Merry Christmas!

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" Luke 2:11-14

I absolutely love Christmas! Here are some of my favorites from Christmas 2010:

Our first Christmas tree! However, it didn't stay like this for long....

Sending and sharing some love ♥ 

Baking for my first Cookie Swap - Six dozen Jam Kolache Cookies, a Polish tradition!

Steven singing in his school's Christmas play 

(the kid in the center holding the fruitcake) 

A little Unrelated-to-Christmas Cubing - Liberty Science 2010 Competition  

     Shipping boxes become a Kitten Adventure! 

 Gingerbread fun! 

 And of course, 

 the reason our Christmas Tree is nearly bare. 

Merry Christmas, Everyone!! 

Oh, Facebook.

Please excuse me from jumping on my soapbox. 

In high school, I did not like to follow trends. I'm sure most of you can recall my wonderful fashion sense. 

As of right now, I am beginning to feel a bit like a cow in a group of cattle. A recent trend told everyone to change their Facebook picture to a cartoon character. The supposed reason was to "end child abuse." I choose to changed my picture, but I did so fully understanding that I was not doing anything to end child abuse. I did so because I thought it was a fun way to reminisce of my childhood. It was fun to see what characters my friends chose, especially those who did not grow up in the same generation as me. 

However, a few days after I changed my picture, I was being warned that I was now supporting pedophiles, and I must change back my picture! I'm not going to encourage this debate. However, this statement is not true. If you would like more information, see the following link: http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/cartoon.asp

However, this whole ordeal has made me realize, I am not a sheep. I am not a cow. I am not a hen. I purposely did not post the location that I put my purse during that trend "to find a cure for breast cancer." I purposely do not copy and paste other people's status' to "help support the cure for belly button lint" or whatever. And I don't "Like" everything under the sun just because 10 of my friends just did.  These things are merely another way to shuffle people to the next trend or to the next "cause." 

I am leaving my picture as Patti Mayonnaise because I am confident that I am not supporting a pedophile. I also know I am not doing anything to end child abuse by leaving it as a cartoon character. I plan to leave it like this as long as I like. And the next time I change my picture or my status will not be because of some trend.

Thank you Crazy Facebook Trend for making me realize that I really admire High School Christa.

Slooooowing Down

Life seems to be moving at such a fast pace. Autumn is my favorite season, and I always hate the day that I realize the leaves are gone... Winter is coming. Sometimes it is good to take a moment and slow life down.

My Mondays are usually the biggest victim of Zoomatitis, so this past Monday, I decided not to do my usual RUSH through every bit of housework. Instead, I woke up, and I decided to work at a slow pace. To just get done whatever I was able to complete. To my surprise, I actually finished my usual Monday work-load, and I had time to do some baking. 

Unfortunately, baking lead to the smoke detectors going off.... which lead to this... 

Oh well. 

Anyway, I challenge you to take a day, and slow things down. Who knows, you may end up with an enraged cat hiding under your dishwasher. 

The Obvious Choice

A certain blogger, friend, and Unsocialed Homeschooler recently posed a debate that I had never considered... until now.

I after much thought and deliberation I have decided where I sit on the Ninja/Pirate Debate.

I will now present my case for Ninjas... The Obvious Choice:

Point 1: Ninjas are stealthy. Pirates are dirty.

Point 2: It takes a lifetime of training to become a ninja. This is not the case for pirates. A proper girl from a regal family can manage the pirate lifestyle in approximately 94 minutes of movie screen time.

Point 3: A ninja would sneak up on a pirate while he is enjoy his rum and... ATTACK. Pirate down.

Point 4: A ninja has mind tricks.... no wait, that is a Jedi.... I'm going to count this anyway.

Point 5: Pirates are dirty.

Agree? Disagree? Let me hear it.

(Also, I apologize for my lack of photos. I will mend this terrible mistake after my first encounter with a ninja or a pirate).

To Laurie and Clint

Last Saturday was a very important day. Months and months of preparation all came together for a glorious celebration of the love shared by Laurie and Clint Stevens. The weather was perfect, the ceremony was elegant, and the reception was a blast.



I was so honored and excited to be a part of their wedding. I personally enjoyed the preparation leading up to the actual wedding... getting my second ever pedicure with the bridal party... running late to the rehearsal with Laurie to discover Clint waiting outside the church looking at his watch... watching Laurie's flower girl play with toys while dressed as a princess.... and of course, the anticipation and excitement that beamed from Laurie's face the whole day.

James and I also had such a wonderful time at the reception. Although he was feeling under the weather, he toughed it out and really seemed to enjoy himself too. We danced like two goofs and had a lot of fun.


Laurie did surprise me with an unexpected twist. During the cake cutting ceremony, I was called up to "assist." However, what proceeded was vanilla cake in my face. That's ok because James and I retaliated. We went around to each of the tables, and took silly pictures with all of the disposable cameras. Although it wasn't as delicious as vanilla cake in the face, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Goofiness aside, I wish them a marriage as wonderful as their wedding day: the natural ease to go with the flow when things don't always go as you expected, but also the delight that comes from the moments when everything aligns perfectly. Congratulations to Laurie and Clint!

Emergency Visits

There is always that one child that ends up getting hurt.... a lot. And although James and I have not ventured into the world of raising kids, we have already had our first emergency visit to the doctor's office... Well ok, it was a visit to the vet.

Now this story would be whole lot more exciting if I had all of the details to the little guy's adventures, but I do not soooo..... [insert crazy story involving Crusoe tightrope walking, fighting off land sharks, and sky-diving through our living room here].

I'm sure it all went down just like that, and when I found him lying on floor Friday morning curled up in a ball, I wondered why he did not greet me with his usual purrs and kisses. I soon discovered, as I fed Oliver, that Crusoe injured his back left paw and was now limping around the apartment. Sadness and anxiety ensued.

James and I took him to the vet later that day, but they were unable to determine if his injury was the result of rough play with Oliver (involving an infected bite wound) or the above mentioned daredevil-ish escapades. They gave him a pain reliever and told us to call them in the morning.

So this morning we had hoped to see our kitten feeling better (this would have been emotionally and financially better). However, his limp was getting worse, and so we ventured back to the doctor's office to get his little paw x-rayed. The result of the x-ray was the discovery of a small fracture in Crusoe's growth plate.

Which resulted in this... 

The poor guy now hobbles around the house. It is simply adorable, funny, and a little sad. However, I'm sure in a few weeks, he will be back to his old antics.

An Afternoon CatNap

Back-to-School Burrito Night!

Yes, it is everyone's favorite time of year! Back-to-School... err.... I mean... Burrito Night!!

After feeling a bit sick of the same old dinners, James and I decided it was time to attempt one of our favorites. Now, I have made burritos in the past... However, I am a bit sad to admit that these burritos were made from canned refried beans and enough cheese to feed a small country. Back-to-School Burrito night was all about homemade deliciousness!

Taste the Awesomeness for yourself:
* Rice seasoned with lime & cilantro
* Black Beans cooked with a little garlic, onion, & cayenne pepper
* Fresh Romaine Lettuce
* Homemade Salsa (tomatoes, corn, onion, garlic, & cilantro)
* Sour Cream
* and a modest amount of cheddar cheese

This meal took about an hour to prepare (and I did have James' help with prepping everything), but it was definitely worth the energy. We were very happy with the results of our little experiment, and will be making this dinner again. It may even become a Back-to-School tradition!

....I'll find any excuse for a fiesta!

A New Addition

Yesterday, James and I took a stroll to our local animal shelter to adopt a new kitten. It was an easy decision to choose which lovable little guy would be joining out home - a playful and a bit spazzy 12 week old brown striped tiger.

The decision to expand our little family came from our current kitten, Oliver. About a week ago, James and I suddenly woke at 1:00am to the strange sound of our crying kitty. Carefully, we tip-toed out of our bedroom, scared of what we might discover. However, we did not find a cat pinned under a piece of furniture like I originally thought. Instead, we discovered our little boy meowing at his favorite tiger toy. The decision was made. Oliver needed a playmate.

We brought the little guy home, and although he was a bit scared, he seemed to quickly out grow the bathroom we were storing him in. Jumping, rolling, clawing, and pouncing his way about the room. 

Anxiously, Oliver sat by the door awaiting to meet his new brother. We opened the door, and the boys were about to meet....

A few sniffs, some meows, lots of purrs, and Crusoe became the brother Oliver always wanted. 

Yes, this is how it all played out.... in my mind. 

In reality, there were a few meows, some growls, and lots of hissing. However, with some time the boys started playing together. They are still trying to establish their dominance, but things are much better then they were yesterday. We are currently keeping them separated and monitoring their playtime. We hope that in a few weeks, Oliver will no longer need to snuggle with a toy, but will now how a new brother to cuddle at bedtime.