Yes, It's True, I Broke Into My Christmas Presents Early...

I figured out what was under the tree and broke into my gift card. An adventure to Messy Missy's to paint, kept me out of the house, away from the hubby...I got a free fee (it was a limited special!!) and I painted a winter candy jar (his hat comes off!) and bought a bag! This way I only have to pay 1/2 fees if I bring my bag in, so I thought that was a good deal- Still have some change on my gift card so I will be going back again soon. It's always a nice stress relief to sit and paint for a while....

Who's Hiding?

Wendell loves rugs. Any excuse to crawl under one and he is happy. Usually we just get a tail shot, but this is a rare one when we get to see his face, too. He had a ball for about 15 minutes until he moved on to his next distraction. Wennie is a funny boy..

Funky Weather

The rain turned to ice, the ice turned to snow, the green grass is gone, and now everything is melting once again.....The circle of weather..........sounds like something out of Lion King...

Rainy Days

The snow is almost gone here. Melted away with the help of a lot of rain that we have gotten the last 24 hours. We had a white Christmas, but right now, we are back to green grass. Give it a minute, it's Iowa, I'm sure it will change again soon.....

James T. Kirk

James T Kirk left a present under the tree and I'm not too happy about waiting for that either....In the mean time.........AAAAh....(of course the real guy is, what, 77, but I never said I was gaga for him, just JTK)

2 Words...

More SNOW

Santa is Coming...

I broke down and asked for a new camera for Christmas...Of course, romantic hubby that he is, he went out and looked for the ideal one and got it for me...HA....I picked it out, asked if I could get it, and had to go back out in subzero weather to get it....but it's orange, ok, copper, but I think it's orange. They figure my old camera is probably about 5 years old....I would've waited to get one, but my memory card is shot, so I thought it was a good chance to update the equipment and not feel too guilty. The lady at the store tried to sell me a printer/scanner/etc that would have probably been a good idea, the price was reasonable, but I didn't really need it. If I want a zillion prints of the cats I can just go to WalMart and print them off...Works for me...........Meanwhile, the camera is under the tree and I am stuck waiting........Something I definitely don't do well this time of year............................

So true with 4 cats....

Nieces, Too

Christmas with the Ingles

Christmas with my sister and all her kids was yesterday. They were actually on their best behavior and did a good job....They are finally getting completely out of the toddler stage so it is fun to hang out with all of them....The hit of the day was the Batman slipper socks that my nephew Jake had to show off by walking around with his pants pushed up so everyone could see....Not sure why the shirt came off, I think he was hot from running around. Even so, I thought the picture was cute and kind of told the story of the kids excitement yesterday.

We celebrated with French silk pie for my nephew's birthday who has been blessed with a Christmas eve big day, so we try to celebrate early :) Hopefully he will get his front teeth soon....It just added to this picture....:):)

NEW KATIE PIC

Katie and The Bed

It's taken awhile....but she has finally discovered all the comforts of our bed.............

List of Deeds Done (or not as the case may be...)

I found this list on one of the web sites I frequent. I did my list in bold as they did.....I was surprised at the number I had done. I really thought it was going to show what a boring life I've led. It made me appreciate things a bit more as I scrolled through and left my mark....36....definitely room to see and do a few more.....

What I done... (in bold)
1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (counting rock band!!)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo (once again, rock band!!)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (cats count in my world!)
16. Had food poisoning (thank God not yet)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke(rock band count??)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted (I'm counting caricatures!)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox (I'm counting shingles/cold sores!)
89. Saved someone’s life (cats count, once again)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (bee no, wasp, yes)
100. Ridden an elephant

Katie Post

Katie sometimes gets slighted and I worry she doesn't get enough of our time. Unlike the boys, she doesn't crave attention and is little Miss Independent...So here is a pic, it's not exactly current, but I thought she looked pretty. (I know they all do, all the time, but what can I say??)

Turkey Done Died

Turkey Day is officially over. I didn't partake of dead bird, but enjoyed my veggie plate and the french silk pie after. (yum). We had a busy day and went swimming with my god daughter on Thursday nite. Friday we started our whole day of Thankgiving/Xmas with mall trips and fast food and mall trips and fast food. We did some Rock Band and swam again. It was a good holiday..........Now I am just staring at my Christmas presents and waiting.....tick tock.......tick tock.........How old am I?

CUTE!

Turkey Free

OK, I just got an email about how they sometimes are very brutal when they kill turkeys. 2x4 pipes etc, along with video. It came from PETA who can sometimes be extreme, I know, but now I have an excuse to go turkey free when I visit the in-laws this year. Usually I can do it anyway, but I pretty much made myself sick after the PETA thing, so I will eat my veggies and be quite happy. Won't save a turkey, but won't eat one either...........

Cute!

Star Trek On The Brain

Funny

People's Guy.....

I think I would have put this one on the cover instead..........

Twilight?

Well, so far I have read nothing but bad reviews.....I am taking them with a grain of salt because sometimes I think you need to read the book to fully appreciate the movie....It's supposed to have been low budget compared to HP so maybe the next one (2010, I think) will be better. I still have hopes for RP, I think the eyes in the poster are a bit much, but will try to take it all with a grain of salt.........Once again, don't think I'll be able to make it tomorrow. Will be on the to do list, if just to say that I did it.

THIS I AM WAITING FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Twilight x 2

Alright, I finished Twilight this afternoon for the 2nd time. Not as crazy as the BFF about these vampires, but a good story. From what I've seen from the movie, not necessarily the stills, and after rereading the book, I think Robert Pattinson will be able to do Edward without a problem. Hopefully I'm not off the mark with that one. I'm hoping I might be able to squeeze the movie in Friday, but with my work hours, it will probably have to wait.....Hopefully they will have some afternoon showings next week and I can beat the teeny bopper crowds........BFF and KAREN.......you'll have to watch your comments!! Don't spoil anything!!!! Glad to hear if you like it or not, though!!

Wendell: Before and After

Wendell--younger version

Wendell-older version and a bigger, much bigger box

Retainers Hurt

I'm caught. Haven't been wearing my retainers enough...OUCH! My lower anteriors are killing me (sort of, but you get the point). I tried to bite into a cookie and remembered the joy of braces and chewing on back teeth. Ouch again.........Sigh..........

Bookin' It

1. I am rereading Twilight so I am ready for the soon to be released movie. I think they can probably make a vampire out of Cedric Diggory. It may just take a little work. DR can look a little scruffy at times as well so we will hope for the best and hope they can make the movie work. It is definitely a light read, but a story you can just fall into and those are my favorite.

2&3 I am going to try and get thru HP7 again so I am ready for The Tales of Beedle the Bard when it come out on the 7th.........that or I am going to try to read them together as Hermione goes thru it during the story...Not sure on that one......

Red Alert- HIPAA Violation

Apparently my new surgeon's office called to confirm my September appt time after our first conversation. They looked through their books and called me (or rather my father-in-law) back and left a detailed message on his machine..............I DIDN'T GIVE THEM HIS PHONE NUMBER SO THEY MUST HAVE GOT IT FROM INFORMATION..............OOPS to them. That could be a problem.......Too bad it wasn't the bank screwing up our accounts and sending me all his stuff. That was a nice surprise when that happened....

The curse of being named after your father..........Having that not be an issue after awhile.........then having the same thing when your father-in-law has the same name as your dad.....Such is life..............43+ years and it doesn't phase me...............I think the surgeon's oh so lucky. It is a lawsuit waiting to happen..............................

Obsess Part II

5. My father-in-law was asking my husband about reverse mortgages so I was sure we were going to have them move in with us..........Completely irrational, but I WAS worried about that one, too. My father-in-law thought I was funny....

I'm Obsessing....

1. Have to switch surgeons for my post cancer visits..........really has me freaking out.
2. Too many questions about health histories are really overwhelming me.
3. Somebody annoyed a customer at B&B and she called in a bad report....Of course I think it's me, but that's just me. No names mentioned, but I still figure it's me........I'm just like that........wish I would get over it.
4. Had to take an x-ray of a wisdom tooth and am required to use XCP. I just couldn't get it. The patient got frustrated (and gaggy) and I got frustrated. I finally asked her if she knew how to take xrays since she kept taking it out of her mouth and repositioning it..........That question stumped her.......I ended up taking a pano.......It worked, what can I say.....Not a great day.....:(

Teeth

My teeth are clean. My new RDH is very good.............and I'm happy..........no cavities and fluoride floss..........Life is good...:)

Leaky Toilets Part Deux

The plumber came and left, in record time, after replacing some bolts in the toilet tank. Apparently they corrode and one of them came apart in pieces for him........Whoo! Early save for us. We are not usually that on the ball. Anyway, it was a short visit so hopefully we won't have to sell the house to pay for it. I really appreciate the joy of multiple bathrooms in the house, however.

Leaky Toilets

Well, it's not the big guy missing the cheerios in the toilet and it's not one of the kids deciding that it would be more fun to go in front of the toilet than in their boxes....It's definitely leaking around the seal...............so we are patiently (HA) waiting for 8 a.m. to call a plumber. It's not leaking bad and we caught it early, but it's still frustrating, and so we wait....

Michael Crichton Revisited...........

Not to forget Disclosure (book better than Demi Moore and the movie), Rising Sun (Sean Connery and the movie great- book just as good), Timeline, The Terminal Man, The Lost World, State of Fear................A true loss of a good storyteller.................

I'm Depressed....................

Opus is done and over...very sweet the way they ended it, but am depressed because the various incarnations Bloom County, Outlands, Opus were all my favorites........

And now, to find out Michael Crichton died today........Father of Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Sphere, A Case of Need, etc., etc. Very depressing.........Didn't even know he was ill.....

Such is life I guess..........sigh................

New Book

I developed a liking for his books while I was living in Iowa City and he was teaching there....It's much better than some of his recent stuff and since I've been reading before bed lately, it's been hard to put down OR go to sleep....It's a good read, though, and I'm always glad for that..

Wendell's Wonderful

It won't get him printed in the calendar, but he can be cute when he is showing off.....

Here he is showing off his wonderful balancing skills.......................

I'm the Green Lantern

Reading Karen's blog, I had to do the survey..........and I am the Green Lantern.........seems to fit....

To find out who you are go to:

http://thesuperheroquiz.com/

In Sync (and not the boy band)

Yeah, I did it. One more CD (almost said album, oops!) added on the shuffle. Good for me-My arm may fall off from patting myself so hard on the back over that one....

Finally In Sync

(Not mine, mine still is purple!)

I have yet to master the most complicated world of my Shuffle. 30 minutes later and I MAY have (stress may) added another CD to the list, maybe twice.....maybe........ Guess we will find out. My fingers are crossed. It's just too darn complicated for me. I am officially old.

Pookie

9 months and 9 days...............

I miss the Pookster...

Done

Well, I finished the book. It even got me up out of bed to finish...It was engrossing..........To say it was a good read would not do the book justice....You should read this book...maybe that is the better thing to say....

Book of the Day

I am working on this book after finishing the Connelly book The Brass Verdict, which was really good (thank you Once Upon a Crime). It is engrossing and I should have a good chunk done before I have to work, yes work, at Bath and Body...Christmas sales meeting-joy.

And the Superstars of the Family are.....Katie and Quincy!!

No, they didn't make a full page for the Animal Rescue League calendar, but they did make a corner of April 2009, so they are the new superstars of the family. SHHH. We won't tell Wendell.....He just doesn't do pictures well at all................

Better Baby

According to BFF, Sasha is doing better and devouring all the food she can get her paws on. This is a good thing and all will rest easier knowing she is doing better and going to be a frisky kitty again.....

Eli Goes On A Field Trip

Sometimes I torture the children, I admit it. Today I took Eli on a field trip to Burger King (drive thru of course). He travels the best and didn't seem to mind except every time the car stopped he thought it was time to get out....Rode in my lap the whole way there and home....He made friends with the girl at the window, who thought he was oh so adorable!!

Sasha Blu is Sick

I've been in hibernation with this cold, so I was surprised to see an email from my god-daughter telling me that their new cat Sasha had gotten sicker. She has been fighting an upper respiratory infection, this after being fixed (I'm still not sure who gets spade and who gets neutered), having her kittens taken away at the rescue league, and going home to a new family....She has had some busy days as of late. It sounds like she isn't eating, but is getting some more meds and is being pampered and taken care of like the baby she is. She was only 6 lbs to start with and now may be closer to 5. It is worrisome and we will keep our eyes and ears open hoping for good news about this little one. She's a sweety.

The Big Black Boy

I saw a beautiful black cat that got hit by a car outside my front window on Friday morning....Me being the cat lover I am, it was traumatic. I called the rescue league to come and pick him up, but I couldn't leave him out there. That was where Wendell had been found when he was a baby and left to fend for himself....He looked to much like my Wennie, so I ran out in my pj's in "rush hour" traffic, to make sure he wasn't ran over again and to get him to the vet..........When I petted him, he was cold and pretty stiff, so I knew it wasn't good........He was bigger than my Wendell, very muscular, with a bobbed tail, and a few stray white hairs like Wendell has...His paws were huge, and he had all of his claws...His eyes were blue at this point and I would have loved to pick him up and give him all the love he deserved, but that wasn't the case. I put him on a rug in the car and drove to the vet and bawled like a baby the whole way there. They knew I was coming, but were still a bit panicked to see me...The girl who let me in, didn't know what was going on so I had to make sure they knew he wasn't mine, but he needed to be checked........They took him and confirmed that the big guy had passed away........the rescue league would pick up his body...............I told them that we would take him home...........he may not have been loved enough in his life, but he will be truly mourned in his death. Not a great way to start a day.

Wendell---

My Cold is Better

After hearing so many things about Urgent Care, I decided on Saturday to visit the new Mtown facility (just one of the McFarland Clinics that is open at night 5-9 and during the weekend). Anyway, I called the emergency room first because I knew I was going to stand much more of the not breathing at all with a huge polyp swollen up in my right nostril..........Couldn't even drink (Sasha, I can relate!)They kind of himhawed about it and I decided to try the Urgent Care Clinic later on Saturday. Called them, got right in, got a Rx for some steroids to bring my nose inflammation down..............and waited..............and waited............I was sure nothing was working until I woke up this morning and feel human...........halfway at least...........

Cold Update

Yuck!

A Funny Thing Happened....

A funny thing happened at the B&B store today. A woman was checking out, when low and behold, I saw her Waldenbooks bag with 2 John Sandford books in it..........Being the fan I am, we struck up a conversation about his books....(Didn't mention the photos or signed books) We talked about Dead Watch, his wife dying, and how he has become quite prolific again.... SHould have mentioned that she really needs to read the Prey books in order, but, it was a nice conversation. Lasted a couple of minutes, but was the highlight of my work day...:)

It's a Full Blown COLD!!

It's true, between doses of NyQuil and DayQuil the symptoms are out- Yuck, I've got it bad and no I don't own stock in Kleenex but they are making a lot of money from me this week!!

New Books

BFF- your books are being bumped down my list again....I have The Brass Verdict coming from Once Upon A Crime Books in Minneapolis, a new David Morrell book comes out on Oct 28th, and I have 2 Star Trek books coming out the end of the month as well. I am still working on Heat Lightning. Gosh darn it, I've just been selling soap so much that I haven't gotten into the book any faster. Kind of sucks, but nice to be busy....I am excited, though, so many new books to read!! Yeah!!

24 Redemption

We get a short burst of Jack Bauer on November 23. A 2 hour movie!! We like to watch 24 hours of 24 at our house and watch the whole season over a weekend....It's just a thing we have gotten into, but, with the movie, all I can say is don't call when it's on, we won't pick up......:)

AAAAAAH!!!!

My throat hurts, my head hurts, my neck hurts and I'm sneezing. So much for the flu shot I got yesterday..................and lucky me, I get to go try and be happy and sell soap all afternoon.....I want my pillowtop!! :)

Hankerin' for House

To go along with my new obsession....The TV Guide for next week features the House characters. I really love this show. Haven't watched it at it's regular time, but LOVE the reruns!!

Sleep, Yum Part II

Okay................it wasn't my intention.............................BUT............................after I got home from a staff meeting at the clinic this a.m........................I decided to read (I'm way way behind--Can you say House reruns), anyway, I went to lay in the new bed and read...............AND.............I fell asleep for 3 hours....................Was I surprised!! Definitely comfortable, for me anyway..........We will worry about the hubby some other day...

Sleep, Yum!!

Well, I got to sleep in my new bed until about 10, when the kids decided they wanted to hang out with us. They got booted and so did I. I slept on the couch and then snuck back into the bed for about 1.5 hours this a.m. Jeff says he will have to get used to it....It is more firm than what we had, but I love it.................

The Bed is Here-----

Yeah, they delivered the bed this morning and we are looking forward to making use of it....Jeff has decided that he will sleep in the bed with Quincy and I can sleep on the couch with Wendell....because Wendell will stay with me, thus not getting into a ruckus with Quincy AND not pee on the bed..... Jeff can sleep with Quincy, because he misses having kittens in bed...Hmmmm, something is just not quite right with that, but maybe I can catch a nap on it tomorrow?? We shall see....

I'm Thinking Pillowtop...

17 hours and the pillowtop arrives...........Have to work so I guess no naps, but sleeping should be oh so nice....

OOPS! He Did It Again....

Wennie, my poor baby, is a wreck of nerves from the youngest of the bunch and had another accident on our bed! Yikes! Yuck! 3:30 a.m. and I'm stripping the bed.........A visit to the laundromat, to the vet, and to the mattress store.... We have a new bed coming Monday.........with a pillowtop!!:) We are going to adjust life a bit and lock the kids out of the bedroom at nite, which will kill us both, but a lot cheaper than another new mattress!! We are pretending Wendell is a kitten and taking him to his box every 2 hours and hoping for the best. The vet wants us to lock him up in a room by himself for 6 weeks and only let him out periodically.................at this point.............NOT GONNA HAPPEN.................

IT'S HERE!!!!

My book has arrived....Yeah!!! Carefully wrapped in multiple layers of paper and 2 layers of bubble wrap, in a big envelope was my autographed John Sandford book!! It is supposed to be excellent and I am excited....Do I finish the book I'm reading or start the new one...........Tough question..........Thank you Once Upon A Crime Books!!

I Have the Squirts

In attempts to get the kittens under control, we have purchased and are making use of a handy dandy water bottle to spray Quincy when he gets in one of his moods.....So far, it seems to be working....Of course, I was up at midnite to control the chaos, but at this point in the morning. He is running when he sees it, so Wendell is breathing a little easier, Mom is still tired, but perhaps there is hope...

Here's One For You....

Like I said before, I've become addicted to House reruns on USA...That said, here is my picture of an unconventional sexy guy....Yes, maybe you have to be in your 40's to appreciate it, but I don't think he's too bad, especially as his character....

Why Do I Have 4 Cats

Why do I have 4 cats.............this morning I couldn't tell you.............Trying to catch up on some sleep that I missed between the 1-5 a.m hours...........I locked 2 of the cats in the bedroom with me....Apparently 7:30 was too long for Wendell to hold on and he peed all over the bed........Zoom, I am up and off to the laundromat..........................Hoping things go well and I don't have to deal with this again for awhile...............Quincy and Wendell are driving me crazy........Quincy wants to attack Wendell...........or better yet....................sit within 2 feet of him and taunt him forever.....................and Wendell WHINES AND WHINES UNTIL I THINK I WILL GO CRAZY...........................They are in no pain...............and for the most part they aren't attacking each other......................IT'S JUST THE CONSTANT DRONE THAT GETS ON YOUR NERVES..........They are doing nothing wrong...............It's not like I would hit them or anything, even the peeing on the bed was my fault, but the NOISE IS GOING TO SEND ME TO THE LOONEY BIN, again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hannah's New Pic

She is growing up soooo fast! And looks adorable I might add....

OOPS POST FLOWER ENTRY

Sorry folks, but here is a look at how the kids responded to the flower delivery (which I got while I was at Bath and Body). They went CRAZY! But they were very good, and when they had the chance, all they wanted to do was sniff the bouquet, and that was fine with me....

Cat Grass Fever

My in-laws were kind enough to bring over some grass for the kittens today.....They really enjoyed it...