Helpful Holiday Hint

I know I have not been keeping up with my helpful hint's but I am going to try to get back in the groove.

When I was working on cleaning up my grandmother's sliver ware, I came across this tip from Martha Stewart's Real Simple web site.

I have posted the link to the video and step-by-step instructions that shows how to clean silverware with some aluminum foil, boiling water, baking soda and salt. (Even MacGyver would be proud).


Shine Away

Why did the Turkey Cross the Road.....

As I stood there in our kitchen cursing at the butter because I could not beat it into submission so I could cut cute little leaf shapes into it, I really began to hate Thanksgiving.

I had spent the morning ironing (which I absolutely hate doing) the tablecloth and napkins, hand washing our good china so we could use it for the first time, surfing the Internet on how to "un-tarnish" my grandmother's silverware and trying to explain to a very zealous cat that cutlery is not for kittens.

Everything was going well, until I could not get those leaf shapes into the butter. It was at this point I knew I had given into the "holiday perfection demon."

This demon (who in my mind looks a little like the Weight Watcher's Hungry Monster but a little more evil) always pays me a visit at this time of year. He likes to remind me that everything needs to be absolutely perfect. That because it is a holiday, things need to be more special.

This is the same creature that can reduce me into a melting mass of emotion because I cannot make the perfect bow for our Christmas wreath. It is also the same being that drives me to find the perfect gift, have it be on sale and wrapped perfect with sharp, crisp edges.

But, as I stood there with the butter-covered rolling pin in my hand, instead of smashing the butter, I decided to smash away my holiday demon.

So what if there is one little wrinkle in the tablecloth? So what if we have to eat butter off of one of our everyday dishes that do not match our china? So what if there is one little speck of tarnish at the base of a piece of the silverware?

Once I had shipped off my holiday menace, something happened: I really started to see the real meaning behind Thanksgiving.

I know it is so cliche and sounds like an after school or Charlie Brown television special but it is true.

There are so many times that I look at my faults and what I do not have, that I miss all that I am truly blessed to have.

So in the spirit of the holiday, I have decided to make a "Thankful List" (in no particular order).

* I am thankful for my family and friends who continue to support and love me.

*I am thankful for my wonderful husband who has been by my side for 10 years.

* I am thankful for having God in my life. I know there are bad times, but there will also be good times and He will not give me anything I cannot handle.

*I am thankful for my freedom. This is becoming more and more of a thing to be thankful for considering the state of the world today.

*I am thankful to have a roof over my head, food on the table and clothes in my closet. Everyday I take for granted the most simple and basic needs that are met each day.

* I am thankful for our two cats. They have provided us with so much joy and happiness, with just a touch of anxiety to keep things interesting.


I don't want to get "preachy" but this Thanksgiving, instead of fighting over the turkey drumstick, or complaining about your grandmother asking you when you are going to get married or have a baby, just take a deep breath and count your blessings.

I wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving full of good food, fellowship and many fond memories.

I know things will never be the same

Well, this month both mine and Kevin's world changed forever. Nothing bad happened (praise the Lord), actually something really good happened.

We added another little ball of fur into our home!

For awhile now we had been wanting to get our current cat, Anastasia, a friend to play with.

She would play with us for awhile, but then she would still walk around the house meowing, would run from window to window if she saw one of the neigborhood's outdoor cats running around.

So last Monday, Kev and I went back to the WONDERFUL shelter that we addopted Anna from, which is Fayette Friends of Animals.

We looked around at all of the different cats, including a Tortie who was in love with Kev and wanted constant petting, a sweet little Calico that keep smooshing his face on both Kev's feet and my legs, but I had decided that one Calico was all that we could handle since they are notoriously known for being a little kooky.

When we went into the second room a sweet little long haired grey cat, named Brino came up to us. On a little side note, the little guy was named Brino because they had thought he was a girl and decided to call him Sabrina, but when he went to go have his "guy parts edited" they found out he was a boy and changed his name to Brino.

Anyway, when Kev picked him up he started purring like a beautiful classic car and we decided he was the one.

When we went to put in our adoption application for him, a different girl told us that someone had already put in an application for him, but they were still waiting to hear from their landlord, so still turn one in for him.

I was really heartbroken because I really felt like he was going to be the perfect cat for our Anna.

The following day, Thursday, I received a phone call from the shelter saying he was ours because it had been over 20 since the people turned in their application and they were still waiting for the Landlord's phone number.

We made arrangements to pick him up.

But, before we did, I wanted to do some research on how to introduce the new cat to the current cat. This was a very big mistake!

A lot of Web Sites said to introduce the two cats through the pet taxi, then put the new cat in one room and shut the door and put the current cat in a room and shut the door. Then bring out the new cat and let him sniff around. Put him back in his room and bring out the current cat and let him sniff around. Then exchange blankets that they have been laying on so they can get each others scent. The web site also said that this could take up to three or four weeks before you can let them run around the house comfortably. This is when I started to panic!

I do not have the patience or the time to do this for three or four weeks. I thought it would be, put the new cat in a room, slap a baby gate on the door and let Anna look at him through the gate for a while and then remove the gate.

So, we decided to go with our original plan, and went to Target (or Tar-jay) to purchase a baby gate, I know my mother was thrilled to have something associated with babies finally in our house, and we put the new cat in our office and let him out.

After about an hour, we removed the baby gate and let nature take its course.

There was some sniffing, some little grunting noises, but around an hour later, Finnegin, that is what we decided to call the new cat, and Anna were tearing around the house playing with each other.

It is easy to see that Finnegin adores Anna. He follows her around, and when he has a hard time keeping up with her, because he has little legs, she will turn around and wait for him to catch up.

They love having "epic battles" on the cat tree and behind the pillows on our bed. (It has gotten so bad that I am changing out our comforter so they don not snag it any more than it already has been.)

I am so happy the two of them are enjoying each other, and I am so glad we brought Finnegin home. There is just a little part of me that hopes that Anna still needs me a little.