We are leaving tomorrow for China! Ahhhh!!!!
Today was rather uneventful-- a few loads of laundry here, tidying up there, and tonight a bit of packing and we're ready to go!
My Mom came over today for a nice long visit, and had dinner with us. It was so good to see her before we leave, especially now that she is feeling well. She is very excited to see her new grandson!
So I will say Zai Jian for now, and I'll post when we are settled in our hotel in Beijing before we depart for Hohhot. The weather in Beijing on Saturday is forecasted 31 degrees!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Working Out The Kinks and Glitches
Three more sleeps! And only two more days to tidy up the last minute details. I'm having some issues with my internet server here out in God's country-- where we are surrounded by over 200 acres of farm and a satellite connection that provides 1mbps measly download speed. They are having technical issues with several of their websites. Get this! Air Canada .com and .ca and Skype! So I can't get on the websites to check my flight status nor can I Skype properly! I'm sorry server, but you can come and get your outdated dish equipment cause I'm switching as soon as I get back from China. (notice how I omitted the swearies...this is a family blog).
Tomorrow, I'll bring my laptop up to my Dad's place to check out the connection with his DSL to make sure that is indeed the problem.
So, with that aside, I scored a bit of a jack pot (which I am returning....) with the bank today. I went to get my Chinese Yuan I ordered and my travelers cheques. When I got home I discovered there were extras cheques in my envelope to the sum of $600! I called the bank when I made the discovery but they were already closed. I left a message for our Assistant Manager to call me in the morning. Big oops for the bank.
Tomorrow, Dylan heads back to Senior Kindergarten, of which he is bursting with excitement! We'll take him to school on Friday and say goodbye (oh dear) and take Heather to my Dad's and say goodbye (oh dear x2).
Then its off to the airport! I can't wait to get there and meet our friends from Renfrew who will be joining us on the flight to China. We plan on meeting for lunch, which will help the three hour wait go by as I'm sure we will have plenty to talk about.
Tomorrow, its back to the bank and return the bonus $600 (how did that happen anyway?) and if it doesn't rain, I'll hop on my little John Deer lawn tractor and tear up the yard. Then I'll take Heather for a ride around the property-- she loves her tractor rides!
My last post will be Thursday night to say goodbye, and hopefully, if all goes as planned, I will be posting when we arrive Saturday night in Beijing-- which will be morning for you.
Tonight, I'm thinking of Keaton's Mummy and Daddy who are leaving for China in the morning. We will be meeting them in Hohhot on the weekend! Safe trip Kevin and Christy! And many warm thoughts to Cadence's family who are there now! You'll be home soon Stacy!
Tomorrow, I'll bring my laptop up to my Dad's place to check out the connection with his DSL to make sure that is indeed the problem.
So, with that aside, I scored a bit of a jack pot (which I am returning....) with the bank today. I went to get my Chinese Yuan I ordered and my travelers cheques. When I got home I discovered there were extras cheques in my envelope to the sum of $600! I called the bank when I made the discovery but they were already closed. I left a message for our Assistant Manager to call me in the morning. Big oops for the bank.
Tomorrow, Dylan heads back to Senior Kindergarten, of which he is bursting with excitement! We'll take him to school on Friday and say goodbye (oh dear) and take Heather to my Dad's and say goodbye (oh dear x2).
Then its off to the airport! I can't wait to get there and meet our friends from Renfrew who will be joining us on the flight to China. We plan on meeting for lunch, which will help the three hour wait go by as I'm sure we will have plenty to talk about.
Tomorrow, its back to the bank and return the bonus $600 (how did that happen anyway?) and if it doesn't rain, I'll hop on my little John Deer lawn tractor and tear up the yard. Then I'll take Heather for a ride around the property-- she loves her tractor rides!
My last post will be Thursday night to say goodbye, and hopefully, if all goes as planned, I will be posting when we arrive Saturday night in Beijing-- which will be morning for you.
Tonight, I'm thinking of Keaton's Mummy and Daddy who are leaving for China in the morning. We will be meeting them in Hohhot on the weekend! Safe trip Kevin and Christy! And many warm thoughts to Cadence's family who are there now! You'll be home soon Stacy!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
10 Days To Go!
Today, I am so tired I could curl up on the couch and sleep away the day. Hard to do with a two year old jumping on my head.
My Mom stopped over today (still can't believe she's back in the land of the living...) and brought me some salads and sandwiches. Something I wasn't expecting, but she wanted to pay me back for the homemade tapioca and egg salad I brought to her in the hospital during her comeback. It's become a hospital tradition with my Mother and I. Almost an inside joke now, really. It was a nice lunch and visit.
So on my To-Do list today? Pretty easy actually-- I'm wrapping and labelling some gifts for the kids tonight. I bought a little present to open for just about every day we are away. Yesterday, I wrapped all the gifts bound for China. It is a custom in China to exchange small gifts, so I decided to wrap some of my CD's I cut in 2003 (wow that seems like ages ago now...) in red tissue paper and gold ribbon-- two of the most desired colours in China. I will give these to the Nannies, guides, etc. It looked like Christmas on my kitchen table. The kids were curious and wanted to help, but were really in the way. So I took a long piece of red tissue for each of them, cut a small strip of ribbon, taped it on, got a bingo dabber from the craft bin and made a big "H" and a big "D" on the tissue paper. Voila! Two Super Heroes with red capes! They ran around the house looking for helpless parents and house pets to rescue from fires, stranded in trees, and other creative mayhem! It bought me lots of time to finish wrapping and do a little packing.
The Super Heroes made an encore appearance this morning at breakfast. Blessed be the inventors of tissue paper and bingo dabbers.
Maybe tonight I'll be so tired, I might actually fall asleep without thinking too much. One can only hope.
My Mom stopped over today (still can't believe she's back in the land of the living...) and brought me some salads and sandwiches. Something I wasn't expecting, but she wanted to pay me back for the homemade tapioca and egg salad I brought to her in the hospital during her comeback. It's become a hospital tradition with my Mother and I. Almost an inside joke now, really. It was a nice lunch and visit.
So on my To-Do list today? Pretty easy actually-- I'm wrapping and labelling some gifts for the kids tonight. I bought a little present to open for just about every day we are away. Yesterday, I wrapped all the gifts bound for China. It is a custom in China to exchange small gifts, so I decided to wrap some of my CD's I cut in 2003 (wow that seems like ages ago now...) in red tissue paper and gold ribbon-- two of the most desired colours in China. I will give these to the Nannies, guides, etc. It looked like Christmas on my kitchen table. The kids were curious and wanted to help, but were really in the way. So I took a long piece of red tissue for each of them, cut a small strip of ribbon, taped it on, got a bingo dabber from the craft bin and made a big "H" and a big "D" on the tissue paper. Voila! Two Super Heroes with red capes! They ran around the house looking for helpless parents and house pets to rescue from fires, stranded in trees, and other creative mayhem! It bought me lots of time to finish wrapping and do a little packing.
The Super Heroes made an encore appearance this morning at breakfast. Blessed be the inventors of tissue paper and bingo dabbers.
Maybe tonight I'll be so tired, I might actually fall asleep without thinking too much. One can only hope.
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Friends We Make Along The Way
Sleep is becoming scarce these last few evenings for David and I. With minds racing, imaginations running wild, and ticking off to-do lists in my head, we are finding ourselves waking frequently and restless. Eleven more days...so much to do!
And we aren't the only ones--last evening I made contact with a family from Renfrew, Ontario who are adopting through our agency, and we are travelling together! In fact, we are thrilled that we are flying on the same flight to China and back. They are flying down from Ottawa and we'll hook up at the airport for lunch. They are adopting a little boy from a different province than Nevin. So we'll fly into Beijing together, part ways to our sons' provinces, and meet back in Beijing the week after. And there are three other families in our travel group as well. They arrive the day before so I imagine they maybe waiting to greet us at the hotel when we arrive.
I look forward to meeting these families and their children. I think its so important to help nurture the roots of our kids.
Hohhot is where we will be travelling to receive Nevin. I had wondered why not go right to Baotou, but I realized last night Hohhot is the capital of Inner Mongolia, and is where all the official documents, passport etc will be completed for Nevin before we can leave for Beijing. As it turns out, a couple I met on a yahoo group adopting specifically from Inner Mongolia will be in Hohhot the very same time as us. In fact, her son is only a few days older than Nevin and from the very same orphanage. Its most likely our boys are playmates, so I really want to maintain contact with that family.
In eleven days, there is a little guy in Baotou who has no idea a family from another country will be coming for him, and taking him away from everything he has known, and bringing him home to a new life. My heart bleeds for him, bursting with love yet aches for his loss. I hope I will be a good Mummy.
And we aren't the only ones--last evening I made contact with a family from Renfrew, Ontario who are adopting through our agency, and we are travelling together! In fact, we are thrilled that we are flying on the same flight to China and back. They are flying down from Ottawa and we'll hook up at the airport for lunch. They are adopting a little boy from a different province than Nevin. So we'll fly into Beijing together, part ways to our sons' provinces, and meet back in Beijing the week after. And there are three other families in our travel group as well. They arrive the day before so I imagine they maybe waiting to greet us at the hotel when we arrive.
I look forward to meeting these families and their children. I think its so important to help nurture the roots of our kids.
Hohhot is where we will be travelling to receive Nevin. I had wondered why not go right to Baotou, but I realized last night Hohhot is the capital of Inner Mongolia, and is where all the official documents, passport etc will be completed for Nevin before we can leave for Beijing. As it turns out, a couple I met on a yahoo group adopting specifically from Inner Mongolia will be in Hohhot the very same time as us. In fact, her son is only a few days older than Nevin and from the very same orphanage. Its most likely our boys are playmates, so I really want to maintain contact with that family.
In eleven days, there is a little guy in Baotou who has no idea a family from another country will be coming for him, and taking him away from everything he has known, and bringing him home to a new life. My heart bleeds for him, bursting with love yet aches for his loss. I hope I will be a good Mummy.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Why No Post?
You'd think that with just a little over two weeks until travel date I might have been posting a bit more lately.
Near tragedy hit our family hard last week. We nearly lost my Mother on Thursday. Thankfully, my brother found her in what appeared to be a stroke. The next day the internist was talking permanent brain stem damage. I cannot explain the terror my family went through.
However!
Three days after the incident, she began to rally somewhat. From being in a state where she didn't know her children, to acknowledging us, and showing some emotion. To today-- the doctor releasing her from ICU into a regular ward...and her watching Paranormal Activity on a portable DVD player. She is nearly fully recovered and no permanent brain damage, confirmed by MRI.
It wasn't a stroke, but poor perfusion due to renal failure and low blood pressure = poor blood supply and oxygen to the brain. She's been through several major medical catastrophes this past year, and I am amazed by her strength. I thank the stars and the higher power, the doctors and nurses for this one for sure! It just wouldn't have been right if she didn't meet Nevin.
Now we can focus on our trip, and finish the small details before we go.
Two weeks and two days!
Near tragedy hit our family hard last week. We nearly lost my Mother on Thursday. Thankfully, my brother found her in what appeared to be a stroke. The next day the internist was talking permanent brain stem damage. I cannot explain the terror my family went through.
However!
Three days after the incident, she began to rally somewhat. From being in a state where she didn't know her children, to acknowledging us, and showing some emotion. To today-- the doctor releasing her from ICU into a regular ward...and her watching Paranormal Activity on a portable DVD player. She is nearly fully recovered and no permanent brain damage, confirmed by MRI.
It wasn't a stroke, but poor perfusion due to renal failure and low blood pressure = poor blood supply and oxygen to the brain. She's been through several major medical catastrophes this past year, and I am amazed by her strength. I thank the stars and the higher power, the doctors and nurses for this one for sure! It just wouldn't have been right if she didn't meet Nevin.
Now we can focus on our trip, and finish the small details before we go.
Two weeks and two days!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Three Pancake Sundays To Go!
The days are starting to pick up speed in their passing to our travel day. Yesterday was my Mom's birthday so we planned a lovely dinner at one of our favourite local restaurants- The Olympia Gardens in Penetanguishene-- Mediterranean and Greek Food DELISH! My brother and sister in law and one of my Mom's best friends joined us for dinner and we all had tickets to see Tap Dogs at The King's Wharf Theatre. What a great show! Having some elements reminiscent of Stomp, but all Tap. It was a perfect evening.
I had spent the day at an estate auction just in town-- one of my favourite hobbies. I came away with some antique books (no surprise there...) for my husband's collection. There were a couple of nice treasures in the pile and I'm sure we'll have fun researching them. Didn't find any antique children's books this time (my niche). I love everything about an auction including the people that attend them. That's half the fun! And of course, the auctioneer provides most of the entertainment with his quirks and anecdotes. Always good candor. I had bumped into some old family friends and proudly showed off pictures of Nevin I had stored on my iPhone. Sheer excitement ran through me with the reality of just how soon we are going to China.
Saturday, my four year old son had the notion to go camping in the yard. So my husband set up the tent near the fire pit, and we set up all the sleeping bags. I brought an armful of my daughters stuffed animals and dollies, and a bag of marshmallows to the "camp site". It went quite well for an impromptu camp out, really. My daughter ended up coming in the house to sleep in her own bed around 9:30pm, but Daddy and Dylan slept out in the tent all night. I heard them come in the house just before 7am. Daddy thoroughly enjoyed the "guy" time spent with his son....a proud Daddy moment.
This morning was pancake Sunday-- a weekly tradition here at the Campbell house. I have made pancakes from scratch with real maple syrup every single Sunday (with the exception we are away) since I can remember. It made me think-- after today, only three more pancake Sundays until we go to China. Just can't wait! I wonder if they make pancakes in China? Nevin, sure hope you'll like Mummy's pancakes!
I had spent the day at an estate auction just in town-- one of my favourite hobbies. I came away with some antique books (no surprise there...) for my husband's collection. There were a couple of nice treasures in the pile and I'm sure we'll have fun researching them. Didn't find any antique children's books this time (my niche). I love everything about an auction including the people that attend them. That's half the fun! And of course, the auctioneer provides most of the entertainment with his quirks and anecdotes. Always good candor. I had bumped into some old family friends and proudly showed off pictures of Nevin I had stored on my iPhone. Sheer excitement ran through me with the reality of just how soon we are going to China.
Saturday, my four year old son had the notion to go camping in the yard. So my husband set up the tent near the fire pit, and we set up all the sleeping bags. I brought an armful of my daughters stuffed animals and dollies, and a bag of marshmallows to the "camp site". It went quite well for an impromptu camp out, really. My daughter ended up coming in the house to sleep in her own bed around 9:30pm, but Daddy and Dylan slept out in the tent all night. I heard them come in the house just before 7am. Daddy thoroughly enjoyed the "guy" time spent with his son....a proud Daddy moment.
This morning was pancake Sunday-- a weekly tradition here at the Campbell house. I have made pancakes from scratch with real maple syrup every single Sunday (with the exception we are away) since I can remember. It made me think-- after today, only three more pancake Sundays until we go to China. Just can't wait! I wonder if they make pancakes in China? Nevin, sure hope you'll like Mummy's pancakes!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Soups, Sauces and Casseroles! Oh My!
Today being a rather blah day, I jumped deep into the kitchen to cook up some delish home dishes-- comfort food that we can "git stuck inta" (as my husband says with his Glaswegian accent) when we come home from China. I can just imagine craving the good cooking of home while we are away...although I will enjoy the exotic (not too exotic) cuisine while we are gone.
My Mom sent home some ham and the bone from dinner the other night, so in the pot went the bone. My homemade split pea and ham soup is chocked full with potato, carrots, celery, onion, spices and ham. With the other hundred pounds of ham I had, I made a yummy ham casserole made in layers with sliced carrots, corn, egg noodles, and yes-- you guessed it-- ham, a package of Italian grated cheeses, a can of ready made Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (anything that has the name Campbell attached to it has got to be great!), parsley, tad of nutmeg and bread crumb topping.
And the spaghetti sauce is done. I put one aside to use for the lasagna I'll make tomorrow.
I've included a few pics of the gifts nature has provided to us on our property. We live on 260 acres, lots of maple trees for maple syrup, crop growing fields, but on the five or so acres just around our house grows hundreds of wild raspberry and blackberry bushes. They are everywhere! I am willing to offer some of my blackberries to anyone who will share with me your morels. Still haven't found them yet here on our property, as they are quite elusive. Thousands of wild leeks, mind you.
So while all that is simmering and cooking, I had David haul up all of Dylan's 12month - 18month clothing. I want to wash them all before I hang them in Nevin's closet and tuck them away in drawers. They were previously in the old basement of the old farm house and they have just a faint whiff of the old place, despite being in the new house for a year and a half. In the wash they went. It was a fond walk down memory lane to see Dylan's baby outfits-- all of which look hardly worn. He had so many clothes that some were never even on him. I can't wait to see them on Nevin.
And to report on the Aligote wine from the other night, I didn't enjoy it as much as the Chateau Des Charmes Aligote. It may have something to do with the minerals right on the Niagara Escarpment.
My Mom sent home some ham and the bone from dinner the other night, so in the pot went the bone. My homemade split pea and ham soup is chocked full with potato, carrots, celery, onion, spices and ham. With the other hundred pounds of ham I had, I made a yummy ham casserole made in layers with sliced carrots, corn, egg noodles, and yes-- you guessed it-- ham, a package of Italian grated cheeses, a can of ready made Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (anything that has the name Campbell attached to it has got to be great!), parsley, tad of nutmeg and bread crumb topping.
And the spaghetti sauce is done. I put one aside to use for the lasagna I'll make tomorrow.
I've included a few pics of the gifts nature has provided to us on our property. We live on 260 acres, lots of maple trees for maple syrup, crop growing fields, but on the five or so acres just around our house grows hundreds of wild raspberry and blackberry bushes. They are everywhere! I am willing to offer some of my blackberries to anyone who will share with me your morels. Still haven't found them yet here on our property, as they are quite elusive. Thousands of wild leeks, mind you.
So while all that is simmering and cooking, I had David haul up all of Dylan's 12month - 18month clothing. I want to wash them all before I hang them in Nevin's closet and tuck them away in drawers. They were previously in the old basement of the old farm house and they have just a faint whiff of the old place, despite being in the new house for a year and a half. In the wash they went. It was a fond walk down memory lane to see Dylan's baby outfits-- all of which look hardly worn. He had so many clothes that some were never even on him. I can't wait to see them on Nevin.
And to report on the Aligote wine from the other night, I didn't enjoy it as much as the Chateau Des Charmes Aligote. It may have something to do with the minerals right on the Niagara Escarpment.
Yummy Wild Raspberries and Blackberries on Our Farm!
Way To Be Organic!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)