a few more :)

Way to go boys!!!
Ok, I'm done :)

There's an old saying...

that if Gymnastics were easy it would be called football. :)

that was then...

and today he won 3 medals in the state gymnastics meet! Way to go John! Breakfast of champions..Toss the Wheaties and go Cheerios!

A sad day for our military and families of those who gave their lives

and 245 more suspected terrorists may soon have charges dropped and could be released to "other nations".

Wonder what their new found freedom plans might entail?

Gifted Hands

I was so excited to hear about an upcoming documentary on Dr. Ben Carson. I have followed this gifted surgeons career for many years and am an totally inspired by his life.

If you have time, tune in on Saturday Feb. 7 @ 8/7c. You won't regret it.

Stolen lunches?

This ought to do the trick. Get yours here.

And speaking of stealing...
Here are some of the things in the $819 Billion Stimulus package reported by Newsmax:
~~~~~
For starters — and this will shock you — both the House and the Senate programs have a loophole that even gives illegal aliens cash payouts.
Here’s how The Associated Press explained it: “Undocumented immigrants who are not eligible for a Social Security number can file tax returns with an alternative number. A House-passed version of the economic recovery bill, and one making its way through the Senate, would allow anyone with such a number, called an individual taxpayer identification number (TIN), to qualify for the tax credits.”
In case you didn’t know it, any illegal can get a TIN number from Social Security, no questions asked.
This means illegals who broke the law to get here will be eligible immediately for federal cash — up to $1,000.

More than $4 billion is earmarked for "neighborhood stabilization activities" — money that will go to groups like ACORN, which worked closely with the Obama campaign, the same group accused of massive voter fraud.

Almost half of the proposed spending will directly benefit the Service Employees International Union, federal, state, and municipal employee unions, or other Democratic-controlled unions, according to writer Ben Stein.

600 million goes for new cars for top government bureaucrats.

Obama promised major infrastructure projects — yet only 5 percent of all the money goes for this.

$50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. (Take a look at some of the things your tax dollars would be going toward here) There are many MANY ways to foster Art without letting this type of "Art" become included as the National Endowment for the Arts has allowed.

$650 million for the switch from analog television to digital.

Just to show you the tremendous waste, there is so much money appropriated in this bill you could give every unemployed person in the nation a check for $75,000 for the amount being spent.

~~~~~~~~~

Copy house

Elizabeth told me we live in a copy house. What? I really try hard not to copy others and have our own junk (err, I mean style).. so I continued to quiz her a bit more. "Really" I said? .. She was insistent that indeed we live in a copy house.

Ok. I said. What did we copy?

"Our house copies our voices Mommy" she replied.

"Oh you mean it echo's"? I said?

yes she tells me. It copies.

Calabash creek

Before John and Elizabeth (now age 7 and 4) came into our lives, we did a fair amount of traveling. Often we would take a few extra days either before or after a business trip and detour to a quaint bed and breakfast somewhere. It wasn't always a B&B, but when we would find one that that was a bit unusual then we would often find ourselves gravitating in that direction.

I thought it would be fun to dig up some of our favorites and return 'virtually' during the next few cold and somewhat dreary winter weeks!

This first one is located about 45 minutes north of San Francisco in the Sonoma/ Napa valley area. It is situated right on the main street in Glen Ellen Ca. hidden behind a row of impeccably manicured boxwoods carved to resemble sculptures. The grounds truly look as if each blade of grass has been hand trimmed. What impressed me most about this B&B was it's simplicity. Most of the rooms have fireplaces, granite soaking tubs and ours looked out over Calabash Creek. The rushing water and our own Japanese garden complete with a bamboo fountain made for a most relaxing and wonderful get away!

Just outside our door were lemon and orange trees! The lemons were so large and yellow they almost didn't look real. The pool also overlooked Calabash creek and we had it all to ourselves. Breakfast was served in the main house prepared by a gourmet chef. A little known fact about the tiny town of Glen Ellen (one red light) is that it housed some of the most famous restaurants in California. All in sleepy Glen Ellen! We could step out the front door of the Inn and walk a block or so and have so many choices of world famous chefs.

The Napa valley is filled with hidden treasures (other than wine) and there are amazing trails if you bike, or antique shops along the side of curvy roads and so many other fun things to do.

More eye candy can be found HERE if you want to continue this virtual vacation!

Next stop you don't want to miss!

Pack a virtual bag and join in! I'd love to hear about your favorite places either "off the beaten path" or right on it! Leave a comment with a link to your favorites!

She takes my breath away

Sometimes being a parent has it's moments (good and bad), and tonight was one of those moments you simply want to freeze in your memory. We had finished our nighttime ritual and were tucking piggy toes under warm blankets in bed when I reminded the children they had a big day tomorrow including a birthday party for a special friend at Chuck E Cheese.

Elizabeth squealed and jumped out from under the covers and grabbed my face between her hands tenderly and said "One more sleep until the party Mommy"??! Yes I replied, One more sleep. She threw her arms around me and said "Oh Mommy Thank you!!! You are the best Mommy in the whole world. I LOVE Chuck E Cheese"!!!

Wow, and I'm only the chauffeur :)

Chinese New Year's Eve traditions from a typical family in China and a Recipe..

Looking back it is hard to believe our first Chinese New Year celebration with our Elizabeth was 3 years ago! I look at these first Chinese New Year pictures of her (and John) and see just how far she has come!! Each year we seem to add a bit more to our repertoire of Chinese New Year traditions and this year is no different. I also find it facinating to learn about the traditions a typical family in China celebrate this major holiday in their homeland. Here's some of what I've learned..

New Year's Eve Dinner

On the night of New Year's Eve, Chinese families come together for a
celebration dinner. This custom is also called "surrounding the
hearth," from the custom in earlier times of eating dinner around
the family hearth.

Both children and adults eat together and dinner begins only after
all of the family members are present at the table. A table setting
is placed for those unable to come home for dinner on this day to
symbolize their presence though far away. As the nuclear family
becomes an increasingly scarce phenomenon in modern society, this
symbol of unity takes on increasing significance.

New Year's Eve dinner is best eaten slowly, savoring the flavor of
each dish. Several of the dishes served on this occasion have
auspicious meaning and are indispensable to the night's menu:

- "Long Year Vegetables" (mustard greens) to represent intelligence;

- "Whole Chicken," symbolizing wealth for the whole family
(since "chicken" and "family" rhyme in the Taiwanese dialect
Chinese);

- fish balls, shrimp balls, and meat balls are eaten to symbolize
the three top scores earned during the civil service examination in
ancient China and, by extension, success in educational pursuits.

The only dish not included in the cornucopia of food eaten on the
New Year's Eve dinner table is whole fish, which is intentionally
left off the menu so that "there will be more to come in future
years" (since the Chinese words for "fish" and "surplus" rhyme).

Some families will also prepare "jiaozi," Chinese dumplings stuffed
with meats and vegetables. Since the shape of the dumplings
resembles a gold ingot, eating jiaozi symbolizes the calling of
wealth into one's life, and some go even as far as to stuff real
money in the dumplings to insure that the coming year will bring
fortune.
.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

CNY Food: Dumpling ("Jiaozhi") ... with a Recipe!!

People from north and south have different habits of the food they
eat on this special day.

In Northern China, people usually eat "jiaozi" (or dumpling), which
is shaped like a crescent moon. It is said that dumplings were first
known in China some 1,600 years ago.

The Chinese pronunciation of "jiaozi" means "midnight" or "the end
and the beginning of time."

According to historical records, in ancient times people from both
north and south ate dumplings on Chinese New Year's Day. Perhaps
because Southern China produced more rice than any other areas,
gradually, southerners had more other choices on New Year's Day.

The shape of jiaozi resembles that of ancient gold and silver ingots
or a crescent moon, and symbolizes the hope for a year of plenty.

In some places, people stuff jiaozi with sugar to wish for a sweet
life; others put one or two clean coins in jiaozi -- if you happen
to come across one with a coin inside, it means you will enjoy good
luck.

Many families in China usually prepare enough jiaozi to last several
days during the Spring Festival.

Ingredients:

Filling:
1 lb. ground pork (or beef)
6 t. sesame oil
2 t. sugar
0.75 t. salt
0.25 t. pepper
0.25 lb. cabbage (with extra 1 t. salt)
0.25 lb. chopped green onions

Skin:
3 c. flour
0.75 c. cold water
0.5 c. flour (to prevent sticking during kneading)

Preparation:

1. Filling: Mix ground pork, oil, sugar, salt and pepper well. Chop
cabbage until fine. Mix the cabbage with 1 t. salt and let sit for
10 minutes; squeeze out the excess water. Mix the cabbage, ground
pork, and green onions well.

2. Skin: In a bowl, add water to the flour and knead into smooth
dough; let it stand for 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a long baton-
like roll, and cut it into 50 pieces. Use a rolling pin to roll each
piece to a thin circle.

3. Place 1 portion of filling in the center of a dough circle. Fold
the circle in half and moisten the edges with water. Use index
finger and thumb to bring the sides together. Pleat one edge while
keeping the other edge smooth. The smooth edge will conform to the
decreased length of the pleated edge. Pinch the pleats together then
pinch to seal. Repeat procedure for the other dumplings.

4. Boil 10 cups of water and add dumplings; stir to prevent
dumplings from sticking together. Bring to a boil; turn the heat to
low and cook for 6 minutes. Remove. When serving, use vinegar, soy
sauce, sesame oil, hot bean paste, etc. as dipping sauces.

The boiled dumplings also can be lighty pan fried ("pot stickers")
for a different taste consitency.

Questionable post

I debated for a while about whether to make this post but thought it might help others in the same situation so here you go..

My husband has "been invited" and decided to participate in a clinical trial for those with IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome). I don't think he reads this so he will have no clue why people (who have seen this) are smiling and chuckling at him the next time he sees them! The theory is that IBS is of a bacterial origin and a very common medicine used to treat travelers diarrhea in a much higher dose will "cure" the problem. To date there appears to be about an 80%+ success rate.

Participants will undergo a "free" colonoscopy -_-_-_HEY a bargain's a bargain right? After the colonoscopy they will keep a journal for approx. 2 weeks of their diet and then finally the drug (or placebo).

I'll post the results upon his completion of the study.

So today and tonight my sweetheart 'enjoys' a clear liquid diet along with the infamous 'prep' for the procedure and has the distinct honor of getting his *free* colonoscopy in the morning.

Cheers dear!

Hot Carob, Inauguration, Snow, and Chinese New Year

We woke to a beautiful blanket of snow and even though it wasn't deep, it at least covered the ground. It was just enough to close the schools and below freezing temps. kept it on the ground all day. Obviously the first thing the children wanted to do was "go play in it".. forget breakfast, dressing for the Arctic, and brushing teeth,, just let me OUT MOM!!!

Out they went and enjoyed every second in the frozen tundra of our backyard. A short time later little red nose prints appeared at the door and it was time for a warm up of hot carob, honey, vanilla and some extra marshmallows. It was approaching the noon hour by this time and we turned on the Inauguration coverage.

I huddled John and E'beth together on my lap with our fire going and we snuggled under a large cozy blanket and prayed with them about our nation. I explained again why we don't agree with most of Mr. Obama's ideas and agenda. John spoke up before I had the chance and exclaimed that we still need to pray for him since he will be the leader of our country even if we don't agree. A very intuitive child. Yes. We prayed that Mr. Obama would open his heart and let God lead in decisions that will affect the families of our nation for generations to come. We talked about how blessed we are to live in a country that has a peaceful transition of power and leadership etc.

About that time President Bush entered the Inaugural area. I was quite disturbed to hear THIS as our sitting President walked in. In my opinion this was beyond disrespectful during such a public and historic occasion from those that speak of tolerance. I had to attempt an explanation to our children why (after just talking about the importance of praying for our new leader and honoring the office of Presidency) the crowds of Obama supporters were so disrespectful (especially at that moment) to the only President our children have ever known.

On a much more upbeat note we have started to decorate our home each year to celebrate Chinese New Year. After the Christmas tree is taken down, I have some cherry blossom branches that John and Elizabeth decorate with ornaments and string lanterns over the fireplace. Elizabeth sings what little she remembers from some Chinese new year songs (thanks to our friend Donna S :) Sadly, this Mommy isn't much help with the memory of Mandarin!

After this it was full circle and time to go outside again now that the mittens were dry! Around dinner time (how convenient) once more the little red noses appeared on the breakfast room window.. Then, DADDY CAME HOME and took them OUT AGAIN for nighttime sleigh riding! Can you just imagine the look on their faces when Daddy said 'lets go out after dark and I'll take you sleigh riding! We certainly made the most of our inch of snow~!

the gift

We gathered our family this evening and told them the story of the fire at'aplacecalledsimplicity' and how tonight there are no familiar jammies to wear, no special blankies to hold, no favorite stuffed animals to cuddle with, an unfamiliar bed, etc.. we watched our children's eyes grow wider and wider. Then, our 4 year old Elizabeth started to cry. She went to her room and began to sift through her things and got a box to mail them. Our son joined in and took scotch tape from a drawer to 'tape' the box. The items in the box would probably be so insignificant as far as every day use but the fire has touched our children's hearts in a way we never could.

The Fire and now their son is in the ER

UPDATE: Their son is in surgery.
More hardship hits this family today as we are hearing from Lori. Apparently they are rushing their son Graham to the ER with a possible appendicitis attack.

Updates continue about the fire (see the below post) and this "Mom of many" details what happened yesterday in the wee early morning as she raced to get her children out of the house. If there was ever a lesson about the importance of multiple smoke detectors and escape routes it is documented in her story.

There is an effort to help re-build their home and Lori shares the specifics on her site.

With a heavy heart

A fire early this morning destroyed the home of this amazing mom of 9 children. She just returned from Uganda several weeks ago and after coming back with their 2 newest additions this family's home is now gone. Thankfully, all children escaped with the clothes on their back, and my friend Linny without a coat. Please uphold this dear family in prayer. Updates and pictures of the fire as well as ways to help can be found HERE and HERE.

The Boss

We are cracking down on some rules in our home for both children. The house can't be all Mommy's responsibility and so even though all along we have expected certain things we are now requiring more chores from both John and Elizabeth.

I asked John (now 7 yrs. old) to pick up all the things on his floor and I would come inspect when he was finished. When I went in, he had picked up most of it, but there were obvious items "overlooked".

I explained that when he grew up and had a boss that he would need to follow instructions carefully or he could loose his job.

John's reply... "Mom, Don't worry, I will BE the boss".

If you think it's **CoLd** where you are ..

you ain't seen nothin' yet baby.... most of us will never experience weather as cold as this. Here's someone that lives it daily.
You won't believe this.
(make sure you scroll down for the pics)

Clutter

there is an ancient parable about a young man on a journey. He came upon a raging river and needed a raft to cross. He built the raft and safely made it to the other side. He decided to bring the raft with him for the rest of the journey just in case he would need it again someday. He ended up carrying the raft on his shoulders with him the rest of his life never using it again.

Can I ever relate to the above! I look around my house and see all the things I *might* need or use again someday! Do I REALLY need to save that empty gourmet lemon curd jar?

Imagine living like this?

We have been concerned for some friends living in Israel and got this from them tonight...

... "At the moment we are safe because I live in the center of Israel, next to Tel Aviv, which is nicknamed "the bubble" because geographically and mentally it is disconnected from the line of fire in our borders. This is really a little naïve because actually missiles launched by the Hamas are falling 25 minutes drive from here... Also, our soldiers have entered Gaza tonight which was inevitable in order to clear all terrorist activity, but that itself is so dangerous. Unfortunately this has become a part of our daily life routine, but nothing has really changed in the past 3000 years and probably will not change anytime soon".
~~~~~

We were thankful to hear they are ok. Our prayers are with them and Israel as a nation.

Happy New Year

It's that time again! ~UPDATE! I was wrong!!

Oh how I love the night before referrals get into a new parents hands :) Here is a Mom and Dad- to- be that have waited over 3 years to see their daughters face for the first time. Tomorrow they will no longer be wondering..

UPDATE- My guess below was WAY off :) - Take a look at her beautiful smile!!! M+S have some shopping to do~!

I'll put my guess out there for the record..
Province = Jiangxi (staying in Nanchang while in Province)
Age = 10 months
Weight= 16 lbs when they take all the layers off :)
Hair = wispy strands of dark brownish black :):)

Congrats M & S!!

A sweet spirit

This year it was my intention to keep Christmas simple. I did very little shopping and decided to focus all energy on making a festive and memorable day for my family without the commercial influence as much as possible. We did end up with much more under the tree than I would have liked, but mainly the goal was accomplished.

My Mom came and is sleeping upstairs as I type. I can't tell you how much we treasure our children's only Grandparent left. We had a wonderful home cooked meal of Citrus herb turkey, apple sage dressing, holiday corn pudding, fresh fruit, and more seasonal favorites. After dinner, we watched old videos of Christmas's past, the birth of John David, Elizabeth's 'Gotcha' day in China and many other memories. I would look over from time to time as we were watching them all and see tears trickling down my Moms cheek. It was really the first time we watched anything that had my Dad in it who passed away not long ago.

Our son John memorized much of Luke Chapter 2 and this was his gift to his Grandmother. He drew a picture of the manger scene on a card for her, wrapped it up, and then when she unwrapped on Christmas day he jumped up and stood in front of the fire and recited it. What a joy it was to hear his precious sweet voice and knowing these verses will be tucked in his heart for the rest of his life.

I realized that time is passing so quickly. Life changes unexpectedly and we never know what the next year will bring forth.

I can't help but feel a sense of urgency to stay even closer to our Heavenly Father as we enter such an uncertain time in 2009. Our family's goal this year will be to focus ever so strongly on Him as we travel along the path God lays before us.

What would you do differently if you knew...

Here is a portion of a Christmas letter written by Mary Beth Chapman. Her entire letter is found here. Thinking about how the mother of Jesus might have known the time with her son was short and how she translated that into those precious years she had with Him on this earth...
-------------------
As I anticipate Christmas 2008, I have many thoughts flying through my heart and head. The last several days, my mind has not been able to stop thinking about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Pregnant and scared, knowing that the baby she was carrying eventually would pay the ultimate price of His life. How would I have lived differently if I knew that my time with Maria was going to be this short? Regretfully, I would have lived much differently. I would have purposely hugged and kissed more. I would have tried to memorize and lock away in my heart certain smells and smiles. I would have colored more and worked less. I would have laughed more and fussed less. Bedtime wouldn’t have become a chore to check off the list of things to get done. Instead it would have been more of an opportunity to listen about the day and offer whatever words were needed. The swimming pool wouldn’t have been too cold to swim in. The flowers in the garden would have all been picked, and definitely more ice cream would have been consumed!

The Princess and the Engineer

OVER 1.5 BILLION U.S. taxpayer dollars (YOURS AND MINE) are being considered for the Abortion industry bailout by President Elect Obama

I went to bed but could not sleep thinking about this tonight. A very large chunk of this money would be designated to fund Abortion Groups like UNFPA, an international aid organization connected to coercive abortion as part of China's coercive one-child policy.

As I read the emerging data on "the Abortion bailout" being considered by the next administration, I am *beyond disturbed* to know that part of our family income will be given to these "causes" by the future President.

A study in pastels

One day I saw Elizabeth perched on the dining room table near the window posing for John. I asked him what they were doing and he said he was drawing her portrait using natural window light. ...humm, ok... sounds like a plan... so I resumed my daunting laundry chore and left the room.

Later, he presented me with the finished work.

on dasher, on prancer, on mastercard, on visa..

she got an extra bone for this.

A chilly rainy day in Colonial Williamsburg..Perfect!

If you have never tried this,,,you must!

Christiana Campbell’s Tavern *AMAZING* Rum Cream Pie
(one 9-inch pie)

Crumb crust (see below)
1/2 cup dark rum
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
unsweetened chocolate (opt.)

Prepare a crumb crust (see below).

Soften the gelatin in 1/2 c. cold water. Place over low heat and bring almost to a boil, stirring to dissolve.

Beat egg yolks and sugar until very light. Stir the gelatin into the egg mixture. Cool.

Gradually add the rum, beating constantly. Whip the cream until it stands in soft peaks and fold into gelatin mixture.

Cool until it begins to set, then spoon it into the crumb crust and chill until firm.

Grate chocolate over top if desired.

*************Crumb Crust***********
2 1⁄4 cups graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons sugar
1 ⁄2 cup butter,melted 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine the ingredients and press into a 9-inch pie pan.
Chill.
or.. just go buy a pre-made one :)

For more "tastes" of Williamsburg such as Christiana Campbell’s Tavern Sweet Potato Muffins and Christiana Campbell’s Tavern Spoon Bread, go HERE!

Uganda. 2 toddlers. mom of 7. now of 9 and soon to be 10!

Join my sweet friend as she embarks on a journey of a lifetime to Uganda bringing these children home. She just turned 50 and she's not finished yet!!! Go grab a cup of tea and pop over to read a story you won't forget!

Earth Fare conversation w/ gentleman who measured out our pound of curry chicken salad

Gentleman- Did you adopt her from China?
Me - yes.
Elizabeth with a gasp- How did he know I was born in China???
Me - Because you are so beautiful.
Elizabeth - oh. Can we eat here?

I think we are making progress!

this one was taken just after returning home from China...

and this one was taken a few evenings ago.. :)

John and 2010 bobsledding - see you in Vancouver!

3 x 50 =

We spend a great deal of time in the car driving from one activity to another during the week and recently I calculated how many hours a week were spent on the road. Usually, we are 'in transit' for about an hour (or more a day). This has actually turned into quite a blessing for our family especially since we started listening to THIS kids program whenever possible from 3 PM to 5 PM on weekdays.

It has been amazing how much John and Elizabeth have learned and grown through it. Sometimes we let them call in and they have actually been on the air on several occasions with "Mr. Matthew". It is one of the very best things we do on a regular basis. I can't tell you how much J + E enjoy the programs and how much I am thrilled with the content! On days we are home, the children get to listen to it while they clean their rooms :)

On average, I would estimate they get to hear about 3 hours a week worth and that adds up to about 150 hours a year! Then, as this chain of thoughts progressed, I realized how many minutes we could translate into similar learning experiences and how it really does add up to a worthwhile amount of time!

If you live in the broadcast area of this wonderful station, you can pick it up via 91.5 FM from 3-5 PM weekdays or listen online.
Be sure to check all the other programing offered as it's been an incredible blessing to our entire family.

In the very beginning of the long and winding China adoption road

we were very blessed to begin our journey with a group of families in our community that were also in the process of adopting from China. Its hard to believe that was almost 5 years ago now and it has been a wonderful experience to watch these children grow, celebrate fun times together, and become almost like extended family with them.

Even though as all the children get older and lives seem to become busier, it is still wonderful on those rare occasions when we gather and enjoy the incredible gift of these amazing little boys and girls we share. This, was one of these special occasions. As you can see in the pictures below, our "princess" was overcome and humbled by your kindness. Thank you friends.








A special welcome from visitors coming from Kelly's Korner linky!

Silly boys, pretty girls, and turkey~!

For weeks our children have been looking forward to their cousins coming in from out of town and it brought back many memories of childhood and the anticipation building for those special moments and times. Cousin Josh spent the night with us and you couldn't pry John away from his 'buddy'! We call him our cousin brother :)

The boys decided they wanted to watch a marathon of 'star wars' (VHS!) and we decided they have such little time during the hectic week normally, that we would let them do whatever they wanted.

Elizabeth was equally enthralled with her female cousins and there were very few moments that you didn't see them together. A very Happy Thanksgiving was had by all!! We are hoping to have Hannah (the oldest cousin ;) live a little closer as she starts college this coming fall and might be just a few miles down the road!

Next stop.. the Christmas tree farm~!

Mother expecting 3rd child challenges China's forced abortion policy

Even though we know this happens in China and elsewhere it is still very disturbing to read accounts of this. I am so very thankful to Elizabeth's birth mother and many other women in China who most likely endured many sacrifices to protect and preserve a life.

Below is the article. The link is at the bottom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chinese officials have caved to international pressure and will now release a woman who is pregnant with her third child.

The woman was being held in a hospital in order to undergo a forced abortion. China has a strict one child policy, although two children are permitted under certain circumstances. Steven Mosher of the Population Research Institute is thankful that officials have released the woman, but says now is not the time to forget her situation.

"She's been released now because the world is watching," he points out. "But as soon as the world blinks I'm afraid this woman could be rearrested and…[the child] forcibly aborted. She is by no means out of the woods."

According to Mosher, if she does have the baby, it will have to be in a government hospital because it is illegal to deliver a baby elsewhere. "And when she goes to the hospital to give birth they may very well take that baby and give it a lethal injection while it's being born," he warns. "That happens all the time in China."

If she gave birth privately, she would still not be free said Mosher. "Because she's given the population control police an enormous headache…they will be looking for her," he contends.

China plans to continue the forced abortion population control program another 42 years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is the link to the entire story.

Why is it a clean and empty refrigerator makes you think your whole house is clean? and..corn pudding!

After cleaning out the.. errrr humm,.. old stuff and sticky spills from our refrigerator, it feels like the entire house is clean. Gotta make room for the TuRkEy :)

The above picture has absolutely nothing to do with cleaning out the frig. it's just a sweet memory from last year's Thanksgiving day.

Here's one more recipe our family enjoys during the holiday season!

Holiday Corn Pudding

1 large bag frozen white or yellow corn ( at least 32 oz of corn- I use 3- 16 oz. packages and mix white and yellow)
7-8 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar
4 T. butter

beat eggs, milk, and sugar. Melt butter in the bottom of a 13x9 pyrex baking dish. Pour egg mixture into pan and mix with butter.

Bake @ 350 for about 1 1/2 hours. (check it after an hour. It should be a light golden brown on the top when done.

ENJOY!

Need an example of Peace during a turbulent time?

If you haven't visited "Little cabin in the woods" ...
This is a real life Thanksgiving story to inspire all.

Move over Emeril!

update note: Welcome to those visiting visiting from Kelly's korner's Thanksgiving linky!
In a quest to diversify and expand John's horizons, I signed him up for a "Chef's" class at a quaint victorian tea house in our area. It is actually a children's cooking class but we decided to re-name the activity for the sake of gender security :) So, A culinary class for budding chef's began.

John actually really enjoyed it and they went into great detail about table manners (YES!), nutrition, kitchen safety, and of course preparation and finally ..the feast! It was a several day a week class and we went for 3-4 weeks. I have to say the recipe's he came home with were some of my all time favorites! We didn't waste much time trying a few things at home.

Here are recipe's of the winners from our home to yours!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crispy Brown Sugar Bacon!
Hint: Twist the bacon for a texture that's crisp on the ends and chewy in the center.

Ingredients
1 pound hickory-smoked bacon slices
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

Preparation
Cut bacon slices in half.

Combine sugar and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge bacon in sugar mixture, shaking off excess.

Twist each bacon slice, if desired. Place bacon in a single layer on a lightly greased baking rack in an aluminum foil-lined baking pan.

Bake at 425° for 20 to 25 minutes or until crisp. Allow bacon to cool before serving.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


ApRiCoT-AlMoNd GrAnOlA! Without a doubt, the best granola we have ever had!


Ingredients
2 3/4 cups regular oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup butter, melted
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine oats, almonds, and next 4 ingredients (through raisins) in a medium bowl. Combine honey and butter. Drizzle honey mixture over oat mixture; toss to coat. Spread mixture in a single layer onto a cookie sheetl pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes; stir. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on pan. Break into pieces.

This didn't last long at our house! -so, the next time we doubled the recipe. We ate it warm served with vanilla yogurt :)

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Southern Living Double-Delicious Banana Cake

This was AMAZINGLY EASY and SO good!

Prep: 5 min. Ripe bananas, with brown speckles on the yellow peel, add the best flavor.
Ingredients are:

The Cake Batter:
1 (16-oz.) package pound cake mix
3 large bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
Preparation
1. Beat all ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds. Scrape down sides, and beat at medium speed 3 minutes. Use batter immediately, following directions for desired cake.

Note: we used Betty Crocker Pound Cake Mix.

Banana-Pecan Cake Batter: Prepare Banana Cake Batter as directed; stir 1 cup chopped toasted pecans into batter. Use immediately, following directions for desired cake.

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After making the batter you:
gather the following:

Banana Cake Batter
3 large bananas
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Buttercream Frosting (see below)

Preparation
1. Spoon Banana Cake Batter evenly into 3 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans.

2. Bake at 350° for 20 to 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

3. Cut bananas into 1/4-inch-thick slices; toss with lemon juice, and drain on paper towels.

4. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread top evenly with 1/2 cup frosting. Arrange half of banana slices in a single layer over the frosting. Spread top of second cake layer evenly with 1/2 cup frosting, and invert, frosted side down, over the first layer, sandwiching the banana slices between the 2 frosted cake layers. Repeat sandwiching procedure with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.

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Buttercream Frosting:

Prep: 10 min. This recipe makes a generous amount of frosting for all the layers of the Double-Delicious Banana Cake. Halve the recipe for your favorite sheet cake.

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 (16-oz.) packages powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation
1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 Tbsp. vanilla.