My cat has an addiction and it is starting to affect us all. He has a penchant for milk. I can't pour a glass of milk and leave it on the counter for a few seconds or he starts to drink it. If the kids pour a cup and don't finish it off in it's entirety he drinks it. If he can't get his head in the cup he knocks it over with his paw and drinks it that way. Is it gross that I no longer dump it and just drink it? Milk is expensive people!

I guess I am going to have to start giving him a little milk everyday. So far he has had no adverse reactions but my bet he is going to become a FAT CAT!

(By the way, just in case you thought I snapped a gasket and have started dressing up my cat in dresses you can relax. It was my daughter that did this makeover. Not I.)

Tonight I watched a scary show on TV (on the one channel I get) and now I am scared so I have to stay awake lest I get murdered. Why do I do that to myself?
Just in case you are interested there are shortbread cookies in my freezer. I thought if I put them in there I wouldn't eat them. Ha! It turns out shortbread is even tastier frozen! What is a girl to do? Detox. Serious detox in the new year. So I should probably go eat the one's in the freezer so they are not in the house January 1st huh? (Don't answer that.)
Little Girl said something funny on Christmas Day. She got a Cabbage Page Kid. (Which she asked me for about 5,000 times and then asked Santa just to make doubly sure she got one.) Anyway, she gets the Cabbage Patch Kid and said to my brother, "She wetted her diaper". My brother looked over at her and her doll and she looks right at him and said, "But that is her private business". ha ha
I am off. I need to go check on the shortbread cookies.

In other news, in my geneology quest I have tracked back 13 generations. Cool huh?! There names were John and Margarita Malpass.

What Norbert thought of Christmas day.

I am awake and it is 1:00 a.m. I think it is because my blood sugar fell below 200 that is normal for this time of year. I got up and had a hot chocolate and shortbread cookies and I am now feeling my old strung out self. I am going to need to go through some serious detox come the new year.

Norbert is playing in the Christmas tree but I am too tired to do anything about it. I gave him a warning that Santa won't come if he is a bad cat and he glared at me but walked away.

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If I don't get a chance to stop by your blog's I want to wish of you a blessed Christmas. Remember the reason for the season.

Keeping it simple. We finally put up our tree this evening. Cutting it close eh? This year I was reading an article about keeping it simple. I thought, "Hey, I can do that!"! So I did. I actually went out and bought a 4.5 foot tree. (Only $14.75 because it was on sale.) The kids and I decorated it with the decorations that fit then we boxed everything else up and put them away. I did not decorate the doors or the walls but I will put out the Nativity Scene. I have never done this before but I want to actually enjoy Christmas this year and not be stressed out. (What a concept!) After Christmas I don't want to be in the depression that grabs hold of me every year when I have to take everything down.

It looks really pretty and very simple. I have my favourite mementos and decorations out and the wee tree is twinkling. It is nice.

It really is a crazy time of year isn't it? I was trying to take it easy but I see now that God is telling me to slow down further. Little Girl has a rotten cold and I fell and hurt myself (again). She was going to stay overnight at her dad's tonight but because she is so sick she decided to stay home. I had planned to finish my Christmas wrapping and kick back and watch a DVD. Instead Little Girl and I wrapped gifts and worked on Christmas crafts. We had a very nice time together.

As for the falling. I am such a klutz. I fell in the exact same place as I did earlier this year. I was carrying boxes out to my car in the dark and swishoop! Down I went. My kids gasped as I sat in the mud. They rushed to my side to help me up and to see if I was ok. I was at the time but now I am quite sore. Anyway, my point? God has a way of making us slow down doesn't He? I have been getting a lot done but I have also been resting on ice and taking naps.

Update on a more serious note
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I am reading so many of your entries from the last few days and I feel sad that many of you are experiencing grief and feeling overwelmed. It is normal to feel this way this time of the year but for most of you it extends beyond the rush of Christmas. I go to comment on your blog but all my words sound so trite.
Why is it that we are feeling this way? Over the last few days I find myself sobbing from my very soul. It has been a hard year. I thought I was going to lose my mother this year and the threat will likely be there for a long time. I don't know how I will go on if she dies. How am I going to get up in the morning? Get dressed? Eat? Go to work? How will I ever survive without my beautiful mother. My hero, protector, encourager and best friend. So I find myself sobbing when I know I should be grateful but for some reason I am just scared.
It is beyond the blues for many of us. I read the words you have typed and I try to comment, try to encourage and I can't do it. I want to say it will get better but I don't know that it will.
So if you are hurting this year know that you are not alone. God is always there and is only a whisper, a thought away. Allow this time to bring you closer to Him. Allow yourself to be still in His presence. Hilary reminded me of this even though I have it on my profile...
"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."Luke 2:10-11

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Is someone able to tell me what happened to the 19th? For some reason I thought today was the 19th but now I realize it is the 20th!
I am working on getting my house back in shape. It is so messy! I am needing to follow a daily 'to do' list because it is going to take a couple of weeks to get it back into shape. I really hate housework.
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My kids have invented a word and I have no idea what it means. Abubada. They say it mostly when they don't agree on things.
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The first thing that comes to mind when I see this picture is every light in the house is on. Do you know how much electricity costs? I am becoming my mother. {sigh}

Tomorrow at 10:15 I am getting a mammogram. Oh joy. I have had one before and it really isn't my idea of a good time to squash my breasts down to a layer of paper. {sigh} But I am being a good and responsible woman and doing what is right. Ladies, when is the last time you had a mammogram or checked your breasts?

The time has finally come! I am on holidays! Hurray! After 549 days since my last vacation I am off for 18 days!

Tonight I am going to my staff Christmas party. (The reason for shaving my legs.) Tonight I intend to party it up and drink a little too much then sleep in tomorrow! Whoooo hooo!

The obligatory leg shave. Some of you that have been with me for awhile know how I feel about shaving my legs. For those of you who don't let me tell you. Bluntly, I hate it. I have no reason in the world to do it. It is a big waste of my already too short evenings. I am not dating at present and quite frankly keeping my legs hairy keeps me from dating. A woman won't have s*x if her legs are not shaved. (In fact guys, if your sweetie has shaved her legs she likely wants to have s*x with you. Don't ask why. It is just a weird thing we women do.) Anyway, I digress. I hate shaving my legs. But I did it because I am going to a semi-formal dinner tomorrow. I am wearing a cranberry coulored velvet dress that is quite short. I can't have my legs unshaved for the event! I even waxed my eyebrows! It is an event and that is why I am blogging about it.

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This is beautiful. Enjoy.

http://198.30.217.62/

I rarely blog before work. That tells you how anxious I am to get there. If I don't go stark, raving mad first and end up in the psych ward, I will be on holidays on Saturday at 4 p.m. PST. Pray I get though because this last week has been hellish. I was so tired I don't remember driving home last night except for the few times my eyes started closing. OK, I am off to the salt mine!

Here's a game which I stole from the always entertaining Jezzy:

RULES"If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often) please post a comment here on my blog with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE.When you're finished leaving your comment, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you! "

It is 2:45 in the morning. What am I doing up? I don't know. I just know I am tired and cold and should be in my cozy bed but it just seems such an unwelcome place right now. I am having anxiety but not sure what the reason is. I just feel tired and overwhelmed. (I always spell overwhelmed wrong. I always throw an 'a' in there. Good thing for spell check.) I think I will go have a hot chocolate and go back to bed and read.

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In other news...

Little Girl had her big year end show for Highland Dancing. I always tear up when I see my kids perform. She is really good and just loves it. She did the sword dance and did it perfectly. I don't know if anyone has ever attempted Highland but it is incredibly difficult and a need for a high level of co-ordination, of which I have none. (See last post.) She was so proud of herself and that is the reason I put her in. My self-esteem was in the toilet when I was a child and I don't want the same for my children. When I tell my daughter how beautiful she is she just says "I know Mama, thank you." I love that!

OK, going back to bed.

To further prove what a dufus I am...

While at work today I went to open a door and I hit myself in the head with it. Hard. So hard I saw stars and was dazed for a moment. What kind of loser does this sort of thing? I still have a headache.

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I have 6 more days of work and then I am on holidays. I am so burnt out. The last time I had holidays was June 2004 so I have been waiting a long time. At work I am at the 'just don't care anymore' stage. I have lost my cheeriness. I have mentioned before that my colleagues phone me from the road because I am always in a good mood and have something funny to reiterate about my day to them. Now I just don't care. {sigh}

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Tomorrow is the big day for our family. It is the annual family Christmas decorating party. My family has never once missed a year where we all get together and decorate our parents tree. None of us has ever missed a year because we won't do it until we all can be there. This includes my mom and dad, brother, sister and hubby, me and the kids. This year it will include this piece of perfection.

I am done! Done! Done! Done! And it feels so good. I will not be going to the malls now for any reason until after January 2/2006. I have everything including stocking stuffers and it feels so good!

In addition I bought that rotten cat* a crate. He is waking me up a dozen times or more every night. Some of you suggested feeding him before bed. I wish it were that simple. He goes nutso if there is 10 pieces of kibble left in his bowl because he knows it is getting to the empty stage. He sits just around the corner in the hallway from where his bowl is and darts out and almost trips me until I fill it again. As soon as I fill it he will eat the gratuitous piece of cat food then walk away.

I know he isn't trying to be a bad cat. In fact he is very affectionate at night and that is the reason he wakes me up. He wants snuggles! If I ignore him he doesn't really bite per se. He just puts his teeth to any exposed body part and sits there biting gently. He also walks up and down my body. He will fall asleep on me know matter what way I am sleeping. Being the slave human I am I don't want to move because I don't want to wake him and disturb his sleep. I know, I should just push him off the bed, and I do, but he just looks at it as a game!

So I bought a kitty crate that I know he is going to hate. I am going to put it at the end of the bed so he will be warm and not be locked away from everyone. I will let you know how it goes!

*meant in the most affectionate way possible. I love that little beast.

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Update- After much meowing, growling, whining, crying, clawing and carrying on (like I had left him outside in the cold in 40 below weather) Norbert settled in and went to sleep. It really is a nice cozy little crate, just his size with a soft baby blanket to keep him warm. (Ok who wants to bet that I let him by morning because I feel sorry for him?)

Another Update- This evening I caught Norbert resting in his crate with the door wide open. I think he likes it!

I am so close to finishing my Christmas shopping. Being the good mom that I am I have to make it even and I realized that I need some more small gifts for The Girl. After that I am done!

I am keeping it simple this year for lack of funds but my kids have never had a Christmas where they get loads of stuff. Instead of X-Box or Game Cube or whatever the newest video game rage is they get board games. We are a Christian family so we focus on the birth of a Saviour rather than Santa Clause. (Though he does make an appearance too.) The other reason being I am a single mom making $10.00/hour. I just don't have the money to go all out. This is in no way a complaint. In fact, I feel blessed. The fact is I don't want my kids to have it all. I don't want to keep up with the Jones's. I want my children to appreciate hard work and being thankful for the abundance that God has blessed us with. And you know what? They do. I am teaching them an attitude of gratitude. They know that money comes from working hard and the gifts they receive are given in love.

So on December 25 my kids will wake up to three or four presents each then spend the day with the most amazing and loving family. My kids will be happy. And that is all I care about.

Do you know what I did this morning? I slept like a lazy ass until 11:15! 11:15! I only get to sleep in every other Sunday and I certainly took full advantage of it today didn't I? Now I am sitting here in my (new) robe and feeling quite refreshed and relaxed.

I am going to finish my Christmas shopping tomorrow. I have a list even! I don't really know why I am so organized this year because I am generally not finished until a day or 2 before Christmas.

2 full weeks until I am on holidays people! 2! I can't wait.

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What time will you sleep to when given the chance? How is your Christmas shopping going?