Winding Vines Family Blog

Clothes have arrived at Nanjing Orphanage!

2010-08-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

We just received an email from the Nanjing SWI orphanage that the box of clothes Sarah sent has arrived! And not only has it arrived, but the kiddos are already wearing the clothes! They were kind to send us two photos of the kiddos in their new clothes. They've indicated that there are several boys at the orphanage and that they need boys clothing (you'll actually see that the boys are wearing girls clothes in the photo), so our next box will include clothes for the boys.

If you are adopting from the Nanjing SWI and see your waiting child in the photo below, we'd love to know about it!

First Donation Heading to China!

2010-07-23T08:52:00.001-07:00

Sarah is making her first donation to the children of China! She used proceeds from "Sarah Loves Ladybugs" and selected some clothes and accessories to send to her orphanage in Nanjing. She has 20 clothing items and 10 accessory items to send.

In China, clothing with English writing and bling is very "cool" so she's picked out some things that she's sure the kiddos will LOVE! And this time she's sending things for the older kiddos as many times donation of clothing are given for infants/toddlers.

She's already contacted the orphanage and they know the box is being sent. They'll be taking some photos of the kiddos getting the new items and will email them to Sarah .... she'll share the photos once they arrive.

THANKS so much to everyone for your support of "Sarah Loves Ladybugs"!! Sarah can't wait to save up for her next donation and looking into options for places to donate, so if you have a suggestion please let us know (any country, any orphanage suggestion appreciated).

Biggest Weekend Yet at Sarah Loves Ladybugs!

2010-07-19T09:09:00.001-07:00

(Zip top bags in large and medium, fully lined with stand-up bottoms)

We had our biggest weekend of orders yet! THANKS so much everyone! Thought we'd share a few photos with you of the handmade items we worked on this weekend that are ready to ship their new homes.

The zip top bags are going to three different homes. Fabrics selected were: Little Cow Girls, Black & White Toile and China Girls. And three three flannel pillow cases will be shipping out to different homes as well. Pillow case colors selected this weekend were: Pink Cupcakes, Green Monkeys and Chocolate Cupcakes. Plus we'll be packaging up some pearl and Chinese jewelry, a checkbook cover and hair bows and getting them sent off.

THANKS everyone! As always, custom orders welcome!

(Flannel pillow cases fit regular sized bed pillows, singles or sets)

Christmas in July SALE!! Up to 50% OFF!!

2010-07-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Up to 50% OFF!!!

Now through July 24th we're having a "Christmas in July" sale at Sarah Loves Ladybugs .com!! Items are up to 50% off! Great time to pick up some goodies to stash away for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries and more! As always, each item purchased comes with a card stating that 20% of profits are donated to worldwide orphan care. And we offer flat rate shipping for just $4.95 no matter how much you order. Special orders welcome as well for any of our handmade items.

Also, NEW HANDMADE ITEMS!! Sarah and Debbi have been working on zip top bags, pillow cases, checkbook covers, luggage tags, wrist key fobs and tissue covers .... each handmade by Sarah and Debbi in wonderful prints and colors. We have Chinese girls print in zip top bags, checkbook covers and luggage tags. We have Chinese character print in flannel pillow cases. Also, Autism Awareness print in our wrist key fob with optional coin purse. Plus, many more prints.

Until July 31 we're still taking entries into our "Help Spread the Word about Sarah's Store" drawing where you can win gift certificates to the store! We REALLY could use your help in spreading the word. If you'd like information on how to help and get entries, just drop us a note at sarahlovesladybugs@gmail.com . THANKS!

We hope you'll stop by the store at http://www.SarahLovesLadybugs.com !

Room Service, Anyone?!?!?

2010-07-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, the 4th of July, Kevin and I were being lazy (as normal) when the home phone rang. We did what we normally do when the phone rings, we ignored it and let it go to the answering machine. But this was a special call .... a call made by Sarah who was still in bed, using her cell phone and calling upstairs (ie, the living room and kitchen) to request .... what for it ..... ROOM SERVICE! Her message, "I'd like room service please!"

Little did I know that she also had left two text messages on my cell phone (which was in my purse so I didn't hear the messages come in). The first message reads "Can u make me waffles? Dad too please." The second message was sent about 20 minutes later and reads "Can u make waffles?" Guess the kid REALLY wanted waffles!! And she's a goofball!

No, she didn't get breakfast in bed. She did get waffles though ... I just roll that way!

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th!

Sarah's Store is OPEN!!

2010-06-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

Sarah's project is an online store called "Sarah Loves Ladybugs"! She has all kinds of wonderful goodies from handmade hair bows (panda bears, ladybugs & more), Chinese freshwater pearls, Chinese jade, sterling silver and lots of necklaces with BLING!

Best of all, she's giving 20% of the profits to charities that benefit orphans. The remaining profit will be set aside in a college fund for Sarah. The first charity she'd like to donate to is Half the Sky which works in her orphanage in Nanjing.

So, please stop by, tell your friends and family and best of all ... have fun!

Sarah Loves Ladybugs

( www.SarahLovesLadybugs.com )

Also, she has a new blog just for her store and a Facebook page .... PLUS she's having a drawing for great prizes!!! Here is the info on the prize drawing

Help us spread the word about "Sarah Loves Ladybugs" and you could win free goodies!!! Now through July 31 you can get entries into our free giveaway (no purchase required).

On August 1st we'll draw names for prizes. Prizes are limited to one prize per person and are as follows:

1 - $50 store credit to SarahLovesLadybugs.com

2 - $25 store credit to SarahLovesLadybugs.com

5 - $10 store credit to SarahLovesLadybugs.com

To receive entries:

Receive 5 Entries:

**Become an official follower of our blog!http://sarahlovesladybugs.blogspot.com

**Become an official "fan" of our Facebook Page!http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Sarah-Loves-Ladybugs-com/134851579859027?ref=ts

Receive 3 Entries:

**Blog about us! You'll get 3 entries every time you blog about us and include a link to our store in your blog post! Just post a comment on this blog with a link to your blog post or email us the link.

**Post about us on your Facebook page! Just let us know. You'll get 3 entries for each time you post about us and include a link to our store www.SarahLovesLadybugs.com .

Receive 1 Entry:

**For each of your friends who become a follower of our blog (Just drop us an email and let us know which friends you referred -- it's that easy!)

**For each of your friends who becomes a fan of our Facebook page (Just drop us an email and let us know which friends you referred -- it's that easy!)

You can find our email address on the main blog page. Feel free to contact us and THANKS SO MUCH!!!

Sarah's Project -- Clue/Teaser #6

2010-06-02T05:05:00.000-07:00

We're in Disney for our summer vacation so sorry I haven't posted as much. We drove down to Florida so had two full days in the van and we're starting our third day at the parks. Pin trading is super fun and we also enjoying the calmer rides (Sarah doesn't really like roller coasters or scary rides) and lots of great sites and food. We've been busy hanging with Mickey and the Gang!

Here is clue #6 for Sarah's Project. Kevin tells me I should call these "teasers" instead of "clues". By whatever name, here it is ....

Clue/Teaser #6 -- This cute little Chinese panda is saying "Ni Hao" in Chinese which means "Hello" or "How are you?" So, how are you?

Clue #5 -- Sarah's "Project"

2010-05-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Clue #5:

In 2006 “Half the Sky” (www.HalfTheSky.org) started projects in Sarah’s orphanage. This photo was taken approximately 12 hours after we met Sarah for the first time and about 2 hours after our adoption became formalized. We went to the orphanage to visit and for Sarah to say her good-byes. Here she in one of the younger children’s room. In the back left of this photo you’ll see a woman in a white shirt. On the front of her shirt is the “Half the Sky” logo indicating she is a “Half the Sky” employee.

“Half the Sky” is working in many of China’s orphanages. Thousands of children are now enrolled in “Half the Sky” programs to provide love and hope for orphaned children. Since “Half the Sky” began its work in China in 2000, more than fifteen thousand children have benefited from one or more of these five innovative programs: The Baby Sisters Infant Nurture Program, The Little Sisters Preschool Program, The Big Sisters Program, The Family Village Program and The China Care Program.

Sarah's Project -- Such a Mystery!!

2010-05-24T11:03:00.001-07:00

Oh my goodness! We've received emails, phone calls and texts asking ...."What is Sarah's project?" Well, it's still a secret until we get a little further along .... hopefully mid-June!! But, we really appreciate all the interest and thought we'd have a little fun while we wait for the big unveiling. So, we'll be giving clues and hope you'll pop back in from time to time. Feel free to post your guesses in the comments section!!

Here are clues #1 through #4 .....

1. No, the secret is NOT that we are adopting again (our family is complete at 3 plus one fuzzy cat!).

2. Once unveiled, we would LOVE everyone's help and support to make it work. For those who help, we'll be having a drawing with prizes .... really cool prizes! Our legal teams advises we state "No purchase necessary to win!" LOL! (Well, they didn't say the "LOL" part!)

3. Why is it taking so long? Because it's a big project with many parts and we want to wait until all the parts are ready.

4. See photo at top! Oh, a fortune cookie!!

Thanks everyone!!

Yes, We are ALIVE!!!

2010-05-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

So many of you have written to ask if we're ok ... YES, we are! Seems time has slipped away from me again and I've neglected the blog. SORRY!!!

The month or so before the beginning of April I spent getting ready to attend the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in Orlando. As I'm not writing this blog entry from some beach on an island somewhere, you know I didn't win the million dollars! But, I had a wonderful time none-the-less. And, yes, some of you did see me on Food TV in an ad for the Bake-Off. The ad ran for about 6 weeks and was such a fun experience for me. Hopefully I didn't let my "inner diva" out too much after seeing myself on tv! (And if I did, please don't tell me!)

After I arrived back home we left for a 5 day trip to Chicago as part of a field trip Kevin takes his students on. While they were off at exciting (yes, I wrote that with a straight face ... right!) places involving finance and banking, Sarah and I spent time in Chinatown. At first she was hesitate to take much of it in, but after hitting a few stores we came upon a wonderful restaurant that she enjoyed so much. She liked it so much we went back the next day. We didn't know until we arrived that in the Chicago Chinatown the predominant language is Cantonese. Unfortunately Sarah can't understand Cantonese.

Now we are back home and winding up the school years. Kevin gives his last final today and Sarah will be done on the 25th. I think they both are ready for a break!

We do have some exciting news. In mid-June Sarah will be unveiling a project she's working on that will help others and help herself, be fun and be work, teach her things and hopefully help her teach others things .... the list goes on. We hope you'll stop back and check in then!

I'll leave you with a few photos from our trip to the Field Museum .... apparently we are silly most of the time!

Anime Mug

2010-04-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Sarah is taking a year long graphic design class in high school. She's really excelled at it and overcome the difficulties of learning all the English terms associated with the computer design program (such as the difference between a "magnetic lasso" and a "polygonal lasso") after only 2 years of learning English before she entered the class.

The first half of the year was spent learning how the design program worked and now they have moved into the practical applications which is much more fun. They've made bumper stickers, a calendar and window clings so far.

The most recent project was to design a coffee mug. Sarah just brought her creation home and it's adorable! She LOVES anime and combined several different anime images and the lyrics from part of a Celine Dion song all woven together with a colorful background ... and she got 100/100 points. Go Sarah!

She Passed -- Driving Permit!!!

2010-03-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's happened!! After school yesterday Sarah took the driving permit test .... and passed!! It's one of the milestones that just smacks you in the face and says "yep, she's a young adult now!" And especially for a teen learning a new language, taking a written driving permit test is more of a challenge then just having to learn the entire 50+ page instruction booklet. We couldn't be more proud of her!

We went out for a celebration dinner and Miss Sarah picked Red Lobster .... she had lobster pizza appetizer and lobster and seafood pasta ... and she was so happy! On the way home we let her drive a bit and she'll get more practice in this weekend. Our state has a graduated permit system so she'll have this starting permit for 6 months and needs 40+ hours of driving with mom and dad and then in 6 months can apply for the next level permit which will allow her to drive by herself (with only one other young person in the car). So, it's the start of her new-found driving independence.

As they say, "Look out!! Here comes Sarah!!! Stay off the roads!!!!" Okay, just kidding!!

High School Play -- Opening Night

2010-03-11T20:31:00.000-08:00

(Starting the day)

Whew! Opening night of the high school play! The kids did AWESOME!!! Sarah helped with hair, make-up, backstage work and was "the right side legs" of the "sinking ship!"

(right legs belong to Sarah)

(First night was a SUCCESS! With Amy)

(Who says backstage crew can't ACT!?!?!)

Curtain UP!

2010-03-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

Today is the last play rehearsal before the high school play opens tomorrow. Sarah was at school until 9:30 last night and tonight looks to be no different as they have the final run-through. She's a "stylist" (hair, make-up and costumes) plus one of the tech people with headphones which I think is a way of saying she's to be there to run around, get things and do things as needed. Plus she gets to hang from the rafters above the play which I have to agree has some coolness factor to it.

The play wraps up with the final show on Saturday night and then there is a big after-play party. Plus, it's the start of Spring Break so why not start it off with a BANG!

Will try to have Sarah get some photos and we'll try to take some tomorrow.

Why We Adopted An Older Child

2010-03-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

We asked our adoption agency if there was anything we could do to help get the word out about older child adoption. We wrote the following entry which was recently used in their newsletter. Thought we'd reprint it here for those who do not receive the newsletter. The question we seem to be asked the most is "Why did you adopt an older child?" Here is the answer ....

Every morning when I crawled out of bed my line of sight was focused on the room across the hall. Our baby nursery was full to brim with a crib, toys, clothes, diapers … everything except a baby. The nursery had sat empty for so long that dust was actually creeping up everywhere because I really never wanted to go into that room much. The room reminded me of too many dreams and too much emptiness. Our dossier was sitting in China waiting to be matched with a child, but the progress had started to crawl along and we knew it would be months and months before it was our turn to be parents.

There was nothing my husband or I could do about the wait to adopt a child, but we could do something fun and worthwhile with our time. He focused his spare time on enjoying the outdoor life of fishing and hiking. I focused my energy on my hobby of entering cooking and recipe contests. One day our two hobbies collided as I was called as a finalist at a national cooking contest scheduled for the same time he was planning to be out hiking the Appalachian Trail. So we decided to combine our two trips. We would drive south together, attend my cook-off and then I would drop him off at the trail. Once on the trail, he intended to hike for three weeks and would be without cell phone reception most of the time.

The day of the cook-off was gorgeous weather and tons of fun. After not winning a cash prize that day, we headed back to our hotel to relax and to get ready for our drive the next day when we would be saying goodbye for a few weeks. Kevin turned on our laptop computer and at about the same time we remembered that Great Wall China Adoptions had planned to post a new waiting children’s list that day. We logged on and read through many of the files. We were reading the special needs files more out of curiosity than anything. We had never fully considered the waiting children’s program because we knew that in a few short months our dossier would be at the top of the pile and ready to be matched with a non-special needs infant. Our empty nursery soon would be full!

He was the first one to read through the list and then he passed the computer over to me. After a few minutes, he said, “Did you read the file about the 13 year old girl?” Actually, I had not yet. So I opened her file. No photos were included but I read the few pages of text about her. After 13 years of walking on this earth there were just a few sentences describing a young girl who had endured much in her life yet still after seeing many younger children being adopted she had asked that her file be sent out in hopes of finding a family .

At this point she was 13 years old and just 8 months away from being considered “too old” to be adopted. On the day a Chinese child turns 14 he/she is no longer available for international adoption. On a 14th birthday when many kids are excitedly opening presents and eating cake, a boy or girl residing in one of China’s orphanages is experiencing the first day of the rest of his/her life … a life without the hope of every being adopted internationally.

Something in this young girl’s file clicked with both my husband and me. We talked endlessly about “why” we had decided to adopt and finally were able to put it into words. We simply wanted to be a family. I wanted to be a mom and he wanted to be a dad. Together we wanted to be parents and to be part of a family with a child. We thought back and laughed at how we had contorted our faces when in one of our adoption seminars we had been asked to draw an image of what we thought our child would look like. We had no set ideal image of our child – no race, no gender, no age and no size. So, we had drawn a stick figure with an arrow pointing to the image labeled “our son or our daughter.” We knew the rest of the information would be revealed to us in time and we were excited to meet the person who would one day replace that stick figure drawing.

We stayed on an extra day at the hotel to give us time to talk more and to think. We sat together and carefully went over each question on the special needs adoption request form. We said we realized as first time parents that we lacked the background in having raised a child through the teen years, but we actually saw a huge bonus in our ability to spend all of our time with our child. As first time parents, we knew we would have the extra time needed to help an older child to learn English, to be there to help with homework and studying, to help our child adapt to a new culture and to simply be there for “whatever”.

The phone call that changed our lives came in the early morning hours on July 5. We had stayed up late watching fireworks and were still in bed when the phone rang. The voice on the other end said, “You’re parents! Run to your computer and I’m sending you photos of your daughter.” We almost fell down the steps trying to race to get there! We kept hitting the refresh button on the email until finally three pictures arrived. There she was …. our teen daughter! We were parents!!

The next few weeks were a blur. The nursery came down and the teen girl room went up. We talked with our school system about what options our daughter would have. We secured an English tutor. We chatted with other parents about what things their teen kids liked. We filled our daughter’s new room with all things girly and pink. We bought an Ipod and Kevin’s Chinese students helped select some current Chinese music to put on it. We packed and we flew off to China.

And we’ve never looked back. We’ve been home 2-1/2 years now. Our daughter is 16 and in high school. I would by no means attempt to tell you that it’s been an easy road. Sarah knew no English when we met, she left her country and her friends behind to start her new life and she had to get to know two crazy Americans who showed up and wanted to be called “mom and dad.” But the one constant thing in our lives is family. We experience the ups and down together. We are family.

Chinese Rice -- Easy Recipe #2

2010-02-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

I'm all for convenience foods and quick and easy. But in the world of Chinese kiddos and rice ...all rice is NOT created the same! Here's a good guideline to follow when selecting rice. If the package has the word "minute" or "quick" in the title it's probably not the rice your kiddo would prefer. (I'm not saying he/she won't eat other rice, but you'll probably get big smiles from the rice above).

Here's the rice Sarah loves. It's called Calrose Rice. She also loves "sticky rice" which is what you find in sushi, but sticky rice will not work for reheating or stir-fry so we tend to *stick* with non-sticky varieties. She's also enjoyed jasmine rice before which reheats very well.

This awesome recipe only has two ingredients -- 2!!! On the back of whatever brand you buy will be the rice to water ratio. For this rice, the ratio is 1-1/2 cups rice and 2 cups water. While we do have a rice cooker, we don't use it much and 99% of the time I make the rice in a large non-stick pot instead of pulling the rice cooker out. A bigger pan works better because of the bubbles. And here's how to make it ...

1. In large non-stick pot (with lid), combine uncooked rice and water. Cover. Bring to boil over high heat, just until boiling is starting (not a big rolling boil).

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Eat and Enjoy!

Please note -- DO NOT STIR rice during cooking. The only thing you may have to do is to lift the lid once or twice to let the bubbles go down. But don't stir it at all! Seriously, don't stir.

When it's done it looks like this ...

We make BIG batches of rice. Sarah loves to eat it right out of the pan, just plain. Then we refrigerate the rest to use for fried rice. For fried rice, I just dice a little spicy sausage link and cook it over medium-high in a non-stick skillet for a few minutes. Push the sausage aside in the pan and break one or two eggs into the skillet. With spatula, stir the eggs around breaking the yolks and allow to cook, stirring just every so often like you would for scrambled eggs. When eggs are cooked, push those aside. Add a bit of oil to the middle of the pan and then add rice; toss everything together and cook until hot. If desired, add a bit of soy sauce at end.

Chinese New Year Stamps

2010-02-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

Just a quick entry today .... the US Postal Service has Chinese New Year stamps available right now and they are gorgeous!!! I stocked up on several sheets to use throughout the year.

Q&A -- Chinese Language (Written and Spoken)

2010-02-16T08:50:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd do a few "Q&A" entries about questions that several families have asked us. This first one is about Chinese language, both written and spoken.

Written Chinese --

Written Chinese characters comes in two main forms -- traditional and simplified. Traditional Chinese is the "original" Chinese character language. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Taiwan (Republic of China), Hong Kong and Macau. Simplified Chinese was created by decreasing the number of strokes and simplifying the forms of a sizable proportion of traditional Chinese characters. Simplified Chinese is mainly used in the People's Republic of China (Mainland China) and Singapore. Therefore, most of your kiddos will be used to simplified Chinese characters.

Pinyin is a written phonetic representation of simplified Chinese using the English alphabet. For example, the simplified Chinese character for "love" is . The pinyin for "love" is "ai". In public schools in China the kiddos learn the Chinese characters as well as the pinyin for each character. The one slight drawback of pinyin is that there may be several different meanings for each pinyin grouping so just having the pinyin may not tell you the exact meaning of the intended character. For example, in paperwork you'll probably be given your child's Chinese name in pinyin and then you'll wonder what the meaning of the name is. In order to get the true meaning, you'll need the character representation to assure accuracy in translating.

Why is pinyin important? Well, because pinyin is how your kiddo can use electronic translators and computer keyboards. The electronic translators that many parents purchase in China are used by typing in the pinyin and then using the results to select the correct character. Once the correct character is selected then the translator can display the English equivalent. So if your kiddo does not know pinyin, then he/she will not be able to use an electronic translator. Also, once you are home you can use a program on your computer that will allow your kiddo to type in pinyin and the then a box will pop up with all the possible Chinese characters with the pinyin. Then the user just picks the desired character.

Spoken Chinese --

For spoken Chinese, my understanding is that there are actually 7 main dialects: Mandarin (850 million speakers), Wu (90 million speakers), Yue (includes Cantonese)(80 million speakers), Min (50 million speakers), Xiang (35 million speakers), Hakka (35 million speakers) and Gan (20 million speakers). There are also many, many, many, many local dialects. The two dialects we hear most about are Mandarin and Cantonese. Mandarin is the official language of the People's Republic of China and spoken primarily in Northern and Southwestern China. Cantonese is spoken in and around the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton), in most of Guangdong province, eastern Guangxi province, Hong Kong and Macau. While the spoken words in these dialects sound different, the words are written exactly the same!

Also, I'm told that in schools now most kids learn Mandarin as well as their local dialects, so if your child has been out to public school then there is a good chance he/she knows Mandarin even if he/she is from a location where another dialect is spoken. However, if your child has been in orphanage school solely then he/she may only know his/her local dialect.

Why does this matter to adoptive parents? First, if you are wanting to learn some Chinese before you travel to meet your kiddo you'll want to be learning the same dialect your child speaks. A few parents have commented they tried to learn a bit of Mandarin only to find out their child only spoke Cantonese. Second, if you are arranging a tutor or translator for when you return home, make sure that person can communicate in your son's or daughter's dialect.

Noodles & Eggs -- Easy Recipe #1

2010-02-14T08:27:00.001-08:00

We've had lots of requests regarding easy to make foods that older kiddos will like. The first one comes straight from Miss Sarah --

Noodles & Eggs

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 package brick style ramen noodles with seasoning packet (any flavor)

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons frozen peas and carrots

Bring water just to a boil in medium saucepan; reduce heat to low. Add noodle brick. Gently break eggs (one at a time) into the water along side the noodle brick. DO NOT STIR. Allow eggs to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Gently turn eggs over. Gently break apart the noodle brick with a fork and add frozen veggies. Continue to cook until eggs are cooked through, noodles are soft and veggies are warm. Serve in bowl with chopsticks.

Simple -- yet satisfying. This is one of Sarah's fav meals and it's good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Older Child Adoption -- Part 2 (Reprint from 4/6/09)

2010-02-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

We've been chatting with a few families who recently arrived home with older adopted kiddos. It's strange in a way to kind of be taken back in a time machine! Many of the concerns and fears these families are facing are the same ones we had. We worried if we were doing things that would scar Sarah for life! Was she scared of us? Was she scared of the house? Was she hungry? Was she worried she'd never find food she liked? Was she lonely not being able to communicate well? Was she having bad dreams? And these are just a few of the thousand thoughts racing through our minds?

So a bit about some things we've experienced and/or heard from other families. These are things related to the first few weeks together when everyone is trying to get his/her footing. As you settle in, many of these things will just become a memory or will transition into more long-range ideas. At first, our suggestion is to just focus on some basics ... the rest will follow in time.

1. Light & Sound. At the orphanage lights are on 24/7. Even at night the rooms are not completely dark because the aunties need to be able to move around. So a dark bedroom, hallway and bathroom may be very scary. Night lights seem to work great but if that's not enough perhaps leaving a closet light on or adding a small table lamp would do the trick. Also, orphanages are not quiet places, even at night. Usually there are many kids in one room plus any noise from other rooms or people walking in the hallways. Several kids have enjoyed having a small cd player in their rooms to "cut the quiet" down so they can fall asleep.

2. Soft beds and Sheets. Along with scary dark and quiet rooms, American beds and sheets are probably going to be strange to your kiddo. As many of you know from your hotel experiences in China, beds in China are HARD and those are beds with thicker mattresses. At many orphanage the beds have very thin mattresses or no mattresses at all. Sarah had a hard time with how soft her bed was which is really funny now because she complains when we go to a hotel about "how hard" the hotel beds are and how much she misses her nice soft bed! Also, in China, there are blankets but not sheet sets so you'll probably have to explain that the kiddo is to sleep between the sheets and not simply on top of them.

3. Food. Ramen noodles, ramen noodles, ramen noodles. We were buying these by the case when we first returned home. Now, Sarah will ask for some maybe once every few weeks. Also, try hard boiled eggs, plain white Chinese rice (NOT minute rice), flour tortillas with scrambled eggs and meat inside, original red can Pringles (don't know why, but many families have reported kids loving these!), hard bread sticks (again Pringles makes one Sarah loves), popcorn and crackers. We were so worried that we weren't providing her with nutritional meals but really at the start it's just about getting the kiddos to eat SOMETHING. And many kids won't do well with dairy foods and haven't had much in the way of milk or cheese.

4. Bonding. Overall, I give my husband all the credit in the world when it comes to bonding during those first few weeks. His idea was to just be silly! And it worked. It made Sarah more at ease and a happy kid. It's the best suggestion I have to offer! Other suggestions include badminton (and you don't even need a net -- just hit back and forth), drawing on the sidewalk with chalk, blowing bubbles, taking walks or pretty much any outside game.

5. Hugs. Lots of people are wanting meet your new kiddo! They want to welcome him/her with big hugs! Except that in China hugging is an odd behaviour that most people don't do! To most Chinese, hugging is just down-right weird! I'll never forget when we went to meet with a few of Sarah's friends and the minute the kids saw each other they raced to one another, stood about 1/2 an inch from each other's face and jumped up and down -- all without hugging or touching each other in any way! So don't be surprised is there is squirming when hugs are given and if your kiddo doesn't want to give hugs in return.

Older Child Adoption -- Part 1

2010-02-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

In the past week we've had 7 families contact us regarding older child adoption. Some are getting ready to head to China to bring their newly adopted son/daughter home and others are considering adopting an older child. We are so happy to hear from these families!

We're being asked lots of questions and are more than happy to try and offer thoughts as long as everyone remembers that we are not experts on ANYTHING and are simply offering suggestions or relaying information we've encountered or heard about.

Thought I'd start by reposting a few entries from a year or so ago and then I'll try to do some new posts as well. We've been fortunate to meet many families who have come home with their older adopted child/children and have learned many things that perhaps we can share.

Here is the first repost:

One family who contacted us commented that they know others who read our blog and were wanting to ask us questions but who "didn't want to bother us" by doing so. Please don't feel it's a bother to ask questions as I remember back to how much information we craved and how few places were available to find answers. We'll help with what we can as long as people understand that we are not and do not claim to be experts at ANYTHING!!! LOL.

You can always reach us by using the "email us" link on the right hand side of the blog.

So, I thought maybe I'd just list a few of the questions we've been asked and post some answers. I'll do a few today and try to do some more over the next few days. These are in no particular order.

1. On your blog your life seems like "roses and cotton candy" all the time! Is your life really that GREAT?

Yes and no! The purpose of our blog is to "burst with joy" about our daughter! As most of our family is in another state, we use the blog as a way to update family and friends on some of the more interesting and fun things going on in our lives. In a small way, we also hope that by giving a glimpse into the life of a family with an older adopted child that maybe others will find that adopting an older child might be a great fit for their family as well.

One thing we are trying to do as parents is to emphasize that life has it's ups and downs -- and always will. But we (all three of us!) are working on ways to minimize the impact stresses have on our lives in order to have more "flower and candy" days. Do we have days that we struggle with life, cry our eyes out, stress-out, flip-out, wig-out and generally freak-out? You betcha, baby! But, I'm not going to put that stuff on the blog. It's private and it's stuff every family goes through.

2. Was the language barrier a problem?

If I had to pick a "yes" or "no" answer to this question I'd have to pick "yes" -- but not to the point that it was an insurmountable problem. There were so many things we wanted to ask her, to make sure she was comfortable, to see if she was sleepy or hungry or scared. But with the language barrier we weren't able to do that with certainty and it weighed on us.

When we met Sarah, she knew just a handful of English words such as "water, mom, dad, number." Communication was through lots of hand gestures, facial expressions and "trial and error." It wasn't until much later that we realized how much Sarah was "reading" from our body language and interpreting from the tone of people's voices, the "look" in their eyes, etc. Because she didn't have the luxury of language she used other means to try and understand what was going on. So while your child may not "get your words" he/she is getting your meaning (whether you want him/her to or not!)

Our understanding is that the older a person is, the harder it is to acquire a new language. For Sarah, spoken English came first. Now, reading and writing are coming along -- with reading coming along faster than writing. And she's maintaining her Chinese as well so in her brain it's kind of a fight between Chinese and English!

Last year and the start of this year when I would sit with her and help with math homework, she would talk with me in English but when she was doing the math problem and more "in her own world trying to figure the math out" she would be saying the numbers in Chinese. A few months back it "clicked" over and now she says everything is in English -- even to the point of saying "of fudge!" when she drops her pencil! So I think in a way her brain is transitioning to putting Chinese in the background and English is taking up the foreground.

Also, when she talks with friends in China I hear so many English words peppering her speech now that sometimes I can tell the person on the other end of the phone has said something like, "what the heck are you saying?" because she'll get all flustered and then go back and say the phrase in Chinese.

3. What does Sarah think about US food?

Now, Sarah loves US food! She digs Lean Pockets, hot dogs, onion rings, Pringles, pizza and Easter Peeps! At the beginning, not so much!!! When we first came home, she pretty much wanted Chinese rice, meat, eggs and noodles.

For rice, she loves the Cal-rose rice. And you don't need a rice cooker to make it. Simply use a non-stick saucepan or pot, put 3 cups rice, 4 cups water and a dash of salt in. Put a lid on the pot, bring it to boil over high heat and as soon as the bubbles are showing turn the heat to medium-low and let it cook with the lid on and undisturbed for 20 minutes. That means no stirring and no peeking under the lid!!! Sarah actually likes me to cook it a bit longer sometimes as she loves there to be a thin crunchy layer on the bottom!

For noodles, it was nothing fancy. The block-style ramen noodles were very familiar to her. I did order some online to get an extra spicy version as she loves spicy food. Her favorite way to eat them was for me to boil the water, add the noodle block and then along the outside of the pan away from the noodle block I would break two eggs into the water. I wouldn't stir the noodles or anything until the eggs had firmed and then I added the seasoning packet. She stopped eating these after about a year and hasn't wanted them since.

About eggs, Kevin and I both like over-easy eggs where the center is runny. The first time I made these her eyes became huge and she absolutely wanted nothing to do with them! She wanted to make eggs and so she cracked them into the pan and cooked those eggs until they were browned on both sides! When they were done she pointed to them and smiled at me and I got the idea! Since them I've called them "crunchy eggs" and to this day she say, "Mom will you make me crunchy eggs?" But, she also likes runny middles now too! And she loves hard boiled eggs.

Also, we had several kinds of chop-sticks and Sarah always picked the cheapo bamboo kind that you can get in bulk packages at any Asian grocery store. She wanted nothing to do with the fancier ones because she just wasn't used to them. And for the older children, they may not have used a fork and knife before because in China most of the food is made in bite-sized pieces so chopsticks can be used or eaten by hand. She won't mind me telling you that we laugh now about the first few times we had pizza because she kept trying to pick it up with her chopsticks until finally she gave in and just used her hands! And now the chopsticks are packed away in a drawer because nobody uses them anymore.

Drama Queen

2010-02-06T17:16:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note. Sarah started this past week as a hair, make-up and costume assistant for her school's drama department. They've had two meetings so far and have 5 weeks until opening night for the play. Things are going to get interesting around here!

Gift Box from China

2010-01-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

In the year or so prior to coming to the US, Sarah had a sponsor family in China. She would spend some weekends and holidays with this family. Today, she received a large box from them filled with clothing and cross stitch items. There is quite an assortment of goodies, mostly traditional Chinese clothing including dresses, pjs, pants and tops. Also, two VERY heavy flannel lined coats with balloon style pants. Perhaps they think it's too cold there in the US.

Also there are two cross stitched pillow cases and one cross stitched cell phone case. Sarah thinks perhaps the woman from this family hand made these items.

(Very heavy flannel lined tunic coat)

(Heavy jacket with koi fish pants)

(Floral embroidery on front/back)

(Egytian style tank dress)

(Cross stitched pillow cases and cell phone case)

(The loot, part 1)

(The loot, part 2)

Mile-High Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie

2010-01-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

In April I'll be competing with 99 other home cooks at the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in Orlando, FL. One of us will win the grand prize of ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Just typing that makes butterflies in my tummy!!

Pillsbury.com and Bakeoff.com have just posted our recipes and recipe photos. I hope you'll stop by, check out the recipes and if you feel there are some exceptionally wonderful looking recipes and knock-your-socks-off tasting recipes that you'll register at the website and give your favorite recipes a 5 star rating (and comments about the recipes if you'd like, but a comment is not required to give stars). Registration is quick and easy.

My recipe is "Mile-High Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie". The direct link is below --

http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=47191&bof_return=1

Mile-High Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie

INGREDIENTS --

1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
1 box (15.5 oz) Pillsbury® Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix
1/4 cup Reese's® peanut butter chips
1/3 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
3 tablespoons water
1 EGGLAND’S BEST egg
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 tablespoons Fisher® Party Peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons Hershey’s® mini chips semi-sweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS --

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll pie crust; place in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie; flute edge.

2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, peanut butter chips, oil, water and egg 50 strokes with spoon. Pour batter into crust-lined pie plate.

3. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, covering edge of crust with strips of foil after 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and center of brownie is set. Cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate 1 hour or until completely cooled.

4. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture over brownie. Sprinkle with peanuts and chocolate chips. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Gingerbread House - Better Late Than Never!

2010-01-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry to be so late with these photos! I actually only remembered I had them because in the car this morning Sarah started talking about next year's gingerbread house. She's already making plans! But here is the original. The three of us had a great time decorating it before Christmas.

(Powdered sugar "snow")

(Mom smudged the S.K.D.R. initials!)

Snow Family Bracker

2009-12-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

(Every snowman begins with a single snow flake!)

This morning I heard the front door open and wondered just what in the heck Kevin was doing. He came back in to report it was perfect snowman making weather! Sarah has been waiting two years to make her first snowman! Not only did she get to make her first snowman, but a whole snow family. So we have snow dad Kevin, snow mom Debbi, snow daughter Sarah and snow cat Romeo! She put the pink scarf on "snow dad Kevin" -- glad he's confident enough in his masculinity to wear such a girly scarf!

(Kevin may be wearing a pink scarf, but it balances out with his fishing hat!)

(Snow Debbi having just as bad a hair day as real Debbi!)

(Snow Sarah with Snow Romeo the Cat right by her -- in snow as is life!)

(Sarah didn't want Snow Sarah's head to be cold!)

(We must have HAPPY snow people!)

(Snow Romeo the Cat)

Visiting Friends

2009-12-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

Oh my! I was overwhelmed by the number of people who contacted me after my Christmas post (below). It was so wonderful to hear from so many people, many I've never chatted with before and many who befriended me on Facebook. Quite honestly, I wasn't sure if anyone was reading the blog anymore, but I see you are -- THANKS! So I'll try to be better about posting on here.

We just returned a few hours ago from a two day mini trip. One of the girls Sarah grew up with lives a few hours away so we headed there for a visit. The girls had a wonderful time shopping, swimming, chatting and eating REAL Chinese food! There is a small restaurant there owned by people from their hometown in China. The restaurant has two menus -- one mainstream and one "authentic" menu with all the good stuff the girls remember from China. This time we ordered very spicy crunchy chicken, crunchy fried fish (bones and all) in sauce, a mixed eggplant dish, a stuffed fried tofu dish (with gorgeous mushrooms!) and sauteed greens and tofu vinegar soup. The girls loved it all!

This is the second time we've gone to this restaurant and the girls just love it. The man and woman who own the restaurant always come by and chat for a long, long, long (!) time with the girls and are very interested in their lives. As soon as we walked in the woman recognized the girls. There's tons of quick talking in Chinese which Kevin and I cannot understand at all so we just sit and enjoy the food! Watching the girls have so much fun, laughing and giggling, is quite a treat.

Now, it's time to take down all the Christmas decorations and store them away until next year. I'm guessing there's no magic fairy that will pack them all up tonight and store them away before morning!?! Sarah has a few days left before school starts up again on the 4th. If the snow isn't too bad tomorrow we may head to the movies. Otherwise, we just plan to CHILL!!!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T09:45:00.001-08:00

It's been a LONG time since my last post -- so sorry! We've pretty much moved over to Facebook and if any of you are on there as well, please "friend" me (Debbi Bracker). On Facebook we post photos and tidbits and would love to share in your posts as well.

Here are a few Christmas photos. We had a wonderful holiday. We did not travel back to Iowa this year, but stayed home instead. We had a white Christmas with about 6+ inches of snow -- a HUGE snow for Southern Missouri.

(Yep, she got a Hello Kitty shirt -- silly girl!)

(Romeo, putting up with Sarah wrapping him in her scarf)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

9th Grade School Photo

2009-10-19T06:16:00.001-07:00

Sarah's 9th grade school photo

Kevin's Arkansas Fishing Trip

2009-10-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Kevin is on his way home from a fishing trip with his Dad. Rick drove down from Iowa and they met up in Branson. They'd hired a fishing guide but the guide contacted them to say we've had too much rain lately for good fishing in the area. Instead, he wanted to know if they'd care to go down to Arkansas to fish. Kevin has wanted to try fishing in Arkansas but hadn't gotten down there yet, so this worked out perfectly. Except, it's COLD outside!

But, they did have some luck and while they didn't catch many, they caught big sized fish. Actually I think they are probably the biggest they've landed so far. I just love how happy he looks in the photo above.

Now, if we can just get him home to thaw him out. And, no, we won't be having fish for dinner as they practice the "catch and release" method so the fish can go on to live another day.

Pillsbury Bake-Off

2009-10-12T06:30:00.001-07:00

It's going to be a long wait, but in April of 2010 I'll be headed off to Orlando to compete in the 44th Pillsbury Million Dollar Bake-Off. Yep, that means I have a 1 out of 100 shot at winning a million dollars!

At the Bake-Off there are four categories: Breakfast & Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy and Sweet Treats. I'll be competing in the "Sweet Treats" category. My recipe is "Mile-High Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie". Let's hope it "Wows" the judges!!

Homecoming Parade

2009-10-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

It's Homecoming weekend in Carl Junction. I'm happy to report that last night the football team routed East Newton with a final score of 52 to 7. Friday afternoon Sarah was part of the school's Homecoming Parade and she rode on the Drama Club float (above) with about 15 other students (who you can't see because my camera work was sub par).

And for those who wonder, yes we do live in a very small town. The photo above shows you one side of "Main Street" in Carl Junction. The side you cannot see has our bank, post office and funeral home. We still do not have a stop light anywhere in town.

As with many small towns, we take our school pride very seriously. The parade wound through town with everyone from the very young to the very old lining the streets. The high school football team rode on the town's fire trucks (old and new), the junior high and high school bands played, the various clubs, organizations and other sports were represented and even the "little guys" such as the first grade football team had their moment to shine.

The weather has started to turn crisp and soon we'll be heading out to find the perfect pumpkin. Hard to believe fall is really here.

National Beef Cook-Off 2009

2009-09-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

What a great time we all had in Sonoma!!!! Sarah was a PRO cook and every part of her recipe preparation turned out AWESOME!!!! She worked so well under pressure -- even when the cameras were all around .....

Even with the heat reaching 100 degrees, she kept her cool! She was grilling outside and preparing her recipe "Beef 'California Roll' Salad".

When it came time for the big gala dinner and awards show, she was so cute in her sparkly purple cocktail dress! We had a delightful dinner of the best steak I believe I've ever tasted. Then came the awards. Unfortunately, Sarah did not receive one of the monetary awards, but the memories she has and the love of cooking are more precious than anything in the bank! She's already come up with new ideas for the next contest!

Here are all 15 contestants at the 2009 National Beef Cooking Contest held in Sonoma, CA on September 23. Information about the contest can be found at www.beefcookoff.org .

Sonoma, Monday -- Who Stole the Airport!?!?

2009-09-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

So, our day started at 3:15 am. We were flying out of Springfield which is about an hour drive, so we were driving before the sun came up. As we neared the exit, we saw a different sign with different directions to "the airport". We thought perhaps it was a private air field. Well, apparently not! When we got to where we had "left the airport" last time we used it (!) -- it was a total ghost town! Apparently there is a new airport which has replaced the airport we were used to using. After a few minutes of nervous looking we found the new airport and things seemed good until they couldn't find our names on the computer. Apparently our last name was spelled wrong in the database, but soon all was well and we were on our way to California (by way of Dallas!).

Both flights were actually on-time and a wee bit early! We arrived in San Fran, took a shuttle to Sonoma and checked into one of the most wonderful and beautiful hotel/resorts I have seen. The Lodge at Sonoma is just gorgeous. The grounds are covered in various plants including pomegranate trees, lime trees, Asian pear trees, and so much more. We are in a villa style room with a leather couch, fireplace, vaulted ceilings and patio area. We are being totally spoiled! The lobby even has cucumber and lemon water which Sarah thinks is so cool.

Uncle Chuck picked us up at the hotel and took us on a great tour of Sonoma. We saw the vineyards and several of the quaint housing areas. And we LOVED seeing Uncle Chuck's house. He has the most gorgeous yard where he is growing table grapes which are undescribably delicious (last photo below), kiwi (photo below), black walnuts, oranges and tons of flowers and trees. Just stunning! Then we had a delicious dinner on the Sonoma Square followed up by a walk completely around the square including a little bit of window shopping. Thanks Uncle Chuck!

Tomorrow starts all the cook-off fun!

Off to Sonoma!

2009-09-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

The bags are packed and the mini powdered sugar donuts are ready for the morning. Yep, that means we are heading off to Sonoma! We've packed the laptop, movie camera and digital camera. We'll be posting updates along the way.

Sarah prepares her marinade and beef on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning is the actual cook-off where she'll grill the beef and prepare her other items. The awards ceremony is Wednesday night and we probably won't know the outcome until 9 pm Pacific time, but we'll be sure to post. I know most of our Midwestern family and friends will be asleep then. But should Sarah win a cash prize, no matter where you are on the globe I'm sure you'll hear her screaming with joy!

Thanks so much for all the good wishes you've sent to Sarah! It means SO MUCH!!!!

Two Weeks Until Sonoma!

2009-09-07T10:55:00.001-07:00

Whew! Two weeks until we're in Sonoma!! Watch out National Beef Cooking Contest! Sarah did her recipe as a timed practice run yesterday and was very pleased with the results. The contest folks have her preparing the marinade and marinading the beef the night before the contest (20 minute time limit for this portion) and then she has 50 minutes on the actual cook-off day to prepare the vegetable components, grill the beef, assemble the final dish and have it to the judges.

We ran to the store today to pick up several cucumbers so she can practice using the mandolin slicer. Previously she was hand slicing the cucumbers but she's worried she may not be cutting them even enough so we're trying a mandolin slicer which takes a bit of practice. So if anyone is in the mood for a bag filled with sliced fresh cucumbers, you know where to find us!

On Saturday, we spent several hours bouncing around the mall. Sarah tried on more dresses than I care to think about and finally settled on a really pretty black and purple one that she'll wear to the awards dinner after the cook-off. It has sparkly "bling" and therefore it's right up her alley! And, being Sarah, she picked out matching earrings, a bracelet and over sized floral cocktail ring which is just adorable on her.

As the time gets closer she's getting more and more excited ... and nervous ... but I think the excited will win out in the end.

Family Day!

2009-09-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have not posted in a awhile! It's been a whirlwind around here! Sarah started high school and Kevin is back to school as well. I'm happy to report that Sarah is loving high school.

So, you may be asking what those crazy folks in the photo above are doing? Well, that would be Sarah and Kevin dancing in the basement ...... in celebration of "Family Day"! Today is the 2 year anniversary of the day Kevin, Sarah and I became a family! YEAH!!! We'll actually be celebrating tomorrow with dinner out as tonight if busy with homework and preparing for a graphic design test tomorrow. But rest assured there will be merriment and fun tomorrow!

Hope everyone is doing well and I'll try to be better about blogging in the more timely manner!

Cool as a Cucumber

2009-08-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

This morning the local newspaper sent a reporter and a photographer to our home to interview Sarah about her upcoming cooking contest. She had a blast! She was quite the pro, answering the reporter's questions and going through some steps of her recipe so photos could be taken. I think she has such a great time that she's "got the bug" to be on camera more often!!!

Her recipe is titled "Beef California Roll Salad" and combines three of Sarah's favorites -- beef, pomegranates and sushi! Yes, I said sushi. The girl loves sushi! So her recipe has the flavors from a "California Roll" sushi which are avocado, cucumber, carrots, sesame and wasabi. The beef is marinated in a Chinese-inspired blend (garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, toasted sesame oil, pomegranate juice, pepper) and grilled.

Missing from the photo above are pomegranate arils which are sprinkled over the dish. When she was creating the recipe after Christmas we could easily find fresh pomegranates, but now they are no where to be found in our area. But when she sets foot in Sonoma for the cook-off there will be pomegranates galore! I think she's ready to head to California right now!!

Colorado or Bust!

2009-08-02T07:01:00.001-07:00

Our family vacation this summer was a week in Colorado. We spent the first few days in Estes Park, then headed down to visit Celestial Seasonings Teas in Boulder and then on to Denver. In Denver we enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of a family we met during our trip to China. They have seven children and three of their children were adopted from China as older children. Sarah had so much fun she was completely asleep in the car on the way home -- or "fun overload" you might say!

In Estes Park we had a great time walking in the downtown shopping area as well as going through Rocky Mountain National Park. We saw several kinds of animals, but Sarah enjoyed feeding the chipmunks the most! We made two trips up the tram so she could buy scoops of peanuts and sit and feed them to the many hungry chipmunks. And we didn't need to further than the parking spot in front of our hotel to see wildlife -- deer!

Then we headed down to Boulder to tour Celestial Seasonings Teas. Quite interesting indeed. The "mint" room where they store the mint leaves before making them into tea had such a strong smell that Sarah asked to walk outside. The guide said that if they were to leave the door open on the extra reinforced walled mint room for one day that the mint could be smelled for a mile away.

In Denver we toured Hammond's Candies which has been around for a long time. The kids liked getting the free candy samples (ok, I did too!). Then we wanted to have Chipotle for lunch because it's one of our favorites but the closest Chipotle we have is in Springfield and we don't get there much. The family we were with used their GPS to find the closest on and, low and behold, it wound up being the original, very first-ever Chipotle. Pretty cool.

The best part about Denver was having time to visit with our friends. The kids went swimming and then we all went walking so the kiddos could climb rocks and splash in streams. A GREAT time was had by all!

Happy Belated June & July

2009-07-11T06:59:00.001-07:00

Ok. I admit it. I've become a BAD blogger! Basically our lives have settled into a routine which most often doesn't warrant a lengthy blog entry. So most things are done through Facebook. So if we haven't connected already on Facebook, I'd love to!

Over the past month Sarah and Kevin have had summer school. Sarah took Driver's Ed and Computer Applications. She's a bit hesitant to try for her driving permit, but I'm sure that will come sometime soon. Kevin's building was under renovation during the month of summer school so he was "relocated" to a temporary office which kind of threw him out of his routine!

Our friend Diane visited from Iowa. She was not here long but we had a fun time together! We went to a local blueberry farm and picked two buckets full of blueberries. Unfortunately my camera had condensation and the photos have a bit of a "haze" to them -- but trust me we had fun!

The 4th of July found us out in the yard with sparklers, bees and glowing worms (which didn't glow). Our whole neighborhood was lit up as we live in the "anything can go BOOM" state so we had quite a show all from the comfort of our driveway.

Lately Sarah has been really into watching cake decorating shows on tv. Her favorite show is "Ace of Cakes" and I think we've watched every episode. Plus, we're up-to-date on all cake "Challenge" shows on Food TV. So we thought we'd try our own little decorating challenge. I made homemade cake, homemade frosting and homemade fondant. I assembled the cake and Sarah did all the decorating including the fondant work (the pink and all the white shapes are rolled fondant). It was really fun trying fondant for the first time and there definitely is a learning curve to it. But for a first try I think Sarah did an awesome job decorating!

We've also started saving a bit of money on Kevin's hair. Sarah wanted to try cutting it and she does an awesome job. And, yes, she wrapped him in a large garbage bag! Romeo the cat seemed jealous so he jumped up on the chair and was perfectly content having Sarah "pretend" to cut his hair -- complete with being wrapped in a towel and her "snapping" the scissors around without really cutting anything! He sat there until she was done and told him to leave!!!

And no day is complete without about 1-1/2 hours of "cat time". Seriously. Sarah and Romeo play together all the time. I have to say he's the most patient cat there is as he'll let her pretty much her do whatever she wants. One of their favorite games is for her to lay on top the stairs and for him to "stalk" her from the bottom. He lays his ears very flat so she can't see him and then he quietly moves from step to step. If she peeks her head up at the top he'll freeze in his tracks! It's very funny to watch.

Hope everyone is having a GREAT summer!!

Patent Leather & Butter Bread

2009-06-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy few weeks. Sarah's last day of school was a week ago Friday so we celebrated the end of 8th grade and beginning of high school. Then on Saturday our neighbor's daughter was married so we attended the wedding and reception. Sarah had picked out a new dress months ago and she got her first high heels -- a white patent leather kitten heel slingback. She adores getting dressed up!

Sarah had four days off and then summer school started this past Wednesday. She's taking Driver's Ed and Computer Applications. For Driver's Ed she'll have 10 days of classroom instruction and then be in a car with two other girls for 18 hours (split over 6 sessions). Each girl will drive for 6 hours total and then ride along to observes the other 12 hours. She starts the actual driving Monday night. Should be fun!

Also, Sarah's kitty Romeo had his first birthday. To say he's spoiled would be an understatement. She made him bread and butter cut into the shape of a heart. No, he didn't get to eat it all! Plus, she picked out 5 or 6 toys as gifts. And to top it all off he spent an hour out on the deck enjoying the sunshine which is one of his new favorite things to do. He even has his own chair.

While I was searching for photos for this entry I came across the photo below which was in a recent folder on the computer. I asked Sarah about it and she said she took awhile ago from our yard -- the kid just amazes me.

Sonoma, Here Sarah Comes!

2009-05-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

In the world of contest cooking there is a handful of "biggies" that most contesters strive to attend. One of these contests is the National Beef Cook-Off which is held every two years. This year will be the 28th time this contest has been held. The contest selects the best beef recipe in all the US. I've been submitting entries to National Beef for probably 12 years now and have never been selected as a finalist. This year is no different -- for me. However, it's completely a different story for my daughter!!!

Yesterday our phone rang with news that Sarah has been selected as one of 5 teen finalists for the 2009 National Beef Cook-Off in Sonoma, CA!!! Can you believe it?!?!?!? She will be competing not only against the four other teens but 10 adults as well. In the teen division there will be one $5,000 2nd place prize and one $10,000 first place prize. Then, overall one of the 15 finalists will be chosen as the grand prize winner and will bring home $25,000!!!

Right now we cannot release any information about her recipe, but as soon as we are given the "okay" to do so, we'll be sure to let everyone know. Suffice it to say that she'll be making her recipe TONS of times between now and Sept. 23.

Because she's a minor the contest is paying for her and one parent to fly to San Francisco, hotel for four days and three nights, plus food and other expenses. Kevin was actually scheduled to be giving a paper presentation in Florida during this time, but he's arranging for another author to present the paper all three of us can be there to watch our little girl in her very first cook-off!

To say Sarah is on Cloud 9 would be the understatement of the year! We couldn't be more proud of her!!!!

Sometimes We Fall Apart, But Come Together Again

2009-05-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since my last post. In that post you'll see that my mom was staying with us for a few weeks visiting. We had a great yard sale that mom helped get ready plus the general fun of eating out, shopping and such. The yard sale was on Saturday. Afterwards Mom tried to call my step-dad back in Iowa to fill him in on the day but could not reach him. Later after he had not returned her call she tried again without success. She thought perhaps there had been a storm that had the phones not working.

She left Monday morning for the 8-1/2 hour drive home. About dinner time I had not yet heard from her (she calls to tell me she made it home) so I called the house. When my cousin answered I knew something wasn't right. Upon my mom's return home she found my step-dad, Chuck, dead. To say it was a shock would be an understatement.

Adding to the shock was the fact that we would learn that my step-dad had been gone for about 3 days when my mom found him. During this time, my mentally handicapped aunt who lived with my mom and step-dad was in the house and unable to use the telephone to call for help and unwilling to try to go out of the house because Chuck's body was in the entry way.

I left for Iowa early on Tuesday morning. When I arrived, my mom said she wasn't feeling well which I attributed to stress and the fact that Kevin too was not feeling well so I thought perhaps they both had picked up the same cold/flu. Shortly it became apparent something more than stress was wrong with mom. She was complaining of one side of her body hurting more than the other so we were off to the emergency room. After some tests, we were whisked via ambulance to another hospital which has a heart center as mom's blood test confirmed she was in the process of having a heart attack.

The next several days are a blur. Mom was hospitalized from Tuesday through Friday night, released and then back in the emergency room again on Saturday. During this time I relied heavily on so many people who did everything they could to assist, from helping to arrange the funeral, to sitting with mom at the hospital, to finding boarding for mom's pets, to bringing home cooked meals, to helping sort paperwork, to making phone calls, to finding a lawyer, etc. My step-father was buried without my mom being able to attend the funeral. I know that will weigh on her.

On a positive note, the Handicapped Development Center staff as well as social services broke speed records and cut through more red tape than should have been humanly possible in finding emergency placement for my aunt. She is settling into a wonderful group home where it is just her and three other residents (plus a full time, fully trained house manager) in a huge rambling home. Her new bedroom is larger than our living room. And she LOVES it! On my last visit with her before heading home, she handed me a note she had written to me. She drew a big smiling sun, herself with a huge smile on her face and her new group home with a beautiful tree that sits outside the window. The words read simply, "Group home. Thank You."

Knowing Mary is happy and in excellent care allows my mom to focus on her own recovery. She is doing very well and each day I can tell she feels better. It is hard to crawl out from under an avalanche, but mom is doing it. Yesterday was an in-service day at Mary's center so my mom's friend picked her and Mary up and took them to lunch and out for a bit of shopping. It's amazing what a little bit of food and some laughing can do for the soul.

Plastic Wrap -- Year 6!

2009-04-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy few weeks and I've been horrible about not posting -- sorry! My mom was here for two weeks visiting from Iowa. We were busily pulling out boxes and getting ready for our small town's city-wide garage sale. We had a great sale and got rid of so much clutter -- it's an awesome feeling!

I even sold a few things right out from under my mom! She was staying in the guest room downstairs which usually is storage and I kept going in and bringing stuff out to sell. I think she was worried she'd come down one night and the bed would be gone! Or her suitcase. Or maybe her toothpaste. If it wasn't nailed down it was fair game for the sale.

Speaking of my mom, one day we were chatting on the phone and somehow I commented that I always seemed to be out of plastic wrap. I cook a lot and seem to constantly be buying plastic wrap, parchment paper and foil. Mom said,"Go to Sam's Club and pick up the big green box of plastic wrap. It doesn't cost much more than the small boxes and it will last much longer."

Well, she was right .... really right. That was at least 6 years ago (yes, 6 YEARS ago!) and I'm still using that first industrial sized box of plastic wrap! We toted the darn thing from the little house when we moved to this house 4 years ago and even today it still has football fields worth of wrap left. The box will probably bio-degrade before the wrap is gone.

Over the years the huge box of plastic wrap has become a source of repeated jokes from Kevin's family who come to visit at Thanksgiving. Even our niece who was only 8 when the box first came to live with us will walk into our house at the holidays and ask if we still have the big box of wrap left. Teenagers!

So, as we're getting ready for our yard sale I pulled out some sheet sets I wanted to sell. (No, not the ones on Mom's bed -- I let her keep those!) I'm looking for some masking tape to wrap around the sets to keep them together and here comes my mom with the huge box of plastic wrap. "There are SO many uses for this stuff she tells me!" Yeah, right.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! We colored eggs last night which was a first for Sarah. Even though Sarah was here last year we had just returned from a long trip the day before Easter so coloring eggs was something that was lost in the shuffle. After we colored eggs last night Sarah said "Why didn't you tell me about this? It's FUN!"

And, yes, Romeo the Cat was involved with "family egg coloring night." He sat patiently on the "junk table" right next to the counter and guarded the paper towels!

Also, here's Sarah's art project which I think ties in very nicely with Easter. A month or so ago her art class started a "city project." Each student drew a slip of paper from a hat and whatever city building was listed on the paper was his/her art project. Some choices were school, shopping mall, dentist, police, etc. Sarah's paper read "church." Each student was to design his/her building, name the building, write about what the building does and also to draw who would be in charge of this building. Then, they created the building and the person. When they were done, all the building were put together into a city-scape which was put on display in the school library.

Sarah's church is named "St. James" and the person in charge is named "Pastor Linda." These names are very important to Sarah as "James" is her grandpa (she calls him "Papa") and "Linda" is her grandma (she calls her "Mimi"). When Sarah was thinking about her church she decided she would like a church which is very modern, full of love and where a woman is in charge. She wants lots of music and nature in her church.

So she designed her church accordingly. The top comes off so you can look inside. One window is actually cut out so you can look through it (the one with the curtain on the back wall). Inside there is a live tree which has a banner that reads "Love". In the third photo you'll see the tree and on the opposite wall there is a fake window. In photo four you'll see that from the the outside if you "look through the window" you see the "love tree" inside. Below the window she has a large cross with Jesus. Also, a large white bird. And the pews are actually "formed" so they are shaped liked pews and not flat drawings.

Outside she has Pastor Linda and lots of beautiful vines and flowers (which I didn't capture in the photos). Pastor Linda has a shorter modern dress on and heels.

And, note the ample parking!

Hope you all have a happy and blessed Easter.

Talk to the Colander!

2009-04-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

I love to enter cooking and recipe contests. But I didn't "find" cooking until I was in my late 20's. When Kevin and I married WAY BACK in 1990 I pretty much only knew how to make French toast, canned soup and anything that could be made in our college hot pot. Over time I read backs of boxes and cans and was able to at least cook things that didn't kill us.

But then about 1998 or so I was clipping coupons from the Sunday paper and saw an ad for a cooking contest where the grand prize was a new car. The sponsor's product was one I was familiar with plus I was driving a very old and very, very ugly paint-oxidized and dented Ford Tempo at the time (you know, the one I had backed into the side of the garage!). So I sent off a recipe. I couldn't believe how excited I was at the thought of someone handing me the keys to a new car -- and all for a chicken recipe!

So, are you on pins and needles waiting to see the photo of the car I won?!?!? Well, you'd be waiting a long time because I didn't win squat! I kept entering recipe contests and I kept losing. I gave up. Then I came home one day and found a big box on the front porch -- including a bread machine, oodles of cookbooks and baking mixes. I had actually won something! That was all it took for me to get hooked again and while I've taken some breaks over the years I've always found my way back to contesting.

I've just started back once again. And I think my brain has hardened and dried out! Where once I used to sit down with paper and pencil and the ideas would just flow out, now I find my mind wandering off and when I do come up with an idea it seems so "done" or "crazy" that I almost laugh out loud. It's just a few days until the Pillsbury Million Dollar Bake-Off closes entries for this two year span and I've sent in a measly handful of recipes -- I really would like to kick my own butt if it was humanly possible.

So, I thought to myself that I needed a change. I did the UNTHINKABLE!!! I bought a new colander. (What?!?!? Gasp! How could you do it Deb?!?!) The cheap plastic blue colander I've had since Kevin and I married almost 20 years ago is no longer. The handsome blue colander I used to create so many recipes over time is kaput. Yes, it's true. I've moved onward and upward. I've gone green -- literally. I now have a brand spankin' new bio-degradable renewable resource bamboo colander in modern lime green color. And I'm pinning all my hopes on this little green beauty. No, seriously. If I don't win, "talk to the colander!"

I write this somewhat in jest. But I have to say it was an odd time indeed when I brought the new colander home. Sarah helped me pick it out. And when we got home I pulled the blue one out of the cupboard and easily dumped it in the trash. And then I stood there like an idiot staring down into the trash. And I pulled the blue colander back out and placed it on the counter. I walked away. And then I went and got the camera and took a picture of it. And then I dumped it back in the trash and walked away again. And I thought about it some more. And I looked back down into the trash. And I walked away again.

Armchair psychologists would love me, wouldn't they!!?!? Just hope the recipe contest people follow suit!

Who needs a cell phone?!

2009-04-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

So I'm in the kitchen last night and I hear Sarah "talking on the phone" only I can tell she's in the living room and we don't have a land line there. And I'm thinking, "I didn't hear her cell phone ring." But she's having this rather long, involved conversation. So I walk in and find she's talking on the newly invented "cat tail phone!"

Who doesn't love a HUG?!

2009-04-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

Bonding & Older Child Adoption

2009-04-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

We were on pins and needles at the beginning of the week after being contacted about the possibility of Sarah sharing some stories and information about her life as an adopted older child. The organization which contacted us will be traveling to China very soon to meet with older children who shortly will be available for adoption. They know these kiddos have questions and wanted to know if there was anything Sarah would like to share about her experience as an older adopted child that she thought might help these kids. The organization was asking for photos, comments or maybe a video from Sarah.

In classic Sarah fashion, she ponders for a bit and then says, "Yes. I would love to share! There are so many things I was scared about or wondered about!" And then the kicker -- "I don't know how much photos will help. Just tell them it will be better if you and I just go to China with them because then I can just sit and talk with these kids!"

So, I related the story to the organization rather "tongue in cheek" about how Sarah and I could be ready to travel in the very short time frame and how excited Sarah is to share her story -- and they actually considered bringing us along to China. (Right there it tells me how committed these folks are to these children!) Unfortunately time and space have constraints so we will not be hoping the next jet to China. But Sarah is very optimistic and told me she "knows in her heart" that talking with the kids is a good thing and she'll be ready with her suitcase should the phone ring that she's needed in China!

When there was the chance that we'd be traveling we talked with Sarah about what she would want to say, how she would say it and why she would say it. As we're listening to her talk it became ever so apparent how much she has gone through and how much she has taken in and processed since the day we met her. And it also became apparent how much we are a family and how comfortable she feels sharing information not only with us but with others who she thinks may benefit.

I mean, seriously, the things she wants to share are personal feelings and fears. How many teens want to do that? And not only would she be sharing these things with other kids but with US and Chinese representatives in the adoption field. Knowing that she's comfortable enough now to share some of these things, I thought there might be some benefit to sharing some on the blog as well. So let's start with bonding.

Bonding--

One area of major concern to every parent who I've talked with is bonding. It doesn't matter if the parent will be adopting an infant or an older child. There is always the concern about how to bond and the fear of "what if?"

So the words to follow are very close to my heart. While I am no expert and have no professional training, I do have a bit of insight to share but want you to know this just one woman's experience (me!) and take it for what it is --

"Hi. My name is Debbi and I'm an adoptive mom to an older child born in China. Sarah was 13-1/2 when we met and I was 39. I'd never been a mom before and was scared to death! Would I know the right things to do? To say? What would she think of me? Would she think I looked weird? Sounded strange? Smelled funny? Would she love me?

Flash forward and we've been mom and daughter for 1-1/2 years now. Sarah and my husband are the lights of my life! My daughter constantly amazes me with everything from her infectious laugh and silly smile to how awesome she is doing in school.

There is not one day that passes where I don't feel how much my daughter loves me. If I'm in the basement and she's upstairs I'll hear "Mom! Where are you!" or I'll hear her say to Kevin, "Where MY mom?" (And it's always "MY mom" which I love!) We are "mom and daughter" and we are "friends" who share our fears and dreams. We love to be together whether it's watching tv, or "girl shopping" or cooking in the kitchen. And I know she trusts me and for the most part (she is a teenager!) values my opinion. We have an understanding in our home that at any time we can "just talk -- about anything" and it's opened so many doors.

But when we first met, my daughter didn't like me. And there's no fault on any side -- not my fault and not her fault. It's just life. Both Sarah and I met in that room in Nanjing and wanted nothing more than to hug each other and to have our hearts so full of love that we could hardly breath. But life doesn't always happen on the schedules we want. BUT, it doesn't mean it won't happen!"

And that's the point I want to make here!!!! As Sarah was telling about what she wants to share with other kids in China, she wants them to know that it's okay to feel a little "weird" when you meet your new parents. And she wants me to be able to tell the kids that sometimes the parents feel a "little weird" too! And that's OK!!! It doesn't mean you don't love your parents and that your parents don't love you. It doesn't mean you're a "bad kid" or that you're "broken" because you feel that way. As she said, "Mom, I need to tell them it's 'little bit, little bit, little bit' and then it's SO good!"

We've met a lot of families since we started on our adoption journey. We've heard a lot of stories. Some stories are happy and some curl your toes. If you look hard enough, you'll find stories about every possible scenario that can happen with adopting an older child. If you take one story and let it stand alone, it doesn't give you the full picture. We are a perfect example of that. Our story at the beginning and our story now are very different. Here are photos to show you what I mean.

If a picture tells a thousand words .....

Me and Sarah THEN ......

Me and Sarah NOW .....

I've rambled enough today! In future posts I'll try to put in some things we think were good bonding activities and other things Sarah thinks are important for kids and parents. As with everything in life, its "little bit, little bit, little bit!"

Cars, Cars, Cars

2009-04-01T06:28:00.001-07:00

Sarah has really been enjoying industrial arts class (known as "shop" when I was in school). Right now each student is making a car. This photo was taken a few weeks ago during the "sanding" phase which could be done at home but since then the car has been detailed, primed and painted at school.

As for the color, the teacher had basic colors available (I believe the choices were black, blue, red, white, green and yellow). Sarah wanted pink. The teacher told her there was no pink. So she asked for red and white paint!

Then there is a REAL driving! In Missouri we have a "three tier" system for new drivers. After Driver's Ed this summer Sarah will take her "instruction permit" test (eligible age: 15). She'll have to pass vision, road sign and written tests. The instruction permit allows her to drive only with a parent in the passenger's front seat. She must have this permit for 6 months minimum and have received 40 hours of driving instruction with a parent or certified trainer (including 10 hours of night driving).

The second step is an "intermediate license" available for 16 to 18 year olds who have met the instruction permit requirements. To receive this permit she'll have to pass a driving test (and retake the previous tests if the results are over a year old). With this permit, for the first 6 months she cannot drive with more than one person in the car who is under 19 (unless family). After 6 months, she cannot have more than 3 people in the car who are under 19. Plus, she cannot drive alone between the hours of 1 am and 5 am (unless emergency, etc.).

The last step is the "full drivers license" available at age 18.

To get her started, we took her to a completely empty large parking lot and just let her get a feel for the car. We went over all the controlls, showed her how a 6 foot 4 inch person (Dad!) can "hide" in the car's blind spot and then let her drive a bit. Here she is right before getting behind the wheel!

Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe

2009-03-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked about the recipe for the Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Sarah made in the post below. So, here it is ..... (and if you'd like a copy emailed to you so you can print it out, just let me know).

Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Bowl
(as printed in Kraft's "Food & Family" magazine, Spring 2009 issue)

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 packages (8 oz EACH) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups cold milk
1 package (3.4 oz) Jell-O vanilla instant pudding
2 cups thawed Cool Whip Lite Whipped Topping, divided
2 cups frozen pound cake cubes (1 inch each)
1 square Baker's semi-sweet chocolate

1. Combine berries and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk.

2. Add pudding mix; mix well.

3. Blend in 1-1/2 cups Cool Whip. Spoon half into 2-1/2 quart bowl.

4. Top with cake, berries and remaining cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 4 hours.

5. Melt chocolate; drizzle over dessert. Top with remaining Cool Whip.

Layered Strawberry Cheesecake

2009-03-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

Sarah spied a dessert on the cover of one of my cooking magazines and wanted to make it. She did a great job! So great that we ate one batch and then a few days later she wanted to make another one. Of course, not wanting to hurt her feelings we HAD to eat the second one too!!! We're just good people like that!!!!

Translators & New Concept English Books

2009-03-25T06:27:00.001-07:00

Since my previous post about older child adoption we've received some awesome emails! Some are simply encouraging (which we always appreciate!) and some are encouraging with a few questions added. Please feel free to keep emailing! A few different people asked about translators and books so that will be today's topic.

1. Electronic Translator (& Pinyin).
The electronic translators are much less expensive in China and there is a much greater selection. The translator can go from Chinese to English and from English to Chinese. To use it, the Chinese pinyin is entered using the keyboard (so the kiddo must be able to write in pinyin) OR the English is typed in and then translated. Think it like a giant electronic dictionary.

Regarding pinyin, here is a neat website where you can click on some pinyin and hear a native speaker say the word. Note the same word can be said up to four different ways depending on TONE. http://www.quickmandarin.com/chinesepinyintable/

First off, I must say that Sarah HATED the translator from the get-go! But, I don't think that's always the case as I've heard of other kids who use it so much the lettering starts to wear off the keys. As with everything, I think it just depends on the kid.

To buy the translator, we asked our guide to take us to a large electronics store and to help us talk with the salespeople regarding the item. I don't know if we could have done this without his help. And everyone asks which translator Sarah has. Her model is a smaller white colored one with gold lettering on the front. In Chinese, the name is 文曲星 .

2. English Books.
Several people who read back on our blog about our trip to China asked about the English language study books we purchased while in China. Before traveling to China we had arranged with a visiting professor at the local college to tutor Sarah a few hours a week. This woman asked us to pick up these books while in China. The professor was only in the US for about 3 months after Sarah arrived so their study sessions together were limited. After she left, we had no way to use the books because they teach English via Chinese so we were unable to help anymore. Guess what I'm saying is don't get these books if for homeschooling unless you know Chinese as well.

But, if you have a Chinese teacher these books may be a great way to help your older child learn English. One note, they are done in "UK English" so you'll get things like "mum" instead of "mom". And they are a bit antiquated! My favorite lesson from the book was when Sarah was learning "professions" and one profession was "keyboard operator." Also, the next lesson asked the student to match a word with a profession. The "correct" (according to the book!) match for "housewife" was "lazy"!

Anyway, these books are called "New Concept English" and come in four volumes with four matching workbooks. In Chinese, the book title is 新概念英语 . We purchased them in Guangzhou when our guide wrote down the Chinese name and address of a bookstore on a card, told us to grab a cab, give the card to the driver and he'd take us to the bookstore. She gave us another card with the address of the White Swan Hotel on it for us to give to the driver on the way back.

On a side note, it was our experience in two different large multi-level bookstores in China that when you select an item, you take that item to the counter on the floor you are on and the sales person will stamp the item (inside the back cover, for example). Then you take your stamped items to the bottom level to pay.

Branson or Bust!

2009-03-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

We're winding down Spring Break week. We stayed home the first several days and then took a quick 3 day trip down to Branson. Branson is less than 2 hours away so it's a great quick trip. Now we are being L-A-Z-Y!

Our first day in Branson we visited the Butterfly Palace. You watch a quick 3-D movie and then head into a big room filled with trees, plants, birds and butterflies. I'm still not sure I understand the whole birds and butterflies in the same location, but it seems to work! Butterflies land on you and they flitter around -- quite amusing.

After a bit of shopping we had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. Sarah spied a steamer bucket photo on the menu which came with two kinds of crab, shrimp, corn on the cob and potatoes! She picked a spicy version and even she said it was spicy -- which is saying a lot! When they came to put the "bib" on her she laughed so hard!

On our second day we visited "Ripley's Believe It or Not" which is a museum full of goodies. It was actually much more fun than Kevin and I expected it to be and Sarah really seemed to enjoy it. Plus there was another butterfly exhibit! There was a machine from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a "painting" made entirely out of jelly beans, a real shrunken head (!) and tons of other oddities like the "stomach contents" of a shark that had been caught (which included a 100+ pound boat anchor, over 100+ pounds of metal pieces like screws and bolts, a watch, a leg bone from a mule and two swimming suits)!??!

For dinner on our second night we went to a place called "Mel's Hard Luck Diner" where your server not only takes your order and brings your food, but he/she SINGS! One of the guys working was a top 44 finalist from American Idol (season 4).

Friday morning we were up early to take Kevin and drop him off for a guided fly fishing trip. While he was fishing Sarah and I spent some time shopping and then hanging out at a coffee shop. While shopping Sarah found "the perfect" dress to wear to our neighbor's wedding plus two new pairs of school shoes, a new wallet and two shirts from Hollister. All in all, a good shopping trip indeed!

After we picked Kev up from fishing we were off to Springfield for a lunch of Chipotle and then home for a BIG nap!

Who Doesn't Like Pie?!?!?!?

2009-03-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so in the post below I talk a bit about how the language barrier can, at times, be frustrating. To be quite frank, most of the time when we have language issues I put them off as Sarah not quite getting the language yet. Sometimes I need to stop and realize I AM THE PROBLEM!!! Well, was I put in my place -- and rightly so!

On Monday Sarah came home from school saying her art class was going to have treats on Friday and her pre-algebra teacher had said they'd be celebrating "pie day" on Friday too.

So she's telling me what kind of treats she'd like to bring for art -- maybe bags of chips or Little Debbie's brownies. Then she says that for pre-algebra the teacher said the kids can bring something like the big decorated cookie you buy at the mall OR a pizza pan OR a lid from a butter dish. HUH!?!?!? What does a pizza pan or a butter lid have to do with "treats" or "pie day"? So, I'm asking her again and she's looking at me like I'm from another planet. She explains it again the same way. So, of course I'm KNOWING she's not understanding what the teacher wants so I say, "How about I email the pre-algebra teacher?" She rolls her eyes.

Apparently, March 14th is "National PI Day" -- you know, "PI" which sounds like "pie" and is the mathematical symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The teacher told the kids they needed to bring something round to measure so they could use "PI". If they want to, they can bring a round FOOD as long as they have enough to share with the class. Don't I feel stupid! So I told Sarah she was exactly right with what she had told me and I was sorry I hadn't listened better. She rolled her eyes again -- and this time I deserved it!

Today Sarah packed up her "round" treats for each kid in pre-algebra plus her snacks for art class. I may just have to make my own kind of "pie" -- you know, the kind you can eat!

So "Happy National PI Day" even though the official celebration day isn't until tomorrow (March 14)!!!!

Our Rose & Cotton Candy Life

2009-03-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Awhile back we added a link to this blog where folks could email us. We've "met" some awesome people since then and have been invited to share in the joy of other families pursuing adoptions which is WONDERFUL! As I'm sure you can tell, we are big proponents of older child adoption and want to make ourselves available to help if we can.

Along the way we've been asked quite a few questions as well and hope we've been able to answer them. One family who contacted us commented that they know others who read our blog and were wanting to ask us questions but who "didn't want to bother us" by doing so. Please don't feel it's a bother to ask questions as I remember back to how much information we craved and how few places were available to find answers. We'll help with what we can as long as people understand that we are not and do not claim to be experts at ANYTHING!!! LOL.

So, I thought maybe I'd just list a few of the questions we've been asked and post some answers. I'll do a few today and try to do some more over the next few days. These are in no particular order.

1. On your blog your life seems like "roses and cotton candy" all the time! Is your life really that GREAT?

Yes and no! The purpose of our blog is to "burst with joy" about our daughter! As most of our family is in another state, we use the blog as a way to update family and friends on some of the more interesting and fun things going on in our lives. In a small way, we also hope that by giving a glimpse into the life of a family with an older adopted child that maybe others will find that adopting an older child might be a great fit for their family as well.

One thing we are trying to do as parents is to emphasize that life has it's ups and downs -- and always will. But we (all three of us!) are working on ways to minimize the impact stresses have on our lives in order to have more "flower and candy" days. Do we have days that we struggle with life, cry our eyes out, stress-out, flip-out, wig-out and generally freak-out? You betcha, baby! But, I'm not going to put that stuff on the blog. It's private and it's stuff every family goes through.

2. Was the language barrier a problem?

If I had to pick a "yes" or "no" answer to this question I'd have to pick "yes" -- but not to the point that it was an insurmountable problem. There were so many things we wanted to ask her, to make sure she was comfortable, to see if she was sleepy or hungry or scared. But with the language barrier we weren't able to do that with certainty and it weighed on us.

When we met Sarah, she knew just a handful of English words such as "water, mom, dad, number." Communication was through lots of hand gestures, facial expressions and "trial and error." It wasn't until much later that we realized how much Sarah was "reading" from our body language and interpreting from the tone of people's voices, the "look" in their eyes, etc. Because she didn't have the luxury of language she used other means to try and understand what was going on. So while your child may not "get your words" he/she is getting your meaning (whether you want him/her to or not!)

Our understanding is that the older a person is, the harder it is to acquire a new language. For Sarah, spoken English came first. Now, reading and writing are coming along -- with reading coming along faster than writing. And she's maintaining her Chinese as well so in her brain it's kind of a fight between Chinese and English!

Last year and the start of this year when I would sit with her and help with math homework, she would talk with me in English but when she was doing the math problem and more "in her own world trying to figure the math out" she would be saying the numbers in Chinese. A few months back it "clicked" over and now she says everything is in English -- even to the point of saying "of fudge!" when she drops her pencil! So I think in a way her brain is transitioning to putting Chinese in the background and English is taking up the foreground.

Also, when she talks with friends in China I hear so many English words peppering her speech now that sometimes I can tell the person on the other end of the phone has said something like, "what the heck are you saying?" because she'll get all flustered and then go back and say the phrase in Chinese.

3. What does Sarah think about US food?

Now, Sarah loves US food! She digs Lean Pockets, hot dogs, onion rings, Pringles, pizza and Easter Peeps! At the beginning, not so much!!! When we first came home, she pretty much wanted Chinese rice, meat, eggs and noodles.

For rice, she loves the Cal-rose rice. And you don't need a rice cooker to make it. Simply use a non-stick saucepan or pot, put 3 cups rice, 4 cups water and a dash of salt in. Put a lid on the pot, bring it to boil over high heat and as soon as the bubbles are showing turn the heat to medium-low and let it cook with the lid on and undisturbed for 20 minutes. That means no stirring and no peeking under the lid!!! Sarah actually likes me to cook it a bit longer sometimes as she loves there to be a thin crunchy layer on the bottom!

For noodles, it was nothing fancy. The block-style ramen noodles were very familiar to her. I did order some online to get an extra spicy version as she loves spicy food. Her favorite way to eat them was for me to boil the water, add the noodle block and then along the outside of the pan away from the noodle block I would break two eggs into the water. I wouldn't stir the noodles or anything until the eggs had firmed and then I added the seasoning packet. She stopped eating these after about a year and hasn't wanted them since.

About eggs, Kevin and I both like over-easy eggs where the center is runny. The first time I made these her eyes became huge and she absolutely wanted nothing to do with them! She wanted to make eggs and so she cracked them into the pan and cooked those eggs until they were browned on both sides! When they were done she pointed to them and smiled at me and I got the idea! Since them I've called them "crunchy eggs" and to this day she say, "Mom will you make me crunchy eggs?" But, she also likes runny middles now too! And she loves hard boiled eggs.

Also, we had several kinds of chop-sticks and Sarah always picked the cheapo bamboo kind that you can get in bulk packages at any Asian grocery store. She wanted nothing to do with the fancier ones because she just wasn't used to them. And for the older children, they may not have used a fork and knife before because in China most of the food is made in bite-sized pieces so chopsticks can be used or eaten by hand. She won't mind me telling you that we laugh now about the first few times we had pizza because she kept trying to pick it up with her chopsticks until finally she gave in and just used her hands! And now the chopsticks are packed away in a drawer because nobody uses them anymore.

Enough rambling for today! If this is helpful to anyone, please let me know and I'll gladly add some more similar info in a future post!

Doodle Dice & Driving!

2009-03-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

(Playing Doodle Dice -- and down to the hardest purple cards!)

First off, I keep forgetting to post about a game called "Doodle Dice." This game is pretty neat and doesn't require one speck of English to play so it's GREAT for the older kids just coming home from China or to take to play during time in China. You can check it out on Amazon.com and it's only $7.99. (While you are there feel free to buy me a Kindle 2 and drop it off at my front door! THANKS!)

ALSO ...... ahem ....... there's only one more week of school and then Spring Break. We've told Sarah that we'll start teaching her to drive during Spring Break. Did I mention that's only one week away!!! Oh .... my ...... goodness! Our little girl will be driving soon!

Snowy Weekend

2009-03-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

So, what do we do on weekends?!?!? Basically we're lazy. Let's let Romeo show you! Here he is relaxing on his kitty throne with Sarah's Hello Kitty pj top to keep his little kitty butt warm. Hey, there's snow on the ground and a guy has to have his priorities!

Okay, so we did do a few things this weekend. I had a recipe contest I was working on that required grilling so I stood out in the freezing cold and snow. After creating, freezing and cooking, the recipe was a total "goose egg"! Oh, well. Maybe next time.

Sarah and I did whip up a dessert on Saturday. Here she is learning to make meringue.

Last night we had a rousing game of pink Monopoly. Today we are getting some photos and small goodies ready to mail to China. Then it's on to a bit of "girl shopping" and then home to work on Sarah's art project. Her project is to design a church. The class is working on architecture and each student pulled a piece of paper out of a hat to see what building they would be designing. Sarah pulled out the only slip of paper that read "church" while many kids are doing houses, restaurants, etc.

Many people have asked what Sarah thinks of her age regression photos. She LOVES the 3 year old version and is "okay" with the other two. I think she really would like for us to go back and do a 1 year and 2 year version as well. That's for a future project!

Age Regression Images

2009-02-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Sarah does not have any photos of herself when she was younger. A forensic imaging company used current photos of Sarah and "age regression" techniques to make composite images of what Sarah may have looked like when she was younger. What do you think?!?!?!? Here is what they believe she may have looked like at the ages of 3, 5 and 8.

(Sarah at 3 years old)

(Sarah at 5 years old)

(Sarah at 8 years old)

Girl Shopping Sunday

2009-02-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

This is how today started -- lazy, just like we like it! But in the afternoon I was treated to a 'spa' treatment to "young" me up some! Sarah updated my hair, make-up and slapped one of her cute hats on my old lady head! Now, if she could only do something about my creaking bones!

We went out for our traditional "girl shopping" Sunday but started off with a stop at Freddy's which is fast becoming Sarah's favorite place to eat. Then we were off to the mall! Quite a grand day indeed!

A Picture is Worth a Billion Words

2009-02-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

This week is our 1-1/2 year "family day"! Over the past 1-1/2 years we've had lots of people who are interested in hearing about Sarah's story. Recently, Sarah has been the one interested in hearing "her" story -- or should I say the story of how Kevin and I came to meet her.

We've told her the story of how I was at the National Cornbread Cook-off when we first read about her on the computer. We've told her that we did not see any photos of her but only had written words to pour over when we decided to request to be considered to be her parents. And we've told her how we knew one million billion percent that she was meant to be our daughter. Meant to be -- that really sums it up.

While we had only words describing Sarah before submitting our paperwork, after we were matched the orphanage asked Sarah if she would like to send us any photos to describer herself. She said she wanted to take photos to show us "who she was." I look back now that those four photos and then I think about the girl who has been my daughter for 1-1/2 years and I just grin from ear to ear. The four photos she sent are EXACTLY the kid she is!

So, what can you tell from these?

Big Bear Hugs

2009-02-17T05:25:00.001-08:00

We had a GREAT Valentine's Day -- or should I say Valentine's week!

Throughout the week Sarah received cards, candy and goodies from family and friends along with the Taylor Swift cds and some cute new pjs from us. On Valentine's Day she wanted to go out and use her Valentine's money for something "special" she had in mind. We wouldn't find out until later that what she wanted was fuzzy and 4 foot tall!!

THANKS everyone!!!!

The Cat Learns Pre-Algebra

2009-02-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

Just a few cute photos from tonight. Sarah was working on her pre-algebra homework and Meo the cat decided to crawl into her backpack! He poked his head out and seemed really interesting in learning about the metric system. But when it came time to move from math to drafting he lost interest and went to take a nap elsewhere.

On a funny (and kind of sad) note, this pre-algebra lesson included a blurb about using metrics with laser technology. You might be interested to know that in the 1990s (yes, you're reading that right -- 1990s) there is PROJECTED to be a 30% increase in the number of jobs for laser technicians available. "Projected" indicating the 1990s are in the FUTURE. Now, I realize pre-algebra doesn't change all that much over time, but do we really have to wonder why our kids don't always get the best information?!?!?!? How old is this book!??!?!?

Mom Won't Buy Me Ice Cream!!!

2009-01-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

Poor Sarah! She had to make her own "snow cream" today!!! Recipe: Pack cup full of snow. Sprinkle with candy hearts, drizzle with Magic Shell and add straw! Yummmyyyyy!!!

She wanted to make a BIG snowman today but the weather didn't cooperate. The snow just wouldn't stick together good enough. So she made a baby snowman, proceeded to drizzle the chocolate over the top and pretended to eat it!

What's This White Stuff!?!?!?

2009-01-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

School was cancelled today due to ice. The school's automated phone message system rang the house before dinner last night to let us know and Sarah was JUMPING up and down excited! Then as the night went on and more ice came Kevin decided to cancel his classes as well.

We went to bed and figured the roads would get cleaned off today and it would be back to normal by Wednesday. We are so silly!

Sarah and I worked on a "double-secret" project today and then were so tired we took a "cat nap" (with the cat!). When we woke up, our world had gone WHITE! It's snowing like crazy here with no end in sight!

This is Missouri -- we don't do snow!!!!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2009-01-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Ox and also year 4706 in the Chinese calendar -- kind of makes ya feel YOUNG, doesn't it!?!??! Takes our idea of "antiques" to a whole new level.

Sarah is not too excited about CNY so we'll be having lasagna tonight! Two weeks ago I tried to take her to the small market we have that carries some CNY goodies but she didn't want anything to do with that. She doesn't even want the red envelope filled with money that goes along with CNY. Guess that means more Starbucks for mama!

Best Wishes to you and yours!

Gift Box from China

2009-01-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

Sarah received a goodie box from her Chinese foster family! They sent her two wonderful PINK (do they know her or what!?) cell phone bags, a set of hand-made cross-stitched Beijing Babies (cross-stitched on front and back) and a gorgeous red silk dress. And, they sent another stunning black velvet dress for me!

Now, before I tell you the funniest part of the gift box, let me preface it by saying that we have never met Sarah's foster family and while she keeps in contact with them via phone, email and letters I'm not sure they've seen a photo of us. Having said that, it never occurred to me what "picture" why would have in their minds of what Kevin and I look like! Apparently, in their minds we look like this .....

Feel free to make all the comments you'd like!!

Facebook

2009-01-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

I know lots of you are shivering in cold areas of the US right now so here's hoping some BIG sunshine comes out soon!

Not a whole lot has been going on here. Well, that's not quite true! Sarah and I started Facebook accounts and have been spending quite a bit of time online with it. It's been about a week since we started our accounts and EVERY night since Sarah has been chatting online through Facebook with one friend or another.

Facebook is GREAT for her English so we encourage her to chat whenever she wants just like we are so happy when she text messages people on her cell phone. Yes, I guess that kind of makes us weird parents! We're like, "Yeah! Go text! Go chat with someone on Facebook!" (So I know that sound rather flip but trust me she is encouraged but supervised!)

When I first heard about Facebook eons ago I kind of imaged it like an online yearbook where you posted a bit about yourself and then waited to see if you heard from others from high school or college. It's actually so much more than that and quite addictive! At Christmas my sister-in-law had said she was ADDICTED to Facebook. She actually said "addicted." I remember thinking "what in the heck could there to be addicted to!?!?" She was right. It's addicting.

To those who don't know about Facebook, you set up a free account, tell some things about yourself, upload photos and can join groups and such. You can even plant a cyber garden to help save the rain forest. Or send animated stickers to friends. Or keep track of birthdays. Or make cartoon pictures of yourself. All this in addition to finding lost friends and keeping in touch with current friends. I "found" a long lost friend who I haven't actually chatted with in about 13 years!

In order for anyone to view your information they have to send you a "friend" request which you can approve or deny. If you approve a friend then the two of you are linked and can view each other's information and chat. You can even "poke" or "super poke" your friends.

Sarah is very selective about approving friend requests. Quite honestly, if you're over 18 don't even think about it! (Well, unless there are special circumstances which she takes on a case-by-case basis! And I think there is bribery involved!) She wants it basically to be kids from school which I totally get. If I were her that's what I would want to. I'm just waiting for her to rescind the friend link she has with me!

Me, on the other hand, I just like to chat. So if you'd like to chat with me, send me a friend request. Then again, for those friends who have read this blog for so long but who I haven't actually "met", you'll need my name in order to find me. So let me introduce myself -- I'm Debbi Hoepner Bracker. Hope to see you on Facebook!

First Semster DONE!

2009-01-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

First semester of 8th grade is now DONE! Today starts Sarah's new classes and in order to work art and industrial arts into her schedule the school had to move her science and PE classes around too, so she really has 4 new classes to settle into today. At least the other three classes stayed the same!

On Tuesday Kevin and I went to school to listen to her advanced piano class give their end of semester recital. It was very good! The photo is of Sarah during the recital.

Hopefully after school we'll hear that she LOVES her new classes!!! Keep your fingers crossed!

A Horse that Runs on Diet Mt. Dew

2009-01-09T05:57:00.000-08:00

It's back to school week for Sarah. After a slightly rough start where she came home early on Monday because she wasn't feeling well, it's been all uphill. Next Wednesday the semester changes so Sarah will leave behind advanced piano and keyboarding class and start fresh with art and industrial arts. Instead of industrial arts should could have selected cooking/sewing but she wanted to try something new. All her other classes will remain the same.

Next Tuesday Kevin and I will be attending a small piano recital at school which is the culmination of the advanced piano class. All the students had worked on a Christmas song as the recital was to be held before holiday break, the the snowy weather that cancelled school also cancelled the recital. So the kids have all had to learn new songs . We'll try to take a bit of video or photos.

I'm EXCITED to say that the Pillsbury Million Dollar Bake-Off just opened up for entries yesterday so for the next few months I'll be sequestered in my kitchen trying to come up with the next great Pillsbury recipe! If you call or email and I don't get right back with you, expect an answer in late April when the deadline closes! LOL! I was a finalist in 2004 and had a great time during my trip to Hollywood to compete, but I did not win a prize. Maybe this time?!?!?!? Could it be "Orlando, Here I Come!?!?" In giddy just thinking about it!

Kevin is easing back into university life and classes will resume next week. He's been doing a few "goodies" around the house like painting the back door frame and organizing all his hiking stuff. He's getting "the itch" to go hiking again -- I can see it in his eyes. As you can see below, he's already started a pre-hike strength training "hallway horse ride" program under the guidance of Sarah and Romeo! And a one, and a two, and a .......

Jiminy Cricut!

2009-01-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

(Anyone seen Romeo?!?!??!? LOL!)

Well Sarah has been saving her money for quite some time now. She has money from her birthday, Christmas and from selling some of her DS games on Ebay. Plus, her monthly allowance money which we just started a few months back. We started giving her the monthly allowance to help her learn about money, making decisions about "needs" vs "wants", etc. With her allowance she's to buy her own clothes (minus the "essentials" we buy like shoes, coats, undergarments, etc), make-up, jewelry and fun items. After her birthday and Christmas she's pretty much set on all those areas for the whole coming year!

She's really good about saving her money and not wanting to spend it on small things. She's been looking at an Ipod touch screen and a paper cutting machine called a "Cricut" (which I'm told is pronounced like "cricket"). We went today and checked out the Ipods and then she wanted to look at the Cricut again. She's looked at them several times and always decided just to keep her money. I thought today would be no different. Wrong song, Jack!

"I really want the Cricut, Mom!" she kept saying.

"Why?" I said.

"So I can make photo books, cards and bookmarks! Some for me and some to give. I thought you said it was MY money?"

Hmmmmm...yep, we did say that. So we went over with her again about how much money the Cricut was and how much the cartridges and paper are, etc. She stood her ground.

"You don't want to buy clothes, jewelry, make-up or anything else with the money?"

"No."

And, then we thought about how it really is her money and if she's happy with the clothes, etc, that she has, then maybe it will be a good thing for her to choose something "out of the ordinary", spend her money on it and see where the wind blows. (and for those of wondering it, "yes" I am thinking that maybe this is another notch in my "rookie mom's mistake" book!!)

So, here's Sarah with her new Cricut! Of course the first letters she cut were pink and spelled out "Sarah" (except I see in the photos it spells out "SarHA" which is totally goofball SARAH to the max!).

(No, the cat was not part of the package deal!)

Happy Birthday

2009-01-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

We interrupt your regularly scheduled reading for a guest-blogger -- Kevin. Tomorrow (Sunday) is Debbi's birthday (she will be turning 28...that's my story and I'm sticking to it) so I wanted to sneak in while her and Sarah are at a movie (can't believe that they wouldn't rather watch football) to publicly wish her a Happy Birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

May all your birthday wishes come true!

Sarah and I love you BUNCHES!

Fun with Friends

2009-01-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

We had a great visit with our friends from Colorado! Wish they could have stayed longer!!! Just a few photos of the kids -- the last one of the older kids being big goobers.

Wintery Iowa Christmas

2008-12-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

We're home from our Christmas travels. We had a GREAT time visiting with everyone but have to say that you can keep your Iowa winter in Iowa -- we like our much warmer Missouri weather! Our van was like, "what's this white stuff!? Why am I cold?!?"

A few photos, but Blogger is SO SLOW right now it's taking forever to get photos loaded, so hopefully I can get more up later!

Here is Sarah with her cousins Katherine, Samantha, Ai and Little Ty.

And with a few of her fun gifts ....

And making the traditional Jesus Cake with Ai, Little Ty and Mimi.

A cute photo with Dad in reindeer ears ... what this guy won't do to make his daughter happy!

Presents #2!

2008-12-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a BLAST for us! Sarah is enjoying her new DS games and Barbie Diamond Castle goodies (above). She also got some perfume, clothes, a Winnie the Pooh snow globe and jewelry. One of her favorite gifts is one Kevin bought for her -- flint. Yep, the kind you use to start a fire with! She's kind of obsessed with "Survivor", "Man vs. Wild" and "Survivor Man" on tv and so she thought the flint was AWESOME! Yep, perfume and flint -- that's our girl!

Here is a gift for me that Sarah wrapped to look like a tropical drink. It's actually one of the expensive holiday boxes of Kleenex that I wanted but was too cheap to buy myself. She thought I was CRAZY for wanting it but bought it anyway.

And here she is fighting with Kevin over his gifts! She picked the nut roaster for him as he's always drooling over the roasted nuts at the mall.

She really wanted "Wish" perfume from Victoria's Secret and she was so happy when she opened it. Normally she's not allowed to shop on the Victoria's Secret side of the store but must instead stay on the high school/college themed "Pink" side of the store, but I let her venture in the middle of the store to the perfume and make-up! So now she has her "Pink" suitcase and her perfume.

Present Time!

2008-12-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay in posting! All three of us have been under the weather with colds and then due to ice and snow Sarah's school was cancelled Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. To top it off, on Thursday night our heat pump started sounding like a Mac truck. When the repair service came on Friday we found out the the motor is shot in the pump so we had to turn it off completely and rely solely on the emergency heat function. The new motor won't arrive until after the holidays, so we've been trying to figure out what to with our travel plans and Mr. Romeo the cat!

As we ponder "should we stay or should we go" on our trip up North, we're going ahead with our "plan" of having our Christmas TODAY! Actually, Sarah was antsy last night so she opened a few presents then and a few more this morning. The rest will be tonight after dinner.

Of course one gift she wanted last night was the "big box" that has had her mind spinning for days. As the days passed, she kept wanting clues at to what was inside. So I told her:

It's not a toy.

It's not clothes.

It's not much fun "as is" but is fun to use.

It's made of metal, fabric, leather and plastic.

Hmmmmm.........

And it is ......

A big rolling PINK suitcase! She was pretty excited because she's looking forward to travelling.

Here are some of the photos from this morning. I'll try to post more after tonight!

And, the AFTERMATH ....

The Bells are Ringing!

2008-12-17T03:30:00.000-08:00

For the five years Kevin was in graduate school I worked in a customer service roll where the telephone rang a lot. When the girl next to me was at lunch, my phone rang and her calls rolled over to me. When two girls were at lunch, three calls rolled into one. You get the idea.

I pretty much grew to dislike the telephone especially the sound of it ringing. In our house, we only have two telephones with one in the kitchen and one in the basement by the computer. Most people are confused when they come to our house and realize there are ONLY two telephones. What, no telephone in each bedroom? No phone in the bathroom? What about the garage?!??!

Through my slumber I heard the dreaded phone ring at 6 am this morning. I drug myself out of bed, down the hall and into the kitchen to see what in the blazes was going on -- although I pretty much knew already. The automated message was the same as Monday and Tuesday -- "No school again today!"

To say Sarah is excited would be an understatement! Being my old myself and being as this is the third day in a row this has happened so the novelty of "no school" should be worn off, I thought I could turn the alarm off and crawl back into bed for a long winter's nap. I'm so demented! There was dancing and singing and overall merriment! And no more sleeping.

So, I'm sitting here at the computer looking for last minute "must have" deals and Sarah is sitting right next to me at her computer playing Christmas games. All in all, it's a pretty darn good morning, but it's still DARN EARLY! And I need coffee .....

Just in case you need an idea of what to get ME --- and NOTE it's on sale with FREE shipping!! LOL!!!

Jura-Capresso Impressa Z5 Fully Automatic Espresso Coffeemaker
Free Shipping
Suggested Price: $4,000.00
Our Price: $3,299.00

All I want for Christmas is .......

2008-12-13T05:03:00.000-08:00

THANKS again everyone for sending in your holiday surveys! I print them out as they come in but unfortunately our cat decided to help me "re-arrange" them all over the basement so if you don't see your answers below just drop me a note and I'll reprint off your survey and add it!

First, one of the questions was whether you have ever recycled a gift. In other words, have you ever received a gift and then given that exact same gift to another person?

44% said Yes
56% said No

Oh, now aren't you thinking "Have I ever gotten a recycled gift??!??" And one person who said "no" also said -- "I want to, but can't seem to get myself to do it!"

On to things people want to whisper in Santa's ear. "Oh, I've been really good this year Santa!" Please bring me:

Nothing as I have everything (4 responses)
LOA (Letter of Acceptance for Adoption from China)(2 responses)
Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker
New haircut, new shoes and date night at movies with husband
Edward Cullen
Items for trip to Europe that family will be taking soon
To be a mom
Laptop computer
Stereo that mounts under the cabinet in the kitchen
Pink pony sheets
Cleaning service for our house
TV
Healthy, happiness and safe travel for friends and family (2 responses)
Ipod Touch Screen
Ghost Hunters DVDs
Spend time with kids and granddaughter
Wish for friend's husband and sister who are battling cancer
Wii Fit
Touch Screen camera
Sewing machine

Bigger Than a Bread Box?!?! Or is it a bread box?

2008-12-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

Three days ago I started wrapping gifts. I wrap a few gifts a day and stick them under the tree. Some will travel with us to Iowa for family and friends and some are for staying at home. Since then, Miss Sarah has been shaking and poking and trying to peek -- and not only "her" gifts but any gifts that are under the tree!

For normal "kid" reasons, she's become FIXATED (and I mean, FIXATED) on the largest box that is for her. In the photo, it's the big blue box nearest the tree.

I told her that I had "disguised" some of her gifts. Last year she didn't know what to make of a gift she opened that was small but packed inside a larger box with bath towels wrapped around it. Now that she knows I do such things, she's spending a large amount of time trying to figure out what's inside the box! She tips it to a 90 degree angel and listens. She straightens it back up and tips it the other way to a 40 degree angel and listens. She stares at it. She talks to it. Even Romeo tilts his head to the side in amazement!

The two things she's come up with are things she asked for but aren't things we bought. The first thing she wanted is a panda bear stuffed animal foot stool that she always looks at at Sam's Club. It's actually about the right size and weight that it could be confused by the wrapped box. The other thing she thinks it might be is a cotton candy machine which is smaller than the box but she's decided that it must be inside with "disguised" things. She's most convinced it's the cotton candy machine because she wanted it last year (we didn't buy it) and she's asked for it again this year (we didn't buy it).

So when she started being so interested in this box and trying to figure out what was inside, I didn't want her to be heart broken when she opened it and it wasn't those things she had asked for. I point blank told her that those two items were NOT inside the box. Funny, but she doesn't believe me! "Yeah, right Mama!"

Then I went into how the biggest box doesn't mean it's the BEST present. "Yeah, right Mama!" She is actually totally overlooking the smaller gifts under the tree which will turn out to be the ones I think she'll like the best!

Right now, I love watching her come home from school, drop her school things and bolt up the stairs to not only shake "the big box" but to see if anything has been added under the tree!

Food Glorious Food!

2008-12-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

(Trader Joe's Peppermint Jo-Joes)

WOW! Several more Christmas surveys have arrived -- THANKS! This has really been fun for all of us.

One of the best responses we received regarding food was actually by someone who listed this as the worst gift ever received -- dried squid snacks! You see, when Sarah first arrived in the US we took her to a small Chinese food store in town and she picked out a bag of dried shredded squid snack. Yes, it smells just like you'd think and tastes even worse -- to me. But she LOVES it. She loves it so much that the first food item she cooked and wanted to share with Kevin and me was a dried squid omelet! We happily ate it and then relived the whole experience repeatedly throughout the day! Even so, still one of those memories we'll never forgot and would never want to change.

So many good foods were listed by everyone that I'm just drooling as I type this! Note that 4 people listed HAM as a favorite (not one vote for turkey!)(although there is a vote for Tofurky which has a special place in my heart as I worked for a long time on a Tofurky recipe contest years ago trying to win a trip to Alaska for Kevin.)

And, erhum, please see that not one person listed FRUIT CAKE anywhere so I rest my case that the bricks known as "fruit cake" can quietly be placed outside to hold your shed up or placed behind the wheels of your RV without fear that anyone will care.

I didn't know what Trader Joe's Peppermint Jo-Jos were but I Googled them and they look so good I need to see if it's possible to order some! If it's chocolate and peppermint, I'm there baby!

What's so great about what people like to eat is that it's so varied and traditional all at the same time. We have some Italian, Mexican, English and German heritage foods listed! If you're planning to cook for guests, here's a list of things that will probably go over very well!

Sweets:
Thumb print cookies filled with chocolate
Cream cheese mints
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin cheesecake
Pineapple casserole
Special K Bars
Scotcheroos
Peanut butter fudge
Candy popcorn
Gingerbread cookies
Trader Joe's Peppermint Jo-Jos
Homemade fudge

Other Snacks:
Chex Mix

Main Dishes:
Fillet tenderloin roast
Pizza & Calamari
Lasagna
Prime Rib & Yorkshire pudding
Enchiladas
Ham (4 people listed this)
Tofurky

(Yorkshire Pudding .... looks so good, but I've never tried it)

Side Dishes:
Green bean casserole
Sweet potatoes
Artichokes
Cheesy potato casserole
Noodles

Christmas Survey -- Part 1

2008-12-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

I've had the BEST time reading everyone's answers to the Christmas survey! THANKS everyone!! But, there's still time so if you haven't emailed yours in yet, please do so!

I think I'll put some of the survey results into a few different blog posts over the next few days because there's just too much Christmas goodness to condense it down into just one post!

Okay, a lot of you are shopping and wrapping right now. Maybe we could all use a few tips from the survey results of "favorite gift received as a child" and "worst gift ever received."

While the question has to do with favorite gift received AS A CHILD, should we take these items as a "sign of things to come as a adult?" I mean, do you think the person who responded "big wheel" is a FAST driver now?!? Does the little kid who loved getting a puppy have a houseful of animals? Is the person who said "Easy Bake Oven" someone who loves cooking now? Is the person who received the same favorite gift "every year" someone who loves tradition? How about the Pony Plates -- does this person still like art? And the Schwin bike -- does this person still like exercise and fitness? I honestly don't know the answer to these, but it would be so cool to find out! So, think about yourselves and how you answered the question -- is that little kid still inside you?!?!?

Here are a few of the responses for "favorite gift received as a child" --

Ice skates (every year)

Barbie Dream House

Barbie Dream House (yep, favorite of 2 people!)

Tippy the Stuffed Dog

Shaun Cassidy Silk Jacket

Big Wheel

Green & Cream Schwin Bike

Easy Bake Oven

Cabbage Patch Kid

Pony Plates (plates you put together and rub paper over to make diff. pictures)

Puppy Dog

Little Ricky Doll (from I Love Lucy)

Now, on to "worst gift received" and please note many people refused to answer this one on the grounds that someone might beat them about the neck and shoulders! Also, a few answered but asked that I not post their responses. Basically, what I think it comes down to is:

Men -- Unless it's something you can buy at Best Buy (IPod, computer, etc) don't buy women anything that needs plugged in. If it has a cord and requires electricity, just put it back on the shelf and walk away. Seriously, just walk away. And don't walk over to the clothing department. Keep on going until you get to the shiny, glass covered area with the jewelry. If she can wear it on her ears, her neck or her wrist you'll have a winner! (NOTE: only three body locations were listed! You are not to buy for ankle, nose, belly button or other areas that shall remain nameless!)

Women -- Don't buy men anything expensive and expect them to know it's expensive and be appreciative of the cost! It will only really make you mad when they think it came from any one of the stores that ends in "mart". "Coach" or "Ugg" or "Michael Kors" or "Ralph Lauren" pretty much translates to "blah, blah, blah" to men -- it's like another language they don't speak. If you want a luxury brand but think you really shouldn't spend the money on yourself but it's okay to spend it on him, just give it back to the clerk and walk away. Seriously, just walk away (and come back later to pick up something for yourself).

"Worst Gift Ever Received" (sorry but the best ones I can't post due to fear of being beaten but here are some others):

Wet Vac

Vacuum cleaner

Ugly sweater

Christmas napkins

Christmas sweater

Pink fuzzy slippers

Nail clippers

Hope you've enjoyed today's results! Tune in tomorrow for more!

Does Your Tree Need a Dress?!?

2008-12-08T15:53:00.000-08:00

Sarah went to have her hair trimmed and the entry way of our hair salon was all decorated. I was fascinated by the tree they had made where the tree actually looks like a woman's skirt. They've placed a mannequin's head on top and then made a kind of wrap dress that goes down over the top and around the back ...

And here is the view looking the other way down the hallway. A few interesting things to ponder as I was thinking "what else could you do with a tree?!" Sarah and Kevin both said "Our tree is good the way it is! Don't touch it. " So I don't think we'll be having a tree lady next year. But I love thinking about new things even if they are a little C-R-A-Z-Y!

Three, Two, One -- We're DONE!

2008-12-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we took a trip to Springfield to hit the mall, TJ Maxx and Best Buy; although we couldn't find a parking place at Best Buy so we just kept moving! As for food, we had lunch at Chipotle which is a favorite of all three of us, but unfortunately not a restaurant we have near where we live. Photo above was snapped while Sarah was eating her Chipotle beef burrito and watching the busy traffic out the window.

About the holidays, last year was Sarah's first Christmas and she had only been with us for a few months as well as not understanding much English. It was a whirlwind for her with meeting so many people, traveling and just trying to figure out what the heck was going on. This year, she is STOKED about Christmas! (Okay, I know I'm way too old to be using the word "stoked" but it's the only word I could think of to really express how excited she it!)

Part of her excitement concerns gift giving. She's helped to select most of the gifts we'll be giving. It really has been good for her to step outside herself and to consider what she knows about others and then try to select a gift for each person. For so many years she was "in charge" of only herself that we consider anything we can do to widen her world view a good thing.

As for shopping in Springfield, we had a great time. Along with our Sunday "girl shopping" trip today, we are pretty much DONE with the holiday shopping. What were the last three gifts? Well ... since they are gifts for kids who don't read the blog (but don't tell anyway!) .... the count down went ...

#3 .... Swim to Me Rescue Puppy (which is too cute for words!)(for cousin Quinn)

#2 .... Season 1 of "Charmed" (for cousin Samantha)

#1 ... drum roll please! .... Star Wars Millennium Falcon TransFormer! (for cousin Little Ty)

And since we were so proud of ourselves for getting everything off the lists bought, we splurged a bit on ourselves! Sarah picked out a Hello Kitty toaster which burns an image of Hello Kitty into the toast! As Sarah would say, "It's DARN cute!" (as a side note, if you ever hear "It's DARN cute!" from Sarah you can trust me she means it! The phrase is only reserved for highly deserving "cuties"!)

Now it's on to wrapping! We've pulled out the paper and ribbons and are starting with those who live farthest away first as we don't know how long the mail may take. Our first package is already in the mail and two others will be soon too. The rest will go under the tree!

Hope to Hear from ALL of You!

2008-12-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

Before Thanksgiving a friend sent an email called "Getting to Know You -- Christmas Edition." You answer the questions and then send it back to the person who sent it to you and then also send it on for others to answer the questions.

I've been AMAZED at how wonderfully fun it's been to get answers back from people! And I've been equally amazed at how many people have contacted me to let me know how much fun they had answering the questions and wanting to know what others had said.

So, I thought to myself ..... "Self! Let's see if we can get even more responses!"

So I'm posting the questions below. We'd LOVE to hear what EVERYONE has to say -- even if you read this blog but don't know us personally, let's use this as a time to get to know everyone! Please tell us a bit about yourself and let's have some fun!

If you would like, please copy the below questions or simply number your answers and email them to us. And you don't have to answer them all if you don't want to -- just pick the ones you'd like to answer and leave the others blank.

In a few days, we'll print on the blog some of the responses to the questions (and there are some doosies already!) so everyone can enjoy the craziness that is the holiday season -- but we'll post them "anonymously" and won't print anything hurtful or mean -- so don't worry and just have FUN with it!

Please use the "email us" link on the right side of the blog to contact us!

(NOTE to adoptive parents! When I spell checked this entry before posting the program picked up "doosies" above and wanted to replace it with "dossiers"! Yep, those dossiers are doosies! Is that too funny or what?!!??! I don't even know if I've spelled "doosies" correct or not, but I don't care and refuse to change it now!)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

2. Real tree or Artificial?

3. When do you put up the tree?
4. When do you take the tree down?
5. Do you like eggnog?

6. Favorite gift received as a child?

7. Hardest person to buy for?

8. Easiest person to buy for?

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
16. Lights on the tree?

17. Favorite Christmas song?
18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home?
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

23. What theme or color are you using?

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?

Fun Tree Time!

2008-12-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

Just a few photos of the tree going up (and leaning a bit to the side!). Sarah had a fun time decorating even though we could only put lights and decorations on the higher branches so Romeo wouldn't eat them. The tree topper this year is a Christmas cat -- who would have thought?!?!?

Being a typical teenager, she had to have her "tunes" in order to work! You might be able to see the pink Ipod earphones in the photos but you can't hear her singing at the top of her lungs! She's so cute!

No, Romeo is not really eating the candy cane! Sarah thought it would be cute have him look like a baby drinking Christmas "milk"!

First Snowman

2008-12-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

Our first light snow of the year allowed Sarah to make her very first snowman! Okay, actually it was two snowmen and they are VERY small! There wasn't much snow at all, but she didn't care because they were the FIRST EVER! She had such fun and can't wait for more snow.

Ice Cream Warrior Princess!

2008-11-29T18:40:00.000-08:00

Okay. What do you get when you combine banana splits and yoga? Well, that's just a normal day at our house!!! Sarah made her first ever banana splits today with cookie dough, vanilla and brownie chip mint ice cream flavors topped with hard shell, whipped cream, pecans and heart sprinkles. She actually can't eat ice cream but has wanted to make them after seeing them in a movie so Grandma and I both enjoyed her creations.

Grandma and Grandpa brought their Wii Fit with them and tonight she fired it up and really seemed to enjoy it. Well, at first it took her through some beginner tests and the machine told her that her "body age" was 35!!! She was MAD! Then, she did some of the yoga tests and totally kicked butt so it told her she was a "body builder!" Here she's doing the "warrior" yoga pose. Guess being a Warrior Princess is what you get when you do yoga and avoid the ice cream!

We're Stuffed!

2008-11-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

Here are the cousins with their festive holiday head bands! Hard to see, but Katherine has Santas, Samantha has snowmen and Sarah has reindeer.

I've been making Thanksgiving dinner for about 12 years now and this is the first time I actually undercooked the turkey! Kevin will tell you I tend to cook the devil out of most meat so this was something new -- and by new I don't mean "good"! And I tried to make it easier on myself by cutting a few corners which was not a good thing to do. I think someone will be showing up at the front door on Monday demanding I return my spatulas! But Kevin's family was very nice about it!

Guess there's always next year and at least we didn't wind up in the ER.

For the first time we made a fire pit in the backyard (actually Kev dug the fire pit, Rick collected the firewood and Sarah arranged the fire wood -- I did NOTHING but enjoy the marshmallows!) and we enjoyed it on two different nights.

Here is Miss Sarah sitting in the laundry basket after helping get the house ready for Thanksgiving. And then she covered up with her tv watching blanket and "snorted" which drives Romeo crazy and he pounces.

Now we start decorating for Christmas. Sarah is really excited about Christmas this year although we are hoping Romeo lets us keep the tree up!

Why Romeo Doesn't Need SANTA!!

2008-11-24T06:58:00.001-08:00

Romeo probably doesn't need Santa to leave him any presents! Sarah keeps buying him these really cool 'cat' toys -- and he does love them and plays with them all the time. BUT, he's pretty much happy with anything!

For example, how about a pink Monopoly box?

Or a bathroom sink and a hair pick?

Or a dry jacuzzi? (Where sometimes he takes his toys in with him and I might be downstairs and I'll hear him knocking his bell ball around inside the tub!)

And EVERY DAY -- and I mean EVERY DAY -- he takes all three of our bathroom cups, knocks them off the counter and onto the floor and chews the living daylights out of them! Yes, we've thought about putting them under the counter or out of his reach, but he's so darn cute and has so much fun!!! This is what they look like by the time I find them. Can you say "spoiled"!!?!??!

Fun Family Weekend

2008-11-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

We've had a GREAT weekend so far! On Friday night we had our favorite pizza and then went "window shopping" so Sarah could show us some items she wanted for Christmas. We stopped at Best Buy, Target and the mall and she found several items she just loved!

Today we went to see the movie "Bolt" which was really fun (including the bucket of popcorn) and then did a little more window shopping. We picked up a triple layer chocolate cheesecake too! After we came home, we broke out a PINK Monopoly game that Sarah had received as a gift last Christmas. At that time, she didn't have enough English to play the game and it's been stored away. While we were out looking in stores today she saw a similar game and asked if we could play her game when we got back home. And we did. It was really fun although Miss Sarah kicked both of our butts!

Right now she is watching one of her favorite tv shows which is "Man vs Wild". I have NO IDEA why she likes this show, but it's one Kevin had watched before we went to China and he must have Tivod it because one day he was watching an episode and she sat down and just was enthralled with it. At that time she didn't know much English at all but she watched intently and has been hooked ever since. When I say I don't know why she likes it, here's an example of why I think that -- she just asked me to come upstairs to see a "neat" part of the show and it was the guy who stars in the show eating an ox's eye ball -- yes, a real eye ball from a real dead ox. "Neat?" I don't think so!

Tomorrow it's football day for Kevin and "girl shopping" for Sarah and me. We started going shopping when football season started and now it's a "tradition" that Sarah loves. We hit the mall and usually Kohl's before heading to lunch at her favorite Chinese restaurant. Sometimes she pushes my buttons enough to get a Starbucks for the ride home. Then we head downstairs to watch a "girl movie". We snuggle up with the cat and watch some movie that would curl Kevin's man toes -- like "Notting Hill" or "While You Were Sleeping." Last Sunday I made her watch one of my favorite "old" movies -- "Sixteen Candles" and she really liked it.

I LOVE weekends!

Fall Fishing Trip

2008-11-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we took a Fall fishing trip to Branson. Grandma and Grandpa have their RV down there so we headed down to visit and do a bit of fishing. Sarah had a great time even though the fish were all in hiding and not wanting to be caught!

The day was too short though and we missed two of things Sarah wanted to do -- drive go-carts with Dad and Grandpa and make S'mores over a campfire. But, there's always next time!

Birthday Gift Photos

2008-11-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a few photos of Sarah wish a few of her gifts. Our family all live in other states so the blog is a great way to reach a lot of people. We can't thank everyone enough for all the cards and gifts. You guys ROCK!

First, Sarah received about $50 in cash and used the money to buy the new Guitar Hero game for her DS. She bought it on Sunday and it had just come out on Saturday night at midnight. Here she is playing the new game and wearing one of her new BLING t-shirts.

Here she is with a cool pink and black striped shirt from Diane and her new pink purse from Mimi and Papa.

I'll try to get more photos as she uses/wears things! THANKS AGAIN!

Happy 15th Birthday!!!

2008-11-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

Where Sarah got home and saw that beach decorations she yelled, "Everybody go and get your shorts on!! And then she did! She loved the coconut bra and even decided her Dad should wear it as well (he's such a good sport and even let me take his photo in it!).

The gifts are open, the cake and strawberry parfaits are eaten and Sarah has locked herself in the bathroom to avoid Grandma's 15 birthday spankings!! She had a great time!

Thanks everyone for helping make Sarah's birthday special!!!!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!

2008-11-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

Yeah!!!! It's Nov. 12th and our Baby Girl's 15th Birthday!!!

Last night Sarah was already excited and asked if she could "just open one or two presents!?!?!?" So she opened just a few -- one from Mimi and Papa, one from Grammie and Grampie and one from Mom and Dad. She had lots of fun playing with the toy Mimi and Papa sent and the pink and white bath wrap from Grammie and Grampie was enjoyed right out of the box (no bath required!)!

After she went to bed, we decorated both sides of the van with window paint. Sarah was quite surprised when we left to go to school today!

After I dropped her off, Kevin and I decorated the dining room in a beach theme. We didn't know until after we had taken our trip to Disney last year that Sarah has never been to a beach. She REALLY wants to walk in the sand and see the ocean, so we decided to do a beach party for her birthday and hopefully soon we'll get to a real beach.

And as I'm sure you can see by the number of PINK boxes, one of her favorite stores is the Victoria's Secret PINK store which is geared toward casual, fun clothes. (She isn't allowed to shop on the actual Victoria's Secret side of the store -- just the younger PINK store side!).

She's asked for Domino's pizza and chicken wings for her dinner. She doesn't really care for cake at all but I'm making a lemon-strawberry cake with less sugar in hopes that she'll like it.

I'm off to pick up the balloons and a few more supplies. Can't wait for tonight!!! Will post more photos later -- and THANKS to everyone for helping to make her 15th birthday special!

Happy Birthday Great Grandma Delores!

2008-11-11T11:43:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is Sarah's birthday as well as her Great Grandma's birthday!

So here's a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Great Grandma Delores!!!!

May you have MANY, MANY more!

Love,

Sarah, Deb, Kevin, Romeo, Tinker Bell & The Crabby Bunch

Yes! We have Crabs!! And Birthday Cake!!!

2008-11-10T07:59:00.000-08:00

So it's been 2-1/2 months since he came home to live with us and Romeo the cat has finally figured out that we have a tank with hermit crabs inside! He's been so fascinated with our hamster that he didn't look over his shoulder to the table right along side the hamster to see the aqauarium. But, now he's found it and has a new favorite place to lay -- right on top the screen covering the tank! We are hoping the screen holds!

This morning he has been helping me wrap Sarah's birthday presents and he's helped me decide how to decorate the house and a few special little things to make her birthday special. Her birthday is on Wednesday, so just two more days! She's so excited and can't wait!!!

When Sarah is at school on Wednesday I'll post updated pictures of us getting ready for her birthday dinner. Can't believe our girl will be 15!!!!

Planet Galacky!

2008-11-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

For quite some time, Sarah has been a little distressed by the people who stop us in stores and say to her "where are you from?" or who will turn to me (while Sarah and I are together) and say "Is she a foreign exchange student?" Every time I put my arm around her and say, "No, she's my daughter!" Then there's a few seconds where the person looks at her, looks back at me and then looks at Sarah again. Usually, the conversation ends with the person saying, "Oh!"

For some reason, I don't believe there's ever been a time when anyone has stopped us when it's Kevin, me and Sarah. Maybe Kevin is scarier looking than I think!?!?!??! I mean, he is 6'4" so maybe that keeps people from asking.

Anyway, being the totally funny kid she is, Sarah has decided that she's from the planet Galacky! And she told someone at Walmart that! So while we first met in China, apparently her home planet is someone up in the sky.

Being that she is from another planet, Sarah has a great interest in the stars. She's been saving her money to buy herself a telescope. We had quickly glanced at one last week and last night after her homework was done she asked if she could go buy the telescope. Here she is unpacking it. It still needs some fine tuning, but that will be for tonight.

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

Sarah decorated our front porch and did an AWESOME job! Then, it was on to Halloween fun! Miss Sarah is a Pink Princess -- and a beautiful one at that! Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Lost My Job as Cook!

2008-10-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

WOW! Kevin suggested that he and Sarah each take over cooking dinner one night a week! Can you believe it?!?!? Well, Sarah was so excited she wanted to start the very next night. I asked what she'd like to learn to make. One of her favorite things is chicken wings, so she wanted those plus green bean casserole. I added three chicken breasts (as I don't like wings) and some easy Alfredo noodles.

We started by making the green bean casserole and putting it in the oven. We also prepped the noodles to cook during the last 10 minutes of chicken cooking. Then we made a simple marinade of oil, teriyaki sauce, coarse black pepper, cayenne and salt. For the chicken breasts, she didn't want just plain old chicken and instead wanted to make kabobs.

She learns so quick! I explained how to clean the chicken, cut it into even sized pieces, thread it and marinate it -- and she was off! Then it was on to learning how to clean and operate the gas grill. Then there was understanding the hot spots on the grill and that some pieces will take longer to cook than others so you have to start those first. She was a real PRO! She cooked all the chicken, including basting and turning and moving it from hot to warm sides -- I didn't touch anything! And it turned out PERFECT!

She was so excited and happy to have made a whole dinner. The look of pride on her face made my heart sing!!

At the beginning of October we started a new way of giving her allowance and money to buy her own clothes, jewelry and make-up. She was a very careful shopper, compared prices and thought about purchases before picking items up. So far she's bought a pair of flare bottom corduroys, new lip gloss, new sparkly mascara and a beautiful black velour hoodie with faux fur trim. Here's a picture of her in her new hoodie -- she was so happy to have been able to select her own items and pay with her own money -- and she only spent about half of the money she was given so she can save the rest.

And, lastly, here's a scary picture of Sarah and me wearing our mom-and-daughter matching rhinestone studded cowboy hats. Kevin actually took the photo as she and I were in her room dancing to songs on her Ipod. She has purple maracas we brought back from Mexico a few years ago and I have a musical rainforest stick that we bought probably 15 years ago. But, what do they say? Everything that is old will once again be new!? Hopefully that will work for this old lady who now has a 14 year old daughter who loves to dance, laugh and sing!