Unknown Flower

A strange plant growing in NE Florida.......
This is a VERY hardy bush that has been in our yard since we purchased our home over 16 years ago. We didn't know what it was and have mowed around it all this time. It blooms with these strange, waxy orange flowers. The bush is very "woody". Anyone know what it is?

Limoncello (or) Lemoncello Update

Remember the picture above? It's the first stage of our homemade Limoncello or Lemoncello Recipe, if you prefer, completed and heading off to the dark room for its initial "aging" stage. 4o days hiding out in the closet.

Well, with the first forty days (plus a couple) completed we have moved on to the next step in the preparation of our lemon liqueur.

We began by bringing 5 cups water and 4 1/2 cups of sugar to a boil, making certain the sugar had dissolved into sugar water.

After allowing time to sufficiently cool, we added the sweet water mixture to our Limoncello.

Next, we added the second 750 ML bottle of 100 proof Vodka. (I'm still suffering guilt for using a cheap vodka, DON'T make my mistake. Use the good stuff)

Finally, we stirred the mixture. Put the cap back on the now completely filled gallon jar and added a new date tag showing when it went back to its dark hiding place. More importantly, the tag dates when the Limoncello can be strained and sampled!

40 more days of aging. Should be a snap. After all, we have this Waiting thing down pat. We'll be sure to share the sampling process with you all... Photos that is :)
peace
fm

Win a Printer!

Mother's Day Giveaway! You have a chance to win some great prizes. Check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

3 Word Sunday

It's all just a matter of time... 27 months of living the good life in the LID world of The Wait.

Please, Please...hold the applause. Thank you, thank you each and everyone.

:-) Some things are just best spoken with a smile. The Wait requires trying your best to keep things in their proper perspective or as Johnny would say, "suck it up". Which is pretty darn good advice when making your way through The Wait because it's not like we're doing something that others haven't or aren't experiencing. And the simple truth is: We don't control The Wait but that doesn't mean we should let The Wait control us. Do we think about it often? Gee, I don't know, how about EVERY day... It's just that you can't put everything else on hold.

Don't cheat yourself out of living today by dreaming only of your tomorrows. Life is good. The Wait sucks. Now go enjoy Today...

peace

fm

Book Making

Who has made photo books for their children or a special trip? I am looking to try my hand at one and there are several software choices.

The Adoption Families Magazine even has weighed in with opinions from several adopting parents on the software choices and what they have had experience with.
There was not a review of SharedInk. Has anyone used it? It looks as good as MyPublisher - but without many reviews, it is hard to choose. If the first book is not perfect, one is not out alot of money so can change to another software. I would like to start with one that doesn't have any "bugs"! So I am thinking of using MyPublisher at this point.

Let me know if you have used any of these.
(ac)

Your Favorite Champagne?

We want to know your favorite champagne, please leave your comments on your favorite champagne!!

We mentioned that some Sundays are "Champagne Sunday's". We used to save champagne for very special events, then decided "What are we waiting for?". In other words, why postpone celebrating when a good bottle of champagne does not need to be expensive.

Domaine Carneros Champagne & Sparkling Wine "Brut", a California champagne was recommended by Joannah at "All Things New". Here's a review of it. We have not tried it yet.

We do love very dry champagnes (Brut's) especially Spanish ones, here's an editorial on the Cava's (introduced to us by good friends L&C back in 1985). We usually buy this Cava as we can still find it for under $9.00 per bottle. It doesn't have a strong citrus or lemon or buttery flavor but it is still yummy to us (plus we usually mix it with orange juice for mimosa's).
Have you tried this one - Naveran Dama Cava?

I just celebrated a significant birthday (one of those with the "zero" on the end) so wanted to share a great champagne with family and friends (no plans yet as we thought our China trip would be about that time - who were we kidding???). So now I need to plan a family party close to home.... any ideas? I think it will be in St.Augustine.

Would you please leave a comment as to what your favorite "Sunday" champagne is and maybe your champagne "splurge" favorite is?
Better yet, email or call us and we will share a glass with you; come for a visit!

Sometimes Old Technology Wins Out...

We enjoy our morning coffee.

And until recently our coffee maker was one of those that automatically ground the coffee beans and then began the brewing process. Quite cleaver it was. You could program it for whatever time you wanted the action to begin or hit the button once you got up. Well, it gave up the ghost recently or more exact, I inadvertently shattered the pot by not securely placing it in its proper brewing space. About half way through the subsequent grinding cycle I heard the distinctive sound of breaking glass. Vibration had done its evil deed. I had already busted a piece that required my strategically placing a can (pumpkin pie filling as I recall) to hold down the top of the grinder allowing it to start. Not exactly stylish.

Oh well, no more of that. Pictured above is our "new" old coffee maker that Nana Joy had given me a couple of years back to make coffee at the office. I always loved the sound it made and the fresh aromatic scent it gave off while performing its satisfying function. While it ranks as old technology from the perculator to the plug in auto timer, the taste is every bit as good if not better than the fancier coffee maker I destroyed. And there's just something about waking in the morning and walking into the kitchen greeted by its calming gurgle as it perks away.

Some folks have song birds to awaken them. I have Nana Joy's coffee pot. Life is good...
peace
fm

Aerial Tribe - AERIALISTIC

Aerialistic is the new album from our SIL and the group Aerial Tribe.

Jesse is working on a solo project that we're all anxiously awaiting. By clicking on the the album title you'll be transported to a music site allowing you to check out their sound and purchase :)

peace
fm

Three Word Sunday

I didn't know which was worse as I drove to the market this week. The price of the milk "on sale" or the price of the gas getting there...

peace
fm

Crafts Anyone??

Buttons have always been a part of my life - through my Grandmother E-E, my Dad's Mother.

I loved browsing through this blog - Artsy-Crafty Babe - so many crafty projects. Don't know if I will make any, but most are great.
I loved the buttons (recycle old, antique ones?). And the homemade potholders.... another favorite from E-E too.
Check it out.

Becoming Jane.... Her Own Romance

Anyone else a Jane Austen fan? You can come out of the woodwork as I have read many of your profiles and ALMOST everyone has a Jane book or movie on their list. You may remember my proud moment after taking this quiz.

Here's a review of the new movie about Jane's personal life at Books, Movies and Chinese Food. Anyone else see the movie (you can buy here)? What did you think compared to what us "Jane" fans would think?

The Official Web page for Becoming Jane.

Little Miss Spider

I almost cried when I read this on 3 Peanuts:

"For finding your mother, there's one certain test. You must look for the creature who loves you the best."
From "Little Miss Spider" by David Kirk
(I have much to learn in order to respond to Alyzabeth's future questions; this will be a great message!)

More on Little Miss Spider:
After some research I found these down-loadable coloring sheets.
There is a short film made from this book with Susan Sarandon narrating.
What about throwing a themed birthday party based on this book? AmazingMoms has all the planning, crafts, decorating and ideas to just having fun (another great place to find fun ideas and information is at Kaboose).

My Birthday Surprises!!

I arrived home from work and had a wonderful edible arrangement with a balloon from my sister, her BBF plus their kids; also beautiful flowers in a vase and a teddy bear for Lizzy from my Mom, and a visit just now from my Florida cousin CR!! Yeah!!

My favorite so far is the chocolate covered bananas! WOW are they delicious!! Can you see that some are missing from the picture??

CR and her parents gave me (and DH) a Key Lime tree and a shrimp casting net (really, just what I asked for!). She arrived tonight with a bottle of French red wine - also our favorite.

Too bad this is a work night, but we will have fun as a special night out is happening over Memorial Day in St. Augustine. I finally planned something as I kept postponing any special party not knowing for months when the IA would happen!! So the family will get together then - we love any excuse for a family party! See you then!

Today Is My Aly's Birthday

She will want to shoot me for posting this bit of information and she hates having her picture taken so I'll probably get in trouble for posting one as well :)

I'll just have to take my chances. Happy Birthday, love of my life... I can only hope we share many, many more together. I love you.

fm

Three Word Sunday - 250k Miles Young

Our Honda CRV 1998 will be ten years old next month. It may not be pretty but it still runs great! Happy Birthday to a very old, reliable friend! Our "new" vehicle (2002) has 120,000 miles on it. Who says newer is better?

Secret Buddy - Seventh Diamond Swap - April

Wow! More Gifts! We love the Secret Buddy Swaps!!
Happy April to Us (meaning Alyzabeth too!)

April is all about bath time and fun in the tub!

The top picture shows the tub toys - the limited edition super safety bath ducky will let us know if the bath water is too hot, greater than 103 degrees. Can you tell this duck is all girl? She's a princess yellow duck! Great safety item to have!
Another toy is a rubber turtle with three "baby" turtles. They will be cute to play with and the larger one can double as a soap holder. Next is the Baby Einstein Water, Water Everywhere, a splash & giggle bath-book. This book can go outside in the rain and in puddles too. There is always good information on the Baby Einstein products that give other lesson ideas for parents.

The next three items are ladybug designs. Six ladybug wash cloths, a lady bug wash cloth puppet mitt and the hooded ladybug towel. The towel is pictured above separately.

How cute to have Alyzabeth's bath time ready to go! Our Secret Buddy has thought of everything! Hope Lizzy likes baths!

Thank you Secret Buddy!!

Portland Maine & Mom

My Mom stays very busy with her family and friends, plus working part-time at our FAVORITE store (check out L.L. Beans!!). She volunteers at church services and church functions (including luncheons, dinners and organizations/service groups' luncheons, Women's activities...) and now she has been training to be a tour guide at the Portland Harbor Museum!

She is learning about many historical events and also about this exhibit (below):

Snow Squall: The Journey of an American Clipper Ship

(running through November 30, 2008) - Built in 1851, just a few miles from the museum, Snow Squall sailed for 13 years and carried goods to faraway lands. This exhibit, which includes timbers and artifacts from the vessel, tells the story of Snow Squall, its abandonment in the Falkland Islands in the 1860s, and its recovery and return to South Portland in the 1980s. Visitors learn about the Age of Clipper Ships and Nineteenth Century wooden shipbuilding.

Just to give you some more history about Portland, Maine, here is another museum my Mom could volunteer at: The Portland Observatory - The last remaining maritime signal tower in the nation, this historic observatory features informative exhibits on maritime history and breathtaking views of the harbor.

And lastly, the most photographed lighthouse in the nation is also located in Maine. We love visiting this lighthouse along the coast line every time I get to go home. Brings back tons of memories of family outings there (especially eating lobster rolls with my Grammie).

Referral Count Down Calendar April Update

April referrals made it to January 9 (2006). We feel for the 10th folks, we know they are hurting. They are next and we pray they are finding strength in that.

So we moved an additional five days this month. 5 more smiley faces. 5 days closer to the 27th. 5 days closer to Alyzabeth An... We are already looking forward to May referrals :)

Once more, huge CONGRATULATIONS to all those receiving their Referrals this month and soon celebrating their Forever Day! It's a beautiful thing. Life is good...

peace
fm

Giveaways!

Always read about the free contests with great prizes over at 5 Minutes For Mom. They are hosting two weeks of toy giveaways including Lego toys, Playskool toys and this week is a bike called a Caboose.

Books and more Books

I read this list on Digging to China so had to copy it for my future reference. For all those waiting families out there, books are a great purchase as we continue The Wait and books always come in the right size and perfect color for any child. While checking out Courtney's blog, also take notice of her blog featuring great recipes at Taste Of Providence.... And be certain to check out the semi-homemade macaroni and cheese recipe!

Here are the top 100 book's according to the 2007 NEA survey (I will mark the ones we already have over the next few days). I typed up a list of all the books we have so far but lost it when our computer crashed last September 07. I will begin again....

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
I Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Crunching Carrots, Not Candy by Judy Slack
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willlems
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Tacky the Penquin by Helen Lester
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type Doreen Cronin
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
Olivia by Ian Falconer
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
Bunnicula by James Howe
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
Frederick by Leo Lionni
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt
Is Your Mama A Llama? by Deborah Guarino
Jan Brett’s books
Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
No David! by David Shannon
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Warner
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
The Empty Pot by Demi
The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
The Giver by Lois Lowr
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Wide-Mouthed Frog: A Pop-Up Book by Keith Faulkner

April Referrals Confirmed...Finally.

The CCAA has matched families with log in dates of January 5-9, 2006. (The January 10th folks were crushed by this one) Congratulations to all of you soon to be celebrating Forever Day with your little one...

Still no word for the November 2006 folks trapped in the Review Room. Our prayers and best wishes go out to you all for the torture to end soon. We understand...

peace
fm

Saturday Night Delight-Sunday Morning Surprise!

Saturday evening, we attended our first FCC's Chinese Cooking Class with our instructor Yao, hosted by Carol and attended by Cindy, LeeAnn, Maryane, Donna, my DH and myself. And no, I don't have the names lined up with the faces :)

It was great fun with Yao teaching us to chop, slice and dice and introducing us to the many Asian ingredients. Our menu consisted of Wonton Soup, Sweet & Sour Pork and a delicious dessert of Sweet Potato w/Ginger.


The food was great and we will hopefully have another one in a month or two. DH was the only guy in attendance but the ladies said they would have their hubbies come next time! Let's hope so!!

HUGE Thank you to Carol for organizing and hosting the event and to Yao for sharing her charm and culinary skills! We'll explain the proper use of a hair dryer while cooking at another time :)

On our drive home we received a phone call from DD, she was checking in and told us about a storm rolling through our area with 60 mph gusts. During our drive we didn't experience any gust and by the time we arrived home, it was only a slight rain drizzle.

So you can imagine our surprise this morning when we found three of our four Adirondack chairs in the river. Now I don't mean in the river by our dock, close by, as in a little wind blew them over. Oh no, I mean pick up and disperse winds that blew the very heavy wood chairs many docks to the north of us and one way to the south of us.

Did this storm wake us up during the night? Not a chance. With a full course Chinese dinner put away, we were fast asleep...



Thanks to DH who walked the river bank, we have our chairs back. Only one had damage. I love those chairs. DH and I hand made them along with a few more with my Dad's help and wood working expertise. It was a husband/wife bonding exercise :)
Dad, we miss you!!

Three Word Sunday

We visited our Adoption Agency last week. It was a first for us since we started the process back in 2005. We were there to ask questions, review our file/status and to learn anymore about the process we should be aware of at this stage of the game.

We are especially interested in getting our referral at their office, rather than waiting for the FedEx driver to deliver the file and then be on the phone with our agency. Instead, we have chosen to actually be in their office and review the file in person with them. We will still video tape it but we want to include them in our JOY! They seemed excited that we would be coming to their office and our wanting to share the moment with them.

Many couples choose to video tape the referral phone call. We're thinking that being there will be more personal and meaningful for us. They are our agency and they have demonstrated they care about each client. I like that. DH said that they are caring for our daughter until we are approved to travel and begin our Forever Family - sounds like they are her "foster parents" right now.

We pray our Alyzabeth An is being taken care of and that she will love her new parents!

Dave's China Referral Estimator Updated

Dave has updated.

	Model A	Model B	Model C	Model D	RQ Poll	Average
MAY 08	1/12/2006	1/13/2006	1/12/2006	1/17/2006	1/12/2006	1/13/2006

Above is Dave's estimate for the NEXT referral cutoff. Not going to make a lot of people happy... Remember, don't blame Dave. And remember, it's an estimate.

	Model A	Model B	Model C	Model D	RQ Poll	Average
JUN 08	1/20/2006	1/19/2006	1/17/2006	1/25/2006	1/20/2006	1/20/2006
JUL 08	2/6/2006	1/26/2006	1/20/2006	2/9/2006	1/27/2006	1/27/2006
AUG 08	2/9/2006	2/9/2006	1/25/2006	2/17/2006	2/12/2006	2/8/2006
SEP 08	2/14/2006	2/15/2006	2/6/2006	2/27/2006	???	2/15/2006
OCT 08	2/20/2006	2/20/2006	2/9/2006	3/7/2006	???	2/21/2006
NOV 08	2/28/2006	2/28/2006	2/14/2006	3/15/2006	???	2/26/2006
DEC 08	3/3/2006	3/6/2006	2/17/2006	3/23/2006	???	3/3/2006

Plugging in the 9th as April's cutoff, the above is Dave's estimate for referrals going out to December 08...

peace
fm

Sharing - SIL Joan's Recipes

I would love to be able to claim these recipes as my own but I can't. I'm just thankful that my SIL Joan was gracious enough to share them with me on one of my visits home. Joan will always fix a fantastic dinner the night I cruise into town and I will inevitably beg her for the recipe. It's like visiting Nana Joy, you're going to eat well and leave with a new recipe to enjoy time and again...

The following recipes are for Chicken Tetrazzini (serves 12) and a Southern Poppy Seed Salad Dressing that I had to have... Do yourself a favor and make these. If they do not end up being one of your favorites, pack the leftovers on dry ice and send them to me. I may even spring for the shipping charges :)

Joan's Chicken Tetrazzini

Stew 1 hen with 2 bay leaves
Bone and cut into pieces
Add the pieces back to 1 quart of your stock
Add:
1 Cup diced celery
1 Cup chopped onion
1 Diced green pepper
1 (8) ounce package uncooked vermicelli
1 Teaspoon sea salt

Cook until tender, most of the liquid will be absorbed. Dispose of any remaining liquid.

Combine:

1 Lb cubed Velveeta cheese
1 Tablespoon Worschester sauce
1 (4) ounce jar drained sliced mushrooms
1 (4) ounce jar diced pimentos
1 (2.5) package slivered almonds toasted in butter (skillet)
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard
Add this mixture to your Chicken and mix well

Pour into large casserole dish
Tear up some Cheddar Cheese and dot on top
(Best if chilled overnight)
Bake at 350 degrees covered for 45 minutes, uncovered for last 15 minutes

Southern Poppy Seed Dressing

1 Cup vegetable oil
3/4 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup white vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoon onion juice or 2 Tablespoon finely minced onion
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 Teaspoon poppy seeds (don't leave this out)

Combine first 6 ingredients in blender. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Stir in Poppy Seeds. Cover and chill.

Secret Notes from Joan I'm willing to share :)

Ford, I have used this dressing for my curried chicken salad and my spinach salad but I get the best and most compliments on the romaine salad I made for you. I think it is because I use segments of mandarin oranges, a few pieces of candied nuts and chunks of fried smoked bacon which seem to really bring out the flavor of the dressing.

Hope you all enjoy the recipes. I can only tell you I wish I could cook as well as Joan. In any event, you all are going to love these recipes. If you do give either a try, let me know how it turned out...

peace
fm

Dave's Original China Referral Estimator

	Model A	Model B	Model C	Model D	RQ Poll	Average
MAY 08	1/20/2006	1/12/2006	1/12/2006	1/19/2006	1/13/2006	1/16/2006
JUN 08	1/25/2006	1/17/2006	1/17/2006	1/26/2006	1/23/2006	1/20/2006
JUL 08	2/7/2006	1/24/2006	1/20/2006	2/9/2006	1/27/2006	1/26/2006
AUG 08	2/15/2006	2/7/2006	1/25/2006	2/17/2006	2/10/2006	2/8/2006
SEP 08	2/20/2006	2/13/2006	2/6/2006	2/27/2006	???	2/15/2006
OCT 08	2/24/2006	2/16/2006	2/9/2006	3/6/2006	???	2/21/2006
NOV 08	2/3/2006	2/24/2006	2/14/2006	3/14/2006	???	2/26/2006
DEC 08	3/10/2006	3/2/2006	2/17/2006	3/22/2006	???	3/7/2006

And here is Dave's projection for the upcoming April Referrals.

	Model A	Model B	Model C	Model D	RQ Poll	Average
APR 08	1/12/2006	1/6/2006	1/9/2006	1/11/2006	1/10/2006	1/10/2006

We've followed Dave & Sandy's adoption journey for quite some time. Dave's referral estimator has been a staple link on our blog. In actuality, Dave developed the "Estimator" long before a more infamous rival joined the party :)

Thought you all would find his projections interesting and if you haven't been to their blog - get over there. They have a cool set up complete with audio, photos and the works...

peace
fm