BBC-The Hunger Games, Week 2

YAY for the next round of questions!  I've been waiting for them as I'm rereading the book along with the questions.  If I don't do it this way, I'll read them all in a day or two again.  I'm enjoying the book as much the second time as I did the first.  If you haven't read them...you should!



1. What do you think about Katniss getting an 11? Did they give her an 11 for her talent or simply to make her a target and teach her a lesson?

I think it was a little bit of both.  She surprised them when she sent the arrow through the apple.  She's a GREAT shot.  I don't think they any of them doubted that she could have killed them if she wanted too.  That's where the lesson comes in.


2. What do you think about Peeta confessing his love for Katniss during his interview!?! Is it real, or just for show?

I think it's real.  He's been in love with Katniss for years.  I also think it was part of the plan to reveal that if he got the chance.  I think this is why he wanted to have the last part of the training separate from Katniss.  He want to try to protect her and help her in anyway he can.  If this will help then he'll use it.  When it comes to The Games, a lot is about show.  Does it matter if it will get them an advantage to help at least one of them stay alive?

 3. At one point Katniss is trying to think of where the games are going to be. She thinks of a desert, swamp and a frigid wasteland. Where did you imagine it would be before you read it in the books? Do you think they picked the "right" place?

I didn't really try to figure out what kind of arena they would be put into.  The author spends a decent amount of time showing us Katniss's strengths.  I was expecting a place that would allow her strengths to be used.  Why have her as a main character if you're going to kill her off right away?  I wasn't surprised by the chosen arena...it allows Katniss (and Peeta as well as Rue) use their strengths while also challenging them. 

I have to go on a small tangent...

How horrible that the arenas are considered historic sites!  Places where you can go and reenact what happened?!?!?  This is where kids killing each other and people go there on holiday.  There is something seriously wrong with this!  Did this bother anyone else?

4. First thoughts when you found out Peeta was with the career kids?

I was shocked.  Then as I thought about it I figured he did it to help protect Katniss.  How better to try to help her than to "befriend" the enemy?  It goes with the saying...Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

I also found it interesting that Katniss automatically assumeed that he was helping the careers track her down.  She either forgot (unlikely) or didn't totally believe that he loves her.  Or she just can't understand that he is will to sacrifice himself to help save her.  It's a foreign concept to her and because she doesn't think like that, she doesn't understand that other people do.

5. I have a love for Rue from the start, What do you think about her "helping"(read: not killing when she could) Katniss? Should Katniss trust her?

 I think it's great.  Rue has been drawn to Peeta & Katniss since they were in training.  She was following them around.  If I remember correctly Peeta caller he their shadow.  If they had met under different circumstances they would have been friends


Given the fact that Rue pointed out the nest instead of letting Katniss find out for herself shows that she's trustworthy.  If you're Katniss anyway.  I think Katniss should trust her.

6. "Favorite" part of the book so far?

I like the descriptions of the culture and technology.  Can you imagine taking a shower there?  How about drying your hair...I'd love for my hair to be dry in seconds!  Or how about the hovercraft?  Or speaking into a microphone and having the steaming hot food appear?   Or how about the muttations of the tracker jackers?  Or the jabber jays?  Can you imagine the havoc these can cause?

It's also interesting to consider what the future could look like.  This book has made me think of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Lois Lowry's The Giver.  It's kind of sad to think about we, as a race, could become.

If you want to answer the questions and link up, head over to Kim's blog to join in the fun!

2010 in Review

As 2010 comes to a close, I thought it was be a good idea to do a year in review (like everyone else).  So without further ado, I present our Top Ten 2010 Moments:

1.  We completed one full year of marriage.  We were married in August of 2009, so 2010 was our first complete year.   I'm very much looking forward to celebrating another New Year's with my love.

New Year's Eve 2009

2.  We bought a house.  There are times when I'll just stop and look around in amazement that we actually bought a house.  We love it.  It's perfect for us and we love being homeowners.  We changed some things and are looking forward to continuing to leave our mark on it.

3.  We added Miss Molly to our family.  Before buying our house we lived on base and were only allowed two pets.  We had Edgar & Allen so we couldn't get a dog.  We picked up Molly the day after we completely moved into our house.  She fits in perfectly and feel like she's been apart of our family longer than 7 months.

4.  Time together.  I love spending time with The Man.  It doesn't matter what we do I like doing it with him.  From hanging out at home to exploring the Pacific Northwest, we've had a great time. 

5.  Creation Northwest 2010.  For our anniversary we went to Creation.  It's a huge christian music festival and I have wanted to go since I was in high school.  I thought it was only held in PA but nope, they have one in WA too!  Our favorite bands that played were The David Crowder Band, Toby Mac & The Newsboys.  Both Toby Mac & Newboys played Jesus Freak...take me back to my teen years!

6.  I got my car back!  I had been driving my mom's Jeep and so I drove it cross country so she could have it back.  I got to drive my car home.  I miss having the Jeep for it's size but I LOVE my car.  It's saving us a ton of money for gas too!

7.  The Man was home in time for Christmas!  He was truly the best Christmas present I got.  I did get some others that were pretty good too!  The Kindle tops the list...although I'm very much enjoying the new clothes and the new iPod speakers.

Christmas morning 2010

8.  The Man became a friend of Bill's.  This is going to have a lasting impact on our lives and marriage.  We're both happy about it.

9.  Exploration.  Neither of us have lived in this area so it's not unusual for us to take day trips to explore the area.  We've done some fun stuff in Seattle, like the aquarium and a harbor cruise and we've driven 101 and spent time in Ocean Shores.  We've also been to Eugene, OR a few times and we like to stop at different places along the way.  We love making random stops and finding new places!

10.  Thanksgiving with my family.  The Man wasn't able to be with us for Thanksgiving, but I loved being with my family.  I hadn't seen my Aunt, cousin & her family since my wedding in August 09 so quality time together was long overdue.  It was great.  I'm blessed by an amazing, supportive family.  They are the best!

Nieces & Nephew playing with Molly at Thanksgiving

What are some of your best moments from 2010?

#54. Paint the Sewing Room

I'm happy to report that #54 of my 101 list has been completed!  The sewing room is our third bedroom downstairs.  When we bought the house the room was painted white.  Boring.  It used to have carpet but when the washer machine overflowed the rug got wet and we removed it so it wouldn't mold.  It wasn't the best carpet and we were going to replace it eventually.  We're actually pretty happy with the bare concrete instead.  The was also a mess since I never really unpacked.

From the doorway

The closet

The doorway

It took me a while to pick out the colors.   I had hoped that The Man would help me paint but I did it myself (thank you duty day).  He was amazing and put up the crown molding.  I love crown molding.  I think it has to do with the fact that my parent's house is at least 130 years old and full of crown molding.  It adds a nice finishing touch to a room.  If I have my way there will be crown molding in every room in the house...except the bathroom.  We'll see if The Man agrees to put that much up!

Bye Bye boring white!

Miss Molly keeps me company

Putting up crown molding

Iggymans supervises from the window

Anyways, we still need to put down flooring.  The one we really like has to be special ordered and I want to make sure that that's the one we really want.  At some point The Man is going to build me some more storage and after that we'll put in better lighting...thank goodness I have two true lights for extra lighting!  I think this is going to be the never ending project room.

And now for the finished (for now!) product:

The door

Repainted bookshelves

My cutting table

My sewing table

It's been painted since mid-October.  I just got the motivation to get it organized and stuff put away.  It's not perfect and still a little messy (you should see the closet!) but I'm able to do stuff down there now.  I have curtains, pillows, table runners and place mats to make.  I'm so thankful that I have a sewing room!  I'm a little spoiled by it.  I know that I'll have to give it up someday as it is our third bedroom.  I'm going to enjoy it while I have it!

Where do you do your crafty stuff?  

Two Birds, One Stone

The Man & I went to the movies last night.  I was able to cross TWO things off my 101 list!  It makes me so happy to cross stuff off.  I've been doing pretty well with it.  Anyways, back to the movie.  We saw Tron.  To be honest, I agreed to see it cause I knew The Man REALLY wanted to see it.  He had found the trailer for it online ages ago and made me watch several times.  He also kept saying how he wanted to see it.  Since it didn't matter to me one way or the other, I went with him.  It was great.  I really enjoyed it.  We saw it in 3D.  It was the first digital 3D movie we've seen.  That crossed off #69.  Then it also helped in the A-Z Movie Challenge.  I didn't have a T movie yet.

So if you haven't seen it yet, I do recommend it.  I have not seen the original so I can't compare the two.  I enjoyed the action scenes and plot.  It was a date night with The Man so how bad could it really be?

BBC-The Hunger Games

KK at Navy Wife, Navy Life runs a blog book club.  I recently found her site and the book club.  Since I just devoured The Hunger Games series I thought I would answer the questions...and do my best to not think past the first 100 pages!  I'll be honest though, I"m not sure where the hundred page mark is since I read it on my new Kindle.  The whole story is whirling around my head.  I'm a fast reader and it's not uncommon for me to miss little details.  I'm going to read the book again and try to focus on details this time!

1. What do you think of the relationship Katniss has with Gale?


Gale is her best friend.  Katniss doesn't let people in easily and by her own admission it took them a long time to become friends and start working together.  She doesn't trust easily and the death of her father at an early age and the withdrawal of her mother hurt her.  She's been in charge for a long time and isn't used to sharing that burden with anyone...except Gale.  She doesn't have to tell him of her difficulties because he is well aware of them.  In that way he helps her.  I don't think she realizes how much he means to her.

2. A piece of me wanted Gale to volunteer also, to protect Katniss. How did you feel about the situation?
   
I was totally expecting Gale to volunteer to go to help keep Katniss safe.   I was shocked when he didn't.  I think she would have been upset if had though.  She's expecting to die in the arena and knowing that Gale will make sure her mother & sister have food will comfort her.  She's still going to worry about them but at least she knows that Gale will watch out for them.

3. Why do you think the capitol treats the tributes so well before they go to the games?


All of the tributes, minus one, are facing a life sentence.  They have been sentenced to death and just as we allow those on death row a meal of their choice before they die, they are treated well before they die.  It may be seen a compensation for death.  Really, it's the least they can do.  


4. Why are they having Peeta & Katniss show they are united before the games start? Is it a good idea or a bad one?

 After reading this part again, I wonder what Cinna is thinking.  What he knows.  What he intends.  What he wants to happen.  I think that showing a united front would is unusual since there is only one who lives.  It's something else that would help District 12 stand out.  It could be good or bad.  Good to let the other tributes know they can expect them to work together.  Bad because it might make them more of a target.  I think Haymitch says it best..."Just the perfect touch of rebellion." (Location 969-79)


5. What was the point of Katniss shooting the arrow into the Gamesmakers table?


She did it in anger.  She was being ignored.  "Suddenly I am furious, that with my life on the line, they don't even have the decency to pay attention to me.  That I'm being upstaged by a dead pig."  (Location 1267-77)  Her life means nothing to the people in the Capitol.  The Hunger Games are entertainment for them...they don't see the tributes as people.  They don't see them as people with emotions.  They were bored at this point since they had seen 23 other tributes before her.  Her life doesn't matter to them so why should they pay attention to her?  They won't unless she makes them pay attention to her.  She didn't think through her actions, didn't think of the consequences.  She just acted out in her anger.




If you'd like to join in the book club, head on over to link up!

After Christmas

I hope you had a great Christmas!  From reading many of your blogs, it sounds like you did.  We also had a great Christmas.  I LOVE having The Man home.  It's been great.  Miss Molly has shared the bed with us a few times but I was right, there is no room for me!  She has gotten nice and comfy on her comforter again.

Some of the highlights:

1.  Nana & Papa sent gifts for the boys.  They couldn't wait and got into their present early.  Here's what I found on Christmas Eve morning:

I had catnip ALL OVER MY FLOOR.  The boys, most likely Edgar, got into the bad.  It was half full when I found it.  I swept it into a pile they've been eating off it since.  It's mostly gone...except for the dog hair.

2.  Miss Molly also got something.  Tennis balls of course!  She was super excited.

She had a great time getting it out of the package!

3.  There was lots of sibling love.

I've never had all three of them with my on the sofa before.  This was a first!


4.  The fun we had on Christmas morning:

Judging by the carnage, we had a great time opening presents.  We got some great ones.  The Man's favorite gift is probably the chair massage thingie that he got.  He hasn't wanted to get out of his chair since Christmas!  My favorite gift if probably my Kindle.  I was so exited.  I LOVE my kindle.  Since Christmas I've already read The Hunger Games Trilogy.  I read all three books in three days.  I was hooked from the first one.  The Man has never seen me that engrossed in a book.  It took me a while to notice he had gone to bed one night. If you haven't read the series you should.  It's entertaining but also very thought provoking.

The Man has a few more days before he heads back to work so I won't be posting as much.  I promise I'll be back before the end of the year though.  I hope you have a wonderful week!

Merry Christmas!

I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

~Luke 2: 10b,11 

Source

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior!  Merry Christmas!


To those who are serving far away from home this year, thank you for your service.  Your sacrifice does not go unappreciated.  Our thoughts are with you and your family this Christmas.

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve!  YAY!  It's even better because my husband is HOME.  I'm so happy to have him back.  Now I feel like it can be Christmas.

My traditional Christmas Eve has changed over the years.  As a kid my parents and I would get together with our cousins so we could have dinner and exchange gifts.  Dinner was often Chinese food.  We would alternate houses and as we got older, my cousin & I (both of us are only children.  He was the brother I never had) would come up with reasons why it should be at our house.  It was fun.  Then we got older and we stopped getting together.

In the teen years my parents & I also started going to Christmas Eve services.  This was often a candlelight service.  I always loved the end with the lights out and all the candles lit.  After service we would head home and put all the presents under the tree.  We never put the presents under the tree until Christmas Eve because my mom was afraid that someone would look in the window, see the present and break in and steal them.  After they were all under the tree I was allowed to open 1 present.  Any present I wanted.  Sometimes two, depending on how excited we all were.  Then I would get into my new jammies and head to bed.  Unlike most children, I liked to sleep in on Christmas morning.   True story; My parents had to wake me up more than once on Christmas morning to open presents.  The older I got the earlier I wanted to get up.   I love the surprise of Christmas morning.  I NEVER looked for my present ahead of time.  I wanted to be surprised and I like the suspense.  It's always worth the wait!

2007 Stockings

Christmas Eve day was usually spent out buying stocking stuffers with my mom.  We would deliberately wait to buy these items.  Mom usually already had stuff, so this was extra.  I'm the kid that got more than one stocking.  Has anyone else ever gotten more than one stocking?  In my defense one year I got a pair of shoes in a stocking.  They were a pair of flats and they were the only thing in there.  As I got older and started doing stocking for my parents, I realized I'm just like my mom.  I tend to buy too much, so my parents would often have more than one stocking too.  I think it's a family thing!  Is it any wonder that I love stockings?

Now that I'm married, we're still working on our Christmas traditions.  It's our second married Christmas and thankfully we get to celebrate together.  I'm not sure how we're going to spend today.  I know we need to go grocery shopping.  We're also going to Christmas Eve services.  I think we're just going to enjoy being together after being apart for 2 months.  Having him home is the best gift I could get this Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve!  How will you be spending it?

oh, in case you're wondering...at 31, my parents still get me new jammies for Christmas Eve.  They got some for The Man too!

Peppermint Bark

One of the best parts of my job is that I have access to tons of recipes.  Easy, delicious recipes.  One of the ones I showcased this year was peppermint bark.  It's super easy and quite tasty.  Don't let the idea of bark scare you...it doesn't get any easier than this!

You'll need:

3-4 Candy Canes

1/2 pkg (10 oz) chocolate flavored almond bark or confectionery coating candy melts

1/2 pkg (10oz) vanilla flavored almond bark or confectionery coating melts

1 tsp peppermint extract (I used mint and it was fine)

*You can also buy white candy melts with candy cane pieces in it around Christmas time.  When I use these I don't use the peppermint extract.

1.  Place candy canes in a zip lock and coarsely crush.  You can also put them in a food processor.  Feel free to strain the fine powder for a more professional look.

2.  Line a medium sheet pan with parchment paper.  Have about 1 inch hanging over the sides (it allows you to removing the bark from the pan when it's solid)

3.  Place the chocolate in a microwave safe container and microwave for 1 minute to 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir.  If not completely melted microwave in 30 second intervals until completely melted.  Repeat with white chocolate

4.  To one of the chocolates, add 1 tsp of mint extract

5.  Scoop the melted chocolate onto the sheet pan.  I alternate the colors for a more swirly look.  The chocolate might not spread out on it's own.  I gently shake it side to side and back and forth to get it so spread out.

5. Take a knife or other straight edge and drag it through the chocolate to swirl the chocolate.

6.  Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top.

7.  Refrigerate until hard.  I usually only need to let it set for about 20 minutes.


8.  Lick the bowls and spoons.  Wash right away cause hard chocolate is no fun to get off stuff!

9.  Break candy into pieces.  Store in airtight containers.

If you would like to try it, you're welcome to come to Christmas Eve service at my church.  That's were this bark will be putting in an appearance!

Christmas Traditions

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays.  I love celebrating the birth of Jesus.  I also love traditions.  From decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving to have cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning, I love it all.  I don't mind having some things change but traditions are what link the past 30 Christmases in my mind.

Christmas morning often goes something like this:

The Man making cinnamon buns

Wake up at an early hour. Early for me anyway.  And earlier than I like to admit considering we don't have kids yet!  As we head into the living room where the tree is, we turn on the tea/coffee pot.  A warm cup of something is necessary to opening stockings.  Stockings always get opened first.  I love stocking...you never know what you'll find.  I've found shoes, tampons, a ring, movies, books, money, gift cards, deodorant...mom tends to get creative (She's sending us stocking this year so we didn't do them for each other).  After that the cinnamon rolls get made.  The Man makes them from scratch.  It's well worth the wait.  While they bake we start opening presents.  When the rolls are done we eat while they're hot.  If there are any presents left we'll open them when we're done eating.  When the present are all open we'll look at what we got, exclaim over them and start to use some of them.  Eventually we get showered and dressed, usually in new clothes.

This year we're heading to a friend's house to Christmas dinner.  They invite people who don't have family in the area.  This is our first year spending it with them but I'm guessing we'll eat and then play some games.  It should be fun and I'm looking forward to it. 

I forgot that at some point we'll go online.  I mean, who doesn't get on Facebook to wish everyone Merry Christmas?  I also have a hard time not checking email everyday, so I'll check it in the morning and again at night. 

My absolute favorite tradition of Christmas?  The time spend with family & friends.  I love spending time with people and just enjoying them.

What's your favorite Christmas tradition?

Did You Know?

I've had the Todd Agnew Christmas CD Do You See What I See? for a few years now.  I've always enjoyed it.  This year one song has been stuck in my head.  It's Did You Know -Song to Jesus.  It's a thought provoking song about God becoming man.  I've thought about what it would have meant to be Mary, and this year what it would have meant to be Joseph.  Even though I have listened to this song before, I never really thought what it was like to be the baby, to be Jesus.

If you have a few minutes, please listen to it.  I've put the lyrics below.

The lyrics:

Were Mary's eyes the first eyes You saw
Or did You remember choosing that shade of brown?
Were You surprised at the shepherd's crazy story
Or did You know You wrote the song the angels sang?

What was this life like for You?

Did You know?
Did the cross cast its shadow o'er Your cradle?
Did You know?
Did You shudder each time Your hammer struck a nail?
Did You know?
How much heaven and how much earth
Were in this baby at His birth?
Did You know? Or did You wonder?

Did You remember the brightness of Your glory Or did You just notice it was cold and dark here?
Did You know Your name or did You have to be told?
Were You just a baby or were You as old as time?

What was Your life like?

Did You know?
Did the cross cast its shadow o'er Your cradle?
Did You know?
Did You shudder each time Your hammer struck a nail?
Did You know?
How much heaven and how much earth
Were in this baby at His birth?
Did You know? Or did You wonder?

Did You wonder?

What was Your life like?
Did the cross cast its shadow o'er Your cradle?
Did You know?
Did You shudder each time Your hammer struck a nail?
Did You know?
How much heaven and how much earth
Were in this baby at His birth?
Did You know? Or did You wonder?

Did You wonder? 

Do you have a Christmas song stuck in your head this year?

Wordless Wednesday

The perfect dinner for one:

It doesn't get much easier that English muffin pizza.  Since I was able to get a bunch of English muffins cheap and I have a bunch of spaghetti sauce that I defrosted and a brick of cheese, I'm eating these just about everyday.

I can't wait till my husband comes home.  Then I'll start to eat real food again!

I Found It!

Remember when I said I had no motivation?  Well, I found it.  All it took was a sunny morning.  Yesterday before church I was checking my email and there was sunshine streaming in through our patio doors.  It was wonderful to see the sun again, even if it was in my eyes and made seeing the computer screen difficult.  The light highlighted all the dog/cat hair and dog dirt on my floor.  It's nasty!  I can't believe I let it get like that!

So today I am sweeping, vacuuming and mopping ALL my floors (without carpet).  I have clothes to fold and dishes to put away.  I need to clean off my desk so I can actually do some work there.  The dining room table needs to be cleared off.  The bathroom needs to be cleaned as well.

Then tonight I have a year end celebration with my hospitality cluster.  I need to bring an appetizer or a dessert.  There aren't many cookies left since I've shared some and ate a bunch.  I think I'm going to pick up some cream cheese and wheat thins.  I have some raspberry chipotle sauce.  I'll place the softened brick of cream cheese on a plate and pour the sauce over it.  Then you use the crackers to eat the cheesy goodness.  Super easy and yummy!  I've also had it with orange marmalade instead of the chipotle sauce.  Also delicious!

Do you have any easy appetizers/desserts that you like to bring to holiday parties?

 A word on reverb:  I've lost my motivation.  They come when my brain has already turned off and they aren't holding my interest any longer.  Oh well, I tried!

Baking

I do not enjoy baking.  Not at all!  I think it has something to with the fact that you need to measure and be precise.  I prefer to just toss stuff together and see how it tastes.  I've been seeing people's posts and status updates about all the yummy cookies they've made.  I've been enjoying the ones I got in a cookie swap (I cheated and made peppermint bark.  Super easy and I'll share later in the week.)  At the rate I've been eating them they are only going to last another day or two.  What's a girl to do?

One of my many cookie cookbooks

Bake cookies.  That's what she needs to do.  It's not like there's a shortage of cookie recipes in my house.  I have a binder full of Christmas cookie recipes that my mom & her friends made every year while I was growing up.  These are the cookies of my childhood.  They are super yummy and many are time consuming.  I'm not going to lie, I don't want to bake all day.  Or even all afternoon.  I'm lacking motivation (OK, let's be honest.  I'm just lazy).  I also have a magazine of cookie recipes that my mom bought me when she visited last year.  There are lots of great recipes in there.  As I was looking through it, I found a recipe for chocolate shortbread.  I love shortbread.  I love chocolate.  I think I stumbled across the perfect cookie!

What makes it even better is the fact that it takes 4 ingredients.  I just happen to have all 4 ingredients on hand.  Sweet, no grocery shopping for this chickie!

I love my Kitchen Aid mixer!

Chocolate Shortbread

1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
Dash of salt

1.  In a large bowl, cream the butter.  Combine the rest of the ingredients and gradually add to the bowl.  Chill for 1 hour.

2.  Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet.  Bake at 300 degrees or until set.

Ready to bake

It says it should make four  dozen, but I only got three.  I did sneak a few tastes of the batter but not a dozen cookies worth.  And I forgot the salt.  Oops!  They still tasted good:)

As the cookies were baking, they filled the house with a wonderful chocolate scent.  It reminded me of my childhood.  I grew up about 2 miles from a chocolate factory and there were days that you could smell the chocolate.  It always smelled so good, like rich, delicious chocolate.

The finished cookies

Animal Take Over

Since The Man isn't home, I've been letting Miss Molly sleep on the bed with me.  It started while we were driving cross country.  She looked at me with her big, brown puppy dog eyes.  Even though I had her comforter that doubles as her bed, she still begged to sleep with me.  I let her.  Now that we're home, she still looks at me with those big, brown  eyes.  I cave, cause I'm a softie.  The only problem is now that we're home, the cats join us.  They've always slept on the bed with me, ever since I brought them home as 3 month old kittens.  They've adjusted very well to sharing the bed with Molly.

There is only one problem with all of this.  Between the three of them, there isn't always room for me.  We have a queen size bed and they like to take up a big portion of it. 

Is it any wonder I have a hard time sleeping sometimes?

I can and do move the cats.  They glare at me and then find another place to settle into.  The real problem will start when The Man comes home.  There's no way that there is room in the bed for all 5 of us.  Someone's going to get the boot.  I'm hoping Miss Molly is adjust.  She's not going to be happy!

If you have pets, do you let them sleep on the bed?

Motivation

I wish I knew where mine went.  I have no motivation to do anything around the house.  There is dog hair taking over, dishes overflowing in the sink, a stinky kitty box, mounds of dirty laundry and piles of cardboard boxes.  I have no desire to do anything about any of it.  Since it 's just me here and I don't mind it, it just sits there.  I know I should clean and make the house nice but I don't wanna.  All I want to do is go online, crochet and watch West Wing (I'm now in season 4).  Or have my husband come home.  That would work too.  Then I would have to clean the house...

Oh motivation, please come back.

A side note:  I did meet a friend for coffee today.  On the way home I stopped at the bakery outlet.  Big mistake.  For $10.62, I walked out with the following:

I just wanted to get some bread to eat with some artichoke dip I had.  I ended up with bread, English muffins, Garlic Cheese biscuit mix, Apple Cinnamon oatmeal, raspberry filled chocolate donuts and Christmas tree cakes.  Now I can sit on my butt, be online, watch West Wing and fill my face with carbs.  Score!



Edit:  I did make some broth in the crockpot, cleaned the cat box, ran the dishwasher, took some of the boxes outside for The Man to deal with when he gets home and did two loads of laundry.  So at least the clean laundry pile is larger than the dirty laundry pile.  I wish I had a laundry fairy to fold it...

Friday Fill-In

 It's that time of the week again...time for the MilSpouse Friday Fill In.  YAY for Friday!

1.  What is the best gift you have ever received or given?

 The best gift I have ever received is knowing that Jesus is my Savior.  (How's that for a Sunday School answer?!)  For giving/receiving from people, I can't think of any that stand out.  I love giving gifts to my mom.  Her love language is gifts and she appreciates a well thought gift.  I don't give them to her as often as I should but I love watching her face.

2.  Do you celebrate holidays differently when your loved one is deployed/gone or do you keep tradition?

I really don't know yet.  I think I would keep the traditions going, especially if we had kids at the time.  He was home last Christmas and the one before that, when we were engaged, he was gone.  I was still in MA and celebrated Christmas with my family like we always did.  We were very aware that it was my last Christmas unmarried and with my family.  

3.  If you celebrate Christmas, do you put an angel, star or something else on the top of your tree? 

We have a star this year.  Last year we didn't have anything.  I prefer a star because I have yet to find an angel that isn't scary looking.  I see them on other people's trees but can't find them in the store. 

4.  What are your three favorite websites?

Gmail, Facebook and Blogger.  At least, those are the windows that are always open in my browser.

5.  On your man do you prefer… boxers, briefs or boxer briefs? Or commando? 

I prefer whatever he prefers.  I want him to be comfortable otherwise he'll be cranky.  A cranky husband is bad.    

Not so wordy this week.  Oh well.  I hope everyone has a wonderful last week before Christmas!

Thank You!

I received an awesome package yesterday.  I came home from a cookie swap yesterday and found a Scentsy box sitting on my doorstep.  It was from my Secret Santa from the swap the Wife of a Sailor put together.  Unfortunately is was sopping wet as it had rained hard while I was gone (big surprise).  On the up side it was easy to open, even if it did pee all the way into the house.

I opened it up to find a red weave plug in warmer and three awesome scents!  She chose satin sheets, Eskimo kisses and beach.  Perfect, all three of them.  I always get overwhelmed when I'm choosing scents.  My nose can only take so much.  I know there are the coffee beans to cleanse the palate but still, there are so many to choose from.  I love that I now have 3 great scents that I didn't have to pick out.  Score!  I'm totally loving the warmer.  My only problem is where to put it.  In the bathroom?  Next to the fireplace?  In the dining room?  I may just be moving it all around.

I didn't know who it was from so I contacted wifeofasailor to help me out.  She let me know it was from The Albrecht Squad who sent a card.  I don't have it yet but it could be in my mailbox since I didn't check mail yesterday.  I like a little mystery, it keeps life interesting.  Thank you so much!  I LOVE it!  The Man thanks you too.  This means I'll stop bugging him about buying one.

Thank you again!

Cuteness

I was looking at my past posts and realized that I never shared the cuteness that lives with my parents.  They also have two cats and a dog.  All three are very spoiled.  Not that I'm one to talk because my furbabies are extremely spoiled as well.

First up is Poekitten, from whom I took my name.  She used to be my cat; I got her when I was 16.  I remember driving home from the shelter with her crying the whole way.  I had one hand on the wheel and the other trying to pet her through the carrier to make her stop crying.  She still cries when she's put in a carrier.  She hates to travel.  Anyway, I tried to take her but my parent's wouldn't let me.  They say I abandoned her when I went to college & then Asia.  Oh well, I know that she has a great home with my parents!

She loves to sleep in clean laundry!

She also likes to eat and will cry until you feed her

Poe has two brothers.  One of them is Dale Thomas.  Yes, my parent's cat has a middle name.  They also call him DT.  I like to call him Fat Cat.  He's an extremely large orange tabby.  He is very sweet and can run pretty fast considering his size.  Mom calls him the most handsome boy in the world.  I disagree with this but that's OK.

DT was a cute kitten

Getting love from him mama

Peeking around the corner to check out Molly

Fat cat.  He lost some weight and is now 18.5 lbs.

The newest furbaby is Joey.  My dad retired in June and was feeling lonely while staying home all day.  I convinced Mom that a dog would be a great companion for Dad.  She agreed.  She didn't want a large dog so they looked at some smaller sized dogs.  They decided on a beagle.  They found an adorable 14 inch beagle.  He's 3 years old and full of energy.  He doesn't walk he bounces.  His name should be Tigger.  He got along pretty well with Miss Molly but they were jealous of each other.  While we were there he started to play with tennis balls like Molly.  He hasn't touched one since we left.  Miss Molly wanted to chew on his rawhide bones.  I bought her one when we got home and she wants nothing to do with it.  Oh, silly puppys!

Joey

With his daddy

Nap time

He's not supposed to be on top of the sofa!

Getting love from me

Wondering why his mom & dad left and didn't take him along!

Molly & Joey sharing the sofa

And I can't resist one cute photo of Molly.  It doesn't look comfortable to me but she must have been cause she was snoring!