YawN ...yAwn ....yAWn ....

Nope, not bored. Not hardly ! T-I-R-E-D. TIRED. Pooped. Exhausted. Tuckered out. No steam. I think you get it.
I have been doing the proverbial "burning the candle at both ends" but I think I may also be torching the middle too... phew. We are always on our way somewhere (a good thing)or in the midst of something ( a good thing) . Add to that our stores are really busy (a good thing), there is a ton of stuff to unpack (good thing again), samples to be made(another GT), and renovations underway here at the store ( a good thing eventually ...) . Add to that a new kitten (an AWESOME thing) and Christmas coming ... YIKES !!! So its all for good happy reasons. But here's the real kicker ... I wake up in the middle of the night and start planning things and CANNOT GO BACK TO SLEEP ... too busy in my head !! So that isn't really helping although I have come up with several plans, projects, etc... Last night it was a window that SQUEEEEEEKED, squeeked, sQuEEEEked in the wind that sent me down to the couch at 4 am after several hours of "head planning & baking".
But I have come up with a few good ideas ... let me share !
1. my Christmas gift list ( that I was naive enough to believe I could get on Sunday ... one day ... nope, didn't happen)
2. my craft for the Craft Swap ... only problem is I've spent several OTHER nights replanning this so now I have too many options. I need a NARROWING DOWN night !
3. cats & kittens. And puppies and dogs. And who takes care of them when no one does? After looking after our summer cat family and finally finding them all homes, I began to think a lot about CAPS (Companion Animal Protection Society) and what a huge amount of work they have and what they are able to do. And what it must cost. And how on earth do they do it ? And how can I help ? So I have come up with A PLAN !!! here it is ... "THE COOKIE THAT CARES". I'm not sure how to raise money. I hate to ask people for money .. I think they should get something for their money. AND I love to bake but don't need to eat that much of it ... (see #9). So I decided that , once a month, I would bake BIG FAT CHEWY COOKIES or YUMMY SWEET CUPCAKES, package them up nicely, and sell them for a toonie each at the store. All proceeds would go to CAPS or a posted charity . The treats will be different each month but hopefully they will be a happy treat for those that want them. That way I can bake ( love it), feed people (love that too!), and help animals (LOVE THAT!!). So watch the blog for the first date ... hope it works !! Let me know what you think ...
4. the renovations to the store - all planned & prepared for. Perfect.
5. renovations to my laundry room for spring.
6. kitten & cat plans. Moving litter boxes, new beds, etc...
7. baked & cooked Christmas gifts ... and I even had time to plan the packaging ...
8. my decision to NOT decorate at home for Christmas ... this may actually GIVE me sleep !! YAY!! Last year was the first year in 20 that we decorated. It was lovely. But the cats lost their window seat and sleeping bench. They were not allowed to climb the trees. It stayed decorated until February. The boxes then stayed in the living room & laundry room until early summer. Not worth it ! So I am FREEING myself from that this year. A little tree (maybe) at the store ... c'est tout !
9. a better eating plan ... again. Back on the wagon !
10. my menu for the Craft Swap ... perhaps in direct conflict with #9 ...

So, you see, the time was well spent ...

Here are a few odds'n'ends that I am loving these days ...

Pioneer Woman's Cookbook ... except for the SNAKE on page 148. Now neatly covered up by Charlie ... (Blurry picture ... sorry ... I was too lazy to take another one ...)

(Why on earth would you want THAT in a cookbook ???!!)


All this FAB stuff from October Afternoon.

My box that arrived from Paper Trey Ink ... love their stuff !! Can't wait to try it all !!!

The dinner I made 2 nights ago ... homemade buttermilk waffles with raspberries & blueberries on top, drizzled with cloudberry syrup and a side of turkey sausage. I am NUTS about turkey sausage ... I don't even usually like sausage very much but the turkey ... yum ! (Maybe that dinner will make up for the soup & bread I made last night ... CANNED soup ...)


Hester ... who will soon go into storage ...sigh ...
Doesn't she look snazzy though with her skull hood ornament? BLING IT ON !!!

And of course all the funny cats that share our house and our sweet new Dillee !!
Have a great week !

introducing ... DiLLee !!!

This is Dillee ! She's the newest addition to our family ... and I love her !
She is one of the kittens that was living under our step. Last week , Mama Kitty went to a great home (where on Day 2 she slept snuggled up in bed with her new person ...) and we started catching kittens. We caught Spike and B2 the first night and delivered them to my brother-in-law's barn. Then the next night we could only catch one - B1. We debated whether that was a good idea or not but finally decided that we might not be able to catch 2 at a time again. So we caught B1 and delivered him to the barn. Only "Mask" remained.
Now "Mask" was tiny ... about half the size of the other kittens . And "he" was all alone. Several days went by with no luck and we felt worse every day. He was eating the food we left out but was too small to set off the big box trap. So we moved to a chipmunk trap ... still no luck. He was terrified. We stayed up all one night , taking turns watching the trap, ready to pull the string. Still no "Mask". We decided, grudgingly, to leave the trap set all day. It would be better to be in the box, which we covered with a blanket, all day than to be hit by a car on the road. But we hated the idea of him being trapped all day. If we didn't get him that day we were going to stop setting the trap for a few days to regain his trust ... what little he had for us.
When we came home from work that night, the trap was sprung and a VERY ANGRY kitten was inside. We transferred a hissing, spitting, clawing little ball of fur to a carrier and took him in the house. He hated us. We were going to take him to the barn the next day ... but the more we looked at him, we couldn't. He was soooo small. He was sooo scared. He was the last kitten of our wonderful summer kitten family. We convinced ourselves that we would find him a home and then made the appointment for tests and needles...
So ... "Mask" is a GIRL !! And she is a purring, loving, playing sweetie. And she is ours. We stopped looking for a good home for her ... we already knew of one ! Anyway, she has the craziest hair you have ever seen ... like a guinea pig's ! She was the star of show at the Vets, having her picture taken, modelling a fab mohawk, munching treats ... quite happy. But she needed a new name, a girl name, a name that showed she belonged. Our Vet said "Phyllis Diller" because of her insane hair. Now Phyllis is a big name for a little kitten and hard to make into more names. But Diller ... hmmm ... Dilleee ... as in Silly Dillee, as in Dilly Bar, as in "She's a dilly", as in Baby Dill. Now that's a name ! So Dillee she is !
She will be making appearances daily at the Bead Store until we are sure the big cats at home won't beat her up ... so come on in and meet her !!

oh yeah ... a whole bunch of other stuff happened... a dead computer, a new hard drive, lost files & accounts, cloned information, a cancelled trip the the city ... BUT WHO CARES ???!!! We have Dillee !!!

You CAN judge a gal by her UNDERwear ...

Hmmm ... I went looking for turtlenecks and cardigans last week ... not that I need them today with this *spring* weather !! But , anyway, they no longer exist in the form I know them. Turtlenecks are made for the lawn chair weaving, Florida going, bowling crowd. (Hope I haven't offended anyone ...) . I am NOT wearing a turtleneck with little smiling mice on it ... or butterflies ... or any other creature. Has anyone heard of BLACK ? Or RED ? Or anything plain that doesn't have a doodad on it ? And cardigans ... they are made to wear in a climate controlled office over a teddy or a fake something ... not to be warm & cozy. So I gave up ... and I bought underwear instead.
So I came to the counter with my choices. The clerk looked them over, looked at me, and said "That is an interesting assortment of colours." Well ... yes it is. And that's why I chose them.
(A bit odd though that she would comment ...) Black & mauve stripes, red & white polka dots, blue & white squiggles. I figure that if I am in an accident someone will laugh and say "Oh. She wasn't boring. She must have been a fun gal !!" So there !!
So live it up ... buy some crazy underwear !!
... if only I could find skull underwear to match the hearse ...

MEOW !

Guess who's at work with me today ?

MAMA KITTY. Yep, today is the day she is going to a HOME and a new FAMILY. She is laying by my feet right now, quite well adjusted to being inside. She is so sweet and loving - she really needs her own people. So one of Charlie's customers has a cat-loving friend who is going to take her. HOORAY !!
Now ... tonight will be "kitten trapping night". I am sure it will end up with Charlie scratched & bit to pieces, screeching kittens, and me bawling ... But it is all so they too can go to a home and be inside during the winter. My brother-in-law is going to take them as barn kittens so they can all go together. And that is good. We never were able to get them really tame so it should be an adventure ...
Do you know that we go to the grocery store every 2 days to buy catfood ? We feed 3 to 4 cans outside each morning and night (6-8 there) and then 3 or 4 inside. So we buy a couple flats of catfood every other day ... that's in addition to the dry food and treats ... sheesh... that could be why we never went on a vacation this year ... !!! But we have enjoyed them so much & it will be really sad to see them go.
But I am sure that there will be more ... it seems we are on some sort of "Kitty Underground Railway" ... "Yeah, just stop at the house with the gargoyles. They'll feed you and build you houses, or maybe, even take you into the BigHouse." Yeah that's us ... SUCKERS !!

So, in the words of creepy old Bob Barker ... "Remember to spay and neuter your pets." He has a point there !!!

And that is DORIAN, the Grey Squirrel that lives at the Feed Store ... cute huh?!
UPDATE !!! The lady just came to get Mama Kitty ... and she was really nice ! Mama Kitty got frightened and hid but came out when the lady got down and talked to her. She will be an INDOOR cat now and live with 2 rescued dogs and some macaws. I feel so happy ... Mama Kitty is going to a really nice home !!
And she is now "Cleo". sigh. A happy ending.

NUTS about cOCoNuT !!!

Do you ever get thinking about something ...something seemingly insignificant ... and then you think of all the ways you love it ? No? Oh, well ... I do . And this weekend, that thing was coconut.

Coconut ... I love it . Fresh, shredded, toasted, in chocolate ... YUMMO ! I love making coconut macaroons, morning glory cookies with coconut, coconut cupcakes, coconut dipped chicken fingers, and coconut cream pie. That's what started me on this chain of thought ... I was asked to make 2 coconut cream pies for a community supper. I make pretty good coconut cream pie (although the last time I made them for a friend's birthday, they didn't set properly ... ERGH ... but I did rush home after work and I fully believe that CC cannot be rushed. ) Coconut cream has to cook slowly in a heavy pot, stirred slowly and lovingly ( with coconut thoughts ...) , and the pot must be thoroughly LICKED afterwards !!! Anyway, I made these pies, had HIGH meringue which makes me smile inside , and delivered them to oohs and aahs. Then I had to make a keeper. You know how that is ... you bake for something and the sink is piled with sticky ( but licked !!) dishes , the air smells wonderful, but the counter is bare. Just not right. So I came home & made another pie for us. But this one was just topped with whipped cream & toasted coconut . ( mmm Toasted coconut ... isn't that a crunchy sugary sprinkle of heaven ?...)

That's the pie ... not looking too pretty as it is jammed in a lunch container but it will look mighty good at noon on a sleepy Monday !!

But ... more reasons to love coconut ... it is in all those yummy rum drinks . Isn't that really reason enough ??? Makes me wish I had a little umbrella drink right now ... Is it okay to drink at work if it is your own business and you have a little umbrella in the glass ... ??? Not like I would be swigging out of a bottle ... hmmm...

And then there is the yummy coconut milk. We were lucky enough to buy fresh coconuts in China Town in Toronto, have the tops MACHETED off, and a straw stuck in it. We strolled Spadina drinking the sweet coconut water and feeling pretty blissful. Life ( and our drink) was sweet !!

And last but not least , all those awesome COCONUT HEADS !!! Yes, we collect them and LOVE them !! They are all over the house. And they make you smile. So after you drink the brains and eat the flesh, you can carve the head !!! A ZOMBIE'S DREAM COME TRUE !!

Who wouldn't love that face ??? !! (YIKES !! Is that dust ??? I think I may have to clean those little babies up tonight ... In my defence, they are up high ...)
Anyway, have COCONUTTY DAY !!!

My Latest Project ...

You know, the 30 Day Crafting Challenge really worked ! I now try to work on something almost everyday. And I am really enjoying it. So ... I have decided to clean a little bit everyday ... for 30 days ... (and by then I may have found the couch) ... YEAH RIGHT. Kidding !! That would be like doing hard time. No way !! I'll continue to craft !

Here's my latest project !

Now I'm waitng for more of the Advent Boxes to come in so I can make one that isn't Christmas ... maybe to hold brads & other little bits.

I am also going to make some more of these

and these !

Maybe even this weekend !!

Ooooo ... a new house for me ???

When you are a cat, everything is a potential new house ....

Even a Tassimo box ... ( more about THE AMAZING TASSIMO later !!)

"Who's out there ?!"

"Love the sun roof ..."