Dec 31, 2006

Late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It seems that when I'm not at home with my own computer it is more difficult to update my page each month. This December, my immidate family had a big family reunion in NH. Visiting everyone was fun, but of course it meant that we had to get a present for everyone and then actually fit all the stuff in our luggage coming and going.

I've always thought that having a coushion of some sort between the baby and the shopping cart was a good idea.. firstly becuase they'll try to suck ont eh nearest bars (which are very dirty), and seoncdly because they like to tip ocer and squirm sometimes this results in hitting into the hard metle bars. naturally,m when i saw some for sale on line, i got one and it makes the shopping cart seem a lot safer and looks fancy too.

Since we were not going to be at home for Christmas, i didn't want to have tree, (other than that living one i got) and the cookie trees looked so nice, that i got a gingerbread tree cookie kit and we fun making a very tasty looking christmas tree.

I heard that my younger sister wanted a fancy pen drive for christmas--not like the weird rubber duck one's you can find on ebay, but rather a fuzzy or fluffy one. i looked everywhere online to see if such a thing exists, and found that noone sells or has even heard of a fluffy pen drive. So that meant i'd have to make one. I had a lot of fun, and used a bao scarf and some other stuff from the local craft store and completle disguised the pen drive as a rabbit's foot. she wasn't even sure what it was when she got it, but when she found out she loved it.

my mother (or is that all mothers?) like pictures of the family, so while everyone was still arround in NH, we barrowed a van and went to a photograph shop at a local mall for a family picture. This took a long time but it was worth it as the picture did come put pretty nice.

thinking of pictures, i wanted a family picture of my family, so one day we went to a picture place and got our picture taken. They also talked us into getting a six month old picture of our son, and the picture came pout very cute, so i didn't mind. I still think that as a christmas picture, the one i took of our son is beter, but it was nice to have pictures to give to our son's grandparents. Naturally i also tok a few others of our son playing in his toy saucer with this christmas hat on, and one with the hat off.. it's fun to take pictures :)

Christmas itself (as in the celebration of) was proabaly the craziest of all, first of all, we celebrated the day after charistmas, and even at hat i think we didn't even start until late morning or afternoon, which meant of course that we have a christmas supper rather than lunch and dind't finish with presents until evening. (you have to understand with 12 people who each had one present for each other perosn and each opening one presents at a time and then passing it around for all to see before opening the next it can take a long time)

My husband enjoyed playing with a puzzle toy while we opened presents, and was very happy when he finnaly got all the alls in the rihgt place. i enjoyed a rose art fuzzy flower kit with my sister later on that week. our son enjoyed the wrapping paper and sleeping peacfully on the teddy quilt his great-grandmother made for him.

This month I discovered that our son can almost sit up by himself, and sits pretty well in shopping baskets, so i desided to buy him a highchair. After seeing the horrible walmart chair selection, i tried looking on line for something nice. There I found a eunique vietnamees hichair. Basicly it's a table and baby chair (the tray is removable). you just tip the table over and put the chair on top to make the hichair. this means then when our son is no longer needing a hichair, we can have a very nice coffie table and he can have a fun chair to sit in. Here is the manufactures pictures of this table and chair.

It is funny how our son loves to play with hair things. i guess they make pretty good --and easy to fund toys for him when he's watching everyone get ready for church.

Georgia is a good place ot be if you don't like winter, becuase days here are cool, but not chillingly cold like in New england. One sundays, after church, sometimes we visit the local duck/goose park and feed bread to the many birds there. I take pictures, my husband feeds the birds, and our son watches both of us and the birds with reasonable amusement.

While unpacking boxes, I found a folder of very nice drawings my grandmother made in 1950 for a drawingclass. one was their house and the other was a house in the distance. evidently my family saw drawings and thought it was mine but didn't really look at what the drawings were or even the other things inthe folder.

Christmas is comming, and the local store was selling living baby pine trees, so i bought one to replace a small fake tree i had. I doubt i'll decorate it much if at all, but it does look very nice and green in the house.

October 31, 2006

At the begining of the month we visited New Hampshire. There wasn't a lot of room at my grandsma's house, so my father built us a nice room in the bacement using tarp and boxes-- which sounds weird, but was actually pretty nice. Coincidently, we were there just at the right time to partisipate in the eating Grandma's 91^st birthday cake.

one day we picked and sorted several bowls of wild concord grapes (and rasins) that grow in my grandmother's back yard so my father could make some very tasty fresh grape juice. Later that day, we went on a on a traditional apple orchard/pumpkin hayride which makes you hungry for fudge--which my husband bought for a high price while I was taking pictures of a bee on flowers.

From New Hampshire to a new apartment in Georgia was one of the busiest times i've had. To many boxes to pack, and way to much driving!

One nice thing is that our new apartment in near the coast, so one of the first thigns we did was visit the beach and our son loved sititng on my lap while I scuplted sand and playing in the sand hole I made for him.

I don't usually take pictures of butterflies, but one day as i passsed a bush swarming with beautiful butterflies, i desided to stand really still and try to take a few pictures. Fourtunatly my picture taking was worth it as i got some pretty good shots of the back wings of several buttereflies.

Since Our houshold stuff didn't arrive until the middle of the month, our son has no toys, we we got him a jump-up in which he stood/sat while we ate supper. Not that is has anything to do with jumping...When our stuff finally did come I took the folding "Strida" bike my father gave me to the beach and rode it next to the waves and through the wind. It was very fun, and since it is rust proof and the "chain" is plastic, it is the best beach bike you can have.

Sept 30, 2006

I wanted a picture to show how much our son's he's grown since he was born, so I put him in the same basket he slept in the first week of his life, along with the same toys he had before, and then i took a picture. If you compare that picture with the origional picture, you can really see the difference.

Near the beginning of this month we went to a national park that is relitivly nearby. At the park where they had the usuall assortment of a lake, many trees and some little picknick areas. First we went for a quick swim in the lake--which was full of fish everywhere. Then, to dry off we went for a walk on one of the many paths nearby. On the walk we saw a blue tailed skink and a velvent ant-which isn't very clear in the picture becuas ei didn't reall ywant to get to close as they are actually poisonous female wasps. Over all we had a fun time and it only rained onthe way back.

Not that it matters, but this month our son is now wearing the next size up in clothing-which in the States means the 3-6 month old catagory.

A few weeks ago after a heavy rainstorm i noticed how the dead tree in front of our apartment was looseing larger and larger branches at every rainstorm, so i asked the managment if they could cut it down before it fell and hit our apartment. The managment said that the tree had been there for years and so yes they would have it cut. and sure enough, a few days ago i heard a chains saw outside and watched out the window as a heavyset man cut down what was left of the tree.

Aug 31 2006

I found instructions online* on how to build a paper modle TARDIS. I printed the patterns onto glossy photo paper, cut out all the bits and the figured out how to assemble the thing. It took a LOT of cutting, but wasn't to hard to put togetheer once I looked at the bits. It took me about 2 evenings to finish the project, but I was pretty happy with the resulting TARDIS modle and took a silly picture or two with it.

I guess I once and a while actually respond to advertizments emailed to be. for example, once barnes and noble book store sent me a cupon for a free starbucks drink so i got it, but this time dell sent me a cupon for the kind of lcd monitor my husband and i had been looking at. Dell was selling 19inch lcd monitor for the price of a 17inch LCD monitor, so we got one and now our computer upgrade is complete and the new monitor looks pretty nice.

I bought a white T-shirt from one of the nearby drugstores, and tye-dyed it blue along with a baby onepeice shirt for my son. If we wear them onthe same day we match. When my husband saw the finished matching results, he said he wanted one to, so we could all match. I think that is a good idea, but i just haven't gotten around ot making his shirt yet.

The toy for the month was a baby jungle. I got the basic frame from a local thrift store, and put socks on the bars as embellishment and to make it softer. Now it has a weird, more fun look. For the toys hanging down, i hooksed mobil toys on using plastic circle chain toys that are easy to find. Our son, who is almost three months old now, still loves the toy, he kicks and grabbs at the toys until he he tired and then he goes back to watching the coathanger mobil i made last month and chews his hands.

I got a new pair of glasses that look pretty nice. My old ones were compleatly scratched (as you can sortof see) so much so that the world looked slightly foggy here and there when i was wearing them. The new glasses are good and everything is clear once again.

July 31, 2006

Forth of july fireworks were fun to watch, espicly with my parents and younger sister who visited for a week to see their new grandson. When we visited the "river walk" we all had fun running in and out of the swimming fountain. After a fun meal at taco bell, we discovered that the least expensive way to feed everyone was to go to the military base and have a $3.00 picknick meal from the cafateria.

I desided that my sister was right about baby carring things --that you end up trying about three of them until you find one you and the baby like. In my case, it seems the "over the sholder*" carrier sling works the best for me. I put the baby in and we go for walks, and then if he is asleep when we get home, i just sit and play computer with him still attached (until my back get's tired)

I found a great ebay shop* that sells music box movments in just about any tune you want, including "Zip-a-dee-doo-da" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause"! I bought one of the mobile music boxes that plays the regular braham's lullaby (Words to the song translated from German) and made a three armed mobile out of coathangers, cloth and scuplty clay, and hung it to a hook that is on the cealing (I have no idea what it is there for). Then i put our baby under the mobile, and he laughs and watches it as spins.

Dark chocolate "whitman's samplers" were on sale this month at the local store, so i bought a box and ate a chcolate a day. i was seeing if i could produce choclate milk. My baby son stuck his tounge out in protest when he discovered my expierment didn't work.

anyway, When the cholate was gone, I covered the very nicly shaped box with a dark velevety/leathey like cloth and decorated it a bit. Now i can store picture's in it or pencils or more chcolates :).

I found a t-shirt with a pocket for my husband, To decorate it, i put our baby son's footpint on it with fabric paint. After cleaning his foot, I used blue paint to shade the print and make it look more detailed and interesting.

Not that it really make's it's own paragraph, but here is a picture of our small fmaily now.

June 30, 2006

The heat of summer is here and the pools are crowded, but for me, the month seemed to pass very quickly with a baby around. (Since i already put a few baby picture's up. this month's entry is rather short but follows the'baby' theme.) Mostly our son eats and sleeps, and as usuall loves to be held, espicily by his grandparents. Here he sits happily in the arms of my mother-in-law.

I measured him (curled up and asleep) next to the teddy bear to see who is bigger, and it looks like it's a close test.

Being home with a live subject to take pictures of is very interesting, but since he doesn't know what a camera is or what stay still is (except when sleeping), it can sometimes be difficult to get a good picture. Here is a foot picture that also represents this fact.

I'm not sure anyone noticed, but from now on (hypotheticly)-- no side adds on my "Curent Event's" Page!

Special Entry
June 2006

Galahad, our first child was born on June 3, 2006 at 1:32 in the morning. He was born early in the morning (ie. late at night) to make sure he was born on the 3rd. His father and mother take turns holding him.

May 30, 2006

It seems that May is the purple flower and peach season in the south. It is suddenly a common sight to see peach stands appearing by the side of the road trying to convince people (sucessfully) to buybaskets of soft tasty peaches.(yum!)

For my birthday this month my husband and I went out to a nice mexican restruant nearby and for dessert i got a very nice choclate cake that has caramel coconut frosting that makes the cake taste kindof like an almond joy candybar with extra chocolate. I also got various art things, including a mosaic kit with a cutting tool with instructions on how many times to cut each bit. some bits I had to cut into 8ths which took me a long time to finish.

For some time i've been thinking how that i could use an i could use my icon maker to make a rug hook pattern very easily. So i took a flower picture and reduced the colors and sure enough, it made a great pattern, so i bought some yarn, and made an origion rug-hook pillow that I think looks pretty good even if it isn't exactly centered.

April 30, 2006

At the beginning of april, my husband and I took a drive down town to the "river walk" gardens. Interesitngly, looking across the river means looking across to another state.

Easter morning, my husband and I went to church and then spent the rest of the day relaxing and nibbling chocolate out of the 2 perfect sized easter baskets I made from cutting old (but clean) milk jugs.

A few weeks ago I discovered a cat with some kittens living under our apartment building. My husband named the mother cat, (who is all black with green eyes) "Omen", which seems a good name for a black cat. She is very friendly and lets my husband pet her and feed her various treats (though she seems quite good at hunting based on the feathers and things around her area.) Sadly, Omen and the kittens left her nesting area recently, as the kittens were becoming large enough to hunt on their own. Hopefully she will visit again.

My husband built a new computer by getting one part each week througout the month. (The transparent power supply at the top is really neat!) When he had most of the parts, he took apart my computer and tried to fit everything into his new computer, which didn't exactly work for a week until he got the rest of the parts and reinstalled windows. The computer is really fun. The fans (which i think are loud) all look like glowing blue aliens, though i am not sure why. There are also blue lights on the front of the computer so that when the lights are out it looks like someone put blue christmas tree lights in the case. It has a hudge hard drive of 250GB, and a 64 bit motherboard.

Now that my husband finnaly lives off-base with me, I do not have a car unless I drive him on base at 4:00 in the morning (and go back to bed when i get home) and then pick him up in the afternoon, but that seems ot work ok as long as I don't try it everyday.

I discovered a very nice indoor heated pool on base to swim in on hot days, but I needed a baithing suit. Generaly I don't like the designs of most baithing suits, so i had to think of some way to easily modify a suit (without a sewing machine). So I bought a generic black baithing suit and a black super-tight "underarmor" shirt (made of baithing suit material). I discovered that if I wear the shirt under the baithing suit it looks as if it was made that way. I've even had people ask me where I bought it becuase "they have been looking for a suit like that".

March 31, 2006

Spring reaches the south a lot faster than it reaches the north, and some pinkish-purple and yellow tulips are everywhere. Other pinkish-purple spring flowers and rose-like flowers are everywhere. The trees are in bloom, even the ones on base on the two mile track my husband has to run in the morning for his training. Durring a lunch break, the weather is just right for laying in the grass and reading a book in your short spare time, as my husband demonstrates here.

one day I was wondering around a department store looking for something they didn't have, when i saw a nice little tiny cactus plant in a scrap heap. They were going to throw away becuase it's pot broke. I couldn't let them throw it away, so i bartered a bit and got the plant and a new, bigger pot for a dollar. When i got home i 'stole' a scoop of fresh dirt from somewhere nearby for the pot. I hope the plant grows happily.

On sundays, my husband and i have been attending a local church who's steeple makes a very nice landmark. The area is full of activity buildings and landscaped gardens, which matches perfectly with their very nice fountian.

My brother visited from kansas for a week for his spring vacation. While he was here he bought a cheap, highly styalized "bat cam" digitol camera so he could take pictures of the trip. (unfourtunatly it broke as soon as he got back to kansas) Here is a picture he took of my husband and I at the IET Recreation center where we played smash brothers and other games. We also had fun exploring the nighborhood together. We even found some sort of tower that said the town's name.

Within the past few months or so I've gotten a rough picture of the latest member of our family, who has not yet seen the light of day. I added a bit of drawing to the picture to make it more clear, as fuzzy black and white lines can be hard to see.

I painted a cat on a nice white t-shirt because every shirt in every maternity store was either a hidious color or had a neckline that was ovbiously for someone who never leans forward or sits onthe floor. My husband and i like the comfortable cat shirt. (The weird pinkish/redish rocking/swivel chair in the background (which is the only 'soft chair" we own) was recently bought from the next door thrift shop for $25.)

Febuary 28, 2006

This febuary has been a very chaotic and busy month. It started off with my driving miles and miles with a car packed with as much stuff as i could fit into my car. I drove all the way to GA alone, stopping at my uncles in VA and my cousin's in NC along the way for a night or two or rest. My cousin's house isn't to far from the base where my husband graduated, and is even sortof close to where his advanced training would be. While I was driving south at one point, the road was quite nice, with no traffic for miles and a blue sky with green trees makes a nice picture, so somehow i managed to drive with one hand and take a picture with the other.

Boot Camp Graduation was good--mostly becuase my husband and i spend most of the day together. Unfourtunatly, my husband had to wear his fancy (think uncomfortable) dress uniform if and when we were in a public place-even when eating. So we ordered pizza and spent most of the time inside the hotel, which wasn't hard becuase the moment my husband discovered my computer packed in my car, he set it up in the hotel and we (him mostly) played computer in the hotel the rest of the day. Really i thought it was a bit commical--i mean a lot of people bring laptops around to hotels and such--but an entire desktop computer? I really wonder what the room service lady thought when she saw the computer, monitor, mouse and even speakers set up next to the television.

After graduation i drove to another base on the other side of GA where my husband's advanced individual training (AIT) would be. There i went to a service center, and was able to fill out most of the paperwork for an apartment. The next day my husband was able to come with me to sign the lease, but some basic food and things for the apartment, and move everything in my car inside.

The apartment is in the bottom floor of a building and even has a resident's swimming pool for use in the summer. The apartment is mostly on the corner of a major intersection, and is right across the street from a library, a food store, a drug store, a postoffice and within one mile of the mall! So i never need to drive anywhere except to the base with is 7 miles away. About the layout of the apartment: The kitchen has lots of cupboards that i double i'll ever use. In the livingroom i hung the puzzle i put together my first day or two here. The shelve below is actually 3 cardboard boxes with a curtain on top--who needs to buy shelves or small stands when a few boxes will work just fine? The bathroom naturally is just that, and does not need description. In the bedroom there is of course a bed, and a closet just right for my computer. The apartment is nice, but it will be better when my husband is alowed off base as he reaches a more advanced faze in the training.

Recently, since i don't have a job right now, i've been working on various art projects. I bought a orderve plate that lookes (and useful) to me like a paint palet, some paint and a canvas, and started to re-paint my juggler picture. The new (unfinished) juggler verison is of course better than the old, though for the most part i am trying to keep much of it the same. While i let some of the paint dry, I embroidered a white shirt with some really simple flowers over a weekend. I think it looks okay for a first atempt at simple embroidary. When I finished sewing all the flowers and took a look at the shirt, i desided the shirt was too white. So (although you can't really tell the difference in the picture)i dyed the shirt light cream with some curry and tumeric powder.

January came and went with the strangest weather i've seen so far. One day the snow would melt as if it was spring, and the next there would be a blizzard of thick snow, making it fun to take picutes of the various things from footprints and interesting tree mushrooms to the snowman I built instead of shoveling half the driveway. Naturally i also ended up taking a few pictures of myself and snow, and the next day one of myself in the feild with grass--just to prove I was there, as for why i took a picture of myself in a window, i don't know--i just seem to have a facinaiton of taking pictures of my various reflections.

One dismal, cold snowy day I saw a cat trying to sneak past the window outside, so I quickly got my camera and took a picture or two before he ran to far away. He looks like a very nice cat, with sortof cowish brown and white spots.

Recently I've been working on a new short story, with the idea that i would send it to my husband in bits so he would have somethign to read. Of course things like that only half work, but at least it got me to start typing again, which was fun for my fingers and mind.

Road maps are such interesting things. In Febuary I'm going to drive to my husband's army boot camp graduation. Basicly, there are two ways I can go -- one is shorter but it takes me though every single major city from here to Washington DC, (including New York, Pitsburg etc) and I don't relish the thought of getting lost all alone in some weird downtown place in any big city. So I think I'll take the way that is a few hours longer, but avoids every single big city by going about 150 miles to the west of them.