cute

tonight DH's aunt (of the aunt and uncle who maintain the estate that we live on) is having a small family birthday party for his younger cousin...she is turning 8 I believe. I always get her something overtly feminine, like the purple sparkly bag we got her for her first eucharist, OR something really nerdy like books (I know I know, it's not nerdy, but it's almost self-righteous on my part). She's a bit of a tomboy b/c she is the youngest of four and the only girl. So in honor of her "down and dirty" play style I got her some gardening gifts! and I have to say...they are so cute, I might just have to come over and plant with her!

We got her a Manny Mantis Cultivator:

...a Dotty Ladybug Shovel:

...and two big pots of Pink Calibrochoa...annuals:


We have a nice sized planting pot and will fill it with a small bag of potting soil, and then put the tools in as well. It should be very cute...I hope our little one gets cool gifts like this! of course she could turn out to be a bit of a priss, and then well...purple pocket-books it is!

ps-thinking about getting her a small pack of seeds as well, maybe for some fall veggies or something? it's probably too late to plant though.

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baby's been kicking like a champ...an italian soccer champ that is ;) Today all I wanted was a chili-dog. I haven't had a taste for chili dogs probably since I was 8 years old. I don't eat tube-steak, but apparently I would it today. and that brings me to...

when I was a tiny-tot, my younger bro and I went to a daycare in the small town we lived in...we only went for a little while, b/c my mom was actually helping to take care of the babies during the busy times. we were friends with the owners and their children. It was converted from an old tin barn, so there were NO WINDOWS!!! okay there were like 3, but they were way up near the very high ceilings and about 1 foot high. Anyway, I have just a few random memories of this strange place. It was a very poor town, so it was a very simple set-up. Two large rooms, one lined with cribs for the babies, and the other for the toddlers with toy chests built-in lining that room. There was a kitchen, 2 big closets, and 2 bathrooms. My favorite lunch we had was (wow this is terrible) Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese with hot-dog slices mixed in, and green peas on the side. I also liked the "dirty rice" with corn...I'd mix it all together. Random memories:

• it was cold out and one of the girls showed up with a dress AND jeans. she was way ahead of her time


• I once dug in the toy chests for a good 15 minutes trying to find a doll with the head still attached


• coloring pictures of sheep (how do you color something white!). I made mine black and got into trouble for coloring outside of the lines. I remember doing it on purpose.


• harvesting the peanuts we had planted next to the swings


• watching the colt that was just born trying to run around in the pen (the daycare owners also raised horses) and thinking how there was a boy at the daycare named Colt and that confused me


• one of the "big" boys stepping on a huge toad and seeing it's guts come out...yuck


• being so angry when my mom made me dress up as an angel for the halloween parade (which was just us goofballs marching up and down the long gravel driveway!) I wanted to be a cowgirl


• playing "Ring around the Rosey" and "A tisket, a tasket..."


• learning to "gallop," "skip," and "tip-toe"

i hate health insurance

how corrupt is health insurance. I can't even begin to complain about it, b/c I have already and I just don't have the energy to do it again. well, maybe just a little.

i never imagined that having a baby could make things so complicated. I am sitting here with about 4 sheets of notebook paper covered in calculations of about 8 different scenarios based on how much I will work after my leave is up, if I will stay under my company's insurance, if we'll need a nanny full-time or part-time or at all, how are each of these options worth it knowing we'll be leaving for Italy in 7 months. And will I even want to work, and how much will that cost us in the end. And these decisions actually do have to be made in the next couple of months, b/c if I drop my insurance for another plan, I cannot go back. I'll be stuck, so I have to be sure of my plans once the baby comes. AND GUESS WHAT!!! I have NO idea what I will want once that happens b/c I've NEVER had a baby before!

AArrrggggHHHHHH!!!! It's almost too much to handle. Right now, my mother the most left-brained person I know, it reading over my "notes" and helping me to sort things out, thank heavens. Once we get a few options down, then I'll talk to DH about it. He tends to simplify things, like I'm thinking way too much about them, and usually I just indulge him, but I can't this time. So hopefully if I water it down for him, then there won't be any details to ignore...phew.

i wish I lived in Italy already so I could write about interesting and unusual things that have happened, to about something new I discovered. It's very easy to write about my own frustrations and trials, but to be able to talk about something other than me or my life seems liberating. Perhaps I'll try in the next few weeks to write about a more objective topic and not focus on "poor me."

mexican jumping bean

did you ever have those when you were little? dried beans that had a little worm inside and if you held them in your hand they'd jump and shake all over the place? that's what my baby bump feels like. she must be baking a loaf of bread in there or something because all day long I could feel little kicks and punches and flips. It was pretty amazing and I almost felt self-conscious that it looked like a cartoon where a bee gets stuck in someone tummy.

last night DH and I finished the movie we started this weekend "Mrs. Henderson Presents." It's basically about this bored widow who buys a rundown theatre in London (I believe), and then re-opens it as the now infamous Windmill Theatre, which opens a few years before WWII. It has many little plots and you find out a lot about her background, etc. It's very good, and I highly recommend it!

my dad is coming up tomorrow evening for a long weekend. he wants to help us finish fixing up the house, so his "chore" is to get the nursery ready. well, really just remove the carpet staples from the woodfloors and polish them (the floor not the staples ;) ) and to paint the now bright apple green walls a much lighter shade of green. we have lots of fun plans: we're going to Macari Vineyards, the only "organic" winery on Long Island, to restock; to the custom jeweler who designed my mom's earrings to have a matching piece made; to Munday's for breakfast! with adam's dad; a BBQ with the fam; and then lots of laying by the pool and beach and maybe a canoe ride. My younger bro is also coming in from Cali Friday night through midday saturday, and then he's off to New Jersey to visit his girlfriend and her fam.

by the way, when I write things like "fam" and "bro" they are only meant to save my lazy a** from typing a few more letters, and not to be a reflection of the way I speak. just a little FYI

JUST FOR FUN, I'm writing the words to this silly song my Paw-paw (southern for grandpa) used to sing to me when I was little while bouncing me on his knee:

"I took my gal out ridin',
I sat 'er on my knee,
I bought 'er a pack of peanuts
And she peed all over me!"

awwwww, isn't that sweet and cute??? NOT! but that's why we loved Paw-paw: he sang us "dirty" songs, he'd let us microwave our candy bars and eat tons of icecream, and he'd let us put more coffee than milk in our coffe-milk...not to mention how much sugar he'd let us add. Paw-paw was blind as a bat, and wore over-the-counter glasses, which he broke and lost constantly. But if he was going to a horse race, he'd buy women's glasses if they were the only ones left in his strength just so he wouldn't miss it. He also sang us sweet songs, like "Billy Boy," and rocked us to sleep and was at our house every week or more. Rest in Peace Paw-paw. Wish you could have been 'round a little longer.

she's alive!!!!! she's alliiiiiiiveeee!

hi! I'm the author of this sorry blog. I'm reintroducing myself because we are practically strangers now...though, I may have been lurking on your blog in the meantime, so we're just strangers like stalkers are to stalkees.

Currently I am one or all of three things: happy, hungry, growing. Usually all 3. Right now I am fantasizing about the homemade chicken soup DH and I made last night waiting in the fridge to be slurped up in gulps when I get home. I've gained 6-7 pounds, and about 4" on my waist. Supposedly that's not much, but g-whiz does it feel strange! and the dr. reassures me that around 7 months the real weight/size will start to roll in. whoopee...can you feel the delight radiating from your monitor? didn't think so.

went shopping a couple of weeks ago to get some "maternity items." I first went into a maternity store and found a few WAY overly priced things, bought them as the clerk mumbled something about their return policy. Then we went into Urban Outfitters and I found tons of great stuff that I can wear for a long time, including pants!! Returned to said maternity store to return half of the purchases, to find out the mumbled info what they do not do returns!!! You can only exchange or get a store credit within 10 days of purchase! what a load of crap. I just let her give me a store credit b/c I didn't want to walk out of that flipping store with tow shirts that cost WAY too much. I'm hoping that once I'm huge and it's cold, I can put it towards a winter coat/jacket. I think I'm going to write the company. As if they'll care, but at least I'll feel better. All I can say is thank god high-waisted shirts are in style or I'd be screwed.

my dad is coming up for a long weekend next Thursday. He wants to help us around the house/yard, so we've got a plan. Right now the nursery's wooden floor has carpet staples all over and needs a good polish, and the fluorescent green walls need to be painted over. Dad...you asked for it! My mom isn't coming this trip b/c she's saving up her vacation time for when the baby comes. Hopefully that will keep the in-laws at bay ;)

GOOD NEWS! I just found out that I can start having eggs. only bits at a time...but the morning after I found out, DH made me an omelet with sopressata (sp?), sun-dried tomatoes, and green pepper. it was DEEEEE-LISH.

I gave DH a "father's almanac" for father's day, and he's actually reading it!

oh yes! we watched the world cup finals on Sunday and I have to say I am thrilled that Italy won, but disappointed that they won on shoot-out. I wish it had been some amazing shot just in the last minute, like the Germany game. Oh well...yay for Italy nonetheless! After the game we went into town to have a slice of pizza, and we say outside. We heard all of the this honking and yelling, and then about 6 cars turned at the corner we were sitting at honking and screaming things in Italian like "viva Italy!" and waving Italian flags. DH and his best-friend who watched with us stood up and screamed back with the biggest grins (i screamed too, but I didn't stand up b/c I had a mouthful of pizza) It seems there were very few passers-by that had a clue what was going on, so the revelers were thrilled that the boys stood up to show support. It was really cool. We actually "knew" them too. They were the owners and family of the most authentic Italian foods store in Huntington...the owner is from Italy and speaks very little English. we buy our pancetta, soppresata (sp?), cheese, and Italian bread there. he calls me "Senora" and that makes me happy! they make all there own sausages, mozzarella and are butchers too, so it's all very fresh and high quality. god am I hungry.