Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Dear Lord, are you trying to kill me??!!

So, this weekend was packed, packed, packed full of things to do. Both Phillip and I had socials/alumni weekends with our greek organizations that we participated in. Let's start with Friday night. Friday night Kate, Nishelle, and I cooked 5o hamburgers for the next days cookout with my SAI sisters. Needless to say, the sisterhood donated money, but not enough to cover 50 burgers. So, I had to settle for the cheap, already patted out, thin, Walmart brand burgers. They were a great size in the packaging it came in. Then we cooked them. They shrunk to the size of golf balls. And, they took FOREVER to cook. Needless to say, while they were shrinking they were emitting a crap-load of grease/fat, which made them shrink. This grease/fat dripped down into my grill and made it shoot flames constantly. So, we splashed water onto it to make it chill out. We did this with 50 burgers!! So, by the end of this grill-fest, we had water running out of our very nice, and still somewhat new grill. This was not just water though my friends. This was fat with a splash of water, running out under my grill, onto my beautiful porch. Running like a river of beef fat (sounds delicious doesn't it?) Then, Phillip decides he's gonna be nice and take over the grill and watch the last batch of burgers. After this, he turns the grill ALLLLLL THE WAY UP to burn off the grease and stuff left on the grates. Mr. Smart Guy forgets he leaves the grill on. Meanwhile, I'm inside cooking breakfast for dinner for the 4 of us. I walk over to the pantry and see my husband walk outside, lift the lid of the grill, then watch the largest flames I have EVER seen leap out reaching for him, and the cover on our porch.
All I could do is freeze in my steps and say "OH MY GOD!" This is the crazy part.... I'm standing still, but my insides are freeeeeeeaking out going," oh my god, my husband, my porch, my house! Oh *#@#!!! " Phillip is just standing there calmly amazed by the bright orange flames that are leaping towards him, about to catch my lovie on fire! He then calmly grabs the cup of water sitting next to the grill, throws it on the flames, closes the lid, and turns the gas and everything else off. He turns around and sees me through the glass doors and smiles and says, "Holy crap, did you see that?" All I can do is say, "uh huh!" I walk outside and he points down the porch at the smoke billowing out into the forest of our backyard and says, "Wow!" I'm wondering what the smell is that I'm smelling, because it is not just the grill catching on fire. I look and it's the pan that we were keeping the burgers in. The plastic we had on top to keep the bugs out is pretty much non-existent now..... melted to a crisp. Nice!~ Now that I look back on it, I think to myself, oh my god, my fears are confirmed! I'm gonna be the worst momma ever! I'm gonna watch my kid stick their fingers in a socket or something, totally catch on fire, and all I'll be able to do is stand there going "oh god!"
On to Saturday. Our SAI function was pretty much all day. I get home, relax on the couch after almost setting MYSELF on fire at the grill during the picnic since I was in charge of the burgers. I smell like charcoal and outdoors, it's not good. Then, Phillip calls and says he is bringing the guys over. That's cool. I don't really have a problem with that b/c I haven't seen them in a while, and I love his guys. So, about 10 of them come over, hang out, and share good times.
On to Sunday, Phillip has left early in the morning to go to a cookout and all day event of some sort. So, I sleep in, then mosey myself over to the couch (un-bathed, and still in my jammies) watch a bit of "Juno", mosey to the kitchen and fix myself a fantastic breakfast (covered in cheese), then finish watching the movie. Phillip calls me in my moment of relaxedness and peace and says, well, the grill here got flooded with the rain. I say, "oh, babe, I'm sorry. That sucks." He says, "you know, our grill is under a covered porch right?" Right then, I get that image of the flames licking at my husband again, and then catch on to what he's saying. I don't say anything. He says, "Do you mind if they come over?" Picture this kids, I can't say it enough... I'm sitting/porking-out on the couch with my breakfast, dirty, smelling like yesterdays grill-fest at the park, in jammies, and about to catch up on my sleep like Gizzy who is asleep in my lap. I reluctantly say yes, remembering how he so graciously helped me co-host an event at our house with all of my sisterhood only a few months ago. So, I say, how many.... I'm thinking about 15. Nope, it's around 30. So, I shoot out of my seat (poor Gizzy shot in the air along with me) and get to zooming around the house. I ask Phillip to take his time getting to the house b/c I still have to clean the house, wash all the dishes in the sink, and then clean my charcoal-laden self.
So, as I'm shooting around the house he keeps calling me!! Seriously!? I'm for real out of breath (oh-so-obviously as I'm breathing heavy into the phone) and he keeps calling me!!!????? I love this guy, but I really think he's trying to kill me. Anyway, I get showered and cleaned and mingle with all the guys, watch the grill go through another torturous grilling of many many many packs of hamburgers and hot dogs for the guys, listen to stories about one of the guys getting his man-parts pierced and how it took 6 months to heal because it kept getting infected (yikes!~ and ewwwww!!!), and loved every minute of it. The guys were great and are absolutely hilarious. It truly makes me miss my college days, but I'm so grateful to be where I am and with all that I have being so young and only 5 years into the "adult real world".
Long story right? yup, but I had to tell it. I'm tired all over again just thinking about this weekend. I think I'm gonna run home and take a nap during lunch.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Nursery

I'm getting excited. Really excited. Monica went into labor with her baby this morning. She didn't sound as excited as I am right now. Actually, I think she wanted to rip it out at that point. She went into labor around 4:00 a.m. and was scheduled to come in to be induced at 9:00 anyway because she was due last week, so everything pretty much worked out for her. I can't wait to see this little one. Hopefully, we'll get to go home next weekend and visit them.

Well, another thing I'm excited about.... our baby! We find out in almost a month what we're having. I'm so stuck on girl stuff and have really been searching the internet for girl stuff ever since BEFORE I got pregnant. Boy stuff will be pretty easy. It's all gonna be aviation themed. Not too hard. But, with the girl, I just can't make up my mind. Usually, I'm one of those people that will stand at a coke machine for 20 minutes before figuring out what I want, so this nursery thing is a big deal. I thought I wanted the cupcake theme.... Phillip said he hated it and squashed that idea (darn him!) So, I was looking online and found something I loooooove!! We are both very much musicly inclined, and I want to pass that love down to our kids. I have carried a music them in our house in several places already, but now that I found art for the nursery I'm feeling all giddy and excited. I was looking on Etsy, one of my favorite places, and found this seller. She has these two beautiful pieces that I love, that aren't very expensive.






I LOOOOOVE THEM!! I WANT TO KNOW IF IT'S A GIRL OR BOY... NOW!! YESTERDAY WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER!!! :)

I made the Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes the other day. They turned out sooo fantastic and were unbelievably easy. My batter definitely made a limited number of cupcakes. It was only one pans worth. I made the Duncan Hines "Triple Chocolate" type though. Maybe that had to do with the limited amount? Who knows. But, they were amazing. Here's what they looked like with the first layer.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, so check out Divine Domesticity’s "flickr" website for the beauties in the final form.


Also, I made up a quick and easy dinner last night. The pictures of it are incredibly “not good” and make the food look not so appetizing, but it’s actually pretty good and simple. Here goes!

Easy Chicken Layer

Ingredients:

1 package b/s chicken breast (about 3-4 breasts)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 package frozen shredded potatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese

Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Line with potatoes. I like mine extra thick so I double the potatoes. This is a good time to salt and pepper your potatoes if you choose. Place chicken on top of potatoes. In a separate bowl mix together soups then pour on top of potatoes and chicken. Make sure this covers your potatoes as well b/c they will come out plane and dry if it’s not touching. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes depending on thickness of chicken. At the last bit, cover the dish with cheese, place back in oven and let cheese melt. I serve mine with peas on the side but Phillip likes to mix the peas in his, as well as put Cumin in it.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Administrators Day

Tomorrow is Administrators Day. The front desk person in our office is a great friend of mine. She is absolutely obsessed with chocolate and peanut butter, so I'm going to make her a treat. These are from one of my favorite sites, Divine Domesticity. It's her Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes
Makes 18-24 cupcakes (Mine made 18, original recipe says it makes 24)

1 (18 1/2 ounce) package chewy fudge brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
24 Miniature peanut butter cups or 1 (12 ounce) bag of peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350f degrees. Line 24 regular muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Prepare the brownie mix according to the directions on the package for cake-like brownies. Fill the cups half way with brownie mix. Add one miniature peanut butter cup to each. Add batter on top to cover the peanut butter cup.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the cupcakes are set. When they have cooled a bit, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
Recipe by Paula Deen

Monday, April 21, 2008

Baby Dreams


I've been dreaming some pretty crazy stuff since getting preggers. I've dreamed a lot about other people being pregnant and their babies. For example I dreamed my mother was having a baby and I'm the one to deliver it and it comes out a 12 year old child- freaky right?!!~ Well, this weekend, I dreamed about our little one. It was incredibly vivid and real. It was oh-so-very-tiny and very pink. Phillip was holding it and cooing at it, and for some reason, it was still in-utero. Then, I look closer at the baby and it has a pig nose. Not just any pig nose, a looooong, pointing towards the sky, pig nose. It scared the bi-gezus out of me. Very, very weird. Oh, and it was a boy. So, now, I'm totally convinced we're having a boy. Any crazy dreams for you mommas out there while you were pregnant? Please help me feel better about myself and my pink, pig nosed child.

Friday, April 18, 2008

training

So, yesterday I was in another all-day training. This one was great, unlike the Autism Conference I went to a couple weeks ago that just about put me in a coma it was so boring. This one was a Pediatric Neo-Natal conference. I went to sessions on Sickle Cell Anemia, Post Late-Term babies, Hispanic cultures in our field, Child Abuse (which was my favorite since I just got out of this field), and Body Piercing and Tattoos. "Body Piercing and Tattoos? What does that have to do with Neo-Natal anything?" you are thinking to yourself. I agree. I really had nothing to do with it but the presenter was GREAT!!~ He was a tall and broad man with a long white beard down to his waist, looking very much like Santa Clause. He entered the auditorium in full bag piping gear, playing Amazing Grace. It was awesome!!~ Evidently he is a pediatrician in the Brevard area who often presents on different topics and people love him for his humor. Well, what does bag piping have to do with tattoos and piercing?... i didn't know either! He had no piercings, no tattoos, and no experience or expertise with either subject. Kind of a weird correlation, but evidently, in Ireland bag piping is called tattooing. Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch. I think he just wanted to impress the auditorium full of ladies in his kilt ;) Anyway, the presentation was great and it woke us up after a day chocked full of some potential mindless lessons. I took a video of his performance on my phone, but I have no idea how to get it to my computer.
Anyway, not much going on this weekend. I'm actually going to be home, and I don't know what to do with myself. I really want to go down east to see Monica. She was due to have the baby yesterday. I would love to go home this weekend in hopes that she goes into labor and I would get to see the baby. But, nope, we have to stay at home and conserve as much money as we can. I would love to be able to plant some flowers this weekend, and re-pot some old ones, but it's going to be nasty weather this weekend. Oh well!~ Good luck Monica~! I'm praying for you and your little family-to-be!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

holy crap!


It was so appropriate that I put up that post yesterday because as I'm walking into the office today a certain individual in an authoritative position in my office passes by me and says, "You're even walking like your pregnant!" Bull-honky she did not just say that to me!! OMG!! That is not something you want to hear at 8:00 in the morning when you're just barely making it to the office willfully anyway! I'm making a rule to add to my last post.... here it is... just don't speak to us when we're pregnant! That way, you can't offend us at all! I have one thing to say to this person of authority... I HATE YOU!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Great blog

I ran across this post at one of my favorite sites to visit. It's great. It sums up a lot of feelings for me lately and made those feelings feel valid.

What Not to Say When You're Co-Worker is Pregnant

J0427701 Last year I worked with several women who were pregnant. It was fun to attend baby showers and marvel at the latest baby gear on the market since my birthin' babies days are over. It wasn't that long ago (seven years this fall) that I announced my own pregnancy to my boss and then to my office. The real kicker, besides my growing baby girl, was that I'd only been at my company five months when I got pregnant and not many people knew me very well.

I'm all for small talk around the water cooler, but some people seem to crank up the awkwardness when it comes to addressing pregnant women at work.

Here are some of the more awkward comments/questions I received from co-workers while I was pregnant with my first daughter:

"Are you happy?"

"Were you trying?"

"Are you married?"

"Oh, you think you're feet are swollen now, wait until June!"

Obviously I would advise the best route to take when someone you don't know very well announces their pregnancy at work or elsewhere is keeping remarks limited to a simple, "Congratulations!" Another safe question is, "When is your baby due?" Generally any well-meaning comments concerning the details of baby making and the mother's increasing girth are off limits. Everyone has their own internal TMI meter, and while some people are more than happy to fill you in on the state of their cervix, others would rather keep those anatomical details to themselves. Now that I'm a mother, I'll admit that pregnancy talk doesn't bother me at all, but I remember being single and in my 20s and absolutely being freaked out by a co-worker who was telling her labor and delivery story at the office. I believe the exact words that sent me over the edge were "mucous plug."


On that note, here are some recent belly pics (excuse the hideousness, it was not a good day):

13 weeks

Monday, April 14, 2008

Girl Scout Weekend

So, this Saturday my sisters and I went to Camp Pisgah in Sapphire, North Carolina to help out with Girl Scout Camp. It was amazing!!!! Our sisters signed up to teach classes to these young ladies and we got to decide what classes we were going to teach. It was so nice seeing a bit of everybody's personality coming out in these classes. I got to teach Outdoor Cooking, Jewelry Making, Sculpting/Model Clay, and Sign Language. The Scouts had so much fun with us and we all felt at home with them. It was amazing to see how independent they were. I would ask if someone needed help on something and it was across the board, "No thanks, we've got it!" I never went to camp before, except for Drum Major Camp, and I was so impressed with all the staff and the campus. It was just amazing!~ Everything was so inspiring and done well for these ladies. I especially loved the little baby goat and horses that greeted us as we entered the grounds. It definitely confirms that I want my little girl or boy to be involved in Scouts! What a great weekend!

Here's what's for dinner:

Sloppy Joes

  • 3 pounds ground beef chuck
  • 1 cup chopped onions, about 2 medium onions
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 8 split and toasted sandwich rolls

PREPARATION:

Cook ground beef with onion, salt and pepper until beef is no longer red, stirring to break up. Sprinkle flour over beef; stir to blend thoroughly. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and water. Simmer, stirring often, for 15 to 25 minutes, or until thickened. Pile between toasted rolls.

Friday, April 11, 2008

I wanna be a Girl Scout!


I'm excited for this weekend. I am traveling to a Girl Scout camp in Brevard to help out with a day full of activities. I am still active as a adviser in the greek organization I was in during college. It's a wonderful program with many talented women and I'm so blessed to still have them in my life. We are going there for the weekend and offering programs such as Public Speaking, Outdoor Cooking, Self Defense, Jewelry Making, Painting, Musical Theater, Sign Language, Archery, and all kinds of fun filled activities. I've always wanted to be a Girl Scout. My mom tried to get me involved when I was younger, but they decided not to call back when we put the request in. I've been bitter about that ever since (even though it hasn't kept me from buying their cookies- heh heh!). Anyway, I'm super-duper excited to be doing this. We are also doing Relay for Life tonight through tomorrow, so needless to say, there are going to be some very sleepy/grumpy sisters. But, it's all for a good cause and is great for our organization. I'll let ya know how it goes! Have a wonderful weekend guys! It's going to be getting very very cold here, and it's expected to snow on Monday- boo hiss!!!! I was just in shorts and a t-shirt in the yard yesterday! I can't believe it!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thirsty Thursday


I went on a prowl for drinks last night... no... not liquor- just caffeine free drinks. My dear old friend "Mr. Pibb" is calling my name and I'm reallllly trying to be good. So, last night, I went prowling around our local Ingles Supermarket and picked up a crap load of de-caf drinks. I'm a happy girl :)
I fixed a fantastic dinner last night. We had buttermilk battered fried chicken, black eyed peas, green peas (I forgot to pick up collards so I had to settle), and mashed potatoes. AHHHHHH..... a southern girls heaven! Phillip really wanted some bread and I was going to do corn bread, but he insisted on Garlic Cheese Texas Toast. Yeah, I agree, it completely does not fit my theme, but it was yummy anyway. The chicken was fantastic! I grossed myself out prepping it though. I forget that when you buy "fryer chicken" it comes with every part of the chicken.... literally- EVERYTHING. So, when the livers came sliding out of the bottom of the styrofoam container my tummy did quite the lurch. I know Phillip likes that crap, so I called him like a good wife should and asked him if he wanted them. Fortunately, he said he didn't really have time to talk and had to hang up the phone b/c he was so slammed at work. I conveniently waited 5 minutes, and to my delight, he didn't call back until 2 hours later. Well, any busy cook knows that you can't just leave out chicken or chicken parts, so I conveniently found my way to the trashcan and dumped them as fast as I could. Besides, I came home during my lunch break to get the chicken prepped and ready and really had to back to work (*wink*wink). So, he calls back 2 hours later and says, "Now, what is it that you asked me?" I tell him (in my sweet southern woman voice), "well, I was going to save the livers for you because I know how much my hubbie loves them, but I just HAD to get back to work. So sorry!" Heh Heh! I love it! Anyway, the chicken turned out fantastic. I wish I had time to let it soak overnight, but the 6 hours that it did soak was still good. I fried the onions that were part of the marinade as well and it was delicious according to P. Definitely recommend this recipe.



Buttermilk Fried Chicken

1 (3 pound) fryer, cut into pieces
2 cups buttermilk
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, thyme)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
3 cups solid vegetable shortening

Soak chicken in buttermilk with garlic, onions, herbs, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain in colander, leaving some herbs on chicken. In a large paper grocery bag, mix flour with seasonings. Meanwhile, heat 3 cups shortening in cast iron pan until 350 degrees. Place chicken pieces in bag with flour and shake, let sit 1 minute, then shake again. Add chicken to hot pan and fry on 1 side for 20 minutes, then turn to finish.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

Welcome home Jacob Garrison!!!
















Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Dance your blues away

Sorry friends, but I'm not feeling so hot today. I'm actually leaving work now to go rest in hopes of feeling better in time for aqua tonight. I will leave you with this lovely video that will make any bad day feel better, I know it does for me especially since my favorite songs in the entire world are "Tonto" and "Baby got back":

Monday, April 7, 2008

Happy Monday

Hello! I realized today that I haven't made a follow-up post on my pork and fruit salsa, so here goes! The pork was amazing!~ The glaze really put a sweet zing into the pork, and it ended up cooking perfectly. It wasn't too dry, and it wasn't too pink... just perfect! As for the fruit salsa, Kate and Phillip said it was delicious! I just indulged in the watermelon and it was great! Here was my menu run down for the night: Peach-preserve glazed pork, fruit salsa, fresh white corn, sugar snap peas, and fondu! Yes, fondu! It was delicious! I do an awful job taking pictures of food, so please forgive the awful picture, but I had to show you how great it was! It was a very refreshing dinner and the fondu was a great addition. I will definitely do it again. Unfortunately, I pulled out my fondue set and realized that I forgot you had to have a burner with my set, which I did not have. So, we used our little individual color-coded spears and just dipped straight from the pot, but I don't think any one of us minded! The meal felt a little time consuming, probably because Kate and I came from a killer workout with aqua aerobics, but all in all, it wasn't bad. It took about an hour to make, including all my mistakes. I gotta tell ya a suggestion though.... when making the fruit salsa.... follow the recipe!! I was an idiot and ended up following that recipe and the one below it and had to start over. Then, when I did, I ended up doubling the amount of watermelon and lime juice needed b/c I was STILL mixing up the recipes. Even with those two mistakes it still turned out great. Here's the pics (please don't forget that I definitely suck at taking pics in my kitchen. The lighting is awful!) The recipe for the fondue is at the bottom.

Kate and Phillip enjoying fondue

Cheesy delicious goodness

Peach Preserve Glazed Pork

Fruit salsa

Clock wise starting with the corn- corn, salsa, sugar snaps, fondue, and pork! Yum!


Swiss Cheese Fondue:

  • 1 garlic clove, halved
  • 2 cups white wine, chicken broth or unsweetened apple juice, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 7 cups (28 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Cubed French bread

Directions:

Rub garlic clove over the bottom and sides of a fondue pot; discard garlic and set fondue pot aside. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, bring 1-3/4 cups wine and nutmeg to a simmer. Gradually add cheese, stirring after each addition until cheese is melted (cheese will separate from wine).
Combine cornstarch and remaining wine until smooth; gradually stir into cheese mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and mixture is blended and smooth. Transfer to prepared fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with bread cubes. Yield: about 4 cups.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Moody McMoodiness


I'm in a foul mood. I'm venting here so I don't vent on the hubbie or co-workers. I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm tired!! I know it's good for the baby for me to drink gallons upon gallons of water, but I'm sure it's even better for the baby for it's momma to be in a good mood so it's daddy doesn't leave her for being a total biotch. I got up to pee 4 times last night!!! 4!!!! And in between those times the dog (who sleeps in her crate in the corner of our room) decides she's going to whine, and whine, and whine- ALLLLLL NIGHT LONG!!! Also, she decides she's going to scratch. This would be ok if she didn't sound like Thumper off of the movie Bambi. Her crate is a metal cage with a plastic bottom in it. We put a nice pillow in there, along with a fleece blanket, and her favorite toy to chew in so it wont be horrible. Well, when she scratches, her foot thumps against this plastic bottom and is VERY LOUD! She can't just have one little scratch either. She scratches for 30 minutes straight! I don't get it! She doesn't have fleas, we bath her regularly (but not too regularly so to cause excessive dry skin), and she's very well taken care of! She's killing me folks! Just killing me!! I've gotten to wear I squirt her with a water bottle like you would if you had a cat in your house who is climbing stuff you don't want them to. Well, this used to work. Now, she ignores it an spends 10 minutes shaking/fluffing her coat. I'm soooo annoyed and soooooo sleepy!! I have tried moving her out of the room, but she whines even more and barks all night if we do this. I'd rather just have her in the room. Arg!~
Thanks for letting me vent.

Oh, P.S... I misspelled the word "don't" a couple of lines above and right clicked on it to get the right spelling and spell check tells me that one of the options is "donut". Now I want a donut. Damn you spell check!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Gotta love good friends!~ We miss you!

(you had to be there~ Hilarious to say the least!)





Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Great news!!

So, I'm not sure if I've ever posted here about my nephew before. My neice... no question... she's on here. But my nephew... I don't know?? Well, Phillip's brother, Brian, and his wife, Melissa, are adopting a little boy from Vietnam. They've been on a waiting list for 3 years now, and around summer of last year they were told that two little boys had been abandoned. One of them was a newborn and the adoption agency was asking if B and M were interested, and OF COURSE THEY WERE!! :) They were told that baby Jacob was probably expected to be ready for adoption around Thanksgiving. Then, they were told Christmas. We all bought presents for him, got the tree ready for him, and everything. Christmas came and went. My mother in-law left her tree up through February thinking that he would be able to come home. No such luck (by the way, this is her first and only grandchild to think of at this point). The agency tells B and M that it looks like the USA has not signed off an papers and that Jacob could have come HOME several months ago, but his paperwork had not been touched and was just going to the bottom of a big huge stack. Well, I think it was about February, the paperwork was signed. All was good and looking hopeful. M has all these wonderful baby showers thrown by her friends and she gets their sweet little nursery all ready and set, and remodel parts of their house in anticipation for his arrival. Then, they get a call from the agency saying that they probably would not be able to get Jacob. Looks like the US did something to tick off Vietnam and Vietnam tells them that there will be absolutely no adoptions by the US. The US gets extremely mad and about a months passes by. The agency tells them that it's looking really slim that baby Jacob is coming home. B and M are DEVASTATED. They are already claiming this boy as their son, and it's recognized "officially" by Vietnam that he is their child... but they just can never go and get them. So, the US decides they are going to Vietnam to find out what's the hold up and why are these children being held w/o being able to go home with their adopted families. Vietnam gets upset that the US storms their adoption agencies and such and says ABSOLUTELY NO MORE RELATIONS WITH THE USA. So, this means no Jacob. Needless to say we are all crushed. Then, about a week later, B and M get an email at 8:00 in the morning saying that they have been approved to pick up Jacob. They have had suitcases and travel stuff packed since they've learned of Jacob, just in case they had to make a quick exit to Vietnam, so needless to say they were ready to go. But, they couldn't leave until Friday because there were no flights. B and M have been in Vietnam all week last week. It's been a struggle since all of the kids at the orphanage have scabies and they've had to treat themselves for it as well. The pictures they have sent of him are adorable. Little boys are required to wear hats out in public at all times and they've found some of the cutest stuff for him. He went right to them and has been great (as great as a toddler can be) with them. They traveled to Hanoi for part of their trip home last Thursday, Monday they leave for Tokyo, then to Chicago, which is where they were last night. Looks like they will be rolling into RDU here in North Carolina tonight!!!!!! Welcome home baby Jacob!! Everyone please pray for our sweet little Vietnamese blessing and his mom and dad during this last, tiresome, leg of their journey. I pray they will have no problems getting him back home. Seems like everything has gone somewhat smooth so far (*knock on wood**) . I think Phillip and I are going home this weekend to meet our nephew and I'm soooo excited! I can't wait to chooch all over those fat little cheeks of his! He's absolutely adorable! Gotta get permission from B and M to put pics up of him. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for him all along! Looks like it's all paying off :)

Now, for a delicious recipe. This is what I'm doing for dinner. I think I'm not going to do the salsa though. It doesn't sound like something that I would eat, and it would be hella expensive for Phillip to be the only one eating it~!! I'll let you know how it goes!

Pork with Watermelon Salsa
Ingredients:

  • 1 cup seeded chopped watermelon
  • 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped kiwifruit
  • 1/4 cup chopped peaches
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 4 teaspoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
  • 1 to 2 mint leaves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup peach preserves
  • 3 pork tenderloins (3/4 pound each)

Directions:

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting. Prepare grill for indirect heat. For salsa, in a small bowl, combine the fruit, lime juice, honey, lime peel and mint; set aside. In a saucepan or microwave, heat the preserves for 1 minute.
Grill pork, covered, over indirect medium-hot heat for 15 minutes. Turn; brush with some of the preserves. Grill 10-15 minutes longer or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 160°, basting occasionally with preserves. Serve with salsa. Yield: 6 servings (2 cups salsa)