Book Report

Normally, I wouldn't post a blurb like this but I have just finished a book that really touched me. Yesterday, I started "Marley & Me; life and love with the world's worst dog" by John Grogan. I finished it about 20 minutes ago, less than 36 hours from when I started it.

I identified with this book from the beginning. It seemed as though the author was describing our dog's older brother. Only our dog was a "pound dog" and has no lineage to speak of, unlike Marley who is a papered yellow Lab. All of the antics that the writer described were playing out in my head like a little mini movie. I felt like I actually saw this dog as a mischevioius puppy, it's headstrong adolescence and adulthood, and finally it's seemingly brief retirement years. I felt the pain of the owners as they watched their beloved family member gradually decline. It also made me think of Little Red...it has been almost one month since Mom put her to sleep.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever been owned by a dog or for anyone who hopes that they have a dog to call their own. I am now going to go search for a slightly used copy to send to a family member. Because I am keeping mine to read again sometime.

Peace.

Lost in translation

Saipan has a large immigrant population. Mainly Chinese. They come here because they don't need a visa or anything and they come here to work in the Garment Manufacturing industry. They make clothes by Liz Claiborne, Abercrombie, Polo, etc. The rest of the population is made up of: Filipino's, native Chamorro & Carolinian's, Russians, some Japanese & Korean's, and some Thai. Very few Americans. They call us "Haolies" (pronounced like howl-ie).

That is where it gets interesting...going out into the public areas where locals shop and do business. DH & really didn't have much planned for yesterday so we were driving around and saw an ACE hardware store. Imagine our excitement! And it was big. Well, I have been saying all week that I want to find the library. I had heard that it was a good one with up to date books and magazines...that is like a second home for me, a library. I could spend days in there. Just throw me a cheeseburger or a pizza every couple of days and I will crawl back into my little hidey-hole to read. Well, we pull into the ACE parking lot and on our left is a small "Bestseller Books" bookstore. It is a small chain that has some nice books and crazy prices. Well, I said to DH, "Do you think that they know where the library is?" (Meaning, ask the bookstore clerk) So, in we went. I perused the magazines to get the latest update on why Jessica left Nick and where the spawn of pukey homewrecker Angelina will be born, and then went to the counter and asked the clerk the all important question. I kid you not, this is how it went:

Me: "Excuse me, but do you know where the library is around here?" ( I knew it was in the area, the phone book said "Susupe", it just didn't give a street address)

Him: "Library?...What is this Library?"

Me: *now looking even more puzzled than the clerk as I try to explain what a library is* "Hmm, a Library...where they have books that you can check out...books" (while making a square shape with my fingers for some stupid reason)

Him: "I know no Library."

Me: "Okay thanks."

Seriously...I was baffled and still am. We happened to spot the library about an hour later as we drove down the road.

I could have just called them and made it easier on everyone. :)

Another example:

DH & I were in search of something different to eat the other night. We eat out every meal (since we are homeless and living in a hotel) and it is getting old. Sad to say, I know. Boo hoo for us. So, we went to this place called "Bobby Cadillac's" (another chain...there is one in Guam that we never ate at) because I was hungry for pizza. It is kind of like a casual deli. We went to the counter and decided on a pizza and DH put the order in with the clerk. Here is how it went:

Her: "Can I help you?"

DH: "Yeah, I'd like a large Bobby Cadillac Combo pizza"

Her: "Thin or Regular crust?"

DH: "Regular please"

Her: "Pick up or Dine in?"

DH: "Pick up"

Her: *in a very shocked and alarmed tone* "Pick up what do you mean, PICK UP?"

DH: (now looking puzzled) "We will take it with us, carry out"

Seriously...I almost busted a gut trying not to laugh right there in her face. He was just repeating the phrase that she used. It was funny then and it is funny now.

Stitching
I finally finished a 4 My Boys Design..."Bless Us" It is cute, I think that I might use it for my Christmas in July exchange piece.

I tried to do a Prairie Schooler bookmark but decided that I need to use the recommended 32 ct fabric not my 28...and I want to swap our some colors. So, it is on the back burner for now.

I have to work on my "Joy" tree this week.

House hunting

We have seen some interesting places. Would you believe that people would rather signt a 55 year lease on a house than a 2 year lease? Crazy. We found a cute one that is very private and could be nice...just needs some work. I guess we will see if the owner is interested in doing more to it for an extra $200 per month for 2 years. That would bring us up to our housing limit.

Blog

Can anyone tell me why my sidebar is at the bottom of my blog? I haven't done any adjustments to my template or anyting. It seems like the green area is wider than it should be, which in turn pushes the sidebar. I have been thinking about buying a blog design like ones I see on other blogs. Might wait on that though.

Maybe this week DH will upload some pictures for me so I can post them.

Here are some pictures that I found that I will link from the web:

This is the island...Saipan lagoon is on the top part of the picture, it is the lighter aqua color.

Peace!

We made it!

Well, here we are in Saipan and it is absolutely gorgeous! Clean, flowers everywhere...it makes me think of how Hawaii might have been about 30 years ago or so before it became way touristy. We went sightseeing for the past 2 days just to get a feel for the island and it is amazing! You can see Tinian when you are down at the south end of the island. I guess that when you want to go gambling, you just get on a ferry to Tinian...they have casinos over there. The flight from Guam was treacherous. Disclaimer: I HATE FLYING!!! Okay, now if I were to like flying, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. It was a Continental plane, but it only held about 40 people. And it had propellers! Thank goodness it only took about 40 minutes.

The island is small (about 12.5 miles long and 5.5 miles wide and has a total land area of 46.5 square miles which is about the size of San Francisco), but doesn't seem crowded like Guam is. This is a pretty decent site to learn a bit more about the island. The guy seems to know what he is talking about since he lived here for about as long as I have been alive. The only thing that would be different is the price of gas. Regular unleaded is now $3.05/gallon as of yesterday. And I have no idea what a big mac costs over here but I bet it is more than $2.85. I think that it would be expensive to be an alcoholic here. A case of beer (cans) is $22. That seems a little higher than the States, but I am not sure how much since I don't really drink beer. Guess it is still cheaper than going out to the bar and paying for each beer. I did notice in the newspaper that the employment wage is a crying shame. Most jobs seem to start out at $3.05/hr. Now, for an electrical engineer you would get $7.05/hr and for a computer programmer, you would get $7.00/hr. Pathetic. I am considering going back to work as a nurse but certainly not if I am only going to get $7.00/hr. That's about what I made as a CNA 10 years ago!

The resort where we are staying, Aqua Resort Club Saipan, is absolutely gorgeous!! I highly recommend if you are ever on this partof the planet to check it out! All remodeled recently. Lush garden areas, great views, tropical decorating that isn't cheesy looking, free breakfast. And the staff is great! The bell boy that hauled our suitcases up 2 flights of stairs refused a tip!!! That was very strange to say the least.

Stitching
I haven't picked up a needle in a few days... :( I think that I might get some stitching time in today since it is pretty overcast and DH is at work. I have probably read about 5 back issues of Martha Stewart Living magazine. DH bought me a lot of them off ebay and had them sent here. I have to say that she rocks in the domestication department. Of course it helps to have zillions of peons working for you every single day. Too bad she doesn't need a peon in Western Pacific to contribute. :)

If I can sneak my camera in here (the business center of the hotel) and plug in my usb cord, then maybe I can upload some pictures we took of the island. Might not be able to though. There are always people in here.

Oh, one more interesting tidbit before I bore you to tears...supposedly, Saipan is the place where Amelia Earhart crashed and was taken as a POW by the Japanese during WWII. And eventually killed. My Dad has this whole theory on it and has read tons of stuff about Amelia. I told DH that if we have a baby while we are here and it is a girl, we should name her Amelia. He still wants to stick with Merial.

Now, I am going to see if my blogroll is working, or even if my sidebar shows up so I can catch up with everyone!

Peace
Missy

Bye for now

Well, this will be my last post for a while. At least until next week. I am going to go through blog withdrawl for sure! They come to pack us up tomorrow...I am so ready for this move to be done. Today we ran errands and drove all over the island. All we have been doing since we got home was get stuff ready. Stupid stuff...pulling things out of drawers, putting silverware in bags, putting lotion, shampoo etc into ziplocs. Cleaning out garbage cans, packing our travel bags since we will be living in a hotel for a while. Sick of it.

This is my update of CEF with the new stand. The new stand that I just disassembled and hope to remember how to assemble it. I am sure that I will be fine...the first time is always tricky. I will not be working on CEF while gone. I have her packed away safely. The main reason is that I cannot always control the dirt factor and since she is done with overdyeds...she cannot be washed. I have some small projects kitted up along with my STO April Ornament for the SAL.




Mom emailed me today to let me know that she had to put our dog to sleep. :( I knew that the time was coming, and I really tried to prepare myself to never see her again when we left in May 2005. But I never imagined how I would feel knowing that she was truly gone. I cried and cried tonight. I sent my Mom the Rainbow Bridge poem. Little Red was a very obedient, caring and loyal dog. She didn't always have the most stable life but she was loved. I remember when Mom got her...she was supposed to be a Christmas present for me. Nevermind that Mom lived in a different state than I did and didn't clear it with my Grandparents (with whom I lived). Little Red was so small she could fit in one of my hands. Then she got Parvo. Mom spent a fortune making her well for me. I told DH tonight that I was going to have to have a cheeseburger happy meal minus the pickles in Red's memory. She would always spit out the pickles if we forgot to have them hold them. This picture is from Christmas 2004 when we went home on a suprise visit.

RIP Little Red Dog 11/93 to 3/21/06

The best dog friend a girl could wish for. You will be missed.

Meant to add:

Forgot to comment on my comments on the last post. Guess it is just because I am so frustrated with Blogger. And I really want to post pictures of our wedding. It was so pretty.

Jenn & Kim- I am leaning more towards the stitcher's heart one by bleu de chine now...that way I would think of the generosity of stitchers when I looked at it all stitched up and pretty. I would make it into a pillow like the photo shows. I was thinking last night that I would sew it into a tube shape with some pretty coordinating fabric lining it on the inside and then just have ribbons on the ends to tie it closed. And just have a standard pillow form that I can use to interchange with others once I get my collection going, lol!

I have decided that not working this week is going to be stressful! I have a million things to do before our packout and move at the end of the week....wonder how it will all get accomplished. Guess that is what lists are for!

You can both come help me if you want to. I promise to make margaritas or daiquiris every night and we can sit on the patio and watch the palm trees sway and the golfers drive by. :) Gotta get rid of the alcohol in the house since we can't ship it with us and I haven't been in a drinking mood for a long time. *sigh*

Kim- I hope that your ebay package arrives today or tomorrow...should be any day now. I think that DH said that he sent it Priority Mail. PLMK :) And enjoy!

Hopefully I will get a picture of the new Gazelle today and if blogger cooperates....

Peace!

What do I do with my time?

Well, blogger was being a bugger yesterday so, this is yesterdays post. Hopefully the pictures will cooperate today. Forget it, I can't stand blogger sometimes...arrrrgggghhh! I tried to upload from my Shutterfly.com album and it didn't work. Guess I will have to wait until later.
****************************
Today is my first day of not having to work, WOO HOO! I got to sleep in until 6:30, which was fantastic. Called my Granny & Grampy, surfed the internet a little. I had a ton of stuff I was watching on ebay...some people get a little ridiculous with some of the auctions. There was a lot of patterns I was going to bid on, at max $40...well 2 people that I have never seen before started a bidding war and it went to $127!!! Insane. You know, it is funny that I am starting to recognize the same bidders over and over again. Mainly because I am buying in lots to keep what I want and resell the rest. The other ladies have shops on ebay. I am wondering if I should open a shop there as well. Wonder what the finiancial aspect of it is.

I did win a lot yesterday that I am so psyched about. It has 3 OOP P Buckley Moss charts in it and 2 unknown Prairie Schoolers along with some other random stuff. The exciting thing is the unknown Prairie Schoolers! I have never seen a P Buckley Moss chart but I figured that if I don't like them that there might be someone I can sell them to that would like them.

I was tagged by my Aunt
Four jobs I've have had in my life:
1. Receptionist
2. Nurse
3. Certified Nurses Assistant
4. Waitress

Four movies I love:
1. Grease
2. It's A Wonderful Life
3. Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood
4. The Ten Commandments (the old one that they play every Easter on TV)

Four places I have lived:
1. Guam, USA
2. Houma, LA
3. Rockford, IL
4. Dallas, TX

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Desperate Housewives
2. Trading Spouses
3. Anything on HGTV
4. Survivor / Big Brother

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Thailand
2. St. Lucia
3. New Orleans
4. Road trip out west, 12 National Parks in 11 days!!

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Ebay.com
2. Gmail.com
3. pinkisthenewblog.com (gossip)
4. 123stitch.com (message board)

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Pizza
2. Chocolate
3. Pad Thai
4. English Muffin Pizzas that I make myself for lunch

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Illinois
2. Louisiana
3. St. Lucia to celebrate our anniversary
4. Somewhere where there is snow!

*TAG, You're it! Feel free to do this on your blog...it is kinda fun and made me think for a while. Especially the movie one. I almost put "Walk the Line" because it was that great...

Today is Our 2-Year Anniversary!!!!!

Happy Anniversary, Bay!

We were married on March 20, 2004 (First Day of Spring) on Anse Mamin Beach, St. Lucia, West Indies

It's here, It's here!

So, my Gazelle floor stand arrived today!! Woo Hoo! I will take a proper picture of it tomorrow in the daylight. It arrived today, record time, coming from Florida...shipped on the 7th of March. We spent probably about an hour putting it together. The lady that I bought it from wrote out directions but I couldn't make heads or tails of them so we winged it! I can't figure out the scroll rods that she sent...I will have to take a picture of them. They have a piece of fabric stapled to them, but no split in the wood to put the fabric in. Do I sew the linen to the fabric stapled to the rods or what? I so don't get it. For now, I have my giant q-snaps on it with CEF in place. I think that I would rather use the scroll rods though...the q-snap wiggles a little bit.

I am thinking of getting this design with my DSL gift cert from Jenn. I just love the Bleu de Chine designs...actually I love many many french designs. My favorite magazine has to be "Point de Croix". I have a pal in France that sent me one once...fabulous! The Bleu de Chine designs are so pretty, I really want them all. I am going to have to search for the designer's website (if one exists) and see what else there is out there.




I just finished this up, it is the Britty Kitty ornament from 2005 JCS ornament issue. I am "Brittied" out for a while. This was our "March" selection. I really like the fact that at the end of the year, I will have at least 12 ornaments done. I need to start working on April's selection, the "Joy Tree" from the same issue. I am going to do it over one on 28 count as well. My goal is to have it done before we lose our computer connection for the move.

So, this is my last week of work...YIIPPPEEE! I will be so glad to be unemployed, even if that means that I will never get the Coach bag that I am longing for. Oh well...I could always beg Mom for it, LOL. I am just looking forward to time off to do whatever it is that I want all day long!

So, I think that is about it for now. I will try to post an update later this week. Gotta work on getting some Ebay winnings packaged up. Kim, if you are reading this...I found another freebie in one of my stitching groups that I will include!

Peace!

Happy Birthday, Me!

Today is my birthday. My last one before 30! Egads, when did I get to be this old? Yesterday it seems like I was 17.

Today was pretty much like any other day. Woke up, took a shower, dropped DH off at work, went to work, counted down the minutes till I could go home, got home, checked the answering machine hoping to hear a birthday wish from a family member...nope, none. Did computer stuff, surfed ebay, went and picked up DH, stopped at the store (got a PG test and "Walk the Line"), came home, did some sewing, ate dinner, saw DH off to his bowling game (league), did some more sewing, and here I am.

I was very pleasantly suprised this morning though...Jenn sent me a GC to DSL!!! That really made me smile. And it was hard to keep it a secret, seeing as though I stealthily check my email from work...I really wanted to tell people about the nice stitchers and what nice people can do! Thanks so much, Jenn for making me smile big this morning.

It is a tradition in my family that when your birthday comes up, Granny calls and sings "Happy Birthday" in her Granster voice to you. I have it down pat, just ask Staci. Usually she doesn't catch me and sings to me via the answering machine. Not today. I think that the whole 16 hours ahead of everyone thing really has people thrown for a loop. But, I still have last year's message saved so I think that I will just go play that, LOL.

No call from my Mom either. :(

So, besides the aforementioned GC from Jenn, DH told me I could go ahead and buy the Elan Gazelle Floor stand from a lady that was willing to sell hers...woo hoo! She shipped it yesterday so it should be here next week. Mom ordered the Bare Minerals starter kit for me from ULTA 3, which should be here next week also. MIL& FIL sent me $40...whee! I think that with my GC and some of my bd money, I am going to buy the Easter Fairy kit from Mirabilia. I will have to wait until next month though. Once we move, get settled and get an address.

Here is my latest on CEF ( I haven't worked on her at all this week! ):
And here is something I just finished up tonight. It is by Brittercup Designs, Britty Puppies. I started it with the intention to give it to a coworker, but changed my mind. Off to work on a felt project. I have been on a kick at the thrift shop, searching for wool sweaters so that I can felt them and cut them up for pretties...look forward to pictures soon. I promise to update before the end of the weekend!

Well, blogger is being a bugger so I guess you will have to wait until later to see my pictures. Grrr!

Peace!

Happy Birthday, Mom

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

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

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

(Mom doesn't read this blog, either)

Stitching:

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

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

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

Peace!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

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

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

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

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

Happy Birthday, Dad.

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

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

Peace!

Mardi Gras

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

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

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

Peace

It was a mini vacation (not xs related)

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

But it was glorious.

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

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

Peace!

CEF Update & lots more

Well, here is the latest installment of my CEF:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace!

Not much to blog about

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace!

Superbowl party @ 6a.m.

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

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

Here is my update on Mirabilia CEF:


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

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

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

WTF is going on with Blogger?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace!

Warning...long post!

I am taking a few minutes from searching ebay...looking for a sweater organizer thingy that hangs from the closet rod. I want to put it into my craft room to put my fabric stash in so that I can better see what I have. Don't understand why some people think that it costs $10 + to ship one though!

Saw this on Harsha's blog (wish I knew how to make a clicky link) and thought it looked fun!

What were you doing 10 years ago?

I was a wild one 10 years ago...well not so much. Just a normal life-crazy teen. I was 18, a senior in Highschool and thought that my friends & I were King Shit on Turd Island (sorry if that offends). I was trying to figure out which school I was actually going to go to since the ones that I applied to all accepted me. Not that I applied anywhere prestigious. And I was kind of freaking out about being "independent". So naturally my weekends were spent hanging out with my girlfriends, drinking, and going to parties. No boys in my life at that time (and not for a while). I was having too much fun with my friends. I had a part time job which I hated and of course thought that all of the management were morons. *sigh* Wow, I have really changed alot since then! (not sarcastic)

Five Snacks You Enjoy:
1. Hershey's kisses - cherry cordials
2. Hershey's kisses - with almonds
3. Hershey's kisses - regular
4. M&M's (are you noticing a trend yet?)
5. Granny's popcorn

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics off your head right now:
1. Humpty Dance
2. Love of my life by Carlos Santana & Dave Matthews
3. Dancing Nancies by Dave Matthews ( I probably know all of Dave's songs actually)
4. Last Kiss by Pearl Jam
5. Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order

Five things you would do if you had one million dollars
1. Pay off our car & my student loan
2. Buy 100 acres somewhere where we could build our dream home
3. Donate a large amount to various animal shelters and animal organizations
4. Give a fixed amount to family members if they met our "requirements" (ex: To never ask for $ again)
5. Invest the majority of it for our old age and future children.

Five Bad Habits:
1. Procrastination
2. Indecisiveness
3. Worring about what other's think
4. My "Sailor Speak"...I frequently have a foul mouth
5. Forgetting to floss every single night...doesn't every other night count?

Five things you like doing:
1. Needlework
2. Spend time with my husband & pets
3. Reading
4. Volunteering
5. Writing letters to my Granny
6. Eating chocolate (I know, it was only supposed to be 5)

Five things you would never buy, wear or get new again:
1. A Chrysler PT Cruiser (or any brand new car, especially the first year of a new model!)
2. A wedding dress (duh...did it once, never plan on doing it again!)
3. The nasty frozen fish at the commissary....hope to never buy that again
4. A pet...I would rather give a needy pet a home than buy right from a breeder
5. can't think of anything else...

Five favourite toys :
1. My Kitchen Aid, Miss Pearl
2. My Roomba, Ruby
3. The computer
4. All of my stitching and sewing stash
5. Our pets...I know that they aren't actually toys, but they keep me so darned entertained sometimes!

I finished up my January Ornament for the STO SAL on Sunday...will post that later. Also want to post an update of my C.E. F. I started working on the Pink Champagne color and boy is it bright!

Here is some stash I got in the mail from 123stitch.com:


A spool of Kreinik blending filament in a bright white. Why? Well, you just never know when you might need some! Besides I have wanted to try it!

A cut of 32ct. Pewter lugana

A cut of 32ct. Putty lugana

A pre-pack of Belfast linen...don't remember if it was 32 or 28 ct.

11x17 Q Snaps

"Lord's Prayer" by My Big Toe Designs.

A couple of JABC buttons for the STO ornament SAL

The main things that I wanted were the "Lord's Prayer", the buttons and the Q Snaps...the rest is just bonus! I will use the fabrics...I like to have a little bit of variety on hand. Still have $ 30+ of my gift cert from MIL to spend!!!

DH is going to make something good for dinner tonight, I just know it! 4 out of my last 6 meals have been clam chowder. He made a big pot of it on Sunday night and we are trying to eat it up. I shouldn't complain when there are so many starving people out there.

I will post more with pictures later tonight!

Peace!

This is so me!

You are a La Perm! You are adventurous and love

the great outdoors. You're also known for

your unique hair style, which you are quite

proud of.


What breed of cat are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I know it isn't Monday

But you have to strike while the iron is hot...and right now our computer seems to be feeling pretty perky so I am sharing a pic of my Mirabilia Christmas Elf Fairy WIP as of the last Monday.

Mondays are Mirabilia SAL days with Renee from STO. I have been so slow with this but I have finally wrapped my little brain around the fact that I need to ask for an OTT light for my birthday. I can barely see the linen sometimes with the horrible living room table lamp. Maybe it is just my eyes though. More on that later. Here she is, I named her Penelope and her dress is coming along nicely.

I am a middle starter so I am kinda jumping all over with this one. I am trying to mainly stick with one color and work the majority of the areas with that color and then move on to the next color. I think that the blended color is up next and I don't know how I feel about that. It will be my first time doing a blended stitch.

Tonight DH is off bowling and I am going to quilt in a little while. Really need to get this one finished so I can focus on other things!!! Like a little quilt for me! I am going to do some blog work tonight and tidy it up a little bit. I have been nosing around on the crochetville blog posting and looking at other crocheter's blogs and they are really cool!

Did I mention that I started a granny square blanket this last week? Story of my life...always starting, never finishing! I taught myself how to do a granny square this last weekend and each day my goal is to crochet 2 squares. I am using Sugar & Cream natural cotton yarn for it...should turn out really pretty. Once you get the hang of the granny square, you really can't mess it up.

Gardening:
Our cherry tomatoes are really starting to come in. Too bad we are moving in 2 months. I hope that whomever moves into our house enjoys tomatoes. And green peppers. They are getting bigger, but still no peppers on the plants.

Pets:
The kids are alive and well. I must have gotten Bella's "baby" (a little purple and red mouse) mixed in with the load of towels...it was in the dryer today. She was thrilled to have it back and ran around the house with it in her mouth, howling and meowing like crazy. When we PCS to Saipan, I will have to make sure that it goes into her kennel with her...she is lost without it.

This is a rare moment for Lily and Bella. For those that don't know, Lily (Killer Lily) is the Brown Tabby and Bella (Isabella) is the Orange Tabby. They are usually biting and chasing after eachother.

Lady is Lady. We are thinking about taking her to the GAIN dogshow at the end of next month. She can get a little crack headed though when she is out in public. I think that she just gets too excited and doesn't know how to act.

Cooking:
That draws this post to an end. I have to get off my rump and go make some cookies for the girls at work. They are harassing me everyday because it has been over a week since I brought anything in. *sigh*

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers that these hellacious headaches would go away as mysteriously as they have appeared. I hate taking this medicine!

Peace!

My computer has the "feel bads"

And I think that it is my fault. At least DH thinks it is my fault. Somehow we have a trojan or two or someother virus and now things are wonky and not running right. DH is thinking it is from reading my blogs. Seriously, I have about 30 of them that I click onto every day. And only one is for celeb gossip. The rest are stitching, homemaking, etc. It usually takes me over an hour to do my computer time every day. So I have not been reading my blogs like usual and I feel left out!

I love reading everyone's stories and seeing the pictures. I might try to read some of the ones that I have been reading for the past 4 months...just not the more recent ones...never know if one of them is the culprit. There is one that I read (infrequently) that is written by a pretty snarky needleworker...maybe she would be the one. Anywhoo...she is on my banned list anyway since she is pretty new.

There is a simple solution:
1. Keep our virus protection updated yearly (ahem...)
2. I could figure out a way to sneak another computer in this house so that I can have my own. (ya right like that will happen)

I vote for wiping everything out on the computer, reloading it all and updating our virus protection. Although I wouldn't mind a laptop or something of my own just for my stitching stuff! :)

On to the important stuff...

Stitching:
*dumroll please*
Here is Bobbi's finished going away present:

She reports that it will eventually have a place of honor on their bed once they are done PCS'ing to Georgia. I am very thrilled that she loves it!

Today is Monday...MIRABILIA MONDAY!!! I love this little fairy! I will try to upload a picture of her in my next post. My rotation is out of whack. Monday is okay since I an doing the SAL, but the rest of the week is off. I don't have any gifts/exchanges going on, I am still doing IL's quilt (only a few more rotations), I am almost done with the ornament and I just started a new crochet lap blanket tonight. That means I need to pull out a UFO to work on. I think that I will work on Enchanted Alphabet now. After reviewing my rotation, I think that I will put E.A. on Thursdays and crochet on the weekends or whatever I want on the weekends.
Well, I am going to try some of DH's ribs tonight. I have never been a fan of ribs but I am willing to give it a shot.

Peace!