My Longest Year

To Drive or Not to Drive: J. Called 22Apr06

As usual, it was brief.  But he sounded very energized.  He is excited about his upcoming R&R.  He even took time to talk to E. and to ask about her (he hasn't in a while - apathy usually sets in several months into a deployment).  I asked him if he wanted me to insure his truck for R&R - he wasn't sure he would be capable of driving in the States.  Apparently he has to drive like a maniac in Iraq; he said the Iraqis play "chicken" with American troops on the road.  Iraqi civilians are supposed to pull over when Humvees and tanks come through; when they don't it's a threat to troops, who have to treat them as possible suicide bombers.  J. said many of them won't pull over until a soldier gets out of the turret and aims, readying for attack lest a car get too close.  It was during this particular story that we got cut off. 

So I got to thinking, maybe I'll drive during his R&R.

BEST White Chili

This recipe comes from a foody couple in Montana (friends of my parents).  I have made this several times in the last few months and everyone LOVES it.  Like all soup recipes, you can amend the ingredients (change the peppers for different flavor, or include the seeds to spice it up a bit).  It tastes even better the next day - makes a great "leftover" meal!

New Kurds: J. Called 16Apr06

He called to wish me a happy easter.  We only spoke for a few minutes before we were cut off.  They are done training the first batallion of Kurds and have received a new batallion of Kurds from a different area.  I don't know much about Kurds but apparently there is quite a history of them being persecuted by Arab Iraqis, and now that Iraq is a free country, so to speak, its a balancing act to train them in Arab territory (the camp where J. and team are training is Arab, not Kurdish, territory).  However, they were quite successful training the last batallion so I am praying that they will find the same success with this batallion.

"Woman with Poppy"

Isn't it beautiful?  This vintage postcard will be mine very soon.  I bought it from an Italian postcard vendor on Ebay for $3.  Hopefully this will make a stunning transfer image for my next project.  (Side note: I'm beginning to stockpile projects in anticipation of opening an online shop.  Yay!)

Kitschy Cute

In a previous post, I mentioned that I was going to turn the pillowcase I found at Goodwill into a shirt for E.  Voila!  The palm tree applique was a pain, but totally cute.  I used an easy technique called "shirring" at the top; I found this explanation of shirring at sewnews.com.  (More pics in Finished Projects album).

Single Parenting: J. Called 06Apr06

They are done searching for weapons caches.  They had been using probes and metal detectors and were spending the entire day under hot sun.  He didn't like my joke about men tinkering with metal detectors when they don't have their Xbox.

He's had a chance to watch the videos I've sent of our daughter, E.   He noticed she's "obstinate."  If he only knew.  I told him I'd almost rather train Iraqis than deal with our toddler sometimes. After the call, it occurred to me how much this single parenting thing is affecting us. 

For the first time since he left, I felt like I was talking about my daughter to a friend - apologizing for her yelling in the background, talking about her latest pediatric appointment...he didn't seem connected to any of it.  Because the truth is, he isn't.  He's her parent; but he's not parenting.  The last decision we made together was to wean her from her pacifier. Since then, all the parenting triumphs and mistakes have been mine.  He's never sent her to "time out."  He hasn't dealt with the food allergy issues that appeared after he left.  He doesn't know the joy (and struggle) of coaxing her to say "please" and "thank you."  Or that she knows how to "give kisses" with the cutest puckered face and a dramatic "mmmm-a!"  It's a little sad for both of us. 

I'll be happy when our daughter gets to come before our country and J. gets to feel like the incredible father he is again.

My Easter Project

Pretty, right?  This is my token Easter decoration.  This was actually an inexpensive project: liquid starch ($2.37), embroidery floss (.25/skein), mini balloons (.99), & twigs (free).  The landscapers in the neighborhood gave me a confused look; here they were cleaning up the brush and I was taking it home with me!

(More Pics in Finished Projects album)

Click for Project Instructions