Merry Christmas!!!

[clothes in the shop]

So yesterday we all went to my mom's house for Christmas.  Our family tradition is to have Christmas Breakfast.  We usually manage to get started some time between 12:30 and 1:00 pm.  Well, first everyone has to do "Santa" (that's us and Christie & Garrett** right now... the ones with kids... okay, mine are teenagers but we all still hang stockings) and everyone else just has to wake up or start cooking for a gazillion people.  Well, it may not be a gazillion... it just feels like it with all of us gathered around the three card tables in the living room pigging out (no, really we do) on (skip down to the next paragraph if you're vegan!) scrambled eggs, hash browns mmmmm, bacon, sausage, country ham, and the only reason for Christmas Breakfast... biscuits.

"Biscuits?", you say, "why biscuits??"  Because, all through the year, anyone who travels must (yes, it is indeed imperative) collect a jam or jelly or other fruit product which may be spread upon biscuits (yes, biscuits!), hot steamy luscious biscuits, fresh from the oven (or microwave where they've been reheated... we eat a LOT of biscuits!) and spread with a heart-healthy margerine... mmmmmmm and then topped with jam or jelly or other fruit product (or just topped... depending on what you want, we're not picky here).

Then it's off to present opening.  My mother and father have been writing Interesting Labels™ back and forth to each other for as long as they've been married now (goodness... 37 years now!).  Things like "To Mrs. Lincoln From: Mr. Booth, with apologies for spoiling the play" (my dad's a historian)  This year my mother was given two of her own books.  Inside each was a typed note and a gift card.  One note was from an environmental group praising her for saving trees and the other was from Al Gore.  My family has a wicked sense of humor.

My mother's cat (actually my brother's cat but she lives at my mother's house) Miss Kitty, did not make an appearance.  She is Very Shy and is, indeed, the cat upon which my Shy Cat was modeled.

Miss Kitty normally hangs out on a pillow behind a comfy chair in the living room in front of a wall heater.  Alas and Alack!!  Yesterday, the comfy chair was back against the heater and the pillow was gone!!  But all was well for Miss Kitty!  She has a good retreat for when there are ::shudder:: Strangers in the house.  In the basement is a gas fireplace where Miss Kitty can hang out on a pillow.

Now Miss Kitty has always been shy.  A mother cat was living in the basement of a school where my mother was teaching.  There have been generations of cats living there.  Miss Kitty was born in June and came to live with my parents & my brother David in August.  She has health issues now so has to endure more vet visits than most cats must.  But at the age of 17 that isn't too bad.  Miss Kitty is a beautiful black and white long-hair.

So children the moral of the story is

Rescue, if you can, in some way; but Always remember to neuter & spay!!

(No, really, not trying to push anything but if you do get a cat or dog, it's the most important thing you can do.  We once had a cat of ours get out of the house, because he didn't like the roommate's new cat I think, and he never came home.  One of the first things I said when I realized he wasn't coming home was, "Gee, I'm glad he's neutered!")

                                                                                     

**This site contains adult language!  Warning! Warning! Danger Will Robinson!!

PS we're running a sale through the end of the year!!  Grab up stuff for next year or things for birthdays!! pass it on...

Black Friday on Cafepress???

Well, sort of... if you were planning on spending $75 or more TODAY, FRIDAY 27TH ONLY on CafePress, then you can get free shipping by using the gift code TGIF75.  I don't know about you, but hey!  The shipping on $75 worth of merch can save me a lot of money!  More later, probably, but I've got to go get dressed, sneak turkey to cats, and start making Christmas presents for my family!

I was a sleeping Kat...

but it's not my fault!  No, really!  The kitten made me do it!  On the other hand, I did manage to get up a few more items in the Winter Holiday section.  (I know I know, but these were actually already made!).  At any rate... I couldn't help myself... first of all, I made some changes to one of the sleeping cats... here are the old version and the new version side by side...

Or as side by side as I can make them, not being the world's best blogger (hey!  I've not been doing it that long, give me a break!  ummmm, take that back... breaks hurt).  Anyway, I managed to get that up without... toooo... many problems.  Then I threw up (no not that kind, altlhough I was a bit quesy last night but that might just have been the cookies from the cookie dough drive at my son's school having arrived ::innocently staring at the ceiling::) this one:

but evidently only got it put up into the clothing section because my mom called me about a horrendously critical error in the card section.  You see, she's been looking at the cards because she'd actually been thinking about getting  What? What?? cat for her holiday cards.  Hey, if I had the money I'd get him in a shirt!  (I don't do cards... I've only managed it about three Christmases... bad me!  no biscuit!).  So it turned out that the product description of D didn't match the interior... ooops!  I need to go check something... brb!  ::sigh::  I was right.  You see, I changed one of the inside greetings on one of the cats I added this morning so I needed to fix the product description.  What was the cat??  Oh.... yeah... here you go...

                                                                 

 While the link in the graphic is to the gift section, just so you know, the interior greetings of the cards are in the same green font.  The one that I haven't put up yet is this one...

                                                                  

 Now I just need to find out if there is a slow page load problem and how to best fix that.  ::sigh::  And there the problem is finding guinea pigs... ummm... I mean volunteers to assist me in the project.  ::rocks back and forth whilst humming tunelessly::  I wonder if I can manage to get cafepress to let me break these down into color & b/w sections.  Part of my problem right now is that making sections is a FITB because you can only have so many.  meh.

Picking Out a Holiday Shirt... oh the agony!! Star! come help!

Now you see, I have a very limited budget.  Make that a very limited budget.  So if I'm going to get myself one of my own holiday shirt designs I really should only get one.  Here in lies my dilemma.

Dilemma the first... do I get a long sleeve shirt or a sweatshirt?

Dilemma the second... which one do I pick????  I mean, after all, I made these.  They're my babies!  I created them for several reasons.  One, some of them were designed because I had never seen anything out and about for that holiday.  Two, you just don't see a lot of cat holiday designs... well, you can find some, but I've had a hard time finding ones I really like.  Yes, I admit it... they came out of sheer selfishness.  Third, having had friends drag me into CafePress in the first place... and it's all their fault... ::sigh::  Hi!  My name is Kat and I'm addicted to creating cat designs for a CafePress shop!

Anyway... the agony of the choice, which honestly could be helped by Star.  He's been trying to get up on the computer desk again.  I'm not sure if it's because he wants to contact someone on Facebook or wanting me to get off and go lay down so he can have a better lap.  Where were we?  Oh yeah!  Which design to pick.  These are the ones that I like... the hard part is deciding what to get... ::sigh:: 

and then I also like...

What's a woman to do??  I mean really!  Heaven knows that I need new holiday shirts... but... there's no money in the budget.  ::sigh::  ::big deep sigh::  There must be a way... ::narrows eyes::  Let's see... penny and penny saved up shall make many... hmmmmmmm.....  Oh!  And I even had other designs put back that I didn't put into the store!!!  Yes, it's true... I keep coming up with cats.  ::lowers head::  Put on the cuffs occifer... I'm guilty.

Yea, verily, yea... the tissues floweth like water...

My son is at his father's house, after bemoaning the fact that he doesn't have a "cat of his own".  The cat that was his, Quigley the Demon Dust Bunny Hunter, passed away this year.  Unfortunately we just can't afford another cat (affording these four is going to be iffy until the store takes off given my day job situation).  This morning the heart of my heart went to a friend's house to help them put in new attic stairs (yay insulation & ease of getting up & down!).  This is a pay back because they helped us do the same last year.  It's amazing how much those winter heating bills go down when you have a good seal around the attic stairs!  You can also con... uh... I mean... get the kids to go up to get things down a lot easier if they are in great shape and lock so they won't do anything funny until it's time to make them go back up!

In the meantime, my daughter had $40 which her father had given her to go shopping.  A local thrift store was running a "Pick Your Sale" Sale.  She chose the stuff a bag with clothes under $10 for $15.99.  I have to say that after shopping with my daughter (17 in Aug) that she not only has good taste (even if some of it isn't mine), but she is very generous.  She got several shirts for her stepsister "Little Jen" (yes, her father's second wife's daughter is also named Jennifer!  she's 10 ergo...) that are sooooo cute!  She got two shirts for someone for me to give them for Christmas (knowing what my budget is... not going to be) and two pairs of sweats & three shirts for me.  She's just so sweet, "After all Mom, I've gotten in everything I want, so long as they fit, no problem!"  Still... I don't think she realizes how many kids would still have a problem with it!

So, now my daughter and I are watching Criminal Minds whilst Oberon tries to see if he can keep Jennifer on my bed by glomming onto her feet.  At least he's being nicer than he used to be!!  Even with me, he's behaving nicer.  He got up onto my knees ACK! and as I started moving my knees up, he actually started moving himself down onto my calves!  Sooooo sweet!

I'm still debating which one of these I like better... I've got them linked to the gift section but I'm actually thinking of seeing if I can get someone in my family to pick up something for me to wear next year for the holidays.

Whoooot!!

Whoot!! I just finished putting in my last item in my Winter Holidays section. ::collapse:: So now I've got all of the cards, clothing, & gifts for everything from Christmas to Hannukah to Kwanzaa to Solstice to Festivas!  Yaaaaaaay!  Hey, does this mean I get to go eat Halloween chocolate??

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 & ...

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.

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.

Peace on Earth - Couples v1 and Star... duh

Because Star is the computer kitty!  He came in this morning and jumped up on the back of my chair.  He started clawing on it, which I discouraged, as always.  Then he went weaving around to the arm and around my arm and began licking my left hand (my right being busy with the mouse).  The funny thing was that he started licking my armwarmer as well!  ::shakes head::  Eventually he went over to 'his' chair and curled up and he's asleep there right now.

As for me, I ended up switched armwarmers (I have a plethora of them, most of them from SockDreams which is my favorite place to get them.  My love just got me two new pairs for my birthday.  Whoot!  They have the very best customer service I have ever run into, seriously, they kick butt and take names.  I've never been disappointed with anything I've gotten from them.

Anyway, I've now managed to get another graphic up into Winter Holidays! and I had an epiphany.  So I'm going to make a section that has cats with no words on the front and a set of blanks & inscriptions in a separate section.  It shouldn't be too hard.  Other than the fact that it take a gazillion years to put stuff into cafepress.  Iiiiieeeeeeee!  Run away!  Run away!

More Holiday to go in...

I've got to see if I can get in the other five Winter Holidays graphics today and get started on Hanukkah.  Once those are in, I'll start on Christmas and then Kwanzaa.  Wheeeee!  I just talked to the test write I work with for my day job... I'll probably get a couple of graphics today.  ::crossing fingers::  Oh cool!  He just said I'd have one in five minutes!  Navy shower!!

First scared me, then scared the cat...

I have done all I can for today.  And just as I was working on the last set of cards, suddenly my keyboard wasn't working!  Oh no!!  Okay, I thought my keyboard wasn't working.  I tried it over in my composer and it worked find.  Hrmmmmm.  But it wasn't working where I needed it in my store.  This was bad.  This was beyond bad.  This was... dump dump duuuuum!... ssssserious bad.

So I pulled out the big guns.  Yes, I was worried enough.  Tired enough.  Not Thinking Enough™... that I pulled out the compressed air.  Now, mind you, Star is ensconced not more than 20" (for all the engineers out there, yes, I measured... yes, I'm like that) from the keyboard at the time.  This was Bad.  Very Bad.  Really Really Really... BAD.  Of course, I put my hand between the keyboard and Star.  But nothing, and I mean nothing, gets a cat like the sound of something spraying.  It sparks Terror in the hearts of cats.  Don't ask me, I don't get it either and I've been living with them for 48 years now.

So he goes supersonic speed OFF of the chair, hitting the corner of the doorway to the hallway...at approximately 16" off of the floor for a loss of 2" from the height of the chair (yes, I measured again).  I'll bet you anything I'm going to have to track down more treats.  Now if I can just remember where I left them.

Storewise, I'm getting of the 'puter but I did manage to get three sections started with three graphics in each one.  Each section will carry the same graphics but each sections will have different items.  For example, if you go to Winter Holidays, you'll see three gateways... each one leads to a different type of product stock (does that make sense?  I'm exhausted at this point!)  sooooooo...

Winter Clothing has your shirts, sweatshirts, kid & baby shirts
Winter Gifts has mugs, mousepads, aprons, coasters, ornaments yada yada yada
Winter Cards has cards with the first set being blank and then A-D each having a different message inside.  Oh! and two postcard types... vertical & horizontal

Now this is just the general "Season's Greetings", "Happy Holiday" section.  I'm also planning "Hanukkah", "Christmas", and "Kwanzaa" sections.  Christmas will probably be the largest simply because I have so many Santa kitties ready... there are at least two very evile ones asking Santa... no no... not gonna tell ya!

So... something to leave you with?  Hmmmmm.... Oh yes!!  From the Medical Expressions section... which I will work on sometime... as I will with all of the sections... but this is one that I came up with when I looked into my morning med box which has fiber pills, fish oil, glucosamine, vitamin, magnesium (prescribed), plus all the other prescribed meds I have to take ::sigh::  I said something about this to someone else later and they said "That would make a great shirt!  I want one!!" so what could I do??

BTW Never, ever, ever take medication that hasn't been prescribed for you.  It can KILL.

(moi?  mince words?  naaaaaaaaaah)

Have a good night/day!