Sweet and Autumnal

autumnal:(Ô tum΄nəl)adjective...this means nothing unless you are my sister and I can hear her now telling my BIL (that's brother-in-law, Mom), "Sharon used autumnal in her blog!" LOL! (that's laugh out loud, Mom).

Anywho, here's February's cake, Sweet Potato Pound Cake. Not the prettiest cake, but yummy none the less. It fell on the bottom a little. Why does that happen? The toothpick came out clean, so I assumed it was done. Any ideas? Anyone? Bueller?? Mom??? Can you tell I'm trying to drag my Mom out of lurkdom!! She's secretly hooked on Rumor Queen...I wonder if she know's my code name in the Forum??

Rumor is matching is taking place now.

Americana Panda

Isn't this just the cutest! My friend, H, gave this to me today for Christmas! It's handsewn and just adorable. Haven't decided yet if its staying in the nursery or going in the Americana guestroom to keep the sock-monkey company.

I'm working on next month's cake and the choices are either an oatmeal cake or a sweet potato pound cake. Any thoughts from you lurkers out there in bloggyland who never post comments...you know who you are!!! And, if I don't stop eating like a 24 month pregnant woman, I'm going to start baking air popcorn cakes!! Somebody stop me!!

China Adoption Forecast

There is a website called China Adoption Forecast that has a statistical program that allows you to input your Log-in-date and based on the current referral rate, they will estimate your date of referral. Here's what I get when I input 1-16-06...

Our prediction for LID 2006-01-16
If China did all future referrals at the exact same speed as they did this month: 2008-06-13
Our best guess - a weighted average of recent CCAA velocities, guessing that CCAA will perform about as well in the future as they are performing now, but might return to previous trends: 2008-04-09
That's our best guess for when you might receive your referral. Just at a guess, we can suppose that the CCAA either speeds up or slows down significantly, and show you those dates. If they speed up: 2008-02-18. And if they slow down: 2008-07-07.
Since China generally sends out referrals in a batch about once per month, your referral date could easily vary +/- one month depending on whether you just get included or just get missed in a particular batch.


So it looks like anywhere from May-June for "The Call". Early rumors are starting about this next batch; anything from the 30th is in to the 27th is the cut-off. I'm hoping we'll hear something this week, but I suspect they won't arrive until right before Chinese New Year on February 7th.

What's in a name???

What Sharon Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What MaryAlice Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Sounds like I'm going to have my hands full!!

Two Years Down, ???? To Go...

I was asking a fellow waiting parent,
Susan if we will every forget our our LID's (Log-In-Dates)? Years from now, when January 16th arrives, will I stop and think back to this time? Do I play the number "16" on Lotto or would that be bad form? Maybe I'll write a letter to MaryAlice, for her to open when she's 16? Will I remember where I put the letter 16 years from now?

For now, this day will pass much like most other Wednesdays (except for having dinner at Forbidden City with friends!), but it I think this date will be forever be imbedded in my heart as a milestone, a target, and an elusive goal that keeps running away. And now, I need to get my morning cup of java...

OT-January's Cake

Okay...here it is...Tres Leche cake. One New Year's Resolution accomplished (or at least 1/12th accomplished!) It's quite tasty! I also made a carrot cake from scratch this fall.



This one was delish! They're from a cookbook from Williams-Sonoma called Southern Cakes. Yummy!!