All Hallows Eve...

My daughter is cleaning & working on her costume.  I'm printing off brochures & starting to work on adding more Winter Holiday stuff.  Today will be the last day for Halloween & Breast Cancer Awareness.  Hmmmm, I think I need to make at least one errand run before I start... and take some meds.  I seem to have done something to my left knee, which is a Bad Thing™ since I already have bad knees!!

So last night I was icing it down, and Star started to make his nightly journey across my legs.  He stopped short at my calves as he often does and then looked askance at me.  Ice pack.  Cold.  This was obviously Not a Good Thing™.  Now I happen to like having Star laying in my lap at night so I called to him.  No, he didn't think that it was a good idea.  Which left only one option.  Bribery.  This was not a problem since I keep a very small plastic container of treats in the headboard.

So I carefully eased out the container.  I swear, if he had them, you could have seen one eyebrow lift like a Vulcan.  I pulled out one treat and put the container back.  He slinked up on the left side making sure to avoid the ice pack.  Oberon raced from the other side of the house going, Treat?!  Treat?!  I like treats!!  However, I did not give him one.  Nor did I give Zaphy one when he came wandering in a minute or so later wondering how many treats he could sucker out of me.  In the end I had Star on my lap, Oberon flopped over my calves (one of his favorite spots and not toooo bad for a 15 pound cat!), Thomas snuggled up to my left hip, and Zaphy trying to see if I might let him lick my ears.  I'm not sure what the attraction is for Zaphy and everyone's ears but he is quite persistent.

My daughter had just come in asking if we have duct tape and that's a sign that I'd best be getting to other things!!  She has also reminded me that she took pictures of the cats all about me.  Now if she'll just send them to me!!  As well as some of Oberon in the sink.  ::grin::

Poor kitten.... (and Halloween)

..okay, three year old, fifteen pound kitten... Vicious Miette Pumpkin Thunderblaster Knives Pterodactyl aka the Kitten aka Trouble aka Oberon aka the Cat With the Identity Crisis  You see, one of his most very favorite places to sleep was unavailable this morning.  Yes, that's right, my husband was taking a shower so he couldn't get to our master bath sink.

I just so happened to go into the other bathroom (the 'kids' bathroom) to find Oberon curled up in that sink!  It was a pity that I didn't have a camera with me.  Oh, and how do I know how much he weighs?  Not by the vet's office, as one would think... nay, not Oberon!!  He and StarWalker have been taking turns getting up on our scales.  So today after I'd chased him off and noticed that it was ready to weigh, I set him back on.  Yep, you guessed it!  Fifteen pounds.  ::shakes head::  I was not surprised in the least.  The scariest thing about it all??  It's not fat!!  Be afraid, be very very afraid!

In the meantime, I've had some daywork.  This is a Good Thing™ as always.  I actually had someone hit the shop up for a Breast Cancer poster.  If you're reading this & want something in the Breast Cancer Awareness section or the Halloween section, get it before Saturday!!  I'll be taking these down on Sunday (this is presuming that my health behaves!  ::grin::)

In between cleaning house for my daughter having friends invade for trick or treating.   Hey!  She's 16... this is probably the last year she can get away with it... no, not really... our neighborhood is very cool about older kids who actually have real costumes.  Many of our neighbors go all out with decorations for Halloween & Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa.  This is just one of the many reasons I love our neighborhood.  As for me, I've got three electric pumpkins (I don't like cooked pumpkins so I don't carve), a spider my son made in elementary school, a flag with a cat sitting on pumpkins, and two plaques with cats on them. 

We'll be handing out toys as usual.  I've been doing this for years.  I remember as a child getting all that candy, and then sorting it all out by individual first followed by putting them in groups such as "chocolate with nuts" and "chocolate without nuts".  Then I would allow my parental units access to the candy I didn't like.  ::grin::  But it was rather disappointing that I never got something that "kept"... except at this one house in my grandparent's neighborhood.  I can't remember what it was now, but remembering that was one of the reasons I chose toys when I had my own house.

I pick them up from Oriental Trading for the most part but also get some from the after-holiday sales.  So I'll be decked out in some sort of costume on Saturday night.  I always seem to wait until the last minute, but because I have so many costumes to choose from (comes from having done cons & plays for my dad & medieval reenactment) it's not a problem.  Then I'll sort out the toys in a tray so that the children can each choose three things.  There will be rings, erasers, spinners, and such.  Amazingly enough, the big favorite seems to be pencils!!  Now I just have to figure out what to do for the babies & toddlers.  People don't expect things for them but I like to have something.  I may break down and get some food treats for them this year.

Day? What Day?

I blame my daughter.  I had to take her and her brother to the doctor yesterday.  So, of course, I was sick today.  And had a feeling better but not fever free for 24 hours 16 yo daughter roaming around my bed wanting me to help her cut out the Herald's court costume (Mercedes Lackey anyone?)  It was also raining much of the day so that the cats would go to the door, want you to walk them out to the porch so that they could think about if they wanted to actually be outside or not.  Ergo, not much got done today.  Other than supervising cutting out fabric, discovering that there wasn't enough white fabric (but we found white fabric with butterflies & dragonflies on it so... as well as huge hook & eye strips on 80% sale but I digress), cutting out more fabric, going to get the son from choir practice, and then collapsing.  Star supervised.  Except in the car.  We don't let him drive anymore... although I did have to actually physically remove him from my van when I went to get my son.  Which was odd.  Ah well.  Off to collapse again!!

and kudos to my adoring and adorable husband who came through and hit the high school choir trip meeting... late because my daughter got the time late!  He da man!!

One down, seventeen to go....

I have a Star cat on my lap, which generally means I should go lay down (he's quite strict with me, you see).  Howsoever, I have managed to get in a new cat into Winter Holiday... here's the pic

and you'll find him in Winter Holiday Gifts, Winter Holiday Clothing, & Winter Holiday Cards.   I've got 17 more to go... yes, you heard me right... now for two teasers...

heh heh heh... just wait until you see the letters to Santa... and of course, we have standard Hannukah & Kwanzaa & Christmas & ...

Changing of the Cat Guard

This morning I went out to put the Halloween flag we have back up from where it had fallen down (it turns out that my son hadn't screwed it down).  As I went out, one cat came in while another went out.  Later that cat went out and another came inside.  Not long after that, a different cat went outside while... you guessed it... a different cat decided they just had to be in the house.

Changing of the Cat Guard Day.

Dead Neow

I got stuck the other day putting up the next to the last of the More Holiday Cards!.  Today I found out why that was... you see, you can only have 500 sections.  Well, because each of my cats (about 15) times each of my inside of the cards (18) adds up to 270.  ahem.  Ah well.  I got rid of some deadheads (so to speak) that I didn't like as much anyway.  I've still got to add some things in the other Winter Holiday sections.  Because I have too many evile ideas in my head... like the cat email Santa... no, no, no... you'll not catch me out that way!  ::grin::

But after October 31st the Breast Cancer Awareness and Halloween items will all be gone.

I was going to brush my teeth...

... but there was a cat in the sink.  Yes, it's true.  The Kitten... aka Oberon... aka the Cat With the Identity Crisis... has taken to napping in the sink.  The master bath sink, (I attribute this to the fact that the kids keep the hall bathroom door Closed At All Times™... for which reason I inspect it at least once a week).  I doubt that running water on him would work, but fortunately I use a sonic toothbrush... muahahahahahahaha!  I just turned it on before applying the toothpaste and he was out of the sink like SuperCat in search of Catnip!

The weekend was hormone filled.  We had Jennifer² in the house (Jen's stepsister is also named Jennifer). and then Jen's bff stayed Saturday night.  Amazingly enough some work on Jennifer's room actually got done.  As for me, I did a gazillion loads of laundry. ... Okay, it wasn't actually a gazillion... it was about 10... and included virtually every towel in the house save the three that my husband and I have managed to hold on to with a death grip in our bathroom.  IOW about 7-8 towels...  at least...  not counting the beach towels.

The problem was that I kept going up and down her very very very (did I mention very?) steep stairs to a) get more laundry... like the humongous pile shoved under her bed  (Oh we got everything out from under the bed!).  Now this would have been bad enough, but I've been having osteopods (my nickname for them... trust me, most of them come from pods... no, really!) tell me since 1979 that Kats Should NOT Do Stairs™.  ::sigh::  Oh well.

At any rate, this is to explain where I have been... or not been... as the case may be.  But all in all, Jennifer's room is the cleanest it's been since she's been up there... and she only has three more boxes (or maybe its' four?  ::shrug::) to go!  Whoot!!

In other news, Corwyn and I went and got him bamboo sheets.  I highly recommend them.  He now has the softest sheets in the house.  I wish I could have a couple of sets for everyone in the house.  Bamboo is a sustainable material and seriously rocks.  Especially for folx with sensory issues like those in my family.  Mmmmmmmmmm... bamboo clothes...mmmmmmmm.  ::wipes drool from face::  Where was I?  Oh yeah, he wasn't feeling too well, headaches and the stress rash.  There but for my father's genes go I.  But there is always hope.... and cat piles... and emo kitties hiding in boxes... on top of clean clothes no less.  ::rolls eyes::

Arrrrrrrrrrgh!

The copy function has ceased to work on CafePress.  grrrrrrrrr.  This means that I can't finish making "Joyous Kwanzaa" and ... okay, it's humorous but I'm not telling... you'll just have to check out More Holiday Cards! later.  Which actually does have some more items in it since I managed to get up four more before doom and destruction.  One of them flipped space with an earlier 'inside'... can you tell which one?  heh heh heh

So for now I'll check on the... kidlets? progeny?... actually neither of those will do tonight.  I've got my ex's wife's daughter here spending the weekend.  My daughter's name is Jennifer and so is her's, ergo we have Big Jen and Little Jen.  Personally, I just go with Jennifer & Jen... well, while Jen is in the house.  All bets are off when she's at her own home, of course.  We'll also have Jennifer's bff tomorrow night.  My dearest love left about noon for Memphis to play a gig.  So it's just me.  Yes, me.  All alone in a sea of hormones.  Be afraid, be very very afraid.  Pray for me.  Awwwww, Thomas just jumped up into the Computer Kitty Chair™ and meowed in his best OMG!  Timmy's in the well!! 

This has been one of our family's big jokes.  Part of it stems from the fact that Thomas will tell you when another cat wants in or out.  Even when the door is closed.  And the other cat is just sitting there.  Trust me, his brother Zaphoid rarely meows to be let in, he feels that you should know he wants in!  If the front door is open, he'll just sit in front of it, staring mournfully in... rather like a child staring into a sweets or toy shop.  It's so sad.  Emo kitty still emo!  Well, evidently Timmy was found, because Thomas just took off like a rocket afire!  And I'm going to run off and see about logistics.  All three of the girls are going on a Girl Scout hike tomorrow and my son and I are having a Mommy/Son day.

Star is Helping... and Oberon in Trouble

First Star jumped up on the back of the computer chair.  Now he's ensconced on my left arm rest, purring like crazy and demanding scritches.  I was wrong about being done with the inside/outside Winter Holiday cards.  So I'm going to see if I can't get those done & start on the other images.  Oooops!  There goes Star!  The trash collector just hit our house and the noise was a weeeeee bit much for him.

In other news, last night I had the joy of getting up on a ladder (and trust me, ladders and I don't get along and I do not want to marry them) on the deck in the back of the house and rescue Oberon aka the Kitten (who is 3 and weighs 15 pounds... at least!).  He wanted to be rescued... but didn't want to be rescued.  And unlike the other cats, he couldn't be coaxed to use the tree routed by himself.  ::sigh::  So there I was, on the second step of the ladder... only a wee bit of fence between me and about six feet of yard... with my knees hurting mind you because of the windy weather, make that serrrrrrrrrious windy weather... trying to grab a cat.

I finally caught hold of his sweet spot (the spot that mother cats use to carry kittens, works wonders on many adults as well) and snagged a suddenly OMG I'm Swinging in the AIR I'm Going to Diiiiiiieeeeeee! cat.  Not being an idiot, I just left the ladder where it was and held onto Mr. I'm Trying My Very Best to GET DOWN NEEEEEOOOOOWWWW™ until we were in the house and near the food bowls.  Cats need to learn that Mommy is good at rescue.  heh.  I seriously wish I could afford someone to take down that tree.  ::narrows eyes::

Ah, Thomas has entered the building... well, at least the room... on the bed... his favorite place to be.  After all... he's The King™.

hmmmmm....

I just realized that I still have more stuff to put up in the inside/outside card section.  Very little of my sewing has gotten done because of my daughter and her Halloween costume.  She's going to be a Herald from the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey.  ::sigh::  My knees hate me and they do not want to marry me.  Fortunately the cats still love me.

Ummmm, I got distracted...

I've gotten in all of the inside/cat cards but I've got to actually make some more Winter Holiday Cat things.  OTOH I really really really (no, really!) need to do some sewing while I've got a break from my day job (where I actually had 6 things to do... whoot!).  So I'm going to sew for a bit, rest for a bit, then make more Holiday Cats.  Then I'll fall over and curl into a little ball.  No, really.

Thomas is the cat in charge of the Office/Sewing Room at the moment.  I expect more cats to come in as soon as fabric begins to be handled.

Oh my, this takes time!

I've managed to get six more cards into More Holiday Cards!.  That's the section where you can pick the inside saying and then choose which cat you want on the outside.  It's taken three & a half hours just to put in six.  I want to put in at least six more.  That gives a total of 18, which run the gamut from serious general to funny to Christmas to Hanukkah to Kwanzza to Festivas to Winter Solstice.  ::thud::  Then I need to build some more Winter Holiday cats that I have on the drawing board.  ::sigh::  I've got the ideas written down but not made yet.  Wheeee!

I'd also like to get some sewing in there somewhere.  Thomas has crawled up in the very corner of the guest bed in here.  I'm not quite sure why.  At any rate, I'm going to take a lunch break and then come back to this...

and see if I can find a pair of armwarmers while I'm at it!!

Will I ever wake up??

I've been up now since 12:30 CST and it's now 13:30.  I'm still sleepy.  I haven't woken up at all.  I keep leaning to the left in the computer chair and finding my eyes closing.  meh.  Mind you, I did go to sleep.. ah... oh... um... at about 24:30ish? last night.  Well... it wasn't my fault!!  No, really!!  You see, the heart of my heart had taken his daughter to dinner and to see Where the Wild Things Are.   Once I got home from Corwyn's Mass Choir, I was child-free.... ummmmmm Mommy all-by-herself time.

But when I went to sleep I did take one of the sleeping pills prescribed by my pain docs because I haven't been sleeping well and this is not a Good Thing™.  Thomas ensconced himself in the middle.  Star actually made his way to my lap!!  Whooot!  He is often shy about doing this when Tom is around because Thomas, being head honcho, wants to be He Who Gets ALL of the Attention™.  Harumph.  Well too bad for him.  I've been using greenies to start teaching the cats that you do not mess with the cat by/on momma.  Period.

Okay, I'm about to fall over asleep... if you have any questions or comments... Star seems to be ensconced in here so he can answer them.

Officically Dead Now...

After waking up from my postprandial nap, and only because my dearest daughter had tried to wake me up three times, I jumped up... no, not really, I dragged myself out of bed, threw on clothes, grabbed the choir clothes which my boychild had forgotten to get for his Mass Choir performance tonight (three Middle schools including his) only to realize that while the dress shoes & shirt would fit; the pants were, indeed, the Wrong Size Entirely™. ::sigh:: The boy has hit puberty with a vengeance. When he measured himself against his father tonight before they left for the weekend he'd grown an obvious half inch from the last time they'd done so... two weeks ago.

Ergo, I raced off to KMart to find a pair that would work. Fortuitously, they had one pair left in his size that did not have belt loops.  You see, dress code at his school requires that pants with belt loops must have a belt.  This isn't too much of a hardship for girls since they can use scarves etc.  For boys... not so much.  For boys with sensory issues... ick patoohy!  I also found a very soft short sleeve white shirt, of course, they had not one single long sleeve shirt in his size.  ::sigh::  I did mention to his father that they might look for one at their local store this weekend.  ::crosses fingers that they might find one::

My dearest husband missed the concert because he went straight from work, wearing his Where the Wild Things Are t-shirt, to go have dinner with the red-headed step-child, and thence to the movie theater to see the new movie.  I hope that it's as good as the previews look.  This is The Book™ which he would read to her when she was little.  They've bought each other shirts with logos on them whenever they could find them (and I've helped, I admit it!).  Whenever they talk about it, their eyes light up.  I am so pleased that they are going to do this.  It's special moments like these that children remember forever... no matter what age they are.

As for me, I'm going to crack a bottle of wine, pull out some cheese and crackers, pull up a good book (another Liaden® book by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller... if you like Science Fiction and haven't read these, I highly recommend them!!!!), and hang out with the cats.  Star is supervising this as I speak but I'm sure that I can get him to come join me in the bedroom.  When I got cat food for the Big Bowl™... I got Greeeeeeennnnniiiiiiieeeeeeesssssss.... mmmmmmmm.  (okay, maybe I don't love them... but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitty Horde goes wild!!  ::grin::)

BTW I wore this in it's women's t-shirt format tonight so this particular graphic is especially fitting!  ::weg::

Doctor, oh Doctor...

Hither went we yesterday to the orthodontist for a wonderful long session with my daughter.  There was not a chair for me in the small room so I was left standing for the entire 45 minutes.  ::head:desk::  Why oh why should a parent with a cane need a chair anyway??  My eldest child was most gracious and moved her legs so that I could sit on the dentist chair with her.

Fortunately my husband drove us the 30 miles to the next two visits which took 45 minutes for the drive, then an hour for the first visit, about 25 minutes to drive to the next visit, an hour or so for the third visit, and then another half hour home.  ::puts hand to head and falls back onto the fainting couch::

My daughter and I were both seen by our pcp's nurse practitioner.  Our strep & mono tests were negative but we both had bacterial infections.  Wheeeee!  Back at home we submitted a gazillion prescriptions to the pharmacy (no, really!!).  My daughter is still punk today, I'll see how much I can get done in the shop, particularly in the Holiday section.  Cross your fingers!!  Thomas did Nurse Cat Duty™ last night so hopefully I can get at least some thing up!!

Feeeeeeed Us!!

I actually woke up at 6:06 (CST).  Okay, okay, I really should have gotten up then.  But not actually having any reason to get up (okay, I should but I've got three doctor/orthodontist appointments to deal with today and no day work until next week at least), I turned over to get some more sleep. I got... maybe... half an hour.  Suddenly... the Siamese Sonic Alarm Clock™ went off!!  Zaphy, who probably has the loudest voice in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Horde jumped up on the bed, made his way (increasing his body weight by at last twice) over my body, and appeared across from my face.  The entire time he was yelling.  Merrrrrrrr-oooooooow!!!  Merrrrrrrrr-oooooooooowwwwwww!!!!  and then, just in case I might have missed it... Merrrrrrrrrrrrr-oooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!

"Okay, Zaph Zaph , I'm up already!  Geez Louise!"  So he proceeds to follow my path down the bed, during which I have to pet him or else be exposed to even yet more talking.  Trust me on this.  This is a normal thing with Zaphy.  For the Zaphy must be petted.  This is a mortal imperative.  Seriously.  He follows me until I hit the bathroom.  I am allowed privacy there... well, by Zaph & Thomas... most of the time... okay, half of the time.

Forget it with Star & Oberon.  Oberon is especially fascinated with water.  He is absolutely convinced that if you are going into the bathroom that you're going to take a shower or bath.  If you're going to do that, he's got to watch.  The water might do something.  No, really.  He also likes to sleep in the sink.  Hmmmmm, sinnnnnnk.

Where were we?  Oh yes, so there I was, brushing my teeth when Thomas appeared.  Now Thomas had been the Cat Nurse in Charge™ when I went to sleep last night.  He came into the bathroom going, Mer-ow!  Mer-ow!  Mer-ow!  I take my meds and go back into the bedroom to get dressed.  Thomas follows and jumps onto the bed.  Muahahahahahahahaha!  This was my chance.  For indeed, Sir Thomas has needed his claws trimmed.  I proceeded to trap him in between me and a pillow, got out the clippers, and started clipping.  Ha!  Take that!

As usual, Tom was fairly good through the first paw.  This is normal at our house.  I kept telling him what a good boy he was.  Despite his protest, I managed to get the other paw done.  I only clip the front paws.  I pulled out a treat which he consumed as if he'd been starved for a week.  This confirmed my suspicion.  I made my way to the kitchen with Thomas eagerly leading the way.  Oh my!  Look!  Look!  Three members of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitty Horde gathered around the food dishes... which still contained some food from last nights feeding.

Yes, it's obvious how cruelly we treat these poor boys.  Why Moooo-ooooom, weeeeeee're staaaaaarrrrrrr-vvviiiiiing!  We'vvvvvveeee nooooooot eaaaaaaten in daaaaaaaaays!!!  This explains why the smallest cat, Star, is 10-11 pounds of muscle.  ::snicker::

The Big Bowl

I've actually got some work from the day job again... and my back's hurting again.  meh.  I've got to try to go get the tire today!!  Star is doing computer duty!!  He is working like crazy!

I took a stretching break and Sir Thomas deigned to come inside while I went outside.  As he normally does, he waited by the door.  Geeee, Mom... I can't possibly go anywhere until you're back inside!!   So as I come in he proceeds to tell me in no uncertain words that I must needs do something for him.  Neeeooooowwwwww!  ::sigh::  We went off to the kitchen.  He looked at the four food bowls (you just have to have one for each of the members of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitty Horde... I mean... really) with disdain and up at me.  Back at the food bowls... up at me... Mother.  Then he nosed the Big Bowl™.  Now the Big Bowl™ is the knee high plastic locking garbage pail I lucked out on in which we put the cat food.

After all, these are Siamese mixes.  If the food isn't locked away you can forget about it.  Before I found the Big Bowl™ I kept the food in a pantry.  At first this was just fine and dandy.  Then the Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitty Horde figured out how to open said pantry.  I had to get child-proofing locks to keep them out.  It's the same way with garbage.  Hey!  Hey!  Mom!  What's in there??  Cats think they might like thaaAAaat!  ::rolls eyes::

Then I found the Big Bowl™.  This was a Good Thing™  because they can't get into it.  heh heh heh  However, Sir Thomas believes that he just can't eat cat food that has been "left out".  Oh no!!  He must have "fresh food from the Big Bowl™!"  ::head:desk::  But the best part is this... I can dump the food from the bowls, mix it around and put it back in the bowls and he promptly eats it.  ::snicker::  Finicky eater??  Thomas??  Nooooooo.  Not Thomas!  ::snicker::

Back Already Hurting... Where Are The Nurse Cats??

My back is already hurting and I've only been at the desk for about an hour.  meh.  I do have work from the day job coming in that's complex.  All of the cats deserted me last night.  Star has decided that the clothes basket full of linen to be made into medieval clothing makes the perfect cat bed.  ::grin::  There are three yards of red linen folded up on the top of the stack and I caught him yesterday 'grooming' the fabric!

I've also got to run out & pick up a tire as well as get the tires rotated on the van... wheee!  Which means that I'll take sewing projects with me.  I've been sewing by hand since I taught myself when I was eleven.  I wanted a Prairie Bonnet & dress and didn't have a sewing machine... ergo the only solution in my mind was to teach myself to sew.  I've improved over the years.  My first attempt came out too small because I didn't realize I need to leave a seam allowance.  I didn't have a pattern so I was using my own clothes to make one.

Right now I'm making some medieval clothing as well as some nightgowns for myself.  The cats are helping.  No, really!  They like supervising cutting the fabric as well as sewing itself.  It's serious work picking out the correct thread, making sure that I'm threading the needle properly, folding over the seam... ::grin::  Well, I need to run... more later!!

Breast Cancer Awareness Section Done!!

Whoot!!  The Breast Cancer Awareness section is done!  I've got to go run errands now, like picking up a tire that was a bad boy (not as bad as the two lugs that broke off but those have already been fixed and only for $25 thank goodness!!), getting some more groceries ::sigh::, and picking up meds... which will be the most costly.

Star has been busy at work here with me, providing much computer tech support curled up in the shotgun chair next to my desk.  He did look up and yawned at me once when I came back in from getting water and just now he sneezed.  Work, work work!!  ::grin::  As for me, it's time to look for socks, shoes, and handwarmers.  Yes, my hands are starting to freeze off once again, yea, verily, yea.  It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it!!

Flu... I haz had it...

I have had the flu... or something like the flu.  Which explains where I've been.  In the bed with various cats.  Primarily StarWeaver.  He was my NurseKitty.  He spent most of the days I was sick curled up in a little ball on the bed.  And when I was feeling my worst he would either climb up into my lap; or if I couldn't tolerate that, he'd snug up at my side and purrrrrrrrrr.  Just stroking him made me feel so much better.  I know that stroking pets has been proven in studies to help people who are ill, but darn!  This went above and beyond what I've ever experienced in the 48 years that I've had cats (yes, I've had them since I was born... ::grin::).

At any rate, I'm feeling much better now and after doing two whole graphics for my day job (I lost out on some because of being ill... meh), I'm going to take a stretchy break and start putting in more Breast Cancer Awareness graphics.  ::knocks on wood::  BTW I have to say that my daughter Jennifer rocks.  My clone helped me out tremendously while I was sick.

Painful Work This Is

The younger clone here. Mom is paying me to put cat's in her store and I just finished with putting in Pink Bracelet YinYang Cat in  the Breast Cancer Awareness section. I started at around noon and just finished up cause I kept taking breaks(It had nooothing to do with the T.V. I swear). I'm stopping now cause my back hurts like no tomorrow(How does Mom do this? Sit in her chair almost all day and work that is.)and she's gotten me sick*glares at Mom*So Please go check out my latest additions to the store while I go complain about being in pain and sick.
Signing Off, The Younger Clone

Day Job & Dead Knee...

The dead knee explains the two cat revolving door last night and the two cats behind me on the office bed.  Wait!  Where'd they go?  Zaphy?  Zaphy?  Well, at least Star doesn't just go and abandon me!  I would sit up longer and put in more BCAM graphics right now but after sitting up doing the OMG It Took Me Two Hours To Do One Graphic (and you're only supposed to take half an hour... I put down one hour) for the Day Job (or was it more? anyway) I am a dead Kat... at least for now.  Maybe later.

Oh yeah, and as my daughter was leaving to go bowling with her Girl Scout troop, my husband came in because he was out of insulin in his pump.  She turned around mid-out-the-door, ran back, and gave him a hug.  He came into the office with a total look of disbelief on his face.  "She's never done that before!!"  "What honey?"  He pointed out same. I shrugged, "Maybe she just likes you."  ::giggle:: 

FYI he's her step-dad.

Dead Artist Walking...

no, make that falling into my bed.  We're having our first cold rain of the season outside.  Which explains why the ankle I double dislocated two years ago has started talking to my knees.  It rather makes me wonder what kind of conversation my body parts have when I'm asleep.  "Hey!  Hey!  Right Shoulder!"  "What is it, Left Knee?" "I was thinking... how about tomorrow we do some kind of alternating stabbing pain thing?" and then the right ankle pipes up, "Oooooh!  I want in on that action!" and my wrists go, "Us too! Us too!"  I can just imagine my wrists squealing like those cute little animae characters.

For some reason, every time I've opened the front door tonight, Zaphoid has been there going, "OMG!!!  You've got to let me INnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!  I'm dyingggggggg out here!!!!"  I dutifully let him in and say as he dashes off into the kitchen in search of sustenance to sooth his soul, "You know, you could have just used the same cat flap you used to get out of the house."  For some reason, he never wants to talk about that.  Go figure.

Ah well.  My son is back from his father's house.  My daughter had a slight ketchup crisis which was solved by a fast run to the grocery around the corner.  No, I take that back.  I drove the van, she ran in and out, also getting sorely needed milk & creamer.  In the meantime, the male teenager left at the house, having been asked by his sister... then told by his sister... then told by me... then reminded by me...

totally ignored the oven timer going off in the same room where he was engrossed watching tv (yes, I have one in the kitchen, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!  but I have my reasons), and had yea, verily, yea, NOT taken out the fishsticks which caused the ketchup crisis in the first place.  ::head:desk::

I'm going to bed now.  No, really.  I'm going to gather in the cats and lay down with a good book & the tv (I multitask... I also watch tv & do hand-sewing), put my legs up, splint my wrists (note the 'p'!  no cutting allowed on this blog!  ::wry grin::), and kick back until tomorrow.  The kids are starting fall break... muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Noooooooo! (or at least... not again!...)

::big sigh::  I've managed to get in 5 of the Breast Cancer Awareness designs.  Howsoever, I still have eight to put in.... aaaaarrrrrggggghhhh.  It wouldn't be so bad except I think I wrenched my knee yesterday and it's going, "Woman?... Woman!!  What on earth do you think you are doing sitting in a chair?!?!  Go lay down on the bed or I will let you know about it!!"  (yeah, my knees talk to me a lot... they're almost as vocal as the cats and three of them are Siamese mix!) ::head:desk::

With that in mind, and having nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that my daughter just made chocolate chip cookies (oh no... absolutely no connection!!), I'm going to go lay down and see if I can get up later and do some more.  If not... well... there's always tomorrow.

It's a New Day...

... let's see how long I last!!  ::grin::  I worked as the dresser yesterday for three hours; helping the musicians/actors change their costumes, telling them what I thought looked best, and repairing/modifying costumes so they'd work during the three Acts (although a few of them had changes during the Acts).  Wheeee!  Of course, it was also rather exhausting; no matter how much I enjoy it.  ::sigh::

But I am determined to get up the Breast Cancer Awareness Cats up today.  This is something that is very important to me personally because of the way it has touched my own family.  When they were post-menopausal, breast cancer struck three generations of women in my family.  My great-grandmother died.  My grandmother had a radical mastectomy because it had spread to the lymph nodes.  I remember watching her putting on her prosthetic bras when I was a little girl.  She survived into her 70's and passed away quietly in my mother's house, probably of another stroke.

My mother, on the other hand, only had to have a lumpectomy and chemotherapy.  Okay, that's still hard.  But when you look at the progression, think about how far medicine has come!  But it's still not enough.  I mean, think about it.  Surgery and chemotherapy.  Stop and think about that again.  Surgery.  And then going through chemotherapy.  More research is needed.

But there is something that women can do to help themselves that wasn't available to my great-grandmother.  It's something I've been doing ever since my 13 year old son was weaned (I had him when I was 35).  I have a yearly mammogram.  I do a breast check once a month (or my husband does it!  ::grin::).  If something feels different, I go and see my doctor.

And so, because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month; even though I wear my pink all year around, I'm putting up my Breast Cancer Awareness Cats.  I apologize for not having them up sooner.

We Interrupt this Blog with an important message from...THE CLONE

This is mom's clone who was working on Santa Knows Address?? which has just been finished. The only thing I'll be working on for my older clone tonight thankfully. She would be telling you this herself (though not as good as I can tell you) but Oberon is lying on her, keeping her from getting up while Star sits on the purple chair next to me, making sure I do my work. Apparently the cats are starting a conspiracy to make me do all the work around here *starts grumbling about that* I should probably wrap this up before she sends the search party out for me.
So Signing Off, The Younger Clone.

And now for the substitute...

My clone.. uh.. um... I mean my daughter... is going to do a wonderful thing and keep working on Santa Knows Address?? for me.  I love her.  Oh and she's helpful as well.  I'm just wondering if she's going to keep reading fanfic while doing it.  hrrrrrmmmmmmmmm.

Hah! okay, maybe hah!

OMG!  It's already 3 pm!!  Eeeeek!  I've got sewing to do for a historical reenactment tomorrow.  Much later period than I normally do (I do 12th C), it's for a celebration of the county I live in and my husband will conduct the musicians whilst I dress backstage.  heh.  I pulled costumes for the writer yesterday from my own closet and got to see the enthusiasm I haven't seen in a number of years.  I really haven't done theatrical costuming since my dad retired from teaching.  I used to do the costuming for his HS plays (he taught Drama and AP History).

I have managed to get in Habari Gani! (with our new Kufi Cat... whoot!) and get started on Here's hoping Santa knows your address as well as I do (so, of course, I started with Santa Cat... heh heh heh).  I got two graphics from my day job (whoot!) so that was good.  I'll see if I can't finish up this newest section before signing off for the day.

Hard at Work... No, really!!

I was up until 3:00 ack emma last night.  The cats didn't like Craig Ferguson even though I appreciated the dragon hand puppet and whomever it was who happened to be his second guest.  They had a great rapport and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  I went to sleep with Thomas and Oberon and woke up to Star cuddled up next to me in classic Sleeping Cat position.  The kids managed to get themselves, although as usual my daughter forgot to take her morning meds.  ::head:desk::

I'm not sure how to help her figure out a routine.  For me it's get up, hit the bathroom, take my meds.  Every day, day after day, week after week, year after year (no, I haven't had to take meds for centuries... not meEe!).  Every time I suggest a method to her it's "Oh I can't do thaaaAAAaaat because of FITB".  ::head:desk::  I'm beginning a search for a barrel and a bunghole but that wouldn't work because in another year and a half she'll be going off to college.  She's got to have a method down before then because I'm not going to be around to remind her.  ::sigh::

Ah well, time to actually get to work on the shop since my day job has nothing for me to do.  I'm crossing my fingers that things will pick up.  Must think positively... must not think bad thoughts... must not think bad thoughts... must not think bad thoughts (I have that on a t-shirt in a drawer somewhere).  I've got to pick out a Halloween shirt for myself.  I'm going to let my kids do the same.

Busy... sort of... Day

I'm almost done with Blessings of the Season, I'm working on a Kufi Hat Cat to go in there and then I'll be done.  I went to go order new cards and ended up having to go twice.  ::head:desk::  By the time I was done, it was time to pick up the teenageboy from Select Singers.  Then we went off to the grocery, where surprise of all surprises, he stayed in the van reading a book.  No, this child is not related to me.  ::snicker::

Now I'm getting ready to take down the computer while he does the trash and his sister works on dinner.  In the meantime Zaphy is ensconced on the scratching post in the hall looking back and forth wondering what in Hades we're doing!  Occasionally he mews at us, hoping that someone will explain everything to him.  "Mah-wow!"  Uh-oh!  My son just opened up a trash bag and it was all over!  Zaphy sprang off of the scratching post and into my office onto the guest bed.  Ah!  Safety!!  Or is it?....

Inward & Outward, Upward & Onward!

Okay, another four cat night.  This morning I woke up because Star began climbing up Mt. Mommy Knee™.  Now this would have been okay, except for one thing.  Star's claws haven't been trimmed in far too long.  Ergo, when that first paw tentatively hit my knee it was not a soft, gentle paw.  Nay, brothern and sistern, it was a veritable stiletto.  A rapier piercing my knee.  There was only one thing to do in such a situation.

Star was scooped up as quickly as possible.  Ninja Kitties don't like this.  But it had to be done.  Whilst holding the squirming eight-armed demon, I managed to get the clippers from my bedside table.  My husband woke up and realized immediately what was going on.  I asked for help and he provided the demon-holding necessary for me to begin clipping Star's scimitars.  I indicated at one point that grabbing him by the fur between his shoulder blades would be helpful (just as a mother cat does, this doesn't work on all cats).  I finished and then made Star stay while I got out treats.  Lots of treats.  Many many many (make that many) treats.  Which no one else got to have.

I did this to help him remember that it's okay to get your claws clipped and that mom's bed is not a dangerous place.  Star is not only a Ninja Cat but he's still a wee bit skittish.  Remember that he was rescued at four weeks old having been abandoned.  You have to be extra careful with him.  Uhoh!  Sound from the kitchen.  I'd better see what they're up to now!  Oberon has taken to getting up on the kitchen table.  Teenagers.  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Kitty Horde is well named!!