Menu Planning

Lat week was not good for staying on our menu.  Work was crazy, we never really got to the grocery store, the kids' schedule was off...  We're going to try harder this week.

Here's what we'll be eating:


Wednesday:  Greek Turkey Tenderloins
Thursday:  Peperoncini Beef Sandwiches
Friday:  Lemonade Chicken
Saturday:  Spaghetti and Meatballs
Sunday:  Star Wars Dinner
Monday:  Mexican Steak
Tuesday:  Someone else cooks!

Linked here:  Organizing Junkie

What's on your table this week?

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News from Africa

My sis is in Africa with my dad.  They've been there for almost a week, and things are going as expected.

We've had a hard time getting any information from them though.  Ethiopia has the 4th worst internet in the world.  So, not so easy to get online.

Even though The Mr and I experienced it when we were there in March, we are still chomping at the bit for information.  We've had a few bits -

We got this from my sis first:

We made it and have settled in. Katy is still at foster home. Tomorrow we're going to her orphanage in Zewyai. Now we're off to the airport to pick up Sharon. More coming soon... love, steph and dad

Then a few days later...

Hi again! It's Saturday night and we're pretty wiped out. Sharon got in this morning and lasted until about 6:30 when she crashed. Yesterday we went to the foster home for katy and the staff there said we couldn't take her until after the embassy. Then we went to see Mr Alemu the attorney and he said we should be able to take her. argh. We made plans to drive south to see her orphanage tomorrow and were planning on picking her up and bringing her here in the afternoon but now I'm not sure what's going on. Conceiveably we won't have custody of her until Tuesday before the embassy appointment. It's been frustrating to say the least. Maybe I'll be able to get Mr Alemu to talk to the staff tomorrow so he can straighten it out. sigh.

In any case, she's looking good and we had fun playing with all the kids today. A and M are still there as well as baby Shaq and Little M. Mr Aleum said A and M are waiting for paperwork to go through for a courier to bring them home and that Little M's case will be cleared on Monday. Good to see they will be leaving soon. It's a much different place now with so many kids. The little ones didn't seem to come out at all except Katy because we were there. It's time to have her here with me. Hopefully we can clear up her cold when she's not around all the other sick kids. We will all most likely come home with colds after today for sure!

 We'll check in again after our visit to the orphanage. I've gotten a few more pictures than the last trip but it's the same old story as before. Tomorrow should be good for picture taking.

 


Nice to hear about some of the kids we saw when we were there.  A & M are brother and sister, 6 and 4.  Super smart kids, and heading to New York to be with their forever family.  Their parents were there the day we got there, incredibly tired and disoriented, and they were unbelievably helpful.  I know that A & M will have a great life.

Baby Shaq (so called because he does look a lot like Shaq) was just the sweetest little man.  I hope he heads home soon.  And Little M looks like she will will be headed to her forever home in Hawaii soon - I know her family is happy about that!




Then my Dad sent an update - the one we were really waiting for... Katy is officially with her mama!!

I finally got on to the internet and gmail. There is only dial up here and for a while I couldn't get it to work. I still can't open an emails for some reason but I can at least send out email.

We are now grandparents having picked Katy up yesterday. A bit traumatic but she has settled down today and is now sleeping quietly on the couch in the main room of the guest house. All the nannies cried when she left and Katy was none to happy as well. She also has a pretty bad chest cold and was very tired. She slept well last night and is sleeping now. She was much more content this morning.

On Sunday we took a trip to Ziway, about 100 + miles south of Addis. The orphanage that she came from is in Ziway and we found it to be a very nice, clean place where the children were very well taken care of. The trip itself was very interesting but I'll tell you about that when we get back. The whole trip here can only be described as sensory overload +. You couldn't survive here. I have seen a few wheelchairs but I can't imagine how anybody in a wheelchair can function.

Today at 1:30 PM we go to the embassy and finallize the adoption and on Thursday get Katy's visa. On Friday there is a ceremony at the foster home and then we go to the airport.

 I'm have a great difficulty with this email so I'll just sign off now. I've also had trouble with the phone and will find out at the embassy how to make it work. Then I"ll call you tonight at a time which will be between noon and 3:00 PM. I hope it works.

I'll talk to you later today and will see you soon with your new granddaughter.

I sure wish that The Mr and I could be there right now.  We loved spending time with the kids there, and would have enjoyed spending some more time in Ethiopia.  One day we'll go back, when Katy is old enough to understand.  That will be an amazing trip.

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Tuesday Garden Party - Everything's Coming Up Roses!

Everything is coming up roses, both figuratively and literally!

We seem to have fixed our rat problem... or at least we've figured out how to co-exist in peace. No more dead rats in traps, and no more rat-eaten fruits and veggies.

Corn, peas, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, watermelon - all flourishing! Flowers on the peppers, pumpkins and tomatoes promise lots of produce for our future. Corn is popping. (ha) I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will all grow as we hope.

In addition to our veggies, we've got a lovely rose garden. It is the first thing that you see when you look into the yard, and is just gorgeous this year.

The Ronald Reagan...

... and the Nancy Reagan just about to bloom (ignore the aphids and bird seed)...

... one of the lovely Laura Bush's...

... another random red rose...

... and one of the most prolific of our roses...

... another budding rose - this one has gorgeous yellow and orange blooms...

... all of them keep getting trimmed back so that roses don't overtake the house...

... and one last view.

Some of these were there when we moved in and some we've added over time.  I love having these roses - they provide nearly year-round color and beauty in our yard.

Next week, I'm hoping to see some blossoms on the watermelon.  Do you think we'll have any?  Check back next week to see - in the meantime, check out An Oregon Cottage for her weekly Garden Party.

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Harvest Monday: June 20, 2011

Probably not a big shock. Radishes and strawberries.

But wait - also some herbs and a pepper...

And some mint...

And a lot of lemons!

Total Harvest for the Week:  9 pounds, 6.1 ounces
Total Harvest for the Year:  10 pounds, 13.7 ounces


This week, I expect to pick the last of the radishes, some more strawberries, and hopefully the first of the peas. And soon - hot peppers!


Linked up with Daphne's Dandelion's Harvest Monday... hop on over and see what else is being picked this week.

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Father's Day Thai Dinner

Because every father needs a tie for Father's Day, we decided to have "Thai Dinner" to celebrate our dads!

Great menu - Tom Yum soup, fresh spring rolls, chicken satay, green curry chicken, panang curry beef and chicken pad Thai noodles.  We had a range of spiciness, from mild to super spicy, and it was all delicious.

Here's the gang with their ties and Thai food!

Happy Father's Day to The Mr and to my father-in-law!  Both are great dads, and we are blessed to be able to have them in our lives.


I'd have loved to spend Father's Day with my dad too.  My dad has always been there for me and for my sister.  He always told us we could be and do whatever we wanted and has helped us to do just that.  And this year on Father's Day, he is once again there for us - he's in Africa with my sister, helping finalize her dream of adopting a baby.  I know my dad wouldn't want to be anywhere else this Father's Day, and that's just one of the reasons I love him.  Happy Father's Day Dad!!

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Almost time!

Less than 30 minutes until my sister arrives in Africa.  Less than 3 hours until this little one:

is finally with her forever family!  We're all loving this little sweetie and can hardly stand waiting the 8 days until she gets to come home to the US.

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What's For Dinner: Grilled Chicken Thighs with Orange And Rosemary

This was a fantastic meal.

The Mr grilled the chicken after it was marinated, and I served it with rosemary focaccia bread and roasted vegetables.

I love love love this bread!  It's an easy to make Rosemary Focaccia bread.

I added Parmesan cheese to the top - yum!

While the bread was baking, I marinated the chicken.  Oranges from the Farmer's Market and lemons and rosemary from our garden.

Roasted vegetables - don't you love summer produce?

And the final product - delicious!

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Orange and Rosemary

Ingredients

2 navel oranges

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon

1 1/2 pounds small chicken thighs and drumsticks

1 large red onion, sliced into 1/4-inch rings

1 head green leaf lettuce, torn into pieces

Preparation

Grate 1/2 teaspoon of zest from 1 orange into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze in 1/3 cup of orange juice. Stir in the lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the garlic, rosemary, and 1/4 cup of the oil. Reserve 1/4 cup of the dressing. Add the chicken to the bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat grill to medium. Place the chicken, skin-side up, over indirect heat and cook, covered, for 35 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook, uncovered, over direct heat, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush the onion with the remaining oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill until tender, 8 minutes.

Peel the remaining orange and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Combine them with the onion, lettuce, and reserved dressing in a bowl. Transfer to individual plates. Serve with the chicken.

This was really tasty - we'll be having it again.  What are you having for dinner tonight?


I'm linked up here:

• EKats Kitchen
• Grocery Cart Challenge

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Menu Planning

We'll be super-busy this week at work, so I'm glad to have planned easy meals.

Here's what we'll be eating:


Wednesday:  Pork Chops with Carolina Rub
Thursday:  Chicken Lo Mein
Friday:  Greek Turkey Tenderloins
Saturday:  BBQ Grilled Chicken Thighs
Sunday:  Father's Day "Thai" Dinner
Monday:  Lemonade Chicken
Tuesday:  Someone else cooks!

Linked here:  Organizing Junkie

What's on your table this week?

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Harvest Monday: June 13, 2011

This is becoming kind of boring.  This week... radishes and strawberries!

Strawberries:  2.1 ounces

Radishes:  7.5 ounces!

Total Harvest for the Week:  9.6 ounces
Total Harvest for the Year:  23.6 ounces - and that is over a pound of produce form the garden!!  Yea!

This week, I expect (go figure) more radishes and strawberries, and also some lemons.  We'll see what else is out there!


Linked up with Daphne's Dandelion's Harvest Monday... hop on over and see what else is being picked this week.

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Tuesday Garden Party

The garden is growing! What a lovely change from last year - we had little sun, so things just did not grow terribly well.

This year, however, we're having a banner year, garden-wise!


Beautiful roses...

... and baskets of brightly colored flowers.

And strawberries!

The hot pepper plants are all blooming like crazy.

I think one day we may even have sweet peppers (though we are struggling to get them to flourish...)

Our first peas of the season are just beginning.  See the blossoms?

The corn is now as tall as I am !

And... it has corn!!

And the rats? Still enjoying the garden. In fact, The Mr was emptying a trap while I was taking these pictures. Hoping we can stem the tide before the plants really start to produce... well, produce!  We'll see next week how it goes! In the meantime, check out An Oregon Cottage for her weekly Garden Party.

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Menu Planning

We've really been sticking to our meal planning, and enjoying trying new recipes.  In fact, we loved everything on last week's menu!  The Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza and Grilled Chicken Thighs with Orange and Rosemary were excellent, as were the Grilled Southwestern Pork Chops.

This week's menu:

Wednesday:  Leftover Frittata Dinner
Thursday:  Slow Cooker Mandarin Orange Chicken
Friday:  Grilled Peaches and Pork
Saturday:  Pasta with Lentil Sauce and Grilled Chicken Thighs
Sunday:  Mexican Shells
Monday:  Scandinavian Meatballs over Egg Noodles
Tuesday:  Someone else cooks!

Linked here:  Organizing Junkie

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Tuesday Garden Party

While we may not be harvesting much, we are growing the potential for harvesting!

Tomatoes.  And in fact, tomatoes everywhere in the yard.  I haven't really pulled any of them, in the hope that at least one of them produces at least one tomato.  The plants are all looking good at least!

Corn.  Oh wow.  It grows so darned fast!  Just a few weeks ago, it was as big as my hand.  Now?

Up to my waist!

And if the pumpkins produce?  We'll be up to our ears in pumpkins!  Either they will be good to eat, or Halloween will be very impressive at our house this year!

We hope to have the same problem with watermelon.  Looks good so far!

The one problem we have right now?  Rats.  We live next to a large protected park, with all kinds of plants and wildlife.  Rats are a fact of life.  I just don't want them in my garden.  Nevertheless, they are there, and eating my strawberries!  Ugh!

That?  Is a partially eaten strawberry...eaten by a rat.  The Mr has put up some rat guards, so we will hopefully keep them out of the strawberries at least.

If we've got a handle on the rats, we should have more strawberries this week - come on back to see. In the meantime, check out An Oregon Cottage for her weekly Garden Party.




Mhnaty!

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