Thanks, Jenn!

Yesterday, we got a great package in the mail from Jenn. I was curious as to what she had sent, so on the drive home I *of course* looked at the customs label and saw that it said a book and a baby item. : )

I remembered that she was going to send me this book, but had no clue about what she could have sent for the baby. She had previously sent me the book "P.S. I Love You" by the same author and I loved that book. It made me laugh and cry. I am hoping this book is just as good. I have packed it into my "hospital bag" and am planning on starting it when I go into the hospital.

Don't ya just love the ducky wrapping paper? It is too cute! And it matches the baby gift so perfectly! She stitched us a hooded towel with the cutest little duckies on it! I can't wait until the baby is here and old enough (read: stumpless) to take a proper bath. Then I can take a picture of it with it's stinking cute hooded towel.

Thanks again, Jenn! Your stitching is so neat and perfect, we just love it!

The generosity of the online stitching community never ceases to amaze me. I am so thankful for the friends that I have made through the blogging world.

It seems like everyone is doing a year-end wrap up and listing their stitching accomplishments for 2006. Shamefully I haven't kept very good track of my stitching accomplishments, and I don't feel like going through old blog posts to search them out. The only resolution that I will make for 2007 is to photograph my stitching with each finish and make an album on my webshots. For some idiotic reason, I deleted all of my old finishes from previous years. Live and learn.

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I will do a year-end book wrap up though. This year I have managed to read 52 books. Not too bad I guess. I really wanted to finish all of the "Chronicles of Narnia" but have only made my way through 3 of the books. I just can't read alot of those stories at once, I have to be in the mood. Here is a listing of my favorite books that I read this year:

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan - I really enjoy Amy Tan's writing style and enjoy how she immerses her readers into the Asian culture so smoothly.

Bayou Farewell by Mike Tidwell - This book was a great read about the disappearing coastline of South Louisiana. Since we lived in S. LA for a few years, it really struck a chord with me. It is an epidemic that is rarely talked about.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire - This book didn't interest me at first. It tells you the other side of the story in Oz and leaves you thinking about just how judgemental society is and the struggles that other people have.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - The author made a commitment to himself to hike the Appalacian Trail as a thru hike. (Something DH dreams that we will someday do) As he hikes, he learns more about himself and has to re-adjust his goals. It also gives much background on the AT and the need for conservation of it. Love the wit of Bill Bryson.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson (oops!) - An incredibly moving book. I lost it through the last chapter. I really didn't see the end coming the way that it did. So much so that I had to go back and re-read the last chapter and cry some more.

Marley & Me by John Grogan - This book was my favorite of the whole year. Numero Uno. A must read for anyone that has ever been owned by a dog or loved a dog. I loved this book so much that I blogged about it here. It had me laughing and crying. It has been out for a while and I saw today that it is still #8 on the bestseller list which is really no suprise to me.

Falling Leaves: Memoirs of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah - A great book that describes how one little girl grew up in the face of adversity to become successful and find peace with those that treated her horribly. True story.

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern - Jenn sent this book to me and I loved it because it is contemporary (think chick lit) but it also had me laughing out loud and crying. What is it with me and crying over books? : ) I can't imagine facing what the main character had to, but if I ever did, I would hope that I have enough courage to be like her. This book is set to be made into a movie starring Hilary Swank.

And books that I hope to read next year:

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Geisha by Liza Dalby

The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby

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A few posts ago, I showed my sling that I made and talked about making one out of silk dupioni. Well, I looked at the prices of silk dupioni and thought, "I can't spend $10-14 per yard of fabric...this will have to wait." So, I decided to see how much silk dupioni slings sell for. I found these AWESOME slings that are made by Sakura Bloom.

But holy macaroni, the one that I like the best, Waterlily...

anyone got an extra $260 that they don't know what to do with? : )

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This is one of the photos that I took of a hibiscus in our yard. We have probably 6 or so hibiscus bushes. 2 of them were severely mangled by the yard guy about a month ago, but they are starting to come back somewhat.

Since Angelo brought it up a few days ago via the comments section, I will save the rest of the photos of the pretty things in our yard for my next post...the "I love Saipan" post. This is one that I am going to have to think about and word carefully. I have been thinking about it for a couple of days already.

Peace.