Happy Birthday, Mom

I know, my last post was for my Dad and today's post is for my Mom. Today (Feb 26) is her birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom! Mom, Dad & I are all crazy little pisces freaks...so similar in so many ways. This picture was last summer, right before we left for Guam. Actually I think that it was the day before we left IL for our road trip to Los Angeles. Our families hosted a cookout for us at DH's parent's house on the river. Mom was finally done with her chemo and her hair was starting to grow back in...even though it was gray, it was good to see. I think that she had just had her tissue expanders put in, in preparation of her implant surgery. Mom is a survivor of breast cancer. She had a bilateral mastectomy in August of 2004 and started chemotherapy.

My birthday wish to you Mom is that you live for many more healty years and I hope that someday you will finally be able to kick the cigarette habit. Before it kills you and takes you away from me and your future grandchildren.

You would think cancer twice in your life would be enough.

(Mom doesn't read this blog, either)

Stitching:

I finished this just a few minutes ago. It is from the 2005 JCS Ornament issue. It is part of the yearly SAL in the STO yahoo group. I stitched it over one with DMC over-dyeds. I was too lazy to dig out my WDW. I am not really loving this one, so it will probably go to a good home later this year. I think that it is by Twisted Oaks and it took me entirely too long to stitch. I would stitch on it mostly for an hour or less at a time on Fridays or weekends.

It is my 2nd finish of 2006. I am hoping to have my CEF done in about 2 weeks. Then I want to work on some Prairie Schooler bookmarks. Along with everything else in the rotation. MIL's quilt should be done this week also.

The next ornament in the series is "Britty Kitty" by Brittercup. This will be my 3rd time doing that one. I did it twice last year for presents.

Peace!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

I know that my Dad doesn't read this blog...he probably doesn't even know what a blog is but I still am wishing him a happy birthday. It is funny, my relationship with my Dad. It was brought to my attention yet again the other day when I was shopping for a birthday card. I just want to know where the birthday cards are for the Dads that you just met whom have had no actual input on how you were raised but have become an essential part of your life? Almost every card I picked up was way sappy..."Thanks for always being there, Dad" "I will always be your little girl" "You have always been the one I turn to"....barf barf barf. Does not apply to me at all. Ended up with a generic "From the both of us" cards.

Backstory:
My parents were never married, and not really in a relatioinship from what I can discern. He had no contact with me or Mom throughout my childhood. I understand why now but at that time it was hard. He chose his wife over his child and hey...he stuck to it so I guess he has bigger balls than most that I know. I had always felt like a part of me was missing. I met him & his wife 2 weeks before I moved to Louisiana in 2003. I know that he does regret making the decision that he did but I don't think that he would do anything different if he had to do it over again.

I love him & his wife with all of my heart. They have accepted me, accepted my DH and all of our kookyness with open arms. I just wish we hadn't wasted so much time. 26 years is too long.

ANYWAY...ENOUGH OF THE SAPPY SHIT!!!

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Stitching:
Here is the latest installment of Mirabilia's CEF.
I really am enjoying her. I don't think that I like the Easter Fairy enough yet. Plus I would have to buy it myself and that would really please DH so much. :)

Hoping to have a happydance with this one in the next 2 weeks...we'll see how the whisper thread and the beading go. I hate whisper and I have never done beading.

Peace!

Mardi Gras

Boy, I really miss Louisiana right now. I really loved Mardi Gras season. And what a season it is (or was). DH & I would race home from work and haul ass to New Orleans (40 minute ride ) to catch the parades on the weeknights and then drive home at 11 o'clock at night. Last year was our last year in Louisiana and my Dad & Step-Mom came down to spend it with us. They had never been to New Orleans so it was quite an experience. We didn't really take them down to Bourbon Street and the ruckus that goes on down there. Not worth it. Here is my Dad, Step Mom & I on their first night with us in Louisiana.
They had flown in, we threw them into the car and headed down to the parades. I think that this was the Endimyon parade. They were good sports about it. Coming from Illinois, they brought their jackets...it was probably 50 degrees at least.

I miss the shrimp, the drive through daiquiri's, dirty rice/rice dressing, hearing the old folks speak cajun french at the nursing home, the crawfish, the history and the plantations...I hope in my heart that we can go back there someday and spend more time. Louisiana is truly the place where I fell in love with DH. Nothing like New Orleans at Christmas.

I would love to see the city rise again but part of me is unsure that they should really rebuild. It has happened before and it will happen again. It is inevitable. You can't hide from a hurricane when you are on the coast and below sea level.

Peace

It was a mini vacation (not xs related)

So, yesterday (Saturday), I had to work. When I was done, DH came & picked me up and had a bag packed. He said we were going to the beach!! Woo Hoo! We tried to go to Haputo Beach but it was closed. Such a shame since it is a gorgeous beach and so secluded since you have to have Navy base access to go to it. Here is a picture of Haputo Beach earlier this year:
We ended up at Ritidian Point beach. DH had packed cheese & crackers and some delish gourmet tuna salad with our own tomatoes in it for us and a container of iced tea to drink. He also put in my bathing suit (God love him, he does try...I just need to suck it up and get a new suit...this one is about 3 sizes too big and I know my boobs would fall out instantly), and our snorkeling gear. Unfortunately, Ritidian Point is not good for swimming or snorkeling. Too many people have drowned there due to the strong rip current. So, what did I do? I sat my bum down on a towel (didn't put on my suit), had some snacks and tea, and ended up laying down and reading and almost going to sleep. We were only there about an hour and a half but afterwards, it truly felt like a mini vacation! Here is Ritidian Point beach yesterday:
It was a beautiful day...85 degrees and sunny (like usual) with a very strong breeze. So strong infact that once we laid down, we had sand flying at our heads. I ended up with sand all over my face and in my hair.

But it was glorious.

Today we went to a bbq on the beach at Dr. T's. We took Lady with us and dragged her out into the Ocean. On a leash of course. The water never went past my mid thigh and was mostly about mid calf since we were on the reef. She seemed to enjoy herself. It was funny when DH picked her up in the water...she was "air swimming". Have you ever seen that on America's Funniest Home Video's? It is hysterical in real life! I really almost peed myself.

DH is playing poker and it is almost time for "Sunday nights in Salem" to start on Soap Network. Off to stitch!

Peace!

CEF Update & lots more

Well, here is the latest installment of my CEF:

She is coming along nicely. I haven't hardly stitched this week. I really want to, but with work and other stuff that we have going on, it is so hard. Plus, I had another one of those headaches on Tuesday (Valentine's Day) of all days. She has feet and a hand! And part of a face!

Because of the continued headaches, I went to the doctor again and he is pretty concerned. Enough to send me to a neurologist. Seriously, you don't just bleed under the skin around your eyes and get massive headaches for no reason, especially if you have never had headaches in your life. Grrr...very very frustrating. The most frustrating thing had to be when he told us that we should not take the orders to move to Saipan at the end of next month...okay...well what do we do then? I should see a neurologist in about oh...4-6 weeks. Gotta love it!

My ebay auctions are going well! Click here to see or even bid! I am going to throw in a few goodies for you if you let me know that you found my auction through my blog as Kim has (hi Kim!). I have some fibers around here that need new homes and loads of freebies and other patterns that would be good for charity, etc. Off they will go to my lucky winners & readers. Tomorrow I am going to list more along with our blender which is going to go for a steal. The thing is hardly used, it is a monster (600 watts) that works fantastically. DH wanted one that was more simple (read: one buttton operation, on/off) and I wanted one that was more retro. So, I bought him one for Christmas and this one is just sitting here waiting to be used to make daiquiris or milkshakes or something.

I am also going to list some magazine subscriptions. DH & I are each doing our own magazine subscription thing. I want to focus on more craft/home making mags that would appeal to me and my friends. Martha, Mary Engelbreit, Crochet, Cross Stitching, Quilting, Stamping & Scrapbooking, etc. It is amazing how much money you can save by going through a 3rd party to get a subscription. Look for a link in my sidebar soon or just email me (link at top of sidebar)!

I miss my family and friends. I miss seeing my best friend, Staci. Here is a pic of Staci & her DH, Jason from last year. Aren't they too cute together?!

Well, I need to go finish my 2nd granny square for the day...have to keep at least one goal!

Peace!

Not much to blog about

Not a whole lot happening here. DH is playing poker with the boys tonight and I am about to go stitch for a while once I get done browsing on ebay. Browsing is what I must do until some of my stuff sells. Wanna buy some? Click here to bid! I package well (and usually end up shorting myself on postage) and shipping from Guam really isn't that long!! :)

Mom sent us a package today. Had a bunch of yarn, some quilting squares that she won off of ebay, an xs kit by Donna Giampa that looks alot like Paula Vaughan, some poker chips for DH and a card with $$ in it!! Whee!

This month will be our 3rd month TTC (trying to conceive) and I am already starting to get frustrated. I know it takes time but golly, I am getting old here...alright maybe not OLD, but I would like to give birth before my 30th birthday (only 13 months away). I told DH that he can pick out the girl's name and I will pick out the boy's name. We don't want to know what we are having until it is born. There were a few stipulations that I have with the name choosing...
1. Irish first names. Come on, DH's hair is a gorgeous to die for red/burgundy and has a bit of a curl, plus with his freckles...let's just say that I hope our kids get his hair color, my crazy curls, and a combo of our skin tones.
2. The girl's middle name has to start with a "J"...tradition in my family and the boy's middle name will be Paul in honor of my absolutely fantastic and wonderful Granpy.

What does that bring you:
Meriyl Jilleen (Meriyl is pronounced like Muriel but with more "e" and less "u" at the beginning...Meri for short)
and
Connor Paul

I told DH that we would try for 2 years and if we are not successful, then we will adopt. I have been open to adoption for as long as I can remember. In fact there was a time when I wanted to adopt instead of having my own children. I will not take fertility drugs and have 8 children. I am not a cat nor a dog and am not supposed to give birth to that many children at once.

Here is a picture of Sitting Pretty. My new friend Jenn is starting this one and I was inspired to show mine off. I had some help with mine though. My friend, Patsy helped me finish it off. It was sitting in my finish box as a UFO because I couldn't drag myself to do the backstitching. She was an angel and I sent it off to her and she finished it lickety split and sent it back. I haven't finished it off into anything yet...actually probably won't until we get back to the States and I can locate a decent frame selection.

Well, off to stitch for a while on my February ornament for the STO SAL. I will post my WIP's hopefully Monday with my update of my CEF.

Peace!

Superbowl party @ 6a.m.

*******Edit*******
This post was drafted yesterday (we are 16 hours ahead of CST), but due to problems with uploading to blogger, I had waited to see if it was easier to do it today. Not much to report today. I did finish the pinks/reds in the bottom part of the skirt and started on the left boot a little bit. Tonight is quilt night.
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Well, today is Superbowl Sunday back home. It is Monday here and there is just something not quite right about drinking beer and watching football at 8 am. I know of alot of parties and bars opening today at 6am to celebrate and watch the game. There was no school today also...just shows you the mentality. I got to work today, which was fine by me.

Today we found out that our HHG shipment will be packed out on March 23, and our car will be shipped on March 30. I am glad that we won't be doing this again for another 2 years!

Here is my update on Mirabilia CEF:


I am not sure about the Pink Champagne & Cupid, but I have faith that it will blend better later. I am so excited to hear about the new Fairy coming out. I just want to know if she will be holding a big pastel colored egg?

I just scanned a bunch of my charts to put on ebay. Partially because DH kinda put his foot down and said that if I was going to buy Houses of Hawk Run Hollow for $25, then I had better sell some stuff on ebay to put into the ebay account. I am listing some Piecework mags, WDW thread, a Bent Creek kit, a bunch of Birds of a Feather, a Monopoly kit...and I have a TON of Gloria & Pat booklets to put on that I got in a vintage box. I was hoping to get some Merry Mouse books in there or some other vintage ones that aren't Alma Lynne or Precious Mutants...*sigh* no Merry Mouse.

Don't these look GREAT?!?! These are from our amazon cherry plants in the front.
Here is my first ornament in the STO SAL...I actually finished it last weekend (just in under the deadline). It is from JCS Ornaments 2005, Little House Needleworks.

WTF is going on with Blogger?

So, now my February posts are missing, I updated like crazy last night a couple of times and have been doing some work today...when it has cooperated.

Thanks bunches to Jenn for helping me figure out the blogrolling thing. I hope that I did it correctly and it works...we will see soon!

Today & last night I have been working on my Mirabilia CEF. I don't think that I like the blended stitches of Cupid & Pink Champagne. Maybe it will look better from a distance or once more is done. I am saving the Wisper thread for last. I despise that stuff, but love the effect. Wonder if I should do half crosses and also use a strand of the white color in the wings or just do full crosses with the Wisper. I plan on working on her some more tonight, so I will post a picture then.

DH got 5th place last night at a poker tournament. Pretty good considering there were about 100 people there. First place was a trip to Australia. He got a 70 piece Craftsman tool kit. He was going to get the iPod, but it was already taken when he went to select his prize.

I have officially asked for this for my birthday next month. I currently am using the plastic storage boxes made by DMC that they sell at Michaels...about 6 of them and it is kind of frustrating at times. I think that this looks so much better! I have a full set of DMC...plus about 30 of Weeks Dye Works (that I want to sell) and I think that they will all fit from what I understand.

Well, back to stitching! Update to come...let's see if this post lasts :)

Peace!