Memorial Day ramblings

Living in Saipan is very different from the Midwest. On Friday night, I was in the living room and could hear one of the cats in the sewing room so I finally put my stitching aside and went to the sewing room (which is also the office) to see what was going on. There was my little baby, Bella, trying to figure out what to do with the swarm of termites that seemed to be pouring in from the windowsill. Okay, maybe they weren't "pouring" in, but any amount more than one inside my house is more than I have ever had. All I could do was say "Bay, come see these crazy bugs!". I wasn't 100% sure that they were termites. Some had wings and some looked more like red carpenter ants. So, DH shut the window and we began the smashing process. Thank goodness our Roomba is charged at all times, it got the nice job of sucking up the carcasses while I shut the door and resumed my stitching.

I thought that termites like wood, strange since our house seems to be 100% concrete. I was reading online about them and read that they don't like wet weather and aren't seen as much during rainy periods which is fantastic since the "rainy season" is next month. I think that the dead termite bodies sent a message to the rest of the group...don't mess with us!
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I have been wanting to start a baby crochet project lately but it has been hard to justify doing so for a few reasons:

1. The weather is pretty constant...hot. 90 during the day and 80 at night. We don't really run the air so the baby really won't need a crocheted blanket or hat.

2. I don't have a good yarn source here that I can go see the yarns and touch them...I rely on family, friends and ebay for my yarns so I have a hodgepodge of brands & colors.

So, I found this easy bootie pattern and pulled out a ball of Bernat Cotton Tots and stitched up 2 pairs. Now I just have to whipstitch them together and find some nice ribbon to put around the ankle. I think that I did both pairs in under an hour.

Even if I can't really use them for our baby, I figured that I could send them to a hospital or something that takes crocheted items for babies.
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I really really really want to start a new project. I still have my CEF that is around 1/2 to 3/4 of the way done waiting to be finished up, but I am in no mood to do that one.

I finally charted out the names for my "Mother's Tree". Loving it! Going through my fabric stash tonight to see if I have anything suitable in regards to size and color.


And, I do have a small WIP...Enchanted Alphabet...that is waiting for me to come back to it.

I am thinking that I might just kit up "Mother's Tree" for now and get back to Enchanted Alphabet.
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Hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day holiday, keep our armed forces personnel (both past and present) in your thoughts.

Peace!

Pink thoughts...pink ribbon that is...

Please keep thinking happy thoughts and please keep Mom in your prayers. I called her this morning (we are 15 hours ahead of CST) and she had just received the phone call with her pathology report. Geesh, that was quick, just over 24 hours since her biopsies. Anyway...the cancer is back. And the doctor took a spot off of her face and it is cancerous also. She didn't really know what kind or any details...plus she was kind of hopped up on a pain pill I think. With it being a holiday weekend, she will hopefully be able to see her Oncologist on Tuesday next week to figure out a treatment plan. Last time she only did surgery and chemotherapy. This time she wants to be more aggressive and do chemotherapy and radiation. But, it all depends on what the Oncologist thinks. I just can't believe that she doesn't have to do a yearly CT scan or something as a preventative measure...


I got an email newsletter from a quilting place the other day that was showing some really pretty pink ribbon quilts. I have been thinking of doing one for her. But I am the world's slowest hand-quilter. And I don't know how to applique. I think that I need to have Kim come over here and give me some lessons! :) Maybe then she can teach me how to sew properly while she is at it. I am much too impatient to sit and read directions and practice, so I just jump in head first when it comes to sewing.

I have also thought about doing a stitching project for her instead. This one is pretty, but she isn't technically considered a survivor yet. I did the JABC stitch every day freebie already for her...look for it here. Anyone know of any others out there? I think that I will do a Google search later on, or search at 123stitch.com.

Otherwise, all is well here. I think that I have stopped having crazy non-sense dreams for a while. And I haven't gained any weight yet. But, I am the type of person that can gain and lose 5 pounds in the span of 48 hours.

It is so freaking hot here, I almost can't stand it. I am going to put a sheet in my stitching chair today so that hopefully I can get some work done comfortably. Our furniture holds heat like nobody's business. I really try not to think about turning on the AC because then the electric bills go through the roof (must be something about how the power for the island is supplied by engines that run on gasoline).

I filled up our Honda Civic the other day and about fell over when it came to $41. Gas here is $3.37 a gallon and has been for about a week or so. Wonder if it will go up more today for the weekend? Mobil and Shell are the only places here to get gas so there isn't much competition.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday weekend! Thanks Jenn & Kim for the happy messages!

Peace.

Okay, I am nervous

My Mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2004. She has gone through hell with this. She had a bilateral mastectomy since it was in both breasts, spent all winter on Chemotherapy and finally got her reconstruction surgeries done this past year.

She found 2 new lumps on her chest and goes in for biopsies today. I am nervous for her. I know she is scared, I would be freaking out. I am hoping that we know something in the next week. I know that she is ready to get this all behind her now. They say that you aren't considered a "survivor" until you are cancer-free for 5 years.

Here are some pieces that I have stitched (not yet finished) in the past couple of months:




Designer: 4 My Boys











Designer: Lizzie*Kate
The sales of this design benefit Hurricane Katrina Relief

Designer: Prairie Schooler (freebie from website)

And here is a sneak peek at what should be done by the end of the weekend:

I am working on #3 of 3. I will sew them into pillows (fabric is under the PS freebie above) and send them to each set of Grandparents-to-be. I will send them all on the same day, via Priority Mail so that they will hopefully get them on the same day the following week. We aren't going to include a card or anything...do you think that they will get the hint? I graphed out the design myself using Lizzie*Kate's alphabet from her "First Christmas" pattern. The middle part has 2 bumblebees tumbling around...really cute when stitched!

This is a picture of the "family & friends photo wall" that I was complaining about so much in the last post:

Peace!
P.S. Thanks, Jo! :)

Back from the dead!!!

Seriously, that is about how I feel now. It seems like forever that we have gone without an internet connection at home. So much to catch up on. I have over 2,000 emails (posts) to read from one of my Yahoo stitching groups...don't know if I will ever be able to do it.

We are settled in the house. Everything is unpacked and pictures hung...really feels like "home". Or at least as homey as it will feel. Can I just say what a pain it is to hang pictures here? Mainly because the walls are concrete and you have to use special concrete nails that really make a mess of the wall if you aren't careful. Even if you are careful, sometimes you still end up with a big chunk of the concrete missing. Doesn't help that we have about 30 pictures hanging on our "family & friends" wall in the dining room.

I hope to take some pictures this week of the house and will post them.

Well, for the OTHER news....we're having a baby!!!! Shhhh...don't tell our families. We want to wait to tell them for a few more weeks. (Just incase). But so far, the only people to know are Staci, Katie & Jackie. I went to the doctor today and he said I am measuring about 7 weeks. Which is accurate, because I will be 7 weeks tomorrow. My initial due date was January 11, 2007...but the doctor today put it at January 14, 2007. I think that they just get an "approximate" range and guess from there. Everything that I have read and calculated would put me at January 11. Who knows.

So, now I have all kinds of happy baby thoughts in my head...last night I laid awake in bed (common occurance most nights now) thinking of how I will design the baby book. And I am trying to decide on decorating themes...all along I have thought of soft, muted pastels with a Beatrix Potter "Peter Rabbit" theme...now I am thinking bright, vivid, almost jewel toned colors in an "Under the Sea" theme....and now I just had a "flash" of a thought....Bumblebees! I need to stay pretty neutral since we don't want to know the sex of the baby.

We had a housewarming party about 2 weeks ago and it was very nice. Especially since everyone was pretty much out of here by 7PM. One of our guests brought us this amazing flower arrangement that she made from the flowers in her YARD!!! Amazing! They remind me of my wedding boquet.

I promise that I will update my stitching pictures this week...lots of finishes to show!

Peace!