In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. ~Kahlil Gibran Recently, I’ve spent a few sunny afternoons in our garden with friends. Sitting together and feeling the warmth on our shoulders, sipping a glass of […]
Friendship
Soul sisters born from different mothers
Last week I had lunch with a new acquaintance. It was our first time meeting in person; prior to this day, we’d only recently “met” via the blogosphere. Within minutes we were chatting about the myriad ways our lives intersected: both raised in small upstate New York towns barely an hour apart, both bloggers, adoptive […]
Pampers turns two!
On April 13 2009, I published my first Pampers and Pakhlava post. When I started this blog I was filled with hope and excitement. Having spent the previous year preparing paperwork and compiling our dossier, we were waiting for a referral. The journey of a lifetime stretched out in front of me — the journey […]
Hot Poop
“It came right out of his butt,” Nate said, his voice filled with awe. He held out his hand and extended a forefinger in our direction. “It’s still warm. And soft!” There is was: an eraser-sized blob of brown, gooey squirrel poop, fresh from the squirrel perched on the branch of the tree forty feet […]
The full Manti
The last time I was in Armenia, I ate Manti with Maribeth. We were dining at The Club, a lovely subterranean restaurant with delicious food, located in the center of Yerevan, Armenia’s capitol. Maribeth and I were there to celebrate. We’d each just registered our adoption (formally accepted our referral). We were in the same […]
Come on a My House
Just as holiday celebrations are winding down in the west, New Year and Christmas celebrations are ramping up in Armenia. Most Armenian Christians (Armenian Apostolic Church) follow the Julian calendar and Christmas is celebrated on January 6. During the week between New Year’s and Christmas, most Armenian homes have an “open door” policy: “Ari im […]
The light of friendship
The light of friendship is like the light of phosphorus, seen plainest when all around is dark. ~Robert Crowell I was wracking my brain for something to write about when I read that Elizabeth Edwards had just died. It was only a few days ago that announcements of her “gravely ill” status began circulating in […]
Happy things
Eleven months ago, Big Papa and I started a new habit. Every night, before we go to sleep, we take turns and share a few “happy things” from our day. Then we offer an “appreciation,” something about each other that we are grateful for. I came up with this idea to counterbalance the frustration, fears […]
Memories of Thanksgiving feasts gone by
This past weekend, I made a recipe that got me to reminiscing about Thanksgiving dinners from years gone by. As a single gal for many years who lived 3,000 miles from her family, I got invited to a number of (as I liked to call them) “orphan feasts.” These were dinners where a family took […]
Pumpkin Dip
My friend Susan S. first introduced me to Pumpkin Dip about seven years ago when the recipe first came out. Susan had a subscription to ‘Cooking Light’ magazine and it was featured the fall holiday season issue. Susan was a Pumpkin Dip pusher if there ever was one, although once you try this dip, you’ll […]