Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Tell Us How You Made Nice?

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/travel/bribes-on-a-plane-how-to-make-nice-with-your-fellow-83629824207.html

By Laura Begley Bloom

3508927ce977944abbbf842e9dfd9c76e9d3ba52 It must have been the meatloaf. Something about garlic and my 18-month-old daughter doesn’t mix: instead of scaring off vampires, Lucy transforms into one. And I made the mistake of feeding her a slice of heavily seasoned meatloaf before a recent flight from Florida to New York. She started off as an angel.

But as soon as the flight took off, she was inconsolable—breakdancing on my lap, trying to pull the hair of the woman in front of us, karate-kicking her seat back. And even though I had loaded up my iPhone with Elmo and Dora and her little sidekick Boots, Lucy got tired of watching the videos and started wailing for Mickey. How could I have forgotten Mickey?

Read more.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Thanks Brenda Smith!!!!

Khachapuri: The Butter Topped, Cheese-Stuffed Bread Vessel Of Your Dreams

Source: http://gothamist.com/2014/04/29/khachapuri.php?utm_source=Gothamist+Daily

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Khachapuri is pronounced like this, but let's just call it by its other, perfectly Americanized name: butter pizza. This is what a writer at WaPo recently dubbed it after trying it at a new spot in D.C. And just look at it, who could disagree with that assessment?

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

Emerging from Silence

Brought to us by Kristin Dadey, Esq, Hopscotch Adoptions' Board Member and Program Officer for IOM/USAID

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Check out this newly released 5 minute video about this amazing NGO that works with Cambodians who are deaf, Emerging from Silence.

You will see they have a long way to go in terms of advancing the rights of deaf and hard of hearing people in Cambodia, but raising awareness about the issue is one step forward.  Share this video with your friends, or post on your social media and help bring attention to the issue. You can learn more about the issue of deafness in Cambodia by visiting DDP's website: www.ddp-cambodia.org

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Easter In Ghana

Photo Credit: http://taliamoscovitzimages.blogspot.com/2010/04/easter-morning-ghana-2007.html

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Easter In Bulgaria

Bulgarian Easter Traditions

Easter%20Bulgaria%20Pic%20%20jpeg%202014By PaylessBG.com

Easter is a Christian holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ class from the dead three days after his crucifixion on Good Friday. Easter also class marks the end of the Lent. A symbol of the Resurrection is the egg out of class which a bird hatches.

Easter is the time of springtime festivals, a time to welcome back the class tulips, the crocuses and the daffodils. It is also the holiest day in the class Christian calendar (followed by Christmas) and is recognized as a legal class holiday in most countries with a significant Christian tradition.

The Bulgarian Easter traditions are a variation of traditional Orthodox class Easter traditions. Here in Bulgaria, egg cracking is good for more than just class eating the egg. The bright red colored egg is the symbol of Easter for the class Orthodox Christians all over the world. The traditional Orthodox Paschal class greeting is: "Christ has risen!" The answer is: "Indeed He has risen". This class is the greeting during 40 days after Pascha. Also, the greeting is exchanged class during the ritual tapping of the eggs which is explained below. The first class egg is always painted red to symbolize the blood of Christ and should be put class aside - either to be buried in the fields to ensure fertility or kept in the class home to bring good luck. On Easter Sunday married couples traditionally class visit the best man at their wedding and have roast lamb for lunch. class The Christian tradition of the red egg custom is connected with a specific class legend. Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus had cured from all the evil spirits class within her, was the first one to see Jesus rise from the dead and she went class around the world to spread the happy news. She reached Rome and Emperor class Tiberius's palace. According to the tradition, everyone visiting him was class supposed to carry a gift to the Emperor. The rich people were carrying class expensive gifts while the poor ones offered whatever they could afford. Mary class Magdalene took an egg to Tiberius's palace and handed it to the Emperor with class the following greeting:"Christ has risen from the dead!" The Emperor could class not believe what he heard and responded: "How could anyone ever rise from class the dead?! It is as impossible as that white egg to turn red right now!"class While Tiberius was talking, the egg in Mary Magdalene's hands started class changing its color until it finally became bright red. The Easter greeting class ever since has remained "Christ has risen from the dead" and Christians all class over the world color eggs in red (and various other colors) for Easter to class celebrate their belief in the resurrection.

The bright red colored egg is the symbol of Easter for the Orthodox class Christians all over the world. It is tradition that the eggs are colored on class Holy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy. The eldest woman in the house has class the privilege of dying the eggs.

The Easter breads are a worldwide Orthodox tradition as well. These are big class or small and decorated. The bread is called "kolache" or "kozunak". One of class these Easter breads may be specially decorated with one or more (but always class an odd number) of the red-colored eggs. This bread is taken to church on class Saturday evening. The church bells begin to ring just before midnight,class calling Orthodox Christians to worship. At midnight, a special sequence of class services takes place: Midnight Office, Rush Procession, Matins and Divine class Liturgy. These are the services of Great and Holy Pascha (Velikden).class Following the service, the clergy blesses the breads and eggs brought by the class people and they return with them to their homes. The eggs are cracked after class the midnight service and during the next days. One egg is cracked on the glass wall of the church, and this is the first egg eaten after the long Great class Fast. The ritual of tapping the eggs takes place just before the Easter class lunch begins. Each person will select his or her egg. Then the people in class turn exchange the Easter greeting ("Christ has risen!" / "Indeed He has class Risen") 3 times before tapping their egg against the eggs of others.

The person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year class of good luck.

Easter Greetings from Morocco 2014

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Easter In Georgia

Georgian Easter Traditions

By Keith Kenney

Source: http://keithrkenney.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/easter-traditions-in-georgia/

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To all of our family and friends in the United States, Happy Easter! To all of our friends in Georgia, Greece and other Orthodox countries, we will wait until next Sunday, and then say: "Christ is Risen!" To which you will undoubtedly respond: "Indeed He is Risen." The week before Easter begins with Willow Sunday which Americans know as Palm Sunday. Special services are conducted in almost every church in Georgia, but particularly on Passion Thursday and Good Friday. Passion Thursday is connected to the Last Supper when Jesus Christ washed his apostles' feet and when Judah betrayed him. Next Thursday, the Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia will wash the feet of twelve priests just like Christ did with the Apostles. Good Friday is connected with the Crucifixion, lamentation and burial of Jesus Christ. In Svetistkhoveli Cathedral, where Christ's Robe is buried, a cross will be put in front of the altar at 2pm, and a special ritual will follow. On Saturday night, the most devout Orthodox Christians go to church and stay at the church until late Easter morning. Then people have a special meal to break the fast. Georgians fast for 40 days before Easter. Fasting means no sugar, eggs, dairy products, fish, or meat are allowed, as well as no sexual relations. On Easter Monday, churches conduct a special prayer in memory of the deceased, and Orthodox Christians bring red eggs and flowers to the graves of their relatives. People prepare for Easter by dying eggs red on Good Friday and by baking Easter Bread, called Paska. The eggs symbolize the blood of Christ. They are placed on green wheat grass, which symbolizes new life, resurrection, and eternity. People grow this wheat grass on flat plates two weeks before Easter. On the Saturday evening before Easter, people take the eggs and Easter breads to church for a blessing. After the service, people take the bread and eggs home and crack the eggs during the next days. The person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck.

He Is Risen Indeed! How Are Your Celebrating?

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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

ABC, Adoption & Me: A Multicultural Picture Book for Adoptive Families

ABC, Adoption & Me: A Multicultural Picture Book for Adoptive Families by Gayle H. Swift

Learn more about the book (PDF)

51LYPIyatIL__SX258_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_ An award-winning  book about adoption that celebrates the blessing of family and addresses the difficult issues as well. With exuberant illustrations and a diverse representation of families, ABC, Adoption & Me deepens understanding of what it means to be an adoptive family. It provides talking points that bring families closer, and presents adoption as a safe topic. Kids report that ABC, Adoption & Me expresses their complicated feelings in a way that makes them feel normal and which makes it easy for them to discuss with their families. "Most adoption books only talk about the good part of adoption. ABC shows adoption from the kid's side." Includes a parent guide.

Named a Favorite Read of 2013 by Adoptive Families, the award-winning national adoption magazine and leading adoption information source for families before, during, and after adoption. 

Named a Notable Picture Book for 2013 by Shelf Unbound in their December/January 2014 issue.

Earned an Honorable Mention from the Gittle List of 2013

"Adoptive Families Magazine" named it a Favorite Read of 2013 and it has garnered several other awards as well. I hope all adoptive families will make this a part of their family library. Posted by: Robin E. Sizemore, Executive Director, Hopscotch Adoptions, Inc

Monday, April 14, 2014

FREE NC Homestudy Bootcamp: Registration Required

Hopscotch Adoptions, Inc is offering a FREE NC Homestudy Bootcamp on Saturday May 3 @ 3-4:30pm, 1208 Eastchester Drive, Suite 120 High Point, NC.

Registration Required.  336-899-0069 or info@hopscotchadoptions.org

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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Georgian Children's Reunion to be held in Atlanta, Georgia May 9-11, 2014

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Georgian Children's Reunion to be held in Atlanta, Georgia May 9-11, 2014 - Program and details to follow - mark your calendars and clear your weekend for a great time re-connecting to families with children/teens from Georgia and to our children's culture and community!