Lunch with Brother.

Today we had lunch with brother at his school.

In case you didn't know, Zoey calls Braedan 'brother'!

It was pajama day at school after the holiday yesterday (good call!)
and things seemed pretty relaxed at school today.

Zoey showed her school spirit by rockin' her Wiederstein Elementary shirt
and her squishy face.

Now that I know how not a big deal it is to eat with your kindergartner
at lunch, we may do it more often!

(I admit, I was envisioning a nightmarishly loud room
sitting at a table with screaming kids that spewed food from their mouth
onto your food every time they tried talking to you!
But I was pleasantly surprised to see many other parents there
and we sat at our own little round table completely undisturbed
by the other students, except for the occasional hello from kids we know from church! The noise was indeed deafening, but it made my kindergartner's day!)

Honoring Veterans

This picture was taken May 5, 1991 as we greeted my father who was fresh off the airplane from serving six months in Operation Desert Storm.

(How's that sweater working out for ya, Kim?)

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."-Elmer Davis

Thank you to all those brave men and women who have served and are currently serving, especially my father and grandfathers, as well as other extended family, our country.

My grandfather, Arthur Hughes Williams (1921-2000), served in World War II with the Navy.

My grandfather, Edward William Roland (1923-2004), also served in World War II with the Army/Air Force.

Proud to be the daughter and grandaughter of these three amazing men!

Monkey-ing Around!

Look who decided to pose for some pictures today!

Cucumber Kimchi!

I've been wanting to try this for a while now after starting to make my own cabbage kimchi.

I no longer buy kimchi from our Korean market as I like my homemade version better, but have been wanting to try it with cucumber for a while now.

It's the same method as the cabbage, with just a few different steps...

First, I bought the pickling cucumbers at our local grocer today. A little more than I wanted to pay, but would have paid the difference in gas to get our Korean market, so it all worked out. I think these cucumbers are just firmer, seedless, and hold up a little better. If you don't want to pay the higher price or can't find Korean cucumbers (which are perfect for this) then you can try the hot house or English cucumber. I wouldnt' recommend just regular old cucumber as I think they will get mushy.

Now, with my cabbage kimchi, I soak it in salt water for a few hours before mixing it with the kimchi paste, but was worried that if I did that, the cucumbers would get mushy to start out, so I skipped that step, even though some recipes still recommend it.

I may try it next time...if you do want to do this step, just soak the cut up cucumbers in super salty water for a few hours...

So to prepare, just slice into two inch sections, then in four spears like the picture...

And onto the paste. Here are the three ingredients I get at my Korean market. The ginger, Korean chili flakes (unlike no other!) and the fish sauce. I'm sure you could use all "American" substitutes for these, but this is what I use.

Take a whole head of garlic and peel and put into food processor with about a Tablespoon of ginger, 1/4-1/2 cup of chili flakes, 1/4 cup of fish sauce and about a teaspoon of sugar and blend till it's a thick paste.

Use a large bowl or pan and mix all together.

Dump into a container that can be made airtight and so the cucumbers just fit.

Then pour a cup or two of water into the pan you mixed in and scrape all the goodies together and stir to make a sort of "paste" water. This will be your cucumber kimchi "brine".

Then pour over cucumbers and wah lah! Seal in an airtight container and leave out at room temperature in a cool dry place for up to 24 hours. Then refrigerate.

I plan to pour off a little of the liquid once the cucumbers have fermented a bit so that the kimchi paste will "stick" a little better to it and give it a little extra flavor.

I'm also thinking next time I will probably let it sit a bit in just the paste first before adding the liquid.

It's all an experiment with me!!


We're having Bi Bim Bop tonight for dinner, so I thought this would be a good side dish for it!

Or try it with some homemade yakimandu or jap chae!

If I had it my way, I'd make all of it and have a little buffet!!

Orphan Sunday

What can we do to bring hope to those still waiting?

Hope is Fading – Orphan Sunday from Allan Rosenow on Vimeo.

Wordless Wednesday {Hit the ground running}

Are you ready to make it one less?

Several days ago, I came across a song somewhere (can't even remember how!) and just heard a few snipits of it...one less something or other. I saw that it was linked to a video about an adoption, so I googled the song and found that is was indeed called "One Less" by an artist named Matthew West. I listened to the song on youtube and was hooked. Well, really, I was in tears. And totally inspired.

I had recently discovered through a Holt email that November was National Adoption Month. I knew I needed to do something. So after some thought, I contacted my friends in the adoption world, who had already brought their children home, and decided to make a video advocating adoption.

Of course, One Less would be the theme song.

This is what Matthew West had to say about this inspirational song...

Defend the cause of the orphans…" Isaiah 1:17

I was inspired by the hundreds of stories from people who were so passionate about adoption. What a gift for a family to open up their arms and welcome in a child with no home! Every adoption story is truly the proof that God is involved in the details, even the smallest details. I wrote the first verse to show how at the same time, in two different parts of the world, God is hearing the cries of two hearts, and little do they know they are about to be joined together by a God who can orchestrate the impossible.

There are so many orphans in the world today, that the mission of giving them all a home to the human eye seems more like a mission impossible. But, as I read one story after another about a child finding a home, I found myself saying, "That's one less, one less, one less broken heart in the world tonight."

You may not be in a position to adopt an orphan in your life right now, but there are many ways to carry out the command of the bible to care for the orphans. Personally, I have a friend who is in the process of adopting a little girl from Russia and he and his family are in need of financial support to do so. Many friends and neighbors are helping support this family's effort financially so this little girl can have a home. Ask God to show you how to care for the orphans. Every time you help, that's one less…

So I reached out to thirty or so of my friends from the adoption world, and they did everything I ordered them to do and provided me a picture of their children and families brought together through adoption! I knew that anyone considering adoption had to see the faces of the children who had found their families, making one less orphan in the world.

My mind often wanders to that what ifs of my own life, in a way that keeps me humbled and most grateful for adoption.

For that reason, I will do everything I can to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves and spread the word about the miracle of adoption.

Let me be clear, that adoption has it's struggles. Financially and emotionally for all involved...but know that in the end, God has a clear cut plan for where each and every person's path meets.

It just so happened that mine met my parents and Zoey's ours.

I hope that you will watch the video and pass it along, unknowing of who it can inspire and ultimately lead to new adoption journeys.

And be sure to keep up with the blog I have set up that will feature a family a day that have been touched by adoption at http://nationaladoptionmonth.blogspot.com.

My goal is to reach 10,000 hits on this video in the month of November...so that 10,000 people can hear the message that we are not to forget about the children who are still without homes...but if only one person walks away from this with just an open heart, then I have met my goal.