Merry Christmas!

Ho! Ho! Ho! (Yes, I said the phrase that is now taboo in Australia. It's taboo because of one of the unsavory meanings of the word in the USA.) Why don't they outlaw cursing?! That's what I'd like to know.

Furgie, my "one cool cat", is now obstructing my ability to type. She's taking away my right to "free speech" here. :) Her "Papa" got her some edible catnip treats for Christmas. She went crazy over the smell...but turned up her nose when I gave her one to EAT!

Our "after Christmas shopping" event is coming up soon. I'm still not sure what I'm going to purchase. We decided to give each other money this year and go shopping after Christmas, for something different. There are a few things I want, but nothing I really need. :)

Have a Merry Christmas and celebrate it all year long (and I don't mean just for the remainder of 2007). :)

Lazy Sunday

Okay....so it's snowing like crazy here today. Church was canceled - both services. It went from about 40 degrees yesterday to about 19 degrees today. I think that was why the Packers lost so terribly to the Bears this afternoon. (That's the best excuse I could find!) :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

And a Happy New Year! (No, I won't be rockin' down the clock...I'll most likely be fast asleep.) :)

Sleeping Beauty

Well, as you can see....the princess doesn't make it too easy for me to work, search the internet, or blog, for that matter. She always did this when I was trying to do homework as well. Fortunately that portion of my life is complete. If I move, she makes noises and sighs like....how on earth could I be so inconsiderate as to discomfit her. She's not one bit spoiled. This is one of the few times she will leave "her" fleece blanket. She must really be a techy cat, I guess.

Sewing is temporarily on hold. I tried working on a pocket last night and it was AWFUL! The holes for the sleeves somehow did not come out properly either. I cut the fabric and pattern very carefully, but somehow it's not fitting properly. My mother said to just cut the arm hole bigger, but I said...what if the sleeves won't fit into the armholes then?! She said, then don't listen to me. :) It was coming along so nicely until now....

Sew easy....

While on my recent trip to SC, my friend E sparked an interest in me to begin sewing. I decided to try my hand at making a little jumper. Furgie also helped....she would lay on the fabric as I tried to cut it out or would knock the spool of thread to the floor and bat it around for a while. I always had to ruin her fun. What a party crasher, eh!!

Well, I learned some really good lessons while making this jumper. I learned not to use brand new, super sharp scissors on an outfit when it is 99.9999% complete. Plus I learned to be OVERLY careful with the iron. Yes, when I was completely finished with the dress, I ironed the hem and was trimming some excess pieces of fabric on a seam. When I ironed, I singed the hem (didn't even notice it and then we tried getting it out with lemon juice...which worked for the most part). When cutting, I somehow snipped a hole in the dress, also. Other than those two MINUTE mistakes, it turned out super cute. I think so, anyway. :)

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Okay....Thanksgiving dinner turned out really yummy. I was too tired to eat much though. I even took pictures of some of the items I made, but they're not on the camera anymore. ?? Don't know what happened there...maybe I only imagined I took the pictures. :)

My favorite part was the rolls and the made-from-scratch pie crust (pecan chocolate chip pie was the best!).

This is me in my finest Thanksgiving garb. My mother and grandmother were working at the table behind me, sewing a pillow topper for the coffee table.

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for many things this year....so thankful that I can't begin to tell it all at this moment, but one day may elaborate. :)

Don't know if I'm completely crazed or not, but I volunteered to make the entire Turkey Day dinner this year. I'm actually having a blast planning it, printing recipes and finding coupons for many of the items I plan to purchase. The nice thing is that many items are on sale already, but I've become somewhat of a coupon fanatic lately. Plus, a grocery store chain has some fantastic deals each week and I can't help but stalk their web site at least once a week. It's at http://www.festfoods.com...check it out somteime. They have store coupons, manufacturer coupons, plus they allow you to print a shopping list just by clicking on items in the ad.....not too shabby.

I'll try to be back on next week. Maybe post some of your favorite, SIMPLE Thanksgiving recipes. I love to learn new recipes....and I'll be more than happy to share some of mine....especially those that turn out well this year.

Have a blessed day!

Hit the Road, Jack!

Ohhhh....I'm very excited. The madre and I leave for SC on Thursday morning. The wonderful thing is we get to fly out of our home airport. Tickets cost only a little more to fly from here than they were out of Milwaukee. Plus, the drive to Milwaukee is a couple hours. So, we're paying a little bit more, but saving a bunch of time (plus gas $$). Hallelujah!!

I can't wait to see my wonderful friends!!!!!!!!!!!!! I might even make them a new recording just for the occasion...although I suppose I should focus on packing first. teehee I hate packing...and unpacking even more than packing. My bags from NAYC were probably still packed for a week or two after I returned. (shameful, I know!)

Cheese Would Be Grate...

...with my whine!!! :)

Yes, oh yes, the homonyms were used with purpose.

My diploma came in the mail last Saturday. It's pretty big. But, I imagined it would come in a nice case or something (like Gateway graduates receive)...NOPE...only in a large, heavy cardboard envelope...no case. So, now I have to buy a frame and get it matted or something, so it looks half decent. It wouldn't be a big deal, but I already had to pay $60 to just APPLY for graduation (yes, strange I know...one would think once you've completed your requirements that your intention was to graduate). Please send all sympathy checks written out to me. hehe

After all that, I am very thankful to say I am done with school. I finally consider myself graduated now that I've got the diploma and transcripts in my hand (not at this very moment, of course).

I hope y'all are having a terrific day! Enjoy the rain or the lack thereof, depending on which part of the world you live.

Something Neat...

I was bored at work today and was skimming the articles on CNN.com. Under the "Living" section they had this interesting article on allowing yourself to fall in love (yes, I was bored!). It was actually pretty interesting. My favorite paragraph is below.

A Jewish friend told me this story: A man asks his rabbi, "Why does God write the law on our hearts? Why not in our hearts? It's the inside of my heart that needs God." The rabbi answered, "God never forces anything into a human heart. He writes the word on our hearts so that when our hearts break, God falls in." Whatever you hold sacred, you'll find that an unguarded broken heart is the ideal instrument for absorbing it.

Click on the title "Something Neat..." above to go to the entire article on CNN.com.

Have a great afternoon!

Not Spoiled One Bit!

Mi Gatita Está Sobre La Mesa! With the material spread across the table, yes, while I'm attempting to make a "tie blanket", the lovely Furgemeister decided that she should help. Help...my eye!! So, we asked Meme to come and take pictures of the lovely gatita and the new blankie of course! I made it for myself, but it looks like Furgie will get more use out of it than I will. :)

While I'm typing this blog, she is once again snuggled on the blanket. If there was such a thing as reincarnation (just pretend for a second that there is), I would love to come back as a spoiled house cat. What a cushy life!!!

Good night, y'all!

Donde' Es Mi Gatita?

Furgie has to have her teeth cleaned in February. Awww!!! Poor gatita!! I have to leave her at the vet's office for an entire day...they put her under anesthetic so they can clean her teeth. I can probably imagine I won't be very focused at work that day. But, if I don't get her teeth cleaned, other WORSE things might happen...like feline leukemia virus and more. So, I'll take steps to protect her now. It makes me wonder how any of my cats lived before. :) Here's some info on the cleaning in case you wanted to know...

There are four steps in the cleaning process that will be used on your cat:


Scaling removes the tartar above and below the gum line. This is done with hand instruments and ultrasonic cleaning equipment. The tartar which is under the gums must be removed for a dental cleaning to be complete.

Polishing smooths the surface of the teeth, making them resistant to additional plaque formation.

Flushing removes dislodged tartar from the teeth and helps to remove the bacteria that accompany tartar.

Fluoride Coating decreases teeth sensitivity, strengthens enamel, and decreases the rate of future plaque formation.

Another Recall??

A friend at work sent this pic to me yesterday. Watch out for this "grate" slide at your nearest park! ;)

Math Atheist

Boring?

So....is my site boring?? I have no posts from visitors. Maybe I'm the only person who benefits from posting to it. lol

Well, I'll post a link to a picture of my new wallet. It's fun...doesn't match my purse necessarily, but I like the wallet. It doesn't take up much room in my purse. That's a good thing, since all the other items in the purse "HAVE" to be in there, leaving little space for anything else. Hopefully this will interest the Vera Bradley fans out there. Thanks to J, S, V, E & E, I'm now hooked! Then I got my mom hooked. She's got two handbags by Vera. I only have a tote and a wallet now. I'm a slow mover, what can I say?!

Didn't have to post a link....I finally realized how to upload an image in the post. DUH! :)

I Should be Working

Okay folks, I wrote a list of about 12 things to do last night. Then when I woke up this morning, I got dressed immediately in hopes that it would motivate me to get to work.

Well, so far today I've only 1/2 cleaned my bathroom and somewhat started to sort through a pile of paper on my stereo. THAT'S IT!!! Otherwise, I have helped my mother set up a blog for the church web site, now included below, and added a video plus made some edits for it. Plus, we watched an OLD movie...called "The Matchmaker" with Shirley Booth (from the old TV show Hazel). It was really cute. One I'd definitely recommend to friends and enemas alike. (Yes, I misspelled enemies on purpose for those crazy people who, like me, can't help but find typos - without even trying.)

Have a wonderful day, y'all! May you accomplish more than I have today. Remember, the day isn't over, so who knows what I could accomplish. I've also got to get something together for a special song tomorrow morning. Fortunately, I can be my own accompaniment.

I'm in the News!

It's official....I'm a Tropical Storm. Check out the link below.

http://www.wistvcom/Global/story.asp?s=7123202

Muhahaha

Precious in His Sight...

My wonderful friend V just had her baby on Monday. I am so excited for V & D! Baby L is absolutely beautiful (from what I could tell on the cell phone pix). :)

Babies are such an incredible gift from God. I love holding someone else's baby, then giving it back when he/she cries. haha My nephews are all big now...the "baby" is 5! I miss the baby days. He crawled up on my lap the other day and fell asleep though. That was definitely a moment I'll cherish.

It's Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiday!!!!!!!

Okay...in the past I never thought I'd be one of those people that was so thankful it was Friday, but I've now become one. It's not that Mondays are miserable, most aren't. It is just that Fridays are so wonderful. My entirely favorite day of the week is Saturday. I usually get to sleep in a bit (although after crashing by 9 PM on a Friday, is sleeping until 7:30 really, technically sleeping in??) and sometimes stay in my jammies for a while. We used to have big breakfasts growing up, but now usually resort to donuts or sometimes pancakes. (Hey, they help me maintain my figure!)

Another plus for Fridays is that it is JEANS Day at work. I can get away with wearing a jeanskirt anytime during the week, but since I consider them my casual clothes, I save them for Friday. I wouldn't want to cause problems. This way, I can get up and only have to worry about hygiene and hair, not what I'm going to wear. (I have so few casual clothes - never any time to wear them - so it's easy to choose something.

Plus, usually Friday nights are free from errand running and other events. I've really become a homebody. I like to spend time with my parents and my cat. lol That actually sounds pretty lame now that I read what I wrote. Just think of the match.com ads I could write, including that verbiage!!!

Well, Happy Friday all!!! May you have a blessed day and a blessed weekend (including time to finish all the tasks you desire).

Feeling Old...

Okay, how pathetic is this....I sprained my hip, for the 2nd time this year, while putting my bed frame together last Tuesday night. I sprained it in April when scrubbing my bathroom floor (I think). -Not that the floor was that dirty, folks, I'm just pathetically falling apart. The chiropractor appointments were finally getting down to once a month from when I sprained it the first time. :) I just have to laugh....as I go get the ice pack...or take more ibuprofen...or put the ice pack back in the freezer. I'm very thankful for insurance though! Praise God!!!

Stuck Inside on a Beautiful Day

Okay, first of all, I feel like I've been run over by a moped (if it was a truck, I'd be dead!). So, even if I wasn't at work, I would still be stuck inside because I don't feel so well. I even felt ill yesterday, on Labor Day, the unofficial day to do some fall cleaning, etc., at our home. I cleaned for about an hour and then collapsed on the couch.

To backtrack a little...when shopping on Sunday afternoon, with my dear madre, I finally found a comforter for my room that I can live with. I'm hoping it will look as nice as I'm imagining it. My parents recarpeted my room for Christmas last year and I also just found border for it, so it should be about finished. (I've only been living back at home for four years now.) :)

So, yesterday was the day to complete my new look for my bedroom. HA! The good ol' immune system (including back, neck, shoulders, head and stomach) had other plans for me. Then my mother had the audacity to ask if I was pregnant. And of course I told her, yes, indeed I am. lol (Just kidding, y'all!! I'm really not...but what's that saying...when you ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.)

Okay, I'm tired now, so I'll finish for today. Hope you all are doing well and enjoying this beautiful weather before FALL and then WINTER (ACK!) kicks in.

Raindrops on roses...

Here are a few of my favorite things (not in order of importance):

--A baby's laugh and pudgy hands
--A clean, purring, lap cat
--The smell of fresh baked bread/cookies or Gloria Jean's/Starbuck's coffee
--Making watches & topiaries
--Figuring out chords in a song without the help of a lead sheet/sheet music
--God's presence
--Singers that you don't have to hold your breath in hopes they'll be able to hit their notes :)
--time spent with close friends
--Friday nights & Saturday mornings (usually get to stay up late and sleep in)
--shopping with my mom
--seeing God work in our church and especially the young people

What are some of YOUR favorite things?

Something New

So, starting in May of this year, I decided to try something new....a foreign language (although it's not so foreign seeing as such a high percentage of the population speaks it). I'm learning Spanish from Mrs. Laura. It's absolutely so much fun, but I haven't practiced in about a month. (I know...twenty lashes with a wet noodle.)

Here's what I know so far...(well, not all of it - it might take up too much room...lol)

Buenos dias = good morning
Buenas tardes = good "late" day (2:00-7:00 PM)
Buenos Noches = good evening (after dark)
Hola. Como estas. = casual way to say Hello, how are you?
Hola. Como esta usted? = formal way to say Hello, how are you?
Mi llamo Karen = I call myself Karen/My name is Karen
Mucho gusto = it's a pleasure to meet you

Okay...I'll stop for now, but it's so much fun. I've got to get studying so my teacher doesn't 'throw the book at me' tonight. :)

Rain

Into every life a little rain must fall... I don't know where this quote comes from, but it's true. Without rain, we die - nothing grows (physically & spiritually). As much as I hate rainy days, i.e. trials and H2O, they are both necessary. The other thing I'm tempted to do is complain about it. Complaining doesn't stop the rain and only ends up frustrating me even more. I've got to work on not complaining about the rain that comes in my life. I do miss the sunny days, but the rain is where I get my sustenance. Rain (trials) make me learn to depend on God even more, which in turn helps me to grow and be green (overcoming/prosperous) in Him.

Our church has been praying for miracles and over the past few months people have been experiencing major trials in their lives. Through tongues and interpretation on Sunday God said that through trials comes faith and through faith comes miracles. Okay, I should know this by now or at least remember it, but instead I've been frustrated by some trials lately. It was a nice wake-up call (aka gentle nudge) that God knows what's happening and He's growing us through all this. We're going to come out gold! In Jesus' name!!!

One Cool Cat

So, if you're wondering what my blog page title is referring to (even if you're not, just humor me, okay?!).....it's for my cat, Furgie. She's quite funny. I adopted her about a year ago from the Humane Society here in town and she's the best cat I've ever had. She loves her Poppa and her Meme... especially her Poppa. She's pretty snuggly...especially when one is attempting to work on a laptop or practice the piano. Yep, you guessed it...she's right there on top of everything else, not necessarily pleading for attention, but demanding it. She also likes to find a bed buddy (mainly me) and paws at the covers until you lift them up to let her sleep under them.

Okay, enough about Furgie for the moment, but that's the reasoning behind the title of my blog. Plus, I sent an e-card to a friend with a dancing cat....and it said "You're one cool cat!" So, I had to use it!

Back to work I go...

I'm Meaty!

You Are a Meaty Sundae

Wacky, savory, and unconventional. You're an "acquired taste"... no doubt about it!

What Kind of Sundae Are You?

My First Blog!

OMW...I'm excited now! This is my first blog, thanks to Lizness. She suggested I try my hand at this, so here I am.

Currently, I'm at work, on my lunch of course. It is quite the dreary day. I had to make a Sam's Club run for work and picked up some napkins, bratwurst, hamburger and hot dog buns. One department is having a pick-a-nick tomorrow, so I had to make sure they had enough food. Their department has the most males and, boy, can they eat! I'm sure they'd love hearing that this info is being posted on the www. haha I'm only speaking the truth.

Well, I must needs be signing off for the moment. We have "Making A Difference" conference this week with a special speaker every night. I'm going to be one tired chica at the end of this week. I was tired last night already!!

TTFN