And baby makes 12

Here is our little dumpling. It's amazing how much changes with just four more paws! Cara is cute but also a troublemaker. She actually reminds us a lot of Davis at her age, except he was never as naughty or fearless. Our amigos (thanks for the term, Frappie!) have become more assertive, so Cara seems to realize--whoa! I don't rule this house! I'm not the center of Mommy and Daddy's universe! They have two other kitties they love!

I bought more yarn. Again. Lots of pretty, luscious, yarn. Wool, cotton, blends...I love them all. My current projects are a hooded sweater and a stuffed toy cat. I don't think I have enough yarn for the sweater (left over from my picovoli), so I may just rip it and use something else.

Things have been pretty hectic lately. Buying work clothes has been on my to-do list for weeks (maybe even a month!) now and I still haven't made it to any stores. Shopping isn't exactly my favorite thing to do, so it's definitely not a priority.

Love Bites

Cara learned a new trick: attacking our legs and taking a big bite. YEOW!!!! She is so cute though. It's hard to get mad at such an adorable little girl. She is very much like a human baby in her innocence, fearlessness, and love of life. Her tiny squeaks are precious. There are two individuals who would beg to differ that Cara is anything but a demon child.

Angel and Davis are not amused by Cara's antics. Both quickly retreat to their room once they hear Cara is released from her room. Davis has gotten much sweeter. The deep, soulful looks he gives me clearly say "Thanks for still loving me, Mom. I don't want to be replaced by Cara. I love you a lot." He actually seeks pets and kisses from me, and seems to enjoy the alone-time we share. Angel is coping better with the Cara invasion. She firmly believes all sofas and chair belong to her and we merely borrow them for seating. Angel does not hesitate to steal a warm seat, but still prefers to stop our circulation by sitting on us. Given the cold snap, both kitties have been sleeping with us--or should I say ME, since they drape their bodies over mine? I have become accustomed to sleeping with my face nestled into Angel's back while my legs hang off the bed because of Davis.

I am beginning to think that all of the inconveniences, backaches, punctured skin, and lack of vacations I experience are really acts of love. It's no different than what a good parent would do for their human child. Then again, I think parents go retreats and romantic getaways while dumping the kids at a babysitters...so maybe we go above the call of duty. It's worth it though. We have seen Davis blossom into a loving, secure, little boy as a result of our efforts. Angel knows she rules the household and will promptly remind us if we act to the contrary. The love and affection we receive from the kitties makes everything we do for them worthwhile. They are our kids, after all. Isn't that what parenting is about? Putting the kids before your own needs? Those big yellow eyes say yes. Yes mom, I love you and thank you for all that you do for me.

Circle of Life

In Food Network's Chefography on Nigella Lawson, the viewer learns about the loss Nigella experienced--her sister, mother and husband died of cancer. In an interview with Food Network, she said her attitude wasn't "life must go on" because "life DOES go on". She is so right. No matter what is going on in our own life, the world continues to churn, with or without us. I truly believe that for every sad moment, there is a happy moment going on somewhere else in the world. For every death, there is a birth. Life, and the world, can be cruel that way. Just yesterday, I saw two dead cats--one a tiny kitten--both victims of cars. Meanwhile, there are puppies and kittens born every second. It is Spring, after all. Only God knows how many of these precious little babies will live a happy life and how many will struggle with hunger, cruelty, and premature death.

Cara continues to be a reminder to us about how wonderful it is to be loved, to be young, and to be carefree. She only knows if her siblings are growling at her or if her tummy growls with hunger. That is the extent of her sadness, if she is even capable of having sad feelings! She is so precocious. Having recovered from conjunctivitis (pink eye), she is more excited than ever to stalk and chase her siblings. Eating paper is still her hobby, as is "killing" her favorite toy.

QE got a perfect score on his mid-term exam. I am so proud of him. His first A! Alas, he remains a B student.

I started a new job a few weeks ago and am still bored to tears. I can't figure out where I stand with the accounting goddess. She is great at what she does and should not feel threatened by me. But I have a feeling that is not why she is resentful. Only time will tell if my assumptions are correct.

I have a new motivation for knitting, but I am not ready to reveal it yet. I am having a great time though! Frappie and her sugar daddy (I need to give him a name!) are getting married in a few weeks. It's nice to see her get treated well.

Peter Pan

Last night, I walked into Cara's room to find her laying on the floor struggling and QE hovering over her. Cara got her jaw stuck under her collar and her mouth was wide open. She decided she hates wearing a collar and tried to take it off on her own. What is with this girl???? She has pretty white (and pointy!) teeth. QE said she was dumber than a box of rocks. Not nice, Dad!

Cara is definitely a perfect blend of Angel and Davis. She has made me appreicate Angel so much more for being a good little girl. Cara is sweet and will rub against us to apologize for her misdeeds (just like Davis). Cara may be 1, but she still acts like a kitten. It's amazing how this tiny little thing can be so destructive and yet so loving. And way too smart for her own good.

Change is Good

Cara loves the computer. Especially laying on the keyboard and hunting the cursor/pointer. She is settling in nicely and has met Angel and Davis through the door. Angel hissed and Cara promptly responded with a growl. So things are going well. Haha! She has bonded closely with QE, which is nice. Cara is a handful. She confirms that I cannot handle a human child. Her destructive behaviors including chewing on magazines and eating the paper; finding the sample packs of food in her goody bag and rippping it open to enjoy her spoils; splashing her water bowl so that there is more water on the floor than in her bowl.

Have to go...Cara is stalking the computer.

Cara

Meet Cara! As QE puts it, she has a hairy eyeball. :) While Cara is cute in her own way, she doesn't exactly have that "I'm a friendly cat" look. I think the white streak down her face is war-paint. Maybe it will ward off naughty grey boys who love to chase others. Based on her history report, it appears Cara just turned 1, on February 6. Is it a coincidence that she was surrendered to a shelter on February 7 when she was no longer a kitten? Hm.

Cara loves to snuggle with humans and other cats. In true Meezer form, she is picky about her meals and refuses to eat canned food. She will fit right in then!

It's a GIRL!!! and other news

It's official...we adopted a litle girl from Siamese Rescue. Our girl is 1 year old and was turned into a high-kill TN shelter. We haven't figured out when she will be available to bring home, but it will be in the next few weeks. She seems like a real sweetie, so hopefully the integration with the resident divas will go smoothly.

It is snowing again. WTF, right??? My footprints from getting the newspaper is already covered. We ventured out to get some groceries and got stuck several times on our own street. That's what we get for living on a hill, I suppose. Oh, and I also got stuck in our driveway. That's what we get for having sporty cars with z-rated tires!

Discovered a yummy 2004 Chardonnay from R.H. Phillips. I'm not big on Chardonnays because that's what those dumb white blonde chicks dig, but this one was quite good. And the first Chardonnay I bought in at least 2 years. Must try other wines from the winery...

On the job front, I've gotten quite a few hits, calls, and interviews. My salary is too high for most of the positions, but it's still nice to get called about opportunities.

I knitted my first cable, part of a toy mouse pattern. Cables are easy, fun, and so cool, because it looks hard and impressive.

Love Stinks

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

It is cold, icy, snowy and all around yucky outside. What's got me amused is that robins are a-plenty outside. Every time I look out the window, I see these beautiful "first signs of spring" perched on a tree or flying about. They must not mind the cold too much.

The kids are napping right now...Davis is laying on the dining room table and Angel is on the sofa, making sure to sleep on as many pillows and blankets as possible. What a blanket hog!!! Hopefully they realize how lucky and blessed they are to have a warm home. All the poor homeless animals outside or in a shelter must feel sad, lonely and cold right now. Hopefully they can feel the love and prayers we send...sigh.... Over a million dogs and cats get killed every year because of irresponsible humans who abuse animals or can't be bothered to spay/neuter their pets.

Imagine what a difference we could make if all the schmucks out there forgo the cheesy Valentine's flowers/dinner and donate that money to a worthy charity.

Let Love In

The forever-awesome Goo Goo Dolls performed at 9:30 club and sold out both nights this week. They have a new DVD/CD combo coming out and was on QVC to promote it. There was some special QVC-only bonus and I sold my soul. I made my first--and last--purchase from QVC. It was a one-hour segment that included an interview with the band, clips from the DVD, and live footage from their performance at 9:30. I am not an obsessed fan by any definition (if I was, I would have been at their concert!), but watching them perform reminds me why I love them. They have great songs and are kickass awesome in concert.

Projects

Here are some of my recently completed knitting projects. The bags are my own pattern. The green bag was knitted with Lion Brand wool. The blue/pink one used scrap yarn from Morehouse Farm. The bear was from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

My Ballerina

Words can't even begin to describe how much I adore and appreciate my little ballerina. Everyone is in disbelief that Angel not only tolerates such nonsense, but she doesn't look bothered by her outfit.

What I Learned

I am not angry, irritated or frustrated at work. I am disillusioned. Trust no one.

My emails are very prone to be forwarded to clients, senior management, and others. I must be careful in what I say.

QE and the cats are the most important beings in my life. Must remember to focus on my loved ones.

Angel and I have a symbiotic relationship. She wants my pillow, I want her heat.

I am old and fat.

Structured Chaos

Lots going on...finished a few felted bags...a felted hat for QE...bought some yarn...coveting needles...bought a work/knitting bag (Namaste messenger bag in chocolate) that I LOVE. My brother is going to be back for a weekend in February. I am starting to work out again and eat more carefully. Note I didn't say diet since I still eat yummies like chocolate. But I am trying to behave. I also posted my resume on several sites. Not quite fed up enough to aggressively job hunt, but my passive search makes me feel better. I even bought a suit that I will wear to work every so often. Angel's six-year anniversary with us is coming up.

Human vs Animal

One could argue we humans are a bunch of animals, but I digress. :)

Why animals are better than humans: because animals don't lie to your face. Sure, some can be sneaky and deceitful, but it's more for survival than ill will.

Blubber

Four weddings in 2007. I can be a whale for one wedding, but not four, especially with one being in a warm and sunny destination. WTF don't people take me into consideration when planning their weddings?! Geesh!!!! :) But Mr. Oreo, I love you so much...you too dark chocolate...and yes guacamole, I love you the most! WAAAAH!

Give a Little Bit

Happy New Year!

I found this wish list for the National Zoo. Thought it was pretty cool how our undomesticated friends need toys too. My favorites: Bubble blower for otters/bears; hot-air popcorn popper for the apes/primates; full-length mirrors; Little Tikes Townhouse(!) for otters/primates; Little Tikes Double Decker Super Slide for otters.

Those last two are definitely my favorite!

BUSTED

We've been pooh-poohing over Angel because she's sick. Poor Angel! QE and I were doing our own thing in the family room last night when we heard fwump--Angel jumped onto the kitchen counters. SHE IS SO BUSTED!!!! We tell her to get down, and what does she do? She proceeds to walk across the entire island, in front of the cooktop, and jumps down at the other end. Ok, we don't want our kitties on the counters because we still like to entertain and feed our guests, and ensure that the food we serve was prepared in a sanitary environment. Seeing pawprints on our shows-everything granite doesn't quite provide the reassurance to guests, oui? But still, I am proud and relieved that Angel is capable of jumping on counters because it means she's not old yet. She just plays helpless and lets us blame Davis for all the paw prints. Such a smart girl.

Her vet visit yesterday set us back over $200 including her prescription kibble. She was still straining this morning so she's now on prednisone too. Angel's relapse has made me realize that our health really is the most important gift. Without our health, who cares about a trip to Vegas, meeting John Rzeznik, knitting, video games, or anything else? Hopefully our little girl will recover soon. Her health and happiness really is my top priority.

Princess Angel

Our resident cutie is not feeling well. She makes multiple visits to the litterbox in a short period of time. We drove to the vet this morning and she cried the whole time. I was prepared to get pulled over for driving erratically and once the officer heard Angel, s/he would understand and let me go on my way. We arrived early, so Angel and I sat in the car. She stopped crying the moment I opened the top door of the carrier to pet her, perfectly content to be in the carrier.

I admit it, I have separation anxiety. Nobody puts Angel in a cage! As the tech took her carrier, I said bye to my princess and told her I loved her. The tech got confused until I clarified that her name was Angel and not Princess. tee hee I forgot to tell Angel to make pee and the sooner she does the sooner she can come home. Oy. Called the vet's office. Angel's stone is still there and her bladder is empty. Please make some pee, little princess!

At 2:00 this morning, I saw Angel sitting outside our bedroom. I scooped her up and placed her on "her" pillow on our bed. She wanted none of it since my pillow is soooo much nicer apparently. I didn't sleep much after she joined us since I was fighting to keep what little pillow I had. She was so soft and warm though. I would gladly sacrifice sleep to have Angel next to me. I find myself doing everything it takes to keep the princess happy. Maybe my sole purpose IS to keep Angel happy. How could it have taken me this long to figure it out??

It's a GIRL!!!!

Ok, so it's not official, but QE and I have started the adoption process to adopt a little girl, 2 years old. Her humans moved into an apt that doesn't allow animals. Halle (Hay-lee) is currently in foster care. In Massachussetts! She's not the most beautiful or regal looking cat, but I have a soft spot for sob stories. QE is already dreading the integration process because it was quite a bit of work to make Angel and Davis get along. And they still aren't friends. They are housemates and don't go for blood everyday, but we were hoping they would be play buddies.

We hope Halle will help Davis expend all of his excess energy and be the ideal playmate. This would leave Princess Angel to be the diva she is and nap to her heart's content.

It's always nice adopting an animal rather than buying a (usually) purebred. There are so many animals who were mistreated through no fault of their own. The sad stories are enough to make me question humanity. But at the same time, there are rescue workers who try to mend broken bones and broken hearts, so there are people who do care. Giving a rescue animal a second chance at a happy life is the least we can do. If nothing else, it hopefully offsets all the other evils in the world and lifts our spirits knowing we are doing a good thing.

Un-Bearable

My latest project is a bear from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I think the book has a lot of patterns that are much more complicated than necessary. For example, my bear is knit in the round on two circular needles. Why is that necessary when dpns are just fine???? I can see if we were knitting a tube top for an elephant that would require more room on a needle, but a toy bear??? It seems like the pattern designer is trying to impress with a more technical approach when a simple and more common method is fine. Why do knitters feel the need to make everything so much more difficult? The fear of being called simple and their patterns easy? Kris Percival is also guilty of creating patterns that are more complex than necessary. Her baby booties comes to mind.

My bear wasn't knit to the pattern's instructions--knitting with two strands of yarn. I used one strand of 100% alpaca that I bought at last year's Sheep and Wool Festival. I also used smaller needles. As such, my bear is much smaller, and cuter imo. It's the perfect size to be a teddy bear to a doll. :)