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I have mentioned before that I enjoy reading Stuff Christians Like but this post had me laughing hysterically. The comments are priceless. Seriously, Group Sax almost made me pee. You'll get that after you've read the comments.
WHAT are you still doing here? Click the link already!
So, there's this new Blogger gadget that is supposed to add you- my dear bloggy world friends- and your precious little profile pics to my side bar when you become a follower of this blog. It's kinda like the Twitter follower thing-y. I like it, but there's a problem. I have no little pictures to display because but right now I have zero followers. If you stop by here regularly won't you join so I can have a little picture of you over there because everyone knows mini things are cute and I want to see your cute little mini head on my side bar :)
If you decide to add this feature to your blog I'll stop by to return the favor. I get most of your updates via my bloglines reader so when you change your features I don't always notice it right away so be sure to leave a comment here and let me know if you do.
As I've begun to prepare for travel I've also been planning which foods I will make a freeze for the kids and my mom while Dustin and I are away. As I was cooking tonight I thought of all my AWAA buddies who are probably doing the same thing. This is one of very few recipies I can claim as my own. It's a hodge podge of the best ones all blended together to make Dustin's favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup. I thought I'd share because it's super quick and easy to make and also adaptable to your family's tastes. I haven't ever frozen it because it is always eaten up right away and it contains many ingredients I keep in stock. That combined with the quick cooking time means there's no need to plan ahead.....unless I won't be here to cook it. I imagine that it freezes just fine (though, I would not make the tortilla strips ahead of time and freeze those).
Dustin's Favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup
8- small corn tortillas
2 tbs olive oil
24 oz low sodium Chicken Broth
1 cup water
1-28oz can diced tomatoes
1-4oz can diced green chiles
1-15 oz can black beans
1-15oz can white corn
2 or 3 chicken breasts diced into 1/2 in cubes
2-Bay leaves
1 tbs diced garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper (Or to taste. We like a little heat so I add more than this)
Pinch chili powder (again, I probably add more)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 medium lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. ona cookie sheet brush tortillas on one side with oil. (Instead I use 100% olive oil spray to get the job done faster) Cut into thin 1/4 in or less strips. Bake about 15 minutes until they are golden brown.
In saucepan combine broth, water, tomatoes and all juices, beans, corn, bay leaf,garlic, cumin, red pepper and chili powder: bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil reduce the heat to med-low, add chicken and simmer until cooked through approx. 7-10 mins. Add cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls. Garnish with cheese and top with tortilla strips. Serves 6.
Variations:
You can also add 2 cups white or wild rice to this dish to make it even more filling.
Any other veggies your family likes would be fair game for this soup. Bell peppers are good but thay would take an extra step of sauteeing them first and then adding them to the soup.
Not everyone will have one of these so I omitted it from the recipie but when I make this soup I tend to precook the chicken in a pressure cooker with salsa and some garlic for a little extra flavor though in time crunch it's easier to cook it in the soup and still just as yummy. When I use the pressure cooker I shred the chicken instead of cube it since it's hot and just add it right to the soup.
If you try the soup let me know what you think.
I made a diaper bag today. It's an exact replica of the one I posted about here. I gave that other bag to my sister when she had Ethan last October and never got around to sewing mine until today. It took me about 2 hours and I have to say again that I LOVE the pattern. It is quick, easy and, I think, super cute. (The link to the pattern is in the other post). If I get inspired again I would like to make some more bags in different colors/patterns.
Hubby made a comment about all the black and white happening lately. I never realized how much I like that color combo. I tend to wear a lot of black (a habit left over from my days of working in the salon, I guess) so I figured a black and white diaper bag would match most of what I wear, along with the black sling.... and the baby blanket was to match the sling. Yes, I know. I am a matchy-matchy freak. Now you know why I like black. It goes with everything. Anyway, now I am set. I can't think of anything else I need.
I've been bitten by the Nesting Bug. I've come down with a case of Momma Mania. It's almost been a month since we received our referral for Jonas. Courts reopen in just a few weeks. Up to this point I had restrained from purchasing anything for the little guy but all that has changed. I've let loose the flood gates. It feels weird to be spending the money now only because we've been scrimping and saving for many months now, but these are all things we need.
I made Jonas a baby blankie last night. I thought the fuzzy trim would be textural and fun but I think it kinda made the blanket look girly. Oh well. One side is satin and the other is soft and fuzzy.
I also ordered a black sling this weekend. I can't wait to get that and give it a whirl. I plan to make my sister come over with my big chunk of a nephew Ethan (11mos) and see if I can get the little guy to sit still long enough for auntie to wear him around for a bit in the sling. A test drive of sorts.
I made a fun little project for Jonas today. While shopping at Babies R Us for some essentials we'll need for our precious boy we came across a plastic photo book. It looks like it can withstand some wear and tear, not to mention a fair amount of drool. I couldn't resist the opportunity to make baby's first photo book for him. I was able to get online and download an Amharic keyboard so I could type out the translations for Father, Mother, Sisters, and Beloved Child. The photos aren't great but you can get the gist. I want so badly to show off the adorable pictures of Jonas but I must wait. I hope and pray I can get this over to him before we arrive. I can imagine the nannies holding him on their laps while he bats at the strange looking people in the pictures.
**** By now even I am sick of seeing myself use the same photos for everything, but you see I refuse to have any new family photos taken without our boy Jonas. It just wouldn't feel right. I feel his absence too much, so the overused photos will remain in protest of our separation until he arrives home. Then, I will be running us to the nearest photog!!
As promised, though a little late, here are the girls showing off their earrings.
Rory couldn't spare the extra two minutes to let me take another picture of her. She's a busy girl, you know, and isn't a huge fan of posing for pictures or performing for home videos. What can I do? She can't blame me when she's older and has 50% less photos from her childhood than her siblings.
If you live locally we want to invite you to a concert to benefit Hope for the Hopeless. Windows and Doors is a worship concert comprised of praise bands from several local churches and is free of charge. It promises to be a great time of fellowship and an opportunity to spend an evening in worship and praise while prayerfully considering giving to complete the building project for the first two dormitories on the Hope for the Hopeless grounds. Please join us!
See you there :)
Windows and Doors Worship Event
Friday, September 26th
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Free - Love offering will be taken
The Salvation Army Citadel
628 N. 3rd Avenue, Phoenix, AZ
1) I've been directed to a really cool guest house in ET. There's a link under the websites I like on the right but here it is in case you want to check it out. Ethiopian Guest House was begun by a family who adopted through our agency. It's super swank.
2) Rienne mowed the lawn today under her dad's direction. The kid was amazing! Dustin took photos of the momentous occasion. It's such a big kid thing to do. Where did our little baby go?She's super motivated to help us around the house to earn extra cash. She wants her own iPod. She's got a LONG way to go to save up for one of those.
3) 2 out of 3 kids had ears pierced last Sat. Number 3 goes tomorrow. I will post pics of the proud little girls tomorrow.
4) Dustin and I are praying like crazy that we can have Jonas home before Christmas. It would be such a sweet Christmas gift to be able to spend the holiday finally together as a family. We'll see. All my nerves are on hold until I see the courts reopen. But, once the courts reopen the anxiety and sense of urgency will come flooding back with a vengeance (not that I don't feel the deepest sense of urgency to have my son home with me... it's just that I've accepted that nothing can happen during the closure and made peace with it.) I will be interested to see what kind of progress happens in Oct. The first group of families w/ our agency have court dates Oct 8th. I am hopeful they will pass immediately w/ no complications. Last year there were some hold ups which AWAA took responsibility for. They are confident such will not be the case this year but there is uncertainty about what to expect because international adoptions in ET have exploded since last year. We are told that there are now 71 adoption agencies licensed to facilitate adoptions in ET. They all want to get their people pushed through courts as well. It will be interesting to see how the courts handle the influx of cases. I pray God's hand will move these cases swiftly along and get these kids out of institutional care in into their homes!
The girls are growing more anxious to get their hands on Jonas too. Rienne has broken down in tears a few times wishing her brother could be here. The wait is getting to her now that she has seen his photos. She's such an incredibly sweet and caring girl and having the photo has helped her to really experience the reality of her little brother's existence (not much unlike her mom int hat way ;)). Rory and Ally talk about the big plans they have for him. Plans to read him books and play games with him. Poor Jonas will have 4 mothers to deal with I am afraid.
That's all I can think of for now.
I just finished A Long Way Gone: Memiors of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. I highly recommend this book. Beah is one year younger than myself. As I read through his ordeal of surviving through civil war attacks on numerous villages and his eventual joining of the ranks of boy soldiers I could remember back to what I was doing during that time. While I was dealing with typical Jr. High drama Beah was fighting a war which had claimed the lives of most of his family and friends. His childhood was one filled with unimaginable suffering and loss. This is a book I consider to be a must read.
I am just diving into Field of the Fatherless by Tom Davis. We will be offering this book as part of a preparatory study which is aimed at launching our Orphan/Adoption Care Ministry at PVC. I have read Red Letters: Living a Faith that Bleeds by the same author and know that this title won't disappoint.
If you've been reading here for any amount of time you've most likely heard about Pastor Surefel and Hope for the Hopeless. Now you can go and read about it for yourselves. The blog for Hope for the Hopeless is finally up. Please follow this link and check it out.
Would you do me a favor? If you like what you see will you make mention of it on your blogs? Pastor Surefel needs $20,000.00 more dollars to complete the dormitories for the children so they can move onto the property and Hope can save money on rent. Rent saved means FOOD IN THE MOUTHS OF THE KIDS!!! It's just that simple. Also, if they don't occupy the land soon the government can take it away.
Please join us in praying for Hope for the Hopeless.
