Me, Jude, go to Ethiopia???

After almost 6 mths of my son being home, this is the first mention we had of ET.


We were coming home from a soccer game and we approached a stoplight that is near our church.  Jude pipes up and says "Me, Jude, go to church?"  I said no, that we would be going the next day.


There was a pause....


Then he said "Me, Jude, go to Ethiopia?" and my heart just about stopped.  I told me that ET was very very far away and that we would, someday, go back.  I told him how much Gaga, Woudneh, Betty, Dagim and all his friends and nannies loved him so much.


Silence.


We got home and he crawled up in my lap, very unusual for a boy who never stops.  I hold him and tell him how much I love him and then I ask him if he would like to watch our ET videos when daddy gets home.  He hasn't wanted to watch any of them, since coming.  He said he did.  


I lay him down for a nap and we wait for daddy to come home.  Our evening was busy, with lots of friends over.  He is normally running, excited, sweating and this time...he did play, but he was solemn.  I overheard him telling the other children that he loves ET and that he misses ET.


My heart.


I knew this day was coming, but knowing and being prepared are 2 different things.  Watching the movies can trigger emotions and memories that he may not be prepared to deal with.


We did watch the movies and he enjoyed them, I was thankful.


This morning, he seems back to his normal self.  He announced that he slept "long" and then he wondered where daddy was.  He has never asked where daddy was...he seemed lost without him. I explained that daddy was at work and that he would be home soon.  He seemed content with that answer.


The English is coming more and more each day and so are the questions.


Lord, grant me the wisdom to be able to handle all the questions with grace and love.


Blessings.

Roast Chicken

ROAST CHICKEN

1 (or 2 in my case) whole chicken

Seasoning (you can either use the seasoning recipe I have on another post or lemon pepper)

Water

Place chicken (I placed my right from the freezer) in a large pan with a lid.  Fill bottom of pan with water and liberally sprinkle whatever seasoning mix you prefer.

Cover, bake at 350 for 6 hrs.

It, literally, fell off the bone.

Chicken/Broccoli Fetticini

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI  FETTICINI

Fetticini, cooked and drained

4-6 chicken breasts, boiled and cubed

2 cans cream of broccoli

1 soup can of milk

Cheddar cheese

Seasoned bread crumbs

Seasoning (separate recipe already list on blog)

Place your boiled, cubed chicken, soups, milk, cheddar and seasoned bread crumbs in a crock pot.  Add seasoning.

Put on low for 4-6 hrs.

Serve over hot pasta.

Serve with bread (I make french bread with butter, garlic and parmesan on it).

Homemade dryer sheets

HOMEMADE DRYER SHEETS

Sponges, cut in half

5 gallon bucket, with lid

1 bottle of fabric softener

Pour fabric softener in 5 gallon bucket, then refill the jug with water 3x and pour into bucket.  Throw in sponges.  When ready to use, lift lid, get a sponge and squeeze it out.  Throw it in the dryer.

Fabric Softener

Homemade fabric softener

1 gallon white vinegar

• 20-30 drops of essential oil

Just shake well before each use and it’s ready for the rinse cycle. For small or average loads add 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle, for larger loads add about 1 cup to the rinse cycle or place in the fabric softener compartment before running your load.

Taco Ring

Taco Ring

Ground Beef

Onion

Seasoning (prior recipe)

taco mix

2 crescent rolls

lettuce

colby jack (or whatever cheese you like)

**any other taco toppings you like**

Brown ground beef with onion and seasoning.  Drain.

On greased cookie sheet, open up each crescent roll and place the wide end in a circle.

 

Next, spoon the meat onto the wide end of the crescent roll.

Sprinkle cheese over meat.

Lift up the smaller and place over the meat.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 min.

Cool and then layer the inside of the circle with lettuce, cheese and any other toppings you prefer for tacos.

Serve with chips.

Seasoning Recipe

I use this recipe for EVERYTHING I cook.

Seasoning Recipe

1 cup salt

1/4 cup pepper

1/4 cup onion powder

1/4 cup garlic powder

Put in a gallon baggie or a plastic bowl with lid (that's what I do) and shake.  Sprinkle on everything that needs it.  Love love love this.