Tuesday, December 23, 2008

He Loves the Bathroom

He does get into lots of trouble. Last night he pulled the stopper right out of the sink.

Jack Loves the Sink


Jack Loves the Sink
Originally uploaded by jntrowley
We can't keep the cat out of the sink. He loves running water.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

This is His Other Couch


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Originally uploaded by jntrowley

Jack Can Sleep Anywhere


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Originally uploaded by jntrowley
Jack the new cat in the family can literally sleep anywhere. As you can see, he has made himself quite comfortable in our home. The ladies at the rescue group told me he is part Bengal. That didn't mean much to me until I went online and discovered that they have sweet personalities (he does) and that they love water (also something that I have noticed). He is a good companion and loves everyone. Bob is certainly not forgotten but Jack has won everyone's heart.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Don't Come In and You Won't Get Hurt

This picture speaks volumes (to me anyways). I see stuff I want on the dresser but can't get to it. I would love to see if there is still hairspray in the can that used to be in my bathroom and now resides in the far reaches of her room. I have the urge to take the Pepsi bottle back to the grocery store. After all, I spent 10 cents on that bottle. I deserve that bottle. But my rule stands. No stepping past the doorway. I might get hurt.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Stefanie's Bookshelves or What Bacteria Lurks?


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Originally uploaded by jntrowley
The virtual tour continues.... Today at work I passed my cell phone around to show my coworkers pictures of what my daughter's room looks like. The comments ranged from, "HOLY CRAP" to "OH MY GOD".

Hey, I just laughed. I mean really what do I have to lose? And there's more to come. Unfortunately.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Stefanie's Closet


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Originally uploaded by jntrowley

Here goes nothing. Last night, Danielle grabbed my phone and started sending Stefanie pictures of her room. Even Danielle is sick of the mess that lives next door to her.

Stef keeps saying that she is going to clean it. So I figure that if I start sending these pictures to my blog one at a time, maybe I will see some cleaning going on.

This picture shows that she does have a closet in which to put clothes away. This is how she chooses to use it.

The empty container in the closet is something I bought for her to get her organized. She promised to keep shoes in it.


Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Biofreeze Goes on the Shoulder Not in the Eyes

Biofreeze is a great product. It is kind of like Bengay or Icy Hot except it is cool. When I got up this morning I was shocked to discover that my left shoulder blade hurt. And not the right shoulder that I had broken at a kid's roller skating birthday party years ago. It was my favorite and best shoulder, the left one. So before I made it out the door this morning I remembered to slather some Biofreeze on the aching shoulder blade. Then I remembered that I still needed to put my contacts in. I am very nearsighted and NEVER wear my glasses to work.

I carefully wash my hands and proceed to clean the contacts and put them into my eyes. I put the right lens in. Then the left. The right lens felt not so good, so I took it out and dropped it on the dark kitchen rug in front of the sink. Jack, the cat came running out of nowhere to help me look for the missing contact. I was afraid he would eat it, so I tried to keep him away so I could rescue the contact lens. No such luck. I am about to give up and I see the lens hanging from the front of the dishwasher. It never even hit the floor. I am happy. I rinse the lens off again and insert it into my eye. I then realize that my eyes feel very coooool. Hmmmm. Biofreeze in the eyes. Out the door I go with very cool eyes. Not a good idea.

At lunch I realize my right eye really doesn't feel good. I casually move the lens onto the white of my eye and let it slip back onto my cornea. That is usually all I need to give me some relief. I take a few more bites of my salad. I did that a few times and my eye still didn't feel good. I take the lens out and look at it closely with my nearsighted right eye. Looks like little holes in my lens. Hmmmmm. I remember getting poked in the eye with a branch from the artificial Christmas tree. I was trying to put a branch back into the tree after finding it on the floor again. The cat won't stop climbing the tree and he tends to knock the branches right out of their artificial sockets. By Christmas I am thinking that all the branches will be laying on the carpet and the ornaments will all be broken.

So after throwing the right contact away today, I finished up the afternoon's work with one contact and even drove home that way. My shoulder still hurts. And so does my right eye. And the cat is still climbing the tree. And we all lived happily ever after.

The End

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Blogging Ideas

I have been rolling some new ideas around in my head but I'm scared to do it. I went into Stefanie's room this morning and took some pictures of the mess. And I'm being kind when I call it a mess. I used to clean it myself on occasion but she is going to be 22 this month. Should I get her maid service for a birthday present?

I used to clean her room myself but I gave up about 10 years ago because I didn't want to hurt myself trying to make my way into the room. It is even dangerous from the doorway. The cat runs in there but Stef is afraid he will hurt himself too. I see things I want in there like pop bottles that need to be returned and plates that I would like to wash and return to the cupboard.

The problem is that she likes to extend her mess through the house. The dining room table tends to collect her crap. It never ends.

So I was thinking about sending the pictures to my blog. She hasn't read my blog. But she knows it exists. I could threaten her with exposure if she doesn't clean up her act (room).

Food for thought.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Christmas Memories

So far things are going right on schedule. I haven't written a single Christmas card. The tree isn't up. No gifts have been purchased (except for stocking stuffers). And Stefanie's birthday is exactly one week before Christmas. No birthday presents have been bought or wrapped. I don't even know if I have birthday wrapping paper in the house. No Christmas cookies have been baked. I did stockpile some chocolate though. And I bought some Christmas candy but I think we ate it.



Christmas stresses me out. Now at some point I do need to take action. I did put the ribbons on the coach lights outside. I could use the new cat as an excuse for my hesitation. Actually, this is typical for me. I work better under pressure. Or so it seems.



One year at Christmas, I broke my shoulder and had to do all my shopping one-handed. Stef's birthday was a rough one that year. I couldn't even do the girl's hair. Had to have the birthday party at a pizza place because I couldn't do much with the right arm in a sling.



One year at Christmas I had to have emergency oral surgery and couldn't open my mouth. I remember smashing a Reese Cup with my fist so I could slip it in between my locked jaws. That was fun.



One year at Christmas my engine blew in my Suburu.



Enough with travelling down memory lane. I think maybe I will get the lights out tonight and put them in the windows before anyone comes home tonight. Maybe tomorrow I will make a list of stuff I need to do for Stefanie's birthday. I probably do have some birthday wrapping paper down in the basement. I am sure the cat would like to check out the supply of Christmas cards tucked away in the boxes of Christmas decorations.



Somehow everything comes together for Christmas every year. I do hope that I have made good memories for the girls over the years. Hopefully they will remember what I have done for them and one day I can just be a guest at their houses for the holidays.

Monday, December 1, 2008

I Took the Plunge


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Originally uploaded by jntrowley
This is the newest member of the family, Jack. He seems to like us and I have told him numerous times, "I love you already". He is six months old, has big ears and big feet. He loves to cuddle. I think he's going to work out just fine.