Canon vs. Nikon

So in the next few weeks I will be purchasing my first DSLR camera!  I am so excited....I have been waiting to get a new camera for a while now.  I am still unexperienced with camera terms and have had little time to research which one is better.  So I employed the help of friends!  

My friend and sorority sister, Liz Goettee is a professional photographer and has a ton of experience with cameras, including both Canons and Nikons.  Here is the awesome and in depth review she did for me to compare the Canon EOS XS Rebel and the Nikon d3000:

I started out with the original Canon Rebel in school and have advanced to the Canon 40D and have always been impressed with the quality and color of the images taken on my Canons. When I interned for Turner Broadcasting Systems a few years ago we used top of the line Canon SLR cameras, thus proving they are GREAT CAMERAS! I guess you could say I am a bit biased, haha. My job however requires that I use Nikon's. Only until this past year when we purchased D700's for work have a I been satisfied with Nikon SLR cameras.

Canons in general have a warmer tone to them where as Nikons are known to have a cooler tone.  Warm being red, Cool being blue. If you want to photograph Emmie, friends, family they will look more natural and attractive with a warmer
tone.

Compared to the Canon EOS Rebel XS the Nikon d3000 flash won't reach as far, the battery longevity is less, and the camera body is just a bit heavier. The Nikon also doesn't allow time lapse recording. This feature can be programmed to automatically shoot a number of frames over a period of time or with a certain time interval between each frame. For instance, a camera on a tripod in time lapse mode could be set up to shoot frames of a flower opening or a bird building a nest.

Overall the Canon EOS XS Rebel is a better camera (in my opinion). Amazon is currently selling it for $492.98, a great deal! http://www.amazon.com/Canon-XS-Digital-18-55mm-Black/dp/B001CBKJGG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1269904645&sr=8-1 

I also found that Walmart.com (May be the same price in store) has theirs for $499.00. If it were me buying it, I'd pay that tiny difference and get it at Walmart. That way, if it comes down to it, the exchange process won't be as painful and I could just go in a Walmart store.

Canon and Nikon cameras are like Duracell and Energizer. Both are good but some people prefer one over the other. It all comes down to the value you are getting for the price you pay.

Wow!  This help me put things in perspective and while I realize everyone has their own preference, I like the side by side comparison.  I still haven't completed decided, but I am leaning towards the Canon Rebel.  I also asked my good friend Natalie what her experience was.  She is also new to the photography world but has taken some amazing pictures of her little one!  She uses a Nikon and loves it but also highly recommended the Canon Rebel.  I can't wait to get my hands on my new camera!

Tiffany

8 months

Emmie you are 8 months old today!  I can't believe how quickly time has passed! 

At 8 months old you are becoming more independent and learning so much each day.  Here's what you've been up to:

• wearing size 4 diapers but can still squeeze into a size 3
• wearing mostly size 9 month clothes but have a few size 6 months that you can still wear
• taking about 7 ounces every 4-5 hours plus 4 ounces of fruit in the morning and ~5-6 ounces of vegetables/cereal/protein at night ( mommy has been trying to get you on a schedule of 3 meals a day plus milk but you and daddy have your own agenda)
• weighed 21 pounds 11 ounces at your most recent well check (>98th percentile) and are pretty tall too at almost 27 inches (50-75 percentile)
• sleeping through the night most of the time
• shaking your head from side to side (no-no)
• reaching for mommy and daddy and other people sometimes
• crying when we take a toy away
• waving hands  
• recently got into the crawling position but mainly just rolling everywhere
• really like bath time and your pink ducky
• you love your "baby" and stuffed puppy
• smiling all the time
• you love to stand up so much that when we try to sit you down you won't bend your legs

Emmie Lane, you are such a mess these days and we love every single new adventure with you!  We love you baby!

Love Mommy

Sick Baby

My sweet baby is not feeling well.  Emmie has had a 101-102 degree fever for the past two nights but it has broken by each morning and she acts fine.  We decided to finally take her in after two nights of calling the after hours pediatrician line.  This is really the first time Emmie has been "sick" besides her surgery and GBS infection, but both of those were pretty major.   This morning we saw the nurse practitioner and basically were told that everything looked pretty good.  No congestion, runny nose, ear ache, sore throat, no flu, no UTI.  (It is not fun to attempt an in and out cath on a baby...it was absolutely horrible and the nurse was unable to get a urine sample, so I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to catch baby pee in a cup)

We are pretty much attributing it to something viral and hopefully she will be back to normal in the next couple days.  She has been fever free since we came home and has been happy and playing all night.  Hopefully this is a sign that we are on the way back to good health!

Having to go through sickness with your child is something that you can never prepare yourself for.  It is a constant worry, constant fever check, medicine give, snuggles and kisses, and up all night that you don't ever want to go through.   I can't imagine how it must feel for for parents whose children are chronically ill.  Ever since Emmie's stay in the NICU and the trauma it caused for me and my husband, I will pray a lot of times for the families with babies in the NICU.  It really should be a prayer for all the sick babies and parents in the world. 

Today was also the first day that I have had to miss work because of mothering a sick child.  I ended up working a half day.  I wish our country allowed for mothers to take off more time after childbirth to rear children!  Can you imagine the impact that would have on society!  The constant teeter totter of mom and career woman can really wear on you.  I guess it's good that we made it to almost 8 months without any trouble.  Again, other than the major surgery and stay in the hospital. 


We are praying that Emmie will start to feel better and have no fever so that we can enjoy the weekend!  I hope everyone else is having a better week than mine!

Tiffany

Weekend Wrap Up

We had a great weekend here at the Rushing house.  Friday night we grilled out steaks and spent some family time togeher.  Both of Emmie's uncles came by to hang out with us and it was so nice to see both of them.  Matt (Shannon's brother) and Troy (my brother) are both the same age and kinda look alike.  Matt is away at college but was visiting us on his Spring Break.  Emmie has 2 uncles and no aunts but we are hopeful that will be changing soon!  

On Saturday we had a birthday party to attend for my cousin, Dakota, who turned four. This was also Emmie's first birthday party to attend.  I think she was a little overwhelmed, but a quiet, good baby as usual. 

She is such a daddy's girl.  We don't look anything alike do we?!  Here's one of her with her great-grandmother, my grandmother.  She looks like she wants to jump out of her arms!

It was nice to dress her in something for the warm weather we had on Saturday and she seemed to like airing out her toes!  Her uncle Troy was there too.  They matched.

We came home and took naps and Emmie played by herself in the floor for a good 2 hours.  This is kind of a new thing for us.  She typically rolls around the living room floor over and over and over again.  On Saturday and part of the day today she just sat in the floor and played with her car and baby and smiled at us.  She is such a sweet girl. 

I went to Old Navy today because I had a friends and family discount coupon that expired today.  I ended up getting Emmie's Easter dress.  I love it!  It's not really what I was looking for in an Easter dress, but I got a little white sweater to match it and I figure I can dress it up with some sandals or tights and dress shoes.  There are so many cute dresses out there for Easter, but I think she will get more wear out of this one this summer.  It is so my style; I would be wearing it if it came in my size!

Well I am getting myself ready for the work week and tonight is Emmie's first night in her crib so we will see how it goes.  She took two naps in there today.  Hope everyone has a good Monday!

Tiffany

Sunshine Potatoes

I made these last night with dinner and wanted to share the recipe.  This is a great recipe for kids because you can sneak in some vegetables and extra nutrition and they don't even notice. It works for husbands too!

Sunshine Potatoes

About 6-8 potatoes, cooked and ready for mashing (I like to use yukon gold potatoes for mashed potatoes)

1/4 Cup milk (use skim for less calories)

1/4 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 Cup carrots, diced into very small pieces

2 Tbsp sour cream

2 Tbsp margarine

salt and pepper to taste

Clean potatoes and carrots then cut and boil for about 20 minutes or until tender.  Drain potatoes and carrots and add milk, sour cream, margarine, salt and pepper.  Mix/whip together until potatoes are smooth and creamy.  Add in shredded cheese.  

The potatoes take on a orange color, hence sunshine potatoes!  You could also add in other vegetables.  I think spinach would be a good addition with some Parmesan cheese.  I always use low fat/fat free products so I used low fat cheese, sour cream, margarine and skim milk. 

Little Friday

I had a good friend in college who used to call Thursdays, little Fridays.  Well, thank goodness that today is little Friday and tomorrow is really Friday!  It has been a long week.  Each time I work the weekends, I swear it takes me the whole week and the next weekend to recover from it.  So this week has slowly passed by.  I am so looking forward to a sunny weekend with the family, a birthday party, and hopefully going to the park.

I had to go grocery shopping tonight and it is such a pain in the butt!  Shan and I usually both go together and leave Em with his parents.  We always buy canned drinks ( I love a cold can drink), dog food, and enough food for at least 2 weeks of meals.  I really don't like to not have what I need to cook dinner after work days. So normally he will go with me and help me get all of the heavy stuff.  But tonight, I did it by myself and I am just worn out...

I'm planning on trying out a new recipe or two this weekend so I will post those and tell you how they turn out! On another topic, I'm trying to get our family on a more structured budget.  We have definitely  been on a strict budget since Shan lost his job but after doing our bills today, it occurred to me that we should have an additional $700 left over after all expenses are paid at the end of the month!  That is crazy, because sometimes it does NOT feel like we any extra money.  How do you guys budget?  I have tried to do an Excel sheet but I just didn't keep up with it.  I do pretty good with a planner that I can write in, so I got a new one today and have written all money in and out.  Hopefully this system will work for us!

Happy weekend everybody!

Tiffany

Weekend Wrap Up

I had to work all this weekend but had today off, so it kinda feels like my Sunday.  Shan and I took little Miss Em to lunch at Moe's today and then took a stroll around Kohl's.  I have been searching for an Easter dress for Emmie, but I think I want to get something simple and have it monogrammed.  I just can't decide; there are so many cute clothes for little girls!  We came home and took Em and Bentley for a walk down the street.  Bentley is so good with Em.  They both checked each other out the whole time.

Emmie got some new summer clothes this weekend and I think I paid a total of $15 for all of these little outfits.  I love these rompers and I got her a cute pair of sandals at Target to go with them.  I figured she could just toddle around in these and still be comfortable.  Shopping for her is so much fun!

We just got back from dinner with Shan's family.  It was his little cousin's 3rd birthday and for every birthday in the family we go to this little Mexican restaurant.  I think we have been there 15 times in the past year.

I have to go get ready for work in the morning.  This week should be pretty uneventful but I just don't ever really know until I walk in the door!  Let's hope it is a calm week!  I'm already looking forward to next weekend!

Tiffany

7.5 months

Emmie had her 6 month well check yesterday but she is actually 7.5 months old.  We got a little behind schedule in the beginning and I kinda wanted to delay some of her immunizations anyway so I guess it worked out ok.  Here are her stats:

20 pounds 11 ounces (>98%)
26 3/4 inches long (50-75%)
>98% ( I can't remember exactly, but basically she has a big ole head)

She had 3 shots and an oral vaccine and she did great.  She has grown so much and done so well since her surgery, I am just so blessed to have this happy healthy baby!  We are going to have to schedule an appointment with one of the DOC band centers to see if her head shape is severe enough for a band.  It is slightly flat in the back and I started to notice it.  The pediatrician said she thinks we probably won't even qualify for the DOC band (it looks like a crash helmet) it is so slight, but we still want to check it out.  She also has a clogged tear duct which she has had since birth that still hasn't opened up.  The pediatrician said she has until 12 months for it to open, otherwise, she will have to be sedated and a ophthalmologist will attempt to open it up....please pray that this doesn't happen!  I do not want my baby to be put to sleep again!

I have to work the rest of the weekend which I absolutely hate but I have Monday off with my family at least! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!


Tiffany

Cheesy Enchiladas

I made Enchiladas for dinner tonight and I have made them a few times now and I think they get better each time.  I'm sorry to say that I did not take a picture but I think it's one of those dishes that tastes a lot better than it looks.  I took the original recipe and edited it to make it somewhat healthier.  This is a very simple dinner....Here's the recipe:

Cheesy Enchiladas
1 pound hamburger meat or shredded chicken
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese ( I use low fat cheese)
1/2 C chopped onion
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
8-10 flour tortillas
1 Can Enchilada sauce
1/2 Cup salsa
sour cream (I use light or fat free if I can trick my husband)


Cook onions and brown beef or cook chicken.  Cook through and add 1 Cup shredded cheese to mixture.  Fill tortillas with meat/chicken mixture, roll up and arrange in 9x13 casserole dish.  Combine drained beans, enchilada sauce and salsa and pour over tortillas.  Make sure the liquid covers the tortillas or they will burn.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until everything is bubby.  Top with sour cream.  Easy peasy.   Enjoy!

Tiffany

Working Hard for the Monday

To say that today was a hard day would be an understatement.  Here lately, Mondays and Friday are the absolute worst at work.  We are so busy and usually understaffed and I am not a fan of Mondays as is.  When I decided to become a dietitian I had no idea that my days would be spent as they are.  Today went somewhat like this:

-First patient of the day is a Cardiac/Diabetic diet education and turns out he is a very pleasant gentleman and former small town council man, educate said patient and wife on post CABG diet instructions and complete a few more follow ups
-Peanut butter and graham cracker snack break
-a lot of RD screens for patients who have been NPO or on clear liquids for more than 3 days (interesting, I know)
-pump for 20 minutes
-see 22 year old patient who now has a perforated bowel because he swallowed a piece of sheet metal to avoid a court date (yes this is for real).  He was proud to show me his GPS ankle tracker
-lunch (best time of the day)
-coffee break
-more diet educations with patients who can't comprehend the most basic of instructions (no more sugar/salt/fat, etc) and sign 15 documents to prove I attempted to educate above patients, bang my head against the wall as I leave the room
-see a severly protein-calorie malnourished patient who already has onee above the knee amputation and was in to have the opposite leg removed below the leg (awesome)
-downstairs to my office for emails and other general daily updates
-back up to ICU two more times to write tube feed orders

I think a lot more stuff happened today but I am just beat and don't really remember anything else.  Ha!  And I have not mentioned any names so I am in the clear with HIPPA.  I really do love my job and most of the time find it extremely interesting and even challenging.  Sometimes the "mandatorys" and "have tos" just get in the way.  I guess it's like that with all professions though. 

Days like this are always worth it when I have a sweet little family to come home to.  As I was walking up to our house I could hear Shannon from outside screaming "Mommys Home!, Mommys Home"! It made me laugh.  

Hope everyone's Monday was better than mine!  We did have a good dinner and I will post the recipe for all!

Tiffany

Hello out there

Yes I am still alive.....

So my lack of blogging for the past, oh... 6 months can be attributed to several things.  I like lists, so I will list them for you:

1. I have an active 7 month old who thinks she is Houdini and will roll all over the place when you just sat her down 2 seconds ago.  I'm very tired.
2.  Our computer (my laptop) has been out of commission for a while now and we cannot afford to pay Best Buy the millions they want to fix it at the moment.  Yes we have other computers, but it's just not the same.
3.  I work full time and I am exhausted. 
4.  Things have been crazy busy in my life.

I get a lot out of blogging, and reading other people's blogs and have had many people tell me they love it when I post and blog and I should keep it up more.  It is something that I desperately want to try to be better at.  Not only to document Emmie's life and our life with her as it is now, but also because I just feel better when I write....I have always been like that.  There is a lot of pressure on moms and women in general, I think,...to be the best wife, the best mom, to wear the cutest outfits, to have the best hair, to be the smartest, to be successful, to make a lot of money, to dress the baby the cutest, to cook the best meals, to make sure that all the bills are paid, to catch up with friends, to update the blog, to make all the cute crafty things like a stay at home mom would do.....

Well, I am here to tell you, I can't do it all.  But I have tried.  

Please pray for me as I continue to figure out what God's plan is for my life.  It's time to give it up and just trust HIM.  This is so hard for me and everytime I think I have given it all up to him, He so quickly shows me that I haven't.  I so badly want to accomplish every goal I have set for myself....and many times I DO.  But with the newly added title, MOM, to my list of achievements, comes a responsibility that comes before all others.  And with that, some things get put to the side to make sure Emmie knows me for the great mom that I try to be to her.  I have read many a blog where something happens to the mom, healthwise, and children are left behind not knowing their mother.  I cannot imagine any worse fear than leaving my sweet Emmie and her daddy behind and not knowing if she would ever really "get" me and who I was. 
 
My uncle passed away last week after a short battle with pancreatic and liver cancer.  He left behind a 4 year old son.  Our family has come together like never before to support this young child.  It is such a reminder to live each day to the fullest because we are not guaranteed tomorrow.  Please keep him and my family in your prayers. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. ~Proverbs 3:5-6

On a happier note, I have been presented with a potential business opportunity that would not only be wonderful for our family, but would also hopefully give me more time at home and more time to catch up on my blog.  Please pray for direction for me in this as well.

 

 

Tiffany