Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!

I can't believe it is FINALLY almost here! All I can say is I am so so so excited about watching Iain this year. It is already quite fun around the house watching him get excited over and over about the Christmas tree. He is never bored with the tree to look at and those ornaments on the bottom to pull and taste and all.





Well, we went to the mall to have Iains picture taken with Santa. I wasn't sure what to expect of this first such excursion, as all of my friends kids seemed to go haywire when they were put on Santa's lap. Well, we got him there, and go figure... Mr. Extrovert himself came through again! Iain definitely knew who to suck up to for this time of year. He sat there and was so good they only had to take one picture! The funny thing was, we have been working with Iain for a few weeks now on waving bye-bye... sure enough.. Santa got his very first wave!


Anyway, I thought I would share a couple of pictures... including a few of my favorite ornaments from our tree... (yes, Manders... I once again stole your awesome idea! Love ya!)

Fall in Florida SUCKS!

Fall is finally getting here to Florida. Weather is starting to get cooler (if you call 77 degrees cool!)and Halloween is all but here. I don't know why I didn't realize it before, but it just hit me that I would be missing out on Iain's first Halloween. Our volleyball team has a playoff game at home that I have to cover, and there is no way out of it. We really wanted to go to Trunk-or-treat at church, and we can't. So all of this planning we had done to do Noah's ark with Iain as the lion and Allen as Noah pulling the ark (Iains wagon)is for basically nothing. The only thing we can do now is dress him up for the game and hopefully he won't get too hot.

Another thing that hit me was that his first Thanksgiving is going to be without family. We just don't have the $$ to get a plane ticket home and don't really have the money to drive either. This just plain flat out sucks.

If you can't tell, I am frustrated, and whiney, and tired, and wishing it was Christmas already so I CAN actually go home!

Somebody give me a hug already, dang it!

Milk Can Dinner.... AMAZING!!!

Well, well, well.... I FINALLY found it! I have been looking for this recipe for about a year now... (I know I probably didn't look extremely hard, but still, I had a hard time finding it...) Anyway, back when we lived in the apartment here, some friends invited us to a neighborhood cookout. They told us not to bring anything, they had it all covered. So the day came, and we started out toward the lake where we were eating, and I was hit smack in the face with this unbelievable burst of aromas and flavors... Yes... I could already taste it, it seemed. When it came time to start to eat, Jimmy took his milkcan... yes you heard it right, his milkcan and emptied its contents into a wheelbarrel parked next to the tables. Out of that can came one of the biggest, most amazing feasts I have ever laid eyes upon. There was corn, and potatoes, sweetpotatoes and cabbage, ham, and sausage, onions and carrots, etc, etc... In all honesty this was one of the best meals I have EVER had in my life. And so my search of this masterpiece commenced! I am so excited to have found this recipe, and I can't wait to test it out on friends. Hope you enjoy!


Milk Can Dinner


• 25 ears sweet corn, shucked (reserve a few husks for lining can)
• 25 medium red potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled
• 3 pounds carrots, peeled and halved
• 6 medium onions, peeled and quartered (optional)
• 4 heads green cabbage, cored and quartered (optional)
• 50 Polish or German sausages, or for a spicier taste include some
• chorizo sausages
• Medium to large ham roast (2 lbs. of bacon can be substituted)
• 4-5 cups of water
• Salt and Pepper to season
Accompaniments
• Butter or margarine
• Sour cream
• Tossed green salad
• Hot bread or biscuits
To prepare the fire, dig a shallow pit 8 inches deep by 20 inches wide. Place two cement blocks, which will support the milk can, on either side of the pit. Build the fire using about 10 to 15 pieces of hardwood (about 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 15 inches long). When the embers are white hot, the fire is ready. (Continue to add wood little by little to maintain a slow, even temperature while cooking.)
Place a thin layer of corn husks on the bottom of a clean, unrusted 8- or 10-gallon milk can to insulate the food from the fire. Place the potatoes in the can, then add layers of carrots, onions, corn, cabbage, ham and sausages. If necessary, stuff the sausages into the can. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add 3 cups of water. If your can has a lid, place it on gently to allow some steam to escape. (This is very important as a lid that is jammed on may cause steam to build up and blow both the lid and the contents of the can out the top.) If you do not have a lid, improvise one by placing a doubled sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the top of the can and crimping the edges.
Set the filled milk can on the cement blocks above the fire and cook gently for 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Add more wood to the fire as needed. If the liquid in the can seems to be boiling away, add the remaining water. Empty the can into serving containers. Large wooden bread bowls, even foil lined wheel barrels are great ways to serve this fun outdoor dinner.
Serves 20 to 25

That's It! I'm officailly going to become a NUDIST!!!

I am searching now, for a nudist colony... If you know of one nearby, let me know! I am ready to join up.

I am so stinking tired of shopping for clothes! I swear, that if I have to buy any more pants...let me re-phrase that....if I have to "TRY-ON" anymore pants, I am going to scream!!!!!

I just got a coupon from Lane Bryant (my fave big-girl store) for their new line of jeans that are made to actually fit a womans curves! I couldn't wait to get up there to see if it could possibly be true. So I go in and take a look, and there are three basic types (yellow, red and blue fits... according to waist / hip difference) made to get rid of all of those typical blue jeans problems, of gapping waists, etc...

So I try on what they measure me to be, and sure enough, they don't fit right. So they suggested a smaller size (Yay!)and yes they fit better in the waist, but then they don't fit in the legs... Well, we just repeated this trying on of different sizes and colors for at least 10 different pairs, only to find that their new..."fits every woman" line of jeans... DON'T FIT ME!!! What the heck?! So, very frustrated, I finally left.

I decided to look for a pair of Crocs shoes instead. After all, I can ALWAYS count on my feet to be easy to fit. WRONG!!!!! I LOVE my Crocs flip-flops, but the shoes, they only make in full sizes. I can't find any to fit right at the stores here! Nobody but the Crocs website directly carries a size that fits.

So I am officially calling it quits on clothing. (and shoes) I think I may have to find a new "nudist-friendly" line of work, but I am sure it has to be easier than finding a pair of jeans that fit!

GRRRRrrrrrr.

oh yeah.. btw...I was sent this little website from a friend of mine... How funny that I get this result. "The Amazing Death Predictor" (try it out!)

http://evil.berzerker.net/death_predictions.php

aimee: At age 64 you will pass in your sleep from undiscerned natural causes. Unfortunately you will be sleeping nude in a local shopping mall.

(I guess I must end up getting tired of trying on all of those clothes, and go back to my nudist ways in protest... lol!)

It Makes Me Smile

Ok....So I am absolutely in LOVE with this picture. We finally got our family pics done, and yes... the one of our feet is my fave. I know... I am a weirdo. To be honest though, this picture in it's current form didn't exactly happen in the studio... We tried... it doesn't work well in a studio... especially with an uncooperative baby!

So I took my favorite parts of a couple photos, cropped, cloned, blended, and smoothed them into this new form. I have to say, that I REALLY love my new pic, and even though I am framing the traditional family pic...This will be my showcase pic

HAIR

Well, what can I say? I guess it is a very true thing that you tend to have a very personal relationship with your hair. For several years now, I have had VERY VERY short hair. It all started about 6 years ago when I got completely frustrated with constantly trying to detangle my fairly long hair (for me anyway). It wasn't that I didn't like my long hair, I just couldn't handle the pain anymore of trying to get all of the knots out of my hair. So, within about a years time I went from shoulder length hair to chin length hair, to a SHORT crop cut (all of it about 1" long).
To be completely honest I LOVE my short hair, but I know that Allen and everyone around me tends to like it a bit longer, so I have tried over and over and over to grow my hair out longer. I figured that since I was pregnant last year, and my hair seemed to be growing like crazy, why keep cutting... let's just let it grow out.
To move on...I had just got to a point in the last few weeks that I was really liking my longer hair... it had just reached the top of my shoulders (the bottom layer anyway), it was just needing a little bit of shape and structure. So yesterday I decided with family pictures to be taken next week, I needed a good trim and style. Unfortunately with the cost of getting the pictures done I went to Great Clips and not my normal salon so I could save a few bucks. Hee-Hee.... Well this just started the adventure.
I get to Great Clips and this lady takes me over to the chair to discuss what I wanted done. Well I told her what I wanted and as I was talking to her, I noticed that her hair wasn't done all that well, and that she didn't seem to bother with even fixing it. I was thinking it was pretty strange that a hairdresser wouldn't keep her hair looking great, it is her profession after all. Well, I let her keep cutting, and all of a sudden RED FLAG! Her boss handed her a "schedule" of her training times... it said to bring her shears and her clippers.
WHAT?!? I have a complete newbie cutting my hair? Okay, I understand everyone has to start out at some point but please don't advertise the fact that they are in training. Well... anyway, I get home and really start to check out my hair, when I see that she has completely BUTCHERED IT! The cut was so crooked, and TERRIBLE... and I have family pictures this week! I absolutely started to bawl! So Allen told me to go ahead to the salon I normally go to no matter what it cost. (It must have been bad for him to say that!)
So back to Jack and Jeans where I normally go... and spend way way too much $ for a haircut, but for a reason. The girl at the shop looked at my hair, and I could see she could tell it was bad... I told her that I wanted it repaired, since it had just been cut 2 hours before...she felt so bad for me that she even threw in free highlights! You know, I have to say, that even though I had to go a lot shorter than I originally planned, I'm starting to like it. I got several compliments today at church and boy did it make me feel better. Here is a pic of my new... "repaired" do.


So there it is... my heart was broken over a bad haircut, and my hair was saved by an expensive but talented hair dresser.....GOODBYE CHEAPO HAIRCUTS!

Poor Boys!

Well, today was quite the day. This morning Allen woke up around 2:00 sick as a dog, and then again around 4:30. I felt so terrible for him as I know he was absolutely miserable. Well, fast-forward to 7:00 and I wake up with Iain to give him a bottle. He took his time eating (I put him back on a slow flow nipple to make sure he wasn't eating too fast) and we burped twice.

So I had him sitting on my lap for a bit, making sure that he had time for his tummy to settle, then went to change him. As I went to grab a wipe, the poor kid projectile vomited his milk right back out a la "fountain-style"! I felt really bad for him because it came right back down all over his face... so he blinked a few times, then held his breath for a second like he was going to scream, when all of a sudden his face changed and voila, he started to giggle! He pukes in hiw own face... and giggles! What a strange and wonderful baby I have. Crazy, but wonderful!

Well, since he vomited instead of the spitting up, this called for a trip to the pediatricain. We decided that since daddy was sick, we need to take the precaution. Well, he definitely has the stomach bug, but Dr. Chopra commented about how lucky I am to have a HAPPY sick baby.. Here he is vomiting, and he laughs...

While we were there, they weighed him in. In two weeks he has put on 18 oz! So now we are up to 13.6! He also pushed himself up with his chest all the way off the table.. he was even able to look up at the mobile on the ceiling. I tell you, I have a "baby Universe" on my hands!

Well, I got to stay home from work until the last period of the day, and Iain got to stay home today from daycare, so all is okay... Daddy feels better and Iain hasn't vomited since we got back from the doctors office. We will see what tomorrow holds!

Well, today was the official day. I can't believe my baby is now over 9 weeks old. It doesn't seem possible that all of that time I spent with him is already over. I can't believe that the time went by so unbelievably quick. This morning I had to bite the bullet and finally drop off my baby at daycare. I think this is one of the hardest things I have had to do. I was doing very well initially, Iain was in a great mood this morning, talking to his little bugs toys on his carseat, I was able to stop at Starbucks on the way, and it was a great way to start. HOWEVER, Iain started crying because he lost his grip on his teddy bear, and by the time I made it to the daycare center, I was quickly losing grip on my calm demeanor. Iain had calmed down by the time we made it inside, and I was able to start my paperwork when the daycare owner asked me how I was doing. You know, I really think I would have made it had she not asked me that one little question.

HOW ARE YOU DOING? A simple question really, one with a very simple answer. (Fine, Thank you. How are you?) But on this day, that was all it took for me to lose all control over my emotions. It hit me so hard, that deep down, I was leaving my baby without his mommy. Who would calm him when he would get upset today? Who would comfort him when his tummy was rumbling? Who would help my little boy sleep when he is fighting it so hard. Who? Someone he had never met before. Someone who smelled different. Someone whose voice is NOT mommy's. Somone who didn't know what lullaby puts him to sleep so quickly. All of these strange new people to deal with. This is what I left my baby with. I cried for about 15 minutes before I could leave this morning. Finally, I decided I could leave him because he found a red kite hanging from the ceiling. He smiled. That is what let me leave him. It wasn't because I knew he was happy, but because I felt better leaving him smiling than leaving him crying.

I realized tonight, that today was NOT a day about Iain. NO. It was a day about Mommy, and how well she could handle being away from her little boy. I did okay at school, as long as no one asked. So I volunteered the greeting today... "I am fine...Don't ask me. Thanks." Everyone knew where I was coming from today, and let me be with that. Well, this afternoon when it came time to pick Iain up, I go in to find one of my students who works there after school changing my baby boy. (Thank goodness... I know her very well... she is a very good girl.) She told me about his day, he took a couple of naps, took 3 bottles, had 4 diapers changed...and they all ooohed and ahhhed over how alert and attentive he is. They also were amazed at how strong he is. The very nice lady who has been there for 15 years told me that he is the strongest most alert 9 week old baby she has ever seen there. She said that he LOVES his teddy bear and that he clutches it so tight to his cheek. For some strange reason, that made me feel better. I don't know why, I guess I know that there is something famiar that he can hang on to.

Anyway to get to the point.. .Iain did just fine... It was just Mommy who had the hard time. I am good though, I think I might make it tomorrow morning with just 5 minutes of tears... We will see.

Last week with my boy...=(

Ok... so time is almost here....no more staying at home with my baby. This fact makes me so sad, since in the last 2 weeks he has started to get so social, grinning and giggling when you talk to him. I just feel like there are going to be so many things I am going to miss out on. Is he going to roll over (on purpose) for the first time at daycare.. and mommy actually only see it the 4th or 5th time is has happened? Am I going to be the 2nd person to actually see him crawl... or will I be the lucky one who actually gets to see him do it first? This is something I will likely never know for sure, and something about that fact just isn't right.

I know that I am really torn with the idea of going back to work, but at the same time, I am going stir-crazy sitting at home all of the time. Yeah, I go out for a walk around Target, a walk around the neighborhood, but I need a little more socialization, and more time to do things for ME. So all-in-all, I guess it won't be so bad... Just the whole idea of not being with my boy from 9:00-5:00 really sucks. GRRRrrrr.

Well, "PopPop" is here, and I am quite enjoying the visit. Iain is a little on the fussy side, as we are still dealing with the change back to his original formula, but he is also having some amazing happy moments for PopPop too! Tomorrow we are going to the beach again, hopefully this time we might actually stick our little feet in, just to see our reaction. No we won't get all wet, but it will still be fun just to get out and get some pictures with PopPop. We went out for about 10 minutes the other night, but it was a bit on the windy side, so we had to leave, but I did get a chance to get some great pics of the lighthouse while we were out.

Easter Pictures

Just thought I would post a couple of pics I took for Easter... no rambling today!

Thoughts on Thirty...

Well, THIRTY has officially arrived! Do I feel any different? Are there any gray hairs? Any magic "wow, I'm old" moment? I can quite truthfully answer in saying NO! What is the big deal? I guess I just don't get what the big issue is with turning 30. Some people I know have had full-on panic attacks about not being in their 20's any longer. You know the difference between 29 and 30? One day. Period. That's it!

Now poor Allen, he definitely thought I was really having a hard time with becoming 30. No, he was just the poor victim of a woman gone mad with PMS...LOL! Yeah, it was actually quite the day to say the least. It started great... Mom and Pop Shultz sent an envelope to me last week, that I couldn't open till today. I obliged, and it was worth it. Mom sent a fantastic poem by Ogden Nash called "A Lady Thinks She is Thirty" It is about how this woman who turned 30 woke up feeling old, and gray, and no longer this beautiful woman she once was, however in reality God has blessed her as a timeless beautiful woman, if she would just open her eyes. It was such a neat poem, and a great pick-me up to start the day. Well, I found out however, that Mom and Pop are all about building you up, only to tear you down later in the day.. (JK!) Yeah, around 2:00 in the afternoon the doorbell rings, and I find a lady standing there with a bunch of black "Over the Hill" balloons! I guess this is my first of several more "milestone birthday's" with black balloons! I just didn't expect them quite this soon.

Back to the rest of the day though, Iain is getting to be a bit on the colicky side. Not bad, but he definitely has his moments... today he decided that an hour of crying wasn't enough, NO, he decided two would be better. I of course was beside myself.. .he was fed, in clean diaper, I gave him "Little Tummys" for gas. NOTHING worked. What do I do... I cry... yeah, my birthday, and I am crying. So Allen gets home to this, then we got in a minor fight.. .which of course when you are PMS-ing is a major fight. Well, after we eat, things settle down, and I am able to calm down..good thing considering the baby-sitter was on her way... YES I said baby sitter.

Tonight was our first time out without Little Man. We decided to go see a movie. I wanted to see Meet the Robinson's, but of course the internet got the time wrong ,and I didn't get to see it. instead, we saw 300. It was good, but I wasn't exactly wanting to see a bloody Greek battle movie, when what I really needed was a good laugh. Oh well... nothing really went great today anyway. Well, Becca got to the house, and being the good Mommy, I had a list of where every single thing he might need was located, phone #'s, movies for Becca to watch, Popcorn and coke ready for her,etc..etc... BUT, when I finally left, I did well. I did not call once to check in... I thought about it, but I didn't! And to be quite honest, it was quite relaxing, even through a bloody movie to relax for just a couple of hours without a wailing baby in the background!

Becca's best friend Jess came over (I invited her) and I am glad she did, because not long after we left, he started to cry. I would have felt really sorry had she been by herself. They did very well though, he was changed into his pajamas, had been fed a bottle, and was actually sleeping when we got home! They definitely earned their $20. We will definitely have them babysit again in a heartbeat!

Anyway... I have blabbered on long enough... but to sum it up... NO, Thirty is no different than 29. Not yet anyway!

Favorite Smells...YES Manders, I am borrowing your idea.

Some of MY favorite smells!

Fireworks
Autumn leaves
Grandpas woodshop
Babies!
Turkey in the oven on Thanksgiving day
Freshly mowed lawn
Bandaids... yes I am weird I know
Gasoline.. ditto
Lilacs
Sandalwood!
Hyacinths!
Freshly painted room
New tennis shoes
Fresh baked cookies
A tobacco pipe
Apple pie
Spring mushrooms (yes, you CAN smell them while you are driving down the road)
Homeade ice cream
Fresh turned earth
Smoke from a bonfire
Yeast rolls
Bacon and eggs
Christmas trees
Wassail
Orange blossoms

Childhood memories

Tonight I was making a post on the discussion board for my online class regarding memory. The question asked us what our earliest childhood memory was. After thinking for a bit, I have a very vivid memory that can't be from when I was much more than 3 years old. Dad would leave his boots beside the couch, and one night I decided that I wanted to wear Daddy's cowboy boots. Being 3, and very short legged that of course required that the boots be scrunched down for my feet to touch the sole. With the boots all the way up to my hips I remember falling down and laughing with Jason over and over.

In my class, most of the research points to the fact that most long-term memory isn't formed until a child is around 36 months, and at that point even, it requires strong emotional associations to recall the memory from "storage".

This just gets me thinking about what Iain's first memory will be. Obviously he isn't going to remember anything from this time in his life, or for quite some time, however this is the reason Mommy is taking so many pictures, so that I can do the remembering for him. Will his first true memory be a birthday, Christmas, or maybe a simple day at the park? I just hope and pray that his earliest memories are associated with good things and not negative emotions. Maybe that first time that he goes fishing with daddy, or the first time he hits a baseball with mommy, who knows what it will be, but I can't wait for that conversation we will have years down the road of what his first memory was.

New Pictures!

Well, I have been taking several pictures this week, and these are definitely some of my favorites! I am definitely getting a bit better at using my digital point and shoot. There are some times that I get some absolutely amazing photos from this little thing. (But I am still strongly considering a nice digital SLR...btw...Allen is going to kill you for this one Manders!)

The top one was while he was taking a nap in the chair... I noticed how all of a sudden the skin on his legs is so shiny, not from lotion, but because he is growing so fast it is stretching the skin nice and tight..lol. Well, when I noticed him from the back, I just couldn't resist getting this shot!

The black and white is my personal favorite right now. Allen and Iain were napping after church on Sunday, and I just couldn't resist opening the shades in the bedroom for this shot. It was so funny how both daddy and Iain were sleeping in exactly the same position, arms up beside their heads!

The naked picture in his bouncer is so neat to me because he was so wide awake and alert, I love how he looks like a little "big boy" in this picture... notice the great tan too...I think it is pretty funny how he looks like we have been out in the sun all week in this one, even though that complextion is au natural!

Finally, I actually managed to capture that cute little smile! He was sitting in his Bumbo seat in the middle of the table at supper watching us eat, when he just started to smile and coo. I took about 6 pictures before I managed to get this one. I just love his smile, he sure knows how to make mom melt!

Tears, Smiles and Frustrations.

Well, today Iain was quite a rounder for me. We did get to sleep in, however I think he slept a little too long! It seemed the rest of the afternoon for me was spent trying to soothe him from crying jags. I somehow managed to fit in 4 quick pieces of toast for lunch. Not sure how I did it though.

Go figure that when I go pick up Daddy from work, as soon as Allen hops in the truck next to Iain, Daddy gets a HUGE smile! One of our secretaries at work got Iain a little white teddy bear that dances to Elvis's 'Teddy Bear', Allen started the thing to going and Iain was all smiles the whole ride home. I will have to make sure that Pam knows he liked it so well.

This afternoon I talked to my athletic director at work, and I managed to volunteer myself into working one night a week for the last of my time off. I have missed working the ballgames, and it doesn't bother me a bit to do this. It is just particularly frustrating when the local college who volunteered their students to cover our games while I am gone are not showing up, and are not returning phone calls. They tell you that they are going to do something, and then when you really need them, they are a no show. ANNOYING!

Anyway, it is time for me to get my butt in bed, just past midnight... about 4 hours earlier than I managed to get to bed last night. WOO HOO!!! Good Night!

Wow... can't believe it!

Well, I have to say that it is rather amazing to see how a new baby grows so quickly. A week ago Iain went in for his one month check up, and we found him to be 9lb. 8 oz. a full 2lb. 10 oz. more than when he was born. We checked him on our scale at home yesterday (very close to pediatricians scales) and he registered at 10lb. 2oz! He has finally made it out of newborn diapers and into a size one, as well as into 0-3 month clothing. To this point it has just swallowed him whole. (most of it still does..lol)

Saturday night was pretty awesome! Iain was doing his tummy time, and of course was rather ticked off about it, when all of a sudden he rolled over to his back! I didn't think this was something he would do for another month, but my son seems to be in a hurry to grow big. He almost did it a second time, but was just too tired from the first time. Either way, it is pretty unreal to watch him growing so quickly. Where his forehead used to wrinkle, well they are almost gone :-( and he has finally grown into the skin on his legs. No more wrinkles there either. I am glad I got good pictures of those wrinkles though, because that is all there is left of them.. just little paper memories.

Wow! Amazing Mommy moments...

I have come to realize that the first few weeks of parenthood are very tiring, trying, and tearful. It seems that these weeks have been filled with almost nothing but lots tears from both baby and mommy, lots and lots of diapers to change, tons of crying and trying to figure out what each different cry means, as well as lots of 2:00 am feedings, which all lead up to a very exhausted mom. In between are cute little moments such as those "gas bubbles" that make Iain grin in his sleep, or those hiccups which even though they piss off my dear son, are quite endearing to me. It seems that those moments make all of the hard learning-curve of parenting worthwhile.

Yesterday it seems was a milestone day though! Iain had been having a particularly cranky day, crying, pooping, crying, pooping some more, when after he had finished crying again, he woke up from a brief nap in an amazingly happy mood. He would not take his eyes off of mine, so I started to stick my tongue out at him seeing if he would reciprocate.. sure enough after about 100 times sticking mine out, he stuck his tongue out at me finally, and capped it off with a huge gummy smile! OMG! You talk about making your heart melt. For about 5 minutes he smiled, and cooed, wrapping me around his pinky!

I have decided that God gives us a few roughshod weeks learning how to be a parent, so that when that very first REAL smile that isn't a gas bubble at all, is absolutely mesmerizing, completely spellbinding, and simply one of the most wonderful parts of being Iain's mommy!