Well I finished my very first knitting project! I am so proud of myself.... Stephanie showed me some of the basics.... but for the most part I taught myself to knit following the directions in books. These are washcloths from the book 101 Designer one-skein wonders. They were a super easy first project. Right now I am working on a set of wristlets (like fingerless gloves). They are done with crochet instead of knitting.... I just have the edging on one left and then the flower embellisment on both.... Then they are done!
On another front I redyed my hair. Now it is red all over. 
I think it is going to stay red for a while! I am tired of dying my hair.... so I think I will leave it until it looks all faded and horrible!
Also... Owen leaves on the 6th. 
He will be gone until the first of July. (By the way.... that picture of him was taken right before he became a specialist....) He has to go to Fort Sam Houston, which is in San Antonio. He is going to become a medic... and if he likes it eventually he will become an RN or a Doctor! When he finishes class in July we will be relocating (again.... this is the worst part of being military other than deployments to war zones) to Fort Lewis. I guess it is time to start trying to figure out where we are going to live when we get there. The houses on post look nice... but supposedly there is a 6 month or longer wait list... and we cant stay in a hotel that long!
Friday, February 29, 2008
A busy time....
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Corelle Vintage Lace
Ok. I am a dork I know. I took a picture of my dishes.... But I am excited! I have never bought a new set of dishes before. Owens mom gave us a set (they were new) when we moved out of their house.... but Owen and I have never bought a set of our own. I have wanted Corelle dishes for a while now cause I have kids and a klutzy husband..... and I am a total Klutz too! They have always been a someday item. Which might also be sad.... Dishes having to be a someday item.... but they were. Until now! Now I own a set. They were not that expensive either! I got them for $39.00 per set. each set serves 4. So I bought two sets. That was a great price considering that I had to special order them online. The Corelle website wanted $59.00 a set. They were cheaper on Walmart.com and I used site to store.... so I didn't even pay the shipping! So here they are. My new dishes, that I love.!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Breast Cancer Awareness Hair
What would you do for a cause that is important to you? How about dye your naturally black hair pink? Cause I did. And bleaching it enough was so hard on my hair that I had to cut it. Short. Like Shoulder length. Which sucked. But I think in the grand scheme of things it was worth it. A couple of Survivors during the Komen Race for the Cure thanked me for being so passionate for the cause. The race was on Sunday February 17th. I didnt race so much as walk.... and I had to ride in a truck for part of it. My knee just gave out. Owen even had to bring the van to me at the end. It was fun though! There was a decent sized group of people from my El Paso Mamas group.
Owen and I discussed it and we think that we are gonna do the Komen race anywhere we get sent as many years as we can. Owen jokes that he cares cause if I got breast cancer it would mutate and kill us all. I think that that is a joke about the size of my breasts.... Oh well. I care cause everytime I have ever had a mammogram they send me to a specialist cause they keep thinking they found a lump. Turns out I just have really big glands and scar tissue. I keep saying these things are more trouble than they are worth! Oh well. Don't get to used to seeing my hair this way. It is gonna be red probably tonight.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Valentines Day.
Sometimes Owen does good..... Like this year for Valentines day. Now first of all let me explain that I do not expect anything for Valentines day except a kiss. There have been years that that was all we could afford. But like most people I do enjoy gifts!..... so when Owen gets me something nice I love it. This year I got two great gifts from Owen.... The first was a flower arrangement.... They are primarily Gerbera Daiseys..... which are my favorite flowers! Then I got my second gift....... 
It is a set..... Diamonds set in White Gold! And I love them! I have always wanted a simple Diamond and White Gold heart.... and Owen has always said that he would never buy me one cause he thought that they were tacky! BIG LIAR!!!!!! It turns out that he was just waiting for us to have enough money to spend on non-essentials!
Sometimes I wonder how I can be married to a man that makes me so frusterated.... then he does something that proves to me that he has been paying attention... and I remember that he may make me crazy from time to time.... but I love him like crazy and he loves me too! Not because he spends money on me.... but because he got me something he knew I would love..... even though he thought it was a silly thing to spend that much money on.... (he is not a big fan of jewelry!) I would have been happy if he had hand picked me a Gerbera Daisy..... I am just saying that it is nice to get something nice from someone who loves you sometimes......
Monday, February 11, 2008
Why babies don't knit....
Not only is this a pretty good illustration of why babies don't knit..... it has also been a pretty good illustration of why I have never been a knitter.... until now. Watching my friend Stephanie get so much joy out of knitting made me really want to give knitting another try. I have a big order from www.knitpicks.com coming..... but I am impatient.... Plus I have had a couple of really bad days lately. So when I picked Owen up from work on Saturday he took me to walmart to buy some "craft supplies". I decided to get a set of Boyle circular needles and some Red Heart Carefree Cotton.... which feels really soft and is 51% cotton and 49% acrylic .... (I hate the Boyle circular needles by the way and can't wait till my nice ones from Knit Picks get here!.....) I figured I could practice the basic stitches so that I can just get started on a project when my Knit Picks stuff gets here.... I got the stitches all figured out and even figured out binding off the work! I am really excited. Well anyways. I needed to pick up a new hobby..... and this is one that I could make some money at if I get good..... So I guess it is good that I am better at knitting than Mikaela is..... and who knows..... Maybe some day I will teach her to knit too....
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Reflection on a personal mood...
Ok I know that this is not actually a picture of me. It is Aeddon. But this is a pretty good picture of how I feel today. I am sad and I am wanting to be held and I am wanting to be anywhere but here.
I am sad cause I am bored, even though there are lots of things I could be doing around my house today.... but I just cant. It is taking all I have today to stay out of bed. It has been a bad fibro day. Plus I think that my potassium might be low. Not being a healthy young 25 year old makes me sad. Especially when I see myspace posts and pictures from my high school buddies back home in California that are out living it up! They are going to clubs and concerts.... the closest thing to a concert I go to is when my boys sing along to Dora or Yo Gabba Gabba.
Don't get me wrong I love my kids to death and I don't regret my choice to have kids while I am still young. Even if I didn't have kids I wouldn't be out "living it up" I couldn't do it physically. To many hardships in my young life have broken down my body's ability to roll with the punches. Stupid Fibro making everything harder!
And you know what really sucks is that all I want is for my husband to hold me and he can't. He is at work. Stupid Army. And when he does get home he still wont be able to hold me cause I hurt so bad that it hurts for him to hold me and hurting me makes him sad. So I cant even tell him that I secretly want him to hold me.
I wish I wasnt here. Not I wish I wasn't here on the planet... just I wish I wasn't at a time in my life where few can understand me and the ones who can are in just as bad of shape as I am.... I knew Fibro came with the big D as a side effect.... but I am tired of it! I am tired of my body limiting the lives of the people I love the most. Perhaps since my kids are napping I really should just go to bed and wait for a small warm body (probably Alexander's since he is the only one who opens doors) to come and wake me up by cuddling with me. Perhaps after a nap the world will look like a brighter place. Yep. I am going to go with that theory! Especially since I have so many good things to wake up to.....................
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Kids in a Box!
What is it with kids and cardboard boxes? Put a kid within a foot of a cardboard box and you have a happy kid. You don't need a room full of toys. You don't need Gymboree or Mommy and Me Yoga..... just a cardboard box.
I have always wondered about the facination with boxes that kids seem to have. I don't remember if I was ever "into" playing with them and when I asked my mom if I did she said.... I am sure that you did... all kids do. But I don't really have any memory of playing pretend as a kid. I remember when I was 9 and got in trouble because Barbie and Ken were in the bed together, naked..... I don't remember playing pretend.... but I do remember acting out real life with my dolls.... That was the closest to pretend I remember playing.....
But boy, oh boy..... get my boys near a box..... and they are in a rocket to the moon, or a racecar in the big race.... or even a submarine under the ocean. The possibilities seem to be endless. They seem to have the creative spark.... They are always playing pirate or jedi's or something fun. For now I like it that way.... Some day I will encourage them to take that creativity and put it on paper in one form or another...... but for now..... I will just get them a new empty box.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sexy
It has occured to me that I don't veiw myself as sexy. I know that I am not ugly.... I also know that I am not America's top model..... but I used to think I was sexy. Now whenever I try to act sexy for my husband I feel silly and it puts me out of the mood! I don't know when it happened..... but it did.... Actually I don't even remember the last time I felt sexy..... I think it was shortly after Alexander was born.... I lost almost 60lbs after having him.... But slowly I have lost that feeling.... and I want it back! SO this picture is the start of the process of feeling sexy again......
Monday, January 14, 2008
Boys at play
Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing, having my kids so close together..... I worry that I stole away time that they should have individually gotten..... I worry that they are going to resent each other for the time that the other gets.....
Then I take a picture like this. And I realize that I have done the right thing. My boys are each others best friends!
Yes they fight sometimes... and yes sometimes they tell each other they dont love each other.... but I have seen them do things that tell me otherwise.... I have seen Alexander push down a kid that was giving Aeddon a hard time at the playground. I have seen Aeddon suckerpunch a kid that took a ball from Alexander. I have also seen them do really sweet non-violent things too. Alexander will regularly break his cookie in half and share with Aeddon if the dog stole Aeddons cookie (or even if Aeddon just gave it to the dog then cried foul!) I have seen Aeddon pet Alexanders head when Alexander wasn't feeling good.
And this doesn't just happen between the boys! I have come in to the room that Aeddon and Mikaela share only to find him in her crib cuddling her. I have seen him break of half his toast and put it on her highchair tray. Alexander loves her too! He will stop what he is doing and try to cheer her up if she is crying.... And if she grabs a handful of his hair and pulls it.... he doesn't get mad! He just smiles at her and slowly untangles his hair from her fist and tells her "It's ok. You are a baby and you are still learning! You can pull my hair if you want to." Seriously! How many 4 year olds are that good with their baby sisters? I don't know any others!
I guess that I am blessed. My mom says that it is because I have done a good job trying to keep things fair and trying to make sure that they all have special one on one time..... but I think that really I am just blessed. I think that God's plan for me had more to do with it than any kind of Wonder-Parenting on my part! Thank You God!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Our family and Nanny Joan.
I am so glad that my prayers were answered. Nanny Joan had been bedridden for over a week and I am so glad that she was able to get out of bed and spend some time with us before we had to head back to El Paso..... She is nearing the end of her life..... She has lived through alot...... she is 91...... so we are afraid that this will be her last Christmas. I wish she were going to be with us longer. She is an amazing person and has had some amazing adventures...... She gave birth to Owen's mom, Carole, during the german blitz of London during WW2.... She was in her third trimester when she was chased down the street by a german plane! I cant even imagine all the things that she has seen and done! She has traveled around the world! I am just proud to have been a small part of this proud womans history.