MY SISTER IS ONLINE!

My sister is finally online! She has her own blog now and it is pretty darn funny. Take a moment to visit my little sister on her blog

THE DRAMA BARN, CRAZY COUNTRY LIVING FROM THE MOMMY OF TWO!

ps...if you have ever made caramel apples before please let her know how!

Now I just have to convince my brother to get a blog. SPENCER!

Goodbye Tortuga

My jeep sold today. I watched it drive off.
I hope it brings a lot of joy to the family that bought it.

I loved this jeep because it made going to Walmart a safari.

Thoughts.

This picture is one that Jason took of me this week. This is truly just about as good as it gets around here sometimes. Motherhood.




Today, during his lunch break Jason leaned over his newspaper and asked me where I would like to go this upcoming year on our family vacation.

Spain, I replied.


It took him a few moments, but he gathered himself back together and explained, kindly, that he meant where would I like to go that is a little closer to home.

Oh.

Seattle, Washington was my second choice.

He agreed that this would be great and mentioned that we could put Spain on the back burner, you know, save it for another year.

*****

There are days when walking through the house I catch a glimpse of a picture on my wall or my favorite travel pants or my faithful hat and I ache to be walking somewhere new, exploring, learning, discovering through travel. I told Jason that as soon as our children are grown I am going to hike across the world. He said he is going to follow me in a comfortable RV.

At the same time that I want to be galavanting all over I desire to have a piece of land, a garden, some livestock, and to raise self-sufficent, appreciative and capable children. I wonder how to combine these two very different desires.

We find it hard enough to get away for the weekend with our two dogs now, trust me finding a dog sitter is never easy. Do people who have cows travel the world?
Who do I get to cow sit while I fly off to glimpse the soon to be dammed Yangtze River in China?


When we can travel, no matter where it is, we go happily.
I read, soaking up all I can, about adventures and people and places around me and afar. I look for everyday adventures in my own area, afterall even my own hometown is someone elses travel destination.

At the same time, I am learning to garden, grow my own foods, and actually cook with nothing but raw materials. I even joined a group to learn about bee keeping, chicken raising, and goat milking. No, I am not kidding.

What I have found similar between these two loves of mine is that they both require me to use my hands, to do something tactile, simple, raw, and real.

This is also why I love motherhood. Nothing about it is even close to resembling a desk job, it is dirty and alive and ever challenging.


I have decided to just continue taking baby steps towards both of these things, between galavanting and homesteading. Baby steps are what it is all about.

******************

Last night Jason and I put the Moose to bed. Then, we laid in our bedroom and called various friends and family leaving them choral music (sung by us) on their voicemails.

Ah, six years in and I continue to love my marriage.

Always will, especially with a husband who is going to follow me around the world in an RV someday.

*****************

It is time for our nightly ritual. Battlestar Gallactica. Jason is making the popcorn.
We are doing a three episode run tonight.

The Moose and I are going hiking tomorrow. He is the best hiking buddy in the world.


****************

Ah, Sunday.

Isn't there a song about Sunday?.....la la la...Im' easy like a Sunday morning....la la.

I love Sundays. We finally made it to church today, which is a huge accomplishment being that we have tried to go to church for the past couple of weeks and somehow never made it. One Sunday we got lost, drove around for an hour and winded up going to Lowe's to browse home improvement stuff.

The Moose asked today if we could sing, "Oh my Darling Clemintine" during the service. I love that kid. We sang it as loud as we could on the drive home.

He is sleeping now, Jason is (seriously) cleaning the bathroom, and I just sat down the catch up on my meal planning blog that I share with pals MommaHughes and MommaAnderson~ which reminds me to tell you that you should totally check it out.
It is proof that I actually cook. Click here~ Meal Planning Mommies.

I have just made a pot of coffee and am going to finish up my computer stuff and head outside. We are planting bulbs today, taking a walk, and having our traditional Sunday night slumber party in the living room.

I love Sundays.

Which reminds me that I also wanted to mention, no proclaim, that God is so good.

I got to share tea time today with a child who wore an apple bag on his head, did you?

Happy Gotcha Day Moose!

One year ago today, our little gamo baby on Gotcha Day 2007!



Remember~

I know a little about waiting. I do not mean the kind of waiting that takes place at Wal-mart when there is a sale, too many customers and not enough cashiers. I mean the kind of waiting that weakens the heart, makes the mind tired, and truly accompanies the verb persevere. When I left for Ethiopia last year my ticket was one way. The courts were closed. Our case for adopting Samuel was on hold. We had great hope that our adoption process would proceed as planned and that I would be traveling back with our son within a few weeks, but hope was not certainty it was just hope. A year later I can shamefully not recall all of the details that I wish I could share now, but I do remember the day that the courts opened in Ethiopia. We were granted a court date. I wrote to Jason of our good news and we celebrated prematurely.
A court date meant that our case was final, that this child whom we had been given and set our love upon would officially become our child. The day came and went and our case went unheard. The day we were to have court all of Addis lost electricity and the courts closed. A few weeks later we were granted another court date. We waited again. That court date came upon us and our case was next to be heard. This same day the Ethiopian government decided that a new document must be included in all adoption cases, our file was missing this singular sheet of paper and again our case was not heard. I stood in the orphanage, trying to hold back my tears, when the news was delivered.
This time the news was not only that our case went unheard, but that it would not be scheduled to go to court again until late November, putting us home at Christmas~ two months longer than we thought I would be in Ethiopia. This presented concerns for us as we would be losing our housing just a couple of weeks and Samuel's health was declining. Looking back I remember feeling devestated, but I do not recall ever thinking, even once, that our adoption would not go through. I had no fears, just the symptoms that come with faith when it is being pulled up from one's gut~ exhaustion, pain, and indescribable peace.
My mother had come to Ethiopia to be with me, but really it was for an adventure and to get her hands on this little boy who was going to be her grandson. She came and went, still we had no resolution, no finality, no court date.The time she was with us passed quickly, quietly and was one more sign that time was passing but no progress was being made in our case. My grandmother also came. She had a dream that told her to go and be with us in Ethiopia and so she did. For a brief week, there were four generations living nervously together in a small flat above a grocery story that sold the best coke-a-cola I have ever had.
Two days before my grandmother was to return home the phone rang in our flat. I was taking a bath, cleaning off the morning walk to Kaldi's where I daily drank an avacado milk smoothie. Samuel was sleeping, he was sick. My grandmother answered the phone and handed it over to me, stretching the cord as far as it would go.

This is what my grandmother heard as she stood in the bathroom staring at me:

......Hi Gail. Yes I am sitting down, actually in the bath. Don't drop the phone, ha. Why would I drop the phone? What? What? What? Are you freaking kidding me? What. Praise God. Praise the Lord. How? He did! Tell him I will kiss him! No seriously. I want to kiss that man! Praise God! Oh my word! ....... and on and on and on.

It was October 23, 2007. I had been in Ethiopia for over a month and my court date had been pushed back three times. We now waited for our new court date which was going to be on November 25. I was in the bath when I received the most fantastic news that I have ever been given in my life~ a man named Yared fought for our case and earlier that morning the Ethiopian courts signed our papers. We were a family.
For real. Legally. Signed, recognized, acknowleged, undisputed, completed.

What happened after was a blur. There was more dancing. There were phone calls made. There was praise and laughter and hugs. There was that peace, which had always been present, swelling up within me. I leaned over to my son, now awake, and whispered "Gotcha, baby".

Today is October 23, 2008 one year after the courts made us a family officially.


Today we celebrate with cake, dancing, and the kind of fun that sends a message to the heart of a two year old saying, "this day is about you!" We embrace one another, we pray for the days to come, and praise our God who was and is faithful.

Mostly though, we lean down once more and whisper two words that will always ring true for my husband and I towards our little Gamo boy. Samuel Mussie forever, ever, and always we "Gotcha, Baby".












Happy Gotcha day, Samuel Mussie. Love love love love love you! Ewedahalo!

~ Mommy



We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
Psalms 33:20-22

Photos Essay

The truth is I have been busy. There have been moments that I could have blogged, caught up with my cyber friends, but I just have not wanted to. Recently, I have found that my days are more fulfilling if I keep the old computer shut down. I am in a season of desiring connection, something that I just do not find through any computer or blog, but rather through energy and efforts that bring me face to face with other people.

Still, I had a few things that I wanted to share. Here is the big news. I will just lay it out there. It is still hard to admit, hard to type, hard to acknowledge.

We are selling my jeep. Let me rephrase. WE are not selling my jeep. HE is selling my jeep. The love of my life is also my arch nemesis. Here he stands next to my small rusty metal piece of clunky freedom that will soon no longer be mine.



In addition to protesting the selling of my jeep I have been busy playing outside during these last sun-filled chilly days of fall with my adorable and rapidly growing son. Look at this face.



We found a place right outside of town, a farm of 111 acres, that allows people to come and walk the land. We like to go there now. Here we are walking, relaxing, enjoying the day last Sunday. Speaking of which, I have to tell you a quick pee story. At the farm I had to go. Being adventure mom I found a nice little patch and proceeded to do my business while trying to get Jason and Moose to stop poking me with sticks. I got up proud of myself as usual ( I have no idea but I am always proud of myself after going to the bathroom in the wilderness as if somehow I have done something wise, good, and fulfilling). Anyway, I got up and hiked up my pants only to realize that I had not pulled them down far enough and flat out peed right into them. Adventure mom strikes again.



Mihyla and Puka are doing well. Puka still chews everything in site, but he is staring to get a little bit better. For example, last week he only ate one of my favorite shoes instead of both of them. Hope. I have to love him though when I see him relaxed and enjoying the sun.


Yesterday I painted two rooms. They look good. Our house is really started to feel like home. Today, we are going to make pumpkin butter. Right now the entire house smells like bread. The smell is teasing me as I sit here hungry.

And, now for the moment I have been waiting for. My darling sister had a fun little thing happen to her and it is my right, responsibility and honor to share this with the world. I told her I was going to do this. It is my way at getting back at her for many things, including breaking a Barbie over my head many moons ago.

My sister, pictured below, is pregnant with her second child. She is due in less than two weeks. The phone rang over the weekend at a very late hour. It was my sister concerned that her water had just broken. She was asleep and woke up to what she thought was a sign of her upcoming delivery. To the hospital they went...a couple of hours later I get a phone call. Yea, her water did not break~ she peed her pants in her sleep! Hahahaha! Ah, I love my sister.

How to Make Homemade Applesauce

Yesterday the Moose and I made applesauce. It is simple to do, much easier than I thought it would be. Sometimes those words "homemade" make something seem almost impossible for a gal like me. Well, let me tell you homemade applesauce is not one of those tasks and it was worthy every bit of effort. It smelled terrific. That does not even capture it. Our house was like an apple orchard, warm, comforting. I guess it was like being transported into the heart of a cinnamon candle, one of those really expensive ones, except without the wax.

In addition to have amazing applesauce, we enjoyed fresh apple cider all afternoon, and I had fresh apple juice to serve Samuel.

Here is the quick how-to. There are many ways to do this. We will experiment to find the best possible applesauce, but will attest that this was pretty darn tasty!

1. Gather your apples, make sure they are a sweet kind such Mac's or Jonathons, your bowl and your lemon juice. Get your peeler ready!


2. Peel your apples and core them.



3. Put your apples into a deep pot of water, add a little lemon juice for taste, and boil.


4. Add your cinnamon and enjoy the smell while the apple's cook!


5. When the apples are mushy remove them with a strainer and process them in a food processer. This will make very smooth applesauce. You can also forgo this option and just smoosh them by hand. This will make nice lumpy applesauce. Either way~ yummy!


Now, eat it up! One 3lb bag of apples made three containers, two of which I froze.
We did not add sugar to our applesauce, but you can if you like.


Now, take one more moment and enjoy the remaining juice. I placed it into a nice pitcher and really savored it. Can't wait to make this again!

Autumn

WE LOVE FALL! Our first fall adventure was digging out our ultra awesome fall gear, proudly shown above, and then taking some stale bread and feeding the local ducks!