No and no

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I anxiously await your responses.

Peace.

Pins and Needles

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

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

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

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

Peace.

Wrap up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace.

Camp Treehugger

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

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

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

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

Peace.

Last Seven or Eight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace.

PIF

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

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

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

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

Peace.

FOUND!!!

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

Yay! Away you clouds, away!

Peace.

New StartsMissing

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


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

I see the clouds rolling back in.

Peace.

See the clouds?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace!

Sewing SOS

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

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

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

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

Peace.

Time to eat!

So, that is where the turtles are going.

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


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

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

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

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

Peace.

So much to say

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

He is too cute for words.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rant over.

Peace.

She lives up to her name

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

Peace.

New house

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

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

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

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

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

Peace.

I like to move it, move it...

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

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

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

And one of him full of smiles...

Peace.

On being a cheap frugal treehugger...

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

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

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

Peace.

Quaker Critter

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