A Tree Hugger's Wife

Dear Blogger

2008-03-11T22:16:00.002+10:00

Dear Blogger,

Can I just tell you how much fun I have had with you? You have helped me meet so many people, you have helped me connect with people when I needed them most. You let me showcase my crafting achievements, you let me brag as a new Mama. You were wonderful.

Normally when you break up, you use the "It's not you, it is me," line. Well, I can't do that. Because it is you. It isn't me. I have been silently agonizing over the hiccups and glitches for the past few months. You promised me that it would get better with time. Sadly, you failed to live up to your promise. I just can't deal with your crazy ways anymore.

I have to be strong, like my pal, Deece. She has shown me that I don't have to live like this anymore.

My forwarding address is: atreehuggerswife.wordpress.com Please tell anyone that may ask about us.

Goodbye.

Fondly,
Missy

Family in Japan

2008-03-02T20:09:00.008+10:00

Here are our family pictures from Japan. I realized while going through these that we aren't terribly adventurous in our picture taking. Get your mind out of the gutter, you perv! I am talking about fun, silly shots with BTH and different poses. Or at least making the peace sign like the Japanese people do when they get their picture taken. Will try harder next time!

Kiyomizu Temple

At a Temple near Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. We did go to Ueno Zoo in Tokyo and got to see the famous Panda, Ling Ling. Well, we saw Ling Ling's lovely backside...she wouldn't turn around to see us.

Yay! Snow! We saw a lot of snow. BTH wasn't too sure about it at first, but he really liked. Good thing since he is headed to Alaska in 4 months.

BTH was konked out at the Showa Daibutsu.

At the Hirosaki Lantern Festival.

Deer Park at Todai-ji Temple in Nara. These deer were ruthless if you were holding something edible. I was a sucker and bought the "Deer Cookies" (which totally smelled like the south end of a north facing dog) for 150 yen. I tried my best to get lots to the baby, but the others would actually bite at me to get at them. After about 2 bites to my touchas, I was done.

BTH loved his hat and mittens for the first few days...then I think that he got sick of being on the go and would cry when we put his hat on him.

At the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo.

At the park in Tokyo.

BTH got to wear the sweater that I knit for him! I was so excited that it fit him like a glove.

We rented a stroller from the hotel for one day. I love this picture. The other ones of this same shot he totally looks bored and ready to move on.

Peace

Part Coastie, Almost Alaskan

2008-02-29T10:25:00.003+10:00

I found this article today and since we are a Coast Guard family moving to Alaska, it piqued my interest. If you want to read it in the original form, here is the site

Here is the text, unchanged by me:

You're likely aware that the notorious Exxon Valdez case is back in court yet again. Yesterday, the Most Profitable Company of All Time argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that it shouldn't have to pay $2.5 billion in damages to Alaskans harmed by the spill. (That was reduced from the original $5 billion, but Exxon argues it shouldn't have to pay any damages. Yes, really.)

It is, of course, morally repugnant almost beyond measure for the company to be fighting this still today. But my outrage and disgust aren't particularly interesting. What might be interesting is a fact you may not know about the Republican presidential candidate, John McCain.

Just four months after the Valdez spill, Sen. George Mitchell introduced S.686, a measure relating to oil spills and liability. Sen. Brock Adams then introduced an amendment (S.Amdt.669) requiring double hulls on all new tankers over 20,000 tons operating in U.S. waters. (Valdez was a single-hull tanker.)

Big Oil's Best Buddy Sen. John Breaux moved to table the amendment. When the vote was taken, the amendment was indeed tabled, by an extremely narrow 51-48 vote.

Guess who voted with Breaux and Big Oil? That's right: Straight Talkin', Special Interest Hatin', Enviro-Maverick John McCain!

Again: four months after the biggest environmental disaster in U.S. history, McCain voted against requiring double hulled tankers.

To this day, Exxon is the only oil company that doesn't use double-hulled tankers to ship oil in and out of Alaska.

**********

Such a shame. Why keep the same old same old in office? We can make a change. Support Obama '08.

**********

Thanks everyone for your awesome comments and emails regarding my last post. I am not digging this grieving business at all, and I think that I have hit only the tip of the iceberg. Wouldn't you know that yesterday as I was having an irrational meltdown and put myself in time out by going outside to hang up laundry, "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor came on the radio (one of Mom's songs) and DH turned the radio up so I would be sure to hear it outside. Some people call it goosebumps, but I call it chicken skin. All I know is that I was rocking it.

I will play catch up this weekend and post our family pictures from Japan. Pinky swear.

Peace.

Happy Birthday

2008-02-26T20:07:00.002+10:00

Dear Mom
Happy birthday. Today is your 51st birthday, can you believe it? I can't. In my mind, you will always be 40, that is how I remember you. You were so happy and vibrant at that time, it is hard to believe that you are gone.

Today I made Swedish pancakes with lingonberries for breakfast for us. Just like you used to make. I even used the Jenny's cookbook from the Jenny Lind Society that was your favorite. I was going to make a cake but couldn't decide between a fresh carrot cake with raisins, grated carrots and cream cheese frosting or a fresh coconut cake. I wonder which you would prefer.

I think about you every single day. Some days are better than others, but there are some days where it feels like my heart is breaking, I miss you so much. I still hear songs on the radio that send me reeling and make me stop in my tracks. Everyone kept telling me that things get better with time, but I can't see how. I think that they were trying to be nice, bless them.

This summer, it will be 32 years since you had to make the most life changing decision of your life. You were young and pregnant and you decided to be a single mother. I can't even imagine the stress that you went through raising me at different times in your life as a single parent. I am so thankful that you made the decision to keep me. I needed you and I think that you needed me.

There are times lately when I think of things and try to remember things and can't. Then I think to myself, "Oh, I will just ask Mom, she will remember." Then I realize that I can never ask you things again. I alone am the keeper of our memories. It is up to me to pass down the funny stories and experiences that we had. Such a huge responsibility. It all started with me trying to remember our neighbor's last name when we lived in Glenview 15 years ago, now I have come to this massive revelation that it is all on me.

I miss you, Mom. I hope that you are at peace. And I hope that you know that I love you. Please hang around us, we need an angel and I hope that you can see your little Connor baby. He is so adorable. I talk to him all the time about you.

Your daughter, Missy

Looking for photos?

2008-02-25T09:46:00.003+10:00

I started writing the post on Feb 20 and finished it today. Scroll down to the Wed. Feb 20 post for lots of photos.

Peace

Want to buy me a present?

2008-02-22T09:49:00.002+10:00

Or any other Obama loving, knitting person in your life? Well, go here:

http://www.mamaespot.com/eshop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=246

and clickity-click on this lovely sock yarn. Hurry there are only 3 skiens available. She is giving over half of the sale price to Obama's campaign. Rock on!

Maybe I will knit you a pair of socks from it, you never know. Oh, and one skien should make a normal sized pair of socks. I know that you were wondering.

Peace.

Back from vacay

2008-02-21T13:53:00.005+10:00

Yep, we are back. Actually we have been back for a couple of days. We went to Japan for 16 days. It was great, but it is good to be home. I am working on the most picture intensive post that I have ever done. A little darling is learning about Japan in school, so I want to give her lots of info. We took almost 400 pictures with the digital camera alone. I don't know how many rolls of film DH shot.

Anyway, on to some serious stuff...

Wisconsin, I LOVE you!!! Let's keep the Obama train rolling, okay? Now, if I can ask for an early birthday present (it would only be 5 days early)...Texas & Ohio, you have to come through for us. We need you to finish her off.

Do you knit, crochet or cross stitch? And love Obama? Well, lookie here for a chart of the logo: (linky thing isn't working, sorry) http://justjenean.blogspot.com/2008/01/obama-afghan-chart.html. This is from my Ravelry group, but can be used for cross stitch as well. Would look so sweet over one made into a bookmark.

Here is another pattern http://knitcircus.typepad.com/knitcircus/2008/02/yes-we-can.html, this one is a "Yes We Can" hat. I love it!

And I wouldn't be a very good Obama supporter if I didn't share this letter http://www.well.com/~dkline/Why%20Obama.pdf with you all. Courtesy of Posie http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/. This embodies exactly how I feel. Although I wasn't even born in the 1960's, I identify with how he put his feelings and thoughts down on paper. Well written indeed.

Until next time.

Peace.

Japan photos

2008-02-20T13:21:00.013+10:00

We were in Japan for 16 days. We started out in/around Tokyo, then took the Shinkansen up to Aomori, then took the Shinkansen back down to Kyoto. It was a fun trip. If you plan to go to Japan, plan on taking mass transit. A cab in Japan is quite expensive. We took the high speed train (Shinkansen) for our long trips but otherwise just used the city bus or the subway/train system. Plan ahead, read the guide books and look for the signs in English. Sometimes they can be hard to find, but they are usually there. Or ask someone. English isn't spoken much, but if you gesture and speak slowly, people are more than willing to help. Plus, it will save you from wasting 7 hours of your life on a train going nowhere, like us.

The exchange rate is okay, we got between 104 & 109 Yen to our US Dollar, depending on where we exchanged money. Japan is expensive though. I was going
to order a Coke with dinner one night and it was $5 USD. I had water instead.

If you are in the military, or retired from the military, I can't recommend the Hotel New Sanno in Tokyo highly enough. It is dirt cheap, and is absolutely fabulous. Something is wrong with blogger, I can't enter web links without adding a bunch of HTML code, so use your Google-Fu and look it up if interested.

Anyway, on to the pictures. My apologies to those with slow connections.

Tokyo:

Tsukiji Fish Market

Gas Station outside of Tsukiji Fish Market

Guy directing traffic at Tsukiji Fish Market

Commercial sales stall at Tsukiji Fish Market

This is a park right in the middle of Tokyo. Very nice and peaceful.

Cherry blossoms

Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple

Pretty stained glass window over doorway at Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple

Yum, Yum! Don't you want some of these for dinner?

These were right in between two really tall buildings. It was a nice little spot to look for a couple of minutes as traffic zipped by you.

Tokyo Tower

Zojo-Ji Temple with Tokyo Tower in the background

At Zojo-Ji Temple

Tokyo station (train)

At some temples, you can get your fortune told. The way it was explained to us is that people pay a few dollars, then shake a wooden cylinder, they then look inside and see what number is there. The person behind the counter gives them a sheet of paper with their fortune on it according to the number. They then tie it to these lines. We saw some tied to tree branches also. I don't know if this is correct, but it is how it was explained to us.

At temples, you can purchase these little wooden plaques and write your wish or prayer on it, then hang it up. Makes a very interesting display.

Hirosaki Castle in Hirosaki

Lantern at Hirosaki Lantern Festival

Snow slide at Hirosaki Lantern Festival

Snow Sculpture at Hirosaki Lantern Festival

Hello Kitty is crazy popular. This is at the Lantern Festival

Pagoda at Showa Daibutsu

Showa Daibutsu, Japan's largest outdoor Buddha (this was a very neat park)

Barrel of Radishes at a market stall

Gion, the Geiko (Geisha) and Meiko (apprentice Geiko) district in Kyoto

Back side of tea houses in Gion

Better view of tea house in Gion

This is a boarding house (Okiya) in Gion. Girls live here as they are learning to become Geiko (Geisha). Each wooden plaque is the name of a person that lives in the house. So, this house has 4 Meiko (apprentice Geisha) and the large plaque on the right is the family name.

At the Yasaka Shrine, Gion, Kyoto

People rubbed this bull for luck

Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavillion) also known as Rokuon-ji Temple. This was absolutely stunning to see. It was snowing all morning, which made the view much more dramatic.

Another shot

Nijo Castle

Entrance to Gion-Shimbashi

Buckets of water are placed outside of homes and businesses in Kyoto. This goes back to when everything was made out of wood and the fear of fire was on everyone's mind. The buckets are more symbolic now, but there are quite a few all wood structures remaining.

Barrels of Sake at a Shinto Shrine

The entrance of Todai-ji Temple and Deer Park in Nara

They will eat anything and love to be petted as long as you are feeding them

Todai-ji Temple, the Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall) is one of the world's largest wooden structures.

Buddha in bronze

View from Kiyomizu Temple. You can see the city of Kyoto in the distance.

Along the river in Kyoto. Yards & space between buildings is non-existent.

Ginkaku-ji Temple (Silver Pavillion)

Bronze lanterns at a temple

I have a ton more pictures to show, but I wanted to get these up. Next post will be pictures of us in Japan. Again, use your Google-Fu to look up any of these spots that look interesting. Or ask me.

Peace.

Fun Stuff...

2008-02-08T21:17:00.000+10:00

Both Kendra and Kim gave me the "Make My Day Award". Yay! I am not so sure that I am deserving, but I love it none the less (is that supposed to be one word?). Thanks, ladies. You would be on my list for sure. Now I have to figure out two to take your places.

The Rules: Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.

Here goes (in no particular order...just from my google reader):

1. Cass - You rock...this isn't just the 2 bottles of wine talking. A fellow vodka drinker, she is a homeschooler, a pet sitter and knitter. Girl crush, oh yeah.

2. Phoe - A youngster and one of the absolutely most generous people that I know (virtually). She has already received this award, so this is twice as nice.

3. Jenn - I totally miss you blogging. Come back please!

4. Vicki - An inspiration to the minions like me. I hope that in my next life, I am born a human again and can be like Vicki.

5. Deece - Seriously, could I not inclued you? I am so happy that we have our Saturdays together...wish we would have started sooner. Your creativity and ingenuity are an inspiration to me.

6. Alicia - I don't know you...just a lurker...but I am constantly in awe of your creativity. Keep on doing what you do!

7. Mona - My favorite Kirida...even if I really don't know what that means, and I don't really know you. You say the things that I wish I had the balls to say. And your son is the cutest. Well, next to mine.

8. Debi - We are so alike that I find it weird that we aren't related. WTF? Go OBAMA!!! 2008 is our year, baby!!! I will so get to your tag in a minute.

9. Michelle - I love your style, your photos, and the stitching. I finally saw Marie Antoinette...loved it!

10. Melanie - I wish that we lived closer...you are an inspiration! I am loving the crafting...plus the kids could play together!

My BFF, Stels....if you had a blog, you would be on this list. Just know that you make my day all the time. <3. Chiloe, you are on it! And B, if arranged marriages were allowed in this country, I would forfeit my retirement so Connor could marry June...way too cute! And KaLu, I am sending you lots of love...and warm weather wishes...I am hoping we come to LV next year for vacay!). Just have so.much.to.do.

Namaste.

Love love.

Survivor: Micronesia

2008-02-08T21:13:00.000+10:00

Seriously, they are just faking us out. We are watching Palau again...where is Guam? Where is Saipan? Agrihan? Hmm, those are islands in Micronesia that haven't been previously filmed. WTF....Palau? Already done.

Come on. Redone re-runs suck.

Namaste.

Knitting for The Lord of the Rings

2008-01-31T22:22:00.000+10:00

Okay, first it was my elvish slippers. Remember them? Yeah, very elf-like if you look at them from the side. Is it a coincidence that I didn't photograph them from the side? No.

So, today I tackled another one of my 2008 goals...sock knitting. I was knitting like a woman possessed, double pointed needles flying everywhere. They are done! And already in the mail to their recipient (boy isn't she lucky, mwhahaha?!?).
Aren't they beautimus? I think so. I used a bit less than 2 skiens of Knit Picks Swish Superwash in the Bordeaux color, size 3 double pointed needles, and this free pattern.

Now, they look okay for the most part like that, right? Here's the rub (a top down pic for you)...

Who the eff am I knitting for? The cast of The Lord of the Rings? Seriously. Why can't my projects turn out semi-normal?

Deece, I hope that you start showing off the knitting soon! Freakish sock knitters unite!

Namaste.

Rockin' the cabbage

2008-01-29T20:48:00.000+10:00

Can you believe that I made it past the 1-year mark with the whole nursing business? Holey moley, I can't. BTH has officially been weaned for just under 2 weeks. And what do I get for my troubles? More pain in the breasticles than I have ever imagined. Between this and the whole frankennipple episode at week 6...ey-yi-yi. Here I am rockin' the cabbage in my bra. It really works. That and ibuprofen. Better than that whole bottle of Gray Goose that I downed in no time flat.

Did anyone hear the girly squee last week? That would have been me. Yeah, my new needles are here! They are so awesome, I can't hardly stand it. Want to see their beauty? Okay.

I immediately put the size 11 tips on the longest cable and switched the tween shawl over. That is when the knitting kicked into high gear.

I only had a few rows of it done, now I have as much done as I can do. I am one row away from being out of yarn. So, I am waiting for a decision to be made by the recipient.

And I am about to start the heel flap of sock # 2, but I don't have any pictures to show of it. Next time. Pinky swear. They might even be done by then.

Okay, back to the Free Tibet dvd that is in. I saw this show back in 1996 (or 97) with a friend. Why didn't I realize then the awesomeness that it was? And I seriously had such a minimal grasp as to the cause that they stood for. Wow. Heavy stuff, that is. Beastie Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Fugees, Beck, and lots of others that I am forgetting.

The countdown to Japan is on. We are going to Tokyo, Sapporo and Kyoto. Whee!

Namaste.

Cutting back

2008-01-28T13:48:00.000+10:00

Oh my. I just cut through my Google reader feeds. I went from 165 blogs to 79. And that is just looking at the names of the blogs and cutting. Next step is to actually visit the remainders and see if I am keeping those or not.

I am not using blogrolling anymore, I am going to put a post of with links to the blogs I enjoy and then just a link to that post in my sidebar. Maybe I will get that task done this week. Maybe not. So much on my plate.

Namaste.

I've been knitting!

2008-01-22T09:18:00.000+10:00

Yay for me! I am working on my first "real" pair of socks. I started these as a KAL with Deece.

Knit Picks Swish Superwash wool in Bordeaux
Size 3 DPN's
The Unique Sheep's free pattern

That, my non-knitting friends is a turned heel and short row shaping! I am learning so much, it is crazy. It is also proof that I don't have a clue as to how to use the macro setting (or where to find it) on my camera. Must learn.

These socks are fun. I am about to start the toe shaping, then I will be done with my first sock. They are nice and thick...actually very very firm. I think that I will go up a needle size or two for my next pair that I make out of worsted weight wool. They would be good for someone with small feet that does stuff outside in the winter. Like ice fishing. : )

I have my first finished non-scarf, non-dishcoth knitted item to share:

Not So Baby Yoda Sweater
made for: BTH
Berocco Touche in Apple green, just about 3 skiens
size 7 straight needles

Yay! I am so happy to be done with this sweater. I started it with the intention of BTH wearing it in Japan, and it fits him pretty well, so we should be good. I don't know that I will be making another one of these anytime soon. I hated the part in the instructions that said "make right side the same as the left, just reverse for shaping". Umm, hello, I need a bit more than that. I was okay until I got to the bind off row. Somehow, I could not get my brain wrapped around how I was supposed to do it so that the shoulder seam side was correct. I ended up adding an extra row to it and it worked out well. I now just have to decide on buttons or ties. No i-cord for me. Oh, I did do 10 extra rows on the arms because BTH is very long limbed. And skinny. He is in the 90th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight.

I started another Tween Shawl for my cousin's friend.

Improvised design: CO 4 st. K2, yo, k to end repeat until it is the desired size.
Lion Brand Baby Soft yarn, held double
Size 11 bamboo circular needles.

We aren't in Japan yet, still have a while to go. Thank you Debi for your info. I will be emailing you this week. I want to go on the Geisha lecture walk while in Kyoto. Trying to convince DH that it will be fun. He isn't buying it methinks.

This week I am anxiously awaiting my new needles to come. I ordered the Knit Picks Options Harmony set and it is about killing me to wait. Plus, I ordered a sweater's worth of wool from Peace Fleece along with a cardigan pattern a few weeks ago, and it should be here any day. Got to love gift certificates and Christmas money!

Namaste.

Japan, anyone?

2008-01-15T19:52:00.000+10:00

We are going to the Land of the Rising Sun, y'all. I am sooo excited! I have dreamed of going to Japan ever since Dad K. went (twice) for training with Mitsubishi and came back with his exotic stories (girls do what with hot wax?!?!) - not that I am going to see the girls...no siree. I am all about culture.

We are going to Sapporo, Tokyo and Kyoto. I know that we are staying in military lodging in the Sapporo area, and in the Tokyo area. Any suggestions for Kyoto?

I have been reading our Lonely Planet guide book for Japan and so loving the fact that Kyoto has tons of Buddhist temples. That was one thing that I loved loved loved about Thailand...the temples. By the way, if you ever go to Thailand, see the Reclining Buddha and the Emerald Buddha. Trust me. Take lots of pictures of the Reclining Buddha's feet and be a total farang. I was.

Anyway...the most important aspect of the trip hinges upon this question...can I get Noro for cheaper in Japan? I have read that I can get bamboo needles for 100 yen per pair (score!), but I am now wondering about Noro. Anyone? Bueller?

And if you give me a head's up about yarn / knitting shops in Sapporo (or Misawa), Tokyo, or Kyoto, I will get you a shiny souvenir. If you are a knitter, you might even get Noro and bamboo needles.

Cause I am nice like that.

And please (no offense to Melissa) do not suggest Tokyo Disney. DH would not stand for it for one minute. Plus, the rampant consumerism is enough to make me sick.

Namaste.

ONE!

2008-01-11T13:22:00.000+10:00

Hard to believe that a year has gone by already. I remember with great fondness the anxiety, trepidation and excitement that I posted this message. Wow. I never knew that my life would be so changed. Nothing that I read (and I read voraciously) could have prepared me for the journey that I would embark upon. Motherhood had been challenging, frustrating, scary and totally wonderful. I never would have guessed how much I would love this little guy a year ago. The love I feel grows every day, if that is possible.

I am not sure that I will share so much of BTH in the future. Just for his safety. I want to show him off of course, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Let's take a walk down memory lane one more time...

Shortly after being born:

One month:

Two months:

Three months (with Grama Lauri):

Four months:

Five months:

Six months:

Seven months:

Eight months:

Nine months:

Ten months:

Eleven months:

Twelve months:

I am so grateful that you were able to spend lots of time with Grama Lauri in March and in August & September before she passed away. She loved you so much.

Happy birthday, my baby. You mean the world to me.

Namaste.

I heart Iowa.

2008-01-04T21:19:00.000+10:00

I have been waiting to see what the results of the Iowa Caucuses were...everyone was reporting that it was a virtual dead heat between Barack and Hillary.

According to this site, Barack got 37.5 percent of the vote and Hillary got 29.4 percent.

WooHoo!!!!!!

It is a good day to be a Democrat. Now we just have to see what happens in New Hampshire.

I am so glad that I will be able to vote in November. Registering to vote will be one of the first things I do when we get to Juneau.

I can't believe that it has been over a year since I first blogged about Barack Obama. I still think that he is the bee's knees of politicians.

Go donkeys!

In other news, I should have pictures and fun stuff to report later this weekend. Melissa is joining Deece & I for our knitting session tomorrow! Yay!

Namaste.

2008 Goals

2008-01-02T14:38:00.000+10:00

I don't typically make "resolutions" in the sense that most people use. I like to think of them as "goals". So, in that vein, here goes:

1. Continue to be a nerdy bookworm.

In 2006, I read 53 books. This was pre-Baby Tree Hugger. My total for 2007 is 36. Not horrible, but far from surpassing the 53 mark from the previous year. I started this year off with a bang...re-reading the Harry Potter series. I received 3 of the books for Christmas and have somehow miraculously stayed far away from Book 7 spoilers (please don't ruin it for me now).

2. Learn more Spanish.

So I can pass along my knowledge to Baby Tree Hugger as he develops his vocabulary. Unfortunately, I didn't retain much of the Latin I learned in High School.

3. Knit three sweaters.

At least. I have fiber and a pattern coming for two, and I have one on the needles (Baby Tree Hugger's).

4. Knit lots o'socks.

I am starting my first "real" pair as a KAL (knit along) with Deece this weekend. This is kind of my practice pair. I am using a worsted weight, that way I won't mess up any of the beautiful yarn that I have (and that I have received from Phoe). Plus, they are faster, hopefully avoiding the "second sock syndrome".

5. Continue to met with Deece for our weekly knitting while on island.

I really enjoy this time out. Being a SAHM without any family nearby is a little hard on the nerves sometimes, so it is good to get away for a couple of hours each week. Plus, Deece is totally cool, a much better knitter than I am (she makes her own patterns!), and really rocks out, even though she doesn't swear enough. We get to chat and sip coffee (coffee float for me!) without feeling guilty. Anyone on island want to join us? Want to learn to knit? We go to Coffee Care on Saturdays at 2 pm.

6. Find a sit and stitch in Juneau. Or make friends that knit and meet up.

Pretty self expanitory.

7. Make more cupcakes.

Because they are fun, cute and easy. I plan on exploring this site more: Cupcake Bakeshop. First up, the Hummingbird Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for Baby Tree Hugger's birthday next week.

8. Remember to take Calcium supplement every day.

I have slacked majorly since BTH was born. I need calcium and I know it.

9. Explore my spirituality more.

I am really struggling right now with where I am spiritually. I sensed a profound change in my way of thinking and rationale after Mom died. I question things more readily, I wonder about things. I have been thinking about this subject for a few months.

10. Get Pregnant

Yep, we are planning for Baby # 2 in 2008. No, I am not pregnant now, nor are we trying. Yet. Give me a few months... I want to have BTH weaned and be able to enojoy a couple ~~bottles~~ glasses of wine while making/eating dinner. Plus some vodka drinks. Totes off limits when incubating a new BTH or nursing a BTH.

By the way, I have a line on the IK Fall issue that I posted about in the last post. We are just negotiating the specifics. Thanks!

Namaste.

On with the sewing (and a knitting plea)

2007-12-31T19:46:00.000+10:00

First things first...I am seriously trying to find a copy of Interweave Knits Fall 2007 magazine. It is sold out according to the IK website and it is not a magazine carried at the only bookstore here on island. If anyone has a copy that they no longer want, please email me at mhighfill at gmail.com. I recently subscribed to this magazine (picking up the winter and holiday issues while in Guam), but media mail and magazines take 18 years to arrive. Okay, not 18 years, but I just got my November Martha Stewart Living magazine...yeah sucks.

Okay, on with the sewing goodness...

So, remember when I lamented on and on about my sewing machine and the havoc it was causing me? Good, then I don't need to rehash it. Well (Leah this is for you), as it turns out, I somehow managed to crack and subsequently chip a big hunk of metal off of the thingamajig that the shuttle race fits into. The non-movable, cast metal looking part that holds the shuttle race (but on the top). According to the repair guy, "No fix". English is not his first language. So, I boxed it up and am hoping that there is a Sears around Juneau or another repair person that can fix it for me.

Then, do you remember my obsession with the cutest of the cute Singer sewing machines? Well, when I was at home with Mom in August and September, I scoured eBay, thinking that I would win a little cutie and just load the 80 pound thing into my luggage and bring it home...weight restriction be damned! I have a Silver Elite card for Continental, get out of my way! Anyway, so I won a little cutie. I was over the moon. I could hardly wait. I had visions of setting it up in BFF's basement and sewing my way through insomnia and heartache. It was not meant to be.

I should have known when I saw this as I unwrapped it:

Then I saw this and I was seriously almost in tears:

The machine is not functional and now resides in a closet at my Dad's house. I hope someday to find a good Singer repair person and have them fix it, along with buying a new original green jadeite case. But until then....

Christmas came early! (I got this the week before Christmas)

A Viking Husqvarna Emma!!!

My Aunt in Dallas upgraded to a Viking Husqvarna Designer II SE (the evil one) and sent me her Emma. I am thrilled to bits!

I already love this machine and I haven't even plugged it in yet. I would be lying though if I told you that I wasn't a teensy bit intimidated by it. I have never owned such a nice machine. I am trying to locate a manual for it so I can learn to thread the bobbin. Right now it is threaded with yellow thread (forget something, Aunt Tamie?), so I might just figure out something small to sew up using yellow thread and give her a go. So many projects on the brain...aprons, needle rolls, birthday buntings, quilts...*sigh*

Well, it is New Year's Eve here on Saipan. Baby Tree Hugger is in bed (we are working on weaning and it is going well). DH just brought in a bottle of champagne (maybe to make up for putting in idiotic Nacho Libre in the dvd player?), so I am calling it a night. I will be asleep in prolly 30 minutes. Real exciting around these parts.

I have a few resolutions and reflections, but I will save them for my next post.

Wishing everyone a peaceful, prosperous and happy 2008.

Namaste.

Peace.

First Christmas and knitting goodness

2007-12-29T20:37:00.000+10:00

Baby Tree Hugger's First Christmas

"You mean we open these now?"

"And I have to wear this thing?"

"Blocks. Mmm, I love blocks."
"Mom! You aren't going to blog this are you?!"
"I love presents from The Land of Nod."

"And I really love my new scoot around."

So, remember that post earlier in the month about the socks of doom? The ones that I didn't really have a pattern for, let alone have any experience in sock knitting? Yeah, they got frogged. Instead, I knit some slippers for said hard to buy for lady. I used this free pattern. 2 skeins of Knit Picks Main Line yarn, a couple of buttons and voila! Slippers. I dare not show you a side view...they really look elvish (as in elf-like, not Elvis-like), but I am hoping that they fit the lady's smaller feet. I can get them on my size 9 clod-hoppers, so we should be good. Lesson learned: How to M1 increase and I suck at making pom-poms. Hence the buttons.

Another present was this crocheted granny square throw. Made from 4 cones of Peaches N Cream cotton yarn. 2 in Ecru, 2 in Peppercorn ombre. I am embarrassed to admit it, but I started the granny squares 2 years ago, then started seaming them together and got thoroughly fed up with the seaming and put it aside. I decided that this would be the year that it got finished.
Simple granny squares, with a single crochet border (twice around). Easy peasy. Anyone want some left over granny squares? I have a handful of them and nothing planned for them. Let me know.
Another day, another Ball Band Dishcloth. This is for the knit along on Ravelry. I need to make a pile of these things by April.

As if that weren't enough, I started a sweater for Baby Tree Hugger. It is from the Not So Baby Yoda free pattern. I am using Berocco Touche in a green apple color. I actually did a gauge swatch on this and am crossing my fingers that it fits him for a few months since we will need in for our trip to Japan in a few months.

The back is complete in one day. I started on the left front side now and a bit nervous when it comes to the right front...it just says to reverse for shaping. Keep your fingers crossed that I do it right!
Peace.

Christmas Vacation

2007-12-27T16:15:00.000+10:00

The blog has been on vacay for a while...due to my MIL being here. She is now safely home in Illinois and the blogging will resume. Hopefully.

We took her to Guam for a few days and saw the sights there. Then we did lots of sightseeing and beach-going around Saipan.

Baby Tree Hugger at the museum at American Memorial Park. He is so cute, he picks up phones and says, "Ello?"

Baby Tree Hugger toddling around at Suicide Cliff.

We went to the Zoo. It was much better than I anticipated. And they give a local discount.

And a free bag of popcorn to give to the animals. They have a pig there that is so funny...it catches the popcorn that you throw to it. Well, you kind of have to aim for it's mouth.

We also went on a dinner cruise.
Baby Tree Hugger got to drive.
And then was serenaded by the entertainer. Seriously, he sang the ABC song to him. Okay, the other kid listened as well. We went on the Stars and Stripes Dinner Cruise. Honestly, it totally blows the other dinner cruise that we have been on out of the water. I highly recommend checking out the Stars and Stripes. The food is catered by the Fiesta Hotel and the boat itself is very lovely.

We hauled our cookies down (and then back up) the 100+ stairs at The Grotto.

Baby Tree Hugger got a helmet to wear when he is on the back of Papa's bike. He likes it. Really.Wing Beach was enjoyed by everyone

We ate like Kings the whole time that MIL was here. A sampling:
Chamorro Village (Guam)
Rotary Sushi (Guam)
Cold Stone Ice Cream (Guam)
Jamaican Grill (Guam)
Spicy Thai Noodle (Saipan)
Wild Bills (Saipan)
Aqua Resort Christmas Eve Buffet (Saipan)
BBQ at the Ranch (Saipan)
Garapan Street Market (Saipan)
Taste of India (Saipan)
Aqua Resort Happy Hour by the pool (Saipan)

I will post about Baby Tree Hugger's first Christmas in the next post. Along with lots of knitty goodness.

I have eleventy hundred emails to catch up on...gotta go.

Peace.

Happy Hanukkah

2007-12-07T21:48:00.000+10:00

Hanukkah started a couple of days ago, and I am tardy in wishing everyone a Happy Hanukkah. Today, baby tree hugger was playing around with a coconut dish and sparked my memory. I wonder if he wants a yarmulke?

L'Chaim!

He has started taking off on his own lately. He will be holding on to something and just let go and fly across the room. (Please don't mind the case of beer in the living room, that is DH's idea of a baby gym.)

He is also climbing on the furniture. I about had a heart attack when I found him doing this:

Christmas packages are being sent. I finally finished the "tween shawl". It is super soft and hopefully good size for her.

The package being sent to the family (minus some edible delights):

I received a package from Granny the other day that broke me down. Mom gave her a stack of dishcloths a couple of months before she died (That's where I get the dishcloth obsession from, thanks Mom!), and told Granny to give them out at Christmas. Granny sent me two of them with a touching note. I don't think that I will ever use these cloths for dishes.

Mom always called the jewel toned yarn "Grateful Dead Bear" yarn, knowing my affinity for the Dead Bears. I am thrilled that I got one in my favorite yarn colorway.

Granny also sent a hanging towel that she (Granny) made. She didn't make the towel, she crocheted the top . Amazing thing is that she crochets these tops without a pattern. She does them for every holiday.Peace.

Makes Sense

2007-12-07T09:04:00.000+10:00

I really enjoy reading everything about the wives of Henry VIII. So, when I saw this quiz on another blog, I had to do it.

Which of Henry VIII's wives are you?
this quiz was made by Lori Fury

Anne of Cleves got the shaft for sure. But at least she got to keep her head.

Peace

About to pee my pants!

2007-12-06T21:09:00.000+10:00

I love Ravelry. Did I ever tell you that? Oh, I did. And you are tired of hearing about it? Sorry. I just can't get over how awesome the site is. It is knitter's & crocheter's dream come true. If you knit or crochet, I highly recommend signing up for it. It is free, currently in beta testing, but will be soon open for everyone without signing up.

Anyway, about 20 days ago, I signed up to get the progress bar thingies that you see over to the left (scroll down). I couldn't figure out how in the eff to get the html code to work and after getting more frustrated than a one legged pirate in an ass kicking contest, I gave up. My online time is precious and quite limited. The topic was opened again today, so I looked at the thread to see if there were new tips. There were!

And there the are (the progress bars). Yippee, I am so freaking excited, I can't hardly stand it. If you are on Ravelry (be my friend, I am mhighfill), you can click the name of the project and whoosh, be transported to the Ravelry page.

Genius.

Peace.

Losing my mind...(or) Only 21 days until Christmas!

2007-12-04T20:42:00.000+10:00

I love Christmas. I love the whole plan-like-there-is-no-tomorrow-thinking-you-can-turn-into-SuperWoman-and-get-everything-done-deal.
That is what I do every year (except last year). The other day I was making out the Christmas card list...I know, I know, "real" tree huggers don't send out Christmas cards. I married a tree hugger, I never claimed to be the tree hugger of the family. Anyway, I came to the monumental decision that I am going to whittle the Christmas card list down next year. Those that haven't sent us a card in two years are off of the list. Does anyone else do this? Why continue to send a card to someone that isn't going to reciprocate? Our cards are done, stamped and ready to go out. Have you seen the new Christmas stamps "Holiday Knits"? Love them! I bought 3 books today.

This year's Christmas cards are a mish-mosh of the past 5 years worth of cards. I usually end up with 10 or so leftover cards every year, and when Mom died, I found 5 or 6 boxes of cards that she had bought on sale. So, the ones going out this year are being cleared out so we don't have to schlep them around anymore.

I went through the received cards from the past couple of years. I had a purpose. I was looking for Mom's last Christmas card that she sent to us. I found it and it is now on my nightstand where I can see it everyday.

As I was having my Christmas card list epiphany, I also decided that my gift list was too ambitious. I adore the idea of a hand-made Christmas, but I should have started long ago. Like February. We have a few people on our list that are near impossible to buy for and I always feel like the present that we select isn't quite *it*. This year, I wanted to make something for everyone and that is just ~~crazy at this point~~ not going to work.

So, what would any sane woman do? Why, she would start knitting a pair of socks for a gift. Mind you, said mentally sound woman has never knit a pair of socks before, but that didn't intimidate her. No siree. And is she following a specific pattern? Nah, she is winging it...borrowing from here and there. This is a recipe for disaster, y'all. Plus, she looks like she is wrestling a porcupine with all of those needles ready to fly out at any moment. The cable scarf is sitting in the bag, neglected *sob*. I love the cable scarf, but it isn't intended for a Christmas present. These socks are going to someone that is very hard to buy for. I say "socks"...plural. If nothing else, I am optimistic.

This is what it looks like when set down while knitting...

But at least she is still knitting dishcloths! This is another ball band cloth, only I modified it to be a bit smaller in width. I hate big cloths. It is about 6x6, which is perfect in my opinion. Only 2 more to go, then the rest will just be bonuses!

MIL arrives in 5 days from now!!!! Yay!

Peace.

Dave Matthews Band - Christmas Song

2007-12-01T18:49:00.001+10:00

NaBloPMo is over and I still have blogging on the mind. This is my favorite Christmas song. Did I ever tell you that I adore Dave Matthews? I do.
Listen to the lyrics, wonderful story.
Peace.

The End!!

2007-11-30T21:17:00.000+10:00

And it is none too soon. NaBloPoMo ends tonight. Thank you, Jeebus! I am butt-assed tired of posting every single day. Once I hit "Publish Post", I can sit back and relax for the weekend. And check the prize list to see if I won for sticking it out the whole month.

Today is Family Friday. I don't have any fun pictures to show. I don't have anything especially witty to comment about. Why, you ask? Because the monster formerly known as Connor is teething. *cue fingernails on blackboard sound* Oh yeah. My day started before 5 am today. My personal favorite part of the day has to be watching him sit on the floor wailing. We are talking inconsolable, people. Until I pick him up. Then the world is right. But my arms and back are revolting. I give him homeopathic teething tablets before bed and say eleventy billion prayers that he sleeps for 9 hours straight. I have Tylenol in the back up supply, but I am leery of giving it to him...I don't take any medication and don't want him to take any either if it isn't absolutely necessary.

So, that is that. Fun times, fun times.

I have been tagged by the duo over at Secret Leaves. I secretly love doing meme's. Shh, don't tell everyone though, okay? I wish I were witty like Cass to come up with a twist on the meme, but alas, I am not. It is all I can do to think of 7 Things that I haven't previously told you. But, I will give it a shot.

I can wiggle my ears.
My second toe is longer than my big toe.
I can bend my fingers back really far. Really far.
I can bend my thumb joint back(the one below your nail) so that my thumb makes an upside down "L" shape.
I can't bring myself to eat anything that has fallen on the floor in my house. But I will stand by and watch as my son drops a piece of something, picks it up and puts it in his mouth.
I still have a scar on my tongue from when I was a super genius and had it pierced. Twice. I am smart like that.
I can't sneak up on anyone. My ankles crack and pop when I walk and it is really loud.

So, what does this prove? That I am a genetic mutant and a bad mother.

I tag the fellow NaBloPoMo-er's that I can think of off of the top of my head. Kendra and
Chiloe.

************

I finished the dropped yarn over scarf today. It is way scratchy though. I don't know if I can gift it in good conscience.

I am dying to start either socks or a bag. Or both. I am thinking of doing the Squatty Sidekick or the French Market Bag. I will be using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Red shades. I am totally leaning towards the FMB. It will be a gift, so I had better cast on soon!

Peace.

WIP's and a FO

2007-11-29T22:07:00.000+10:00

Since I totally flaked out on posting my Works In Progress yesterday, so I will ~~bore you with them~~ show them to you today. Cause ~~NaBloPoMo is sucking the creative energy out of my head, thank God there is only one more day~~I am nice like that.

First- the shawl...I have made a few more progress rows...I anticipate having it finished next week. It looks pretty much the same as before, so I didn't picture it again.

Second - The dropped yarn over scarf. I anticipate having this one done by next Thursday as well. I have made it to the second ball of yarn.

Third - The Irish Hiking Scarf. I love this pattern, this yarn, and this scarf. At first I was a bit intimidated, but now I have the pattern memorized and it is easy peasy. If anyone wants to try cables, but is unsure, do it! Try the Irish Hiking Scarf.

On to the Finished Object. Singular tense here. One lonesome dishcloth. Using the Grandmother's Favorite pattern, Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn in the Mistletoe colorway.

I recently found Phoe. Go check out her page. I will wait. You won't be sorry.

Okay, back? See her amazing knitting? Yeah, she is very prolific and often offers her knitted items for free to her readers. A couple of weeks ago, she had some yarn available for adoption and I jumped on the chance to try Opal sock yarn. It is the Owl colorway and she sent this coordinating pattern with it. And the cutest bracelet. I can't get a decent picture of the bracelet at night, but trust me, it is cute. And it is on my wrist as I type this. Thank you, Phoe! Your Saipan package should be arriving soon.

I am almost counting the rows on the simple scarf and the shawl so that I can be done with them and finally cast on a pair of socks. Eeep! And a felted bag. Double eeep! I have start-itis bad.

If you are searching for the world's biggest yarn stash, look no further. No, I am not showing pictures of my deep freezer again. Are you sitting down? Okay, look here. That could qualify as a shop, not a residence.

Did I mention that tomorrow is the last day of NaBloPoMo? Not a moment too soon, either. I plan on taking the weekend off. Then I plan on posting every other day.

Peace.

Creepy

2007-11-28T10:28:00.000+10:00

So, I was just searching youtube, tooking for a video to send to an Aunt. The video I was searching for is one from Mom's memorial service. The strange thing about it is that I heard it on the radio the other day, and I have never heard this song outside of Mom's memorial. I was telling my Aunt about hearing it on the radio and how it really struck me as odd.

Okay, so evidently I am YouTube inept...Click here to see the video and hear the song.

(I adore Sarah Brightman. Loved her since her Phantom of the Opera days)

Now, if that weren't enough...as I was listening to different versions on YouTube, I could vaguely hear the radio playing in the kitchen. What was playing you ask? Fire and Rain by James Taylor. Remember me posting about that here?

I have goosebumps now.

I will post a WIP Wednesday post later.

Peace.

Our house

2007-11-27T20:12:00.000+10:00

Well, it could be if they lowered the price by $30k and held it till mid-May 2008.

Click here.

Peace.

Reading Tuesday

2007-11-27T09:30:00.000+10:00

It is Tuesday morning here and I am tired (literally) of staying up late to blog every night. So, while Connor is enjoying a snack, I am posting.

On Saturday morning, while at the farmer's market, I saw a lady off to the side with stuff spread out on bleachers. There was a mad crush of people around her, so I ambled over to see what she was offering. I picked up this book:
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

For a quarter!!! I could hardly believe my luck. I am like #248 on the wait list at Paperbackswap for this one. Yay! I started reading it already, even though I have others from the library sitting here. Waiting patiently. Boni was correct in suggesting this one to me, it is right up my alley so far.

*********
We have an appointment today for "counseling" in regards to our new overseas transfer. Yippee. We went through this 3 years ago when we went to Guam. Basically they just want to make sure that we are financially responsible to handle living in a remote area, that we are aware of harsh climate changes, distance from family, etc. Yes, yes, yes. Move us already! It is nice to know where we are going (so we don't keep wondering), but the crummy part is now we get to wait. And wait.

Peace.

Mondays are boring

2007-11-26T21:32:00.000+10:00

Not much to report here today. I am in a "state" mentally. I have a lot going on upstairs. Thinking, thinking, thinking. Much re-evaluation happening around these parts. All dealing with personal relationships and my response to them. Because I can't change the way others think, I have to figure out how to change myself and accept things / people for what /whom they are. And learn to let go of the things that I couldn't / can't change.

Anyway.

If you knit or crochet and would like to support the troops, I recommend you check out this site:

Knitted (or crocheted) Helmet liners

From my understanding, the helmets are issued without liners and metal helmets are kinda chilly. They ask that you use wool yarn to make the liner, and you can't get much cheaper (without sacrificing quality) than Knit Picks Wool of the Andes yarn. They recommend using Cascade 220, which I have heard just as many good things about, I just have never had any in my hot little hands to try out. *someday*

We watched "A Christmas Story" tonight. My favorite Christmas movie of all time. I was so born in the wrong generation.

Peace.

Clean Up Sunday

2007-11-25T20:40:00.000+10:00

Did I ever mention how much I adore Christmas movies? I enjoy watching them year round, but once late November hits, I watch one every day. We are watching The Family Stone right now. At first I hated this movie, but now it is one of my top 5 Christmas movies.

In the spirit of Christmas, and trying to elude extreme Grinchy-ness here at the House of Grinch (watched that on on Friday), DH brought me a book from the bookshelf yesterday. I am wondering if this is a hint or if he was just being nice and thought I looked bored? I think it was a hint. It is a favorite of mine....

The Best of Martha Stewart Living Handmade Christmas

(A quick peek at Amazon.com shows this book for 1 cent (3.99 shipping)! Click on the title under the picture to be taken to Amazon.com)

My movie is playing and I have a cabled scarf calling my name. Ciao!

Peace.

Saipan Saturday

2007-11-24T20:22:00.000+10:00

As per our routine, we were boring and did the usual today. Farmer's Market, post office, Ace hardware, Joeten for groceries. We also went to the Brilliant Star Montessori School's Holiday Bazaar. It was nicely planned and put together.

The Christmas trees are in at Joeten (the "Department" store that is also the grocery store). And if you were to believe the radio advertisements, "Christmas just isn't the same without a fresh tree from Joeten." Here's a closer look at the prices (click on picture to enlarge).....

No $50 Christmas tree lots here on the island.

I think that our Christmas will be just fine with our free artificial tree that is almost as old as I am. We spent some time yesterday putting up said free tree and getting the lights on it. It is sans ornaments for a while, we want Connor to get used to it without breaking all of the ornaments immediately.
(Psssst, those are fake presents under our tree. We use them every year that way it doesn't look so lonely under there until we actually get a couple of real presents under there.)

I also did something today that I am hoping becomes a routine...at least for the next 6 months. I met up with Deece again for a Mom's knitting & coffee time. Yay! Her little girl is just as cute as can be and is exactly how I imagined her.

Peace.

P.S. Gayle, it isn't a typo that you read. We plan on trying again in April-ish 2008 : )

Knitting, Baby and Houses.

2007-11-23T21:17:00.000+10:00

Since I missed WIP Wednesday, FO Thursday and today is Family Friday, I am combining them into today's post.

WIP Wednesday would have been:

The shawl. It is endless garter stitch right now. I do a few rows and feel like I am making zero progress. I put it around my shoulders one day and it is too small, so I put it around Connor and it was ginormous, so I think that I have about a dozen or so more rows to go before it is "tween" sized.

I started a new scarf. Mom gave this yarn to me in March when we were home to have Connor baptized. I have 3 cakes of it. I have no idea what it is made of, how much there is, I only have a vague idea that the 3 strands together make it a light-ish worsted weight. Just a simple pattern, really. And it is free! I have an idea of the recipient, but I am not 100% set on her. We will see when it is all done, then I will know for sure.

Did I say that I started a new scarf? Well, I lied, I actually started two new scarves. This one is one that I have been obsessing about (it is free too!). I have been so anxious to cast on for it. Truthfully, I casted on for it when I met Deece last Saturday for coffee. But with all of the yakking and coffee drinking, I didn't get but two rows done. And I figured that somehow messed them up, so I ripped them out and restarted.

I am so proud of myself, I am cable-ing!!! I never thought that I would be able to do it, they always looked so intimidating, but with the awesome cable video tutorials at Knittinghelp.com, I got it down! I am cable-ing, y'all! This one is using Knit Picks Andean Silk (Wool, Alpaca and Silk) in Navy. I adore this yarn. I would love to have more eventually.

**********

FO Thursday would have been...

I finished two more dishcloths this week. I did another Palm Tree cloth. I need to make more of these, but green cotton is hard to find here. I guess that some people will be getting different colors of palm trees.

I also did a Grid Pattern dishcloth. It was easy for the most part. Kind of boring. I have decided that I really enjoy doing the picture dishcloths the most. I found a free pattern for a Coast Guard cloth (other military branches available as well) on this site.

*******

Family Friday

Connor is taking a few hesitant steps on his own!!! I can't hardly believe it. He has been walking while holding on to one of our hands for quite a few weeks now, but in the last couple of days, he will be holding on to the furniture and take a couple of steps on his own without holding anything. It is so cute. And so nerve racking! I am watching him like a hawk because I don't want him to face plant on the tile floor.

This is from Thanksgiving, when we were down at the Ranch.

Back to the housing in Juneau. It all boils down to a few things that are scaring me shitless about buying such an expensive house. It isn't that we can't afford it, because we can. But what if DH makes Chief and we have to move in 2 years? I don't want to be stuck with two house payments and end up having to go back to work and put the kids in daycare. The second thing is that I hate debt. Hate hate hate it. I enjoy not having credit card debt, car loan debt, etc. We do have our timeshare debt and my paltry student loan (why don't I just pay it off already?), but that is it. And a giant mortgage is a huge step. House prices are crazy. Where we are from, you can get a pretty nice house for 100-150k. So, to me 250k for 2 or 3 bedrooms on a subdivision lot is a stretch.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T21:04:00.001+10:00

I have so much to be thankful for. I won't bore you with a list of things/people, let's just say that it is long. I will say that I am a very fortunate woman and even though the last few months have been nothing short of difficult, I still consider myself blessed.

Today we went down to the Ranch for island style Thanksgiving. I really enjoy spending time with our friends and their family down there, so I jump at every chance we get. I made pumpkin rolls (two actually because they are so effing good) and Hedgehogs (the review is totally wrong) as our contribution to the feast. As usual, we came home with a boat load of left overs. Which we have already started to eat.

We had red rice, green banana ball things(the purplish balls in the middle top of picture), sukiyaki, turkey, ham, green beans, shishkebabs, and taro cooked in fresh coconut milk. It was all very good.

Plus we came home with a bag of local tangerines...

Lastly on a "thankful" note, I was so thankful for Joeten Hafa Adai getting this wonderful treat in stock for me to find. Luckily I didn't have to sell a body part to be able to afford it, it is only the small container...

********

About Juneau.

We will be moving there in late May / early June-ish, 2008. It is a 4 year tour but that might be cut short if DH makes Chief in the next year or so. Which is a good possibility.

The cost of living really can't be that much higher than here in Saipan. But one thing that I have discovered that is literally making me nauseous just thinking about it is the housing cost. Granted we do get a Basic Allowance for Housing and I totally love that. There is just something about buying a $250,000 house that makes my stomach turn. Seriously, I can not even fathom that kind of financial responsibility. And we aren't talking mansions here people. This is for a 2 or 3 bedroom house. With less than a quarter acre of yard. Eeeppp! I have been searching Realtor.com and we looked at FSBO.com as well. And there ain't much to choose from. We have the name of a realtor that will help us, so we will be calling him up after the first of the year. And after I have had a few vodkas to help "calm" me.

The weather is pretty temperate from what we have learned. It is on the coast and surrounded by temperate rain forest, so it doesn't get quite as cold as the rest of Alaska. And according to weather.com, the highest recorded temp was 90 degrees. *bliss*

We did some online investigating to see how in the world we would be able to get a U-Haul of stuff up there from Illinois. Did you know that it is over 3,000 miles (approx 56 hours driving time) to get from Illinois to Juneau? And it appears that we can only go as far as Skagway, then we have to load up on the ferry and float down there. More investigation required.

So that is what I know for now.

Tomorrow I plan on posting knitty goodness as well as new baby pictures. He won't be a baby much longer!

Peace.

This Just In...

2007-11-21T07:22:00.000+10:00

DH just called from work. He got an email from the Detailer saying that the overseas billots would be done by Thanksgiving, the higher priority ones would be done by Christmas and the others would be done in January.

Me: "So, are we considered overseas here in Saipan, or do we have to wait until Christmas when he does the higher priority ones?"

DH: "We are considered overseas now."

*pause*

DH: "Because we are going to Alaska."

Yep, we are in for a big change. Tropical Island of Saipan to Juneau, Alaska. Juneau was our 6th choice out of 8. Not what I was expecting. I was planning on going to Cincinatti, OH. We wanted to go to Alaska at some point, but not yet. Disappointed, yes. I guess that the bright side is that we aren't going somewhere that we totally didn't want.

This makes getting our stuff that is stored in our families homes in Illiniois a little more tricky.

Peace.

Reading Tuesdays

2007-11-20T21:20:00.000+10:00

Does anyone else remember "Reading Rainbow" with LeVar Burton? Such a catchy theme song, I find myself humming it sometimes.

Anyway, I finished two more books. Yay me!

The Handmaid and the Carpenter - It was kind of meh. I am glad that it was only 150-some odd pages, because it really didn't hold my interest. Fictionalized romance of Mary and Joseph with a few paragraphs about Jesus. Not one that I would run out and buy, but if the library had it and you didn't have anything better to do on a Saturday, well it may fit the bill for you.

In the Company of the Courtesan - Interesting tale, but very long winded. It did have a surprise about 3/4 of the way through it, so it wasn't a total wash.

Time to update my yearly list.

Peace.

Mondays are Domestic

2007-11-19T15:40:00.000+10:00

The sheets are changed, the bathroom linens are changed, and laundry is in the washer. I have to hang it up soon, because it will take two days to dry if it continues to rain like it is. I am so glad that our clothes lines are under the porch though, that way I can wash no matter if it is raining or not. Dryer be damned (if we had one that is).

I found some pictures on my hard drive today of quilts, so I thought I would share them.

But first,I have a few more dishcloth patterns.

This week's Knit Along pattern is Nubbins Nouv. Does not look that great to me, and looks more complicated than I want to tackle, so I am just going to do the alternate Nubbins Dishcloth.

And since this week is Thanksgiving, I also wanted to share this dishcloth pattern: Gary The Gobbler. Isn't it just so appropriate?!?! Have fun with it and if you do knit it, I would love to see pictures. I am going to dig through my stash and see if I have any colors that would work well for it and cast on once I am done with Palm Tree #2.

On with the quilts...

This is made with 1930's reproduction fabrics, just pieced together and tied with perle cotton to match the squares. I made this and a little 14"x14" pillow cover to match for Mom for Christmas in 2005. It was at the foot of the hospital (hospice) bed when she died. Even though we don't need quilts, I had to bring it home with me. It is bigger than crib size, but smaller than a twin size.

While we were at home in September, I had to go to the thrift shops. Did I ever mention that I love to thrift shop? Oh, I did? Okay. This little tied quilt was sitting on a hanger just waiting for me to find it. It is similar in size to the one above that I made. It does need a new layer of batting in the middle though. I couldn't pass it up, it was only $2.50. It makes me sad to see hand made things in thrift shops going for so cheap. I think of the price of materials and the time that someone put into it...

So there you have it. That is all I have for today. I have to get this posted since we just had a 2 hour power outage and I don't want it to happen again and be out of NaBloPoMo. Plus, I have a ~~grumplestiltskin~~ baby to get to bed.

Peace.

Clean Up Sunday

2007-11-18T21:16:00.000+10:00

I have come across a few fun knitting patterns recently and wanted to share. Gayle I hope that you like some of these! Click on the name to be taken to the site...

"Born To Knit" dishcloth / washcloth

"Knit On" dishcloth / washcloth

Little Luxury Baby Kimono Sweater I think that I am going to use the Apple Green Berocco yarn from my recent eBay win to make Connor a little sweater. We are going to Japan in a few months and it will be cold. It is a cute wrap style sweater, perfect for wiggly babies. You have to register with the Lion Brand website to view the pattern, which I highly recommend. There are hundreds of patterns on the Lion Brand website, plus they have started doing podcasts.

Norberta the Dragon

Baby Feet washcloth Wouldn't this be cute to give as a shower present with a basket of Burt's Bees Baby Bee products? I would have loved it.

Christmas Bell, Canadian Maple Leaf, Waving Frog, Daffo dils, Swan, Watering Can, Little Chick, plus lots of other holiday cloths I signed up to edit these patterns for Ravelry, so I need to put a few into my queue.

Pink Ribbon Socks These can be made in any color to support your particular cause, yellow for our troops, etc.

I have tons more links, I think that I will post some more throughout the week. (Deece, I haven't forgotten about the links to the knitted & crocheted playfood either!)

Since I don't have any cool pictures of my own to show, I think that I will share some that I found on Ravelry. Of knitting tattoos. *snort*

Nice and simple:If I were to get this one, I would make it no bigger than a guitar pick and have the yarn loop around so that it makes a little pink ribbon symbol (of course I would):

Peace.

Saipan Saturday

2007-11-17T20:43:00.000+10:00

Drive by blogging at its finest today. Thank you, NaBloPoMo for providing me this opportunity.

Hmmm, lemme see, today I got to me another Saipan blogger, Deece! Yay for Mom time! The plan was to meet at the Cafe and knit and yak and drink coffee. What did we do? We yakked for 95% of the time and knit for about 5% of the time. I tried to cast on the Irish Hiking Scarf about 5 times. Damn long tail cast on. I usually end up with about 2 feet of yarn tail after casting on, or conversely, I try to cast on the last 3 stitches with 1/2 inch of yarn remaining. Never a happy medium. Deece recognized my plight and gave me a tip, so if you see me measuring my feet later, don't laugh. I will let you know if it worked or not.

It was so much fun that we are going to meet up again next week. Hard to believe that neither of us took pictures. Especially of DH riding by with Connor on the back of his bicycle.

Peace.

Family Friday

2007-11-16T21:55:00.000+10:00

Oh, NaBloPoMo...you are cramping my style. I am used to not blogging every single mo fo-ing day. Arrrgghhh!

Tuesday was DH's birthday. He is one year closer to being "old". Lucky bastard (said in the most loving way possible) has a few more years before he is even 30. Yes, I am a cradle robber (I was 3-0 this year).

He wanted to go to the beach on Tuesday, so to the beach we went. Wing beach, more specifically.

Pictures? Okey dokey!

It was such a gorgeous day. Perfect for a birthday!

In other news, only just over 3 weeks before MIL arrives!!! Eeep! We are so excited! I can't wait to see a friendly face and to have her see Connor and how much he has changed since September. She will be here until just after Christmas : ( I wish she could stay until May or June, but no such luck.

Not much else to report. I am going to meet up with a blogging friend tomorrow for a cup o'joe and some fiber craftiness, I can't hardly wait! Plus she just celebrated a birthday as well. It seems that I am surrounded by youngsters. Gosh, I feel old.

I dug out the Christmas CD's today and played one for Connor. He is so cute, he sways side to side on his hands and knees while music is playing, like he is dancing. He also bounces up and down when on his knees. He likes "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee and "All I Want For Christmas" by Kenny Chesney so far. I hope that he ends up loving "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt as much as I do.

One more week until I can drag out all of our Christmas ~~crap~~ decorations. Yay! My favorite time of year for the House of Grinch. We will do the House of Grinch proud this year. Er, or maybe we did it proud last year with our Grinchy-ness.

Enough babbling. The Riesling is going to my head.

Peace.

FO Thursday # 2

2007-11-15T12:52:00.000+10:00

I haven't had that many finished objects to blog about in the past week, but I do have a few pictures (click pictures to make bigger):

The Ball Band Dishcloth
"Grinch Vomit" colorway (red & green Bernat cotton yarn)
I like the eclectic look/design of this cloth, but don't care for the size. I need to modify the cast-on rows to make it less wide.

DW Dishcloth

Yellow/White Ombre Peaches n Cream colorway
This was fun and makes a lovely cloth. I will make more of these.

Another view so you can see the neat color pooling.

Simple crocheted dishcloth, pattern from blogging friend
Same yarn as DW cloth
Quick to crochet, takes about a day for me...in between wrangling a 10 month-old

More to come next week, so stay tuned!

Gayle, you asked if I only used cotton for my cloths...Yes. For now at least. I have heard wonderful things about Bamboo and Hemp, so someday I would like to try those, but they are kind of pricey (since they are so new), so I will wait. I love the fact that the cotton is pretty cheap and you get functional things from it. I can get at least one cloth out of a little ball of cotton, and here, the balls are about $2.25 each. As for the wool, it is all for gifts. Although I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that we do move to a cooler climate next year. I am getting tired of sweating day in and day out.

I have already pulled the pattern and the needles along with the Navy Andean Silk to start the Irish Hiking Scarf. I just need to get a little bit more done on the shawl/poncho thing before I can cast on. It will be my first time doing cables!

I was considering using the Bordeaux colored Swish and doing the Besotted Scarf, we will see. I totally want to order more Andean Silk to do a Clapotis for a gift. Must. control.myself.

***********
Do you just love my Meez on the sidebar? I do! She even has a Barack Obama shirt on, khaki shorts and lime green Crocs. So me! Of course I wear my glasses when I knit. Most of the time anyway. Do you think that the Meez is too big? I use firefox as a browser and my laptop has a wide screen, so it is hard for me to tell.

**********
In the sadness department:

When Mom died, my BFF's DH (Hi Jason!) very graciously worked with me to create a video to be shown at her memorial luncheon. Wait, back up...he did the work, I just gave him the pictures, the list of songs and pointed out the order that I wanted things (thanks again, BTW). Anyway, it turned out fabulous and I watch it every couple of weeks. I gave Mom's parents and siblings a copy of it along with a framed picture of Mom that nobody had ever seen before.

So, getting on with the sadness part. You all know that we don't have TV here (we have tv's, we just don't have cable so no cable = no tv, not even with rabbit ears, and yes, it is by choice), so every day I have the radio on a certain channel and I keep it on all day long. I have noticed that about every other day, I hear "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor during the day. The eerie/sad part is that it is one of the songs on Mom's dvd and I end up crying while singing it. I miss her so much, I can't even begin to try to explain how I feel. In a way, I keep telling myself that it is her trying to let me know that she is here with me, but I don't know if I believe that 100%.

Peace.

WIP Wednesday

2007-11-14T20:31:00.000+10:00

I have been slowly plugging away at the poncho that I showed last week. It is hard to see progress. I will take a new picture next week for comparison.

I started a new dishcloth this morning. The Grid Pattern Dishcloth. Find the pattern here. I am knitting mine with my Clover circular bamboo needles size 8. The pattern says to use size 10's, but I thought that would be too lose. It is pretty loose as is.

Today I received my Knit Picks lot box from eBay!!! I am so happy with it, I was fondling the yarns all afternoon. I am smitten with the Andean Silk. So soft. And even the Wool of the Andes isn't that scratchy. I have heard many comments on Ravelry about how it is too scratchy. I disagree.

Berroco Touche (cotton & rayon)

Knit Picks Main Line (Wool & Cotton)

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (Peruvian Wool)

Knit Picks Andean Silk (Wool, Silk & Alpaca) *divine*

Knit Picks Merino Style (Merino Wool)

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (Peruvian Wool)

Knit Picks Swish Superwash (100% superwash wool)

Peace

Tuesdays are for reading

2007-11-13T20:57:00.000+10:00

We went to the library last friday. I still am amazed at how nice the library is on this island. Blows Guam's out of the water completely. Since we are bookworms, we left with a bag full (a reusable canvas bag because that is how we roll).

I picked out:

Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich I *heart* this series. I can whiz through these books in about 24 hours.

The Teahouse Fire - Ellis Avery I thought it looked interesting. No other reason.

The Handmaid and the Carpenter - Elizabeth Berg Fictional account of the romance of Mary and Joseph. Looks like a quick read.

Saving Fish From Drowning - Amy Tan One of my favorite authors. This is a big book, so it may take me a while.

***********

Speaking of reading, I do try to keep up with my blog reading via my Google Reader. I am trying to carve out a little bit of time every day to leave a few comments, but I can't get to everyone's all of the time. I have had a bunch of new readers and have added you all to my google reader, and I pinky swear that I will get to your blog and comment soon.

I have taken my blogroll off of the sidebar (along with many other things). I am trying to streamline and update the look of my blog. I will be cutting the list down and then adding more knitting blogs to it though. I plan on making a post that has my "master" list and then just linking to it in my sidebar so that the sidebar isn't so clogged up.

I am still trying to figure out the Ravelry progress bars. I have been activated to use the code, I just can't for the life of me get it to work. I may just throw in the towel and use the progress bars as outlined here: Progress bars (for dummies like me). Since I am still mulling over switching to wordpress.com or not, I won't stress about the Ravelry bars since they aren't supported on Wordpress.com.

Oh, and if the wonderful Saipan blogger that posted a comment on my last post is reading this (which I doubt), please don't spam me with your drivel again. I don't appreciate it. I tolerated it once from Plutonic Pluto or whatever his alias is, mostly because I don't like to delete comments and censor. But, if it happens again, I will start deleting comments. Thanks much!

Peace.

Book list

2007-11-12T21:26:00.000+10:00

For reference (since I am cleaning up the blog)

Books I have read in 2007 (36)

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
In the Company of the Courtesan
The Handmaid and the Carpenter
Lean Mean Thirteen
Twelve Sharp
Me Talk Pretty Someday
For One More Day
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
The Constant Princess
Water for Elephants
Ten Big Ones
Plum Lovin'
The Kitchen God's Wife
The Kite Runner
The Boleyn Inheritance
To the Nines
Inheritance
Unwise Passions
Visons of Sugar Plums
Last Chance Cafe
Hard Eight
Seven Up
Hot Six
High Five
Four to Score
Deception Point
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer
The Complete Book of Breastfeeding
Three to Get Deadly
Love, Rosie
What to Expect When You Are Expecting
Hanging by a Thread
The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B
Visons of Sugar Plums

Mondays are Domestic

2007-11-12T21:17:00.000+10:00

We had people over today for a cook out. The house is nice and clean. I have lots to do to work on the blog tonight (gotta add my Ravelry progress bars, eeep!), plus get our Christmas list finalized and emailed to the parents. Then I am ordering a shit load of cotton yarn from the Peaches N Cream website. Adios.

Peace.

Clean Up Sunday

2007-11-11T21:08:00.000+10:00

I am blogging today for the sake of NaBloPoMo. We cleaned today. DH spent 4 hours with the deck brush and the hose scrubbing the patio around the house. The funk that grows on the concrete here was getting to be way slippery like an ice rink. I almost busted my tuchus a few times. It is much better now.

Oh, I just remembered that I never posted about the Wisconsin Wool & Sheep Festival. MIL, Connor and I went while we were at home. If you live anywhere near Wisconsin and enjoy wool and knitting, spinning, crochet, weaving, felting, etc., I highly recommend it. I am now wondering if I can finagle a trip home next year for it again.

The sheep, rabbits, alpacas, and lambs were so adorable. And the fibers were amazing. I saw my first $90 skien of yarn. I about fell over. I also saw a woman knitting while walking. I was almost stalking her actually. I couldn't stop watching...she was knitting Continental style (see knittinghelp.com for videos of Continental style) and it looked so smooth and fluid. I am a "thrower", I knit English style I guess. I think that is what it is called. I tried to knit Continental and just can't get it to work right with threading my yarn in my left hand and keeping decent tension. Did I mention that I am impatient and give up easily if I have a way that already works? Maybe some other day I can try it again.

You want pictures, you say? Okey dokey.

Isn't this precious? Connor got to pet one of the lambs brothers.

Spinning, Weaving, Knitting. And then there was me, standing there like a dork, taking pictures while my tongue was probably hanging out of my head. I was amazed, okay?

So gorgeous. And greasy. Blech.

This one won the blue ribbon for it's category. I don't know anything else about it except that it sure is pretty.

The KKK leader for sheep (I'm kidding) The cover just reminds me of their costumes. He had a thing for that gate.

MIL & Connor

I love this alpaca. Looks a little crazy in the eye if you ask me.
Puffball. I watched as the owner of this rabbit had to tell some kids not to pull it's hair out. If you pet it and hair came out, okay, but no pulling. Naughty kids.

Whew, that was a long day, Mom. I am hoping that where ever we end up next year, they have a sheep & wool festival. I didn't buy much. A "learn to spin" kit with a homemade drop spindle. Which I have tried a couple of times and am about to pitch out the door. I also bought a needle felting kit for a cute pincushion. I thought it had everything included. Guess that is what I get for thinking. Now that I am back in BFE, I have to figure out where to get a few felting needles. eBay here I come!

Peace.

Saipan Saturday

2007-11-10T19:33:00.000+10:00

We were boring today. DH had to do a boat inspection and was gone all day. He now has the next 3 days off (one for Veteran's Day and then his birthday on Tuesday). Yay! We are having a few people over on Monday for a cook out, so we have lots to do tomorrow. Kind of like fall cleaning and getting the house ready for company. Might as well do it all at once.

Saipan today has been really overcast and dreary. Rain off and on. Kind of cool, which is absolutely lovely since I am totally sick of the perpetual summer.

I don't have any fun pictures to show you from Saipan, but I found fun one the other day while blog surfing. This is NOT me, nor is it anyone I know...

Redneck Tank Top
(click the picture to really see it)

If you have time to waste and like to knit/crochet, I found another fun site, straight from the House of Fug... You Knit What? part 2

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Peace.

Family Friday

2007-11-09T23:48:00.000+10:00

Only have a few minutes to blog...

Connor will be 10 months old this weekend. Time is flying by. He's into:

Brushing his teeth
Clapping his hands

Trying to be stealth and climb the stool with the water dispenser on it
His pink ball

His dog

Eating frozen berries and wooden spoons

Peace

FO Thursday

2007-11-08T21:46:00.001+10:00

One week down, three to go. This NaBloPoMo thing is kicking my tuchus. I am having a hard time keeping up with emails, let alone time to ~~waste~~ browse on Ravelry. And I do so *heart* Ravelry.

Today's theme is FO's (Finished Objects). I don't have much to show, I just finished the Ball Band Dishcloth a little while ago and haven't taken a picture. So you will have to wait until next Thursday to see it. I keep calling it "Grinch Vomit". Seriously, this thing looks like it was made at the House of Fug. I think that I will try a different color combo next time around. But it is "festive".

To tide you over, may I present....the orphan dishcloths waiting to find their new homes on Christmas:

With the Ball Band dishcloth, that makes 11 done. I was hoping to give 3 per family/house but my knitting skills are s-l-o-w. I might only be able to do 2 per family/house. If the latter is correct, then I am half way done. I could always kick it into gear and just crochet them...I can do one a day hooking it. Decisions, decisions.

Little Grey Cat, you wondered about the two colors on the Ball Band dishcloth. And the Knifty Knitter. Well, this was my first time working with two colors and not cutting and knotting. Evidently tying knots to secure the thread is a big no-no in the knitting world (not sure what the punishment would be). I was totally intimidated by the dishcloth without ever seeing the pattern, but once I did and saw how easy it is...well. I just carried the color that I wasn't using up the side as I was knitting. It was a mess while knitting, but I didn't feel like weaving in eleventy thousand ends for one stupid dishcloth. Now, the Knifty Knitter...basically it is a loom (or set of looms) that you use to knit with. You wrap the yarn around the pegs and use this thing that looks like a ~~torture~~ dental device and knit away. I haven't used it yet, but am chomping at the bit.

Learn more here, see patterns online here (although there are many more sites out there).

I am off like a Prom dress, I have this week's KAL dishcloth to cast on. We are doing the Darrel Waltrip dishlcoth

And I found the motherlode of dishcloth resources... Dish and Washcloth Mania. *nirvana*

One more picture (because posts are so much more fun with pictures). I love these:

Cupcakes AND Knitting? *swoon* These were made for a stitching night at a LYS (Local Yarn Store) (picture stolen from Ravelry).

Peace.

WIP Wednesday

2007-11-07T21:21:00.000+10:00

Another day, another post. Wednesdays will be the day where I show my WIP's (Works in Progress). Today it is all about knitting. I have the knitting bug something fierce. I can't stop myself, I spend time daydreaming about patterns, books, yarns, needles...it is a sickness! I even dream about yarn. I can't turn my brain off while sleeping it seems.

I recently won an awesome eBay auction of Knit Picks yarns...seriously, this auction was worth over $85 and I got it for $19 something without shipping. I just need to stalk DH and ask him every day if he checked the mail.

Anyhoo, on with the show, er, pictures...

You remember me yapping on and on about how I love to knit dishcloths, right? Well, here is another one...

The Ballband Dishcloth
(because ~~DH is too cheap to buy me~~ it isn't Christmas yet and I have yet to receive the Mason Dixon Knitting Book)

I never realized how ugly this thing is on the backside. Thank goodness it is just a dishrag.

Next up, a darling Christmas present for a young lady that is very girly...

Just a simple shawl (cast on 4 stitches, knit 2, yarn over, knit to end, repeat)
Soft acrylic yarn (from Mom's stash)
Bamboo circular's 7.0 mm

Just so you can see the nice edging that the yarn over makes:
That's it. That is the extent of my knitting madness. I desperately want to cast on for a few other things, but I am trying to be a responsible knitter. I don't want projects languishing away in the basket, feeling totally unloved (like some of my cross stitch projects do).

In other eBay news, when we went to Guam recently, I hit up the Ben Franklin store. Yes, the Ben Franklin still exists. In Guam. I was severely tempted to buy the Knifty Knitter set...so much so that I even mentioned it to DH, and to my complete shock, he didn't give me the look. You know the look, the one where they are thinking, "Just how much more craft (or insert current fave hobby) crap are you going to need to acquire? Don't you have enough?" The thing was, the Knifty Knitter set at Ben Franklin was $27. And it was me that was hesitating. Me, people! I knew I could probably get it cheaper on eBay.

And I did!!! For just over $5 without shipping ($14 something including shipping), the Knifty Knitter is mine! Plus it came with a couple of pattern books! Whee!

As if that weren't enough...I also bought a Yellow Brick Road quilt kit off of eBay. I *heart* this fabric. Pink ribbons everywhere. This is one for me. (Yeah, I say that now)

**************
So, as I was knitting today, watching Connor play with his toys, I heard an old school Michael Jackson song come on the radio. Fast forward 3 minutes and you see me crying like a baby. The song really made me think of my Mom. I miss her so much. The song is "You Are Not Alone".

The lyrics:

Another day has gone
I'm still all alone
How could this be
You're not here with me
You never said goodbye
Someone tell me why
Did you have to go
And leave my world so cold

Everyday I sit and ask myself
How did love slip away
Something whispers in my ear and says
That you are not alone
For I am here with you
Though you're far away
I am here to stay

You are not alone
I am here with you
Though we're far apart
You're always in my heart
You are not alone

All alone
Why, oh

Just the other night
I thought I heard you cry
Asking me to come
And hold you in my arms
I can hear your prayers
Your burdens I will bear
But first I need your hand
So forever can begin

Everyday I sit and ask myself
How did love slip away
Then something whispers in my ear and says
That you are not alone
For I am here with you
Though you're far away
I am here to stay
For you are not alone
I am here with you
Though we're far apart
You're always in my heart
And you are not alone

Whisper three words and I'll come runnin'
And girl you know that I'll be there
I'll be there

You are not alone
I am here with you
Though you're far away
I am here to stay
You are not alone
I am here with you
Though we're far apart
You're always in my heart

You are not alone
For I am here with you
Though you're far away
I am here to stay
For you are not alone
For I am here with you
Though we're far apart
You're always in my heart

For you are not alone

Peace.

Monkey Trucker

2007-11-06T13:28:00.001+10:00

Crap, seems that I totally messed up my blog while dinking around with new templates. Gone are my sidebars (and my book list...ooh, wait, I think that I put it on GoodReads too...hope!), my links, my fun stuff... bah!!

Stay tuned. This could be a good thing. I have been wanting to pare down my list of links. Now to just find the time to fix it properly.

Peace.

*edited* Okay, I think that I have it back now. Whew! *wiping hand across forehead* Now I just have to figure out how to make the header stretch so it doesn't look so wonky.

Tuesdays are for reading

2007-11-06T11:56:00.000+10:00

I am on a roll here, people. NaBloPoMo might have just been the kick in the seat that I needed to get my blogging on.

Tuesday's theme will be "reading". I love to read. I have been reading about a book a week lately. Currently, I am reading "In the Company of the Courtesan" by Sarah Dunant. Pretty decent so far, even though I am at a standstill (my fault, not the author's). It isn't ground-breaking fiction, but it is okay. I am intrigued by the whole "courtesan" concept. They served a greater purpose than just being whores to those that had the means. It is interesting to think how much they influenced politics, art, literature and kingdoms.

*************

It seems that I have offended a reader of my blog. "Anonymous" won't be reading my blog anymore because of my post "Clean Up Sunday". Although I am disappointed to lose a reader, I won't back down from what I posted.

Here's the thing...it is MY blog. The place where I can express myself. And it isn't always sugary sweet. And too infrequently influenced by wine/vodka. My intention and purpose of that post was three-fold:

To bring to light the stupid chain emails that circulate through in boxes like wildfire. Many people take them at face value and make knee-jerk judgements after reading them.
To show the hypocrisy of the political machine. It is absolutely incomprehensible for a front running candidate to not be perfect in every way, but when someone points out the fact that the man running the show around these parts does it too... Weellll then.
It is a photo people, one tiny second out of the day that will forever be remembered on film. Did he put his hand to his chest after the picture was snapped? Dunno.

Is Anonymous no longer a reader because I stayed true to myself? Of course I am a Democrat. I am a tree hugging, young female. I don't exactly fit the Republican cookie cutter. I was raised to think liberally by a woman many considered to be a hippie.

Do I love my country? Yes, absolutely. We fly the flag with pride, vote, pay taxes and enjoy freedom of speech.

Maybe it boils down to Anonymous not liking the fact that I don't put my hand over my heart for the National Anthem or say the Pledge of Allegiance. When I hear the National Anthem, I stand silently with my hands held behind my back. Okay, I mouth the words. As far as the Pledge of Allegiance...I don't pledge allegiance to anyone (or anything) other than my God and my family in that order. i would rather have a POTUS that pledged allegiance to his (or her) fellow citizens instead of a symbol. Would I sacrifice for my country? Yes I would. And in a small way, I already do. I am a military spouse living 11,000 miles from home.

In no way was I being disrespectful to the POTUS. I used a common nickname for him and said "WTF?". I would say the same thing to him if he were sitting in my living room. Then I would offer him a vodka gimlet and a Landjaeger with cheese and crackers.

I wish I knew who Anonymous was, I could address you more personally. I respect other people's opinions and am all about agreeing to disagree. Just know that if Barack doesn't win the nomination, I may end up voting Republican because I don't totally *heart* Mrs. Clinton. That is the beauty of being a free citizen, you can change your mind.

Peace

Mmm, Mondays are domestic

2007-11-05T21:15:00.000+10:00

Continuing on with the theme days for NaBloPoMo, I have decided that Monday's theme is "domestic". I enjoy having a home of our own, that we can furnish and decorate however we want. I especially enjoy being a little like Martha Stewart, and a little like MaryJane Butters...but with a tree hugging twist.

Mondays are the days when I do linens. I love to do linens. Changing all of the sheets on the beds, swapping out towels, washcloths, dishcloths, etc. For some reason, it is such a simple act that makes a big impact. Plus, there hardly isn't anything better than crisp Egyptian cotton sheets that have been hung on the clothes line to dry.

I spent a few minutes picking flowers from our yard. I am not so hot at the arranging, but I wanted to bring their beauty indoors. I believe that they are Heliconia & Ginger Lily.
And the candle is a pretty (new to me) fragrance, Cranberry Chutney by Yankee Candle. Every time a trip to Guam is made, I always request a couple of these big jar candles. I also got a pumpkin one, but the cranberry is divine.

We also made Magic Cookie Bars today. Using fresh grated coconut from our tree. Yum! I put a half of a bag of butterscotch pieces in with the chocolate chips (reducing the amount of chocolate chips) and boy is it tasty! I remember eating these as a kid, Granny always made them. And they are so easy, perfect for kids to help out in the kitchen and "cook" (with adult supervision of course). For the nuts, we usually use walnuts, although I do have a few bags of pecan halves in the pantry...and more coconut...and more chocolate chips. Hmm. And since I can't hardly stand it...Adventures in Knitting!!! So, y'all know that I am completely ~~crazy~~ obsessed...about knitting that is. I belong to a group on Ravelry that does dishcloth KAL (knit-a-longs) every week. I.Love.Dishcloths!!! I really do. They are quick to knit, a portable project, perfect for trying new techniques and stitches, instant gratification, durable, soft, and just plain fabulous. This past week's dishcloth was a palm tree cloth. How apropos, eh? I finally finished mine tonight.
This pic is kinda blurry, but you get a better idea of the palm tree:

I used Bernat Cotton, almost a whole ball. #6 needles. It took me about 5 or 6 hours, only because this was the most technical pattern I have ever done. This made me step outside of my garter stitch box...I had to knit and purl alternately, a technique that has made me lose sleep in the past. But, I finally figured it out (without adding stitches like I used to). I just need to work on tension, but we are taking baby steps. I got this week's pattern today and I can't wait to cast on, too bad it is 10 pm.

Peace.

Clean Up Sunday

2007-11-04T21:26:00.000+10:00

Here we are, day 4 of NaBloPoMo. Following my daily theme, Sundays will be a clean up day...where I can yap on and on about things that didn't really fit in with the other days, or about stuff that I totally forgot about.

I received three of the same emails in the same day from three different people this past week. Now, y'all should know by know that I am a bleeding heart Democrat and I totally love Barack Obama (like I said here). So, when I received the email:

"Respect. Senator Barack Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Hillary Clinton and Ruth Harkin stand during the national anthem. Barack Hussein Obama's photo (that's his real name)......the article said he REFUSED TO NOT ONLY PUT HIS HAND ON HIS HEART DURING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, BUT REFUSED TO SAY THE PLEDGE.....how in the hell can a man like this expect to be our next Commander-in-Chief????"

Accompanied by this picture:

I could feel my blood pressure rising. Okay, first of all...why are they getting down on the guy's name? It isn't like he chose it, his father is Muslim, and last I knew, it isn't like his God Father is Osama Bin Laden or anything. Secondly, WTF is the big deal about putting your hand on your heart during the National Anthem (which is what I read elsewhere that was being played at this moment, not the Pledge of Allegiance)? I don't do it. And their backs are to the flag. Thirdly, if him not putting his hand on his heart and pledging allegiance is such a big whoop-de-do, then how come it is okay for your kids to not say it in school anymore? Did you raise a stink about that?

And since a picture speaks a thousand words (and is only one second frozen in time), let us ponder this picture:

Hmmm, WTF is Dubya doing? I don't think that is his heart. Did we hear a big stink about this though?

Way to go Republicans, great job. *said with two thumbs up*

Peace.

Saipan Saturday

2007-11-03T19:08:00.000+10:00

Day 3! I can't believe that I have posted for three days in a row. That must be a personal record.

Saturdays will have something to do with Saipan since I am sticking with a daily theme.

Our day was pretty normal, we did errands and phone calls. We took a truck load of stuff to the dump to recycle, then headed up to Susupe to the Sabalu Farmer's Market. We really like shopping at the farmer's market. I like the idea that the money is going straight to the producer instead of them just getting pennies and the big store getting the profit.

What did we buy? We bought two bunches of eggplant, two bunches of bananas and a pound and a half of Saipan shrimp from the local shrimp farm. Dinner tonight was: marinated & grilled shrimp, grilled eggplant and mashed local breadfruit (like mashed potatoes).

The big news on island today is the local elections. BIG deal. I usually vote in elections, but I decided that I would not vote here because we are leaving island in just over 6 months. Now, if we were to stay for a few more years, I would have paid more attention to the candidates and issues. The only issue that I half listened to was the Saipan Casino initiative. I believe that the problems associated with gambling are already here since there are so many poker rooms. I saw signs that said "Vote No to the Casino, keep Saipan safe for our families and not a gambling den." I seriously almost spit my tea out laughing while driving when I saw that. Everywhere you turn, there is a Poker room (the video poker kind). It really is ridiculous and honestly I think that it detracts from the appeal of the island and the image that they want to promote.

To all of the naysayers, I wonder what they think would be the answer to the economic slump that we are currently in? And don't say tourism...if that were the case, people would be doing more to make the island better. Like volunteering and getting involved and picking up trash on the beaches.

************
I wanted to mention an awesome site that I subscribe to: Parent Hacks check it out and sign up for the feeds, there are so many great ideas.

Peace.

Friday Family Day

2007-11-02T07:09:00.000+10:00

Today is day 2 of NaBloPoMo, which is a month (November) dedicated to posting to your blog once a day. Short for National Blog Posting Month I believe. Anyone can join, I know that Kendra is doing it as well. Whee! It gives people a little push to try to find their blog voice and develop the habit of blogging regularly.

Yesterday I said that I thought I would just do random postings, nothing too structured. While I am going to stick with the noting too structured part, I decided that for me, random-ness sometimes leads to laziness. And that isn't interesting. So, I came up with a little schedule-y thing. You will have to check back every day to see what fun and exciting things I post about *said with great enthusiasm*.

Friday: Family Day- Yay! I talk about family issues and the cutest ~~monster~~ baby, Connor.

**************
This was Connor's first Halloween. I bought him an outfit to wear while we were at home because I really thought that we would still be there through Halloween. Sadly I was wrong. I asked DH if we should take the outfit back and he said no, to keep it, Connor can wear it in Saipan.

He was a penguin! I know that we will probably pay dearly for this one someday when we are residents of the nursing home, but I just couldn't help myself.

DH wanted to put a hawaiian shirt on him to make him a "Saipan Penguin", but the kid was already sweating buckets, so I said no. We went to our friend's house to show them since he is too small to trick or treat.

Speaking of trick or treating, how old is too old? I don't remember trick or treating past 6th grade, DH can't really recall but thinks that trick or treating in High School is okay. I disagree. I think that once the kids hit High School, then it is time to call it quits.

Back before we had Connor, we never had to think about these earth-shattering subjects. So, tell me, how old is too old?
Peace.

First Day & Our List!!

2007-11-01T07:24:00.001+10:00

Since it is Nov 1 here, it is the official first day of NaBloPoMo, I hope that I can keep up! I have to figure out today if I am going to follow a schedule where every day of the week has a specific topic and I blog about that or if I am going to keep it random. Prolly random, suits me.

DH sent our list up yesterday. After much deliberation, here it is:

Portsmouth, NH
Cincinnati, OH
Huntington, WV
Portland, OR
Ketchikan, AK
Juneau, AK
Seattle, WA
Houma, LA

We decided that since there will be a few of us putting Portsmouth as our #1, we would let the Detailer figure it out. We should know in January-ish where we are going.

I know that it seems so strange to some people, but we do kind of get to pick where we are going. We usually end up putting places that aren't the most popular, so we usually get our first pick. Last time, we put Guam as our first pick. Not too many people want to go to Guam. There is a chance that you don't get any of your picks though. Say you only put 3 places down that you want to go...well, if there are people that are better qualified or have a higher priority than you that also put those places, chances are, you won't get any of them and will be sent somewhere you really don't want. That is why we put quite a few down. We really don't want to go to Long Island, NY, Miami, FL, Los Angeles, CA, etc. I don't know if it is the same in the other branches of military, but that is how it is in the US Coast Guard.

Here is the story about the earthquake yesterday. Kind of freaky that at the same time, one was happening in California. Hmmm.

Peace.

Holy Earthquake, Batman!

2007-10-31T13:37:00.000+10:00

Wow! I usually don't feel them, but that one was a big one. Freaked Connor out when the bed started shaking. Wonder how much that one registered?

*edited to add* DH just called and said that it was a 7.0 and centered near Pagan (an island north of us), and that he is okay in his 5th floor office.

Peace.

Not in China

2007-10-26T17:01:00.000+10:00

We are supposed to be in China right now. Unfortunately we had to cancel our trip while we were back home with Mom in September. I didn't feel comfortable being at home without our passports while they were processing our visas. So, we made the executive decision to hold off on our trip. Guess that is one more trip to add back on to the list of places to go.

Did I mention that we are spending a week in Hawaii (Big Island) next year? Oh, I did. Sorry! ; )

Thanks for the comments about my recycled bag-bag. I don't feel like such a loser now, lol.

KaLu has given me the "You Make Me Smile Award", and I was an honorable mention on Kim's blog. Thanks, chicks!! You both would be on my list also! It will be hard to pick 10 bloggers that haven't already been chosen...I have well over 100 on my Google Reader, but here goes....
1. Deece - Because I love the fact that you put your family first. And you crochet!! I got lots of info on Saipan just by reading your blog.

2. Chiloe - Your progress on your projects is inspiring! And I love the posts with your kids.

3. Heather - You are a single Mom and you manage to keep it all together. I admire you! I couldn't do half of what you do on a daily basis.

4. Little Cat - I love watching your projects grow and your pictures of Riley are adorable!

5. Aunt Tamie - Love the fact that you blog. And you now stitch! Yay! I enjoy reading your posts, makes me feel more like an insider to your life.

6. Bev Q - What can I say? I admire your craftyness, your humanitarian work and I absolutely adore your free pattern database. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

7. Kendra - I love looking at your blog, it is just so cheery. I can relate to many of your posts since "The Baby" and Connor are close in age.

8. Carolyn - Your blog graphics are awesome, I love the fact that you change it frequently. I admire your drive and commitment to cycling and exercise. I wish I had 1/10th of it!

9. Jennifer - Your stitching and finishing is exquisite! I know firsthand. I love wondering how you are going to finish something, and then seeing your pictures.

10. Melanie - I feel connected to you when reading your posts. You are one talented lady! And who wouldn't smile when seeing your kids? They are so cute!

Seriously, I had a hard time going through my reader and picking out blogs that hadn't been nominated. I didn't even get all the way through my reader actually *blush*.

**********
Did I tell you that Connor will be delaying his first year at college because his Grandpa spent the tuition money on a vintage tractor for the kid? (Kidding about the college thing, not the tractor)

Seems that my Dad has a picture of himself on a 1954 Mc Cormick Farmall kid's tractor when he was about 6 months old. He has been on a mission to find the same tractor for Connor. He was successful. He went to an auction and got into a bidding war with another guy for this restored vintage tractor (*hello*). The guy later asked him how high he would have gone, my Dad's response was, "As high as it would have taken." Oy!

Without further ado, here is our son, sitting on his Freshman tuition:
He is climbing around on everything, and working on standing alone. He has two tiny little teeth on the bottom now, just barely in. And he loves the dog. Her feelings for him? Notsomuch love, more like tolerance. We are still nursing, I can't believe it either. I never would have thought that we would make it to 6 months, let alone beyond 9 months.

**************
I have been knitting more dishcloths, I should take a picture of the ones I have done so far. I also crocheted a scarf using a variation of a pattern that another blogger gave to me. I have a question though...the pattern is based loosely on a published dishcloth pattern, so if I were to give the scarf pattern on my blog, is that a violation of copyright? Inquiring minds want to know.

I had this off label acrylic yarn from Mom's stash. I know, I know, it's acrylic. But you would not believe how soft this stuff is. It is beyond-science-scary. I used just about a skien and a half (approx 225 yards I think) and an "I" sized hook.

I have another skien and a half, I think that I am going to work on a simple knitted shawl... knit two, yarn over, knit to the end, repeat kind of thing. But on big bamboo circulars...maybe 10's...?

Speaking of knitting, I made out my wishlist for the parentals for Christmas ideas. Am I a total snot for wishing for a set of KnitPicks Options Harmony Interchangeable Needles? AND an 80gb iPod? LOL. Okay, maybe asking for those plus the 8 books that are on the list are a bit much... So many choices.

I am going to participate in the NaBloPoMo in November. Should be a challenge for me, but I am looking forward to it. Anyone else going to join?

Next post I will talk about festivals (fiber & craft related), quilting & thrifting...and whatever else I can ramble out.

If anyone else is on Ravelry, I am mhighfill (real original, I know). Just incase you want to friend me or anything. : )

Peace.

I missed it

2007-10-16T14:41:00.000+10:00

Today is Oct 16 in Saipan, but it is Oct 15 in the mainland. While skimming through my blog feeds on Google Reader, I saw that it was Blog Action Day.

What is Blog Action Day?

"On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future."

So, here is my little bit. I married a Tree Hugger. So that has made me a Tree Hugger by association. I don't bring things home from elsewhere, disassemble it, and then recycle it like DH does (the broken paper shredder at work), but I try to do my part. I could wax poetic about cloth diapers, making your own baby food, clothes line drying, no airconditioning, no hot water heater, etc. ad nauseum. But I won't.

I am a woman on a mission. A knitting and crocheting mission. I have joined the plastic bag crusade. I am crocheting a plastic market bag out of...plastic bags. We use canvas bags when we shop at the farmer's market and the grocery store, but somehow we still manage to have bags of bags stored under the sink. Plastic bags are going to take over the world. Even if I stop somewhere to get an iced tea while out, the clerk will try to put my one bottle in a plastic bag. When I say "No bag", they look at me like I have spiders coming out of my nose.

DH has even helped out:

Here is what I have so far:

I got the pattern in one of those "Crochet-Pattern-A-Day" calendars, but here is the same one, for free!

Peace.

THE List!!!

2007-10-15T13:49:00.000+10:00

So, the list is out for our rotation next year. Did I mention that DH has decided to help ease the burden of moving with a one week trip to Hawaii on our way to our new home? Since it is on the way and all...

Anyway, on to the good stuff. The list is out and as I told DH, I am pretty underwhelmed at this point. No Sturgeon Bay, no Paducah, no Massena...bleh. I have a pretty good idea of what my ranking is, I am just wondering what your thoughts are. What would be your top 3 choices? Don't take into consideration the cost of living (certainly can't be higher than Saipan, where we are now with our $10 gallons of milk) or the housing market, since we get a Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). And we do intend to buy. If it is a big city, we would live outside of the city in a suburb or some such. Here ya go...

Houma, LA (we lived here before, I would go back)
Huntington, WV
Cincinnatti, OH
Portsmouth, NH
Wilmington, NC
Portland, OR
Ketchikan, AK
Buffalo, NY
Seattle, WA

I have already ixnay-ed St. Thomas, USVI and Kodiak, AK since I have had enough island living for a while.

The really crummy thing is this: Our friends in Cape May, NJ have a higher priority than us since he is a Company Commander(boot camp). DH & I have been talking and we really wanted to put Portsmouth, NH as our #1 choice, but it seems that our friends are putting that as their top choice as well. So, we get screwed out of it. Really bites.

Peace.

Making Strides Walk

2007-10-14T06:45:00.000+10:00

Today (Saturday in IL) was the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk. My Aunt just shared a few pictures and this is what she wrote:

"The "Making Strides for Breast Cancer" walk took place this morning. Approximately 3,000 walkers participated raising $191,000 to fight this disease. To all of you who donated money in memory of Lauri, my heartfelt thanks. It was an inspiring and emotional event that made me realize how we are all connected through this journey of life. I am grateful for your friendship and love. "

Here is a picture of the team, posing by the banner that they had made:

I wanted to thank everyone who donated to the team, you are all so special and I send much love and many thanks. And a huge thanks to everyone that bought the special pinkeep kit that Mary Kathryn designed for her shop, Handcrafts Online. Mary Kathryn made an incredibly generous donation from the sales of her kit. Go check out her pink page, I know that I am really looking forward to getting my kit! Thank you, Mary Kathryn!

Peace.

More yarn love

2007-10-11T12:18:00.000+10:00

Did I mention that I recieved my invite to Ravelry last week??? WOO HOO! I was on the waiting list for most of the summer. I *heart* Ravelry. You can see other people's projects, search for patterns (free & paid), search for yarns, search for projects by yarn types, etc. And it is for chicks with sticks (knitters) AND hookers (crocheters).

Get on the list, you will love it!

And to answer Monique's question:

I keep the yarn in the deep freezer because 1) We lack storage space like nobody's business. 2) It keeps it nice and clean and pet hair free 3) I need to use this brand new deep freezer for something since power supply here on island is iffy at times and I would hate to have a freezer full of food spoil.

No, it is not turned on. Plus, it makes a nice cutting surface for my giant rotary cutting mat.

Hooking for Christmas

2007-10-10T12:56:00.000+10:00

Have I told you all that I have a deep freezer full of yarn? I do. It is almost embarrassing. And that my inheritance from Mom was more yarn? Yeah. I probably have almost another deep freezer full of yarn stashed at various homes back in IL, waiting for me until next year. It is like my own little Hobby Lobby.

Since I haven't had one bit of desire to pick up needle and thread to do any cross stitching since Mom died, I have turned to crochet. In a way, it helps me feel closer to her. She was a crochet maniac. She always had a few projects in the works. I am disappointed that I never took the time to actually sit down and try to crochet her slippers with her. She always gave slippers to the kids at Christmas. And cotton dishcloths. You didn't leave her house without a dishcloth at Christmas. So, in that vein, I have decided that this year, instead of making ornaments for people, I am going to do dishcloths and try to make her slippers.

It is kind of funny, she never followed a pattern. She didn't write down her patterns. I found a soft briefcase full of patterns that she had bought and stored, but I am not even sure that she could follow a pattern. Not because she didn't know the stitches, but because she always flew by the seat of her pants and let her creativity take over. She made lots of afghans, scarves, dishcloths, hats and slippers.

This is Connor, asking me "Just how much yarn do you have, woman?!?!?!"

Peace.

Thinking of switching

2007-10-03T10:35:00.000+10:00

I am considering switching to Wordpress or Typepad. I like the layout of both.

Anyone have any pearls of wisdom or want to sway me to one or the other?

Peace.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2007-10-01T05:50:00.000+10:00

My Mom, Lauri Vincer-Ebens 1957-2007

Hello my friends! Thank you all for your condolences, for lighting candles in memory of my Mom, your prayers, your good thoughts and your emails checking on me. I am okay...as okay as an only child can be after losing her Mother I suppose. I am trying to get back into my real life. We are back on our island, we got in on Saturday morning.

As many of you are aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month...a month that is very special to me. My Mom used to have a team that participated in the Making Strides Walk. The team is carrying on without their fearless leader in memory of my Mom. Because we must never forget. And we must find a cure. Watching someone you love die from Metastatic Breast Cancer is something that I hope nobody has to endure in the future.

I have signed up to raise money for Mom's team, The Pink Ribbon Girls. Please make a donation...no donation is too small. Every single dollar helps.

My personal page is here: Missy's Pink Ribbon Girls Page

I am sending a check today (it is Monday here) to the American Cancer Society for $1500 to go towards the walk, it is money given by Mom's friends at her Memorial. I am also sending a check to Hospice from the Memorial.

Please make a donation, and while you are at it, check out the awesome site that Kim has put together Stitch Pink!

Peace.

Obituary and Arrangements

2007-09-16T09:40:00.000+10:00

Today we made the arrangements for Mom and for her service. So many incredibly hard decisions.

Her obituary can be found HERE

Peace.

At Peace

2007-09-15T11:36:00.000+10:00

Mom passed away this morning at 7 am. She had been hospitalized for a week and then came home with Hospice last Thursday (9-6-07). She was surrounded by family members continuously while she was at home.

We are going tomorrow to plan her memorial. She will be cremated as per her wishes. DH will be flying here on Tuesday.

Thank you everyone for your messages of love and support during this extremely difficult time.

She is no longer imprisoned in a body that failed her, she is no longer suffering. I am thankful for that.

Peace.

Home

2007-08-23T14:12:00.000+10:00

I am home with Mom. Connor & I came home on Saturday, Aug. 18. DH will join us later. I am so grateful for Mom's Oncologist for her compassion and professionalism, the American Red Cross for sending an emergency message and for the US Coast Guard for flying us home.

I am not sure what I was expecting, but this surely isn't it.

She isn't the same Mom that I left in April. And I am so afraid that our time is running out very quickly.

Her illness has really made me reconsider my perspective on life. The "things" in life that used to matter to me, really don't anymore. I was a really shallow beyotch back in the day. It is funny how much I have changed in the last few years. Take our car for instance...we have a Honda that is 7 years old with no hubcaps. Good Lord, 5 years ago, I would have had a fit if the chrome rims on my (special order) PT Cruiser were dirty from brake dust.

Life is short.

I was hoping to participate in the "think pink" exchange for a Yahoo Group that I am in, but my stitching time is nil and the days keep slipping by me, so in October I will be giving away the little extra stuff that I had planned on sending in my exchange.

Being a semi-only child ( I have step-siblings) really bites my kiester right now.

Peace

Narrowing the "unofficial" list

2007-08-05T22:46:00.000+10:00

I have in my hot little hands an unofficial listing of the places that may be available next year when we rotate. Am I totally insane not to jump at the chance to go to Hawaii or St. Thomas (USVI) for 3 years? I am tired of being hot, sweaty and on a rock in the middle of an ocean. For the love of Pete, I want to wear sweaters and mittens again! I want to teach Connor how to make a snow angel before he graduates. I really want to see my boonie dog (born and raised in Guam) high stepping in the snow the first time she steps outside to pee.

I am disappointed that Sturgeon Bay, WI and Massena, NY aren't on this unofficial list. And we are only looking at the list for DH's current rank. The list for the Chief cut is expected any freaking day now. But, we aren't getting our hopes up...he wrote a 21 on the test which is really awesome (21st out of 98-ish people), but then they take into consideration other things like time in service, time in current rank, etc. and he was bumped down to 51. He can't help it that he is ambitious and is taking the Chief exam after being in only 7 years, and current rank only 2 years. Stinks that it works against him. He is planning on taking the test again next year since advancing more than 50 is highly unlikely. They did 30-something last year.

Anyhoo...we poured over the list tonight, crossing off places that I wouldn't go to (Miami, Los Angeles, Staten Island, etc.) and places that he didn't think he would enjoy working at, and this is what is left:

Juneau, AK

Ketchikan, AK

Cape Cod, MA

Charleston, SC

Savannah, GA

Paducah, KY

Duluth, MN

Portland, OR

The main things that we are taking into consideration are the cost of living, the housing market and DH's commute. If anyone has any insight on these locations, please feel free to comment or drop me a line.

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This weekend was pretty relaxing. We went to the beach today. DH snorkeled and looked for slingstones. Didn't find any. Did see another blue starfish. Connor made friends with 3 very inquisitve girls. "Who picked out his name?" "He has brown eyes, is his Daddy Chamorro?" "Does he have his Mommy's last name or his Daddy's?" "So, is he 100% American?" The one that really made me laugh was, "Where is he going to go to school?" The kid is only 6 months old...we have a while for that. They were cute girls though.

On Saturday, we did more Beautifying of the CNMI. Actually, I kept Connor occupied and Jim did the beautifying. You can see a babelicious photo of the group on Angelo's blog. I highly recommend clicking on the photo to enlarge it and check out my son. He is looking kinda odd. Actually, we are all looking kinda odd in that photo.

I am such a dork, when we got in the car to go home, I said to DH, "So where was this Latte Stone that we were cleaning up around?" He of course gave me the seriously? look. You know the one with the raised eyebrows and the head cocked to one side. He then answered, "Right where we took the picture in the jungle." To which I replied, "Oh", ever so softly.

There are pictures on Cinta's blog from the other time that we did some beautifying...lots of fun family shots. I love them all, except for the one of Connor in the Moby all crooked and wonky. Cinta is such a kind hearted person, I am glad to have finally met her.

*************

A final though (said without any Jerry Springer-ish tone)...when you think you are having a bad hair day, be glad that you aren't our dog, Lady.

DH decided that she was hot, so he cut her hair. The good thing is that she doesn't shed as much.

Peace

Stepping back

2007-08-01T08:02:00.000+10:00

Well friends, I am going to be offline for the rest of the week. I just need time to step back and think about things for a while. So much is going on in my life, I am feeling overwhelmed.

Mom is holding steady. Things aren't as good as she was hoping, and they held off on her treatment for 10 days because she is so tired. I anticipate going home soon, if only for the fact that I want to spend time with her and don't want to get a middle of the night call saying I need to come home that minute. Last minute flights off of this rock aren't cheap.

Connor has decided that he no longer enjoys sleeping through the night and has been getting up every 2 hours for the past few days. Joy. We were spoiled since he had been sleeping through the night starting at about 7 weeks old. I honestly don't know what the deal is, if it is teething or what, but I am so pooped. Our day today started at 4:30 am since he wouldn't go back to sleep.

The cats have decided that they no longer enjoy living in the lap of luxury and being strictly indoor cats. So, they both live outdoors now. At night they would tear open a screen to get out and roam around. I am tired of being stressed out wondering where they are and having the screens ruined. I know it sounds harsh, but I don't want indoor/outdoor cats. Either one or the other. We are responsible pet owners, so they are both spayed and both still have their claws front and back. We just feel that it is the best route to take in this situation. Of course I am sad and a little scared for them, but the only other option is to close all of the windows in the house at night and that is so not happening.

Other random stuff going on right now is really giving my brain a good workout. Family grumblings in the Mainland, wondering what will be on our list to choose from next month in regards to where we are going next year, etc.

I have so much on my plate right now that the overwhelmed feeling is coming back. I promise to post next week with lots of pictures of crafty stuff that I have been working on, including a couple of PIF's. Yay.

In the meantime, if you like to read (I know there are quite a few of you), this is a neat bookworm networking site: GoodReads . If you want to be my friend, this is my profile. Jenn, I hope that you will check it out.

Also, for a neat-o finishing idea, check out this stitcher's book...it even gives the instructions. Wow!

And finally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Aunt Tamie and Carol. Hope that you ladies have a wonderful day!

No and no

2007-07-29T21:56:00.000+10:00

So, I haven't heard from Mom's Oncologist yet. And I didn't win the sewing machine.

But, I did get a chance to chat with Mom briefly. I am still on the fence about going, the decision will be made once I hear from her Oncologist. There is just so much going on with her, it seems like every month there is a new development. Metastatic breast cancer is a bitch. Truly.

Seems like everyone is jumping on the sewing machine bandwagon this last week. The object of my desire, a vintage Singer 185J or 185K (same machine, only one made in Canada and one in England) was going for pretty cheap prices...not so much anymore. Here is a pretty picture of one:

I like it because it is a 3/4 size machine, all metal, and is basic. And it is green, how cool is that? I only need straight stitch, maybe a zig zag stitch.

I like Meari's Happy Lite, and I keep searching for one on ebay to no avail. Ho hum. An interesting tidbit I learned from Meari's post is that it was sold by a company from the area where we are from. Small world.

I am starting to read reviews of other basic vintage Singers, so the horizons are broadening. BTW, if you enjoy sewing, have you ever checked out this site, Pattern Review? Wow. I am loving the reviews of sewing machines so far.

Okay, my sewing peeps, please give me your opinion on vintage sewing machines. Remember, I need basic functions and easy maintenance. I am getting Mom's old ginormous machine when we move home next year. My old machine is a Kenmore and I am not feeling the love for Kenmore right now.

I anxiously await your responses.

Peace.

Pins and Needles

2007-07-27T08:12:00.000+10:00

I am waiting for an email from Mom's Oncologist with an update. I feel like I am on pins and needles. My heart is racing, my attention span is that of a gnat, my legs and arms are jumpy...the ADD is well into overdrive and I don't even have ADD.

I am 95% sure that I will be going home. Checked fares on Continental's website yesterday and for a flight off of this rock to Chicago on Monday, it is over $4k. If I wait until Thursday, it is closer to normal at just over $2k. I checked Northwest's website and the prices are comparable, but the catch is you have to stop in Japan. And even though we applied for Connor's passport in May, it still isn't in. So flying Northwest is out. And those are our two options for flights from here. Yay, I am so not looking forward to spending another 24 hours traveling to get home. Saipan to Guam, Guam to Honolulu, Honolulu to Houston, Houston to Chicago. Blech.

I did think about getting a flight to Guam and hanging around Andersen AFB to see if we could get a MAC flight at least to Hawaii and then trying to get something to Chicago...but you can wait for days on end for a MAC flight.

Add to all of that, I have a bid on a cute sewing machine on ebay that is ending in a couple of hours...keep your fingers crossed. I will post a picture if I win.

Peace.

Wrap up

2007-07-22T23:23:00.000+10:00

Wow, I have been quite neglectful of the blog lately. Time seems to just slip right past me most days. Plus, DH was dinking around with the new computer the other night and the screen went black. Hrrrrm...that's not supposed to happen. He was messing around trying to get the info off of the old hard drive onto the new one and has some kind of external thingamajig hooked up. Poor darlin, he really tries hard. So now we are back to the laptop, which I am not too fond of. Oh well. When I win the lottery, I can buy my own little puter ( a Mac ) and do what I want. Guess I should start buying tickets.

The biggest downside is that I try to comment on blogs and I can't. The comment page just keeps reloading. Frustrating. Friends in blogland, know that I am reading and wanting to comment!

A pretty hibiscus on a very clear day. We have a big hibiscus bush in front.

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We took Connor to the beach for the first time on Friday. He had a good time, I think. He only cried a couple of times. We bought him a cheapy floaty tube and when he got to where he could touch the bottom, he would take off. The beach is now Connor's aqua walker.

This little girl decided that she wanted to take her puppy swimming. I watched her for a while to make sure she didn't drown it. So cute!

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Last weekend, we did some beautifying of the CNMI with Angelo's group, Beautify CNMI! There was even a little write up in the paper.

Click here to read a good post from Cinta and to see a cute family shot at the end. We plan on doing more volunteering with this group in the near future.

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Since only one person *technically* signed up for my PIF challenge, I decided to choose 4 others. I started working on one of the projects this week. Here is a sneak peek:

Where have I been that I have not used circular knitting needles before now? Holy moley, I am a woman obsessed now. Since I took this picture, I finished knitting it (and no, it isn't a hat). I immediately casted on for another similar style, only using a smaller needle and they are bamboo, not metal. Wow, bamboo rocks! Someday, I will be able to try out the Cadillac of knitting needles, the Addi Turbos...until then, I will be obsessing with my one pair of bamboo circulars.

By the way, if you ever see a copy of this book (in picture above) at a garage sale (where I got mine) or a thrift shop, I highly recommend you pick it up...it is full of great info on every kind of stitching and has awesome diagrams. If I had to pick only one book to have in my library for needlework, this would win. It is Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework. I think that mine was $2.

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The sewing machine is officially DOA according to Sam's Electronics. They can't repair it because it seems that I broke off a big piece of metal that holds the shuttle race in. I am bummed that I am without a sewing machine for a while, but to be honest...I kinda hated that one anyway! Too many bells and whistles. I bid on a vintage Singer machine on ebay...only has 5 stitches! Just my speed. But, I have been outbid. So, the search is on again. Got to keep it under $75 including shipping.

And, we dyed more of Connor's diapers. I *love* them!

Peace.

Camp Treehugger

2007-07-17T21:15:00.000+10:00

The good thing about insomnia is that it gives me lots of time to think. The bad thing about insomnia is that I end up thinking too much and it takes longer to get to sleep. Last night was one of those nights.

Last night's main stream of thoughts revolved around the topic that living here (our house/Saipan) is like being at camp. But then again, I am not 100% sure since I never went to camp except for the one weekend Girl Scout camp event when I was in 5th grade. But it is like what I have heard camp is like.

We spend 80% of our time outside.
We enjoy cooking outside on the grill or in the outdoor kitchen.
We take cold showers (too lazy to plug in the water heater).
I try to have arts & crafts time every day.
Every morning we wander around the property looking at the new growth of the plants & trees.
We have a hammock.
We call home once a week.
I can hear the Ocean at night.
We watch a movie every night.
We don't have any f-ing cable.
We don't have a dryer, so we hang everything to dry.
We can walk to the beach.
We have a little fire pit and had our first bonfire 2 weeks ago.
We sing and dance a lot.
We eat dinner outside every night.
When DH brings home the mail, it is hands down, one of the highlights of my day.

Now, granted, we live in a very nice house so we really aren't roughing it like at camp...but the similarities are striking.

Peace.

Last Seven or Eight

2007-07-13T11:48:00.001+10:00

I was tagged by Deece to list my "Last Seven" (or eight). I decided to look around at other Saipan bloggers that have done this and steal some of their "lasts" since I am not in an original mood...so here goes:

1. Last dollar I spent: That would be $$ I spent yesterday at Monika's on a Teak bench. Cha-ching, cha-ching. BTW, it seems that Monika's is really closing in August. They are shipping everything to Guam.

2. Last time I ate fast food: About 3 months ago, we ate at Mc Donald's. I had the Big & Tasty as usual only this time, it wasn't cooked all the way. I now call it the Big & Nasty. They gave me another one, but the first one ruined my craving for Mickey D's for good.

3. Last thing I ate: A mini Hershey's bar. There must be chocolate in my house AT ALL TIMES.

4. Last song I sang to: "I've Got A Rock n Roll Heart" by Eric Clapton..."I get off on '57 Chevy's, I get off on screaming guitar...". The song before that was "Casey Jones" by the Dead...that song always puts a smile on my face. Most songs put a smile on my face, but the Grateful Dead always pull through.

5. Last time I bought clothes: In March when we were at home. I hit Old Navy and stocked up on T shirts. If I find a style I like, I buy it in every color and wear them until they fall apart. I am so not a girly girl when it comes to shopping.

6. Last time I felt envy: Father's Day when my Dad K. told me that he is seeing Jimmy Buffett, The Police and Genesis this summer in concert. Oh be still my heart...Sting and Phil Collins!!!! I never knew Peter Gabriel as the lead of Genesis, so I don't even think of him. If he told me that he was going to see Dave Matthews as well, I don't think that I would talk to him again. Ever.

7. Last time I paid bills: When we lived in Guam, September 2005. DH got deployed back to Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina & Rita aftermath and I had to figure it out. Yes, I know that I am lucky.

8. Last haircut: Deece, I have you beat on this one- March 2006 before we moved to Saipan. Yeah, the giant crazy afro is not an intentional look, I just have a hard time finding someone to give me a decent cut. Thick curly hair is not a gift from God, I don't care what anyone says. Plus I am 100% chickenshit. I think I should order a flowbee and be done with it.

I tag:
My Aunt Tamie in Dallas, KaLu, Kim, Jenn, and anyone else that wants to play.
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I use Google Reader to read through my blogs. Egads, I just checked and I have 121 blogs on my subscription feed, yikes. I am thinking about deleting my blogroll on my sidebar since it is totally out of date.
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Bruce, I would absolutely make you a tied lure or fly, but the thing is...I don't know how. If left to my own devices, you would end up with a giant hook with some yarn and a couple of boonie chicken feathers on it. As long as I could catch one of those suckers and get a couple of feathers that is. How about an apron since you don't seem to be a cross stitch pillow kind of guy?

Peace.

PIF

2007-07-12T22:17:00.000+10:00

I am jumping in finally! I signed up on Jennifer's blog to join the PIF challenge. Here is how it works:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 5 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I have no idea what that gift will be and only promise that you will receive it within the next 365 days. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog (or - in your life - if you happen to be blog-less). I hope you will join me in this exchange. All I need is 5 interested people!

I love to do RAK's (Random Acts of Kindness) and PIF's (Pay It Forward). The gift might be knitted, stitched, crocheted or sewn. I finally got my sewing machine dropped off at the repair shop this week. Thank you, Bigsoxfan for your recommendation of checking at Liberty Department store...they sent me to Sam's Electronics across from Hopwood.

So, I need 5 people...sign up, let me look at your blog and we'll see what creations come out of my crazy head.

Peace.

FOUND!!!

2007-07-12T22:10:00.001+10:00

Seriously, not even 10 minutes after I published my post, I heard a little squeaky meow at the back door. She's home!!! She's a little funky and very hungry but seems to be in one piece.

Yay! Away you clouds, away!

Peace.

New StartsMissing

2007-07-10T22:50:00.000+10:00

This is supposed to be a post about the new things that I started in the last couple of days. But, I really don't feel like chatting about it now. I have just realized that our little orange kitty, Bella Baby aka Slinky is missing. And the last time that I can honestly remember seeing her was yesterday. : ( It isn't unusual for her to hide under the bed all day, so I really didn't think anything of it when I didn't see her all day. But dinner time came and I still didn't see her and I thought that was odd, but then the baby needed my attention so I didn't think anything more of it. Until a while ago when it was bedtime and she is still nowhere to be found.

So, if you are in Saipan (specifically San Roque area) and see a little orange cat that is very shy and timid, please let me know (mhighfill at gmail.com). She is almost 2 years old, orange tabby, spayed, not declawed, and not wearing her collar. She is in the background of the picture above. It is the only picture of her that I have on this computer. Other pictures can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, you get the idea.

I see the clouds rolling back in.

Peace.

See the clouds?

2007-07-08T20:41:00.000+10:00

Lately I have felt like I have the little hand-drawn stormy cloud over my head. A combination of reasons really. Homesickness, concern about Mom, being a new Mama, kinda missing being in the workforce and missing the Nursing profession, etc. I have been keeping up with my blog reading via Google Reader. Sorry I don't comment much, but when something really hits a chord with me, I will comment. Like the post that Melanie wrote. Man, did that ever hit home. I totally identified with what she said and where she was coming from.

So, that is where I am at. Things are looking better. Some of the stress has lifted.

DH's new LT & CWO have reported in, so we have been going to parties and we had a party at our house on Saturday. A good time was had by all.

We are still doing lots and lots of gardening and housey stuff. I found this pot tucked away in the bushes and thought that the tiny sprouts of leaves looked interesting (they were less than 1" tall at the time). So, I set it in the sun and gave it a drink every day, and this is the gorgeous result:
Lady is standing guard to the left and you can kind of see the Heliconia patch in the far background. The Heliconias are starting to bloom and they need serious work...

Mom sent me a care package a couple of weeks ago and in it was this gorgeous yarn.
Lion Brand hand painted wool yarn. Regularly priced at $14 each and she got them for $3 something each. What a steal! Now just trying to think of what to make. I was thinking scarf, but not everyone likes wool scarves and Lord knows, I don't need a scarf here in Saipan. Anyone want me to make them a wool scarf? I knit and crochet, your choice.

We finally got our hammock hung up on the porch. It hasn't been up since we lived in Louisiana. It is the thread kind, so it is super comfy and doesn't leave big rope marks on you. I can see many days out there with a book and a glass of iced tea....now I just need the baby to learn to take naps during the day.

And, I finally have a finish to share! Yay me! I started this last month during the Trilogy (or any designer of) SAL on the STO group...I am only a week late with getting it finished. This was a Bent Creek Zipper kit that I bought when I met Kim in Green Bay. I really love the Bent Creek kits. Have you seen the new one, the Big Zipper? Mama Mia, that is one for the Christmas present wish list for sure. Stitched on 18 ct. Natural Linen with DMC Perle Floss.

If you are interested in reading Saipan blogs, Angelo has created a Master Listing of all of us. Way to put insomnia to good use!

Peace!

Sewing SOS

2007-06-28T21:49:00.000+10:00

I have a sewing emergency!!! I have a Kenmore sewing machine and it is having serious problems. I took the shuttle race ( I think that is what it is called) off a few months ago to clean the dust & lint, then put it back together. Ever since then, it has been acting up...jamming, breaking needles, etc. It has gotten progressively worse. I was trying to sew DH's new patch on his uniform and by the time I got about an inch stitched, I had broken 2 needles. Plus, I can't adjust the stitch length, the stitches are minute.

I ended up hand sewing the patch on. And seriously considered chucking the machine out the door, but that isn't very treehugger of me, now is it?

So, all of you sewing Saipan-er's, where can I get my machine fixed? I looked in the phone book to no avail.

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We are having a garage sale on Saturday. I didn't realize how much work garage sales are!!! Cleaning, pricing, organizing. Now I catch myself eyeing the tchotchke's and wondering how much I can get for them. I am a junker at heart.

Peace.

Time to eat!

2007-06-21T12:34:00.001+10:00

So, that is where the turtles are going.

Mmm, Ube ice cream! Me likey... I think.

DH picked a bunch of Tangerines while we were down at the Ranch last weekend. This is almost 3/4 of a grocery bag, all peeled:

Mmm, fresh Tangerine juice. A bit tart, but refreshing.

Crankypants asked her readers to show their knitting "gear". I am new to knitting and don't have much "gear", so I will show the needle roll that I made last year. I filled it up the rest of the way with knitting needles while we were at home in March/April. I haven't bought a single knitting needle. Mom bought tons of them off of Ebay, she has them in a vase...it really looks kinda cool.

I want to make one for Mom, I have to go through my stash and find 2 coordinating fabrics that she would enjoy though.
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Peace.

So much to say

2007-06-18T21:24:00.000+10:00

I can't stop with the cute baby pictures...

He is too cute for words.

When I pause for a minute while doing dishes and look out my kitchen window, this is my view...

If you look to the far left, you will see a tree that looks like a flame tree, but it is yellow. So vibrant.

Part of our back patio has become a plant hospital. I was digging around in the compost bin and look at the surprise that awaited me:

I had forgotten all about the Rota pineapple that we ate a few months ago. It is now in its own pot with a special spot in the sunlight.

We went to a barbecue down at the Ranch for Father's Day on Sunday and look at the neat caterpillar we found:

We are yet again without water in our tank. I finally had it and called CUC today. We pay them a flat fee every month for water, and today I basically learned that it is for nothing. Our water comes from a reservoir (and rain catchment off our roof) and when the water level gets high enough in the reservoir, then the pump turns on, sending water to the residents. If the water level doesn't get high enough, we are SOL. Yeah, made my day. The kind lady at CUC told me that if it was a hardship to call my Mayor. Why should I have to involve the Mayor? It isn't his problem. And it isn't a financial hardship per se, it is just another one of those things that makes me really miss home. Sorry Saipan, but today your CUC is at the top of my list of reasons why I dislike it here. Guess we will be calling the water company to deliver water AGAIN. More money out of our pocket. I am so tempted to write a letter to someone, anyone about this and how frustrating it is, but I am sure that it would go in the round filing cabinet.

Rant over.

Peace.

She lives up to her name

2007-06-15T21:08:00.001+10:00

This is Killer Lily....and her tail-less lizard. I have a feeling that the tail is in her belly. Poor thing was a scrawny little lizard. She really isn't as evil as she appears.

Peace.

New house

2007-06-14T12:31:00.000+10:00

Don't you hate it when you move and one night you wake up and ask yourself, "Where am I?" as you are stumbling to the bathroom. Yeah, me too.

So the new house is great. I am loving it so much. There are some small issues (hehe) that will be taken care of, but in all, it is a pretty great house. I noticed that it doesn't rain here as much as our old house in Papago. That stinks because we have to be super careful how much water we use. We have already run out once and had to have water delivered. Not having unlimited water 24 hours a day is a real bummer.

I have so much to write, but no time. We are almost done unpacking and I have been a busy little gardener. Lots of pots of plants here to be repotted, divided and TLC needed. When I can tend to plants and garden, I am as happy as a pig in mud.

I will leave you with one of my up and coming favorite corners of the extensive patio around the house...

Thanks everyone for your thoughts about Mom. Things are in a holding pattern right now. Another setback last week, another trip to the ER. Keep praying.

Peace.

I like to move it, move it...

2007-05-30T15:35:00.000+10:00

I will be offline for a while, we are moving this weekend and who knows how long it will take for our DSL to be set up...probably a week I am guessing.

Please have a good thought or if you pray, say a prayer for my Mom. She has had a significant setback and has to go back on the infusion chemotherapy amongst other medical issues. Please pray that I don't have to go home again until it is time for us to move back next summer. Not because I don't want to go home, I just don't want Mom to die.

Until we meet again, here is a recent picture of my son & I at the Cultural & Natural History Museum, here on Saipan. We went on Friday and I highly recommend it.

And one of him full of smiles...

Peace.

On being a cheap frugal treehugger...

2007-05-23T09:51:00.000+10:00

Can I just tell you how difficult it is to be a frugal treehugger sometimes? It is way harder than I expected. Some days I look back with longing at my old ways...but then I remember that I am helping in my own little way to make my son's life better. Environmentally and financially.

Last night the temperature in our bedroom was 92 degrees when I went to bed at 10 PM. Oy! Can you say insomnia? We have air conditioners in all of the rooms, but we don't use them and because of lack of use, when we did turn them on, they stunk. The 2 fans we had on were just blowing around the hot air. Yuck.

Only 9 more days until we move to our new house with better ventilation and more windows.

Peace.

Quaker Critter

2007-05-22T16:07:00.001+10:00

Yay! Finish # 2 of the year for me! Kinda pathetic, but oh well. This one is a freebie from Workbasket, stitched on 32 ct ( or 36, I am not sure) raw linen with 2 strands of DMC Ecru. And it goes with the Quaker SAL on the STO yahoo group, yay!

I received a nice RAK from Kendra this week, some fantastic fabric that she got a huge bargain on. It is 28 ct. and a nice oatmeal color. I am already thinking of the possibilities with this giant piece that she sent. Thanks again, Kendra!

I also received 2 charts that I ordered the second week of April...let's just say that I am not a very happy customer with how things were handled, and I am probably not going to do business there for a while (like I need to buy more anyway...?). And, it wasn't Stitching Bits & Bobs who are notoriously slow with shipping. I am hoping that it was just a fluke. 'Nuff said.

I got "My Beloved" from Country Cottage Needleworks and "A Spot of Halloween" from Midnight Stitching. Love love love them both. The designer for Midnight Stitching is my the STO yahoo group and we are doing a SAL of our designers this month, so I was hoping to have this chart by the beginning of May to at least put a few stitches in it, but it wasn't meant to be. C'est la vie. At least they are here now.

I will have to work on other stuff for a while since the cross stitching stuff is packed. Unless I really do decide to do Mother's Tree over one, I have that out still...

Peace.

SBQ

2007-05-22T07:33:00.000+10:00

Today's SBQ was suggested Juls and is:

If you could only stitch one more piece what would it be and why?

Funny that this is the question this week since I saved a piece of fabric from the craft room packing fiasco and the other stuff I had kitted for Mother's Tree and set about gridding the fabric. But now I have decided that I might not want to do it over one on 32 count. Why? Because I would go crazy and I am afraid. So, I am mulling it over some more.

The answer for me would be "Mother's Tree" by Lavender and Lace. I have traced back 9 generations of Mothers (with Gram S.'s help) and have them all graphed out. It is destined to be an heirloom once I actually get it done.

I blogged about the hunt for mothers here.

Has everyone seen the Freebie Gallery Blog that Carol created??? What an awesome database of stitched freebies, many with the links to where the chart can be downloaded. Get a cup of tea and have a little sit down for a bit. Thank you so much, Carol!

Also, there is a new freebie out from C.E.C., be sure to check it out, way too cute!

Peace.

Tag, I'm It.

2007-05-17T12:35:00.000+10:00

Kim tagged me and I had to think hard about things that I may have not shared before now, so here goes...

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I am hoping that someday we can adopt one if not two children and raise them along with our biological kids.

2. I got braces at the age of 21.

3. When I was born, I was severly pigeon-toed and had to have casts on my legs & feet for the first few months of my life. The casts got changed every 6 weeks. You wouldn't know it now if you looked at my feet that there was ever anything wrong.

4. I failed my first driver's test.

5. I hate scary movies. There is no point in watching people get frightened and killed, if you ask me.

6. I have nightmares / bad dreams frequently. Yet another reason I don't like scary movies.

7. I took Latin in high school (Sophomore year).

and just because some people do 8 things, instead of 7, here is a bonus...

8. By the time I graduated high school, I had gone to 11 different schools.

If you haven't done this one yet and would like to participate, please feel free. I know that some people don't like to be tagged, but IF you feel so inclined, I would be interested in reading responses from:

Deece
Carolyn
Jenn
Melissa
Angelo
Heather
KaLu

16 Votes

2007-05-15T20:15:00.000+10:00

Happy Mother's Day, my dog is a loser

2007-05-14T10:24:00.000+10:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there, including you some-day-Moms and pet Moms. I hope that you are all being spoiled rotten!

We had a nice relaxing day yesterday (it is Monday here). We DH packed up a bunch of boxes for our big move in a few weeks. I wish I could say "we"...but with a demanding 4 month old, it is hard to get much accomplished with one hand. I made breakfast : onion, spinach & feta omelette, and DH made dinner : ribs (dry rub just like I like), baked potato, squash and more spinach. Hershey's Kisses for dessert.

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On Saturday, we took our dog to the PAWS dog show. It was a nice day for it and there was a pretty good turnout, I must say I was impressed. I entered Lady into the "Booniest" category and "Best of Show". She was skunked again, just like last year at the GAIN dog show in Guam. Maybe it was the cat scarf around her neck? Angelo was one of the judges and I *think* that he showed Lady some love with a 9...I am so bad, I wasn't paying much attention. (P.S. Check out his blog for a great videos of baby turtles making their way to the Ocean after hatching Video 1. Video 2.)

I am looking forward to next year's show. I need to start feeding Lady some more though...I want her to win something! The dog that won the "fattest dog" award totally killed me. She looked like my Mom's old dog, Little Red, but taller and longer. She had the same sausage body and lumps on her torso and her face was similar. When she was parading past the judges, I kid you not, she sat down 3 times-not on command. I think that she was tired. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

Good times.

I would like to start helping out with PAWS, and have thought about going to their meetings, but it seems like they are always in the evening and that is Connor's witching hour. I was glad that the dog show didn't last past 6pm, that would have been pushing it. He just gets so darned cranky and fussy.

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I have been crocheting & knitting a little bit. Just simple little dishcloths with 100% cotton yarn. I can usually do a few in the evenings after Connor goes to bed. I like to tuck them into gift packages for my friends. Mom seems to think that people would buy them, but I think that she is crazy.

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One day last week, I took Connor out for a stroll around the American Memorial Park to try to capture some pictures of the Flame Trees before the flowers completely die out. Of course I had to take some pictures of the Plumeria trees (my all time fave).

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Connor is rolling over now. He was 4 months old on Friday. And he is drooling like a madman. I am hoping a few teeth make an appearance soon, I am ready to be done with the crabby-ness for a while.

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My new fave snack:

Dried Fruit & Nut Mix from Costco. The bag is $16 something but so freaking tasty! Apples, Mangoes, Pineapple, Kiwi, Bananas, Cherries, Strawberries, Golden Raisins, Papaya, Walnuts, Almonds, Peanuts. Deeeee-lish! Thank you Costco for this gastronomic treat.

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I started "The Boleyn Inheritance" by Philippa Gregory. So far it hasn't disappointed. I have loved her other books about Henry VIII and the Boleyn/Howard families so this one should be right there as well.

Peace.

Finished my 19th book for the year

2007-05-10T10:03:00.000+10:00

Today I finished "Inheritance" by Lan Samantha Chang.

It was just okay, didn't exactly keep my attention and draw me back to it with each free moment I had like other books have. I would give it a B-. I really enjoy books set in China, especially ones that deal with women/mother-daughter relationships. I read one last year called "Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter" that really has stayed with me. It might be my favorite so far in the Chinese Mother-Daughter category.

So, I started "To The Nines" by Janet Evanovich. Should be done in the next couple of days, they are quick easy reads. Then I am trying to decide on reading either "Mirror Mirror" by Gregory Maguire (I have already read "Wicked" and want to see the stage performance next year when we go home), "The Boleyn Inheritance" by Philippa Gregory (still need to get "The Constant Princess"), or "The Kitchen God's Wife" by Amy Tan.

Recently I finished reading "Hard Eight" by Janet Evanovich - part of the Stephanie Plum series. The book isn't in good enough condition for me to offer it for swapping on Paperbackswap.com, so I am offering it to anyone that wants it. Gratis. Just email me. It has a cracked spine. The pages are all there, it is just a little worn. I think that it has been read by many people before me.

Last year, I read 53 books. I hope to top that this year, even if I only get through 54 books.

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This weekend, we are planning on going to the PAWS Dog Show : The Best of the Worst! on Saturday and hopefully hit the Taste of the Marianas Festival sometime. I am hoping that Lady can bring home the "Booniest" title at the dog show.

Wow, this post has alot of links!

Peace.

They published my letter!

2007-05-09T09:13:00.000+10:00

I wrote a letter to the editor the other day and they published it! The opinion column that I wrote in regards to is this:

read column here

And here is my letter to the editor:

my letter to the editor

Yay!

The utility prices here are so outrageous, we pay 177% more per kWh of electricity than the US average. That's sad. I am hoping that my letter to the editor may help others save some money.

When they talk about CUC, that is our utility company, it is owned by the island government.

Peace.

I'd like to know...

2007-05-05T09:07:00.000+10:00

Why the makers of 7-UP feel it is necessary to try to pull the wool over our eyes? They claim that 7-UP is "100% Natural" now. What is so natural about high fructose corn syrup?
I call bull s^%$ on that one. Doesn't matter though, I still love you, 7-UP.
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I finsihed my little Bent Creek Zippie kit the other night.
Bent Creek's "Ladybird" Zippie
I am going to start a little something for a pal that was inspired by a recent post. Should be quick to do. : )

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I am so touched that a very sweet stitcher is letting me use her "Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler". I now have it in my hot little hands and am looking forward to stitching it soon. Thank you to everyone that gave me info on where to find it!

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We signed the rental agreement this last week on the new house. Yay! We will be moving on May 31. Should be interesting since we don't get the new house until May 31 and we have to be out of our house by June 1. Wow.

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I have more diaper dye on it's way to me! It doesn't seem to bother Connor's skin at all...you have to rinse the diapers continuously and then you wash them to get rid of all of the dye. I got the dyes in the craft department of the store that shall not be named. I think that each package was $1.94 and one packet does 3 Premium Indian cotton diapers.

New Beasties!!!

2007-05-03T07:52:00.000+10:00

Yay, the tracklist for the new Beastie Boys album is out.
According to this site:

Beastie Boys reveal new album tracklisting
'The Mix Up' will feature 14 tracks

Beastie Boys have revealed the tracklisting for their new album'The Mix Up'.

As previously reported exclusively by NME.COM, bandmember Mike D said that the follow up to 2004's 'To The 5 Boroughs' would be "radically different" to its predecessor and the sound will hark back to the style of 1992's 'Check Your Head' and 1989's 'Paul's Boutique'.

No release date has yet been announced, but Mike D also told NME.COM he expected it to be out sometime in June.

The band are set to perform at the London leg of the Live Earth shows which takes place at Wembley Stadium on July 7.

The tracklisting for 'The Mix Up' is:
'Be For My Name'
'14th St.Break'
'Suco De Tangerina'
'The Gala Event'
'Electric Worm'
'Freaky Hijiki'
'Off The Grid'
'The Rat Cage'
'The Melee'
'Dramastically Different'
'The Cousin Of Death'
'The Kangaroo Rat'

Yay! I LOVE Paul's Boutique, I think that it is their best work ever. I am glad that they are going back to that style.

I saw the Beasties way back in the summer of 1999 at the "Free Tibet" festival. I remember them doing "Intergalactic" in their little wannabe space suit outfits.

Normal post coming later.
Peace.

Diaper Love

2007-05-01T13:41:00.000+10:00

Ya'll are prolly bored to death hearing about how much I love using cloth diapers. Well, the love got a little sweeter while we were at home...I took the freaky diaper obsession one step farther...I bought packages of Dylon Permanent Fabric Dye and we dyed diapers.

Didn't they turn out AWESOME?!?!

We used lime, purple, burnt orange, poppy and turquoise. I am now kicking myself that I didn't grab a pack of yellow. I bet the colors would be more vibrant if we weren't using unbleached cotton diapers. I think that I will ask Mom to pick up some more, because we have lots more diapers that are too plain!

And I finally have been stitching! Yes, I actually do stitch. *collective gasp* I know, I know. Instead of yammering on about it, here is a WIP photo.

It's just a little Zippie kit from Bent Creek. "Ladybird" is the English term for Ladybug...hmmm, the things that you learn from cross stitch.

Tonight we are going to go sign a lease agreement on a new house for our last year here. You can see the ocean from the roof! And it is in a more private area...plus the kitchen is newly remodeled and it even has an outdoor kitchen. Yay us!

Peace.

On the hunt

2007-04-29T00:56:00.000+10:00

I decided this week that I HAVE to have the Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler. So, I have been searching all of my favorite online stores to find one and can you believe that I can't find any? Of course you do, you are all smart stitchers that bought every last copy while it was available. I do realize that they are a limited printing and once they are all sold, that is the end of the story...but I thought for sure that there would be one squirreled away in a shop somewhere.

When this came out (was it last year?), I didn't think much of it. And that is making me wonder if I shouldn't snap up the Companion piece that was released while the shops still have it. The Companion doesn't totally grab me and I wonder if it would grow on me after a while.

Anyone have any leads for me? I looked at Wyndham Needleworks, Elegant Needle, Emli's, DSL, 123Stitch, Handcrafts Online...

Peace.

A Tree Hugger's Wife

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