Anyone love Ross like I do?

Okay, so.

Took the youngling to work today and I've got this list of stuff that I have to buy for other people.

My mom wants me to shop for gifts for my stepdad from her.

My stepdad wants me to pick up some things for her from him.

Mom wants me to shop for gifts for the kiddo from her.

I love shopping.  I love just walking around even when I don't have any money to spend, but the best ever is shopping on someone else's dime.  That's like the cats meow!

So anyhoo, on the way home, I'm kinda looking around cuz I don't go out to that part of town very often, not real sure what's there.  I see the sign for Ross.  Heard of it, but never been there.

Unbelievably, my stepdad is the ONLY one who knows EXACTLY what he wants.

A bottle of Chanel No. 5.  The real stuff, not cologne, but p.a.r.f.u.m. to the tune of about $100 an ounce.

A robe.

Sound simple right?  The robe I mean.  I got the Chanel off eBay for $86 with free shipping.  The robe though?  A whole nother story.  My mom is about 5'9".  So robes are always too short.  Plus, she only wants one that zips up.  Has to have cuffs.  No little split at the bottom, and a collar.  Not picky at all.  Riiiight.  Oh and light colors are bad.  Has to be dark.  Blue, Black, Red, doesn't like green or purple.

Not simple.  Can't find one anywhere.  So I figured I'd try Ross.

Well, I'm enthralled now.  In love.  In lust.  In way over my head cuz I have no money at all to spend, not a dollar, not a dime, not even two pennies to rub together and make a squeaky sound.  We have, are you ready?  $13 in the bank to last til the end of the month.  Ugh.  Hello mayo sammiches.

Anyhoo, I found Mom some REALLY cute stuff to give my youngling for Christmas.  A set of Aubrey Hepburn coasters, one of those really frilly mannequin type jewelry holders with a to. die. for. dress on, and an Aubrey Hepburn 2011 planner.  All of this was approximately 15.00.  Needless to say my Mom loves me right now.

Spent the whole afternoon there which is why I'm only now getting around to telling you guys all about it.  THEN when I went to pick the youngling up from work, I took her.  She fell in love with it too.  I could literally walk around there for hours just looking and wishing.

They've got the most fantabulous home furnishing section and I might have to go back to take pictures just so I can show you guys all the beautiful stuffies I found!

So, the kiddo got her Dad (edited since he's going to be reading this) which he is going to L.O.V.E. and she got a new pair of shoes for herself with her first paycheck.  She picked up a gorgeous elephant to give her paternal grandparents and a box of blue gummy whales for the sorry horrid boyfriend which I still pretend isn't so sorry and horrid.

Spent two hours there with her so now I'm finally home, have neglected you guys horribly today and now I'm exhausted!  But in a good way!  So that was my day, first really exciting day I've had in a while and now I need a serious nap!  

So have you guys been to Ross?  Did you love it too?

Mommy Madness - Christmas Favorites!

I'm all about the hoppin' these days and this one looked like so much fun I couldn't resist.  I saw it the first time over at Ashley Plus Three and followed it to Life with the Lebedas!
Now all I've gotta do is write something.  Easy right?  Suuuure.
This hop is all about Christmas favorites, and I'm all about Christmas so here goes!

• Decorating!  I love decorating.  I've got Christmas lampshades, figurines galore, candles, even the dreaded Christmas sweaters, that I pretty much refuse to wear anymore, because the only time you can get away with wearing old lady clothes is when you're NOT an old lady!  I put garland on everything, from the mailbox and lightpost, to the banisters and light fixtures inside.
• Kisses!  No, not those, the Hershey's kisses.  All the fab flavors they come out with during the holidays.  This year I tried the cherry ones!  So much better than the chocolate covered cherries!
• Christmas Music!  I adore Christmas music.  Except when you work in the mall for 14 hours a day from Halloween until January.  Then it just sucks, but I don't so I do!
• Candles!  I love candles all the time, but there is O.N.E. that I adore.  I had a whole case of them that I bought from Home Interiors when it was still Home Interiors years and years ago and every year I've burned one.  I think it's Cranberry Peppermint or something, but this year I'm on my last one so I haven't lit it yet.  I'll wait til Christmas day!
• Staying home!  Yes, finally!  This year the in-laws are coming here, so I can enjoy Christmas morning, then a nap, then a visit, then a nap, then some lazy time, then a nap.
• Riding around seeing everyone else's decorations.  The lights at the James Center make me feel all warm and fuzzy and that's how you're supposed to feel at Christmas right?
• Candles in the windows.  Love them!  Leave them on all the time even when they make it hard for me to sleep.
• Snow!  I so hope we get snow for Christmas this year!
• Spending the day with my husband and youngling.  They're my loves and my life.

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting, but that's what I can think of at the moment.  Usually I'd put gifts on the list, but there won't be any of those this year.  We've managed to do a little something for the past three years, but our finances are at an all time low.  Trying to keep the house from being foreclosed on and the utilities all turned on continues to be a struggle and I've pulled about every miracle I can out of the hat.  We've cashed out retirement plans, used all our savings account, I've even sold anything I can stand to be parted with to bring in some extra funds.  The guys at the bank look forward to me bringing in rolls of pennies now!  Although I am thinking about selling my wedding rings since gold is at an all time high.  That would go a long way to helping out and then maybe I'd have a little bit extra for a Christmas present for the kiddo!

I'm holding out for an insurance payment for $1500 that they are dicking around with, trying to come up with any reason possible to not pay it, and hopefully (fingers crossed) my disability will come through soon which would be a pretty big initial payment and a monthly payment that would make the house payment from then on every month.  Until then, we'll keep doing what we can, but even that won't keep me from enjoying the holidays.  As much as I wish I had some money to spend on a thing or two for her, she's my little angel baby and she understands how it is.  I'm so looking forward to the day I can make up for this Christmas and her 18th birthday too when she got zip for the big day!

Anyway, we've learned that Christmas isn't about the "stuff" it's about the time.  The spirit.  The whole experience of Christmas and that's what matters.  That's what we enjoy and that's what I hope for every one of you, my lovely bloggie buddies!

My Little Cindy Lou Who

Couldn't resist.  Hairstyle by yours truly.  Kid by yours truly as well.

Mama Kitty - 1; Hubby - 0

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm the cat lady.

My husband hates it, my daughter thinks it's hilarious, but the truth is, if anything were to ever happen to my husband (God forbid) and my daughter move out on her own, I'd be the crazy old lady on the corner with 200 cats in her house, sitting on everything, making me fall and break a hip and eventually having my own special on a "Cops" episode, or maybe one of those animal cruelty prevention shows.  Still can't figure out how it's cruelty if they take over YOUR house and you're starving while they've got fat little bellies and clean places to make poo, but I digress.

It's been cold here.  Not, just cold, but c.o.l.d.

Our four cats are good cats.  They stay in the house where it's warm.  They've obviously evolved past the whole "Oh look it's white stuff, let's go play in it" stage of their lives.  The others?  Not so much.  When I came downstairs this morning, they were huddled around the french doors looking pitiful.  So I let them out.

Why is this a problem?  Because they have decision making issues.

"Do I want to come in?"

"Maybe."

Door opens.

"Nah"

Cats run.  Away.  Not in.

Mia and Muffin - Creators of Tango, Skunkbutt, Oreo and Juliet

Repeat this scenario about twelve times and there's a snowdrift on my office carpeting and I've gotten "nipply".  Not to mention the tolerance level across the room (Hubs desk) has plummeted like the temperatures outside.  Now, having a LOT of the little furballs running around outside, you can already guess that they're not all going to want to come in at the same time.

The only thing they all do at the same time is poop when the litterboxes are clean.  Why is that anyway?  The second a litterbox is clean, every cat within scooping distance discovers the sudden and inexplicable urge to immediately take a dump.  Still haven't figured that out.

Anyhoo, I've managed to corral the four kitten cats (Tango, Oreo, Skunkbutt and Juliet) in the house, although they're still sitting at the door looking longingly out the window.  Tough shit guys, not happening.  Now I've got KJ and Hissy, Optikitten and Deceptikitten still outside.  Yes, the last two were named after Transformers.

Skunkbutt, Juliet, Tango and Oreo

The funny thing though is that they are having a blast outside.  I open the door and kittens and cats alike go sailing across the snow, sending up roostertails of the white stuff, skidding off the deck, rolling around in it, making snowballs (Yes, Patch has discovered how to make snowballs, which she then eats) and chasing each other around until they're freezing and trying to decide if they want to come in or not.

I won this round, Hubs has gone back to bed.  Where it's warm.  So I'm free to freeze my arse off opening the door a zillion times waiting for the little turds to decide when it's time to come in.  Unfortunately, by the time the other four decide it's time to come in, the others will be sneaking around trying to get out.  I've gotten pretty good at keeping their little butts inside, but every once in a while one will sneak past my defenses.  Then while I'm lamenting another thirty minutes of drafts trying to get that one back in, another sneaks out.  Then another.  Then I'm back at square one.

Hubs keeps saying they're not cold, cuz they have fur, to which I reply I've got a coat but I still get cold when it's fourteen degrees colder than a witch's booby in a brass bra outside.  Last night I took a huge bolt of fabric and wrapped it around the little house outside.  Then wrapped it in a tarp and put their food inside so it would be warm and insulated against the snow and wind inside.  Put a deck chair against the door so the snow wouldn't blow in the open door part.  Ugh.

You know this all sounded logical before I wrote it down.  Now I feel like well, the cat lady.

What's a woman to do?  Youngling is grown, so maybe I'm doing the whole caregiver thing, but with cats.  Maybe it's empty nesting.  Maybe I'm just as crazy as people have suspected for years.  At least I haven't done what I did last year.  Yet.


Hey, they loved that!  It was ingenious!  Damnit.  Now I'm feeling bad that I didn't do that.  I prolly should have done that.  Psht, nah, they're ALL in my house now, they don't need shelter, they just need to COME IN the damn door!

Someone please tell me this is normal?  Please?

Wordless Wednesday - I Heart These Guys!

What's on Your Mind Wednesday.

Really?  I'm not sure the world is ready for this, but Tanya over at A Taste of T inspired me.  So it's all her fault. Besides I need some fun in my life today because cat litterboxes are calling me and that is so my least favorite chore in the entire house.  Four cats pooped enough, but since it's 18 degrees colder than a well diggers rear end outside, I suckered up and there are ummm, twelve?  fourteen maybe? cats in our house right now.  Hubby says that's why they have fur.  I think they're still cold and need someplace warm to hunker down.  They agree with me by the way.  So with that said, and before I go to explore poop mountain (not to be confused with Candy Mountain which is much more magical and even has a magical leopluridon) I shall explore what's on my mind for your amusement.

• I should really get my makeup case out of the car and let it thaw
• I hope we're going to get the snow they're calling for tomorrow
• I need to visit Poop Mountain
• Thinking about Poop Mountain the words Veni, Vidi, Vici come to mind.
• I wonder if the ribs are going to be edible
• Crap, I forgot to turn off the crock pot
• My cow slippers are dying.  They have -le gasp- holes in the toe.
• Why is there an empty basket in the middle of the living room floor?
• Matchboxes always say "Strike on Cover".  Isn't that obvious?
• My cat has eye boogies.
• If I were a fairy, I'd have a knoll.  A big one.
• Without mushrooms cuz they're creepy.
• Happy Bunny is my hero.
• I should go back to bed where it's warm and read a book.
• I can't take a nap because I'm going to Poop Mountain.
• I'd rather be going to Candy Mountain.
• If Candy Mountain was real would it still exist or would people have eaten it?
• They make miniature dogs and miniature horses, why can't they make miniature cats?
• Miniature cats would poop less.
• I need tea.
• I'm hungry, but I don't want anything I've got.
• We're so screwed this month.  Wonder if they'll shut off the power when it's subzero outside?
• Anthony thinks my house is pretty.  I like Anthony.
• David thinks my house is a hellhole.  I hate David.
• I'm not going there today.
• I'm going to Poop Mountain.
• Now.
• Soon.
• Maybe.
• What the hell is a magical leopluridon anyway?

If I'm  not back by nightfall, send help.

I think I've got the best blogging friends ever.

Ugh, where to start.  It's still a bad day, I think it's going to take some time to pull myself out of this this time around, but you guys?  You're all amazing.  I finally sat down and read through your posts, all the things you said, all the hope, all the encouragement, and I'm crying.  Again.

God, when did I become such a wreck!  I think it's taken me 46 years to realize that I don't have to always be a rock.  That's what I've been for a looong, long time.  Living with parents that were blind offered so many challenges, and losing my dad two weeks after I turned 17 just threw more of them into the mix.  As much as my Mom tried to be there for ME, I wouldn't let her.  I insisted on being the strong one.  The one who helped her see her way through the grief of losing a husband.  How the hell did I figure that was the right thing to do?  I was a kid!  I'd never had a husband, much less lost one.

When other events in my life would have left me broken, I told no one.  Dealt with it myself, even though I still have nightmares about that particular time.  I've got a wonderful Mom, a wonderful Husband, so why don't I ever let them help me?  Why have I always been so determined to get through everything by myself?  I think I feel some kind of foolish pride in being able to be like that.  To be able to take the worst life has to offer and throw it back, but I'm finding more and more that what I'm throwing back is a boomerang.  Sometimes it comes back right away, sometimes it takes years, but it always comes back.  Sooner or later.

I'm rambling again ugh!  Sorry guys, I guess what I'm trying to say is that everything you all said to me, it helped.  More than you know.  I think after all the times I've been pounced on to let people help me, it took you all to really make me see that there are people who care.  I've never really had friends, I guess in some ways I can sympathize with my kiddo about not feeling lovable.  Maybe I try too hard, maybe it's something I haven't figured out yet, but thats how it is.  My best friend lives in New York and maybe that's why she's still my best friend ha!  Other than her, it's just me and my little family pretty much.  Until now.

You're all scattered all over the country yet your words touched me, made me feel like there really are people out there who care, who willingly support me whether I'm trying to make you laugh, or well, like I was yesterday.  I've got my mom, my husband, but like my daughter, I know they love me and they're always going to be there for me.  It's part of the job.  I don't take them for granted, I don't, but this is different.  To know that people out there who have never met you, have only read words you've written on a screen, that those people are willing to reach out, to offer so much thought and consideration?  Thank you.  For making me feel not so terribly, horribly alone.

I love you guys for that.  I really do.  Thank you.