Count Down...Three weeks until that sweet honey will be here.  We are busy getting the tree up, decorations, lights and all that makes Christmas so much fun.  We can't wait to share it with Sojo. 

 

I am finding it hard to blog without pictures to spur me on.  The ones we took in Sept/Oct seem old news and I hate snagging Tara's all the time.  We will be taking pics right and left soon and have lots to share about their visit.

 

Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year.  Advent begins next Sunday.  Society today seems to forget just why we celebrate Christmas.  As Advent approaches, I am reminded of how Mary prepared and waited for Jesus' birth.  The anticipation must have been overwhelming to her under the circumstances.  This miracle birth...traveling so far when she was about to give birth.  I think about the miracle of Sojo's birth and how unselfish her biological parents were to give birth to her and then to give her up, so that someone else could give her what they could not.  What a blessing that has been to our family. 

 

And so...I pause for a moment to give thanks to Mary for saying "yes" to God and to Sojo's biological parents for saying "yes" again. 

 

 

When Tara was in Kindgergarten, her teacher, Mrs. Foto did a Thanksgiving activity each year making Pumpkin Bread.  Being a brand new mom of a school age child, I was hot to volunteer.  What fun I had.  We measured out the flour, sugar, eggs, etc. and then put in the "magic powder" which Mrs. Foto had already measured into a little jar.  This was the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  The pumkin bread was delicious.  Mrs. Foto made mimeographed copies of the recipes for each child.  Remember mimeographed? That was before copiers when you typed or drew on this special paper and then put it into a machine and cranked out copies.  Trust me...copiers are much better.  I don't guarantee the spelling and don't have time to look it up.  That copy was used each year at Thanksgiving in our home and had splotches of pumpkin and spices all over it.  The year T & D got married I typed it up and put it into a cookbook for them.  I copied for myself too.  The original was put into the cookbook behind plastic.  I just put two loafs in the oven for Thanksgiving tomorrow.  However...I made a couple of mistakes...those Kindergartners from 1972 did a better job than I did today.  I used organic pumpkin and the texture was very different...don't know if that will make a difference...can't imagine that it would.  I also forgot to put the vanilla and water in it.  It didn't look unusually dry...I hope it won't be.  I made two so I could freeze one for Christmas.  Sojo likes pumpkin so I figured she would LOVE Mrs. Foto's Kindergarten Pumpkin Bread.  I may have to make a new loaf if these don't turn out.

 

One little aside...Mrs. Foto was a really neat Kindergarten teacher and almost always wore bright red clogs. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!  Here's the recipe:

 

1 2/3 cup flour

1/4 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg *these five ingredients are the "magic powder"

1 cup mahed pumpkin (canned or fresh)

1 1/3 cup shortening

1/2 t. vanilla

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup water

 

Cream the shortening and sugar.  Add the eggs, pumpkin, dry ingredients and water.  Do not overbeat.

 

Bake 55 minutes at 350 degrees F., in loaf pan 9X5X3 (grease & flour pan first)

 

Bread will shrink from sides of pan and pop right back when finger is pressed on top when done.

 

Baked successfully by the Kindergartners in Room 2 at Netherwood Elementary School, Hyde Park, NY during Thanksgiving activities 1972.  Baked maybe unsuccessfully by one PoPo for Thanksgiving 2007.  Oh, well....

 

 

 

 

I admit it...I am a baby blog addict.  T,  turned me on to the Chinese Adoption Blogs while waiting for Sojo...I have a couple that I have continued to follow since they got their referral the year before we knew about Sojo and they are almost as cute as Sojo.  Recently, I found myself on an Ethiopian Adoption blog site, which took me to this website about adoption....

 

 

I found it so interesting and moving.  There are so many children in the US and around the world that do not have parents.  It is a darn good thing I am as old as I am, because I think I would be starting the "paper chase" as those in the international adoption world call it.  God probably knew I would want to come home with them all...hence I didn't check into all this until Sojo.  I will be happy being Po Po to Sojo and others if they come.  However, I can give a big applaud to all those out there who have chosen adoption...for whatever reason...and have given a home and love to so many who would not have had that otherwise.  I also offer a prayer that God watches over you and these children and provides what you need throughout their lives...be that financial, emotional, physical.  Bless you, bless you, bless you! 

One would think I would have known this, but I just saw it on another blog.  When I think of all of the children around the world who have been adopted and the ones still waiting to be adopted, I have to just stop for a moment and breathe.  Our lives have changed so much because of a mother and father across the world who could not give a little girl the life she deserved.  I will be forever grateful for their unselfishness and love for a daughter they will never know.  We area blessed. 

Blessings today for and to all parents who made the unselfish choice to choose life and adoption for the child, for those who have adopted in the US and around the world, for those who choose to foster children. 

 Blessings with gratitude from a grandmother who is so blessed by this little sweetie. 

 November is National Adoption Month!!

39 years and 3 days ago, I gave birth to the most amazing daughter.  What a little guinea pig she was.  Our first child.  I had no clue about mothering.  I may have baby sat for other kids and nearly raised my little sister for the first 4 years of her life...but, I had no clue about the intensity of the love one feels or the responsibility I had in store for me.  Fortunately...kids are resilient and forgiving and oh so loving.  I made mistakes, but I must have done a lot of things right, because, this tiny little baby girl has grown into a beautiful woman ... inside and out.  She is a woman, daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend.  I am so proud of who she is and what she gives to our world.  She challenged me...and continues to do so.  She has taught me so much about life and love and the world in which we live.  She continues to  forgive me for my mistakes (do we ever stop making them?) and reminds me of my goodness (something we overlook too much).  I give thanks for her generosity, her open mindedness, her global vision, her sense of family and love for it, her ability to touch the lives and hearts of so many.  She is one of my greatest accomplishments, blessings and gift to this world.  This picture shares a bit of her heart as she and D spent a spring break several years ago working for Habitat for Humanity in Sri Lanka.  I know that Sojo will grow up in a home filled with love that overflows onto others.  How great of a blessing is that?

 

It was that technical difficulty that made this 3 days late.Happy Birthday T

 

 

I have been off line on Spaces.love for a while.  Some sort of technical difficulty.  With them...not me.

 

Check out the slide show to the right.  Another goodie I stole from my technically talented daughter.  I could not figure out how to put it into this blog, so it is just out there.  Maybe forever. 

 

In choosing this pics, it was so much fun because I got to look at our pics from the summer and remember in detail each and every moment shared with Sojo and all.  It is always so much fun to have the entire fam togther with we do not get enough of.  The sister and her bros seem to have committed to the summer jaunt to Washington and oh my goodness are we excited about Christmas in the desert with them all.  We always get to share a bit of the summer with D's mom and family.  She will be joining us here in the desert for several days too.  Unfortunately, she has to leave the day before Christmas, but we will get lots of time with her before that.  Cathy's mom is sharing Christmas with us this year too.  We love the fact that our family has seemed to blossom over night into this large and wonderful sunflower like family.  Babies, inlaws, etc.  Keep 'em comin'.

 

Enjoy the slide show of our "blast from the past" summer. 

These are a few of my favorite things...

 

Yet...I think we might just have a few new favorite things...especially when it comes to being with our new grand daughter.  Ron and I are constantly saying things like, "Can't you just hear her little footsteps coming down the hall as she walks into our bedroom to wake us up?"  There is only one person in this house that likes to get up as early as Miss Sojo and that is her Gong Gong.  I can see them together and her snuggling down with us ... well, maybe that will be us hoping she will snuggle on down, but in fact, she will be crawling all over us wondering why we are not up and in the kitchen getting breakfast ready.  We are hoping that Mama and Baba can grab a few extra winks while they are here.  Ron also talks about making scones with her.  Last night he had a dream about it and this man is not one to have dreams...he hits the pillow and just "sleeps".  He said she was having a great time and there was flour on her little face and all over the floor and he said it was the best time ever for both of them.  I hope his dream comes true and I am there to get some pictures of it. 

 

Another thing we want to do is take her to the zoo.  Our zoo is very small...small enough to keep her attention and small enough that the grand parents aren't worn out.  We are sure she will want to see the tiger and go roar...rrrrrrr with her Gong Gong.  We are hoping the polar bear will be out swimming.  You never know about him.  They allow you to buy bisquits and feed the giraffes now.  Ron and I went to check it out.  We had not been to the zoo in some time.  We wanted to make sure it would still be fun and see what it was like to feed the giraffes.  We didn't want to go to do it and then scare the bejeebers out of Sojo.  So, I stood in the small line and fed the giraffe.  What fun...he has this very long black sticky tongue.  I wish I had teased him a bit...not too much...just enough to get him to stick his tongue way out.  However, being the inexperienced giraffe feeder that I am...I simply gave the bisquit to him.  I am sure he was like, "that sure was an easy one". 

 

Ron has been busy fixing a little rocking chair that he put together and painted for Tara on her first birthday.  It sits waiting for Sojo in our living room, along with a teddy bear and friends that Ron gave me when I turned 50 (that was just the other day...right?!)

 

So we are ready for snuggling, baking scones and cookies, reading books, taking walks, playing and just plain ole lovin' that precious little girl.  Counting the days along with our blessings.

Simply put...this has been a banner year for things to be thankful for.  I envision us sitting around the table taking an hour just to give thanks to God for all the blessings in our lives.  Thank you God!