Snowflakes

Today was my sweet Maggie's 7th birthday. It's been a fun, full day. We got together after church for a family b-day party, presents, and chocolate fountain extravaganza. (I'll post pics of her party in my next post - I still have Ellie & Josie party pics to post from earlier this fall.) But, I thought this part of our afternoon was so fun and cool that it deserves it's own post. :) We all got crafty and made snowflakes - tons of snowflakes. They turned out really great - it's so fun to cut such random shapes and be completely surprised to see what you get. And everybody got in on it - even Great Grandma T. and Uncle Eric. :) We sang Christmas songs as we cut...it was one of those deep, heart-warming family moments...one I don't think I'll ever forget. Funny how the simplest, most random times can be some of the most special.





Then the birthday girl judged them. Aunt Macy got 1st place. (See her blue ribbon?)

Thanks, guys, for an awesome afternoon. I love you!

Merry Christmas!

Miles and I are on the way to the post office to send off our Christmas postcards. But before I do that, I wanted to send one to all of you...



Merry Christmas!

Danke

I'm thankful for... (in no specific order) :)

1) My washer and dryer. Seriously - I can't imagine life without them.

2) Gas for $1.69 a gallon.

3) Really good food.

4) My church. They've taught me how to worship and how to love...not a "feeling," the "make a choice to love" kind of love.

5) My friends and family - who know the real me and are cool with that. Love you guys.

6) My kids. I can't imagine 4 more amazing, lovable little people in the world. I've loved growing up right along with them. And I never knew it was possible to love so fiercely...the "I'd give my life for you/Mama Bear" fiercely.


7) My man. I thank God daily for a man that loves Jesus more than anything. He's my hero, my leader, my lover, my best friend. Words just don't suffice. (Oh, and we can be completely queer together...)


8) My country. We have so many freedoms and blessings...

9) My house. Even the ugly rust carpeting in the living room.

10) My Saviour. Because it's all about Him anyway.

Thanks, Danae for the thankful tag. Nothing like reflecting on what we're thankful for to really put life in perspective. Now let's see if

Janell
Janelle
Katie
Andria
Jenny

will share with us 5-10 things they're thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving to my blogging buddies! Love ya!

I Go To The Rock

33

I'm stealing my friend Holli's title idea (thanks, Hol!), but I won't totally hijack her post idea (although it was awesome and I wish I would've thought of something so cool!). Just wanted to wish my hubby a belated happy 33.



We love you, Ross!

Fun-ness

We had a fun, crazy weekend. Each of the girls invited a friend to go trick-or-treating (our first time doing the whole neighborhood thing - we usually just cart them to relatives). After that we came home and met up with Steve, Danae, and crew, and Mike, Sarah, and Carys for dinner (their friends John & Nicole stopped by later too! I love a full house.) I wish I would've taken even more pictures. It was so fun. So, without further delay, introducing:
The Lion, Gypsy, Indian Princess, Dalmatian, Corpse Bride, and Entomologist. Power-Puff Girl joined us down the street...


And then Sleepy Carrot and Zebra joined us a little later....

And I couldn't resist...sorry, Steve! We partied 'til we pooped completely out...

And then woke up bright and early to cheer Josie's team to #1 soccer victory in the 3rd/4th grade division. Whoo-hoo!

We got to spend the rest of the day with Ross' mom, sis, and brother, then off to a church cookout. (See, I should have taken more pictures!)

Last night we attempted to capture the annual family Christmas picture, to no avail. I think it'd be even more fun to post all of our attempts. :)

Song of what????

Tonight Ross had a late meeting and I had bedtime duty. We got a late start at 8:15.

I'm tired, the kids have their pj's on, are in the process of teeth-brushing, yet still want to start their new CD book, Drift House that we got at the library today. I'm lugging clean, folded laundry upstairs, and realizing that I still need to get clean sheets on the girls' beds. Ugh. I'm kind of excited for the new CD book too, but don't want to skip our Bible story time. Since it's getting late I ask El to read everybody the Bible story while I do sheet duty. She very willingly grabs her Bible and I hear her gathering the troops. I start to hear her read as I'm making beds - good - it's quiet except for her voice. I realize I need the pillowcases, so I quickly walk to the hall closet, passing her room as I overhear,

"Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle...I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its fruit...oh may your breast be like clusters of the vine...etc., etc., etc...."

I'm laughing inside thinking of all of the chapters in the Bible...she opens up to about THE most descriptive, although beautifully poetic, chapter in Song of Solomon.

Then I overhear her offering the other 3 kids some of her very own commentary: "Uh guys, this guy is talking about how he really loves His wife....geesh...he sure talks about breasts a lot in this part."

(I walked in right as she was ready to dive into the next chapter. It was so cute - she was getting kind of squirmy reading it and the other kids were completely clueless. After I explained the possible double meaning about God's love for His people, she was like, "OH!" with total visible and audible relief. Really hilarious. I wish I had a video of the whole thing. Writing about it just totally doesn't capture the moment.)

Brer Rabbit goodness

I'm sitting here (as the wind howls outside) all warm and cozy in my new long underwear from Target having fun catching up on friends' blogs and facebook pages. And I'm thinking how incredibly dry and boring my blog has been - so I'm gonna make it moist and delicious (ok, that was gaggy, but bear with me here) by sharing my ultimate, favorite, most-wonderful fall cookie recipe. I know, I know, I just said a couple of posts ago that I hardly have any tried-and-true recipes, but that was kind of exaggerating. I have a handful of winners passed down from my momma and grandmas that I return to again and again. And most of those are seasonal recipes - make me think of fall or winter, Christmas or P-fest parade morning. :) And I thought maybe if I post some of my new recipes in the future, I'll actually remember what I've tried and what's a make again! So, try these Brer Rabbit cookies and let me know what you think. This is probably a serious breach of family loyalty and secrecy to share this, but I'm so confident you'll love 'em, it's worth it. :) (And luckily Grandma doesn't have a computer.)

Brer Rabbits

Melt 3/4 c. butter in large saucepan, remove from heat and add:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon

Roll into balls and then into sugar. Bake about 7-9 min. (or until top begins to crack) at 375 degrees. Don't overbake!

They're great alone, but even better with orange buttercream frosting, we think.

Buttercream:

1/3 c. butter
4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Soften butter and add the rest. Beat until creamy. Add food coloring if you want.

These are seriously the best. Soft, chewy goodness.

Mini-update

It's been almost a month since I've posted about our adoption, so I thought I'd give a little mini-update. We've been waiting now for almost 5 months, and at the time of submitting all of our paperwork, we were told we'd wait about 6-9 months. Since then, the projected wait time has increased greatly to 12 months. But since that new wait time was announced, referrals started picking up again this month and we're all hoping and praying for a continued steady flow.

Another waiting mom on our agency's forum devised this great "unofficial list" of the people waiting for toddlers. Now, instead of being #61 on the big list (including those waiting for infants and sibling groups), we're #5 on the toddler-boy list! This is really fun to see. We still have NO idea when our referral might come, but it's definitely fun to be movin' on up that list. (It's called "unofficial" because it's not an official list from our agency, but a list compiled by other adopting parents. They estimate it includes about 1/2 of the people waiting.)

Another cool little tidbit - last night my dad called and said he had dinner with one of his good friends who is Ethiopian. My dad told his friend of our adoption plans. His friend was so excited and told my dad that his brother is actually a judge in Ethiopia! What are the chances? It's a small, small world. Anyway, I think it would be AMAZING to meet my dad's friend here in the states and his brother in Ethiopia...it will be interesting to see if we'll be able to connect somehow.

Well, like I said, mini-update. Not much, but things are happening!

Yeah!

I'm in!!! I can't believe it - I don't know what changed, but today - after 3 wks. of trying with NO success to log into my blog - I did it! I kept getting this error message that my connection had been interrupted every time I attempted to sign in - so I couldn't post or comment (and no other website was affected - weird.) The first day I couldn't log in I wanted to post this hilarious, yet perhaps a little sacrilegious video of a 70's worship band singing "Jesus is a Friend of Mine." I thought maybe me not being able to post that was God's way of saying, "Not a good idea." So, point taken - instead I'll move on to my double-tag. Two friends, Kristy and Janell have tagged me - thanks guys! Despite my blog-absence, you didn't give up on me. :) So here goes - I guess I'm supposed to write 7 things about myself. There's a little blog tag I should post on here, but I can't figure it out. I guess I'm a bit rusty.

*Edit: Janell helped me figure it out!!! Thanks, my dear!


1. I LOVE to sing and worship. I feel like that's why God made me and He's given me a deep passion for both.

2. That little uvula in the back of our throats...mine is split like an upside-down heart. My dentist friend told me years ago it's the same sort of defect as a cleft-lip/palate - just not complete.

3. I have a degree in English. I've never used it professionally, but think someday I'd like to go back to school. For what? I don't know, maybe just to be a professional student. I loved it.

4. I had 4 kids by age 28, barely. I turned 28 six days before Miles was born.

5. I love New England. I was born in New Jersey (Neptune, NJ to be exact and Ross loves to makes jokes about that.) :) I also lived in Connecticut for 2 yrs. as a child and we did tons of traveling. Maine is probably my favorite.

6. I've moved 15 times in my life and never lived anywhere longer than 6 yrs.

7. I'm a total foodie. I love good food and experimenting in the kitchen. I rarely make anything twice - which is a bad thing because I don't have many tried-and-trues and most guests are my guinea pigs! :)

Now I'm supposed to tag 7 more friends. I don't know if I know that many people in blog-world, but here goes: Danae, Lisa, Sarah, Katie, Megan, Genese ,
and Shelley.

Have fun, and no pressure!

4 Months Today!

Today officially marks 4 months of waiting for our sweet boy! There hasn't been a whole lot of referral action at our agency this summer, but I sense that's about to change...no real concrete reason why, just a gut feeling. :)

And, today is the first day of fall! I love this time of year...BUT, I've had horrible allergies the last few weeks. Ugh. Any tried and true allergy remedies out there? I feel like I've tried so many different combos...some days I feel great, other days like poop. I'd love to hear what's worked for anybody out there in bloggie-land.

To celebrate the changing season, and hopefully the changing referral tide :) , here's some pics I snatched of my kids at the park last week.

What we've been up to...

We've had a fun, crazy couple of weeks...Here are some highlights:





We hung out with our good friends...we even got the BABY girls to smile for the camera, but the boys...totally different story (and breed.) :)



We got to watch our friends' sweet little boy...Miles kept saying, "Aren't I such a great big brother?!" (In total anticipation of our new little man.)

Oh, and news on the adoption front...we just got word from our agency that referrals are now going to take 12 mo. instead of the 6-9 we initially thought. Ugh, it's only been 3 1/2 mo. so far....



Miles officially started preschool. He came home and said, "I could stay there forever!"



I had an over-the-phone Aveda consult with my professional stylist sister Molly :) and cut Ellie's hair in long layers...I even impressed myself (even though it took 1 1/2 hrs...sorry El!)





Today after church we went to a park close by and got to ride the train, see animals, and have a picnic. It was so fun to just "be." I raced the kids, I flew down a gigantic slide, ate way too many chocolate-chip cookies, and had an absolute blast.

We had an incredible sermon today about "A Faith that Overcomes Fear" (Mark5:21-43). We learned to let go, wait, lean on and keep our eyes on Him, and then watch Him work in our lives...knowing it's all for His ultimate praise, honor, and glory. It was so timely and perfect for me. I've definitely been struggling with letting go and getting so blinded by circumstances that I can't see Jesus!

That really spoke to my heart and translated into a totally peaceful, relaxing, great afternoon with my fam. I pray that I can keep my eyes fixed on Him and internalize those truths as the week progresses....

Just me and the cat

Wow. First day of school. All three of my girlies are enjoying their first day as 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders, and Miles was invited to play with the neighbor this morning. I find myself roaming around the kitchen thinking, "surely there's something I'm supposed to be doing right now...." ha ha ha...and there's tons to do, but my life has been divided up into 2 hr. increments for years now and I hardly know what to do with myself! (So I blog. ha ha) There's tons to do, but I've never really been able to tackle any big projects during the day - and that's my plan starting in about a 1/2 hr. :) Of course, this phase won't last long, as we'll be bringing another little one home in the next months, but wow, it's kinda weird feeling.

Here's a picture of the girls this morning - they were all up, dressed, and ready by 7:30. Hope we can keep that up! (ha ha - wishful thinking, I'm sure)



And this morning Miles' preschool teacher made a home-visit to introduce herself and give him an idea of what to expect in a couple of weeks when school starts for him. They totally hit it off and he's gonna love it. A highlight of their conversation was when she pointed to a circle and said, "What's this?" And Miles replied, "Um, an 'O'." And she said, "Yes, it's a letter 'O,' but what shape is it? A square? A rectangle?" All to which Miles answered, "No....but maybe it could be a hole!" :) Oh boy.



Well, off to big projects like beginning to go through our stuff and pack to get ready to move in the next few months...something I haven't mentioned in blog world yet, but that's another post. :) And now I'm going to have WAY too much time to think, wonder, worry, and hope for a referral call for our little man in Ethiopia. So pray I can focus those thoughts into constructive prayers lifting it all into God's hands.

Lesson #8 - the last one!

Well, we made it. We're finally to our last Ethiopia lesson: How to be the hands and feet of Christ in Ethiopia (my plan was to research and find some worthy organizations to give to and then pick one with the kids.) Wow - I've been thinking a ton about this all week. First off, I feel like I kind of dropped the ball with Lesson #7, because I was supposed to write about more than just one thing going on in Ethiopia right now (the famine), but I just got kind of overwhelmed. Truth is, it feels way too big for me - and it is! The issues...the solutions....continued critical food shortages, poverty, HIV/AIDS, orphans, the need for clean drinking water...makes my head spin. So where do we start?

I heard a quote on the radio a couple of weeks ago, and wish I would've written it down. It was something like this: An African leader was talking about how people in his community had been the blessed recipients of new wells, health education and support, and food, but they still had a sense of unrest and searching. What was missing? (This thought stayed with me and has been resonating and working in my soul the past couple of weeks.) I guess what I've come up with is that just feeding people's physical bodies only gets them so far...YES, there's a critical, immediate need right now that must be met, but looking beyond NOW, what's gonna last? What's gonna really facilitate change not only in people's circumstances in Ethiopia, but their lives...their souls? So yes, we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving others, but MORE than that - we want to share the hope that lives inside of us. We want to share Jesus.

So, what's that look like for you and me? What does it look like for my kids and I? How's that translate from great intentions and big words to action? Of course the goal is the same, but how it's carried out is different for all of us. And this blog post is just scratching the surface. I've found links to some really great holistic organizations that share the Gospel as well as provide for people's physical needs, and will share them in a second. But first I guess I wanted to challenge myself and you guys to just totally surrender. Yes - the issues sometime seem insurmountable. I mean, we live in a fallen world, right? Yeah, BUT, we serve an awesome all-powerful God...imagine if we were to pray what Isaiah prayed, "Here I am Lord, send me!" Some are called to pray, some to give financially, some to do short-term missions, some to adopt, some to start companies whose profits go 100% to orphan ministries, some to spread the word and need, some to....???? (And by all means this applies to ALL areas of our lives and in all sorts of ways - not just in helping those in Ethiopia. That's just my focus for this lesson.)

So, here's some really cool organizations we found for you to take a look at. They all have a Christ-centered focus, but work in different ways and in various avenues. A really great picture of the Body of Christ. It's certainly not extensive - and most definitely just the beginning - but it's place to start.
First, the organizations who can connect you to tons of great resources:

The Red Letters Campaign -
"We’re connecting you to resources, people and partners that can educate you and equip you to make a difference in the areas of poverty that you care most about."

Cry of the Orphan -
"The Cry of the Orphan campaign represents a group of Christian organizations and churches that are joining voices to make caring for every orphan a reality."

And then some more with specific methods of outreach:

Living Water International -
"Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and to experience "living water"—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which alone satisfies the deepest thirst."

Gobena Coffee -
"Construction is underway for a group home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Christian house-parents will look after the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of "their" children."

Adventures in Missions -
"Through our 14 bases around the world, we have year-round ministry to places where “the least of these” are found. We believe that by giving people the opportunity to hold orphans, bring hope to the hopeless, and pray for the sick, lives are transformed."

Children's Hopechest -
"Children’s Hopechest exists to show God’s heart for orphans to know him, expereince the blessings of family, and aquire skills necessary for independent living."

African Widows and Orphan Project -
"African Widows and Orphans Project (AWOP) believes that through a cooperative team of ministries with diverse methods of service and a common goal of glorifying the Lord through evangelism, discipleship and servant ministries the widows and orphans throughout Africa will have hope for this present life and a joyful expectation of eternity with the Lord."

Kingdom Vision International -
"KVI will stand for people to receive the whole blessing of God on their lives. He will lead them to faith in Himself, as well as heal the rest of their lives."

LifeSong for Orphans -
“Our Children” will have:

1. No want for food, clothing, or shelter.
2. Fundamental Christian training and discipleship.
3. A quality education to provide a foundation for the future.
4. Continued love and support as they transition into adult living."

Right now we're enjoying some great Gobena with the knowledge that great things will be done with the profits. No, the kids don't drink it like we do, but they get it. And they've totally fallen in love with the little Ethiopian sweetie and her family who started it - Lehman's, we love you guys!

This is way long, and it's hard to know how to end my last post for Ethiopia 101. I guess I'll just think about it as a beginning instead...

Lesson #7

We've spent the last several weeks learning about all that makes Ethiopia beautiful and unique. This week has a different feel. Our lesson: Present Day Ethiopia and Current Issues. And although there are many current issues, just like anywhere in the world, here's what's going on right now and appears to be the greatest, most pressing challenge and crisis facing Ethiopia:



This leaves me so speechless. The kids and I sat glued, motionless and silent, to the computer screen as we watched video after video and read article after article. Here's an informative article from TIME:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1829841,00.html

and some others:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-food5-2008aug05,0,1993870.story

http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/unicef-seeks-additional-funds.html?gclid=CIfK4M7A-ZQCFRghnAodAjqArA

And our project for this week? Prayer, prayer, and more prayer for the people directly affected by this famine and for all of us here, still eating, drinking, and daily living obliviously to the pain and need on the other side of the world...Lord, show us how to be your hands and feet!

Hilton Head Island, SC

We got up this morning at 3 a.m. and loaded our van with sun-kissed sleepyheads and made the 15 hr. straight-through drive home from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We were with my entire family. It was great. I'm tired, already miss the beach, but am happy to be home. We spent tons of time on the beach, even more time eating at spectacular restaurants, and did a little shopping and history stuff too. I thought I'd post a few pics before I start playing catch-up with laundry, grocery shopping, etc...hope you're all enjoying what's remaining of summer! (I missed my blogging buddies this week!) :)


My Dad and Mom


My fam


My brother-in-law Eric, sister Macy, and Moses (16 wks.)


My brother Mike, sister-in-law Sarah, and Carys (6 mo.)


Miles and his best ultimate-victory warrior buddy, my brother Bob


My baby sister Molly who turned 20 today (and me)...Happy Birthday, sis!


The grandkids - Miles, Ellie, Carys, Josie, Moses, and Maggie

Lesson #6

Ok, I got up early to finally write about our Lesson #6 but instead I've spent the last 15 minutes checking out some of my friends' blogs and had so much fun...living vicariously through Holli and her friends living it up in England shopping & eating...reading about the hilarious things Jami and Megan's kids have said recently...finding out Abby just got her I-171H!...I could go on. I'm feeling kind of (ok, totally) boring!!! :) But here goes...

This past Friday was a crazy one. It was my sister's last day in town and we decided to move all of her wedding gifts that have been in our basement closet to our parent's house. (To make a long story short, they're building a house and we plan on buying theirs, so we are in the process of cleaning out and getting ready to sell, and now my sister's stuff will be packed by the movers and stored in my parent's new place.) Anyway - Lesson #6 was sandwiched sometime between lugging everything up out of our basement and onto our front porch (it was such a huge load, people thought we were already moving!) and then hauling it over in 4 car trips to my parent's. The kids worked like troopers and we were all incredibly beat. But, it was a good break to sit and listen and yet again, be crafty. :)

Our lesson was just a brief history and a little on the influence of Christianity in Ethiopia. Kind of heavy for kids, and to be completely honest, I lost them pretty early on. But they totally loved making cross necklaces - and it was kind of cool because we've been reading that American Girl book, Saba, and in places it talks about how important her cross necklace is to her. So, my kids were able to grasp some significance and meaning as to why they were making necklaces with big crosses. :)

Some cool things we learned:
1. Ethiopian history dates back to at least 1000 B.C., when people from Arabia sailed across the Red Sea into northern Ethiopia. (And it could even be 2000 B.C. when an Egyptian sailed to the "Land of Punt" which is possibly Ethiopia.)

2. Christianity became the official religion of the early Axumite kingdom in the fourth century and the church's influence became very intertwined with the Ethiopian monarchy (so much so that it remained the official church through the era of Haile Selassie - the mid-1970's.)

3. Ethiopia's Christians remained isolated in the highlands (while Muslims occupied much of the lowlands.) I guess historians feel that this isolation allowed the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to adopt some different, unique practices - much that are rooted in really interesting legend. The story goes like this: When the Queen of Sheba went to honor King Solomon in the 10th century B.C., they fell in love, and after her return to Ethiopia she gave birth to Solomon's son, Menelik. When he was 22 yrs. old, he went to Jerusalem to meet this father. While there, he saw the Ark of the Covenant and dreamed God told him to take it back to Ethiopia. It's believed that the Ark has been in Aksum ever since. Although this has never been proven, and scholars are skeptical, Ethiopian Christians fully believe. It's safely guarded in a chapel by a special caretaker and can't be viewed by anyone else. Every church has a replica ark.

4. And then, the significance of the cross necklaces from:
http://www.authenticafrica.com/etcros.html

"African jewelry: Christianity was established in the Ethiopian highlands as early as the 4th century. For over 1600 years Christian Ethiopians have worn neck crosses as a symbol of faith. The cross was suspended around the neck by a cotton blue cord called a “mateb” which was received at baptism. Jewelry wise, the cross is the most prized personal possession and most valued to collectors of all highland selections.The crosses are usually named from the region that they originate. The crosses feature various design styling from the simplistic Greek or Latin crucifix to the more elaborate with flared arms, trefoils, decorative projections, complicated openwork designing and patterns of interwoven lines symbolizing eternity. "

So, here's our attempt at some unique Ethiopian cross necklaces:

Our week

We've had a great week with my sister Macy and our little nephew Moses. He's 3 1/2 mo. and is so incredibly sweet. I've tried all week to get him to smile, and I finally captured it this afternoon.



And another great capture by Josie today...Maggie dancing. And those who know Maggie well will especially love this...she hates attention and agonizes being in front of people, like for school programs (Matt and Katie - remember the Christmas program?!) And she told Aunt Macy yesterday that when she gets married, "it's just gonna be me, a man, on a beach, by ourselves." HA HA!!! Doesn't even want attention on her wedding day. Ok, that said, here's a rare Maggie moment: (And yes, she even gave me permission to post this...I think she's coming out of her shell....)

Oh, and a note about the music - it's one of those demo songs on our keyboard. It reminds me of an 80's sitcom. :)

Lesson #5

The weeks are seriously flying by! I can't believe we're already on Lesson #5 for Ethiopia 101. This week, our focus was on FOOD! - recipes, coffee ceremonies, traditions and etiquette. My main goal was to experience and share a traditional Ethiopian meal together. I commissioned my Grandma, Dad, Mom, sister, sister-in-law, and brothers to each make something, so we had a serious feast. Our adoption agency gave us a packet of lots of great recipes that they got online at http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Cookbook/Ethiopia.html.

Here's what we made:
Ross & I: Injera (Ethiopian pancake-like bread), Iab (cottage-cheese/yogurt w/herbs), Doro Wat (chicken stew), and Tej (honey wine)
Grandma T.: Sega Wat (Ethiopian lamb)
Dad, Mom, and Bob: Vegetable Alecha (vegetable stew)
Macy: Dabo Kolo (little fried snacks)
Mike & Sarah: Chef Kurt Linsi's Queen of Sheba Salad (a great tomato/onion accompaniment - not a part of the traditional Ethiopian meal, but suggested as a great addition from this website.)
The only thing we weren't brave enough to try was the Kitfo, or raw ground beef mixed with salt, pepper, and butter...it's served raw, and is considered the dessert of the meal.) :)
And, although we didn't get to talk about the coffee ceremonies, we did enjoy a pot of Gobena!

Right before dinner I read the intro that came with all of these recipes and it talks about how a traditional meal is served and how it's eaten. We made some modifications - for example, instead of sitting on 8-in. stools and putting our Wat and Iab directly on the Injera, we all filled our plates with the stews, etc. and then ripped off the Injera and filled it from our plates. (And we used forks and spoons.)

We really, really enjoyed the food and had an absolute blast together. I think this worked out so well to include part of our extended family in this too because I could tell their interest and excitement grew by being able to contribute and share in the Ethiopian meal and lesson. We all agreed this was just the first of many Ethiopian feasts to come! But instead of writing more, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!


Clockwise, starting at the top: Iab, Sega Wat, Queen of Sheba Salad, Doro Wat, Dabo Kolo, and Vegetable Alecha


From left to right: my sis Macy (visiting with Moses for the week - more pics to come...), sis-in-law Sarah, bro Mike, bro Bob, Dad, Mom, Gram T., and Ross (my man)


Ellie, Miles, Maggie, and Josie totally digging the Injera - their favorite part.


Me and my Dad

Molly and Eric - we missed you guys!!!

Lesson #4

This Friday we tackled Lesson #4 for Ethiopia 101. I didn't realize this when I was planning our curriculum last month, but it worked out really well to talk about Ethiopia's calendar, festivals, music, art, and sports on one of America's biggest days of celebration - the 4th of July! I thought it would be fun to tie the two together just a little bit by doing an activity centered around the Ethiopian flag (because the American flag is so much a part of our 4th of July celebrations.) We discovered the meaning behind both the Ethiopian and American flags - which I found interesting. Here's what we found:

The Ethiopian flag: (found online at http://exodus2006.com/flag.htm)
Green represents the fertility of the country
Yellow represents the religious freedom
Red represents the lives sacrificed in the protection of national integrity
The star and it's rays represents the equality of all ethnic groups as well as creed and gender equity. Also, the rays point to Ethiopia's bright future and the blue background stands for peace and democracy.

The American flag:
The 50 stars represent the 50 states
The 13 stripes represent the 13 colonies
BUT, there's actually no official designation of the colors! (I never knew this)
In 1782, the gov't. chose the same red, white, and blue flag colors for the Great Seal of the US and they give meanings behind the colors then:
White represents purity and innocence
Red represents valor and hardiness
Blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice
I read that there are lots of legends, theories, and traditions concerning the colors of the flag (such as red stands for the blood shed), but I guess that's never been official!

And then for a fun activity (being crafty is just one of our things...see my last post) :), the kids and I made a trip to Hobby Lobby and bought some green, red, yellow, and blue fleece to make a giant flag blanket. I did a little sewing and then the kids (along with Ross' mom and bro and sis who were visiting for the holiday) tied the ends of the blanket to finish it up. (I know it's kind of weird to make a blanket in July, but amazingly, I wished we would've had it during fireworks - it was actually cold here!) I think it turned out pretty well! (And totally reminded us of a giant stop-light.)





To wrap this up, I did a little post-class student interview to get a taste for what they learned. :)

Ross: "I thought it was cool finding the traditional Ethiopian music and learning about some of the unique instruments like the washint which shepherds sometimes play to supposedly calm the animals."
(Ross was home too so he was in on this one. He actually found the Ethiopian national anthem on iTunes and some really cool traditional flute-ish washint music as well...good background blanket-making music.)

Ellie: "I learned that the day starts at 1 a.m., instead of 12 a.m. like it does here. And they make really cool leather-ish things like saddles and knife sheaths."
(We read a lot about different arts and crafts, and how most inspiration is from the country's religious traditions. They do a lot of metalwork, leatherwork, and basketry among other things. Also tapestry and weaving and stuff like that - which is kind of what got me thinking about the blanket idea. The kids and I want to make some silver cross necklaces - but we'll save that one for another lesson.) :)

Josie: "I learned that they play soccer, hockey, and track and field!"
(This was totally cool for my little soccer-girl/gymnast to find out.)

Maggie: "I think they have like 5 or 6 days in the week or something?!?!"
(ha ha...she's referring to the 13th month which has 5 or 6 days, depending on if it's a leap year. Instead of using the Gregorian calendar, like most of the Western world, Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar which has 13 months, instead of 12. Interestingly, the Ethiopian calendar is 7 yrs. and 8 mo. behind the Gregorian calendar.)

Miles: "I learned about music."
(Yep, buddy, you sure did. hee hee...He had lots of fun dancing and cracking us up.)

Me: My interest was especially piqued when studying the various religious festivals. I learned that Ethiopian holidays are very popular and a way for people to come together and feast, give gifts, sing, dance, play games, and just take a break from the daily grind. I even discovered that one of the most popular festivals honors a patron saint that has the same name we've been carrying in our minds and hearts for our future child for over a year! It's got lots of special meaning already, and this was kind of another cool connection...but I'm not gonna tell...yet! :)