Just because I love him so much

What Dave Matthews Band Song Are You?

You are #41. You are as complex as you are attractive. People want to know exactly what is going on in your mind. You would also relate to Two Step and Ants Marching.
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Suprisingly, I thought that I would get "Two Step". It is my favorite DMB song afterall.

Peace

I feel like a poser

Kinda.

This post is the "I love Saipan" post. But I don't *love* Saipan...I like it okay enough. Maybe it is because I didn't grow up here, I don't have familial ties here and I don't dive. And the fact that it is eleventy thousand miles away from home, and a plane ticket to Chicago is roughly $2,000.

But, read on...it really isn't that bad. The things that I don't like are all pretty superficial and have the potential of being changed.

All of the pictures in today's post are pictures I took of things in our yard.

Isn't he cute? He is the guard outside of our gate.

The things that I do love about Saipan:

1. The sun is almost always shining.
2. The skies are so clear at night and the moon shines so brightly that you don't really need lights outside.
3. Gorgeous flowers everywhere you look.
4. The vast majority of the local people are super nice and friendly.
5. I have a banana tree in my yard that actually has bananas on it!
6. If you forget a birthday or important date back home, you have an extra day to make up for it (since we are 16 hours ahead of CST).
7. The farmer's market on Saturday mornings.
8. From any point on the island, you are never more than 10-15 minutes from the beach.
9. The hospitality of the people here. When you go to a gathering, you had better hope that you have room in your refrigerator at home because they won't let you leave there without a bag full of foil covered plates full of food.
10. Chicken Kelaguen and the homemade flat bread.
11. Mango season...I almost make myself sick on them.
12. Red rice.
13. Slower lifestyle once you are out of the tourist district. Even there it is not so fast.
14. The gorgeous view of the lagoon coming down Capitol Hill road on a clear day.
15. The fact that the politicians seem to be regular people. The day we arrived, we got picked up at the airport and taken to lunch at Coffee Care. Guess who sat down at the table right next to us? None other than the Grand Poohbah himself, the Governor. I had no clue who he was until we left and were told.
16. The beach that DH & I go to. On nice days, the water is crystal clear and so warm and calm that it feels like I am lazing about in a giant bathtub.
17. No Wal-Mart. Yay!
18. I rarely hear sirens. The crime rate here is pretty low.
19. Only 2 fast food places here, Mc Donald's and Kentucky F*$#ing Pigeon. Well, 3 if you count Subway. Easier to resist temptation. : ) But I do miss Wendy's.

The things that I don't like about Saipan:

1. A gallon of real milk is almost $10 so I have to drink the UHT boxed stuff from New Zealand.
2. Expiration dates aren't routinely checked. DH made himself a drink the other day with a Diet Coke and complained that it was flat. Then looking at the ingredients, he said..."Hey, didn't they change over to Splenda?" Guess what the date on the bottom of the can was? 2004. And the pisser is that we can't remember where we bought the case from.
3. Gas is crazy expensive (I think it is $3.13 right now for regular).
4. Utility rates are absolutely insane. We pay something like 22 cents per kWh. Thank goodness that we conserve energy and use less than 250 kWh per month.
5. You can't brush your teeth with the tap water. We use bottled and refill a Nalgene bottle every couple of days. Tap water here is non-potable.
6. The boonie dog population is out of hand. I bet the tourists love seeing the dogs hanging around Garapan.
7. Getting things shipped here is difficult. Everyone thinks it is a foreign country and tries to charge higher rates when they could just send it via USPS. We do have a US zip code.
8. The government needs young, energetic, fresh ideas. Basically it needs a serious overhaul and to get out of the current mindset.
9. The citizens need to be more open to changing their way of thinking as well instead of predicting "doom and gloom".
10. People here seriously DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE. Rolling stop. check. The Saipan pull-out (which we were warned about before coming here). check. No turn signals. check. Stopping in front of a large puddle in the road so that you can wait for oncoming traffic to pass so you can go in the other lane to avoid the water. check.
11. Fresh fruits (like berries, etc.) are crazy expensive. When you can find decent ones.
12. The power outages. Thankfully we haven't had one in a week or so. The rolling blackout thing was a serious PIA and I hated it.
13. The weather. Perpetual summer is rough on me at times. I am after all, a Midwestern girl. I need 4 distinct seasons.
14. Betel nut chewing. It is almost impossible to understand someone that has a betel nut in their mouth. Let alone pay attention to anything other than their disgusting teeth from the betel nut chewing.
15. Mold. It is the bane of my existence and keeps me busy.

This is a "sweet almond" tree that we got at an energy fair a couple of months ago.

This is a papaya tree in our yard...too bad neither of us like fresh papaya.

I know that there are more things that I really don't like, but I can't think of them. I do think that Saipan has alot of potential though. It will take much effort, but with the right people in place and a firm plan of action, anything is possible. I would like to come back to visit in 15 or 20 years and see how the island has changed.

We have only been on Saipan since the end of March 2006, so we are still learning things everyday. Currently we are set to move back to the States in June 2008.

If you want to know more about Saipan, I suggest you start here:

(click on button)

or here:

Beautify CNMI!

Just don't trust everything that you may read on a Google search.

Peace.

Books I have read in 2006

For my future reference since it is now 2007 and time to start a new list:

Books I have read in 2006 (53)

Two for the Dough
Victoria Victorious
The Horse and His Boy (Narnia)
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Narnia)
The Magician's Nephew (Narnia)
Skipping Christmas
The Christmas Box
Good Grief (audio book)
Husband-Coached Childbirth
The Bonesetter's Daughter
Girl's Poker Night
Bayou Farewell
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Wicked: The Life & Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Courtesan
Jane Eyre (audiobook)
Ya-Ya's In Bloom
Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood
Little Altars Everywhere
Buster Midnight's Cafe
So That's What They're For
Rural Renaissance
The Quilter's Apprentice
Snow Falling on Cedars
P.S. I Love You
The Shunning
Angels & Demons
The Shop on Blossom Street
A Murderous Yarn
Unraveled Sleeve
A Stitch In Time
Framed In Lace
Crewel World
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married
The Pilot's Wife
A Walk in the Woods
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix
Dirty Girls Social Club
Dear America: Journey to a Land of Plenty
The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love
How to Make an American Quilt
Last Chance Saloon
Watermelon
Marley & Me
Zoya
Hollywood Babylon
Belly Laughs
Baby Laughs
The DaVinci Code
Pushing 30
Girlfriends Guide To Pregnancy
Falling Leaves: Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

Make it 53

This morning at ugly-thirty I finished "Two for the Dough" by Janet Evanovich. Part of the Stephanie Plum series. I like this series and have ordered the next one off of Paperbackswap.com. It will only take 2 months to get here.

Next up is "The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B". It is about Josephine Bonaparte.

So that makes 53 books read this year. Doubt I will get another finish in the next couple of days.

How do I do it? We don't watch TV. Refuse to pay for the crappy cable service here and there are no local channels at all, so we don't watch tv.

Why was I up at ugly-thirty today? Because I have a monster growing in my belly that does not allow me to sleep like a normal human being.

Thanks, Jenn!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And books that I hope to read next year:

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Geisha by Liza Dalby

The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby

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

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

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

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

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

Peace.

Umm, yeah...

So, I took all of these neat pictures of the bananas, papayas and flowers growing in our yard...but Blogger is being a serious PIA and having issues uploading the photos. Guess everyone will have to wait until later.

We got some great stuff in the mail today...I won't post a pic of one of the presents yet since I am emailing the sender next...will do in the next post, but let me just say that I was very surprised and thrilled with what she sent!

We also got another tin of cookies from Granny. She sent me some of my favorites...spritz cookies. I like the cream cheese spritz the best, but these are just as great. I was really hoping that it was some of her famous double layer rice krispie treats, but believe you me I won't turn these down anytime soon!

And an update on the biscornu. I am done with the front stitching, and started the backstitch border after this pic was snapped. I wonder how Carolyn is doing with hers?

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We had our 38 week appointment this week. I was very impressed with the Midwife (actually an American Nurse Practitioner) that we saw since Dr. R. is on vacay. I asked her to give us an estimate of how big the baby is and after mushing the heck out of my tummy, she said that if I were to have it now, it would be approximately 6 pounds, 8 ounces. But, she also added that every week, the baby puts on another 1/2 to 1 pound...so it is possible that I could have a ginormous baby. *Please come soon, please come soon*

She asked us if we knew what the gender was. As she was checking for the fetal heart rate. I said, "No, it is a surprise". She got a grin on her face and said, "I kinda have a hunch as to what it is." I asked her, "Based on the heartrate?" She smiled and said "Yeah". Now, the heartrate is usually in the 140's & 150's when we go in. Statistically (from what I have read), baby girls have a fetal heart rate over 140 while baby boys have a fetal heart rate of less than 140. But there are always exceptions. Go team pink!!! She didn't say either way, but I am going to ask next week.

I go back next week for the 39 week eval. I am seeing her again and with any luck, she will be on call when I go into labor.

She asked us about our plans for birth control after the baby is born, so I told her what I had been thinking. No birth control pills because Mom has metastatic breast cancer and Gram had breast cancer and I will be 30 next year...don't need to up my risk any more than it already is. She brought up the IUD...can I just say that this little thing kinda gives me the creeps? I think that we might just stick with what we initially planned. I don't think that I really want a little plastic "T" wound with copper and 2 pieces of fishing line on the bottom end embedding itself into my body.

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Had a chat with Mom the other day. She is doing okay. She stopped her Chemo treatments and went for a second opinion at the Cancer Treatment Center of America. She has since started treatments with them. And the cancer has spread to more of her skeleton. It is in a rib, on the skull, in her left femur (long leg bone), sacrum, and left hip along with her spine.

She really loves the CTCA. I mean really loves it. Just raves about the programs, doctors, support staff, food, etc. And there is a Center that is only about an hour from her house so she just spends the night.

Our convo was going along really great until she said:

Mom: "So, how are you feeling?"

Me: "I feel great, I have been truly blessed. My only complaint is I can't get comfortable to sleep."

Mom: "How much weight have you gained so far?"

Me: "24 pounds"

Mom: "Well, you need to try to curb it from here out...I only gained 19 pounds when I had you. But, then again, you are built a little bigger than me and you started out a little heavier than me."

Me: "Um, yeah." *thinking to self: you also smoked and were 19 years old. I am almost 30.*

WTF?!?! Try to CURB it? Seriously? Okay, let me go on a diet now while I am pregnant. Yeah. Right on that.

Mother/daughter relationships...gotta love them!

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Here is the Lizzie*Kate new Flip it series for 2007...this is absolutely adorable. Loves it! Kim reports that she already has hers on order. Pffffftttttttt.

Peace

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Christmas!

We have been pretty low-key today. It has been a marathon of Christmas cartoon DVD's here at the House of Grinch. You know, those old ones that are clay-mation and are shown every year? DH bought me the set last year, so that's all we have done today. Well, laundry too. I think that DH is making hot wings and sweet potato fries for dinner...how's that for non-conformity?

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On Friday, we went to a Christmas party. It was for a company that DH works with, so it was nice to see them appreciate their employees. The party was held at the Aqua Resort (where we stayed for 30 days when we first came to Saipan and were trying to find a house), which is always nice. There was a big buffet, and open bar and a live band called Resound. They were pretty good, even though I was about to gag when they did Paris Hilton's "The Stars Are Blind". My ears might still be bleeding.

One of the guys gave me this flower "thing" to wear on my head...I felt a little bit like a dork because there were only 2 other ladies that had one. But, the smell of the plumeria (franigipani) was so intoxicating, I loved having it on. So it stayed. I think that it is some kind of a traditional thing here. Even men wear them.

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Yesterday I read the book, "The Christmas Box". It was a quick read. When I say quick, I mean less than an hour. It was a good book and appropriate for the holidays. I am slowly working my way through "Victoria Victorious" about Queen Victoria. Kinda dry, and I am almost done so that is great. It has given me more insight to her life though. Maybe I will read "Skipping Christmas" today. I read it a couple of years ago, but don't remember much of it besides how the movie is.

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For an update on the biscornu...here it is:

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Tomorrow is our next baby appointment...hard to believe that our due date is 17 days away. I remember when I got all excited when my countdown ticker said 100 days. Where has the time gone?

Peace

Going on the Wishlist!

I found one of the new Lizzie*Kate designs today...this is so going on the wishlist. I *LOVE* it! Now to find the other 2 that were released in the new series, January & February. Maybe Kim knows where they can be found...she's a L*K fanatic!

BTW, I stole this pic from Stitches-N-Things.

Peace

Life is good

DH has been home for the past couple of days since they are now on holiday rotation. I really enjoy spending time together. I will admit, he does spoil me. The other day, we had my favorite breakfast, Eggs Benedict. And he knows exactly how I like the eggs...poached hard. No liquid chicken for me, thanks! We also had sliced pears and orange juice. What a way to start the day!

On Tuesday, we did end up going and buying the new dining room set. For those on Saipan, FYI...Monika's Furniture Gallerie is moving to Guam at the end of the month. Due to the economy from what I understand. And unfortunately, there won't be a big sale...they are going to load up a container and ship whatever they have in stock.

So, this is the dining room set. The only drawback is that it doesn't have a leaf to expand it, but it will eventually go in the kitchen once we buy a house back in the States in 1 1/2 years. It is Teak and we think that we got it for a pretty reasonable price. Now, I just have to make cushions for the chairs with removable covers. Because I am too cheap to buy some.

(You can see our "Christmas Tree" in the corner...that's as good as it is getting here at the House of Grinch. Dad made it for us a few years ago.)

Yesterday, we got a bunch of packages in the mail from MIL & FIL. We knew that she had ordered these things, it is so much more fun when you see them in person! They sent the Exersaucer, the mobile (it plays Bach, Beethoven & Mozart), and a set of soft blocks by Baby Einstein along with the food mill that we wanted. We plan on making our own baby food and this will be great for when we go to China next year.

I started working on my Biscornu that I am doing with Carolyn. I totally forgot that we had agreed to start this week! I have serious pregnancy brain lately. All I think about 90% of the time is the baby and baby related stuff. Oops! So, I started it last night. We bought our kits from Mary Kathryn's shop. She also gives very good finishing instructions. The kit comes with the chart, 2 pieces of Jobelan and a skien of Dinky Dyes silk in your color choice ( I chose "Mystic Pools" ). I have never stitched with Dinky Dyes and although they are nice and smooth, I feel like they are too fragile. Guess I will stick with regular DMC after this. The frog came to visit me today, grr. So, I spent time ripping out part of it, but otherwise it is going well. I betcha Carolyn is ahead of me though, lol. I am so slow!

Today I made a ring sling for the baby. I only had 2 yards of fabric, and I think that for the next one, I will use 3 or 3 1/2 yards of fabric. I would also like to do one in a silk dupioni fabric someday...maybe for the baptism...? The instructions that I followed looked at were found on this site. I got the rings from this site that specifically makes & sells rings for slings. If you plan on making a sling, please don't get the rings from the craft store...they are not strong enough.
Doesn't Bella Baby look thrilled to pieces to be slinged? I hope that our baby doesn't give me as much attitude.

Tomorrow we have a holiday party to go to and I am looking forward to it. Last night we had DH's boss over for dinner, it was a nice time. DH & I made ham balls (can I just say *YUM!*), cheesy hashbrown casserole and green bean casserole. (Note to Stels...notice that it is "normal food"?) We also gave him a couple loaves of banana bread and a bunch of soft ginger cookies to take home. The cookies are like biscuits and soo good with a cup of tea.

That's all that is going on here.

BTW, Angelo...I will get to it soon. : )

Peace

As if...

As if I needed any more convincing about cloth diapering...these facts are staggering.

I am somewhat amused by the fact that they tried to recycle disposables, lol.

Cloth Diaper Article

Now, how many of you out there that used disposables actually flushed the poo down the toilet before disposing of the diaper? I never really thought about it before but I don't think that I have ever seen anyone do it.

Yuck and double yuck to disposables. Treehuggers unite!

Peace

SBQ & Went to the Beach

This week's SBQ was suggested by Carol and is:

Do you have any good internet links to tutorials for your favorite finishing techniques that you would like to share?

I usually just go with ideas and a "vision" of what the finished item should look like...but I did buy Summer Truswell's Ultimate Big Book of Finishing last year. She used to have the tutorial online *for free*, but I guess that it got so popular that she realized that she could make money off of it from idiots people like me. It does have some great ideas in it and I think that if you are at a total loss, it is a good deal. I do like how it is spiral bound, so it lays open flat.

Other than that, I just kinda wing it. I like seeing pictures of other finishes and figuring out how to do them based on a picture.

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The weather was nice this weekend...scattered showers, but what can you do? We decided to take the dog to the beach. Because she loves it we think that it is good for her to get out of the house & yard every now and then. Aren't we nice? She doesn't particularly love swimming, she does however love to ride in the car. If you leave the car door open in the garage, she will get in and just sit there. If you haven't caught on yet...Lady is not so smart. But she is a good dog and will be great with our kids.

DH also took my new camera for a test run and since I don't have any flattering pictures of this pregnancy yet (only ones I take in front of a full length mirror to track the belly growth), he wanted to get some shots of me. I guess that this is as good as it gets.

This is a local fisherman, he was walking the beach when we first arrived. I think that they just look for good spots where they think the fish are and throw their nets out and hope for the best. I don't know. We use fishing poles at home. And I have yet to actually catch a fish using a pole, so maybe a net is a better deal.

This one might be my favorite:

Of course, I had to take some of DH & the dog.

And these are the hermit crabs that I just love to watch. They are everywhere on the beach and on the rocks.



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I finished "November Twirls" snapper from Bent Creek. I started it a couple of days ago. It is part of my 50 project challenge. Now on to December. I want to be caught up through January when the baby comes. I already have February, March & April done so I can take a break then. I stitched this on some kind of ivory 28 ct evenweave that I won in a lot off of ebay. My plan is to take the ones that aren't finished yet (Oct, Nov, Apr) and stitch them into a pillow case and then just make one form and slip it into the coordinating case for the month. That way I don't have 12 pillows sitting on the shelf taking up valuable room.

I have also started to crochet again. I am obsessed with baby hats. Why? I dunno. I have 2 skiens of baby yarn and don't want it sitting around so I have been making all sizes of hats...mostly preemie and newborn though. Believe me, I have enough hats for the baby treehugger already in it's dresser, so these along with the scarf (and any other ones I finish up) are going into a flat rate box and going to The Baby Project. I put a couple of the hats on onions just so you could see how small they are. I know that babies come in all sizes. Hopefully they can use these for someone that really needs them. Or someone that has a doll with a cold nugget.

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I noticed that BlogRolling has taken a vacation again, so I have been trying to keep up with GoogleReader. Sometimes I forget though. Whoops.

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My Granny sent us a tin of home made cookies that she baked with my Aunt J and the girls. Oh Mylanta, were they ever good! She sent spritz cookies and I ate them first. Sad to say that they are almost all gone : ( But, I did talk to Granny yesterday and asked for some of her double layer rice krispie treats. She makes a batch of red (more like pink) and green (like mint color) and then in between them she puts melted butterscotch chips and peanut butter...holy cow they are deelish. I miss those alot. I think that she will send me some in the next couple of weeks. Granny rocks!

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Not much else going on here. Can I just say that not "doing" Christmas has been so freaking stress free? No cards to mail, trees to put up, last minute shopping to do, worrying about going over budget or if the recipient will even like what is picked out for them...I might be able to get used to this.

We are seriously considering buying a new dining room table though. One of the furniture stores here is relocating to Guam at the end of the month so we went in and looked around and found a nice Teak set that we like. I think that we might go back today and take a closer look at it now that we have talked about it more. I will for sure post pictures if we decide to go for it. It really is pretty.

Peace

Fun mail!

So, the post office has redeemed itself. I apologize to our postal employees for my last rant regarding their service. But, it can be frustrating. It is the holidays afterall and their busiest time of the year.

On to the fun mail.

Did I mention that I got my camera? I did. And I really really really like it so far. I am hesitant to say that I love it yet, seems like the last time that I professed my love of a camera right after getting it, it was a bit premature. I know how to do the basic operation of it and am very happy. Now, I just need to learn the bells & whistles part. It is a Kodak EasyShare P850. I like how it feels nice and solid in hand as well.

I also got the organic sage in the mail and my treat bag from my Yahoo stitching group exchange. And let me tell you, the treat bag was worth the wait!

Front:

Inside lining with closures:

Presents inside:

Was I ever spoiled or what? I really love doing exchanges in this group. I love the fact that they are centralized and nobody gets the shaft because their partner is a flake and I love the fact that everyone is so very generous with the bags. I think that the next exchange I am going to participate in is a "stitched fob" exchange, which is due to the Moderator in February. I also like that the Moderator tries to swap out the exchanges at an equal value. Like for the stitched fob exchange, she said that if you send in a fob with a pair of scissors, you will get a fob with a pair of scissors back instead of just a fob. That is nice.

I also got my ornament from the 123stitch message board ornament exchange organized by Sue. My partner was Nancy in Alaska and I think that she just did an awesome job with the stitching and finishing of the ornament. I was glad to hear that she received my ornament as well, which I blogged about here.

I took the picture the other night...we don't really have a "tree" up here at the House of Grinch, so I set it on the shelf that holds some of my prized possessions. Bottles of sand and shells from beaches that DH & I have visited together. My favorites have to be the bottle of sand from Grand Isle, Louisiana, which was pretty much wiped out after Hurricane Katrina. It is where DH proposed to me in October 2003. The other one is the bottle of black sand from Anse Mamin Beach, St. Lucia. The beach where we got married in 2004. We have sand from 3 of the Great Lakes, Australia, Thailand, Oregon, St. Lucia, Louisiana, Guam...still deciding on a beach here in Saipan.

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We had our 36 week appointment this week. Got to take a tour of the labor & delivery department. It is tiny. Only 4 rooms. They can be split and turned into 8 rooms though if needed. Plus, the very very nice lady pointed out the "extra bed" that is in the hall (does have a curtain for privacy) if they are really full. Certainly not like the *suites* that they have back in the States, that is for sure. But, it was nice to see it all and get questions answered.

I reeeealllly hope that when I go into labor that I don't end up in the bed in the hall. It would be my luck though, LOL.

The baby is doing great, head down and in position. Now it is just a waiting game. The heartbeat is strong. The doctor still said January...much to DH's disappointment. He really wants it to come before the first of the year.

This week I got all of the clothes sorted, washed and put away. I am waiting on the cloth diapers to come that I ordered from Jillians Drawers. I got the sheets and mattress pads washed, folded and put away. We ordered the crib tent so that the kitties can't get in it...and I think that we are set! I even picked out 2 "coming home" outfits...one boy and one girl and got those packed into the hospital bag. I hope that they fit it! Maybe I will post a picture of them later this week. The boy one is so cute...it is just a blue suit from the Gap, but I think that it is so cute with the little hat and booties.

Peace.

Quote of the week

So, you all know that I am totally down with the Donkeys...

And that I think that Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) is just the bee's knees of politicians...

Well, he has made the quote of the week recently.

Speaking in New Hampshire, this is what he said:

"There is no reason why we can't craft a national security strategy that is tough and smart, because what we've seen is tough and dumb."

Tough AND Dumb.

Loves it!

If you want to read the entire story, head over here to the official website.

I fervently hope that he runs in 2008.

In more Obama-ness, I saw this commercial on YouTube...great stuff. The laugh at the end got me.

(can anyone tell me how to get the little YouTube screen shot on this page so that you can watch it here? I tried copying the embed code and it didn't work.)
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My new camera came, my new camera came. I have tried it out a little bit, but still have to finish going through the ginormous instruction manual that came with it before I feel totally comfy with it. Will post fun pictures soon!

Peace

Nothing Special

Well, my Christmas stitching is done. Since we aren't doing "gifts" this year at the House of Grinch, the family is just getting the usual ornament.

They are now winging their way across the Pacific. I hope that they make it in time for Christmas so that they can be on the trees for the actual day.


The ornaments are all from different JCS Ornament Special Issue magazines. I don't have my list in front of me right now.


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I am not in the best mood lately.


Mostly because I am so frustrated with the mail system here. There is no home delivery on island so everyone goes to the post office. Well, the little branch that we go to seems to have some kind of impediment with getting our packages to us in a timely manner. When packages come in, they write on the package what box it is for and what date it comes in and then they are supposed to put a slip in the box to let you know you have a package.

I had ordered my sling rings a few weeks ago and was waiting on them...DH brought the package home on 12-7 and they had written on it that it was there on 12-2.

Mom ordered something for us off of ebay (organic sage) and the tracking shows that it was delivered on 12-4...do I have it in my hot little hands? Nope.

Wonder where my new camera is that was shipped 2 weeks ago yesterday?

DH is going to have to do some investigating and see if he can figure out what is going on.


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Friday was "Constitution Day" here on Saipan. There are more holidays here than I have ever seen. DH only worked a half day, so that afternoon we went to a barbecue. It was with a bunch of locals that DH knows through work and their families. I have to say that they are just the nicest people. We spent Easter with them as well. I made my Chocolate Chip Coconut (fresh) Oatmeal cookies that morning and took a gallon ziplock of them for the party as well as 2 gallons of homemade caramel corn. The cookies disappeared in a flash. I think that the caramel corn was put away for later. That's okay though because we still had 2 gallons here at the house. I say "had" because it is the past tense. Not so much anymore. The baby craves it, I think. I know one thing, I will never buy store bought caramel corn again!

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And for more crazy pet adventures...presenting Bella Baby in a diaper cover....

Not only do we torture love our kitties by putting them in baby clothes, we also go around waking them up during the day because they think that night time is for tearing the house apart. I think that they have a conspiratorial gleam in their eyes.

Viva La Revolution!!

That's it from me, not feeling exceptionally chatty lately. Too much going on in my head.



Peace

Ahhh...the sweet smell of....

burning garbage. Blech!

There ought to be a law about burning your household refuse. If there is a law, then my neighbors surely don't know about it because they burn their garbage frequently.

And it makes my house smell so charming. Especially the environmentally un-friendly burning plastic. Double blech!!

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This baby is sucking the everloving life right out of my body. I am 35 weeks today and have the worst exhaustion. For the past two weeks, it is about all I can do to make the bed every morning. Somehow I did manage to find strength yesterday to do the dishes, make 3 loaves of bread and a foccacia for our roasted veggie sandwiches last night. Which btw, were deelish!

Don't let me fool you...I truly am blessed. This pregnancy has been so easy, I couldn't have asked for more. I never had nausea/vomiting, my blood pressure is great, minimal swelling, I have only gained 19 pounds, and the baby moves around all of the time. It wiggles alot now. I think that it is running out of room. We are really getting anxious to meet this little treehugger and welcome her/him into our family.

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I have been spoiled again! My Aunt J & her family sent us a big box this week! They sent a play gym that is so bright and colorful, I love it! And a cute little "First Chewey Toy" that is so bright and visually stimulating, along with the different textures on it...really cool! Along with a container of chocolate toffee covered pretzels and a bunch of hot chocolate mix packets...YUM! When DH saw the pretzels, he immediately took them from me, opened them up and started eating them. I was in mid sentence and just looked at him, it was funny. They also included a couple of things from Granny & Grampy...a packet of adorable onesies and a bib that says "I love my Grandpa". I love it! Thanks again, Aunt J! Killer Lily approves.

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I also got an awesome package from Carolyn! Thank you, Carolyn! We are going to do stitch a biscornu together that we bought at Mary Kathryn's Shop ....she got a floss color that wasn't what she thought it was, and I liked it better, so I ordered a surprise color for her and we swapped. She sent that along with a package of the new Peanut Butter Kisses, 3 packages of Sour Patch Kids, a tin of Christmas cookies, a Livestrong bracelet, a Breast Cancer awareness bracelet and 2 scissor fobs. The floss, bracelets and fobs were packaged in the bag inside of the round holiday box and it was just soo cute! I love it all. And I have already scarfed down most of one package of Sour Patch Kids (that's why you only see 2).

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DH had to go to some boating safety thingy here recently and brought home a small t-shirt. Like children's size. Since we don't have a child yet to put it on, what do 2 semi-normal people do? Put it on the dog.


I think that Lady likes it. Here she is with DH:

And here she is later on, being too lazy to stand up and eat her Eukanuba:

Good times, Good times.

Y'all missed the other day when we put diaper covers on the cats. They *loved* them! : )

This baby better come soon or else the animals are going to revolt.

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Okay, I am going to go play with my blogger template some. Now that I got to join the "cool kids club" (blogger beta), I need to make some changes. Could be a challenge for my HTML developmentally disabled self.

Peace

Today

Today is my Mom's benefit back home (Sunday back in the States).

I really wish that I could be there.

I really wish that I could see with my own eyes what is really going on with her.

Peace

SBQ

I like this week's SBQ (stitching blogger's question) so I figured I would answer.

This week's SBQ is:

"How do you secure your thread when you begin a new one? Specifically,do you or have you ever used a waste knot?"

I typically only use DMC floss, and use 2 threads so I use the "loop method" to start my threads about 95% of the time. If I am stitching 1 over 1, then I just either tuck the end under a couple of stitches nearby or hold it with a finger as I stitch over it (since I stitch Continental Style and my backsides of solid areas look like: l l l l l l l ). I then end the thread by running it under a few stitches.

(Click on "Loop Method" above to see a demo of it if you are interested)

I have never used a waste knot, or any kind of knot that I can think of.

Peace