Any Suggestions...

I'm trying to start our food storage over again. Since we didn't have a lot of money and places to put it when we first came to CO. And we are moving in July I was hoping to re-start our food storage. I've made 22 jars of jam and plan on making 12 more. Plus I'll be canning salsa and tomatoes when we get back from VA in June. We have cereals and water. But else should I be looking to get stocked up before we leave for Texas?

Thomas the Tank Engine

Iain loves Thomas the Tank Engine (I'm obsessed with Tomas and any and all trains). When we went to see Brian at Fort Sill in OK, Brian got Iain his first Thomas train wooden play set. And since then he has gotten 2 more trains, aquarium cars, and and expansion tracks for the wooden play set and he even has a battery operated train (which is pretty cool). Brian asked me to pick up a big Thomas wooden train set (which I have yet to get. I will hopefully on Monday). But which one to get? Any suggestions?

All Domestic and stuff...

So earlier this week I decided that I wanted to make home made jam. I have never canned in my life. I thought that it would be so hard but in truth it was quite easy. I made 14 jars of strawberry freezer jam to take with us when we move to Texas in July. I had all these strawberries left over but I didn't want to have my freezer totally full of freezer jam. So I made shelf jam. You have to cook it than while it is still hot you ladle the liquid into the jars. So I made 5 pint mason jars of strawberry jam and 3 pint mason jars of cherry jam. That's a total of 22 jars of jam. I want to make pear,orange marmalade jams, and salsa. Any one have recipes for any of those. So how knew that I was this domestic.

Oh yeah, Iain has croup. So this is fun. We are leaving for VA on Tuesday. So of cause he would get sick so close to us flying out of town. Hopefully he will be all better by the time we leave on Tuesday. I don't want to fly with a sick little boy.

Currently

Book(s) 1) The Thorne of Fire (book two in The Kane Series) by Rick Riordan, 2) Unbuttoned a book where Women open up about the pleasures, pains, and politics of breastfeeding edited by Dana Sullivan and Maureen Connolly, and 3) Great Expectations: The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding By Marianne Neifert, MD

They say knowledge is power, so I've been reading any and all books on breastfeeding. I'm hoping that the more I know before I have another baby that I wont give up they way I did with Iain. And the first is purely for pleasure. But for most of my day I read children's books to Iain.

Song Angel by Beverley Mitchell

Frequently worn outfit/item bright blue sweat pants with hearts on one side, white camisole, and a gray zipper hoodie.

Perfume Don't normally wear any. But when I do it's Fancy by Jessica Simpson

Makeup Don't normally wear it. Just Sundays, date night, and when we get pictures done. I prefer the natural look light colors (sometimes blues to make my blue eyes look bluer) and a pink blush. Gloss for my lips.

Food hotdog, chips and dip, and watermelon.

Drink ice water and Sierra Mist Natural

Guilty Pleasure Cosmopolitan (Cosmo) and Pepsi

Bane of my existence interfering hypocrite sister-in-law and brother-in-law

Joy My sweet boy, Iain and my wonderful husband, Brian

Anticipation Seeing my family and friends in VA and getting to see Brian graduate from AIT and than bring him home with me.

Wish List To be able to carry another baby to term. From my little family to be together again under the same roof.

Thought

"Let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is not only aware of us but cares for us. He is our Father. He is accessible to all who seek Him." Gordon B. Hinckley

Yesterday was Mother's Day...(a few days late)

Lately I've been thinking about what a mother should be. Growing up my birth mother wasn't always the best example of what a mother should be. She had days that she was the worlds best mother but for the most part she wasn't. I loved her but I feared her more. I didn't want my children to fear me. Than after I was placed with Anne and Russ (from here on out to be Momma/Mom and Dad). I got the best example of what a mom should be. And I hope that I'm more like her than the other. I had so many good examples of what a mother should be while at church. I was blessed to be exposed to these wonderful women while attending church.

So some of my thoughts on motherhood are: you don't have to have it all together all the time, sometimes your house is going to be messy but your kids will be happy so does it matter that the dishes in the sink have been there for a few days. The answer is no. I would rather have a happy baby. Rocking your baby is more important than dusting any day of the week. Even if you take a shower while your kids are napping and not when you wake up who really cares, your kids don't mind. Playing with them on the floor is more fun than just watching them play. Teaching them about the world around them gives you more insight and joy than you could ever imagine. There are always going to be days when you want to throw the towel in but when your kids give you the brightest smile and tell you that they love you we'll know that you would go through it all over again but so you could hear that sentence and see that smile again. Let your kids know that you love them not just with your words but your actions. You may be a mom but try and remember that you were a wife first and show your husband that you still(and always will love him), again not just with your words but your actions. Even if you don't like what you look like after having kids your husband still does and your kids don't care anyway. Show everyone around you that you take proud in your family (no matter how small or big it is) because being a mother is not a right but a privilege and a blessing. These are just a few things that I have learned over the last 3 years (mind you the first two were kinda a blur). I'm so blessed that I have the privilege of being Iain's mommy and learning from all the wonderful women in my life of what makes a great mom (being able to pull together for my self from taking from their collective wisdom is an honor. Thank you to all you wonderful and caring mothers out there. Hope your Mother's Day was as uplifting and joyful as mine was.

Mark.....Set.....Go!

So today Iain and Gabe were running circles around the main floor of the house. And Iain stopped in front of Leslie and said "Mark...Set...Go!" than starting running just as fast as he could. Every time he would get to were Leslie was sitting he would say it again. How funny is that? I didn't know that he could say that at all. This morning before we left for his doctor appointment I had he watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so that I could get stuff together to go. And todays episode was about shapes. He could name all the shapes. I was quite impressed by that. He doesn't do it on command but when he thinks no one is listening and watching him he will say and do many things. He really is quite smart and a huge stinker.

Apartment Hunting...is the pits

So for the last 2 and a half weeks I've been looking for apartments in El Paso Texas. And finding a few that I think would be great for a little family. But when I finally get someone at the apartment complex to either pick up the phone or call me back I'm told that the 2 bedrooms are all taken and they are unsure when they will have one available for rent. And there is a waiting list a year long for base housing. I'm so at the end of my rope. My mother-in-law says that its time that we are a family again (I agree with her) and she wants us out of here when Brian is done with Home Town Recruiter but what do you do when you aren't having any luck finding a place to live. I could seriously scream.

books you have to read to qualify as a person

1. Tuesdays With Morrie -- Mitch Albom

2. The Shack -- WM Paul Young

3. Way to Be! -- Gordon B. Hinckley

4. The Town Beyond the Wall -- Elie Wiesel

5. The Last Lecture -- Randy Pausch

6. Dawn -- Elie Wiesel

7. Siddhartha -- Hermann Hesse

8. A Christmas Carol -- Charles Dickens

9. Black Like Me -- John Howard Griffin

10. The Book of Mormon ('nuff said)

11. Eat. Pray. Love -- Elizabeth Gilbert

12. The Count of Monte Cristo -- Alexandre Dumas

13. To Kill A Mockingbird -- Harper Lee

14. The Outsiders -- S.E. Hinton

15. Travels With Charley -- John Steinbeck

16. Hamlet -- William Shakespeare

17. Oedipus Rex -- Sophocles

18. The Republic -- Plato

19. My Name is Asher Lev -- Chaim Potok

20. The Kite Runner -- Khaled Hosseini

21. The Fountainhead -- Ayn Rand

22. The Chosen -- Chaim Potok

So does this mean I'm not a qualified as a person...?

30 Day blog challenge

Day 1 - A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

Day 2 - A photo of something you ate today.

Day 3 - Your idea of the perfect first date.

Day 4 - Your favorite photograph of your best friend

Day 5 - A photo of yourself two years ago

Day 6 - A photo of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet

Day 7 - Your dream wedding

Day 8 - A song to match your mood

Day 9 - A photo of the item you last purchased

Day 10 - A photo of your favorite place to eat

Day 11 - What's in your make up bag?

Day 12 - A photograph of the town you live in

Day 13 - Your favorite musician and why

Day 14 - A TV show you're currently addicted to

Day 15 - Something you don't leave the house without

Day 16- Your Celebrity Crush

Day 17 - A photo of you and your family.

day 18- Something you crave a lot

Day 19 - Another picture of yourself.

Day 20 - The meaning behind your blog name.

Day 21 - A photo of something that makes you happy.

Day 22 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

Day 23 - 15 facts about you.

Day 24 - A photo of seomthing that means a lot to you.

Day 25 - What's in your purse?

Day 26 - A photo of somewhere you've been to

Day 27 - A picture of you last year and now and how you have changed since then?

Day 28 - Your favorite movie

Day 29 - Something you could never get tired of doing

Day 30 - A photograph of yourself today + three good things that happened in the past.

So I'm planning to start this when I get to VA next week.