Disposable Society

I did some investigating the other day about getting my camera repaired. We like to repair things rather than replace them in our house. But, the way that things are today, it is easier just to throw things away and buy new than to have things repaired. Especially when you are considering the cost.

On 12/20/04, DH bought me my camera, a Sony Cyber-Shot DSCW1 with all the bells and whistles...2.5" LCD screen, 5.1 megapixels (this was great for 2 years ago), Carl Zeiss lens, 3x optical zoom. He paid $331 not including taxes or memory cards for it. That is a good amount of money.


(pictures found online)

Fast forward almost 2 years and the camera is not functioning well. Our friends K & J went and bought the same camera a week after we got ours and they replaced theirs this summer because the lens wouldn't retract when you shut it off. We aren't having problems with the lens, it is just everything else!

So, I went to the Sony website to get an idea about repairing it. It will cost a flat fee of $181 to repair it!!! I could buy the exact same one brand new off of ebay for $150.

They (the manufacturers & retailers) make it so easy to just throw things away and go buy new. Financially it makes sense, but having a responsibility to our environment speaks otherwise.

Think about all of the things that you throw away today. I know people who eat off of paper or foam plates exclusively so that they "don't have to do dishes". Think of the things that you are putting in the garbage that could be recycled, repaired or reused. Sure it takes a bit more effort, but once you get used to it, you don't even notice the change. Our landfills are overflowing by things that don't need to be there.

This whole camera repair business really set my mind in motion about how "disposable" our society is. Shoot, my Granny only uses disposable cameras. Ironic, huh?

Peace.

P.S. I finished my knitted scarf last night. Will post a picture in the next post. One more thing to cross off my 50 project listing!

Warning....LOTS of pictures!!!

Recently I read suggestions from other bloggers about how to add pictures to your posts without blogger freezing up or only working for one or two pictures. They said to upload all of your pictures at the beginning before adding text.

That's what I just did and it worked!!

I have been updating my blog recently with more of my "links" and such (see sidebar). I have more work to do, but I am liking how it is turning out. Considering my limited HTML skills.

Mom sent me a nice care package this week. I love the new USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes!!! For $8.10, they will ship all that you can cram fit into the box and ship it priority. That means that we get it in only a week! I mentioned to her that I was looking on ebay for more knitting needles and she went through her stash and sent me TONS! So, I have one more thing to add to my 50 Project Challenge...making a knitting needle roll-holder-thingy.


I have been able to mark some things off on the list. But, I have been adding to it to get to the 50 things. This is hard! It is for a good reason though. To finally go through my stash and prioritize.

In the past few weeks, I have finished the scarf on the far left (not included in the challenge), and last week, I knitted the scarf on the right (included in the challenge). I cast on for the scarf at the top and have made significant progress on it at night when we watch a movie (since we cancelled cable). I should finish it in the next night or two. I used #11 needles for all of them. For the one on the top and the left, I used Red Heart's Light & Lofty yarn, and for the one on the right I used some unknown "leftover" yarn (read: knotted together every 3 feet) that I got in a box of yarn off of ebay. It is slightly funky looking. Maybe not in such a good way. But, it will serve the purpose. For someone.

Some cross stitch finishes that I got around to photographing since it is a sunny day (my flash doesn't work anymore):

"Love" by BOAF

Stitched on 28 ct evenweave

DMC Flosses

Changed eye colors & hair colors to match DH & I

"Merry Yule" 2005 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue

Stitched on unknown piece of linen scrap 28 count

DMC floss "Molly To The Rescue" 2005 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue

Stitched on 28 count evenweave scrap

DMC floss "Goodnight, Sleep Tight" by Bent Creek

Stitched on 28 count evenweave

DMC floss "Noel/Lighthouse Ornament" by Homespun Elegance

Stitched on linen that it came with

DMC floss

This is for Dad & J for Christmas this year...just have to sew it into an ornament shape!

It has been so rainy and humid here for the past 3 weeks. Although I love the rain and overcast days, I could do without the humidity. This screen shot of my weather pixie was from yesterday. Notice that it says that the humidity is 94.3%? Ugh. No wonder why my antique wooden furniture is warping and molding. Good thing that we decided previously that we were going to sell all of our furniture when we left! It is all getting ruined here, which makes me sad. My bedroom set is pretty and it is Art Deco from the 20's or 30's from what I have been told. C'est la vie!


And finally, a picture of a picture. This is Madeline and me in Australia. We went to the Billabong Sanctuary that is just south of Townsville VIC. This has to be the best $10AUD that I spent the entire trip! She was so lightweight and cute... And you can't really tell because the picture is bad, but I am just *starting* to really show in this picture. I was about 20 weeks. And, yes, it is the yellow hat again that I am so desperately fond of. When I wear that hat out, I guess it will be time for another trip to St. Lucia to replace it! : )

*****

Thank you everyone, for your thoughts and prayers for Mom. I am going to be calling her tomorrow so I will see how she did with her most recent Chemo treatment.

*****

Blogrolling is not working for me, so I put my links into Google Reader yesterday and I really like it. If anyone wants to switch and needs a gmail invite, let me know, I have a bunch of them left. I don't know if you need a gmail account to use Google Reader, but I had to log in using my Gmail account. Gmail rocks by the way. I liked the simplicty of Blogrolling, and how it looked on my sidebar...I think that for now I will keep my Google Reader where it is at and figure out how to share it later. It is still in the "beta" stage, so it will only get better!

*****

On Friday, DH & I went and saw "The Guardian" at the theater. It is a Coast Guard movie that was pretty good. DH thought it portrayed the Coast Guard pretty accurately, except he didn't know what it was like at Swimmer Response A school...he is a Marine Science Technician so he went to a different A school. The only thing that bugged me was they were lax with the uniforms. There were a couple of times when Ashton didn't have on an undershirt, or he took off his hat outside, he wore his hat into a bar while on liberty *gasp...big no no*, or his button wasn't buttoned up far enough...but that is just me being picky.

I did think it was interesting how they showed the Coast Guard / Navy personnel interactions at the bar. It was right on. The mindset of many of the military people is that they don't think of the Coast Guard as military or they think that it is beneath them. The Coast Guard has many advantages over the other branches as far as I can see, but that is my opinion. And yes, it is a part of the military. You enlist, have rules, ranks, schools, etc.

Go see it! *stepping off my soapbox*

Peace.

Quick update

This has been a trying week for sure! I appreciate the comments and emails, I can't tell you all how much you mean to me. Thank you!

I am in a much better state of mind than I was earlier this week, that is for sure.

I have talked to Mom a few times since then and this is what is going on:

She went to her Oncologist on Wednesday (a day sooner than planned) and had Granny & Great Aunt K. with her. The Oncologist talked to them for a long time. He is optimistic and said that he thinks it is treat-able. Not curable, but hopefully it can be slowed and put into remission.

She has numerous cancerous spots on her chest, 4 cancerous areas on the lymph nodes under her right collar bone and "cluster areas" (as she calls them) on the bony formation of her ?thoracic? spine in 2 different spots. She wasn't sure how to describe where they are on her spine, just said that it is about mid back, which would be the lower thoracic or possibly uppermost lumbar. I am thinking thoracic.

Anyway, she got another PICC line inserted in her arm on Thursday and had her first combination Chemo treatment that same day. She thinks that she will have to do 12 weeks of Chemo and they will reevaluate. Here is how they will work out the schedule, she only has to go one time per week:
Week 1: Breast Cancer Chemo
Week 2: Breast Cancer Chemo
Week 3: Breast Cancer Chemo followed by the Bone Cancer Chemo once the Breast Cancer one is run through.
Week 4: Off. No treatment on 4th week, but starts again with week 1 the following week.

Once she is done with the Chemo, her doctor wants her on a weekly blood draw routine to check for increasing cancer indicators. He basically said that this will have to be treated as a chronic illness, just like Diabetes or MS. He doesn't know why she keeps getting it, and why it is spreading, but he is going to treat the new areas as they appear.

She is incredibly optimistic and truly believes that we are all here for a purpose and that everything happens for a reason. She is willing to try experimental treatments if it comes to that. She said, "If I do an experimental treatment now and down the road it proves to work, then maybe it will save your life someday." But for now, it seems that they will do a standard treatment on her.

*******

I have been reading on other blogs about the "50 Project Challenge" and I think that I am going to jump in!!! I might not have 50 things to list just yet, but according to my notes here, I have at least 24 and I know that I am forgetting some finishing. I will be setting up a seperate blog for that. Plus, I need to go find the link for the originator and look at her rules so I can figure out my own.

******

We are losing our borrowed laptop tomorrow morning until possibly Thursday. I wish that the freaking motherboard that DH ordered would arrive soon, but you know what they say about wishing. So, I will be offline again for a few days.

******

Today is the 11th day of this Monsoon Trough that is over us. It has been overcast and raining off and on since Sept. 27. I am starting to feel waterlogged. You know it is bad when your wooden furniture starts to mold. GROSS! Good thing I have a giant bottle of vinegar ready to go!

Stay happy & healthy, everyone! I will be back soon!

Peace.

An Unexpected Phone Call....

That has rocked my world.

More on that in a minute. Let me just say thank you to everyone who read my last post and especially to those that commented on it. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get checked regularly. You will read why in a minute.

First, I figured out a way to get some of my pictures on here. My nice Sony camera is dying a slow death. First the LCD screen in Australia, now the flash is gone. But here you go:

I stitched this last year, it is a Bent Creek design. I stitched it on some kind of linen with DMC. I just finished it into my very first flanged pillow.....not thrilled with the draft stopper looking results (remember those things that you put in front of the door to stop the draft...yeah), but I figure that next year I can take it apart and sew some loops at the top and hang it from a dowel or something.

This is the baby blanket I crocheted. I used a basic granny square design in mind while doing it. I used a cone of the baby pastel and a cone of the white from Peaches ' N Cream (1# cones). I really like using the cotton yarns. Much nicer feeling than the old acrylic. This will be put away for a while since the baby won't really need it here as hot as it is.

I finished this quilt top a while ago. Mom sent me the squares for it, I just pieced it together. Easy peasy. It really made me realize how important seam allowances are though! (I think that I lamented about that a while ago) I haven't started basting it together or quilting it yet...not sure when I will do that, but it will probably be this year yet.

********

Back to the phone call.
My Tuesday started out normal...nothing out of the ordinary. Then I got a phone call that changed that.

*ring, ring*

Me: "Hello."

Her: "Yes."

Me: *slightly confused since I don't recognize the voice and who the hell says "Yes" when someone answers the phone with "Hello"?* "HELLO".

Her: "I am trying to reach someone at this number for someone in Australia."

Me: *even more puzzled* "I am sorry, I don't know anyone in Australia." (besides Madeline the Koala, the Tricare Insurance Guy and Anne in Melbourne, but Anne doesn't have our number. Neither does Madeline the Koala.)

Her: "Ma'am, can you please tell me your name so I can check to see if the person on the other end is trying to reach you?"

Me: "Umm, okay. My name is Melissa and my husband is James." (Just incase they are really looking for him.)

Her: "Okay, please hold the line while I check."

Me: "Umm, okay." *at this point I started to think that this was a prank or some kind of reverse charge call where they try to keep you on the line for as long as possible and then you end up with a $999 charge from Bermuda or something for the call. I seriously was thisclose to hanging up.)*

Her: "Ma'am. The person on the other line IS trying to reach you. I am going to connect you now. Go ahead."

Me: "Uhhh...okay. Hello?"

Her # 2: "Missy?"

Me: "Yeah."

Her # 2: "This is Jill."

Me: "Jill? I don't know a Jill in Australia."

Jill: "Jill. You are Lauri's Mother."

Me: *slightly panicking now putting the name Jill with Lauri* "Actually I am Lauri's daughter." *At this point I have realized that Jill is Jilly...Mom's unofficially adopted daughter*

Me: "Jill...what is wrong? What is wrong with Mom?" *now thinking the worst, that her & Todd have been killed in a car accident or she is in the hospital in a coma...wondering why Jill would be the one to call me instead of my family*

Jill: "Missy, your Mom's doctor called her tonight and her cancer is back in both breasts and in her spine."

*******

That was all I needed to hear. I lost it. Seems Jill couldn't figure out exactly how to call Saipan and thought it was somewhere near Australia so she called an Australian operator to help her. And she thought that Mom was scared to call me and didn't want to stress me out before she went and saw her doctor.

I talked to Mom a while later. Her calmness is absolutely amazing. She does have cancer again in the chest where both breasts would be. She also has it in the lymph nodes under her collar bone on the right and all along her spine.

She goes to see her Oncologist on Thursday (mainland time) and we hope that she can start Chemo by the beginning of the week to help slow the metastasis to other areas.

Please keep our family in your prayers. There is no way that I can fly to Chicago (a 16 hour flight) right now, since I am 6 1/2 months pregnant.

And please go get checked before it is too late.

Peace.

October is....

Finally here!

And it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Getting the word out about breast cancer is especially important to me and women in my family. My Great Aunt is a survivor after a Mastectomy, My Grandmother is a survivor after a Mastectomy and My Mother continues her battle with breast cancer to this day.

Mom has had numerous surgeries over the years to remove lumps and finally ended up having to have a bilateral Mastectomy (medical jargon for removing both of her "lady lumps") in 2004 followed by a round of Chemotherapy. This year they found more of the cancerous tissue so she just finished a 15 week round of Radiation in August.

She has 6 new lumps and had more nuclear testing done this past week. She is now preparing herself mentally for another long Illinois winter housebound and a repeat performance of the Chemotherapy routine. Last time she had Chemo, the side effects were pretty drastic and linger to this day. She is now on permanent disability at 49 years old due to nerve damage in her legs from the Chemo Cocktail. She ordered a new car in 2005 and it sits unused in the driveway because she is unable to drive a manual transmission and push in the clutch anymore.

Surprisingly, she continues to be upbeat. She is looking forward to turning 50 in February and also the birth of her first grandchild in January.

So, ladies (and men as there is a small amount of men who do get breast cancer), please do your monthly self examinations and get a mammogram done routinely. They really don't hurt that badly...I had one already and the few seconds of discomfort are nothing compared to what Mom is going through. If you have a family history of breast cancer, be sure that your doctor is aware of it.

To learn more about breast cancer and ways to donate, please visit the Susan G. Komen website here.

And if you have a minute, please send a message to your lawmakers to urge them not to cut funding for Medicare participants that are undergoing breast cancer prevention, diagnosing or treatment. Please click here. It is a quick little fill in the blank with your info form.

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

I am hoping to be able to post some pictures of finishes and other stuff maybe later tonight or tomorrow.

Peace

The crazy book lady

You know how some women are crazy cat ladies (my Mom for one, who now has 15 cats...anyone in Illinois want a cat?)? Well, I am the crazy book lady. I have resorted to piling books up next to the 8 foot tall bookshelf that DH built because we have too many.

I am on the third book of the "Chronicles of Narnia", I think that it is called "The Horse and his Boy"...this particular book is moving a bit slowly, the other two in the series were a snap. Only 4 more to go after this one.

DH & I went to a garage sale yesterday (did I ever mention how much I love garage sales?) and the lady there is a bookworm as well...I could have easily spent alot more money if I had the patience to go through all of the books more carefully. We (DH did get 3 books afterall) only spent $10...on 19 books and a cat toy.

Here is a listing:

• *Let's Go Guide to China (we have booked our 2008 trip to Beijing so far, considering a cruise down the Yangtze River as well)
• *Impact Guide to Hong Kong (We are planning a long weekend there at some point as well)
• *How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman (DH's book)
• *The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
• *Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of The West by Gregory Maguire
• *Victoria Victorious : The Story of Queen Victoria by Jean Plaidy
• *The Exploits and Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy by Elizabeth Aston
• *The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (I have read this, and it is one of my favorites, I adore this author)
• *The Favored Child by Philippa Gregory
• *Wideacre by Philippa Gregory
• *Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston
• *The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes (great author, read a few others of hers this year)
• *Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier
• *The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby (the author is the only Westerner to become a Geisha. I want to get her book "Geisha" as well.)
• *Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella
• *The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
• *The Ruby Ring by Diane Haeger
• *Courtesan by Dora Levy Mossnaen
• *The Last Great Dance on Earth by Sandra Gulland

At another garage sale, I got a 4 pack of bobbins for my sewing machine for 25 cents!!! What a great shopping day!

After our garage sale adventures, we dropped off our newspapers, cardboard and shredded paper to the recycling center. I think that it all ends up in the dump eventually but at least we try.

Then we took our dog, Lady to the beach. She is a good swimmer, although she would rather just walk along the beach and sniff the hermit crabs. DH spotted a really cool blue starfish while he was swimming. Made me regret that we didn't bring the underwater camera. It was vivid.

While at the beach (Aqua Beach & south of it), we picked up a canvas shopping bag full of aluminum cans. Budweiser is truly the king of the island if you were to judge by the amount of cans that we picked up. I don't understand why people don't recycle their aluminum...they pay you for the cans for pete's sake!

*******

I am almost done with the baby afghan that I am crocheting. I am using Peaches n Cream cotton yarns, and doing it in a big Granny Square pattern. Not like the baby will need it here as hot as it is. I will get a picture once it is done.

I haven't picked up a needle or any cross stitch in forever it seems like. I did get a bit of new stash recently thanks to Jenn. She gave me a gift certificate to Down Sunshine Lane for my birthday back in March and I have been hemming and hawing about what to get. Well, I placed my order last week and here is what I got. BTW, let me just say that I love Amy at Down Sunshine Lane! Great service, I plan on using her much more. Thanks again Jenn for your generosity! You really surprised me when I needed it most.

2006 Just Cross Stitch Special Christmas Ornaments Issue

The magazine exceeded my expectations this year and I am very happy that I got my grubby hands on a copy!

Lizzie*Kate "Work Pray Trust" S69

I knew when I saw this new release that I had to get it. We are planning a low-key Christmas this year, but I know that this will be stitched a couple of times for special people in our lives.

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I have uploaded a couple of new pictures into my webshots album...a few that DH had on his work computer of our trip to Australia, some recent tummy shots (don't mind how babelicious I am looking), and a few new ones of the pets. Go to my webshots album to see.

Peace!

Ain't no sunshine when he's gone....

I know the song says "she" instead of "he", but that was how I was feeling for the past few days. Now I am the happiest girl in Saipan! My DH is home!!! I didn't post about him being gone because, well...there are just some things that shouldn't be put out there when you are eleventy thousand miles away from everything and everyone that you know.

DH had to go to Hawaii for a class for his job. Waikiki to be exact. Rough life, I know. But he got back last night (Sunday) safe and sound and I was delighted quite frankly. We have been married for 2 1/2 years but it doesn't seem like that long. Still in the honeymoon phase, I guess. We are the couple that where you see one of us, you will see the other. Some call it connected at the hip.

We met 4 years ago on Sept 14, 2002. Got engaged on October 21, 2003. Got married on March 20, 2004. We were married on the black sand beach at Anse Mamin, near Soufriere, St. Lucia. The staff at Anse Chastanet was fantastic and arranged everything. Our only guests were DH's parents. We also stayed at Ladera and Ti Kaye. Trip of a lifetime.

DH brought home tons of stuff for me from Hawaii. My Nivea Soft lotion, some floss that I needed for my Mother's Tree (now to just get started), some yarn I needed for a project, some sewing thread, a pretty jar candle for my sewing room, some bath bombs and a bubble bar from Lush...one of my all time favorite stores (I highly recommend the "All that Jas" bath bomb), some "tummy butter" that he thought I might like for my growing belly, a carseat & stroller combo for the baby which is very cute (Evenflo "Aura") and half the price that we would have paid here, and about 10 older dvd's that he found on sale. We have watched "Jumanji" and "Cocoon" so far.

:)

Peace

Oh no she didn't!!!

As I was talking to my Mom on the phone today, I heard a car stop in front of our house. We don't have a lot of traffic and live on a dead end gravel road. The usual noises that we hear are the chickens that roam free (who do they belong to anyway and how do you know which one is yours?), and an occasional cow in the distance. Oh yeah, and the yapping dog behind us that likes to take a dump in our yard. He's lucky he's quick.

Of course, I had to check because the car was a little noisy. It was a nicer car...maybe a Nissan. But it had one of those exhaust pipes about as big as a soup can on it. As I was looking to see what was going on, I saw the driver (female) reach into the backseat, unstrap the baby from it's carseat in the back, haul the baby to the front and proceed to stand the baby on her lap with the baby's hands on the steering wheel and drive away. I assume that the baby was about 18-20 months old.

I realize that we live on a dead end road (one lane btw) and there isn't much much traffic or risk of accident.

But that is just wrong. I was so mad I stood there with my mouth open and Mom chatting away. They make rules for a reason, people!

******

In about 26 hours I will be the happiest girl on Saipan. You just wait and see!

******

I like to visit some of the pregnancy message boards, just to see what is going on with others that are in the same boat and compare what I am feeling/thinking with what they post. I don't post to these boards, I am more of a lurker.

Today was "Friday Confessions" (since most of the posters are back Stateside). You wouldn't believe what these women were fessing up to! And without any self restraint. Some of the posts included:

*"I am so sick of being pregnant"...not me honey, I am loving it (said without sarcasm)!

*"I haven't taken my prenatal vitamin in weeks"...I remember mine every night. I've been taking them since November so I should remember by now.

*"We haven't had sex this whole pregnancy and I don't feel badly"...ummm, a little TMI, but thanks for sharing!

*"Is it wrong that I am more upset about breaking my B.O.B. than not talking to my DH for the past 3 days?"...again with the TMI, ladies! I don't want to know about your B.O.B. habits. (I only recently learned what B.O.B. stood for from a dear friend that was telling me about an acquaintance, ask your friends. If your friends don't know, ask me and I will tell you.)

*"I am not drinking enough water...I have probably only drank one bottle this whole pregnancy."...seriously? What are you drinking? I know I don't drink enough water, but I do probaby drink at least 4 or 5 glasses a day along with my chocolate milk, glass of orange juice and copious amounts of the forbidden fruit...sweet tea with lemon.

I could go on, but these were the ones that stuck out.
*****

I have been working on a quilt top for the past few days. I really need to remember the importance of maintaining seam allowances that are the same with EVERY seam. Arrrgh. If I could trust this P.O.S. computer, I would post a picture. Just gives you something to look forward to.

*****

Since I won't bore you with my Australian Bra shopping adventures (let's just say that I didn't realize that bra sizes aren't the same on every continent). I will tell you another funny story. Thank goodness for the lady at the Myer Department Store is all I will say about that.

We flew from Saipan to Guam, had a layover in Guam and then boarded a Continental flight to Cairns. Let me just gush about how much I love love love Continental. We were upgraded to Business Class. Now I hate flying, but there is something to be said about flying First Class! Makes it a whole lot easier. No big deal for DH, he is used to First Class. Mr. Big OnePass Elite superstar.

Towards the end of the trip, we get our customs forms from the friendly flight staff that called us (and everyone else in business class) by our names. On it, you have to *ahem...should* declare items being brought in. Well, before we left, DH made a half gallon of trail mix with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, peanuts and raisins. We also packed a few packets of instant hot chocolate, microwave popcorn and an unopened bag of sunflower seeds. So I told him that we should check the box saying that we were bringing food into the country. He did and we were stopped by customs. We had to turn over the said food items to the inspector and he looked up each thing on his computer to see if they could be allowed in. Wouldn't you know that we ended up having the unopenend bag of sunflower seeds, the trail mix ("I don't think that either of you want to stand here and pick out the sunflower seeds"), and the microwave popcorn CONFISCATED!!!

So let this be a PSA to people traveling to Australia:
DO NOT bring sunflower seeds or microwave popcorn with you!

We just wanted to eat the stuff while out and about, not intending to plant sunflower or microwave popcorn plants throughout the Australian countryside. I know, microwave popcorn doesn't grow like that but it is a funny visual.

I know DH was peeved at giving up the trail mix, but I think that I was more heartbroken about the microwave popcorn. At least they didn't mess with the hot chocolate! Rat bastards.

:)

Peace.

Bookworm checking in!

Did I mention that we have turned our cable tv off? The day we left for Australia it was disconnected. Man, life without tv is a bit strange. We don't get any local channels, well, because there aren't any. The cable tv is a feed from California and it is 3 weeks behind the mainland. I think that they must ship over VHS tapes via USPS mail or something for it to be 3 weeks behind. So, we decided that we were sick of it. Not to mention that sometimes they don't show what they are supposed to (probably because a VHS tape got lost in the mail) so they show a re-run or something else. It got old. So now we save $50 a month on that.

Our DVD collection is growing slowly so maybe we aren't saving that $5o like I originally planned. :)

When you don't have tv to watch, you get alot more accomplished. Like reading.

We got back from our trip last Monday (9-4) and I have read 6 books and am on my 7th. I was a little concerned that I would run out of books soon, but I counted the ones on our bookshelf and we have over 300. But half of them are DH's and focus on hiking, the theory of evolution, etc. so I don't think that I will be reading those. I do think that Mr. Darwin was brilliant and I can see where his theories can be applied to some situations, but I have my own beliefs. That still leaves at least 100 books that are mine. Plus we have a library here that is pretty decent, considering.

Here is what I have read so far this past week:

• Finished up "Snow Falling on Cedars" by Dave Guterson. This one was kind of slow for me. I really had to work to stick with it. The end turned out like I wanted it to. The writing was very detailed and made me feel like I could see the landscape and the settings. The characters just weren't that great. I would like to see the movie now.

• "The Quilter's Apprentice" by Jennifer Chiaverini. This was a fun, 24 hour read. Made me wish that I had my own quilting teacher (ahem, Kim) to show me the ropes. My brain really didn't have to work hard with this one. I wouldn't mind getting the others in the series. Paperbackswap.com, here I come!

• "Rural Renaissance" by John Ivanko & Lisa Kivirist. This is published by Mother Earth News and is written by the owners of a B&B near Monroe, WI (about 45 mintues from where we are from). They have commmited themselves, their family and their business to protecting the Earth in all that they do. Very informative book about ways to incorporate being "green" in your lifestyle even if you aren't ready to put up the solar panels, the wind turbine and ripping out the sod in your yard and planting native plants. They have alot of ideas that I would like to incorporate into our lives once we get back into the States, buy our house, and start our business. Some of the things that they discuss are things that we already do. I do admit though, I will start using their "7th Generation" mantra as well. Basically it is making decisions that are the best and knowing what effect it will have down the line to the 7th generation. Based on an old Indian saying. Many people go through this life only thinking of the first generation, themselves.

• "So That's What They're For!" by Janet Tamaro. A book about breastfeeding. I would recommend to a woman that is considering breast feeding and doesn't know much about it. Especially since, like the author points out, our society in America is trained to think that breastfeeding is a freakshow. It is a natural experience and instinct that women have un-learned over the years. I know that I grew up in a family with 5 aunts and 4 of them had children, granted one of the 4 had her child 5 years before I was born so that doesn't count. I never saw any of them breast feed. People learn by watching and by experience. Enough said.

• "Buster Midnight's Cafe" by Sandra Dallas. This was a cute book. Took me more than 24 hours. I love the characters, Effa Commander and Whippy Bird. Not to mention the tortured May Anna. I felt like I was part of their circle and they really set the record straight. I would recommend this one.

• "Little Altars Everywhere" by Rebecca Wells. This is the first book in they Ya-Ya's set. We watched the movie again this weekend for the eleventy thousandth time and I though as we were watching that I wanted to re-read this book series just to see how close the movie is to the originals. The movie does take some liberties and combines many aspects but we can't have everything. I love this author and these characters. Even more so after living along the Bayou in South Lousiana for 2 years. I appreciate the characters so much.

• "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells. The second book in the series. I am almost half way done with it. Again, a re-read.

After that, I am going to finish off the set with "Ya-Ya's in Bloom", a gift from my DH a couple of years ago. Another re-read. Then I am moving on to unchartered waters. The beheamoth of "The Chronicles of Narnia" is calling my name. It may be an epic journey for me since it has like 5,000 pages or something. DH read it as a kid and was surprised that I hadn't. Never read the "Hobbit" series either. Sorry.

********

Thanks everyone for the messages! I really have missed my blogging friends and seeing your gorgeous works of art. Truly inspiring.

Heather - you can be sure that I will be getting in touch with you. You made my day yesterday!

I tried today to leave a comment for Jo & Carolyn but I couldn't. Maybe it is because of the beta blogger thing. Anyway, here is what I wanted to say:

Jo I just love love love pictures of Miss Emma. She is so adorable, she makes me want to get another puppers, only just like her. And the bag is coming along so nicely. The colors are fabulous! Do you use circular needles or dpn's on something like that?

Carolyn Your second set of letters looks great! I am working on finishing up mine this weekend and then starting on E & F. I really like your template as well. Is that one from beta or is it one that you got from a free site? Looks good.

I was thinking of switching over to beta, but I want to wait until some more of the bugs are worked out.

I am going to publish this now since who knows how long this P.O.S. computer will cooperate. Yesterday it froze up on me a couple of times and I had to re-start it and it took almost a half hour each time to start. Makes me miss our old whizzer 'puter.

Next time maybe I will tell y'all about the Australian bra shopping adventure that I had. If I'd only known.

Peace!

:)

Better than nothing!

I am still alive!

We have borrowed a computer from a co-worker of DH's until we get ours sorted out. I am hoping that our renter's insurance covers the repairs for the old computer. I think that we are still going to order a new laptop anyway.

The reason that we have been dragging our feet on the computer issue is that the problem happened 2 days before we left for AUSTRALIA for 2 weeks!

We are now back (came back 9-4-06) and I have to say....Australia is so fantastic! I wish that I could have stayed instead of coming back to Saipan. Not considering my allergies here are insane until I get used to it here again. Yes, I look like a puffy eyed freak for now because of allergies.

We spent a couple of days running around Cairns, Kuranda, Townsville, Magnetic Island and then took a Jetstar.com flight (so not ready for another one of those) to Melbourne. We got another rental car (DH did great driving on the opposite side of the road while figuring out how to shift and signal with the opposite hands as well...not to mention the fab roundabouts that I think should be in every city), and drove south to Bellbrae where our timeshare is. We had a great condo for a week and every day we took off to do day trips.

While down south, we went to Otways, Split Point, Loch Ard Gorge, 12 Apostles, Phillip Island to see the "Little Penguins", Victoria Market in Melbourne, Torquay (home of RipCurl, Quicksilver, etc...big surfing place), Geelong, Barwon Heads.

And let me just say that even though it sounds pathetic, one of the highlights of the trip for me was the grocery stores! Real deli's in the stores! Fresh dairy products! (I am from the midwest, y'all)

I could have lived on the fresh European style yogurt, fresh milk, Schweppes Lemon Lime & Bitters soda, lebanese bread & feta dip and greek olive mixture that we bought a couple of times. D-E-L-I-S-H! And those chocolates made by Cadbury. Time Out was my favorite, hands down. Cherry Ripe is okay...not sure what the hype is about. I also liked the Crunchy. I wanted to try a Violet Crumble but it didn't come in my mixed bag of trial sized bars and I was not about to shell out $2.75 for a regular sized candy bar. Some of the prices there are worse than Saipan! And gas...over $4 a gallon. I think that we paid on average $1.30 per litre. I did love the little ice cream cone from Happy Jacks (Burger King in the US). So rich and creamy and only 30 cents. Just the right size too! They looked at us like we were bonkers when we ordered them. It was our first day in Aus and we were starving so we stopped and got sandwiches and ice cream cones. It was probably only 15 degrees C there at the time.

We have tons of pictures to post, including one of me holding a baby Koala at the Billabong Sanctuary just south of Townsville. What a sweet baby she is! Alas, I do not risk trying to upload my pictures to this computer since it likes to freeze up and restart at any time. I will save that for later.

*******

4 years ago, I met the man I married and my life has forever been changed. This has been the best 4 years of my life and they seem to keep getting better!

*******

The baby is doing well. I had another appointment last week and really liked that doctor. I am hoping that I can stick with him for the duration. I pray that he won't be sucked into the revolving door at that hospital and disappear forever. At least not until after January 2007. I feel the baby moving around all of the time. I still think that it is a girl. My tummy has grown. Now you can tell that I am pregnant, just a little bit. About time since I am on the cusp of my 6th month. I had gained 6 pounds since my last appointment but since we have been home, I have lost 2 of them. It is just too stinking hot to eat here. I about make myself sick forcing myself to eat at least 2 meals and 2 snacks a day. Most of the time I am just plain worn out to eat anything significant for dinner. Last night's dinner for me was a bowl of Edamame (soybeans). Those things are like crack for me...too addicting.

*******

I haven't done any stitching for 3 weeks! I will get back into the groove soon. I need to get caught up with my commitments.

One of my goals for our trip to Australia besides seeing Koalas (check), and Kangaroos (check, even petted them), was to get a sock knitting kit. I am obsessed with learning how to knit socks, even though it is eleventy billion degrees here and I have no need to wear any. We went to the Wool Museum in Geelong and I thought for sure that they would have somthing there. Nope. We even went to "Stitchery Blue" in Geelong. It is a nice little stitchy / knitty shop in the downtown area. "Sorry, we just sold our last sock pattern book yesterday." BAH!!! So, I am going to ebay. I have heard about "socks that rock" on another blog...so I may hunt those down as well.

Off to get this posted and read up on some blogs before the computer decides it is tired and shuts down.

I've missed y'all!

:)

Peace

RIP computer

Our poor computer was brutally murdered by a power surge on Saturday. Despite our best efforts by providing it with a pricey surge protector specifically for this purpose. The hard drive won't even power up.

We will be offline for a while.

Dude, I might be getting a Dell.

But not for a while.

:(

Peace out.

This kills me

They actually post the dates, times, location and duration of sobriety checkpoints here on Saipan in the daily newspaper.

Where is the element of surprise for catching these idiots? Or is it that they think that people dumb enough to drink & drive don't read the paper?

If you want to see the stupidity, click here.


Seriously.


Here is something I found on another blog, you should try it, it is fun.

26% scored higher (more nerdy), and
74% scored lower (less nerdy).

What does this mean? Your nerdiness is:

Mid-Level Nerd. Wow, it takes a lot of hard nerdy practice to reach this level.

I have said it before and I will say it again, yeah I am a nerd.

Found another Mother!

For my Mother's Tree that I am itching to start. Hi, my name is Missy and I am addicted to starting projects. But this one I really want to get done before the baby is born.

Today, I was writing an email to my Grandma in Dallas about my longing to figure out my great-great-great-great-great-great Grandmother's name. Then I decided to do some research on the internet while writing to Gram. Gosh, I love me some internets. Found out that my next name on the Mother's Tree is:

Rachel Stevens Grippen born in 1778 in New York. If anyone out there in blog land knows of a connection to Rachel, or may know who her mother is, I would be most appreciative to find out. I spent the majority of my morning tracking her down. Seems that women were not as important as men...I had to find her through her husband's name.

So, now we have:

1778 Rachel Stevens Grippen
1803 Aurelia Grippen Thorne
1833 Sara Thorne Hoyt
1857 Maria Hoyt Day
1880 Nell Day Brown
1918 G.B.D. (this is my great gram and I don't want to post full names of my living mothers)
1939 S.D.S (Gram in Dallas)
1957 L.V.E. (Mother)
1977 ME!

So that takes it to 9 names, hopefully 10 in January. You can see what the mother's tree looks like in my sidebar. Really cool. I will be certifiable when done though since I am planning on doing it over one on 32 count. I had some issues when trying to decide how to put Mother's name on it and same with Gram's. Since they have both been married multiple times. I just stuck with their first name, their maiden name and their current last name.

Gram had always said that I could get into DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) if I wanted to and now, seeing a link to that time period, and knowing that we did have family here when the country was just starting out amazes me. Gram says that she can trace it back to Mayflower days, but I haven't seen that yet.

Typhoon
So, it seems that Saomai is really causing problems in China. Read the article here. She is the strongest storm they have had in 50 years.

I feel badly for all of the travelers that are stranded today. And I really feel for the employees that are having to put up with them. It is scary to think about what could have happened and what could potentially still happen if the terrorists are successful again.

Baby
I am still feeling the baby move and kick! I can tell it is him/her more now, especially after I drink my chocolate milk while sitting here at the computer in the mornings. The baby really likes chocolate milk! :)

I had a strange dream last night. I was hired as a forum moderator for a pregnancy message board. And it was kinda stressing me out because I thought I had to be online to police them 24/7. Man, those girls could fight. I blame the hormones.

Not much else happening here. Looks like it might be another overcast day, which is perfectly fine with me. I might do some baking later if it stays cool.

Peace

Let's start with...

Stitching...
Shall we? Sounds good to me! I finished putting in the last few stitches into the SAL piece "B" just a few minutes ago, gave it a rinse and pressed it. That butterfly stitch was a little tricky! Especially trying to figure out how to anchor the threads when starting it. Oh well, 2 down, 2 more to go this month.

Rainbow Gallery Freebie SAL by Erica Michaels
SAL with Jo and Carolyn
32 count cream Belfast linen, 2 over 2
DMC threads

I have been naughty and buying stash this month...*sigh* the month is only half over and I am already on the wagon. September is a new month though! It is a sickness, I tell you!

Yesterday I got some fun stash in the mail!

I got:
*Bent Creek Zippers Kit "Patriotic Santa"
*Prairie Schooler "1987 Santa"
*Prairie Schooler "Christmas Village"
*JBW Sweet Nothings "Grandmothers"
*Homespun Elegance "Noel Lighthouse Ornament"
*4 My Boys "Snow Proud Sampler"

I am so excited to get the PS Santa...this is my first of the yearly series, I am hoping that eventually I will have them all.

I think that I am going to stitch up the Noel Lighthouse ornament today and put it away for my Dad & J for Christmas. Dad is a lighthouse aficionado. He loves them. They just went on vacation to northern WI and took a side trip over towards Duluth to do some lighthouse tours or something. Crazy kids!

I have been slacking with the SBQ lately so here goes:




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

Do you have a favorite needlework tool that you like to work with?
What is it and why do you like using it?

I have to say that besides the JJ petites needles that I adore, the only other things that I have for tools are: Q-Snaps, Gingher scissors, and Gazelle Stand with scroll rods. Since you saw the Gingher's a few posts ago, here is a picture of my Gazelle Stand that I got to buy from another stitcher as DH's birthday present to me this past year. I love it and love the fact that it has the chart holder. I find myself using it to stitch larger pieces that I don't have to turn over as much to change colors. But I do use the chart holder all of the time.
This picture was taken at our old house in Guam. Back when the CEF wasn't a UFO! I should really drag her out again and put some stitches in her, she is so pretty.

Other than that, I don't have anything else that I use. I was thinking about getting a dololly especially with the issues I had with short threads this week. We'll see though.

Today's SBQ was suggested by Ami and is:

For those of you who use hand or over-dyed floss, how do you store it?

I don't really use much over-dyed floss, excluding my new hanks of SSS. For right now, I have them hanging on a metal ring on a peg on the shelf above the computer. I don't know of another way that would work out better for me. Besides, I can look at them any time I want when I am contemplating something while writing. I do need to rinse them though so that they will be ready to use when I am. When I had a bunch of WDW flosses, I kept them in a box in my craft closet. But they are happy in their new home at Kim's : )

On to other stuff....

Anyone?
Can anyone tell me what the heck the phrase "Snakes on a Plane" means? I have recently seen it on a couple of blogs and I didn't understand what the author was trying to say by saying that. I went to youtube.com and watched the idiotic film trailer for the movie "Snakes on a Plane" with Samuel L. Jackson and I honestly think I might be dumber for it. I don't understand the connotation that is being implied when people use it. Here is where I saw it:

Crochet Dude
(Look at his Tuesday August 8 post)
Crazy Aunt Purl
(Look at her August 4 post, it is the question about the post office box: "Q: I have a question...what happened to your p.o. box? I've had this f'n Christmas ornament for you for eight months now! Snakes on a plane, girl! One day I'd like to get it out of my possession! from Kim")

WTF are they trying to get across with this phrase? I feel so left out!

Saipan Life
So, DH and I have made a big decision this week. We have decided to get rid of our cable tv. I know, it is like cutting off a lifeline for some people. But there is a reason for this.

The other night, I noticed that some of the channels (NBC, CBS, ABC) seemed kind of wonky and they had all Guam advertisements on them which is highly unusual. Then came Tuesday night. Anyone that knows me well knows that I love love love Big Brother and Survivor and the like. Well, Tuesday nights are Big Brother nights. So, I got all settled in and sat down to watch it. Guess what wasn't on? Big Brother. Yep, actually on CBS that night, it had on the Wednesday lineup, from the previous week. Then I started thinking about it...you know what?! I couldn't find Jeopardy! for the last couple of nights as well, along with Days of Our Lives at 1 PM...what gives? So, I called a friendly Customer Service Rep down at Marianas Cable Vision yesterday to investigate. I probably sounded like a lunatic, but the lady told me that channels have changed due to something in San Francisco (where they must get the feed from or something) and now we will be getting it from Guam, but it will be a week delayed. WAIT A MINUTE!

I said, "A week delayed...we are already a week behind the States, does this mean that we will now be 2 weeks behind?" To which she replied a very confident "Yep."

So, we will now save ourselves $49.14 per month on basic cable service by going without. It isn't like we watch a ton of it anyway. And I can always find recaps and some episodes online if I get desperate.

It isn't like we have local news stations here that are worth anything...there is one and it sucks...pretty much tells you what you can read in the paper every day. The news that we get is from California and is a week old...the only channel that is live is FOX NEWS, so that's okay. And, unlike back in the States, rabbit ears are worthless here. You have to have cable if you want to get any channels.

Anyone else out there not have cable or a tv? I will get more crafty things done and get more reading done, that's for sure!

A laptop has officially gone on my Christmas Wish List now though. Since we will be saving money and all....

You know what I want?
I really want our freaking Federal Tax Return NOW! We filed back in February in Guam (since we still lived there) and what a mistake that was! DH called them again this past month to see what the hold up is and he was told that they are still working on 2004 tax returns. That sucks. It is funny to me when I think about it...people have filed, got their returns, and spent the money and are possibly looking forward to next year's return already. I am so glad that we don't have to live like that. I had actually forgotten about it until he brought it up again a couple of weeks ago. I hope that we get it back before we leave in 2008. I don't think that Saipan is much better so who knows what we are going to do next year.

Family
We have just "officially" entered into month 5 of the pregnancy! Woo Hoo! This is a break down of how the weeks are calculated into months for anyone that is interested:
DH & I were trying to fall asleep last night and were debating on how far along I tell people that I am. Since not everyone counts it in weeks. I say that I tell people that I am 5 months, but DH says that I tell people that I am 4 months since I am technically done with the first 4 months or something like that. His logic escapes me at times.

Kim~ DH chose Meriel (that is how we finally decided on spelling it) because I wanted an Irish first name. I was hoping for the first and middle names to have the initials M.J. like me, but I left it up to DH. He did come through with an Irish middle name that started with J...Jilleen. That is a little tradition with my mothers.
Granny is M.J.
Mom is L.J.
I am M.J.

Concetta~ So far, the first name that I have for my Mother's tree is from 1803 and I have 8 names including mine. I am hoping to have 9 names for it come January (go team pink!), but we will see. My Grandma in Dallas is doing the Family Tree and the name in 1803 married into the family so it was kind of a dead end I guess. I don't think that she has researched her lineage yet. That would be my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandma.

I am having some issues with my family back home right now and this has me kind of stressed out when I think about it. I pray every day to try to figure out what steps to take to make things better, if I even can. The problem is that I don't know what the issue is. Make sense? It is very complicated and time consuming but if you see me MIA for a little while on here...it is just because I may be feeling overwhelmed that day. Otherwise my life is fantastic!

Peace

WOW! I am so blessed!

I got the best presents in the mail yesterday! Let me start with our VERY FIRST BABY PRESENT EVER!! It is from my BF Stels and her DH Jason back home. I knew that she sent us something, but wasn't sure what.

They sent us:
A box of Nestle Quick...I love this stuff, DH doesn't share my enthusiasm for it therefore making it a non-necessary purchase on grocery day.

A bag of Mrs. Field's white Chocolate Chips...the recipe on the back of the bag is the best cookie recipe ever! I have a bunch of Macadamia Nuts left over, so guess who is going to make cookies this week!?!

A package of newborn pacifiers from the registry.

A package of bottles like what we have on the registry, these will be great for when the Babe is able to hold it's own bottle. I have registered for all glass since I plan on freezing breastmilk in them. I just don't like to freeze in plastic. I had never thought about it holding it's own bottle...gosh a glass bottle and a baby with ceramic tile floors doesn't sound like a good combination, so this was a great present to receive!

5 onesies that are gender neutral. My favorite has to be the one on the bottom...it has a little embroidered giraffe on it and it says "i am cute". Here is a close up of it. I can't get over it.

And I just can't get over how small they are! Stels reports that there was one size smaller. These are size 0-3 months. But then again, I can't imagine getting something this big out of me! OUCH! Here is one with my "man hand" (as I like to call it) for comparison.




You will notice that Killer Lily was being nosey and had to see what I was up to in the first picture. She is into everything! I think that the pets know that something is going on with me. They all have to be in the same room as me for the most part. The dog usually has to be within eyesight of me, usually about 2 steps behind me in the house. Gets irritating if I stop suddenly.

On to other fun mail:

I got my exchange piece from my Yahoo Group. I belong to a very active group called STO or Stichers Time Out. It is a small group (only 51 members), but somehow we manage to post between 3,000 to 5,000 messages a month.

If anyone is interested in joining, let me know. I will let the mods know. Anyhow...here is a picture of my present I received from the "Christmas in July" exchange:

I got a Pine Mountain pillow and a huge piece of Kiwi Illusions 32ct Belfast Linen, also got the LHN Miniature Winter Game Board freebie. This would be so cute stitched up, framed and using buttons as checkers. Then, you could put a hook on the frame to hang the hand made flannel or other home-y material bag that holds the buttons. Cute cute!

I love this PM pillow. I had wanted to see one in person so I could figure out how they were made and what size they are. Just another way of cleverly finishing something!

And call me crazy, but I am seriously considering starting my "Mother's Tree" using this fabric. It is 27 x 19 inches which isn't big enough to do it 2 over 2, but if I did it 1 over 1...I might just be certifiable then! It is a gorgeous piece of fabric and would look so pretty with the greens of the "Mother's Tree" pattern. Plus, I want to have Mother's Tree done before the baby is born that way in the event that it is a girl (go team pink!), I can put her name on it.

Speaking of a baby girl...so we decided on names a long time ago. Meriel Jilleen or Connor Paul. I told DH that he better come up with a back-up name just in case we have twins (not likely, but you never know since I won't be able to have an ultrasound and we can't peek inside there). Then we got on the topic of how to spell Meriel. It is pronounced like "Muriel". DH said that he spells it "Meryl" which is an accurate spelling for it according to the Irish baby name website and the baby name book that we have. And I would be fine with that except that I don't want people to be lazy or not know and pronounce it like "Meryl" as in Meryl Streep. We plan on calling her Mery/Meri/Mary either way.

I promised in the last post to show my Six Strand Sweets hanks that I have been buying on ebay. Here they are, on top of my new fabric that I got in the exchange:

They are:

Cream Soda x2
Organic Blueberries x 3
Buttermint x2
Butterscotch x1
Sweet Memories x1
Spiced Orange Cider x2

25 yard hanks for $2.50 each! Woo Hoo! I love when she has some for sale. I am hoping that she adds it to her regular line.

I got the Organic Blueberries with the intention of using them to do my "Lord's Prayer" by My Big Toe Designs. And I think that I will use the Cream Soda for the accent on the design. I plan on doing it on white, maybe 32 or 36 count?

But not for a while.

And for all of you sewing people out there, do you like to look at other people's sewing rooms for inspiration? Here is a link to a website that shows a new sewing room every month. Tons of inspiration. I like this month's choice. I signed up for the newsletter so every month, I get a newsletter with the link to the rooms.

Peace!

Thinking of doing this

I really like the biscornu's (sorry I don't know what the plural would be. biscorni?) that I have been seeing on other blogs. Most recently on Carolyns, whom I think did a fantastic job and like the contrasting stitching on the sides.

I am thinking of ordering this: Biscornu class & kit

It comes with the fabric and your choice of Dinky Dyes color fibers along with a chart.

Hmmm, might have to wait until next month though. I think that I have spent my stitching allotment already this month.

:)

Bye, bye Saomai!

We had a tropical storm move over us this weekend. As usual, I had myself a little bit more hyped up than necessary. Started out as Tropical Depression 08 W, but has since turned into Typhoon Saomai (from what I can understand). When Nabi passed over us in Guam last year, it was all dark and rainy for at least a day. Here, with Saomai, it was almost like any other day with a little bit bigger wind gusts.

The sadistic part of me is kinda hoping that we get to experience a typhoon while we are here (I'd like to request just a small one please, not a Super Typhoon, thanks!), just to know what they are like firsthand. DH went through a bunch of Hurricanes while we lived in Louisiana...I only went through a couple and they pretty much fizzled out. Not that I am wishing death and destruction on anyone, let me just clear that up now, I just think that the force of nature is an awesome thing. One thing I hated though about Hurricanes in Louisiana was the fact that I had to stay at work for the duration of the storm, once they imposed a curfew. It was a policy at the facility that all nurses are there at all times during Hurricanes. Oh well, DH usually just volunteered to stay at his office while everyone else hauled ass out of town.

Here is a recent photo of Saomai. The little green dots in the middle right are the Marianas chain. I think that we are the 3rd blob from the bottom of that chain. It is hard to tell, plus I don't have all of the locations of the islands memorized. I know that the biggest one at the bottom of the chain is Guam.Weekend Wrap-Up:
This weekend was pretty uneventful. We went to Aqua on Friday night for happy hour and a bunch of people met us there. (We stayed at Aqua for 30 days when we first arrived while waiting to find a house to move into.) DH ended up being a little too happy with his long island iced teas, but we got home safely, thanks to yours truly. I had some crazy non-alcoholic drinks that had too much grapefruit juice in it and it really made my stomach hurt! Yuck!

Saturday we went and ran errands. We went to Blockbuster and bought some new movies.

• *Match Point (haven't watched it yet)
• *Rumor Has It -cute chick flick, not destined to be put in permanent rotation though
• *Munich-not exactly interesting to me, it was about the kidnappings at the '72 Olympics and things that happened after that
• *The Squid and the Whale - I thought this movie was pretty good. Talk about dysfunctioinal family that is going through everyday life. The little kid cracked me up with his bad mouth, but he also grossed me out several times with his "issue". I highly recommend it. I think it was kind of an indie film and won big at Sundance.
• *16 Blocks (haven't watched it yet, but I do think that DH will be doing this one solo. It has Bruce Willis in it. Enough said.)

All of those for only $35! Love it!
Then we went to a couple of different stores. I wanted to get some Thai tea so that I can make Thai iced tea, we finally found some in a little Thai store. DH bought a bunch of produce there because it was so much better looking than what we find in the stores. The rest of Saturday we just spent cooking, watching movies, being domestic.

Sunday DH had to go into work to do some work for the storm. He is Coast Guard after all. :) Like an idiot, I started to do my Monday routine: Strip the bed, change the sheets, change linens in the bathrooms. Then I thought "Hello, stupid, it is only Sunday..." I was so mixed up because he had to go into work so early. Sunday we pretty much hung out here. Watched more movies, DH tried out his new bean pot. We really like "real" baked beans. Not the pork-n-beans kind out of a can. Dad & J sent him a bean pot that they found at an antiques place so he gave it a whirl. Let's just say that he needs to keep looking for recipes. They looked okay, but they tasted kinda funky. He says it is because of the molasses. Part of the problem is that he doesn't want to hardly put sugar in. And for good beans, you have to dump in a ton of sugar.

Stitching:
Yesterday, I stitched up a little something for a friend that has a birthday coming up (you know who you are). Like the dolt that I am, I forgot to take a picture of it. Again. Then I started working on my letter "B" for the SAL.

Thanks for the comments Kim, Concetta and Carolyn! For anyone that is interested, the charts can be found here and we are doing them as a SAL (just started so feel free to jump in if you would like). We are doing 2 letters per month. A & B are "catch-ups" since we are starting August with C & D. I plan on turning mine into a book like she shows on her website once it is all done. They stitch up pretty small. Maybe 3x3? The stitch count is 53 x 53 and I am doing mine on 32ct over 2.

I have been peeking around at other websites and have found some Bent Creek designs that I love love love! Kim just got one of the Snapperland series and I just love it. I think that there is one called "?Hometown?", "Winter", "Spring", and "Summer" so far. I think that they look so cute all stitched up together with the border. This one is "Winter".

Then there is "Thankful Row"

And one that I have GOT to get is "Wedding Row"


Bent Creek is one of my favorite designers. I think that I have more of their charts than any other single designer. I know that I have stitched up more of theirs than anyone elses. Ohh, that reminds me, I ordered some FQ's of candy corn fabric to finish off my "Trick Or Treat" that I did last year into a wall hanging. Ideally, I would like to finish it into a wall hanging with tabs at the top and get a small branch and run it through the top to hang it instead of a dowel or something. This is a picture of it after I had pressed it last year, right before it went into the storage box.



Maybe tomorrow I will post my SSS wins that I have recently received in the mail. I love the hanks that she is offering. Oooh, plus my new thread winder. After seeing one on Jo's blog, I decided that I need one for myself. I ordered it from Mary Kathryn's shop. Very happy.

Peace!

Semper Paratus

Happy Birthday, Coast Guard!

Today marks the recognized birthday of the Coast Guard. August 4, 1790. The Coast Guard is one of the oldest organizations of the federal government and, until the Navy Department was established in 1798, they served as the nation's only armed force afloat. Betcha didn't know that!

To learn more about the history of the Coast Guard, click here.

Tonight we are going to a little function to celebrate with DH's co-workers. Guess who is going to be the designated driver? Me. That's okay though, I don't mind.

I finally got off my touchas and took a picture of the "A" for the SAL. Yeah, I am slacking. A & B were supposed to be done before the 1st, but I am going to work on "B" this weekend along with stitching up a little present for a pal.

I also snapped a picture of the finished froggy. I just haven't finished it into the fob yet. It is a Prairie Schooler, out of the Garden Beasties leaflet. I did it over one on 28 count ivory monaco. It is tiny and perfect for a fob, I just haven't been in a "finishing" mood lately. My box of finishes is filling up, waiting to be turned into something.

Here is a new picture of Bella Baby chillin out in a pair of maternity shorts that I won off of ebay. She must like them. I got 2 pairs of shorts for $ 10 including shipping (actually got the shorts for 99 cents a piece, but got ripped on shipping) which isn't a bad deal at all.

Did I mention that I have been feeling the baby move? Yep, since the beginning of last week (around 16 weeks, 4 days). That is one of the things that the doctor talked about last week that really upset me. He asked me if I had felt it yet, and I said, "I think so, I keep feeling this little twinge or bump in the same spot at night when I sit down and also in the morning, especially after I eat breakfast". He said, "No, that isn't the baby...most women describe it as a flutter, it is still a little early." : ( Well, I am convinced it is the baby because it is sooo low on my abdomen, about an inch or 2 above my pubic bone and it is the same feeling every single time, and in the same spot. And believe me, I know what gas feels like! It isn't gas. I feel it more frequently now after I eat. I just ate a bunch of sweet pickles and it is poking me alot.

Peace

August Already?

Where has this year gone? Jeepers, seems like yesterday that we were back in Guam on Christmas Day opening presents and eating shrimp.

I have to say Happy Belated Birthday to my cousin, Kelsey. Hard to believe that she is 11 already! (If I am doing my math correctly...I seem to recall Jackie being pg when I graduated)

Also a big birthday shout out to our dog, Lady. No, we don't know her technical birthday, but I decided that we would say her birthday was on August 1 every year since that is the day that we got to bring her home from the pound. I tricked her into thinking she got a treat on her birthday...I always give her heartworm preventative on the 1st of the month so I acted like it was a big deal and told her "not to share with her sisters (the cats)".

Happy Belated Birthday, Lady!

We are thinking that she is about 5 years old. She is really getting alot of gray hairs on her (just like me!) and on the bottom of her muzzle. She has been a challenge at times, but I am glad that she is part of the family. I talk to her alot and ask her if she likes living with us. For some reason, she doesn't answer me...hmmm.

5 Things About Lady

1. She hops around when it is dinner time, she also marches with her 2 front paws if she is really impatient for you to set the bowl down.

2. She likes to go for car rides but a closed up car = holding your nose because she farts like crazy sometimes.

3. She hates getting a bath. Doesn't matter if it is in the bathroom or outside with the hose.

4. She hates my big exercise ball. She will run from it when I get it out.

5. She has alot of dreams when she sleeps and will bark, twitch and "run". All that while having her tongue sticking slightly out.


There is a little yapper dog that lives in the house that is kinda behind us. Our yard is fenced & walled and we have a gate at the driveway as well as a wrought iron gate in the back yard, for whatever reason. I had decided that the gate in the back was for the yapper to fit through and come into our yard. We have chased it out of the yard a couple of times. Today I walked into the bedroom to open the blinds for the kitties to sit in the window and saw the yapper squatting down to take a dump, not even 10 feet from our bedroom window! My first instinct: To yell at it to get out of the yard. And not so subtly. "Get the f- out of here you nasty little bastard" or "Get out of here you f-ing nasty little bastard." Then I heard the kids in the neighbor's yard playing in the pool get all quiet. Oops. And I am going to be a mother soon. Delightful language.

So, I have really been slacking lately. I finished the stitching of the little froggy the other day. I haven't finished him off into a fob yet. I also finished the letter "A" for the SAL that I am doing with Jo & Carolyn. But I have been too lazy to take a picture so I will do that for the next post.

I was going to think of a list for "August Goals" but I have so many other things on my mind lately that I will be lucky to just get a couple of things accomplished, let alone a list this month. I will try for next month.

Other than that, not much else going on here. Been kinda in a funk lately. The days seem to melt together.

Thanks everyone for the supportive comments on breastfeeding! I think that post got the most comments ever!

Peace

Not surprised

Life:

Today has been a productive day so far. I have done a ton of housework already and I am ready to sit and relax for a while. But I can't. Well, not really. I have to work on a Flat Stanley project that I was sent a couple of months ago and I keep slacking on it. I actully forgot about it for a while, it was on the bookshelf next to my sewing machine. I really want to get it back to the little girl before school starts (that is the deadline), so I must sit down and write about what we have done with Flat Stanley. Which is nothing. I am basically going to write a report for her about Saipan since it seems like 99.9% ot the world doesn't realize that Saipan exists. I got her some maps & brochures and am going to send tomorrow's newspaper for her to look at. I also bought a bag of dried mangoes for her. I know, they aren't really from Saipan, but they say so on the bag and they are just so darned tasty. Might be because of the sugar that they are coated with. Who knows?

Yesterday we went shopping for a bit. I am on the hunt for a new bra. Or three. I felt about as frustrated trying to find one in my "new" size as my Mom's old dog, Red, must have felt when she tried to lick her butt. (Red was downright obese and probably hadn't caught sight of her hind end in years, but that didn't stop her from trying.) The problem is, I don't know where to go here to get stuff like that. We tried Joeten but that was a bust (no pun intended)...DH says to try DFS Galleria, what he calls "the mall". I have never been there, but the stores that they advertise are: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Prada, etc. I am thinking that I am S.O.L for a while. I might have to try online. And that sucks because I am so particular. :(

Stitching:

Not much to report. I have been crocheting dishcloths for the past few days. And I started to make myself a new fob. It is from the Prairie Schooler "Garden Beasties" series. It is the little frog. Quite appropriate I think. I am doing it over one on 28 count fabric. First time I have ever used a hoop with xs, I usually just use them for embroidery, but the piece of fabric is so small and my hands cramp when stitching "in hand".



Tonight I plan on working on my A & B for the SAL that starts Tuesday. Carolyn has hers done and they look great if you ask me! And Jo, she has had hers done for some time, and is patiently waiting for us.
This week's SBQ was suggested by Von and is:
Many of us have a few pairs of embroidery scissors and some even have
a "collection". How many pairs of scissors do you have? Feel free to
share a photo of your favorite pair or pairs with us!

I have one pair of scissors. A nice sturdy pair of Gingher's. I think that they are called "Lion Tail" or something. They were a present to myself a few years ago. I think that I got them on ebay and didn't pay more than $10 for them including shipping. I only have one fob, I received it as part of an exchange last year from Susan in California. It is very pretty, but is starting to wear so I am making myself a new one! I would love to have a beaded one in pinks and silver with a breast cancer bead, but I don't know where to get one. And matching marking pins! I have fallen in love with marking pins. This is a picture of my scissors, fob and a crocheted dishcloth that I finished recently.


Now I will leave you with a nice picture of two of our girls. I shamelessly interrupted their nap time. Every picture I post of them is about nap time, but honestly, that is what they do 93% of the time. The other 7% of the time is spent running around like lunatics at 11 PM or eating. I just realized that I haven't shown Lady in a while...I will try to get a good snap of her this week. She must be feeling left out.

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Okay, off to catch up on some blogs.

Peace