What's the haps?

Whew, that a weekend! On the adoption front, we have spoken with Tasha, the expectant mom (commonly called emom or after placement, birth mom) with whom we are matched. We spoke Friday night for the first time as she got her cell phone re-connected and also today for quite a while. She is very sweet and has given much thought to her choice of adoption. We are happy she has done so much counseling and preparatory grief work (of course, we know no one can possibly prepare for this). We talked through some of what will happen next time we meet when her ex-boyfriend will be there, what's going to happen at the hospital, who's going to do what, what we are going to name the baby, etc. It seems like all is going really smooth! The baby is breech right now so Tasha is praying she turns to avoid a c-section!

Friday night I got to see my Winona friends at the the Chatterbox Pub because Er-Bear was back in town from Seattle with her boyfriend Andrew. Everyone was very excited to hear our news and it was fun to have the support of so many old friends! Saturday was lazy day but we did gets lots of cleaning & organizing done. We watched the documentary Grizzly Man in HD on our new flatscreen about this weird guy who lived with bears in Alaska and was eventually eaten alive by them! Tonight we are going to try a new Vietnamese restaurant with the Hos who just got back from the Yucatan. Oh, and I am already sore from a killer Bodysculpt workout today...still gotta work off lots of Christmas calories!

I vlach!

I stole an idea from another blog about whipping up a meal with only the random ( in my case spoiled) ingredients you have in your house. Jake was starving but since we are saving our pennies for the adoption, I decided to just create something. I forgot to take a photo but use your imag...

Tilipia Parmigiana over penne with Alfredo & Prego tomato sauce

• 2 cups penne
• 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce from jar in fridge, don't mind smell
  
• 1/2 Prego in jar, scrape off mold
  
• 4 small tilapia fillets ( mine were frozen)
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup Romano cheese, fresh grated
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
• Olive Oil
• Green Onions
• Garlic
• stale hamburger buns make great garlic bread

Saute chopped green onions and clove of garlic in olive oil. Dip fish in egg and then coat in bread crumbs, cheese and salt & pepper. Pan sear in oil. Boil penne for 12 minutes, boil sauces to kill mold spores, bake garlic toast. Dump penne on plates, add both sauces, top with fish and sprinkle with cheese. Or, something along those lines.

Christmas 2007

Christmas time is such an interesting mix of being with the people you love yet them being so annoying/stressed you want to scream. Then, they give you really thoughtful presents so you love them again. In a nutshell.

Saturday
We enjoyed festivities with my Dad & Linda, complete with steak dinner and yes, a real flat screen TV! Too much! Mekensie beat everyone at Disney Scene-It.

Sunday
We drove through Austin to see Jake's grandparents but then hit white out road conditions and were forced to the spend the night at a hotel in Rochester. Puke. We had to sneak Dorothy in due to the No Pets policy so that was hilarious as Jake wrapped her up in blanket and carried her in like luggage with a tail.

Monday
We made it to Winona safe & sound. Went to Central Lutheran Church and had a lovely dinner with Jake's family. Liz gave us a sentimental baby book that she used to read to Ellen when she was little and Ellen showed us the drawings she had made. Sweet.

Tuesday
Bright & early everyone crammed into my grandparents house for brunch and chaos. Tuesday night we relaxed and exchanged gifts ( for hours literally) at my mom's house. Casey & Hil gave us to the coolest coupon book which will get it's own blog. My mom showered us with presents so we will never need to shop again.

Thanks everyone!!

Wednesday
After we had unpacked our car, cleared the snow and finally showered, Jake & I had our own little Christmas in front of the fireplace. Ahhh....

It is so easy to get overwhelmed with all the travel/food/gifts that Jesus is forgotten and I must admit I am guilty of that. I have so much to thank Him for... health, family, job, house, friends and now a baby girl in January!! God is good!

Super cute baby bag I now own...

Vera Bradley-Mod Floral Pink Baby Bag

Oooo...baby! Everything to keep a new mom organized and on-the-go: a wide zip top, two inside pockets, a front slip-in, plus two more (one on each end) accented with trim, and a full pocket on back. Includes a 24" x 14" terry-covered changing pad.

We've been chosen!

The birthmom in Duluth has chosen us to adopt her baby girl due mid January! We are beyond thrilled!!!

Dorothy's dermis

My darling daughter has been battling a very itchy face, whiskers and eyes for several months now. We have tried antibiotics, Prednisone, Benadryl, even a cone hat but nothing stops her itching! We now suspect a food allergy. She has been eating quality lamb & rice dog food for two years now but I guess allergies can develop. Last week we started her on Hill's Prescription Diet D/D salmon & potato dog food, the theory being that you need to change to protein and the carb plus take out the other ingredients in processing. Yes, her food budget is now almost as much as ours but we love her!

"Buy our bread, we knead the dough"

Since we were in Duluth all day we had to find a great place to go for lunch. Someone recommended a little basement bakery in Canal Park called Amazing Grace. Oh.Em. Gee. It was so good!! I had a ham sandwich on parm french w/ sprouts, tomatoes & provolone cheese with cream of broccoli and cauliflower soup. We have to go back. I hope we get the baby just so we can hang out there for 3 days (well, that and I really want to be a mom and this opportunity would be amazing but...)

Match Meeting

Man, what a long exhausting day! Today we drove to Duluth for our match meeting with T & her mom. It was really good. She was super nervous so it took her a bit to warm up but we shared photos and talked about many things such as our lifestyle, openness of adoption, future contact, etc. We hope we connected with her (but it's hard to say for sure...she told her SW she liked us). She is scheduled to meet with the other family on Dec 29th so we may not know anything until after that. We hear she is very deliberate and thoughtful so whatever she decides, it will come after much processing. The good news is she is secure in her choice of adoption so now she just needs to pick a family.

Name my baby

Please vote for the name you like best:

girl

• LC
• Audrina
• Whitney
• Heidi
• Elodie
• Lisa Love
• Stephanie Pratt
  

boy

• Spencer
• Brody
• Justin Bobby
• Jason
  

Ode to Jake

Jake, you finally read my blog. That was smart on your part because I might write embarrassing things about you and also now I have two whole readers. I love you!

Onions and funions

So last night was the long awaited Bible Study holiday Christmas dinner party. It was basically what you would expect: shots, boobs and pole tricks. Sabrina wowed us with her loins (see photo), Jeanelle unthawed some tasty egg rolls, Ellen brought the booze as usual and Theresa procured the obligatory jelly beans. The best part was when I set out all the ingredients for my dishes and watched Sabrina whip them up. I noticed that everything we ate had onions in. Onions in the egg rolls, onions in the orzo and greenbeans, caramelized onions on bread and green onions on the pork. Where's our imagination?

Spears

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

I have a stoney heart

Lars and the Real Girl

Okay, I saw it (crickets chirp)...

Maybe it's one too many psychology classes but Lars is straight up looney tunes. I feel like a jerk for not loving the movie. I don't think Lars is just going to get over his delusion and live happily ever after with Margot. Jake loved the movie ( he cried four times...I can write that because he believes no one reads my blog) but I just did not connect with it. It was too much and a little slow. Maybe I need to see it again? I miss my Ryan Gosling of the Notebook.

BFF Du Jour

How cute is this? We had the adorable Lo Lo over with her parents and our friends Pat & Angie who are expecting a baby boy this spring. Jake made awesome egg dish, stuffed french toast along with blueberry scones, fruit and coffee. It was great to see everyone before the holidays. Now we just need to plan New Years...

Happy 21st Birthday Charlie!

Garth rides my bus!

I ride the 87, as do several highschoolers on their way from Highland Park to what I can only assume is an artsy magnet school. I really don't know. Anyway, I see the same kids everyday and one looks exactly like Garth from Wayne's World. It's the hair, really. It is so dorky but I only think that because I am almost 30. He has this skinny little boy body, oversized clothes, glasses and is always listening to his iPod which I assume only plays Queen.

Now this should be embarassing for me

Okay, I keep hearing this song on the radio called Low by Flo Rida (get it?)

Here are some lyrics:

Apple Bottom Jeans Jeans
Boots with the fur With the fur
The whole club was lookin at her
She hit the flo [She hit the flo]
Next thing you know
Shawty got low low low low low low low low

Them baggy sweat pants
And the Reeboks with the straps
She turned around and gave that big booty a smack [Ayy]
She hit the flo [She hit the flo]
Next thing you know
Shawty got low low low low low low low low

I dare you to keep it out of your head.

Most Fruitful Yuki

What a great movie! Juno was clever, hip and very funny! Ellen Page is an amazing actress...WOW. Jennifer Garner as me was good but I don't feel she quite embodied my quirkiness and Jason Bateman as Jake was simply a douchebag. There were some very touching scenes that I truly related to, such as when the Juno was complaining about her pregnancy and told the adoptive mom "you should be glad you don't have to go through it". Ouch! And also when the adoptive parents were fearful of becoming excited about the adoption due to a failed match in the past. The adoptive mom asked "how sure are you that you are going to do this? Like 80%? 9o%?" The final scene with Juno crying in the hospital after birth with Paulie Bleeker (the geekishly cute Michale Cera) was hard to watch as I saw the same pain with our "almost birthmom" Christina. Despite all this emotion, it was so laugh-out-loud funny. Go see it! It was great to go with my gal pals Ellen & Sabrina and a new friend Shannon who has about the cutest lil' accent ever.

Also check out this bitchin' t-shirt I got for free. It is of the pregnant superhero comic in the movie.

Juno

I am so excited about this movie! Tonight I have free passes to see it with Sabrina & Ellen at the Lagoon in Uptown. Here's the synopsis:

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes an unusual and bizarre decision regarding her unborn child.

Okay, spoiler alert! Her decision is to have an open adoption so I don't really think that is "bizarre", more like mature and generous, but that's Hollywood, folks. In the movie I will be played by Jennifer Garner and Jake by Jason Bateman. But that's not even the best part! The boyfriend is played by Michael Cera who I LOVE LOVE LOVE! You may remember him as the awkward George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development? Anyway, the script was written by Diablo Cody who wrote the hilarious memoir Candygirl about being a stripper/sex worker in Minneapolis. Today is going to be a good day!

Oh eight

OMG!

Eventful days. Yesterday, we got a call that we have a match meeting next week! The expectant mother is 25 and is due in January with a baby girl! She is considering one other family so time will tell if we match.

Also, I took my final today in my Parent-Child Relations class so I am officially dunzo with that one. Work is quiet with students taking finals but I've got presents to wrap, a brunch menu to plan and books to read (not all at work, of course).

Shoes that did not work for me

MBT Lifestyle
Birkenstock Rio
Birkenstock Eaton
BMT Gil Fisherman
Earth Allure

Taboo

Ah, another fun weekend is dunzo. I took Friday off which gave me time to visit with Missy & Lo, clean my house and take a nap with my husbo. Saturday night we met some of the Winona crew at Chatterbox for dinner and came back to my house for games & cheesecake. We played Taboo, which always leads to interesting associations. Sunday, I did my bodysculpt class, got our neighbor Jean to take our Christmas photos in exchange for "punkin" bars and also had coffee with Sarah at Nina's Cafe. Quite the full weekend! I also managed to call my mom about a dozen time to just sigh into the phone and annoy her. What more could I ask for?

Palbicki's Punkin Bars

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 
  
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
3. Spread the batter evenly into an ungreased 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool before frosting.
4. To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar a little at a time, beating until mixture is smooth. Spread evenly on top of the cooled bars. Cut into squares.

I make the worst coffee.

I don't get it. Some say it's because I buy the cheap stuff. Others say it's because my coffee pot was $19.99( I mean it doesn't even warm it, I have to put it in the microwave (or radar range as my grandma would have said)). I would try harder but it's all just an excuse for me to go to a coffee shop.

Family dance...

My brother Casey sent me this great footage of that dance we did last Christmas...

Everest

After trekking home from the bus through unplowed walks in freezing temps, it was only right that Jake & I curl up to watch our favorite documentary Expedition on Everest on the Discovery Channel.

We booed big Tim Medvetz for being a pain in the butt and cheered when "asthmatic" Mogens Jensen finally agreed to use to oxygen in his 3rd attempt at Everest. It is really striking how these men risk their lives and give up all financial security just to "summit". Seems redunkulous to me but I won't go anywhere without my space heater and coffee creamer.

Trying this...Earth Allure

I am trying out a new pair of shoes that are supposed to be very foot-friendly. They have a negative heel and patented gel cushioning. Time will tell...

I want to marry her...this is why I make a good Democrat.

I'm a ho ho ho...

Our tree, fully decorated. You may notice my prize Kermit the Frog ornament, front and center. My Papa Michael and Grandma Audrey saved it from my younger days and gave it to me.

BS

This really weird thing happens on Monday nights where a few ladies come over to my house to BS. One of them usually brings Chinese food. We talk about all kinds of things but mainly I try to impress them with how many red pepper flakes I put on my food.

Tree for two

Our is tree up, our house decorated into a glimmering sparkle of holiday bliss and most presents bought and wrapped. I like to think I have a slight creative flare passed on by generations of florists. My Great-Grandma Dorothy, Grandma Barb, Mom Holly and Aunt Jill all were florists. I would be more flashy were I not such a cheap skate.

Anywhoo, I grew up with my mom decorating her shop every year for the season. My favorite design was what I called the" Eualalie Mackecknie Shinn (the mayors' wife) Tree" which featured metallic purple & magenta decor and lovely peacock feather accents. My moms loves her some peacock feathers ( for those of you not intimate with the Music Man, y0u have no idea what this means but truly... you are missing out. "I have a bunion in my foot that bothers me! " Best quote ever). Anyway, the EMC has now made a minor comeback at Heart's Desire in Winona as my mom brought her back, feathers and all!! Damn, I need a photo of her before she molts.

Torture?

What to blog about? After a wonderfully long hiatus from blogging, I have no choice but to update in order provide a lifeline to my friend Sabrina who checks this site daily. DAILY! How horribly disappointing! It's like you are just waiting and waiting for something, anything, and it never happens. Where have I felt those emotions before? Oh yes, our adoption! 5 months, 1 week and 6 days of pure waiting!!!