How To Eat Pasta – by Isabel

My New Crafty Blog…Little Blue Cottage

Back in April, I started a craft blog but I couldn’t tell anyone about it because I had a picture of a quilt that I was making for Suzanne, our lovely friend who awaits her baby’s arrival home from Kyrgyzstan.  But, now that the quilt has been given and I can move on to other quilts, this little blog can go forth into the crafty bloggy world. 

Pictures will be forthcoming as my camera is very unwell at the moment. 

http://littlebluecottage.wordpress.com

 Tina

A New Me…

I’m so sorry I’ve disappeared from this spot for so long. I keep meaning to post to explain my absence but it’s been really hard to put my finger on.

The best I can come up with is all the growth and change here. Zannie started 2nd grade and Isabel turned two. It’s practically breathtaking to watch them grow and change at the rate they do, those girls. Isabel is doing baby signs like a champ (yay!) she has given up napping (boooo!) and she just unfolds and blossoms every single day. Suzannah is a total kid now. I don’t know fully what I mean by that except, I guess it means that there is no more little, little girl. She wants to wear pants and t-shirts instead of insisting on twirly dresses. She doesn’t say any words with cute mispronounciations. She’s Big.

Also, I feel a big change in myself and it’s been growing and starting to come out as the year goes on. I turn 40 in a few days. And, I feel really excited about it. The family-making stuff is done which is what my life was so centered around for so many years. And, as Isabel has changed from baby to toddler and sometimes goes off with grandpa to feed the ducks, I’ve felt the interests I had, the individual parts of me beckoning me. I feel this big page in the book of my life turning. It’s terribly exciting and a little strange at the same time.

I think for awhile I didn’t post because I was thinking that I was done talking about adoption or my family, but that’s silly and so I figured that couldn’t be right. Then, I was spending so much time sewing and trying to teach myself about sewing that I would change gears and have a craft blog. But, that doesn’t seem right either. Also, Zannie accidentally broke my camera and so I cannot take any pictures until we get a new one and that’s an expense I can’t justify at the moment.

So, I guess what’s going on with me is just this new idea that I can return to the things that I love, things outside of my children. (*gasps a bit…twinge of guilt*)

But, what I suspect will happen is that I will be beginning to focus this blog on all aspects of our family life, and the things I’m getting into, namely creative outlets. I am staying up way too late being crafty and it’s fun. So, stay tuned for all the projects and hopefully I’ll be able to show a picture or two soon. Oh wait…I have one from when Isabel was sick last month and fell asleep on daddy….

Top Ten Reasons We Love Judy

Over there to the right…see that star?  That’s for Judy.  She’s one incredible and wonderful woman.  Today she is having surgery in her fight against breast cancer.  Soooo…let’s all be sending out some good vibes, juju, prayers, good thoughts, positive energy and virtual chocolate.  Judy is fab.  Here’s why.

1. She uses the word ‘asshat’ which is a perfect word for a butthead, only way better

2. She’s a thoughtful, descriptive writer of stuff, her experiences, her feelings.  She’s honest and real.

3. She’s totally adorable

4. She’s an adoptive mom who totally gets it

5. She’s kind to everyone online and in the blogging community

6. She shares about how awesome her husband is, and his touching poems about how much he loves her and his family  (Are you getting how much love there is in this family??)

7. Anytime I’ve ever emailed her personally, she has written right back and she’s always funny and sweet even if she’s having a tough time

8. She listens to everyone’s point of view

9. What an amazing job at mothering she is doing

10. How she has faced her cancer with dignity and class and unbelieveable maturity and humor and bravery.

 

Judy…thinking about you all day today!!  It all sucks so much.  Wish I could bring you a stupid casserole and a hug today too.  HUGS.

BAKE Party at Suzanne’s

There’s a new thing happening thanks to Suzanne over at Straight Down the Mountain.  She started this whole idea of families from all over the Bay Area who have or are in-process of adopting from Kyrgyzstan, becoming a group who get together, form community and bonds with each other.  YAY!  B.A.K.E stands for Bay Area Kyrgyz Entourage.  I’m totally a BAKEr.  Here’s what happened:

 

 

Suzanne’s back yard….FAB

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the hammock

 

 

 

 

Suzanne, Ivy & Dylan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzanne’s Lagman was one of several traditional, central Asian dishes served.  One was a dish that I screwed up and it ended up being not the traditional manti but ended up being what I called Kyrgyz nachos.  Please, don’t ask.  Delicious, yes.  Authentic….no.  Absolutely no picture was taken of it.  I’ll do better next year…

Best. Picture. Ever – NaJuPicMo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zannie asked her, “Can I have a hug?”

and she came right over, laid down and gave

her a hug.  Then, she just stayed there and it was

quiet for a long time.  It was so incredibly sweet and I

don’t think I’ll ever forget this moment.

Room Makeover – Zannie Edition- NaJuPicMo

Giving credit where credit is due…the title of this post is lifted from Suzanne, over at Straight Down the Mountain, who waits for M. to come home from Kyrgyzstan.  Anyway, today was a marathon change from what used to be the Pink Room into the more mature, more 7 year-old and ready for second grade Suzannah room.

Purple with aqua. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made the quilt and pillows myself.  Above the bed is a little decoupage Flower Fairy thingy that I made.  Suzannah knows lots of flowers’ names thanks to the flower fairies.  Curtain from recent shopping trip to Target….

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stole from the bathroom the aqua beach glass cups.  I took food coloring and painted a white shade purple, then took out the ol’ glue gun and put on the daisies.  Ribbon may follow…not sure yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Suzannah’s book shelf I found myself remembering when I bought the little porcelin sleeping baby girl in Ireland in 1999 when we decided to start trying to have a baby.  Suzannah was born 3 years later.  Next to it is one of my favorite pictures of the two of us, she is about 2 months old there.  Then there is what Suzannah believes to be the most beautiful Matryoshka doll evah.  We bought that in Bishkek or Moscow…memory fails me.  This picture represents a lot of how hard things have been in the waiting for us to be a family, and the joys of now being a mother to my daughters.  

Now here’s something you’ll really like…noodle sisters…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isabel’s favorite food group is the Noodle group.  Suzannah is seen here offering noodles from her own soup and Isabel is refusing them.  This is a first.

Mascara, Tea, Downward Puppy & Baby Signs – NaJuPicMo

 

 

 

 

 

 

I awaken from my beauty slumber to strange noises and then the papparazzi took my picture for their own personal gain.

 

 

 

 

 

The morning became more civilized after taking tea from my favorite mug

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isabel just isn’t her best self if she doesn’t get in her sunrise yoga time.  This is ‘downward puppy’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isabel then decided to show you all her sign language skills.  Here she is with her favorite sign ‘more’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the completion of her saying ‘more’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Where’s your head?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Where’s your nose?”

It was a very full morning indeed.

Frosting & Boots with Steamed Milk – NaJuPicMo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moments after a particularly delicious cupcake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Target, while coveting rainboots, Izzy is seen sipping steamed milk

NaJuPicMo

 
<img src=”http:// ” alt=”najupicmo” />

I totally just invented this, but I’m excited.  Here’s the selling point…sooooooo much easier than NaMoBlahBlah… whatever that thingy is.  Anyway, the ideas is that July is for posting pictures.  Post one picture a day.  No text necessary!  Take a picture of your vacation, your breakfast, the sweater you’re knitting, your bathroom renovations, the progress your teeth whitening strips are making, your sunflowers in the garden, the plums you brought home from the farmers’ market,WHATEVER! A picture a day…it’s all we ask. 

I fully understand and appreciate that I could have and should have thought of this and promoted it beginning about two weeks ago, but better a tad late than never.  So…I’ll kick things off by posting pictures of our Kyrgyz picnic and get-together in San Diego. 

 

Lyudmilla with Izzy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judge from Tokmok

 

 

 

 

 

Izzy enjoying the teacups at Disneyland

 

 

 

 

So, tomorrow I’ll be back and see how many of you are doing this!