Fun-yuns at IHOP!

Me and the fam had us some brunch down at the IHOP yesterday and youngest son got this onion ring. We're thinking of selling it on Ebay....for now, it's safely in its take-home container in our fridge.

Think of it's many uses! You can carry this baby with you and just say NO to anything by holding the onion ring in front of it!

No alarm clock! No homework! No to emptying the dishwasher! No new taxes! No, I-won't-do-that-again-I-was-drunk-and-I-told-you-never-to-bring-that-up-again!

What? *ahem*

Wanna buy an onion ring?

Good luck, son

On Saturday morning, my husband and I were heading out to do some shopping. Our 13 year old son was still in bed. Mr. Twisty Ties said, "I'll let the dogs out one more time before we leave and you can leave a note for Sam." This is the note I left.

Merry Chritmas!

This is a really cute mug I got yesterday at Kohls. It was marked down 70%, so I only paid $1.79 for it. My favourite mug broke last week, so I was looking for new favourite mug. This one says "Blizzard Warning" on the inside rim and has some snowflakes etched there, too. Nom always has to check out what I'm drinking and she managed to appear out of nowhere (Ninja Cat!) as I was taking the shot. Yesterday we decided to get a jump on the whole "A-new-year-is-coming-let's-get-organized" thing and we bought some bins at Target and put our bedroom in order. I can actually put ALL of my shoes and boots in the closet now! Wow! Anyway...this sticker was on the inside of the bin and I added my own interpretation of what the warning picture meant, and taped it to the kitchen cabinet, in case anyone thought of storing something they shouldn't. I asked for this place setting as a gift. I saw it online and the bowl has my most favourite quote from "T'was the Night Before Christmas"..."the moon on the breast of the new fallen snow gave a luster of midday to objects below." This is just the perfect description of a full moon shining over a snow covered night. I plan to display the bowl in my curio cabinet year round. I probably use the rest of the place setting during the next "Chritmas" season.

Steampunk

I've become fascinated with Steampunk. It has elements that I've always been drawn to, but I never realized it was a "genre." Can I go shopping at Walmart wearing a bowler hat and a pair of goggles? Hmmm....sure, why not?

I'd also get some old watch gears and make some jewelry out of it and I'd have to have some goggles, but maybe I would just wear them on the hat and not on my face. I like these goggles from this Etsy seller, BoilerGoth:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18850053

I'm also going to make a raygun...an absolute necessity for every Steampunk outfit!

Icy Rain

The other night we had some icy rain fall here. Yeah, it made the roads bad and you had to scrape your car off and you were late to work, blahblahblah.

Life is short, people, take some time to look at the beauty around you. I took these pictures in my yard the next morning.

Rest In Peace

Ethel E. Van Pelt

November 29, 1925 - November 23, 2008

Love you Mom.

Safe and warm

Here's my kitteh, Nom, again. She's all cuddled up in a soft blanket on top of my bed. Safe and warm, a lucky kitteh. It's snowing right now and we're under the second lake effect snow warning of the week. We're supposed to get anywhere from 4 inches to like 2 feet of snow in the next 2 days. Well, it's Ohio, this is how it be. If you can't take the snow, move to Florida. A true Ohioan will bitch a lot, put the snow brush in the car and make fun of the local tv weatherman..."Oooh...four inches by morning? Let me know when it's four inches an hour, wimp!" But this post isn't about snow or being safe and warm...this post is about thinking you're safe and warm. Then you find out there really is 2 feet of snow outside and you can't escape it. My youngest son has had this friend since he was 7 or 8 years old. His friend's mom and I became friends because of their friendship. She always says "You and I are best friends in second grade." About 4 years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has had many different kinds of treatments for it, as the breast cancer cells migrated to her lungs and liver. It's been up and down...this test result was good, then this one was bad...putting your hope in the next treatment. Her latest test results show the tumour in her liver is now fist-sized and the tumours in her lungs are getting bigger. She's in constant pain now for the first time since this all began, as the tumour grows and pushes out from inside her. She said "When I don't take a pain pill, man, I really feel it." Her doctor gave her a year. A year? A year left of her life? Are you serious? I can't even fathom this statement. I start to imagine...her son, her husband, her sisters, her life...but my mind just keeps saying "A year? A year?" Less than 2 months ago, after a doctor's check-up, my almost-83 year old mother was diganosed with lung cancer. A fist sized tumour, pushing against her airway, completely closing off her right lung. Fist sized. Why always "fist-sized"? Because it makes you want to punch something? Why not "apple sized" or even "the size of a wireless mouse"? Why not even "3 inches in diameter"? I guess maybe the fist is sort of like a metaphor for cancer. My mother has had 4 chemo sessions, with another scheduled for tomorrow, but she is fading fast - not eating, not drinking, not sleeping, the other day it took her 2 hours to take a shower. She leaves herself notes that say "Wash dishes. Get dressed. Brush hair." My sister is going to move mom in with her now. To take care of her as she finishes her life. Mom will be happy to have the company of her family and maybe that will even make her feel better, give her a little longer. A little longer to see the snow, snuggle a kitten and feel the comfort of a warm blanket.