Went to be fingerprinted but....

....came back with a new car! :-)

Well like everyone else around the world the gas prices have been killing us, especially with my Pickup getting 14mpg and the Hubsters getting 18mpg! So we decided it was time to take decisive action and go for economy with my car.

It's a 2006 Mazda 3 Sedan S Grand Touring, so fully loaded with extra's including a black leather interior, auto climate control, auto lights, electro-lumescent blue dials at night, 17" alloys, airbags everywhere, computer that tells you - mpg, gas left in miles, indoor and outdoor temps; and heated seats, very dark tinted windows all round, a 2.3 16v Manual (which I prefer) that really gives it some welly. One previous owner and it likes new inside and out, it even has the new smell still!



Plus it takes up approximately 2/3rds of the space in the garage my Pickup did and the Hubsters pickup is even bigger than mine. So with the 26-32mpg average this is just an all round winner and it's soooo pretty too :-)

I had a Mazda Miata (MX-5) in the UK and love Mazda - always reliable, quality build, fantastic drive and road handling, really well equipped and has the ZOOM-ZOOM thing going on! (First 3 piccies enlarge if you double-click on them)

It was actually a great day generally! On the way down I won a radio competition and a cool prize, then during the day we found 2 brand new pennies head up on the sidewalk (a great omen) and I also got the immigration stamp I needed in my passport; so all good until a year from now and by then I should have the 10yr green card.

Some days are just hard to beat! :-)

Okay....so now I need a name for our new baby?

Always on time!

One of the things that has been hard to get used to here, is that everybody (with the odd rare exception) turns up for events on time, in fact they are usually a few minutes early! For a Brit' girl this has taken some getting used to and a change in approach as well.

We enjoy socialising, so have often had friends around and also held a big joint party. The first few times I was nearly always still getting ready as our guests showed up early or on time. It was most disconcerting, in the UK if you tell people 7pm then they all know you will be expecting them no earlier than 7pm and probably closer to 7:15pm or even later! In fact if it's a party most people will probably roll up about 30 minutes late at least, because nobody wants to be the first to arrive!

We once had guests show up at our house 45 mins early for a get-together and they had no choice but to sit on the sofa whilst we finished our dinner! However, I think they were as uncomfortable as we were and I doubt it will ever happen again. I mean I'm sorry but it's not like you have to leave time for traffic jams around here!

In the Hubster's opinion, as a result I have a very slack attitude towards being on time and this has been known to cause a touch of tension in our household. But I do see his point, if you show up at an event that involves eating around here, probably half the food has already been consumed by the appointed start time!

So these days I am ready on time (most of the time) and I know to possibly even expect early arrivals. But it's been quite a turnaround for this Brit' gal, when back home it would almost be considered rude to show up early or dead on time!

Handbag of the day....Raquel!

So are any of you old enough to remember Raquel Welch in the animal skin furry bikini in 'One Million BC', a very old movie? Well that's what inspired this handbags name!

This was another excellent gift from my Mum for Christmas after I had moved here and guess where she got if from - yep got it in one, Accessorize!

Raquel is a fun, furry winter handbag and is a good size, lined in black with an internal zipper pocket and fastening with a magnetic button. She is super-soft as I'm sure you can tell and has the fun, furry hanging balls (there's just no easy way to say that!) and shiny black handles.

I am not generally an animal print person, in fact Raquel and a very similar furry hat are the full extent of animal print in my closet. But she looks great with my black winter coat or vest and a pair of furry winter boots.

Off to the big lights for fingerprinting!

Today's the day we are off to our local (take that term with a very large pinch of salt!) USCIS office for my biometrics appointment. Yep we have to make a 6 hour round trip to OKC just to get my unchanged fingerprints and picture taken again after 20 months!

I have also arranged what's known as an Infopass appointment with an Immigration Officer to request that they give me what's known as an I-551 stamp in my passport. I need this because I (along with many others) have still not received the NOA1 letter which extends my current Green Card for a further year from July, whilst we renew it for the 10 year card.

So keep your fingers crossed we get an Immigration Officer in a good mood, as they don't have to give me this until a week or so before my card expires in July. But of course then we'd have to make yet another long trip to OKC, so we are hoping they know there is an ongoing problem and just give it to me now.

It's a flying visit to the 'big lights', as this weekend the Hubster has 2 music gigs tomorrow and so we need to get back home.

A few more odds and sods....

• One of my absolute fave' things to do is float on my back in the sea being gently buffeted by the waves - blissfull


• I am not a dress person at all, in part due to my mum trying to get me to wear Laura Ashley frocks as a child/teen!


• I find it really hard to wear heels of any kind anymore, yet through my 20-30's that's pretty much all I wore


• My fave' food would be a Bacon Butty (sandwich) made with thick white bread, lashings of butter and HP sauce. I really MISS proper back bacon


• The Hubster is the love of my life, he had to be for me to change my life so radically


• I grew into my greenfingers, as a child/teen I hated gardening but the family gardening gene was buried deep and eventually kicked in


• I shipped 200 books with me to the USA, just loved them too much to leave them


• My all time fave' romantic comedy is called 'Only You' and stars Robert Downey Jr and is all set in Italy - it's wonderful


• One of my great loves is old architecture and I miss it here


• My fave' museum in the UK is the V&A (Victoria & Albert), I spend hours just wandering around in there soaking it all up


• I adore Christmas and my decorations go up the day after Thanksgiving and stay up to the New Year


• When I buy a gift in advance it is torture for me not to give it immediately, I get so excited


• I look best in either bright pink or royal blue


• Big fan of Denny Crane, Alan Shore and Boston Legal


• I love that the Hubster can easily chat with just about anyone and is so great socially


• I have always believed in past lives


• I was and still am a huge ABBA fan, I can't wait for the movie 'Mamma Mia'


• For years I lusted after Pierce Brosnan, not so much now!


• I have never been sporty or athletic


• I love anything sparkly or glittery!


• My least fave' colour is beige, it's just so blah!


• I get really excited if it snows


• My all time fave disco track is 'September' by Earth Wind & Fire


• I have to have my windows covered after dark, as I worry someone will peer in at me and freak me out!


• I absolutely hate and disapprove of horror/slasher movies


• I love horses and used to ride as a child


• My first kiss was with a French exchange student called Eric!


• Whenever my bff (Gill) and I were disappointed in love as teens, we would sing Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' at the tops of our voices


• In 1990 I was told by a psychic I would be happily married and living in the USA one day - no joke, we even had it on tape!


• I hate to be stuck behind a slow driver, it drives me nuts


• One of my great strengths is organisation


• I saw Queen live at Wembley Stadium on the 'It's a kind of Magic' tour with Gill. I got to sit on a guys shoulders with a thunderstorm overhead and a sea of heads all the way to the one and only Freddie, singing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at the piano - one of those totally unforgettable moments in life

Handbag of the day....Jade!

Jade is an evening clutch in one of my all time fave' colours - what we call petrol effect, a mix of deep blues, greens and purples. The colours you get if you see gas spilt on the ground and the sun hits it.

Once upon a time long, long ago when I used to have events to regularly wear evening/cocktail dresses too, she was one of my most used handbags. Most of my evening dresses are either black, teal or blue and she just works with all these colours.

Jade is lined and edged with a rich purple, has the multi-coloured sequins all over and a magnetic clasp, I bought her once again from good old Accessorize. I am hanging onto her because I think I can still use her with smart dark jeans and a pretty top for social events here.

Dan in Real Life

This movie is quite a departure from the usual Steve Carell movie and not what we were anticipating, but it was a good and we both enjoyed it alot.

Steve plays a widowed Dad of three girls touchingly and realistically, showing a depth of acting ability we didn't realise he had. Juliette Binoche was very believable as the woman he falls for almost at first sight and the supporting cast was full of stellar actors. It really feels like an 'ensemble' type movie, as the large cast are in most of the scenes and the story is centred around family relationships.

This is a charming movie, slightly quirky with alot of heart and not your usual Steve vehicle at all, although we still laughed out loud alot. The humour is just not as obvious or coarse as you would expect from him, but a winner just the same and one that will probably be a pleasant surprise.

This still tickles me!

The first time I came here to visit the Hubster, I was most impressed by the endless number of friends he passed whilst we were out driving around!

Everywhere we went it seemed other drivers were waving to him most of the time and he'd usually wave back. I was forever asking him "who was that?". What really bemused me was sometimes he didn't have a clue, it seems out here in NW rural Okieland people just wave to each other for the heck of it! LOL

I can honestly say (and I'm pretty well travelled), this is the friendliest place I have ever lived. People are just mostly 'nice' and along with that comes a ready smile and a wave. I can't tell you how refreshing that is after coming from outer London, where you're more likely to get a fist shaken at you, or the finger, than a friendly wave!

These days I am a 'waver' too, I have learned you don't need to know them, it's just a polite acknowledgement of someone elses's existence. It's not always a big 'in yer face' whole hand wave, most of the time it's just a finger raised as you pass - in a friendly manner!

Interestingly my wave % has gone up since I put my British flag tag plate on my Pickup. I guess now they can go home and say they waved to 'a Brit' just down the road today and have some fun with it!

So is this a national thing, or do they wave where you are?

Handbag of the day....Summer

Summer is the handbag I am using more than any other right now, as she is a very pretty, practical and seasonal. I saw her in a Cracker Barrel store on sale out of season last year and snapped her up.

She is made of a fine very flexible woven straw, with a natural fabric lining and zip closure. The straw is dyed different pastel shades and then the colours are graduated around the bag and mixed with the undyed straw. There is also the additional adornment on the front of the striped flower and strands. Summer is one of my most flexible bags, as she will literally go with pretty much anything I choose to wear. She is also large enough to be used for work and I can fit everything I need in her easily.

So should you bump into me anywhere at the moment, Summer is the bag you might well see over my arm :-)

Just because it's so pretty..

Columbine 'Nora Barlow'

Brit' Word of the Day....

Today's BWOTD is a very commonly used expression back home.

"Everything's just been all at sixes and sevens today!"

'Sixes and Sevens' = a bit crazy

I have absolutely no idea where this comes from, but you hear it alot!

We're voting for the Cook!

Well after being torn between the two David's for weeks we are finally coming down on the side of David Cook for American Idol.

We just felt he did a better job overall tonight, although we didn't think the show itself was as good as last week! We also think David A has the little girl vote and would make the final even if he had really ballsed it up - which he didn't.

I also happen to love 'I don't wanna miss a thing' and he was awesome. Okay off to vote - Pam you'd better too tonight, as Syesha was good as well!

More of our gardening handiwork

We've been so busy there'll probably be a post each day this week showing the development of our garden.

Today features what we call our 'Beach' area and we designed and put this in ourselves last summer. Previously it has been a very scruffy looking vegetable garden and not only was I too terrified of snakes to really work it, but it was plain butt ugly right opposite the patio!

Thanks to our extremely large Cottonwood Tree between it and the patio, it is also the only shady area in the garden that gets a breeze, as our patio is enclosed on 3 sides. So we put this in to give us a shady seating area and we love it and use it constantly.

Most of the planting was put in last year, but it's more mature now and I have added a few touches, although they are hard to spot yet!

Just in front of the central 2 pink flowering Dianthus, I have planted a perennial Black Mondo Grass (as below) on either side. They will eventually grow to about 18" high and 12-15" across and stay this unique deep black, which I think will look great against the river rock.

In the back far corner I have planted an Elephant Ear that will grow up to 5ft tall and I think they always look spectacular in any garden. There are also 3 new Nippon Grasses planted on both sides in the empty area's and these will grow tall and have pink flumes. The bed at the very back is filled with bright red Canna Lillies that grow taller than the fence and give the whole thing a colourful backdrop. The 2 rose bushes in the centre behind the table also bloom a vibrant red all summer long.

When we bought this house we basically inherited a 2 trees and 2 shrubs and 3 rose bushes. The rest was all just grass and there was no fence, so we were just open to our nighbours and the highway. The first spring and summer we (meaning the Hubster with a little help from moi) erected that fance around the whole yard. I think it's 58 x 8ft panels and a post every 4ft - so that kept us pretty busy!

Now we are trying to build a garden of perennials and shrubs that will give character and result in a pretty easily maintained garden for years to come. Good job I love gardening!

Handbag of the day....Aegean!

Meet Aegean, named after the beautiful blues found in the Aegean sea between Greece and Turkey, an area where I have spent many enjoyable holidays.

The waters there are made up of rich and often crystal clear hues of blues and aqua, stunningly beautiful and this little handbag is a lovely reminder. It is also very much an evening bag, being diminutive in size, delicate and very soft, with the whole design based around a filler covered in satin and then sequins. The sequins are only on the front and the back is just a pale blue satin. The strap is a thin piece of matching blue woven silk chord and it is lined with the same satin, fastening with a magnetic button.

I have used this bag many times in the evening on vacation, as it's just big enough to hold everything you need for an evening out and not too big to get in the way. I purchased her many years ago from Accessorize, a fave' store of mine already featured a few times so far :-)

Hyper' again!

As many of you already know, I have Graves Disease, which is an auto-immune Thyroid disease where you basically swing back and forth between being Hyper/Hypothyroid and the ultimate aim is to get you Euthyroid (remission).

I was diagnosed initially March 30 2007 on the verge of a full thyroid storm and since then have been taking Anti-Thyroid Drug therapy as treatment. Zapping my thyroid with a high dose of radiation (the common treatment here) is not an option, as I am in the 25% of Graves patients with the added complication of Graves Opthamology eye disease. Surgery is also not the best option because of this, as they often take too much away and then the eye disease, which manifests itself as bulgy eyes can get very bad. Having the eye disease also gives you a much lower % chance of remission, but I refuse to give up hope.

So I have regular bloodwork and have learned in the past year to be acutely aware of my body changing and the symptoms; I can tell when I am going off without the bloodwork usually.

For the past 3 weeks my resting BP and Heart Rate and have been steadily rising daily, plus I can eat anything and not gain (the only positive), my nails and hair are on hyperspeed growth, I am covered in bruises, much more jittery/anxious and warmer all of a sudden, when usually I am always cold! So I went for bloodwork last week and found out today I am Hyperthyroid once again and back where I was aprox' last May/June.

I won't bore you with the actual bloodwork (for those who posted last time though, I did get and am waiting on a TSI result), but there are certain levels we have figured out I feel best at and they are all skewed again. We have been steadily decreasing my meds, but it seems it was too fast and so my Dr has increased them all upwards again. Now I go a month and get the tests run and we will see whether the increase has been enough to reverse the slide and get me back in range shortly. Apart from the symptoms I listed above, I am actually doing ok and can work if I don't push myself too hard.

This past year has been an interesting experience for me and has really taught me that nobody knows your body better than you do. I told my Dr today if the tests had not comeback as they did, I'd have called the Lab' a liar I was that certain!

So if you feel things are changing in your body, but not hugely or seriously, maybe just a feeling you have - then please listen to those signs and see your Dr. Last year if I had waited another 48hrs I could have gone into a full thyroid storm which is deadly serious and in extreme cases can be fatal.

So here we go again, but I will keep plugging away and eventually I will get this beat or at the very least get off this up/down rollercoaster!