Buttoning Buttons

                          I made Shekinah a piece of fabric with buttons and button holes on one side and
                                              and on the other end I put a separating zipper.

                      Earlier she tried to do the buttons and just got frustrated so we put it away.

Today Faith was home sick  and Shekinah actually sat on a chair awhile

with her buttons. And now she can button her buttons!

Early in the day she decided she could be sick too and lay on the sofa with her blanket

but it just didn't work, she kept hopping up to do something.

Then she tried to insist that she needs Faith's bucket to fill with toys.

Thankfully Faith didn't need it, but it wasn't for TOYS!

                    I think she's going to school tomorrow....tho her belly still hurts off and on tonight.

And Then She Said...

The picture has nothing to do with the post...well that is, except for the subject of the post. Here she is, drawing "sock monkeys"....the picture sort of evolved from the original square "circle" with eyes in the corners to this....lots of sibling suggestions helped this along.

Anyway, tonite she came to me very seriously and felt her little hand along my fingers and said "mama when will I get some like this?"
I was a bit startled, because so far, she hasn't really mentioned her hand difference.
I was a little slow in answering and she put her hands on either side of my face,
"When I get big mama, then will I?"

Through tears I told her that God made her hands perfect and she has enough of fingers.

Dear Lord, please give me the right words because I'm sure there will be more conversations like this one.

We were at school most of the day today making hot lunch for the students, I have a feeling she was doing some observing.

Mothering

A post by Shari Zook got me to thinking. She honestly confesses that she doesn't always love all that motherhood throws at her. She made me smile with her mention of why God made babies so cute and how they draw you in and you love them quite securely before they become the tyrants of  the 3's, 4's and 14's.

I guess I need to remember.... I was not the little mommy that had a whole nursery of dolls. I was the only girl with 2 brothers. I had various dolls when I was very young, one in particular still lives at grandma's house, she is full of tiny pin-holes. I don't remember why.  My mother was a quilter so the fact that I had a pin at a young age is not outstanding....maybe I was practicing to be a nurse.

I distinctly remember "trying" to play doll and thinking "this is so strange".

The other thing I remember is that we were only going to have three children.  God is still smirking over that one...well I'm sure He has much more important things to do.

I do love having children around and don't usually mind the noise and mess, BUT

Sometimes I look forward to the day that I can listen to a whole Christmas concert without a small child wiggling around on my lap or needing to "go potty".

It will be nice to sit through a whole church service without trying to be sure someone isn't talking, whistling or humming loudly beside me.  I also have learned that I need to check the pocketbooks for contraband, one memorable Sunday morning I caught Shekinah in the act of bringing a harmonica to her lips. The giggles that shook our bench were almost as big of a distraction as the mournful notes of a harmonica would have been in a Mennonite church service.

Sometimes it would be nice not to be "so important". I feel impatient with some small people who think that mama is the only one who can tuck them in, or comb their hair, or any number of simple tasks. I know routine and sameness are comforting....

One day I really will "just run into the store for milk"...and not need to plan around the child that fell asleep in the back, or happens to be barefoot on a cold day....because it was time to go and there were no socks to be found....no not at my house.

One day, I will skip lunch and no one will notice....or I'll eat a handful of chocolate covered coffee beans and not feel one bit guilty, and won't need to hide while I do it.

One day I will go into the bathroom and close the door and the noise outside the door will stay constant and I will not need to worry who is loosing a limb in those brief moments that I go behind a closed door.

One day I won't need to tie little shoe, or search everywhere for one,
or check if anyone needs to potty before we head down the road,
or remind anyone to brush their teeth, or
comb a headful of black hair, or
hold my breath as someone carries a very full cup of milk to her place at the table, or
zipper coats, or
strap carseats.
The list goes on and on and as I'm writing this I remember that I will be babysitting grandchildren too. Please don't get the idea that I don't like these things....it's what I do. It keeps me flexible and reminds me why I'm on this earth.

When these jobs are gone
I will miss the conversation coming from the car seat behind me, "mom look, what's that?"
Me: "that, a tree?"
"No, that"
Still not taking my eyes off the road, " a bird?"
NO!, that!  on my finger!  It's a boogie!

I won't hear a little girl stomp her foot and tell me "you're not my boss!"
I had to laugh....I told her , "I'm so sorry, but I am your boss."

Tonight I figured out her definition of a boss is different than mine, after she insisted that Hope and Faith are her bosses, but momma and daddy are NOT.
"Bosses fight with me."
Then I stand corrected....

I won't get "mama I love you"  10 times a day.

I will miss the wonderful respite that naptime brings.

When I weigh it out.....I think I like where I'm at and I like my purpose in life
and it was really nice to hold a sleeping baby tonight.

Outside My Comfort Zone

                  Yeah, that's my dishwasher sitting in the garage beside the trash bags...it's trash
           It is more than 7 years old and hubby has done multiple repairs on it over the years.
             We thought we had hit on something the beginning of December when we added the TSP to the soap. It did help, but then one day I ran the same load twice and the same carrot pieces were still at the same place on the glass dish. It goes against my frugal Mennonite upbringing to waste time and money, so
 we unloaded the dishwasher for the very last time and started to wash dishes the old fashioned way.
           Well, we use hot water and bubbly soap, I drew the line at sand in the stream, cause I don't think
         that sand kills flu germs. I suddenly realized that I have at least 5 capable, strong, intelligent, young
      delightful...(ok I ran out of adjectives) children that need to learn how to wash dishes. They need
    to learn to work together, how to snap dish towels, argue about spilled water, and dirty forks. I am also remembering an interesting malady known as dish diarrhea/constipation, but we are getting along.

    I informed hubby that I think I will invest in some new drain stoppers, and good dish towels instead of a
             new dishwasher. He took me at my word. I went to a class that evening and by the time I came home he had re-installed the old cabinet. He said he didn't want me changing my mind!

        I barely know what to do with all the space! Shekinah carefully sorted the plates on separate piles and opened the cupboard and exclaimed "beautiful"!  Now I have to remember where I put my stuff. The old drawer is getting worn out as I absent-mindedly open it looking for a fork.  Ben was wondering if I'm trying to confuse him. They tell me change is good for the brain...you don't get so set in your ways.

Have a good week. I'm going to step out of my comfort zone tomorrow 

and speak to a group of high school girls

about adoption during their child-care class.

What Little I Know About Steamed Buns

A number of years ago my friend Houa introduced us to steamed buns. She is Hmong and in her culture her mother put spicy sausage and a half of hard boiled egg inside.  The ones we ate in China had a barbequed pork filling. Joe says he ate his with his foster family and they had "green things" inside. He thinks it might have been lemon grass. Shekinah came to me clutching a steamed bun, but I soon figured out that she just peeled the bun off and dug out the meat and ate that.

                     The above was made by a professional chef, in China, that little thing that                            looks like a pumpkin?  Yummy!

                                                     Only a little over a year ago?

                                                                      Supper in China
So how do you steam them?  You can use a steamer basket that comes with your kettles, but that nets about 5 or 6 buns....that just doesn't go very far. I splurged the other week when we went for a re-stocking run at our local Chinese food store. I got a bamboo steamer, it is a double-decker. I only need to fill it twice.  Ideally I should have a kettle that is 1/2 inch smaller in diameter than the steamers. I have been "making-do" with a kettle that is at least an inch smaller.  The water needs to be heated to a rolling boil, you know,  the way you heat it for pasta. Then  place your filled baskets on top of the kettle with the lid.(be careful when handling the baskets around the boiling water, the steam hits you and crazy times)  Set the timer for 20 minutes, and don't peek!   We haven't  always managed to make perfect creations, sometimes they sink like the ones on the picture....doesn't seem to affect their taste.

OK, the recipe

dough:
1-1/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons oil, butter, or shortening
1-1/2 tsp salt
4 cups high gluten flour
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon  sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder (read instructions)

You can follow the bread dough instructions and allow the yeast to "proof" in the warm water, or you can mix all the ingredients in your stand mixer/ bread machine. Let rise, again this depends on the amount of time you have....did you get a sudden urge for steamed buns or did you plan your day?
Tonite I had about 1-1/2 hours, I left the dough rise while I collected the filling ingredients.

Just before you are ready to start forming the buns, mix the baking powder with a very small amount of water...just enough to dissolve the baking powder. Knead the baking powder liquid into the dough.

According to the Chinese cookbook I was reading, this is the way the Chinese cooks make the dough...

Prepare your "papers"
Bao-zi have paper on the bottom, to keep them from sticking to the steamer basket. You can use foil, or parchment paper,  waxed paper has mixed results. (If you don't mind eating paper....go for it).  I have been giving my papers a quick spritz of cooking spray. Spray your steamer basket while you're at it.
Divide your dough into 8 -12 pieces.
Flatten each dough ball into a 4 inch disk place your cooled (read filling instructions) in the center of the disk. Bring the edges of the dough up and pinch or pleat the bun closed.  Place the bun on little squares of greased parchment or foil. Place the bun "pinched" side up....I think they don't "collapse" as much that way. Then into the basket. I usually start my water heating at this time, but the buns can sit while you are waiting for the pot to boil.


Filling:
sausage and egg,  or
leftover turkey and gravy, or
pork barbeque, or
cherry pie filling (sort of messy to fill)
brown-butter pumpkin (yummy)---recipe to follow
vegetarian mixes abound on line


Brown butter, pumpkin filling:   from  here

¼ cup butter

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 ¼ cups pumpkin – mashed or solid packed canned

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

Place butter into a saucepan and melt over medium heat.  You do not want to step away from the butter because it can quickly go from browned to burned if you are not watching it.  Simmer until the milk solids in the butter start to brown (the butter will start to smell nutty).  At this point take the butter off the heat. My additional instructions: Cook the above in the microwave and cool in the fridge. That makes the bao-zi much easier to fill.

My family has mixed reviews on this recipe....DIL, Joe and I love it...some of the others say it is too sweet...so make adjustments. 

Google steamed buns or  bao-zi  and you will get much more professional instructions....but we do love our bao-zi....we're even introducing some very PA Dutch palates to Chinese food and they love it.

Sock Monkeys

Today we tried to make some sock monkeys

But making three and then going out for supper

           they will have to wait till Monday, even though Hope thinks it isn't really work                         and we could finish them on Sunday....I think I'm voting for a day of rest!

Resolutions?

I'm well aware that the New Year is well started, but my blogging time has been taken up by Anne Perry and Agatha Christie.  You see Shekinah has decided that falling asleep on the sofa is just not that fun, so she begs to "go to bed". Yaay!  but that doesn't mean mom gets to finish up odd chores and write in her journal (blog) no, that means mom needs to "lay beside me". Since I'm an experienced mom, I try to go with the flow and make lemonade out of...well you get the idea.  So I have a small flashlight and I grab my pillow and blankets and I lay on the floor reading until she falls asleep. By that time I'm ready for my bed.

So here goes-- Sunday our minister challenged us with our goals for 2014, not resolutions exactly but more on the line of "If you knew that Jesus was coming in 2014, (or tomorrow) what would you do?" My heart's instant answer was, "bring another child home."  (sorry mom, and DH, don't have a heart-attack). If I really knew exactly when Jesus was coming back, I would do that, we would.  But I fully realize that what I could do for a year, I can't do for 15 years(at least I don't think so).  So then I pulled back a bit, so what can I do?  I think we can all agree, the need for families willing to work with/adopt/foster  hurt children is huge. There are so many angles...
Then in the evening my uncle told of the work in Thailand and the needs in working with young believers/young churches. He spoke of the unreached people groups of the world, but he missed one. I don't think anyone intentionally skips this group...but  the children in orphanages in atheistic countries are an un-reached people group.

No, I didn't come up with any good resolutions.
Then  yesterday I needed something to listen to while I sewed and I looked up Otto Koning, you know "The Pineapple Story" guy.  (If you never listened to his recordings, it's something you should do)  anyway, found one called Treasures in Heaven  then today God Enjoys the Impossible  There is so much to do and we are these small minded people sitting here and looking at things we call 'roadblocks'.
Oh wow! that sounds lofty!

So anyway won't you take the time to pray and ask God what he'd really like you to do for Him in 2014 and then        Get On With It!  Cause check out the time!

Skillful

                Sneaking a scoop of rice before supper, but what do you do with the gum in your mouth?

Then we had such yummy eggrolls, but she was up to her old tricks...dig inside and find the meat, 

see the small pile on her plate?

Then carefully pull each of the bean thread noodles, one at a time.

Eleven years ago, we arrived in the gloomy dark city of Changsha, Ch*na and the next

day we  met our daughter.

Happy New Year!

          What the kitchen table looks like after four girls play Dutch Blitz and eat popcorn.

                                                          on the coldest (?) night of the year?

                                  I convinced him to pose with his new driver's permit.

                           I say that is enough of snow for this season...but then I'm not in charge.

Pray for my brother's family, little Amy still isn't gaining weight, not sure what might be causing it. It seems as if it is part of the Edward's Syndrome.  The other part of having a special needs child seems to be the compulsion that EVERYONE and his brother seem to think they need to see this baby! It is a catch-22, people are concerned and everyone who knows my brother's family would like to help out...BUT the phone rings non-stop, people from all over want to come and see this baby. Somewhere in the middle would be about right...texting is better than calling! Phone calls should be short. When you stop by to bring food, make sure that no one has a snotty nose or a cough.  OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.