling how nice the Norwex scrubber dish clothes were for getting cooked oatmeal and baked cheese off of dishes. That sold the product for me...only it sold me on my grandma's product... I don't wash dishes without them anymore, but they are wearing out and as far as I know the pattern for my grandma's scrubbers is secret! My mom tried to get her mom to show her and she replied, "You need strong hands for those." And didn't show her... So here is my version. Someday, Grandma, I'll come by to learn the real way!

Here is the Norwex version. I need to find a fresh one of Grandma's to take a picture of.

Also if you need any Norwex products...they are really nice!! Head to Megan's site.

Towel Topper

I received a few kitchen hand towels for my wedding shower. A lady I had worked with made them and said they were really easy to make. Well, I have always wanted to try it, but have never gotten around to it. Now I have! I used this pattern except that I did not attach any trim. For the most part I like the pattern. I do think though that I would decrease differently so that it wouldn't have all the holes.

I thought I might like to try these patterns:

headband

neck warmer

Sometime...

Thankful +

(Wed) Thankful for another reason to get together with family!!

(Thurs AM) Thankful that all the food is preparing itself now, and we can all sit and enjoy the day (until, I suppose, the half hour before lunch).

(Fri) Thankful for shepherd's pie tonight, Upwords, Scrabble, gaming family members, voices of loved ones, crafts, ...

(Sun) Thankful for corn and bean salsa (C), the temptation of food in the kitchen (Kevin), full stomachs, water to fend off the cravings...

(Mon) Thankful for the beautiful sunrise that welcomed our family into "real" life this morning...Kevin to work, the girls and I home on our own.

Thankful for girls that are cooperating this morning, with each other! For a while they made MegaBlok cameras and were going to take pictures of things around the house and coming back to the sewing room to show me. Then they both decided it was time to use the potty. Then they decided to head into their bedroom and play "naptime". It got really quiet for a while and then I heard, "Mama," from L and "She'll be here in 5 minutes." from Kj. :) I waited about 5 minutes and then went in to check on them. They demonstrated how they were pretending to have naptime. After that they came out, looked at books for about 10 minutes and then I got the real naptime under way. What a pleasant day!

Along with all the previously mentioned "activities", I was able to bake some bread while they played PlayDoh. I sewed birds while they took pictures.

Also...Thankful I could help 5 people out by selling 2 cars.

New Subtitle?

I feel like my blog should have a new subtitle, as I have been doing so much more with food lately. More than sewing projects. I tried and tried to find a pattern to knit or crochet a simple short sleeved cardigan sweater, but was not successful in that. The next day I went to a clothing exchange with my friends and found 2 such sweaters!! Yeah! No craftiness necessary. Although if you are interested in hosting a clothing exchange, here is the basic idea: Sew Green.

I tried cooking with tofu this weekend. I bought a large (for me, normal for others) box of tofu. I only used about 1/3 for the Creamy Orange Poppyseed Dressing I made, and wasn't sure what to do with the rest. I've never bought tofu before this week. I've never wanted to try tofu before now. I still don't think I want to try it as a little cube or plain, but blended works quite nicely!

So, a new recipe for you all...

Sort of Scalloped Potatoes

2 large russet potatoes, cubed
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 thick slices of ham, cubed
salt
pepper
onion (I used minced...but you can chop some up if you'd like)
garlic
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan
2/3+ package of tofu...sorry, not sure what size the package was...
water

~Blend tofu and water (approximately: 2 parts tofu, 1 part water)
~Layer food in crock pot: 1/2 veggies/ham, seasonings, 1/2 cheeses, 2/2 veggies/ham, seasonings, 2/2 cheeses...pour blended tofu over all.
~Set to high for 2-4 hours or until veggies are tender, or low for the day (while you are at work)

(I'm adding corn to the leftovers...you could also add: colored peppers chopped, peas, ...)

Well, enjoy!!

Avocado

We bought an avocado at the grocery store last week. I know they are supposed to be very good for you, and so I thought I would try it out. I saw an ad for www.avocado.com, so I went there for a recipe.

Originally I was going to go with the dessert type items (which, I probably should have stuck with that idea), but then found the avocado quesadillas. So we tried them out gluten-free style...with corn tortillas. Ate it with salsa

Ratings:
Kevin: 3 out of 5 "It was good, but it wasn't the most tasty thing, but it was good for you too..."
Anna: Good but nothing special--taste-wise
Kj: wouldn't eat a bite
L: got it in the mouth, but gave back the tortilla and didn't try any more bites

I Feel Healthy Today! (SHH!)

:)

After over a week of having an earache and LOTS of pain in my ear/neck gland area, I feel good! Yeah! This week I was also tested for a couple of things including Gluten-intolerance, and should know about that stuff within a couple weeks.

Also, we are getting ready for a lot of family. We are going to a wedding in a couple of days. Two days ago, the girls and I went and found them "party" dresses. It was a lot of fun and I even let Kj pick out L's (choosing from 3 selected dresses). She was very excited to show them to daddy when he got home.

I made some Nut Butter Balls and dairy free hot cocoa mix for our journey. The hot cocoa mix is also for my mom who has possibly not had it for...I don't know...my guess is 10 years...

Hot Cocoa Mix
1 c. dry powdered rice or soy milk (I used DariFree)
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. vanilla sugar (this round I just used sugar...but I got a vanilla bean for the next round)
pinch of sea salt

Then: 1 c. boiling water with 1/4 c. mix will give you the right proportions. I'm waiting to try it with my mom. We'll tell you how it is after that.

Almond Butter Balls (...tried to find a link to the original recipe, but couldn't found some other things of interest though...Nut Butter Cups and Vanilla Almond Butter)

1/2 c. powdered milk (again used DariFree)
1/3 c. honey or agave nectar
3/4 c. almond butter (used Peanut Butter)
(opt) about 1/4 c. chopped dried cranberries (or could use raisins, flaxmeal, chopped seeds or nuts, coconut, chopped oats...)

Mixed together then rounded into balls and rolled in shredded coconut (for gluten free variety). Or can roll in 1/2 c. wheat germ and 1/2 c. crushed graham crackers.

Gluten/Lactose Free Progress

Day -1:

• ate an ice cream parfait on the way to Nana and Bumpa's to pick up the girls from a fun weekend
• drank a medium sized glass of milk
• felt YUCKY!
• talked to Aunt C. about recent lactose problems...she mentioned a friend with a newly found gluten intolerance...
• researched gluten intolerance
  

Day 0:

• researched gluten intolerance
  
• decided that tomorrow was Day 1 of the Gluten and Lactose free me.
  
• put together a supper recipe for tomorrow with lots of yummy things including gluten and lactose...tested it...YUMM!!

Day 1:

• random rice, applesauce, hard-boiled egg breakfast.
• music with the girls.
• grocery store run to get "bread" aka corn tortillas, "milk" aka coconut milk, and snacks...
• Lunch
• naptime
• Aunt A comes and plays with the girls
  
• run to the grocery store to get my own version of the above mentioned yummy supper
• ruin my version of supper by putting corn tortillas and it is so much spicier that I get bad heartburn (I have never cared for corn tortillas...that will have to be an acquired taste for me)
  
• made brownies with brown rice flour! Great dessert!
• went out to get some wedding registry items for our family and Aunt R.
  
• checked the grocery section of that store too
• reminded by Aunt R. that there are lots of cereals (some of which are sitting on our fridge) that are gluten free!
  

Results of Day 1: Still nauseous but no distension of the stomach. Also, started getting an earache and possibly sore throat...that would be sickness #4 in 4 weeks.

Day 2:

• light-headed the past few mornings...need more food! I've been losing weight recently, well, I guess for the past year according to my recent physical
  
• Kix, coconut milk, banana breakfast! This seems normal! (Disclaimer...Kix is not marketed as Gluten-Free...so if you should read the label...I think it is, but there might have been a couple questionable ingredients...so double-check)
  
• found that french dressing is GF
• had a conversation with my doctor's nurse and the receptionist...can't make an appointment until November...but I don't feel good NOW! What to do??
  
• made GF chili (very mild though as I am realizing that currently spicy/peppery things give me heartburn...if I even know what heartburn is)

Results of Day 2: Still nauseous, but maybe getting better. (middle of the night pain in my throat!! trying not to go to the doctor this week!!)

Day 3:

• Corn Chex are GF although the generic brands are not...at least the generic that I looked at...
• feeling like I am eating "normal" meals and really healthy at the same time. More vegetables for sure!
• called a friend to ask who her doctor was, had a good talk with her
• hung up the phone and the phone rang, thought it was her calling back, it was my doctor's office...my doctor is making a "special" appointment time for me on Monday next week!!!!
• YEAH! God answered that quandary!! And I didn't even have to call them again!
• took a nap this afternoon and woke up feeling awful...had a snack...felt better after a bit
  
• have I said yet, no nausea today!!
  

Results of Day 3: No nausea!!! Upon further reflection about the after nap awful...that happens no matter what...naps, especially the longer ones are not always good to wake up from! Pain in my throat is turned into a right earache. Glad that I will be able to see my doctor on Monday. Craved a really good hamburger (w/ bun of course)!! I don't feel too saddened by what I have given up...except the extra money at the grocery store. Hahaha...

I will leave you with a yummy GF recipe!

Banana Bread

1 3/4 c. brown rice flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c. canola oil
2-3 bananas

Mix, place in well-greased loaf pan, bake 350 degrees for about an hour.
or 12 muffins: 20-25 min.
Double recipe and bake in bundt pan!

(Can't believe bundt is not in my "dictionary"...I just added it)

Experiment

My body has been feeling pretty crumby lately and I have decided to do a test on it. Today is Day 1 of a gluten-free/lactose-free diet for me. So far I can feel improvement! My abdominal area feels great, but the nausea remains. Just needed to make that announcement...I'm sure there will be more to come, but now is naptime and I am going to make brownies with some brown rice flour!!

Adventure

Kj is looking forward to a new adventure today. Nana's friend, Miss Mary is going to pick up the girls after a meeting in town and take them to see their Nana for the weekend. All morning Kj has been telling me that she is ready! "I'm ready now." Need to pack. "I'm ready now." But Miss Mary isn't here and we don't have the car and Nana is working... "I'm ready now." Nana sent a picture so Kj could be reminded of who was coming. She is now supplied with questions to ask Miss Mary...she knows that she was her aunt's piano teacher and that she is a nurse like Nana. She might ask for a story about her aunt, or ask if her aunt was a good piano student... Beware Aunty A.!

Another story...

Last night Kj called out for me just after Kevin and I had gone to bed. I couldn't figure out what she was worried about but finally got her calmed down by praying with her and singing Jesus Loves Me to her. Then I told her that I was going back to my bed after a bit longer. She said, "Mama, I'm sad." Why? "I'm sad because you are going to leave me." Oh, but daddy will miss me if I don't come back...just like you would miss teddy if I took him with me, daddy would miss me if I stayed in here with you. "Oh, ok." We kissed and snuggled and I headed back to bed and she was fine. I'm glad that reasoning worked. She's a good thinker. I'm so thankful that she could tell me that she was sad and why!

"Adoption Miscarriage" Part 2

A letter to our social worker:

Hi H~

We've been talking a lot this weekend about "what next" and how to proceed. I think my sickness was a blessing in disguise. We just don't feel like any of our three options (DRC, Phil., or domestic) are right at this time. Without specifically having M. in Sierra Leone, we don't feel like right now is the right time. L is still pretty young, and we have time. :)

A thought that has been recurring in my mind since L was born is that if we are to have an infant again, we might have to wait until L and Kj are in school, so I can sleep during the day with the baby. I really don't do well with waking up a lot in the night. Kevin actually was much better at that. He would actually hear the girls and I would generally sleep through it all...except when nursing that doesn't work so well.

Some questions to consider as we pause for now...How long does our agency registration last? Do we finish our homestudy now and update it when we are ready to continue again? Should we just wait for all of that?

Here are some things I have found about DRC adoptions, if you want to look at them or pass them on or just delete them! ;)

http://congoadoptions.blogspot.com/ --a listing of blogs of families adopting from DRC
http://homewiththedavises.blogspot.com/ --this lady I have been in contact with. She is very willing to share and answer any questions about adoption and One World Adoptions.

Some questions and thoughts about adopting and choosing an international agency:

http://kitumaini.blogspot.com/2011/08/for-all-of-us-adopting-parents-and-for.html
http://kitumaini.blogspot.com/2011/09/babies-families-adoption-reunification.html
http://kitumaini.blogspot.com/2011/10/open-international-adoption-anyone.html

I have also made a stronger connection with someone from my church. She is in the midst of her adoption process and I am so thankful for the chance to get into it alongside her and continue to encourage and support her.

I will let you know when Kevin and I have come to any more conclusions and if you have any questions, answers, comments, advice please feel free to let us know!! Thanks so much! aj

"Adoption Miscarriage" Part 1

We have come across a few roadblocks and we are now putting our adoption plans on hold.

Some of the roadblocks:

• This last week we were supposed to take our adoption education class and I was sick and we had to cancel. (Kevin had the time off of work, and I encouraged him to still stay home. The first day he did a little painting and then took us all to the park. Him and the girls played and I just relaxed and read on the sidelines. The second day we were able to eat lunch with friends and head to Bumpa and Nana's house to spend the night. It was a wonderful blessing!!) So, this big part of our homestudy is put off until at least January.
  
• The Minister of Social Welfare that was going to lift the adoption ban in Sierra Leone was fired...and now we are unsure when the ban may be lifted or how the process will go once the ban has been lifted. We would maybe have to reside in SL for weeks or months and we aren't able to do that at this time.
  
• We came up with a few options of "Where to adopt" from next, but they all have questionable aspects. Meaning, we're not sure if they are quite the right fit for us.
  
• My sicknesses these past two weeks (and L's) included 3 doctor visits, 1 doctor call and 5 prescriptions and lots of laying on the couch for me. I could barely care for my 2 children. How can I add to that right now? They both (especially Kj) need some extra loving, snuggling and reassurance now to recover from my illnesses. It really affected Kj--she's been acting out a lot. I now know what happens to her when she doesn't have as much quality time/loving!!
  

Adoption Miscarriage. That is the term that Kevin used. We have told a lot of people that we are planning on adopting and they all expect to see a new little one in our family soon. They expect to hear our stories of anticipation, progress, and excitement. If we continue now, it would just be for appearances, because now you all know that we are adopting and are looking forward to that day with us. But we can't continue right now. We don't feel at peace about it. We can't make this life long decision with uncertainty.

One thing I have found in all my researching:

A lady who lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 4 1/2 years started an organization to help fund an orphanage for babies whose mothers died in childbirth. The orphanage takes in the babies until they are 5 years old (school age) and then sends them back to live with their fathers. They also try to sponsor the children through their schooling. Here is her blog and her organizations website. Her blog has a lot of good questions to ask if you are wanting to adopt internationally...and right now I can't find that specific post...

How I Spent My Birthday!

The girls and I got ready for the day after eating part of our breakfast with Kevin. Kj and I were going to Bible Study and L had to stay home with our friend, E's mama. Didn't really participate in the discussion as I had been ill and unable to finish my "homework". Got dropped off back at home where E, C, and L were waiting. Got a call from my ride, "I'm a horrible friend, is it your birthday today? Well, have a great time with your good friend (meaning C)."

Went out to eat at a new restaurant. Two moms, three kids 3 and under. Adventure!! Not much fun talking. That's ok, it was quite enjoyable, and I didn't have to prepare it. Bonus!

Naptime...sort of. I kept hearing L's, "mama, mama." I go in and Kj tells me L is signing potty. Good girl (l)! Wonderful helper (kj)! So, no naptime. Play, try not to play, play, try to read, play.

Kevin home and heading to church for supper. Again, no preparation for me!! And no clean-up! L now has goopy eyes, so took her out with me when my friend surprised me with a treat outing. Yummy bagel to share. Back to church to pick up the girls. Kevin stayed for worship team practice.

Some computer messaging fun with birthday well-wishers. Then sewing! Finished one hat, waiting for a part from my mom to finish the other. I'll post pictures another day. Kevin's now waiting and ready for my teeth brushing companionship. Good night! Good day!

Hats...

Found an adult hat pattern to match some that Roxanne made for the girls after L's birth. So, I decided to make a few for my aunt. The pattern (in case the link doesn't work someday) is a 7 1/4" circle (or two: one with cotton for the outside, one with flannel for next to the head is nice), and a rectangle 17 x 21 1/2". May have to make some for myself for the winter!! My mom is making some flower things...can't remember the name...it will come to me once I post this.

L and Her Random Illnesses

L had her second bout of hives today. Last time we thought maybe she had too many berries, this time ?? Not sure... reaction to my illness, she didn't eat anything different, she wore new pants... So, I changed the pants. The rash is nearly gone, but she still a bit warm. As I was laying the girls down for a nap, Kj says to me, "Mama, you can use a blanket for L during naptime. That will help her fever. Just pull up her pant legs and put the blanket on." How thoughtful. Love you girls.

Gratitude

• A wonderful husband who takes such good care of me when I am very ill.
• Two lovely daughters that are relaxing with their mama before temporary daycare begins again tomorrow, they were especially helpful by taking a two hour nap with me this morning!
• Left-over anti-nausea medicine from previous ER visit to keep me out of the ER two more times!
• Doctors that understand that if it has helped three times in the past nine months it may help in the future...thus giving me a prescription with refills.
• Doctors in general!!
  
• Good medical coverage!!
• A friend who knows how to check the furnace we thought was broken...no longer broke, and not needed with the change back to summer weather again.
• The thought of having my mom's homemade chicken soup the next time we visit her...at my request...when I couldn't think of eating anything else, that made me want to get to her house right away! Mmm, mmm good!
• Lovely friends - we dropped the kids off at their house for a doctor's appointment and they fed them supper and didn't mind that the doctor's visit took so much longer because I needed IV fluids. Kevin says as we were driving towards the doctor's office, "Everyone should have a R.'s family in their life!" I thought, "I hope we are that family to someone!"
  
• A flexible friend, willing to find alternate daycare for a temporarily weakened daycare lady.
• Windows open to hear the outdoor noises of fall.
• The bank statement in the mail today so I can toss the excess receipts we've had around here.
• Energy to do little bits of tidying.
• Our first homestudy visit tomorrow night. Glad they don't grade us on dust or toy dispersion or piles of laundry that will probably still be around.
• Health.
• Strength.
• Daily food.
• Music.
• Praise.
• Laughter.
• A little time for some girly movie watching.
• Girls chattering during naptime...probably because they slept this morning already...Are they thinking, "At least we have each other."
  

Just Bits

• On the adoption front: We are currently researching "other" countries (including our own) for adopting. We will probably let little M go as the adoptions are currently closed in SL and we're not sure about the process length etc. Democratic Republic of Congo is what we are doing most of our research about right now.
  

• Painting: Ah, I got to paint my way through last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It was quite enjoyable, as it was a change of pace for me. My mom was here to take care of the girls and paint shutters at naptime. We got a lot accomplished. On Thursday, I was realizing that I was a sporadic painter. I had to finish up a bit of priming before starting with the true house color. So, I was here and there and everywhere, and then as I started the true color, I did the same as I had to paint the dry spots. It kept me interested. :) Friday, I was a little more organized. Saturday, I lost my momentum as Kevin was back from his conference and was doing most of the painting. I'll have to get back to it in a couple weeks. It's my turn again. He finished up the peaks and now I have to do the second coat down below.

• Daycare: It's going well. The kids are getting along great and Kj takes good care of E when I am out of the room. They are good for entertaining each other and I am getting a taste of parenting 3. But...our time with E is almost over...it seems. Two weeks remaining. We'll see in October if I get more done or less done throughout the day!

• New season: You would think that with no kids in school one season would just run into the next with little to no change, besides the wardrobe! Well, tomorrow the girls and I start up BSF and Kevin starts clubs at church while I sit with the couch ladies and get our girlfriend time! I'm really looking forward to these things. Something really nice about our Wednesday church night is that they provide a meal. So, instead of Kevin rushing in the door, changing, gobbling down supper, packing the family in the car and heading to church. Kevin gets home. He hugs us all. He changes. We pack in the car. We drive a couple miles. We go through the line to get supper. We find friends to eat with and then we carry on with the nights activities. Marvelous idea!

• L: She is hilarious! My friend described her as a little mime. She runs around doing, doing, doing things and back and forth and all around, and so animated. She cracks herself up sometimes too. Which in turn cracks us up!! I asked my friend if Kj and Z were this funny at this age. She said yes! I don't remember. I LOVE THAT GIRL! We went out to eat tonight and she waves at everyone going by our table and when she was done eating we set her on the floor to look at a couple tables and she peaked at people and got them to wave back.
  

• Kj: She's a thinker. My friend didn't eat her crusts and Kj asked why not. My friend told her that she had very old bread and that it was all dry. So, Kj stores this new excuse in her mind for a later date. She kind of looked at me and pointed to her crust...No, I shake my head, that's not going to work for you! At one time she found out that my mom couldn't eat dairy products, because "her body didn't like it." She's tried that line before. So funny! This evening when I needed to hold E to give him a bottle or hold L because she was hungry, Kj requested that I hold her and snuggle her while we walked. She's getting too big for that, but I am glad that she can tell us what she needs. She is such a "big girl". I LOVE THIS GIRL!

• Bedtime: It's getting earlier and earlier. Kevin, a while ago, was falling asleep on the couch. He is now up and moving around, but I know he's still ready. Me too!! Another big day tomorrow. Better get the rest while we can! Take care all!!
  

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Oh, Brother!

Oh, my! I might have broken or misaligned something on my serger. I was just discovering the wonders of it this afternoon, making skirtleggings for Kj...I came across a "bump"...and uhoh...I am very sad. But, I just ordered a coupon through our recycling company. In a few weeks when the coupon comes in, I'll take it in if I am still concerned. I guess I'll be sewing with my sewing machine until then.

Sewing Streak...Hopefully!

Well, I have been enjoying looking over blogs and things with lots of sewing ideas, and now it is my time to DO IT! I have a sweater that my mom was given as a gift. The arms are way too tight for either of us. So, I took it home thinking that someday I would make it into a vest. Well, that day finally arrived...about a year after the original thought. Also, the sleeves, are going to make really good "leggers" for the girls when I get to deciding what length to fit them too. The other fun thing about this project is that I got to use my serger. Without any adjustments to settings I just serged to clean up the pieces. You know what!? No adjustments were needed. It serged perfectly.


I've also been working on a pile of flannel baby wipes. I meant to have them done before the rummage sale, but didn't so now they are meant for in between projects. Also, I am trying to record serger settings so that I don't have to keep testing them each time I get out a new fabric, so here are a couple:

This is something I was trying to make for C, but her birthday passed by, so I kind of set it aside...

This is the setting for the flannel wipes.

Adoption Money 3

Say, we got another grant, but we need your help. The grant is through a store called Ordinary Hero. We are now an "affiliate" of them. If you would like to purchase something from there store, you can give 40% of the cost to our adoption agency for our adoption. As you are checking out, you need to find our name in the affiliate drop down menu. If you are following this blog without knowing our name, please contact us by commenting on this post. I will send you the info you need, or just pick someone on the list to help them out!!



P.S. If we sold 250 shirts, it would pay for our homestudy!

Coffee Table Trauma

Well, we had our first coffee table trauma, in 3 1/2 years of children in our house. You know the real risk factor!? A mattress next to the coffee table. You think jumping on a mattress that is directly on the floor isn't so bad? Well, consider what is surrounding that safe jumping mattress. ;)

We had been moving some furniture around in the girls' bedroom and the spare mattress was on the living room floor. I was in the kitchen trying to get motivated to clean some of it, Kevin was at the neighbors trying to recover some waterlogged rummage sale donations, and Kj was jumping on the mattress. I had been holed up in the girls room arranging their new drawers and getting things together in there, so hadn't noticed anything wrong with the jumping. So, I didn't think anything was wrong. I heard Kj cry out and I thought she was being dramatic as she has been lately. I go in and her hair is matted in back, not sure what to do I call out for Kevin...if you remember he is next door...Thankfully, after waiting a bit, I pick Kj up and bring her to our new window (which now opens) and call again. I often call for Kevin so he also doesn't see urgency in my calls, so I had to tell him to really hurry while keeping Kj calm, with L underfoot the whole time...thought about sending her out to get Kevin. :) Do you think it would have worked??

Anyways, we made a Skype call to Nurse Nana, and then drove around town to a couple acute cares, which of course closed at 5, and weren't easily found online to try to decipher that ahead of time. Then headed back home, remembering that we have a 24 hour nurse hotline. Kj still had occasional tears, but she had been singing along to some of the songs we sang in the car, she hadn't been constantly crying, her eyes were fine, she could remember her phone number...so, we figured that we could just use the phone instead of using our yearly deductible.

We told Kj in the car that we would get out some frozen peas to put on her head for a bit. She started crying all over again, "NO, I want to eat them." Umm...ok, we could do that too. She didn't even bring up the ice cream that Nurse Nana had suggested. :)

I remember Aunt C. saying that she had brought a child to the clinic in Sierra Leone. An American friend had gone along as well. They thought the child might like ice cream after all the doctor's poking and prodding, but instead he wanted rice. So rice, ice cream, or frozen peas...What is your comfort food??