I’ve got  ”The Sickness”. That’s what Honey calls being under the weather, of any sort. It was a long time coming. I was feeling a little sniffy as long ago as Thursday, but it hit me like an anvil on Saturday evening . A massive sore throat and headache.

I did not have time in my schedule for that. We were celebrating with our delightful friends, The Hostlers. Their daughter, Lauren, is now officially Nurse Lauren! We are SO happy for her!

That’s the nurse on the left. She already has a job. Because she is a reliable, capable, lovely girl. Congratulations!!!

I am trying my best to press on and be productive. Because anyone who knows me well, could tell you that I am a world class procrastinator, who is in no way ready to relax and enjoy the Christmas season. 

My symptoms, because I know you are dying to know, are as follows. A grizzly bear has grabbed my throat and is scratching and choking me with its massive claws. Squeezing me viciously, and  simultaneously causing my head to want to explode, and making some sort of toxic waste to run down the back of my throat. Burning me as it goes. That’s it.

I am taking Tylenol every 4 hours. I don’t even need to pay attention to the clock, I just know when it has worn off. I am also eating grapefruits and taking my multi vitamin. I am hoping that yesterday was my worst day. It.Had.To.Be.

Are you up for a little pet peevishness? Why do people go to the picture developing thingy at Sam’s, and stand there for hours cropping and sizing every stinkin’ picture they are having developed? Especially , when there are 2 out of 4 machines broken? They ought to have a time limit, or an express lane for people who just need to load their disk and GET OUT OF DODGE!!!!!

Seriously, Honey and I finished our shopping and those same 2 jokers were still cropping, and sizing , and tweaking their pictures! Are they not aware that they can do that in the comfort of their own home, without their children sitting in the cart for an hour?

OK, all done. Back to my work at hand. I could be scarce around here this week, or not. Just depends how productive I am. I have quite a bit to produce.  But you will NEVER see me hogging the picture thingy at Sam’s. Never.

I’m busy decorating, so head over to Sassy Cat Hill and see what Schmenky has been up to!!!!

Chesley is the mansion where she works. In nice weather, she takes care of all the loverly growing things outside, and at Christmas, the owners ask her to whip up a little Christmas magic for them on the inside. She does amazing work, no matter where it is!

Oh, she has made it all purtiful! This is just the first installment of her pictures, I’ll let you know as they each make an appearance.

Enjoy! I am going over them with a fine tooth comb to see what I can copy. It’s what I do.

We had a relaxing Thanksgiving weekend! Full of the favorite 3 things. Family, Friends and food. What more could you want?

The Christmas season has officially begun. I hung the wreaths on the front door. The Ab-Cat and I started our Christmas shopping. And, we all watched “Elf”. That is pretty much all it takes.

On Saturday night, Capri Deb and her husband, (and Mrs. Schmenkman’s brother) BFG, came over for some lasagna and sewer talk. It was the first time that Honey and BFG had spent an extended amount of time together. I asked Honey if  BFG  reminded him of Mrs. Schmenkman at all. He said “Oh yeah, especially their facial expressions!”  . It was fun, we will have to do that again!

I had seen Deb’s newest pretties on her blog earlier that day. She has been making pins, with antique buttons from her grandmothers! They were A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E!  She was selling them that day at a show with some of her other talented friends, Running With Scissors. I may have mentioned that I wanted one. Probably. Most likely. Yeah, for sure.

She gave one to me and The Girls!!! We heart them! The first one is mine, then Ab-Cats and then Mousey.

She brought them over in a shoe box, and Mousey and I arranged them all on the coffee table so we could make an informed decision. We didn’t want to miss one.

She named the jewelry portion of her craftiness Esther Stephania, after her two Grandmothers, who shared their love of sewing and fabric with her. She certainly blossomed under their tutelage!

I love, love, love it! It is on my coat already!

Thanks Deb! And thanks, Esther and Stephania!

Mrs. Schmenkman and Capri Deb have a friend who is trying to get enough votes to secure a  blogging job. Go here and press vote. Easy peasy. Her name is Suzanne from Chickens in the Road. I know they love her blog, and who wouldn’t want to help someone get a job? You can vote once a day until Dec. 7th. If you could lend a hand, I know they all would appreciate it!

I have a post rolling around in my head about my fun weekend road trip, but I am a little short on time. I will tell you about it tomorrow. But I will leave you with this art that our cat Halle Berry created while I was gone.

She got a hold of my latest knitting and carried it to the kitchen. It was a maze. All wrapped around the table legs, up and over the chairs, over to the bakers rack. You can’t tell very well, but it’s around the arms of the chair.

When Honey picked it up to unwrap it, it was soaking wet. She had put it in the water bowl. Her signature move. How artistic of her.

After our bad weather in The Keys, it was nice to go back to Fort Meyers and sunshine! We hung out at the pool and soaked up the sun.

On our last day, we drove down to the marina where Capri Patt picked us up and took us to her island. Finally a perfect, sunny day! I was excited to finally visit. They live there six months out of the year, and I can’t picture them living there, because I have never seen it or any pictures of it. I loved their home!

She and her husband Jim gave us a tour on their golf carts. There are no cars on their island. It was beautimous!

Most loverly of all was their yard. One of the few that had grass and landscaping. This guy had a crazy hairdo!

Their purty yard. Her yard in Michigan is loverly as well. She knows the name of all of these plants too.

This picture is taken from the crows nest. That is the Gulf out there. Now I can picture where Patt is when she calls on her cell phone. She says this is where she has the best reception.

Now I can picture where she cooks! Her house was beautiful, but that is no surprise. Her house here is beautiful too. And she helped make our house a sparkling beauty as well.

When we were sitting out on the deck, this turtle just walked by. She wanted me to pick it up. I knocked on its shell. That was the best I could do. He was big. And a little kweepy. I am a big weenie.

She showed us this turtle shell she had found, it’s owner had vacated the premises. She wants to do something with it because it is very cool. Look how brave I am when it’s an empty shell.

Honey looked like a professional islander.

Capri Patt and her honey, Jim. They are professional islanders.

Patt says her dogs love living there. That’s Splash. She is very photogenic. She is normally very shy, and I have barely ever touched her before. We became friends that day, must be the relaxed island lifestyle.

Splashie and her brother Jack. He has always been my friend. Island or Mitten.

Thanks Capri Patt and Jim , for showing us your own personal paradise!

It was very strange to be on Captiva on Saturday and back in The Mitten on Sunday afternoon.

We had a great trip, and the Kids did fine without us. Honey said that was good to know. And when did I want to go again?

Honey is going to our second meeting with the city about our sewer line this morning at 9. We would SO appreciate your prayers. Thank you.

I got a present!!!

From my Capri’s!

Capri’s Lis and Patt gave me the “Life is Good” shirt, and Capri Deb made it all personal and such!

I shall wear it with pride, as it is true.

Thank you my Friends, I wuve it!

Our Halloween had several activities going on, but none of them were trick or treat related. Our children have reached the age where this is all but a non-holiday.

Evidently, so have the kids in our neighborhood. We had a grand total of 7 knocking on our door. Maybe our ugly yard scared them away.

Speaking of our ugly yard, the City Sewer Guy called yesterday afternoon to set up another meeting. It will be the week before Thanksgiving. Still praying for that end result.

I wasn’t going to make our traditional Halloween snacks, until The Boy said that they were the best thing about Halloween anymore. Well, how could I resist that? They are SO yummy. Just what Honey and I need. Extra snacks.

Thanks to LMNOP for taking the picture. I couldn’t get the flash to work and she is a professional. She also said that she knew  when she came in the house that the plate of cookies was staged for the blob. She’s like a little baby genius.

I have been knitting a lot. Halle Berry enjoys napping in the nest-O-scarves.

The AquaMouse was in fine form on Saturday. Her team had their Division meet and they came in first place! She swam 3 events. A 200 medley relay with 3 other girls (her leg was the butterfly), and individual 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Her times in the  medley and the Fly qualified her for the Conference meet. Don’t I sound like I know what I’m talking about? I’m totally copying off the schedule paper.

What I do know is, if she does well at this next event, she qualifies for the State Finals! And that would be nothing short of AMAZING!!!! Imagine, our Baby Mouse swimming with the big fish!

She doesn’t think she will qualify, but she didn’t think she would make it this far. We are just so proud of that Fly Girl!

This is her cute little stance. She always does it. The other swimmer is getting near her. She is getting READY to dive in!

Off she goes! She’s a beast.

Today is that funky election day, so our high schoolers have no school. Mouse said last night that she heard it was because the voters were scared of the highschoolers.When did adults get so wimpy?

As a happy result, The Mouse and I are spending a half day together. She needs to go to the mall to have her glasses fixed. The arm fell off, and I cannot do my usual trick of jamming a toothpick in the hole to extend it’s life. The hole is too small. In all of my 35 years of wearing glasses, I have never encountered this phenomenon. I should have copyrighted it while I had the chance.

Since we will be in the area, a trip to the Value World will be in order. That ought to make her the happiest Mouse in the land.

AND, when Mrs. Schmenkman was here, and we were spending all that quality time together with the other Capri’s, we heard from Capri Patt that there was a new Sonic that had opened where there used to be a Denny’s. And it is RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE MALL. I have read many blogs telling of the unimaginable delight that is the Sonic.

I have been to Sonic exactly twice. Once, years ago with my family in Orlando, where they had ice cream, and where I did not, because I was actually embracing my low carb life style  in the correct way. The second time, was when Schmenky was here 2 weeks ago. Capri Patt and The Ab-Cat had ice cream, Schmenk ordered a  sugarfree limeade, that the worker girl did EVERYTHING in her power to switch to a CHERRY limeade, and I had a Diet Coke. With ice. That is one of the things that I have heard ya’ll waxing so poetic about. Supposedly, the ice at Sonic has magical properties.

It was a very good Diet Coke, but I don’t know about all that magical stuff.

All that to say, I have not eaten their food. So, perhaps today, Mousey and I will partake of the food. If we do, I will surely let you know. But I have to tell you right up front. Food is food to me. This annoys Honey to no end. He likes to think about food, and talk about food, and talk about how to prepare food. I could either enjoy a yummy meal or have a bowl of Cheerios. It’s all the same to me. I’m just meeting a need. The need of satisfying hunger.

Hope you all have a Tom Terrific Tuesday. Who was Tom Terrific anyway? I forget.

Capri Deb has many, many talents in many, many crafty sorts of endeavors. Some of her work can be seen here. Visit all over that site, there is a lot to see! She is an Artist.

She belongs to a lot of tribes. The Capri’s, of course, The Baguette’s, Running With Scissors, and more that I can’t think of! Another one of her tribes is The Mosaicians. Said, Mo-zak-ians. They like to mosaic. And this week, she taught us how!

Early on, Capri Patt decided to make a seahorse for her Florida house. She’s quick like that.

Schmenky started out drawing a rooster. But she had scale problems, and decided to scrap that. Next up? A tree with a sunset sky behind it.

I had no idea what to make. I have no vision. I copy. It’s what I do.

I said maybe a cat? I like cats. Capri Deb so graciously tried to help me. My brain was impossibly stubborn. I could not conceive how to start. I sat there with a pink nose and black cat pupils for an eternity. Then, I switched that horse in the middle of the stream.

We had gone to IKEA earlier in the week, where Deb bought some mirrors with wood around them. I traded my square piece of wood for one of the mirrors. Armed with that, and the mosaic  inspiration of Lisa and Patt’s sister, Laurie, I set to work mosaic-ing some water. Then I put some sand and rocks in. And then, Deb and I created a tree and some sun.

I can’t tell you when I have sat still that long and concentrated that hard! It was intense! Every piece of glass you cut is a decision. Every placement had to be thought about. Every now and then you got lucky and the piece placed itself. Deb makes it look SO easy! Schmenky and I are here to tell you, IT’S NOT! We are not natural tribe members!

Capri Patt did not whine nearly so much. She is fearless like that.

At the end of the first day, I had cuts all over my fingers. I bled on my wood. Our backs and necks were stiff. We were SO tired.

We were spread out every every inch of Deb’s table. That is her project , in the center. Not that she got to work on it much. She was helping us. Or me.

Until hers was grouted, Schmenky did not like it. It is beautimous. Capri Patt liked hers until it was grouted. It is beautimous. I liked mine before AND after it was grouted. It is beautimous.

Leafless tree with a sunset sky, by Capri Lis Schmenkman

The Seahorse without a Name, by Decisive Capri Patt

Elements, by Capri Kel of The NutHatch.

Thanks SO much Capri Deb, High Priestess of The Mosaicians!

Those look like professional quality mosaics to me!

The Schmenkman’s are grieving.

They brought Paddy, the rescued beaver that they have been lovingly caring for all year, up to Michigan to live at the Howell Nature Center. It seemed like a total God Thing. It was the answer to a prayer that Schmenky hadn’t even prayed yet. She thought she had another year to keep her, since baby beavers stay with their mamas for 2 years.

Then, Capri Deb met her nephew’s fiance, who just happened to work at The Howell Nature Center, and they just happened  to need a new beaver to be a friend for their existing beaver. The previous beaver had passed away, and the surviving one was lonely. Deb mentioned that her SIL, Mrs. Schmenkman, just happened  to be caring for a rescued beaver that would need a home.

It seemed like a match made in heaven. It was not to be. Schmenky wrote about what actually happened here.

I would not have been surprised if Schmenky had gone back home with her husband, Mr. C, after the weekend was over. I was ever so glad  that she didn’t. She kept her plane ticket and went home last Saturday afternoon. It gave us Capri’s a whole week to love on her and keep her busy.

And a busy week it was! It seemed like we mostly ATE. We ate at Capri Patt’s. We ate at Capri Deb’s. We ate at Capri Kel’s. We ate in downtown Ann Arbor. And we noshed, and schnibbled, and grazed all in between! I’m pretty sure that I am not the only one turning over a new leaf this morning. I know Schmenky and I are taking ourselves firmly in hand.

We also joined a new tribe. The Mosiacians (say Mo-zak-ians), more on that tomorrow!

We did very little shopping. I know, I can’t believe it either! We did go to a local mall where Capri Deb has begun selling her wares. Her crafty, artistic, wares, get your mind out of the gutter!  She was selling some of her loverly mosiacs and sewing.  We found out later that she sold her first piece that very day! We were thrilled for her!!! She is a Superstar!

We took a few pictures.

A Tale of Two Schmenkman’s.

Now we have a parade of mothers and daughters. Here is EEEK, or Da’Mama, and her daughters, Capri Lis and Capri Patt.

Capri Patt and her daughter, Erin.

Capri Deb with her daughters, Bermuda’s Jackie and Steph.

The Ab-Cat and Capri Kel. Mousey had to swim.

Fondue at our house. Their favorite things were the onion rings and the chicken. They chose wisely.

We is The Capri’s!

I heard someone talking about a trip to Capri, Italy for someone’s birthday, someday. That sounds like like a plan!

Tomorrow, The Tribe!

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.  ~Kahlil Gibran

Paddy, The Schmenkman’s rescued beaver, has passed away. Their hearts are broken.