32 Months, A Third Waiting Christmas

Sewing Day

One of my daycare moms sews and knits and does crafts, as I do, and her baby needed winter pants that fit over diaper service diapers, unlike most ready-to-wear baby clothes do. I invited her over for my first ever in my new house Sewing Day yesterday and we were both in heaven! We sewed these five pairs of reversible pants. If you click on the photo, it will come up larger and you can see how gorgeous they are. I made one matching pinafore, too, but will post a picture of it with the pants later.

I put up a table in the downstairs family room which overlooks the back yard through a sliding glass door and window that makes the entire back wall of that room. It was pouring rain and we were so cozy inside with good music playing, good quality fabric running through our fingers and sewing machines, and the satisfaction of knowing we were being creative, nurturing, productive, and simply relaxing in the time honored tradition of women thoughout history.

The Monday after Thanksgiving, I made this doll crib bedding for one of my little friends and clients. This crib belonged to her mother before her.

Henry is FIVE Pounds!

It's a Miracle!

Henry is doing as well as he possibly can be, given his condition! He is extremely loving to everyone he meets, he's got nerves of steel, and one of the best cat moments of my life was to awaken one morning to see him playing with my shoelaces. In fact, any time he does anything "normal" for a kitten, I'm in awe and celebrate. He's even had his first gentle scolding for trying to take food off my plate. I'm so glad to have him and my other cats, young and old. I treasure each of them and am especially happy to be celebrating another Christmas with my Meow, who is almost 18 years old. She and White, who died awhile ago, were my original kitties that I got in 1992. As I sit here typing, I'm happily distracted by the kittens darting back and forth and under the Christmas tree, up the window sills and down again, and all over the place. They are such a happy herd of kitties.

Henry, Sammy (10+ pounds), Brother (9 lbs. 13.2 oz.)


Brother and Poppy!


Brother loves his Poppy.


Ahhh!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Finished Tree in natural light without a tripod, hence the blur.

Choosing a tree this year was fun since I was able to fit a full, round one in my new house. I was longing for a full, 8 foot Noble Fir, but they were very expensive so I knew it was out of the question for this year. Instead, I got a bushy 6 foot Douglas Fir and put it up on a table. The drawback to the Douglas Firs is that the branches are weak and can't support the ornaments. They also don't have space between the branches to really show off the ornaments or allow room for the beads to drape. On the plus side, they are pretty!

The naked tree in the naked windows.


Almost done.


My Lil' Helper, Henry.
Every time he does something kitten-like, I rejoice,
because he's such a little miracle.


Light fixture dilemma.
No, this fixture isn't the tree topper!


Photographing from the side to avoid the light fixture.


Going to a party!


Did some curls on the ponytail and they actually stayed in!

Dreaming of Apple

Tonight was the Relief Society Christmas Party at my church. In my church, the woman's sunday school is called the Relief Society and it's the largest all women relief/humanitarian organization on the planet with 5 million members.

We had dinner and then a holiday presentation. During the presentation, some children sang as a little choir alone and then with their moms and all I could think about is that one day, my little Apple will be a shining dark-haired angel among all the little blond angels, up there singing her little heart out. Later, when she's bigger, she might be the girl playing a piano solo.

I bought a Christmas tree last Sunday and decorated it tonight. One of these years, I'm going to have my little Apple with me, all bundled up, snug in my arms or toddling beside me in the tree lot, picking and choosing the perfect tree. Her eyes will be wide with wonder as she sees the lights turned on for the first time and she'll probably cry when I take her picture with Santa Clause.

Car Crunch

I'm glad to have one, I NEED a new one. Yesterday, in my area, we broke the all time record for the coldest day in recorded history. It snowed! My car doesn't have a working heater and it will cost a ridiculous amount of money to get to the $20 part to fix it. Also...

I'm on my second engine,
Third transmission,
The starter is about to die,
I can't climb hills or something leaks out and burns,
The speedo/odometer cable snapped,
A crack in my windshield just expanded with the freeze,
I have to add antifreeze every week to replace what leaks out, and oil about every month for the same reason.
I need new tires and the radio won't turn off.
Oh, and the windshield wipers only work sometimes!

Think of me when you're in your cozy BMW, B!

Budget Crunch

Due to government mismanagement of our tax dollars, the State of California just gave me a pay reduction, by about 20%, for my daycare child who is subsidized, and this is with his mom making a co-payment to the subsidizing program.

Since getting medical insurance through Kaiser in Jan. 2007, my monthly rate has gradually climbed from $156 to $280, as of Jan. 1, 2010. I've only used their services twice, both for preventative screenings. That is almost a 100% inflation rate. As a result, since I need to maintain my insurance for my adoption, I recently changed plans, to the lowest plan possible without having to submit an application.

I feel like I'm being bled to death, slowly and steadily, no matter how hard I work.

China Executes 2 for Child Abductions

from the Associated Press 11/26/2009

BEIJING – China has executed two men for abducting and selling 15 children, many of whom were taken as babies or toddlers and have not yet been reunited with their parents, state media said Friday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Hu Minghua, 55, and Su Binde, 27, were executed Thursday morning, according to a statement from the Supreme People's Court.

Hu was convicted of kidnapping and selling nine children from April 1999 to Oct. 2005. He was detained in January 2006. Five of the children, all boys now aged from 3 to 6, have been returned to their families, while the parents of the remaining ones have not been found.

Su was convicted of abducting six children between Sept. 2005 to July 2006. Five of the children were rescued by police while a sixth remains missing.

Child trafficking is big problem in China, where traditional preference for male heirs and a restrictive one-child policy has driven a thriving market in baby boys, who fetch a considerably higher price than girls. Girls and women also are abducted and often used as laborers or as brides for unwed sons.

Thousands of children go missing every year though the exact numbers of victims are difficult to obtain. Earlier this year, Chinese police announced they had rescued about 2,000 abducted children as part of a nationwide crackdown on widespread trafficking of women and children.

In October, China's Ministry of Public Security set up a Web site — "Babies Looking for Home" — to reunite rescued children with their families.

State media have reported hundreds of rescues and arrests since the campaign began in April, and the new site had photos of dozens of children rescued from kidnappers but who had not yet found their families. The ministry set up a national DNA database earlier this year.

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

I hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

I opted to stay home alone and enjoy having my house all to myself. Of course, having three cats on medication and a car on its last legs helped my decision! But, I truly do enjoy being by myself and to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in my new house, I made a turkey dinner yesterday for my daycare kids and myself with the ulterior motive that today I would simply role out of bed, which I did at noon, and serve myself up an instant feast, which I did!


The menu included this lovely 12 pound turkey, cooked in the downstairs oven, while the pumpkin pie was cooking simultaneously in the upstairs oven, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy and cranberry sauce.

Growing up in a large family where it was common to make 12 pies and a 25 pound "bird," some of us would voice out loud our wish for a house with two ovens. For the first time, I finally got my wish and it was all I imagined it would be. Besides being very convenient, the house smelled delicious!

I ate my feast today sitting on my back patio swing in perfect warm, clear weather. Each cat got some turkey, which they loved. After eating, I played my piano for a little bit then started pottering around the house until a friend arrived. She's a new friend so I showed her the house and her little terrier dog visited with my cats. My cat Rose was very intrigued. I think she'd like having a dog which makes sense to me since she doesn't like other cats anymore, though she tolerates Henry well. Once the friend left, I hit the backyard, declaring war on the weeds. They came after the last rain with a vengeance, popping up between the bricks of the very back patio so thick that the bricks couldn't be seen. I took advantage of the absence of children, to spray some week killer after pulling out what I could and weed-wacking down the rest. It sure looks great back there now! Tomorrow's goal is to pull the weeds in the flower beds and harvest the last of the tomatoes. There are probably about a dozen of them.

I am thankful every day for my new home, good health, my pets and Henry's improvement, a means to earn a living, and many more obvious things. Today, however, as I enjoyed my yard and worked in it, I particularly felt thankful for my wonderful grandfather, who we called Pa, because he always kept his yard beautiful and looked like he enjoyed doing it very much. It was a wonderful example for me and each time I do yard work, I think of him and love him and feel so glad I had him. And every time I mow my grass I talk to him. I usually begin by saying, "Well, Pa, I'm doing it, hehe, even though I'm a girl," and Tuesday I said, "I can appreciate the fine lawn mower you had even though your yard was small. I'll get a better one in a year or two myself and I'll be sure to go to Sears."

Yesterday as I cooked, I was thankful for my grandmother, my TuTu, as we all called her. I spent many, many hours sitting on a stool in the kitchen watching her cook. I learned to make pies and jam and all kinds of delicious things and learned many things not even related to cooking. She loved to take care of her family. I said to her as I was cooking, "Look at me now, TuTu, I know you're proud of me and that I still amaze you. I think you'd have come to live with me long ago if I'd had this house back then. We'd have had a great time!"

Crockpot Half Empty

Last night while I slept, my crockpot was slaving away cooking delicious jambalaya. I ate some for lunch and dinner then sat in the other room to knit. The cats joined me - very relaxed. At 9pm I went to the kitchen to get the cats' dinner ready and no one seemed hungry. Then I noticed the lid was off the crockpot. I peered in and they had eating HALF the jambalaya!

This & That

I'm ready for the weekend. The dishwasher is loaded and ready to run after I go to bed. I vacuumed everything (carpets, crevices, blinds) downstairs and just the carpet upstairs yesterday and also steamed all the hard floors.

I've been very successful with cooking ahead lately. It's so much cheaper to plan this way. I think my grocery bill will be almost half of normal so I need to make this my new normal. I have another recipe to post but the pictures aren't so good since I took them with my hand help video camera.

Yesterday, I started knitting Apple a dress. It's going to be lime green with dots of various sizes and colors. It will be a size 4. Pictures to come.

Henry has grown tremendously lately and it caused him to lose weight, over three ounces. But, he's gained it all back and then some and now weighs 4 pounds and 13.6 ounces. He's playing a lot more for him, but it's still not like a normal kitten. He's been having some funny breathing this week a lot, using more effort than normal, what I'd almost called labored breathing, but it doesn't last. I wonder if it's from eating so much more than he's used to eating and having pressure on the diaphram or if it's reflux into the trachea or both. I'll call the vet tomorrow and give her an update and mention it.

I'm off to bed so I can make the most of tomorrow!

Big Items Decluttered!

I forgot to mention that I had a very successful weekend of getting those cumbersome items out of my garage that were included when I bought my house. I gave them all away.

Huge chest freeze: Gone to Dan the Produce Man
Picture this: Me (small) and Dan (about 6' 4") getting the freezer over the grass using two handtruck-style dollies, lifting the trampoline and resting it on a ladder to keep it up so we can pass under it, then lifting the freezer up into the high bed of the truck! It took about an hour.

Victrola: Donated to the local museum.
I got it out of the garage, over the grass and nearly past the trampoline (which is in the driveway), then I noticed my neighbor pull up and he helped me get it into my station wagon.

Classic Stove: Gone last week to Apple Stoves (how's that for a meant to be thing). Old guy came to pick it up, me helping again, and it took a good 45 minutes to get it over the grass, under the tramp and into the truck.

My patio has the Feng Shui feeling again as I can see out into the backyard now since all the patio furniture and stollers can fit into the garage!

Also last week, I got almost all the daycare stuff that I'm currently not using up into the attic by myself. I rotate the stuff so getting rid of it is not an option. And I sold a dresser & nightstand to my friend's brother and put a little white armoire out on the curb and it was gone within minutes.

I Really Can't Believe It

It just doesn't feel to me that 31 months have passed since my dossier was logged in with CCAA in China. The time is flying by. I have so much I'm doing that is swamping me, all part of The Great Adoption Plan, but it's all coming together slowly, but surely.

I've finally gotten the bare bones of my functioning routine in place. I'm getting enough sleep - finally - after using some serious self-discipline to get to bed earlier. This has given me a fully functioning brain and enough energy to get as much done during the day as I can, leaving me evenings relatively free, which is when I'm tired.

Relatively free requires defining as this: There is always more I have to do, but only so much I feel I need to do before I can truly say I've finished working for the day.

I have categories:
Daycare work
New Conceptions work
Cat Care
Housework
Exercise

Broken down, these categories overlap a little and look like this:

Daycare work -
Caring for the kids 9 1/2 hours a day
Meal prep, scheduling walks, outdoor play, tutoring, snacks, pick-up times, etc.
Housework pertaining to the downstairs
Dishes in the downstairs kitchen/counters, sink, table and chairs cleaned
Vacuuming/Steaming the floors
Bathroom
Outdoor care - mow the grass, check the bark in the play structure area, strollers put away, porch swept.

New Conceptions work -
Right now this business is getting very little attention beyond filling orders and getting them mailed. I really need to get in touch with my customer base through electronic newsletters again, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to work the program. I hope to solve this issue by the end of the month.

Cat Care
Medications for Henry (Reglan 3-4x daily, pepsid 2x daily, Clavamox 2x daily)
Medications for my hyperthyroid girls (1 pill each, 2x daily)
I have to cut the pills for all the cats and for Henry I have to crush it and mix it with liquid, each time.
Feeding
Grooming (Trim their claws & Brush them)
Clean the poo boxes
Pet, love and play with each one during which time I pay attention to the feel of their bodies, make sure things are as they should be.
Burp Henry, feed him by hand as necessary
Poppy gets one bottle a day still for emotional reasons (she needs the extra nurturing or she gets a little wild)

Housework
Divided between upstairs, downstairs and outside front and back.
The downstairs and backyard always have priority since these are the daycare areas.
I don't try to do it all in one day anymore and it's working well. I am taking a more Fly Lady approach to zones, but I don't have a specifically organized method. It's all according to the moment. If the day is nice when I'm outside with the kids then I'll fill one grocery sack full of weeds or prune the apple tree or sweep the patio.

If the kids are playing well, I'll pull out the vacuum and maybe swish and swipe the toilet downstairs. I save steaming the floors until the kids are gone.

You all know the challenges of housework, I have the same challenges.

Exercise
I have a fencing lesson on Thursday and gymnastics on Tuesday and I don't miss these. I should be actually fencing on Monday nights for sure and Wednesday nights most of the time. Before I bought the house, this was easy. Now, I use this time for the house stuff.

I walk with the kids often, but I can only walk as fast and far as the slowest child since some have outgrown the stroller.

By the time I have Apple, this will all be a smooth-running machine.

31 Months...

...any guesses as to how much longer I'll be gestating, I mean, gestwaiting, oops, I mean JUST PLAIN WAITING!

There actually has been a bit of news. CCAA has a new director. The former director retired.

Honestly, though, this wait has been long, but it's gone by very fast and I've accomplished so much and still have so much more to do in order to be perfectly ready. Mostly the house and building up my daycare business. If you would, please pray for me that I will get my daycare spaces filled soon. Thank you!

Happy Fall

Henry's Breakthrough!

Today Henry had three major accomplishments, things healthy felines and feline owners take for granted.

1. I had a box laying on its side with the bottom removed and Henry zipped through it, into and around it.

2. He pounced ON Poppy and when they wrestled, he WON! He flipped her over and pinned her and stood up the victor. This has NEVER happened. Usually, she grabs the back of his neck or whatever bit of him she finds, in her teeth and he cries like a wimp. He's not a wimp; he just hasn't felt well so it really hurts him.

3. He stuck his head and front paws down into the cat toy basket to have a look. Until now he's avoided inverting himself.

Here's a video I took a few days ago when he was having a pretty bad day. He was bloated and really not feeling well and snuggled down between Sam and Velvet. Velvet started washing him on one side and when she was finished, Sam washed him on the other side. The, Merlin washed Sam's face while Velvet washed Sam's tail, but that's on Part 2 toward the end. You can see how many times Henry burps and regurges. That night he threw up on my bed and he felt a lot better. I increased his dose of Reglan and put him back on Clavamox and he was feeling much better by the end of the day.



This second video shows Sam washing Henry at the same time that Velvet is washing Sam, then Merlin washes Sam and at 3:35 minutes you can hear Henry purring.

Young & Restless in China Documentary

Frontline: Young & Restless in China

Follow the reality of the lives of 9 young Chinese people for four years as they follow their dreams, suffer disappointments and solve their dilemmas and hope for a good life.

This was a very moving documentary for me since it could represent the lives of any of our children's parents.

My Recipes & a Look at Modern Non-Foods

You will notice in my recipes that I use cans and cheese frequently. As we come into winter, my recipes change from fresh, seasonal foods, to casseroles, soups and other one-dish meals. Back in the "old days" people had farms with extensive gardens. The garden size was determined by how much food a family or community had to produce to feed everyone and the animals. All season long, the people ate off the land. Once fall came and the food was harvested, the canning began. Kitchens were full of women preparing food for storing for the long winter.

Ideally, I'd love to grow enough food to can to last me a whole season, but I don't have enough land. So I shop and read labels and buy cans of food with low salt and no added sugar. As much as possible, I add fresh ingredients or frozen.

If you live in an area where fresh food is available and affordable all year long, you can substitute canned ingredients for fresh.

I am also cooking for a daycare. This means that I have a strict budget to follow and only a certain amount of time to prepare meals. This prep time has to include clean up, too. I cannot leave the children for the amount of time it takes to prepare certain fresh foods and I'm not willing or able to sacrifice my evening hours doing so (though I still frequently do).

Switching gears now, let's look at modern non-meal non-foods. This is what I call things that have made their way from picnics and parties and special occasions to the dinner table. Here's a quick list of those I think of right off the top of my head:

Soda
Chips (all kinds, including Chee*tos, etc.)
Things that squirt out of cans or tubes
Bread-foods (crackers, pretzels, etc.)
Sweet beverages, fad coffee
Hotdogs
Hamburgers
Fries
Milkshakes
Cereal in boxes made with tons of sugar and white flour

Ever see those Lunch*ables? They are a few crackers, some low-quality cheese and some chemical-laden bits of meat, tons of salt. This is a meal for a growing child?

Chips. Chips. Chips. Used to be an hors d'oeurvres, barely an appetizer, somethings to nibble while waiting for the barbeque or something in a bowl in a bar to make you thirsty so you'd buy a lot of drinks. Now we call them a side dish or snack.

Ball park food. My TuTu (grandmother) loved to go to Burger K*ng. She'd practically curl her toes in delite every time she bit into the Wh0pper Jr. She felt so bad, so free. Because "in her day," this was ball park food, something they were allowed only at a game. They NEVER saw a hamburger or hotdog on their supper table. Ever.

What are hotdogs? Really cheap sausage, imitating the really nice kind you find in, say, Germany. It is possible to find good quality meat in hotdogs these days, but you really have to hunt and pay for it.

What did kid food used to be, like in the 1950s? Liver and vegetables (spinach) and a glass of milk with an apple for dessert. What is it now? Instant mac&cheese, nuggets of "meat," chips and juice. How about breakfast? Oatmeal for breakfast, without sugar-syrup swirls and tons of sugar with mutilated oats, as in the packet kinds common these days.

Remember that boy from The Medicated Child? His lunch was a microwaved corn dog, Goldf*sh crackers, Gator&de and a cookie. I'm willing to bet that this was a "good" lunch for him since the TV people were there.

Why am I so stuck on nutrition right now? I actually always focus on it, I've just not shared to much before. I work with babies and kids every day. I talk with their parents every day. They look to me for guidance. They want to know what I feed their kids and they are often surprised. One mom actually consulted a nutritionist after I made a comment because she wanted to make sure she did the best by her child and she and her husband have turned the way they eat entirely around and it shows. I love making this difference. I am so proud of that mom because she took positive steps to improve the health of her entire family! This will be passed down to her kids and I'm even popping over to her blog for recipes now and sharing her cookbooks. I'm learning, too!

I focus on keeping myself fit and healthy. I will most likely be my daughter's only parent and I want to do all I can to give myself the best likelihood of being around for a good long time in her life. I want to be an active mom, to be able to romp and play with her, to take her to fun places like jump-houses, ice skating, etc. and participate with her. I want to set a good example for her to follow, too, because these are things she will pass on to her own children in the future.

Lastly, I love to cook. I love to experiment, to create. I love to eat. I love the way my house smells when I cook.

Two Recipes with a Fringe Benefit

These are two recipes taken from different sources and combined and changed to suit my tastes. The macaroni and cheese recipe has two different purees added, something I just tried for the first time after reading the book Deceptively Delicious, though the recipe is not one from the book. If you click on any picture, it will open much larger so you can see the details.

Sizzling Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:
Elbow Macaroni (1 pound bag or box)
Milk (any variety, non-fat, low fat or regular)
1/4+ pound grated Cheddar Cheese (extra sharp, sharp or medium)

*Optional Ingredients: (these were GREAT!)
1/2 cup cauliflower puree (steamed caul. put in the blender)
1/2 cup pureed garbanzo beans (if canned, rinse first, then puree)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
Pepper to taste

*To make the purees, steam the cauliflower then put it in the blender or food processor. The garbanzos can be used right out of the can or you can boil your own, or simmer them in a mini crockpot like I do). Instead of these pree options, you can add a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup or Cheddar Soup, but your sodium level goes up dramatically.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cook macaroni, drain, set aside. In the same hot pot that you cooked the macaroni in, over low/med heat, combine the purees and about 2 cups of milk, 2/3 the cheddar cheese (all but what you are going to use on top), garlic powder, salt and pepper. Keep watch so the milk doesn't bubble or burn. When it's melty and creamy, add all the macaroni. Fold it into the sauce. Add more milk if it doesn't look creamy enough. Turn into casserole dish, cover with cheese. If you don't see creaminess along the bottom of the sides of the dish, add more milk until you do. If you include the garbanzos, you will need about 3 cups of milk. If not, less. Bake uncovered until sizzling and golden on top.

Not quite creamy enough, I added another cup of milk.


Look along the bottom outside edge of the dish.
See the level of the creaminess?

Sizzling and Golden.
I usually leave it in the over a little longer, but I needed to go to bed!

The fringe benefit of making the purees for the Sizzling Macaroni & Cheese is that you get a lovely puree for babies. This is roughly 2 tbs. cauliflower, 1 tbs. carrots and 1 tbs. garbanzo bean purees. Alone it's very good, but I also added about 1 tbs. of apple puree (the red specks are the apple skin) to stretch it further and it tasted very good, too). Both babies ate this today and loved it.

Foolproof Quiche

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tbs. melted butter
5 Eggs
1/4c flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4+ pound Jack Cheese - grated
1c cottage cheese (lowfat)
1 small can diced green chilis
2/3c chopped fresh tomato - optional

Preheat oven to 400 F. Melt the butter in a little dish. Using a spatula, dip it into the butter and spread on the bottom and sides of your 9x9 baking dish (or round quiche dish). This will brown the bottom of the quiche. Beat the eggs lightly. Combine the flour and baking powder then add to the eggs. Blend just a little with the spatula! Add the rest of the melted butter, chilis, and both cheeses and the tomatoes. Blend well. Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350 F for about 25-35 minutes or until golden.

The buttered dish.


Eggs, flour and baking powder just blended.


Ready for the oven.


Done! Actually, a tiny bit past done,
I was vacuuming and didn't hear the timer.

Where Were You When the Berlin Wall Came Down?

I was actually in the home of a German family who I frequently babysat for. We were all riveted to the TV screen as people cut through that wall with heavy machinery and large sections were made to tumble over while others sprayed graffiti on the wall, climbed it, etc...

I was only 20 years old but I knew exactly the significance of what was occurring and I was astounded that in my lifetime I saw that wall come down. I never thought I'd live to see it.