I am the luckiest old bag in the world...

Hi Y'all ,

I'm a few days late ,but here's my New years post.

I always try to be grateful for everything I have .And that includes my family and friends. I am always grateful for them. But apparently I have not been as thankful for other things as I thought I was.In reality ,I have been going around every day taking a multitude of things for granted.


So , for this new year I will be even MORE thankful.








I will be glad when all my cats are in the middle of everything. The way they should be!











I will be thrilled every time I get in my truck ,10 feet away from my front door and am able to just drive where ever I want to go.














I will look at my washer and dryer with a newfound love and appreciation!

When I put on jeans that are not stiff, I may even hug my dryer.







I will smile every time I see my hot water heater ,which holds enough hot water for an actual bath.











I will no longer bitch every time I have to unload my fullsized dishwasher.













I will rejoice in the good old american braodcast system and the thousands of choices they have layed out before me.



















I will cherish my blender with it's handy dandy food chopper.

















I will no longer complain that my overstuffed , walk in closet is too small.




















I will clean with joy, my double sink!

















I will relish every morning with my golden girls!















I will bask in the warm glow of my t.v. every weekend , as I watch hours of "I love Lucy"













I will be thankful every time I am able to sit at
my husbands parents old table.













I will never again say that my house is" too small".

It has never looked more beautiful to my eyes.











I will thank God every day when THIS is my view!


What an ingrate I have been. No more of that !

Happy New year peeps!


****************************************************************************
Some comments on ya'lls comments:

Are cats like dogs!? Dogs (according to The Dog Whisperer) don't acknowledge the past, they only live in the present in which case Cavuto wouldn't be missing his old life even if he was a bit pee'd off about his situation now

I have heard that as well, but I’m not sure I believe it. Their memory seems to be too good for that to be true. And …if that were true wouldn’t they be just as thrilled to see you after an hour, as opposed to when you’ve been gone for a week? I wish it was true.

Is there a way to leave him a mirror so he wont feel alone (I probably sound silly, but if it helps "_.

Haven’t asked about a mirror, but I think I will. I can’t even find MYSELF a mirror around here yet though. LOL

Is coming back here with him still an option? Then what? Would you have to be here for six months...and have him rechipped- of course, and fill out all the paperwork, but then you could take him back and he could go home with you? Would you bring the other kitties back home, too?

When they first took him away ,at the animal reception center, the choices were ,quarantine or take him back home .I am not sure yet what all that would entail .They have already re-chipped him and redone the rabies vaccines.So, I am not sure what all would still have to be done. But he would have to be gone for the 6 months .If I did go home, NO , I would not take the other 2 back with me. They would stay here with their daddy.

Hubby may be a terrible tourist but he does understand how you feel about Cavuto's being in prison. This is a hellish situation. Would Cavuto face the same situation coming home? Would his present chip suffice for entry?

Yes, he may not crack up bawling as easily as I do (lol) but he does love the cats like I do. He has been gone most of Cavutos life, so far. So he just doesn’t know and love him like he does O’Reilly. But he KNOWS that I do.

I am hoping that this chip remains in his body. If so, then yes, it would work to get him back in this country.(6 months from now)

Listen to Sarah..I agree. Just about a month has passed, hasn't it? Hang in there;

Actually, it’s only been 22 hellish days. The thought of over 5 more months to go, is hideous.

P.S. so you did not get to stop in any of those wonderful shops....were did you stop...heck even if your not a tourist you still gotta explore....when you learn how to drive , you can go explore.....have you driven yet?

Ha! NO we did not stop anywhere. You funny me. J We went directly to the gals house, bought the t.v. and stuff and then came home.

Yesterday was my first driving lesson. It was just around a big empty parking lot. And I owe hubby an apology; he wasn’t all hateful and grouchy with me. :)

The car is a stupid 6 speed and I kept getting it in 4^th instead of 2^nd. But all in all, it didn’t seem as awkward as I thought it would. Of course, being out in traffic will be a whole ‘nother story.

If you did come back....what happens then?

Him and I would wait out the 6 months in the comfort of home. We’d have to re-do the vet stuff, but not the chip or the rabies thing.

How long were you all supposed to be in England?

Up to 5 years, but I doubt we would stay that long. Maybe a year or two.

And if you do come back here, how long before you can have him rechipped and head back over there? This is so confusing....I can only imagine what YOU'RE going through. What a mess! We need to order a miracle.

We would be able to come back here in June, when his 6 months is over.

YES, I would LOVE a miracle about now J

If you stay there, I would take him a covered cat bed/box. It'll help hold his body heat when he's curled up in it. Maybe put a soft throw inside it that has your scent on it. That way he can snuggle down into it, and be cozy warm.

They have a cat carrier with no door on it in there but it doesn’t look like he gets in there. There is no cat hair on the bedding in there. He does have his own cat bad sitting on the plastic lawn chair. I think he sleeps in that. But it’s damn cold in there!

Here's whatcha do:Find a stray cat. Get a large shopping bag with a zipper. Place stray cat in bag. Zip up the bag. Go visit Cavuto. Take stray out of bag, place Cavuto in the bag. Zip it up. Walk out. They're happy - they have a cat. You're happy - you have Cavuto. Oh, that's all right, thanks are not necessary, just tryin' to help.

LOL, believe it or not, I think someone already tried that. When Cavuto first went there I asked if I could bring O’Reilly to see him and the answer was “NO”

Apparently THAT is why. Everyone would be switching the cats.

Including me. J

Good idea though.

Happy Monday y'all!

Luv me

Hotel deluxe

Hi Y'all,

Well we didn't make it to London proper. I suppose the area we went to would be called the outskirts of London.

If you recall the way my spouse takes a trip .......

Road trip fun with Skatzi

He does not go out of the way to have fun, eat, ect...

So ,we went and got the stuff from An American mom , then we hightailed it right back home.
It's always cool to meet a blogger in person. She's only the second one I've met in real life.
Her and her hubs and adorable baby were all very nice. (Good luck in California guys!)

My spouse got home and immediately set up his new T.v. and my Lucy dvd's are on the way from Floozie 2 . Yee haw! (Thanks again floozie2 for sending my stuff!)


Here are the only sights we saw on our little trip.







Nice empty hotel.














We can get you a room there REAL cheap
:)
















Now I know where to get those middle eastern dress's I've had my eye on.














We saw the word " Halal" all over the place . Since I had no idea what it meant ,I looked it up. Even the Subway sandwich place had a sign saying "all meats are halal"







Halal (حلال, ḥalāl, halaal) is an Arabic term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law and custom (opposed to haraam). The term is widely used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law. It is estimated that 70% of Muslims worldwide follow Halal food standards^[1] and that the Global Halal Market is currently a US$580 billion industry^[2].

In the Arabic language, the word 'halal' refers to anything that is permissible under Islam.

It was like suddenly being in a different country.

My spouse kept nagging me to quit taking pictures.

Hello, I'm a tourist . Um ..NO!



We went beforehand and saw Cavuto.
Click the arrow to see the pitiful baby.






Every time we go there we are very tempted to send me and Cavuto home. We will have to decide SOON wheather we will do that or not. 6 months seems like an eternity for him to be in there.

My hubby even said "If it was O'reiily in there ,I'd be going home right now and living on peanut butter sandwiches if I had to."

Well, he will understand then if I can not bear it for Cavuto either. We will see.


I still haven't been able to get to my comments OR my NEW YEARs post. Sorry, I'm trying:)
Mr Landlord is coming today to fix our faucet so i must get busy cleaning this place up.

Have a great Sunday peeps!

Luv me

Pajamas.... hangovers and thugs...oh my

Hi y'all,

Ignore this stupid underlining. I have no control over it. My children seem to have managed to have a wonderful "holidays" even without us. lol

They had a big ole new years party with a balloon drop, a dj, and a dance floor. Then I see that most of the people are wearing pajamas. I guess it was a pajama party too.

My oldest made it back to Florida dispite his hangover.


His guest post :


I had way too much fun on New Year's Eve! Logan, my evil little brother kept feeding me jager bombs. The balloon drop was pretty nifty. The boozing ensued until around 5am. After 4 hours of pseudo-sleep I got up and prepared for departure. Amazingly, I didn't have a horrible headache, but by the time I got to o'hare, my stomach was plotting its revenge.

I had forgotten how much more sensitive the metal detectors at ORD are compared to JAX. My dumb booze brain forgot to put my cell phone in my bag. After removing that, my belt set the thing off. The third time I walked through the detector, I threw my arms up in frustration and the guy made me walk through a 4th time with my arms at my sides.

I finally made it through security and found my gate with 5 minutes to spare. I was seated at the window next to some old English couple. I hoped to sleep through the flight, but it was all I could do to fight off the awesome waves of nausea. A few times during the flight, I felt like I couldn't fight it anymore. I looked over and the old folks had a veritable smorgasbord of in-flight snacks spread all over their tray tables! I decided to tough it out and amazingly made it to JAX. After exiting the plane, I tried to ignore visions of myself puking all over the luggage of the guy in front of me.

I made a b-line for the restroom and in the typical "welcome to jax" fashion, the bathroom floor was flooded with water and what must have been either wet clumps of paper towel or human waste. I was not sticking around to make that distinction!! I headed to the next restroom and by the time I arrived there, I felt like I had finally won the battle with my stomach. I zombie walked over to the claim and grabbed my bags. My trusty roommate pulled up almost instantly. I was home free!!!

Overall, it was a truly great vacation, but man am I glad to be home! I can go outside in a t-shirt! Weee!











My 3 sons , looking like thugs.



















They do grow up sooo fast.










Anyhoo, seeing my kids happy is always a mood booster. I am glad they were able to be together and have a great time.



Looks like us oldsters really missed out. :(

Click the arrow to see the slide show.





*****************************************************************************

Yesterday was a lovely day. NOT!

My plan was to go to the doctor, then take a bus to the library ,then a bus to see Cavuto ,then walk home.

Well, after the doctors, I waited nearly 2 hours (in the cold ) for a bus to show up. Then after the library......no bus...no bus ...no bus . Finally after 4 p.m. ,the only bus comes. Apparently they were on a "Saturday schedule" due to New Years. All this time ,I am outside in the city bus shed. FREEZING to death. I keep trying to call my spouse. My cell phone does not work at all. Apparently he had it disconnected awaiting my new sim card and neglected to tell ME about it.

At one point ,this crazy crack head girl storms up to me and says "Put that cigarette out or I will snatch it right out of your hand!"

She had bloody scratches on her face like she had just been in a fist fight. I WAS outside ,but she was still going all berserk. Then she came back up to me and says "I'm sorry , I've had a really horrible f*cking day."

(yeah, well so have I honey! go take it out on somebody else) lol good Lawd!

It is pitch balck outside by now AND I have missed visiting hours at quarantine.

I finally get dropped off about 20 minutes away from home, to walk home on the trails in the pitch black darkness. I went the wrong way once and had to double back. I was scared to death and did I mention FREEZING?

I got home and my hubby was not home yet. he arrived and said "what the hell happened to you? I 've been trying to call you all day. "

He thought I had fallen down the stairs or something. If I had, at least it would have been warmer. lol


I better get off of here and get ready for the day. We're going to see Cavuto and then off to London. I'll take pictures if i see anything :)


Have a great day Peeps!

Luv me

Pass the tropics.....please....I beg you

Yeah, woo freakin' hoo. Happy new year!



No matter what you did last night ,I'm sure it was more exciting than our new years eve.



We ate some fish and carrots. I took my NyQuil and was in bed by 8 o'clock. Hubby sat around and watched lame t.v. shows.



I was awakened from my NyQuil coma at midnight by the sound of yelling and fireworks. I didn't wake up enough to open my eyes. Hubby said it woke him up ,where he had fallen asleep on the couch and he thought the lights were from police cars. He stumbled on up to bed.



Don't be jealous y'all . God don't like ugly :)




I have not gotten out of my pajamas today. Quarantine is closed ,so I have had a day of rest and laziness. I have been sick for about a week now.




Tomorrow ,I finally have a doctors appointment. Naturally my boil is almost gone now. LOL
Doesn't it figure? I do need to go just to make sure I get my meds refilled and all that fun stuff. But ,OH the joy of walking to my appointment. NOT!



Saturday we are going to London because we're going to buy a t.v. ,a DVD player and a t.v. stand from a fellow blogger who is moving back to the states. I told her we would buy it before the quarantine crap happened.



Speaking of which, yesterday I took a bus and a train to check out an area called Cosham. Then hubs was to pick me up at the train station at 2:30 and we'd go see Cavuto.



The area was pretty rundown-ish. And it was the coldest day YET! I was out there walking around from 10 to 2:30 and even the stores I went to had the doors wide open and NO heat.
I literally felt like I was going to die from coldness.



I think ones body gets a temperature "set point" in childhood. (Really)
My husband was a little kid in Columbus Ohio.....freezing his ass off ,in snowsuits and mittens and not knowing any different.
When "I" was a little kid I was on the beach in Puerto Rico wearing a snorkle mask ,flippers and my token orange bikini.
I never got used to the cold weather in Chicago for 6 years. And I will never get used to it any where else either. It hurts me!And I loathe it!!!!!!!
He thinks nothing of it.




Oh , I digress..... so he picked me up and we went and saw Cavuto.He was thrilled to see us ,of course. And his hovel was freezing cold. I could not even take my gloves off while we were there.
Yesterday was Cavutos birthday,BTW, he was 3 years old.



I want to thank you guys from the bottom my heart ,those of you that have offered to take Cavuto for his 6 months.Really, I wish it was that easy to just send him to one of you.But it is MUCH more than that. He (and YOU)would have to do all that strict Vet stuff all over again , and that damn paperwork (which nearly killed me ) AND for all I know, there could be something in Cavutos own body chemistry that makes him reject the microchip. After all that, it could happen again. Then the quarantine would still be mandatory.
I do have "the curse" remember, so I just think the risk is too big.
So unless things get really dire, I have to say THANK YOU so VERY much, but for now we will try to stick it out.
Believe it or not ,the entire thing would be much more bearable if it wasn't so damn freezing!
We have had Cavuto since he was a tiny baby . He has never experienced anything but comfort ,love and happiness.


Also, I wrote to the makers of his chip shortly after this happened. Since then, I have re-sent it to them about 5 times. I have not heard ONE word from them. If you have your pet micro chipped with an AVID friend chip and you're feeling all secure ......DON'T.
Not only do you not know if the chip will work, but the company does not even have the decency or caring to answer you if something goes wrong.


I am LIVID!


I know I have been such a downer lately. But I have just had the wind knocked out of me so badly. I stayed behind for 6 months with the cats so this WOULDN'T have to happen. Then I get here and WHAMMO! Take that ,curse girl! So, there I am an emotional wreck, oh here...get sick and here...lets have a frekin cold snap too....oh AND lets throw Christmas and New Years in there too. So, quarantines CLOSED.


I hope to pull myself together soon.I know I am wayyyyy behind on ya'lls comments too.
I promise ...I'm going to catch up as soon as I can.











"Oh, I'm so fun and beautiful."

NOT!!!!!! LOLLOOL
















"I'm a bad boy and I want my baby!"






I hope you guys had a great New years . I will still have to think about a "new years post"

It's time for my Nyquil .......and I have to cook dinner....bleah;(


Luv me

Cryzilla .......is that you?

Hi Y'all,


I know I'm behind .I am sick ,sad and freezing my ass off.Every time I want to cry about how cold I am ,then I have to think of poor little Cavuto with NO heat at all. Then I have to cry about that some more. it's a vicious cycle of crying. And I must say it's doing wonders for my looks. NOT!



Well, let me see......have you guys missed anything?



We went to the movies a few nights ago. We saw the movie "The day the earth stood still" because my husband had seen the original . Well, it was pretty much awful. lol



The casting was awful. The acting was awful. And so on and so on.



The theatre was pretty comfortable though. Of course they had run out of butter. So we got to eat a nice giant tub of dry, choke inducing popcorn.



My husband NEVER looks for a good "close up" parking spot. He'll just park a mile away and think nothing of it. No matter how 'effin cold and windy it is.



On the way to the theatre from our mile away parking spot, I said " *shudder* You should have dropped me off at the door,(which he used to do) you're not very gentlemanly anymore."



Met with the icy reply "Well, maybe you're not very ladylike anymore. "



"how's that?"



"You sure complain a lot."


ooh! that stings. :)
Well ,there IS alot to complain about.

***************************************************************************
The rest of the weekend we did nothing except go to the hardware store. I took Nyquil and read my British library books.


Saturday we got to go see cavuto. His voice is practically gone from crying and he is drooling .They were closed again on Sunday . So yesterday I got to walk there to see him. It was soooo cold. My hands and feet were numb the whole way home.


The whole time I was there Cavuto sat in my lap and padded his feet on me , I sat there bawling (and freezing)



My spouse got the paper work yesterday for us to register with a doctor.Perhaps i shall have them up my dosage of effexor so I can become an emotionless zombie for the next six months.

*******************************************************************************



Three years ago , even though we needed a 3rd cat like a hole in the head, we got Cavuto because O'Reilly desperately needed a friend ,a playmate and a diversion.

Abyssinians are very "paws on" cats. They don't lay around sleeping all day like normal cats. They get into things (mostly trouble) like monkeys or raccons .










Over time I guess we had forgotten that.
It all comes back to us now....as O'reilly is constantly into everything.















He is bored ,he is clingy and he wants his baby!
















A rare nap. he forces himself to stay awake all day to "help" with whatever we are doing.













He wants to stay just like this.He expects us to carry on with everything while he lays there on our backs.















Normally he only does this for a few minutes at a time. But not HERE , he wants to stay that way.
















Also......constantly trying to get on top of the doors.















"What? I don't know what to do with myself."



Neither do I buddy, neither do I.


Sorry folks, I didn't mean for this to be a big whiny Cavuto post. But the situation is looming large I guess. And it sucks so bad.


(didn't ya miss me? ) LOLOLOL

I'll BRB and try to be more jolly sfter I go smoke:)


I'm back. I don't feel any jollier. So let me see if I can recall some recent observations.........


Little kids sound adorably cute with their little British accents.


There are hardly any public bathrooms here. Stores, the library, ect...NO bathroom.


You can have your groceries delivered for 5 pounds. Which i did ,yesterday. it was much nicer than walking and hauling it home.


Lamb chops are incredibly cheap here, compared to back home. I got 7 of them for 5 pounds.


Restaurants are rediculously expensive. The reason we have not been to ANY.


At the theatre they have a bulk candy shop right in the lobby and you can also buy full sized bags of doritos there.


The bus drivers know nothing about their "routes" . I asked one "does this bus got to trinity street?" (one of his stops)
"I don't know."
I asked the next one "does this bus go by the animal quarantine?"
" I have no idea."


I have not tried a driving lesson yet. Because frankly, I'm positive that my spouse will be a grouchy impatient jerk about it. lol
I must do it soon though. ack.


Nearly eveyone wears UGGs here and those balloon-y bottomed coats.


The "brand name" groceries look so generic ,you can not tell what is actually a brand and what is cheap store crap.
For example the cold medicine is called "lemsip" I had no idea it was a brand until i saw a commercial. The laundry soap ect... the names are so lame ...it all sounds generic.
Tuna, no brand names that I could tell. "Prince" tuna. Could be cat food for all i know:)


I love the tupperware stuff and the sandwich baggies. Much better than ours.


Well, I better get off of here and figure out my day. I may take a bus somewhere just so I don't have to walk both ways to see Cavuto.


Have a great day peeps!

luv me

Help us ,we're freez......

Hi Y'all,

Yesterday ,after prying my husband off the couch with a spatula ,he became my reluctant tour guide. We drove about 50 miles from here, to Stonehenge.

It was pretty cool. And also freezin' ass cold and windy. gah!

*********************************************************************



Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) west of Amesbury and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. Archaeologists had believed that the iconic stone monument was erected around 2500 BC, as described in the chronology below. However one recent theory has suggested that the first stones were not erected until 2400-2200 BC,^[1] whilst another suggests that bluestones may have been erected at the site as early as 3000 BC (see phase 1 below). The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.

New archaeological evidence found by the Stonehenge Riverside Project indicates that Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings.^[4] The dating of cremated remains found that burials took place as early as 3000 B.C, when the first ditches were being built around the monument. Burials continued at Stonehenge for at least another 500 years when the giant stones which mark the landmark were put up. According to Professor Mike Parker Pearson, head of Stonehenge Riverside Project:^[5]

“

Stonehenge was a place of burial from its beginning to its zenith in the mid third millennium B.C. The cremation burial dating to Stonehenge's sarsen stones phase is likely just one of many from this later period of the monument's use and demonstrates that it was still very much a domain of the dead.

”

***************************************************************************
Who knew? I didn't.




















"This is fun?"

























"Help....I'm freez......"































Pork pie? quiche? at the snack bar?












Scone ?





After that we drove around a town called Gosport just to see what was there.

Today we get to go see Cavuto. they've been closed for the last two days. ack!


I woke up this morning and guess what? yep, I am getting sick. Won't that be special for my walking every day. NOT!


I'm waiting to hear about everyone's Christmas!
My kids are off snowboarding in Illinois.


Have a great day peeps!

Luv me

Someone left the cankles on my chicken......

Someone left the cankles on my chicken.


Not very appetizing, is it?


We had an improvised Christmas dinner, the turkeys were sold out. So we had chicken. There was NO stuffing mix, no poultry seasoning, no cranberry sauce,no pies and no rolls.



We had Chicken, mashed potatos, gravy,brussel sprouts,a burger bun (for our roll) and for dessert brownies and ice cream.



It was alll quite yummy dispite the missing ingredients.



Earlier ,we took a drive to a place called Southsea and took a walk along the shore in the nice freezing wind.
It was a pretty neat place. I'm sure it is normally packed with people as well. EVERYTHING was closed yesterday. The movies, stores, quarantine:(




Here are the pictures. This was about 2 in the afternoon. That was about as light as it got yesterday.









































































































































Today is boxing day. Quarantine is closed again. ack!Maybe we'll do something fun today. Vee shall see.


Boxing Day is a public holiday in the Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society. Contemporary Boxing Day in many countries is now a "shopping holiday" associated with after-Christmas sales.



Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!


Luv me