Meet Max

Remind you of anyone. As soon as the bistate area could hear his purr, I was hooked. He loves to be petted, has boundless kitten energy, and is really sweet. No cat will ever replace my guy. But this kitten makes me happy. I would encourage anyone with a big heart and space at home to check out your local humane society. This is the month they get tons of spring kittens in. I only had eyes for one little fellow though. The funny thing is he's been there since 6/6 and this is the first time I've noticed him. I'm a frequent visitor of the humane society, but tend toward the puppies and away from the kitties. I'll keep you posted on how the other cats take to him. I'm taking him to the vet for a checkup before introducing them. I wonder if they'll see the same thing I see. Hmmm. Or if they'll just attack him.

Whose Marbles Have I Lost Now?

Seriously, you would think I would learn by now and honestly I thought I never really had a problem before yesterday. See when I get a little down, I like to go to our local humane society and look at the dogs and the cats. I've seen older cats that remind me of my favorite who died last year, but none that tempted me. Nope, I was stone cold with regards to cats. It was the puppies and dogs that would catch my eye, but I knew I couldn't do that to my poor 13 year old cat. She barely tolerated the dog we had for a year. So what's the story and why the blog post about things I'm not getting?

See, yesterday I went there as my little pick me up completely on a whim. They've got tons of kittens and I walked past everyone in the Kitten room even the two orange tabbies. They are so full of kittens that there are some in the Puppy Parlor. No puppies just tons of kittens. Siamese, black and white, calico, brindle, creamy white and yellow. All super cute, but I wasn't buying it. Then I saw him. Alone in a cage, his engine started as soon as I drew near. He meowed, not croaked and he didn't give in to temptation and roll on his belly, but mine never did right away either. He could have been my boy's son or little brother or nephew. And he grabbed my heartstrings and hasn't let go. So here's why I'm going insane. I know, and I mean it, I know we don't need another cat. I know that when the cats are gone Phil wants a break from animals for a little while before getting the dog he's been longing for. I know all this, but my heart is breaking again. I know I don't need him and that it's an irrational thing, but I want that kitten. To me he's a salve on the open wound left by my favorite. No, I'm not being melodramatic, you get a cat, fall in love with him, think he's going to be around for a few more years and then have to put him to sleep and then tell me your heart's not ripped open and bleeding.

I know this kitten is not him. I know this kitten has its own personality. I know this kitten may choose to love one of the kids more than me. I know this kitten won't replace my favorite. But I still want him.

VBS a Hit

So far at least. Both kids enjoyed their first day of vacation bible school. Little Man was especially excited to come home and tell me what they did. Note to self need to find a good Sunday school for the kids. Religion is a tough topic in our house and I don't normally bring it up. Both of us agree that the kids should have exposure to religion and we agree on open discussions regarding religion. In fact we don't really argue about it or the way our kids should be exposed to it. I feel religion is a personal choice and don't want to interfere in my childrens' decision process. I want to give them all the facts though. My parents were pretty silent on the subject. I went to church with friends or relatives, but never with my parents. I was able to attend multiple churches from Mormon to Baptist to Methodist. I guess the one thing I want my children to be is open. Open to all beliefs and tolerant of all faiths or other people's decisions whether they match theirs or not. The church does teach morality, but sometimes I wish it wasn't morality based on fear. Better do the right thing or you're going to hell. I don't know what ideas my children will come home with, but I'll enjoy the discussions that follow.

Where Are the Kids?

My in-laws decided to take my kids for a week last week. From Monday evening until Saturday morning we were kidless. Tuesday nothing much happened because I had an appointment. Wednesday hmmm. Oh, yeah, gaming in the evening so cleaning in the afternoon. Thursday I happily wrote all day long and the same for Friday. I made some real great progress on the book I'm writing totalling about 8000 words in two days, finished it should be about 85,000 words.

The kids are back. Suntanned and lounging around the house this morning, happily connected to their electronic gadgets. Last night we went to our friends who visited us in Sheffield for dinner. All had fun. At the end of the evening, we were walking down the steps in the dark and being distracted by the pregnant lady jumping up and down to get the security light I missed the last step. I'm fairly certain I probably fell off my shoe too. Anyway, I fell down, very slowly. I kept thinking oh, I'm stopping now and then I didn't. I didn't stop falling until I was looking up at a bumper. Yup, that's me, graceful. So when we got home I had to do what I do on a weekly basis for the kids to me. Wash the wounds and then bandage. One big one and two Scooby Doo ones. Mostly I just scraped the skin, but my ankle scrapped up the worst. However it's my arm that hurts to move. I was holding the game box which didn't help stop my fall. Oh, well, now I can really tell the kids to stop crying it doesn't hurt that bad. Mommy didn't cry when she fell (even though there was that brief moment where I thought about it).

Next week is VBS (vacation bible school). Yeah, more me time.

I've Been Burnt By You Before

Last night was the end to a very long weekend. The kids and I spent about an hour Saturday and Sunday at the pool and regardless of sunscreen application, I ended up with a sunburn on my shoulders and back. Bah. We picked up our flooring for our closet and Phil installed it Sunday morning. By Sunday afternoon we were installing the closet shelving and rods. The amount of stuff in our closet filled up the floor space in our bedroom which is no easy feat. Tonight we should be able to complete it. Phil and I got a date night on Saturday night. We used a local organization that does a kid's night out. We went to a Japanese steak house where they cook in front of you. Yummy. Then still having an hour or so, we came home and started a movie on demand. We didn't pick up the kids until 9:30 by which time both were still awake but dragging. Overall a good weekend for everyone.

Too Much Time on His Hands

Yesterday I got pulled over by a cop in south county, because, get this, I don't have the front license plate displayed. My car didn't come with a front plate, so I was really at a loss with what to do with the front one, so it's in my file cabinet. I was absolutely livid that this man decided to stop me for this. Apparently it is a law in Missouri, just one I would assume the dealership would have fixed for me when they sold me the car. Note they are getting an irate call today along with the demand that they pay the money to get the front bumper add on to make it right. There's a petition on line to abolish the law, but as of yet, it still seems to be in effect. When I pointed out the other cars that passed by without the front plate, he said he always pulls over and 'checks' cars with only the back license and gives them a warning. He did not give me a written warning and I was not nice to him. With all the reckless driving and speeding going on on the streets, he's pulling me over about my plate. Seriously, find something else to do.