injera.

well, i must confess that i do not know how to pronounce injera yet. the phenomenon astounds me. so this is a major bit of culture that i need to learn in order to smooth the transition from ethiopia to TEXAS. yikes. and my kids are sensitive to not only macaroni, but the BRAND of macaroni when we eat out. so i can only hope that my attempt at injera relays the message that i'm trying here. so, for those new to this word, i'll explain what i can and you guys fill in the rest. injera is a flatbread that is used in meals often. you can put all kinds of stuff on it, but it's their main staple carb, like our sandwich bread. like at least once a day. so that's maybe a big deal to try and master. it's a little bit like a sour pancake and  a vessel for delivering yummy stuff. i've found a million recipes and such that provide different ways of creating this food, but this is the one i'll be using to guide me in my attempt.  and you can be sure that when i get all my ingredients together that i'll be making it here so you guys can get a good laugh at my cooking.

fun stuff: announcements

one of my favorite parts of procreating is the birth announcements. i'm not gonna lie. i love them. it's such a fun little task. picking the mood, theme, and colors. taking the pictures that you use to introduce your new person to everyone... i just adore it. i love that adoption announcements are catching on. same deal, different wording, but it gives you a special way to help everyone put a name to a face and join in the celebration. here's some great ones that i have found. click on them for the links.

new week, new family.

hey dollar mob! how was your weekend? ready for a new week? me too. let me introduce you to the waymans. this is jen and christopher. i think it's special that they are so open to adoption, even before attempting biological children. we're all coming from all kinds of different places, everyone choosing adoption and Africa for different reasons. i love hearing everyone's different stories. they felt led to start their family through adoption and were obedient without question. gotta love that! go one over and read a little note from mom and donate to their adoption. your one dollar makes a world of difference to this family. every dollar is like a hug and a sigh of relief. that's what it feels like. you'll want to be a part of that.

update on Abby

Hey guys,

I just wanted to update you on what's up with Miss Abby and to thank you for all your prayers and emails and comments and casseroles. The patient is doing fine. We went to Shriner's Children's Hospital yesterday and it was amazing. The facility is very cool. They have everything there to make sure that the children are cared for in every way. She loved all the toys, but wasn't wild about anyone in scrubs or a lab coat. The had to take her to a scary room and scrub her burn which is one of the worse things I've had to endure. I'm sure she'd agree. But it was necessary and we probably won't have to do that again. She's going to have minimal scarring, no graft needed as long as we can prevent infection. We have to keep this really nasty goop on her head for the next month. It's a little funky, I'm not gonna lie. But we also get to dapple in hair accessories. I'll be hitting etsy for all giant floral headbands. That's the rage, right? And we'll be sporting the classic pixie cut next week. She'll have to stay out of the sun for a long time, but if we're super careful for the first year you shouldn't be able to see it much when she gets bigger. She's having nightmares and not eating much, but they say that's to be expected. She's a little angry and ragey. She's going to be ok, though, and I'll keep you posted on her recovery which should be quick and simple hopefully. Well, thanks so much for all our sweet thoughts. We really appreciate it. And I'll be back in full force on Monday. And great job with the Kingsbury's, by the way! They earned over $500 to put towards paying off their adoption loans and are so grateful. You guys rock!

a little interruption.

you guys, i am so sorry, but i have to take a teeny break for a couple of days. my sweet little abby just got out of the hospital. this afternoon i was baking cookies and had a candle burning. totally relishing in the cheesiest variety of mommy smugness. i was even wearing an apron. and then i hear abby screaming. she's climbed up on the kitchen counter to get to the cookies that were cooling and her long hair caught fire. by the time i turned around i saw my toddler's head on fire. i can't tell you what that does to a mom. we went to the hospital and she's got first and second degree burns on her face and ear. but it wasn't a big big deal. they released us and we're going to shriner's tomorrow to see a specialist. she's feeling ok. hopped up on morphine and sporting a mean mullet. so that's what i'll be doing this week. please pray for us. i know burns are supposed to be the worst pain ever.

anyhoo, i'm supposed to be drawing attention to the kingsbury family, and now i've got to take a few days off. so cover for my inadequate blogging and make sure they get their dollar this week so i don't feel so guilty, ok?! i'll keep you posted on what's going on as it develops. thanks for your patience. i'll be back in a few days once i get girly sorted out.

Photoshoot.

Some faves from a shoot I did this weekend with some friends of mine. I got to photograph this little guy when he first got home from Ethiopia two years ago. That was so cool! Anyhoo, I just loved how these came out.

ImagineNations Art Globes

Have you seen these?! Are these insane or what?! I love them. I'm seriously thinking of how to do an Ethiopia globe. Any ideas? These ImagineNations art globes are by Wendy Gold. They are perfect in every way. What's your dream globe?