Turkey Day

JAC and I have been busy getting ready for Turkey Day. We've been cleaning and cooking all day. I am so Thankful that my sweet sister-in- law Lady is flying in a day early to help with all of the preparations. Here's the menu:

1. Bob the Turkey: I named him since we'll be spending so much time together.
2. Cornbread Dressing. This is stuffing if you're a Yankee.
3. Mashed Potatoes
4. Mashed Sweet potatoes with brown sugar and pecans
5. Marinated Vegetable salad
6. Dried cherry, almond, green apple, and baby green salad. My friend Cathy gave me this recipe and it is awesome. That woman should quit her day job and start a cooking blog.
7.Pretzel and Jello Salad. This is a Midwest classic that is absolutely delightful. My friend Cate got the recipe from her mother-in-law.
8. Hawaiian Rolls
9. Cranberry Relish. I hate cranberry sauce from a can.

10. Bohemian Coffee Cake. I can't make this recipe without thinking of my great grandma. We called her Tutu.
11. Pecan Pie
12. Pumpkin Carmel Cheesecake with ginger snap crust
13.Cranberry Walnut Bread

I haven't even started cooking most of this stuff and I still need to clean out the car and scrub the kitchen floor. I should get busy. If you live in the DC area and need a place to go for Turkey Day please stop by our house. There will be plenty of food and great people who will treat you like family.

Order

I had the nicest day today. Its Monday and my biology lab was cancelled but I didn't cancel my babysitter. Instead, I went to Target and looked at lipstick for half an hour. JAC hates looking at lipstick. I also spent another half hour debating which air mattress to buy and I'm sure JAC would have loudly protested my indecisiveness. I finished my Target trip off by eating a personal pan pizza that I didn't have to share with anyone. I'm sure that made it twice as delicious.

This morning I opened my dishwasher and was reminded of yet another reason why I love my husband. Jess is orderly. Last night while I made Thai Salad for Jess to take to his office potluck Jess did the dishes. When I do dishes they are typically thrown in in haste but Jess neatly places them in perfect rows. Later in the day I was once again reminded of Jess' fondness for order. I decided to clean JAC's room because typically he is napping while I am cleaning and his room is never cleaned. When I got out the vacuum cleaner the cord was perfectly wrapped in a figure eight. It was as if Jess had left his signature on the vacuum.

When I got done cleaning I grabbed the mail and found the nicest surprise. My awesome friend Leigh had sent me a card. Leigh is the friend I have known the longest. She lives in Hereford, Texas and has two wild kids of her own but she remembered that getting mail is probably one of my favorite things in the whole world. She sent me a card of encouragement, since I'm cooking Thanksgiving this week. Thanks Leigh! I am privileged to have her as a friend. Also, thanks to her son Ben for his original artwork included in the card. It made my day brighter.

Sucker

I have been waiting to share this all week. This is one of my favorite neighborhood events in the fall. Twice during the season residents rake their leaves to the curb and the city comes with a truck and sucks them up. Since I grew up mostly in regions without many trees I find this process really exciting. I have always loved raking leaves but hated puting them in bags for removal. These guys with their leaf vacuuming truck have just made my day.

In the west we might not have leaf sucking trucks but we do have something similar. Across the plains we have praire dogs. They live in large colonies and burrow under the ground. The rodents can be the bain of farmers and ranchers because they destroy the ground and leave holes that can cause injury to livestock and humans. Some people shoot them and others try to poision them but one couple came up with an innovative solution. They retrofitted a sewage removal truck with soft padding inside. For a small fee they will come and suck your prarie dogs out of their holes and remove them from your property. They say it is a humane solution. That would be an exciting day for the prarie dog. Here's a link if you want to check it out. http://www.cnn.com/EARTH/9612/16/sucking.dogs/

Newsweek Wednesday

Most of my friends know I'm an avid reader of Newsweek. Every week when it comes in the mail I browse through the stories like a guilty pleasure. I just find it very satisfying to read something entirely non-kid related. Lately I've been swamped with school and fallen a little behind on my reading but the week I rewarded with an entire issue full of topics I have been puzzling about.

In 5th grade I was on the math team. I actually remember loving it. Somewhere between fifth and 7th grades I decided I hated math and gave up trying. When it got a little tough I decided to solely focus on topics that came naturally to me and I still regret not taking the time to learn math. This year I have tried to recommit myself to doing hard things.

Last night NPR did a short segment on doctors who were also writers. It would seem those skills are on the opposite ends of the thinking spectrum but the doctors discussed how literature helped them deal with ambiguity and writing helped them process the great questions of humanity they see daily.

Newsweek discussed a decline in American innovation and I can't help wonder if it is because we are too lazy to ask hard questions. The following story discussed how the Israeli army grew great business leaders. I credit my time in the Army for helping me stay on track when I wasn't sure where I was going. The story expressed similar sentiments and explained while American college freshman are playing video games and drinking, Israelis have already spent two years learning work ethic and come to college with direction.

This is not my personal pitch for military service. This is just my fragmented thoughts and a bit of encouragement to do some that doesn't come easily to you today. I hope everyone is having a great week.

When You Know What You Want....

My kid loves to eat. All food brings him great pleasure and he can be very demanding about it. On Sunday we hosted potluck. The food was delicious. Luckily, JAC slept through potluck so I got to eat in peace. When it was time to clean up JAC was wide awake so I put him in his high chair.

A few weeks ago we discovered Gerber Cereal Bites. JAC loves the banana flavor and it is a non-messy food that I can drop on his tray when I'm in a hurry. I dropped a mound of cereal bites on his tray and started cleaning the kitchen. I was happy he was occupied eating.

A few minutes later I turned around a got a glimpse of something that caught my breath. JAC had climbed out of his highchair. He was precariously perched with one foot on the top of his highchair, one foot on the window ledge, clinging to my kitchen curtains. I know highchairs have safety belts but he broke loose. This is not an ordinary child. This is a WILD child.

What inspired JAC's scaling of the highchair? I'm sure part of it was an effort to get my attention but mainly JAC had run out of cereal bites. He had eaten them all and on the widow ledge sat the container of cereal bites just beckoning him. This is a kid who knows what he wants.

I Didn't Have Anything to Write About

This morning as I drank my cup of coffee I wished I had something to write about. It had been a pretty mundane weekend and I was lacking inspiration. I could hear JAC awake upstairs but I wanted a few minutes to myself before I was on parenting duty. I avoided going up there as long as I could. He sounded happy enough and I was nursing a headache.

Finally, I went upstairs. I knew what would greet me - a smiling kid and dirty diaper. I groggily put him on on the changing table and then I knew instantly something was wrong. JAC wasn't wearing any pants. I knew that I put pajamas on my kid late last night. Worse than the lack of pants was the lack of a diaper! This was not good. I looked over my shoulder and there was a dirty diaper on the floor. The rest of the details are really gross so I'll spare you.

Apparently, it took me so long to get upstairs that JAC took things into his own hands. He not only took off his pants but he took off his dirty diaper and threw it on the floor. I think I got the message.

It seems like in just the last few weeks JAC has gotten really smart. He has figured out a whole list of new ways to get into trouble. I need to catch up and get more creative.

Late Night Conversations

Jess and I have the strangest conversations in bed late at night when neither of us can sleep. I'm not sure if we're inspired by the darkness or just too tired to care what we say anymore but these conversations can be really revealing and typically very goofy. A few nights ago I gave Jess a detailed account of all my childhood pets and how they met their demises. Other recent weird conversations have included discussing which animals our friends were most like.

Last night Jess started telling me about the Incredible Mr. Limpet. Apparently this is a movie about a guy who became a fish and spied for the U.S Navy. I've never seen the movie and frankly think the premise sounds a little creepy but Jess swears it was awesome.

I started recalling movies from my own childhood and I don't remember it being a great experience. My first movie was Snow White and I think we can all agree that Snow White is one weird flick. I'm still haunted by the Wizard of Oz. My sister used to make us watch that movie every day and eventually my siblings and I hid it from her. Perhaps this is why I still hate going to the movies.

Dream House

Jess and I spend lots of time talking about our dream house. Some weeks it seems like the conversation that gets us through the week without going bonkers. We'll crawl into bed and I'll say "Don't worry baby, some day I'll be a PA and you'll be a PE and we'll build that dream house." We'll fall asleep discussing our dream house.

I think most people have a dream house that they would love to build. Here's a couple of things that are definitely going to be in my dream house. I'd love to hear your ideas too. Happy dreaming.

1. Two sun rooms. One that's a breakfast area where I will drink my morning coffee and another filled with work out equipment that I can use in the winter.

2. Heated towel racks

3. An attached garage.

4. Room above the garage. Jess and I refer to this as my crazy room. I'm going to decorate it in wild colors and bohemian themes. Boys won't be allowed and when my guys drive me crazy I'll hide out in there, do art and read great books.

5. A double oven.

6. Lots and Lots of windows.

7. A great view.

Conversations with a Man

Jess and I are usually on the same page but every once in a while something gets lost in translation. Here are two recent examples:

This year I have lost 60lbs. Somewhere at around 30lbs I dramatically proclaimed I would never loose the baby weight and gave some of my clothes to Goodwill. As a result I really only have one pair of jeans that fit. "I need new jeans!" I whined to Jess. "Why?" he asked. "My jeans are too big," I replied. "Aren't jeans supposed to be baggy so they're extra comfy?" he inquired. The crazy thing is that he wasn't being sarcastic.

On Monday I came home from school and asked Jess what he had for dinner. Usually I put food in the crock pot for him but this Monday I didn't get around to it. Luckily I married a resourceful man. Jess said he ate steak for dinner. This really surprised me. I haven't bought steak in 6 months and I think it would take a cow dying in our front lawn for steak to be on the menu. "Where did you get steak?" I asked. "From the fridge," he replied. I just started laughing. I had a pork chop thawing in the refrigerator. Jess had cooked and ate that pork chop and thought he was eating steak the whole time. I should have just let him believe it but I couldn't help but ask, "You didn't realize you were eating white meat?" "Well, I did marinate it in Worcester sauce," he replied.

Who Would have Guessed

This is a picture of my kid sitting perfectly still. This never happens. JAC even kicks almost non-stop in his sleep. Why is my kid sitting so still? Is it witchcraft? Did I drug him? No! It's Bon Jovi. Bon Jovi was on the today show and JAC was absolutely entranced.

Tricky

Kids are tricky. Just when you think you have things figured out everything changes. A month ago we went to the doctor and JAC was 28 inches long. That put him in the 50th percentile and I figured that was about right since neither Jess nor I are very tall. The weather was getting colder and I decided I would buy JAC's winter clothes all at once. I bought 12 month sized clothes knowing they would be a little big but happy I would not have to shop until the spring. Then JAC did something tricky. He grew two inches in a month. Now he's long and lean and his pants are too short and his shirts show an inch of stomach. Luckily Christmas is around the corner.

In honor of my tricky little guy I'm posting a tricky cookie recipe. It appears pretty basic but the trick is pulling the cookies out of the oven at just the right moment. These are the best peanut butter cookies that I have ever had but you take them out of the oven when they appear slightly under done. If you wait too long they're not very tasty. Happy eating.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened1 cup peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips.
Form the dough into balls, roll in sugar and bake for 8 -10 minutes.
Do not over bake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Stairs

A few days ago I was watching my son and realized he doesn't remind me of my husband. JAC doesn't have Jess' level headed composure. Instead he is fiery, opinionated and obstinate like me. I'm sure as he gets older he and Jess might seem more alike but at the moment he seems a lot like me.

For months I have been watching him climb up our basement stairs. He typically climbs four stairs, stops, looks down and then cries. He won't climb back down even though he knows how to. I share the same aversion to going backwards. Occasionally this aversion pushes me towards success but many times I just end up stuck. For instance I was never very good at soccer because I hated passing the ball backwards. I had my heart set at moving towards the goal. I also hate travelling in reverse to get home. On Friday we ended up lost in northern Maryland because I didn't want to turn around and hit the highway to get home. I kept telling Jess there had to be another way if we just kept driving. It turns out there wasn't another way home. By the time I gave in, reversed and headed for the highway my husband had a huge headache -poor guy.

Today JAC made it up all twelve basement stairs unassisted. I could tell he was proud of himself. As usual he stopped on the fourth stair and started to cry. Then, he looked forward and just kept going. It reminded me that sometimes you might spend months stuck in a rut trying to get forward and then the right moment, on the right day will come along and you won't look back and you'll be at the top.

Blah...

I'm feeling a horrible sense of malaise this week and it has effected my blogging. All the good ideas have been zapped from my head. I blame Jess being out of town for the weekend. I am spending all my mental energy pouting instead of blogging. This being said, I wouldn't want people going a whole weekend without something to read so I'm posting 10 random facts about myself. Aren't you glad you decided to read this?

1. I didn't learn to parallel park until I was 24 but now I relish the opportunity and consider myself and true parallel parking ninja.

2. I drink 6-8 cups of black coffee a day.

3. I have never been to a tanning salon and I can't use a curling iron.

4. I don't like cake but could eat my weight in cookies and pie

5. I love to cook but I only own two pots. I spent all of our money on clothes instead.

6. I believe that I share many qualities with the rare and mythical animal the -Puma Roo. It's a cross between a Puma and a Kangaroo.

7. I really want to be a put together pretty girl but lack all forms of grace. Actually I'm a klutz and I've broken my arm twice, my nose and my foot.

8. When I was a single girl I loved first dates. Jess and I still try to out-do each other in our date planning.

9. A mechanical bull was key in why I married my husband. I'm not posting the story here because my mother reads my blog. Mechanical bulls are awesome!

10. I can only go three weeks without doing something bad. Before we had JAC I used to drag Jess into all kinds of messes to include shooting bottle rockets off our balcony at the neighbors.

***Bonus** Fact
I consider one of my greatest accomplishments teaching my mom how to drive stick. It is one of those memories where I felt like I was especially good at something. If you want to know how to drive stick give me a call.

Going Shopping

Today JAC and I are going shopping. We're not buying clothes, shoes or diapers. We're off to buy a pig in a jar. Since I'm new to the field of science I had always assumed that when the instructor told you to dissect a fetal pig he would provide you with the pig. When he announced that we had to buy our own I almost fell over in my chair laughing. It was almost as funny as the Miracle of Life video we had to watch.

I plan to ask for the biggest pig they have because I want to get my full money's worth. Then just for kicks, I'm going to bring him home and put him in the refrigerator right next to the milk. I'm going to ask my unsuspecting husband to get something out of the refrigerator for me and with any luck the dead pig in a jar will scare the crap out of him! I know it's sophomoric but I've never claimed to be mature.

Bug

Yesterday JAC was sitting in his highchair eating his dinner while I cooked. I was busy and not paying too much attention but I did notice that he seemed particularly happy. He was making a slew of unusual baby sounds and I turned to see what he was so happy about. At first I couldn't figure it out and then I noticed he something in his hand. I peeled back his fingers and discovered my kid was playing with a large, live stink bug.

Living a Dream

Today we left church and start driving West to the mountains. Every year make an annual road trip to see the fall colors and this year didn't fail to disappoint. These trips have proven to be three of the best days of our marriage. The first year we drove up the Delaware River, spent the night in the Catskills, Drove down the Hudson and finished with an impromptu stop at the Statue of Liberty. The second year Jess was home on leave from Iraq. We stayed at a bed and breakfast in Harper's Ferry and finished the trip with a visit to Shenandoah National Park.

This year we didn't have much of a plan. We just started driving. About an hour into the trip we decided to stop by Winchester, VA. I've been working on my prerequisites for Physician's Assistant's school and Shenandoah University in Winchester has a great program. We wanted to check the school out. It seemed perfect. It was a small campus nestled on the edge of the mountains. There was a beautiful pond on campus and a huge playground full of kids nearby.

I think the trip was so fun because Jess and I spent the whole time pretending we might live there and it felt like a perfect fit. The down wasn't too big or too small. There was no traffic. We didn't have to pay for parking. We found the local church and checked out neighborhoods we might like to live it. There were even running trails we promised to try out one day.

The highlight was taking JAC to the playground. It was full of happy families, not distracted nannies and exhausted parents. We both held one of JAC's hands and he practically ran around the playground laughing at other kids and giggling when Jess helped him go down the slide. Other parents teased us about how proud we looked but we couldn't help it. We both felt very joyful.

Jess and I both admit that we would love a change of pace from D.C. We have great friends here but this city can be a bit lonely and tiresome at times. We know Winchester isn't perfect but it was nice to spend a day pretending and it is nice to have a guy around who is willing to share the dream.

Halloween Part 2

I'm afraid my son might not share my enthusiasm for Halloween. Jess and I spent all afternoon excitedly getting ready for our favorite holiday. JAC rode in his back pack (commonly referred to as the JAC PACK) as Jess got our fire pit ready for smores and I hauled chairs to our front yard. It has been so wet here that it was a tough job to get a fire going and a few minutes after our small blaze was lit it started raining again. Ug! We couldn't make smores but I was not going to be deterred in my celebration. Jess happily lugged our over sized pumpkins into the leaving rooms so we could carve Jack O Lanterns. I was pumped to share the tradition with JAC but we needed some space to get the operation going and I put JAC in his crib. I few minutes later we were ready to start carving and JAC had fallen asleep at 5:00. I was surprised but I thought it might just be a quick nap.

JAC slept through his entire first Halloween. He slept through his little friend coming over dressed like an astronaut. He slept through a great pot of chili and some good friends helping eat it. He slept through over 200 trick or treaters, one transvestite dressed as a devil and handing out over six bags of candy. He never even got to try on the cowboy outfit I made him. We still had a great time though and there's always next year. JAC better have his game face on.