don't hate the coconut

Too many people hate on recipes containing coconut. If you think you dislike it you should still try these cookies. There is no need to go crazy just add a bit of coconut to make your cookie chewy and delicious.

You really should make these they are so yum.

Cowboys Cookies
* 3/4 cup pecans (3 ounces)
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
* 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
* Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until darkened and fragrant, 10 to 13 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Into a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
3. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut until just combined.
4. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray; line with parchment, and spray parchment. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared sheets, about 3 inches apart.
5. Bake 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

just kidding

Well that was a good practice round. We were really ready for our trip next Monday. However, as it turns out they don't actually want to see us then. So, we will try to leave on May 17. We have re booked our flights and applied for new visas. Funny story about the visas. We were told to ask that they be valid until May 30th. However, Russia decided that they only needed to be valid until the 20th, we are scheduled to now come home on the 23rd...really 3 days. UGH.

Off to Fedex to see my girl Jan.

Pray that the delegation going to talk at the end of this week comes up with positive news.

Get ready. Get set.

Our trip is quickly approaching. Nervous? No, not really. Excited? a little. I look at the calendar and count down the days, but honestly I can't even picture what is going to happen.

What I do know is the trip there is long and the time difference is 12 hours. My jet lag motto has always been to just sleep. Then by the time I get to my destination I'm ready for the adventure. Jim, not so much. He likes to drink whatever they offer him, eat the little odd flavored meals, walk back and forth to the bathroom and watch all the movies. Then when he gets board will all that he starts annoying me. So today we hit up the store to get some neck pillows and some sleeping medicine. I figure if he takes sleeping medicine he won't be bothering me!




Besides packing our clothes and such we have collected somethings for the orphans. Mostly clothes. If you are interested in donating we still have some room/we can make room.

Items our agency suggests...

formula (Enfamil)
diapers (whatever size)
clothes (infant - 5T)





Also, some delegates from the US are headed to Moscow at the end of the week to meet with the Russians and figure out some kind of adoption treaty between our two counties. Go ahead and pray that the two governments come up with a good plan that all parties are pleased with.

I didn't hear the fat lady sing

Oh what a week. Suspended? Closed? Cautions? Open? Giant Volcano Cloud? I'm the opposite of a journalist. I think journalists like to report the news as soon as they hear it. They all want to be the first to break the story with little care of its validity. It has taken me all week to process these events and all I could come up with is that I didn't hear the fat lady sing.
American's are still in Russia adopting children. American's are still being granted court dates. Things are still moving. Next week there is a meeting between the two countries to figure out a way to better protect the welfare of the children. I'm pretty sure that sounds like they are willing to work something out.
Personally, I would hate to see a suspension. It would slow things down and that's not convenient for us or Vlad But you know what? It's not about us. Vlad is going to be fine. He has an okay home now and when he finally gets here he'll have a great home. If a suspension is needed to figure out a way to weed out the bad apples then go ahead take your time and figure it out. Because no child deserves to live with angry people who will hurt them or ship them off.

Blurb from our agency's Friday newsletter

April 16, 2010

The Department of State has received no information to confirm a suspension of adoptions from Russia to the United States. Our Embassy in Moscow and other Department of State officials are talking with Russian officials to clarify this issue.

The Department of State is sending a high-level inter-agency team to Russia this weekend to meet with senior Russian officials, including officials from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Justice. The U.S. delegation will emphasize the importance of this issue to the United States, and will discuss our mutual concerns about how to better protect the welfare and rights of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions.

Many thousands of Russian children have found loving, safe and permanent homes in the United States through intercountry adoption. Families in the United States have adopted more than 50,000 children from Russia.
---------

My request is that you pray for the meetings that will happen next week.

it's a good time to be a pollyanna

Back in February Jim and I had psych tests done as a requirement for our adoption. Mine said "has a Pollyannaish attitude" Meaning I'm overly optimistic. Since receiving this label I have been looking for this behavior in myself. Well, it's been located. I booked flights to Russia on the day all kinds of crazy news hit the fan about the future of Russian adoptions. Jim says "Trisha, if this doesn't work...what are we going to do" My brain can't even imagine thinking about that.

Lucky for us another couple is traveling at the same time to the same place as us and our agency put us in touch with them. I sent them and email and mentioned my
frustration with the current events, it looks like I found another Pollyanna.

They wrote...

"Yes, we are concerned about the recent events......quite unbelievable really!! But overall, I am refusing to believe that those events will have a negative impact on the rest of us.....staying focused and trying to keep positive!"

Keep praying.

is it may yet?

Russia says they would like us to come from May 3 - May 8

Depart May 3rd
Arrive Moscow May 4th
Fly Moscow to Kemerovo May 4th
Arrive Kemerovo May 5th
Visit DOE (dept. of edu.) on May 5th, then drive to Novokuznetsk
Visit Orphanage May 6th and 7th
Depart Novokuznetsk May 8th
Arrive Moscow May 8th and depart to US


I'm mailing out our visa applications this morning. Then calling my friends to get information about airline tickets. This travel agency was recommended by our adoption agency. I called and asked for Nataha, as instructed, and she had vast knowledge of what we needed for our visas. At the end of the conversation she says "When you want airline tickets, call back, ask for Victor...of course.

In not so bright news you have GOT to watch this video or read the story. My question..How is that even possible?

More bad apples

april fools..let's hope not

This afternoon, as usual, I checked my email hoping to see something from our caseworker. When we were in the process of paperwork she was emailing me all the time. However, since the papers have been all sent in we only hear updates on Fridays and last Friday's email was not very uplifting. But today was different. We got a long detailed voice mail and an email. Trip one is going to be around the beginning of may! May, that's like tomorrow! She was unsure about the exact dates because there are some holidays at that time, so no ticket booking yet but we are going to work on getting our visas.