What will they think of next?

What a busy weekend...and another one is on the way. This past weekend was so strange...on Saturday Tom and I were kind of pokey. We had to bartend for a doctor's wedding and because Tom's knees are so cranky I wanted him to do nothing but rest. We really didn't do too much of anything during the day, but when I went to make up our bed I had to laugh. One of our dear sweet girls had put a rubber stamp on my side of the bed. Now, I admit, it is totally my fault for not properly securing my rubber stamp set that I just purchased from Christy, but I really thought it was rather funny. At least one of the girls placed the stamp on the right side of the bed. Aren't they clever? And just in case you are wondering how I know it was one of the girls...face it folks, Rajah has too much class to steal rubber stamps. He is very well behaved, I think it is because he grew up with older cats in the house. WonTon and Cricket must have set him straight from the get go! ( I sure do miss those two.)

We made it through the wedding, very nice but a killer on the body. I have a new respect for waiters and waitresses, but that is another story. We got home from the wedding after six hours of bartending, waiting tables and washing dishes. ( This was a private party at the bride and groom's home). Trust me when I say that at 10:30pm I was not amused to find another Hummel music box on the living room floor. This time I was not very lucky. My little Hummel girl was decapitated and her arm had been amputated!! I have to say that I feel it was Jasmine who decided to play in the wall unit; she loves anything that is up high. I am going to try and repair the music box. I'm glad it wasn't one from my Grandmother's gift shop. If it doesn't go back together then I know it is time for me to get rid of it; after all it is just "stuff", but I still don't like the fact that one of them is into my things. Such naughty girls, but I wouldn't trade them for a million bucks.

Naughty Kitties

Three days of good behavior has to come to an end at some point in time...it happened last night. Tom's aunt and uncle and their daughter and son in law are visiting from South Carolina. Due to our house being topsy turvey with paint and new floors on the way we were unable to provide lodging accomodations, so my mother in law is housing the younger folks and Tom's aunt is housing the older folks. Tom's Aunt Betty has recently relocated to Winter Haven and since Aunt Pat was not familiar with the area we had to drive her and Uncle Art to Aunt Betty's home. All of this took place around 8:30 last night. The kids were great during dinner...no begging for ribs or smoked chicken...they were saving the naughtiness up while we were gone. We got back home around 9:15 and much to my dismay one or maybe more of my little darlings had climbed into our wall unit and had knocked down one of my hummel music boxes!! The nerve of the little beasts...the music box was in two pieces and I was not amused to say the least. Fortunately I was able to put the music box back together. I have had my wooden hummel music boxes since I was a little kid...they came from my Grandmother's gift shop and I do treasure them. My kids received a stearn warning that they were not to touch my treasures again..of course I don't trust that they will mind me...Jasmine has a mind of her own and the word "no" certainly does not apply to her!

At the moment, all is quiet in the house. Rajah put himself back to bed under the blanket. Jasmine is sound asleep on the sofa and Coco is curled up next to her. The kids love the weekend because we are home with them and they get a good deal of their parents attention. Our only big adventure so far today is when the girls decided to crawl inside the dishwasher..and it was Tom who got in trouble because he was not polite when he asked them to remove themselves from the appliance. I might just have to teach him some manners too!!

Hope everyone has a dandy weekend!

All is quiet on the home front

I can't believe that I am actually saying that all is quiet at home. It's official...Coco has not stolen anything in 3 days. The bread has remained on the counter. The hot cross buns stayed on the counter and I can't say anything about the carton of mushrooms she stole because we were able to salvage them. After months of antics my kids appear to be taking a breather from causing havoc in the house. I know they are just faking me out. Someone is up to something and I just haven't figured it out yet.

My friend, Andi, listed her 5 favorite beauty products...my list includes more than five but I will adhere to the limit:

1. Mary Kay 3 in 1 cleanser...twice a day without fail
2. Mary Kay moisturizer...twice a day without fail...I hate wrinkles
3. Bare Minerals foundation...works wonders for my skin...no more clogged pores from liquid foundation (my husband loves this product on me)
4. Sable eyeliner
5. Frosted Rose lipstick from Mary Kay

I could go on and on because this is just a wee list of all the stuff I use on a daily basis. I think the next list should be at least 10 items.

Must run, my Coco is gnawing off her Teddy's ear and don't think she needs to swallow it...and just when I thought the house was too quiet and not filled with adventure!!
TTFN.

Oh, how time flies

Hi everyone,

I can't believe it has been over a month since I've last updated my Cattales. And oh, the tales I can tell!!

Oh my gosh, I have paragraph power tonight...I feel soooooooooooooo special!!!

I'll just start with the latest. As some of you know my house was built in 1961 and until recently has not had too many upgrades. The week after next we will finally get some new flooring. I'm so excited I really can't see straight! In preparation of the blessed event of flooring installation we decided to paint. Actually, I decided to paint and Tom didn't have a choice. We chose a wonderful shade of green, spinach white. Sounds yucky doesn't it? But actually it is just lovely and exactly what we both wanted. I feel like we have a new home! After I about worked the dog out of my poor arthritic husband I decided we needed to repaint the hallways...off to Lowes we went and we found Navajo White...it's an awesome color...have to admit that my ex husband and I used it in on the exterior of our home in Largo. I think Tom liked the color because it had a native american name in it...which is fine by me because it has worked wonders in the halls. Anyway, during all of this painting stuff we decided to put all of the kids in the front bedroom because we didn't want tails turning green and white. The kids were pretty upset today as yesterday they spent the day in confinement. When we had finished the second coat of spinich green in the dining room and the ceilings had been painted in the hallway we went to Lowes. About an hour later we returned home and were greeted by 3 very naughty siamese cats. Some how they had opened the pocket door of the bedroom. No harm was done and noone was wearing any paint. I just can't believe they opened the door...it's heavy for cats that weigh around ten pounds. All I can say is that I have brillant children and I must praise them for their creativity. I also have to say that at the moment the girls are asleep in their cuddle bed and my dear sweet Rajah is resting in front of the dehumidifier...he can't stand to be cold and they did exert an awful lot of energy opening that door.

We are painting again tomorrow. Will try to keep you updated on the antics of the kids...hopefully there will not be any closet openings tonight..Coco just loves to open Tom's gentlemans chest in the middle of the night and remove the clothes that are stored in there. Talk to you soon!!

Bathtub Buddies & Little Ted

What a week and it is only Tuesday! I've decided the 4 day work week works best for me, and I don't mean 10 hour days either! I'm so looking forward to the long weeken. Here we go with the paragraph thing again...sorry in advance for the rambling. On Sunday evening we decided that Coco's "Teddy" really needed to be retired. He had lost an arm, an ear, his eyes weren't right and his brains(the stuffing) were being pulled from his brown head. With a clean linen closet I was able to locate the new "Teddy." Of course both girls are in love with Little Ted as I call him, but Coco really adores the little guy. Last night while the Gators were playing the Buckeyes, Coco decided to play fetch with Little Ted. I think Tom and I were more tired than she was. I'm always amazed when cats play fetch...it's such a dog trick. Anyway, I went to bed at 10:15 to read (I really didn't care who won the ball game) the girls followed me to bed and by 12:30 when the Gators had claimed victory Tom made it into the bedroom. The girls decided it was time to play fetch. We tried to throw Little Ted out of the bedroom but it didn't work. Finally, we had to put Little Ted to bed inside of the nightstand drawer. Trust me, there is nothing worse than an unhappy Siamese kitten. Coco checked the nightstand for her buddy, she managed to open the bedroom closet sliding door(it was totally closed, so she is stronger than I thought)and then finally she and Jasmine decided to wrestle in the bathtub. I'm a quiet person. I prefer my home to be quiet...I make my husband turn the volume down on the television almost every night, so you can imagine at 12:45am I want the house to be quiet...not so last night. It was like a thundering herd of cattle in my bathtub. They even know how to pull the drain stopper out of the tub. On a daily basis I ask Tom where he got these kittens...and his reply is always the same...out of the back seat of the car, where you put them.

The Linen Closet

Oh happy day!!! I completed my 2006 New Year's resolution. I cleaned out the linen closet. My dear sweet husband went to Home Depot and bought lined willow baskets for me before he went to have my 30,000 mile check up at the Toyota dealership..and what was I doing while he did stuff for me....I went stamping!!! I had a wonderful time and spent more than I had planned for, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. Anyway, it was a great way to spend Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon we went to a memorial service for a former co-workers husband..very sad. When we got home I decided to tackle the closet. Some stuff is going to a local high school's yard sale, some went in the trash and the rest is getting organized in the baskets. Of course all three kids helped me in the closet project. They each took a turn sitting in the baskets, jumping on the shelves and digging in the linens...so thoughtful of them. It is so nice to be able to walk in the closet. I guess I accomplished two resolutions, last years and the one about not procrastinating, which is very difficult for me.

This afternoon we had to go to another service for a customer of mine. My 94 year old friend passed away on the 3rd. He was a funny little man who had alienated his family. Very sad, as none of his family members were at the funeral home. My kitties are sound asleep after getting their bellies full of chicken and rice. They have been very well behaved today...scary!!!

We Broke A Resolution..Already

Well, we've already had to edit this post because someone by the name of Jasmine decided to walk on the key board...isn't she clever! Oh this paragraph problem is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo annoying. The girls really were trying to be extra good for the New Year, but since their "Auntie Andi" mentioned something about the cat food can I've decided to share the story. Tuesday night, around 11:00pm, we were in bed reading and one of the girls was playing with something. It was a constant clicking and clattering noise, very annoying, so I looked over the side of the bed and my sweet little Coco Puff had a small can she was playing with. I reached over and took the can away from her and found that it was an empty can of kitten food. A brand that she hasn't eaten in months...God only knows where she has had this tin can hidden. Thankfully the cans are always rinsed out after we feed them. All I can say is that I have thieves for children and they hoard their little treasures. I handed the can to Tom and his response was, "what would you like for me to do with this?" I couldn't believe he said that...my response..."throw it away, you are closer to the kitchen." Now I want you all to know that I feel like a bad housekeeper because I really do try to stay on top of things, I just can't figure out where they hid that little can! My sister laughed and said I had forgotten what it was like to have a pair of kittens. I told her that when I had Won Ton and Cricket I never had such problems. She said WonTon and Cricket were duds and too well behaved. My sister is such a helpful girl, and of course I love her very much! I've spoken to Jasmine and Coco about stealing things out of the kitchen trash; they have promised not to steal again...until the next time.

The Girls

Our girls are just too cool. At the moment they are bathing in front of the dehumidifier in the front bedroom...such smart children, staying warm and cozy. The house was so cold when I came in from work this afternoon...okay, so it was around 70 degrees, but it was really damp and in Florida when it is really damp and 70 degrees it chills me right to the bones, in fact I had to put my flannel pants on (comfort clothes). Coco has pressed her little body to the dehumidifier just like my sweet lilac point siamese Robin Mary used to do. Robin Mary was an incredible little cat. The breeder named her after me and when she came to live with us at the age of 6 I added Mary to her name (after the breeder); two Robin's in one house is too confusing. I've decided the girls have made a resolution to be well behaved for the new year...no incidents to speak of unless you count the block of Irish Cheddar that Coco stole from the kitchen counter and gnawed on like a mouse. Okay, it was my fault for leaving the cheese on the kitchen counter, but I was trying to get it to room temperature...I have learned my lesson..and by the way, Coco is feeling fine after helping herself to a little appetizer. I still can't start a new paragraph so here's the latest scoop. My mother in law has found herself a cat. Somehow it followed her home from the neighbors yard and it was soooooooooo starved for attention that she let it in her house. She went to Publix and bought cat food and a disposable litter box and at the moment the cat is asleep on her sofa. The cat has a flea collar on so it might just be that my mother in law has cat-napped someones pet...we'll see what happens. I just bet that my mother in law will be sharing her bed with a grey kitty...more tomorrow.

Happy New Year!!

Another year gone by. Can you believe it? 2006 went by awfully fast...maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I swear Christmas comes sooner every year. We had a quiet New Year's Eve, which was fine with me. Usually we plan a special dinner but not this year. Tom had some oysters and I had left over pea soup. Sounds real exciting doesn't it? We spent the evening watching movies on the Hallmark channel...some party people we are. The neighbors had some bottle rockets and sparklers going off, Rajah wasn't fazed at all but the girls thought the firecrackers were just too rude. The noise interrupted their sleep and they did not appreciate being woken up...such spoiled children. The neighborhood is very quiet this morning. I feel very sorry for the ones that aren't feeling well this morning, but Tom and I feel great and are looking forward to an exciting year ahead. I have to admit that I did not achieve my 2006 New Year's resolution which was to clean out my walk in linen closet ( I can't walk in it). Perhaps this year I will get around to reorganizing it..I had a brainstorm yesterday as to how I could tackle the monster, so I think I will check out K-Mart, Lowes and Home Depot and JoAnne's for some inexpensive baskets to use for storage. Resolution #1...spend more time with family. Resolution #2...attempt to be more organized. ( this would include being less of a pack rat) Resolution #3...keep up with my friends. Resolution #4...be less of a procrastinator. Resolutin #5...exercise on a regular basis (I really need to get back on that treadmill). I have a lot more things I would like to accomplish this year so I might just do a scrapbook page of my goals for the year and see what I actually do accomplish. Off to write my thank you notes for the Christmas gifts we received (I'm a little behind). Wishing you all a healthy, happy and blessed New Year!!!!!

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.