Sunday, March 31, 2013

Dabo Kolo (Ethiopian Spicy Dough Snack)

 
 
Dabo is the word for bread in Ethiopia.
Kolo is the word for roasted barley.
 
Dabo Kolo is spicy and crunchy and is a popular snack in Ethiopia!
 
A friend made this for an Ethiopian adoptive family get-together, and I decided to make it myself today. It is Easter--my husband is working and our families are far away, so it is just me at home--and I am thinking about Ethiopia and our little girl we are waiting for a referral for (several years out). I thought it would be fun to make this snack to add to my lunches this week. Enjoy!
 
Ingredients:
2 cups wheat flour
2 tablespoons berbere
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
 
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine and mix dry ingredients (flour, berbere, sugar, and salt).
3. Slowly add the water and mix to form a thick paste. Remove the mixture from the bowl and knead it on a lightly-floured surface for a few minutes to form a thick dough.
4. Add the softened butter and knead for five minutes.
5. Let the dough rest in a cool place for ten minutes.
6. Roll the dough into balls the size of a dime or smaller. Place them on a baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring or shaking the pan a few times to prevent sticking.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Store in a dry air-tight container.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

March Numbers!


Today we received our March waitlist numbers from AGCI!

Our new numbers are:
 
125
 For a girl 0-12 months old
 
AND
 
55
For siblings--a girl 0-12 months old and a birthsister 0-5 years old
 
We moved 3 spots down on the girls list and 2 spots down on the siblings list!
 
Overall, we have moved 14 spots down on the girls list and 8 spots down on the siblings list.
 
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
Psalm 125:1
 
Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 55:22


Sunday, March 24, 2013

new url

 
Hi friends!
 
Today i switched my blog url from www.bringingyoumorethanasong.blogspot.com to:
 
 
 
 
 
The old one was a bit of a mouthful! It corresponded to my old blog name which was When The Music Fades--a worship song I love. When I first began this blog, I focused my writing on infertility, but my blog slowly morphed into an Ethiopian adoption blog! I am happy to switch my url to match the title of my blog.
 
What does this mean for you?
 
To receive my news feed of new posts, you will need to re-follow my blog. Also, if you advertise my blog on your own blogsite, you will need to re-post my new url into the feed. Old links will not redirect you or others to my site.
 
I think change is good. If you have any questions, please let me know.
 
Thank you for following and have a fantastic Easter week!

girls will be queens

 
 
On March 10th, Colin and I got the privilege to go see the Kings & Queens tour in Green Bay. We went with some friends from our Ethiopian adoption support group. It was really sentimental to go, because the main group-Audio Adrenaline-sings Kings & Queens. It is a song about loving orphans. It asks us 'if not us, who will be like Jesus to the least of these?'.
 
We did not know the first two groups that performed; honestly we mainly went to hear Kings & Queens performed! It was a fantastic experience we enjoyed with fellow adoptive parents. It gave us a moment to think about our little queen, as well as the millions of kings and queens in the world.
 

Manic Drive
 
Seventh Day Slumber

Group 1 Crew

 Audio Adrenaline

 
Boys will be kings
Girls will be queens
Wrapped in your majesty
When we love
When we love the least of these

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

march letters to Africa

 
Today, we wrote our March letters to Dominic, Eyouel, and Mugwaneza.
 
For our boys, we wrote on the stationary Compassion sent us with our last letters from them. We kept the letters pretty simple this month and talked about their family and their schooling. Colin made sure to write to Dominic about how Dominic wants to be a police officer and that is what Colin does for work. We told them how proud we are of them and that we love them so much.
 
Mugwaneza's birthday is May 13th. She is going to be 10 years old. Since it may take up to two months until she receives what we send her, we had to send her something now. We bought her a pretty birthday card with flowers on it. I told her how fun it is to be 10 and I shared with her that at that age I really loved school and enjoyed playing ball and other games with friends. I sent her some Winnie the Pooh stickers. I realized that I need to go pick out some older girl stickers and fun stuff that I can send her.
 
The dollar store is a great place to find little things to send. If I find anything exciting, I will share!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

what will I say to her?

 
 
some wonder about the first word their child will speak. will it be mama? will it be dada?
 
today I wonder--what will be the first words I speak to my daughter/s?
 
she will be placed in my arms.
our eyes will meet.
there may be fear. there may be hesitation.
she will not know me.
but I...I have been dreaming about her for years.
 
I will have seen pictures of my beauty. I will study them and I will know her features as best as I can on paper. she will be seeing me for the first time.
 
she will hear my voice for the first time.
 
what will I say to her?
 
what will I say to my darling I have waited and longed for?
 
what will she hear in my voice?
 
will she hear love?
will she hear the heart of her mama?
will she hear how long I have yearned for her?
 
will she be frightened?
or will she relax into my chest?
 
will I be able to speak all the words I have stored up for her?
 
will I be able to speak at all?
 


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

love for Africa jewelry

My police officer husband makes jewelry. Yes, it's true. The secret is out. And he is GREAT at it!
 
We opened our Etsy shop on September 23, 2011. The month prior is when we made the God-called decision to adoption from Ethiopia. We opened the shop to fundraise for our adoption. 100% of sales go straight into our adoption account. We have had 199 Etsy sales since then!
 
We started making jewelry not knowing what we were doing and not really having a focus. Since then, our shop has really evolved into a 'love for Africa' jewelry shop.
 
Colin has told me that God breathes ideas into him for our jewelry. Most of our products are hand-carved and hand-burned wood pieces made by Colin. I want to show you some of his newest creations.
 
 







 
We thank all who have prayed for us or purchased from us. Our adoption is a reflection of a God-sized love from people all over the world. If you have any ideas for jewelry or requests, please share!


Saturday, March 2, 2013

Four Months Dreaming


We have been on the waitlist to adopt for 4 months today!
 
The wait is a lot for a momma to bear on her shoulders. It can drain a momma of Life. If we calculate our level of Life based on how many sweet babies have been matched with their forever families lately, how long the days seems to be while we wait expectantly, and how many years we fear we may have to wait to hold our dear lovelies in our waiting arms, our levels can deplete us of all things good.
 
But if we measure our level of Life based on the everlasting, abundant Life God pours out freely to us, our levels can be replenished!
 
Joy unspeakable comes from God alone. Joy unspeakable is God reigning in our lives.
 
Jesus Calling has taught me today that joy unspeakable is a gift from God for living in His Presence. It is not a gift we can give ourselves. Only our Father can clothe us with this gift.
 
How do you have unspeakable joy in all of this waiting? Sit at His feet, hold His hands, look into His loving eyes, and talk to Him. Share with Him. Let Him bear the weight of the wait for you.
 
Today, we are rejoicing with unspeakable joy that we are 4 months closer to seeing the face of our baby girl!