It is ten minutes past eight on this, the last night of 2013. I am sitting in the corner of my bedroom and typing this last blog post of the year. Out of the corner of my eye I see Hagrid flopped on my bed in the shadows of the bedside lamp. I hear a season 6 episode of The Big Bang Theory. The soft breeze from the Onix Air Circulator is a welcome relief from the humid day. Shelly meows!
This year is swiftly ticking towards the next and as always, I begin to reflect. What a year it has been. What a month. What a week. What a day!
Regardless of our intentions, much can change in a year. The best any of us can do is go with it. I was asked today, if I have listed any New Year's Resolutions. In the past 20 years I have learned from experience that resolving on New Year's Eve is a sure fire way to fail. Tomorrow morning, the breakfast shows will feature experts speaking about the various types of resolutions and how to keep them going. The latest and greatest fitness fad, diet, medical breakthrough and educational theory will be flashed across our screens over and over again.
Therefore, I am not going to 'resolve' to do anything. I will not write a meaningless list of wishes for the year ahead. I will not berate myself in February for all the failures of January. I will not disappoint myself in 2014. I will not allow the festivities to befuddle me.
Tonight I will go to bed at the regular time. Tomorrow I will go to my sister's house. The first Annual Family Art Day will make a marvelous mess in the backyard. The kids will have a blast! I will have a blast! This time tomorrow there will be glitter in my hair and paint on my face. I will soak in a hot bath and fall into bed with that happy exhausted feeling that only comes from having fun. I will be ready to sleep.
I hope you party tonight. Whether that means streamers and balloons, or tidying up a room, finishing a puzzle, watching fireworks, dancing in the streets or getting to bed for an early sleep. May your evening allow you to send out the year with a smile and welcome the new beginning with another one.
Good Night, Dear Readers.
Good Night, 2013.
Good Night.
Mum pulled down the Christmas tree yesterday. In our house, this is the signal from Mum that Christmas is done. She is sick of eating left over ham and ready to run head long into the new year. Mum doesn't do anything without running into it and the first of January is no different. Now that the joyous season of Christmas is over, it is time to tell you all about the fun we've had. It is also a perfect opportunity to step back into the writing world. I've felt a little lost lately and couldn't quite work out how to get back into the ink well.
Shelly cleaned up this year! It was her first Christmas with us, after all. Watching her play with all her new toys was great fun. It was much like having a child opening gifts on Christmas morning and then yo-yo-ing between them all day. Of course we had to leave my poor kitty at home for our trip to the Sister's house. But Shelly forgave us when we came home and the playtime continued. I suppose you want to see some photos. We will start with a few 'pre-Christmas' pics that prove how helpful Shelly is at this time of year.
On Christmas Eve, I decided to get the festivities rolling by giving Shelly two of her bigger gifts (from me, of course). I brought a box, with the gifts inside, into the lounge room and called Shelly. She came trotting over nonchalantly and sniffed. I whispered, "ooh, what's in the box, Shelly? what's in here?" Her brown eyes fixed on mine and then flicked back to the box. Curiosity had finally got the better of her - she tiptoed closer to the box and lifted a paw to the lid. I sat on the floor beside her and lifted the flaps to reveal what was inside. A fold-able tunnel and a ball track with spring mouse. You can see below. "Wow," I exclaimed as I lifted out each item and untied the tunnel allowing it to unfold. Her wide eyes stared and her head cocked to the side before she took another cautious look at her gifts, now laid out on the floor ready for her to play. She looked from me to the toys and then her eyes darted to the box her gifts came in. She stepped slowly towards the three items then jumped up and landed gracefully in the box! The adults on the couch, laughed and so did I, in spite of myself. Shelly eventually discovered how much fun it was to hide in the tunnel and run through it. She dived inside it and jumped from box to tunnel. The mouse on her track bopped her in the nose and it was on.
In the morning, Shelly was showered with even more gifts: tiny tennis balls from "Santa" were left in her personalised Christmas Stocking. Nanny gave Shelly a soft bumble bee toy filled with catnip. She threw in a bag of Shelly's favourite dental treats, for good measure. My mum and dad gave Shelly a Cat Tricks and Treats gift box which contained two jingle balls and a string mouse laced with catnip. There was also a recipe book of human friendly cat foods. Well, at least the dishes are easily home-made using regular grocery items. Shelly loves the mouse and I love the recipes. There are a few that I'm looking forward to trying out. You will hear about that when I get to it.
The grown ups exchanged gifts (Nanny gave us cash!) before packing up and heading to my Sister's house. Sis and her Hubby have seven kids and there's another one on the way. They installed a new kitchen, complete with double oven and preparation/ serving island, a few months ago. It made sense for them to host Christmas. My cousins came too with their three boys and some family friends as well. The food was great the kids were delightful and my favourite part was the nap. That's that then, I suppose. I hope you had a glorious Christmas with your family and/or friends, I did. Love
Yesterday we looked at a video of Penny and Sheldon exchanging gifts at Christmas time. For your viewing pleasure, check out this little snippet from season 5 of The Big Bang Theory when Amy gives Penny a 'small' token of appreciation. Oh, WOW!
You should be wrapping your gifts by now! Want some inspiration? Check out these links for some great tips and ideas for gift wrapping. :D
I'm all about accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative. Today we are focusing on eliminating the negative and making sure there are no fake smiles being flashed around on Christmas morning. Some people are excellent at gift giving while others just can't seem to get it right. There are plenty of blogs that will tell you what you should get for your loved-ones this year but very few of them will be as helpful as me! What are the 5 absolute no-no's for gift giving this year... or any year.
#1 Random Bath Item Gifts
You know that episode of the Big Bang Theory when Sheldon hugs Penny for the first time?
The bath item gift baskets meant nothing compared to that hug. I still have body lotions and shower gels and bubble bath from my teen years -that is more than ten years ago!! I do not see myself using them either. There was a time when I used to like the idea of bubble bath and other beauty products. I still say that a cute sample size bubble bath or facial cream is a nice idea for young girls (especially when they think they're too cool for a teddy bear) who are happy to experiment. By the time a girl has made it to her twenties she should have developed a beauty routine and will probably have a preferred brand. If you want to give a lady some sort of pamper product do a bit of research and find out what they use and like. If you think that's too personal or too expensive a modest amount spent on an appropriate gift card or certificate is a far better option.
#2 Same Old Same Old
I have developed a little tradition with many of my friends and family that I give everyone a calendar for Christmas. When I was on a strict budget, calendars were an easy, inexpensive and practical gift for anyone and everyone on my list. Since becoming a little richer and a little more creative, I now only give calendars to a select few. However, I have one friend who insists that I give her a calendar every year. She relies on it!! If the tradition has been set, that's great. I know a few people who give a different Christmas decoration each year. That's a nice idea. I think I might not be making my point very well on this one. Let's try again.
Tradition is great, but don't assume that everyone enjoys your stress-free gift giving system. Some people prefer to buy their own calendars. One year, I bought a diary for my sister - I'm never doing that again!! It was the wrong size, the wrong layout, and even the wrong colour. Sis, is quite particular, and so am I. Remember that the polite and fake smile will come out if you have given a dud gift, so don't assume that the lack of complaint means that everyone loves your gift. Mix it up this year and see who notices.
One other thing about the 'same old' concept: Buying the same for everyone might make life easier for you but it doesn't say much for the relationships. Imagine if you spent hours shopping for the perfect gift for a friend and then receive a token box of chocolates the same as everyone else. Don't get me started on the obligation gifts either. At the very least personalise the gifts by giving something extra that is individual. Everyone gets a calendar - great! But consider the images and match them to your friends. Add a book or a gift voucher to your friend's favourite store.
#3 Food
Unless it is on their wishlist - click here to read more about wishlists - don't give food. You don't know how long it will be sitting under a tree and/or you might not know what dietary requirements your mates have. This is especially true for the relatives you haven't seen in a while or the friends that aren't snapping pics of everything they put in their mouth and posting it on facebook! It also smacks of lazy same old gift giving. Think before you buy. If you are giving food, ensure ingredients are clearly labelled and check for allergies and favourite varieties. Example: the BFF and I share a love for twirly chocolate wafer sticks and we always gave each other a tin of these for Christmas. If the foodie gift prompts a memory or comes with a recipe book that makes it special, then by all means go for it. But, if you are giving everyone a tin of short bread biscuits, most of them will end up in the bin.
#4 Wishlist Wanna-be's
This one is really important. In fact it probably should be first. If your circle of friends (and or family) have chosen to go the 'wishlist' path, then do it properly. There are several apps, websites and even store based services that will help you set up a wishlist (much like a wedding registry). If you choose to purchase something from the wishlist make sure you know all the necessary details about the item. Gift details include colours, make and model, approximate prices, sizes, fabrics or materials used to make it, locations and stores that stock them. Don't go and find a cheap alternative or settle for second best. If it isn't just right, don't get it. Wouldn't you rather give the perfect gift, than spend money on something second rate. Either purchase something else on the list or find a gift voucher for one of the stockists so your friend can decide what is perfect.
#5 Just because you love it
We all have our little quirks and gadgets, bits and pieces, great discoveries that we love. There will probably be at least one friend who shares your interests or will appreciate having the same thing as you and will love it just as much. But, the latest techie-trend, fad diet or late night TV giveaway might not be everyone's cup of tea. Just because you love it doesn't mean that they will. Christmas is not the time for a crusade. If you want to share your new love with people then perhaps bring it along or tell them about it when there is a lull in the conversation. Don't waste your money and their closet space by giving everyone a sample that they won't use.
There are only a few more shopping days to go, so make a list, check it twice and get back out there. Now you know what NOT to buy, it will be a snap. Maybe.
Lot's has happened in the last few weeks. Even Hagrid and Shelly have been swamped! Here's the low down. Students finished their assessment. The team let me down and I lost my cool at school. I had a birthday which involved 30 bells, cool presents and a picnic with teddy bears. There was cake, cake and more cake. Report cards somehow got finished. There was chocolate, lots of chocolate. Shelly had to go to the vet, TWICE! "Mummy" needed ice cream. The holidays are here and I'm slowly morphing back into a person after my little experiment with robotics (that is, my incredibly dodgy attempt to work non-stop for two weeks). I think I like being human better. :) TTT
M’s having a nap; Shelly
and I are having a partay!!
While M’s away the kitty
will play. We have been having a blast
browsing on the internet… and catching up with all of Shelly’s kitty
friends. As you can see…
M said I could blog as
long as I showed everyone a Shelly favourite.
The toy I’m going to show you today is actually one of my favourites too. I don’t play with it, I just watch M and
Shelly play with it and find the whole performance rather entertaining. It intrigues me to watch Shelly playing with what
must be one of her most loved toys and having such a marvellous time. She is mesmerised by this handmade toy (M
made it) and, to be honest, she goes a little nutty for it. Have you even seen a cat hide behind
furniture, dive under coffee tables, dance around in circles, run through
people’s legs then freeze like a statue before pouncing on… a PIECE OF STRING?!
I have, and I will tell
you it is hilarious.
Actually, the first time
it is hilarious, but after that it is kind of peculiar. It is especially perplexing when one realises
that Shelly must know that it is simply a piece of string. Shelly is rather bright so she must have
figured out that M is just dangling it in front of her, flicking it around,
hanging it from door handles, or just holding it and twitching every now and
then. Sometimes she drags it behind her
as she races through the house with Shelly in hot pursuit. Sometimes, she’s just carrying it from one room to another when
Shelly begins stalking her and attacks the string when M has finally dropped it
in the toy box. I love Shelly very
much. I wouldn’t let just anyone walk all over me like she does
(literally), but she can be a tad eccentric at times. I just don’t get it! I realise M made it for her and they love
each other and stuff. I get that Shelly
is still really a kitten. But, it’s a
piece of string. Is she serious?
Oh, yeah, I almost
forgot. M said I had to tell you that
she used two types of wool. One was a
multi-coloured knitting wool and the other was a plain tanned wool. She just tied a bunch of strands together and
plaited them before tying it up with another piece of string. She plaited the coloured one first then the
tanned one. It was as ‘simple’ as tying
the two plaited pieces together and that was that.
M calls it “the tail” because she thinks that
when it is lying on the floor and gets pulled around a corner the tanned plait
end looks like a lion’s tail twitching as the lion sleeps. I think I’m starting to see why Shelly and M
get on so well.
We interrupt the series on Shelly's Favourite Things to bring you this important message: ASHTON KUCHER has said something intelligent and inspiring to today's teenagers and we need to spread the word. I was surprised too! It isn't just the teens who need to see this. Sometimes we all need a reminder of these ideas: Opportunity Looks Like Hard Work There is NO job you are better than. There is NO job beneath you... except not having one. "SEXY" is not about looking good. "SEXY" is about being Smart, Thoughtful and Generous. Don't just LIVE a LIFE... BUILD a LIFE! Free Technology for Teachers: Another Ashton Kutcher Video That Students Should ...: Back in August Ashton Kutcher delivered an important message to teens at the Teen Choice Awards. His message.... Click the link above and check out the two videos. If you have the opportunity and the influence to tell the truth... then you should tell it. I had to share this, because it is a rare treat for someone famous to put aside the image and tell our young people that the world is not what it seems. This is a wake up call. This is an honest statement. No one gets rich or famous or happy from sitting at home with their feet up (I know, because I'm at home with my feet up)!
I hope this makes you smile. I hope it reminds you to forget about the mirror and pick up a book. I hope your creativity is energised and you are able to build something special. I hope you see the opportunity in the work and the substance behind the hype and the potential in your future.
I
just wanted to let you all know that my cousins are back in town. One
or two Aunts and Uncles tagged along as well. This
makes life a little more hectic than usual. In between
consoling cuddles for M (it's term 4 and she's a bit of a mess), playing with
Shelly and keeping the kids in line, catching up with the Rellies (distant
relatives, in case you were wondering) is a challenge.
We
managed to squeeze in a quick "Hello" visit this morning and M
stopped crying long enough to take a lovely photo of the rascals who had all
just jumped into a box. They were still fighting over who got to
be on top when M said she wasn't waiting any longer and snapped this pic.
One
thing I have learned since living with M...
It
doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, a day with the relatives will
always be noisy!
Since Shelly came to live with us and I have found so many great kitty toy crafts on the internet, I have been making some interesting stuff. Mum sometimes walks through the lounge room and simply says, "there are a lot of boxes." This really means, "M, you have been collecting boxes for a while now and you need to do something with them or throw them away." For some reason Mum doesn't understand that Shelly will get bored with the same old boxes all the time and we need to make different ones. We don't want her to have lots of toys all the time, but we want to change them around every few weeks so she has some variety.
I love this picture. Doesn't she look beautiful gazing up at the camera like that? She is actually looking at me and probably wondering what on earth I'm doing.
This toy was made from cylindrical tissue boxes and masking tape. Shelly likes to play with the plastic lids as well, but this toy has a special component. I hide smaller toys, straws and treats inside some of the tubes and leave the toy on her scratching post or on the shelf in my bedroom bookcase. Sometimes, I hide it under her chair. She sniffs out the treats and then it is a bit of a trick to get the treats out. This makes life more interesting compared to just being given the treats. We have a few toys that I hide treats in for her to find. I think this one is her favourite because it is easy enough for her to find them and get them out by herself. She figured it out all on her own. The other toys conceal the treats and it is not always easy to work out how to get them out. She also likes this one because I only get it out every now and then and when it is out it always has treats so that's great fun.
Found One
I usually put this one out before I go to bed so Shelly stumbles upon it during the night when she is stalking around the house. She gets a bit of a reward and has something to "hunt" while all her play mates are sleeping. You can also see in the second picture, one of the hanging toys that we have about the place. I used to have it attached to a pedestal fan so that when the fan was oscilating the paper balls would swing gently. But, Shelly almost knocked the fan over a few times and I decided it wasn't such a good idea after all. I didn't originally design it this way, but I can slip a treat into those cardboard balls for Shelly to find later. She tends to sniff out the treat and then move the ball around and around until the treat comes out. By then she has also discovered the fun of batting it back and forth and she makes the bell ring and the fun continues.
Shelly loves to play and I love watching her discover new toys and work out little puzzles I have constructed for her. If you don't have a pet to play with.. you really should get one. They are very therapeutic.
Dear Friends, I'm not sure that you have caught up with this news, but just in case I will tell you now. I bought a new mattress a few weeks ago and it was delivered soon after. This mattress is on an old bed that my Pa put together and it is very sturdy. It is also quite hard! Anyway, the bed is shorter than my old one so Shelly was a little unimpressed for the first few days. My new mattress however, is very comfortable. It has three zones and special inner springs and a pillow top. I am sleeping very well these days. When the beds were being swapped and I ordered my new mattress, I figured it was time for some new bed linen so I purchased a new quilt cover and two new 'body pillow' covers. My bed is now very cosy.
Apparently, Shelly's new favourite place to nap is on my new bed with my new quilt cover, surrounded by pillows. While she sometimes enjoys my company when napping (early in the morning she jumps onto the bed and curls up in a fluffy ball right beside me), she prefers to have the bed to herself. Ensuring that she has the bed to herself is quite simple... she walks up and down and up and down the length of the bed. Then, she walks around in circles until she finds the perfect spot that is not exactly the centre point but is somewhere close to it. This means that it is very difficult to fall into bed without falling on her! She's a bit sneaky my furry little friend. Apparently, when I went shopping for the new mattress and quilt cover I did a good job. I arranged the pillows accurately as well. They haven't stayed like that, but who ever thought they would. There you go... Now you know, that if you buy a new bed you better be prepared to share it with your cat. Love
It is term 4 and things are really quite overwhelming at work - to that point that I just want to crawl under a rock and hide until the New Year - and I am very close to shutting down AGT simply because I feel too guilty about my lack of posting activity and this is a really long sentence. I am just a little freaked out right now. So, please, bear with me.
Since becoming the adopted parent of a kitty called Shelly, I have learned a great deal about cats, the circle of life, love, early morning feeds, broken sleep and the temptation to spoil your kid with toys. I have also had a lot of questions about looking after my kitty and what to do when something goes wrong. As with all my questions I have two places that I tend to go when I need answers.
1. The BFF and when she can't answer it she tells me to go to...
2. Google!
Sometimes I think she tells me to "Google it" because that takes less effort than answering the question itself. But I digress.
One of the great things about the internet is that I often find people/ cat parents that seem to be very much like me and I believe that they know what they are saying. I have also learned for myself that some memes on Pinterest are true-er than true.
Exhibit A
Hanging with my Kitty makes me happy and far less stressed. So, for the next few weeks we are going to check out some of Shelly's favourite things. Hagrid is going to help too because when I'm busy doing school Stuff - like marking assignments- Hagrid can tell you all about his latest antics with Shelly. They don't tell me, but I have a feeling they get up to quite a bit of mischief when I'm at work!
Anyway... that's the plan. In case you are wondering. The first thing on the list of Shelly's favourite things is my Pinterest board which the BFF created just for Shelly. There's not much on it, but it is always growing. Check it out.
I could go on and on about it and analyse the words and the analogy and tell you how very true it is. I could do that, but I won't. Just read it and think about it yourself and then move on. :)
My mum sometimes refers to my dad as "Somebody". For example, "Somebody forgot to shut the door last night and the cat got out."
Another example might be, "Well, Somebody went to the doctor last week to see about his sore foot. Now Somebody is wearing a splint on his foot." I am not really sure why she does this but she does. If you've read The Boy in the Striped Pajamasyou would know that in the book Bruno's mother often refers to Bruno's father as "Some People". Marian Keyes refers to her husband as "Himself" when writing about her real life (as well as several novels and short stories she has written several articles and recounts). I find it interesting that some women refer to their husbands by anything other than their name. There is no real reason for telling you all this, but I found it interesting. I suppose it is also noteworthy that my mother is not entirely unique when it comes to this specific characteristic and therefore this is not one of the reasons that she is nuts. Unless, the other people I mentioned are crazy as well and their tendency to refer to people using such an odd word is an indication of their mental instability. Although, I don't think that my mother is crazy. Well, not like, clinically crazy or anything. She's just a bit quirky... but aren't we all.
My noticing of Mother's habit of calling Dad "Somebody" reminded me of a story that was on the fridge when I was a child. Dad had stuck it there and one day (when I was refusing to do something), he took it down from the fridge and put it on the table in front of me. He said, "read that," and left the room.
This is one of the things that I love about the internet. I ran a search on Google and found the 'story' that used to be stuck on our fridge. I copied it (click here to see the source) and pasted it below so you could see why I thought of it. That was a very round about way of telling you that I remembered this story and found it on the internet (happy dance) and you should read it too. Here it is...
This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
Okay, now go back and read it again. Done that yet?
I could tell you what that means... but I think that if you are reading my blog, you are probably a very intelligent person and you can work it out for yourself. No, really... you can! :)
