Rock To Wind A String Around

Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of Elliott’s adoption day.  He was born in January, we met him and brought him home in February, and he was forever to be linked with us, his loving and overbearing parents on April 29th.  Early on, although I thought a great deal about the ethics of adoption, I was  convinced that celebrating Adoption Day, as well as Happy Family Day, was the best way to demonstrate our deep and abiding love for all things Elliott.  We’ve always been open about Elliott’s adoption, and so I hoped that although Elliott might reach a point in his life when he desperately resents his adoption (and the primary players involved) he might also know that we have always appreciated the gifts adoption has given us ( the loving and overbearing parents).  When Elliott was quite small, lavish parties to celebrate April 29th were the norm.  As he grew older (and understood that most children have parties for birthdays) we pulled it together 2 weeks after Christmas and threw birthday  shindigs instead.  There were still presents and outings on Adoption Day, but we haven’t partied in quite awhile.

This year, I’ve opted for something a little different.  Since the dad of the boy is buried in work up to his eyeballs, I’m taking the kids on a little jaunt by myself.  Tomorrow, while Elliott is at tennis, I’m packing up the car.  AM and I will pick him up at 5 and hit the dusty trail.  So far, I’ve managed not to tell him that I have a fabulous trip planned to the fabulous Indianapolis Children’s Museum to see this, although I did threaten suggest that if behavior didn’t improve, the special thing I’m planning for later in the week will be canceled.  So useful, that vague and empty suggestion of a threat…

We’ll spend the night at a hotel (hooray for Marriott pts), wake for waffles, and then spend the day cavorting.  I have a fleeting hope that Astrid Meklit will choose to nap during the 3 hour drive back to Cowtown; then it  will be the happiest of adoption days.

In the last 10 years, a relationship with Elliott’s mother, with the rest of his family, has been notably, palpably absent.  In the past year, both Elliott and his mother have both expressed a desire to communicate.  I have been so eager for this, for both of them.  Elliott is old enough now to navigate a relationship with his mother independently (not that I’ll leave him alone in this, but I think he’s old enough to create a life that exists outside my hawkish view).  This won’t be easy, but is anything about adoption ever easy?   As long as I remember that this will happen on their timetable, not mine (because, I was SO ready for this like 10 years ago–really)  I think their relationship will develop as it should.  My life is a much nicer place because Elliott is in it.  I can’t wait until his first mother can say the same.

Happy Adoption Day,  sweet boy.

Trips to various thrift stores were fairly successful.  Found lots of copper bits and bobs to display on the tops of my kitchen cabinets, an almost new Melissa & Doug easel (not on the staging list, but a bargain at 7.50) and a few wardrobe fillers for Madame Two’s ever expanding closet.    Elliott mentioned his injury only as he climbed in and out of the car, and by the end of the day, we were fast friends once more–feathers back to their proper places.

Today, I bought a necessary lamp (50% off) because of a smudge on the shade.  With all of this plunder, I’ve whittled the list of needed items to less than a billion which is progress, but to be  honest, I hate buying things I don’t really need or want to satisfy the capricious whims of the house-buying public.  We move a lot (as you know) so I tend to slough off items that aren’t perfectly lovely, useful, or sentimental.  My dust allergy also keeps clutter to a minimum.  It’s been a challenge to buy decorative hoo ha like candle holders and bathroom art and throw pillows for fake beds* without a prolonged need for the item–it goes against my very grain.  Not to complain too much–I’m the owner of several lovely new vases,  a stone bird I’m quite fond of, and a new area rug that will look spiffy in just about any room we’ll add it to.  Still, I’ll be happy to be done with filling holes soon.

*We’ve created a fake bed in the 4th junkroom (guest) bedroom.  We used bed rails, and an aero bed, and another air mattress to create the illusion of a real bed in the space.  It is perfectly acceptable, but ONLY if no one leans into it.  Fake beds require real pillows and blankets and coverlets, so we’ve purchased a few extra pillows and such.

The stager was here a few days ago.  The nifty thing about working with a stager is just how much I feel “on stage” throughout the process.  She, of course, helped me rearrange furniture,  find holes that obviously require additional accessories, and in a feat of true brilliance, managed to convince me that we REALLY need to retile our backsplash.  The backsplash is slowing down the sale a bit, but we’re all in agreement that this fancy pants house really needs to be free of its very lovely and tasteful mid 80’s tille (I say that with great love–if any tile from the 80’s is tasteful and lovely, it is this.  It still needs to go).

In the meantime, I’m running off to the best thrift stores in town to see which holes they can fill.  As much as I’d enjoy a solo trip, I’m bringing the boy wonder who has a deep and abiding love for all things thrifty.  Normally, I’d wouldn’t dare–i know he’ll want to buy all sorts of crap treasures that I find unnecessary.  He had a bad bike spill yesterday, and the two of us have been pretty grumpy with one another so I’m hoping the one-on-one time will straighten our ruffled feathers.

I’ll report back later with a list of my plunder.

The last couple of months have been full of home improvement.  If we aren’t organizing closets and painting trim, we’re calling in contractors to clean carpets, wash windows, and mulch.  With all of this effort, we still haven’t planted a ‘for sale’ sign on the lawn.  Although everyone is in agreement, Albert’s company will complete the next phase of work for the client, the contract for the work that began on April 1 still hasn’t been signed.

There’s plenty we’d still like to do around here, so staying put isn’t the worst idea ever, but I was reasonably sure we’d move sometime in June (when we first began to plan this adventure back in January) and even that seemed like an awfully long wait.  Because we thought we were leaving, I never registered for summer camp for Elliott, opted not grow tomatoes, and have put off finding a dermatologist because, ‘we’ll be leaving soon anyway‘

I know we’re going, can’t imagine celebrating Halloween here next fall, and continue staging because sooner or later, Mary P will sport a ‘4-SALE’ sign on her front lawn.  Until then, I continue to miss quality time with my cute husband, and despite my best intentions, I’m pretty snappish with my tots (oh Madame Two, how two you are!).    Please, please Albert’s company, give us the ‘thumbs up’ soon.  The house cannot be maintained in its present state of glisteningness indefinitely, not with out a lot more snapping on my part!

It was fun to plan dinner tonight, knowing that it was the first time we’d all sit down to dine at home in many months.  I had no idea what I’d make, but I knew sweet potatoes would be involved–I do love them so!

A flip through the moosewood restaurant’s  Simple Suppers, and I found what I was looking for–speedy, tasty, and a dish that definitely wasn’t a heavy wintertime meal.

Navajo Stew ala moosewood

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 red or green bell peppers

1 large onion

4 garlic cloves

2 T vegetable oil

1 T ground cumin

1 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

1 15oz can of tomatoes

1 T canned chipotles  in adobo sauce

1/2 c chopped cilantro

1 15 oz can of butter beans or black beans, drained

flatbread (tortillas, lavash, pita, or naan)

sour cream

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes.  Cut peppers into 1 inch chunks as well.  Cut onions into thin wedges.  Toss the vegetables in a bowl with the garlic, oil, cumin, salt & pepper.  Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.  Stir and roast for another 10-15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy.

While the vegetables roast, puree’ the tomatoes, chipotles and cilantro until smooth (the recipe suggests the blender, I used the food processor).  When the vegetables are tender, put them in a 2 or 3 quart baking dish, stir in the sauce and the beans and return to the oven until hot, 10-15 minutes or so.

Serve with warm flatbread, and top with sour cream.   Follow up scrumptious stew with more scrumptious cupcakes.

Hooray for  Thursday night family meals!

the Marriott is an excellent spot for egg dyeing

this doesn’t begin to hint at the loveliness of an Easter Astrid Meklit

Elliott

The fab fam celebrates Easter at Mt Vernon.

Words to follow, but I’m on the road today…

of course, the stomach flu I developed the day after my birthday may have something to do with that.  Despite my birthday and all of its attendant good feelings and delights, this trip has been patheti-sad.  Cold windy weather,  an expensive trip to Midas (the car became very loud during the drive from Cowtown), and a 36 hour stay on the couch has left little time to enjoy the sights, but I am better, the car is better, and while the weather is supposed to be dreadful tomorrow, we’ll be out and about anyway.

Looking on the bright side, the tots were able to spend more time with Albert than usual (I was so sick on Thursday, he couldn’t go to the office until Astrid M took her nap) and I had more time to read Breaking Dawn once I was able to hold up the book (it seemed to weigh a thousand pounds for awhile).  I was also happy that I wasn’t ill on my actual birthday–that might have been the death knell for this  trip.

Enough updating for now.  There’s a glass of ginger ale and a foot massage waiting for me on the couch.  While I’m mostly better, no sense upsetting my delicate constitution…

Tomorrow, I’ll share some scraps of honesty with you.  My gal pal, Sarah, made my week!!!  Thanks, Sarah–I am a’blush!