kicking off the cooking project!

You know, some people have the cooking gene and well, some just don’t. My grandma was a wonderful cook. She made homemade noodles that were to die for and although I never tried that weird jello thing with fruit inside, I bet it was actually pretty good, too. She made me fall in love with pecan pie. I still love pecan pie. It just happens to come from the freezer aisle. Since I don’t have that said cooking gene, this is going to be an interesting experiment. You see, I’ve never eaten Ethiopian food outside of Ethiopia, but I do really love it in Ethiopia.

[caption id="attachment_1284" align="aligncenter" width="388" caption="My husband eating Ethiopian food in Ethiopia, the real deal."][/caption]

I’ve read a lot of books and articles, attended great conferences and have great small groups with their own experiences transitioning children into their families. I understand the key role that nutrition can play in this transition. Let me preface this: there is a lot of very important information about the importance of nutrition in the transition of international adoption, including issues with food anxieties like gorging or hoarding that are related to previous malnutrition. I don’t have the expertise to address all this, but I highly suggest doing some research (I appreciate some of the information found at http://adoptionnutrition.org/) to understand and attempt to prepare for it. What I do know, though, is that I’ve heard it’s important to serve your child some foods that are familiar during the transition of introducing new foods into their diet. What does this mean?! I’m on a journey to learn to cook Ethiopian food, and you’re invited!

So here’s the deal. Each month, I’m going to be trying a new Ethiopian dish. First up, I think I should master (ha, I said master…like the confidence?!) the basics: injera. Injera is kind of like a flatbread that is spongy and soft. It’s made from a grain called teff, something very common in Ethiopia which is what makes it such a great staple for the country. It’s used to scoop the food and replaces all utensils. What’s better than a good description? An even better video. This is a friend of mine demonstrating how to properly eat Ethiopian food, from my first trip to Ethiopia.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVif9iDYN0U]

Get ready to kick this little project off in February. Why not January? I need some time to hype myself up, people. See above, where it says I’m not a great cook. So January is a time of introductions. I’ll be sharing my recipes, my experiences (including pictures, of course) and hopefully a few comments from the hubby. I hope you are as excited as I am! And be gentle with your comments. Remember? Not a great cook! :)

New Week, New Family

Hey Everybody! I hope you had a really restful weekend. We're taking it super easy over here and it's a little bit wonderful.

So, you ready to meet our new family? You're going to love these guys. I know I always say that. I just love all our Give1 peeps, don't you? Ok, here we go. Say hello to Emily and James Hapner. I'll let Mom tell you a little about their story.



Just over 15 Months ago we began talking about beginning a family.  Through much prayer and divine intervention, God made it known that His plan for our lives included adoption.  With much excitement and holy fear we started the process.  God said, “NOW” and so, with not a penny set aside for adoption we applied to our agency.  It was a whirlwind of activity and for months the flurry of paperwork didn’t stop.  We plowed ahead trusting in God, who’s plans are far bigger and better than ours.  As a teacher and a nurse we’re diligent in our work, however with college (loans!) not too far in our past, we didn’t have extra money (let alone $25,000) at hand.  However, God granted us an incredible team of supporters who cheered us on and invested in our journey.  We have done numerous fundraisers (online adoption auction, t-shirts, puzzle, Uganda necklaces, coffee, and concert) yet, we have still come up short. 

It’s been an incredible journey of faith--and in some ways it’s just beginning.  In the past year we’ve lost a referral of another little boy and we sat at my mom’s side as she was welcomed home into the arms of Jesus.  We’ve experienced incredible heartache and yet, God is refining us for His glory.  After all, this is His story....we simply get the pleasure of taking part. 

Today, I’m typing this staring into the eyes of our sweet boy---who’s pictures grace our computer screen.  Yes, we have our long awaited referral!!!    God is good and so faithful and through it all we have learned---again and again---joy comes in the morning and is so worth the wait.

Now you guys know why we're here: to support this family with sweet words, honest prayers, and dollar bills. Let's do it. Lift up this family and little Moses.

Donate your dollars, grab a Kleenex ( I am so not joking), and pop over here to see their video. And then help spread the word.

Between Friends

When I heard about how we were going to surprise this week’s family on Give1, I was super pumped. I love surprises! I loved that Missy was boarding a plane to see her kiddos for the first time, and in the meantime, her friend Chrissy was making her video for Give1 behind her back.

Well, our cover was blown. This is from Missy’s blog:

“I was not supposed to know about this. But on my way out the door to Ethiopia, I found out that two women I have never met [Beth and Chrissy] had secretly stayed up late into the night preparing the surprise of a lifetime for my family.”

Wait, What? Missy and Chrissy have never met? (Even their names make you think they’re twins!) How cool!  These two women were sharing the fundraising spotlight with each other, not out of obligation or some friendly expectation…just simply because they wanted the other to be able to afford their adoptions…to bring home the children God had found just for them…children who desperately need them. What a beautiful friendship.

Super secret surprise or not, I love that we (the Give1 family) were able to be a part of this story. Let’s wrap up the week by showering blessings on Missy and her growing family. Let’s give $1, $5, $12…whatever we can to make this leap of faith (the adoption process) easier for Missy’s family.

By the way, Missy and Chrissy will meet for the first time next week…“on the other side of the world, as we stand together in court to claim our children.”

fashionABLE

I know Christmas is over and we're supposed to stop shopping now, but I'm now looking at some spring trends and look what's on the radar...

I came across these today and I'm in love. FashionABLE is a nonprofit that makes these amazing Ethiopian scarves (that I totally want for my birthday, honey. I know I said I didn't want anything but I totally lied cause I want one of these***) and the money goes to the women who make them, former prostitutes. Here's a little video created by the founder that shares a bit more.

Simplicity is a Good Thing

Hey ladies,

So, this crowd is a mix of gals, some adopters, some not. But I have started reading a book called Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids, and I think this a gem. Though I think the author could have heeded his own advice and whittled the name of the book down, I think that anybody could find this one useful. When you adopt and are getting ready for your home study you are given a huge list of reading to do and I totally think this book should make the list. From an adoptive standpoint, apparently my future child might really really really benefit from a serious slow down. How many kids are screaming at you right now? Right this second I have one screaming at me. The other one went to SCHOOL today (happy dance), so it's just the one screamer. Ok, now my Ethiopian child is one of 100 in the same house. I imagine, first of all, that that's pretty loud. I bet smells are out of control. I bet she feels out of control. She owns little. She has no choices (what to wear, eat, do today). No one to slow down and teach her anything. This type of thing can lead to developmental delays and insecurity.

So when she gets here it's my job to sort of hit a reset button. This book was written by a psychologist who has working in developing countries, particularly with children who are part of families fighting for survival. Then he worked in England and America and found that our children behave similarly to children experiencing post traumatic stress disorder. They can be easily overwhelmed, the exhibit controlling behavior, the have attention deficit disorders, are hyperactive. The connection he has made is super interesting. His theory is that both sets of children have been dumped into an adult world with little reverence for slowness (is that a word?) and childhood. We might say we have reverence for childhood, but really the speed of our lives, the overwhelming multitude of decisions, the multitasking, the political discussions, the working from home (guilty of all of these)  can't possibly make room for the pace and space that childhood really requires. I tend to agree. Now I'm getting to the good part of the book, what to do about it.

This guy is nicknamed Dr. Trashbag because he first suggests a HUGE slimming of stuff. I'm undertaking it today. Don't yell at me. I'm not all the way in this thing. I haven't even finished the book. BUT my kids aren't even playing with the toys they got for Christmas. They probably don't even know what they got for Christmas. He suggests first to take the toys (and books too!!! yikes!) and get rid of half of them. Then take the half that you are left with and half that. One half goes in the room, the other in 'reserve' to rotate through. I'm working on this while the kiddies are gone today. He largely uses Waldorf type stuff claiming that imagination and lack of crazy whacked out toys and SpongeBob help kids develop at a natural pace. In my bones, I agree. Let's test the theory. While this type of thing is supposed to be ideal for adopted kids, who in the world could not benefit from slowing down and turning off?! The Amish, maybe. But I'm going to give it a shot!



PS. Have you donated to the family of the week yet? That's why I write this craziness. So you'll give some other family money. I'd be pleased as punch if you did. This mom is meeting her 2 new babies right now. She can't spread the word about her own week since she's out of town. Could you do it for her? Just hit that red button over there at the top right.

Art and Philanthropy

I don't really think words are necessary for this post, do you? All images (and a million other awesome ones) come straight from my current favorite Etsy shop, Art and Philanthropy. Go check these out!

New Year, New Family

Wow, what a year 2011 was. You guys brought in over $21,900 for 17 families since August! WOW! Just wow. I don't have good words for that. Except I'm humbled. I'm impressed. And I'm excited about this year because we are just getting started!!! So let's do it.

This week has a super exciting twist. See, Mama is on her way to Ethiopia tomorrow and she has no idea she's currently being featured on this blog. Her dear friend, Chrissy Jensen, was scheduled to be on (because Missy nominated her). But then the Jensens were blessed with 10K in one day and thought surprising Missy might be a fun idea instead. I couldn't agree more. So Chrissy made her video (which i adore so much). I am so moved by both of these families and their beautiful friendship. This is going to be fun...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lyOi1knC4c]

I adore Mama Missy. Her blog is soooooo well written. Not like this one, where the author has to use extra letters in one word to convey strong emotions. :) Check it out to be inspired.

This week the donating will take one more click, but it's totally worth it. Here's the scoop. Missy will be traveling to Ethiopia TOMORROW to meet her two babies (a 3 month old baby boy and a 6 month old girl). I can't wait to see updates when she gets home! So this week, while Missy is in Ethiopia cuddling her new sweeties, we will be blasting their paypal account and watching those dollars come in! We'll be heading over to their Charity Project site to donate so we can get updates on their donations. She won't even know how much they have. But we will! How fun is that?! So go donate and spread the word. And tell me how you like the Charity Project site. We set one up and love it. We might just all switch if you guys like it. I think it's cool. It really let's you get to know the family if you want to. And I love the comment section. It's my fave. Ok, enough talky. Let's bless this adoption. Ready, set, go.

And here's the regular paypal link if you want to do it that way. I can't wait to see what God has planned for this family.