The Day After Two Days of Company

I did something I haven't done in forever...I slept until 8:15am!!! Even then I wasn't sure if I wanted to get out of bed. It was chilly this morning and our company left at 9:45pm last night, so of course we were still wide awake at midnight and decided to read until 1:30am...being on vacation is fun, even if it is for two days. Okay, I still can't get the paragraphs to work so please excuse the errors regarding proper writing techniques. Christmas dinner was wonderful. Our prime rib was great...oh so tender and flavorful! My holiday potatoes were sooooo easy...makes me not want to do mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving next year. The veggies were tasty and we really didn't kill ourselves in the kitchen, except for the dishes. Everyone loved their gifts and I think the person that had the most fun was my mother in law. She loves to unwrap presents so we did a Christmas stocking for her and she was like a little kid. Now, on to the 26th...this is like a repeat of Christmas Day with Tom's brother and sister in law in from the Keys. We had a huge spiral ham,got it from Publix and it was so much better than the Honey Baked Ham Co. from last year, Paula Deen's baked sweet potato casserole, AWESOME!, and a cold green bean salad...you just have to taste it...you only cook your beans for 7 minutes and add red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, green onions and a few other spices...it is so good, white beans from Brock's Smoke Hut, love their barbeque, cranberry salad, cake, pie, and more cake...yum-o!!!!! Good thing we only have this once a year! Question of the day...can anyone suggest a dishwashing soap that won't eat my skin alive? I have sensative skin and bought a dish soap that said it was for skin like mine...my hands are like sand paper, I even bought rubber gloves...HELP!!! Thought you might like to know that all the "kids" behaved well. During dinner we confined them to the front bedroom, which was fine with them, I guess Tom and I are fairly quiet people, when the company arrived the cats took off running...way too noisy. All three are with me now in the bedroom. The girls are sound asleep on their blankie and Rajah is in his cuddle bed. It has been a very relaxing day...I went for a pedicure late this morning ( I was the only person there) and almost fell asleep in the chair...next time, I'm going after work when my feet are killing me from wearing high heels. Tom and I went to my sister's house for a short while. We took she and my Mom dinner; no point in cooking when we have left overs. It's back to work tomorrow and then another long weekend... I love this time of year!

Christmas Eve

What a day!! I started cleaning the house at 6:45am and quit at 4:15pm. I have to say my Florida room looks great! New Year's Resolution...scrap at least once a month. I am the ultimate pack rat and I've got to get a handle on it. The girls were kind of good while I was working today. Jasmine has developed a new trick. When she wants Moms attention and Mom isn't facing her, she decides to jump on Moms back and purr away...kind of scary at first. Have to admit I have almost dropped her. I think I've figured her out though...when she is really pesty and I tell her no or get her "spa spritzer" she just continues to be pesty...but if I pick her up and sit down with her for a minute and give her my undivided attention the behavior improves...maybe she is training me. Okay, so she is spoiled... boys are so much easier to raise! Anyway, the house is clean, the gifts are wrapped (finished them yesterday..yay!!), and my baking is done. We had Christmas Eve with my Mom and Sister and their 5 Siamese. What a great time we had. My sister always makes the best snacks...I think I'll keep her. We did our gift exchange and in a way it was just like when we were kids. We always did the gifts on Christmas Eve because Mom always had a house full of company...the huge dinner at noon with the grandparents and then a Christmas buffet in the evening (thats when all the fun relatives would visit). So, off to bed, it has been a long day and probably an even longer one tomorrow. Merry Christmas to all!!! (p.s. maybe next year I will figure out how to make proper paragraphs on this blog thing...when I hit enter it just doesn't work...any hints?)

Greetings

Can you believe it is December 21st!!! I'm still wrapping presents. I'm very thankful that I am done with the shopping. Now if I run to the mall it is only for things that I really need, like Bath and Body Works hand soap. Really, how can anyone miss when the soap is 4 for $10.00. Robin's rule #2 is never pay full price. Being a rules girl,never paying full price is very important to me. Anyway, I have stocked up on the soap! It's been a crazy week with last minute shopping, wrapping (ugh) and meal planning. I think we have the Christmas dinner nailed down and the 26th is under way. All of the "kids" have been fairly well behaved. Coco tried to explore the utility room last night and was captured by Mom, who at the moment is sporting a lovely scratch on her wrist. I looked like Frankenstein last night after the scratch happend...do you remember how Frankenstein's wrist look...all sewn together? I keep reminding myself that they are only little once and I really do enjoy them every day. I just hate the scratches along the way! Rajah is being the purrfect child. ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] That was Coco saying hello...she wants to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Coco has become a big helper this week in more ways than you can imagine. Jasmine is being very well behaved this week, which is frightening. This could mean she is growing up or that she knows Santa Paws is watching her every move....I'm betting on the Santa part. We still don't have a tree and I think that Tom has finally come to the conclusion that a tree isn't practical this year. We have two tornadoes that blow throughout the house on a daily or hourly basis...now all Tom does is laugh at the antics. Obviously he is mellowing and is totally smitten with the girls. Just in case I don't blog again until after Christmas, I wish you all a most wonderful holiday. Enjoy every moment with your family and friends!!! Hugs to all...robin, tom, rajah, jasmine & coco"puff" chanel.

Saturday Night

Saturday didn't quite go as planned. I've been a little stressed out with the fast approaching holidays, but that is nothing new...I think everyone gets a little bit stressed this time of year. Tom headed out for his pedicure around 11:00am. I never made it to mine, I'll see if I can't squeeze in a visit sometime this week. Maybe Tuesday, Tom has his holiday party at his office so it might be a good time to get the nails refreshed. I started to straighten up the house, I go through times where I am just a slob. I figured with my luck my brother in law would arrive at our house and I would have wrapping paper everywhere and shoes in the living room. We were supposed to go out for Chinese food last night and then I got the bright idea that maybe we should just cook dinner for my brother in law and mother in law. I called Tom on the cell and he thought it was a cool idea. We had a great menu planned in our heads so I gave my mother in law a jingle and asked her what she thought about dinner at home rather than at the restaurant....can you believe she told me that Jim, my brother in law, wasn't coming to town. Jim is a landscaper in Key Largo and was coming to Tampa for a croton convention...guess there's a convention for everything. I knew she was disappointed and told her to come to dinner regardless. The menu changed. Instead of a burgundy pot roast we decided on chicken picata, asperagus, and wild rice. I must say it was awesome. We may not have the Christmas tree or the house too decorated, but the table looked great. I used my favorite Christmas dishes, Dansk Winterfest, and plaid (my favorite color) placemats, hunter green linen napkins and pewter napkin rings(Tom's favorite). We had a great time and the children were on their best behavior. ( I was very proud, noone jumped on the table during dinner) We started to discuss Christmas dinner. Tom and I were planning on a small gathering of 4...the dinner has now grown to a party of 9 possibly 10,plans for a Christmas breakfast, dinner for 12 on the 26th and then another breakfast on the 27th before my brother and sister in law return to the Keys. On the 28th I will return to work to rest my dishpan hands.

The Weekend!!!

I love the weekend, especially when I don't have to work. Yesterday was a vacation day for me and I spent all morning wrapping and shipping the gifts off to Maryland and Connecticut. Oh did I have fun wrapping presents with my four legged assistants. It's a wonder that I didn't accidentally snip some whiskers while cutting the wrapping paper. Rajah isn't into gift wrapping, he's too manly for that, but the girls..such helpers. We've chewed the tissue paper and made confetti, we've jumped on the roll wrap and poked holes in the paper, and we have jumped on top of the wrapped gifts that were in the cardboard box ready to be taken to UPS. Happy to report that Jasmine did not puncture the paper when she sat on a wrought iron cookbook stand. The cookbook stand is really cool but I couldn't find a box large enough to put it in, which would have made wrapping so much easier. I really hate to gift wrap but I found some very pretty paper at KMart by Martha Stewart. I'm not a huge Martha fan because my life is not so organized and perfect, but ever since she got put in the pokey I've become more tolerant of her. I don't think she should have lied about what she did, but I don't think she deserved to go to jail...so now, I hope she makes a ton more money selling her stuff.

We have a busy weekend planned. Last night Tom and I tended bar at a party held at Carlton Arms Apartments. It was a very nice party and the residents had a great time. The best part was it ended at nine o'clock so it wasn't terribly late when we got home. Today is pedicure time. Tom will go to Nikki's and I will go to Nail Creations. I like to go to Nikki's too but I can't relax there. Mindy, Nikki's 5 year old likes to sit in my lap when I'm getting my pedicure and today I'm feeling slightly selfish...I want to sit in the chair and be pampered. We need to finish some shopping and then catch up with Tom's brother who is in town from Key Largo. Tomorrow we will go to a friends wedding at 2:00pm ... I have no clue what I will wear.(Maybe Santa will bring some new clothes; I 've got to get another color other than black in my closet) I'm hoping to make spiced pecans and maybe one batch of cookies without too much help from my girls. (who at the moment are sound asleep on the pillows in the spare bedroom...what a life)
Happy weekend to all!

The Nativity

Just when you think everything is safe around the house...something else seems to happen. Tuesday was quite a long day for me. A co-worker was experiencing chest pains so I left work and met her at the Winter Haven Hospital. We were at the emergency room for almost 7 hours...can you imagine? Happy to report that she didn't have a heart attack, but she is really stressed out and will need to see a cardiologist. I've come to the conclusion that no job is worth having so much stress in your life, which is one of the reasons I no longer work for Bank of America. When you dread going to work it's time to do something else. When I finally made it home I went into the living room and noticed that one of my Precious Moments sheep was on the carpet. I keep the nativity on the second shelf of my wall unit. I love my nativity set. It is the miniature version and I usually keep it out all year. The little black lamb is my favorite and of course he was missing. Tom was in the living room reading a book and watching the Food Network(very typical) and never noticed that someone had once again redecorated for us. I wasn't too happy and made him get his ultra bright flash light so I could search under the furniture for the lambs that had gone astray. Luckily I found them, unharmed, under the sofa. All of the cats got a good scolding; not only had they played with the nativity they had also turned a swag from a horizonal position to a vertical position...and once again Tom had not noticed. I'm at the point where I need the Super Nanny to come and retrain my children. Do you think I should have a naughty spot for them to go to????

The Water Spritzer

My husband called me last night and once again suggested I should vist Lowe's and check out the $50.00 Christmas tree stand. I'm sure it doesn't come with a Jasmine and Coco guarantee not to tip the tree over. I told him to not even think of discussing a tree after the day I had with the little darlings. Anyway, todays challenge has been the dining room buffet with the Flow Blue plates that I have hanging on the wall. I LOVE CHINA. I have a different place setting to eat off of every day. Call me peculiar but my grandmother had a gift shop and the she sold fine china. When the pattern was discontinued or no longer popular the sample came home and we would use it every day..I can't help it, an old tradition is hard to break. I've tried stoneware, ironware, corelle,and still china is my favorite. Flow Blue is a really old English pattern found in antique shops. Jasmine has taken a distinct interest in the dishes on the wall. She needs to change her mind and it isn't happening as quickly as I would like. I've tried the "Jasmine, no" and "Jasmine down." Doesn't faze her, nor does a spanking. So..................out came the squirt bottle. I think we might have a solution for Miss Nosey Britches. Jasmine does not like her side spritzed with water or her face refreshed. After she experienced a "spa treatment" a time or two she has changed her mind about the china...at least for today. Will keep you posted on her progress or the number of grey hairs I am gaining from having two juevenile delinquents.

Silent Night

I like Christmas music. Silent Night is a favorite, however last night was not what one would call a Silent Night or a Holy Night...The girls were HOLY TERRORS! How could two adorable little siamese kittens be naughty you might ask???? And so the story begins...I went to my mother's house for dinner last night, Tom is in Connecticut and I just hate to pass up dinner with Mom. I got home at 9:45pm and by 10:30 the lights were out and the three kids and I were snuggled in bed. At 1:30am the fighting began. Heaven forbid if someone touches Rajah's tail. He should learn by now that Jasmine is compelled to touch anything that wiggles. Of course Coco had to get involved and she decided that Teddy needed to be tossed around the bed. After that the jumping began. On the headboard, off the headboard, on Tom's dresser, off Tom's dresser. At 2:30 I was not amused. It doesn't pay to reason with your pets in the wee hours of the morning. Around 3:15 I was getting drowsy...thought I could go back to sleep and then I heard a crash. I was going to ignore it, but it sounded like either my oil lamps on the top of my bookcase had gotten knocked over or the wine glasses that hang from the wine cabinet might have gotten broken. Since I couldn't stand it if one of the kids got cut on anything I hauled myself out of bed once again. No, nothing was broken, but one of my sweet girls had climbed the Hopi ladder which is next to the bookcase, got on the top of the bookcase and knocked over a nutcracker and also stole an entire package of catnip mice. Tom likes to buy the girls the furry mice when we go to Publix...there must be half a dozen mice shoved under my stove. Anyway, Coco thought she should bring the entire container of mice into the bedroom...they didn't make it...they are now safely stored in the buffet. Earlier in the week when Coco had climbed the ladder we thought it was cute and funny...I've changed my mind. Finally crawled back into bed and at 6:00am Coco decided to wash my hair...I think she thinks I'm a cat. At 7:00am the jumping and purring started again...by 7:30 I was out of bed making a pot of coffee. I'm so thankful today is not a work day!!

My husband called me at 9:00am. I told him about the adventures of the night...all he did was laugh and told me they were my kids. Some support system! The girls have had breakfast and are now resting in front of the dehumidifier...they love the warm air that blows on them and Rajah is sound asleep on the pillows in the front bedroom..tough life for little people that wear fur coats.

Time Flies

I can't believe I haven't updated since November 19th!!! Where does the time go???? We survived the Thanksgiving rush. Tom and I spent the entire day in the kitchen. Not real sure if I want to do that next year...we'll see. Christmas dinner will be much simpler and probably more healthy!! The "kids" weren't too bad...noone popped out of the cavity of the turkey, and I was very thankful. Poor Jasmine received several spankings, but she doesn't seem any worse for wear.

Tom is in Houston this week. We decided it was time to decorate for Christmas; on Sunday the decorations started to go up in the house. I've been really concerned about putting up a tree. I set out an antique crock that has a miniture tree in it. My dear sweet Jasmine was thrilled to see miniature ornaments dangling from the branches....the tree is now in the utility room. I hung a door knob santa on the inside knob of my front door...Santa has a long string beard and a large bell at the base of his chin...he is a "folksy"Santa...Jasmine played with him early in the day and then moved on to bigger things...safe with Santa. At 11:15pm Jasmine was jingling Santa's bell...Santa is spending Christmas in the closet. Rajah just observes the antics and surprisingly Coco hasn't bothered a thing in the house...I guess it is always the quiet ones that surprise you!

At the moment I have three wonderful kitties helping me update my blog. Jasmine has finally decided to settle down (she loves the computer and thinks it is her job to help type), Coco is sitting on the desk watching the curser and Rajah is on the bed waiting for the bedroom light to go off so he can get a much needed rest. They are spoiled rotten as all children should be!

Another early morning

What is it with this waking up real early stuff? You would think that when you've been sick you could get some much needed rest and sleep...not in my case. I've had a wicked cold for over a week now and let me tell you...I am really over it. I'm tired of the hacking and sneezing...I need stock in the Kleenex Corporation. I missed going to my friends baby shower today because you just can't share your cold with a woman that is going to give birth in two weeks. It is a beautiful day in Winter Haven, FL. A little chilly this morning, the cats were cuddling with me in the bed...they were wanting to sleep in while Tom and I woke up at 4:30...I'm sure I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow when it is time to go to work! Isn't that just always the way it happens? I've been doing some housework today. My mother in law and her sister are coming to dinner on Thursday. I have this thing about my house being as perfect as I can have it when family comes to visit. The washing machine has run all day, amazing how two people can have so much laundry. Tom has been at a fund raiser today. Hopefully he will make it home by 4:00p.m. He is going to be beat. I feel the need to create and I actually have some spare time...I'm off to stamp a few cards...keep your fingers crossed that they come out well! TTFN

It seems like forever since that early morning blog. Time sure flies! I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week. I had to work this morning and decided to play catch up on putting a manual together. I borrowed the three hole punch and began punching holes in a ton of paper. After I had punched holes in the paper I decided I better check to make sure that the pages would fit in the binders. Well, as luck would have it, the pages didn't fit. I can only imagine what our dear friend Abby would say about all of the trees that I killed to make this operations manual. I guess I am going to have a lot of scrap paper to use next year. At noon we were out the door and I was off to the Pet Supermarket. I really hate driving to Lakeland, but didn't want to go to Orlando either and the "kids" really needed cat food. I'm happy to report that the children will be dining in style this evening...lobster and shrimp. Tom and I will probably have salads. What's wrong with this picture? It's nice and quiet at the moment, Rajah is all curled up and sound asleep in his fleece lined bed and the girls are taking a bath on the bed. The girls are really becoming thieves. Jasmine is stealing pillows and last night one of them stole a spaghetti server.( I found it in the hallway this morning). Thanksgiving should be interesting. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the girls will behave.

Good Morning

It's 5:57am and this is so unusual for me to be out of bed at this hour. My husband, Tom, had a United Way presentation this morning at the mines in Mulberry. Soooooooooooooooooooo...he was up at 4:15 and I was supposed to have ironed a Red Cross polo shirt for him last night and I didn't feel like it...guess what I was doing at 4:30????? I went back to bed for about 30 minutes, new I couldn't sleep so I decided to get up. My cat chores are complete for the day, I've cleaned up my kitchen(didn't feel like doing dishes last night either), decided I wanted to have coffee this morning instead of tea(it's Pinon coffee from New Mexico...tastes great, especially out of my Longaberger mug) and did a facial mask because I missed out last week. Oh, and I did touch my toes and stretched, does that count for exercise for the day? I keep telling myself that I am going to be dedicated to the treadmill and get back in shape. Hmmmm, not real good at keeping that promise, I'd rather stamp or scrapbook. Using a paper cutter keeps the arms in shape and pressing rubber to cardstock builds up muscle...I guess I'm doing okay in the exercise department.

Jasmine is in for a busy day...she loves the computer and has been "helping " me type this morning. Coco is patiently (hahahaha) waiting for her breakfast, and Rajah is sitting in the Florida room on his cat tree waiting for the neighbor's cat to come by for the morning stalking of the birds. Our cats never go outside and their "friends" like to sit on our window ledge and visit...never a dull moment.

Time for me to get ready for work. I'd rather stay home and stamp today. I just got some new stamps and would love to play with them. Maybe this weekend.

One of those days

Haven't we all had "one of those days"? I thought my day was going just fine...until I got to work and found that the bracelet that I got for Andi wasn't in the Brighton tin. All I could think was that someone inspected my suitcase and helped themselves to a special treat. Okay, I over-reacted...it was in the corner of my suitcase, I found it within the first 3 minutes of getting home tonight. What a relief!!! Let's see what happened next...Tom and I were relaxing in the living room and the "girls", Coco and Jasmine, were having a most wonderful time. They were chasing their brother, Rajah; they bounced off the furniture, they crashed into a glass of red wine...not good on cream colored furniture. They ate way too much cat food...Coco looks like she swallowed a football, they disconnected the computer...I can't go on...they have worn me out tonight...and I wouldn't trade any one of them for the world...it is good to be home after a short break....my kids are the BEST!

Colorado

Colorado was WONDERFUL! We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and the weather was crisp...a welcome change from the humidity in Florida. Our hotel was very nice with an awesome view of the Rocky Mountains. We were getting settled in and decided to unpack a few things. Were we ever surprised to find "Teddy" in the suitcase. Coco had repacked her little bear after we had removed him from the suitcase once before. Needless to say "Teddy" had quite an adventure. We were very careful not to misplace her little friend. All of the "kids" were very happy to see us last night when we got home, but the most excited was Coco when we gave her the bear. She hasn't let it out of her sight since we've been home...and of course, he slept in the bed with us last night.

Jumpin' Jasmine

An 8 month old kitten is a ton of fun. Especially if her name is Jasmine. Jasmine, or Jassi for short, is full of energy. The newest trick is to race around the living room and leap, and I do mean leap, on to the settee. Once on the settee she loves to slide down the crevice on to the cushion. She thought it was such a great trick! She did it over and over and over again. My next choice in furniture will not be cotton. I need naugahyde. Do they still make that stuff? I need kitten proof furniture that won't get picked by toenails and will not be fun to play slip and slide. On the very cute side...tomorrow we leave for Colorado. Usually I am packing at the very last minute, but this time we are organized...go figure! Poor Jasmine. She knows something is up. She has fallen asleep inside the suitcase and on top of the case. Coco tried to pack teddy..thankfully Tom pulled him out...just what I have always wanted...a soggy bear.

What a week

Earlier this week I had the privilege of staying at the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg. Talk about luxery! This hotel is "Old Florida" at its best. Sitting out on the front porch was great...I guess it should be classified as a verandah and not a porch. Of course, kittens can't join you at the Vinoy, but all I could think was how much fun they would have had playing on the 7 feather pillows on the bed.

Every night since our stay at the Vinoy we have had "guests" in the bed...Thursday morning I awoke to a catnip mouse on my pillow and Friday it was a soggy teddy bear...who says cats aren't like kids that take a stuffed toy to bed at night?

Teddy Bears

Many years ago, when I was 13, I was required to take "shop" class in jr. high. Everyone in the class had to make a project like a foot stool, bookshelf, cutting board, etc. Anyway, I searched furniture design books and found a leg rest that I just had to make. I worked for weeks cutting the wood, sanding the wood and finally when all the pieces were to my teachers satisfaction I was able to assemble my project. We used a lot of wood glue as I recall and riding home on a school bus the foot rest was no longer in one piece. I was really upset because I had worked so hard on my project. When I got home my Mom could tell by looking at my face how upset I was. She told me to put my foot rest in the car and we would go to my Grandfather's house. Papa was very handy with tools and she thought he could fix the problem...and of course he did. Mom even made a needlepoint sampler for the foot rest. Today the footrest is in my Florida room and serves as a bench for my teddy bears; that is until yesterday. After a very long day at the office I came home to find all of my bears had been removed from their resting spot. I sat on the sofa and looked over into entry way of the house. What did I find???? Theodora(my Boyd's bear that wears flannel p.j.s and plays music) had been moved to the inside of my cat's tunnel. The tunnel is made of nylon material and has 3 holes for them to run in an out of. The Florida room was covered with the rest of the bears. My kittens have decided that everything in the house is a toy for them. I just hope that they don't decide to give the bears a drink...it takes a long time for stuffed animals to dry out!

family dinner

Tonight was a test drive for the upcoming holidays. My aunt is visiting from Rhode Island and I decided Tom and I should host a dinner. Usually we have dinner at my Mom's house, but every now and then you just have to step up to the plate and do the inviting thing. I usually stress out over these things and tonight was not an exception. I've been stressing out about having company with the "kids." They get into everything, and I do mean everything. I decided it was probably safer to feed them first. I could picture Jasmine and Coco jumping up on to the table in the middle of dinner. My theory worked...feed them and they will be somewhat well behaved. All through dinner the girls played in my Florida room, which houses all my rubber stamps and scrapbook supplies. I'm so glad that my "kids" are into crafting. I'm also pleased to report that they did not invite themselves to dinner;but when the apple pie was served Jasmine had to get into her Grammy's lap. Of course my Mom ate it up...how could she not, she only has 5 siamese of her own!

p.s. My apple pie turned out great!!!

Three Siamese

I have three adorable siamese kitties. Rajah is a four year old seal point, Jasmine is an 8 month old seal point, and Coco Chanel is a 7 month old chocolate point. Rajah has been terrorized since June when the kittens arrived in our home.

Years ago, my friend Missy told me that I had flying cats; now I understand what she meant....Jasmine just knocked over a floor lamp, broke the light bulb and chewed the lampshade...and it is only 9:00am. I can only imagine what the rest of the day will bring.