Glittery Pieces of Heaven

Monday was my first day back to school.  It was just a work day - no kids.  I am always thankful for that day...just to get my feet wet in the room again and get it ready for the new year. It was good to be back in my classroom and made me excited to see my kiddos.  I worked on getting my bulletin boards ready...putting up 2010 and all.  I never would have thought that I'd use stomach muscles to staple up bulletin boards...but I sure was sore last night. 

I spent the evening working on report cards and other paperwork for school.  And all the while...there were glittery pieces of Heaven falling from the sky...yep!  It was snowing!  Schools all over started calling in delays and closings...not mine, of course.  I had this theory that if I stayed up really late and got everything done...that maybe we'd be more likely to have a delay.  Well, I got almost all of it done, but finally went to bed...praying all the while that school would be closed!

It felt like I had just closed my eyes when my phone beeped with a text - SCHOOL CLOSED!  WOW!  Not only a delay, but the whole day!  Those glittery bits had come through for me! 

When I woke up this morning, I had great plans.  I still had about 10 report cards...and plenty of clothes etc to put away and things to straighten.  No such luck...I've stayed snuggled up watching Little House, and napping all day...accomplished nothing that I needed to.  Now it's nearly bedtime...and I still have report cards...

Oh glittery pieces of Heaven...still falling from the sky...please come through for me again and cause us to be out of school again tomorrow!

Fragile

Must be Italian...

Earlier today during the madness that was part of my domestic Diva day, the doorbell rang...it was the mail carrier with a package just for me!  My friend Tina had sent me a Christmas present.

Tina is a dear friend that I met while I was working at a church in Indiana.  One of our favorite things to do was to go to one of the local antique stores.  I decided that it would be so fun to have a collection of mismatched China instead of buying dishes.  That was before I knew how expensive each plate would be!  Instead of planning on a whole kitchen full, I started collecting a pieces of a particular China pattern...which just happened to be the same pattern that her grandma used to have.  For special occasions, Tina usually finds me some piece of the China. 

I have gotten quite a collection and it looks so beautiful in my China hutch.  In my package today, there was my favorite piece so far...

I love it!  Thanks, Tina!

Another month...

Today marks

35 months...

35 months closer to my Emma...

Domestic Diva, part 2

To top off the day of diva-ness, I made a pot of Tortilla Soup.  It's one of my favorite recipes, so I thought I would share it with you...

Tortilla soup

Fat - 6 grams           Calories - 214         Fiber 5 grams

Prep time - 1.5 - 2 hours

serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 small gan chopped green chiles

1/2 cup picante

1 10.5 oz can beef bouillon

1 10.75 oz can chicken bouillon

1 10.5 oz can tomato juice

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 cup sliced zucchini

6 corn tortillas (I don't like these in it...so I don't put them in) cut into 1/2 inch strips

1/2 cup shredded low fat cheese

optional - 3 oz cubed chicken

Saute onions, peppers, and garlic in oil in a large dutch oven until tender.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Add tortillas and simmer 5 minutes.  Top with cheese in bowls

Also good with a dallop of sour cream.

I shared the soup with my neighbors...kind of a tradition.  When I was getting my masters, I lived in married student housing - without the "mister."  I had the greatest neighbors - Justin and Katie.  katie is the most fantabulous cook - made everything from scratch.  I would often just happen to knock on their door at supper time...and they were always gracious to invite me to eat with them!  And sometimes, I would return the favor...although my food was not often from scratch...but still tasty.  This is one of the things that I would make for them!  It smells fantastic cooking and they would smell it cooking...and come to my door at dinner.

Then, I took the pot of soup up to my parents' house.  We enjoyed dinner together and Mom and I played some cards.  But there was still soup left...

So I stole this idea from my friend Amy.  She makes pots of soup, cools the soup and puts it into freezer bags, places the bags flat on cookie sheets, freezes it and then you have easy to store bags of soup for a rainy day...So I have 2 servings of soup freezing in my freezer as we speak!

Domestic Diva in the making

I woke up this morning with BIG plans.  A family friend was coming over to help me take down all my Christmas stuff since I can't lift much yet.  Before she arrived I decided to make the most of some mushy bananas and made some banana muffins.  Then, I cleaned the kitchen, started the dishwasher, folded a load of laundry and started another load of laundry.  Mom and I even hung some curtains over my deck doors!

Awhile later I went in to the laundry room to put the load in the washer into the dryer...that's when I discovered that the washer had...well...apparently passed away. The tub was full of water and my dirty clothes.  I was afraid that instead of RINGING in the new year, I would be WRINGING out my wet clothes!  I was so thankful that a repairman was able to come out within 2 hours...and the fix was simple and (relatively) inexpensive.  The sensor switch on the lid had broken which kept the machine from starting the cycle.  Whew!  I am so thankful that I was able to finish out my laundry!

Clarification

I have been blessed by your kind thoughts, prayers, comments, and emails after my "disappointing" post.  I wanted to let you know that I am not giving up on China at all...just feeling a little unsettled.  I could certainly chalk that up to the after-effects of anesthesia and pain meds. 

I am healing just fine...preparing to go back to school on Monday - longing for a routine again!  Just had my dinner...a piece of deli ham and a slice of cheese rolled up.  Unbelievable how quickly I get full.  It's a little frustrating to rid myself of the old habits - emotion, boredom, and habit eating.  Eating just doen't have the same "comfort" anymore...I guess that's the point of the surgery.

So Disappointing

For those of you who are not in the China adoption realm...it's not pretty.  There are several things right now that are discouraging. 

First, apparently an American adoptive father sexually abused his daughter who was adopted from China.  China is taking this quite seriously and is suspending operation with that agency as well as the social worker who completed their homestudy.  You can read more about this here...

Then, this months referrals are beginning to arrive.  It's a dissappointingly small batch.

In 2005, nearly 12,000 children were adopted from China.
In 2009, the number has dropped to less than 2,000.
Unbelievable.  At this rate, the numbers suggest that it could take 15-20 years to get through the backlog of dossiers.  15-20 years.  Really? 

Iv'e been feeling unsettled about adopting a child with special needs, but at this rate, it seems as if that may be my only option if I truly want a child.  I'm praying for guidance...