The ABC's of Me.

I can't really give any sort of info as the two things I happy danced about have been mailed off to their new homes. So, until they reach them..... All I can really mention is that I have joined the Monopoly SAL. And the craft stores here don't have cuts of 18 ct big enough and since I was thinking about doing it on 36ct anyways I may just order that instead.

I will be running another exchange over to EMS- this time an Altoid Tin exchange. Sign ups start tomorrow.

I haven't been sleeping well lately. Here's hoping that eases up.
*********************************
Now for fun

Stolen from Sandra of Painting with Threads.

The ABC's of me
A - Available or single?:
Neither, I'm married.

B - Best Friend?:
I have many friends and they're all the bestest.

C - Cake or pie?:
Mmmmm pie. Especially pumpkin pie!

D - Drink of choice?:Coffee.

E - Essential item I use every day:
toothpaste ;)

F - Favorite color?:
purple

G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms?:
Um, no thanks.

H - Hometown?:
Saco Maine

I - Indulgence?:
Edy's Slow Churned Choclate Fudge Chunk in a sugar cone with chocolate sprinkles.

J - January or February?:
January. I will get presents!

K - Kids and names?:
Sorry I don't post those publicly.

~ Where did "L" go?~ I'll make it up then.....
L- Late or early?:
Usually early.

M - Marriage date?:
June 29, 1996

N - Number of siblings?:
One sister and three stepbrothers.

O - Oranges or apples:
Apples

P - Phobias or fears?:
Heights. Blood pressure cuffs.
*shudder

Q - Favorite quote:
"In two days tomorrow will be yesterday." (author unbeknownst to me)

R - Reasons to smile:
My kids, fresh windy days, each day being a new day.

S - Season:
Fall.

T - Tag 3 or 4 people:
Oh I'd say AnneR, Val, Kathy and AnnieB.

U - Unknown fact about me:
I collect Crayola crayons. :) Or have I already mentioned that? *shrugs

V - Vegetable you don’t like:
brussel sprouts (I tried, I really did); cauliflower (Hated it as a kid and refuse to try it now. I'm a grown up now and I don't have to!); kale (texture). Whoops sorry I thought that was plural.

W - Worst habit:
Procrastinating. I'll talk about that later.....

X - X-Rays?:
Ankle, arm, and dental.

Y - Your favorite food?:
Lots of those-Ice cream! Punky pie!

Z - Zodiac sign?:
Capricorn.
Chinese: Rabbit, I think.

made my day

DH installed this on the door today. I am not drooling over it in the home improvement store any longer.

Little things. It's the littlest things. :)

a belated anniversary ogle

Thank you for the well wishes on our 12th wedding anniversary. I haven't even had

the time to take down the counter. But I sort of wanted to keep it up there for a little while after posting a wedding pic of us. I admit though I haven't even scanned one yet. *sheeesh! My brain is just gone! So there's the counter, and still no pics.



*off to scan*

Aha! Two, so it counts as "pics".

And they we are 12 years younger, when I didn't have to wear my glasses so much and oh so much thinner!

And in case anyone is keeping track, a pic of me is a very rare thing.

Who? Me?

From Merriam-Webster:

Sneaky

Pronunciation: \ˈsnē-kē\
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): sneak·i·er; sneak·i·est
Date: 1833
: marked by stealth, furtiveness, or shiftiness

Who? Me?

Nah!

Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day everyone!

It's raining here today. It feels so nice. Looks so much better too getting all that yellow pollen off of everything. I vacuumed out the car and van yesterday. It was awful how bad they were from regular spring dirt and that yellow everywhere you touched. It didn't matter how careful you were either. Just to open a door it was all over the place. I was going to wash the outsides of them after but we decided to go out to eat for dinner. My stomach won.
I had run errands earlier in the day and felt awful how bad my pollen-mobile looked. The outside was quite a sight too! And here I was with no time to hit the hand car washes all over the place the kids were running as fundraisers. To think if I didn't need to get to the post office and bank before the 12:00 cut off I could have had a green van!
But I got the white box mailed off to my exchange partner in the EMS Secret Pal exchange. It's one of the best ones I think I have ever done too.I will post pics once she receives it.
Then after that I hit Goodwill to drop off lots of stuff. Then Border's -which the whole point was to use up a $5 gift certificate- then I ended up getting the book that I wanted and forgot to hand them the gift card! *headsmack*. Good news, "Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting", is finally in my permanent possession. I had borrowed and renewed it several times through my inter library loan program at the library. Which is how they can get a book for you to borrow, even if they don't have it in their library, by borrowing it from another library who does have it in stock. The book was from Fairfield this time. It was great to try it out and see what I thought before I bought it. And the "yarn" they use in the book is great since it's sort of a tshirt type material and you can really see what they are doing. There is no fluff from the yarn in the way. Trust me I need all the help I can get.
Then I did some serious damage at AC Moore. They are running a sale on DMC, four-for-a-dollar this week. The poor guy ringing me up recognizes me now I think.

Grey, grey and more grey!

First Grey

We had two weeks of no rain, averaging 70F with loads of beautiful sunshine. It was great for walks and general outdoor enjoyment, but bad for the plants and trees just starting their active cycles.

I had ordered the two new unfinished bureaus (drawers to some) and nightstand during the glorious sunshiny time. The day they came off the delivery truck it was rolling thunderstorms. It was kind of funny watching the guys try to unload with the sky rumbling not far away with huge dark clouds coming. They deliverers were on a mission, no doubt.

Second Grey:

It hasn't stopped drizzling, raining, or the threat of rain since. Notice the timing? I need to get the two old bureaus out, get the new ones primed (it's a grey primer), and painted (they'll be black) and then loaded into our bedroom. You know, that room that's going to get a new bed too. :) Now if the weather would just cooperate and let me do my stuff!

See that weather snapshot? I may have to prime the bureaus in the house. (*Ugh, what a mess and smell!) I managed to prime the nightstand out on the deck just in the nick of time before the rain came in the other day. I was bummed not to have been able to do more.

Other news...

I haven't stitched a darn thing. But the S&B (Stitch'n Bitch) girls and I have been busy with a fellow S&Ber's upcoming baby shower. We managed to buy and wrap over the course of several days. S.'s baby shower is this Saturday. I can't wait. I hope she loves what we picked out. I have taken pictures, but since I am not sure if she reads here, I can't post them yet. Let's just say they look awesome.

As a flossmom I have been super busy. I am shopping for two people at the moment- one a flosskid, and the other well, it not my flosskid officially, but I am helping her "stock up". As it stands now I have bought well over 200 threads in the last few weeks with many more to get still.

Third Grey: Oh and I dyed my hair again. Though technically the first time was done by my neighbor B. because I am a chicken. This time I did it myself, and used a shade lighter- 6GLight Golden Brown-, though I should go down even lighter next time. It's fun to play and hide the grey. I have been using the "warmer" colors, and I think warmer really means red hues. I think I will try for the cooler next time as well.
Each time I dye my hair it makes it several shades darker than my natural color which is an "off mix" of mostly browns, with white, grey, blonde, and almost black strands. Aren't I a weird one?

this IS personal

This is personal. Not detailed (I'll spare you) but important.

I have developed a bad attitude, BA for short. (Thank you EMS staffers, hee hee.) I have had one for some time, but it was only recently that I realized it had morphed. Ugh, ugly word, maybe increased. Or, no, morphed fits it best.
I have always had very strong opinions. Always. Even as a kid, though I always kept them to myself. I think it may have just been something to do with the way I was, personality wise, always wanting to please and not make waves. I guess also due to the fact that I didn't want to hear another's opinion on my views.

Well now, I am in the water with large paddles..... splashity splash!

It wasn't until talking with friends, especially my neighbor friends and my DH that it dawned on me. This summer was a huge turning point for me. I reached my absolute max in everything. I am so sure of what I want- in life, with relationships, and every other facet. I guess it was a time of clarity. Though I didn't make all the connections until now.
Odd thing this brain is.
Now I have this incredible urge to tell what I think. I am being open. About my feelings.
What a liberating experience.

Basil, seems to be common....

I have seen this on a few blogs and so far all I have seen is basil.
Anyone have any other results???

You Are Basil

You are quite popular and loved by most people. You have a mild temperament, but your style is definitely distinctive. You are sweet, attractive, and you often smell good.

What Spice Are You?

*eta: I changed the "You are quite popular and loved by post people" to "loved by most people". This is just an assumption.

meet my new friend

This is my new friend, Cozy Heart.She smells minty when heated. She's pink.
Now a part of the group of my other good friends, the rice sock, the hot/cold packs made by 3M, and the hot & cold reusable pack from Rite Aid. Yep, I like my friends.
But I never thought to freeze a rice sock. Learned something new!
Cozy says she would like another, purple, cozy.

what it is.....

Pumpkin Pie, mmmmm........

I felt so bad about wanting to use up the ingredients (the evaporated milk, pumpkin and crust) before they expired. Plus who bakes at high heat for over an hour during the summer anyway?

Mmmm, my favorite dessert in the whole world! Yes- even more than chocolate.

I detest making pie crust from scratch. I would rather watch grass grow. But I make the filling that way.

What I can't figure out is how sometimes it cracks in the middle and other times it doesn't. *shrug

It was good.

Excedrin update

Thank you for such nice comments and well wishes. It really has helped. :) I have only a dull headache now, and no fever. I think I managed to fight off whatever was getting to me.

but to backtrack:
Once DH had gotten home later that afternoon, I ran out to Hannaford to get some much needed Excedrin (generic this time) and return the recalled yogurt. Too bad too, it is one of my favorite flavors of yogurt. Even in the store I was a locked up mess from the neck up. I was speaking softly, or at least as softly as I could in a loud environment. As soon as I got home I took the excedrin and laid low. I was fever free the remainder of the day too, which helped a great deal. Otherwise DH would have gone to the store for me. (It was partly guilt too, just a few days before I had him return the cantaloupes which were recalled. Feel sort of bad having him do that again.)

The reason why I waited= we are down to one car. DH's car is eating coolant so he's been taking the van to work and I have been carless. Just need to drop the car off at the garage and find out what's happening. I think that's why it has sat in the driveway so long- over a week. We both have a hunch it's big and expensive. And we don't live in an area that's handy to public transportation.

Some more good news. I have been watching the change in the yard. Snow slowly melting away. Birds moving about with more energy, singing like crazy.
Did I mention the pie on my table cooling? Yes, there's a pumpkin pie on my table. Once it has cooled enough I will devour it. If the kids are lucky, I may share a little.

I am in dire need of ink and paper. I must print off the The First Robin Of Spring (SAL) from Pamela Kellogg, and the crazy quilting seam treatment book that I already bought too. ASAP! Naturally I spotted something else there that I want. I loves the fat birds! Yup, "I needs this".

Ouch!

I am battling "something" right now. I have had an off and on headache for a couple weeks now, the kind that feels like a cold is coming on. I'd get the tickley scratch in the throat, sneeze a bit, then feel better.
Well last night the headache went beyond what I could cope with. I had been able to deal with it all day, but after dinner I was beaten. I was a heap on the couch with hot packs on my head and neck, the ibuprofen wasn't touching it. I hadn't made the connection then that I think I had a fever too- I had the teeth chattering shivers. That's where I stayed all night. This morning I woke up with it. The same intense headache and a low fever. Luckily Excedrin took care of it. Bad news. I took the last of it. Right now I feel pretty good. I can look, walk around and move. Keep me in your thoughts..... so if you don't hear from me again for a little while, you'll know why.
*grumble

Thursday night adventure

Did you know that there's earth beneath that cold, white stuff? Yup, I saw it with my own eyes! It's a gray/brown mix, but it's under there! Just imagine! Soon those sprouty things, called "plants" will get bigger and greener. Yes "green", what an odd sounding word. Too bad we are expecting about 6+ inches of white stuff to fall tonight/tomorrow. I seriously thought the weatherpeople were trying to pull one on us. But no, we have a batch on its way to drop all over place. bleh*
Here's an odd one: my cat Pidy has increased his time spent playing in his water dish. He prefers to lick the water from the sides of the bowl so he takes his oversized paw and hits the side of the bowl and slaps at the water, splashing it all around. I have seen him do this but he's increased the time spent doing this. Odd cat. I suppose it is better than snacking on my tulips when I am asleep.

We had a great time tonight. DH, my son, daughter and I went to watch a game at the Portland Civic Center: the Harlem Globetrotters! Do you see that little funky looking "x"? That is where we parked. Now the Civic Center is circled red, that is about where we were when I realized I left my camera in the car, so that would put it under that "x". There are no pictures. I never get pictures of the things we actually do. Like when we went to the Seadogs game. I took pics and bumped the camera and lost them all. Or when we go to Funtown (*cough, every year!)I never remember to take the camera. So it seems like we don't do anything except stay home. When in fact we do, it's just the camera is usually at home!
Anywho.....We had a great time. Stopped for Subway on the way there for dinner. Then headed over and got to catch the pregame show and everything.
The only souvenirs we bought were a set of wristbands. I know, it sounds cheap but it was the best idea there, so each of the kids could have one. It's embroidered with the team name. This way they can wear them to school or where ever. And it was one of the few things there for under $20. Okay, so I am cheap! Who runs out of hacky sacks anyways???
The best part is that kids have no school tomorrow due to a Teacher Workshop day. So staying up as late as they did tonight won't hurt them tomorrow. They can sleep in (ha, ha) and ;) recover.

Maybe the mail carrier will bring my goodie tomorrow. I ordered a(n) chart by My Mark designs called "Be Silly,etc". I had seen it stitched up on a blog I think...... Once it arrives I will take it off my wishlist. I am very careful about that. Don't want a stash jinx.

Piglet?

I really don't see myself as that much of a worrier. Ah well.

Taken from Stuff With Thing

Your Score: Piglet

You scored 12 Ego, 14 Anxiety, and 12 Agency!

"It's a little Anxious," he said to himself, "to be a Very Small Animal Entirely Surrounded by Water. Christopher Robin and Pooh could escape by Climbing Trees, and Kanga could escape by Jumping, and Rabbit could escape by Burrowing, and Owl could escape by Flying, and Eeyore could escape by -- by Making a Loud Noise Until Rescued, and here am I, surrounded by water and I can't do anything."

You scored as Piglet!

ABOUT PIGLET: Piglet is a Very Small Animal, who used to live in his own house, a nice big tree. However, after Owl's house was blown over by a storm, he "found" Piglet's house, and Piglet didn't want to tell him that the home was already lived in. So he went to live with Pooh.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are a rather nervous person, and you tend to worry about The Worst happening. You don't really feel capable of dealing with the things that life could throw at you, and so you tend to fret about it. You are one of those people who seems to think that worrying actually accomplishes something... and your friends can't help but love you for it. Your humble manner and self-deprecating ways make your friends feel good about themselves. They want to help and protect you.

Your loving friends are always trying to encourage you to be more independent, and they are right. You need to develop a bit of self confidence and stand on your own two feet.

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test written by wolfcaroling

7 things....

I was tagged by Emily to list 7 weird things about me.
Confession, all the things about me are weird, but, I will try to name only a few.

1. I wasn't able to sleep with socks on no matter how cold it was because the feeling of cloth rubbing on my feet drove me nuts. Now suddenly, I can!
2. My hands itch when cutting up apples, potatos, onions, or anything citrus so I have to stop and rinse or wash my hands several times when preparing them. (I thought everyone was like this, I was informed, no they are not.)
3. I have watched a few movies a bazillion times all because of clicking through and stumbling on them. For example- Overboard. I have seen it again just recently. I guess they are sort of my "can't pass up" movies. I will think of others to name later of course.
4. My favorite song is Dreamweaver by Gary Wright.
5. I knew I wanted to be a mom when I was 2.
6. I love birds, but they freak me out. (I can't tell what they are thinking you know? With a cat or dog there are more cues, with a tail, or sound but with birds, *shiver, nope.) I just prefer to watch them outside I guess. I don't think I will ever have one as a pet.
7. I can't spell "bureau", not matter what. I will type and retype and have to hit spell check to get it right. I tried making up a rhyme last night as a matter of fact to help me! And even when I do spell it right, it doesn't look right to me. (Here is the rhyme, "B U R, B U R, EAU". To the first line of the tune "If You're Happy".) I think it worked.

And you wanted to know. Ha!

I tag:San, Laura, Kathy, prajantr,Anne, Val, and the The Crock Pot Lady.

Here are the rules:

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Post THE RULES on your blog.

3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.

4. Tag 7 people and link to them

5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

This'n That

Before I forget to mention it - Silkweaver is selling tuck pillows on eBay. Not a bad price at all.

It's snowing again, seem as though winter will never end! We are supposed to get at least 6inches with this one and possibly a good foot. This winter we are approaching record breaking snow. Yippee.

Today is the release of Pamela Kellogg's "First Robin Of Spring" Mystery Stitch-Along. Which is funny as I have had a group of robins hanging out all winter in my yard along the edge where the trees canopy and Spring is still nowhere to be found.

Thank you all for your thoughts and comments. I miss Chris E. terribly. I am still filled with regrets. But I am functioning now. Talking about it has helped me. This may surprise you all but I am a normally very positive, glass-half-full person. Pidy has helped me too, cuddled up now on my lap as I type, purring.

sunday with a little sun

Sunday came and a little sunshine crept into my heart, after a heart-to-heart.
I talked via IM with Val and my mood finally lightened a little. I had spent most of the time ill with grief over Chris E's death. (I had what I thought was the stomach flu after his appt, it wasn't the flu.)
I never knew how much pain it is really to lose someone, even a feline, so close to me. I have cried and cried to the point that my eyes are swollen all the time making it hard to see. I wanted to shut down completely. Feeling as though I let him down. And that I was going crazy. The day he passed I kept seeing him, hearing him, it hurt so much. But in talking to Val- it's part of letting him go, and I am not going crazy.
I made it out to the grocery store today. It helped. I will try to hit the craft store tomorrow. I need threads for my flosskid Monique. She gave me the list over a week ago and with storms, and my van being out of commission (DH has been working loads of overtime so time to get to the car has been just as tough) and Chris E. I just haven't made it- anywhere.
I realized today I will still miss him and be sad sometimes but I can't wrap myself in it, despite how easy that would be.
Just don't be surprised if I act a little coo-coo for a bit.
Thanks for listening.

Thank you

Thank you for your kind thoughts and words. It's still hard. I don't know when I will be able to complete my Cats project. It may be a while. Maybe never I don't know.

The van is back from the shop- $273 later. *sigh.

Things just don't seem to be getting any better....

Rainbow Bridge

After 13 years of bringing joy into our lives, Chris E. passed away today. I stroked his head and body while he passed. I whispered to him as long as I could talk, being too overcome to speak at the end.

no, thank you.

I have enough on my plate thank you. I do not want any more.


Chris E. has two large lumps in his lower abdomen. From Saturday to Sunday I noticed a lump that wasn't there before in his neck, it's about the size of a small grape. He hasn't stopped throwing up since late Sunday/early Monday. He is still happy and purring to be touched but really doesn't look well. I have set up an appointment for him tomorrow at the vet. I don't know if I will be bringing him back home. I realize with what I have seen so far, I really think it's in his lymph nodes, and that it's cancer. A neighbor may be taking me to his appointment since I had my van towed from the driveway today (thank you AAA) to the garage. I'll find out hopefully tomorrow early a.m. what is happening with that too. Either way Chris E.'s appt can't wait.