crossrhodes

Today is the monthly “mother’s day” when I pay all our bills. While I was working in Microsoft Money, I ran a cost comparison of our recent camping trip against our last cruise to Bermuda. Keep in mind that our camping trip was 2 days longer than our cruise. However, the cruise included a variety of entertainment, exotic attractions, fine dining and luxuries not available when camping. Nevertheless, our cruise to Bermuda was only $300 more than our camping trip to Delaware. So, the question is, what am I willing to pay for on next year’s vacation?

(L) Month 1 | (C) Month 2 | (R) Month 3

This week at 3-months old:

• She’s been able to lift and hold up her head for several seconds.
• She’s been obsessed with her hands for a couple of weeks now.
• She’s becoming more and more receptive when I speak or sing to her. She talks and coos right back at me.
• Her eyes follow me when I leave the room and she smiles when I return.
• She definitely recognizes Don’s and James’ voices, too.
• She loves it when I read poetry and verses to her in an animated sing-song voice. She doesn’t understand a word I’m saying, but I read that babies whose parents read and speak to them extensively have higher IQs. We shall see.
• I also try to speak to her in Tagalog as well as English. Besides boosting her language development, I also want her immersed in her Filipino culture as much as possible.

It’s so interesting seeing the pictures next to each other. There’s not much of a difference between months 2 and 3, but wow, look how small (and really pink!) she was in her first month! I so, so, sooo miss my newborn baby… *sigh*

Delaware? What’s in Delaware? (Some of you may even be wondering, WHERE is Delaware?) The second smallest U.S. state (less than 2,500 square miles) actually has awesome beach resorts. On top of that, it’s the home of tax-free shopping!

We camped on an Army base in the quaint little town of Bethany Beach. It’s smack in the middle of the busier beach resorts of Rehoboth Beach, DE and Ocean City, MD. It’s different from the Jersey shore. Still touristy but much cleaner, more quaint, and the beaches are FREE!

We had a bonfire in Ocean City, walked the boardwalk and pier, ate homemade frozen custard and fresh boardwalk fries, watched kite surfers on the bay, grilled fresh seafood, tasted loukomades at the Greek festival, shopped the tax-free outlets, and shared cocktails on the boardwalk under the moon.

Every time we travel, Don wanders off the beaten path. This year we discovered Chincoteague Island and Assateague Island National Seashores. It’s a wildlife refuge with wild horses roaming freely and blending in with the campers. Oh yeah, did I mention there are campsites right on the beach? The Atlantic ocean is just over the sand dunes. I think we’re planning to go back there next year. There’s 4-wheel driving on the dunes, clamming, the pony swim, and, for me, lots of photo opportunities!

As beautiful as the Mid-Atlantic coast is, my favorite coastal state is still the smallest U.S. state of Rhode Island. I’d like to take Layla there sometime soon to the place where she was made =)

Here’s the scoop since my last post. My sister’s pieces were on display at the Borgata’s adjacent boutique hotel called The Water Club for one month. However, they were not for sale until last Thursday and the entire first series was sold by Saturday! Before she could deliver the second series to the Borgata, another buyer already ordered that entire set.

Now she’s stressing out because the Borgata wants a third set plus some backup pieces since they’re flying off the shelves, plus one of the first buyers wants more of her originals. Meanwhile, she has a teenager, a spitfire toddler, a newborn baby, a husband who goes to school full time and works full time, and they’re in the process of moving to a new place.

I don’t know the exact price of each piece, but I know they’re in the thousands. Mine was free. *hehe* I’m thinking I should probably insure the painting I have of hers hanging above the piano now that she’s selling pieces by the set. Orrr… I wonder how much I can get for my free painting? J/K =) That’s a keeper for Layla and her children and her children’s children, etc.

Layla says: Tita Mel, don’t forget me when you’re famous!

Your sister says: I think we should celebrate by you taking us out to dinner =)

Update to a previous post: Just heard from the artist formerly known as my sister that the Borgata in Atlantic City sold ALL of her paintings!  All of them!  And they want more!  Woo-hoo!  Go Mel!!!