Wow..it's been over a week since I posted. Did you think I got katienapped in Canada and they wouldn't let me come home? Nope, I didn't get nearly that lucky. I did have an incredible time there though and will be posting about that very soon. This is going to be a pretty short post because well, because I brought home more than TimBits from Canada. It seems I also brought home a case of Strep Throat! Eww, Owww and Ugh! I got to the doctor's yesterday and got my medicines and luckily am feeling better but it's going to be a bit before 'm totally back up to full strength.

But, keep your eyes open. I have tons of great things to write about from the past week or so. There's the trip to Canada and I just have to brag about Parent-Teacher Conferences. I wouldn't be a mom if I didn't, eh?

Ok, but until then, I have a pretty "simple" tackle for today. I'm going to tackle strep and since that doesn't leave me much energy for anything else, I think I'll also work on clearing off our dvr. (shhh..don't tell, but that means I'll be laying on the couch watching tv today). I might even work on my Christmas card list. Have a great day all!

Just a super short post because it's actually just before 1am here, but I did want to make sure this did get posted. I got a super surprise and found out that I'm not going to Canada alone. When everything went down on Monday, at first I thought the trip was cancelled then I found out otherwise! Nickle is awaiting my arrival and tomorrow, I have to drive to Detroit to pick up the someone special that is going with me. So, I won't really be around tomorrow. I have to get up, do a few things around the house and be out the door here by 2pm. I don't know if I'll get Friday's post up but if I don't, know that it will be up with the MckLinky next Friday. Love and hugs!

Wednesday..Wednesday...so good to me...Ok, those aren't the real lyrics, but even though I feel down right crummy (fallout from Monday's events) I am in good spirits. I just wish my to do list would do itself! Why don't they ever do themselves?

Well, I'm going to make sure to finish this post so that then I can move on to the next parts of my far too long list. So, over on Sunday Shutterbugs, the theme is Red. Now, I know that there isn't much red in this picture, but there's a story and stories are good, right?

So, this is Isabella. I posted pictures of her when she was just a tiny thing but as you can see, she's growing up fast. This is a basket I had emptied and she insisted on sleeping in it every chance she got. Right up until I filled it with other things and put it away, that is. So, this morning, I was in the bathroom and using Nair on my legs. Honestly, I had gotten tired of shaving and wanted to try something that would last a bit longer. Well, of course, I forgot to take a watch or clock into the bathroom with me, so I opened the bathroom door to see the one on the laptop. No big deal, right? Wrong. The girls, as usual, rushed into the bathroom the second I opened the door and little Miss Isabella rubbed right against my leg. The leg that had Nair gooped all over it. Now, I didn't want a bald cat, so I grabbed a washcloth and tried to wipe as much off as I could. I thought I'd gotten all of it until a couple minutes later when she walked past me again and I saw another streak of it. Now, would she come to me when I called her? Or even sit still while I'm trying to grab her? Of course not. Now, try not to laugh too hard as you imagine me...with Nair covered legs, chasing this kitten around the living room while trying not to get the Nair on either of the other 2 cats who were enjoying the chase or on the furniture.. In the end, I did manage to catch the rascal and rinse/comb the rest of the Nair out and other than her hair being slightly thinner in a couple of areas, she doesn't seem to be traumatized or any the worse for war. Mom's nerves however....

So, that's my really not even close to Wordless Wednesday. Do you have any photos to share this week? Are you planning on hopping over to Sunday Shutterbugs to post a link? Let me know here! I want to see too!

Sorry everyone for not posting yesterday. Yesterday was one of those days that I never want to relive again. Because of that, I'm not going to post details here to the blog. I'm just going to say that it was a really bad, emotionally draining day that I hope some good came out of having to live through.

Now, because of that I didn't do a menu plan for this week. I'm not really going to worry about that though, because there is plenty of food here and I'm going out of town for the weekend. You won't hear me say this often, but thank god for Canada. More specifically, thank god for my friends in Canada. There is a lovely event going on there this weekend and I'm so glad that after 5 months here, I'm going to be back among friends and being wrapped up in their love. That's something that I really need this weekend. I can't wait to see nickle (who sometimes comments here), her lovely man Rob and gobsmacks of other people. Oh, and I get to finally meet Belladonna in person! She makes the most wonderful things and you know, I might talk to her about being a featured shop here on the blog. I don't know why that didn't occur to me earlier...duh!

Anyway, now that I've rambled on a bit and honestly, it helped me to do that...I should probably write about my tackle for today. There's a lot to get done before Thursday, but today my focus is going to be essentials. I need to write a shopping list, a packing list and to do at least 3 hours of kgb work. If there's time, I'll be sweeping the laundry room floor and changing the cat litter as well. I suspect that somehow I'll find the time. But, these things won't tackle themselves, so I'm off!

With the holidays fast approaching, I've been thinking a lot about how we're going to be doing things. The boys and I have some holiday traditions that we do every year, but this year, I'm going to start another one. Every year, we all get things for Christmas, even if it's just a little something because money is tight. I was reading earlier that 1 in 50 children (in the USA) this year are homeless. How scary is that? With unemployment so high and parents just unable to pay the mortgage anymore, more and more families are turning to shelters. Where we live, there isn't a homeless shelter, but there are plenty of organizations like Salvation Army and Goodwill. So, let me tell you about our new tradition and then I'll share with you some ideas on how you can be a Christmas Angel to a needy child or family.

This year, I'm going to be taking a decorated cardboard box with us to the family Christmas party. It's going to be our donation box. I'm going to ask that every family member donate 1-2 items to the box. For the kids, this will most likely be old toys, games or books. For the adults, it could be just about anything. These items will then be donated to a local charity. I want my children to learn that even when times are tough, they are often tougher for someone else and we should always be willing to lend a hand where we can.

Now, for those of you who do live near a shelter, I'm going to encourage you to consider one of these ideas:

1. Donate comfort items, such as stuffed toys or soft blankets. These could turn into items that the children could keep for themselves.

2. Go in together with another family and host a pizza party/game night at a local shelter. This could be just for the kids or for everyone staying there.

3. Buy new school supplies and donate them to be handed out at the shelter. Can you imagine what it must be like to not be able to buy your child the new backpack that they need for school?

I know that it might seem as if I'm throwing these ideas out early, but let's face it, people need year long, not just at the holidays. Plus, if you start setting aside a little money or time now to help make someone's life better, it won't be nearly as tough when Christmas does roll around!

Hello! Hello! Happy Friday! I'm determined that it's going to be a happy day even if it's raining...again! I've pretty much given up on the idea that I'm going to have nice days to get outside and prep the flower beds for the spring. Instead, I'm thinking that come early spring, I'm going to have a "Garden Day" where I invite family and friends over for a day of hanging out together and whipping these flower beds into shape. In exchange, they get the joy of seeing work done, helping out a friend and delicious food because I take care of my helpers..hehe.

As for today, I'm headed into Hastings to pick up Ben for the weekend. We'll be doing pumpkins and I'm not quite sure what else. He's not into crafting as much as his brother, but we may do a 2nd bird feeder, this one made out of a 2 liter soda bottle.

My Finish It Friday challenge, for you and for me, is to check out that fridge. A couple of days ago, I told y'all how to check the seals. Now, we're going to check something else. Open those fridge doors and take a good look inside. If your fridge looks like mine, it's filled with containers of leftovers and very possibly some food that has gotten shoved to the back and needs to be thrown out. Ewwww!

The holidays are coming and we need to make some room in those fridges for all of the goodies that come along with those days. If you're like me, you love to cook and to bake and to create delicious treats. Well, to do that, we need room in the fridge for those ingredients and then for some of those delicious creations. Take the time today to make your holidays easier and get those fridges cleared out!

Holy cow! I just prevented the house from burning down! Ok, it might not be that dramatic, but it sure scared me. I kept smelling something burning but couldn't figure out what it was. I figured it must be the neighbor burning wood or something. Except, it wasn't! I happened to turn around from where I was sitting on the couch and noticed that my lamp was tipped over. Not only was it tipped over, but it was on and the bare bulb (my lampshade broke and I haven't had the money to replace it) was leaning against a suede pillow! The burning smell was where it was scorching the pillow! Thank god I turned around when I did. The pillow has a large scorched spot and had I not noticed it, it could have caught fire. How terrifying is that?

Know what I'm doing for me today? I'm taking a few deep breathes and counting my blessings. I sometimes spend too much time dwelling on the negative, like not enough money, not enough time with my boys, etc etc. So today, I'm going to focus on the positives...I have a lovely home, food in our cupboards, two incredible boys, 3 cats who keep me company and love on me and make me laugh with their antics, books to read, movies to watch, decent health and the list could go on and on...I really am a lucky girl.

What are all of you doing for you today? What are you thankful for?