Cheese Please!

Could I get a little cheese over here to go with all the whine I've been getting lately?

"Dad's being mean."

"If we have to go to Hamilton to visit your sister and take the kids to London on the same day that's over 11 hours of driving."

"Boyfriend ate my crackers and drank my diet Pepsi."

"Why do we have to visit nephew and new great-nephew when we take the kids to London?"

"Why can't you spend the night here and they can pick you up on the way to London tomorrow?"

The last one was from my sisters and it was actually pretty nice. Surprisingly nice really. They wanted me to stay the night in Hamilton so we could have a sisterly bonding time.

Husband was grumpier than a bear rousted from hibernation and even though sister #1 had him grudgingly agree, in the end I decided it wasn't a good idea. Yeah, I might have had fun for a single night, but I'd have to put up with his pissy mood for the next week. Plus I didn't think it was fair that the daughter and the daughter's boyfriend would have to put up with his even pissier mood if I'd stayed.

So, in the end it was decided that we'd have a sisterly bonding adventure in April.

Husband's mood improved greatly once he'd eaten supper.

Mental note, make sure husband is well fed at all times tomorrow when we make the final move of daughter, daughter's boyfriend and daughter's cats to London.

Happy Boxing Day!

I hope everyone's Christmas was both Holly and Jolly. Mine veered a little towards the stressful and tiring, but it was still good.

The tree is still upright, no thanks to Oliver. The first time he climbed it I took pictures. Second time, I just pulled him out and set him on the floor. Third time, I spanked his little butt. Fourth time, I spanked a little harder. Fifth time I pulled him out by the scruff of his neck AND smacked his little butt. Sixth time he went for a time-out in the spare bedroom. So far there hasn't been a seventh time.

I cannot believe how quickly he's adjusted to living here. Okay, adjusting took two days, now he's in charge. It doesn't matter how often the big cats hiss at him, he wants to play, and play he will! They mostly hide from him.

Between his fearlessness and feistiness he seems to be the perfect companion for Sammie. Apparently she thinks so too because she's starting to play with him. Finally, someone who likes to play chase!

It's a Christmas miracle.

And then there was seven . . .

Sammie, the daughter's cat, has pretty much taken over. She has complete run of the house now and she rules with an iron paw. When she's hungry, she eats what she pleases, whether it's out of another cat's bowl or off your plate. When she wants to play, she plays, and if the other cats are sleeping she'll roust one of them awake and they will play - and like it. When she's mad, stay out of her way or she'll mow you down.

Did I mention she weighs less than 6 pounds?

On the other hand, she's been having so much fun playing with the others that the daughter decided Sammie needs a little companion.

Enter one of my co-workers, whose cat had kittens. The original idea was she'd hang onto the kitten until the daughter was ready to move. Due to a string of incredibly bad luck on my co-worker's part, the kitten needed a home ASAP.

Do you see where this is leading?

We took delivery this morning. He's fiesty and fearless, a cuddley ball of orange and white fur. He's charmed the daughter and I, the rest of the cats are not impressed, Sammie most of all.

The husband doesn't know yet. I suspect he'll be even less impressed than Sammie.

Christmas Miracle

So, yesterday we drove to Quinte Mall (about 45 minutes to the East)to knock off as much of the remaining Christmas shopping as we could. The miracle was not that we finished our shopping, although we did come close, the miracle was finding a parking place about 5 cars up from the main mall entrance. Trust me, it's a huge lot and people were parking in places I didn't think possible to park in.

We also got up there and back without hitting the Big Storm everyone has been anticipating for the last few days. Well, everyone but me that is.

I like snowstorms. If it has to be winter, I want snow and lots of it. For the last few days there were dire predictions of a major winter storm heading our way. Every time time someone mentioned it the amount of snow we were supposed to get increased. I stopped listening after the prediction reached 60 centimetres.

Call me cynical, but I've heard it all before. And I've been disappointed when buses are cancelled and schools closed and we end up with nary a flake in sight. Mostly the bad weather skips over us or goes right out over Lake Ontario.

That being said, we did get snow today. Not nearly as much as predicted, but the wind is blowing it around pretty good making it look worse than it is.

We'll need a lot more before I'll be satisfied.

'Tis the Season

Ah ha, you doubting Thomases. I DID get the tree up on the weekend. And a very pretty little Christmas tree it is.

That, however, is not what I was referring to in the title. No, I'm referring to the season of unpredictable weather. Going from warm to cold and back again, with rain, snow or ice in between. Storms that spring up out of no where. Like the one the daughter got hit with on the way home from Kingston today.

The good news is, she and the boyfriend are okay. If you call a broken nose, slight concussion and many aches and pains okay. It could have been much worse.

Her spiffy little black Sunfire, on the other hand, is a write-off. To be honest, I think that car was cursed. It's been more bad luck that good. This was its third accident (none of which were the daughter's fault). Time for a more substantial vehicle.

Anyone know where we can find a good, used, armour-plated car? Or maybe a tank?

Continued

I promised to explain about the Christmas lights, didn't I?

We got a memo at work encouraging us to bring in our own Christmas decorations to decorate with at work. Since I sit in a semi permanent seat I grabbed a string of coloured lights on my way out the door one night and they're draped around my work station and over my monitor. Tonight I have to remember to take some tape with me to work so I can tape them down.

I'm thinking this weekend is going to be the weekend to put the Christmas tree up. The daughter wanted a real tree this year, so I said if we get a real tree we'd be listening to real Christmas music. Artificial tree it is. We have six very active (at times) cats. I could picture her cat appointing herself as the tree topper.

Random Acts

I was gifted by a random act of kindness today.

One of my co-workers came over to say hello and then told me there was something different about me today. I suggested I was probably still looking ill from my Joe Louis experience.

She assured me, however, that it was a good something different. Not being the kind of person to take a compliment seriously, I suggested it was the reflection of Christmas lights surrounding my monitor (more about that later).

But no, apparently this change was due to something inside of me. She couldn't put a finger on it, but it was a good change coming from within. I think that's one of the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

Lesson Learned

So, I was checking out the kitchen a couple of nights ago for a snack to include in my lunch for work and I came across a box of Joe Louis in the cupboard. These, for the uninformed, are flat, round, cake-like snacks with cream filling and covered in chocolate. Perfect for a late night snack. So I threw one into my lunch.

Fast forward to 4:30 a.m. Which is my work lunch time. I eat my sandwich and my clementine, and now it's time for desert. I unwrap my chocolaty treat and take a big bite.

Wait a minute, this doesn't taste right. I finish chewing and swallow. Why do I have this incredibly bad taste in my mouth? I look at the Joe Louie I'd just taken a bite out of and the first thing I noticed was the creamy white filling was pink. The second thing I noticed was the faint fuzziness around the edges.

Joe Louis are not supposed to be fuzzy. Or have pink filling.

Lesson learned. Don't eat snacks that you don't know how long have been kicking around for.

Excuse me while I go clean out my cupboard.

Couldn't Resist!

Get a Cash Advance

I checked this out on someone else's blog and when I got a rating like that it was a little hard to resist including it here.

It also motivates me into doing better at keeping up with the posting, as well as the other writing. This should make my sister happy as it's not only the posting and writing that I've been slacking with lately, my e-mailing and letter writing has suffered as well.

Hopefully I'm over the hump and back on the writing road.