Tortoiseshell Cats

I've been googling information about "Tortoiseshell" cats, since the girl at the pet store said our Macy Mae is a Tortoiseshell. I found out that the word has to do with the coloring, not the breed. (Who knows what "breed" Macy is - American shorthair?) A tortie can be any type of cat, any length of hair, and can even be a white cat with tortie patches. Torties can only be female, with a very rare, and infertile male being born with the coloring. There are also some folklore and superstitions related to the Tortie color:

--The Celts believed that a tortoiseshell cat was good luck in a home. The English believed that torties could remove warts if you rubbed their tail on the wart during the month of May.

--In Scotland and Ireland, a stray tortoiseshell cat settling in one's home is a good omen.

--To dream of a tortoiseshell cat means luck in love.

--In Normandy, seeing a tortoiseshell cat foretold death by accident.

--Edgar Allen Poe was devoted to his tortoiseshell Catarina. She inspired his story "The Black Cat". She sat with his wife during her illness and frequently sat on his shoulder when he wrote."

All I know is, I love my kitten! She is SO cute and cracks me up many times a day. She and Diego (the Rat Terrier) are getting along really well now, after a week of slowly working them together. Macy likes to run up to the dog sideways, with her tail puffed up. Then, she raises up on her back legs and bats her front paws at him. The batting is when Diego tends to shy away. But, he's never growled or raised his lip. He has tried to chase her, but obeys us right away, when we scold him. I still don't completely trust the two alone, and Macy sleeps in her room at night and when we're away from the house. She's just so little, I'm afraid of her getting hurt right now. Anyway, it's so much fun to have a kitten around. Our whole family adores her....

This Week...

This past week, I have been shopping. A LOT. And, not making much progress. I've been trying to update my wardrobe, but does it seem to you that there are WAY too many baby doll shirts out there? I mean, I can't wear these things without looking pregnant. They look TERRIBLE on me. I see one that's sort of cute, but when I try it on - yuck. It has been quite difficult to find clothes that look good on me. I was beginning to think it was ME. I have managed to find a couple of cute, casual tops, and I found some dressier tops to wear to church or out to dinner or something. I also found this cool jacket at Macy's. I didn't buy it the first time I saw it, but I kept thinking about it, and decided to go back and get it. My oldest daughter thinks it looks like Cruella Deville, however. But, I LOVE this jacket! It's lined and everything. What do you think my blog friends?



Here is a close-up of the pattern. It's looks like leaves and branches to me...



I ordered two pair of skinny denim jeans from Newport News (one pair in black, one in white), that I thought I could wear this jacket with, among other things. Black and white seems to be the thing right now, although I don't follow the trends too closely. I like my clothes to look good on me, and to be cheap - that's my criteria. I did find some advice on Oprah a few weeks ago, on her "shlumpadinka" makeover show. There's pics on line of some cute outfit ideas....

In between shopping this week, I made a card I just love. The swirls, bird and green frame are all stamps.



I've also been quite entertained my little kitten, Macy this week. I had to include some more pics:






Next week, Joe and I are going to go see "Cabaret" downtown. I'm really looking forward to it. Then, the week after that is our 18th wedding anniversary, so we are going on a much-needed get away to a bed and breakfast. On the 9th, I'm starting a new Beth Moore Bible study called "Believing God." I'm so excited! I guess I have lots to look forward to, and a lighter school load to go along with it. Yay!

Spring Break

I'm on my "Spring break" right now, and I was checking out my grades from Winter quarter. I was thinking about how intense my classes have been since September. Something I didn't expect was how much studying I would need to do in my Anatomy and Physiology series. And, I can't believe I took Physics with the first quarter of A&P - INSANE. Now, it's cool to step back, after working so hard and breathe a sigh of relief and accomplishment. It just feels so GOOD to have finished all of that with success. I feel so good about myself! Since September of 2006, I have finished 15 classes (A&P lab classes included). It's been a dream of mine for a LONG time to go to college. I don't regret making mothering a priority and being there for my kids - I'm proud of that, too. Now that Benny is in school all day, it sure feels good to be doing something for ME.

And, I'm not done yet.

This Spring quarter, I will be taking Psychology 110 online. In order to keep my student loan, I needed to add 1-2 more credits, so I signed up for PE. It's cool, because we go to the YMCA and workout twice a week. Anyway, I'm on a waiting list for that class, so I'm praying I get signed in on the first day. If not, I'm taking "speed reading." HAHA! I've always wanted to learn to do that.....

Once Spring quarter is completed, I can apply for the ultrasound program. I may begin the transcript evaluation process before I am finished, just to get the ball rolling. I will also be doing a job shadow at the hospital, as well as some volunteering for extra points on my application. Every pre-requisite class I have been taking also counts for point. If I receive a 4.0, I get 4 points, etc. That's why I've been working so hard to get good grades. The better my grades, the better my standing in the application process.

If I am accepted into the program, I start in September. I will attend Fall through Summer the first year, and Fall through Spring the second year. The second year is basically "clinicals," which means I will be basically working, getting "hands-on" experience. They're going to split it up between hospital work and doctor's office work, which should be cool. It will be interesting to see what setting I enjoy most......

So, why now? Why am I going to school now? Well, first of all, so I can help my girls when they get to college. We don't feel that it is our responsibility to pay for our kids' college, but we want to help them along the way. And, I need a good job to do that. The second reason I am going to school now, is that Joe's job is never a sure thing. The airline industry can be a volatile one, even though he is in one of the most successful airlines at the present. If he somehow loses his job, I would be able to support our family with what I could make if I worked full-time. I don't plan on working full-time when I start work, because Ben will still be young. I think I will do so when he is in high school or beyond. That's the plan, anyway.

I just think it will be good that I will have the education to have a good-paying job in the future, with the economy the way it is. We have two friends with young children who are out of work, and face to lose their homes. It's scary and sad. We don't live a fancy lifestyle, but I feel blessed to have what we have. I pray that we won't see times like our friends are seeing now, but we have no way of predicting the future. All we can do is trust God, and try to prepare ourselves in the best way we can. Part of that is why I'm going to school.

It's been a great season in my life, and I look forward to the future season when I have more time for friends and extended family. Right now, it's pretty much studying and my immediate family. Everybody has different seasons, and mine is this right now. It feels pretty good!

Macy Mae

Last week, my husband said I could get a kitty! We looked at the shelter and at the Humane Society, but there were no kittens! I gave up on the idea for a couple of days, because I was starting to worry about what would happen with our Rat Terrier, among other things. My husband said I was thinking too much, and "everybody can think themselves out of something..." Well, on Easter Sunday, I decided to go to Macy's, because they had a sale. However, they were closed (duh, it was Easter). I called my friend to talk, and she said she would check the pet store by her house for kittens. They had one!!! I said I would come and "just look." My friend waited for me at the pet store, and well, here's the result:



Meet Macy. Notice her orange striping and orange toes on her front feet!



She looks like she had something to drink and dribbled down her chin.



It was hard to snap a picture while she was playing with her mousy. See the orange toes now?



Attacking her mouse...



Mommy? Where are you?


All of this was a surprise to our kids. You should have seen their faces when I opened up the cardboard box and lifted Macy out. They couldn't believe it! They love her so much. She has her own "room" in our laundry room, with her bed and food and litterbox. She has been doing great the first two nights, but today, she would rather not be in there. I've been letting her get out and run around with the dog put somewhere else, or holding him tightly. I have to be super careful around the dog, who starts getting this sly look in his eye when he's watching her. If I scold him with my voice, he changes his expression. The cat is not phased by the dog. She wants to run and play with him, I think. But, the fact Macy is so small (less than 8 weeks old), and that she runs so fast, is quite enticing to Diego who is bred to hunt rats. Yikes. Let's just say, I'm taking this VERY cautiously and slowly with the two of them!

Happy Easter!!!

HE IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!

We celebrated Easter tonight, since we have Saturday night services at our church. We went out to dinner beforehand (to Red Lobster - mmmmm), and went to an awesome service. Isn't there just something so joyful about celebrating the resurrection of Christ with other believers? I just love it. OUR GOD IS ALIVE!!! HALLELUJAH!!

Tomorrow we will probably have our easter egg hunt indoors for two reasons. #1: it's probably going to be raining. #2: there's too much dog poop in our backyard.

Leprechaun

This past weekend, Melanie and Ben created a "leprechaun trap." Now, this is the first year Ben was quite into this event. So, the night before St. Patrick's Day, I wrote a note on the trap from the leprechaun, so when Ben woke up he would see it. This is what it read:

"HA HA HA! You can't catch me! Better luck next time, Ben!"

The next morning, I came downstairs and Ben was just SOBBING. What I could get out of him was that the trap wasn't set up, and he wasn't ready for the leprechaun, and the leprechaun left a mean note (which he proceeded to crumple up and throw in the garbage).

Oh, great.

After he calmed down, I convinced him that it was still St. Patrick's Day and he could still set up his trap and the leprechaun would know that it was there. I also reminded him that nobody really ever gets to catch a leprechaun, but sometimes he gets scared of the traps and might leave something behind, like his shoe.....

OK. Ben went off to school hopeful about setting up another trap. Then, after my class, I went to the party store to look for something I could do to make up for my "mean leprechaun note" fiasco. I bought chocolate, gold coins for all the kids, plus I found a cute, little green hat. A perfect leprechaun hat!!

Ben got home from school that day, and set up his trap. It took him a long time to get it just right, but at least he was still happy about doing it! After he went to bed, I covered the opening to the box (as if the trap was sprung) and placed the hat inside.

This morning, Ben got up extra early and came running into my room to tell me about the hat. He was so pleased! When his dad got home, Ben showed him the trap and gave a lengthy explanation about it, then told him: "I guess he DOES come two times!" To which Joe replied, "Well, it was still St. Patrick's Day, so he still came!" Ben was so excited, he took the hat to school for show and tell.

Whew......

That was just about as bad as the time we forgot to leave tooth fairy money under the girls' pillows. We had to say: "OH, wow! I guess the tooth fairy must have left the money in a different place this time! Let's go find it!"

You gotta be a quick thinker when you're a parent.....

Need a Good Laugh?

WHAT CELEBRITIES LOOK LIKE IN OKLAHOMA.....

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Go to this link to see MORE: http://www.wintrest.com/if-celebs-moved-to-oklahoma/

You HAVE To see Mary Kate and Ashley!!!

Miscellaneous

I felt like I needed to write a new post, so that the first thing you wouldn't see on my blog was the vomit post! HAHA!

Today, I am giving my final speech in speech class. Then, our final is on Monday. WOO HOO! I have one more test in Anatomy and Physiology tomorrow, and then our final is on Wednesday. YES! I am going to be SO glad to have the A&P series completed. Whew - I worked SO hard....Anyway, I am anticipating a 4.0 in both courses, as long as I do well on my last two A&P tests. Say a little prayer for me!

Yesterday, Ben had his first food in three days. He was ravenous. The poor kid looks like skin and bones. I told him he could eat whatever and whenever he wants.

I gave him a bath last night, and he asked me if I had ever had the chicken pox. I said yes. He asked, "then why do you have all those things on your forehead?" I responded, "Well, Ben, those are zits." :)

Almost 24 Hours Vomit Free

Yes. Almost 24 hours vomit free. I just KNEW you would want to know that.....:)

ER visit

Last night, Ben just couldn't hold down all of the liquid we had worked so hard to get into him. He was really lethargic and getting chapped lips, too. He was just acting odd, so I called our pediatrician for the second time that day. Since, it had been close to 48 hours of vomiting, they thought I shouldn't wait until morning, and go ahead and take him to the ER for some fluids.

What can I say about our local ER? "Ew" is an appropriate word. It's gross. It's a place to avoid. For some reason it's the place where the grossest people in our town like to come, too. Go ahead. Call me judgmental. But, if you were there, you would agree. So, we went. Ben and I sat there. Ben moaning, me praying: "Please God put a shield around me and protect me from catching something. Please let us get through quickly."

Well, the cool triage nurse, decided to "up" Ben's status because of his abdominal pain. I thanked him. He even put us in a small, back waiting room with a TV, and only a few other people. PRAISE THE LORD. This was a miracle from Heaven. They got Ben back to see the doc in fairly good time, so from start to finish, we were there about 4.5 hours. I think this is pretty good considering the amount of people there, and that we had to wait for the IV to pump fluids into Ben.

Before we left the house to come down there, I had thrown my Anatomy and Physiology flashcards in my purse, just in case. So, when Ben fell asleep with his IV, I studied. I even read his IV bag and thought about the reason for .9% Sodium Chloride. What a dedicated student I am. :) Anyway, we got home around 2:00 AM and crashed.

This morning, we're back to nausea and stomach cramping. I'm trying to push only water. Oh-did you know that Benadryl can work as an anti-nausea medication? Yeah! I learned something new - so now you know too! :) So, Ben has Benadryl and water in his tummy right now, and I hope it stays...

Stomach Flu

Ben has had the stomach flu since Saturday night. Fever. Throwing up. A little diarrhea. If I try to give him any other clear liquid than water, he starts cramping and throws up. He is so miserable. He is just hanging out on the couch vegging in front of the TV. He doesn't want to color. Or, play Gameboy. Or, read. Just stare at the TV.

After throwing up much of the liquid I was trying to get in him today (and I'm SO frustrated, because some of it was Pedialyte), I put him in bed. He called me in and asked:

"Will you pray with me?" He sat right up and grabbed both of my hands and closed his little eyes, and waited for me to pray.

It's so sad....

This morning I prayed for my friends' baby who had surgery on the hole in his diaphragm. I also prayed for Lesli, a gal I heard about from "Organized Chaos" blog (see my sidebar). She had a SEVEN hour surgery today. I can't imagine.......

Boy. I can't wait for Heaven when there is no more sickness and pain.....

See my new purse??

I am so excited. I just bought a new purse. A Guess purse. I know. It's superficial. But, it is SO cute!! This is the nicest purse I have ever had (it's OK, though - I bought it on clearance). I have been carrying it around the house and keeping it next to me so I can look at it. My whole family is making fun of me. Hey-there are just things that make a girl happy, ya know?

The Church in 10-20 years...

I recently left a comment on "Flower Dust" (see my sidebar), who asked the question: what do you think the church will look like in the next 10-20 years? Here's what I wrote:

From the conversations I’ve had with another burned out friend of mine, I think that people are going to casually attend their “conventional” church and look for authentic ways to “be” the church to those they know and live near. They will not get too involved in the “ministries” of their conventional church, because they’re disillusioned with the “system” and “institution,” and choose to reach out to others as they are led. They might also choose to “tithe” to other organizations or people or groups as they are led. I also think they will look to opening their homes to friends and acquaintances for “fellowship fulfillment,” rather than looking for that within the institution of the church, because it doesn’t seem authentic enough anymore. They would rather it happened naturally, because doing the whole “small group” thing feels fabricated and forced.

Basically, I think people who have been beat up and burned out, will stop “checking the boxes” that we’re told to check by our conventional church, because it hasn’t been working. Burned out people want real body life, not contrived. And, they don’t want the church telling them what they should or shouldn’t do. They don’t want church to be their god anymore. They want God to be their God in meaningful and authentic ways…..

*How would you answer that question?

Oh yeah!

Oh yeah - that's what was going to blog about! I am taking my daughter to an opera tomorrow night: "Tosca." She is taking a Classical Music course at the college, and has been learning about operas, among other things. She found out that the college sells tickets to the Seattle Opera at HUGE discount, and asked if I would take her as an early birthday present. I don't think that I would ever elect to go to an opera myself, but since it is an interest of hers, I think it would be a nice thing to do together. Who knows - maybe I'll learn something!

Prayer

Sometimes there are just lots of people to pray for. I just received an email to pray for my friend's infant son who is having surgery for a hole in his diaphragm, that has allowed his organs to come through, into his thoracic cavity. They are very frightened. I also was inspired (through a blog friend) to visit a blog of a gal having brain surgery. She is married and has a toddler. Their words sound tired. I am also praying for a friend of mine to find healing from past wounds. She is tired of hurting and being stuck.

Praying for others just makes some of my stuff seem so piddly. There's so much that people are going through. I've been through some of those hard times, too, and it's been the knowledge that people were praying for me, that meant everything. In fact, when things are hard, I seek out people to pray for me. It's a great comfort.

I don't know how people go through difficult times without the Lord. I know what it's like to have no strength left to give, and no feelings of hope. When that happens, I ask Him for His supernatural strength to carry me. I tell Him I have nothing, and I ask Him to give me the strength to go on. He does. And then, he sends people to help and encourage. He even sends blog friends! :)

Test Score

I got my A&P test back on Friday. I got a 95%!!!!!! I am so thrilled. I'm thrilled in a deep way, because I give God the glory and credit. I prayed that he would help me, since I had lost so much study time, and He did! It's hard to describe how this blesses me inside, because I sometimes wonder if I'm choosing a path that He approves of. And, the fact that he answers my prayers and is giving me this success, is a message to me that it's OK what I'm doing right now. Now, I am perfectly prepared for Him to go and change the whole thing on me at the last minute, but I'm moving forward in faith toward this ultrasound thing. There's a verse that has meant a lot to me during this process. It means so much to me, that I'm going to put it on my sidebar. Go check it out! :)

I'm sad about something

I'm sad about something. I'm sad because there's this person I know who, out of the blue, said some pretty harsh, rude and mean things a few months ago. Well, emailed them. I decided to stay away from this person for a little while - not come around them and not pretend that everything is OK when it isn't. Then, when I felt ready, I have attempted to try to talk to this person over the phone. I said I want to talk and resolve things in a healthy way. They refuse to do so. They only want to email. I said no to that. I don't think it's healthy to email stuff back and forth. You can't hear the person's voice, their tone, their inflections, etc......

I want to communicate in a healthy way or not at all. I want more from our relationship than that. I also think that I didn't deserve the rude emails in the first place. I didn't deserve that at all. It has hurt me and hurt the relationship. Even so, I want to try to get the situation resolved. By refusing to talk with me, it sends the message that my feelings are not important. It's crazy. Here, I'm the one who was hurt and I'm the one attempting to make things right.

The other weird thing is, is this person has said they want a relationship, but it seems like they're not willing to do what it takes to have a healthy relationship!

Ugh. The really sad thing is, there is a major event coming up for this person, and I would have enjoyed being a supportive, part of that. Now, it looks like that is not possible. What am I supposed to do? I didn't start this whole thing, and now, this person isn't interested in making it right. I can't make them do the right thing, so does that mean the relationship is over? I kind feel like I have done my part to try to work things out. I guess if they're not willing to talk with me, I have to move on.

It's just so ridiculous. If they would be willing to talk and work things out, maybe the relationship could even be better than it was before! I don't get it. I just don't get it....

What is your input, my blog friends?