Mom gets a package!

Lookit! Mom got a package!
It had some really neat cat fabric in it. And this note: (you can click to biggify)
I see cats. I smell cats.
I think Mom should make me a Gizzy quilt out of this really cool fun cat fabric!

Thank you, Kimo & Sabi & Daddykitty & Mommakitty!

Formerly Feral Friday

When it is doing this outside:

This is the only thing to do:


It is the # 1 benefit of being -formerly- feral.

Thank goodness! Mom estimates we got 10" snow yesterday alone. She stayed home from work.

Did she take it easy like me? Heck no! She made 12 loaves of English Muffin Bread, a quadruple batch of Brownies, a double batch of Chocolate Chip cookies, Peanut Butter cookies, some giant Snickerdoodles and some Biscotti. She also did all the laundry and wrapped all the Christymas presents. Then she went out and dug the silver macheen out of all the snow. On Sunday (because she has to work on Saturday) she will bake MORE bread and three more batches of cookies. And she's actually looking forward to doing it.

OH, still no stocking yet for me! And I haven't seen a Christymas present under the tree with MY NAME on it. However, I have been exceptionally good, and haven't climbed the tree at all since she decorated it, so I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect both.

Thursday 13 - More Damn Snow

We are gonna have MORE SNOW! Mom is sick of it. This is like the third snowstorm in a week. Here are 13 reasons why she doesn't like the snow:

1. It's cold.
2. She has to clear it off the silver macheen.
3. She has to shovel the driveway.
4. It occupies space. The more of it there is, the higher the snowbanks get, and the harder it is to pile up.
5. It makes driving dangerous.
6. It can make stopping impossible.
7. The snowbanks make the street narrower, so it's harder to drive.
8. Lots of beans walk in the street instead of on the sidewalk because it's easier. This makes it even harder to drive safely down the street.
9. The height of the snowbanks make it hard to see little sticky people or even adult beans, and sometimes other cars.
10. The snowbanks make parking lots smaller.
11. The snow covers up the lines in the streets and in parking lots, so people drive where they think the road should be, and park any which way they want.
12. Some sticky people and even teenager beans think it is funny to throw snowballs at macheens driving by.
13. It's cold.

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At least the Christymas tree is no longer naked. It is very pretty, and I have set my decoy under the tree.


OK, looking at the Christymas tree, Mom feels "the spirit," so here are 13 reasons she LIKES the snow:

1. It's pretty.
2. It muffles the sound while it's falling, so it makes everything quiet.
3. It covers up the yukky stuff to make everything look clean.
4. It sparkles.
5. Sometimes, when the snow gets packed down by the wind, and the weather is really cold, the snow crunches when she walks on it.
6. Did we say it's pretty?
7. You can go sledding.
8. Mr Karate likes snowboarding.
9. Pip-pay and the Boy like to go skiing.
10. When the snow covers things, it makes pretty snow sculptures.
11. It's fun to watch the snow fall.
12. It really feels like Christmas when there is snow.
13. It's cold.

What can I say? Beans are weird.

Wordy Wednesday

We will start with a little good news: Mom's polyp was benign! Whee! But since a genetic relative (who has not been mentioned in this blog before) already has colon cancer, Mom must be tested again with another C-test in "1 - 2 years." Phew!

Next, for some medium good news: The Christymas Tree in this house isn't naked anymore. Mom has been covering it in wires and lights. Looks pretty. Next, she will add the nice shiny balls and the gazillion ornaments. I can't wait to climb the tree again!

Now, some REALLY GOOD NEWS: The Police caught two of the "perps" that broke into Roxy & Lucky's house, and recovered a lot of stuff. Go to Roxy's blog and read all about it. How did the Men in Blue catch the bad guys? They had stolen a little box from the boy that he kept quarters in. They couldn't open it, so they threw it out of their car window as they drove down the street. A neighbor reported the "suspicious car" and gave the Police the car's license number. The Police said the things they had stolen were recovered from four different locations. It just goes to show, you see something funny, CALL THE COPS! YAY POLICE!

Merry Christymas Everybody!

Tuxie Tuesday

Lookit! I got a present from Daisy Mae Maus and the Feline Americans! I thought the box smelled very interesting, but there was something inside!
It's a vase that looks like me! Isn't it cool? I love it. When it's on the table, Mom thinks it's me, sitting there. What a terrific decoy! I can use this to my advantage, for sure!

Thanks Daisy Mae!

Last year, Daisy Mae was our Secret Paw, and check out this picture of Lucky Charms in one of the boxes we sent!

You can click the pictures to biggify. And please stop over to the Devil Dogs and give them some comforting purrs. Their house was broken into, and some bad beans stole jewelry, their digital camera, and the boy's cello! They even stole some of the boy's Christmas presents!

Mr Karate Monday

We had lotsa snow on Sunday. Mr Karate stayed over Saturday and Sunday nights. He and Mom made cookies, as you all know. Later in the day yesterday, he began to leak from his nose. He said it was my fault. (Ha-rumph! I didn't do anything.) He stuck tissues up his nose to stop it. Mom said he looked silly and took this picture.

I felt sorry for him, and slept with him last night.


And look! They didn't even put the toys ornaments on the Christymas Tree! It's still naked!

The Hot-As-Hell-Box gets a Workout

Cookies, bread, ribs, more cookies.

The hot-as-hell-box is getting a workout today. Mr Karate is here, and he and Mom are watching the guys named Pat. They're supposed to decorate the Christymas tree. But it's still naked.

Mom posted the recipe for the best cookies she made today, over at her cooking blog.

work work work, and a special surprise

Mom has to go day hunting today. Again. It's Saturday, for goodness' sake! She got home last night, had dinner, fed me, then climbed into bed! She slept for almost three hours, then got up and went food hunting. She came back with about a gazillion bags and some big jugs. One of the jugs was filled with salt. The other night while shoveling, she fell. She's got ugly black bruises on her legs and one knee is sore. So she has a big jug of salt to put on the snow. I don't think it's big enough to get rid of all the snow.


But that's not what I really want to tell you. Mom and I have decided to have a special offer on the Gizzy quilts. Next week, from Sunday December 16 through next Saturday December 22, you can order a Gizzy quilt for 10% off. This will be great if you want to give a Gizzy Quilt for a Holiday present. Place an order next week, and Mom will send you a gift certificate to email to your friend.

Obviously there isn't enough time for Mom to -make- the Gizzy quilt in time to get it under the Christymas tree, but we think this is the next best thing. If you were thinking of getting yourself or another family member a Gizzy quilt, this is a great way to do it and save yourself a little money.

Payments will be through Paypal only, and you have to go to the DarlingMillie website to do it. But we'll fix the links and the buttons so they will work on Sunday.


OH YEAH! One other thing, well two other things. Chance put pictures of his Gizzy Quilt over at Bizzy for Gizzy, so you gotta go check that out, and the Furry Bambinos posted about their Gizzy Quits at their blog, and you really hafta go see theirs too.

Formerly Feral Friday - Too Much Snow

They said it was gonna snow yesterday. They said it would start after lunch and end after dinner, with the heaviest snow falling right around the time everybody leaves their day hunting gigs to come home.

Mom decided to leave her day hunting gig early and work at home, which she did. The snow started almost exactly at 1:00 PM and ended at 9:00. Mom says we got 8 inches of snow, which means it fell an inch an hour. Which is a lot.

Mr Karate called about 4:15 and said to Mom, "Good. You're home. Stay there." There were stories of folks taking up to 2 hours to get home, where usually it would take 30 minutes.

Mom is glad she missed driving in the snow.

But she still had to shovel it.

I am -so- fortunate to be formerly feral. I have a great home. Nice and warm. And nobody ever expects me to shovel!

Thursday Two

Mom sewed up this pretty green quilt top for a ginger kitty, who lives with the tuxie kitty whose quilt top you saw in yesterday's post.

Here are the two quilts together:
The kitties said Mom had to use the tomato fabrics. One kitty likes frogs and butterflies. The other kitty didn't want frogs, just butterflies. The quilts had to look like they were "related" but different. The quilts also had to be "outdoors-y"

Mom found some nifty fabrics with butterflies and frogs, but really didn't know how she was going to satisfy these two kitties. It was only when some other fabric fell next to the red tomatoes that, as she says, "dawn broke over Marble-head*" and she got an idea that pulled it all together.

(you can click the pictures to biggify)


*Marblehead is a coastal town in Massachusetts. Dawn really does break over it. But I don't think that's what Mom means when she says it.

Wordy Wednesday

Mom came home last night, made dinner, made suds in the sink, then sewed this Gizzy quilt together. This one is for a Tuxie cat like me!

Mom wanted to go to bed early last night, but Mr Karate called and asked to visit. Naturally Mom said, "Yes, come over!" Mr Karate made himself a parfait of ice cream, cookies and caramel sauce. Mom gave him some leftovers from her dinner he could have for lunch today and they talked geek. He will come over on Saturday and they will decorate the Christymas tree together. finally. That tree is weird naked.

So you know, it was pretty dull around here.

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Mom's got the chocolate biscotti recipe up over at her cooking blog, Cooks With Love.

.

Tummy Tuxie Tuesday

It's Tuesday and here's my Tuxie Tummy.

One of Mom's sewing secrets has been revealed, so I can tell you about it. She made a Christmas tree skirt for her sister, the Karate Lady, Roxy & Lucky's mom. You can see it here. Mom made one last year for Mr Karate, but Roxy & Lucky's is bigger.

My Secret Paw package is on its way, and there is another secret that is all finished. Mom has one more thing to do that I can't tell anybody about. Then she has to get back to making Gizzy quilts. There are at least two in the works, and since she has to get a crown, she's gotta get bizzy making more.

Yesterday she didn't sew at all. Instead she wrote her name about a squillion times, and put stickers on envelopes. She had a big list and worked her way down, crossing off names. Dunno what that was all about. When she was done she said, "Well that was a big job we just finished, Millie."

"We?"

I didn't do anything. I just watched.

She hung up this stocking with her name on it. There's one for Mr Karate, too. I told her she has to make one for ME!


And she has to hang toys ornaments on the Christymas tree, too.

She has a lot to do. Haha! It's To-Do Tuesday too!

Secret Paw Monday

My Secret Paw present is all ready, and the man in the bloo shorts will be picking up the box today to deliver it. Because it is a secret, and a surprise, I can't say anything more.

Except that I think it's really cool, and I hope my Secret Paw enjoys it.

And I have been very good about the Christymas tree. I like hiding under it, and I have been sniffing the branches, and playing with them a bit, but I haven't been climbing the tree. Of course, Mom hasn't put anything interesting on it yet, either.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

The Karate Kid came over last night for an "Auntie Night" with Mom. (The Karate Lady and Mr Big went to a Holiday party.) Mom made a roasted chicken, which the Karate Kid loved, and then they put up the Christymas tree!

The Karate Kid wanted to watch a movie, so they didn't decorate the tree, but of course, I had to investigate! Mom doesn't want me to climb the tree this year, especially after I kinda wrecked it last year. I'm not making any promises.

Mom's -got- to take it easier today. She did everything yesterday. She cleaned up the computer room, the living room, moved stuff around to make space for the Christymas tree, did all the laundry, went food hunting, changed the sheets on her bed (and I helped), she washed all the dishes, and she even folded all the laundry. She emptied the litter boxes, dragged the rug sucking monster around, cleaned off the big table in the table room, roasted a chicken, fed the Karate Kid, and even did the dishes after.

All she has to do today is root for the guys named Pat who are playing a tough team called the Squealers. Or something like that.

UPDATE~ The guys named Pat beat the squealers (or whatever they are) by 21 points. That was a fun game to watch! I love Tom and Mike, and Matt and Tedy and Randy and Dante and Wes and all the other guys named Pat. They are Perfect!

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P.S. Roxy may not be well. Her liver numbers are wacky and the v-e-t wants her to have an ultrasound on Monday. Her mom is worried about her, so say some purrayers for Roxy, and go on over and let her know you are thinking about her...

Slow Saturday

Mom's test went very well. They found something called a pollup and took it out, and now it is going to be tested. Let's keep all our toes & paws crossed it isn't anything. A genetic relative has colon cancer, so Mom's chances are 18% higher than average.

After the test she was a little unsteady on her feet. Mimmay brought her home and helped her get settled. Mom had oatmeal and hot chocolate, then got into bed and we had a nice 3 hour nap. I have been sleeping next to her, making sure she is OK.

She has to have only "soft foods" for the next three days. I wonder if she will get a hint and give me stinky goodness! I like some soft foods too!

She had thought she would get some housecleaning done this weekend. HAH! They told her not to do anything strenuous, or do any heavy lifting.

Funky Friday

Chance gave Mom and I this Golden Rose! Isn't it nice? Thanks Chance! Mom could really use this rose today.

We're both laying low today. See you later!

P.S. If anybody wants to buy a Chessboard, email me at DarlingMillie AT gmail DOT com.

UPDATE: Mom is back from the "C" test, and she is getting ready to take a nap. took a three hour nap. I was right next to her the whole time!

She's gonna make herself dinner. They said she had to eat "soft food" for the next three days. She says she's just happy to -eat-.

Thursday Thirteen plus One

Now for something a little different. Five years ago, Mr Karate came home from college and asked Mom if she could make him a chessboard, because he was learning how to play Chess. She said, "Sure!"

Since Mom goes off the deep end (sorry Mom), she did some research and found out that the size of the squares on the chessboard was supposed to be related to the size of the Chess pieces. Turns out that 2-1/4" was the "regulation" size. So these chessboards are made that way.

She made him a chessboard, didn't like it, and made another. And another. And another. Then she got really hooked. All together she made about 40.

Here are 13 of Mom's favorites. You can click the pictures to biggify.

1.

2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. (you know how Mom loves Black and White)
13.

So what does Mom do with all the leftover pieces? She makes a quilt, of course:

Two Breaks, a Crown, a Tree and a Test

Some interesting developments have been happening around here lately:

Break Number One:
Mom is gonna take a break from sewing. She says the house has reached what she calls "Critical Mess," and -must- be cleaned. This involves lots of rug-sucking and something called "dusting." She also says she is going to catch some sleep. She isn't trying hard enough, as far as I am concerned. Everycat knows you need about 20 hours of sleep a day, and she spends at least 8 day hunting...

Break Number Two:
Mom broke a tooth. She isn't happy about that at all. She went to see the Dentist today, (a special bean v-e-t for bean teeth) and he says she needs....

A Crown
This makes her very unhappy because apparently a Crown costs about 30 Gizzy Quilts. Eek!

A Tree
Mom says the Christymas Tree can't go up unless the house is clean. She wants to put it up soon. She forgets that our Christymas tree lives in a box in the dungeon and she needs Mr Karate to bring it upstairs first.

A Test
Mom says she is gonna have a very icky test that people over 50 should have. It starts with a "C" and that's as much as I'm sayin'. She told me more, but -trust me- you do NOT want to know. It's happening to her on Friday and she says ain't much gonna happen Thursday and Friday until that is over and done with.

Have I mentioned lately how glad I am to be a cat?

Christymas Decorating

This is Mom's most very favorite Christymas decoration. It is a music box of Santa with some toys.

Mom hates "cutesy" things. Over 10 years ago, she was with a friend at the Mall, and the friend wanted to look at this store that sold only music boxes. Mom thought the store had only sticky-sweet stuff and wasn't interested, but she followed her friend into the store. Way at the back, on a high shelf, Mom saw this guy. He was terribly expensive. Mom couldn't stop looking. The two friends left the store.

Mom went back to the store three times to look at this guy.

Finally she bought him. She didn't tell anybody she had spent a small fortune on a Santa music box, but when she brought him home and showed Mr Karate and Mim-may, they both thought he was spectacular.

Mr Karate wants him.

Mim-may wants him.



He's mine!

Chance's Quilt

Chance has a very pretty quilt, but you can't see the colors well on his blog. So I am taking the liberty of showing the picture Mom took of it before she sent it flying to his mom.

Snow

We are supposed to have snow. Lots of it. We are on the line between 4-8" and 6-12".

I do not care, because I will be warm inside, watching it fall, but Mom has to go day hunting, so she isn't very pleased.

Have I told you lately how glad I am I'm a cat?

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Mom found a use for my heated cat cup.

She tried that no-knead bread recipe that's going around the internet. The one where you make the "sponge" and then let it sit for 8 to 18 hours, then knead it very lightly and shape it, like this:

and then put it in a dutch oven pan and bake in a very hot hot-as-hell-box.

Well, here is where she let the dough rise:

Christymas Season Begins

Mom will start decorating for Christymas this weekend. This is the first thing she put up. You all know she makes Gizzy Quilts. Well, a few years ago, she made some quilted chessboards. This is one she made with Christymas fabrics. Anyways, she hangs a different chessboard up on this wall every month. Later today she will put up more Christymas decorations around the house.

She has almost all of her Christymas shopping finished. She just has to get something for Pip-pay. And she is working in the sewing room on things I have to keep secret. I can say the secret things are for...

(no, you can't say that either Millie.)

Mom told me about secrets and surprises. I like to surprise my friends, so if I want it to be a surprise, I have to keep it a secret. Oh! I get it now. I will try harder to keep secrets so they can be good surprises! I kept the nice surprise about the Gizzy quilts for Jan's Funny Farm, so I know I can keep the secrets Mom wants me to keep. Good thing I can share them with Mom!

Okay. Well, look what I found on Google's blog: It's the story of how NORAD came to track Santa Claus and how Google will be helping this year. It looks like lots of fun, and I will be checking every day.

Mom finished my Holiday Gizzy. See how I was helping?

And here it is all finished.

Mom says she is gonna make some Christymas cookies today too, and will have them on her cooking blog tomorrow.

And I know who my Secret Paw is, and am putting together a nifty present that will go out soon! That's one secret I won't let out of the bag...