Divine Caroline

Just wanted to spread the word. Our Little Tongginator (well, her mama) has been nominated for a Divine Caroline award. She's got some good competition, many sites I read, enjoy and learn from myself. But out of all of them, if I had to choose one and only one, I would go with TM every time. I have learned so much about parenting an adopted child from her, and parenting in general. She's warm and sharing with just a touch of the sassy that I love so much.

I already voted. If you'd like to add your vote for TM, follow this link. (BTW, this is not a paid plug, there is no incentive to write this post - except that I feel this strongly about Tonggu Momma.)

My poor little neglected blog

It's so neglected. I've missed blogging, and I haven't. Odd, I thought I would. It became one of the many things I needed to do each day (or every couple of days). It became in my mind the dishes, laundry, vacuuming, etc. I don't want my blog to become just another chore, but I don't want to close it down either.

My current plan is to return to blogging ... just post less. Probably just a few times a month. I really want this to stand for Emi's temp baby book. I really do want to do a 'real' book someday, and this is a place for me to jot her life down so I don't forget anything. Both big and small. I am not going to try to back track and catch up right away. I do have things that I want to blog about, nothing earth shattering, but for now I am just going to move forward.

There is still that behind-the-scenes-thing-that-I-can't-blog-about going on. Sigh. One would think I could. Sorry, but soon. Heck, it better be soon or I am jumping off the first available bridge!

So, what have we been doing the last few months? Not a lot. Heh. It's summer, it's hot. But then there are days that it's not hot. Emi and I hang out in the backyard, playing with her water table and sandbox. We are no longer going to speech therapy. The insurance folks and the billing folks couldn't, for the longest time, get the speech folks paid. So, we put ST on hold until they could. Once they did, we were out of the habit, and Emi and I seemed to be doing pretty well on our own. Also, it always drove me nuts how they did it. They just wanted sounds from her (p-p-p-pig). So, guess how she says pig now? Yeah. Up? Up-pah. Cute now, not so cute when she's four. So I've been working with her. We also have a couple of shows/dvds that are helping. A few: Word World and Leap Frog's Letter Factory (I am sure that over time we will get more in both series). Yeah, aimed at bigger kids and letters not necessarily words, but she loves them and they are helping with words.

So, you might ask (the few that may actually still check in here from time to time), what words does Emi have? Still not Mama (cry, sob, sniffle). Oh, she will mimic (if she feels like it) Jeff when he says "say Mama". But that's about it.

Words she does have:

• Dada (first word, from about 11-ish months old ... no, I'm not BITTER or anything!)
• up (yeah, up-pah, but still)
• uh-uh and ah-ha (along with nodding yes and shaking head no, which the speech therapist told us is actually something that is an older child thing ... like 3 to 3.5, go figure)
• Any and all animal sounds ... not their names, their sounds (she's *really really* into animals)
  
• beep (as in the Wheels on the Bus song ... you can thank me later for getting that song into your head for the rest of the day)
• dog
• pig
  
• Max (yeah, the dog's name ... but not Mama ... still not BITTER!)
• baby (pointing at herself)
• me (yet again, pointing at herself ... usually means she wants something, or to go do/go with)
• help (sometimes help me)
  
• Baba (for Barbara, still ... yeah, we are going to ignore that she isn't saying Mama yet .... )
• DAH! (Always with an exclamation point, and pointing at what she wants ... DAH! as in That)

I know there's a few more, but I can't remember them. Will have to add them as I think of them. The only good news is, she's still not saying no (smile). That, I am sure, will come all too soon. She does have a lot of sounds, and is usually more than willing to mimic a word/give it a try. But she's still not using the newer words to ask for what she wants. The problem is, unless we know the context, even if she does use words we can't figure them out. Many of her words have a da or ba sound to them.

Interestingly, her signing has come back. She now signs 'milk please' and is just thrilled to be able to tell us what she wants. I am going to get a couple more signing dvds so that I can learn them along with her. Now that she's (finally) showing interest, it may help bridge the gap until she has more words.

And that, is our life. Jeff is busy with work. We are working on the house. Emi and I are back to going to the Farmer's Market on most Friday's. She enjoys going, and we enjoy all the local produce. Max is still hanging in there. Emi is still too rough for him, tough love and all, but he just keeps coming back for more. I really want to get some photos of the two of them together but right now, she just can't keep her hands off him ... and we don't want him to get hurt. We are really surprised how much he's taken from her. She did get snapped at once, and we think possibly he caught her with a tooth on her arm. But she deserved it, and there was no mark. But boy was she ticked and upset. Not that it kept her from going back for more. But we are working on "gentle" and if Max is in one of his (many) beds, he is off limits. Yeah, still working on that concept too.

For the two or three that have made it this far ... here is some Emi-love in the form of pictures. At the end of May we attended the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration at Jeff's office. Before Emi and I went in, I snapped some quick photos.

Where did our baby go? Wow.

Taking a Break

Many thanks to those who have sent emails wondering and worrying. Yes, we are fine just frantically busy. My mom was in town last week for a quickie hit of the ever wonderful Miss Emi and we have more behind the scenes going on here that I still can't talk about on the blog (ugh!). Supposedly it should be done enough next week so that I can, but I am not holding my breath. (No I am no pregnant and no, no more China babies are in our future ... both of those have been guessed!),

However, we are crazy busy with household projects and Emi seems to need me around more than usual. Since I am not a laptop blogger (how do you guys do that? no mouse, no real keyboard?) I need to be in our office while blogging. Fine for on-the-road or the odd post or two, but not for every day computer use (at least not for me). Am I showing my age? :)

So, signing off for now. Am still checking in and reading blogs, trying to answer emails as time allows. I miss blogging and hope to get back real soon.

HELP!! - Updated

RC&T and REcipe Box are going on a blogging break until I can figure out this mess. It seems to be spreading, now some of my links are different colors and my comments boxes are also teeny tiny. Hopefully I can figure this out. BTW, yes there is a help section to blogger but since I am truly clueless as to what the problem is I am having a hard time figuring out how to find the help.

A very happy, belated, Mother's Day to everyone. Needless to say, my MD post and MM didn't happen yesterday.

~~~

I don't know how I did it, but in both RC&T and Recipe Box I somehow made the composing and dashboard screens SO small I can't even read what I am typing! Is it a formatting thing? Does anyone have any suggestions? There is no way I can blog like this. What a mess.

For those that have suggestions, feel free to leave a comment or email me at kiy @ inbox . com. Thanks!

I was featured!

Okay, first off ... for those that get this in a reader format, yes I messed up and published this before writing my post. Blame it on this nasty spring cold I have, or the fact that I just hit the enter button instead of the tab. Both would be correct.


So Friday, on day I so needed it, I got a wonderful email. It was from Kirsty over at momedy. She is a new find for me, I can't even remember how I found her, but I see by her followers list, we have many bloggy friends in common. She does something called Featured Friday Follower. What she wrote about me was so sweet and kind. She gave me a smile on a day I didn't really have one. Kirsty, thank you, so very much!

Okay, so you ask why Kiy, who almost always has a smile, didn't have one? Couple of things. First, the above mentioned cold was just starting. I hate being sick (who doesn't?) and I was feeling sorry for myself. I kicked my own butt about that, whined a bit to Jeff (poor guy) and while I am still feeling totally crappy the boo-who-me is gone. I also finally made the decision to not take a trip I had been working on all week. I was going to take Emi on another train ride, to the Mall of America and the Minneapolis Zoo. We were going to splurge on a sleeper car and it was going to be fun fun fun. Sadly, I dithered too long and the only price I could (sorta) live with had us leaving Sunday (last) night. As it was then Friday, I didn't know if I could pull off the packing and scurrying around in time. Then the cold hit, so the decision was basically taken out of my hands. I still wanted to go, so was back to the poor-me. Gesh, what a whiner! lol

There is also something going on that I am not free to talk about yet, but will be resolved either way this week. It's been going on for the last two-plus months, but it's come to a head and the decision has been made. Once it's official, I will feel I can blog about it. But last week it was still a mess and it's been messing with me. Again, boo-who-Kiy. Snap out of it gal! Enough already!

Okay, I really am laughing at myself. I am feeling sorta better today and woke up with a whole new attitude. Also, if you are not a regular reader of the Monday Musings, follow this link and read them! I have to say, the ones that I've had time to read so far really helped my mind-set. Positive happy thoughts, good vibes, wonderful quotes. I figure if they could help pull me out of my funk, maybe they could put a smile on someone elses face too!

Off to play with Miss Emi and simply, be. I need to remind myself that it's the simple things that bring the biggest joys. Watching her play makes my heart smile.

Joy of Chocolate Roundup

Because, frankly, you can never have too much chocolate!

Maisie Eats Bento

I learned about Bento when Jeff and I lived in Japan. It's fun, can be quick or time consuming depending on your level of perfectionist (haha, guess which one is mine?) and it's just too darned cute. I was looking for some ideas and places to buy cute Bento stuff for the Emlet awhile back and stumbled onto this site. The cool thing is now, she's holding a giveaway! Hop on over to this post and you can enter too!

Obsessions & Revelations

Tamy gave me an award awhile ago, but I didn't realize it (oops). I really need to pay attention better! I thought it was so sweet what she said about me, and I wanted to share it.

There is always something creative going on and I love how she wears her heart openly.

Awfully darned sweet of her, and you know, I didn't know that about me. I guess I am a soft-hearted sap, and I am okay with that! :)

For this award, I am supposed to list 5 things I am addicted to, and 5 blogs I am addicted to. I thought this would be difficult but I found I have a list a mile long. But, since I am just supposed to list five, I will stick to that.

1. Counted Cross-Stitch - No big surprise there. What's surprising is my total lack of time to work on my projects. It is something I am working on now that Emi is older. I miss it and so completely enjoy my time when I am stitching.
2. My cell phone - I didn't realize quite so much until this happened. I talk to my mom at least every couple of days. Some weeks, it's every day. Let's just say, I miss unlimited calling - good thing she has it and can call me back! But really, what it has is just about every number I need - Emi's doc, Max's vet and groomer, phone numbers of folks I don't call as much as I should, etc.
3. Travel - I tend to get this itch and then start twitching if I don't have something going, something planned, something at least brewing in the back of my mind. It doesn't have to be elaborate say like that little trip we took to China, it can be something as little as taking Emi to the aquarium in Seattle. I have a few things brewing now, one of which will be happening soon I just haven't decided which one (Seattle Pier, Tacoma Zoo or ... Yellowstone!)
4. Good Friends - I truly feel that good friends, really really great friends in fact, are the family that you choose. I am close to the little bit of family I have left, and always thought I'd have a big family. So, I am making that family! I have a small circle of people that I can call seriously wonderful friends. The kind that would drop anything and come running if I asked, the kind that could and would talk for hours on the phone if I needed/wanted, the kind I can bear my soul to. Strangely enough, few of these friends know each other as they live all over the place. But, it's so great to have these people in my life.
5. Ice Cream - There, I've said it. Out loud. I really am. I need to not be, but I just can't help myself. My mom recently told me about Edy's (Dreyer's) Yogurt Blends Ice Cream (well, not really ice cream but it tastes like it!). It rocks, and I don't feel completely guilty having a bit every single day. Because I eat this, I have to ride my recumbent bike more. Well, I should ride it more. I think about riding it more! Sadly, the bike is not on my obsessions list.

Oh and yah, I am addicted to my sweet hubby who is so amazing (and patient) and my ever-wonderful daughter (with her quick smile, quirky sense of humor and the fact that she loves giving kisses).

~~~~~

Now I am to list my addictive blogs. HA! My following list is uncontrollable! I can't seem to not add blogs because there is always something to like on (most) blogs. I have posted something similar before, so I am going to try to talk about different blogs this time (remember my Valentine's Friends Menu Plan?). These five are great reads for very different reasons, and it was so very hard to limit this list to just five.

1. Rumor Queen - it's not for everyone, as it's specifically geared to the Chinese Adoption community. It's not even for everyone in that community. Some folks live for it (me) and some it's just not their cup of tea. But I know that when we were waiting for Miss Emi I lived on that blog. I met some of my best friends there, and we still are close today. Even though we are home now with Emi, I still continue to read RQ and cheer when families receive their referral.
2. Fiddledeedee (hmmm, I still have her listed on my blog as It Coulda' Been Worse, how is it I can't get through a morning without reading her and I didn't notice the change?) - As I said, I read this blog every day. She makes me laugh, I can see exactly what is happening as I am reading, and makes me eternally grateful that Emi was not born a boy. Can you imagine? The amount of chaos now is staggering, add a Y chromosome ... nope, I can't even go there. Read her, she's laugh-out-loud funny. Just, put down the coffee first. You've been warned, I wasn't.
3. Blogs are Stupid - I have a pretty eclectic reading list. They are all over the spectrum but if they make my list they must have certain things going for them. Good writing is a must (not that folks read my blog for that, but I aspire to greatness - someday!). She makes me think, really think. She loves her boys, and roots for them, and sticks up for them, and goes to bat for them. I hope that I am her someday, a mom doing her best in a hard world of teenage mommyhood. I take away something every time I read her. I don't always agree with her, but then, I don't always agree with what everyone writes. If I wanted that, I'd read my own blog and call it a day.
4. Controlling My Chaos - I just can't get enough of Jill. She fun, has a great sense of humor, makes the coolest recipe cards ever (no really, she does, they rock!). I would love to sit with her and have a cup of coffee (in her kitchen, as she bakes too!). I know that we'd be fast friends.
5. Meredith Teagarden at The Days of You and The Things We Carried - I started reading her at first because she also had a sweetie from China. But then, her writing caught me and I had to start reading both of her blogs simply because, oh my goodness, she can WRITE! I get pulled into her stories so easily I don't realize time has gone by. This is the kind of writing I buy books for!

And there is my list. Now, considering I follow over 70 blogs (yeah, a bit overwhelming) it was hard to decide on just five. That number does not include the folks that I have on my sidebar (that I have just plain been too lazy to move to my following list). I think I am also addicted to blogging, or rather, blog reading! :)

Free Flip Mino HD

I never do this. I never post about contests giving away free things. This time is an exception because (a) I would really really really love to win this and (b) it's too easy not to. Head on over to check it out, it really does look awesome.

Here is what Ryan has to say:

Ryan McLean from Smarter Wealth is giving away a brand new Flip Mino HD to one lucky reader. This will be the easiest Flip Mino HD to win because barely anyone is going to enter meaning more chances that you can win.

The Flip Mino HD is the coolest gadget around. You can shoot one hour of video in HD (so you can play it on your plasma) and you can even edit your footage right on your device. This device is so small that it will fit in your pocket so you will never miss capturing a moment ever again.

To enter all you have to do is sign up for Ryan’s newsletter and post about the competition.

Check out all the details of how you can enter the Win a Flip Mino HD competition now.

Bloggy Winnings

A week ago or so (I tend to lose track of days, don't get me started on weeks!) Melanie over at Bloggy Giveaways hosted her quarterly carnival. Needless to say, once again I didn't pull it together to join on the giving but you can bet your Aunt Tooty I joined in on the winning. Or rather, trying to win. And, lo and behold, I did! I entered many, and won Shannon's over at Rocks in My Dryer - and btw, read her, really! I love her and always get a chuckle, a lift or something to make me stop and think (also, she has a new sweet niece, another family touched by adoption). I won a gift certificate to Lisa Leonard Designs! I have to say, I have wanted one of these since the very first time I saw them, two or so years ago. Simply beautiful!

Here is what I finally (and really, she has so many beautiful designs it took me several days to decide!) decided on. It's called Riveted Flower. She has a both heart and a star that is similar, I had a hard time deciding between the two. Engraving on mine will say
Emi Victoria 2-2-2007. I can't wait to get it.

I had wanted something on it that had her Forever Day on it (10/29/2007) but I am thinking that maybe (just maybe) I will get myself something then especially for that day. She has so many (so many! I have I said that yet?) great pieces that I know I won't be able to limit myself to just one. This one, wow! It continues to be my favorite, I just haven't come up with what I want it to say. It's in the Something Simple line (as is the one that's on it's way to me). This one is called The Open Circle. It's the piece that made me fall in love with Lisa's designs. I know I will have this one someday. Soon, I hope! I also love the simple circles she has, the dog tags are fun and cute, her new Bloom is amazing, the birds, the flowers. Yes, I could go on and on. No, this is not a paid endorsement (well, except for winning the giveaway, but this post is not required, I am just this in love with her goodies!).

Thanks so much to both Shannon and Lisa (and Melanie for hosting!).

Hot Cocoa for Magi

As requested, this is for Magi and everyone else
experiencing the yuck that has become winter this year:

Six Things That Make Me Happy

Karen tagged me the other day for this meme. Now, usually I am pretty bad about these things. Oh, my intentions are always good but then, I forget. I'd blame it on mama-mush brain but I was like this before. Maybe I should have asked Santa for a new memory chip.

Or ten.

I thought I'd have a hard time coming up with six things that make me happy. I didn't feel I could use the obvious - being Emi's mama, being married to the most wonderful man in the world (hands off gals, he's ALL mine!), etc. I thought I should do the un-obvious. Thus, my dilemma.

But, as I was wandered around the house picking up the toys, books, clothes, small animals (just kidding) that follows a young child, I came up with six that make me so happy. This was much easier than I thought.

In no particular order:

1. Feeling little Emi breaths on my neck when she’s fallen asleep in my arms. I savor these times.

2. Finding time to stitch

3. Watching Max-the-Wonder-Doglet snooze in the sun, and soak all that warmth into his old bones

4. Snuggling with Jeff (something that comes few and far between, old folks + toddler = exhaustion)

5. Travel, all kinds. Oh, and planning it. I love love love to plan our trips. And put our packing lists on excel. It’s a sickness.

6. On a rainy day, gathering some books and a cozy quilt and settling in for a nice quiet read

It was hard to limit myself to just six to tag! I am purposely trying for folks that I haven’t tagged before. Here is my list of victim’s tagee's: Gina, Barbara, TheSinger, Lythrum, Wendy, and ahorne. And, because I am a rule breaker and just could not whittle my list down any farther, my mom. Because she is a new blogger and has yet to learn the art/fun of stalking following she gets a pass on the tagging of folks. This time. Have at it ladies, I am dying to read your lists!

The rules…Link to the person who gave you the award. If you want. Post the rules on your blog. List six things that make you happy. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog. Let the person who awarded you know when your entry is up.

A new blogger in our midst

My mom! I am so excited, and have to share (brag). She's still very new to blogging, but I am betting with more practice and lots of successes she will be a blogging maniac!

Go Mom!

If folk have a minute, please stop by and visit.


Oh, and if you are a lurker with no blog consider yourself warned. This is exactly how the blogging bug bit me. All I wanted to do was read and comment on a friends' blog. Then he talked me into just trying it out. Now, I am addicted. Mom, the same way. Read my blog, wanted to leave a comment (not that she has yet, hint hint mom!). Then a friend of hers started a blog, so I helped mom start following blogs. Now she has a post up. Pictures are next!

What fun!

These are from last February when Mom was out for a visit.

BooMama Christmas Tour of Homes '08 - Our Home

Little Bit is happily watching Noggin so I have 15 seconds of uninterrupted time to try and finish this post. We shall see.


We didn't go crazy this year, but still wanted it special for Miss Emi. We did put up our tree, no real trees for this gal, we live in a desert and can you even begin to imagine how many times I'd have to water a tree in any given day?? I'd need one of these. Which, come to think of it, why hasn't something like that been invented for trees by now? All you inventor types, I gave you the idea, I expect my royalties check! Oh, and the vacuuming of the needles. Yeah, that's going to happen. NOT. So, fake trees are what happens in this house. And I'm okay with that. It will be noticed (sorta hard to miss) that the angel is a bit, well, tilted. No, she hasn't been drinking (although it might come to that, the poor gal). It seems Miss Emi cannot not touch the tree (the one finger thing? only when mama is watching it seems). Also, for some reason I have yet to figure out, the tree spins around in it's holder. Something that took Miss Emi 13 seconds to figure out. Of course, the cord tends to hamper things, but she's up to the challenge. The question is, are Jeff and I? But she is seriously enjoying the tree, which is the reason it's up. (Oh, and see the presents under the tree? No? That's because Miss Emi has figured them out, at 22 months. We don't think she realizes that there are goodies inside, she just wants the paper off. So, now they are up on the bar to the left of the tree. Safe, for now.)

We did make the decision to not put any breakables on the tree this year. There are wooden, felt/cloth and tin decorations. It's pretty in a not-over-the-top decorated way which tends to happen as I love buying Christmas ornaments. Every year I have to decide what to not put up. Actually, in years past I have had as many as four trees up scattered throughout the house. This year, just the two. The family tree and Miss Emi's in her room. She loves it and wants it plugged in every morning. Very sweet.

The tree skirt on the family tree is one my mom cross-stitched for us a few years ago. It's one of my most favorite Christmas decorations and prized possessions. Also every year since the first year Jeff and I were married (1993, wow, a looooong time!) she has given us (and Drew when he was little) a special ornament. Usually she would find them in little shops or at an arts and crafts fair, usually handmade and always with our names and the year. I love decorating our tree each year as unwrapping each year's ornament and hanging it on the tree brings back memories. It's a wonderful tradition that I hope she never ends. This year, my mom out did herself (not something that's easy to do!). See those little stockings pictured below on the right? She stitched those! Complete with gold thread, something that I flat out refuse to use as it's such a bear to work with. And she did it THREE times. She even made them into stockings. I so love them and had to call her the moment I opened the box to thank her.

(Hmmm, maybe I should have broke out the iron for that skirt. Ah well, next year.)

We have started that with Emi, so she gets two new ones each year, one from us and one from Grandma. By the time she is ready to move out (when she's 35!), she will have many ornaments for her own tree. This year has been the year of the penguin for Miss Emi, so I have been searching and searching for just the right one. Finally, I found one but because it's so glossy/shiny I just could not get a good picture so, use your imagination!

My love of all things autumn has been well documented but I also love and adore Christmas decorations too. I didn't put up a quarter of what I have, but mainly as I didn't want the stress of trying to keep things in one piece as Curious Girl (Danger Girl's alter-ego) loves to touch and hold, and ultimately drop. But I love the pieces I put up. I am not done with the mantle. I decided I need some red and gold balls to nestle into the greenery, but for now it works. The stockings I made one year when Drew was small (yes, Emi is getting Drew's hand-me-down stocking, that and a stuffed animal he selected to pass down are her only hand-me-downs, poor kid!). They are HUGE and no, we don't fill them. :)

Mom also stitched more ornaments for the little wooden tree (remember the birthday post?). They turned out so pretty and cute, and Emi was so excited to see them. She really gets a kick out of this little tree. I wonder what mom has planned for January, February and March (no pressure Mom!). Also here is the window over the kitchen sink. I used to collect angels and Santa's (some of them are pictured above on the mantle). I also used to collect snowmen (some are on the kitchen windowsill, pictured below). Now, I don't collect anything, unless it seriously catches my eye. I have six boxes of decorations, a bit over the top? Jeff seems to think so. :)

And, that's all the decorating we did this year. We did do a bit on the front door, but that is waiting for Barbara's Front Door Decor - Christmas Edition carnival. Which, a little bird told me, is happening next week. Make sure you come back for a visit!

Last, but certainly not least, someone must have told Mother Nature that BooMama's fun and games were happening this week. She arrived sometime in the wee hours of Sunday morning. So much for living in a desert. We had snow last year too. I think we were lead down the path in regards to "it rarely snows here" and last year's "this is a fluke, it so rarely ever snows here". Yeah, sure.

The sandbox, the (covered) back patio.


The evergreen pretty with snow.

Make sure you check out all the other spectacular displays, starting with BooMama herself. So far, there are already 445! Wow.

P.S. In all the decorating and snow shoveling (okay, I didn't but I was out there in spirit with Jeff!), I neglected to make any goodies to share while you all are here visiting. Darn. I would have made some yummy Christmas cookies like we made for the firemen, had I remembered. But I am sure, like Santa, by now you are all so full of yummy goodness that you are wishing you had reindeer to share the treats with.

Before & After

I wandered over to BooMama's yesterday and read this post. I thought 'great idea, I really should do it, but who knows if I would have time to get every-blasted-little thing done that I want done around here accomplished in a month?!' I decided, nope, not this time and went on with my day. Except, darnit BooMama, I can't get it out of my head. So, I am going to accept the challenge and select a couple of things that MUST get done.

Oh, for those that didn't follow the link (but gosh, you should as BooMama is totally a blast and makes my day every time I read her), here's the scoop:



We are supposed to make a list of our goal(s), ideally take photos of the before and after and then actually accomplish the goal(s). I have many (many many many) that I want to do, but I am going to select the most pressing and then if time (and Emi) allow, I can always do more .

My Goals:

1. Finally finish Emi's room. I know she's not even sleeping in there yet but there will (there WILL) come a day when she does. We do spend a lot of time in there and she is already noticing some of the changes. I think she likes them, and if she doesn't I am sure she will share that with me as soon as she has more than two words.

2. Get the last of the boxes and miscellaneous stuff out of the library (what most folks would call their living room). I really need to have ALL the boxes from our move out of the house. There might still be a (sorta) small pile of them in the garage but *get them out of the house*! Of course, I can't just move them (that would be much too easy). I really want to open them, paw through them, take out any treasures that I forgot I was missing and then move them into the garage. But for now, the goal is to just get them out of the library.

3. Hang some of the artwork/stitching. I have wanted to do that for the longest time, but I always think that's the 'dessert' to a room, basically, I do that last. Forget it ... I'm hanging as much of it as I can NOW! Two reasons, (1) I want to and (2) Miss Emi is wandering around the house more (although not unsupervised, shudder). She loves to touch everything, including going through the stacks (yes, plural) of artwork that mama has leaning against the wall waiting to be hung.

That's is. Yep, it's only three goals but they are fairly decent in time investment. So that's the plan. I am pretty excited about this. Who knows what this will lead to!

Soup-Tacular (Tomato-and-White Bean Soup)

<< UPDATE 12/08/2007: See note below! >>

The ever wonderful, ever witty BooMama is hosting Soup-Tacular this week. I couldn't not do this as I have THE end all, be all soup recipe. AND, it's so easy your 5 year old could make it! AND (and yes, there's more!) I found it at Cooking Light. Of course, if you add a loaf of bread or a couple handfuls of crackers, the 'light' part of this recipe flies right out the window. Dress this up at your discretion. (Oh, and btw, if you don't already read BooMama head on over and catch up ... she brings a smile to my life, daily.)

P.S. BooMama this recipe is especially for you. My guy doesn't find soup hearty or 'meal-like' either. But, he requests this!

Tomato-and-White Bean Soup – Cooking Light, October 1997
Canned tomatoes and beans make this soup a snap to put together!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
(I use the diced balsamic vinegar ones, when I can find, or the basil/oreg ones - or anything else that strikes my fancy that day and is in the cupboard - 12/08: I used 2 cans of diced basil/oreg tomatoes and one small can of Rotel ... to jaz it up a bit!)
2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, drained
(Great Northern Beans – usually, I just use 1 can, rinsed well)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can fat-free chicken broth
(usually, I use 2 cans - 12/8: I ended up using an entire box of broth)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (um, right – how about some handy dried stuff!)
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Estimated Total Time: 30 minutes

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes and next 5 ingredients (tomatoes through pepper), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls, and sprinkle with cheese.

That's it. Really! This is a very forgiving recipe. You have halve it (but, the leftovers rock!), double it, etc. We actually call this 'Dump Soup' as you just open cans and dump! This is my go-to meal when I am uninspired and with the ingredients as they are, these items are alway on my pantry shelves. Make this, you won't be sorry!

Kiy Notes:
**I also add a large can of mushrooms at the beginning, do not always do the onion and garlic step (skip for a time saver).
**I also add a can or two of zucchini (in tomato sauce), a small can of corn, a regular can of petite peas (12/08: I had a bag of frozen mixed veges in the freezer, I just tossed that in, and I tossed in a can of artichoke hearts in water, drained). Basically any canned vegetable that sounds good, but don’t add canned asparagus. When I tried them, they turned mushy very quickly and made the leftovers nasty!

As stated in the recipe:
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups soup and 1 tablespoon cheese)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 297(22% from fat); FAT 7.2g (sat 1.7g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.8g); PROTEIN 18.2g; CHOLESTEROL 4mg; CALCIUM 154mg; SODIUM 451mg; FIBER 5.7g; IRON 4.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42g

<<UPDATE 12/08/2007: So after posting this it looked so good, I ended up making it last night. However, when I was I realized that I did a few other things differently that I didn't post. So, if you printed this recipe out or even just read it ... look it over again! :) >>

Mom's Apple Muffins/Thanksgiving 2007

This past Friday morning I checked out Magi's blog (rarely a day goes by that I don't check in there - I don't comment much these days with time FLYING by, but I still my daily hits of both Sera and of Luanne's Nadia).

Where was I before I got lost in kissable cheeks and little girls who steal my heart? Oh yes, last Friday. So I stopped by Magi's and she had again posted on Overwhelmed with Joy's Favorite Ingredients Friday. This past Friday happened to be the Muffin Edition. Ohhhh, muffins! I love muffins, and used to make them more than I have lately. But, with Thanksgiving coming closer there is one muffin recipe I knew I'd be making. Rarely a 'big' holiday goes by without my making these. I am not sure when my mom started making these, but they are a big 'memory trigger' for me for the holidays. It's a little thing that says to me, family. It is a rare thing for Jeff and I to be with either of our families for the holidays, as we have lived far away from both going on seven years for Jeff's family and nineteen years for mine. Although, there are years that we did get to each of our families for one or more of the holidays, this year won't be one of them so I am going to try and make family favorites for both of us, to bring our families a bit closer this holiday season.

So, I was going to attempt to add my muffin recipe to Overwhelmed with Joy's blog, but Mr. Linky just got the better of me. By the time I figured out I needed help, Little Bit was awake. So I never got a chance to get back to figuring out Mr. Linky (and btw, it wasn't just me ... I asked Jeff to look over my shoulder to see if I was doing something wrong, he said it looked like a step was missing ... if I try this again I will have to get some help!).

So, here is the recipe I 'was' going to post. Enjoy, these are amazingly fantastic!

Mom’s Apple Muffins

Mix in a large bowl:
1½ cups brown sugar
2/3 cups oil (I use canola)
1 egg

In a two-cup measuring cup:
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon each: baking soda, salt, vanilla

Add milk mixture to sugar mixture alternating with 2½ cups of flour.

Fold in 1.5 cups diced apples and ½ cup chopped pecans (optional).

Sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Will be crumbly - sprinkle over each cup with fingers.
(Kiy's Note: I don't do this every time, neither does Mom but it's SO good with this step!)

Note: Don’t fill cups too much, just a bit more than ½ full.

Bake @ 325° for 30 minutes.

Makes about 15 muffins

~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Thanksgiving Menu:

Gail’s PSYCHO CHICKEN
Cranberry-Orange Sauce
Homemade Gravy
Mom's Apple Muffins
Boxed Cornbread Stuffing (yep, here is where I cheat!)
yams/sweet potatoes
mashed potatoes (more for 'Little Bit' than for us, usually I don't do this for just the two of us)
Impossibly Easy French Apple Pie
~~~~~~~~~~~

P.S. If you only read one post today, do NOT miss today's Blogs are Stupid! Although, Antique Mommy's 'The Sweater' post was pretty darn great too. :)

Friends in Blogland

While we waited for our referral I have met some amazing women. I may never meet them in person (real life) but they have affected my life. The list is quite long, but I met most of them through either quilt swapping (and I have yet to even start Emi's quilt!) or over at RQ's forums. Seriously, if you are waiting for your referral, be it China or any other country, and have not yet visited the forums ... head on over. That's got to be THE nicest group of folks ever. I honestly am not altogether sure how I would have gotten through the wait had it not been for these ladies (and a couple of very nice gentlemen!). I had support from a handful of very close friends, and even fewer family members, and of course the ever wonderful Jeff ... but the folks on the forums truly understood as ... they were living it too.

All this lead in is to talk about two ladies that mean a lot to me, and I bet they don't even know how much. The first women I want to chat about is Magi over at Kaffee Klatsch.com. She was, and continues to be, an inspiration. I followed her blog while she and her husband Jim went to China to get their little darling, Sera. I adore Sera, just the sweetest little thing ever. I *so* wanted to travel with Magi and Jim, and knew we wouldn't get to. What they did for me, and most likely many others, was give me the power and the courage that I was somehow lacking. The trip to China didn't bother me, I'd lived in Japan and knew the trip itself would be 'okay'. It was the unknown that had me worried. The Great Wall, and climbing it, and the other places they went, saw and experienced. I saw all this through their eyes and knew I could do it. One step at a time. And, if I couldn't ... it was okay. When it came right down to it, I needed to remember what the reason for this trip was. Emi. This is MY trip (well, mine and Jeff's) and I am going to enjoy it. No matter what. Because of Magi (and Jim). Thank you, dear friend.

The other special woman is Louanne over at Dwimble.com (I keep meaning to ask her what that means!). She and her husband Mike had a LID earlier in November, so while I knew we wouldn't get to travel with them, in the back of my mind I kept hoping for BIG referral dates so we could. She seemed fun, down to earth and a bit crazy. My kind of gal. I also fell head over heels in love with her daughter. It's like a love-fest, and whenever I was feeling down I'd head on over to get a 'hit' of Nadia (and Magi's Sera). Those were my first stops on the low days. How could I be down after seeing those two beautiful faces smiling back at me? I couldn't, and I knew that.

I think I found both of these wonderful ladies at times in my life that I needed them. They both empowered me in ways I didn't realize I needed. Special people, indeed.

Awhile back, Magi tagged me for an award. It was quite wonderful of her and I never really did thank her as much as I should have. It was terribly kind, considering all I did was bug her for more pic's of the ever-wonderful Sera. :) I think I am supposed to tag other people, but I am still new enough to blogging that I am not altogether sure how I am to do that. I am going to look into it though, and hopefully figure it out.

Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style- 2nd Edition

I found this over at Magi's site. I try and remember to head on over each week to catch the recipes, being a recipe collector (although, I've been slacking lately on my recipes). If you are looking for some tried and true new holiday recipes, check this out!

Overwhelmed With Joy

Ta DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

A couple weeks back, some of you may recall, I won a tremendous bloggy giveaway when Shannon (Rocks in My Dryer - don't you just love her?) hosted the most amazing Giveaway Carnival. What did I win? A new blog makeover from Revka over at RSDesigns! Well, after much tweaking and back-and-forthing, it's DONE!! Yippee!!

I'm telling you guys, that woman has patience like you wouldn't believe. Well, some of you might ... having dealt with my oh-so wonderful decisiveness before! ;) The idea I had at the start completely (after she had already started) changed 180 degrees when I saw something that I just loved, and wanted my blog like that .... only different. Hahahaha - sounds just like me, doesn't it? She tossed out ideas left and right, listened closely to what I wanted and what I didn't want, and eased my stress when I thought I was being a pain in the rear end (I *was* but she made sure to tell me I wasn't!). She "gets" who the blog is for and doesn't come into the project with preconceived ideas and she made me feel like part of the design team. She really wants to know where you want to go with this, and helps when you have no idea!

Those that know me know that I am a bit, shall we say, particular, about customer service. In fact, I am manic about it. Probably because of all my years in restaurant and retail management. It was pounded into me, and I (happily) pounded it into others! Revka's customer service is top notch, all the way.

I don't write this post lightly. If I had been 'so-so' happy and thought "ah, no biggie, I might not keep it later on" I would never have written this post. But, because I am gloriously thrilled with the way it turned out, I wanted to share just how great an experience this was.

If you are looking for a blog makeover, really, Revka's your gal.