To my friend Audrey-

No Auds- this will NOT be you, but your comment in your last email made me think of this and giggle. I have to say that I know there are ups and downs, but you do make me laugh. I still think back and laugh at that HELL that was immigration and some of th chit chat on our forum. We were strange, weren't we- but then again, that is what going through immigration does to a person. So- Who can forget these moments:
-taking pictures of inanimate objects acting out major motion pictures..
-your subaru flooding - but that will happen when you go through a giant puddle!
- the unfortunate cat in the volvo, followed by the mouse in the toilet
- the terrorist thread- I really enjoyed talking to our friendly Pakistan boys.
- didn't you crazy glue yourself to the steering wheel?
- your miriad (hows that for my big word- probably spelled wrong) of hair colors
- what level of Hell were we going to be at? There was a dog there.. the party floor..
- the peace sign mowed into your lawn
-following each other to Baltimore in the worst rain we've had here in awhile!
-more recently: the snake story, how you did that to your hair today, I'll never know- but I soooo need to know!

So, keep writing and making us all have a huge laugh or a little chuckle. Just try not to worry too much. You will NOT become the crazy cat lady!

tag- back at you Joanne!

http://jodybabycatcher.blogspot.com/ So now its my turn!! Just follow the rules below and let the person know you tagged em!
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules to your blog
3. Write 6 random things about myself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Okay-- here goes my little factoids>>>

1) I love horseradish mixed with gravy on brussel sprouts
2) I hate the sound of the recorder- with a passion
3) Beer puts me to sleep
4) I am not crafty at all
5) I love to sleep- I mean LOOOVEEE to sleep. I miss it. How did I have a child who is the exact opposite? I've seen more 4am tv shows in the past week than I'd like to admit.
6) I love burnt hotdogs.

Now I tag: Marlooney (who I won't link to), The Head Nut and thats it.. the others probably won't do this.. Its kind of like those forwards that ask you thousands of questions and then you have to pass on etc.. But, there you have it!

de-veining

Just as I think of all the gifts my beautiful little girl have given me, I can't help but cringe when I think of this gift. She has given me the ugliest vericose veins in my left leg. Mind you, I had a "slight" issue before I got preggo, but by the end of January '07, I was laid up in bed with hot compresses, compression hose and a baby aspirin per day.
Ever since then, I have been totally paranoid of blood clots, and a total mess when I fly long haul flights.
So, this September 25th, My lovely doc is going to devein me, like a shrimp. I'm a little nervous, but getting this done will take away the risk of another clot, take the pain away and make my leg look so much nicer.

You're invited to my dinner party!

Okay- I only have a few people to invite, but hey, not everyone can be the pinical of popularity! Mainly due to lack of blogging time!



Here are the rules courtesy of Barking Mad
You are going to have a dinner party! Oh yes you are. Well OK, not a REAL dinner party, but hey, if you're so inclined, more power to ya. Anyhow, you're having this swell dinner party and you are going to invite ten bloggers. Create a post telling us who you are inviting and what about that person's writing makes you think they'd be an intriguing/funny/interesting person to share a meal with. What have you learned about these people through reading their blogs and what would you hope to learn about them through breaking bread with them? Once you've created your post, be sure and come back here and link (Mr. Linky makes it EASY PEASY!) to that specific post on your blog, and make sure you link back here telling others about the Barking Mad Dinner Party. You can even steal the lame-o graphic above and place it in your post.

Here is my list, albiet a few, that I have invited

1) Shirley- the head nut- who I have known since we were both barely pregnant with our march babies! I met Shirley online and IRL!She also made me this button:
I think its pretty funny
2) Audrey- of Barking mad- who I met whilst we were both in the depths of immigration hell with our British husbands. I've met her IRL too!
3) Marlooney- Same as Audrey- another immigration friend! She makes the best damn cheesecake you could ever encounter! Love her and her hubby- who pointed out my mistaken bridge knowlege. haha! I think I spelled something wrong there, but my brain can't process this! LOL
4) T- I love her crunchy, homebirth, non vax ways! She also makes awesome dresses, taggies, slings and whatnot! I have a taggie from her and Emma loves it!
5) Jess- Nobody needs to be pampered at a dinner party like Jess! She's preggo with baby Ellie, and has two adorable boys. :)

serenity

Never have I thought of a picture bringing a calming effect.. but this one has that effect on me. I think it is due to a combination of the colors and that it is of Oxford, where I have walked many times. It brings back memories of walking on my own in the early hours taking photos of the sights without the throngs of Japenese tourists... It takes me back to walking at this exact site with John as he walked me back to Harris Manchester College on one of our many dates.. It takes me back to taking that chilly stroll with Emma, showing her the place where mommy and daddy met, and her family lives. I only wish I could see Oxford in the autumn, with these colors. Although, I don't quite remember a tree there- maybe its an old picture and they have since cut the tree down.

I wish this came out clearer..

I would like to thank Auds, and Joanne for sending this one my way. It lives behind the mailbox right next to my front door. Not as big as theirs, but perhaps it is the spawn of the satan spider... ewwwww.

Whats that smell????

Ever since we moved into this house, we can't seem to shake the smell of cat pee. Now, my mother had many cats over the past 30 some years and our Gemma has been known to have an accident now and again. When we came back from England, we smelled and overwhelming scent of cat pee. It was horrible. Emmas room absolutely stunk of it. It still does- to the point I have to keep her window shut at times. This really sucks since we've had a bit of a cool down the past few days and can get away without the air conditioners running! So here we were, really pissed off (no pun intended) that our cats have been pissing, and that my mom let them whilst we were away. Then something came to me... back at the townhouse I had some juniper bushes removed because they stunk of pee.. then low and behold, I discovered that the house is surrounded by boxwood and juniper bushes.. Check this out from a realestate site


http://crosslandteam.com/blog/2006/04/04/boxwood-shrub-can-stink-up-your-sale/


"We have a listing with an odor problem at the front porch. The seller assumed it was the neighbor’s cats coming around and spraying her front porch, and she’s been putting up with it for years. We’ve taken steps to mitigate the smell, but when I showed up this morning to open the home for a Keller Williams Realtor tour, it reeked at the front entry. “Darn” I thought. “Those blasted cats are back again”.
With no time to do anything about it, I made the best of it and hoped the smell would not overshadow the fact that the home is spic and span, staged well, and ready for move-in. Sure enough though, one of the agents walked in and said “pew! It smells like cat pee out there!” Another responded with, “that’s not cat odor, it’s the boxwoods”. Huh? She took me out and showed me the nice hedge that runs the length of the sidewalk leading to the entry and told me they are Boxwood shrubs and that they are known to emit an odor that is often mistaken for the urine of a male cat.
I stuck my nose down and took a good sniff and she was right, that shrub stinks! “How do you know the cats haven’t sprayed the shrub and that’s why it stinks?” I asked. She said she knows a lot about plants, and that the smell is the boxwood plant itself, not cats. A bit of internet research confirms this.


Now we know what the stench is, and John is armed with his new chainsaw. They will be the first to go!!!!




Here's the culprit.. one of 4!

ugh

What is causing all of this?? I put her down for a second to massage my arm since it felt like it was going to fall off. All day... allday. I counted the hours till I put her to bed. nuff said.

dinner party..

I'm confused.. but I'll let you know what this is when I know!


if you haven't read barking mad, do so. YOu'll have a great laugh at 99.999% of the posts!

I need it to be autumn...

Every year at this time, I get the "summer blues". I am over the hot weather, humidity, and the sounds of thousands of crickets/locusts (whatever they are) at night. I don't enjoy the sun. Never have.. Let me rephrase that.. I don't like the HOT summer sun.
I only have 3 weeks left until I go back to work, Emma goes to her nursery class (as a "duckling"), and things can get back to normal to me.
In these 3 weeks, we need to empty out the townhouse, paint the posts and garage border, cut up the ugly china closet that I couldn't even give away on craigs list, and yet there hasn't been anything happening at this house. That totally has me bummed out.

My mother believed in painting everything white.. not a cream or eggshell, but ARTIC WHITE. None of these rooms in this house feel like home to me. They feel like my stuff in my mothers drab, white house. Her feelings were that because there are so many freakin trees around (which she would NEVER let my dad cut down when they were manageable), she would paint the house white to "brighten it up". This house is so white, its grey. The kitchen is WHITE. Countertops, sink, dishwasher, stove, and microwave. The cabinets are a pine color. wow. OH- I forgot to add that there is a blue rug in the living room.. lets add another color to make the house look grey.
I want nothing more than to grab a tin of paint.. something like a bright sage, or pastel yellow, or even a peach.. to at least do Emma's room.
I digress. I am ready for autumn.Ready for no airconditioning. Ready for the oranges, yellows and crisp weather. I am ready to be able to make chili, stews, and bake stuff (although you know how I cook- not bad for normal people, but to a chef- I am bad). I am ready to take Emma to the park without her coming home with a sweat soaked head. I am just ready to be me again.. as soon as I can make this house "our house".

some firsts- and a video

Emma is not much of a talker. Well, let me rephrase that- not much of a "people words" talker. She can babble with the best of them. Well, today during her bath, she added a new word to her vocab. It was "Hi Duck". She said it 2 times, and that was it. I can't get her to say it again. So far we have: Hi Cat, Hi Duck bear ba ba (baby) dada mmmmamamama Second on the "firsts" list would be her first somersault. Yes- started to do her "downward dog" position and then rolled straight on her back. She loved it, I freaked. Third on the list.. and I am not going crazy on this one.. When playing with her fisher price house (so different from the cool one I had), she rang the door bell and then SANG "da da" on the SAME pitches. Gifted. Well, maybe not.. LOL I won't go crazy on that one since I truly think parents who make their kids sing etc, are committing a form of child abuse. You know the little kids who really suck on "America's got talent" and the parents act like they are the best ever? More on this later... battery is about to die! Here's my little dancing queen

fingers crossed!

I've accepted an offer on my house, which many of you know. THe home inspection is Friday morning. Its not the price I want, but in this market, its the best I will get, I think.
Did I tell you all that my oaf of a neighbor had workmen park in my driveway to do all the work? two trucks, power tools, debris, and cigarette butts everywhere.what a mess. John went over there and told them to move, they did for the day. Then they kept it up. It took my realtor to call them, TWICE, to tell them to move out of my driveway, or the police would be called. They actually had the nerve to ask how she knew they were there- and she told them that their neighbors had told me. There hasn't been a recurrance, and hopefully now that a "under contract" sign is up, they will straighten their act up.
So, all I have to do is empty out the few things that are still in there (most of which I will sell at a huge community yard sale- at my sisters), and paint the front posts and garage door frame.