Six referrals this week, 4 of which were girls. Woohoo! Things are moving along nicely except for court dates. Apparently, there are only two judges that handle adoption cases in Ethiopia and one of them is on maternity leave, so things seem to be getting pretty backed up over there. This is definitely not good news for families who have received their referrals and are waiting for court dates. There have also been a few families who didn’t pass court on their first try, which means a rescheduled court date and MORE waiting to bring their little ones home. There are so many unknowns in international adoption.

I got my new camera this week. I love, love, love it! Fortunately, it has an auto mode. I have absolutely no idea how to use the manual settings, so this is a good thing. I’m going to have fun learning.

I’m going to attempt to make my own Ethiopian Berbere spice mix today. I’ve scoured the internet looking for recipes. There are numerous versions and I have no idea which is the most authentic but I found one that uses all ground spices, so that’s the one I’m going to try. Most of the recipes recommend using whole spices but since I already have most of the ingredients in the ground form, I’ll go with this one:

• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 4 to 6 tablespoons of a combination of ground cayenne pepper (red pepper, dried chile peppers, or red pepper flakes) and paprika
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

What you do

• In a heavy skillet over medium heat, toast the dried spices for a few minutes — stirring or shaking the skillet continuously to avoid scorching. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Mix cooled spices in a spice grinder or blender, or use a mortar and pestle. Store the berberé powder in a tightly-sealed container.

 Anyone else tried this or a similar recipe?

Our agency received 6 more referrals this week. Woohoo!! 3 boys and 3 girls ranging in age from 6 months to 6 years old. We’re moving on up.

Since Owen doesn’t do any blogging here, I thought I’d tell you a little about him. I snagged this from another blog.

1. He is sitting in front of the TV, what is he watching?  Usually a Netflix movie with me, or Anthony Bordain’s No Reservations. He’s proud that he’s not a TV-watching, couch potato.

2. You are out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?  He almost always gets honey mustard but each and every time we go out he ALWAYS asks the waiter what type of dressing they have.  

3. Whats one food he doesn’t like?  He’s not a big seafood fan

4. You go out to a bar, what does he order?  Water

5. Where did he go to High School?  A large high school in Southern California

6. What size shoe does he wear?  14 – He’s 6′4″ and no he never played basketball 

7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be?  He collects paper…birthday cards, letters, ticket stubs, school papers, etc. I am constantly on the look-out for little scraps of paper to throw out.

8. What is his favorite sandwich?  Turkey, Provolone and honey mustard

9. What would he eat every day if he could?  Pasta

10. What is his favorite cereal?  Granola if/when he eats it at all

11. What would he never wear?  Tighty whiteys

12. What is his favorite sports team?  He’s not a big sports fan (thank goodness) but it would probably be a Los Angeles team if he did 

13. Who will he vote for?  Obama

14. Who is his best friend?  Mike in Cali but it’s really me

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do?  Smoke (and YES, I’m giving that up BEFORE the baby comes)

16. How many states has he lived in?  5 (same as me)

17. What is his heritage?  German

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind of cake is it?  He’s not into sweets but I used to bake him German Chocolate cakes for his birthday 

19. Did he play sports in High School?  Soccer

20. What could he spend hours doing?  He can and does spend hours playing guitar.

All is quiet on the referral front. Our agency hasn’t received any referrels since July 2. I’m not sure if the court closure has anything to do with that, or the fact that CHI’s Ethiopian go-to man will be visiting the States. CHI says not. Although no adoptions will be processed during the court closure, referrrals are supposed to continue. I actually have no idea where we are on “the list” but we’ve been waiting for almost 3 months now. I try not to think about it too much (okay, I think about it A LOT) but sometimes I find myself asking those “what if” questions (not out loud, of course) like I did when we were on the Vietnam waiting list. Not good. I need to stay positive. I WILL stay positive!

A little retail therapy always helps. I scored big at a consignment sale yesterday. Here’s what I got…Rocker/Glider $40, Pack ‘n Play $10, High chair/musical swing $10, Stroller $40, and various toys and books. I haven’t started on the nursery yet. I keep trolling the crib bedding sections in stores and online but can’t seem to make up my mind on colors/patterns etc. That makes it kind of hard to do anything else such as painting, which I hate. That’s one thing I’d like to get done soon so I don’t have to think about it anymore. :)

Here’s a picture of Owen relaxing in California on our vacation two looonnggg weeks ago. He’s not doing any relaxing now that we’re home. Poor guy teaches 4th grade full-time, teaches guitar part-time, and just started a Master’s Program at KSU this week. He’s one busy man, and yet he still finds time to be the best husband a girl could ask for.  He’s doing it all for the kiddo. That’s my man!