A growing boy......

I had Ian to the family doctor today for his 15-month well-baby visit.  He's growing.....weighing in at 23 pounds now!  And he's 31 1/2 inches tall.  Goodness~ he's starting to look much more like a toddler than a little baby~ I  guess that's good!
He had to get 5 shots today.  Now, he's officially caught up with other 15-month olds.  He'll get a few more at 18-months, then  be done until age 5.  I'm sure he'll be relieved~ these trips to the doctor really are not enjoyed by him one bit!
Please say a little prayer for him if you read this tonight~ he's a bit "testy" after all those shots~ and really just not feeling well.  Thanks!

Carried Safely Home by Kristin Swick Wong

Recently, I have been so blessed. My review of the book The Adoption Network by Laura Christianson has opened so many doors for me. Through that review, I was blessed to meet Susan TeBos, co-author of Before You Were Mine. And, via Susan's website, I was introduced to Kristin Swick Wong, a fellow adoptive parent (of 2 children from Vietnam) and the author of Carried Safely Home. This book would become the third adoption-related book that I've had the honor of reviewing in just a few short weeks! It's hard to believe that I was feeling like it would be impossible for me to start an adoption ministry~ as it turns out, I've started one right here on my blog! Sometimes I think that when we feel the most inadequate, that's when God begins opening doors. You'll see, in my right sidebar, that I've recently become a member of a new online group called Adoption Writers~ be on the lookout for some more reviews of adoption-related books coming soon to my blog (as a direct result of that group!)

Anyway, back to my regularly scheduled review.........

Carried Safely Home by Kristin Swick Wong was a blessing to read! This book is not a self-help or do-it-yourself type book. Rather, it is an uplifting and encouraging book, written for and by an adoptive parent.

Kristin and her husband are the parents of four beautiful children~ two girls by birth, and two boys by adoption. This book really touched me, as her sons are both adopted from Vietnam, as are my two youngest children.

Kristin shares her adoption experiences in this book. But, it's not "just another story of someone else's adoption experience". Woven throughout the book are references from Scripture, relating the adoption experience directly to God's view of adoption and His adoption of us as His children. For every experience and feeling and thought that Kristin went through, she has tied it to a Scriptural reference. I was very impressed! As I was reading through it, I was remembering back to similar times in our adoption processes, to the things that I was thinking and feeling, and the ways in which I dealt with those feelings.

Because of that, I feel that this book would be fantastic for anyone who has adopted, as you can easily read it and relate to the things that Kristin is talking about throughout the book. However, I really feel that this book needs to be in the hands of every person who is thinking about adoption or is currently in the process. Though not marketed as a devotional-type book, I would highly recommend this as a daily read. I wish I had had this book when we were in the adoption process. I would have kept it by my bed, along with my Bible, and read a chapter of it each night. I think it would be a great way for in-the-process adoptive parents to end their day. If you've been there, you know how hard some days of the wait can be; what a way to end your day~ being reminded of God's perfect plan!

Through adoption, we can learn so very much about God, and about His plan for our lives. He makes some things perfectly clear to us in His Word~ one of those things is our responsibility to widows and orphans~ that might very well include taking an orphan into your home as your own. After all, isn't that exactly what God did for YOU when He accepted you as His son or daughter?

If you or someone you know is in the process of adopting a child, please consider purchasing this book. It would make a wonderful gift!

For more information on the book, and to read a note from Kristin to her readers, click here.

Ian Signs!

A few weeks ago, I asked for feedback regarding teaching sign language to babies.  I so appreciate everyone who took the time to respond~ I carefully read through each comment and savored all of your advice.  I especially appreciated what Karen had to say~ she told me that a.) boys are different from girls, and b.) bi-lingual babies typically start speaking later than non-bi-lingual babies (even though Ian isn't truly bi-lingual, he did hear only Vietnamese for the first 7 months of his life).
The general consensus certainly seemed to be that it is a wise idea to teach singing to babies.  I'd like to get the Baby Einstein video that my friends Randi and Isabelle recommended.  And, I'd like to check into some of the books as well. 
In the meantime, I found this site to be very useful: Signing With Your Baby.  And, I also checked out a few words (like "thank you") on the asl website. 
I'm happy to report that Ian can now "say"/sign several words!  He's been doing "more" for awhile now, he does "ally-all" (which is a sign that we kinda made up~ but it's oh! so cute!), and tonight, for the first time, he did "milk".  Not only is it absolutely adorable to see him doing it, but it's also really made communicating his needs/wants so much easier for us to understand.  We're working on "thank you" but it's a little hard for him to sign when he's just been handed a drink or a snack.  I've also been trying to teach him the sign for "diaper", but he seems to prefer just going and getting a diaper and bringing it to me~ which works too.
Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone who responded to my question know that we're working with him, and he's doing great!  I'll have to see if I can get some pictures of him signing to share.

Slow-cooker Cacciatore

*I got this recipe out of the Ragu Soccer Moms cookbook. It was so very simple, but so yummy! I had this in the crock pot yesterday all day~ when we got home I had a migraine and had to go to bed. Ashley cooked noodles and served this over noodles and everyone loved it. We'll definitely make this again.

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 lbs.) *I used breasts because that's what I had in the freezer
1 26 oz. jar of Ragu Old World Style Pasta Sauce
1 sliced bell pepper
1 sliced onion
Pinch or two of garlic powder
Pinch of ground black pepper *I used lemon pepper

Directions:
Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
Serve on a bed of rice. (That would be yummy, but my family prefers noodles.)

Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home by Susan Marlow (post originally titled "Confession: I love children's books!")

If you happen to follow the list of reviews in my left sidebar, then you can probably tell that the above confession is true (Kate sure knows it!)  When the review lists come out, I'm all over those childrens book titles~ then I can't wait to receive the books, read them, and look at all the great illustrations! Of course, this is all under the guise of sharing them with my kids~ but the truth is, I LOVE them myself! I still remember (and have) many of the childrens books that my mom read to me when I was a child~ I just get attached to them. 

Anyway, when the opportunity presented itself to review some "tween fiction" books, I was thrilled!  It reminded me of being about 12 years old, and falling in love with the Trixie Belden books.  Let me tell you, I devoured those books!  I'm sure there must have been times when I frustrated my mom~ begging to go to the  bookstore and buy the next book(s) in the series.  And, yes, I still own them~ and am trying to pass them off on Ashley!

This past week has just been a joy for me.  Each afternoon, we loaded Ian up in the stroller and set off on a walk~ we dropped Gracie off at Good News Club~ and Ashley and I proceeded on to my parents' house.  With Ian sound asleep in the stroller, we sat on the porch swing, in the shade, and read to each other.  Wow~ what fun~ so peaceful and such a time of bonding.  Here's what we read:

Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home

by Susan Marlow

Wow!  I felt like a kid again!  This book was awesome!  Ashley and I were quickly drawn into the book, with the very first chapter.  The heroin of the book was so real, that we quickly became friends with her, and set off on an adventurous journey with her.  At the end of our hour each day, we hated to close the book.  The whole walk home, we debated over what might happen the next day, when we could sit down and read more of the story.

Susan Marlow is a very talented writer.  Each chapter ended in such a way that you were left wondering what was going to happen in the next chapter.  I love books like that!  So many books nowadays, even books for adults, are predictable~ you read the first chapter and know exactly how the book will end.  Not so with this book!  As a homeschool mom, what I found so refreshing about this book was that it allowed Ashley the opportunity to use her imagination.  We weren't right with all of our predictions, and that's ok;  it was just fun to wonder. 

Even though this book was set in the 1800's, the character of Andrea was so true to life.  She was feeling like she couldn't do anything right, like her family was always disappointed in her.  I think that's a feeling many young kids have today;  I remember feeling that way too.  Andrea ends up running away and facing some challenges and disappointments.  I won't give away the ending of the story, but I will say that she learns some very important lessons.

If you have a young teen or "tween", I would highly recommend this book!  Ashley and I, though we couldn't wait to get to the end and find out what happened, were so disappointed when we were actually finished reading.  Gracie's week at Good News Club is over, and we could only be so lucky to have an hour's peace each afternoon to read (with Ian around!) 



Thing is, though, we have this book called Andrea Carter and the Dangerous Decision (book 2 in the Circle C Adventure series by Susan Marlow) and we can't wait to get started!  As soon as Ashley finishes her book report/review (which she will be posting on her blog in the form of a letter to the author), we'll get started.

 You know, homeschooling is so great!  Not only do we get to do our school outside on the porch swing, but we get to read awesome books (with a Christian message), and book reports can actually be fun to do!  What could be better?!

Oh, I just need to add~ Susan Marlow is also a big Trixie Belden fan!  Let me just tell you, I was thrilled to find that out about her.  We Trixie fans need to stick together! 

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

*This yummy recipe originally came from my friend Amy~ you can visit her homeschool blog here and her homestead blog here. I'm going away with my Mom this evening~ to a Ladies Night Out event at her church. My Mom signed me up to bring a dessert. I'm not a huge dessert fan (unless it's pie~ which I'm not good at making!) However, I am a huge appetizer fan! This cheeseball is appetizer crossed with dessert~ making it fun to make and even more fun to eat! LOL Since I just made one, I thought I'd share the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 c. miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. finely chopped pecans
Graham crackers, regular and chocolate

Directions:
In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars. Beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap. Shape into ball. Refrigerate for another hour. Just before serving, roll in pecans. Serve with graham crackers.

Sign Language

Has anyone taught sign language to you baby and/or toddler?  I'm just curious.  Ian is almost 15 months old, and besides the common "mama" and "dada" that I think all little ones are capable of saying, he's not attempting to say anything else.  Don't get my wrong, I certainly don't think he should be talking in full sentences or anything~ neither of my girls did until between 2-3.  However, I do think he should soon be attempting some other words, such as "ball", etc. 
I got to thinking of a little guy that we would babysit on occasion and how he would come to me and do the little sign for "more" whenever he wanted more drink or more food.  I tried teaching this to Ian, and now when I say "do you want more?" he will do what looks more like a patty-cake than the actual sign~ but at least I know he learned and he's trying.
So, it got me wondering if anyone else here in the blogosphere has done this, and how it worked for you.  Please share your methods, any book(s) you might have used/read, and if you would recommend this or not (and why).  I'm very curious!
Thanks.......

Amish Breakfast Casserole

Ashley and I made this for supper last night. I know, it's called "breakfast" but it makes a yummy one-dish meal for supper as well. This recipe, I believe originated from Taste of Home, but I got it out of our church cookbook and have made a revision or two to better suit our taste.

Ingredients:
1 lb. sliced bacon, diced
1 med. sweet onion, chopped
8 eggs, lightly beaten
4 c. frozen shredded has brown potatoes, thawed
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz. small-curd cottage cheese
1 1/4 c. shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13x9x2" baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Dressing for Macaroni or Potato Salad

It's been awhile since I've shared any recipes. When I'm asked to bring macaroni salad to a family gathering, this is my recipe of choice. I've tried others, but none of them come anywhere close to this one in yummy-ness (is that a word?!) This recipe is in our family cookbook and was actually shared by my cousin, who has since passed away.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 T. vinegar
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1 pt. Miracle Whip (do not use mayonnaise)
1 T. mustard

Directions:
Heat eggs and vinegar in double boiler, stirring constantly until mixture becomes thick and lumps start to form (this is the "tricky" step as you want to make sure to remove it from the heat before it gets too thick!) Remove from heat and add other ingredients.

Optional add-ins: chopped onion, carrot, celery, parsley, celery seed.
(I prefer mine with chopped onion, carrot, and celery seed or salt (I don't like celery but I like the flavor it adds.)

*This recipes makes enough dressing for about 14-15 medium potatoes or not quite 1 pound of macaroni.