Baby, it's cold outside!

I had to post this funny pic of one of my dogs, Sam. He and I love to cuddle and I've been getting him used to having warm blankets wrapped around him and I think he kinda likes it.

Doesn't he look like a Jedi?

Blizzard? STAY HOME!

Living in the midwest, I am used to long winters, ice storms, below zero cold and snow drifts, but one thing I cannot get used to are the idiotic people who live around here.

Here is a tip for those of you who have frozen brains this time of year - if there is a blizzard, a winter storm warning, an ice advisory or otherwise foreboding forecast and you don't have a matter of life or death to be out in it - STAY HOME.

Just stay home, have a cup of cocoa and chill out on the sofa. Make the effort to snowblow the driveway and shovel a path to the yard for the dog but don't go out in the public domain and don't drive.

I worked retail for a number of years and I'd practically kill myself to get to work in horrendous weather - why? Because braindead people still managed to go to the stupid mall when they should have gone or stayed home and I was still required to get to work.

The mall here will not close unless the highway closes. The highway. It takes an act of utter destruction for a HIGHWAY to actually close. Landslides, earthquakes, flash floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorist attacks - mall is still open!

I will recount a couple stories for you about the mall and the weather.

Our local mall used to have a little competition from a smaller mall on the other side of town and these two malls would wait for the other mall to close so they'd effectively play 'chicken' - waiting out the other to see who would close down first.

Here is the thing - if the mall is open for business and you are late opening or don't oepn, you face fines in the thousands, so employees are strongly encouraged to get their gates up on time.

One year when I worked in a mall cookie store/bakery I was there with my manager and we had a particularly horrendous forecast looming - 12 inches of snow, freezing rain, ice, bitter cold... basically the worst blizzard you can imagine.

It had already started when the minions had made their way in to work that morning and a number of merchants met in center court to discuss if the mall would close or not. Schools had shut down due to the frigid temps so we all waited. Word came down from the manager of the mall - who, by the way was at HOME in his nice toasty bed,
that the mall would remain open.

So, a few hours later when it's really bad outside, the mall manager decides that maybe he should close the place. So, there we all were... a couple hundred people having to go outside, scrape feet of snow from the cars and try to get home safely.

Another time I was working at a card shop and school was closed that day and a number of businesses had told their employees to stay home. One lady came into my store and was all excited because she had the day off because of the weather.

Let's back up and think about that. YOU do not have to go to work today because the weather is so bad outside that your employer said don't come in?

Um... and you're at the mall? If YOU weren't at the mall maybe WE could get sent home. If there are no customers then maybe the mall manager would close the place down so the rest of us don't have to risk our lives getting here or getting home.

Don't force other people to risk their lives to wait on you at places you don't need to be. Stay away from the retail places and the restuarants.. let those people go home and be safe.

Stay warm everyone.

It's Over

I quit my part-time retail job. I was only working about once a month, doing floorsets but when things started going to hell, I got out of there. I won't go into details but let's just say that passive-agressiveness doesn't work on me. Threats don't work on me and I have no patience for junior high drama!

Besides, I have bad knees and a ladder is no place for me.

So... while I still do my home businesses (Avon, Watkins and Entertaining at Home) and that is what I LOVE - I'm not really getting many orders.. so if you need anything, I'd love to help you!

Blood & Snake Oil - Who Knew?

My fragrance oil addiction is in full-swing. I have a variety of bottles and endless samples to test but in my journey I have discovered a hidden love that has come to the surface. I love mysterious, thick and sweet blends that contain Dragon's Blood and resins! Who knew?!

Dripping with sensuality, the scent fills my nose with such pleasure. It's intoxicating! I can't stop sniffing my wrists. It's comfort.

My two obsessions currently are both from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.

Snake Oil is described as "exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla"

Blood is "dragon's blood resin, thickened with myrrh and cherry, with a trickle of clove"

I have bottles on order. Life is good.

Scent Addict

As some of you know, I'm addicted to fragrance oils now (thanks Marie) and one of my fave places to buy from is Scent Addict.

The owner, Cindy, is fantastic. She provides great customer service and is a joy to deal with. Customer service is very important to me so I'd rather spend what little money I have at an indpendant place like Scent Addict than a big chain place.

Scent Addict carries a variety of product from a variety companies. She has Possets, Villainess, Mythos Mixtures, Good Judy, Cobalt Blends, Haunt, Super Bad, Nocturne Alchemy, Violette Market and many more!

Some of the companies even give her exclusive scents created just for the Scent Addict customer! Don't you feel special?

It's fun to get a few things from different companies for one shipping fee. (and she ships super fast!) I've always gotten a couple samples and a nice handwritten note thanking me for my order. It's an important touch and a small reminder that the mom & pop establishments are slowly giving way to the obnoxious big box stores. That part makes me sad.

So, please give Scent Addict a quick browse and see if there isn't a little something you need for yourself or a gift. You won't be disappointed. Tell her Shelly sent ya!

Winter Sucks

And.. it's only just begun!

I live in the northern midwest and every year when the snow starts to fly and the ice starts to layer and the cold creeps into my old and weary bones, I ask myself WHY.

Why do I live someplace that gets just like the North Pole from November thru February (and Death Valley in the summer? That's another post entirely) I very often expect to find Santa in my kitchen in the morning while the reindeer prance around in my backyard. It's THAT cold.

I've been trying to save money where possible so I keep the thermostat set at 70 degrees but it may as well be off altogether as I am freezing ALL THE TIME. I can't get warm. I wear layers on layers and two pairs of socks and when I'm sitting on the couch I have FIVE blankets on me and I still freeze. I can warm up momentarily by driking a cup of cocoa or hot tea and sometimes vacuuming will help or other cleaning type maneuvers but I'm starting to feel like a Chihuahua.

Those dogs sit and shake and shiver all day long. That's me.

Maybe I need a metabolism! I AM 15 lbs overweight so perhaps if your body isn't burning fuel, you are cold all the time. I'm not sure.

I hate going outside. I wouldn't mind this weather so much if I didn't have to go outside. If I didn't have to let the dogs out or gather the mail. If I didn't have to get groceries or visit friends and family for holiday events.

I can gear up with my warm coat, gloves, hat or earmuffs and snow boots and still, I'm cold until we crank the heat in the car. I hate making the trek from door to car over hazardous ice and annoying snow drifts. I hate the chill that gets into my bones and just won't leave - for 4 months.

Being cold at night is the worst. One of my dogs sleeps with me everynight and even though he's a great source of cuddliness, he hogs the bed like a gorilla. We are fine until I have to get up to use the bathroom. I can be gone for 30 seconds and he's completely taken over. He'll pull each corner of the covers in towards the middle, creating a cozy nest and he plops himself in the middle, making sure he has a small bunch as a pillow and then I'm left trying to eek out a small corner of covers (it's like trying to cover up with a washcloth) and forced to lie in a circular pattern around said canine! He weighs 65 pounds so I can't move him - not even an inch.

and he growls, sometimes.

Grumble is more like it.. he's thinking, 'woman, you left.. you vacated and now the rules say this is MY space, so go sleep on a couch'

Sometimes my pitiful plea of 'Where is momma gonna sleep?' gets him up but these days he's choosing to ignore me and pretend he's asleep. I probably would to, in all honesty.

My mom says it's gonna be a bad winter because the squirrels weren't burying their bounty in the ground, instead preferring to stash them up in trees for better access, it means we're getting 40 feet of snow and the little boogers know it!

It's going to be a long winter.

Black Friday

It's the day after Thanksgiving and in years past I'd already be working at my part time job, waiting for customers to walk into my store at the mall.

This year, I'm at home, in my PJ's, waiting for 6 am to come so I can feed the dogs.

I can't tell you how fabulous it feels to not be working retail this holiday!

Last spring, I went down to working just floorsets at my mall job - that is every 6 weeks or so. I work 5pm to midnight on a Sunday putting out new merchandise. It's the most exhausting thing I've ever done and it takes a full day to recover. (it sounds like it wouldn't be tiring, but it really is)

Anyway, the fact that I'm not working retail makes me as happy as little Guido looks in this picture. I hope those of you having to work retail survive and those who are going out in it, remember to be nice and treat those retail people with some kindness and respect - they get paid shit, you know.

Me? I'm gonna buy a few things online to complete my holiday shopping. I'll be in my PJ's, sipping hot cocoa and enjoying not having to step outside or deal with the crowds.

Buncha crazy people.

Happy Birthday Sam!

Ok.. so, it's also Thanksgiving and while I'll wish you all a lovely holiday, I'm a vegetarian so to me, this day is about death to turkeys and that makes me sad... but, it's also Sam's birthday this year! My sweet Sam turns 5 today!

He and his 11 brothers were dumped in the garbage at 3 weeks of age and rescued by a local shelter.

The pups were bottle fed and fostered by some amazing people until they were old enough to go to their forever homes.

I have a few pics of Sam's brothers so I'll post them here as well. The first pic above is my Sam on the striped bed, closeup is Arnie, Stevie is wearing the bandana, then Syd on the couch and Carlos wearing the collar. I don't have pics of any of the other ones. Wherever you are, boys.... happy day!

So Long Petey Cat

Our beloved cat, Pete, died on Nov 9, 2008

His story began over 8 years ago when we decided our dog, Ike needed a friend since I was going to work full-time outside the house. We knew we wanted to rescue a cat since so many are put down at shelters, so we went to the county kill shelter. We originally thought a kitten would be better for the dog, since we wanted to make sure they'd get along but the shelter worker laughed (as if we had asked for a solid gold cat) and said they didn't have any kittens and when they do, they fly out of there. She said there was a waitlist for kittens or they had a couple rooms full of 'older' cats. Apparently, no one wants an 'older' cat.

So, we decided we'd take an 'older' cat. (and by older, shelters mean over a 6 months old!)

We went into the first cat room where tall cages were placed, usually one cat per cage. There were a great variety of cats, some started meowing and howling, some remained quiet and scared, some just looked at us curiously. I had always wanted a gray or black cat and I knew I wanted one that was quiet.

We peered into the cages and none really 'spoke' to us. We tend to believe that 'our' pets will find us. Then, I saw a scraggly, skinny and dirty black cat in a cage, staring at us with his big green eyes. He wasn't making a sound but he also didn't seem scared. He just seemed too cool to be there.

We opened the cage and that cat JUMPED into my arms and held on for dear life, his claws digging into my jacket (those claw marks are still there, actually) as to say, "good god woman! get me outta here!"

and we got him outta there.

I think the shelter staff thought we were a little nuts, choosing this skinny cat that looked like he had been rolling around in the dirt, scraggly and unkempt but something told us he was the right cat. The shelter estimated his age at about 8 months.

My husband had cats thru his childhood and they had an old stray cat that they called Pete and he was all black. When my husband said our new family member reminded him of that cat, we chose the name Pete and I think it fit him well. We tended to call him Petey tho.

When we brought Pete home to meet the dog I wasn't really prepared for what came next. Our sweet dog, Ike... was very curious and pretty much accepting of this weird creature. Pete, on the other hand, spit, hissed, moaned and was generally very pissy towards the dog - and this was while he was still in the carrier and had only been in the house for 5 minutes.

I wondered what I had done and if they'd ever be friends.

I didn't need to worry. Pretty soon they were lying together and Pete was cleaning Ike's ears. That was a funny picture too... a 90 lb dog being held down while a 12 lb cat licked his ears so clean that the vet said we were doing an amazing job with them. (yes, I confessed). They played, they chased each other and Ike did get a swat once in awhile from Pete's massive claws.

The first month we had Pete we had a stupid little collar on him with a bell. Not so manly for a boy cat. We removed the collar and the very next day we had a dead mouse on the floor and for a week straight, another dead mouse each day.. each left as an offering closer and closer to our bedroom. Luckily, the mice ran out before I awoke to one IN my bed.

The little hunter got 6 or 7 in all and then we never saw another mouse again. Of course, that horrified me - I like mice but I guess he was just being a cat and doing what cats do.

Ike and Pete were quite the pair. They got along great and then one day my husband found a kitten. A tiny little stray had bounded out of the bushes as he was walking into his workplace and rubbed herself allover his leg. He brought they little bundle home and asked me to feed her while he tried to talk a co-worker into taking her home. By lunch time, there were no takers. He came home and sat with her in the bathroom and played with her and I'm sure you can guess what happened next - by the time the day was over he said "we're keeping her". She was named Bella and we became a household with 2 cats and a dog!

I don't really recall any bad blood between Pete and Bella and they'd clean one another and lie together but mostly they were pretty independent, as cats are.

Not long after we adopted Pete he somehow managed to break his hip! We think he jumped off the TV and landed funny - he wasn't the most graceful cat. So, he had surgery to replace his hip.

A few years later we got a puppy and life changed forever. Sam came into our lives and learned a hard lesson one day with Mr. Pete. People love hearing this story so prepare to laugh.

I had literally been living in the downstairs media room with Sam as I was training him and making sure he was ok to have free run of the house. He had limited exposure to the cats at that time so he didn't know they had claws and weren't always up to a puppy's roughhousing.

I have to say this about Sam, he scares easy. He was left in the garbage with his siblings at 3 weeks of age so he didn't get necessary teachings from his dog mommy - like confidence and dealing with new things so he tended to get scared easily.

I live in a tri-level so I have three sets of stairs. This is important to know.

One day I decided to attempt a shower. Sam was in that puppy stage where he did not leave my side so I was confident that I could get in a quick shower while he waited on the rug in the bathroom. I turned on the shower and removed my robe. I'm standing in the bathroom, butt naked, when I hear a ruckus from behind me - it was a mixture or puppy barking, cat hissing, puppy screaming, claws tearing flesh and the sound of a dog running like a bat out of hell down the stairs and a very pissed of cat right behind him. Mind you, this happened in 20 seconds.

Remember, I'm still naked and I'm running down the stairs and every few stairs there is puppy poop and a little puppy pee. When I finally arrive in the downstairs media room, I find a scared shitless (literally) puppy, hiding in the back of his crate with a couple holes in his muzzle from cat claws, shaking like a leaf and a very calm cat sitting by the door with a very smug look on his face as if to say "THAT is why you don't mess with me."

Sam respected Pete after that! Pete did come around and very often would rub up against Sam's face as if to say "I love you, you're cool" but Sam always sat perfectly still, wide eyed and looking sideways because he just never knew if he was going to be beaten up again.

Cats and dogs just have to work it out.

Pete was a great cat. He very rarely meowed, preferring to give a scratching 'yow' when you talked to him. He only made noise when his bowl was close to being empty. We figured at some point he may have been starving before we rescued him because he was always very concerned if his bowl fell below half full.

He never once went outside his litter box and he didn't scratch where he wasn't supposed to. He had his annoying habits tho - he liked to stick his paws in your food. He didn't want the food, he just wanted to stick his paws in it. He'd sit next to you and try a stealth attack from behind. He would beg like a dog and then not want whatever it was he finally got you to turn over. He did like popcorn and he could smell a can of sardines from 10 miles away.

In Jan 2008 he was diagnosed with feline diabetes and you can read about that in another blog entry so I won't repeat it here. He did great tho. He always came to me to get his shots and he tolerated the vet visits. He really ruined it for other cats (he and Bella both) and we have decided we will not have any more cats. We figured we got two fab ones that can never be improved upon so why try?

We miss having to push him off the peninsula while we try to make dinner, my husband misses him standing directly in front of him as he tried to play his computer games, he misses the nightly kiss he'd get, we both miss having to make sure he didn't run outside when we let the dogs out, I miss keeping him out of the garage and I miss his twice daily headbutts after his insulin injections. My routine was Pete. I got up every day at 5am to 'poke the cat' and now I feel a little lost and a little less needed.

I don't want to talk about his death as I prefer to remember him as he was and because I'm still upset about it and the lump in my throat is growing as I write this.

I just want you to take a few moments to sit down with your fur babies and give them some attention - kiss them, brush them, take them for a walk, cuddle on the couch. You just can't know what tomorrow brings and you could wake up and have to face letting them go.

Soap Box Company

I've really gotten into fragrance oils and one place that I am enjoying ordering from is the Chicago based, Soap Box Company. Jen stocks a variety of soaps, bath goodies and oils so it's almost one stop shopping!

Swing by and browse ..... they are running the Soap Box Bonanza Giveaway thru December! Go and sign up!

Happy Halloween!

My favorite holiday! I don't know why, probably because it has to do with fun and monsters instead of religion.

As a kid, today was all about CANDY! I remember being so excited that the day just went on forever (kinda like Christmas Eve and waiting to open presents) and it seemed like the night would never come.

The pic here is one of my dogs, Ike... this was taken when he was much younger. Probably under a year. Now, he's 8 and a half. His muzzle is now almost all grey. He's my sweet old man.

He was not at all happy to have that on his head and it took both my husband and I and a whole lot of cheese to make it happen.

We don't have human children so tonight is about keeping the dogs relaxed. We'll start a couple crockpots - italian beef for the hubby, veggie chili for me, and come 5:30 when trick or treating starts, we'll put up the baby gate to keep the pups downstairs, head to our media room and switch on Ghost Hunters Live (Sci Fi channel from 6pm - 1 am, CST) and hang.

We don't give out candy because it just stresses the dogs.

I hope you have a delightful Halloween, no matter what you do.

Sons of Anarchy

I resisted. I did.

I kept seeing the commercials for this new show on FX over the summer and I had to endure my hubby's excited outbursts when he saw one and I was able to resist 3 episodes before I was sucked into the fray!

It's a fabulous show and I blame my husband.

The Sons of Anarchy website describes the show as "an adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones about a notorious outlaw motorcycle club intent on protecting their sheltered small town against encroaching drug dealers, corporate developers and overzealous law officers. The club is equally determined to protect their ruthless and illegally thriving arms business. Charlie Hunnam stars as Jackson 'Jax' Teller, a man whose love for the brotherhood is tested by his growing apprehension for its lawlessness."

With star power like Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman as the leads of both the show and the 'family' and an eclectic and seasoned supporting cast, this show is gritty and makes no apologies.

There is strong language, stronger violence and an even stronger feeling that you're watching things you shouldn't be.

Charlie Hunnam as Jax is compelling. He's real in his portrayal of a son conflicted. He's a new father who is at odds with himself and those around him. He's touching and sweet one moment, and hardcore and dangerous the next. He teeters on the brink of an undying loyalty to the club his late father helped build and his longing for a different life.

It sure isn't fluffy and it sure isn't for everyone but it has a strong underlayer of the importance of family and the bonds of friendship and loyalty. It isn't always politically correct or fair and sometimes it's downright horrifying in it's depiction of what humans are capable of.

It will make you angry and sad.

Like a train wreck, you can't help but look and wonder and hope that everyone comes out of it ok.

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

No one would call my husband sophisticated and that's why I love him.

He's complex in some areas and deceptively simple in others - he loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and this causes some angst from me as I am a housewife and one of my daily jobs is to make my man his lunch and while I aspire to fancy multi-layered sandwiches with exotic cheeses, hearty breads and spreads, he'd happily eat PB&J on white bread every day for the rest of his life.

Now, you may be thinking, big deal! Well, here is a confession - jelly makes me cringe. The stuff is otherworldy and the texture gives me the heebie jeebies. Truly.. it's a scary, quivering mass.

Now, I love me some jam (but never with peanut butter - both should stand alone except in this amazing recipe I found for PB & Jam bars! I'll post it below) but every day that I have to spread that jelly stuff over bread, I die a little inside.

so... because I love him, I make the sacrifice.

Here is the recipe:

Barefoot Contessa's Peanut Butter & Jam Bars

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (hey, get some Watkins Vanilla from me!)
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (I use large and it works)
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (Ina recommends Skippy, I use Jif)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven.

Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool and cut into squares.

Call Me An Addict!

I wrote about Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab already but as I've fallen deeper and deeper into the fragrance oil culture, I've been led to and discovered other companies that intrigue me and even tho I love BPAL, as it was my first love... I feel the need to 'date' before becoming monogamous with them. (My friend Marie is pretty faithful to BPAL)

A friend of mine calls fragrance oils, 'liquid crack' and I'm beginning to see why.

I followed links from friends and placed orders. I am waiting for the goodies to arrive but I thought that I might post links to the various places I've discovered. If you are into the fragrance oil scene and know of any great places to buy online, please let me know!

Also, I recommend signing up for newsletters from any site you may be interested in because newsletter members get notice of sales, special offers and coupons.

The Soap Box Company carries a variety of different brands so it's nice to find one place and one cart to dump your treasures into! In addition to oils, they carry soaps and other bath time pleasures. I placed an order for three Arcana Soap oils, one Possets oil and a Cobalt Blend oil there. They are an e-tailer based close by in Chicago so I'm hoping the turnaround time is pretty quick so my impatience can be rewarded and a quick fix is imminent.

Heaven & Earth Essentials - I'll be placing an order with her today, I'm sure. She has a few blends I want to try and she has a full array of bath goodies that can all be custom scented with any of her fragrance oils. Gotta love that! Also, I signed up for her newsletter and a few hours later I got an email back with a $5 discount code! So, sign up and then show her some love by placing an order.

Specialty Bottle - a fragrance addict needs a few tools of the trade to manage her addiction and I found those here. I ordered some mini amber bottles so I can share or sell partial bottles to friends. You can buy them by the piece.

Places I've visited or have been told about, but haven't yet ordered from.... yet. I'll add to the list as I discover more, I'm sure!

Cobalt Blends

Possets

Nocturne Alchemy

Good Judy

The Scent Addict is also one stop shopping. Oils, soaps, bath luxuries and more await you there.

Accessories for Fragrances - a friend of mine buys her decanting supplies here.

Happy Birthday, My Friend

Today, October 21st, would have been the 41st birthday of one of my dearest friends, Brenda.

Brenda passed away in 2005.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her. I keep her photo on the bulletin board in my home office and because we shared an addiction to lip gloss, I think of her every time I apply it or when I discover the next big thing - I very often think, even now, that I need to call her and tell her about it.

She was vivacious and fun, demanding and moody. She was unique and smart. She was a good friend, daughter, sister, girlfriend and mother. I miss her. The world is a little less glossy without her.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Marie, my ‘too-cool-for-me’ friend gave me a bottle of fragrance oil for my birthday. She has no idea what a special gift that was to me (well, she does now) because no one else I know would do that. (edited to add that my friend Nat gave me a bottle too!)

She is big into oils and quite the expert. Last year she let me sniff a scent called 'Nosferatu'.

Raw, wet earth, the coolness of the cement mausoleum, the crispness of the trees and the frigid breeze of the fall. It was crazy and it captured me. It's amazing how scent artists can blend oils to smell like specific things!

I’m what they call a ‘foodie and fruit’ girl, meaning I can’t handle floral scents so she went on the hunt for a scent that would work for me and she ended up getting me a delightful scent called ‘Sticky Pillowcase’ from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL).

Sticky Pillowcase is described as “Terminal sugar rush. A little goblin's candy bag, upended. Smushed candy corn, rock candy dust, marshmallow gunk, strawberry goo, spun blue sugar, globs of salt water taffy, and lint.” And it’s fabulous!

I’m now just getting into the fragrance oil arena and I have a few other friends besides Marie to help me on my journey. Mindy and SuE have been more than generous by sending me little goodie packets with sample vials for me to try. They have all been so great at choosing scents I’d really like.

Fragrance is such an important and personal thing. It can elevate (or even change) your mood and bring you out of a funk. It can evoke good and bad memories and can take you places you've been or wish you could go. Scent can remind you of people you love and people you lost.

There is nothing greater than having someone say 'you smell good!'.

It’s a huge learning curve but it’s fun. It’s also kinda pricey so I’m only going to be able to indulge once in awhile. Marie and I recently went in on a BPAL order to save on shipping and I decided to treat myself to a bottle of what I was pretty sure I’d love, it’s called ‘Butter Rum Cookie’, described as, “a boozy addition to the devil's bake sale! Rum-soaked butter cookies, crusted with sugar, soaked in almond and garnished with orange rind.”

Next month, Marie and I are going to split a bottle of ‘Hellcat’, which is described as “a soft, sensual, luxuriant blend with a wicked bite: hazelnut, butter cream, honey mead, rum and sweet almond.”

I invited Marie to post here about fragrance oils since I don’t know that much.. so here she is:

"To me the difference between BPAL and Commercial perfumes is that Commercial perfumes are designed to evoke a particular sort of person. Really they are playing towards the eventual advertising. You are supposed to desire to be that other person and they can sell you just the expensive bottle of scent to help you on your way.

BPAL's oils are very different in intent. Beth is an artist who paints with scent. Each fragrance is an image, idea, character, archetype, situation, piece of literature, etc. fully realized. The variety is so amazing that there is something for everyone.

Besides just smelling good, and seriously I have never smelled a commercial scent that made my eyelids flutter the way some of my favorite BPAL's do, they educate and explore ideas. That allows the wearer to express who they really are...their loves...their passions...their mild interests...their sense of humor..."

I recommend stopping by BPAL when you have some time to kill and browsing through their site. It's like going to another world!

October is National Chili Month

I love chili and I make it about once a week in my crockpot - yes, it's vegetarian! Most people consider chili a fall/winter dish but it's really a delicious meal any time. I like mine topped with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese and a small dollop of sour cream and served with cornbread or a side of Fritos.

I buy diced tomatoes and sauce from the warehouse club in cases of 8 and 12 cans so I always have the stuff on hand to make chili. I like to make it on days when I have alot to do around the house or if my hubby is gone and I don't have to make dinner because I can toss it in my small crockpot and just eat it all day long as I get hungry. It's diet friendly and good for you!

Here is my base recipe: (this can be doubled or tripled for larger groups)

1 can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can any beans (I like kidney or chili beans the best, but black beans work too. Pinto beans seem too soft to me.)

Then I add in chopped onions and garlic and my Watkins Chili Seasoning and a couple splashes of the Watkins Calypso Sauce (like Tobasco) and 1/4 bag of the Morningstar Farms Crumbles (fake burger) and I'm good to go!

You can also get creative and add corn or peppers, mushrooms, whatever you like. You meat eaters can add in hamburger or chunked up beef. Make it hot or not. It's your call.

Then.. the leftovers can be used to make nachos, chili dogs or chili fries! MMMMM

You Can Make a Big Impact on Small Business

A little background before I get on to my topic for today:

I am a small business owner. I am a consultant for Watkins, Avon and Taste of Home Entertaining. This is my job besides the job of being a housewife and pet mom. The economy is so bad that I have virtually no orders and the few orders I do get, although I’m grateful, doesn’t even cover the monthly cost of my website fees.

Last week, I met with a friend of mine who is also my insurance agent and we were doing a little checkup on the state of our insurance and to see if things had changed and if we needed to adjust coverage. She asked me – “what is your personal income?” I had to say zero, when in all seriousness, the zero is actually a negative number. I have to buy catalogs and materials, samples and such. I have fees to pay and I am bringing in almost nothing.

I sell Watkins and they have daily needs and groceries and I still can’t get any sales! These are things you buy every week, like laundry detergent and food! I really don’t get it at all.

It’s sad but I am not alone… which brings me to the topic of this posting.

This week I’d like every one of you (and pass this along to your friends) to go out and buy something from a small business owner you know. Heck, I challenge you to do it all week. You have NO idea how this impacts someone that works from home and works on commission or the person in your town who has to pay rent on their little storefront at the strip mall. That purchase impacts that person, their family and their team (many home businesses are network marketing, which means someone else is making a small commission on their sales so it goes up and up) and those with employees are affected as well – if they lose business, people lose jobs.

The small business owner is your friend. You need them to maintain competition in your area. If they go under, you lose because pretty soon your only choices are the big box stores that don't give a shit about you, your business or the service they provide.

Make an effort this week to make it a good week for a small business owner.

It could be a lipstick from the Avon or Mary Kay lady, buy a new stamp set from Stampin’ Up, a few kitchen goodies from Pampered Chef, surely you can spare $20 somewhere.

Here are some ideas:

• Go to the local bakery and buy your bread or the donuts for your meeting.
• Pick up your weekly needs at a local drugstore instead of Target.
• Book a party with your friend that has a 'party plan' business. It's a great reason to have friends over for food and fun and it helps her out.
• Buy a pizza from the pizzeria down the street instead of Pizza Hut or Domino's.
• Shop at the local hardware store instead of Lowe's.
• Take your car in for an oil change at the locally owned place instead of Lube Pros.
• Pick up your morning coffee at the local coffee shop instead of Starbucks.
• Have breakfast at the diner downtown instead of IHOP.
• Order Tupperware instead of picking up containers at Target.
• Pick up appetizer products for Thanksgiving from Watkins or Tastefully Simple.
• Buy some candles from a Partylite consultant instead of Yankee Candle at the mall.
• Shop for a unique gift at the museum gift shop in your town.
• Buy your best friend a box of candy from the local candy store instead of Godiva.
• Call up your Avon lady and ask if she has anything in stock she wants to sell for a bargain.
• Buy your salon shampoo at a local salon instead of Trade Secret or Ulta.
• Take a trip downtown and find something for yourself in one of the little shops.
• Pick up a bouquet of flowers for your mom at the local florist.
• Have your next meeting catered by a local restaurant.
• Order your holiday hams and turkeys from the local butcher shop instead of the chain grocery.

If you aren’t familiar with http://www.etsy.com , go browse there and buy a few things – think ahead for the holidays! Search thru ebay.com for things you've been wanting. You'll probably find a deal to boot! If you can’t spend money on yourself, then start your holiday shopping and do it all with small business owners this year – not Wal-Mart.

Every single choice you make can impact a small business owner in a very big way. Besides, you'll get personal customer service from someone that appreciates your purchase and is there for you in the future. I’m not saying you need to buy something from me. Just go and search out the little guy because those dollars could mean a meal on the table or a necessity for their family.

Madison

We went to Madison, Wisconsin to have lunch with a rocking family we know there and we really had fun after what started out as a horrendous morning (overnight some piece of shit took property from our car. There is nothing I hate more than a thief) and we had to drive over an hour each way with no music and no NPR. Not a happy car ride.

Anyway, we drove up to have lunch at Monty's Blue Plate Diner (menu here) and even tho we had to wait an hour to eat (we didn't really plan that so well) and were ravenous by the time food was placed in front of us, the food was yummy and we managed to remain calm and civilized.

Monty's is a place I wish was in my own town because they have choices for this frustrated vegetarian - Monty's had more than one or two or three choices! That is a rarity for restaurants. I usually have one choice of a vegetarian dish on a typical menu so this was quite refreshing.

My friends all had breakfast. Their exceptionally cool kid had a Mickey Mouse pancake. How fun is that? My husband had the dill and feta burger and spicy waffle fries. Very good, he said.

I had the best selling vegetarian meatless loaf, which was really more like a veggie casserole thing. It was made from carrot, onions, mushrooms, cheese and the like, served with a big mountain of real 'with the skin on' mashed taters and everything was smothered in ginger-cashew gravy... yum! My husband even had about 4 bites and he's a card carrying carnivore!

I also added a buttermilk biscuit because, come on, biscuits rock and after discovering we'd been burgled the night before, I needed some comfort food.

Afterward, we went to a place called Java Cat that had homemade gelato! Mmmmm. Too many flavor choices tho and I ended up with Malted Milk (which was fantastic) and Chocolate Chili (which I should have taste tested first because it was so f'ing spicy that I had to give it to my husband to eat. Seriously, I can take a little spice and heat but this affected my vocal chords for the rest of the day!) The shit just parked itself in the back of my throat to make me feel like a cat with a prickly hairball. They also had live harp music which was delightful.

Then, we went down to the square, where the hip and happening hang! Madison is a college town and people there just love to get together and soak up some culture and people action.

We visited some cute shops full of interesting goodies. My husband channeled my dad and waited outside every time we went in somewhere. (it's true when they say you marry your father)

We used the parking garage and when I expressed my concern to my friends that I only had 9 dollars in cash to pay for parking, they laughed and said 'this isn't Chicago' - we had to spend 85 cents for the convenience of the garage - that is a deal!

I've been to Madison a few times and I've enjoyed myself every time. I do recommend it and I hope to be able to spend more time up there to check out more local restaurants as being a veg head up there isn't that weird. Ok, I'm still weird in general but my being a vegetarian doesn't cast me out as much up there.

Edwards Apple Orchard

Ah, fall... around here it means cold, crisp weather, changes to the leaves on the trees, turning up the heat and digging out the turtlenecks!

Fall also means our annual trip to the apple orchard. I've been visiting Edwards Apple Orchard since I can remember. The trips were about family, fresh cider and apple cider donuts. (not necessarily in that order, sorry Mom)

My husband and I always get up early so we can be there when the doors open at 9am. It gets busy and you want to be in and out of there quickly. Our main objective? The always freshly fried apple cider donuts. These are no ordinary run of the mill bakery donuts. They are warm from the fryer, crispy on the outside, covered in sugar, tender on the inside and if you don't consume them within 15 minutes they revert back to a plain 'ol donut.

Seriously. You must eat them quickly to fully savor the sweet piece of bliss.

These should never be brought home for eating later. It's mandatory that they be history when leaving the property.. in fact, my husband and I buy a half gallon of cider and a dozen donuts and lock ourselves in the car - devouring the little gems of goodness and drinking from the jug - I know, it isn't very classy but it sure is good.

The orchard is in the middle of nowhere. Down long winding roads, far from any city or town. Cornfields and pastures. Farms and endless acres. A little piece of perfection in nature.

In January 2008, this orchard was hit by a freak tornado and the place was basically destroyed. Luckily, no one was seriously injured and they vowed to rebuild.

They had to rebuild the outbuildings and their home. The newly repaired orchard looks the same. The owners did a very good job rebuilding things to look as they did before the tornado. I think they understood the history of the place and the importance of the memories we all had. The buildings are bigger, but laid out the same. They reused timbers when they could. The apples are still in the back but the fudge has it's own little counter now. There are still bookcases full of candles and knickknacks and on the weekend you can still sample the salsa and cheese dips, fudge and apples.

The landscaped has changed. Less trees dot the grounds. The stories tall weathervane tower is no longer covered with vines, The place seems a little battered but stronger for it. Inside the main building, among the gifts and jams and bottled salad dressing, is a memorial to what was and was is - a wall full of photos on the devastation, pieces of bent metal and tattered shards of belongings found after the tornado cut it's path thru the heart of so many childhood memories.

When you visit now, you'll hear fractured conversations, whispers and recollections from the people who are strangers but in some way, family. If you grew up around here, the orchard was part of your life. Kids went on field trips, families bonded and friends came together there. I'm glad that it isn't lost and that so many more generations will experience the joy of sipping cider, eating a hot donut and breathing in the crisp fall air while forgetting the life you left behind a little ways up the road.

We usually kept our donut trek to once a year because no one needs to eat 4 or 6 donuts in a sitting more than once every 12 months.. but this year we went more than once. We went opening weekend, as we usually do and a few weeks later, met friends for one outing. I suspect I should make once last trip. For old time sake.

October is Adopt a Dog Month

October is Adopt a Dog Month and I encourage anyone that can open their home and heart to a homeless dog, to do so.

10 million dogs enter the shelter system each year and about 4 million are killed each year because there aren't enough homes for all of them. People choosing to not spay and neuter their pets, people adopting thru puppy mills and breeders and people who choose to buy from a pet store are to blame.

There are also many people who choose to surrender their pets or dump them when they become too much to handle. Dogs need training but training isn't that difficult and there are many resources available to help. You can sign up for a local obedience class, buy books or videos on dog training, even scour the internet.

Three of my four pets were rescued - the fourth, our cat, Bella was found as a stray at my husbands place of employment. I found both of our dogs thru petfinder.org and our other cat, Pete came from our county kill shelter. Ike, Sam and Bella were all very young when we adopted them but Pete was about 8 months old and well beyond the desired kitten stage so his days were numbered. He's been a perfect cat. Not one day of trouble.

Shelters are full of purebreds but even more fun, they are filled with mixed breeds, which means you can have a unique dog that doesn't look like anyone elses! If you have your heart set on a specific breed, you can search the internet for breed specific rescues. Don't use the excuse that you have to go to a breeder for a 'purebred'.

Don't fall victim to the breeder or pet store. Pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills.

When you adopt a pet from a shelter, you are actually saving more than one life. You save the life if the pet you take home but you also save another life by freeing up space in that no-kill shelter for another dog to be brought in. Many kill shelters have a waiting period for each animal - once that time is up they will be euthanized if they aren't adopted or rescued and placed into a no-kill shelter system.

Rescued pets are healthier and they have all their medical stuff taken care of - they are already fixed, microchipped, vaccinated and treated for things like worms and fleas. We paid about $200 each for our dogs and $90 for Pete... but since we found Bella we had to pay for everything for her and it was close to $500. $200 from a shelter is a DEAL!

If you are a busy person and can't commit to raising a puppy, consider an older dog.

'Older' can mean any dog over a year old! They are housetrained, crate trained, usually know basic commands and many are much calmer than a puppy. They can become a part of your family quickly and be your very best friend! Many dogs in the shelter system have been evaluated for behavior problems, fostered in actual homes and tested to see how they get along with other pets and children.

If you can't open your home to a pet, consider donating your time or money towards a shelter. I regularly donate dog toys to shelters since many shelters don't have enough income to buy 'luxuries' like toys, rawhide and treats. There are actually dogs in the system that have to be taught how to play with toys and that is a tragic fact.

I also sign up for free bags and cans of various foods and coupons thru pet food companies. My pets eat special food but when I get coupons for other brands, I pick them up and donate them.

Shelters can use old blankets, cleaning supplies, stamps and more.

Many shelters have 'wish lists' on their websites.

You could also donate unused computers, cellphones, and vehicles.

Many shelters welcome volunteers. You can stop by and take the dogs for a walk, play with the cats or pitch in to help clean kennels. You could also sign up to foster dogs.

Here are a variety of links I'd love for you to check out:

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

American Humane.org

Top 10 Reasons to Adopt an Older Dog

Proud to Adopt

39 and Holding

Today is my 111th birthday! (wait.. that was Bilbo, not me) ... I'm turning 39 today!

This is my last birthday ... I hope not literally... next year I will begin celebrating anniversaries of my 39th birthday.

So... have a cupcake or a donut or a slice of vegetarian pizza to help me celebrate!

Angry Alien Productions

This website does 30 second movie reenactments - with cartoon bunnies- and they are just brilliant. You really need to have seen the movie in order to fully appreciate it. The Jaws one is fantastic.

I really enjoyed all of the ones I watched.

Are You Watching Supernatural?

You should be! It's a fantastic show! If you liked X-Files, Buffy, or are a horror movie fan.. this show is mandatory! It's creepy, it's funny, it's dramatic and it stars two very hot men with big guns who drive a '67 Impala and listen to classic rock. All you need is a bowl of popcorn.

I rounded up a few youtube videos to introduce people to the show.... the first one is a quick clip video that tells you a little about the back story and the next one is a 10 minute clip video of some of the funniest scenes (here is another 10 minute clip show)

You can rent the first three seasons on Netflix or you can buy all three seasons on Amazon for about $85 total ... season 4 started a couple weeks ago. Check your local listings.. it's on the CW and it ROCKS!

Overreacting

My hubby introduced me to this song called 'Overreacting' by the band 'Brad Sucks' and it's really great if you're feeling down about yourself or your situation. I'd love for you to take a listen and watch the video.. here are the lyrics for you as well:

when there’s no place you feel at home

and you think you’d be better off alone

when you think there’s no reason to try

and you hate yourself and wanna die

when you’re filled with anxiety

and everyone’s your enemy

when you wish you were someone else

and you wanna go out and kill yourself

ooh you’re overreacting

(you can change your mind)

ooh you’re overreacting

(take your time)

when you get yourself depressed

because you think you can’t do your best

when you write yourself a stupid song

to remind yourself that you forgot

Birthday Freebies!

My birthday is on September 30 and I've discovered the wonderful world of BIRTHDAY FREEBIES! Did you know that there are a ton of stores and restaurants that will give you a free goodie to help celebrate your birthday? Usually, you just have to register thru their website and the week of your bday you get an email with a coupon to print. Make sure you sign up your spouse too! Most of these places will also give you a free appetizer or dessert for joining.. so you'll probably get something just for signing up.

If you know of any that aren't listed here, let me know and I'll add them to the list!

I'm gonna make it easy for you.. here is a list. Most require you to buy another item to claim the freebie but who eats alone anyway?

Sephora - free 2.5 of birthday cake shower gel (you can get it in store or with an order online)

Bare Escentuals - in their stores they give 15% off in your birthday month

Philosophy - free 4 oz Purity cleanser with purchase

Lone Star Steakhouse - free entree up to $15

Red Robin - free burger

Houlihan's - free entree

Maggiano's - free dessert ($10 off when you join)

Qdoba - free burrito with purchase (free ships/salsa when you join)

Texas Roadhouse - free appetizer or sidekick of ribs with purchase of 2 entrees

Del Taco - free premium shake (plus 2 free chicken tacos when you sign up)

Cold Stone Creamery - free 'like it' size with one mix in

Marble Slab - free goodie at sign up and bday

Biaggi's - free dessert

Don Pablos - $10 off on your bday, anniversary of joining, every 10th visit and free dip sampler for joining

On The Border - free empanadas or dessert (free queso or empanadas with sign up)

Ruby Tuesday - free dessert

Dale & Thomas Popcorn - you'll get two coupons, one good in stores for a free bag of popcorn and one for free shipping online

The Melting Pot - free fondue for two with purchase with sign up (no bday goodie that I've seen)

Godiva - $10 off a $50 purchase

Famous Dave's - free goodie for your bday and for signing up (you'll get emails with a code) here are what you could get - the code is at the bottom so you can see what it is before you go:

W01 = B02 = big feast

W03 = B04 = rib dinner

W05 = B06 = super sampler

W07 = B08 = appetizer other than super sampler

W09 = B10 = dessert

TGI Friday's - they give you coupons for a free appetizer or dessert when you join (no bday goodie that I know of)

The Doggie Diet

I have two dogs - Ike and Sam. The vet says Ike needs to gain some weight and Sam needs to lose some so she suggested to change my free feeding approach and start feeding them two or three times a day so I can regulate who gets what. Apparently, Sam was being a hog and Ike was left with nothing. (I do need to say - Ike is a wimp - he's far too submissive to Sam and Sam IS a bully, I admit it) so.. it wasn't working!

The vet says 3 cups a day for Skinny Minnie Ike and 2 cups a day for Chunky Monkey Sam.

Now, if you've ever been on a diet or knew someone who was, you recognize the pissy "I'm hungry" grump-ass behavior while you get used to the new 'diet'. I was feeding the dogs twice a day (breakfast and dinner and they get a few treats in between) until Sam started to exhibit that 'behavior' ... I full-on recognized it because I've been on Weight Watchers for years. He was hungry and it showed. He was begging, he was nipping and growling at Ike, he was sitting in front of the food container, looking longingly at the dog bowls, sitting by the treat cabinet. It was pathetic.

So, I switched to three feedings a day and while Sam is still hungry, he's in a better mood but he still sits by the food container just to show how much of a drama king he truly is. They have learned to tell time because if I'm not in the kitchen making their breakfast at 6, lunch at 11 and their dinner at 4, I'm gently reminded that I have a job to do. I get nose pokes, barks, whines and paw slaps until I get up and head to the kitchen!

Yard Crashers

Have you seen this fun show on the DIY network? Professional landscaper and all around nice guy, Ahmed Hassan hangs out at a home improvement store looking for a homeowner who is in need of landscaping help. He and his team transform an area for FREE!

Now... here is why I'm posting about this... there are people who refuse to participate! If you watch the beginning of the show you'll see people go out of their way to avoid poor Ahmed and his camera crew. When he approaches some people they get all pissy and rude and cast him off.

Now, listen.. this isn't some creepy guy on his own saying "take me home with you" he has a film crew of probably 10 people with him.. they aren't going to tie you up and torture you.

People! He is a professional with a team of professionals and they will come and professionally landscape your yard and pay for the materials - all you do is put in some sweat and allow them to tape the show at your home. I saw one homeowner who said "what if I don't like the design?"

uh.... um.... he's a professional! Plus, could your yard look any worse than it does right now?

Do you know how much plants and trees cost? Are you aware that every lawn edger costs 99 cents and you need a kabillion? Hello? Mulch isn't cheap, neither is landscaping rock and you might get a cool water feature. cabana, deck or a brand new fricken PATIO!

Don't send poor Ahmed away! Even tho our yard is pretty much done (and done well, me thinks) I'd love to run into Ahmed at my local store but the Magic 8 Ball tells me there is no chance in hell that he'd be in my Midwestern podunk town.

Poking the Cat

In January, we found out our cat, Pete, had diabetes.

If you believe what my Dad says about diabetes, Pete was eating way too much candy.

Suddenly faced with twice daily insulin shots and mounting vet bills and the cost of the maintenance drug, we considered giving him away to a family that could better manage his needs, both financially and literally.

Fear and uncertainty set in and for a few days, we were panicked, sad, distressed and resigned to losing him. My husband said “No way. We aren’t injecting the cat twice a day”

I was sad but I knew that I couldn’t do it without his support.

I knew that if we couldn’t provide the diabetes maintenance then I had to give him away because the alternative was not an option.

I managed to find him a home with a couple that already had a few diabetic cats but when I told my husband, he did something I wasn't expecting - he told me no.

We would keep him and we would do whatever was necessary to bring him thru his illness and maintain his health with his diagnosis.

I was stunned.

We've been together for 16 years and yet, he can still manage to surprise me. I asked him why he changed his mind and he said that it was Pete - he was acting different, like he knew he was ill and that he needed our help. Maybe he sensed we were thinking about giving him to a new family. I don't know.

The following week we found ourselves in the vets office, buying a prescription-only cat food, insulin and learning how to fill syringes and administer injections to our cat.

Our vet made it clear to us that we needed to not let this diagnosis rule us, that while we needed to make a few adjustments to our lives (probably no vacations together as long as Pete was alive since no one would ever take on the responsibility of injections) she also said not to let it take over.

There is a couple hour window each way for the injections, but we still try very hard to maintain the 12 hour doses.

People probably think we're crazy. With Pete, he's had his hip replaced and his teeth cleaned. He's had the unfortunate luck to be the one pet we have that has all the problems. We adopted him from a kill shelter when he was 8 months old and he’s really been a great cat.

My personal greatest fear in all of this were the injections. I never once questioned my ability to give an injection. I'm not afraid of needles or the act of injecting an animal - my fear was if my cat would LET me.

My husband goes on business trips and I needed to be able to do these injections on my own, without any help from anyone. If it couldn't be done, then we couldn't keep him. That was the bottom line and there was a lot riding on that line.

Luckily, I discovered that tuna has magical powers and that Pete is a very good cat.

The first time I did an injection by myself I called up my husband and my mom with a great deal of excitement. It was a hurdle to overcome and I did it. I’m pretty much the exclusive injection giver so I’m quite the pro now.

After 9 months, I can say that while it has its annoyances, it beats giving the cat a PILL.

If you’ve ever had to do that, you’ll understand that there are worse things a cat can be diagnosed with! Pilling a cat is a leading cause of divorce.

Insulin - $125 a bottle (lasts about 40 days)
Syringes - $15 for 100 (and I use 2 a day)
Prescription cat food - $45 for 17 pounds
Blood tests - $69
Keeping my cat alive - priceless

I often wonder if he knows his injections make him feel better, that he needs them. He gets injections at 6am and 6pm (or round about there, depending on what is going on) and he's always waiting for me in the morning and at night he usually manages to make his way upstairs about the right time as well. If not, all I need to do is call him and he comes.

There is a real possibility that he may stabilize and we can control his condition on prescription food alone and while we hope for that, we are realistic enough to know that we may have to keep this up for the rest of his life.

People ask me 'how is he doing?' and I guess he's doing great. This is the first time I've had to do anything like this so I have nothing to compare it to. He seems to be feeling better - he's back to running around in the middle of the night, swatting the dogs, eating a lot and being generally pissy (his old self) but he and I have also gained a bond through all of this. He's a little more lovey with me and enjoys getting scratches and head butts and he tolerates me poking him twice a day.

He's a good cat.