An Update and A (Short) Story

It's been almost two weeks since I last blogged. It's not intentional, but as always, we're busy, and there's just not time to sit down at my computer.

Last weekend we went to the beach with my sister's family, but I can't upload the pics to my computer. Patrick had the camera on some weird format, and he has to use a program on his computer (that I don't have) to convert them. We left last Friday, and it was raining buckets here. Which is great because we need every drop. It didn't rain much at the beach, but it was cool and windy. I stayed out of the water, but everyone else swam. The cool weather didn't seem to faze Andrew and Anthony in the least. The cool and windy weather didn't last long, and we're stuck back in the summer holding pattern. Summer is welcome in June, July, and August, but by the middle of September it starts to wear on you. I'm ready to see the temps drop consistently below 90 degrees.

We have to go get fingerprinted for USCIS again on Monday. This will be my seventh set of fingerprints for the adoption (if you count all the unreadable ones for the FBI).To be completely honest, the first two years of waiting, while not exactly easy, weren't hard. They were expected. But now that we've hit the two year mark, I find myself growing impatient. I want a referral, and Bulgaria doesn't seem to be handing out a whole lot of them here lately. Just when things seem to pick up momentum, it seems like everything comes to a halt again for one reason or another. I've been pretty optimistic up to this point, but I sometimes find myself wondering if we will ever actually get a referral. We've invested so much emotional energy, time, and money into this, and right now it's hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I know that the possibility of waiting three years is very real. Right now I'm praying for good news not just for us but for all the families waiting.

The other morning my sister-in-law, who just so happens to be Andrew's kindergarten teacher, sent me a video of him praying at his school's "See You At the Pole". His school is small. It has somewhere around 100 kids in K-12th grades. I was really proud to see him volunteer to pray. As I was watching the video, I teared up thinking that while he may not always be perfect, he loves Jesus, and that's really all that matters. I know he messes up, but I don't dwell on those things. I actually don't think about them much past the moment of correction. I don't remind him 1000 times a day of what he did wrong. And while I certainly do correct him, that is after all my job, I also choose to focus on the good that he does. It was through this line of thinking that God spoke to my heart. He reminded me that that's how He thinks about us . . . only in a much bigger, much better way. Sure we mess up, and He wants us to do right so there are moments of correction. But He's not sitting there waiting to reissue punishment every chance He gets. When He says we're forgiven He means it. When He says He forgets our sins He's not kidding. Maybe we should learn to do a little forgetting of our own.

Isaiah 43:25

New King James Version (NKJV)

25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.

And Then There's That Moment

It's the moment when your cruising down the road, jammin' away to Phillip Phillips, "Gone, Gone, Gone" feeling totally cool (I mean you couldn't be any cooler), and you come to a stop at a red light. A soccer ball bangs into the back of the console. You look down around and see pieces of goldfish, toy cars, a booster seat, and dried grass from all the time spent at the soccer fields. You realize that by your standards an Expedition may be a "cool" car, but the standards of any 20 year old, you're cruising in a "mom wagon". And it hits you. You are not a cool 20 year old or even 25 year old. Heck you may not even be cool at all. You are indeed a 32 year old soccer mom . . .

And you know, I wouldn't have it any other way. I like being a 32 year old soccer mom, and I'm hoping that in the near future when I look behind me there will be two car seats staring me in the face. Because y'all being a soccer mom is a whole lot more than it's cracked up to be. But just to put your minds at rest, I won't be trading up for mom jeans any time soon. I do have standards.

Staying Organized

As a former teacher (yes, I said former . . . I am working, but I'm not teaching . . . more on that another time), I learned quickly that staying organized at home was key to staying sane from day to day, and truth be told teaching only fed the planning monster in me. Even though, I'm not teaching, and my job is certainly less demanding (read: I don't bring home a bag filled with a laptop and tons of paperwork every evening and weekend anymore), I don't feel as though my life has slowed down much. We are still up and going by 6:15 every morning. We have soccer practice and school and the adoption and life is still incredibly busy so I decided to adjust but still use the organizational plan(s) that I've been using for the past 2-3 years. Because like it or hate it, laundry must be done and bills must be paid. Anyway, because I know you care, I thought I'd share a bit about it here on the old blog.

First, my system. We have an office that houses all my books (too many), my laptop, and a filing cabinet full of information, but I don't sit down in there to pay bills or do a lot of work. I do sit in there to blog and work on photos, but that's about it. So I started with an "organization station" (that sounds so cheesy . . .).

My last "organization station" was in my kitchen (not ideal). This is my laundry room counter top. You probably figured that out from the clothes and laundry detergent you see sitting to the left. Here you will find my weekly planner and running grocery list, my coupon tray (I'm not a big "couponer" but I do throw them in the tray when I get them), my mail and to be paid bills tray (the cute one with the chevron pattern), my home organization notebook, and my office/paper holder thingy which houses paid bills, address labels, car information, receipts we need to keep, etc. There are a few reasons I picked this spot for my "organization station": (1) The garage opens into the laundry room and this is my first stop on the way in. It's rarely this clean since I dump all papers, flyers, mail, etc. here. (2) It's not readily seen. The whole world does not have to nor do they need to see my mess. (3) It's next to my laundry room refrigerator (explanation below).

This is our laundry room refrigerator, and I use it as a catch all message center. Soccer schedules, school calendars, scripture memory, pictures, invitations, and of course, dinosaur magnets can all be found here. I'm not a fan of the big bulletin board in the kitchen idea (not saying that if you do that it's wrong . . . more power to you if it's your thing . . . it's just not my thing), so this was the perfect solution.

As far as planners go I use the Erin Condren planner and love it. I know a lot of people use their phones/ipads, but I still like my paper and pencil calendar for daily use. Unfortunately, it's a bit more than I like to spend each year, so I've been shopping around to see if I can find something similar but more reasonable. 

This is next week in my planner. In case you're wondering I had to smear out some stuff on the mornings of the 20th and 21st. Confidential info and all. :) The big key to staying organized is planning. Once you get into a planning routine it's much easier to stick with it, but I pretty much write down everything that needs to be done (I need to add soccer to next week). Obviously plans change and get moved around, but this is an example of how I plan. I always plan laundry. And after years of leaving all the laundry for the weekend, having Andrew changed that. I got tired of my weekends being consumed by laundry and cleaning. So I "pencil in" laundry and cleaning. I have a lady that comes and cleans every other week, but on the weeks she doesn't come I make sure to put in my cleaning. I also plan meals for 3-4 nights of the week depending on our schedule. Sometimes these meals get moved around, but this really helps with grocery shopping and being prepared (i.e. remembering to thaw stuff out). I usually plan meals about two weeks out so I can shop ahead if need be. Bills that need to be paid, doctors appts., vet appts., class pics, special school events, parties, etc. . . . it all goes here. During the week, I'll write down when I work out . . . it keeps me accountable, and I can look back and see what I've done when.

On a side note: One thing I do every so often when I have a quiet day off or an unfilled Saturday is make about 6-7 freezer meals. Then at least one of my meals each week (for example: beef and noodles) is already made and only has to be popped in an oven for about an hour. 

The final piece of the puzzle is my home organization notebook. This isn't used on a weekly basis, but I keep important info in here that I may need from time-to-time. The tabs include: (1) School Info - I keep Andrew's class list, party schedule, special days schedule, etc. in here. (2) Vacation Info - anytime we are planning a trip the information goes in here, and since this is a file folder I can pull it out and take it with me. I also include information on places we'd like to visit. (3) Addresses - they're on my computer, but I like to keep a hard copy. (4) Bill information - a lot of our bills are paid online so this is where I keep any important info/reminders. (5) Birthdays/Holidays - this is just a list of family/friends' birthdays as well as gift ideas for the kiddos. (6) Adoption Information - I keep any notices, receipts, upcoming appt. info in here. Once we have finished that step in the update process, I'll move it to the filing cabinet. 

And that my friends is my day-to-day organization plan. Super exciting I know. I'd love to hear how you stay organized. 

Never Forgotten

Last September 11th I was reading an article about the tragic events of that day with my fourth graders, and I got so choked up I could hardly finish. My eyes swam with tears as I tried to convey the emotions that accompanied that horrific day. And while those children weren't even born in September of 2001 and couldn't really grasp the grievousness of that day, those children have lived with and dealt with the repercussions of September 11th from the moment of their birth. Those children were born into a post September 11th world. A world that was forever changed in a matter of minutes.

The memories of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 are so vivid and clear. I remember everything as if it happened yesterday morning. I remember all the normal everyday things that continued while our world seemed to collapse around us . . . while we tried to piece together what was going on. I remember watching the towers fall while sitting on the sofa with my roommates. We were all in tears. I remember the professor who dismissed class because all of us, her included, were in such a state of shock. I remember the statistics professor who carried on as if nothing had happened. I remember feeling angry because she didn't even acknowledge the tragic events of the day. I understand now what I didn't understand then, sometimes in the face of such tragedy the greatest act of courage is to carry on.

I remember the heroes, those who sacrificed themselves to save others. I remember the bravery of that day. I remember the way America stood together and out of the rubble and the ashes and the destruction came unity.

May we never let the events of September 11, 2001 become just a day on a page in a history book. May we always remember the pain, the tears, the strength, and the pride that came from that day. May we wear our battle scars with pride. Because you see no matter what may come or has come we are and will always be America.

Minor Annoyances

The injector coil in my Expedition burnt(?) out this morning while I was at Target running important errands. I have no idea what an injector coil is or does, but I do know that I need want my car back. There's nothing like not having the use of your vehicle to show you how insanely spoiled you are. Believe me I get it. Still doesn't change the fact that I feel lost without my car. As a side note your car is not supposed to shake violently when idling. Who knew?

We've been in this weather pattern of hot humid days leading to scattered showers/storms in the afternoons. It's really nice. It cools things off, and we need all the rain we can get. But the humidity being high means the molds are high, and being allergic to mold means I have had a headache that just won't quit. I've had it for over a week now. Advil helps, but once it wears off the pain behind my eyes starts back up. It's nothing new for me, and I guess I should break down and take a decongestant.

So there. There's my exciting life. Car troubles and a headache. Neither of which are the end of the world. Both of which should be considered minor annoyances. But then I've been known to be a bit of a drama queen . . .

A Couple Recipes

Andrew has been on a muffin kick lately. He had prepackaged mini-muffins while visiting family, and he keeps asking for them. It's not so much the muffin he likes, but the "mini" part. But like most pre-prepared, prepackaged foods (you know all the easy stuff) those muffins are not only chock full of white flour, they are flowing with corn syrup, preservatives, chemicals, and partially hydrogenated oils. Before going on, let me say this, in my pantry next to Amy's Organic Soup you will find white powdered sugar donuts, granola bars, and chips and in my freezer there is Blue Bell (there is always room for Blue Bell) . . . biggest oxymoron ever . . . I know. I wish I could say we're always the picture of health around here. We're not, but we have our moments. In general, on a day-to-day basis, I try to make sure that we are eating as healthy as possible. We rarely eat fast food (at least that's true for Andrew and me . . . Patrick is another story), and when at all possible, I try to go the homemade, from scratch route for the foods we eat. I also try to go the most natural route possible when baking and cooking. I don't worry much about avoiding butter or flour (although I use whole wheat when and where it works) or oils. My biggest goal is to avoid chemicals . . . things our bodies weren't ever meant to process.

Okay sorry, I'm going somewhere with this. So in an effort to get Andrew off his mini-muffin kick, I pulled out my mini-muffin pan, which is a royal pain in the rear to wash, and made him his own mini banana-nut muffins. I ended up with 5 dozen. Which meant we had lots to eat, but still left plenty to put in a bunch freezer in individual ziploc bags. Now I can pull them out the night before and he can either eat them for breakfast or take them for his morning snack. The recipe I used is one my mom has used for years (best recipe for banana bread ever), but I modified it slightly to cut the sugar and add whole wheat flour (it may not be healthy, but it is healthier).

Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar (white or raw sugar will work) (if using all white flour use 2 1/3 c. of sugar)
2/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups of whole wheat flour 
1/4 cup of white flour (or instead of using whole wheat flour just use 2 1/4 c. of white)
dash of salt
1/4 cups of pecans (or whatever nut you prefer)
3 ripe bananas mashed

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all the dry ingredients. Once they are well blended add in the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and finally the mashed bananas. If doing mini-muffins bake at 350 for 20 minutes. If doing regular muffins or mini-loaves bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. For large bread loaf it will take 40-60 minutes.

The final, Andrew approved, product.

One of Patrick's (and my) favorite meals is a shrimp gumbo/etouffee hybrid that I make. This is another one that my mom taught me to make and I modified. It's far from healthy (since you're essentially eating gravy and let's be honest, who doesn't love gravy), but y'all it's yummy. And I serve it over brown rice, and brown rice is healthy. 

Shrimp Etouffee (Courtney Style)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of raw shrimp

1 bell pepper

5-6 green onions

2 medium size tomatoes

1-2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 cup olive or canola oil

1/2 cup of white flour

4 - 6 cups of water (if you happen to have shrimp stock you can use this, but I prefer to use raw rather than cooked shrimp in my etouffee)

Salt/Pepper

Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning

Pre cooking Prep:

Peel and devein shrimp (this was always my sister's and my job growing up . . . fun stuff) and cut into small pieces. Chop the bell pepper, green onions, and tomatoes. Set all that to the side. 

Cooking:

In a large dutch oven or soup pot heat oil (remember olive oil gets very hot and burns/catches fire very quickly so be careful). Once oil is hot add the flour and the garlic. Stir continually as the flour browns. This is called a roux. As a side note some rouxs are especially dark, but for this recipe we want the roux to be a dark tan to light brown. Once the roux reaches the desired color mix in the vegetables and coat them with the roux. Then pour in the water to the desired consistency. It's best not to use all of the water at once. You can always add more but can't take it out. Next put in the shrimp and mix well. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for at least an hour. Stir frequently so it doesn't burn to the bottom. If it seems too thick add a little water. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Tony Chachere's (if you want a spicy kick). Serve over rice. 

Add ins: Sometimes when I have fresh okra I throw some in right at the end. Don't put it in too soon or you'll have slime. I also will add crawfish if I can get it. Crawfish makes everything better.

And this my friends is the glorious goodness that is etouffee. Like all soups this tastes even better the next day so make sure you prepare enough to enjoy leftovers.

The Weekend Rundown

Labor Day weekend has been fun. I love holiday weekends like this one. And while I'm not loving that summer has decided to make its final stand before we (hopefully) get some fallish (low 90s) weather here, we still managed to enjoy ourselves. Unfortunately, I have zero pictures of all the fun. I need to get better at picture taking.

On Friday morning , in spite of a pulled back muscle, I stupidly drug all the furniture off the back porch and scrubbed it with a broom and soapy water. I actually enjoy doing this but don't recommend it when one is healing from an injury. Then I spent the afternoon baking and doing food prep for a party we were hosting on Saturday. In the midst of all the baking and cooking, I got our home study in the mail (thank you Jesus!), and so I had to run to the FedEx office to send it off. While I was doing all my crazy running around, my mom called and asked if we wanted to meet for dinner and seeing as how I had spent a large part of the day in the kitchen, I was all for it. So we went to dinner and then came back, and hung out in the backyard for a while.

On Saturday evening, we hosted a family shower for Patrick's cousin's baby (that's a mouthful) who was born in July. I think it's safe to say that everyone had a good time. The kids all seemed to enjoy themselves, and I'm always happy when there's a baby to be held.

Yesterday, we went to church, and then were incredibly lazy. The only productive thing I did was bake cookies for my parents' house today.

Today we had lunch with my parents, my grandparents, and my sister and her husband and son. My family makes a sport out of eating. Our holidays revolve around food. I know all the health experts say you should refocus your holidays so that food isn't the center . . . blah, blah, blah. Holidays = Eating. It ain't changing anytime soon.

So that's the rundown of our weekend. It flew by, but heat or no, it's September which is fall in my book, and cooler weather and the holiday season are just around the corner. I love this time of year.

And Then There Was the Time . . .

I pulled a muscle in my back.

I've had strained muscles here and there. But never in the back. Never in such a way that it causes spasms. Y'all it is not fun.

And I'm a notoriously bad patient. I went to the doctor, and he told me to continue to move (he gave me some stretches) so it doesn't tighten up but not to workout or overdo it. I took that to mean that it was okay to scrub the back porch, clean the house, and move a crockpot full of beans and my Kitchen Aid mixer around. Do you know how heavy a Kitchen Aid mixer is? Probably not the world's bet decision, and I paid for it by not being able to sleep because I couldn't get comfortable. And yes, I had taken something.

I did this with my ankle just over a year ago. I kept running on a sore ankle until I couldn't walk normally. Sometimes it takes me a while to learn my lesson. I think I've reformed. At least for now. No more lifting things and doing things I shouldn't. Well until I forget how miserable this is.