Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Adventure Kitties!


Further proof that I'm a crazy cat lady, as if you needed more! I should be learning my lines for the New Year's Eve show this Sunday with Austin Murder Mystery Players, but I'm procrastinating.

It rained for three days straight here in Austin, which is a rare occurrence. The weather finally dried up yesterday enough to take the kitties outside for a good romp around.


Marigold looks into her magic ball to tell your future. She says, "Yes, I see that there has been joy and pain, sunshine and rain." Oh Miss Mare, you are so wise!


Kenji grows to super-huge size and knocks down a tree! Almost as amazing as the presence of grass in our yard!


Sonic explores ancient ruins. Is that a Mayan temple? No, just the old stairs up to the back door under the lovely, new deck.

We had a nice Christmas. I was busy visiting other people's furry babies while they travel. Chad played "house husband" and kept a steady supply of yummy food and clean house ready for my breaks. It's so nice when the tables turn, and I work while he does all things domestic!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Sugarplum Furries



















Yesterday, I was a whirling dervish of domestic duty! I cleaned, scrubbed, washed and tidied until my feet and my back cried "Uncle." The cats LOVE when I'm doing projects. They like to watch me running around the house. Kenji even helped me put fresh sheets on the bed. Mostly, they just supervise. They are my little furry sugarplums that bring me comfort and joy.

I did NOT send out Christmas cards to my full list of friends and family this year. (Gasp!) As one friend put it, "do you think they'll even notice?" Forgive me if you noticed.

I have "holiday cheer" deficiency due to the annual onslaught of impossibly high expectations for kindness, consumer spending and general fabulousness of the holiday season. I'm feeling a bit blue and melancholy. I miss my dad, of course, and the holidays emphasize that loss. I am also sad about leaving my position in the pet-sitting business. I will miss my little furry friends so much, but there are things I need to do for myself, for my husband and for my family that demand some time for reflection, some time for travel and some flexibility. I'm looking forward to a period of a few months when my only income will come from my acting work with Murder Mystery Players. (In the past I've juggled two or three part-time jobs at a time which left me feeling frazzled.)

Sunday, December 10, 2006

One Big Cat Toy


We put up the super kitschy Christmas tree on Friday night. Pre-lit is the way to go, my friends! The cats were especially excited by this latest home decor project. I've made liberal use of the squirter to dissuade them from ingesting too much tinsel. After many years of "real" Christmas trees, we decided to do the environment and my allergies a favor by purchasing this "fake" tree at a post-holiday sale last year at Tape Lenders Video on West 5th Street for 75% off -- score! I dig the glass ornaments. Either by accident or subconscious design genius, I chose the complimentary color palettes of red and green with yellow-gold and purple (jazzes up a tired tradition.) Chad made like Santa Claus a few weeks ago and climbed atop our roof. Finding no chimney to slide down, he strung lights along the roofline instead. 


Sweet Kenji had enough holiday excitement, and climbed into her shopping bag cubby. "Bah humbug. Wake me after New Year's," she seemed to say. Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Cute to the 3rd Power!


I'm going to retain this blog title and address, but now that most of the house projects are done, this blog will have more sappy weekly reflections and photos to share. If you're looking for the "before and after" house pics, see the September 2006 archives.

On to the cuteness! I went to see my family this weekend. I took lots of pictures, and had a difficult time choosing the best ones to share.



My niece, Mary, age 3, member of Future Heartbreakers of America, picked up lots of ladybugs and tried very hard not to squish them.



Mary and my mom, a.k.a. MeMommy. Yes, her "grandma" nickname sounds like a rapper's name.



Mary with her lovely red locks and me with my new dark hair. I love my dark hair. My super stylist, Monica, at Maximum FX salon rocks!



Charlie, age 10 months, in his holiday suit! Love that hat! He looks like a little elf who escaped from Santa's Workshop at the North Pole.



Christoper, age 6, with Mary and Charlie. I had more pictures of Mister Christopher, but he's in constant motion, and they're all blurred beyond recognition.

I'm happy to report that my mom is doing well under the circumstances. I'm very proud of her. She's learning how to operate the computer, check her email, and how to manage accounts online. Keep her in your prayers and send her happy thoughts.