Lucky #7

We are #7 from the top of our agency's waiting list.  There are 44 other families.  I had a long talk with our Waiting Families case worker yesterday, and I am feeling encouraged again.  When the wait gets long, the hope ebbs and flows.  Lately, it has felt more hopeless.  I was focusing on how many women hadn't picked us, how long we've been waiting, etc.  The reality is that it doesn't matter how many times we aren't picked, because someday, we will be.  Like the lottery, it only takes ONE.

I have been doing what I can to help us along.  I have taken a bunch of our agency post cards and am dropping them around town when I see a bulletin board.  While in the grand scheme, this will not likely bring us a match, but I am putting the word out there to the universe.  I do believe in karma, so may these deeds be returned to us soon! :-)  We are currently out to between 2 and 4 women who have no made a decision yet so there is hope.  There is always hope, but sometimes it is hard to see it.  Thank you for the continued prayers and support; they mean so much!

Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken

I made this for dinner tonight, and it was excellent!  If you are a lover of Indian food and do not have a good place near you, try this recipe.  It is also a great dish to try if you've never had Indian food before.  This recipe was adapted from Light & Healthy 2012.

Ingredients:
2 onions, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon canola oil (I used EVOO instead)
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt (I used Chiobani)
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Steps:
1.  Combine onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, tomato paste, and oil in a bowl.  I used my crock pot.  Stir.

2.  Stir broth and 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Add chicken.  Cook for 4 hours on low.

3.  Gently stir in raisins and let sit for 10 minutes.  Remove chicken from mixture.

4.  In a separate bowl, stir 1/4 cup of mixture with yogurt and cilantro.

5.  Prepare a bed of white rice, lay chicken on top, finish off with the yogurt sauce and sliced almonds.

6.  Enjoy!!

Wednesday Randoms

~ I have already read 19 books!  Last year, I read 29 so I think I will definitely reach my goal of 45-50 books.

~  This week at school, we are having a bean bag tossing competition at work.  We were rained out yesterday, but hopefully we can play again today.

~  I have a 5-day weekend this weekend.  I am only somewhat excited since Dave only had a 3-day weekend.

~ I ran a mile yesterday for the first time in months, and I did not die.  I was also able to do 20 second side planks in class yesterday.

~  My co-worker surprised me with iced coffee yesterday.  I was craving it, but I didn't say anything so it was extra nice.

Cape Cod 2012

I wrote while we were there, so here it is...

I am writing today from the porch of our condo in Cape Cod!  The view was amazing.

We decided to take a sisters trip for Amanda's 25th birthday.  No lie, we are having the time of our lives.  When we got here, we ran across the street to our private beach.  

Our condo is really tiny, but it is perfect for a weekend.  

After we had lunch, we spent the afternoon on the beach reading and napping.  Then we went to Hyannis to check out the shops.  We had a quick dinner at Seafood Sam's and ice cream at Sundae School.  

We had fun taking crazy pictures by the Nickelodeon and antique car.

Saturday has been great as well.  We tried to walk to Woolfie's, but it wasn't open for the season yet.  We walked around for a few miles before having breakfast at the Seven Seas diner.  We walked home on the beach and stopped at Captain's Row.  It is very different, but still quite beautiful.  We did some shopping at Cuffy's, Christmas Tree Shop, and at some shops in Harwich before hitting the beach again.  

We were crazy, and we went in the ocean! We stayed for about 5 minutes; just long enough to scream, high five each other and scramble to shore!  We had dinner at Captain Parker's Pub and wrapped the night up at Sundae School again.  I don't want this weekend to end, but we have already promised to come back next year.   

And every year after that!

Weekly Wrap Up

1.  Both a deer and a family of ducks crossed the road in front of me yesterday to and from the gym.  I am taking this as a sign from life to slow down.  This is a message I've been receiving my whole life.

2. My Hope Ring arrived yesterday.  It is a little big, but I am in need of a reminder now and again.  Hope is the thing, you know.

3.  Our agency sent me some advertising materials to bring with me when I travel.  I figure that I will be traveling quite a bit this summer, and maybe leaving a business card or two will help us or another family.

4.  We had a terrific day last Saturday with my mom and sisters celebrating Mother's Day.  We had a lovely lunch at The Whistling Kettle.  I am so blessed to have such amazing women in my family.

5. I am busting with excitement to say that we are leaving for Cape Cod in the morning!  Let the sister's weekend commence!

Hope

I am a fan of small reminders in life.

Silly Changes of Heart

I have always been someone who has very clear likes and dislikes.  It is a rare occasion when I change my mind about this list, but I must admit that I have noticed a few changes over the last few years.

For one, I always say that I dislike the color purple.  Unfortunately for me, there are a few examples that speak to the contrary.  When we re-modeled our (my) bathroom, I suggested using a variety of purples.  I really love how soothing and spa-like my bathroom is, and I think purple was absolutely the right choice.  Also, I have 3 purple sweaters.  Can one really hate a color and then have 3 items in that color?  I have to say no.  And I wear those sweaters often so I must concede that I might like purple a bit.

Secondly, rhubarb has been pretty unappealing.  I remember our granola neighbors had a garden and grew it.  Come to think of it, I used to think they were so lame, but now I would LOVE to have my own food garden.  Something about the color and the name of it just seemed awful.  Since joining our CSA last summer, we have enjoyed strawberry rhubarb pie and rhubarb cobbler.  It wouldn't be my first choice of dessert, but it certainly did not deserve the bad rap I gave it.


Last on the list is gold jewelry.  This one comes with a caveat--it is only suitable in certain cases.  For example, I love my gold anchor earrings.  They simply wouldn't look right in silver.  I would never want to only wear gold, but at times, I like it.

What have you changed your mind about?  Hopefully not about reading my blog!   :-)