3 new kitty pictures

All of these were taken yesterday. She was in quite a mood and just all over the place, and played what seemed like non-stop.

Here she is with our dog. I think Anna would like to be friends but Isis isn't so sure:


Here she is on her way to sit on my lap at the computer(she is losing her kind of exotic looks as she fills out more):


And here she is during her rare down time yesterday. Is that not the best annoyed cat face:

So D is getting pretty nervous about going back to school and I have to say I am a little too, for him. We were talking last night and he said that he is most scared of getting a mean teacher like he had in first grade. I'm still kicking myself for that entire year. I *knew* she was not the right teacher for D and it was such a hard year for him and for us. I should of pushed harder to have him moved and I'm really angry at myself for not sticking up for him more. I just didn't want to be that pushy, obnoxious parent, and it cost D a year. Not that he is traumatized for life or anything like that but it has made him leary of school, and me as well. Still I'm hoping that 3rd grade can be as productive for him as 2nd grade was. And let me tell you, any not so great feelings about this teacher, and I will become that pushy parent, though hopefully nice about it.

G on the other hand is so excited. I'm not sure if it's just the prospect of carrying his new Yu-Gi-Oh backpack or going to school but he says he "can't wait". I hope he can make a new friend. He was very close to a little boy last year but they boy moved to Florida and G still says he misses him. G was very concerned for him last night when he saw the coverage of Ernesto on the news(not sure if it's a hurricane or storm since I wasn't paying attention).

Tonight is Wednesday BBQ. Steph has school so she probably will miss most of it but we are still going to grill. Tonight it is some chicken which I will marinate withFatija spices and we will slice them after grilling and turn it into Chicken Fajita's, along with some veggies, beans, rice, and cookies for desert. You can feel the coolness in the air now at night and the days are getting shorter so I'm trying to savor every BBQ. Of course DH says we can haul the grill up on the deck and grill in the winter too.....

I'm desperately trying to get out of my stitching slump but I can't seem to do it. I've kitted up a couple of ornaments, pulled 2 other ornament kits I had in my stash, and I keep intending to sit down and stitch but every time I do, someone interrupts, or get sidetracked by the computer, or the TV, or the kids, or something else. I do miss it and this is the longest slump I think I have had. I'm not really sure what else to do to get out of it. New stash is not an option so I keep prowling through my stuff to see if something sparks my interest.

The sun came out!!

Finally the sun came out, the boys got to go ride their bikes and I can finally get to the computer with the camera software so here are the latest Isis pictures:









Here is a picture of G with "his" sunflower. We were given the seed from his Kindergarten teacher as part of my mothers day gift. I planted it and was really surprised at how well it grew. It just finally opened today and G was very excited about it:

8 days and counting....

Over all we've had a pretty good summer and we are all adjusting to not having a basement for the boys to play in, mostly. The last few days have been a bit dreary, rainy and cool here in Michigan so the kids have been stuck in the house. In the old days they could burn off some of the extra energy in the basement or when they got to be too much I could go hide out there on the pretense of "checking my e-mail". Without the basement I feel like we are all on top of each other. For the most part it's been Ok, the last 3 days though, have been really stressful, especially yesterday. I love G, I love his excitement, I love how he is interested in everything, but yesterday I really needed 10 minutes of peace and quiet and could not get it. No matter where I went, G seemed close behind, with an endless list of questions. I was so thankful to send them to bed and then head to my room for some alone time last night. I managed all of about 10 minutes before falling asleep myself but it was nice. For the first time I'm looking forward to sending them to school, I hope I dont' sound like a horrible mother for saying that, but it's not only the alone time I'm looking forward to but I'm looking forward to getting back on a schedule. We've started re-enforcing bedtimes this week in prep of school next week....only 8 days and counting.

We went over the weekend and got all school shopping done, or at least I thought. I knew G had grew and none of his pants fit. He was in a 6, so the jeans I bought him were 7's. When we got home and I tried them on him, they were barely long enough. If that was all I had, they would do, but one growth spurt, or a too hot of a dryer and they would be to short so we have to take them back. I'm amazed at his rate of growth sometimes. D has been wearing the same size pants for nearly a year. Over all I was really happy that we hit a few sales and got everything we needed with a couple of bucks to spare so we are all set for school.

Isis is now into full blown kitten mode and man is she a nut. It seems she is finally all healed from her surgery. She still sleeps mostly through the night, but during the day she is full blown all over the place. She plays with anyone, and everything. We still need to work on her table manners. She is all over you when you have food. Over the weekend Steph was at the table eating BK and Isis took a running leap from the middle of the room and nearly landed square in her whooper. Last night she got so unruly as we were eating dinner that we had to put her in one of the bedrooms while we ate. I guess it goes back to her stray roots because I don't remember any of other cats being quite so agressive(and it's amazing how all 3 pounds of her can be like that). Sure, they would beg, or one cat liked to tip the garbage at night but none ever took a running leap at the food.

She still likes to cuddle and to sleep curled up between DH and I which is nice, except last night. As I was going to sleep she was playing with my hair, and again this morning at 5:45amish she was under the covers nibbling on my toes!! This is a lot more like what I was expecting and I guess I didn't take into account how long it would take her to recover from the surgery. I should have some pictures of her tomorrow. She has really grown a lot in a week. She's not nearly as bony, and she is taller and longer than she was. she is most definitely a princess in this house and very rarely, if ever has to walk any where. We need to get out of the habit of carrying her around, but it's hard not to, since she is so portable and so adorable.

Did you know....?

That Calico cats aren't a breed? It's a color variation that can occur in any breed so you could have a Calico colored Siamese etc.

Calico cats are almost always female. The orange color variation is carried on one X chromosome and the black carried on another X, so to have the two colors, you need two X's which mean female. Occasionally, 1 out of 3,000 can be male, but they are almost always sterile, and technically there is a genetic defect by having 3 sex chromosomes , instead of the standard two.

In some cultures Calico's were considered good luck(we could use some!)

One search turned up an article that John Ashcroft thought calico cats were the sign of the devil. It seemed weird to me so further investigation on Snopes proved that one untrue.

Calico Cats are the State Cat of Maryland because they share similar coloring of the Baltimore Orioles, and the Checkerspot Butterfly, the State insect.

Most of the above info I got here: http://absolutelycats.tripod.com/22Calico.html, Wikipedia, and Snopes. It was cool!!!

In my browsing I also ran across a lot of articles about kitten care. It had been so long since I had one this tiny(and honestly I think all of our cats were a bit older when we brough them home). It reminded me that yes, kittens play, but much like babies they need long periods of sleep. They also let me know that she is eating just fine, little bits all through out the day, and just about every site recommended the food dish be left out all day, and that dry food is the best. She still doesn't seem to like it all that much, though she is eating it, she seemed really, really, interested in Dh's hot dog last night, and nearly nabbed it out of his hands. We need to work on her table manners.

She is also much more lively with each passing moment. She is not a nut, and all over the place, so she will definitely be more chill, but she was interested in a lot this morning. She made the rounds again last night in her sleeping but it was cute that she started and finished her night with us. She is also a little chatty, not overly, but has a cute little voice.

I hope she does Ok tomorrow because she will be on her own while we spend the day swimming. Her and the dog are doing great. She keeps walking over Anna on her way to/from the bed and Anna barely registers it.

Both of the boys bikes are back on the road. Both got flats and DH spent a good hour last night fixing them so the boys are already out and about riding up a storm. Good thing too because the last two days without their bikes have been a bit tough. They needed an outlet for the extra energy. I'm looking forward to spending the day on the porch watching them, and I'm going to try to stitch. I have the urge but I just seemed to have fallen out of the habit of actually doing it.

And no, Steph is not a teacher, she is going back to school to finish up her degree. Intially she was going to move in here for a couple of months and then move to Chicago, live with her sister, and go to college there. Then she discovered because of her income last year(she worked 2 jobs for awhile to make ends meet) she wasn't elgiable for any grants and the tution was way more than she could manage. Instead she is going to a local college, that is like 1/3 the cost, taking a part time job, taking a full course load, and will stay with us a bit longer. I'm fine with that, it's nice having her here, and the extra money will continue to be handy as we head towards birthday's, Halloween, and the Holidays. She only has 4 semesters to do before she finishes up her marketing degree, and I think it's smart to buckle down, and get it done now. The up side of her part time job is she can throw work Dh's way since it's still in printing and she thinks she might be able to get me some work as well since they always need someone to do little stuff around the shop.

My only concern is she will be here a lot more during the day. When she scheduled her classes she wasn't sure what kind of part time job she might have, and was thinking she might have to waitress or something so none of her classes are before 11am so at least 3 days a week she won't be leaving the house until 10am or so. That will be weird to have the boys off to school but have her here. Then on the days she doesn't have school but work, she's not sure if it will be a whole day or not, some of the stuff she is going to try to do from home, so that will be an adjustment too. Still, I think it was an Ok choice to have her here and it's worked out really well.

And her name is ::drumroll please::

Isis. It's a name we all agree on(mostly) and I figured the sooner we pick a name, the quicker we can teach it to her. I like it, it rolls off the tongue pretty well, and it is a bit different. She was bit more active last night. We got her to play with some little balls we had in the house as well as some string and stuff. She did eat and I discovered that she really wants someone in the room with her as she eats. She seems to have found the litter box on her on last night which I was glad about.

Last night she slept with just about everyone( except D who is in the top bunk) and she made the rounds. She started with G which made him soooo happy, then with us, then Steph said this morning she woke up with Isis on her head. She seemed to have finished the night with us because when I got up with DH at 6ish, she was there. She really does like to be "on" you, not just next to you, and she really does not like to be alone. I hope she does Ok on Friday because me and the boys are going to Mary's for the day to swim and she will be here with just Anna.

So here are a few more pictures. D took all but one of them, and did a pretty good job:











Today is the Wednesday night BBQ. Tonight it will be chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers, Caesar salad, roasted red potatoes, zucchini, and cheesecake brownies for desert. We have one more left after this. Steph starts school on 8/31 and we aren't' sure if she will have the time for them. I think I may keep them going at least through D's birthday.

I'm kind of bummed. Dh was going to take the two days following Labor Day off from work but it looks like now that he won't take them. They are putting in new equipment, equipment he lobbied for them to buy, and he has to be there for that. I bugged him all summer to take a couple of days(he has 3 coming) and this seemed like a good time, because when he paired it with a long weekend it was a good chunk of time, but now he's not. Everyone else gets a vacation, everyone else actually takes the time off, but not DH. I guess I'm glad he is such a hard worker, I know there are husbands that don't work as hard(or at all) but he could use the rest and it would be nice to have a couple of days off. He will at least get some of the morning off on the 6th so he will be able to go up to the first day of school and meet both boys teachers, but now we will have to rethink our plan of giving D his bike that day when he got home from school.

So today I really need to get some stuff done. I got the brownies to make, the kitchen to clean and I have to get the house picked up. I'm going to try not to get as distracted by the cute little fluff ball today!!!(famous last words).

Name, name, name, what to name her?

So the name thing is still swirling today. In the lead is definitely Isis but I also like Min and Bastet but I think I finally figured out why it's so hard to chose. She's done nothing more than really sleep and snuggle(and I think she is took exotic looking for either of those names). I've never had a pet neutered so early, and I'm hoping it's just that, and that in the next couple of days she will be more lively. Until then, and she shows some more of her personality, then name thing will have to wait, I think.

I did learn today she most definitely does not like to be alone. The boys were in the living room, she was napping on a pillow, I was in the other room folding clothes when the boys went out to play. Within a minute she was up and in the bedroom, meowing a little at me, and I put her on the bed while I put the clothes away. When I left the room, she was quickly behind me, so she really likes people.

G also continues to feel awesome. He has been down the street playing with a little boy who only comes to his Grandmothers a few days a week. He has come in for a few check ins but for the most part he has been tearing up the block with his friend on his bike. He is doing so well with the two wheeler but I can't wait until we can hand down D's bike to him because he looks way to big on the bike he has.

Ok, here are the pictures!!

I love how her tail is all dark, except for the very tip which is a light biege color. It's also as long as her body!!

The more I look the more I think she does look Egyptian. I think she looks like an Isis in this picture!

A better look at the tip of her tail!

G looking as happy as I've seen him in awhile. I think he missed the cats more than all of us.

D with the kitty(excuse the clump of dog hair by his head, Anna is shedding like a fiend and I hadn't vacuumed yet this morning)

She really digs the sun!!

My anniversary roses


And finally the first Morning Glories of the season. Next year I'm going to have to start the seeds inside. It seems the don't bloom until nearly labor day!

Maybe Ace(like a WWI pilot) is a good name for the kitten.....

Because her feet have barely touched the ground since she has been here. She has pretty much roamed from lap to lap to lap. Even when you set her on the ground to give her a chance to maybe explore, she explored far enough to the next lap. When it was bedtime we weren't sure what to do with her but as soon as we laid down, up on the bed she went. I tried snuggling with DH and she walked over us, found a little tiny spot, and plopped herself down, and there she stayed, and it seems like she hasn't stopped purring.

Since she was loopy yesterday we left the litter box upstairs and put her in it several times. She did use it which is good. This morning I moved it downstairs and I'll encourage her to use it several times today and then leave it up to her. No accidents so far which is good.

So far she still is not interested in the "high quality" kitten food the shelter said to buy so I think we might need to get a little wet food to mix in with it, like she had at the shelter. She has barely eaten but I'm sure if she was hungry, she would eat, I think. She did find the water dish and has been drinking. I also have to remember that she did just have surgery so it will take a little while maybe to feel like eating. I put the neosporin on the little tattoo and boy she did not like that at all! It's very crude looking but if someone was looking, they'd find it.

Later I'll have to upload some more pics of her with the boys. G is a little disappointed that she won't come to him when called and I had to explain that we still need to settle on *one* name and teach it to her(Isis is still a tops among everyone but DH, who still likes Ace or Nora). They didn't say how long she was in the shelter so I don't know how attatched to Pumpkin she was but she doesn't seem to come to that either.

I forgot to mention that G was sick yesterday. He complained of a headache before bed Sunday night and then again Monday morning. Monday morning he hung out on the couch a lot longer than normal but did go outside to play when a friend came to the door. He was only gone a little while when he came home and complained he felt shaky and funny. He didn't look good either. I felt him and he was HOT. I took his temp, over 103 with the ear thermometer. I got some motrin into him, an hour later he wanted to play outside again and his temp was closer to normal, I didn't let him, but he seemed better. His temp spiked again last night after dinner so it was more motrin, some benedryl to help him sleep, and he was asleep early. He slept straight through, and when he got up he looked much, much better. I gave him about an hour to see what his temp would do it it got a little over a 100. More motrin and him and the kitty are playing. G says it was the healing power of the cat that made him all better.

I'm off to do some dishes and laundry.....ah, who am I kidding. I'm going to cuddle the kitten for awhile and then maybe move on to some chores!!

And here she is:





I retrieved her well before closing(4:37 to be exact), and they didn't take the $15 I dug out of the kids piggy banks which was nice.

So far she is a little loopy from the surgery. She has the tiniest little scar on her tummy with like one 1/2 stitch in it. They also tattooed a little circle w/a line through it to indicate she has been spayed if she were ever to get out. I'm still amazed they operate on something that little but the website had an article on early sterilization and it is endorsed by the Vet association.

She is doing awesome with the dog. Didn't even flinch when we walked in and Anna started barking. There has been no snarling, or spitting, or scratching which are all good things. Anna is really curious and has tried to sniff her to death and with as tiny as she is, Anna's snuffling practically knocks her over.

She is almost painfully thin and she is so bony. I look forward to putting a little meat on her bones though so far the high quality kitten food they recommended does not seem to thrill her. She hasn't ventured much farther than a lap but that is cool for now.

We are still pondering names, Ace and Nora are still in being considered. Steph noticed how angular her head was and how big her ears were, kind of Egyptian looking, so we have now added Isis to the list as well as Min, which I really like, even if it was the name of a God not a Goddess. Dh still calls her Ace.

She is such a lover right now and just purring like crazy, she also is digging the sun light and when I first put her on the floor she found patch of sunlight and plopped down in it. I'm trying to share her out and not hog her all at once but I just want to hold her, love her, squeeze her and call her George :D

I'm hoping tomorrow she will actual open her eyes so I can get a good picture of the color of them. They are goregous but she is kind of winky, blinky, from the surgery I'm sure.

Lots more pictures to follow I'm sure......

Ok, I'm going to rant a little!!

When we were looking to adopt a cat we decided to go to the humane society to adopt her. We looked at a couple of rescue leagues first, and then a couple of other shelters but decided to go with the Detroit shelter of the Humane Society, for a couple of reasons. For one thing it was a lot closer via freeway then the suburban shelters and I figured out of all the shelters I bet this one doesn't get a lot of a people in there adopting. I know a lot of white suburbanites never venture forth into Detroit proper and I don't want to be like that. There are good sections, things to do, and I don't want to paint the whole entire city with the same brush. There are good things about Detroit and things to do there.

When we went on Friday, I was slightly put off by the attitude of the people we were dealing with. They weren't completely helpful. I was looking for a particular cat that I had seen online. They took forever to find any information on her and I was happy that she had been adopted but I had called earlier in the day(about an hour before we went) and was told she was there. I also tried to take into account we got there about an hour before closing on a Friday night. We tried to be quick about our process but I found a lot of the paperwork on the cats cages were incomplete. I was trying to pick a cat that was ready to go home but I couldn't find that indicated on most of the "info" on the cages.

When we found the kitty we wanted I was disappointed that she couldn't come right home with us but understood(I'm still amazed that they fix something so young and tiny). The guy told us we had to pick her up on Monday between 3-4pm. We told him straight up it wasn't possible. He said then for us to call today, and let them know that, and it really seemed like no big deal, as long as we were there by closing. I know on our end it was very clear that it *was not* possible to be there anytime before 4pm.

I call this morning to tell them that we couldn't be there by 4 but would be there by 4:30-4:45pm and I was told it would be an additional $15 for a boarding fee. I was kind of put off because it's less than an hour. I mean I could see if it was a 1/2 a day or more but come on, less than an hour? I explained that on Friday I wasn't told this but that I had been clear on my end. She then wanted to go over the fact I signed a form, and who did I talk do etc. etc. etc. I was just so put off by her attitude. I had paid my money for this cat, I was providing a good and loving home and I just got some major attitude! I ended up saying Fine and hanging up.

Ok, yeah, I was told, just like I told them it was impossible, and was told that it would be Ok. And yeah, I signed a form, except the form was incorrect. It clearly said I would pick her up, on the next business day, between the hours of 9-10am. I asked them to correct the form or something and again they said "no biggie" just sign it, so I did.

I'll go, pick up the kitty, pay the extra $15, which I will look at as a donation, not a boarding fee, and come home and enjoy the new cat.

Two more sleep, I'm so excited!!!

The other day was my anniversary. The boys were asking questions about our wedding and what we wore etc. I went on a hunt for our wedding pictures, which instead of being in an album, are stuffed in a box somewhere. Where the box was I wasn't sure. I finally found them in the laundry room, in a box, and mixed in were lots of other pictures, like vacations, visits with family and the like. In the box was also kitten pictures of Ty, Gwen and Meepers. As I went through them I was flooded with memories of adopting them, bringing them home, and what joys they were to our lives. I had forgotten how much they liked to play. Ty used to play fetch, sometimes at 2am, Gwen loved to stalk pens and knocked them off of every flat surface, and Meepers, well, he was just a nut. I remembered why we got cats in the first place, and I was filled with the need for another, so Friday night, we took my MIL and SIL up on their offer and adopted a kitty.

I had seen one I liked on the Humane Society website but she had been adopted earlier in the day so we went to the room with all the cats. Oh my, talk about over load. There were so many of them, and all of them adorable. None really spoke to me. Dh was kind of eyeing a little fluff ball that was grey but she was really loud and insistent. The kids really liked this black and white kitty but the form said they play rough and would be placed with families with older and teen kids. I thought we were going to walk away empty handed. Instead they sent us to the puppy room, where they said they had a couple more cats/kittens for adoption.

When we walked in the kids were immediately drawn to the puppies and I looked around for the cats because I couldn't see them right away. Over in the corner of the room was another cage. I bent down, and out came this little white calico kitty. She just came right over to the cage, looked at me, meowed in the most polite of ways and that was it, I was hooked. She had the most beautiful eyes, and the most unusual coloring. She was mostly white, but with spots of orange, grey, and black and her name is currently Pumpkin, which I can see because of her colors.

The worker got her out of the cage but it wasn't really required. I knew she was ours. She was very loving, liked to sit on your lap, wasn't the least bit scared of the kids, and purred the whole time we were there. We filled out the forms, found out that she had been a stray, treated for fleas and ear mites(just like my Meepers was), and had yet to be spayed. We paid our fee and got a tag to bring home. She will be fixed over the weekend and we will pick her up Monday evening. Talk about delayed gratification......a tag isn't what we were expecting to bring home!!!

We are all currently debating names for her. I know we have to "know" her awhile before we can really decide but for some reason Dh is calling her Ace. He said we can name her whatever we want but she's Ace to him so maybe that will be it. Other names currently under consideration are Aster, Nora, Tiny Bubbles(G's selection), or Pixie. I just can't wait to get her home but Dh and I were kind of afraid today of losing her in the house. She is a mere 10 weeks old and only weighs 2.2lbs so she is TINY. I don't think any of our other cats were ever that little.

So two more sleeps and she will be home and then I can bore everyone with endless pictures of her!

I'm here, just quiet!!


Not a lot to report. Life has continued to move at a nice relaxed pace for the summer. The boys are having a blast on their bikes, I'm enjoying sleeping in a little and sitting on the porch watching them.

Stephanie was gone for a week and it was really quiet around the house without her around, not to mention no card games. It's funny how quickly we all got used to having her around, and how weird it was when she wasn't. I think the dog missed her the most.

I have finally shaken my funk from the last few weeks. I keep forgetting that as I get older PMS can really kick me in the butt and make me feel a lot worse than I would like. Now that is over I feel a bit better, I still miss meepers an awful lot, but I'm not sobbing everyday.

I've been quite social though for being down. One night I we went to my SIL's house for a BBQ. It was really nice to have someone grill for me. Her kids were there so our boys had a blast playing and we all enjoyed the backyard of her new house. I mad an awesome desert, a chocolate brownie trifle that was YUMMY!!

I also got to get all dressed up one night and go to a very fancy(ie black tie) event for the lodge Billy belongs to. They had bought a table as the normally do for this group(The Boys and Girls club) and at the last minute they had someone not be able to make it so they wanted to know if DH would fill the spot. DH had hockey, didn't want to miss it, so I went in his place. I was very happy to find a dress that I bought pre-kids, still fit and I did my hair, make-up, and even lipstick. I felt really pretty, and had a blast. The food was soooo good, prime rib so tender you could cut it with a butter knife. It was also good to know that it was all for a good cause as well.

I survived Monday which is was the anniversary of my moms death. It's been quite a few years but it's still a really hard day. I wish I could forget the actual day and date but it seems etched in my memory forever. I guess the combo of helping making the choice of having the life support removed, being in the room, holding her hand when she died, and the fact it was 2 days before my 1st wedding anniversary, makes it hard to forget. It's funny with memories, it seems to dull the edges of the happy stuff, but the not so good stuff, seems to stay crystal clear. I can still close my eyes sometimes I can see her room and hear the sounds like it was just yesterday. It wasn't a gruesome death by any means, she did pass quietly, and I know she was peaceful and in a better place and all that, but it's just stuck there in my brain.

On to happier subjects. Yesterday was my 17th wedding anniversary. Dh tried to get me to go to the movies with him last night but I told him with movie prices now a days, you can wait a couple of months and just buy the movie for about the same price. Instead we decided to stay home, do the normal Wedneday night BBQ like always. Stephanie did offer to watch the boys but I really wanted to stay home. It turned out to be a good choice. DH brought me home long stem yellow roses, my absolute favorite and the kind of flowers I carried in my wedding bouquet. I only scolded him a little at the expense(and I have to remember it is August, not Valentines Day so they probably weren't too much) and was deeply touched by a hand written card in which he professed his love to me. It was very sweet and made me cry.

Stephanie also stopped at the store on the way home and bought steaks for all of us to enjoy, as well as she grilled them, set the table, cleared every thing after we ate, loaded and ran the dishwasher for me. She also surprised us by bringing up a bottle of sparkling wine, which we drank with dinner and had really nice toast to the future. The last 2 years have been rocky, and yes, there are times when I'm completely frustrated with DH and at times I've been disappointed, but I'm sure he can say the same about me. In the end though, I can't imagine traveling this road with anyone other than him. After the food was desert, cards, laughter, and a really nice night under the stars. I couldn't have picked a better way to spend our anniversary.

We are now pondering adopting another cat. The kids really want another one, DH wants another pet, and my MIL and SIL have bothed offered to cover the adoption fee of a kitty if that is what we would like. We've been cruising the Humane Society website. All their pets come already fixed, up to date on shots, and have been checked over. I do know I don't want another orange kitty, or a cat that looks like any of the others. There are 3 on the site that are adorable and fit the bill. DH is kind of leaning towards a grey/white one named Caesar(his sister is named Balsamic), that is just 14 weeks old. I'm leaning towards an all grey short haired girl kitty named Jazzie, who is a bit older at 5 1/2 months, and D really likes an all black kitty named Jessie. One thing I do know, after 2 long haired cats, the next cat will be short haired. As our long haired kitties aged, even with a lot of grooming, there were many mat's, hair balls, and lets just say they needed some help after some litter box trips. Still, I'm not sure if I'm ready, so I think we are going to wait a little while longer.......

I found some pictures of our cats in a box today, they were cute and it did stir up some memories of when they were younger and more kitten like. I do remember them playing with each other and with us. One of them used to love to play fetch. I had forgotten that because they were all so old in their last years and did a lot of sleeping. Having a kitten to play with would be fun, maybe, I'm torn. If a cat appeared I think I would love it, but I don't know if at this point in time I can make the actual "choice" to get one, if that makes any sense.

I'm still not stitching very much. I did a little and finally finished up one hardanger angel ornament and got a lot of another one done. I did work on getting the ornaments I have stitched so far this year finished, or at least started. I need to make a trip to Jo-Ann's for some floss for tassels and cording. I think I do this every summer, I think I'm going to stitch a lot while the boys are home etc. and I never do. I'm sure in the fall, it will pick up again.

I finally gave up on my order of the JCS 10th anniversary ornament book. I ordered it in the first week of July and for some reason my not so LNS is having issues getting their second shipment to the shop. They have no clue when it will arrive and blame it on where ever the book is coming from. I just know they have had my money long enough so I canceled the order.

My interest was raised in the new Just Nan angel. I have all the others(except for the one that is made into a stocking, but I keep my eyes open for that one on eBay etc). The new one is very pretty, I like the boarder. I just have to wait awhile for finances to allow the purchase. I have school clothes to buy since G outgrew everything he owed over the summer and school supplies to buy first. I'm not sure where that is going to come from but thankfully I have a little time to figure it out since the boys don't go back until after Labor Day. Last year they didn't require any supplies from the kids, but G will need a new back pack and lunch box since he will be there all day now(sniff, sniff). I went to our Old Navy Outlet in hopes of getting a couple of pairs of jeans at leaast but they were all out of his size. I was amazed to see that he is now in a 7 slim. He is sooo tall!!!!

So that is it from me!

Clean bill of health!

G was back to the dr's today for one more re-check. Honestly, if it had been my foot, I wouldn't of gone back, but since it was G's we went. We were there for all of 3 minutes because all she did was look at it, feel it, and that was it. She pronounced it completely infection free. My only concern is the vein that was infected is still red and visible but she assured me it would take some time to go back to normal, since it was pretty infected and the fact that it's nice and "soft" now means it's mending. The best part, she didn't charge me for today!! Yay!!

G already has another bug bite even though I coated him with bug spray yesterday. The bug found a little spot between he top of his shoes and his sock. We gave him some benedryl last night and again this morning as well as iced it last night. So far it's hardly reacting like normal and looks like a bug bite I would get. I'm going to fret over each bite now until he is an adult(and then some) so I better get used to it.

Steph left for her vacation last night. She will be gone through next weekend. DH was going to try to take some time off but they are putting in a new system and another person will be out so us getting away is unlikely. He has 4 vacation days coming and I"m hoping to convince him to take at least one or two somewhere along the way...

It's time to start planning D's birthday. Dh and I decided to get him a new bike. His is in only so-so shape and will last the rest of the summer but he could use a new one and I'm thinking that this time of year we might be able to find a good price on one. I also have to start thinking about a party etc. but I have some time since the party won't be until September 9th.

I'm still missing Meepers something awful and find myself breaking down throughout the day. Poor DH just doesn't know how to handle grief so I've been pretty much on my own. If anything Steph has been a lot more supportive than DH. It's put me in a bit of a funk that I'm trying to shake but it's been hard to do. This time of year is especially hard since we are heading towards the anniversary of my moms death so I'm normally a little down and we are heading towards back to school time where both boys will be in school all day. I know I'm supposed to be jumping for joy over that but I really love having them home and am not looking forward to the school year. I'm hoping the mood will lift soon because I haven'' felt this down in awhile, I don't like it and it's seems hard to shake.

Doing a whole lot better...

G is doing a whole lot better thankfully. I've had to slow him down a little though because when he is on his foot too much then it starts to swell so I've been trying to get him to rest it every couple of hours, which is tricky.

here is how it looked yesterday mornig(August 1):


And this morning(August 2):


It's been so hot the last few days, as it is every where. We spent part of the day yesterday at my MIL's house because it was just too warm here. Yesterday after dinner Steph had us all come downstairs and watch a movie on her TV where it was a lot cooler and she said for me and the boys to feel free to go down there any time we need too. Thankfully the weather is going to break later today! Until that happens I'm trying to not do too much and what I do have to do, I try to get done early in the day.