A not so random blip

Okay, so remember not too long ago when I got bronchitis and then had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic? Well, this past week I got strep throat. And had an allergic reaction to the new antibiotic! Only this time it's ten times worse, and I'm miserably itchy. I stopped the medicine yesterday morning, but the rash has gotten worse today and just about become one huge red mark, so I'm thinking it might be something other than the antibiotic. I've been keeping plenty of Benadryl in me, but so far it's only good for making me sleepy, which is fine, because I don't notice the itchiness when I'm sleeping.

So I'm not taking any antibiotic now, and I still have strep. My fever is still down, so that's good, but my throat still hurts. I wish there were some way I could flush whatever stuff is in me out...maybe I need a sauna to sweat it out. Or even leaches. Hm....

On the brighter side of things, our A/C went out. Yeah, okay, that's not so bright. BUT the landlord is finally biting the bullet and getting a new air conditioner! Hooray! The A/C goes out every summer, so I'll be glad to have some more reliability--and hopefully more efficiency, too!

Happy Fourth!

Today we've enjoyed an excellent 4th of July at my parents' house. Barbecued chicken for lunch, grill bratwurst for dinner...Caleb swam in a pool just his size on Grandma's back porch...now we're watching our third fireworks show of the evening on TV. They're pulling out old favorites to perform--Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond. Sadly, Barry Manilow is the only one of the three who can still sing! That was a bit of a shocker. Other than that small disappointment it's been a great day!

Oh, except for the wasp who attacked me. I got my first wasp sting ever. And then two more, just to make up for lost time I suppose. Jon tells me that if I weren't jumping up and down and screaming like a banshee then maybe the wasp wouldn't have kept stinging, but I'm not sure about that! We tried a few home remedies: ice first, then an onion slice, then back to the ice, then some pennies taped on the stings. Add some Benadryl spray, Neosporin and an antihistamine and voila! I'm in pretty good shape. :) Don't ask me what helped the most!

Hope everyone had a great 4th as well! We don't realize how blessed we are to live in this free country!

Woohoo!

We made it! Two weeks of finalizing everything at work and pushing off unnecessary tasks at home to get it all done. Throw in volunteering at VBS and Jon working on his two new classes he's started toward his second masters, and it's been a crazy time! But we made it.

I've gotten to do two things lately that I haven't done in a long time. I joined a Tuesday morning ladies Bible study at church, and we attended Wednesday evening prayer meeting tonight.

I've also attempted a couple naps, though Caleb hasn't cooperated very well with that. And I visited with a new friend today, ran errands, and tomorrow Leanna's coming over!

I'm so grateful that God has provided for us and allowed me to stay home. I know it won't be the panacea to every stress in our lives, but it is still a relief.

And look! I'm even putting up a blog post! Hopefully more to come!

The time has come

When I was a freshman in college, I sat across from the career counselor in her office, hoping she could somehow see the promise I held and guide me down the professional career path of my dreams. She asked me where I saw myself in 10 years. I stuttered and stalled for time.

Ten years? Didn't she know how much could happen in ten years? How would I know where I would be? I tried to think of what was really important in life. Where did I see myself...?

"A mom. I see myself as a mom."

I'm sure the career counselor wanted to sigh and ask me why the heck I was in her office...or in college, for that matter. She instead let me know that I was suited for a career in audiology and sent me on my way.

Almost 10 years later, I have enjoyed a 5-year career (if you can call it that after only 5 years) as a graphic designer and am now leaving it to be the thing I desired so long ago. A mom.

I've had the blessing and privilege of working at home with Caleb these past 6 months, but the time has come for me to focus on being the best mom I can be, and to enjoy these moments of babyhood that I know will be so fleeting.

Moving from full-time employee to full-time mom is going to be quite a shift, and I'm sure I have learning and frustrations ahead, but I'm so excited! I can't believe I'm going to be able to fulfill what I saw so many years ago.

A Random Blip in Life

There are things that happen in life that are just blips. They flash across the screen and then they're gone. Yesterday one of those blips occurred to me. About 10am my head started itching. Within a couple of hours I had a rash all over my stomach, legs, everywhere, and I was itching like crazy. Went to the dr. at 2pm and he determined that I had developed an allergy to the antibiotic I was taking for my bronchitis. I stopped taking the medicine (my bronchitis was gone, anyway), took Benadryl the rest of the day, and I woke up this morning with no more itching and just faint signs of the rash. And *blip!* Like that it's done.

Long Hair

Look, I got my hair in a ponytail!

It's been one of those weeks

It all started two Saturdays ago. In the church parking lot, leaving the weekend marriage conference, we found out that the driver side door handle was broken on our car, so we couldn't get in from the outside. Our already interesting car arrangement got more interesting. Here's what it looked like:

Go to driver's side to unlock the door (which automatically unlocks all the other doors). Open back seat door to put Caleb in. Close door and open front passenger side, lean across and open driver's door. Close passenger door and go to driver's side. Close door and drive. At destination, lean back and pop open Caleb's door, open driver's door and lock it (thereby locking all the other doors). Close driver's door and go to Caleb's open door. Get him out and close door.

Sheesh.

Saturday night, Caleb starts coughing.

Sunday morning, I keep Caleb home from worship, but take him into Sunday School with me so I can hear Jon teach. Caleb coughs a little, but is a trooper and plays quietly on my lap. By the afternoon, I also start coughing. Jon does some research and orders a new handle for the car.

Tuesday and Wednesday, Jon is home all day, off work because he has to work the next weekend. He stays home with Caleb while I go into the office on Wednesday. The door handle comes in.

Thursday: Jon starts a few days of working nights. He spends the morning working on the car. By the afternoon, it's all put back together, and now we can get in the car from the outside! Bad news: we can't get out from the inside. Jon calls the mechanic who will take it in the next morning. He goes to work. I stay home and try to be productive.

Friday: Drop car off. Jon works nights (til 3 the next morning). Worst day of sickness for me. I have to cancel my lovely weekend plans with Joe and Leanna. What were those plans? Oh, we had so many....

First, we were going to go camping that weekend, Friday and Saturday night. But Jon couldn't get off Friday. So....maybe Joe and Lea could go on Friday, and we'd join them on Saturday. Then Jon got assigned to work nights all weekend. Well, maybe we could do something fun on Saturday during the day. Considering the little sleep Jon would be getting, we decided that just Caleb and I would join Joe and Leanna at the Dallas Farmers Market! What fun! But alas, sick with no car, I had to cancel.

Saturday: I wake Jon up to watch Caleb for a couple hours while I spend my gift cards at Old Navy. I had 30% off my entire purchase! The highlight of my week! I get home in time for lunch and for Jon to grab groceries and head to work (home again at 3 in the morning). The third night of taking care of Caleb by myself. I spend the evening making cake and salad for our Sunday School potluck.

Sunday: Still too sick to go to church, I send the yummy food off with Jon. He goes to church, comes home for lunch, then heads to work. Caleb is his sweet self and gives me a good evening. We visit with Holly and Sophie.

Monday: Jon does a quick turnaround to work the day shift. We call mechanic to check on progress. The car should be ready after lunch. We look forward to our plans to eat dinner with Joe and Lea the next night. We get another call in the afternoon: they ordered the wrong part and have to reorder. We ask that they put the car back together so we can use it Tues and Wed, and we'll bring it back on Thursday. They say they can't do that, but they'll get us a loaner car by Tuesday afternoon. I worry that they use the term "loaner" instead of "rental." Jon is home by 4:30. Dinner and a little playtime with Caleb, then he's asleep by 7pm. I visit with Holly at her house, then back home to get Caleb bathed and to bed. Both boys asleep, I take advantage of the truck being home to go to the grocery store.

Tuesday (today): Caleb and I are both still coughing. I finally admit that my cold has turned into a full-blown sinus infection. It takes three tries to find a doctor who is taking new patients and can see me today. Appt. at 3:00. Wait, still no car! Jon calls the mechanic about the loaner car. They'll loan out a Buick Park Avenue to me. "The check engine light is on, but it's fine." Nice. I arrange with a friend to pick me up and take me to the mechanic. We have to coordinate our baby's naps, but we finally do and make it to the mechanic. I joke that the old Gold Buick in the parking lot is probably mine. And it is. On my way back to the house, I appreciate the power seats, the temp-controlled air conditioner, the cushy leather seats....it may be old, but oh so nice. I miss my Buick. I also appreciate that someone left me a powdered donut stuffed into the seat. What thoughtfulness. I get home and realize I've left Caleb in a poopy diaper for who knows how long, and he's been a happy little boy, quietly adjusting to each change with a smile and his parrot stuck in his mouth. Though when I change his diaper, it's not poopy. It's not even wet. I think back on the day and try to remember when I changed his diaper and honestly have no idea. I make lunch, try to get a little work done, and call the pediatrician. The nurse says I don't need to come in, that a cough is fine. Just keep the humidifier on, which I'm doing. If he's not better in a couple of days, come in.

And the good news? We DO get to go see Joe and Leanna, and they're grilling yummy things, and we're making homemade ice cream, and we all get to visit and laugh and forget about the crazy last week! And I'll have antibiotics and a cushy Buick to drive to work in tomorrow.

Today as I sat down to my lunch of leftover Sloppy Joes, I thanked God for leftovers, for a husband who works hard, for a baby who is so easy going, for a mechanic who will loan me a car at no extra cost, for insurance to cover my dr. appointment, and for all the good and seemingly not-so-good things that go on in life. Because all these little things that have added up to a not-so-great week are really minor. And I am blessed that this week only seems so bad because I have it so good the rest of the time!

Selfie Tag

I took this picture as soon as I read KarenN's post. It just took me a week to get it on the blog! Though it was a Saturday--which normally means no makeup, let my hair do what it wants, and grubby clothes--I was in luck that we had been to our church's marriage conference that day, so I actually looked decent!

I tag:
Leanna
Karen
Anyone else who wants to play along

The rules: Take a picture of yourself at this very second....no primping allowed...stay true to the game!!

Happy Belated!

Bonnie & Clyde turned one year old at the end of March! We celebrated by giving them canned food, letting them sleep in our bed that night (yeah, won't happen for another year), and finally putting food in the bird feeders so all the birds would come to the window for the cats to see. Oh, and I made cupcakes and took them up to the vet's office as a thank you for giving us our great kitties. They're stinkers, but they're great.

Make it to the top!

Have you noticed my new sidebar o' links? Now all my blogging buddies are listed in order of who posted last! See yourself at the bottom of the list? Get a free ride to the top just by posting! Want a pretty picture to show up by your name? Then take a pretty picture and post it!

See you at the top!

Easter Lunch

Orange-Dijon Pork Loin
Crunchy Onion Potato Bake
Broccoli Casserole
Homemade bread
Lemonade with Strawberries
Chocolate Mousse

Anyone want to join us?

Since I linked to everything but a couple, here are the recipes for those. The bread is just a box mix thrown into the bread machine. And the Broccoli Casserole....

Ingredients:
1 package chopped broccoli, cooked and drained
2 tubes Ritz Crackers, crushed
1 pound Velveeta
1 stick butter

Layer half of the broccoli, half of the cheese (thinly sliced), crackers, and butter (sliced). Then layer with the rest of the broccoli, cheese, crackers and butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

My mom was the first to make the pork loin. I've made it once, too, and it's delicious. My sister-in-law made the potato bake at Thanksgiving last year (Jon and I enjoyed it at the hospital!). The broccoli is my mother-in-law's recipe, the strawberry lemonade is really Red Robin speckled lemonade, and the mousse is courtesy of Jason's Deli.

My brother-in-law is joining us for lunch, so it's just three so far, if you want to come by!

Hypothetically speaking....

Let's say you've worked hard and finally made your millions. However, you'd always told yourself you wouldn't live an extravagant life, but instead keep the same standard of living as when you started out. What ONE indulgence would you give yourself? A nice car? A housekeeper? An 80-day trip around the world in a hot air balloon? Starbucks every morning? A 12-bedroom house? Land? What would it be? Let me know in the comments!

No claims of wisdom, but....

...about the same time as my friend Cliff, I've discovered my first gray hair! It's not there any more, because it was hard to see on my head, so I pulled it out to get a closer look and make sure it was a real, honest-to-goodness gray hair instead of a blond one from the last highlights I put in. But there it was! A gray hair. Based on my inspection, I'd say I just might inherit the beautiful silver hair my mom and her parents have.

Am I distraught over my newfound wisdom? Nah... Will I rush out and find a hair dye that covers grays? Nah... Gray hair happens to everybody, and fighting it usually just makes people look older. I may not even find another one for a few years! But if I do, that's fine with me.

I've always thought I'd like to have long hair when it goes gray. Or short, spikey hair like my mom's. Of course, those are the two extremes I like with my brown hair, too!

These newfangled cameras

There are several of you who have recently upgraded to digital SLRs, so I thought I'd pass on an article I ran across yesterday. It's got a lot of good, basic information about SLRs.

What are you doing to lose it?

We've been doing Move It and Lose It for about a month now, and everyone participating has lost weight! I'm so proud! And let me tell you, it's quite a motivator to know I have to put my weight up for everyone on Fridays. I've already lost 6 pounds!

Because I work at home, I manage to stay VERY sedentary. I sit at the computer, get up for lunch, eat at the computer, and now I get up to get Caleb. But mostly I'm sitting at my computer all day, without even the walk from my house to the car, or the walk from the parking lot to the building. VERY sedentary. So for the weight loss challenge, I have committed to being outside any time it's over 60 degrees. Which will probably be most every day from here on out. Caleb and I go to the park after work, and it's a lot of fun. And ANYthing is more activity than I've been doing, and my body appreciates it!

What are YOU doing for Move It and Lose It? Even if you're not participating, what do you do to stay active?

Beautiful Sleep

Can I just say that I have a wonderful husband? Yesterday was a very long day. I had only slept a few hours the night before, and then it poured down rain all day. And it was my day to spend 3 hours round trip on the highway. It was awful. White-knuckle the whole way there and the whole way home. And because of the time change, the morning drive was dark for awhile. Thankfully Caleb slept most of the time, but having him in the car just made me more tense. For awhile I even moved to the access road to get away from awful semis and just to slow down for a bit.

The last 10 miles or so home, Caleb had been fussy for awhile, and I'd sung The Wheels on the Bus and The Ants Go Marching Two-by-two more times than I could count. I was so tired, and I couldn't keep coming up with new verses any more. I called Jon to keep me awake and let him know I was almost home. Normally, Jon's not a talker on the phone. He'd prefer I let him know the facts, then I can hang up and call someone else to chit-chat. But yesterday he listened and chatted with me, and I could tell he was starting supper, too!

When I pulled into the driveway, Jon was there to meet me in the pouring rain to help me bring in Caleb and all my work stuff. When we got in, Jon sent me to take a short nap. When I woke up, dinner was ready, Caleb was happy with a clean diaper, and my day was 100% brighter.

After dinner, Jon suggested I feed Caleb, then spend no more than 10 minutes on the computer, then off to bed with me! And I did! I was in bed by 9:30, and it was awesome.

Jon made a nerve-wracking day so much better!

Photog Fun

A couple weeks back, Leanna and I went on a photogging adventure downtown. She's the proud new owner of a Canon Rebel Xsi (the upgrade from my Xti), so we were going out together to try it out. I'm part of a photography Meetup group here in the area--we post stuff online and get together for stuff every month--and our meetup was to shoot architecture downtown, so Lea and I decided to do just that. We had a blast!

Lea working on her skillz

I'm jealous of how cute she looked that day!

We found a great spot for photos!

This was my favorite photo of the day

I think this would be a perfect spot for couples portraits! We tried out a few poses....

We headed to another spot downtown where I got this shot.
The photos with the black borders are the ones I submitted to the Meetup group for comments and critique. Overall I got a good response. I got a few suggestions that would help them out. I, myself, was very happy with the photos. When I look at them, they look like something I'd like and wish I could do...and I did!

Move It and Lose It!

After much discussion with friends and family, it seems that there's a general discontent with our health and weight. Jon and I decided to start tracking our weight and making more efforts to lose it. We set up a cool little chart to show our weight loss. But, to engender a bit more accountability and competition, we'd like to open up the challenge to everyone!

So here's the deal. If you'd like to lose weight (more than 5 pounds, please) and be involved in our little Move It and Lose It challenge, let me know in a comment! I'll set up a chart with the participants' names, and you can do a personal "weigh-in" every Friday and log it on the chart for all the participants to see. (It won't be up here on the blog.) AND, if everyone who participates will send me $5, then whoever loses the most weight (or gets closest to their goal weight, or something like that) will win the money collected in the form of a gift card to his/her favorite clothing store, since we'll all need new clothes to fit our new selves! (Or, if you're like me, your closet full of clothes will fit again.)

Our first weigh-in will be tomorrow, but you can sign up through next Friday, February 27. The challenge will last 6 months, to the end of August. The more the merrier! (And the better the prize will be in the end!)

Yummy chocolatey-ness

So the other day I got a hankering for Jason's Deli chocolate mousse. You know, the one on the salad bar. Anyway, not only did I end up going to Jason's Deli, I also found a recipe for something similar. Then I got the wrong sizes of ingredients and a little bit extra and came up with my own recipe, purely by accident. That being said, it's pretty dang good!

So here it is, Chocolate Mousse:

Ingredients:
1 lg. pkg (5.85oz, I believe) instant chocolate pudding
2 1/4C milk (I had skim)
8 oz. extra creamy cool whip, thawed
1/2C semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Mix the pudding and milk. Fold in cool whip. Add chocolate chips. Chill in fridge (I waited overnight, but I bet it'd be good in an hour or so). Stir and serve! Garnish with chocolate chips, if desired.

The second time I made this, I used 16oz cool whip, which is what the original recipe calls for. It's not as thick or rich, but still good, and goes further at parties. I'd still go with 8oz, but Jon recommends 16, hence this paragraph.

And um...yes, I did have seconds just so I could take the photo.

Twenty-Nine

To my husband,
Twenty-nine things I love about you:

1. You make silly faces at the camera.
2. You encourage my photography.
3. You talk to our cats.
4. You are always learning.
5. You change dirty diapers.
6. You ask forgiveness if you're wrong.
7. You come up with recipes to make for dinner...and make them!
8. You make conversations count.
   
9. You make sure my gas tank is full before I go to the office every week.
10. You make sacrifices for the sake of relationships.
11. You are generous to those in need.
12. You can always answer questions about the Bible.
13. You save money.
    
14. You are all bark and no bite.
15. You call me every day from work.
16. You understand my need to get out of the house at the end of the day, and will get out with me even though you just want to be at home.
17. You wash diapers every night.
18. You think my postpartum self is beautiful.
    
19. You always have good advice.
20. You make me feel safe.
21. You appreciate a good musical.
22. You get groceries, and always come back with a surprise.
23. You can have a good conversation with anyone.
24. You are my news reporter/interpreter.
25. You tolerate my meddling in your routine.
26. You came to every prenatal appointment.
27. You are romantic.
28. You balance the check book.
29. You love me!!

Happy Birthday!! I love you.

Recipe for Wellness

In line this morning at the grocery store:
Both in front of and behind me, people whose only purchases were boxes of Nyquil. My purchases? Zinc, Vitamin C, and orange juice.

Looks like shorts yesterday and coats today wasn't kind to anybody!

Slow-Mo

We're all iced up here! I love interesting weather because it means that all that's on tv is weather. NBC's cameras have happened upon one of the ramps of the Mix Master, and they've kept the cameras there for the last 30 minutes...and I've been glued to it! It started with about 6 cars sloooowwwwly sliding along, and even the news anchors are sucking in their breaths with the expection of an accident. However, no accidents! Now, a few cars have made it past the ramps, but the others are at a standstill. Someone in a Jetta is waving at the camera. He's really the one holding things up. But wait...if you look closely, you'll find that all these cars have traveled about 10 feet in the last 30 minutes.

Ooh, here comes a daring El Camino trying to pass some of these sitting ducks. A large van trails him, and a black mustang in the back. Will they make it?

The El Camino is successful! Other people have started out of their cars and are walking around.

Ha! The El Camino stalled out at the bottom, got out and waved at the camera. It seems that the camera might be a distraction.

Oh my gosh. The 18-wheeler is trying to push past another sitting duck, the Thunderbird.

The news anchor has started to give a running commentary with a little humor. It's got me laughing, at least. I'm sure the guy in the Jetta--he's waving again--is not laughing. Ooh, what's happening now? The sand truck has arrived! He confidently maneuvers around the 18-wheeler...can he make it? Yes! Past the Thunderbird...and the Jetta!...The Jetta's making a move! No...he's stopped. The news anchors have started cheering him on.

Here comes the 18-wheeler, others are gaining courage. The Thunderbird is now headed in the right direction. And...at last! 40 minutes later and everything is clearing up.

But what's this? After all the drama, all the cars that just got free are now stuck only 100 yards away. And the cameras keep rolling! Ah...I love weather.

And where am I? No, I did not go into the office like a normal Wednesday...my car is right where it's supposed to be!

Kitten Surprise!! (how to break up a cat fight) THE ORIGINAL

The element of surprise just cracks me up. This will be all-too-familiar for you cat owners.

Why I like cats

Cats are just so random. They have as many quirks as we humans do. And I think the guy's voice sounds like Wilson on House.

Check out this dish!

For our anniversary, our parents gave us a new set of dishes! I love them! My first meal was a breakfast of champions.

ConGRADulations

If you didn't know, I'm now married to a master! Master of Divinity, that is! Jon has officially finished his seminary education. I'm so proud of him! Every semester there were hard classes, useless classes, inspiring professors, challenging reading, and grueling papers. I was so impressed to watch Jon pace himself throughout the semesters, starting his research for papers well before the due date, and working daily on his languages. Tests never (okay, rarely) took him by surprise. For a procrastinator like me, all of these things were an inspiration.

And, to top it all off, Jon was honored at the end of his last semester regarding a paper he'd written. His history professor submitted Jon's paper discussing the British East India Trading Company and it's effect on missions during the Enlightenment period to the Baptist Historical Society, and it was one of five chosen to be presented at a symposium! It was Caleb's first official outing, and we got to see Jon read his paper before a panel of society members, and then answer questions from that panel as well as from the audience. I was so proud of him!

Jon, your quest for knowledge is inspiring. I know that this degree is not the end of your pursuit, and I look forward to watching you continue to grow and learn. I love you!

I didn't get to take many pictures of the event, but here is what I have....

Four generations

Grandad with Caleb

Travis Avenue

All the professors wore cowboy hats in honor of the seminary's 100th anniversary!

How to find Jon? The tallest one in line, of course!

Jon after receiving his degree

Great Aunt and Uncle with Caleb

A great celebration lunch

Great Grandpa with Ian

Great Uncle George holds Caleb

Grandpa and Caleb at the end of a busy day

Feeling a little Scrooge-y

It's 10 days before Christmas, my family was here this past weekend celebrating, and I don't have a shred of a Christmas decoration up! The plan was to put it all up mid-November, before Caleb came, but that didn't happen. Then I was on bedrest until Caleb's birth, then I was healing up, and now, well, I'm doing good to get a shower before noon. I love decorating for Christmas, so it feels very weird in my house. That said, I do not regret it! It's a crazy time of year, and I've had to rearrange my priorities a bit to stay sane.

I'm making up for it by playing my Christmas music--almost 200 songs!--all day long. With that many songs, it makes for a pretty good mix!

Hiatus

Stuff I want to post about:
State Fair
Sale of company
Advertising budget and award
Latest photo shoots
Jon's job hunt
I love fall and Christmas is coming!

Reasons for not posting:
Sale of company => all new branding for our company, which is my job
Baby due in a week

I don't foresee getting much of a breather between now and Baby Day, so I'm going to take a blogging hiatus for a bit. I'm sure I'll keep you updated on baby news on the Newbie blog, but nothing else here. See you on the other side!

Check the pigs for wings!

Well, it's finally happened. Jon has come out of his 6-month blog hiatus! It's common knowledge that getting the two Jo(h)ns of the family together will inevitably lead to a spirited debate. My brother (John) has been working on a paper for class about Darwinianism and its effect on the church. I'd be very interested to read the paper. In the meantime, John posted some questions on his blog to initiate discussion. I left my meager response in his comments, but Jon wrote two posts on his own blog in response. So check it out! And then add your own thoughts!

Hm...not a bad idea....

As I try to finish up my large list of to-dos for work, I'm feeling a bit like this.

(There should be three panels to the comic. If you don't see all three, click on the strip to see the rest. Though, in my opinion, the first two are the funny part.)

And on the sixth...

So, here's the deal:

Open your pictures folder

Go to the SIXTH folder

Go to the SIXTH picture

Publish it to a NEW POST and tell the story of the photo.

Technically, this is the third photo in that folder, but it makes for a great story. This was March 16 of this year, my birthday. We were all at John and Karen's house to celebrate birthdays (their birthdays are right before mine). Jon and I had a little secret (and a big announcement) that day. Holding our then-one-month-old nephew, Ian, Jon's winking because no one knows that we'll be returning the favor of a nephew before the year is out!

And, to satisfy my obligation, here is the sixth photo:
Though it does slightly look like a method of torture, this is how to burp a baby when he can't yet hold his head up. John's cradling Ian's head while patting his back.

The Good and the Bad

I love my cats. I know it'll be different when Caleb comes, but Bonnie & Clyde are my babies. In lots of ways they act like children: They love keys, they pull hair and jewelry, they barge into the bathroom unwanted, they whine at the door when it's closed, and they make me laugh. They really are the best.

Sometimes I wish I were more like Bonnie. She sleeps all the time. Occasionally, I can't resist the urge to pet her while she sleeps. Which of course wakes her up, but she never seems to mind. Unlike my crabby self when awakened, she just stretches a bit, lets out a little purr, and drifts right back to sleep. Sometimes she wakes up as if reminded of the possibilities, and moves to my lap for better petting. She's never upset, but accepts the unasked-for gesture for what it is: a gesture of love. Sometimes she's fast asleep and Clyde pounces on her. She leaves (understandably), and he steals her spot. What a punk Clyde is. But Bonnie just wanders to another favorite spot and goes right back to sleep. Yep, I should be more like my kitty.

1: Bonnie Girl sleeping

2. The Clydester attacks!

3. Now who's got the nice warm spot?

I really think cats are the greatest. As I've listened to the stories of other cats, or of dogs and puppies, I've been a little smug about the fact that I have cats who are so great and adjust to things so well.

All of that came to a screeching halt Friday morning.

Jon was cleaning out the litter box. He moved it from the storage closet where it resides out into the room for better cleaning. Clyde promptly went back into the storage closet and started peeing where the box should be. Not just a little pee. A LOT of pee. I hear yelling from the back room, and Clyde comes flying out. Jon's asking for the old towels, which we'd conveniently put away in the garage when we were organizing. Convenient only when not needed. (Our garage doesn't have a door connecting from the house, so you have to go outside and go through the large door on the front.) So Jon does his best with paper towels, but eventually we have to go get the towels from the garage. As we are moving back and forth around the house, I notice that Clyde is very busily cleaning himself. Poor guy was probably still peeing when Jon shooed him out, and made a mess all over himself (though I didn't find any in the rest of the house).

As Jon was spending this extra bit of time on the floor of the storage closet, he came across a discovery. We had put an open box full of kitchen towels on the bottom shelf of the closet. I don't go through towels that often; I usually just wash the ones I have out and put them back in rotation. So we hadn't accessed this box since Labor Day. What Jon found was towels soaked in ammonia-heavy pee...with piles of poop scattered on top. PILES of poop.

GROSS!! Nasty!! Disgusting!

The whole box went straight into the trash can outside, and all the rest of the towels (all the normal bath towels are on that same shelf) were given a nice long run through the washer! The litter box was moved out into the living area, and the storage closet door firmly shut forever to the cats.

The only thing I think could have happened is that one of the cats got picky about the state of the litter box one day, and decided to try somewhere else. Since we didn't notice it, the scent remained there, and it became a permanent litter box from that point forward.

Moral of the story: rotate dish towels out more often, clean litter box more often, and don't feel smug about other people's pet woes.

Lesson learned!

Clyde was in the dog house for a couple of days. Bonnie probably should have been, too, but Clyde started the incident with the pee on the floor, so he had to take the brunt of the blame. But then, how can we stay mad at such a handsome kitty??

Following

My in-laws just started up a blog! On it, they had an interesting gadget in the sidebar called "Followers." So I looked into it, and added it to mine, as well! If you read this blog a lot, you can add yourself as a follower. Then my blog will appear in your blogger dashboard like an RSS feed, I guess. And your picture shows up on my blog! How fun is that! Anyway, check it out, and become a follower! :)

Creative Suite 4 Announced!

Today, Adobe has announced the latest version of the Creative Suite: CS4. If you're a designer/photographer/illustrator, you'll know what that is. If not, it is the gold standard in creative software, providing InDesign for print, Photoshop for images, Illustrator for graphics, and Dreamweaver for web.

The initial thoughts on the upgrade seem to be pretty good--it's certainly a far cry from the original CS, which is what I have on my home computer--and I hope to upgrade, at least with Photoshop. I have CS3 on my work laptop, and I'm not sure I'll recommend the upgrade there...I usually upgrade every other time, because in reality, I can put out good work with what I have, despite the fact that something new and shiny has come out. However, it's not that expensive to upgrade--a drop in the bucket for my work, if not for myself--so maybe I'll go ahead and suggest it.

If you're interested, check out more information from CreativePro.com. CS4 is scheduled to come out in October!

Blockbuster Queue

I have finally rated enough movies on Blockbuster.com to get good recommendations from them. Usually, Blockbuster recommends things that are way off track, mostly R-rated (which I rarely watch), and things that I would never watch, even if it were just to be social (which is a reason that gets me to do a lot of things). But finally, today, my Blockbuster queue was surprisingly great! Lots of good movies, some of which I had not seen before, and most of which I wouldn't mind watching even if it were just me at home. Hooray!

Do any of you do Blockbuster online? How about movies you've seen recently that you'd recommend?

And the winners are...

Last week I announced a giveaway in celebration of my 300th post. I compiled all the names, and Jon drew from a hat. I had enough magnets to give away six sets!

Here are the winners!!

Carolyn
ChristieLynn
KarenD
Rachel
Mommy the Human Napkin
Teresa

I have everyone's addresses or a way to get them, so don't worry about needing to send me anything. Now you just have to wait patiently for the mail! :)

Thanks for reading, everybody!

There's a trick to it!

Jon and I are fans of natural peanut butter. But, if you've ever had natural peanut butter, you know our problem with it: by the time we've made it about a quarter way through the jar, the rest is a solid block, making it nearly impossible to get out and spread evenly on a piece of bread.

Well, I've figured out the solution! First, toast your bread. This is a yummy trick Jon taught me the first time he made me a PB&J. It tastes good, adds crunch to your sandwich, and, regarding the natural PB dilemma, makes your bread a little firmer.

Next, while you're toasting your bread, hold the PB jar over the toaster! When it's still pretty full, hold it up-side-down so the heat is caught in the jar. If it's almost empty, you can hold it right-side-up over the heat. By the time your bread is toasted, your PB is warmed up enough to be soft, making it easy to spread!



Tada!!

How to Eat Frosted Mini Wheats

Pour your Frosted Mini Wheats (or in our case, generic Frosted Mini Spooners) into a bowl. Add milk.

Turn over all the mini wheats so the sugar-coated side is up, so that the sugar won't get soggy and melt into the milk. (Yes, it's all going to the same place, but I'm just teaching the proper method here.) Then, proceed to eat the mini wheats from least sugary to most.

Yummy!

MamaMia Surprise!

Tuesday night is our official date night. Sometimes we double date with friends, sometimes it's dinner and a movie, and sometimes it's just staying home, because hey, when it's the only night at home in a week, that's pretty special, too! Lately, however, every Tuesday has been staying at home, so I was excited to hear last week that Jon was planning something for our next date night.

By Monday, I hadn't heard anything more about Tuesday's date. I casually asked if Jon had any plans for the next night. He said he did, and it involved only a little bit of cooking. Hm...okay....

Tuesday rolled around, and it was a beautiful rainy day. I shaved my legs and fixed my hair, not knowing what we were doing that afternoon. About 3:00pm, Jon called from work. Of course, I'd left the phone off its base all day, so it immediately started beeping for a low battery. Usually it beeps twice and goes dead, so I said, "Battery'sdyingtalkfast!" So Jon quickly gave me two options: 1) go swimming (at the indoor pool), go eat Mexican, and come back home and make beignets, or 2) go eat downtown and see MamaMia!

Well, I'm usually up for any option that involves downtown, and adding MamaMia into the mix made it a no-brainer! I could go swimming some other time, but Jon had managed to procure a couple seats to the Bass Hall show for that night, and I wouldn't miss that for anything! I quickly said, "MamaMia!!!" and we hung up.

Woohoo! MamaMia! What was I going to wear?? People these days take the theater way too casually, and I like to dress up. Plus, it's date night! After a little rummaging around in my closet, I found a great prego date night outfit, and was quite proud of myself.

The evening came and we headed out to a Mexican restaurant we'd never tried downtown. The chips were excellent! Salsa great, enchiladas great, rice...meh, but who goes for the rice anyway? We headed from there to Marble Slab, where we had a coupon for buy one, get one free sundae. They were HUGE! So we grabbed them and walked the few blocks to the Bass, eating as we went. As we got near (and the showtime got near), we each had to throw away at least half of our sundaes, but oh, well. What we had was yummy, and we really didn't need to eat it all!

Into the Bass Hall we went. I love that place. It's beautiful. We were seated by Jon's source there, and then it began!

At first I was a little put off by the acting. I forget how "overacted" theater has to be in order to convey emotions, etc. to the furthest back row. I'd seen the movie, so I was expecting the subtle nuances of Hollywood. However, soon I got used to the feeling of theater, and everything was just great. The movie stayed very true to the musical! Being theater, the musical had more crude jokes in it, but otherwise, the two were very similar. I'd heard that the play ended differently than the movie, but it didn't. So either that person forgot, or they changed it once the movie came out. I'd kind of doubt that, but I guess it could happen.

When intermission came, I had the sudden realization that I needed to go to the bathroom, and no one wants to wait in a women's bathroom line in intermission. I immediately told Jon, "I'm going to the bathroom, let me out!" I pushed my way past him as he cautioned me who to find when I came back. Since we didn't have official tickets, he was worried I wouldn't be able to get back in. Well, that was not my top priority at that moment, and I booked it to the bathroom. I didn't know where one was, but I followed the determined lady ahead of me, and sure enough, she was headed to the same place. I was fourth into the bathroom!! Woohoo! Small triumph for the prego! In the short time I was in there, the line went from empty to about forty women. I squeezed past them with only a little bit of smugness. Then I realized I had been so focused on getting to the bathroom that I had no idea how to get back. I dimly recalled seeing a pink boa on display, so I wandered around for that, and sure enough, there was Jon's face at the door to the theater. I still had time to spare before the second act!

All in all, it was a great date, and I have a great husband who knew I would love it!

300th Post!! And a Giveaway!

This is my 300th post!! I started blogging in June of 2005, after we'd moved here and half-way through our Summer of No Jobs. I was much more contemplative back then, when I had lots of time and God was humbling me with my inability to secure a job. Then involvement at church came, the job (and the cat!) came, and my busy life turned my blog into small (mostly silly) glimpses of my life. Despite that, my readership has grown from about six readers a day to about twenty-six readers a day, and I've actually made a few friends from blogging!

One of those friends is my sort-of cousin, Lorie. Following her blogaversary tradition, I'm arranging a giveaway! Post a comment here, and in one week (Thursday, Sept. 18th), I'll put all the names of the commenters in a hat and draw out one (or more!) winners. And what will you win, you ask??

Magnets!

Okay, if you're family, you probably already have some, but who couldn't use more magnets?? I happen to have a few left over from a certain entrepreneurial idea that Leanna and I had, so you just might win them! And if you have absolutely no desire for magnets, well, they make good stocking stuffers or gifts for coworkers. So leave a comment and have fun!

Thanks for reading!

Hair Experiment

Why is it that every hair cut is a much-weighed decision? Yesterday, Leanna was asking me what she should do with her hair this next cut, and for once, I stuck with the simple, "I think you should do what you did last time." She and I never do that! We usually start looking at books, going online, discussing face shape and hair color...and yes, pretty much for every cut. It could be because we're dramatic, but I think it's because we like change...at least with our hair.

In early August, I had no idea what to do with my hair. The plan was to let my hair grow out until early November, when I would get it cut short again, so it would feel new and cute when I was 9 mos pregnant. But then I realized that growing out my hair from August to November was not enough time for it to get past the awkward stage, and why go through three months of awkward just to cut it short again? So, then I thought maybe I should just keep growing it out, even after Caleb's born. I've had it short for awhile; it's time for something new. But then I realized (after a conversation with Karen, my source for all things new mom) that I don't want hair that needs to be fixed when I'm a brand new mom and people show up with dinner or just to see the baby. I need hair that I can wet down, run gel through, and it's done. That, my friends, is short hair. (The other low-maintenance option is hair long enough for a pony-tail, but I can't pull that off in three months.)

So, after that debate, I decided I would do short hair, but try to get the shape back to the first short cut I got with Lynn. Lynn was still my regular stylist, but every appointment my hair got shorter and shorter, so I decided to try someone new. Still being cheap, I went to Ogle School of Cosmetology, where I got a 6-buck haircut. Sweet! And the student did a great job, kept the length, but shaped it up very nicely. I really liked the way it turned out.

And then two weeks later, it was frumpy again. Ah...now I see why those short haircuts were so nice. I could go 6-8 weeks between cuts before. I put off the decision for a few more weeks, but yesterday, I was done. To make my hair presentable on Sunday, I had to gel, blowdry, curl, pomade, and spray my hair, and I was not going to do that again. Sure, it's cute, but way too much work! So yesterday I went back to Lynn, and pretty much had my head shaved. Back to its pixie glory. Someday I'll grow it long, but today is not that day.

In the midst of these length concerns, I also had color to worry about. I have been highlighting my hair for awhile now, and had ended up with a little bit of a highlighting mess: more highlights on one side of my head than the other, and roots over an inch long. (Why do I choose to do things that require maintenance when I obviously don't maintain them??) So, the plan was to dye my hair back to its original color, and then put new highlights in. I didn't know if the color would cover up the existing highlights enough, but I thought it was worth a try.

And it worked! The old highlights were mostly covered, with a slight color variation off of the brown I chose, but I like to think of that as added depth. And then the new highlights...well, I'm pretty sure I like them. I did them myself, so at some point I just gave up because my arms were getting tired, but I think I got them all in the right places.

So basically, my hair looks like it did about two months ago, and I like it. :) I especially liked fixing it this morning! Yep, I think it's the cut for me, at least until it's time to grow it out again. But until that time comes, I think I'll just take my own advice to Leanna. I'm gonna stick to the cut I have.

What's been going on

I owe you a post here, for sure! I've been posting on my baby blog, and that seems to be just about life-consuming these days! I asked Jon this morning, "What can I post about that's not baby-related??" Well, I'm not really sure the answer to that question, but I'm going to try anyway. If baby topics come up, oh well! :)

Jon's started back to school. His last semester! It's very exciting, but also very challenging. This is his third and last semester of Hebrew, and I know he will be so glad when it's done. He's also taking a history class covering the Enlightenment, which has TONS of reading which isn't so fun, but he really enjoys the class itself. And then his last class is fairly easy, and they go over stuff like how to baptize, because I guess there's a trick to it! All in all it's a demanding schedule, but with few enough hours that it's doable.

He's also working on his resume and has a couple churches in mind where he'd like to apply. I'm sure he'll have applications all over the place before it's all said and done!

Bonnie & Clyde are our constant entertainment. They charm everyone who comes in the door. If you stay long enough, you'll get in on the game of musical chairs as the two go from lap to lap. Clyde loves to jump. He jumps from the couch to the computer chair, to the top of my monitor, then to the top of Jon's monitor, then to the printer, and then once he's made it he meows at the wall. Bonnie sticks to the ground, mostly, but loves to explore. Inside shelves, boxes, bags, she finds pens, paper clips, and her favorite: the Scrabble stickers from Subway. She's got a radar for those things.

I went to an Arbonne Mercedes event with my mom yesterday. A lady had made it to a certain level in the company where she is given a white Mercedes, and this event was to celebrate that. I admit that I went into it with a slightly jaded perspective. I mean, if you know me, you know I have no desire for a brand new white Mercedes. I wouldn't even have a white car myself, except that it was the best car I could find for $6,000. Buying new doesn't make sense to me, and having a Mercedes really doesn't make sense to me. So, to go to an event all about a Mercedes, with people packed in to ooh and ahh and be inspired by the Mercedes...meh... To top it off, everyone there was dressed professionally, and while I tried, I just felt quite pregnant.

Well, it turned out it wasn't so bad. It was definitely an atmosphere I'm not used to or like very much, but the ladies I spoke with were very genuine. The ladies were not so much there to be inspired by the Mercedes, but by the speakers and the success of other ladies just like them. The speaker, despite her multi-million Arbonne business, still shops at Target, which I can respect. And she also asked for a discount at a hotel (she was just there for a few hours to change, go over her notes, etc.), which I thought was funny. I guess, in a similar situation, I would have changed and gone over my notes at Starbucks or something, but I can grant her an extravagant pit stop since she did ask for a discount. And then, after heading to the event, she promptly forgot the name and location of the hotel where they left all their stuff. Oh, how I can relate! She did a really great speech, and it didn't focus on the white Mercedes at all. Instead, it focused on being able to have an overflow of money to give to others. That's something that's always been important to Jon and I--budget and stay out of debt so that God can use your finances when needed--so I appreciated the speech.

Overall, it was an exciting event, and I can't wait for the day when my mom is handed her own set of keys to a brand new, white Mercedes! Just remember, mom, the lady yesterday took her family to Cancun to celebrate! (wink!) Seriously, I know she can do it, and I know that Arbonne is giving her the financial freedom to do what she does best: gift-giving! Whether it's money to missions, clothes for a family in need, trips to visit family and adopted family, or diapers for her grandbabies, my mom has been given the gift of generosity, and Arbonne is allowing her to reach her full potential in that.

And speaking of gifts, my mom gave me a sea salt bath soak and lotion for attending, which I enjoyed thoroughly when I got home! Even today my skin feels very nice. I was hoping for a miracle, but no, my stretch marks did not disappear. Still, the sea salts are supposed to soothe sore muscles, which I'm sure I'll encounter more of as I make it through this last leg of pregnancy, so I'm thankful to have them!

And with that, I'm done with the post. I didn't go too overboard talking about pregnancy. Turns out there is other stuff going on after all!

Two more photo shoots!

I've gotten the other two photo shoots edited! Here are my favorites from each, and they link to their respective albums.

Lens: 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Aperture: f/4.0
Speed: 1/50 second
ISO: 400

Lens: 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Aperture: f/4.0
Speed: 1/50 second
ISO: 400

Lusk Photo Shoot

The first of three photo shoots are up! Click on the photo to get to the rest of the photos from the shoot.

Lens: 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Aperture: f/5.6
Speed: 1/200 second
ISO: 400

So busy

Three photo shoots in two days! Whew! I'm beat! But what a fun weekend!

Garage Before and After

The key to a good After pic is a very bad Before pic! One might use this to their advantage and "stage" their first pic, but usually that's not necessary. It certainly wasn't in our case. Here's the before:

As you can see, the garage had become a maze of mess. What you can't see is that our attempt at organization--big plastic boxes stacked on top of each other in the back corners--had put our boxes to the test, and they had failed. One was crumpling completely in on itself from the weight of the others on top of it. Plus, every time we needed to put something in one box, it was inevitably the bottom box, which meant we just dropped the item in the garage "to put in the box later." Later never came. Until today!

Jon constructed three heavy-duty shelves that would house big boxes and paper office boxes alike, as well as allow for some room to stash odd-sized things like my photography backdrops. He also got rid of THREE boxes of books! (And if you know Jon, you know that was quite a sacrifice for him.) On my part, I parted with all my fall and spring decorations (because I only decorate for Christmas. anyway), and all but one of my beloved crafts. I also went through house decorations from my college days. AND (sigh...) the ghetto-fabulous cat tree is seeing its last days. It's going out with the next trash run.... It's in the house now for its last hurrah, though I must say these cats are not nearly as enthralled as Friday had been. Hmph. Spoiled on store-bought toys, I guess.

The one big thing left for me to cull through is fabric. I've collected quite a bit of it, and it's just so dang useful I can't see getting rid of it. I have a trunk full (that would make an excellent toy box for Caleb...), bags full, and even more stashed inside the house. However, several of my friends have picked up the sewing bug lately, so I might just bestow some fabric on them as a way to encourage their efforts. It would make me feel better about parting with it. Some of my fabric, however, I'll probably never part with!

Something else I feel like I'll never part with are my memory boxes. A tradition we started as kids, my parents would give us a box to hold the memories of our year: awards, drawings, stories, and many many many random things. I guess John did it, too, but I would also guess it the idea was for me, the pack rat with way too many memories. (Hey, when you're as forgetful as I am, you need physical things to remind you...and I just happen to want to remember everything.) So, sad to say, I have numerous memory boxes. Big blue bin, two large Rubbermaids...all housing memories from grade school up. It's embarassing, really, but that's one thing I cannot look at objectively.

And there are still some things in the garage that seem like I will never be able to get rid of them--namely, my darkroom photography equipment. I just can't seem to get motivated to put it up on Craig's list, and the sad truth is that I'm afraid most of it will go in the trash. However, I'm ALMOST ready to accept that truth, because I refuse to move it one more time. I have to get it up on Craig's list, and what doesn't sell, I'll leave at the front door of the local camera store in the middle of the night. :)

So, without further ado, the After!

As you can see, the darkroom equipment is in the front left, and that will hopefully be gone soon, which will clear up even more space. What you can also see is the floor! And the lawnmower! Where did that come from?? And almost every box (excepting a couple of book boxes) are accessible on the shelves, with no stacking and piling (and crumpling) to worry about.

What you can't tell is that one of the big blue bins is completely empty (all decorations relegated to the garage sale pile!), ready for stuff from our back storage closet, when my mom comes and helps me organize that area. And maybe she'll help me with my memory boxes?? (Pretty please with sweet smile and puppy dog eyes!)

All in all, I'm so proud of what we accomplished today. We made some organizational advances that will help us wherever we go, and we got a good start on our overall clean-out as we prepare for Caleb.

NOTE: Notice that Jon's accomplishment was to clean out some book boxes. For as much grief as I give him about collecting so many books, I obviously have the hoarding problem in our house! :) Hence, I've labeled this post "personality" because I think it speaks quite clearly to the type of person I am.

All in a word (Tag)

The Rules: Answer the questions using only one word. Then tag three others.

1. Where is your cell phone? TABLE
2. Your significant other? FUNNY
3. Your hair? SHORT
4. Your mother? GO-GETTER
5. Your father? ENCOURAGING
6. Your favorite thing? CUDDLING
7. Your dream last night? WEIRD
8 Your favorite drink? SONIC
9. Your dream/goal? ENTREPRENEUR
10. The room you’re in? BRIGHT
11. Your hobby? PHOTOGRAPHY
12. Your fear? STAGNATION
13. What do you want to be in 6 years? PEACEFUL
14. What you’re not? CONFRONTATIONAL
15. Muffins? BLUEBERRY
16. One of your wish list items? MASSAGE
17. Where you grew up? TEXAS
18. The last thing you did? SHOWER
19. What are you wearing? COMFY-NESS
20. Favorite gadget? CAMERA
21. Your pets? FUZZY
22. Your computer? MAC
23. Your mood? QUESTIONABLE
24. Missing someone? NO
25. Your car? MARSHMALLOW
26. Something you’re not wearing? MAKEUP
27. Favorite store? TARGET
28. Like someone? YEP!
29. Your favorite color? GREEN
30. When is the last time you laughed? YESTERDAY
31. Last time you cried? 7/1/08

I tag: KarenD, KarenN, Carolyn (keepin' it in the family!)

The Big Snip

Yesterday, Bonnie & Clyde went to the vet for the Big Snip. We tried to warn them about it, but I don't think they were prepared. Neither were we!

The cats still waltz straight into the cat carrier when we bring it out. At some point, they'll start associating it with the vet, but for some reason they still do not. (Even after yesterday, they've gone in it several times.) So, there they go into the carrier, and off we go to the vet. We drop them off and feel very guilty about the pain we've left them to.

By 2:30pm, I was ready to know how the cats were doing. Poor kitties. After our own doctor's appointment (about 5:00), we called to see if we could come by and pick them up. No, we had to wait until 6:00 for a consult with the vet. Oh, okay, we didn't know about that. So we went home for 30 minutes, then back to the vet, where we waited.

Finally, someone brought B&C into the exam room. They were in the carrier and pretty frantic. They pushed their noses into the wires and would never settle down, which made the wait for the vet that much longer. Jon even broke into his own rendition of "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" hoping to remind the people outside our room that we were still there! He always makes me laugh!

The vet finally came in, and his first words were, "Well, Clyde really had a hard time of it, so he'll be pretty groggy, and for longer than Bonnie."

The (slightly funny) truth is that Clyde has a condition called cryptorchidism. Crypto: Where is it? and Orchid: testicles. (I just lost my G-rating right there.) That's right, Clyde has a missing ball. It never descended like it should have, which meant that his surgery would be as extensive as Bonnie's. The vet would have to make an incision in Clyde's abdomen to go searching for the missing...orchid. Well, as it turns out, it was quite a hunt, and Clyde's incision ended up being about 4 inches long, compared to Bonnie's half-inch incision. Poor guy!

When we made it home, we had two ravenous kittens, with the disadvantage of still being slighty drugged. They swayed and wobbled their way to the food bowls, and proceeded to make a huge mess of everything! Food and water were everywhere as the cats pushed their noses into the bowls and snarfed away! Most people would probably laugh at their antics, but I just can't. Maybe I'm too sensitive. I've never found drunk people to be funny, or people doing crazy stuff under the influence of something other than themselves. It's just sad to me. I do, however, recognize that I'm the exception, so if you find yourself giggling over my sad story, I'll forgive you. :)

Then Bonnie would not settle down. She carried her jingle ball around for about 30 minutes with no stopping. She never put the ball down, and she never actually played with it; she just did circles around the house. Now we know Bonnie does not handle drugs well! :) We tried to hold her to get her to settle down, but she would have none of it!

Clyde was fastidiously cleaning himself. Thankfully, he was staying mostly away from his incision, but it did start to bleed again for a short while.

Needless to say, Jon and I were basket cases. Coming out of surgery is one of the hardest things to see, I think. You think the hard part is surgery, so you expect things to be right back to normal afterwards, and it's always a shock to see that they're not.

Today, things are much better. Both cats have slept the entire day. Bonnie expressed slight interest in a string, and Clyde tried to pick on his sister once, but otherwise, they've just traded off who got to sleep in my lap (and at one point they were both in my lap!). I finally moved to the bed to work, to let them both cuddle up to me and still enable me to get stuff done.

I must say, in the past I've only had male cats with no shy orchids, and that surgery is a breeze. They usually come home a little wobbly, but are running and playing by the end of the day. This has been no walk in the park, and it's been as hard on Jon and I as on the cats, I think! We take them back on Thursday for their checkup, and I'm sure they'll be back to their crazy selves before then!

How I know there's a bug in my house