Oooh Look, Another Stitching Related Post..

They are so few and far inbetween. Here is the promised picture of the Angel of Love WIP. The first picture is from 2 years ago, which I'm only including for comparison purposes. So that you can see I *am* actually stitching. LOL. The 3rd picture is the truest in terms of colors.

As of December 4th, 2004

This picture is on webshots and it doesn't let me download the bigger one as JPG. Link takes you there.

As of November 19th, 2006

As of November 25th, 2006

Thanks Erin and Sene for the sweet comments. The journaling makes me cry too, everytime I read it :)

Many thoughts

This isn't going to be a coherent entry :) (Like it is ever. Huh)

First off, Thanks for the comments on the new look. I can't take credit for the new title "Expression Alley" though. While watching TV and creating the new header, I started thinking along the lines of "Expressing". This blog is all about expressing, afterall. Expressing in written form, or in art in the way of scrapping or stitching.

First thought was "Express Lane". Created the header and asked DH what he thinks. He said "Huh? This doesn't make any sense and makes me think of Grocery Store Express Checkout Lane." LOL! I said that this is where I express my thoughts, so it is *my* Express Lane. He said it still makes him think of the checkout lanes. Dumped it. Next thing he said was "Expression Alley". Bingo. My first thought was it's something out of Harry Potter. Diagon Alley, Expression Alley. Love it. I LOVE Harry Potter. So, that was it. The design was all mine. At first, I had Mehul and my picture in there too, but after rearranging things around, I liked this version best :)

Calendars. Again, I can't take credit for those either. They are quick pages by Ztampf. LOVE them. All I had to do was slide the photos in, and add the text. I had received a coupon from DigiShopTalk on my Birthday for 50% off Ztampf products, plus, they had a sale going on so the calendars were already marked down. I got them for about $2.00 I think. I ordered a bunch of stuff.

I am really happy how quickly I got done with the calendars. I'd been thinking about doing some sort of calendars for some time, and then I saw Erin's. WOW! (Sidenote: I am excited about her calendars. Can't wait to hear about the reaction they receive.) I wanted to do them, but was concerned about the shipping to India (which is where they're going). I wanted them to be ready to use, and didn't want to spend a whole lot ;) They are basically 4x6 photo size, front is the calendar and the back is the photo card, and they are laminated together. They came out to be $2.50 each! I got 15 done. Now, that's cheap!

One word of advice about Laminating at Staples. They charge separately for cutting the laminated sheets. We had used the big size sheets and inserted 5 calendars per sheet. They charge $2.00 for each piece they cut out! This does not include the cost of laminating. They hadn't told us this before, so we got a discount and got charged for 10 cuts instead of 15. We have a paper cutter and may even have cut it ourself if we had known. But, it's still cheap I think.

Holiday Cards. Got them out of the way too for the most part. I'm waiting on some addresses. My sister has just moved one month back, and my SIL too has recently moved. Got the rest sent already. I can't wait for their reactions. ATC cards are mailed out too. Now, I can rest easy.

Concluding thought. There is a party at our place this Saturday. Some of our friends couldn't attend the last one, so this one's for them! About 15 people excluding us. Menu has changed a little bit from the last time, but most main dishes have stayed the same. I'm trying to cut down the # of dishes that require cooking the day of. LOL. That wasn't fun!

Can I write an entry without a LO to show? Nope. Here it is.

Wishes Do Come True

Credits:
Just about everything from Lisa Whitney's ScrapArtist Apprentice kit "A Beautiful Mess". I got it for $2.00 (How come everything in this entry is $2.00?? That's mind boggling.) while the contest was going on.
Also used Steph Krush's Paper Tear.
I used Gina Miller's Fun with Fibers Pack 1 to create the twisty tie. Can you guess how much they're for?? LOL!

Recap

Let's do it in Fast Forward.

Thursday

Start cooking Thanksgiving Lunch/Dinner early morning before breakfast. Done in 1.5 hours. Breakfast, cleaning, etc. until the guests arrived. Grey's Anatomy after they leave. I'm supremely pissed at ABC for showing only a couple of minutes extra of GA. In the Ad, they said "A thanksgiving episode so big, we couldn't fit it in 1 hour!" So, instead of doing a 2 hour episode (which I assumed), they tack on a couple of minutes. Arghh. But, it was a darn good episode, so I guess I'll keep watching :p

Friday

Sleep in a little and then get ready for shopping. We didn't really need any electronics so we missed the craziness at Best Buy, etc. We went to Lowes instead. No breakfast, we decided to do brunch a little later. We had to get the Christmas Tree. No sales on the trees, and to add insult to injury, the tree we selected was out of stock already. Had been for 2 weeks, and no more were ordered. They checked the other store in the area and told us there was one available in the store 10 miles away. Off we went. We did get it, thankfully! Brunch at IHOP. Yum. Back home to relax, stitch and scrap. To the mall in the afternoon to get Mehul's hair cut.

Saturday

Regular Saturday stuff, phone calls back home, laundry, etc. I bought some calendar templates from ztampf which will follow this post. Trip to Costco to drop off the calendars to print. Put up the Christmas Tree and hang the ornaments. Dinner was a N's house.

Sunday

Got the calendars laminated at Staples. These are going to the family members with the New Year cards! I got the front and back printed separately, and snuck a little tape to keep them together while laminating. They came out gorgeous. I don't have a picture of the finished product, but I do have the photos before printing.

2007 Calendars

Quick post

I'm sorry about the header issue. I'm working on fixing it. It seems very attached to that spot in the template and won't move forward. Arghhh.

BTW, How do you like the new title? I rather like this one, so this should be it for a while.

Yummy Thanksgiving

I'm stuffed! M & M had brought Pav Bhaji - a dish made with mashed potatoes, and a whole bunch of boiled veggies, spices and lots of butter. It is eaten with hamburger rolls. Yummm. We had this as a snack with tea, but it was so tasty all of us were pretty much stuffed to eat lunch! We hung around till 6 and then had lunch. LOL. I had prepared Mutter Panner and Aloo Gobhi curries along with regular sides. Not very elaborated, but yum. No more eating today.

Layout time!

Brrr

Credits:
Everything from Miki Ferkul's Winter Weather Warning kit at ScrapbookElements.

Just to show you

How hard my life is! LOL! I have all these pretties to play work with over the weekend. The only obligations are with the CT kits, which are so pretty themselves!

ScrapArtist

Robyn England

Robyn England is giving this kit free on her blog if you sign up for her Friends Mailing list!

Gina Miller

Gina Miller has her goodies at ScrapBook Byts for 50% off this week!

Ztampf

CT Kits - Miki Ferkul

I also have another Miki's kit - Velvet Vision that is being released on Sunday! Not sure if it's okay to post a preview without her permission, so I won't.

Apart from all the scrapping, we are celebrating ThanksGiving tomorrow with some friends. I also will do some stitching and hopefully get an updated picture of the Angel of Love.

Last, but not the least, Happy ThanksGiving! Have a great holiday weekend.

Eek!

I just realized that I've got the year wrong on the Christmas LO It is 2004, not last Christmas!! Mehul wasn't so small last year!

We have decided to wait for the Day After Thanksgiving sales to see if the price on the tree we want goes down. DH also has plans to tour at least 2 other stores (Staples, Sears) that day. Should be interesting to go bright and early with Mehul in the tow.

I'm finishing up some work that was due end of this week, but since it's a long weekend, I have to finish it early. Grump!

Christmas is coming..

You see it everywhere now, in the stores, on TV and radio, in the scrap booking galleries and stores, it is here. Still more than a month to go, but okay.

We may have found our Christmas Tree. This is the first tree that we're buying together! I initially thought of getting a small tree, 3.5 to 4.5 foot in height. After looking at a 4.5 ft. tree, both of us felt it wasn't the one for us. We need a bigger tree. A 6.5 ft tree at JCPenny seemed appropriate, but it wasn't as 'full'. A friend mentioned Lowes. Off we went, and I (obviously) selected the pricier one, the one which looks just like the real tree. And, it's 7 feet, and prelit, so we don't have to do tedious task of attaching lights. It's really pretty. Girish has agreed on that one, and we are hopefully getting it tonight. I was drooling over the cream and gold ornaments at Michael's the other day. Now I can get them!!

Here is the tree. Can you believe it's not a real tree? Look at the closeup of a branch.

This week is a short one, which makes me very happy. Thanksgiving is on Thursday, and we also get the day after Thanksgiving off. So, work 3 days, off 4 days. Why can't all weeks be like that? LOL!

We generally don't celebrate TG, but this time, we are starting this tradition too! There will be no Turkey (I'm vegetarian, G doesn't care for it, M won't eat it anyway just like he won't eat any other food item), only sides. I'm thinking Garlic Mashed Potatoes (I make yummmm), Steamed Garlic Lemon Broccoli, a Paneer dish (haven't decided which one yet), and a pie/cake afterwards. I'll get the the pie/cake from Trader Joe's. I don't want to do a big meal since I want to watch the special 2 hour Grey's Anatomy! I plan on getting a lot of stitching done over the weekend.

Now, why can't I attempt to make a pie? I have never tried to make a pie. I make Cakes and Muffins from the box and that's about it. And, I've baked cookies (from scratch) twice. Trying a new Western style dessert is on my 101 things to do list - - > Maybe next year.

Happy Feet (No spoilers..)

This movie is awesome. I mean it. Those with little kids, go watch the movie in the theatre. Mehul enjoyed it so much. I'm so glad we didn't decide to do a babysitter, and took him with us. I had kinda hoped before going that he would sleep after watching a little bit, but he was had so much fun! There are a lot of singing and dancing penguins, and Mehul was showing off his moves (from my lap). There are a few very scary scenes, though, with the seal and the whales, but I held him facing the other way. In one scene, when a penguin is sad and crying, he said "Are you okay, Pen-gin". Another time, he said "It's okay" when the said Penguin was sad! He can really understand emotions now. The movie overall is a lot of fun. Most of the kids were in 4 yrs and up, though. Must buy on DVD.

It was so funny, right after the credits started rolling, I asked M to sleep, and he did. Just like that, he closed his eyes and dozed off. He was *so* tired!

Not much else going on. I have finished my ATC (Artist Trading Cards). I'll get them printed off and in mail hopefully by Monday. I can only show them after they reach their destinations, though. They're looking good!

I might pick up stitching later tonight. Gotta run some errands now.

1 hour before we leave for the movie. I just finished this one. Loving this kit. And how awesome is the decorative edge.

Christmas 2005

Credits:
Miki Ferkul's Ancient Ways :Yuletide kit for the papers and elements.
Miki's Pavillion kit for the Alpha. Both available at Scrapbook Elements.
Michelle Coleman's Decorative Edges.

I had lost hope..

That I would get to hear this comment again "You have nice hair. Where do you get it cut?" I'm serious, I had lost hope. I have always had nice hair until about 1 1/2 years ago. When Mehul turned 4-5 months old, my hair started falling. I freaked out initially but after reading that it is normal, and the hair just grows back, I was fine. It did grow back. Small fuzzy fiber-like hair started coming out, and I thought it would be fine once it gets longer. Wrong. As I was nursing/pumping for Mehul, my body was devoid of all nutrition for itself. No matter how much I ate, I was always tired and I was looking sick. I look back at the photos and see the dark circles around my eyes. In the hind sight, I see the importance of proper nutrition, but at the time I was so tired to cook anything! The job I had at the time required me to be at work for a minimum of 10 hours, add 3 hours for commute. Talk about missing out on family time. And forget about time for myself! I did enough 70 hour weeks than I care to admit.
Anyhow, back to the hair. As it grew longer, it changed texture and became more and more fuzzy. I drizzled conditioner after each wash, I changed shampoos, but nothing was helping. The hair wasn't healthy, you could tell by looking at it. There was no luster, and no body. And I wasn't healthy either. I dropped weight and was ecstatic about it, but I didn't look healthy. It is not the way I wanted to look! I left that job after the initial length of the contract finished. They wanted to keep me, but I had enough. Time to take care of me, my Mehul, and my life. I took back control, started cooking and eating at home more, started going to the gym, I started taking the multivitamin again, and I changed the saloon.
I have been going there for about 8 months now, and they *know* haircare. I was talking to my hairdresser at my last haircut, and she said she went to cosmetology school, and has to take classes every couple of months to keep their knowledge current. Those people know what they're doing. They give me advice on what to do.
And it's working! I was so thrilled to hear this comment today from a cute girl at work. Yeah. It feels good. I didn't even have time to straighten/set my hair this morning, I just washed, ran the hairdryer once to dry off a little bit, and that's it. I have the shine again. It feels good. I *will not* let it happen to me again. Not having a stressful job is helping too, as I have a lot more time for me now.

Among other things going on, I'm meeting DH for lunch. Nothing special, but it is my Birthday so he is being very nice to me :) He didn't wake me up for Mehul's milk bottle in the wee hours of the morning. Mehul said "Happy 2 you" to me in the morning. So cute. I am planning on leaving a little early today. Not much planned for the weekend. We may have some friends come over, but they haven't confirmed yet.

I did a LO last night (Finally!)

A Snow Day

Snow picture from earlier this year. These papers are so yummy and perfect for snow.

Credits:
Everything except the 2 big Snowflakes is from Diamante Designs at TDS
I have used the Chilly Day papers, Felt Alpha, Post It collection, and Handle with Care labels.
Snowflakes brushes are from Michelle Coleman at ScrapArtist.

Raining hard here..

We are under a Tornado Watch until 6PM. I forgot my lunch at home today and had to go out to get Subway. It was raining so hard! It's still dark outside. I hope the traffic isn't too bad tonight. Although, this is DC I'm talking about. LOL.

We are having some potty training success, although his teacher isn't reporting any. They probably just take them in for a couple of minutes every time. Mehul takes his own sweet time and sits for a good 15 minutes before doing anything at home. He doesn't complain as long as he is kept busy talking.

I watched Da Vinci Code last night with DH after Mehul dozed off. It is ok, I like the novel better.

Plans for my Birthday tomorrow, this time we actually have plans :) DH is taking me and Mehul to watch "Happy Feet" which is releasing tomorrow itself. It will be past M's bedtime so he will hopefully either be sleepy or sleep through the movie. We plan on arriving early and planting our butts near the exit at the very top.

This time, I'm actually feeling the pressure of CT work. Both Miki and Lori have come up with a couple of new things, and my scrapping mojo is almost non-existent. All I want to do is stitch stitch stitch. I know if I start scrapping, it would be done soon and pressure would be lifted. Another thing is photos, I have almost run out of photos to scrap with! I do have a lot of snow pictures for Lori's Chilly Day, but Miki's Yuletide has me stumped. I just don't have a lot of Christmas pictures lying around. I already passed on her Thanksgiving and another Christmas kit, I feel like I *should* scrap with this one, and I want to! I'll dig into my photos CDs tonight and see if I can find something.

Drive safely, where ever you are!

Ooh Sale on my Birthday

That's right! Tomorrow is my 30th Birthday. Scrapbook Graphics is having a 50% off sale. How did they know? LOL.

They are giving a special gift to spread the word. If you post this ad in your blog and send them the link, you receive a special gift!



And, ScrapArtist has announced the Winners! Lisa Whitney, Amber Clegg, Linda Gil Billdal, Robyn England and Christine Honsinger. What a terrific group! I can't wait to see what these ladies come up with.

This one's for Erin

She has found a deer in the city she lives in. Reminded me of the excitement I had over 5 years ago, when I first spotted a Deer family standing on the side of the road. See, I'm from Delhi. I am used to seeing cows and buffaloes on the roadside, not deer! So, I screamed with excitement. Now, living on the outskirts of DC for more than 5 years, I am used to seeing them and do not scream. But, it's still exciting to this day.

Oh yes, you can spot Deer Crossing signs all over here. And sadly, you can also see dead deer on the roadside sometimes. They usually come out in the night when the traffic slows down, and I have been told that they appear out of nowhere. All you see are two brightly reflecting eyes.

I took this picture from my kitchen sliding door. The driveway you see in the picture is our next door neighbor's. They (The Deer. Neighbors haven't moved in yet) visit us everyday.



I'm feeling really crummy about a situation. I can't help but feel sorry. Sigh. Hopefully, all will be well by tomorrow when I am able to do what I want to do.

First Time

Today is the first time M p-peed in the toilet. I wasn't there though DH was. Should we have been video taping? I'm kidding! LOL.

I have to talk about Grocery Stores. Why is it that we all are so attached to our grocery stores? You know, you always go to the same store to get the things you can get literally anywhere! This morning I was talking to one of my coworkers who has moved into our city. He asked me about the store we go to. I told him our favorite stores are Wegmans and Harris Teeter. He said he always goes to Giants, a store we Hate. Giants was the nearest store to our previous house, but we wouldn't go there if we could help it. I don't know if it's the prices, the quality, or the cleanliness. I am very particular about the store I go to. And everyone else seems to be whenever the topic comes up. No one has ever said, I'm not particular, I just go to the nearest one or whatever. Why is that?

Alphabet Soup

Received my letter from Erin What a perfect letter! M.

Comment to this message and I will assign you a letter of the alphabet. Then, post a list of 10 words that begin with this letter and what they mean to you.

1.Mehul

No need to explain this. He means everything to me. I'll write what I read in someone's LO, My life began when your's started.

2.Mom

Love being a mom. And, love *my* mom. Some things you don't understand, until you experience them yourself. I have more respect for my mom than I ever did before.

3.Married

I don't know what I did when I was single. It seems like I've been married forever, and yet, it seems we just got married. I'm still crazy about him!

4.Madhuri Dixit

Ok. I remember now what I did when I was single. LOL! Sene and I were HUGE fans. I still love her and re-watch her movies all the time! I'll not go into the craziness we did over her, but we were huge fans :)

5.Masala Lays

It's a good thing we don't get such a thing in the US. Really good thing. It is also the first thing I buy at the Delhi Airport as soon as I land.

6.Milk Chocolate

I can't stand bitter chocolate. Milk Chocolate for me, please! And, no nuts. Nuts have no business being in chocolate.

7.Maitreyi

My college. Wonderful memories surrounding it. Wonder how big the Cyprus trees in the front yard must have gotten. Hmmm. I usually drive by (rather, have someone drive me by because I don't drive in Delhi) the college every time I go back there.

8.Mutter Paneer

I make a mean Mutter Paneer curry. Try it sometime. You *will not* forget it. (It is green peas and Indian cottage cheese curry).

9.Moment

I live in the moment. You can count on me for coming up with a plan and carry it out in a moment. Sometimes, not so well thought out, but I'm working on that. LOL!

10.Mix 107.3

My local radio station. The best mix of everything. So, I'm not a huge English songs fan, but they are growing on me, thanks to this radio station that I listen to while I drive.

I am such a foodie. Three out of ten items here are food :o Oops.

Those are my M things. Comment and I will assign you a letter. I will have Mehul pick it out for you. Thanks to Erin for assigning me the letter.

Sene's letter: F

Nice weekend

Taneya came to visit us Saturday evening. We had a really nice time getting to know her. This is the first time I have *properly* met an online friend in real life. I have been to Hershey CATS show once, but that was a quick hello with a couple of people (including The Queen of Blended Threads herself). I really enjoyed spending some time with her. We went out to dinner and then came back home for chatting some more. We talked about everything from Kaleya and Mehul's development (they are about 15 days apart!), to jobs, homes, stitching and scrapping (she is a cross-stitcher and digi-scrapper too), etc. I showed her my progress on Angel of Love, which she happens to have as a WIP too. I also brought out my Scrapbook_In_Progress. She had a lovely Native American design she's stitching with her. Overall, it was a great evening :)

Oh, and she has further confirmed my resolve to visit the Biltmore Estate. She has visited twice and said that I would *love* it, looking at my taste in furniture and home decoration! Girish has finally said, okay, we are going next summer! Yippie! It is a 10 hour drive from where we live. We are concerned about Mehul not being able to handle it rightnow. But, next year, we are going! And I might be able to meet her again as she lives about 5 hours away from there!

I stitched some last night while watching Rangeela movie. The AoL is coming along really nicely. I generally stay away from making changes to x-stitch patterns, but in this, I have added beads at the ends of golden frays in the angel's shawl. It's really looking great with the beads. I know, picture explains best, but I haven't taken an updated picture yet. Soon(ish) ;)

In other news, my week-long cough turned into a very sore throat. By Saturday night, my voice was almost gone and Sunday morning I woke up to a sore throat. Ouch. It is slightly better now. Off to get some hot-chocolate. I love winter-time. LOL!

You know what they say...

If you want something done right, do it yourself! We were just about to head out to get the new potty chair, when I decided to look for it. Myself. I had previously asked DH to look in the garage, in his (M's) room, and in the basement. It wasn't there. So, I looked again in these places. Nope. Then, I spotted a Toy box in M's closet. It was a box in which DH had (supposedly) packed most of his toys. I specifically remember asking him to pack that box while I was packing away Kitchen stuff. We hadn't opened that box after moving because there already are so many toys out. Plus, the gifts he received from us on his birthday (and more later), and from others on his party. Ofcourse, that's where it would be. So, I opened it. And what's the first thing right on top? The pot. And the chair was folded up underneath the rest of the stuff. Whew. Saved $30.

Don't worry, it had never been used to do...business. Mehul just used to play with it :) So, Potty Training has officially begun at home too. They were already doing it at the daycare. The two mornings we have tried him to use it, no success.

What are my weekend plans? Taneya is dropping by for a visit while she is in DC for a Trip! She is coming on Saturday evening. The rest of the weekend will be stitching, scrapping, stitching some more.

It's a good thing, right

So, yesterday Mehul's teacher confirmed what we have been suspecting. Mehul is an Artwork Addict. Yep. At home, he may be doing something, and if I call him over for 'Aquadoodle' or 'Stickers' or even a 'Pen', he'd drop everything and come running. Yesterday, when DH went to get him, all the kids were doing playdough. He asked Mehul to get up and got a 'Nooooo'. Awkward moment for DH. He kept asking Mehul to leave but he wouldn't. The teacher said he really doesn't like if anyone disturbs him while doing art. LOL! And DH said he takes after his mom. LOL! Mehul, you make me proud!!

I have kept *all* of his artwork sheets he brings home. The filing folder is bursting now, so I have to use another one from now on. I have to scan them and do a LO too. Bought the Artwork kit by ScrapArtist ages ago in hopes to use it for his artwork.

In other news, we seem to have lost his potty chair. Now, how exactly does one lose a potty chair? It takes 2 moves, stuff kept in storage, and just not needing it until now. We're getting ready to train him, and his (beloved) chair is nowhere to be found. We had introduced him to the chair when he was 18 months old, so he would get used to sitting on it with his diaper on atfirst. Now, should we look for it some more, or just suck up and buy another one?

This is a stitching related post

Finally, current status of my 10 Projects (I have only identified 8 so far..)
1.TW Heart Sampler
2.TW Harvest Sampler
3.Victoria Sampler Gazebo Roses
4 & 5. EMS Frog Baby, Bumble Bee Baby
6.The small Chatelaine Sampler I had started
7.Fanta Cat Desings Gypsy Allure
And finally,
8.TW Tradewinds

I'm debating if I should add the Angel of Love to this mix, considering that it is the one that I'm actually stitching currently! It's a huge project (and so are all the TWs). Probably not a good idea. If I make considerable progress on it soon(ish) then I'll add it :p Is that cheating?

Guess that movie

Out of the mouth of Mehul.

"SharkBait Hu Ha Ha"
"DUCK!"
"He Touch Butt"
"STOP!"
"Wa Hu Wa Hu Wa"

Complete with all the sounds effects. This boy is crazy about Nemo.

In other news, my haircut is looking fabulous. It was just 1/2 inch trimming but I just love the way it bounces. Love.

Not much went on yesterday. I reached home around 7:45 and M was asleep by 8:30. Watched some TV, had dinner and off to bed. I tried to do a LO but 30 minutes and nothing, so I deleted what I had.

I want to share about the Artist Trading Card Exchange that is going on at The Wagon. You know where The Wagon is ;) If you don't, then you probably don't need to :) I have signed up for the exchange. It seems like fun and you get to interact with the other members. You make the ATCs 2.5 x 3.5 inches, and exchange them with the other members who are participating. This month's theme is "What I'm Thankful For". I'm looking around for ideas in the scrapping galleries.

Here is the Weasel video. It is a TOY not a real weasel. You need quicktime to play this. The quality is not great since this was shot from DH's Treo.



Another one I took after some time. Mehul had just woken up and had enough of the Weasel.

Wish I had my stitching with me

My Hair appointment is at 7PM, I have about 2 hours (minus 30 minutes driving). I don't want to go back home and get out again. I guess I could browse at the mall. I had asked DH to meet me there after picking Mehul but he got out early so he went home straight. I'll just go to Macy's (the Salon is at the mall itself).

Some days, I wish DH knew me a little bit better. Other days, I think he knows me way too well. Case in point - Saturday afternoon. We were just sitting around, not doing much. I had already cleaned the topstairs, did 2 loads of laundry, and dusted the downstairs. I also did a LO (which will follow this post). Wasn't feeling like stitching. So, I was getting bored. DH was watching random stuff on TV. I told him like 100th time that I was bored. Hey, let's go out. He said "Uh hum" and continued to watch TV. Sigh. He noticed after some time and said, "We have to go to Indian store to return a DVD, so let's go there in the evening and you can also get Baja Fresh for you while returning." I sorta rolled my eyes and didn't show much excitement. He said "Okay, Baja Fresh is for *afterwards* We should do something before then. Something that involves shopping." Um, Yeah. That is EXACTLY what I was thinking. LOL. So, we went to the Mall and shopped some, then got a burrito from Baja Fresh and returned back. I also made a hair cuttery appointment for tonight. We actually got this Weasel toy for Mehul, that keeps playing with a ball. It's so funny. I took a video that I will share once DH sends it to me.

Sunday was pretty quite. Got some stitching done on the Angel of Love. I think I might stick it out with this one project. I'm going to try anyway. The one big project I have finished so far was done when I stitched on it alone. No rotations. I think that works for me better. We'll see.

This LO features my mom, as a baby. The photo was among the many photos that my sister sent me recently. In this LO, I just pulled stuff from all over since I wasn't making this as a CT LO. Just had fun adding my favorite stuff.


Credits:
Background paper: Michelle Coleman Chelsey's Dream
Red Paper: Michelle Coleman Boho Chic
Burlap Paper: Created from Diamante Designs Overlays (not available currently)
Script on Background Paper: Nancie Rowe Jaintz La Belle Provence
Starburst Border: Michelle Coleman Decorative Edges
Red Ribbon: Nancie Rowe Jaintz La Belle Provence (recolored)
Twisty Tie: Microferk Designs
Lace: Michelle Coleman Tutti Frutti
'S': Created from free Dover image

Birthday Photos

And finally, some birthday photos. Mehul had 2 parties, one at the daycare, and another one at home a couple of weeks later. The daycare party was on October 4th, his birthday. Sene reminded me about the other party photos, here they are.

Daycare Birthday

Playing outside with the balloon

Favorite Gift - Elmo's Workbench

On the 4th, at home. We decorated a cheesecake!

On the 22nd, we had the 2 Parties in 1 celebration.

And finally, a LO.


*Credits added Nov. 06 2006*
Credits:
Everything from Diamante Designs The Necessaties collection. They are unavailable rightnow, but this collection will be made available again at The Digi Shoppe.
I made the scissors from a photoshop brush and Diamante's paper. Cool huh?

Still sick, but getting better

The diagnosis was 'Begining stages of Bronchitis'. Sigh. We took him at the right time. He was having much trouble breathing, you could hear the heavy breathing. They did an oxygen count test and found it was 93. It should be somewhere around 100. He wasn't wheezing but all the mucus is stuck in the nose/throat area, making it much difficult to breathe. He got a nice warm menthol bath (Johnson's) right after coming home, that helped some. The doctor recommended a higher dosage of Tylenol or Motrin in order to get the fever down, and it worked. He hasn't had fever since Wednesday afternoon. He has been given a 3 day steroid course to help with the mucus. And an antibiotic to keep the infection away. Poor guy :( He hates taking medicine. Today is the last day of steroids (which we didn't want to give, but I guess you have to weigh the positive with the negative).

He is feeling much better. I think the steroids are helping. Yesterday, he was back in full action and managed to get 2 timeouts from us. I took the day off yesterday. Why, oh why, does he like to throw all my stitching stuff away? The chart I'm working from, the floss baggie ring, the bead box! Arghhh. But, I would take this over him being sick anyday.

Back at work today, though Girish is home. Mehul didn't need to be home, but we kept him because we don't want to be spreading nasty germs to other kids. Hopefully by Monday, everything will be back to normal.

We got one of the Kitchen cabinet door replaced today. The cabinets we got are mocha stained. The stain has a rubbed finish (darker in the seams, lighter on the flat surface) They have quite a variation in color, which is to be expected. But, one door was looking way heavily stained than the ones next to it, making it seem odd. We had asked this to be replaced and they just got the shipment. It's looking much better.
I have a photo of my kitchen before we set all the stuff in. You can see the cabinet with the blue tape on, next to the microwave is darker. I love the color scheme in the kitchen. The tiles are my choice, as is the cabinetry. The granite was Girish's choice.
Oops just noticed, there should be a refrigerator in the big empty space next to the desk! It's there, really! I'll post an updated pic.

No Trick or Treating

Mehul's daycare called DH yesterday around 4PM. They said he had a fever of over 101 and we had to get him immediately. When I reached home, he looked so tired and down. His cough has been going on for about a week, but it sounded much worse. He kept getting the fever off and on the whole night. DH is home today and has made a sick appointment with the Ped. Poor little guy. He couldn't sleep all night due to coughing and stuffed up nose. It seemed his throat hurts when he coughs, making it all the more worse :(

So, yeah, no trick or treating. Good thing his daycare had the Halloween Celebrations for infants, toddlers and 2 year olds the day before yesterday. I got some pictures of my pumpkin.


The first photo is in the breakfast area, looking into the Family Room. The second is in his Computer lab at the daycare. I have cropped out other kids but you can see the back of one, and the tail of another one under the table. I didn't realize she was under the table until I saw the photo. You can also spot Elmo looking under the table :) Sorry, I don't have a better picture of me!

So, What happens when you realize your best friend, your childhood friend has a blog? You jump up and down (or, you want to jump up and down but can't because you're at work). Sene and I went to school together, then we went to college together. And then, we worked together for quite a bit of time, until she got married and went to a land far far away. And then, I went even further away. I'm so glad you're blogging, Sene. Stupid me, I didn't even realize it until today :o
Here is the surprise photo of her and me! This is pre-marriage, pre-baby, pre-weight gain. LOL! I'm pretty sure we were in 1st year of college. I'm on the left. Sorry for the bad quality.