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Lilypie Kids birthday Ticker
Friday, August 31, 2007
Favorite Ingredients Friday


I'm so scattered these days. I missed last Friday and almost missed this one. I didn't have a recipe picked out even. I did, however, find this recipe yesterday on a food board. I saved it to make soon, as I love catfish and this sounds great.

Cajun Baked Catfish

1. 2 c. cornmeal
2. 2 t. salt
3. 1 T. pepper
4. 8 catfish fillets
5. 2 T. Cajun seasoning
6. 1-2 t. seasoned salt ( I usually omit)
7. 1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted

Combine first three ingredients. Dredge fillets in mixture, place skin sides down on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and Cajun seasoning; drizzle with butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Someday I'll get this working mother thing down. Right?

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy for more fantastic recipes!

Past FIF recipes:
Jim's Snickers Pancake
Crawfish Monica
Grilled Meats and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo
Crockpot Red Beans
Better Than Almost Anything Cake
Fruity Sangria
Outrageous Brownies
Enchiladas de Pollo
Lescó
Catalina Chicken
Croissant French Toast
Corned Beef
Sloppy Joe, Mac 'n Cheese Casserole
Shredded Chicken
Baked Bean & Burger Casserole
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crab Rangoon
Sausage con Queso and Ro-tel Cheese Dip
Blueberry Multigrain Coffeecake
Banana Bread
Bananas Foster
Old-Time Beef Stew
White Chocolate Snack Mix
Gorilla Bread
Ginger Shrimp
Roast Chicken
Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup
Shrimp Mold
Pasta Puttanesca
Pork Milanese
Pumpkin Dip
Oven-fried Chicken
Best Bundt Cake Ever
Hot Dog Casserole
Chicken & Rice
Peanut Butter Fudge
Omelets in a Bag
Shrimp Boil
Apple Cheese
Pulled Pork BBQ






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Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Look!
Is that my lung on the other side of the room? That cold I mentioned last week? Still here. It settled nicely in my chest, as colds seem to do to me, and decided to stay awhile. On Saturday, the coughing really started. By Sunday, I sounded kind of like a seal. It plays havoc with sleep. It's the kind of cough gives you fits where you sweat, start gagging, get headaches, and feel dizzy afterwards. In other words, I've stayed home from school the last two days. I'm still coughing, but it's much better today. Time for me to go back to work tomorrow.

In other news, Sera is still into her veggies. Jim was eating a sandwich last week. She spied food and took off running. Jim let her have a bite fully expecting her to spit it back out. His sandwich was made with pepperoni, salami, onions, green pepper, ham, and garlic mayonaisse, I think. He's giving Dagwood a run for his money. She chewed up her bite, nodded, and dove back in for seconds. She came out with a huge piece of green pepper hanging out of her mouth. She bit off a piece, gave another big nod, and took off holding the rest of that green pepper. She proceeded to eat the rest of the ring. A few days later, I was eating Garlic Shrimp at the Chinese restaurant. She reached into my plate and started eating the veggies: carrots, pea pods, broccoli, and green peppers. It's hysterical.

She's also discovered her butterfly rocker. It's been in her room all along, but she's never really shown interest in it. I placed her on it a few times, and she'd cry to get off. Now, she climbs on and off by herself and loves to rock. I'll bring my camera to her room next time to get a picture.

Speaking of photos, wouldn't a photo printer be cool? 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a giveaway. Check them out.

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007
MeMe Time
Yup, I'm it. Sandra at The Daily Grind, mom to the beautiful Jazzie and Tahlia, tagged me.

Here are the rules:

You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.

At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I'm just so grateful that we're going with middle and not first. I go by Magi, but it's really Margarita. My middle name is Elena.

E - exhausted. We're starting our second week back at school, and my second week as a work outside the home mom. Each day was getting easier, until I caught this darn cold. I already told the student I blame that he passed this on to me. He had no sympathy whatsoever. Good thing I like him. I've had him in class before, and he's a good kid. Just likes school too much and came to class sick. Ha! There's not too many students you can say that about.

L - loving life! Being a mom is everything I dreamed it would be. The struggles are nothing compared to the joys. I'm not claiming there aren't struggles. There are plenty, and they're daily, but oh so worth it.

E - easy. This was Jim's suggestion. I'm sure he meant that I was easygoing, easy to get along with, easy to please... He certainly couldn't mean anything else.

N - nerd, geek, whatever you call us. If I was ever cool, I've long since forgotten how. Just ask my students. But that's okay, I like who I am and where I am in life. Can you really ask for more?

A - alone no more. A was tough. Every word I thought of would only work if I added the word not...athletic, agoraphobic, acrobatic, aerodynamic, allergic.....uh, no. If I am going to go against the A word, I choose alone. I moved out of my parent's home when I turned 18 years old. Between 18 & 37, I had roommates for approximately six years. The rest of the time I lived alone. Well, me and my cat, Sam. I actually liked living alone. I'd had good roommates and bad, but my personality profile labels me an introvert. I liked being alone, most of the time. But then there were those awful times. Those times when it seemed like I'd always be on my own. When I dreamed of having a family. My own home with a husband, a child, and maybe a dog. To live a life where someone would notice if you were missing before you missed your shift at work. I'll admit to still enjoying my "alone" time, but I cherish my family time even more.

My turn to tag. You're it:

Jacquie
CJ
Jeter's Mama
My Heart Is Always Home
The Slippery Slope

Phew, I think picking victims is the hardest part!

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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The New Candy
That may look like green beans to you, but you'd be wrong. You must be. Sera spit out green beans everytime I fed them to her, until Friday. Now she's eating them like candy. She gets excited when she sees them and starts signing for more before she's even run out. What a funny little girl.

Yesterday at daycare, she demolished her broccoli and today her carrots. Those are two vegetables she's absolutely refused in the past. It looks like we're in a veggie phase. Yay!

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Monday, August 20, 2007
We're Swingers Now!



Sorry to leave everyone hanging. We survived week one.

We got home from China late on a Thursday evening. The following Saturday morning, our doorbell rang. It was probably a totally reasonable time of 10:00am. We, however, were still sound asleep adjusting from the time change. Jim threw on some suitable clothes and went to the door. I went back to sleep. I heard his voice outside and some others, but didn't pay any attention. When he came back up, I asked what he'd been doing as he'd been gone awhile. Two of his co-workers had brought over some outside toys their children had outgrown: one of those Little Tykes squares that kids climb and slide down, a small car with pedals, and a swingset. I was just amazed at their generosity.

It was probably a couple of weeks before we brought Sera out to the swingset. She hated it. Jim tried to put her in the swing. She screamed and tried to climb out. It was as if we were torturing her.

On Friday, Jim took Sera out back with him when we got home from work. This is a regular ritual with them. They watch Shadow run around the backyard and take care of business. On this day, Sera pointed to the swings. Jim took her over and put her in the swing. She loved it!

Sera had such a busy week. We were going to go out to dinner because neither of us felt like cooking. We weren't planning anything fancy, just Chinese at our local favorite spot. Jim ran upstairs to change into shorts while Sera and I stayed downstairs. She was walking around and fell because she was so tired. She normally bounces right back up and even laughs when she has a minor fall. This time she just collapsed in tears. Jim came down to find me cuddling a sobbing baby on my lap. We changed our plans. Jim fixed her some dinner, then I put her to bed while he ran out and got Chinese takeout instead.

She slept in two hours on Saturday morning, took a two hour morning nap, and a one-and-a-half hour afternoon nap. I think she was trying to catch up from the week. She's only napping for one hour a day at daycare. She's used to sleeping 12 hours and napping for an additional 3-4 hours a day. She's now sleeping 11 hours and napping for 1. They would let the kids sleep more at daycare, but someone keeps waking up after about an hour and waking all the rest. I wish she'd nap in the car on the way home, but she seems to have given up sleeping in the car. I don't know how else to get her more sleep time. I literally wake her up just before we leave in the morning.

With all her naps, we had a lowkey stay-at-home and recover day on Saturday. It was wonderful! On Sunday, we had some good friends that we don't see nearly enough come over for lunch. We had planned to grill, but the monsoon-like rain we've had this weekend changed that plan, instead we took them to our favorite steak restaurant. I made the strawberry pretzel salad for dessert. After lunch, we came back to our house and visited and ate that dessert. They have two children that are just adorable. Their son is hysterical. He's 2 1/2 years old. Within minutes of meeting Shadow (90 lbs.), he wrapped himself around Shadow's neck and wrestled him down to the ground. Shadow loved it, and we thought it was hysterical.

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Friday, August 17, 2007
Favorite Ingredients Friday
I had this post all ready to go last week before I realized it was a theme week. Having an extra post in draft really came in handy this busy week.


First, let me apologize for the teeny tiny picture. I was just surprised to even find the picture online at all. Jim's specialty is breakfast. He's spoiled me for years with breakfast in bed on the weekends. This summer, he's been spoiling both his girls. Jim found this pancake mix sometime ago. He'd bring it to work and treat the other teachers with pancake breakfasts on occasion. When we saw how Sera loved pancakes, he stocked up. She eats her pancakes with butter or plain. She especially loves when he adds fresh blueberries to hers. This mix is great because you just add water, shake it up, and pour. Even better, the batter keeps. Some days he'll make just one pancake for Sera and save the rest of the batter for her breakfast the next day.

The day after this post, Jim decided to make pancakes for our breakfast. Sera's, of course, had blueberries. Mine was just wrong on so many levels, but boy did it taste good.

Jim's Snickers Pancake

1. Fast Shake Pancake Mix
2. Water
3. Snickers Dark Bar

Follow directions for mixing pancake mix. Chop one Snickers Dark bar. Pour first pancake and sprinkle top with candy bar. Cook as usual. Make second pancake using most of the remaining candy bar. Save a few bites for the cook to snack on while cooking. (Jim said he used about 4/5ths of the candy bar in two pancakes.)

Serve with butter and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Most of the candy bar actually melts into the pancake leaving chunks of nuts and caramel. It is the most sinfully good pancake, and should only be served for very special occasions.....or because it's Tuesday.

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy for more fantastic recipes!

Past FIF recipes:
Crawfish Monica
Grilled Meats and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo
Crockpot Red Beans
Better Than Almost Anything Cake
Fruity Sangria
Outrageous Brownies
Enchiladas de Pollo
Lescó
Catalina Chicken
Croissant French Toast
Corned Beef
Sloppy Joe, Mac 'n Cheese Casserole
Shredded Chicken
Baked Bean & Burger Casserole
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crab Rangoon
Sausage con Queso and Ro-tel Cheese Dip
Blueberry Multigrain Coffeecake
Banana Bread
Bananas Foster
Old-Time Beef Stew
White Chocolate Snack Mix
Gorilla Bread
Ginger Shrimp
Roast Chicken
Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup
Shrimp Mold
Pasta Puttanesca
Pork Milanese
Pumpkin Dip
Oven-fried Chicken
Best Bundt Cake Ever
Hot Dog Casserole
Chicken & Rice
Peanut Butter Fudge
Omelets in a Bag
Shrimp Boil
Apple Cheese
Pulled Pork BBQ




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Thursday, August 16, 2007
Back To Square One
Not Sera. Me!

After being home for four months, I'd definitely gotten into a groove. We had our routines. Life was good, and I didn't feel wiped out at the end of each day...then I went back to work.

This week is kicking my butt. I'm as tired now as I was those first few weeks home with Sera. I get up at 5:30 and dress. I'm taking my shower the night before. I get Sera up around 6, get her dressed, and downstairs for her morning bottle. Jim was making her breakfast, but the daycare is giving her breakfast. The last two morning we've had to drive separately, so I try to leave by 6:30. I go through a drive-thru and get a morning coffee and a snack for Sera. This morning it was yogurt with fruit. When we get to school, I take her upstairs to my office, and we have our morning snack. I get her downstairs to the daycare between 7:15 and 7:30. Starting Monday, I have to open a morning lab at 7:30, so I need to get her down there no later than 7:15 then. I teach all day, pick up Sera at 3:20ish, and head home. Yesterday, we had errands. Today, we came straight home. Jim had to work late, so we played on our own for an hour before I started dinner. I finished feeding her about 6. Jim ran her bath and took her upstairs for her bath and bedtime routine. I ate dinner, did the dishes, made lunch for tomorrow, and came here. I still need to do a load of laundry and get my shower. It's 8:30 at night. How do people do this everyday????

It felt just as overwhelming when I adjusted to being a mom. I know being a "working outside the home" mom will also take some adjusting.

I think the hardest part is missing all those hours I'm no longer spending with her.

On the other hand, she is LOVING daycare. I peek in on her during my prep hour and also chat and email the teachers in that department. She is one happy baby. She already has a friend and is just having the time of her life. I'm glad she's experiencing this. I just wish I could have about two hours more a day with her.

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Wednesday, August 15, 2007
To Minivan or Not, That is the Question
3rd UPDATE: Thanks for the feedback. I'm unstickying the post. We'll continue to research, and I'll let you know what we end up buying.

2nd UPDATE: I'm going to sticky this, so I can get the most feedback possible.

UPDATE: I'm bumping this up in case it got lost in my flurry of posts. HaHa
Seriously though, I've gotten some good feedback in comments and email, but would still like to hear from more of you. We're not in a hurry because we're in the research stage. But, see, you are my research, so I really need your help.


Time for all lurkers to step up!

No, seriously, we need some help.

We have two more car payments to make on our car. Yippee!!! It's been fine, but it's now way too small. It will make an excellent 2nd car as our current 2nd car is a '92 Geo Tracker that Jim bought 10 years ago. It had over 100,000 miles then. It's actually a great car. We've never had any trouble with it at all, but time is not on its side. We're going to use it as a trade-in and buy another car. Our current main car will then become the back up car aka Jim's car.

I'd like to hold off a few months on the new car because life without a car payment sounds good for a few months. I don't know how long we'll be able to make it though. We've always carpooled to work. Our schools are five minutes apart, but that isn't going to work this year. Jim will be running an afterschool homework program. Things like that weren't a problem in the past. I always had plenty to do at school and would just wait until he came to get me. I don't think Sera will be as willing to wait. This means she and I will have to drive separately on days he runs the program, which will be Monday - Thursday for the most part.

Anyway, enough babbling, on to the dilemma. We are a family of three, but we take long car trips once or twice a year. Plus, we'd like to be able to have other people in the car if we want to road trip to Chicago or Detroit, or just load up at the IKEA in either city.

I'm a big wimp in the winter time. The only time I felt really safe driving on ice was the couple of years we had a Chevy Blazer. Now that Blazer was a huge lemon. We bought it used and are lucky it lasted as long as it did. It wasn't old, but it just fell apart.

I like the idea of a minivan. I like the three rows of seating. I like the electric sliding doors. I want a rear entertainment system (remember long car trips). And I like the gas mileage.

Jim would prefer an SUV. It's more manly, you know. I like how SUVs drive in ice and snow. I'm not thrilled with the gas mileage on them though. I also don't think it would give us more seating than a regular car: two in front and three in back. Unless we bought a Suburban or Yukon, but those are awfully big for our everyday use, and they're more than we can really spend on a car. The storage part is good. He would also like XM radio though we do currently use a car kit.

To sum it up, we need a vehicle that will hold a minimum of two large adults and one car seat with the ability to add additional passengers. We would like decent gas mileage, rear seat entertainment, and the ability to hold all our stuff when we travel without requiring a trailer.

Oh, and we'd like it to be cheap, please. Which leads to another question, new or used? I'd always bought new cars and had good luck with them until our current car, which has had some issues. Jim had always bought used cars and had good luck until the previously mentioned Blazer. I'm leaning towards used, just a year or two, due to the fact that we're looking at an expensive car and that way someone else gets the depreciation hit. Jim is leaning towards new because he doesn't want a car with hidden problems.

Oy! What to do? What do you drive? Do you love it? What do you recommend?

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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Here We Go!
The post I made last night was made in the small window I had open. Shortly after I posted, Sera woke up. She had barely been asleep an hour. She would not let me put her down for almost 2 1/2 hours. I know it was a reaction to being left all day. There might have been a teething aspect and even a gas aspect judging by the rumbles in her diaper, but the way she held on to me tells me it was something more.

This morning we took her back to G's house. When she saw P waiting for her in the doorway, she bounced and giggled. She was very excited to see both of them and, more importantly, to see P's doll, Lorelai. My girl loves dolls. We need to get her more of them. She seems really drawn to the somewhat realistic babies as opposed to the cartoony type dolls (Sonya Lu). I put her down to play with the dolls. It only took a minute or two before she realized what was going on this time. She reached for me and started to whimper a little. Jim and I told her bye-bye. She began crying as we left. As cruel as it may sound, I was happy to hear that sound. I think she wasn't expecting us to leave her yesterday because it wasn't something she was used to happening. But today, she knew what was going on. If she hadn't cried, I would have started worrying about attachment issues. She acted exactly the way she should.

When we picked her up, she was happy to see us both. Though she did reach for daddy first, again. At home, she was excited and happy to play with her toys. She started a game where she would sit down on the end of the couch. I was sitting at the other end. When I put my arm out to make sure she didn't fall off the couch, she flung herself into my arms, gave me a hug, and then went back to sit in the corner on the other side of the couch. She was obviously happy to be home, but she didn't act like she was mad at me the way she had on Monday.

Tomorrow will be another new experience, but in a familiar place. She'll be starting daycare at the high school where I work. We visited my school several times last Spring. I think she's going to really enjoy it there. She loves other children.

In case you are wondering, I've never been less prepared for the beginning of the school year. Luckily, I'm teaching classes I've taught multiple times. I'm not too concerned. With trimesters, I get to experience the first day of class three times a school year. It's become old hat.

For my fellow teachers out there, welcome back to school. Yippee....

Note to Jacquie: It was much harder on me than Sera during the day. She had her reaction at night. I think a slower transition would be great. I wish I had the option of doing that. On the other hand, I'm getting some real pluses out of having her in my building.

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Monday, August 13, 2007
It Had To Happen, Sooner or Later
Yep, I went back to work today. My first day back since March 26th. Shadow's expression here pretty much mirrors mine all day. It was a tough day for both of us....Shadow and me, that is. Sera had a wonderful day.

She spent the day with one of our neighbors and her daughter, who is also from China. They are waiting for their 2nd child, so it was a good practice on being a big sister day for P. Normally when we go to a new place, Sera won't let me put her down for a good half-hour. This morning, she took one look at all the cool toys P put out for her, and she was off and running. She couldn't get down fast enough. P put away all her big girl toys and brought out her old baby toys for Sera to play with. Wasn't that sweet? Sera barely noticed Jim and me leaving.

I called twice and both times she was having a blast. She knows G and P well because they're part of our weekly playgroup. I think that really paid off in how well she did today. She'll be going there again tomorrow and will start daycare on Wednesday.

I, on the other hand, didn't do as well. As soon as I got in the car, I teared up. I fought tears the rest of the way to school. Good thing Jim was driving! I felt all mopey and depressed all day. This was the longest Sera and I have been parted, and only the second time she was left with someone other than Jim.

I know it's for the best. I really think Sera is going to love daycare. She loves being around other children, and we really need my paycheck. It was hard getting my mind back in gear today, but it did feel a little good to get back into things a bit, too.

Sera was beside herself with excitement when we walked up to the door to get her. I reached for her, and she reached right past me for Jim. After a few minutes, she let me hold her for just a minute before reaching for Jim again. At home, she was distant for about 20 minutes and then she was all over me. Jim says it's because she's used to him leaving for hours and coming back. I've never done it so she was not happy with me. I don't know if that's the reason, but I do know that we ended the day with a nice long cuddle in the nursery rocker.

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Sunday, August 12, 2007
Sunday Secrets
One of my regular blog stops on Sundays is PostSecret. It's one of my Blogline blogs. This week, the postcards have been turned into a mini-movie. I usually find the secrets very touching, sometimes mean, and sometimes funny. I think it must be very cathartic for the senders and also a way to feel like you're not alone with your thoughts.

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Friday, August 10, 2007
Favorite Ingredients Friday - Salad Edition


I had another post all ready to go because I forgot it was salad day. Luckily, I have some good salads saved.

The first one is the tried and true broccoli salad. I absolutely love it. I first had the salad at my sister's (Marcia), but have since noticed the recipe everywhere. The second is a dessert salad. I first made it a few years ago for a 4th of July party. It's a wonderful combination of sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy.

Broccoli Salad

1. 1 head of broccoli flowerets, uncooked
2. 1/2 C golden raisins
3. 3/4 C sunflower seeds
4. 1/2 C crisp bacon, crumbled

Dressing:
5. 3/4 C mayo
6. 1/4 C sugar
7. 1/4 C apple cider vinegar

Toss first three salad ingredients. In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients together and add to salad. Add bacon approximately 20 minutes before serving.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

1. 2 cups crushed pretzels
2. 3/4 cup melted butter
3. 3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
4. 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
5. 1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
6. 2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry gelatin dessert mix
7. 2 cups boiling water
8. 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries
9. 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
10. Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.

In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.

To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy for more fantastic recipes!

Past FIF recipes:
Crawfish Monica
Grilled Meats and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo
Crockpot Red Beans
Better Than Almost Anything Cake
Fruity Sangria
Outrageous Brownies
Enchiladas de Pollo
Lescó
Catalina Chicken
Croissant French Toast
Corned Beef
Sloppy Joe, Mac 'n Cheese Casserole
Shredded Chicken
Baked Bean & Burger Casserole
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crab Rangoon
Sausage con Queso and Ro-tel Cheese Dip
Blueberry Multigrain Coffeecake
Banana Bread
Bananas Foster
Old-Time Beef Stew
White Chocolate Snack Mix
Gorilla Bread
Ginger Shrimp
Roast Chicken
Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup
Shrimp Mold
Pasta Puttanesca
Pork Milanese
Pumpkin Dip
Oven-fried Chicken
Best Bundt Cake Ever
Hot Dog Casserole
Chicken & Rice
Peanut Butter Fudge
Omelets in a Bag
Shrimp Boil
Apple Cheese
Pulled Pork BBQ



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Thursday, August 09, 2007
Step Up
Time for all lurkers to step up!

No, seriously, we need some help.

We have two more car payments to make on our car. Yippee!!! It's been fine, but it's now way too small. It will make an excellent 2nd car as our current 2nd car is a '92 Geo Tracker that Jim bought 10 years ago. It had over 100,000 miles then. It's actually a great car. We've never had any trouble with it at all, but time is not on its side. We're going to use it as a trade-in and buy another car. Our current main car will then become the back up car aka Jim's car.

I'd like to hold off a few months on the new car because life without a car payment sounds good for a few months. I don't know how long we'll be able to make it though. We've always carpooled to work. Our schools are five minutes apart, but that isn't going to work this year. Jim will be running an afterschool homework program. Things like that weren't a problem in the past. I always had plenty to do at school and would just wait until he came to get me. I don't think Sera will be as willing to wait. This means she and I will have to drive separately on days he runs the program, which will be Monday - Thursday for the most part.

Anyway, enough babbling, on to the dilemma. We are a family of three, but we take long car trips once or twice a year. Plus, we'd like to be able to have other people in the car if we want to road trip to Chicago or Detroit, or just load up at the IKEA in either city.

I'm a big wimp in the winter time. The only time I felt really safe driving on ice was the couple of years we had a Chevy Blazer. Now that Blazer was a huge lemon. We bought it used and are lucky it lasted as long as it did. It wasn't old, but it just fell apart.

I like the idea of a minivan. I like the three rows of seating. I like the electric sliding doors. I want a rear entertainment system (remember long car trips). And I like the gas mileage.

Jim would prefer an SUV. It's more manly, you know. I like how SUVs drive in ice and snow. I'm not thrilled with the gas mileage on them though. I also don't think it would give us more seating than a regular car: two in front and three in back. Unless we bought a Suburban or Yukon, but those are awfully big for our everyday use, and they're more than we can really spend on a car. The storage part is good. He would also like XM radio though we do currently use a car kit.

To sum it up, we need a vehicle that will hold a minimum of two large adults and one car seat with the ability to add additional passengers. We would like decent gas mileage, rear seat entertainment, and the ability to hold all our stuff when we travel without requiring a trailer.

Oh, and we'd like it to be cheap, please. Which leads to another question, new or used? I'd always bought new cars and had good luck with them until our current car, which has had some issues. Jim had always bought used cars and had good luck until the previously mentioned Blazer. I'm leaning towards used, just a year or two, due to the fact that we're looking at an expensive car and that way someone else gets the depreciation hit. Jim is leaning towards new because he doesn't want a car with hidden problems.

Oy! What to do? What do you drive? Do you love it? What do you recommend?

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The Very Picture of Health
Today, we visited the pediatrician for Sera's 15-month well baby check. She only had to have one vaccine, Prevnar. She's gone from 28" to 30" and from 17# 13 oz to 19# 8 oz since her 12-month check. She's in the 5th percentile for weight, 25th for height, and 50th for head circumferance. I honestly thought she weighed more. The Friday before we left for GS, I had her weighed at my doctor's office. She weighed 20.5# there. Of course, they didn't strip her naked, but can her clothes really weigh a whole pound? Maybe she had a wet diaper then? I guess I shouldn't have switched her to forward-facing yet.

She's healthy, happy, and the doctor said everything looked good.

Can you really ask for more?


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Wednesday, August 08, 2007
She Came, She Saw, She Conquered
Her first corn on the cob never had a chance. And no, she didn't eat the entire cob, but only because I was worried she'd explode!

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Review - Coppertone Kids and Coppertone Sport


I've been meaning to write this review for a long time, even more so after heading south.

Earlier this summer, I received samples of these two products. I brought them to playgroups, but to be perfectly honest, we didn't use them much there. The park that we go to has lots of trees, plus we were never in direct sunlight. We used them, but they weren't really tested. You know what I mean?

Well, summer is wrapping up, and it's pretty much too late for anyone to switch to a new sunscreen. If you haven't found one you like, however, I strongly recommend these products.

Being a resident of Florida during my peak tanning years, I had developed a disdain for Coppertone. In our sunscreen snobbishness, we believed that standard sunscreens wouldn't work in a "tropical" sun. Of course, I'm sure our baby oil with iodine didn't provide too much protection either. Out of habit, I hadn't tried Coppertone in years.

The Kids sunscreen sprays out a lotion that you then rub in. Sera loved it. She thought being sprayed was the best game ever, and she always loves having lotion rubbed in. Being the whitest person in America, I used the Kids spray on myself. That 50 spf sounded good to me. Sera and I were both out at the pool during the hottest time of the day for about an hour and a half or more. She turned just a little more golden, and I only burned on my right shoulder. That I blame on bad aim on my part. I'm right-handed, so it was hard to spray the right side of my back.

It was easy to use and did a great job. Thumbs up for Coppertone!

I have two more reviews coming up soon.



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Tuesday, August 07, 2007
It's Time For My Close Up, Mr. Demille
Sera definitely has a flare for the dramatic. Jim told me last night about a new game she'd started, on her own, during her bedtime ritual. Tonight, I put it to bed and she demonstrated it for me. I ran for the camera as soon as she started.



She pulls her blanket through the slats of her crib and throws it over her head. She then walks around the room with her hands out groping. I know she can see through it because I stood up and she walked right over to me and grabbed my leg. It is the funniest thing. I'd say she's been watching too many Scooby Doo ghosts, but she's never seen any.


The piece de resistance is this hat. She digs it out of the toy box and insists that you put it on her head before she covers up with the blanket. Why it's important to cover her hair, I don't know. She is such a funny little girl.

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Monday, August 06, 2007
HodgePodge

Vacation mornings are the best! Don't worry about Shadow's sad looking face. He was probably just told to quit licking Sera. He would lick her non-stop, if we let him.




Cute outfit from Aunt Marcia, plus my new Detroit Tigers Straw Cup.




Another view


Chocolate Nirvana!




Isn't life interesting? He was married to my aunt when he won that Pulitzer.

If memory serves, she's the one he left her for. I'll confess, this is a total meow moment.

In the interest of my own karma, here's where you can stock up on all your karmic supplies.

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Sunday, August 05, 2007
Mommy, Come Get Me!
In all the excitement of coming home from our vacation, I forgot to pass on this little story.

When we arrived home, even though it was very late, Sera was wide awake and wound up. She was also very excited to be home with Daddy. We let her play in the living room for a little bit as we brought in the perishables (an entire cooler filled with gorgeous Gulf Coast seafood) and packaged them for the freezer. We didn't even unload the rest of the car until the next day.

As foolish new parents, we didn't bother putting the baby gates up. They'd been down while Sera and I were gone because Jim could be trusted to go into any room on his own. We were in the kitchen, and Sera was walking back and forth between the living room and the kitchen. Until she wasn't that is. I heard her call for me from near the front door. I looked down the hall, but didn't see her. I hurried down there and found her halfway up the stairs to the second floor. She was just sitting there as calm as can be with her thumb in her mouth and Mei Mei tucked under her chin.

Sera had never once attempted to climb the stairs before. I had even taken her to them once to teach her how to go up and down. I'd rather she know the right way rather than figure it out on her own. That's what I did with the couch. I taught her right away how to get off the couch. She's fallen off once or twice, but she learned quickly to get on her belly and scoot down. When I took her to the stairs, she wanted nothing to do with them. What in the world made her climb multiple stairs this night?

Then I remembered...

Sitting on the steps of the dock at the bay house. There were only three steps, but Sera spent a long time climbing up and down those three steps as Bret and I sat on each side of her. I guess that gave her the confidence to get started at home, but not to finish. Don't worry. Those stairs are now safely gated.

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Saturday, August 04, 2007
Back To School Giveaway With Gymboree


I know it's boring when I post links to contests, but I love this store. If you love this store, click on the picture and comment to have a chance at a $250.00 gift card to Gymboree.

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Batter Up!

So, how did you spend Friday night? Can you guess what we did? Jim talks about it here.

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Friday, August 03, 2007
Favorite Ingredients Friday
One of the great things about living in New Orleans was going to Jazz Fest. This dish is a standard at the Fairgrounds. You can't go to Jazz Fest and not have a plate. It's so simple, you can make it at home, too. It's obviously not diet fare.



Crawfish Monica

1 lb. crawfish tails, boiled and peeled (you can substitute 1# peeled shrimp, lump crabmeat or oysters, drained and quartered)
1 stick butter
1 pint half-and-half
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 - 10 cloves garlic, chopped (to your taste)
Creole seasoning to taste (or 1 - 2 tbsp.)
1 lb. cooked pasta


Cook pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain, then rinse under cool water. Drain again, thoroughly.Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the seafood and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half and Creole seasoning, taste, and add more seasoning, if necessary.



Cook for 5 - 10 minutes over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add the pasta and toss well. Simmer for another 10 minutes over very low heat, stirring often. Serve immediately, with lots of French bread.

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy for more fantastic recipes!

Past FIF recipes:
Grilled Meats and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo
Crockpot Red Beans
Better Than Almost Anything Cake
Fruity Sangria
Outrageous Brownies
Enchiladas de Pollo
Lescó
Catalina Chicken
Croissant French Toast
Corned Beef
Sloppy Joe, Mac 'n Cheese Casserole
Shredded Chicken
Baked Bean & Burger Casserole
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crab Rangoon
Sausage con Queso and Ro-tel Cheese Dip
Blueberry Multigrain Coffeecake
Banana Bread
Bananas Foster
Old-Time Beef Stew
White Chocolate Snack Mix
Gorilla Bread
Ginger Shrimp
Roast Chicken
Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup
Shrimp Mold
Pasta Puttanesca
Pork Milanese
Pumpkin Dip
Oven-fried Chicken
Best Bundt Cake Ever
Hot Dog Casserole
Chicken & Rice
Peanut Butter Fudge
Omelets in a Bag
Shrimp Boil
Apple Cheese
Pulled Pork BBQ

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Thursday, August 02, 2007
No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem
Mommy made a new rule tonight. When daddy makes dinner, we must strip down to a diaper only.



Eating is serious business around here.




But we have fun, too.



By the way, the carnage is thanks to cherry applesauce.

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Meme
This meme has been sitting as a draft in my Blogger files for a month. Since I just got tagged a second time for the same meme, I took it as a sign to get on it.

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago:
1. Working for a retailer in New Orleans as a gourmet food and cheese buyer
2. Spending a lot of time on my first computer playing a game called Terris
3. Bored and unhappy with my life
4. Made the decision by the end of that year to go back to school and get my teaching license
5. I was just generally lost

5 Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Chocolate
2. Cheese
3. Popcorn
4. Fruit
5. Hummus

5 Songs I Know All the Lyrics To:
1. About 80% of the songs played on the 70's channel on XM radio as poor Sera learned on our recent road trip and about 50% of the 80's channel
2. Les Miserables
3. Soundtrack to Grease
4. More Wiggles songs than I ever dreamed
5. Theme song to Little Einsteins

5 Things I Would Do If I Were a Millionaire:
1. Move closer to my family
2. Pay off all our bills
3. Adopt again
4. Help out family
5. Set up trust fund for Sera

5 Bad Habits:
1. Procrastinator
2. Lazy
3. Bad eating habits
4. Starbucks
5. Chocolate

5 Things I Like to Do
1. Be with Sera and Jim
2. Blog
3. Read
4. Cook
5. Talk to my sisters

5 Things I Would Never Wear Again
1. Paisley print
2. Hot pants (yes, I had a pair. I was 10, but I had a pair.)
3. Wedding dress (won't need to, this one's a keeper)
4. Anything with a bare midriff
5. High heels

5 Favorite Toys
1. My computer
2. My camera
3. My PDA
4. Our new video iPod
5. Camcorder

5 Bloggers I Tag:
I'm going to flake out on you guys here. I honestly think I've seen this on just about every blog I read, or I've seen their names being tagged. If you got missed, then you're it!

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It Feels Like Forever


Another month has passed. Today marks six months since we received our referral, and four months since we met Sera.

Sera has become such an integral part of our lives that I can't remember how we filled our days before she came home. I can promise you that whatever we were doing, it wasn't important.

The smile that lights her face when she spots Jim or me after even the shortest absence just melts away any troubles.
Everybody has this album, right? We have a couple actually. One of them has the pictures we put in it and brought with us to China. There are two pictures of Jim and me, one of Shadow, one of our house, one of me with my dad and step-mother, and one with me and my mother. Sera loves looking at this album. She will point to every person in this book and call them.....dada.

We took this album with us on vacation, but she hasn't seen it since we got home. When I unpacked, I put all of her belongings in a tote and hadn't put the stuff away in her room yet. Not until yesterday that is. Last night, we were in her room playing a little bit before bedtime. She spotted the album back in her toy basket. She got very excited, picked it up, brought it to me and opened to a page with a picture of Jim and me. She pointed to us and said, "dada, mama, dada, mama." It made me cry. It was one of the best milestones ever!

A special shoutout to granddaddy here. Sera stopped at your page, too. When I said your name, she just looked and looked and touched your picture. I think she recognized you.

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Wednesday, August 01, 2007
There's No Place Like Home
Sera and me in Atlanta.
Taken by our travelmate, Shana. I have a great picture including Shana and her daughter, Hattie, but didn't want to post it without permission.

I was very nervous about going on vacation.
Sera had only slept in her crib since we got home from China on 4/12. I wasn't sure how she was going to handle long hours in the car, or sleeping in a Pack N Play, or sleeping in the same room as me, or not seeing her daddy, having her routine thrown out the window, meeting lots of new faces who already loved her, and eating different foods.

She was a champ. There were some challenges. The little girl who had been napping so beautifully in the car found it far too interesting to sleep now that her seat was turned around. We changed her carseat to forward facing. She met the guidelines, but we probably wouldn't have turned her if not for this trip. With it being just the two of us in the car, it was easier to see her face, engage her in talking or singing, hand her a sippy, etc... if her seat was forward facing. She'd barely napped and it was hours past her bedtime when we arrived in Atlanta that first night. She was so wired when we arrived that she was up for hours more. Adjusting to the Pack N Play was difficult that night, too, but she finally fell asleep. I never had another problem putting her to sleep for naps or the night during the rest of the trip. It was amazing.

Over the next week and a half, she met three grandparents, three aunts, two uncles, six cousins, and many old friends. She went into Mobile Bay and a swimming pool. She spent hours and hours in a car. She went shopping at the outlet mall, multiple times. She played with cousins for hours on end. She even reached out for Granddaddy to hold her. This is big. She's only reached for Jim or me in the past.

It's been interesting being home, though. On Friday, she seemed fine. She just jumped right back into her home routine. On Saturday, she was definitely sick. The clammy sweating when she broke the fever that the thermometer (since replaced) claimed she didn't have broke, plus the multiple special diapers confirmed she wasn't just extra sleepy that day. On Sunday, Jim took her to our local zoo. She was acting completely better than the day before, but mommy was ready for a little break. Mommy was suffering from an overload of bodily fluids. Because Saturday's diapers weren't enough, Shadow decided to throw up in my lap. Yes, you read that correctly....in my lap. Now Sera loves animals so we were sure she'd love it. She didn't. She was not interested in anything there except for the koi. She liked watching them feed. On Monday, we decided to go get some Chinese food for lunch when Jim came home from work. Sera was napping, so we waited and left as soon as she woke up. Boy, was she cranky. She had a full-blown meltdown, extremely rare, because we had forgotten to restock the Puffs in the diaper bag. Jim ran to the counter and got a cookie to tide her over until her noodles arrived. Even after all that fussing for food, she barely ate. She was whiny and clingy and just plain didn't want to be there. Jim and I wondered if she wasn't still sick as she was just not acting like herself at all.

Jim finished his lunch while I held Sera. We had her noodles and my lunch packed up to go and headed home. At home, I fixed her something else for lunch. She needed to eat, and she did. She then got on the floor and ran around and played happily. You would never have recognized that screaming, crying, clingy child from the restaurant.

I don't think she was sick on Monday, and I don't think she decided she didn't like animals on Sunday. I think she was trying to tell us that she was tired of new experiences right now becaue there's no place like home.

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