Three Months

We've been waiting to hear news of our dossier for three months now. Twelve weeks. We've been hearing news of others getting Ontario approval at the twenty to twenty four week mark, so I guess you can say we're about halfway there with our Ontario wait time. *Sigh* Some days it feels like this will take forever. On the other hand, I am thankful for this waiting time. I'm reading almost everything I can get my hands on that pertains to the Philippines and of course adoption itself.

I am falling in love with the Philippines. The country, the people, the climate (hot and humid!). I love the value that the Filipino people have for their families and their heritage. I hope we learn enough to teach our Little One well about his/her home country.

I'm hoping to cook some Filipino dishes over the holidays. I made pan de sol in the spring which we all really enjoyed, but really it was not much different from the breads we eat already. I think it's time to try adobo, pancit, or mango bread. Mmmm! I can hardly wait!

It's also time to start learning some Tagalog. I'm having a hard time finding any good links on the internet, but I did discover a Tagalog English dictionary at Chapters (Cdn. equivalent of Barnes and Noble).

****Flag photo courtesy of www.globalofw.com

Darling Clementines

From the time these sweet orange jewels arrive in the grocery store to about mid-January, I can't keep a box full of these juicy little oranges...

Unless I take a picture of them!

A Craft Night

Last week I did the baking badge with my group of grade four girls, so last night we did a lesson on prayer (our theme for this year) and worked on a craft. The idea for this craft came from the GEMS magazine that the girls all get regularly. My daughters tried it this summer and had a lot of fun with it, so I thought it would be fun to do with my group of girls at GEMS.


This is a fairly simple craft. You will need #6 recyclable plastic, a hole punch, permanent markers such as Sharpies, scissors, little metal rings (optional -- most of the girls just strung them through the hole), and ribbon or other material for stringing.

Cut out and colour your piece of plastic as desired. Remember to punch a hole in it before you bake it. Then place in a preheated 350F oven for a very short time -- we just watched ours with the door open it was that short!! Your plastic will shrink!

Interestingly enough, when we did them at the church they did not shrink, but rather curled into various positions. (The girls thought it was very cool)! So, either the oven never did reach 325F like it said or, you cannot make them with a gas oven. I had tried a couple at home ahead of time and they shrunk fine.

They cool very quickly, so you can string them almost right away. For the one below, I used a ring to attach the ribbon. I'm sure there are many other ways to put them together though. You can make them as fancy or as simple as you would like.

Have fun!

A Host of Blessings

It's been a really busy few weeks, but it's time to get back on the gratitude track before I forget that it's the little things that in the end are the most important.


252. Continued good health.

253. Feeling a little more on track with meals and chores, etc.

254. Some great book finds at the second hand store.

255. Wonderful blogging friends.

256. Still on track with our school year.

257. Children who are happy to be with their family.

258. Warm fall days.

259. Family walks.

260. Time to do errands on my own.

261. Catching up with photographer friends and

262. celebrating their new big steps/successes with them.

263. Cozy blankets to curl up under.

264. Lots of craft ideas for the winter months.

265. A fun and educational vacation.

266. Quiet evenings.

267. Time to play as a family.

268. God's sustaining word.

269. Slippers.

270. Regular visitors at our bird feeder.

271. Gardens ready for winter.

272. Water, cool, refreshing, thirst quenching water!

273. Sunshine pouring in my front windows.

274. Music -- both to listen to and to play.

275. Freshly laundered clothing.

276. A good night's sleep.

277. Children who are not only siblings, but friends.

Lack of Supervision

There was much noise and giggling from the girls' room before church today. Then I heard the back door slam and realized the youngest had gone outside. Time to investigate despite the fact that my hair was still sticking out at all angles.

Imagine my surprise...

"Hi Mom!"

"You could fall backwards and royally hit your head!" Dad explains.

Good thing Dad was there too.

"Where is she?" "What is taking her so long?"

Grampa revealed after church that this escapade was not the first time either -- and Gramma would say, " lack of supervision!" And so it is, but I think I need two of me then. Then at least the one with bad hair can stay home ;o)!

Garden Showoffs

It's funny to think that this year we had the winter that didn't want to leave, the spring that felt almost like winter, and the summer that never was, because now we have the fall that just keeps surprising us. Our Savior sure does have a sense of humour!

We were blessed with yet another shirt sleeve day today. The kids got all the leaves raked up (kid style) today, while I pruned back my lavender and sang a lullaby to my roses. They will be going to a new home in the spring, so I want them to survive this winter for sure! They are all nicely blanketed down now with silver maple leaves, so I hope they will sleep contentedly through the long winter.


Despite some good hard frost, some of my garden plants must be show offs because a wander by the gardens revealed a few varieties of growing things still blooming happily.

Once a Month Cooking? Umm...No.

I have a book on once a month cooking that I have never actually used. I pulled it out again this week and read through it trying to decide if I could do it. The cooking part? Yes! The recipes, well... no. I don't like using a lot of meat -- especially prepared meats. Not to say that we never eat meat because we do, but not too often and when we do, it's usually poultry or fish.

Sooo, instead I'm going to peruse more of my recipe books for crockpot meals, and casseroles that will allow me to double them and then freeze them. I need the peace of mind to know that if I am totally uninspired in the kitchen or am going to have a busy week, that I can just pull something out of the freezer and warm it up in the crockpot or in the oven. I am also hoping to get back into menu planning. I always seem to be very faithful about it for a few months and suddenly it stops altogether again. I still haven't figured out why.

Here is one of our favorite recipes. It makes for great freezer fare too!

Sweet Potato Soup

2 sweet potatoes (about 2 1/4 lb)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp ginger root ground
2 tsp mild curry paste
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium hear, cook onion, garlic, ginger, and curry paste 3 minutes or until softened. Add stock, and peeled, chopped potatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Puree soup.

*** You can double or triple this recipe. We like to change it up a bit with amounts of onion, ginger, garlic, etc, or by adding a can of coconut milk.

You can also serve it with sour cream, or yogurt, pesto, chopped fresh herbs, hot pepper flakes, feta cheese, shredded cheese , red and green peppers, croutons, or whatever else you choose.

Enjoy!