Friday-8:30am

I'll post the challenges first so my fellow participants don't have to scroll through the minutia of my life to find them.  ;)  

The Zendala Dare this week.

Since I am still tail-end sick and totally drained, I couldn't really concentrate to do anything fancy--just my own doodles. 

Very simple.  Mostly just felt like coloring with my Copic markers--LOL!

At the Artist's Playroom the challenge this week was Christmas.  Since I need to come up with something for Christmas cards soon for this year, I got out all my paper.  I had an idea for using paper piecing and Stickles to make Christmas ball ornaments. 

I didn't like it--at all!  Am embarrassed to even post this but at least I contributed this week.  Back to the drawing board.  I'm not feeling very creative right now--sorry, Jennifer. 

The snow laden clouds drifted off, but it stayed very cold the first half of the week. 

I made it out to the garage on Monday to retrieve this big white Rubbermaid tub.  Icy walking and biting wind of one degree windchill.  Made two trips, actually, bringing out both my floor fans for the winter.  Scrubbed the tub out to be ready for the big bag of kitty litter. 

Monday the big can of flake fish food arrived... 

...along with the 40# bag of litter.  [Saving boxes for Dagan and Leah who are moving tomorrow--but they haven't come to pic them up yet.  Maybe won't need them?] 

The unnecessary item I ordered for me was a letter tray.

I wanted it on the cabinet behind me when I am sitting at the craft table.  I keep papers on top of there all the time now and if they fall down behind the cabinet...I am screwed!  I have a terrible time trying to retrieve anything that falls behind there.  Almost impossible for me to move it with one good arm...so now I have a kind of paper corral.  ;)

Miss Karma's unnecessary item.  Another cat bed!  

Karma has loved me moving her bed around the apartment, but she also expects her bed to magically be next to me on the love seat whenever she decides to keep me company.  I thought that if I had another bed she would actually like and use that the problem would be fixed, right?

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Well, Miss Snoopy Pants wanted nothing to do with it.  She wouldn't go near it or smell it or claim it in any way, shape or form.  That's why I put it up on the loveseat.  If she wanted to come and sit by me...well, she'd have to confront the new bed.

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She stayed in the old, familiar bed by the cold porch door.

But late in the evening she missed my belly rubbings enough to jump up on my footrest, lay across my leg, stare at the offending object, and complain loudly long enough to determine I wasn't actually going to move it--LOL!  She acted like it was going to jump up and bite her, but she finally gingerly made her way into the bed--and discovered--it wasn't too bad!  She was a bit nervous and needed a lot of petting and belly rubbing...

...and constant contact with me... 

...but she figured out it was safe, if not a bit more awkward for sprawling purposes.   

Karma's kind of semi-adapted, but I don't plan to switch the beds for quite a while because I want her to get really used to this one.  She's kind of being forced to use it by her overpowering need for evening company at the moment.  All day long she sleeps wherever her blue bed is and avoids the new brown one.  I told you Karma thinks I am mean--ROFL!

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The next thing I plan to change on her is to replace this dreadfully stained, old, flat, cream-colored bed that she uses as a placemat.  I just washed this a couple weeks ago--gross!  And she's worn spots down to the mesh fabric base.  I plan to buy a brownish one that won't show the kibble stains so much.  I think she'll have a much quicker time adapting to that, though.  I hope.  Cats.  You never know.

On Wednesday Caroline helped me bring the bedroom window fan down the hall to the storage area and bring back some computer paper.  I also grabbed the dirt bucket so I could plant poor, beleaguered Karma some new cat grass. 

She is still loving her air mattress, though.

So I decided to let her keep that packaging for a while. 

Until she tires of it or the air slowly seeps out of it, whichever comes first. 

I did write up some notes and a letter for The World Needs More Love Letters.  Is kind of odd writing to people you don't know, but it is always uplifting to spread some positives.  They decided to hold some kind of 12 days of love letters thing from Dec 3-14 that I signed up for, too.  I dang well should be feeling back to my normal by that time, right?  :) 

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  I can hardly wait until things work right again.  When I am feeling "off" it is like my hands and brain don't quite connect properly--LOL!  The scissors don't cut right (even when you're not coughing), the pens and markers have a mind of their own, the Stickles won't flow, the glue stick runs out...well, I bet you know what I mean.  Karma thinks her life is a bit off, too, with the alien cat bed--LOL!  I am sure things will be put to rights again soon.  This week was better than last week.  Next week will be even better.  :)

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I hope all goes well with Dagan and Leah's move to their new house.  I thought maybe I'd have a tour video for you today, but not sure they've even had time to do one.  Last I heard, they close today and move tomorrow, so who knows.  At least it is warming up to the low 40s during the days now again.  :)

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Stay well, everybody!  If you don't like to write letters--tell somebody you care about what they really mean to you.  In person, on the phone, email...just tell them they are special to you.  Life is too short!  :):)

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Today I couldn't decide on a quote.  Love too many.  Settled on three.  ;)

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"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."

Mother Teresa

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"Spread love everywhere you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

Mother Teresa

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"They might not need me; but they might.

I'll let my head be just in sight;

a smile as small as mine might be

precisely their necessity."

Emily Dickinson