The Weekends

Yep, that's plural.

Last weekend brought torrential rain and cooler weather. It finally is feeling kind of fall-like around these here parts. And when it gets cooler all of my baking and cooking and nesting instincts come out in full force. The rest of the year they're at half force, FYI. So it was a weekend of pudding...

...and bread. Heavens do I love this bread recipe. Last weekend I added cheddar and rosemary. I've shared it before but here is the website again if you're interested in a nearly fail proof recipe.  http://www.simplysogood.com/2010/03/crusty-bread.html

And when I say nearly failproof I mean it. I was chatting with DH and I accidentally put in 2 1/2 times the amount of yeast. Then I looked in the bowl, swore and decided the heck with it. Either it would work or it wouldn't, but I wasn't throwing away 3 cups of flour that might turn into bread. It sure rose quicker than usual, but it turned out fine when I baked it today.

This weekend brought Halloween, of course. That meant pumpkin and bat cookies. Crossfit costumes (we didn't get any pictures), passing out candy and champagne on the patio.

Preparations for DH's next birthday party are underway and our house is a land of Amazon boxes, otherwise known as cat traps. More pictures in a few weeks.

As we're all facing another Monday and this one with earlier sunset thanks to daylight savings time, I leave you with this:

I'm the captain meow. (Totally found this on Reddit and then grabbed the pic from Imgur.)

Happy Sunday!

I Have An Idea

So I've been thinking about what to do with this here blog. I don't want to have a blog that is centered on one thing like baking or books or just my ramblings. It wouldn't work for me. So I'm going to go back to writing about what I know. Some days that will be books. Oh I love books! Some days that will be trying to have a baby and all the crazy emotional crap that accompanies that. Some days that will be about baking. What I've tried, what I want to try, why I love it so much. Some days it will simply be about my day or my cats or my DH of a husband (Dark Horse, FYI).

Tonight I declare ramblings!

Have you guys seen the new Lego commercial? It's a hit as far as advertising goes. I was invested from second one and I didn't even notice the Lego's everywhere until the end shot. I'd love it just as much if it was a little boy instead of a little girl because it's about the feeling of creating something. Who cares whether you're male or female? Everyone has imagination.

Last weekend DH and I went out on a day date to one of our favorite watering holes. Then we walked down to a cigar bar. This picture makes me feel like a bad ass with a stogie and a scotch. What it doesn't tell you is that it's really hard to get the taste of cigar out of your mouth.

For the first time ever I made banana pudding from scratch. I didn't know that this stuff existed until 6 years ago since it's not a thing in the North. A fabulous friend bought me a Southern Living entertaining cookbook a few years ago for my birthday and I fell in love with the recipes immediately. But I have never used it until yesterday to actually make a recipe. Maybe I didn't feel southern enough. You know, I'm a Yankee. Don't tell anyone. We were having over my parents-in-law and when DH was asked either cobbler or banana pudding he chose the puddin'. What I loved about this recipe is that it used homemade vanilla pudding. One of my most cherished memories as a kid was helping mom make pudding. We usually had homemade and it was torture waiting for it to cook and then cool enough to not burn the crap out of our mouths. Once we were old enough we had the job of stirring the pudding while it cooked. It seemed to take an eternity to go from milk and sugar and cornstarch to blissful vanilla silky goodness. FYI, as an adult it still takes an eternity of around 15 minutes to go from "hmmm..." to "aw yiss". What I didn't know was that I was potentially inviting controversy and strife into our household. Yes, you read that right. The recipe called for a meringue top instead of whipped cream. Apparently this is a controversy in the south. Luckily for me my Texas family does not hold strong opinions on this and we all enjoyed dessert.

Henry has become very lovey and vocal as he's gotten older. Today he meowed for treats. This has never happened in 3 years. He sat on my lap yesterday and snuggled in for a nap. He's talking to us more. I'm convinced he's dying, y'all. DH had to tell me to calm down when Henry started all this because it was so unlike him. I forget life before him and thus I forget that he's only 3. I think he's stretching his personality and seeing what he likes. Do cats do that?

I think he's pretty much the most handsome man ever. Well, the most handsome cat man ever.

Happy Sunday Evening!

Loose Threads

I have a lot of things rolling around in my noggin, and not much of it is coherent...or maybe related? This is likely going to be a dumping post.

1. I am tired of hearing the word Ebola. I am tired of the fear mongering that the news stations are pandering. I am tired of the panic that others are succumbing to over this. Yes, it is scary stuff - it's unknown and that makes it more scary. Yes, you should be smart about washing your hands, etc. I personally do not think that we all need face masks to go outside our houses, and I live in the Dallas vicinity. I don't think that this is going to wipe out all of North America. I think it's damn impressive that this is the first time we've had to deal with Ebola here given the numerous travel that happens between those countries that are dealing with Ebola and the rest of the world. I think we should all be much more concerned with the flu and the number of people who choose to not receive the flu shot if they can.

2. I'm already tired of the early political ads here in the South. Beating me over the head with biased ads will not win my vote. Give me some actual information and then we can talk. This is exactly why I block certain "friends" on Facebook once the Presidential election machine starts up in earnest. I'm capable of having a discussion regarding why I have views and why I choose to vote the way I do. I don't respond well to someone shoving their views in my face while yelling "SEE?!?!? I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE JUST IGNORANT!"

3. On a much lighter note DH and I nailed down our Halloween costumes. My work is having a costume contest and so the 80's are coming back with a vengence on Friday! Full blown leggings, lace and leg warmers. DH is going to be Bob Ross...I'm assuming only the parents who are helping little trick-or-treaters will know who he is. I'd be surprised if anyone under the age of 30 knows who he is. Evie also got into the Halloween spirit by trying to eat the Bob Ross wig and licking the adhesive off the packaging for my fingerless gloves. My exact words were "Stop licking that! It was probably made in China and will kill you!" She paused, considered, and continued on her quest for the 1.5 seconds it took me to wrench the cellophane away from her.

4. Henry had a surgery a couple weeks ago and we were finally able to remove the Cone of Shame for good this week. He is a rare one indeed. Most cats do not grow fatty tumors, otherwise known as lipomas. But Henry did. He had a little extra jiggle in the booty area when he walked. So now he is both tumor and hair free in a large part of his right back half. Our magnificent vet assured us the fur will grow quickly but for now it's like seeing the man beneath the clothing - he's got such long hair that it's easy for use to forget how much of his hulking self is hair.

5. DH took the PE exam this past week. I'm so proud of him! He took classes and studied for months. Now it's sitting on pins and needles for the next 2 1/2 months waiting to see if he passed. I have every faith that he did! He's currently enjoying some time gaming, something he hasn't had a whole lot of free time for lately. Can I just say I do not understand the video game side of my man? It makes my head hurt to think of sitting in front of the TV for that long shooting at things, driving cars or saving Ellie.

6. I miss blogging. Which is ironic...since I'm blogging. But I miss the ease that the words used to flow off my fingertips with. The way my older posts were witty and funny. Well, at least to me. I have forgotten how the practice of writing makes you a better writer.

7. I am beyond ready for Fall. Yesterday was our Number One Niece's first birthday. When we got her invite a few months ago and saw the party would be at a park, I was really nervous about it being a nice day. I was hoping for no rain and nice temperatures. The 70's would have been nice. I need not have worried. It was 90 degrees. 90. Degrees. Is Fall ever coming?!?!? I'm ready for sweaters and boots and scarves and slouchy shirts and fleece lined leggings and a fire in the fireplace and hot chocolate. Do you hear me Mother Nature?!?! I'm done with this verrrrrry long Summer. Oh, but don't ice us in over Christmas. Please?

8. My father-in-law built us a kitchen table and it's a dream. It is a gorgeous family style farmhouse table that Henry is sure was designed just for him to lounge upon. He is constantly laying on it when we walk through the kitchen. Luckily there is a place nearby that sells unfinished chairs so we can stain whatever we pick to match the table. He doesn't build chairs anymore; which is understandable if you know how much work goes into constructing one, much less four.

Evie has just curled up with me and is slowly pushing my laptop onto the floor, so I'm going to wrap this up. Still have a few loose threads but there always are.

Poor Henry

Y'all know Henry. He's this lump of fur.

He's a little batty and full of love. His ancestry is French, I'm sure, even though he's part Maine Coon. His true name is Henri, Le Roi. He appears to enjoy chasing Evie around the house like his tail is on fire. Occasionally he even parkours off the walls, chairs, cabinets. Whatever, he's the King.

Henry doesn't like his tail being held on to, his feet being tickled or being flown around the house like the Hindenburg. He is ok with the occasional boat ride via cardboard box and a shoestring. He has the annoying habit of sitting next to my head, licking my hair and then placing his massive paw on my forehead and shaking me awake when he's hungry at 4am. He loves to sleep on his back whilst holding up one of the walls of the house. It's hard being Le Roi.

He's sweet. And beautiful. And cuddly. And a complete jerk when it comes to going to the vet's. Can't be that bad, you say? Our wonderful vet and staff have to GAS him in his crate in order to even touch him. Le sigh (you know, because he's French). In an effort to not kill anymore brain cells just to get his rabies vaccine updated, I asked about alternative methods. Maybe one of those mood sprays? Benedryl doesn't work because he chomps it and foams like a rabid wildebeest while looking at me saying "J'accuse!" with his eyes.

The solution: tranquilizers. For the cat. I've never even had tranquilizers! We had to give him 2 since he is the size of Jabba the Hut. Now he's wobbly and woozy and looks like he's drunk when he walks. He's currently sleeping it off while I anxiously check him for breathing every ten minutes.

The plus side? He still didn't get out of the crate, but he let the vet touch him. That usually doesn't occur. At all. There is hissing, scratching and bleeding but no actual touching. We've been assured there is a hell cat worse than he. I think they're making it up so I don't feel so bad.

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

Hi. My name is Awn...

 and I am a procrastinating blogger. I started this blog three years ago as a way to stay in touch with my family and friends in Da Burgh when I moved to the Deep South (that'd be Pittsburgh and Texas). I loved to blog and I tried to do it regularly. And then I met this guy.

He's my hubby, and on here he goes by DH. Not for Dear Hubby but for Dark Horse. When we met I was going on a lot of first dates with finance guys. DH is a Star Trek loving, video game playing, P90Xing, 1/2 marathon running engineer and a co-worker dubbed him Dark Horse simply because he wasn't like anyone else in the race for my heart. Cheesy. But he is one of a kind. We recently got hitched. I didn't want to chance any other quirky singing baker spending the rest of her life with him.

If you live in North Texas, check out Freshold Photography. She rocks.

We currently have two kitty-cakes named Henry and Evie. Henry is my first boy and I live in terror of him getting out of the house and someone else taking him in. Clearly he's part Gigantor. Evie is a bit dim but she loves us and is our built in alarm clock.

I work as an audiologist in a pediatric setting and I love my job. I was promoted in the last year and am still adjusting to my new role. It's going to be challenging but I love what I do and where we're headed.

I'm not sure how this blog may change as I start writing again. I hope it's for the better and I hope that y'all reading this enjoy it.

A Little of This, A Little of That

I can't believe y'all haven't abandoned me yet! I'm the worst blogger in history lately.

Life, in general, has been pretty stressful these past weeks. I don't say "these past three weeks" or "two weeks" or any specific number because I have no idea how many weeks it's been stressful here, for one reason or another. And for the most part, all those reasons have been pretty good! But stressful nonetheless.

In a nutshell, I'm in a new position at work and I'm 2 months and 1 day away from my wedding. Yeah, things are a wee bit stressful. So I come home, having run out of words to use and am in general exhausted. Unless wedding presents have arrived. In which case I look more like this!

Yes I am drinking wine through a Steeler's crazy straw. I'm bleaching my teeth for the wedding and I'm a Steeler's fan. Deal with it. On a side note, non-crazy straws actually are a better bet. This crazy straw kept falling out of my glass which resulted in more wine on me than in me.

DH and I hung pictures today  - it makes the house we'll be living in seem like home instead of a place we're renting. Plus we remembered how amazing our engagement pictures are! Thanks, Little Bro and Library SIL for the awesome picture frame, it was finally put up! We also hung my present from my parents when I graduated with my doctorate - pictures of Italy.

I have always loved the Oscars. And I've always wanted to through a super swanky Oscar party. That wasn't quite in the cards this year, but we did throw an Oscar get-together with a couple close friends. We dressed up and drank champagne and frozen drinks, ate great food and She and I discussed Oscar fashion while He and DH talked reddit. I love having friends over!

Weirdly enough, as social as Henry is, he usually is a little AWOL when company comes over. But once they leave he's all up in our faces, demanding attention and love. He's currently shoving his food bowl around the kitchen floor in an attempt to get more food. People, he weighs 14 pounds and is not yet a year old. He does not need more food than is vet approved! Of course if he doesn't get more food his version of waking one up includes a full speed run into the bedroom and a pounce on top of me followed by a slightly confused "Mrouw?" at 4am. As though he had no idea I was there, but since I happened to be just in that spot and am now awake, doesn't food sound good?

Surely kids will be easier, right? Please don't break my illusion of parenthood!

Oh, DH and I signed up for our next run. It's not a half marathon, it's not even a 10k. But it is going to be one of my favorite races ever. It's a 5K run to support The Neuroblastoma Foundation here in the Deep South. All of the proceeds will go back to the oncology department of the children's hospital where I work and one incredibly special person will know that I support him in this way. I can run. I can't cure cancer. But I can run. If you'd like to donate, please visit http://nbwalk.org/default.aspx. I have had the honor of working with more than one child who has been facing this giant. These families are courageous and wonderful and heartbroken and these kids are so brave in the face of what would often bring us adults to our knees. Please support them if you have the time to visit the website and feel led to give.

And on that note, good night!

I've Gone and Disappeared Again

Oh chickens, I up and went AWOL again. Sorry bloggy friends!

I'm mentally exhausted lately. I come home from work and want to do nothing but veg out and cuddle with DH and Henry. They tell me it's winter here in Texas. In fact, it's almost Christmas. What? In this weather? With flip flops still able to be worn? And a perpetual state of bland green and brown everywhere.

We have a tree. Henry has unwrapped anything that comes close to being placed underneath it. We may have to buy him a ficus once we take down the Christmas tree. If I could figure out how to post video from my iPhone, I would. On a Henry-related note he had to have minor surgery on his paw for an infection. I felt like the worst fur mama ever when we found out he was sick. I guess he forgave me since he curled up with my last night for a 20 minute belly rub. We're pretty sure he's part dog.

DH and I are recommitted to the gym machine lately. Today I bench-pressed for the first time ever. I thought I might die but I didn't. I also tried a pilates-yoga blend class and was a little amazed at how good I did. My upper body strength was a wimpy little thing but it's slowly getting to be Arnold-sized.

We're getting closer and closer to the wedding. Only a handful of months to go. We still have to make centerpieces, bouquets, set up the rehearsal dinner, make welcome bags, I need to find shoes and then decide whether the price is worth the heel height versus the cost of hemming a wedding dress (yikes on the hemming prices and why in the world are there no cute comfortable wedge heels that don't cost as much as my dress?), figure out how the heck we're getting between venue and hotel, make a packing list for the honeymoon and start looking for bargains, find someone to do my hair and make-up and clutch what's left of my sanity.

Tonight I'm watching old school Grey's Anatomy because somehow this makes my day better. I'm not sure why. But it does.

Apology Accepted?

I have been woefully absent. Sorry about that.

We are in Wedding Mode over here. The Save The Dates are sent, for the most part, and are not the right color but that was my fault 100%. The flowers are chosen - maybe the hardest part of the entire planning process until now. I'm gearing up to make a million and one pinwheels. I can't find shoes in turquoise to save my life. Oh wait, that's not true. There are a thousand cute shoes on Pinterest without a good link back to where to buy them or the designer. I'm getting desperate, people. We're debating buying everything for centerpieces versus renting everything from the venue. And my broken finger's fingernail finally bit the bullet and departed. Great. Now I have to grow a new nail too?????  It's not as bad as I'm making it out to be - there's already almost half a new nail grown. But sheesh!  At least I'll look like this after the wedding nonsense is over with since I'm marrying the funniest man I know.

DH and I spent Thanksgiving apart as I went back to Da Burgh for a couple days. A very QUICK couple days. Momma A, The Don and I all went and did some wedding shopping, found unexpected bargains (thanks Martha Stewart) and hung out. I spent Thanksgiving with one quarter of my family but enjoyed every minute even as I missed DH and the rest of my family and family-to-be. One of my lovely aunts even made me a pumpkin roll - which was amazing! 

Henry has moved in to DH's and he loves the space and the window sills. He's costing me a small fortune in vet bills, but I love him still. 

 

Overwhelmed by Grace

I totally had a different post halfway written for tonight.

Then I went to Life Group. And I realized that I'm continuously covered and overwhelmed by grace. And love. And mercy.

Last week was full of small trials and bad news and trying times for myself and really for people I love.

This week...at least this far....has been one full of excitement and love and grace.

My bridal party has dresses ordered or in to be picked up. My wedding dress, y'all, has come in. I have yet to lay eyes on it, but IT. IS. HERE. DH and I bought plane tickets for our honeymoon. My Henry is ok despite spilling a Scentsy full of My Dear Watson all over himself and DH's living room. (For the record, it won't make a cat sick. But they sure smell nice when it happens. And look a little baffled by the impromptu paraffin dip. But his fur is silky smooth.) My mom loves me enough to, well, love me.

Above all God's grace has covered me. When DH loved me more than the day before. When I was almost creamed by a tractor trailer on I35W. When I kept my mouth shut instead of saying what I thought...which didn't need to be said. When He calmed my spirit and soul in the middle of the night. When I met the right people at the right time.  When I sat in a room with other women and listened to how they love, fear, defend and laugh. When I pushed myself harder at the gym and didn't talk myself out of going further.

I am thankful for the grace that covers me and overwhelms me with the love it holds.

Actually Road Tripping

It's the long awaited road trip post! You were waiting, right? Nah, probably not. But I'm gonna talk about it anyway. Cause it's my blog. 

DH and I agreed that this road trip would be a test of whether we have looong road trips in our marital future. The trip from the Deep South to the Deeper South (Knoxville TN) is roughly 13 hours. We broke the drive out into 2 days to make it a little more do-able. Of course Hurricane Isaac came through the night we arrived in Little Rock. It was a drive full of fried pies - y'all....to die for!...and zipping past tractor trailers at high rates of speed in very wet roads. I white knuckled a bit, not gonna lie. 

DH loves fried pies enough to sing about them! And the pecan pie was worth singing about.

The next day we sprang out of bed, well maybe slowly rolled, and hit the road. We met up with a great friend of mine in Nashville and had lunch, did some shopping and talked wedding stuff for a couple hours. Way too soon it was time to get headed onto Knoxville. Not that we weren't excited to get to Josh and Rachel, but I was sad to leave my Nashville friend.

It was our first trip to Knoxville and we loved it! It has such a small town funky feel to it. There's a little of everything there. We were so excited to see some of Josh and Rachel's favorite places....

Brassiere where I had my first frog leg and was introduced to salmon to die for.

Chez for breakfast

And we also tried a new place that DH and I pretty much would DIE to have here in the Deep South.

Dead End Bar-B-Que. Y'all, if you are ever within a couple hours of Knoxville, take the time to detour and go eat. It was a-freaking-mazing. DH and I are totally jealous that we don't have BBQ anywhere near this in the Deep South. 

*Before y'all start leaving me hate mail about how Texas has great BBQ, we agree. But this place is way better. Truth, y'all.*

My beef brisket, cheddar and fried onion sandwich. I could eat this every day.

And there is Yuengling on tap. On. Tap. 

Let's all take a moment to reflect on the lovelieness that is Yuengling.

The thing with Yuengling is that Tennessee is the closest state you can get it in to Texas. Unless Florida is closer than Tennessee. Then that statement is wrong.  We brought back a couple cases to Florida and it will be drank like the liquid gold that it is. It was only a couple cases because the place we went couldn't sell more than that without shorting their own stock.

When it's gone DH and I will look like this...

But until then, we'll look like this.

And when we got back to the Deep South there was a Henry who was very happy to see his Momma.

Maybe It's the Lack of Sleep

I'll apologize now if I'm a little non-existent in the blogosphere this week. I'm just not feeling it. Ever happen to any of you talented bloggers???

Maybe it's the lack of sleep. It was a busy weekend!

Friday night DH and I went on a date. Now, this is not uncommon. We go on dates a lot. Like, he calls me early in the week and asks me to go on a date. How sweet is he? We've gone on a lot of dates, and this Friday we went on the same date we originally went on right after we met. Well, along with a detour or three. And while the mexican food was still great and the drinks were still wet your whistle good, we had this wet stuff that falls from the sky....I think the rest of the country calls this "rain". It wasn't raining when we went into The Flying Saucer but it sure was when we left!

At first we were sad to be so sopping wet.

But then we realized that a little walk in the rain could be fun.

Saturday brought an early morning after a late night, cat adoptions and a field trip for Henry. He spent the weekend at DHs. They spent time bonding while I went and volunteered for Classy Cats. Classy Cats is a no-kill shelter and pretty much rocks. So if you have an extra bajillion dollars hanging around torturing you with it's presence, feel free to donate to them! Henry wiled away the hours being entranced by the cows on Minecraft and occasionally chewing on DH's feet. We also introduced him to the sun. See, my and Roomie's house is quite dark. There's not a lot of direct sun and in the summer it's super hot inside if you leave the blinds up. Couple these facts with small shallow windowsills and Henry had no idea of the sunny spots to be used.

We opened up DH's blinds and Henry sat perched staring into the backyard. He couldn't believe his eyes. And then he decided he'd love to sleep in the sun, thank you very much.

He loved it so much that he slept long after the sun went down and we were watching The Hunger Games.

This meme makes me laugh and then it get's stuck in my head and then I question my priorities in life and then I laugh again. It's a vicious cycle.

(Courtesy of http://peetatoast.tumblr.com/post/24773832896 via Pinterest)

I got sidetracked. Back to the lack of sleep. Henry typically sleeps in the laundry room, but since he was on a field trip he was allowed to sleep in the bedroom. Which meant behind my knees, on my feet, against my ribs and most sleep-depriving....in my face. I woke up to find him staring at me and purring like a mad thing. It's sweet but so loud it woke me up. Seriously? And in between all of that he managed to give me a heart attack by knocking the cup and toothbrush into the sink which of course led me to think the Martians were attacking. I'm not very logical when awoken suddenly. Last week I left the weather radio plugged in and it took years off my life when it blared a 90dB warning signal at 3am because of flash flooding. I couldn't figure out why the house alarm was suddenly SO LOUD. Again, the first thought was that we were being attacked. We're sweet girls, I don't know why I expect to be attacked by aliens.

Clearly Henry also needed some extra sleep as he spent most of Sunday sacked out in various spots.

It was another early day today. Henry went to the vet's to become a eunuch. Sigh. He was not happy about being the carrier and I was trying to not break into tears at the thought of leaving him. I actually did cry. I'm going to be a horrible mother someday...not the beat them with coat hangers kind of horrible, but the unable to be strong and brave kind of horrible. Henry looked a little like he wanted to comfort me. And he's a cat. That's just pathetic.

Clearly I needed to make some rocking S'more bars to ease my pain and suffering.

(The recipe was courtesy of www.loveintheoven.com but this picture is mine. I wouldn't want anyone to think this passes as presentable for her!)

So, showkids, if I get some sleep then maybe I'll post more than I think I will. But if I'm a little light on the posting it's because I'm snuggled under my comforter and I've beat my alarm clock into submission.

Curiosity Might Maim the Cat

I was sitting a couple nights ago here watching Henry play with a toy I bought that day. It's a little ball that lights up on one side every time you tap it. He is intrigued and can't figure it out. He alternates between attacking it head on and then sitting on it and acting surprised by his light-up behind.

I want to have the same curiosity that Henry has. He is amazed by every toy and item that we give him. He loves drinking straws, milk caps and milk tabs, his crinkle tube, the toy mice and most weirdly the plastic screws from the entertainment center. He'll play with a stinkin' screw for an hour until he loses or hides it. Henry doesn't have a huge sense of fear. Curiosity just may maim this cat before it's all said and done. He's almost been stuck head first in the kitchen chairs, he's attempted to climb the walls and last week he seriously contemplated scaling the kitchen chandelier to attack a spider on the ceiling. Lately he's been more afraid or wary than he used to be. He's a mere 4 months old and his fight or flight instinct has kicked in. He used to be all fight. Now I see glimpses of a grown Henry who will judge a situation and choose to fight or flee. A Henry more like myself, only with more hair and a penchant for cat treats.

I think we all had that same sense of curiosity and adventure when we were little. But I want to keep that. I see that hunger in DH's eyes still and I want to match him in that. I want to be intrigued by the little things, to pursue the unknown, to ask continual questions.

I want to risk being scratched, singed and maimed in order to keep my curiosity.


Thanks Shell for allowing me to admit that I want my primordial sense of curiosity to re-emerge.

A Weekend Update

DH and I attempted our first Mod Podge centerpiece. It turned out good, as far as the Mod Podge goes. The rest of it wasn't as good as we had hoped. But have no fear, there are ideas a-brewing in my and Momma A's minds.

We watched The Godfather this weekend. DH had never seen it. I had the pleasure of introducing Don Corleone and family, going to the mattresses, leave the gun and take the cannoli, and Maunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday to DH. 

We went to the gym, as usual. I finally gave in and weighed and measured myself after 6 weeks of Advocare. I've lost 5 pounds and a half inch everywhere! I was a little terrified to look at the numbers since I'm so influenced by what I see and not how I feel. 

I was on my way home tonight, talking to my momma and noticed some fierce lightening in the distance. I had an aha moment a couple years ago when I was standing on my balcony watching a storm roll through. It reminded me, at the time, that God is always around me always. The storm those years ago underscored in a physical way how He surrounds me. He was everywhere tonight then!

First the rain came, then the power flickered again and again and again. Then the wind hit. Puppy was whining and Henry was acting weird. The wind was so strong that the house was shaking. It wasn't the train's a coming tornado sound, but it was awful. Literal shaking of the walls. At that point I grabbed the cell phone, the quilt, pillow and animals. We all spent the next 20 minutes in the bathroom, Puppy and I in the tub shaking. Me trying to stay calm, she trying to not pee on me. Henry ran around like an orange loon and attacked the toilet, leaped into the sink and then bit Puppy on the nose. Right about then the lights went out and stayed out. I called DH in a panic and prayed that we didn't have a freak tornado or a cat-dog fight.

All in all, after the rain passed and the sun came out, I was once again reminded that God is all around me. In the rain, the wind and the sun. I can only pray that I listen more closely in the future and He doesn't need to remind me quite so loudly.

After the fact, I found the wine in the fridge. Why didn't I think to grab it along with everything else? If it wasn't so wet it would have been a nice night to sit outside. I guess the 25 degree drop to 72 degrees was the silver lining of the storm.

I hope y'alls day was less eventful than mine was!

Good Morning, Good Morning

If my momma is reading this then she's thinking the same thing I am....


If this is not the first thing you think then I suggest you reorganize your priorities in life.

I've always been a morning person. The downside of being a morning person is that my morning has started earlier and earlier as I've gotten older. So now sleeping in is roughly 7:30. When did that happen? Anyway, a normal morning starts around 5:30. I stumble to the kitchen hoping that Puppy didn't decide the carpet looked an awful lot like grass in the middle of the night. I'm greeted by a muddled yowling from the laundry room as Henry makes his morning presence known. He hates not being in the know, which translates roughly into "HEY! WHO'S OUT THERE? LEMME OUT? PLEASE?" As soon as I open the door he runs out and purrs like a madman while tripping over my feet. All I can think about is coffee and all he can think about is being scratched behind his ears. Self-absorbed cat. Once the illusion of caffeine is in the air I can finish the routine. Shower, where Henry makes himself known and then jumps in and lays in the water that's left once I get out. I swear he's part dog. Working in a clinic has it's advantages....grab some scrub bottoms and a t-shirt and I'm ready to go. Back into the kitchen and throw some soy or almond milk, a banana and some frozen fruit into the Ninja. Warn Henry and the Puppy that it's about to get real in the kitchen. Shake in a Nalgene and coffee in my Starbucks mug and away I go.

Mama Kat's glimpse into real life.

Oh Henry

Here's the deal. I think I can't wait to be a mom. But then I see this.

And this...

And some of this....

And maybe a wee bit of this...

And then I realize if I can't even let the vet draw blood while I'm in the room, my future children had better be born with superhuman immune systems...try saying that 5 times fast. I trust that I will be enamored with my own offspring even more than I am with Henry. Babies purr, right?

Then he attempts to scale the walls and I think, I can't wait to be a mom. At least the children won't be climbing vertical surfaces when they're four months old.