My Christmas Tree

I've noticed this week that several bloggers are posting pictures of their decorated Christmas trees. They range from the tiny to the gargantuan. From the ornate and elegant to the homey and folksy. After my series of posts about our weekend o' holiday fun, I figured I'd better get on the ball and show you the results of our labors. We moved the tree into our (as yet unfinished) front living room, to minimize the number of times a day I'd have to instruct Li'l Empress to "look but don't touch!" Here is our tree in all it's fullness and glory. As you can see, our tree leans toward the kitschy and folksy end of the spectrum. Pretty much a folk-art masterpiece, in my humble opinion.



If you look closely, you'll see our Christmas Angel atop the tree. That beautiful angel has a story all her own. One that I have been working on in my head. One that you'll have to tune in soon for - getting it from my head, out my fingertips, and onto the computer screen takes more time than Li'l Empress has been affording me this week.

Excuse the appalling lack of a tree skirt. When we unpacked this weekend, we noticed that the skirt has a large tear in the hem. It really needs to be mended before Maggie kitty picks at it and permanently ruins it. Again, time has been tight this week. I'm planning to fix it tonight while I watch Numbers and The Boss sleeps next to me on the couch! (Yes, just about the perfect Friday night, don't ya think?!)

A Beautiful Letter

You really must head over to Mary Beth Chapman's blog today. She has only blogged a few times since the passing of her precious daughter, Maria. This particular post is beautiful, raw, and very real. I have been a long-time fan of hers, watching the way she ministered to her family behind the scenes over the years. My respect for her grew tremendously when she spoke openly about her struggles with depression and the healing journey the Lord has had her on.

Today, I am especially grateful for her candidness and vulnerability. This a morning I've been struggling and praying through a particularly difficult issue in my heart. I found a quiet moment in the chaos of my morning to sneak into my Blog Reader and this post was waiting for me. Just what I needed. To gain some perspective. To get my focus off myself. To remember to choose gratitude and joy. To be reminded that no matter how hard things may be, or are, I have much to be thankful for. This woman has suffered a loss that can, and has, crippled many a Christian. Yet she chooses joy. Sometimes minute to minute. But she chooses it. She's a hero of the faith to me.

It's what I needed today.

Wordless Wednesday

A bit of a preview - The Gang's Christmas card in the making . . . .

Edit: none of these made the final cut. These were the trial runs!

for more Wordless Wednesday fun,
head over to 5 Minutes for Moms.
It's THE place to be this week :)

Oh My McDreaminess!

You have to head over to 5 Minutes for Moms - today's post is all about Patrick Dempsey. His interview via conference call with the blogging moms, his career, and his new scent, Unscripted, through Avon. Don't enter the contest, though. The Boss has been hunting for a new cologne (don't ask!) on and off for about 2 years now and I think this just might be the one. I can't really fathom that a cologne can smell better on The Boss than the one he currently wears, but it seems as if The Boss needs more variety than that in his toiletries (who knew?!). Free smells great to me, and I have smelled this one already. It's McDreamy.

Super Saturday

Li'l Empress slept AWESOME, through the whole night, Friday night. She'd been waking quite frequently and fussing every night for a whole week. Sometimes the fussing would be enough to require an entire "replay" of our night-time routine, sometimes not. But sleeping with one ear on the monitor in anticipation that the rustling would become crying is exhausting and both The Boss and I were so thankful for a solid night's sleep.

Saturday, my side of the family trekked together to the local tree farm. We filled three cars to over-flowing with our many layers, blankets, extra coats, and a wagon for the little girls. The anticipation and excitement was infectious. I don't know about the other cars, but our van was full of Christmas music (badly but enthusiastically sung), pictures snapping, and giggles from the girlies in the back seat. Uncle Eddie was providing great entertainment making faces at them while he followed closely behind our family-mobile.

Li'l Empress had fun hunting for her first Christmas tree!

She loved the bumpy rides through the trails and sharing the wagon with Teagan.

Teagan with her Mommy and Daddy and their perfect tree.

The tree farm was PACKED with families. I even saw few doggies hitching rides in wagons and inside their human's jackets. We tromped around looking for the perfect three trees, each family finally scoring plump, fragrant Blue Spruces. As we waited in the long lines to have our trees shaken and bundled for the trip home, we sang along to the carols being piped throughout the farm. At least, some of us sang. The younger generation cringed while we grown-ups sang operatic versions of "O Holy Night" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Oh, what fun to embarrass our kids with some good, light-hearted frivolity!

Hitching a Ride, Part I

Hitching a Ride, Part II

We headed back to The Gang's house for hot cocoa, coffee, and hanging out. Li'l Empress somehow discovered the nifty noises she could make the top of my whistling tea kettle, and I could NOT believe how long it entertained her. I'm sure the extreme reactions she got from her cousin prolonged the fun. Enjoy the video below - her giggle is contagious!

Later in the day, The Boss rolled out the cookies while LadyBug and Li'l Empress watched and begged for scraps. Li'l Empress really enjoyed her first bite of our family's favorite cookie. In fact, when we cleaned her up and took her down from the counter, she was downright miffed.

The night ended early, after LadyBug took her first shower in four weeks and cheered while doing it. I cheered too: bending over the tub twice or three times a week, to wash my 9-year-old's hair while attempting to keep her cast dry was NO PICNIC for me either! Everyone headed off to bed full, warm, and looking forward to Sunday's special occasion and afternoon holiday fun. . .

Free At Last, Free At Last!

LadyBug is rejoicing. LadyBug is free. LadyBug is itchy and peel-y.
(Is it just me, or is this kid growing up right before my eyes?! OY.)

The cast is gone. It was fun and exciting way to start our weekend o' holiday fun here with the Gang.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the actual removal process. I was holding a grumpy baby who didn't like the sight or sound of a saw on her sissy's arm. As this was our third cast, I'm kind of immune to the sound of it now, but it was all new to Li'l Empress and the LadyBug.

Comforting Li'l Empress gave me some good snuggle time. I was more than happy to envelope her with my fuzzy sweater-clad arms while talking to LadyBug to distract her mind from the process. After 5 nights in a row of terrible sleep, grumpy Empress was turning mean and the cuddles were a pleasant (albeit brief!) diversion.

After LadyBug was safely delivered to school to show off her pale, white, peeling arm (yummo!) I got Li'l Empress fed and down for a nap. Well, sort of a nap. If you can call waking and babbling after only 1/2 an hour a nap. But it was the break I needed and as long as it was happy babbling with her polka-dotted puppy and her blankie, I let her stay there a little while.

Our pretty little cousin, Teagan, came over for the afternoon and evening once the rest of the Gang was home from school and we had a good time watching the two little girls interact. Poor Teagan - she'd had such a busy, crazy week and then Daddy plunked her down right in the middle of the chaos of Friday afternoon with the Gang (who am I kidding, every afternoon is like that!). She was a trouper though and the night ended peacefully with Auntie reading a good night story and singing the Winnie the Pooh song to her while Uncle Boss fed Li'l Empress a bottle. I did have to make sure I was out of sight of the Empress when holding Teagan though - she's got a jealous streak a mile wide!

The night ended by whipping up a batch of our favorite Christmas cookies for The Boss to roll out and cut on Saturday afternoon. We all headed to bed where visions of hot cocoa and Christmas trees floated through our dreams. The festivities were only just beginning . . .

Sneak Peek

The elves at the Gang's house were very, very busy this weekend. Many tiny little hands (and not so tiny, too!) participated in all sorts of holiday frivolities and festivities over these last three days. Here's a sneak peek at just one of the little elves taking a snack break in the middle of the action. I'll be back later with much, much more.

In the meantime, head over to the brand new site hosted by 5 Minutes for Moms. It's called 5 Minutes for Giveaways. They're just crazy to sharing the fun over there. Tell them The Gang sent ya!

One More Thing . . .

Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that 5 Minutes for Moms is giving away a bed. Seriously, they are giving away a bed. A whole, shiny, pretty new mattress.

Don't go there now. Don't enter.

I want to win the bed. My back wants to win the bed. My hips want to win the bed. My kids want me to win the bed. So I quit griping about my aching back and hips.

The Twisty Turny Tale, Part 2

**This is part 2 in the telling of a series of events that the Lord has recently allowed us to experience, in the journey of the adoption of our Li'l Empress. If you haven't yet read part 1, I encourage you to head back to yesterday's post first. It really does need to be told. For Li'l Empress's benefit as she grows. For my benefit, to remind me of the faithfulness and love of My Father. For your benefit, to read and see that the Lord is good. He cares about you. He is in the details of your life. He wants to weave a tale for you.

Here's where we left off:

My little girl has had far too many
major "good-byes"
in her little life already.

The really exciting thing to me about this statement is that the Lord allowed it to be the primary reaction to this unfolding story for a reason. You see, I found all this out just at the time when I was feeling weary. Tired from the nights of rocking her heavy little body to sleep in my arms, standing droopily by her crib. Tired from not having my regular date nights out with The Boss. Weary from wondering how long adjustment and transition takes for a 15-month old baby girl. I've spoken before of her strong will. That alone is an exhausting adjustment. Add the task of intentionally setting the tones of security, unconditional love and sense of enduring family, and you can see why I was tired. Please understand. I rejoice in this gift we call the Li'l Empress. I am so joyful to have my darling dumpling in my arms at last. But the week that this story began to unfold, I was tired.

Isn't that just like our Father?! He knew I was weary. He knew that for all the joy and excitement we were experiencing, the honeymoon period was over and the work of real life was settling in. And He lovingly orchestrated these events in such a way that I could receive them for what they were: treasures and peeks into my daughter's first year.

As an outstanding and extravagant "ribbon topper" to the amazing gift of insight to Li'l Empress's life, these generous and thoughtful contacts from China Care were able to forward to us a series of photos taken by their staff members as part of their documentations and records of the children to whom they minister. We have 60-70 pictures of our girl, throughout her entire first 13 months! What a gift. What a priceless, precious gift. For us now, and for her as she grows. To see her growth and changes and development. To see her little personality start to emerge as she grows in her awareness of the camera. To see tangible evidence that she was loved and nurtured, and I might add, apparently very well-fed if her chubby cheeks are any evidence at all!

The extravagance didn't end there. They also generously forwarded three (yes, THREE!) videos featuring Li'l Empress in all her cuteness, interacting with the camera and with her foster parents. We are over-flowing with gratitude. We are humbled by the knowledge that this is a rare treasure. We are more humbled by the fact that this is rare treasure that most adoptive families never get to experience. We went into this adoption knowing that we may never have more than a cursory medical report or two on our child. We knew we were okay with that and knew that God could and would cover what we were missing, both in our knowledge of her past and in the journey to becoming a family. He has. And He will continue to.

Now, thanks to this twisty turny tale of events that we couldn't have made up if we tried, we have more of our daughter's story - with its own tale of twists and turns that carried her to us. And we give thanks.

The Twisty Turny Tale, Part 1

Several weeks ago, a reader I didn't know I had (thanks Sandi!) left me a comment regarding a picture she had seen of The Boss, Li'l Empress and I on our Adoption Day. The picture was posted over at Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures. It's a website dedicated to uniting lost cameras, memory sticks, and pictures with their rightful owners. Apparently, the owner of the site also posts pictures of orphans and/or their new families occasionally in an effort to help adoptive families gather more information and pictures of their children or their trip, etc.

Well, gather information we did!

After a series of email exchanges and connections all over the world, we have learned some great background on our precious girl. Stick with me, the story isn't that complicated, but it's still all new to us and we're praying and processing through what it all means for our family.

Apparently, the orphanage to which Li'l Empress was brought at her finding is one that is largely supported by a not-for-profit organization called China Care. In a nutshell, and in my own words, China Care exists to support and provide resources to orphanages across China. Some of these resources include, but are not limited to, formula, medical supplies, foster parent training and group home staffing. Li'l Empress lived in the orphanage from August '07 until November '07, at which time she was placed in the group home run by China Care under the orphanage's jurisdiction. Now, we knew that she was very blessed to be at her particular orphanage, as our research had shown it to be a very well-run, clean and pleasant orphanage. As orphanages go, of course. But to know that she was able to be in a smaller home environment, with a maximum of 10 babies and more individualized care, attention, and stimulation has been a priceless gift for this Momma's heart.

Further, we learned that China Care later placed Li'l Empress in an individual foster home in April '08 while she waited for her forever family. We have known about the foster parents since July; we even have pictures of her in their home and in her foster mother's arms. But to know that it was under the covering of this reputable and caring organization that trains their foster parents and provides them with resources is another treasure. I've said here before that we are so grateful to her foster parents - it's obvious that they prepared her well for her new family by loving her and modeling family relationships for her. She is well on her way to attaching deeply and firmly to us all and we know that they had a part to play in that. It's why we began praying for them as soon as we knew about them.

The new piece of the puzzle for us is that these foster parents actually had petitioned to formally adopt Li'l Empress themselves. My heart aches for the pain that they must have felt when they were denied. She was already "tagged" for the international adoption program. In their generous and loving relationship with her, they gave our daughter a firm foundation of confidence and security. Knowing that they loved her enough to want to make her their own forever-girl makes my gratitude and respect for them go even deeper.

However, at this point, I must point out that our instincts to parent her according to the attachment parenting philosophies that we dabbled in with our biological kids were spot on. (thanks, Teresa J, for sharing that awesome Dr. Sears book so many years ago! Who knew the journey we'd take with it on our nightstand all these years?!) Actually, it was far more than instinct. It was the divine hand of God, leading us to a resource that would benefit our whole family and provide a great foundation for understanding the needs of an adopted child. You see, with all this new information that I've been gathering and processing about Li'l Empress's first 13 months of life "before us," one major thing has jumped out at me over and over again.

My little girl has had far too many
major "good-byes"
in her little life already.

Come back tomorrow
for the conclusion
to the twisty turny tale . . .

Wordless Wednesday

Another fabulous use for a cat door!

And another reason that Dr. D is quickly
becoming known as the "crazy fun" brother!

*For more Wordless Wednesday fun,
head over to 5 Minutes For Moms!*

The Recipe, You Say?!

I humbly apologize. How cheeky of me to rave on and on about the fantastical goodness of my newly favorite Thanksgiving stuffing! How utterly ridiculous of me to use all manner of lofty adjectives to share with you the awesome awesomeness of this delightful blend of bread, seasonings, and butter - and then leave you with no recourse but to ask me for the recipe to create your own dish of deliciousness.

How crafty of me to know that you'd ask and I'd get another blog post out of the deal! (Insert grin here.)

Without further ado, or ranting, raving, or groaning while I sit here munching on gooey left-overs cupped lovingly in my hot little hands, I present to you:

Apple and Sage Stuffing

1 small sweet onion, chopped

3 small celery ribs, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed

½ cup butter or margarine

3 small granny smith apples, peeled, seeded and chopped

4½ cups chicken or vegetable broth

½ tsp. dried parsley

¾ to 1 Tbsp. dried sage

1½ tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. salt

¾ tsp. pepper

1½ to 2 lbs. bread cubes (I used soft bread cubes, bagged)

(If you use the dried bread cubes, increase the butter and broth to soften.)

In large skillet, sauté onions, celery, garlic and in the butter till tender. Slowly add broth, apples and spices and allow to simmer together till tender and flavors are blended – about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and add bread cubes a little at a time. Stir up from the bottom with a wide spatula just until all ingredients have moistened the stuffing. (I used a combination of honey crisp and granny smith apples.) You might need to add more broth if you like your stuffing particularly moist. We prefer gloppy gooey stuffing, so I did add more at the end.

Bake in a sprayed 9x13 baking dish for 30-35 minutes at 350, or until lightly browned and heated through.

And just because I love you all so much, here's my traditional left-over Thanksgiving casserole. Obviously, depending on the side dishes left over, it varies from year to year. But it's scrum-diddly-umptious every single year.

Left Over Thanksgiving Casserole

Generously spray the baking dish. Line the bottom of dish with a generous layer of your left-over stuffing, pressing it firmly to form a crust.

In whatever order you prefer, continue layering left-over turkey, vegetables, and sides.

Pour gravy as final layer and top with dollops of mashed potatoes across the top of the gravy.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to one hour, till heated through and bubbling.

Sprinkle potatoes with a bit of parmesan cheese and bake an additional ten minutes, till cheese browns up lightly. Serve with extra gravy on the side in case it absorbed into the layers.

As you can guess, this one is a recipe that you have to do "by feel" for the ingredients and how the flavors blend and how the layers "handle each other" by texture and thickness. It's trial and error, but you can't go wrong with Thanksgiving dinner in one dish :)

So, there you have it. Some goodies for you to share with your friends and family. Or, if you are like me, to hide in the back of the fridge and sneak when no one is looking. Hoping all the while that The Gang has forgotten that there's stuffing still left over from Thanksgiving dinner! Shhhhhh!

Tis The Season

Check out the fun going on over at To Think Is To Create. You might even win the big prize. Although, I am just frugal and selfish enough to admit that I hope I win! I'm sure once you see the winnings, you'll understand why and be ever-so forgiving!

By way of reporting on Thanksgiving goodness, we had an AWESOME first Thanksgiving with our Li'l Empress home. We hosted the holiday here for 15 family members, ate ourselves silly, laughed and talked all day. The most exciting part of the whole day, aside from sinking my teeth into my mom's amazing pumpkin pie with home-made whipped cream, was how deliciously yummy and moist and fantastical my new stuffing recipe turned out. I don't mean to brag here (well, not completely anyway), but I think it was the best stuffing I've ever had. I was totally experimenting by smashing a couple recipes together and seeing what happened, so you can imagine how grateful I am that I stopped to take notes along the way. A repeat performance is definitely in order. Mmmmmm.

The weekend was spent with more eating, laughing, hanging out and relaxing with some of our oldest and dearest friends. I've mentioned them before. We met them shortly after we got married and have enjoyed 18 years of growing together with them. It's good times when you can hang out in your jammies almost all day with a family and not even feel more pressure to "entertain them." Good times, indeed.

And tonite? Yup. I took that super-di-duper fantasticalness and made my traditional left-over stuffing and turkey casserole with it. More deliciousness all over again. Oh the joy. Oh the groans. Oh the straining seams. Those are just my reactions! You should have heard the rest of The Gang. The sad thing is, I was wearing my stretchy lounge pants for dinner tonight. Ugh.

Come back again soon. I have an interesting and twisty-turny story to tell you all. An amazing tale and a gift that most moms of internationally adopted children never get to experience. Yes, that's a shameless plug to get you back. But I promise, it'll sooooo be worth the effort.

Just for Fun

You Are Mashed Potatoes

Ordinary, comforting, and more than a little predictable You're the glue that holds everyone together.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm joining in the Thanksgiving fun over at 5 Minutes for Mom (again!). Here's my kitschy way of telling you all what I'm THANKFUL for this year.

T - a Table full of guests this year
H - Healthy, Happy kids
A - Aidan's first holiday with us
N - our Needs are always met
K - Kisses from my Gang
F - Family who loves the Lord and each other
U - Undeserved grace from My Father
L - Enduring Love between The Boss and I

I'm also thankful for my readers and the kind, generous support that you all have shared in your comments, notes, & prayers during our adoption journey and our adjustment period since we've returned. And for my incredible network of friends and family across the country who keep up with The Gang and all our going's on. You all have made my life richer this year and I pray for you to enjoy the fullness of the JOY of the Lord and the celebration of His birth as we kick off this holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

A Thankful Heart

A friend forwarded this link to me, reminding me of a little thing our family does each year to express our gratitude. This website, called Let's Say Thanks, is sponsored by Xerox. All you do is head to the site, choose a card and a message. I always pray over them as I'm submitting my choices. Xerox takes care of printing them and getting them into the hands of our armed services.

It's a easy and quick way to keep our troops encouraged. When scrolling through all the hand-made cards from kids all over the nation, I feel my heart filling with pride. And one more thing for which to be thankful this year.

Go there now. It's quick. It's easy. And it can be one more way to share Jesus today.

A Contest that Cares!

In addition to the great Christmas Giveaway being hosted over at 5 Minutes for Moms, they are running a wonderful "partner" program called "Under the Tree." Every giveaway that goes to a lucky reader-winner is also being donated through their program to bless families in need.

If you haven't already entered some of the fun give-aways, head over HERE and get yourself signed up.

Don't forget to drop a note or comment at the "Under the Tree" post site and express your appreciation to all the companies who are generously donating what you might be winning. While you are there, take a moment to thank the Lord for all your blessings and pray for those who are receiving these great donations. A gift like these to a child in need is so much more than a Christmas present. It can be the tangible touch of Jesus on his or her little heart.

Sad Fans Here Today

I had a conversation with Baby BlueEyes this morning about the talk going on surrounding Donovan McNabb's benching at half-time yesterday. It's been a rough season for this Eagles lovin' gang - we're all frustrated with the games and with the speculation. I was trying to prep him for the possibility that his beloved #5 might not be starting the Thanksgiving game his Thursday night. Apparently, BBE had so much going on in his heart and mind after our conversation that he had to "get it all out." I found this note on the coffee table after he left for school.

Eagles Ha Micknab I just wotid to tal you that I am your bigist fan I have you'er jazey and my mom told me that you whr popley going lew football. and I falt sad very very sad ckaz Im your bigist fan. by micknab see y sun.

Poor little guy. He just doesn't understand that football is a business. Or that Eagles fans take that business very seriously. He can't fathom that anyone would blame "his" NickNab (what he used to call him before he "grew up!" - yes, that's what he told me) for like 14 interceptions in one game. Well, okay, not 14, but sheesh. Way too many anyway. (Just for the record, I didn't say he was going to "leave football." I said other stuff. But not that!)

And here's the face of another little Gang member who wasn't too happy yesterday. I don't know that it had anything to do with the outcome of the game, but it was a funny face and she was in her Eagles hoodie. It kinda fits how we all felt by the end of the game, that's for sure.

Spread the Word!

This note was forwarded to me by a friend, after I'd seen it appear on a couple of the Chinese adoption and special needs forums to which I belong. Please consider sharing it with those whom you know that may have connections within the Chinese adoption community. As you read, you will see why the need for prayer for this family is so great. And why spreading the word about their need might just help them save their little girl.

My daughter Lydia was adopted from Guangdong Province China on July 5, 2004. In August 2008, she was diagnosed with AML, a very pernicious and deadly form of leukemia. With the help of her Chinese-born doctor, we were able to locate her birthparents and some of her siblings in China that her family kept. We know she had at least two sisters older than she (born somewhere between 1993 and 2002) who were also abandoned. The birthparents have refused to assist with her bone marrow transplant, even though two of her already-found siblings were a match. We are now looking for these other potential siblings to see if they were adopted and might also be a match.

Lydia is part of the Hakka ethnic group, and so a match from someone other than a relative is unlikely because of her unique, almost bi-racial typing. Lydia has classic Hakka features: “Brooke Shields" eyebrows, and rather full lips and a round face. Photos have been posted of Lydia and her birth family on their Caring Bridge website.

Thank you for any assistance you may be able to lend.

Blessings,

Monica Miyashita
email: kensingtonlawyer@gmail.com
website: http://www.caringbridge.org
website name: lydialimeieikomiyashita

Wordless Wednesday

Almost Wordless. . .

Happy 13th Birthday, Dr. D!

You are a great big brother,
a wonderful son,
and a treasure to our whole family!
We are very proud of the young man
that you are and the godly way
you live your life.
Thank you for the joy that you bring
to all of us.
Your light-heart and funny antics
keep us all laughing.
We love you.