Multiethnic Cooking Night

We've been checking out Recipe Zaar for some tasty recipes for Ethiopian dishes to add to our repertoire of Swedish/Scottish family meals. I agree with Mike Meyers who theorizes that most traditional Scottish food was originally based upon a dare (like haggis -- Bleck!), so our recipes are limited in that area, although we're doing OK in the Swedish food department. However, I'm thinking that there's not a whole lot of combining you can do here, folks, at least not that's very appetizing. I'm a little afraid that if I do, something may explode. Then the neighbors will gossip amid the rubble, "Gasp! Meth lab? Nah, I heard she was mixing up ethnic recipes."

Here's the meal we've come up with.

Ethiopian dishes:
እንጀራ Injera (spongy, sourdough flatbread)
ቀይ or ቀይሕ Qey Wat (spicy stew made from red onions and Ethiopian spices berbere and niter kebbeh)
ሥጋ Beef
*Unless for some reason you have Amharic font on your computer, you're unable to see the cool looking names of these dishes.*

Swedish dishes:
Raggmunk (potato pancake)
Isterband (sausage of pork, potato, and barley -- Hey, it's practically Ethiopian!) -- bought, not made

Scottish dishes:
Buccleuch beef
Deulce soup (potato)
Cranachan (a dessert made from whiskey, raspberries, honey, whipped cream, and oatmeal)

To drink:
Swedish lingondricka (which is kind of a punch made from lingonberries)
Ethiopian coffee with a little single malt Scotch whiskey to top it off!

Well, I'll let ya know how it goes, and if any combination proves to be spontaneously combustible!

Orange County Ethiopian Adoption Network Park Day Reminder!

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is the OCEAN Park Play Day! YAHOO!

Please join us for play and fellowship

at Santiago Hills Park in Orange
8040 White Oak Ridge Rd Sunday, January 20th 3-5 pm

Bring all your sporty gear and Michael Hausam and Curtis Yates will amaze you with their kid entertaining skills so the adults can chat, too!

Remember to bring a finger food munchie to share and feel free to invite anyone you know that has adopted from Ethiopia or is in the process, or even just thinking about it!

Karen has all the details.
RSVP to

karen_yates@ca.rr.com

Back to the Beach

Here are a few pics from Part 2 of our beach day last weekend. We took the kids out to breakfast and then down to the beach in the morning. After a couple of hours we were too hot in our sweats but not ready to go home for the day... so we stopped back home for lunch, and to grab our suits, boogie boards, and sand toys, and went back for more!

Update on the Sherrells in Ethiopia

The Sherrells have been unable to update their blog while in Ethiopia, so I thought I'd share how they're doing with their new little man, Kidus! Here's an email we received.

"Hello Everyone,

We tried to send an email yesterday, but the Internet connectivity here is sporadic at best, that goes for cell signal as well. It is Wednesday, a little after 9:00am, 10:00pm your time. We have had Kidus for almost two days now. We picked him up Monday afternoon. We were a little disappointed in how the pick up went as we were only given 30 minutes at the orphanage and the entire situation seemed very rushed. We still cannot figure out why. The goal was accomplished, which is the most important thing. There will be time for feedback later. We could tell he was very well cared for and was much loved by the nannies (caregivers).

Kidus is definitely 14 months old and appears to be in very good health, minus a cold and an ear infection. We have antibiotics to combat the ear infection. He’s walking and talking a lot. He’s taught me more Amharic than any book I’ve read so far. He’s also started to say a few English words, “bye-bye” and “mama” are pretty clear now. Kidus has bonded with us pretty well and has definitely attached himself to his mom, as well he should. He is a tough little guy and extremely determined in everything he does. To quote Star Wars: “The force is strong with that one”. He reminds us of Ethan (our middle son) quite a bit. He had a horrible night last night, mostly due to the ear infection. The looming plane ride home is causing us a little anxiety.

Yesterday, we had our appointment at the US Embassy, which turned out to be a non-event. It took less than half-an-hour for all of the families to be approved. It took longer to go through the two layers of security than for the appointment itself. We should hopefully be getting Kidus’ papers on Thursday before lunch. We may explore leaving Ethiopia early if his paperwork comes tomorrow. We’ll keep the Saturday flight from Dulles to LAX. It will be good to be on US soil again.

Ethiopia is a very interesting place. There are people here from all over the world, including some countries that despise the US. I have a few good stories on this when I return. The Ethiopian people are extremely friendly and they adore the children and the elders. There’s probably a lesson in there for us somewhere. We broke down and started eating the food at the hotel yesterday and so far so good. Driving here is more intense than any video game you’ve ever seen. There are no stop lights and it is an absolute free for all. One honk means I see you and two honks means we are inches apart and about to collide. About half the roads are paved. I tried to film the driving, but couldn’t because I needed two hands to hold on.

That’s all for now. I’ll try to send another update tomorrow. Please forward this on to anyone who might be interested because it takes so long to update the recipient list."


We can hardly wait to meet you, Kidus!

"One Love"

"Princes shall come out of Egypt;

Ethiopia (called Cush) shall soon stretch forth her hands unto God,"
Psalm 68:31

Here's an interesting article from Smithsonian Magazine about Ras Tafar/Haile Selassie I and the Rasta movement. To admit the truth, when we first chose Ethiopia I felt a little uncomfortable with the idea that when some people think of Ethiopia they envision reggae, and Marley (even though I like his music), and dred-drooped dudes who skateboard along Venice Beach or something like that. The drug images alone that the word "rastafarian" elicits are enough to make me cringe. So I found this article intriguing because it explains a little more about the roots of the reggae message. It's fascinating that it originated from Holy Scripture, although I'm not sure many rasta dudes hanging out in mall parking lots know that!

The Barley Barfies

I survived.

I didn't think I would, but I did.

But, I should start at the beginning.

Yesterday the kids had the end of our homeschool semester testing, so for supper I baked a big chicken pot pie, which is their favorite. I left them watching Narnia for the umpteenth time to have a little P&Q outside and watch the sunset. Apparently they enjoyed the new double crust I tried because Ricker called out, "Good show, Mother darling. Right tasty!" in an English accent and I could hear Evangeline shouting, "Bite! Bite! More peeeez! Ooooh nummy nummy!" Man, I've got great kids. Looking back, oh how I wish that I had joined them...

I grabbed a light blanket, a glass of wine, and a book, and then snagged a bag of roasted spicy barley that we bought last week in Little Ethiopia. Yum. In Ethiopia, roasted barley and popcorn are often served during the coffee ceremony and it's really delicious. Off to enjoy some Mama Time. So there I was watching a gorgeous tangerine sunset with a view of Catalina Island, listening to Andrea Bucelli, reading Dinesh D'Souza's "What's so Great About Christianity". (After rotting my brain with a love story and a murder mystery I needed a little mental edification.) Anywho, classical music - check, fountain on - check, sunset brewing - check, gorgeous evening - check, glass of wine - check, bag of spicy barley - check. And there I was thinking, "what a lovely way to end the day".

Not so. You know, it's like eating Lay's potato chips. Nevernevernever eat Lay's out of the bag. Come on, fess up, you know what I mean. You have to put a little pile on your plate and put the bag away otherwise next thing you know your scrounging around the bottom of the bag for the last bit and then cautiously pouring the little chippy crumbs into your mouth so you don't miss out on any of the salty delicious, right?

Spicy roasted barley is like that. First bite and you're hooked. It wasn't a big bag. I mean, it's not like it was a rucksack that I had to sling over my back or anything, but not little enough to be called a "baggie"... So I ate just a little bit more than I had originally intended. I figured, oh well, I've been dietetically angelic this week, and run my requisite miles, so I'm good for it.

But, the problem was, apparently barley grains expand 17,000 times (or something like that) and the spicy doesn't help any either! As Bugs Bunny would say,

"Oh pain! Oh a-go-neeee!"

So I got to experience it all over again. No citrusy sunset, no tenor serenading me, no view of Catalina (actually, if I had stood up there's a great view out my bathroom window, but I was miserably unable to stand), and the water feature was a porcelain bowl, and the wine didn't please me as much going the other direction.

To be fair, though, I must admit that I am a champion vomiter. Really. I'm quick and I'm quiet. Seriously, not to toot my own horn, but it's one of my skills.

So, warning, folks out in blogland. When you buy a big bag (OK, already, it was a pretty big bag!) of roasted barley, put a SMALL bit in a bowl and eat ONLY that! Otherwise your tale will end as mine did... misery and woe.

Thus endeth my diatribe on barley.

Where Are All the Referrals, Lord?

I woke up this morning asking, "Where are all the referrals, Lord?" It seems that just like with pregnancies, adoption referrals come in waves... Months go by and nothing happens, and then POW!, everybody announces a pregnancy/referral. Well, it's been a while now and I say we're ready. So, Lord, bring on the referrals! I'm praying for all my sweet blogging friends to hear amazing news this week.

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God, the great king above all gods.
In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.
The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.
Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care."
Psalm 95:1-7

Hang in there, friends. All those dossiers are in His hands, too... and He knows the longing of your heart.

Here are a few photos again to distract you! Since we had such a great time in the sand the other day and the weather is so beautifully warm, we've been enjoying the beach lately. Elianna Ray napped for hours on this beach adventure, but the rest of us had a fantastic time. It'll be cold and rainy again soon enough, but for now... surf's up!

Finding My Daughter's Roots

Did you see Sunday's Parade magazine article about Melissa Fay Greene's trip to Ethiopia with her daughter? Check it out!

Pictures again

I know you're sick of us already, but here are some fun shots of our beachy valentine photoshoot:

A Taste of Ethiopia Close to Home

We had such a great day in L.A. visiting Little Ethiopia. You couldn't ask for a more beautiful, sunny, warm day in the City of Angels. We had a few unforgettable conversations with local Ethiopians enchanted with Elianna Ray. It's truly unbearable to hear so many "thank you's" from Ethiopian people who are grateful for us adopting Ray Ray. I know that they are thinking about the great struggles that their country has faced and continues to battle, but it is WE who are the blessed ones to have her as our daughter. Anyway, we made some dear friends that we're looking forward to visiting again in the near future.

The kids loved the wat and injera at Merkado, except for Ricker who is usually a garbage disposal when it comes to anything remotely edible... Maybe next time he'll like it a little more. The rest of us devoured the completely delicious food, and Michael and I were thrilled to enjoy the fantastic Ethiopian beer, the same kinds we had in Addis. We toasted to our little Ethiopian princess!

The whole day brought back great memories of our trip to Africa... from the aroma of incense and the coffee ceremonies brewing nearby to the meals cooking in restaurants. It was wonderful! We're eagerly looking forward to our next visit...maybe with other ET adoptive families next time!