Waiting

Hi all!

Well, we are still waiting. We thought this waiting thing would be pretty relaxed; however, it turns out that waiting to be "matched" with your baby is more intense than waiting for Christmas morning - go figure. Within the next week or so, we should meet our family coordinator and find out more about our home study agency and social worker.

We've spent the last few weeks just enjoying summer and trying to distract ourselves from the waiting. Thomas, Jimmy's next youngest brother, was able to visit us for a few days. In an attempt to not be a tourist, he and Jimmy spent most of the time wasting away at various coffee spots. They seem to embrace that Ferguson-style love of spending hours doing nothing but hanging out.

Shirin's Recovery

Jimmy is now back to work teaching summer school and leaving me at home to be the official dog-sitter for Shirin, who had surgery earlier this week. Luckily dog-sitting does not hamper my summer goal of reading the 50-some books on my to-read list. So far, I've read No Biking in the House Without a Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene another delightful insight into the daily life of a family of nine with multiple adopted kiddos. Greene's brutally honest journalistic writing keeps me balanced between idyllic euphoria and total terror. On the non-adoptive front, I haven't been able to tear myself away from The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, which may be my new all-time favorite book. If you haven't read this, you seriously need to order it right now. Imagine To Kill a Mockingbird mixed with a little Invictus, Catcher in the Rye, and Mohammad Ali.

Finally, as promised, here's the newest "recipe" for our granola. By recipe, I mean this might be similar to the granola I've been making, but I make no promises, because I usually just throw together whatever I happen to find in the kitchen :)

Jimmy's Granola Snack

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup candied almond slices
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup dried cranberries


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Combine oats, almonds, and dried cranberries in large mixing bowl.
3. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine salt, brown sugar, honey, olive oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Bring to a boil for 3-5 minutes.
4. Pour warm mixture over dry ingredients. Stir well.
5. Spread mixture in baking pan.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes. Stir. Bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Remove from oven. Let cool about 20 minutes. Store in air-tight container.