loads of laundry in 2009

last year i managed to do 324 loads of laundry. i expect 2010 to be a bit bigger, perhaps even making it to 400, since there will be a new little coming in February. the little i am looking forward to... the laundry, not so much...

pat is home, and everything is fab!

the only thing that is going to take some getting used to is having two adults and one car. hopefully, by the end of the year that situation will be remedied, but for the time being, it is hard. i am almost late to an OB appt, and i haven't a clue as to when my dearest will be home. it wouldn't be too be a deal, save for the fact that i slid down half a flight of stairs yesterday, and have been a little "tight" since. that and ht vision impairing headaches that lead me to believe my blood pressure is too high....

The holidays are coming. I bought a ham for thanksgiving yesterday. I am thinking of chocolate advent calendars. And I woke up at 3:38 this morning with a need to pee and a bit of depression. Unfortunately I am one of those people that gets melancholy. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE christmas. New years is awesome! But there is always a little bit of sadness too. Too bad for me it came with a bit of insomnia.

Here is to hoping that the return of my husband will outshine the shadow.

yesterday when Liz came home from school, she told me her teacher told her to bring a snickers bar to school tomorrow. so what did i do? i sent her with an orange, and told liz that if her teacher asks her for a candy bar to give her the wee clementine, and tell her to eat some viamin C... that it is flu season, and she immune system could use an orange better than chocolate. we shall see what the teach asks for next. i am ready will all kinds of fruits and how they are better for you than junk. then i will eat the junk that she is asking for....



hahahahhaha!

i am tired.


that is all.

maybe i'm like my mother... she's never satisfied...

okay, so this morning after taking liz to school, and making sure that jake is going to run away, i gathered up all my rubbish, and took the bin out to the street for pick up. it is what i have been doing since pat left, pregnant and all. and then i continued to gather up my recycling, and take that out to the street. i did this while my neighbor watched. as soon as i finished she said to me "if you need help, all you have to do is ask."
i supposed she was trying to let me know that i don't have to do things on my own, but why didn't she help me while i was doing it? why did she wait til i was done? it made me mad! i was raised that if you are on the bus and see an old person, a pregnant lady, or a mom or dad with a baby, you stand up and give them your seat. even if they don't take it, you stand up, just in case they change their mind. if you see ANYONE stuggling with heavy bags, or dropping things, you just help. you don't wait til they finish, and you sure as hell don't wait until they ask you.
now, i'm not saying that i am unable to take the bins out, or that i want help, i just hate the un-neighborliness of my neighbors. granted i don't really want them coming over my house, but i would greatly appreciate it if they would curb their dogs. i doubt i will ever have awesome neighbors like i had in Groton, but i hold on to a small glimmer of hope that one day i might just have one family that lives next to me that is rad.

is that too much to ask?

sure its been a rough night. the heartburn is back. jake won't sleep, there was the bath time incidentS, but i have found what makes me feel better. a little bit more Tori and a lot less Mom.

tonight i changed the drive band, and readjusted my spinning wheel. i also put on the new bobbin i got, and the feeds. all this whilst listening to genius on itunes. nothing like old and new technology coming together in harmony to make everything better.

thank you They Might be Giants, the Breeders, SantoGold, Bjork, and Sonic Youth! i can go on a little longer without my brain oozing out of mine ears!

oh... and Cibo Mato too...

i feel like i am newly pregnant all over again. i have been sleeping early (like 9:30) and can't seem to wake in the morning. food is fighting with my guts, and i just haven't been feeling up to snuff. even as i write this, i am not typing at speed, but rather my fingers are meandering across the keyboard. and i get some strange pains in my side. it could be from carrying jake, but appendicitis is never far from my mind, being the hypochondriac that i am.

i am feeling good that the wee babe is developing well, and that i should be hearing from pat sometime soon.

i just thought i would vent a bit.

20 minutes of reading...

i finally figured out the reason i dislike reading to liz so much... well... some of the reasons...

rarely do i enjoy the books.
i dislike having to make jake sit and listen (i think it takes about the same amount of time)
but the biggest reason is...
ALWAYS in the back of my mind is a hundred other things that need to be done. laundry that needs to be folded, trash that needs to be taken out, the dog that needs in. and reading for twenty minutes is such a non multitasking task, that it drives me bananas! i much prefer to vacuum, or make beds, while doing the laundry and dishes. at least at the end of those twenty minutes there is a tangible difference.
but the reading is so intangible.
i somewhat feel like it is time wasted (although i KNOW its not). it is hard for me to slow down, and appreciate her growing brain, to see that like me (and countless other kids) she has wanted to squeeze all the toothpast out of the tube.
but i have to. i have to slow down.
and although i CAN take care of business in a flash, i need to savor those moments where it is just us, and our love of books.

in a flash!

last month was full of milestones.

it marked a halfway point of being without pat. we are starting the being legs of the downhill slope, and i believe that things can only get better.

it was the also the last month of no school for liz. for the next (hopefully) 17 years or so, she will always have to go back to school in september. i am super glad for her to be in kinder though. not only does it give us some much needed time apart, but jake isn't picked on all day, and i am able to get a lot of housework done.

speaking of housework, sometime last month i washed and folded my 200th load of laundry! there is something to be said about that! i wonder exactly how many tshirts, how many sheets and towels, and how many "little clothes" that actually is. my poor washer is getting tired. i am thinking that along with a new car, this new baby will be needing a new washer dryer. our set was used to begin with, so who knows what hell went through before it got to us...

which leads me into jewelry. ( i know... good segue, huh?) so, while i am pregnant, i can't wear regular tshirts. i can't wear anything aroung my neck that could be constricting, as it leads to a day of nausea, and overall irritability. but, i do continue to wear my necklace. with liz i had a pendant with the infant Jesus, with jake, i was never without my St. Christopher. this wee babe is different. with this one, i don't feel the nervousness, or the need to be inspired by the life of a particular saint. with this one i simply feel the need to get stuff DONE! i feel like i never have time to take for myself. my days are filled with cleaning, and my nights are filled with homework help, and getting the littles ready for bed. so... see? i am always having to DO stuff. and so, i have been wearing the necklace my husband bought me at Graceland. it is a lightning bolt with the initials TCB. it pretty much sums up the boost i need. TAKING CARE of BUSINESS- IN A FLASH!!! it makes me smile that Elvis used it for everything, and it brings me a little closer to my huz... as he IS the one that gave it to me.

we still have a bit of time before pat comes home, and I will probably finish almost three hundred loads by then. but when he comes home, i should probably take off my TCB... for at least a while, i won't want anything to happen in a flash. i want time to slow, and relish the fact that my family will be complete again.

God bless us, every one!

it is colder outside than it is inside. it is a christmas miracle! well... it is a september miracle. i am happy! i hate the hot hot humid heat that is a virginian summer.

just thought you might like to know...

a note from the knitfront.

i am almost done with my Owls sweater. i love it. i am sad that i won't be able to wear it this year, as by the time it is cold enough, i will be rounder than that sweater needs. luckily i am done with my February Lady sweater (save for the buttons), and that should do. i am kind of having a bit of startitis. i want to cast on a pair of socks for myself. and i want to make sock monkeys, and i want to sew, and all kinds of stuff. i am really thinking about doing the socks, as socks are lovely, but for everything else, including the shawl kit i just ordered, i think i will wait for the Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup to start again. i love ravelry. even though i might not have friends here, on the interwebs i am never lonely...

an apology...

to my dutiful readers: i am sorry i don't update more. really there is a ton of stuff going on, but none of it is particularly interesting. i don't want to be one of those bloggers that write dutifully, but all of the posts are tedious to get through. so, just so you know, my house is getting cleaned up, my car will be getting fixed, my closet and yarn are organized, and my hair still needs to be cut. you might be interested to know that i am now into the second trimester, and although the nausea and tiredness have yet to cease, my creativity is soaring, and hopefully by the end of september i will have my etsy site up. dearest readers, thank you for checking to see how we are. even if few comments are left, i know you care by my hit counter.

i need a vacation. it has been almost two months since pat is gone. two months of 24/7 kids. there is no "me" time. there is little time to blow off steam. i am beat. soon (i hope) i will have a little bit of help, and in september liz will start kinder and i will have a little break, but that is more than a month away. i just have to wait it out. there will be time to finished unpacking, and cleaning up, and going to the market with only one kid. i think i can... i think i can... i think i can...

i have spoken to pat twice in two days. it makes the day better. i miss seeing him though...

thoughts on being preggo.

so, by now everyone knows i am pregnant (even flange), and i thought i would share some feelings on this particular pregnancy.

this itty bitty little bean inside me is making my body plum loco! and i am having a hard time dealing with it. i feel like i need twenty hours of sleep a day, and to be constantly eating. my blood sugar is known to plummet, and i am reduced to a trembling confused mess of a mom who tends to yell quite easily.

i think the best way to say it is: I am out of control.

i don't know what my body needs (water, a vitamin, nap?), i have lost control of my house (there is stuff everywhere, and it isn't getting any better), i just have no clue.

when i was pregnant with liz, pat was deployed, and i had a job, and some friends, and was fine to come home afterwork, and embroider and eat cold chicken, and watch law and order.
when i was pregnant with jake, pat had a 8-4 job, and would help out around the house, and dutifully bring me jack in the box tacos, and pepsi from taco bell.
now that i am pregnant again, pat is gone, and i have two kids and a dog counting on me to feed them, and know nobody that i would trust to leave my kids with while i get a much needed hair cut.

i miss my husabnd right now. i miss that i could go to target by myself, and that we could trade kids and look at books at the bookstore. i miss his corny jokes, and they way that if i don't want to cook he is more than happy with mexican pizza. i miss that he knows to take the kids to play at the park while i clean up after dinner, and have ten minutes of quiet to myself. i hope the rest of this deployment goes as fast as possible, and that my better half will be home soon. then i might be able to get things under control... at least before this new one comes...

summer is a bummer...

so, i didn't win 133 million dollars yesterday. but i did win 25 bucks today. so i guess it isn't sooooo bad...

son of a...

since pat is gone, and my whole life have been turned upside down, it seems like for everything i need to do, i have to take three or four extra steps. for example... to get an OB appt, i had to go to the worst doctor ever, then cry at the gate to get on base, because my town car rental didn't have stickers, and i forgot my licence at home. and now that i finally got that under control i get a letter in the mail saying that the information they have on record for us doesn't match up, and if i don't fix it, we will have to go to get doctors care back in groton. did you know that groton is in CONNECTICUT and not in virginia? yeah, me too. of all the things that i asked him to do for me, before he left, he said he did this. argh! i am highly annoyed!

puff mama

i don't know if i am retaining fluid, or getting fat, but my wedding ring is uncomfortably tight. it is the worst in the mornings. so i think i must retire it for a bit. i am bummed. it is the one piece of jewerly i wear (until i get pregnant). but i guess creating life is a good trade off. i think i am okay with that...

my cup runneth over...

with housework and chores, and taking cars to the dealership, and getting liz to the doctor, and sciatic pain, and lack of sleep.

i need a coke.

freebirthing...

at the rate its taking me to get an appointment to see a doctor, just to get a referral for OB care, i should be seen sometime after the new little starts first grade.

the more and more i live here, the harder it is to like it. anybody want to trade?

i feel a lot better...

after getting off the phone with the idiots at my doctors office, crying a little bit (because i am so mad at the idiots at my doctors office), and calling up tricare to change what Doc i go to, me and the kids went to the zoo. we looked at the ground hogs, and ate lunch. we went to the barnyard, and the snake/nocturnal habitat. we bought new postcards to send to pat, and stopped by 7-11 for bumblebee slurpees (the bizzle in my opinion) and nachos. now we are hanging out, while jake sleeps, and i am on the phone trying to get a new appt with, hopefully, my new non-idiot doctor. i guess it helped having a bit of a cry, and it also helps that i give myself permission to let things go. it kind of feels really new wave to say "i give myself permission" but really, that is what it comes down to. i think i have been too hard on myself. i think my own expectations and idea of what it means to be a single housewife are a bit warped. by what? i don't know. what i do know is that i plan on hanging out a lot more, and doing a lot of deep breathing. i don't want to be stressed out. it isn't good for me... or my kids.

i am turning a new leaf...

or at least i am going to try to. the last couple of days have been really trying for me. i find that i am just plain exhausted! i don't know if it is the pregnancy hormones, or the fact that i have been a single mom for a month, without a babysitter or break. i need to remember, that as much as i want to finish my sweater, i don't HAVE to. it has been chillin' since january... i amsure it won't mind. (although i am sooooo close. just one more sleeve!!!) i need to remember that as much as i miss pat, the kids miss him too. this deployment isn't just happening to me, i shouldn't take it personally. and if all the bathrooms aren't sparkling clean like the commercials that is okay too. as long as they don't smell, i should be okay with it. and i need to remember that as titilating as the laundry is, it is even less exciting to the kids. basically i need to take it easy. care a little less about the cleaning (but not be slobbish about it), and care a little more about having a good time. maybe the long weeks will go faster that way, and i won't miss pat so much...

TODAY IS THE GREATEST...

well... not THE greatest, but it is pretty darn great! Jake is well on his way to being potty trained. he went once because of me, and then again on his own (on his own meaning he told me "potty")! i think it could be the fact that he likes m&ms, and he gets one whenever he goes (not just try... he has to go). it also helps me that liz is encouraged to take him to the pot too. if he goes she gets an m&m too. i am hoping by the end of summer we will be done, for the most part, with diapers... for now.

also on great news going on today... i got my Phat Fiber box. i had to refresh a page for two minutes, but i got it! YAY!!! it is going to come with yarn and fiber and coupons. i am a sucker for coupons. which continues into...

we got to the commissary by 0930, bought everything we needed (and more) saved almost $14 in coupons and got home before 1015! i did that! with two kids! on payday weekend!!! almost unheard of!

i also have some super creative ideas flowing. some are kind of super secret, the others just have to do with spinning. i love to spin, and i am almost done with two ounces, spun fine, to be plied with another two ounces i have yet to start!

oh.. yeah... and i am pregnant. YAY!

CHARGE!!!!

it is getting warmer and stickier here in virginia. we are, all of us, constantly under attack. from mosquitoes, heatstroke, crab grass (that desperately needs to be mowed) and worst of all... ants. there is an army of ants that has made it their only goal to eat my dogs food. no matter how i clean up, they stay. ant bait... they laugh... and so i will head down to the local home depot and get something that will kill the ants but not my babies, or dog. hopefully something in a gel form that i can squish between the floor molding.

other than that, i have been working out, and trying to lose some of this cush i built up. and i have been staving off the scurvy with dried mango i was supposed to send my husband so he doesn't get the scurvy. i can always get more.

on a side note, ranier cherries are in season, and we have been scarfing them down. today will also be spent going to the commissary to buy more. YUM!

AUTO INSURANCE!!!

i am on hold with met life. the only way i could get to a representative was to press a whole slew of buttons on the phone. there is no "talk to a real person button". i think i am going to cancel my policy and go with costco. they are cheaper, and a whole lot easier to get in touch with. anyone have any ideas of who else to go with?

today is one of those days. those days where it isn't even ten yet and already iyou wish it was time to go to sleep. thanks to our dog, i have been awake since five thirty, my kid followed me downstairs screaming, i am fighting non stop with my daughter, the coffee is cold, i have to go to the commissary, and don't have a car, there is mail that needs to be sent off, all of the bathrooms need cleaning, my elbow hurts, and even though i am eating a tad bit better i am still managing to gain weight!

on top of all of that, it feels like me and the kids are on our own little island. just us. and there is nothing here. no awesome waterfalls to swim in, no dharma to keep us mystified. just a tree. the island fever i had living in hawaii has nothing on what i am feeling right now. if it wasn't for the kids i would be depressed and sleeping, but now i am just mad and tired. i need a vacation.

monday

it is laundry day, again, but this time it isn't sooooo sad. i have more to do than ususal, and am happy about it. pat is home! the kids are stoked! i am happy! everything seems to run just a tad bit smoother. i am going to try and appreciate him, and cherish the time that i have with him. yay!

and tomorrow is liz's b day! so many good things happening!

hooray!

if you were born today: you hit your stride this year and become powerful in a family or other organization.

that is what the virginian pilot tells me.

its my BIRTHDAY!!!

YAY! i love my birthday. so far it has been filled with coffee and knitting on a sock, and lemon cake for breakfast. i also had to call to get my newspaper (they never deliver on wednesday!) but i did get it, and the front page has an ad for "the deal of the day" which in turn reminded me to check out the deal of the day, and what do you know?!?! it is my favorite roving! i think this might be my year of fiber! maybe continuing on into next year when i go (and i AM going) to yarn school. well... maybe... if I can... either way, i think i will buy some fiber for me to spin up, and eat some more cake and ice cream. and a hot link with onions and bell peppers, and some pizza and pasta, and a strawberry mango limeade.

i already posted this one...

but i thought i would put it up here. i saw one of the ladies at the commissary doing this dance... in the aisle way... where people come in... i miss connecticut.

it is the day i don't like most. laundry day. i actually put it off one day because yesterday was really hot, and our AC is on the fritz. but yeah... so i started laundry, went to the NEX and commissary, yelled at my kids while sweating, and managed to miss the maintenance guy. put on top of that i washed pat's clothes and put them away. it sucks because now he is really gone. and he won't be back to make more laundry or yell at the kids, or curse the wretched weather with me for weeks and weeks. i am not super sad because he is still alive, and i AM able to receive email (although i never do) but i am just kind of bummed out. if he was home i probably would've run away tonight to target, and sonic. oh well.

tomorrow i am off to college to have a chat with a counseler and discuss my options for applying to their nursing program. wish me luck!

kyuuuuuto!

during a week where things aren't going so well,(Pat leaves today for a while, my super special cousin died, and my favorite sweater and new sock bag were cut up!) i get this.


it made me get all teary and think things might be okay. i hope everything is okay for you guys too.

allergies...

the costco zyrtec helps me fine with my nasal allergies, but does nothing to help my eye allergies. they feel swollen and sore, and itchy. and i swear that my sclera is now pink. maybe i should invest in an eyewash. or at least some eyedrops.

on a good note, the eletricity was supposed to be off all day today, but it was only cut for about twenty minutes. enough for all the clocks in the house to be reset, and my to get started on the stupid stupid sleeve of my february sweater. i should've worked on super secret knitting. that is more fun.

more later. i need to gouge my eyes out.

huh?

is it just me, or does rescue pack remind anyone else of flavor flav? i think its the whole "YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" thing.



maybe its not enough sleep or coffee...

it isn't that i don't like holidays...

its just that they never feel like holidays anymore. especially today. pat is gone, and it is just me and the kids. so i made some faux barbecue chicken in the george foreman, and we ate some jelly beans. i figured since pat will be home next weekend, what is the harm in postponing easter a bit. plus i can go to target tomorrow, and get a bunch of stuff half price.

i guess it is just that i am a bit tired, and there is still so much to be done before the house is fully unpacked. and on top of that we are finally getting over these colds we got, and are just dealing with allergies. a bit of a funk is all...

i just don't really want to think about what it is like next month when pat deploys. i hope i make some friends fast...

or maybe some come out to visit me...

i am sooo Popular...

not really. i just have a FRG meeting (its the boat) and a yarn meeting on saturday. i am going to try and make both. i think i may be setting myself up for failure, but i really want to meet some knitters, and i HAVE to go to the boat meeting. whatever. i will try.

speaking of mr. billy mays...

is there anyone else that has decided they can't live without oxyclean? it got out some gnarly stains from the kids, and even some gross puke stench from liz's stomach flu. i love Love LOVE it. it is my new Mrs. Meyers. i used to love that too, but i can't seem to find it here in virginia. her lemon verbena countertop spray was magical. and harmless to my wee babes.

my other "secret" ingredient to a clean happy kitchen is baking soda. i use it on all my dishes to get the stuck on, baked on gunk off. it cleans my sink, and it keeps my fridge smelling nice (well not right now... i have yet to put one in our new fridge, and it got the funk). and it is a wonder at cleaning the stove top. and again, i don't have to worry about chemicals. well harmful ones at least....


is there a magical cure all for you?

infomercial feud.

do you think that billy mays is happy about "sham-wow" vince being arrested? or do you think he cares at all? i mean, billy does have his own reality show coming out... but, vince has sham WOW! i mean... it IS made in germany... i don't know... just putting it out there.

my brother is sooooo cool...

that this picture doesn't even need a caption...



i have only been home like two weeks, and already i miss him a ton.

March uberlist update.

i know that it is actually april, but i am going to post the things that i finished last month.

6. Get a Dog.
her name is sadie. she is adopted from a boston terrier rescue group. i don't thinks she is boston at all. i think she is part corgi.


31. Procure a spinning wheel.
her name is LouLouBelle. she is a louet s10. i haven't spent much time with her, as i am still unpacking, but i have taken her out, and given a go at it. i still love to spin dearly, and am looking forward to the time when liz is at kindergarten and jake is taking a nap.

41. Visit Dr. Kanda.
me and liz did this together. we both LOVE dr. Kanda. and i am happy to fly home to see him. he is the best dentist i have had. ever.

67. Go to Disneyland.
while we were in the valley, in between illnesses we made it there.
it is one of the few places i know of where the kids can sit and be happy.

68. Go to Stitches West.
me and Ginni, the best gal in the world, and most sympathetic ear i know, hit up this San Jose Convention. the day was full of wool, and sandwiches, and daiso, and cream puffs. and nachos. i miss Ginni.

94. Get some free flights.
Thanks to Southwest airlines, i have a free flight anywhere they fly. more than likely it will be back to L.A. either for my Grandpa or Brother. which ever i feel up to traveling for. (doesn't that sound so selfish of me?)

96. See Kristi Reis.
whlst in the valley i was able to lay my eyes upon her glorious face. and kristine dribben too! and little Ruby! what a wonderful day!

as for more changes to the uber list, there are a few things that HAVE to be changed.
10. get kids baptized.
-i was going to do this at st. augustine's in hawaii. i had it all planned out. i was going to fly out my brother and his wife and kids, have brunch, and party at the beach. i still might get them done at St. Didacus in september, but i don't know...
21. become a member of the Honolulu Zoo... is now Virginia Zoo.
22. become a member of the Honolulu Aquarium... is now Virginia Aquarium.
63. Snorkel with snorkel bob... will now be become a member of the botanical garden.
97. have a Dinner with my Dad. since i only saw him a few times whilst in the valley (he is a busy retiree), and he is moving back to australia in a few weeks, i think i will change it to Have a chat with my Dad once a month. I love him dearly.

one flew over...

the week has flown by! yesterday was a super productive day, and today will be along the same lines. hopefully more blogging tonight, after the wee ones hit the sack.

for all of those concerned, i believe that i am not truly ill, but merely (HAHA) allergic to virginia. sure it is beautiful, but all the damp warm is mold spores to me, and therefore runny nose, and medicine head. it is hard enough to keep track of things without forgetting the second you think of them. thank goodness for pen and paper. iPhone is great and all, but i love my to do list, and calendar.

and like that (snap)!!! i am sick!

today started off easy peasy. then i don't know what happened. my nose started running, and i just wanted to lay down. after a lunch of beans and rice, i turned on cartoon network, plopped the kids in front of the t.v. and proceeded to pass out. i feel a little better, but i am still kinda out of it. and my nose is still running. i think i will take it slow tonight and cook up a frozen pizza. i am tiiiiiyerd!

and i still have to fold whites! ick...

Flavor Country.

we are in Virginia. i wrote a really lovely post about how nice it is to be with my husband, and having a complete nuclear family again, but it got lost somewhere in the interwebs, and i can't recreate the beauty of it. oh well...

we are in Virginia. we have a nice house with a lovely back yard, and carport. the kids and i are doing well, except when i try to get anything done. if i try to do anything (and by anything, i mean anything; dishes, unpacking, laundry, etc.) then there is a lot of yelling, and unhappy Stevensons. so i am trying a new way to do things. i only do them before lunch. that way at least i am a little productive and the kids aren't being yelled at all day. YAY!

there will be more postings soon, with pictures from the valley, our new home, and our pretty little dog Sadie, and other various things. maybe my sweater that i have been working on since january, and an update on the Uber is to come as well.

We like to move it, move it!!!

So... We are all packed up and moved out. Soon Pat will be on his way to Virginia and me and the kiddos will be on our way to the Valley. It was a very stressful last couple of days, but we have lived through it. Hopefully the upcoming weeks are relaxing and wonderful. I am looking forward to seeing my family and hanging out in my old haunts. I am also super stoked to be headed to Stitches West with my bestest friend Ginni!!! I can't wait for the fun to begin, but I know I will miss Groton, and the lovely friends I made here. Oh.... And the beluga whales. I will miss them too.

STAT!

today is valentine's day. jake was sharing some of my heart shaped snickers and started spitting out the peanuts. i told pat, "I NEED A PAPER TOWEL!!! STAT!!!" he says in relpy, "What does 'STAT' mean anyway? does it stand for something?" and then he says,

"Stop
Taking
A long
Time."

amid the peals of laughter i remembered why i married him in the first place.

i hope everyone is having a great Valentine's Day.

$5 footlong

or as my daughter likes to say "$5 meatlong". i like the meatball marinara. for five bucks you really can't beat it. it is what i had for dinner tonight. i like mine personalized. everyone who has ever made one for me always looks at me strange, but i think it is fabulous!

start with the italian herbs and cheese.
then add mustard.
then the meatballs.
then provolone.
then onions and peppers, and have it toasted.
top it with some olives and pickles and you are set.

they will look at you strange too, but trust me. its DELICIOUS!

so that navy thing...

it seems that the navy, in all its wisdom, has decided to move us to Virginia, and keep us there. we found out friday, and i am finally getting over the shock. it isn't too bad now that i give it a chance. yesterday i went to borders and got a book about Virginia. it looks BEEEEYOOOO-TIFUL. it looks like there is a lot of stuff to do, and there will be a Costco near by! so, we are still moving in a week and a half (only to Virginia) me and the kids are still going to L.A. for the month of March, and everything is going to be O.K.

the navy

the navy has managed to throw a car going 60 miles an hour in reverse. needless to say the transmission is now shit.

holding... holding....

you know when you are having a baby, and they tell you "PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!... okay now hold it! DON'T push!"

and you know how much that sucks, because all you want to do is push, and they are telling you not to, and it is just awful? weeeeeellllll the navy just told us to stop pushing. to hold it. but instead of having one baby trying to come out, there is a whole household involved. arrrgh!

technique!

so guess what has cheered me up from my wahwah baby funk? knitting! i was working on my february lady sweater last night and i noticed a mistake. i kept it, hoping it would be alright, but alas, that was not the case. this morning the 7 stitch repeat turned into a 5 stitch repeat! i think it was a lack of yarn overs, but can't be sure. so... what did i do? since i suck at taking knitting back two or three rows, i took the five stitches off the needles, ripped it back to the garter stitch yoke, and reworked them back up. this is the second or third time i have done it, and although a couple of the stitches are wonky to begin with, it comes out in the washing/blocking stage. i am proud of me, and feel good about it! yay me!

WASSSAPANEEN?!?

as most of you know, things around here can be pretty hectic. and they are beginning to be even more so, if that is at all possible. in 16 days or so (i can't really remember when) the movers will be coming to pack up all of our belongings and get them on their merry way to aloha-land. pat will be going to virginia, and the kids and i are staying til then end of the month, then flying out to Los Angeles. in the mean time, there is packing, and giving stuff away, and returning of the spinning wheel (boo hoo) and a trip to WEBS and school , and swim classes, and just EVERYTHING! just writing that gave me anxiety. out of all the times i moved, this one is affecting me the worst. and i don't know why. maybe its because i don't have a baby to take my mind off of it, and not be bothered by it. all i know id that i have been on major edge, and i feel bad for my husband, and kids. they are stressed too, and i need to remember that.

what i really need, really really really, is a best friend to come over and joke with me and bring me coffee, even though i don't ask for it. i need a best friend, or my mom, or my sister. or all three. i feel like i am being a total boo hoo baby. but i don't care. you all can vote for me for biggest wah-wah baby of 2009.

Uberlist update: part 1/12

These are the things that I managed to do in the month of January.

5. I made a sweater. Actually it is called a capelet, but it has all the elements. Plus I am working on my February lady sweater, so it was good practice.


13. I got a fancy new phone. It is an iPhone, and I think I am in love with it. With all the apps, it is really helping me get a handle on things, but, I am trying really really really hard not to pay a lot of attention to it. After all, it is just a phone, and not my kids.

35. and 36. I updated the ravelry stash and cleaned up the yarn closet at the same time, by packing it all away. It makes me sad to see the wool all encased in a space bag, but it is for the better.

58. I posted the uber list early on! This is one thing that I will keep doing. It is an easy task to finish.

73. pat found the iPod dock the other day when he was looking for something else. I am glad of it, as now I can listen to my podcasts while cleaning out the garage. Thanks pat.

So far that is what I have done. There are a few changes I am making to the list, as a few of them are crazy!

I am changing number three to “make at least 150 squares for pine ridge reservation”. I tried to do one a day, and then fell behind, and well, this just seems do-able.

Numer 68 will now be “go to Stiches West”. I have found something I like more than gambling… and it is wool! Well… to be honest, yarn of any fiber. And so, I will get to see yarn and fiber, and books about them and spinning wheels, and patterns and bags, and best of all GINNI!!!!

bat commander!

pat says i can't listen to the aquabats until i update this blog.

i did.

so there.

turn it UP!!!!

Pat's iPhone

I am blogging from a phone! I think I like it.

Why Key Key!

Thank you Sarah.

It seems to me that I haven’t yet announced that the Stevenson family is going to be moving again.

‘What?!? Didn’t you just move to Groton in May?!?” you might ask.

Yes, we did. And in February we are going to move again. From the cold and dismal Connecticut to the sunny shores of Hawaii… by way of L.A. of course. I will have the two kids, and meet Pat there. I think it will be a very fun and stressful move, but all will be okay.

And for anyone who is saying, “Moving to Hawai’i! man they are lucky!”, I just want you to know that although we will be living in one of the most beautiful places on earth, we also will be losing Pat for huge chunks of time. You win some, you lose some… huh?

Uberlist 2009!

1. Finish WIPs from 2008
2. Have no more than 4 (2 easy and 2 hard) WIPs going at a time.
3. Make at least 150 squares for PineRidge Reservation (edited 2/2/09)
4. Make socks for the family
5. Make a sweater
6. Get a dog
7. Get a new car
8. Spend more time with Pat
9. Get Liz to kindergarden
10. Get kids baptized
11. Read five books
12. Finish adding music to iTunes
13. Get a fancy new phone
14. Lose 10 lbs
15. Clean out all wardrobes
16. Go to church more
17. Go to the beach more
18. Have a couple of really nice parties/bbqs
19. Clean out the kids toys
20. Have a garage sale
21. Become a member of the Honolulu zoo
22. Become a member of the Honolulu aquarium
23. Swim more
24. Golf more
25. Eat less junk food
26. Drink more water
27. Get my hair cut and nails did
28. Make Christmas ornaments and garland
29. Shop more and buy less
30. Buy more local
31. Procure a spinning wheel
32. Set up my new home prettily and efficiently
33. Camp in the back yard
34. Get Jake swimming
35. Update ravelry stash
36. Clean up yarn closet
37. Save more money
38. Donate more food to the food bank
39. Open bank account for jake.
40. Take care of my new car (oil change, wash, etc.)
41. Visit Dr. Kanda and maybe Dr. Tanabe
42. Learn magic loop.
43. Get a sand box
44. Join a stitching group
45. Get portraits of the kids
46. Be less pissed off.
47. Stop having Pat enable me
48. Volunteer time.
49. Garden
50. Eat less meat
51. Eat more salad
52. Hang out with friends once in a while.
53. Make sure Pat’s uniform is up to date.
54. Have outing once a month with each kid
55. DAMNED AFGHAN!
56. Sew play clothes for Liz.
57. Have a really nice steak at Ruth’s Chris.
58. Post uberlis by 1/5/09
59. Work on Rosetta Stone.
60. Work from stash more.
61. Have less commercial holidays.
62. Get a bird named weenut.
63. Snorkel with snorkel Bob.
64. Get a new bathing suit.
65. Update blog more often
66. Give away winter clothes.
67. Go to Disneyland.
68. Go to Stitches West. (edited 2/2/09)
69. Get a new pair of saddle shoes.
70. Keep the kitchen table clean.
71. Go see a movie once in a while
72. Make tamales for Christmas.
73. Find iPod dock.
74. Unpack all boxes by August.
75. Get new towels.
76. Get a new bed.
77. Go shooting.
78. Clean with less chemicals.
79. Decorate the outside of the house for Christmas.
80. Cook at home more.
81. Keep my eyebrows nice.
82. Hit up the swapmeet once a month (once we move).
83. Start dancing again.
84. Less TV but more VH1.
85. Potty train Jake.
86. Keep Liz swimming.
87. Put stuff away.
88. Make less garbage.
89. Keep up on chores.
90. Get a composting bin.
91. Get a rain water barrel.
92. Clean up my computer.
93. Watch more AC360.
94. Get some free flights.
95. Fly first class somewhere.
96. See Kristi H. Reis.
97. Have dinner with my Dad.
98. Take more LUSH baths.
99. Make my bed everyday!
100. Kick it at the Marriott once in a while
101. Get massages.
102. Wear more dresses.
103. Wear more heels.
104. Put up more photos throughout the house.
105. Wash couch sheets once a week.
106. Send out birthday and anniversary cards on time.
107. Send out Christmas cards by 12/15.
108. Make scrubbies for mom and my family.
109. Work out more.