All those in the US, sign here...

[mamama]

I see all these threads for Aussie people and thought we should have our own thread too. Not sure why, I just felt the need to make us feel special too!

So, who's stateside and where are you?

I'll start:

Mamama - in Chicago

We have had practice, because we've got 2 bushes at home, but I didn't know how they'd react for longer stretches of picking than a few berries at a time.

It IS nice here. I'm excited that we're moving eventually, but am a bit worried we will end up somewhere that I hate. I'm actually sad to be leaving our blueberry bushes of all things.

I'd miss those too! Still, you may be able to have blueberry bushes at your next place, depending where it is. Or Lemon trees, like Califrau. Or a dried up geranium like me

Yeah, but we'll have to move every 5-7 years, though. Still that isn't bad.

I live in Washington near Portland/Vancouver. We have lived here 40 years (!!!) and we love it here. It is a perfect climate. But we are moving to Ohio to be near one grandson, and two other grandsons are moving to Nashville so we will be much closer to all three.

I want to talk frosting. Powdered sugar frosting is so easy to make and tastes great--unlike frosting in cans. Take half of a box of powdered/confectioner's sugar, put in half teaspoon of vanilla (real stuff is best), and a couple tablespoons of milk to make spreadable consistency.

I need a new name as our sweet Hansie (miniature dachshund) died five weeks ago. He was 18. I cannot think about him much as it is still too sad. He was a love.

Mmmm. . . frosting. Frosting IS a good subject. I used to eat frosting out of tubs for any meal of the day. I don't do that anymore. It is funny, because I can bake/cook almost anything, but for some reason frosting really intimidated me, and I know it is easy. I just started making my own. I highly love cream cheese frosting.

I'm excited there's another MNer so close. For right now at least.

Sorry to hear about your dog. I don't really like them much, but DH insists that one would be good for the kids. He grew up with one that lived as long as yours did, and I know he thought of it as family.

[smug emoticon]

I just made frosting - icing sugar, vanilla, milk & colouring (pink & blue - baby shower cookies)

Sorry about your dog, Hansiemom

I seriously don't know where my frosting paranoia came from. I make my own pie crusts, pot stickers from scratch, lemon curd from scratch and on and on, but frosting scared me to death.

I would LOVE to be able to make pot stickers. And if you can make pie crusts then frosting is no prob at all. Give it a whirl sometime

She's by me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Sorry, I just got excited someone actually was close to me.

waves at sittingbull

No idea what leati was about

Hello! - this time next Saturday, we'll be at Heathrow waiting to board our flight to America.

I've got so much packing to do, that I'm overwhelmed and a bit paralysed. Guess I should get off here, and get stuck in...

Oh, {{hugs}} SittingBull - I am always an emotional mess these days but am not sure it is to do with motherhood! I think I'd have cried if I'd heard what you did - that poor family

Good luck EarlyBird - that last week is always a bit frantic. Will be thinking of you.

I know what you mean, Sitting Bull. I used to never feel emotions at all. Then I met DH, and I felt very emotional toward him. But after I had kids, everything is out of whack.

And what makes it really bad is I'm totally irrational about my kids. I send DS to a 2 hour twice a week "camp" as he loved pre-school, and hated to see it end. In school I could stay with him even with Caitlin, but in "camp" I can't stay because of her. I am ok with that, but last Tuesday they took a field trip (they all rode on this little trolley around town for a few minutes). I obsessed about that, and eventually ended up getting on the internet, finding the route and chasing the trolley down to follow it. In following it, I realized they weren't on there, and I started crying. I went back to where "camp" is, and there they were all happily playing. I misunderstood what time they were taking it. So I sat in my car a good long while until my face looked normal, and happily breezed in to pick him up. Any time he's gone on a field trip in school, I've just always gone. I had visions of an asteroid hitting the trolley, someone hijacking them and forcing them into child labor, or just him getting off at a stop and wandering away (he's not that way at all and there were 2 adults for every child there). That is my loony story for the week.

Today was lovely, as DH worked part of the day and then came home, took the kids and told me to go shopping and buy some clothes.

{{hugs}} to all you emotional mummies

Califrau - your baseball cakes are fab - and your boys look lovely!

How did you make your quilt? I have been saving up jeans & cut them into big squares but am not sure what to do next... I was going to make them into a quilt for ds but I don't know how. Any tips?

Fab, thanks Califrau.

Must go and look for some flannel material now.

I'll let you know when I've done mine (if I ever get round to it!)

So of you mums who can sew. I actually bought a machine several months ago thinking I would get a chance to at least teach myself some simple things and it's still in the box

Oh, I'm not a sewing person either. I'd just like to be. And I did save up jeans to make a quilt, so I am halfway there.

I changed to MinistryofMamamagic but someone thought I was MamaG, so may have to rethink. I do like it though...