Haiti Update

These were sent earlier by the orphanage, but because they came from Snapfish, I thought they were SPAM and didn't get them until today! :(




Anyway, it is SO fun to get updates about their lives while they're away from us. Still waiting on that smile from Philippe, but we had to wait about two months before we saw one on Patricia! Also, his name isn't spelled correctly on there. We have a copy of his birth certificate, so that's how we know! :) Notice that he is missing a tooth! Poor baby doesn't look very happy here! He is adjusting to life at the orphanage, though. We don't have a March update for him because he hasn't been there very long.


We hope to get more pictures soon!

Dog Day Afternoon

June is the kind of dog that you want/need to know where she is in the house. I often work from home and I try to make sure she is lying down on the dog bed in the office.

On sunny days she actually behaves better because she LOVES the sun and she likes to bake in the bay window in the kitchen. Today was overcast, so when I realized she wasn't on her dog bed I wondered if she was getting into something.

Then, I spotted her. Lying on the clean laundry! HAHA! Of course. Well, as long as she's behaving, I guess.

Later I checked again to see if she was still there and found this...


Well, see ya later...I gotta go fold some clothes!

Springtime in Minnesota

Ah, springtime in Minnesota!

There's nothing better than waking up on a Saturday morning, going downstairs, pouring yourself a cup of coffee, and stepping out onto the deck to enjoy the warm...

Wha' happened...?!


Think I'll go drink this by the fireplace.

Who Needs Pants?

On a recent visit to see Dawn's Mom at the hospital, our great nephew, Isaac, lost his pants. They were loose and started to slip down while he was walking. When they hit the floor, he just stepped right out of them and kept going. Naturally, Ava tried to help out as only an older sister can.

We had to post this because it's one of those memories you keep until the kid is old enough to be embarrassed by it:

I think we'll be getting him a belt for his birthday.

Foody Friday (a little late)

Lee and I have been sick all week. We woke up with terrible colds on Tuesday morning and have gotten sicker and sicker as the week has gone on. I haven't been able to see my Mom since Monday (and I broke my 45 day streak!) Lee missed rehearsal and a concert for the Great Northern Union, and we both missed work. I definitely had it worse than he did. (Lucky!) So here is my (lame) contribution to Foody Friday. Chicken Noodle Soup. I have to admit, I am sentimental over even the dumbest things, and when I was little and had a cold, my Mama made Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. I like it when I am sick and only when I am sick.

Here is where the drama comes in. My husband, my dear, sweet husband, will not buy, and will not let ME buy, Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. If I sneak a can in, it doesn't matter, because when I am really sick, I am not the one MAKING (ok, preparing) the soup, so he just won't grab that can. It's not that I don't like Progresso. It's good! It's just not Campbell's. **Hack** COUGH! Oh, sorry. I just had a coughing spell after my laughing spell. Lee was just talking about how we aren't even going to buy PROGRESSO anymore because we are going to make our own soup. (Keep in mind we only eat chicken noodle soup when we are sick!) Oh, but here is the best part! He was talking about how he wants us to learn how to can!! Um, yeah, I am going to CAN my own vegetables. Listen, I know that sounds great. I know there are those among us (even in our families) that do this, but the women who do this DO NOT HAVE FULL TIME JOBS. If you have a full time job and you can your own vegetables, please let me know, and might I say right now, hats off to you. (Did I mention that we don't even have a vegetable garden? The bunny family that lives under our deck would love that!)

Another Referral! :)

We got our referral today for Philippe! I gotta say it - since there is a vast number of folks out there saying his name wrong I thought I would let you know his name is pronouced Fil-Leap, not Fil-Leap-Pay. Es French, no Espanol.

If you missed it, we first learned on January 4 that Patricia (Pa-tree-see-a) had a younger brother. We didn't know that he was available to be adopted until early February. He was still with his father at that time. He was brought in to the orphanage within the last month. The orphanage turns away 80 children a month and Philippe was also turned away because the orphanage doesn't have enough funding.

If you would like to donate to the orphanage so that they can continue to provide housing, education, purified water, food and medical care to the children (or say YES! to new children), please click here.

A Mish Mash

Ok, folks. This is why I don't cook. YUM. YUM. YUM. Lee grilled for the first time on Sunday night. It was DE-LISH! I love spring and I love summer and I love that I love them and I love that I appreciate them all so much more because I live somewhere where people call it Minnesnowta and where it snows every April. These pictures are only from April 1! Ummm, where are Abby's feet? Well, it was nearly 80 degrees today, so we are on our way, I think...

I was able to take my Mom out of the hospital for a while yesterday and we went to the thrift store, a favorite family pasttime. It was so great for Mama to get out for a while! We had a great time and it was so sunny and warm outside. She is holding her own but we are still praying for her to be able to eat and drink soon!

The pictures below are from the aviary at my Mom's hospital. It is so fun to watch the birds steal from each other to build their nests.

The last picture is Corene and Ava, my great-nieces, and I in my Mom's bed since she is up in her chair so much these days!

Foody Friday!

Since it is time for Foody Friday and since I am now involved in the Foody Friday Frenzy, I thought I would post one of my favorite recipes. I must be honest, I don't really cook. My husband is such a good cook that I don't really NEED to cook. Aside from that fact, I don't really ENJOY cooking that much. I especially have issues preparing meals with meat. I have a really, really good reason for it, but I'm not gonna blog it. Sooooo, here is my first recipe, and although I am NOT a vegetarian, since this is a meal that I prepare, it does not contain meat. It is a very easy recipe to double for a crowd as long as you have a big enough pot.

Pasta Puttanesca

from the Silver Palate Cookbook

servings: (not specified)

1 lb spaghetti or other thin pasta

2 35 oz cans Italian plum tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1/2 cup black olives

1/4 cup drained capers

4 garlic cloves, minced

8 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped (I use anchovy paste)

1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped (I haven't used this)

2 tsp salt

Boil water (Hey! I can DO that!). Add salt and pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain. While pasta is cooking, Cut and quarter the tomatoes and drain off as much liquid as possible. Combine tomatoes and olive oil in skillet and bring to boil. Add remaining ingredients one at a time, stirring frequently. Reduce heat slightly and continue to cook until sauce has thickened to your liking. Serve immediately (or not!) over hot pasta.

Also, on the topic of food...we have a verdict, folks. Corn Bursts win over Corn Pops. They stay fresher in the resealable ziploc bag and hubby and I agree that they taste better, too. Ah, now you can rest easy.

Update on Mama!!

Well, the last two days have brought us a lot of new information. Here is Mom in my car for the first time since March 10 when I drove her to be admitted. We drove over to see her oncologist at the other hospital. After a CAT scan from late March and blood tests, the best news I could possibly announce is NO CANCER can be found. We are happy but on guard since ovarian cancer does have a high recurrence rate. She will have another CAT scan in June.

I took her up to the ICU where she spent 17 precarious days and she didn't remember any of it. The nurses converged on us and were absolutely thrilled to see her and to see that she is doing so well. My Mom is truly a walking miracle. For her to beat FOUR infections, any one of which could be deadly on its own, is amazing. She gives God the glory and we just believe that the good Lord just wasn't ready to take her yet. I am so grateful that she is ok and would have been devastated if she and our kids were unable to meet.

We had a meeting at the rehab hospital also, and they said that Mom can come home within two weeks! She is such a trouper and she is getting stronger everyday. Prayer is needed for her throat muscles and vocal chords to heal (from the trach tube) so that she can start eating and drinking. She has a feeding tube and is only able to chew ice chips and while she is starting to talk about how annoying it is to watch the food commercials on TV she is handling it all very well. Thanks so much for the prayers, cards, calls, emails, and all the lovin'. My whole family thanks you!

Greetings from Haiti!

We recently received this video of Patricia saying "Hi" to us and singing "Jesus Loves Me."



Definitely an alto -- just like her Mama!