Fruits for me to Avoid Or Else

Armadillo Fruit -- Chrysophyllum soboliferum
Arrowroot -- Canna edulis
Avocado -- Persea americana
Banana -- Musa acuminata
Banana Passion Fruit -- Passiflora mollissima
Blue Passion Flower -- Passiflora caerulea
Breadfruit -- Artocarpus altilis
Camellia -- Camellia pitardii
Carob -- Ceratonia siliqua
Cattley Guava -- Psidium cattleianum
Ceylon Gooseberry -- Dovyalis hebecarpa
Chico Sapote -- Makilkara zapota
Chilean Guava -- Ugni molinae
Coconut -- Cocos nucifera
Costa Rican Guava -- Psidium friedrichsthalianum
Dragon Fruit -- Hylocereus undatus
Egg Fruit -- Pouteria campechiana
Golden Kiwi -- Actinidia chinensis
Grape Leaved Passion Fruit -- Passiflora vitifolia
Green Sapote -- Pouteria viridis
Guarana -- Paullinia cupana
Guava -- Psidium guajava
Hardy Kiwi -- Actinidia arguta
Horse Mango -- Mangifera foetida
Kiwi -- Actinidia chinensis
Koa Haole -- Leucaena leucocephala
Lemon Guava -- Psidium cattleanium lucidum
Mamey Sapote -- Pouteria sapota
Mamoncillo -- Meliococcus bijigatus
Mango -- Mangifera indica
Mangosteen -- Garcinia mangostana
Manila Tamarind -- Pithecellobium dulce
Miracle Fruit -- Synsepalum dulcificum
Mountain Papaya -- Carica pubescens
Mountain Persimmon -- Diospyros montana
Mountain Soursop -- Annona montana
Native Passion Fruit -- Passiflora herbertiana
Oak Leaved Papaya -- Carica quercifolia
Pacay -- Inga feuillei
Papaya -- Carica papaya
Para Guava -- Psidium acutangulum
Passion Fruit -- Passiflora edulis
Perfume Guava -- Campomanesia lineatifolia
Persimmon -- Diospyros kaki
Peruvian Apple Cactus -- Cereus repandus
Pineapple -- Ananas comosus
Pineapple Guava -- Feijoa sellowiana
Pomegranate -- Punica granatum
Prickly Pear -- Opuntia ficus-indica
Sapote -- Pouteria sapota
Sartre Guava -- Calyptropsidium sartorianum
Seashore Mangosteen -- Garcinia hombroniana
Soursop -- Annona muricata
South American Sapote -- Quararibea cordata
Star Apple -- Chrysophyllum cainito
Star Fruit -- Averrhoa carambola
Strawberry Guava -- Psidium cattleanium
Sunsapote -- Licania platypus
Tamarillo -- Cyphomandra betacea
Tamarind -- Tamarindus indica
Tourist Pineapple -- Pandanus tectorius
White Passion Flower -- Passiflora subpeltata
White Sapote -- Casimiroa edulis
Wooly-Leaved Sapote -- Casimiroa tetrameria
Yellow Sapote -- Pouteria campechiana
Yellow Strawberry Guava -- Psidium cattleanium lucidum

CAB Annual Dinner

We (the Community Advisory Board) had our Annual Dinner tonight. It was a blast. We gave out our usual awards, some extra awards, had the usual entertainment, a Keynote peaker, and wonderful food. As usual there was a lot of joking around. My parents attended as my guests and they had fun too. I received an award for recognition of the work I did on Self-Injury Awareness (proclamation and fair), flowers and my therapist gave me a plant. A friend and I read the nomination we wrote up about our group leader. She didn't receive the award, but is the agency Nurse of the Year.

I'm also Secretay for another year as well as reappointed to another 3 years to the board.

Mom Debbie Reunion

Everything went great. Mom was down for 2-3 hours. There was no tension or akwardness. I will admit I was nervous before she got here. At first we stayed here showing her my place, meeting cliona, showing her my knitting (she knits too), catching up more, and talking about knitting.

We later went to Tim Horton's for coffee and crossiants. We continued to catch up and had many laughs. Then returned back to my place for a little while. When Mom got home she called me to let me knw she had a good time and all. We're still talking 1-2 times a week and are getting together on Friday.

I'm also talking to my grandma (Nanny) and aunt.

I got sick of Juile last Saturday when I got home and found out that she didn't need me and lied aobut trying to reach me all week. I basically said that's it in a way. She said in a voicemail that was left after I had left for SnB (when she knew I was gone and not going to get it till too late) to go and have a good time with my friends. So...I'm going and havinga good time with my friends this weekend. Some friends of mine are picking me up this weekend from SnB and we're hanging out. Julie had to make other arrangements for the kids. Oh well. Her problem not mine. At least I had the courtesy to give her notice, unlike she gave me. Chances are I'll be with my family next weekend. Guess it's not so great to be her. Second of all, I am back in touch with "Egg Donor." I'm referring to her as "Mom Debbie" that way I can still call my step-mom "Mom" and not confuse the heck out of everyone. We'll be meeting Sunday for coffee. Don't worry everyone. I'm being careful and not getting my hopes up. I'm also not telling Mom and Dad till September. My friend Robbyn and I had fun with the security guy this week where we go Tuesdays. He was on vacation last week so he heard all about his poor fill-in's. Plus we're were our usual selves (nicknamed Trouble & Double-Trouble where we go Tuesdays). So it's been a fun week.Looking forward to Diane, Robbyn and I going to the Book Barn tomorrow afternoon. We may even go to Dagmars. Two non-knitters taking a knitter to a yarn store....this will be interesting if it happens.

Happy Birthday Cliona

Yep it was 3 years ago today this little fluffball was born. Yes that's her as a kitten. 10 weeks old to be exact. This is her now.

Where did my little baby go. She certianly still acts like a kitten. Spoiled and Mischevious too.

Am I Loosing Being Patient & More than Fair?

I know I've posted about the kids and my babysitting sagas. Well, I've hit my limit with the mom. I don't get the common courtesy of being told when she doesn't need me 95% of the time. Yesterday was a perfect example.

I'm all set to watch the kids. Even ready to go before they get off hte bus. Have I been told that the mom's boyfriend is now watching them on Thursdays? No. Not at all. Not even given an indication. I find out by going up to the car and the mom ("J") rolling down her window and asking me if I wanted a ride down to the shop. Today when I'm talking to her mom, her mom mentions something about the kids being busy this weekend. THat I might want to call "J." I've called "J" and left her a message knowing I won't hear from her before I leave for knitting in the morning even though I said in the message it's ok to call me when she gets out of work and wake me up.

I've hit the point that I'm going to tell "J: that I'm going to go on in my life and make plans. If she needs me, to give me 24 hours notice minimum and I'll watch the kids unless it's a weekend I'm going to my parents. On those weeks though I will make sure I have other arrangements set up though. Am I being fair? This happens so many times, me not getting the courtesy of being told. Or am I just being a frustrated person.

Kids!!!

I'm on the verge of quitting babysitting the 10 "C" and 13 "N"year olds. I'm actually at the pint of issiung an ultimatium. This is what's gone on the past couple weeks to cause me to get to this point.

One Wednesday a couple weeks back I get Nand C off the bus from school. Everything goes fine at first. That is till they go outside, play, and I go to the bathroom. In the couple minutes I was in the bathroom they start to fight outide. N comes in gets the phone and calls his grandmother instead of getting me. That issue gets resolved.

Not 10 minutes later they are in the kitchen and I hear C yelling at N to get away from her. I go to find out whats going on and C says that N went to hit her with the Wiffle ball bat. N says he was playing with the dog. Whatever the deal...why does he have the bat in the house. Also C is on the counter away from him and the dog is away from him too. I tell N to give me the bat. He says "NO." I'm now in the middle of the kitchen and mad at him and the way he's talking to me (not new for him, but new for him to me). I look at C and tell her to go into the living room. I tell N to give me the bat again and he refuses so I take it from him and tell him to get in the office, and announce that noone is going out to play. He says he doesn't have to listen to me and walks outside. I've had it and call his grandfather. In the meantime their mom calls and I tell her what's going on. She gets there and picks up the kids.

It's now 3 days later and I have the kids for the night. N's already in a bad mood. I'm having a hard time as I'm dealing with the new's of my cousin's baby's loss. N and C's mom leaves for work. Not 5 minutes later N goes into C's room and get's her game system and brings it into her system. They start fighting over it. I try to end it with a couple options as I don't know what the rule is as to where it is supposed to be. Yet again N gets nasty with me. I call his mom to find out the rule and she says to take it out of both their rooms. Things escalate, N won't give it to me and his mom has to call N's grandfather. Thankfully the takes N for the night. In the meantime I get the game system by rtemoving his hand from it and and getting threatened by N.

Which brings us to tonight. Before I even get there tonight to watch the kids I get yelled at and N is off the wall. I'm in tears and an anxious stressed out wreck. I actually had to tell the kids grandmom that I couldn't handle it tonight. Between the kid being so wriled up, knowing I was going to be left with him in that kind of mood, and me being yelled at for no reason, I just couldn't take it. I was an emotional wreck. Which leads to my ultimatium. Either the kid goes back on his medication (which he needs) and striaghtens out his act, or I quit watching them.

Wow

I havent't talked to my biological mom in 4 years next month. I've had a lot of anger towards her. Way too much to get into here. You'd have to had known me along time to know all the anger. My anger is the reason that I took to calling her the "Egg Donor." Well today that all changes. She is no longer the "Egg Donor" but Mom. To keep from confusing people though here I'll be saying "Mom Debbie" so that you wont be getting confued between her and my step-mom (Mom). So, what happened?

A combonation of things got this ball rolling. A couple weeks ago I heard the song "Mother and Child Reunion." It got me thinking and over the past couple weeks getting back in touch with my Mom Debbie has been on my mind off and on (more on than off). Also somewhere in the past 48 hours my feelings softened incredibly. I think the death of my cousins baby had something to do with it.

SO today I had DBT. When we were reviewing one of the skills (we review 1 a week) the notion came into my head again. So when it came time for "Skills Coaching" where someone brings up a topic that they need help with I brought the topic up.

We spent a good amount of the group working on this and when we were done it ended up that I was going to do the pros and cons of a few different tactics. I was then going to meet with my therapist over what I came up with next week.

Well somewhere between this afternoon and evening that all changed. I did do the pros and cons in my head and decided to call my Mom Debbie. We spoke for about an hour. It went great. Then I called Nanny (Grandmother, I've called her Nanny ever since I was a toddler). That went great too. I'm happy about doing it and just wish I came to my senses earlier.

So, the "Egg Donor" is now "Mom Debbie"

All was going fine until after I got back from knitting. That's when everything went to hck in a handbasket and I'm still trying to put myself back together. I call him my cousin (he's Mom's sister's son) and his wife have been expecting a baby. The baby was due Sunday. I made a blanket for the baby. Well, the baby died. One day everything is going along nice and smoothly. The due date is less than a week away. Everything goes perfectly fine at the doctor's office. THe next day the baby is dead. He didn't even get to be born alive. How cruel can life be? Give me all the rationale you want, it's not going to help right now. Plus I had to babysit and the 13 year old was being a pain int the butt. I'm at the point of telling his mom that if he gets out of line like he has been this past week a few more times she can find herself a new sitter. I'VE HAD IT WITH KIDS THAT THINK THEY CAN TALKBACK AND GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING!!!Yes I'm in a bad mood. Don't even get me going on the other people at the electric company today (customers not employees).
Mood:beyond irate

weekend sucked

my cousin and his wife's baby died. need i say more. the worst part is it died right before it was born. it was 3 days from it's due date.

What a past couple weeks

It's been a little busy here to say the least. I've finally gotten over being sick. That took a wonderful month. It's still been busy here. I'm babysitting 1 afternoon and 2 nights a week. Plus my group, advisory board, it's committees (I've joined 2 Ad Hoc committees), and all the other things in life.
Babysitting is going along smoothly for the most part. With the kids at least. I say the kids bit because last weekend I had a little problem with the adults downstairs. I had only 1 of the kids as the other one was spending the night elsewhere. The child (10 yrs) and I were asleep and I wake up hearing slamming doors, yelling and whatnot downstairs (I watch the kids at their home). I go down and politely ask the people downstairs to quietdown as I have a child upstairs trying to sleep as well as I am. Also it's midnight. Half an hour later they're still going at it and throwing things. I've had it and go down to tell them that the cops are being called. It's reached beyond rediculious. I'm begged not to. The guy across the hall tells them that if they make 1 more noise he'll call the cops. A fistfight breaks out within seconds so the guy and I both call the cops. I've also told the child who they woke up to get her things together. I was taking her to my place. THankfully her mom leaves her car for emergencies. Apparently when the cops showed up some people ran, but the people that didn't got mouthy with the police and ended up getting arrested. Hopefully things quiet down and I adjust to the new schedule soon. Yeah it's been 2 months and I still haven't adjusted to not being home 2 nights a week. At least the kids are good when they're with me and I can knit while there.

It was an adventure today

That is for sure. I went to Dagmar's for the first time. It's a yarn store. Yes a store that sells yarn and things related to knitting. A true knitters paradise. I managed to spend over $50.00 and not feel guilty over it. For me that's a feat. I got 10 skiens of yarn. Ten skiens that I wouldn't be able to get in regular stores and half of those skiens were on sale.

On the way home on the bus I got stuck n traffic from a tractor trailer rollover. Here and here tells a little about it. THe second link providing an interesting conversation after the article. It provided a welcome change of pace in the ride.

This bus ride made me wonder, why do I want a car? There's always an adventure on the bus. Be it drivers telling deserving passengers off, getting stuck in strange places, or just traffic jams. Just follow the rules, don't annoy or in any way irritate the drivers, and make friends with the drivers and you'll have a fun trip.

Interesting week

Let's see, cooking corned beef for the first time, getting stuck at the local prison, yelling at one of the kids I watch, having a quick hear to heart with same kid in the same night, calling the police asking for a saftey check, getting stuck twice at the lab, and getting a reputation at the docs office. I'd say it was a well rounded week. I'll break it all down.

Corned beef -- I've never made it before. My mom always makes it and I love it. Since I couldn't be with my family yesterday I thought I'd make it myself. The cooking impaired one making a big dinner like that with a smoke detector that goes off at the drop of a hat. The stove, me, meat, and everything else survived thankfully. In fact it went well enough I'm planning on doing it again next year for the whole family.

Getting stuck at the prison -- This should have been a sign to me yesterday morning that the day was not going to run smoothly. The bus I take to knitting goes into the prison each time by. I have no clue why but it does. Near the entrance there's a little circle it can go around, but the drivers have been told not to. This driver decides to anyways. Also there's a pickup truck in the circle. The driver cuts it too short and the rear wheel goes up over the curb. Thanks to the watterlogged ground with snow on top of it as soon as he jumps the curb the bus got stuck in the mud. No just stuck though. That rear tire was buried up to the axle. Rather the axle was resting on the curb. Thank you driver. We can't go anywhere. A mechanic comes and confirms this, brings us pasesngers to where other busses get together hourly so we can all continue with our day and the bus got towed out.

THe kids -- also I had kid duth last night and one of them was in a bad mood and I had to be the mean babysitter instead of my usual nice and fun side. Telling the kid that they're going to bed early, all that lovely jazz. Not 30 min later I'm having to have a heart to heart with the same kid over a scene in a movie that was on TV.

Calling the police -- R and I hadn't heard from D all week and we were worried about her. She wasn't answering her phone or returning our calls. What does the crisis team tell me to do when I call? I get told to call the police and ask for them to go out and do a saftey check on her. By the way we were in the middle of a winter storm at the time. THe police were nice enough to take all the info and told me that they would but it would be a while. In the meantime D calls. So I had to get her off the phone so i can call the police back and tell them that D called and is ok.

I sure hope that this upcoming week is quiet.

well, the place is still standing and I cooked my first corned beef. go figure. what next

Feeling Better

I'm feeling better. No longer feeling like death warmed over then run over by a semi. Finally staying out of bed and back to knitting. Went to the docs. Have a minor ear infection. I can deal with that. It's better than the flu.

Your Inner European is Irish!

Sprited and boisterous!You drink everyone under the table.

Who's" Your Inner European?

Ugh! I've managed to catch the virus that's going around. It's not a pleasant one. Ok being sick is never pleasant, but I haven't been this miserable in ages. I feel like death warmed over and like I've been run over by a semi at the same time. My sleep schedule is all messed up because of all the sleep I've been getting.

Heck I even called yesterday evening to say that I wouldn't be at group today. I sure hope I feel better by Thursday. I'm supposed to babysit then.

Completey Worth Doing

It was tons of hard work, but isn’t that part of what the bst things in life entail. We had 54 people attend which is good for a first time event. I’m really pleased. We’re (my friends and staff have also mentioned) talking about doing it again next year. One thing I’m changing is starting working on it earlier.

See more progress on: survive helping put together an infomational fair

3 days to go

3 days until the fair that is. There's still a fair amount of stuff to do.

1.) Still have to finish making a list of things that help and don't help during a crisis
2.) Make copies of the previously mentioned items and 2 other things. One of which is a packet of information and will take a while to copy.
3.) Make a sign explaining that orange is the color recognizing Self Injury and telling people that they can take ribbons.
4.) Put pins in said ribbons. We're talking about putting pint in about 300 ribbons.
5.) Make a sign in sheet and copy it
6.) Find a container for the ribbons
7.) Finish knitting the 2nd cup cozy.
8.) Attach business cards to 2 of the door prizes
9.) Lastly remember to bring all of this to the fair along with master copies in case more copies are needed.

Oh and I have 2 meeting to attend Wednesday evening (night before the fair) and my regular 2 appointments on Tuesday. Plus I usually go to the shop on Tuesday night.

Fair Update

My friends and I have a handle on the fair. It may be a small handle, but it's a handle. We're a week away and we still have to:

1.) Make a list of things that help and don't help during a crisis
2.) Print out 1 more information sheet
3.) Make copies of the 2 previously mentioned items and 1 other thing which is a packet of information and will take a while to copy.
4.) My friend has to make 6 candles
5.) I have to make a stained glass box and turn it into a Zen Garden
6.) Locate a basket
7.) Make a sign explaining that certian items are for display only
8.) Make a sign explaining that orange is the color recognizing Self Injury and telling people that they can take ribbons.
9.) Put pins in said ribbons
10.) Make a sign giving credit to stores that we bought items at for raffle
11.) Make a sign in sheet and copy it
12.) Lastly remember to bring all of this to the fair along with master copies in case more copies are needed

Does anyone have some extra sanity they can spare. Oh and to make it all a little more interesting, one friend and I have a board meeting the night before.

P.S. Throw in knit 2 cup cozies.