Thursday, April 30, 2009

Lord Help Me...

I do believe I've turned into the crazy cat lady!
I haven't been in the dungeon in ... well, I dont know how long! So what should begin to emerge but KIKI ♥

I'm here to tell ya, this is gonna be one slow creating process! I am working on her dress right now but it seems that my real kitties always get my attention first. Not that I'm complaining at all. Tuck usually is laying right by me, watching and pawing at what I'm doing at the machine.

My babies are so different in so many ways. Nip is the cat you just want to protect and nurture and love. Tuck is the class clown who is so laid back and always seems make me laugh. He does the cutest things: last night, he had eaten about 80% of his wet food and decided he was still hungry but whenever he tried to scrape the corners of his bowl clean, he spent more time chasing the bowl around. I left and came back in the room about 30 minutes later and there he was - laying across the bowl with one paw inside - holding it in place while he licked it clean. I tried to get a picture because it was just so dad gum cute, but just as I was fixing to snap the picture, hubs came through the basement door and Tuck ran to see what presents he brought. Durn the Luck... Maybe he will do it again soon! I'm really considering trying to potty train him on the toilet. I think he would catch on in a heartbeat.

I'll keep you posted - and never fear, I wont expose you to my purple velour stretch pants ♥

Monday, April 27, 2009

Rainy Days and Sundays



are good for sleeping!

Now, all Tuck needs is a cape with a big S on it ♥






Sunday, April 26, 2009

The Humble Arts proudly presents....

A Wing Ding Chicken Fling!


The ladies of The Humble Arts have created delights from the heart with the theme of chickens for the month of May! There will be lots of awesome DOORPRIZES too!



To win, just sign up for the newsletter at the Humble Arts homepage.
Also, there is a feather hidden on each of the participating member blogs. Find the feather, email the member blogger with WHERE you found the feather. and you will get an additional entry for each feather....so make sure to find them all!

Have fun and best of luck!!!

Friday, April 24, 2009

The Foreigner




This coming Sunday, we are going to the production of "The Foreigner", a play starring my nephew and his wife.

I speak often and affectionately of Darby and Cheyenne, and know this will be a great time. Darb said the audiences have been rolling in the aisles, and from the pictures that I was able to snag off Chey's facebook, it looks like it will NOT disappoint!

Can't wait ♥









Thursday, April 23, 2009

♥ A sweet pair ♥



I think I may be turning into the crazy cat lady that posts pictures of her cats everytime you turn around, but these two bring such joy to my heart


Last night, I had the urge to sew a bit, and made my way down to the dungeon for some relaxing quiet time. I think I've mentioned in the past how Tuck preferred his homemade bed out of fleece and a disposable baking pan over the high falutin' top dollar beds that are sold at the pet stores.



So, I flipped the light in the dungeon and who should I see sleeping in Papa Bear's bed, but mama herself! I knew right then that ole Tuck would not be a happy camper when he saw You-Know-Who sleeping in his crib! And sure enough... he jumped up on the sewing machine to keep an eye on her. I got the impression he was waiting for her to get up and run to the bathroom or pop some popcorn for the movie so he could make his move and reclaim his bed.
Alas, lil Nip had no intention in moving an inch ... so Tuck decided he would take it upon himself to try and elbow his way in! I could almost hear his wheels a-turnin "now... if i can just push her a leeeeetle beeet more...."


Tuesday, April 21, 2009

I miss you, Mom ♥

Today is a pensive day for me. Sad, but very thought provoking at the same time. It is the anniversary of my mom's death ... she was taken from us 43 years ago ~ in 1966 at the very young age of 38 yrs old.
(this is a photo of her on the left, with her sister. I'm not sure who the young child is, perhaps a cousin?)


I had just turned 12 yrs old and even in a child's mind, I knew my life would never be the same. Sometimes I wonder if she had any idea what was going to happen ... because the first 11 years, my world was filled with such love and care and concern. She taught me so very much in the way of how a person should treat another - good solid moral footings that have lasted clear through my life.


Everyone loved my mother - she was the tenderness of a touch, the sympathy of a hug, the concern of a true heart and the warmth of genuine love.


I know she is in Heaven - and I cannot wait to see her again.


I love you, Mom and I miss you ♥

Monday, April 20, 2009

party time!

One of my bff's celebrated her 50th birthday last week and we threw a surprise party for her. I think we pulled it off without a hitch - simply because we didn't let her hubs in on the shenanigans! He would have spilled the beans for sure.


What is a good party without favors ... right? And who woulda thunk the cheerleader in Cindy would surface to quickly?


And just as I suspected.... my lil tyke just had to be in on the fun as well :)

From the looks of it, there was one lil boy that got plum TUCK'erd out from all the excitement. At least Teddy sang to him till he fell asleep ♥

Sunday, April 19, 2009

My Newest Addition

A few years back, one of my longtime bff's called me up to ask if I was interested in some mannequins that were going to be deep-sixed out the back door of the dept. store she worked at.

"Really??" I asked - heck yes I was interested! She brought them over to me and they were just about the coolest things I'd ever seen. On top of that, I had just bought two vintage sailor outfits on eBay and not only did they fit like a glove, but there was a little girls outfit and a little boys outfit! Now, who in their right mind would have ever thought I'd have clothes to fit these two display mannequins? It couldn't have been more Perfect!

I love these two - they reside in my computer room - they have been a constant companion for many an early morning cup of coffee :)

Well, I got a phone call on Friday afternoon, asking if I'd like to adopt another orphan and of course I said YES!

I was expecting another toddler but when she brought it in, my heart leaped for joy - it was the sweetest faced little infant in a sitting position. So once again, I went to the dungeon to see what clothes I had down there - I had an outfit (not vintage like the others are) but it was a perfect fit and for now anyway, my newest child doesn't have to sit around nekked!


Aren't they precious? Thank you friend - I will love them forever ♥

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Something of Historic Proportions is Happening

by Pam Geller
(this might well be a long read, but after my day in at the Tea Party yesterday - I felt it was VERY appropriate. Read on, and remember - in the midst of everything that is coming down around us, do you realize what the news chooses to focus on instead? A lady from California in serious need of mental help who is applying for the copyright to a nickname "OCTOMOM")
I am a student of history. Professionally. I have written 15 books in six languages, and have studied it all my life. I think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus.

Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it.

Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about 10 - 15 years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.

We demand and then codify into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people whom we know can never pay back? Why? We learn just days ago that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700B we all argued about so strenuously just this past September.

Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "We the People," who lent our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not.

We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why? We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, and school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?

We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (now violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it wants marriage to remain between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?. We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then allow Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose?

Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, and Social Security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and know precisely what I am talking about.) The list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x 10. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending people of the same religion who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.

And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla, Alaska. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary. (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more important.)

Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why?

I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.

And that is only the beginning.

I thought I would never experience what the ordinary, moral German felt in the mid-1930's. In those times, the savior was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they did know was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory and promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully them into submission.

And then he was duly elected to office, with a full-throttled economic crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the controls of government power, department by department, person by person, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught what to think.How did he get the people on his side?

He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and goodies for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe, and across the world.He did it with a compliant media. Did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and change. And the people surely got what they voted for (Look it up if you think I am exaggerating) Read your history books. Many people objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930's while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though .

Don't forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in Europe. It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And in less than six years - a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency - it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.

As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong, close my eyes, have another latte and ignore what is transpiring around me.

Some people scoff at me; others laugh or think I am foolish, naive, or both. Perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe, and why I believe it. I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am.

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed lamb."
- Benjamin Franklin

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

What an Experience!


We attended a Tea Party today at the Liberty Memorial in downtown Kansas City today - and what an experience it was! Some of the media have been making claims that this was a gathering of hate mongers and I'm here to tell you, that couldn't be any further from the truth!

There were several protests around town today but 5000 or 6000 were in attendance at the location where we chose to participate. It was a beautiful day and many concerned citizens showed up to show support in protesting the spending agenda that is clearly being shown in Washington.

I will let the pictures speak for themselves and you can witness the gathering of all ages and draw your own conclusion.











We're having a Tea Party!


To say that any people are not fit for freedom, is to make poverty their choice, and to say they had rather be loaded with taxes than not.
~Thomas Payne


I'm heading to the Tea Party today at Liberty Memorial .... if you are in the KC area, please join me if you feel you've had enough too!

Monday, April 13, 2009

The Cat Burglers


Easter Sunday should be a time for family, friends, food, and a nice long catnap... right?

Apparently my cats had other plans!

We headed out for a wonderful Easter Service at our church a chose to go to the early service – which is followed by Sunday School and then, another morning worship service.

Hubs and I were sitting through Sunday school when his phone went off. He went out in the foyer to answer and came back and whispered that we had to go because our home security alarm was going off.

Now just a few days ago, the security guy had come out and put in a couple of zones for the pets so they wouldnt activate anything on the radar - no matter how rambunctious they tend to get. Driving (flying) home, we didn’t know if the cats set it off or we had actually gotten broke into but as I did notice that hubs foot was quite a bit heavier than normal!

The cops arrived before us, did a walkabout and found nothing amiss, so hubs went in ahead of me to check out the house and told me to wait in the garage. When he gave the “all clear” I went in and looked for Nip and Tuck – and found them hiding in the bedroom.

One look at their faces told me the whole story - I think they were bungy-jumping off the landing onto the lower level, knocked off one of my drums from Africa and triggered the alarm. Their eyes were still the size of half dollars and I think their hearts were pumping out pure adrenaline by the bucket-load. The alarm is LOUD and I’m sure it scared the puddin’ right out of them!

Poor things…. Tuck was just now getting over his fear of the dreaded brown paper bag and now this!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Finer than Frog Hair

What a day this has been...

We celebrated the Royals Home Opener today at work with a bbq in the parking lot over an extended lunch. This morning I got an email from my buddy Peanut of Countryfolk Keepsakes fame, saying that my birthday gift from her should be delivered today - so I slipped away from the office for a few minutes to run home and check my front porch.

I was so excited to see it waiting for me, so I picked it up and hopped back in my car to scurry back to the office! When I got here, I unwrapped the sweetest lil Froggie my eyes have ever laid eyes on - and apparently everyone I work with felt the same way because they all wanted me to keep him here at the office so we could all enjoy his sweetness. It's been decided (I was in the minority) that "Bubba" would remain on my desk until it was someone else's birthday - on that special day they get to enjoy the company of Bubba for the day. Fair enough, right - good things are even better when they are shared and I'm not a total selfish sod!
I just hope Underwriting, Compliance, Billing and Customer Service doesn't hear through the grapevine about Bubba the Birthday frog ♥