Yummy & Yucky

What do you want to hear first? The yummy or the yucky?

I'll start with the Yummy...

Sundays here can be kind of zany... between church in the morning and Global Cafe in the evening (and everything in between) we keep a full plate on a day 'of rest'!


After Global Cafe is over and the crowds have dispersed, we enjoy a more relaxed supper with our guest speakers, and, if what I've planned for the meal is easy and cheap enough to multiply, I'll invite our student cabinet to stick around for more intimate fellowship with our guests. This past Sunday night was such a night and I have to say, having a crowd around our table is a very satisfying feeling. Maybe because it's no frills, buffet style off the kitchen counter and the conversation is more important than perfectly matching tableware and serving pieces.


Sunday I tried a variation on Mom Waggoner's spaghetti pie (which I read several years ago and lost, so this may be a distant cousin of a neighbor of that recipe) and got some recipe requests so here goes: 1/2 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained. Toss with 2 beaten eggs, half a stick of butter, and about 1/4 grated parmesan cheese. Place coated noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spoon the contents of a small tub of Ricotta cheese over the noodles. Brown and drain 1 lb of italian sausage. Combine with one jar of spaghetti sauce. Pour over noodles and cheese. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese and cook at 375 for 30-40 minutes (or till contents are bubbling and cheese is beginning to brown).

Okay... now for the yucky.

Yesterday the mail came and contained a pink letter from the United States Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requesting further evidence of our legal status in America. Apparently our home study agency submitted with our home study to USCIS photocopies of IDs and birth certificates (as they had been doing for previous clients and this is what we did for Ellie's adoption in 2006) but now with the new Hague Requirements going into effect, USCIS's requirements are currently evolving and photocopies will no longer do now!

Thankfully we had some extra certified copies of Nathan's birth certificate (because they are relatively cheap thanks to the State of Indiana), but we had to reapply for another certified marriage record. This time I requested TWO because who knows when we may be asked to produce another! (at $14 each plus processing fees, one doesn't necessarily request more than you need, because the issue dates can also expire so if you don't produce them to someone sooner than 6 months, they can be worthless). For some reason, a photocopy of the bio page of my passport will suffice (I guess since Nathan is the primary requester and I am just 'the spouse').

So we have a slight delay in keeping our paperwork moving. It could be much worse, but delays are always discouraging. We're thankful we can rectify this rather easily and hopefully get them the evidence they are requesting by the end of the week.