Quaker Critter

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

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

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

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

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

Peace.

SBQ

Today's SBQ was suggested Juls and is:

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

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


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

I blogged about the hunt for mothers here.

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

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

Peace.

Tag, I'm It.

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

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

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

2. I got braces at the age of 21.

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

4. I failed my first driver's test.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deece
Carolyn
Jenn
Melissa
Angelo
Heather
KaLu

16 Votes

Happy Mother's Day, my dog is a loser

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

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

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

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

Good times.

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

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

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

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

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My new fave snack:

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

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

Peace.

Finished my 19th book for the year

Today I finished "Inheritance" by Lan Samantha Chang.

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

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

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

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

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

Wow, this post has alot of links!

Peace.

They published my letter!

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

read column here

And here is my letter to the editor:

my letter to the editor

Yay!

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

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

Peace.

I'd like to know...

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

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

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

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

New Beasties!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Normal post coming later.
Peace.

Diaper Love

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

Didn't they turn out AWESOME?!?!

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

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

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

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

Peace.

On the hunt

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

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

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

Peace.

Lots of Stash and a stitching question

So, I have been spoiled by Jenn recently. She sent me another package with a new book in it (which I started yesterday) and 4 Lizzie Kate charts. Thank you so much, Jenn! I have a few ideas in mind on how to repay your generosity...stay tuned.

Lizzie Kate 12 Blessings of Christmas Flip It's Charity & Joy

Lizzie Kate Flip It Bits January & February

While we were at home, I got a chance to stop by the LNS "Needle & I" in Rockford, IL.

4 My Boys A Cabin, A Moose and A Fish, Hitch Your Wagon to a Star and Comfort & Joy

And, we went to a LNS in Green Bay "The Stitching Bee" when we met Kim and her DH. Lots of LHN models on display. And, they have HOHRH on display that was done over one on 40 ct. silk gauze. This thing was incredible!!! I wish I would have taken a picture of it. I would have gone blind doing it on something that small. Bent Creek Zipper Kit Sand Man

JCS Magazine

LHN Home of a Needleworker

4 My Boys Cluck & Doodle, Americana Blooms, and My Very Bestest Friend

Since I have new stash to put away, I have been trying to organize. I bought more page protectors while at home and have been putting things away.

This has led me to the realization that I have TONS of freebie charts. More than I will ever stitch even if I live to be 762 years old. Then I had an idea...anyone interested in a freebie pass-along? The idea is that I will gather all the freebies that I will never stitch or I have duplicates of (how did that happen?) and send them to one stitcher that wants them. Then that person can go through them, take what they want (or make copies), and add any that they no longer want and pass the packet along to another person...and it would keep going. Any takers? I just hate to see these go into the recycling bin.

Also, I have 2 of these:

Prairie Schooler Christmas Village, book 79 OOP. One recently sold on Ebay for $20 without shipping. Anyone interested in it for $20 including shipping?

My email address is mhighfill@gmail.com if you are interested in the PS book or the freebie pass-along.

Peace.

Miss me?

We went home (Rockford, IL) for a 3 week vacation, and got back last week. Crazy how we can leave Chicago at ugly 30 AM on Monday and not arrive in Saipan until almost 9 PM on Wednesday. I will forever miss Tuesday April 10, darned International Dateline.









One purpose of the trip was to have Connor baptized. Two of my cousins also had babies, one before Connor was born and one after, so we had all three baptized at the same time in our family's church. The babies were angels through the whole baptism, church service and communion.

We got a chance to spend lots of time with Mom. You may recall that her breast cancer has metastasized and is in her spine. Well, it is in lots of other bones as well. She started going to the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Zion, IL right before Christmas and they have truly worked a miracle. They put her on a regimen of heavy duty drugs, including one called "Xeloda", and she is doing great. We went with her for a treatment and let me just say that if I ever have cancer, this is where I want to be treated. Wow. Treatment like that doesn't come cheap though. Her medicine for 3 weeks is around $1400 and each treatment at the center is almost $33,000 according to Mom.

We took lots of day trips.



Went to Green Bay to meet up with a blogging friend, Kim. Kim & her DH Brian were on their way home from a weekend wedding and Lambeau Field made a great meeting point. Kim & Brian were just exactly like I had pictured them, they are such a nice couple. I am so glad to have finally met them in person! We had lunch at Curly's Pub inside of Lambeau and then took pictures outside of Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau's statues. Then Kim dragged took me to The Stitching Bee in Green Bay. Cute as a button little shop. It is so nice to see models stitched and finished, really inspires a stitcher. I didn't do much damage...mostly hit the sale bin. I will post a picture of my stash acquisition later.






We then went to Sturgeon Bay, WI. Door County. We are hoping that we will be moving there next summer when it is time for us to rotate. *fingers crossed* While there, we went to a winery for a wine tasting and tour. I highly recommend the "Hallowine". If you like apple pie and wine, you will love this. It is served warm. Yum! We also went to a Maritime Museum...it was nice, but sucked that they didn't give a Coast Guard discount. Sturgeon Bay is really nice and I am trying to not get my hopes up too much.

We also took a day trip to the Museum of Science & Industry with my Dad K and my little brother. DH had never been there before. We whizzed through there in record time. It is the kind of place where you either spend a few days and see everything or you whiz through and skip lots. Looks like we will have to go back again sometime. We also went to a hoity toity tapas bar downtown, Quartino's. It isn't everyday that you have a bathroom attendant with a full supply of perfumes, hairspray, gum, mints, etc. at your disposal. But they were lacking a baby changing station. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that they don't get many families with small babies.



We took a day trip to Monroe, WI to get Landjaegers and cheese. Went to an awesome market, Brennan's. Will go back there for sure. Brought some strawberry rhubarb jam and natural peanut butter with Wisconsin honey and chocolate bits in it home to Saipan from Brennan's.

(Connor- I see you trying to throw out the gang sign there... I prolly ruined your cred' by putting your burp rag over your head, making you look like a Babushka. Sorry.)

The last day trip that we did was to Galena, IL. General Grant's house is in Galena. If I could chose one place to live in the States, it would be a toss up between South Louisiana and Galena. I think that Galena would win though just because it snows regularly there in the winter. We hit the candy shop, the popcorn shop, another winery, the canning company (got some awesome corn relish), and a bunch of the little artsy fartsy places.




We stayed with my BFF Stels (the popularity queen) and her DH in their new house. I miss them already. They rock as hosts. While there, Connor got some serious bonding time with Maisie, their Guinea Pig. aka "Piggers".




I also got a chance to snap a photo of a little stitchy present that I made for them last year. I sent it to them unframed and the framer that Stels took it to did an awesome job on it. Cost a fortune, I am sure. It is Bent Creek's "I Do" stitched on 28 count evenweave with DMC threads. I think that I substituted the colors for the rings though. It is stitched over one. The soda can is for reference.



Yeah, I also fell in love with a new soda, "Cheerwine". It tastes like cherries. I about fell over when the store had 12 packs of 7-up products on sale for $2.48 a 12 pack. We pay like 3 times that amount here in Saipan. Or, if you are really splurging, you could always go to Costco and buy a case of Coke in the bottle for $25 like my DH did. Silly guy.

Connor raises his head off of the bed while laying on his tummy now and he holds his head pretty steady while he is being held. He is back to sleeping for a good 7 to 8 hour stretch at night again. He will be 14 weeks tomorrow. Wow.

Peace.

It's not so bad...really.

So, last week I turned 30. Time marches on. It really wasn't as traumatic as some people make it out to be.

My actual birthday was great! DH woke me up to feed the baby and when I went into the living room, I saw that the baby had my present. A nursing necklace. (It is something that Mama wears to try to keep baby focused on the task at hand instead of jerking it's little head around to see what is going on, and the baby can play with it instead of pinching Mama or grabbing her hair.)

Later on, when we actually got out of bed (around 7), DH surprised me by making me a pot of coffee and fixing a cup of it just the way I like it. Then my family started calling, and DH went and cleaned both bathrooms and started laundry while I chatted. Later we went to lunch at Wild Bill's (my choice, love the burgers), ran some errands and then later went to Aqua to meet some friends for happy hour. It was a nice day. I wouldn't mind turning 30 again next year if it would be as nice as this one.


I received a wonderful present from Carol. As soon as I saw the return address on the package, I got all excited and told DH, "Ooh, that Carol, she makes the cutest presents for her friends and finds just the right chart to stitch for the recipient." And true to my words, she really wowed me with this fob...perfect for a "Treehugger's Wife". The little charm says "Believe". It is on 40 ct. linen and the teensy tiny stitches are perfect. Thank you again, Carol!!

Another present that I got was a Moby wrap. It was from Dad & J. My step-mom is the type of person that hounds you and hounds you until you finally give in and tell her what you want. This was all I could think of that was not diaper related.

I love the Moby. We haven't gotten the hang of the ring slings yet, and I still wanted to wear the baby (and try to get some things accomplished during the day), so I decided on the Moby. LOVE IT!!! Super easy to use also.

I started crocheting a pair of wool longie pants for Connor. Why? Because it was killing me not to. And crocheting goes really quickly. I first attempted to knit them, but after ripping them apart for the 4th time, I gave up and picked up a hook. I am using Lion Brand "Wool Ease" yarns and no specific pattern. Just increase / decrease as I feel like. This is the backside of the pants...not perfect, but it is a start. And yes, the stripes are supposed to be random like that.

I might have Connor wear them for a while on Saturday so that nobody pinches him for not wearing green.

The kite festival was cancelled because of weather, but has been rescheduled to April 14. We are so going!

Peace.

Ramblings...

So, I have a birthday coming up...a big one. Big in numbers only. It means that I will have to change the little blurb under my blog title from "twenty-something" to "thirty-something". Yep, the big 3-0. Weird. I still think of myself like I am 23. I *think* that we might be going to Aqua on Friday for happy hour by the pool to watch the sunset and see friends. We have been going for the past couple of weeks. I am always the designated driver.

And I don't want presents for my birthday.

When someone asks me what I want for my birthday and I immediately think of things for Connor that I want to get, is that just a little strange? Especially since it is usually diapers or diaper covers? DH is too cheap frugal to convince justify spending $30 on a diaper. We are a prefold, snappi & cover kind of family. At least he went along with the splurge to get unbleached indian cotton prefold diapers. Don't want to get too out of control.

I mean, who wouldn't want these awesome custom embroidered diapes for their baby's bum? These are from Middle Earth Diapers

I am seriously considering getting a green (Rainforest) Berry Plush and having the "recycle" logo custom embroidered on it. Maybe that would soften up DH a little.

And these...these seriously rock in my opinion...who wouldn't want their baby to have a cute little monster booty?

They are "longies", knitted with wool yarn. Plain longies can go from $30/pair up. Longies with designs or other embellishments can go from $45 to well over $100 for a pair!! I have got to work on my knitting skills and figure out a cute similar pattern so that when we move back to cold weather in 2008, I can make some for Connor.

If you want to see more cute pictures of monster booty, you can go to the blog of the lady that makes them...Crankypants blog. She also makes Sock Monkey booty longies. Super cute!

Speaking of cold, I never thought that I would say 73 degrees was cold. I willl say it now, 73 degrees is COLD! I am freezing my tuchus off here. It has been rainy and chilly for the past 4 days. And the house is sticky from all of the moisture. I just noticed that my refrigerator has condensation on the outside. Yuck! To my friends and family on the mainland, I know your hearts are just bleeding for us. : )

Connor is 8 weeks old tomorrow. He has started to go 3 hours between nursing sessions and has started sleeping through the night (8 or 9 pm to 5 or 6 am)... YAY! At his vaccination appointment last week he was 13 pounds and almost 25 inches long. BIG baby! But the doctor wasn't concerned at all...he was a really great doctor (Dr. Stewart) and I wish that we could see him regularly. We talked at length about breastfeeding and food choices. I think that we will not be introducing him to cow's milk when the time comes and instead opt for soy or rice milk. But that is a long time down the road. And did I mention that breastfeeding has gotten TONS easier? It happened practically overnight around 6 weeks or so. It is like something just clicked and it has been smooth sailing ever since. Buh bye frankenipples. I set periodic goals for myself for breastfeeding. It was 2 weeks, then 4 weeks, then just make it to 6 weeks...now I have set the bar at 4 months. Then it will probably be 6 months. By then he should have a few teeth and I will re-evaluate.

Here he is on a quilt that his Grandma D sent to him. Our little monkey.

This weekend there is a kite festival thingy here on Saipan. Even though I have never been to one, I told DH that we are going. I think that kites are neat and the craftsmanship is amazing on some of them. So, if you are going to be in the Garapan area, it is Saturday 10 am to 3 pm at the American Memorial Soccer Field. Hopefully there will be tasty food as well. My appetite is crazy! I have lost all but one pound of baby weight and have been wearing my "pre-pregnancy clothes" since about 3 weeks after Connor was born. Yay me!

Peace

Taxes on my mind

I can't stop thinking about taxes this week. A couple of reasons, really.


Could it be because my former employers (a Psychiatrist and Dermatologist husband & wife practice) failed to report a couple of million dollars in earned income for the practice and he is being indicted on Tuesday? I about fell over when I read that they only reported income for the practice in 2002 as $71,680 when it was really over $600,000. Story here.




Seriously, it wasn't uncommon for us to see 60-80 clients a day in the Dermatology office. Yeah, we worked 12 hours a day most days. Lots of 5 & 10 minute appointments. Plus all of the cosmetic stuff that we did; Botox, Sclerotherapy (spider vein removal via injections), Microdermabrasions, Peels, etc. That stuff isn't cheap.




I now shake my head at my naivete back then when I accepted the stupid story of how they were so broke and could only give annual raises of 15 CENTS. And to think that I felt badly for them.


Wonder what will happen to his practice in Beirut if he has to go to jail in America?





Maybe I have taxes on the brain also because we are STILL waiting for our freaking return for 2005 from Guam. WTF is taking so long? DH called them last week and they said that they were still working on the 2004 taxes. There should be some kind of law against this. Or else we should be allowed to earn additional interest on our return since they haven't disbursed the money yet and still have it. I think that we will be lucky if we see the money before we move from Saipan in 2008. Good thing that we didn't have specific plans for it.




I am still waiting on my W-2 from my old job in Guam...I called last week and the office manager said that they were mailed on 1-31 via USPS certified mail. Sometimes I think that our mail gets thrown on a raft and floats here it takes so long to get to us.




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For a happy thought of the day, here is a new-ish picture of Connor. Hard to believe that he was 6 weeks old on Thursday. I already have been thinking hard about when to start trying for #2. For anyone who cares to comment, how much time do you think is a good amount between kids? I was thinking 2 years... but then again there is the possibility that we will be stationed somewhere remote during our next tour....Alaska or St. Thomas come to mind. I kinda wanted to be closer to family for the next one.




Anyway, here he is...the love of my life...all freshly bathed:

Happy Birthday, Jenn!!!

Peace

How he really feels...

Yeah, this would be my son, letting us know how he really feels about Valentine's Day:


He does that all of the time.

The big red dog (aka Clifford) is the original Valentine's red dog gift from DH in 2003. I did get a stuffed dog yesterday, it is brown with red spots. He was pretty tricky and put it on the driver's seat so that when I got in the car yesterday, I would see it. Clever he is.

Peace

P.S. Kendra- The diaper in the post 2 posts ago is an "All In One" or "AIO"...they are just like disposables, but cloth. Really convenient and they don't usually leak unless you have a supersoaker or a serious blowout. I got it off of Ebay, it was made by a WAHM. There are tons of styles and kinds out there, I would be happy to help you if you are interested in them! : ) I love how super soft it is...it is kinda fuzzy.

I am weird

Kim recently tagged me...6 Weird Things About Me:

1. I LOVE to do laundry. Seriously. I especially love to fold sheets. DH taught me how to properly fold a fitted sheet so that they are uniform every time. Who needs Martha when you have Jim?



2. I could eat homemade popcorn every day. And peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Yum!



3. I have to rotate things in the house. I am a fanatic about it. Almost OCD about it. From sheets to dishes to glasses to shampoos to towels. Otherwise you end up using the same 2 cups and plates all of the time. Most recently used things go on bottom or in the back. And when you have 6 sets of sheets, you need to use them all.



4. Speaking of sheets, I have a "Monday routine" that I do and if I can't get to it (like this week) on Monday, I obsess about it. What is the "Monday routine"? Strip the sheets on the beds and wash them, replace them with a fresh set from rotation and also replace all towels and washcloths/dishcloths that are out with fresh ones. I do replace linens as necessary during the week, but Monday is the day.



5. If I am going to cook or bake, I have to clean the kitchen beforehand. Not seriously clean, but clean off the counters and do the dishes and wipe the stove. I can't cook in a dirty kitchen. Ick.



6. Most of the time when I am driving, I have the radio off. I have a thing with turning the radio off before I turn off the car and I usually forget to turn it back on when I get back into the car. But, if the radio is on, chances are that I will sing along to the song that is on. Cause I just hafta.

Yeah, I am weird. I could go on and on. I won't get into the foods that we eat besides #2 above. Cabbage, black beans & rice is a perfectly normal dinner at our house. That's all I'm saying. (shush it, Staci)

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Happy Valentines Day to everyone who observes this Hallmark Holiday. We don't really do anything special for each other. DH usually buys me a stuffed red dog, but I think that there might be a stuffed red dog shortage on island, so I am not counting on one this year.

I just don't see why you have to go all out on ONE specific day to express your undying devotion and deplete your wallet. If you love someone, you should do something small everyday to let them know that they are loved. Even if it is just refilling their glass of ice water without being asked to.

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The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is today. I want to know where the Boonie Dog breed category is...? I always root for any of the Terrier breeds because I love them all. But, if there were a Boonie Dog category, then Lady would be the superstar...

Peace

It's February already???

Where have I been? Oh yeah, I have been sucked into the baby vortex for the past 5 weeks. Poor neglected blog. Poor neglected house. That's okay, he is only this age once and he is such a doll. Here's Connor saying hi to everyone:

And here he is practicing his dance moves, he doesn't get rhythm from his Mama - that's for sure!

He is too cute. He is starting to show a little bit of personality. I can't wait until he is a little older and interacts more.

Otherwise, things are going great! Breastfeeding sucks (no pun intended) and we had to stop for a week, but he has taken to it again without any problems. I don't really have a time line as to when to stop breastfeeding (probably when he gets teeth...the thought of it scares me), right now we just take it one week at a time. I tell myself, "Just get through this week, it is the best for him", and somehow we manage. The week that I had to give him formula, I cried for the first 24 hours that I had to give him a bottle.

The cats did say that they want to vote him off of the Island already.

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I haven't done very much in the crafting department lately. Why? Well, because my time is consumed with nursing, burping, and falling asleep on the couch by 7:45 pm. Sooo exciting! Here is the most recent picture of my biscornu. I don't know if I had previously shown it or not. Carolyn & I are working on it. I did start the back, but I think that my backstitching count is off. Anyway, it is sitting on the end table all dejected like.

I did manage to finish crocheting a scarf for the Afghanistan baby project (in sidebar) that I had started before Connor was born. All I had to do was finish 3 or 4 rows and add the fringe. It is done in front & back post double crochet and regular double crochet. Just something that I came up with. It is Bernat Cotton Tots yarn and is beeeyoootifully soft.

For a final thought: