Beef Stew!

I made the stew and omg it was good! There are a few things I'd do differently next time, but practise makes perfect as always. My rough recipe I used was as follows.

1 lb. beef chunks
1 small onion (no bigger than a tennis ball)
2 medium potatoes (little smaller than a softball)
three handfuls of baby carrots chopped in half
2 stalks of celery
4 mushrooms
1/2 tsp of thyme
1/4 tsp of garlic
1 can of beef broth (I used consumme, had an old can in the back of the cupboard)
1 can of tomato paste
1/4 tsp of pepper
2 cups of water

3 tbsp of cornstarch
1/3 cup of water

Veggies chopped on the bottom of the crockpot, brown the meat in a skillet. Add the water and broth and paste and spices on top of the veggies and then add the browned meat. Cook on high for 4 hours. 1/2 hour before it's done, add the cornstarch and 1/3c of water to help thicken.

The general concensus was too many carrots and a little too salty (I'm thinking from the consumme) I think next time I'll add more mushrooms and onion in place of some of the carrots, add beef broth instead of consumme and maybe a bit more garlic for flavor. Some recipes call for paprika too, that might be tasty.

crockpot cooking!

Gonna make some beef stew today in my new crockpot! I'll probably mix and match from a bunch of recipes I found as none of them is exactly what I want.

I stumbled upon some very interesting sites regarding composting and worm farms! If they can ship the worms in the winter, I think I'm going to order one when I get back from Thunder Bay. The one that I'd like to order comes from this site here:

Cathy's Composters

A site that shows how to build a farm (which looked kinda cool) is here:

Build a worm farm

Depending on the response I get from an email I sent to Cathy's, I'd like to either buy a farm or build one and order the worms. We'll see though. Terence will probably make me promise to clean another part of the storage out before I can have it lol. I still haven't gotten any response from my classified ad on cdkr for aquariums. /sigh I'd like to try a paludarium someday though.

No PS3 controllers!?!?

We forgot the ps3 controller at Terence's Mom's house. So I decided might as well buy another one. Then we have two when we get the other one back... Unfortunately, no one in town has any left to sell me ;(

/sigh no Drake's uncharted for me today, I'll have to wait until we go to dryden again.

I think I'll look for some recipes for my crockpot tonight and set it up tomorrow morning for some tasties for supper. Maybe something with chicken and potatoes, roasted garlicky potatoes, mmmm tasty!

Christmas is all done.

And what a Christmas! Lots of fun, lots of phat lewt, lots of good visiting. I think everyone liked their gifts Terence and I got them.

My goodies were

crockpot (mmm tasties :P)
digital picture frame
electric blanket (hurray for toasty warm!)
dishes and baking pans
drakes uncharted (yay!)
transformers movie
three nice sweaters
panties and socks
some lotion and hair stuff and other random stuff in my stocking

It's hard to say what my favourite gift is. Its a toss up between my crockpot, blanket and drake's uncharted. I like my sweater really lots too. Time will tell which gift is the best.

It's Christmas!

The presents are wrapped, the cookies are made. Now all I have to do is survive 3 hours of work (2 if I can make a miracle happen and they let me off early lol) and we're off like a herd of turtles for Dryden. I gave Terence his list of stuff to do while I'm at work. I hope we can get it all done and leave by 330 at the latest, I don't want to drive in the dark. Plus I still want to stop at Walmart in Dryden. Ah well, we'll figure it out heh.

Sloppy Joe's, Marbles' Eye and present wrapping!

The sloppy joes were ok. Terence really liked them, I was impartial (but I'm not a big ground beef eater so...). I'll probably make them again though, just for him :)

Marbles' eye looks much better, I'm thinking maybe she'll be ok without a vet appt. I'll keep a close eye on it though. I think we'll seperate them for the christmas holidays when we go to Dryden. I don't need to come home to dead or maimed cats.

And now, it's present wrapping time! I might try to make some goodies as well, maybe some cookies (Terence's favourites) and cinnamon buns (cuz Daddy likes them oh so much).

Sloppy Joe's

This is the recipe I'm using for supper tonight, I hope it's tasty!


1 lb ground beef
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar



1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef, celery and onion.
2. Drain the fat
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, simmer covered, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. If Joes appear too'loose', leave cover off and let moisture evaporate.
5. Cook until it's the consistency you like for serving on toasted buns.

Cat fights :(

Yesterday, I gave the cats a quick snack before going to exercise and pick up Terence. Unfortunately, with no supervision to eat it, they must have gotten into it pretty bad. Marbles' eye was swollen shut when I got home. She's got a little kitty shiner lol, poor old girl. I called the vet to see if there was anything I should do and they said that if it's scratched, they could give me some antibiotic ointment but that was about it. I was kinda worried about her late last night, she wouldn't open her eye at all and it looked really really bloodshot. I let her sleep in my spot on the couch (her favouritest spot to sit) and petted her and fed her some extra crunchies. If it doesn't improve by monday, I'm going to take her in for them to have a look. I searched and searched for some information about it on the internet last night and couldn't find hardly anything ;( It's a shame that cats are so hard to document and treat.

The landlord is coming to fix the hot water tank hopefully some time today. I'll be glad to be able to have a regular shower again! We cleaned up and made the house pretty just for them lol.

carmel's vaccination

Carmel got her shots a few weeks ago. She still has a little lump on her back where he gave her one of the needles. I've read about this happening before in my Cat Fancy magazines. On very rare occasions the lump will progress into something called a Sarcoma which could be cancerous O.O!!!!! You can bet I'll be keeping a close eye on this over the next few weeks to make sure it goes down. I found a link to a vet site explaining some of the symptoms and what to do about it.


http://www.avma.org/vafstf/ownbroch.asp



I found a lump where my cat was vaccinated. What happens now?
It is quite common for a small, firm, painless swelling to form under the skin at the site where a vaccine was injected. The lump is almost always of no consequence and disappears after several weeks. Rarely, however, the swelling may progress to a sarcoma. To be on the safe side, your veterinarian will suggest that you periodically check the vaccination area for several months after vaccination. If you detect a lump, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Small samples of the lump will be sent to a laboratory for diagnosis if any of the following are true:

* The lump persists for more than three months after vaccination.
* It is larger than two centimeters in diameter (about the size of an olive)
* It is increasing in size one month after vaccination.

If the lump is found to be a sarcoma, your veterinarian may confer with or refer you to a veterinary oncologist (a cancer specialist) for management.


Scary stuff!!

mmm... Striders... tasty boots lol

Today has been a crappy (because of work and I've had a headache all day) but productive day so far. I got some book work done this morning and did some crafting in Final Fantasy. Both Magslittlekitty and Magsbigbuddy are coming along nicely in their crafting. I spotted some Strider Boots for sale in the Rolanberry mall ::drool drool drool:: Hopefully I can speed up the selling of stuff and get some BCNMs done, I want my Striders and Mandau!

Work sucked but that's par for the course these days. The last week has been crappy but it's almost done. I hope I can get at least one referral tomorrow or Candace will be eating my head next week. I hate it when one boss tells you one thing and the other says something else. It really drives me batty trying to follow both Candace and Gwenda's orders and then Michelle will turn around and give me shit for something else... Ah well, it's only 3 hours a day.

day late and a dollar short :(

Blooming Wildflowers was sold out of the thing that I wanted. So was the two other places I checked for gifts today. I'm disappointed but it's mostly my own fault. I should have bought it when I saw it. Lesson well learned I hope. Don't leave crap to the last minute!!! Ah well, I'm just glad they were just stocking stuffer stuff and not major gifts.

I'm still classed as a spammer for ckdr.net and they can't figure out why lol. They're going to post my ad for me though so that's good. I hope I can get an aquarium soon! I'm excited to make a paludarium, they look so interesting. I found a whole bunch of great sites with all kinds of instructions and examples on plants and stuff to put in them. I hope I can get some of the plants listed up here in Sioux. Being so far up north sucks some times :(

mini-greenhouse and exercise

I talked to Mom yesterday and she has a really small tank, which I'll take and make a greenhouse out of but she already gave her big tank away. I tried to put an ad in the ckdr.net site but they seem to think I'm a spammer... I sent the webmaster an email saying wth??? but who knows how long that will take to come back.

We went to exercise again last night. I did 30 mins of walking and 10 mins on the bike. My feet weren't sore and it was a good workout. I'll do that a few times and maybe up the time on the bike slowly (good cardio, doesn't hurt my feet).

My shopping is almost all done, just gotta get that one thing from Blooming Wildflowers (I hope they still have it!) Hopefully, I'll get a chance to stop in there on the way to work today.

polka dot plant propagation methods

From what I gather, the best way to propagate polkas is to cut and place them in dirt and keep them in a green house environment. I might have to see if Mom still has her aquarium that she's not using. If I can get a big enough tank, I'd like to start a Paludarium (mini eco-system with water and land) I don't think I'd put animals in it though, just plants.

camera's busted

My battery eating camera finally kicked the bucket. It won't take pictures or zoom in and out any more. I think I'm going to go the extra mile and buy a good one this time. Not sure which one yet though. I'll have to do some research and see what I can find.

We had our Christmas party for work at Candace's house today, was kinda fun. I brought a veggie tray. Trevor brought meatballs, Ryan chicken, Gwenda brought these awesome spring rolls that her maid made (I wish I had a maid...) and Michelle brought some little our dheurves from M&M meats. The spring rolls were awesome! I'm going to try to get the recipe from her tomorrow. Candace gave all of us a bar stool that she painted, mine has roses on it, very pretty. Not sure what I'm going to do with it just yet.

The slip that I cut for Kailee of the polka dot plant didn't make it. I'll have to try again ;( Hopefully I can find some information on how to propogate them.

Shopping and Cookies again lol

Some stuff I didn't get a chance to mention yesterday about my weekend. Walmart sucks for customer service and Ginger Sparkles are slippery after they are sugared heh. I went to walmart to find some presents. I was unable to find the stuff I wanted so I asked a rep if they could help me... Her exact words were "We don't do that here..." O. M. G!!!!!! I said so "I'm on my own then, I'll just have to look for it" She said, "You could try asking that guy over there" pointing at the other rep down the aisle. I'm thinking to myself, what a lazy little bitch! The rep down the aisle let me know that they don't track certain types of stock and are shipped crates of items with no real clue as to what specifics are on the crate, so he had just as much chance of finding it as I did. Which I thanked him for and told him that I understood. Why oh why did the first girl not tell me that!

As for the cookie adventure, we were making Ginger sparkles yesterday. First of all, make sure your margerine is cold if your going to sub it in for butter (it makes the cookies really liquidy if you don't). Secondly, after you get them rolled up into balls and sugarcoated, make sure you move the pan slowly and levelled. Them little suckers slide just as slick as snot (simile couresty of my mother lol)! We lost two cookies to the floor gods before we could react lmao. The sacrifice was worth it though, the rest of them were tasty.

Christmas cookies and shopping!

I had an awesome weekend in Dryden! Finished all my shopping except last minute stuff like sock chocolates and lotto stuff. Mom and I made ginger sparkles and some other tasties for christmas. MMMmmmMMM they were sooooo good! Mom brought home some kind of candy-like graham bar from the brownie christmas party. I'm so getting the recipe from her when she gets it from the other lady, it was omg so very good.

Kailee and I had a good talk about Abby cat. He's pushing 18 (I think) now and can't hear, or see, or jump... It's time to say goodbye I think. He hardly eats at all and he's a little skeleton ;( I feel bad for her, and Abby, it's hard for her to accept that her first cat is going to die soon and that the decision may need to be made for him. As pet owners, we have to take responsibility for their quality of life and need to recognize when that quality of life is gone. I'm starting to consider when enough is enough for Misty. I don't think it's time for her yet, she still has lots of fun. But her hearing and sight are going quickly, she spooks very easily no matter what you do or how you approach her. We'll see how things progress though. I'm not sure if I want to get her teeth done or not. I don't really see the benefits outweighing the risks and money involved.

Pool Tournament Fun

Terence and I went in a little tournament down at the local bar. I played well right up until my first match... It's been a while since I've played in tournaments so I guess I got the jitters. :( Terence on the other hand, took second! Such a shark lol.

We joined the local gym, him to lift weights and me to walk more often. It's too cold outside so it's nice to have an indoor track and some extra machines to play on. Now if only I could figure out how to mount my laptop to a stationary bicycle lmao! My feet were very sore when we got home though. I'll have to cut it down to 30 minutes until I get used to it and work my way up.

I made my xmas list but mom says she's done shopping! Dammit! Ah well, I'll just keep it as a generalized wish list and add stuff to it come my birthday. Terence can do the same.

I watered the hibiscus, polka dot plants, ficus alii, peperomia and german ivy yesterday. I'll check the rest this afternoon.

The puppy....

My neighbours puppy has now crossed over from curiousity to nuisance. I went to go pick up Terence from work monday night and it ran around and around my car. I almost hit the stupid thing. Then yesterday morning, Misty hadn't been outside more than like 2 minutes and the puppy was there bugging her so she couldn't go to the bathroom. I got out the extra leash and marched the puppy home, but there was no one home to confront... I did find a crate outside their door with blankets in it. I can't believe they'd make the puppy sleep outside in winter time! I finally managed to catch one of the neighbours outside and mentioned that he should keep an eye on her or she's going to get hit by a car. He agreed but said that it wasn't his dog but he would pass on the message to the owners.

Last evening was Terence's company christmas dinner. The food was excellent and the people enjoyable, we got to sit with Lyle and his wife (I can't remember her name). Lyle's always a fun person to be with.

I need to check the plants again today and make my xmas list. Terence made his so it's time for me to stop dragging my feet!

physio in January

I got my letter for the rheumatic diseases program in Thunder Bay and it looks like I'll be in the program from Jan. 2 to Jan. 15. I'm interested to see what they can teach me about managing my arthritis. They must have a few tricks up their sleeves. I'm going to have to bring lots of books though, no laptop for a whole two weeks is going to drive me batty!!

The sun setting today as I came home at 4pm (depressing isn't it, it gets dark at 4 in the afternoon, /sigh) was gorgeous! It looked all bright red and neon pink, I've never seen anything quite like it. Of course I didn't have my battery eating camera with me, so no pictures to be had :(

Terence mentioned something interesting today. Instead of buying wrapping paper that can't be recycled and waste trees and the environment, blah, blah, blah (he got on his soap box at this point and I couldn't hear him any more from his head being in the clouds lol), use the flyers for wrapping paper. It's just as colourful and better for mother earth. I think I might try it just to see what everyone's reaction will be!

no wrapping paper?

Today was a pretty good day, Terence and I played Final Fantasy for most of the afternoon, leveling Paladin (him) and Thief (me on a mule lol). He needed a friend to help him through the dunes. It went well, no deaths (which is amazing for the dunes).

I was going to wrap presents after supper today, but I hunted the house high and low and can't seem to find our Christmas wrapping paper anywhere. I even checked the garage! We must have left it at Mom and Dad's house last year.

Carmel is learning quickly the sound of the water sprayer lol. Terence went to squirt her for scratching the couch and she ran before he even got the sprayer going. Such a smart kitten :) We're in so much trouble if her and Mephit team up on us. I'm so glad they don't have thumbs.

Christmas tree and cookies!

I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies last night while Terence had to work late. He was very happy to see the cookies when he got home :)

My methotrexate was pretty mild today. I didn't really feel any side effects at all I think. Yay for no yuckies!

I watered and misted the hibiscus, polka dot plants and the ficus alii today. I took some slips from the red polka dot plant for Kailee, we'll see how they grow. If they root, I'll cut some from the pink and white and maybe give it to her for christmas in a nice pot.

We decorated the tree and house today. Carmel's going to be a handful when it comes to the tree heh. She's already taken two of the ornaments and ran around the living room with them. I'm quite sure the tree will end up on it's side repeatedly but that's why I only have a 4 foot tree lol. I'm going to have to wrap some presents tomorrow, the tree looks bare without them underneath. I think this is going to be a good christmas this year :)

Wah, wah, wah! Does some one need a whambulance??

I got to go into work early today, Michelle was off sick. It seems every second person had something to complain at me for or rant about today. I kind of wondered if it was a full moon coming up making everyone crazy, but nope, I checked www.weathernetwork.ca and it's a new moon. I just managed to get all the whiners today... It was an interesting day though, went by pretty fast too. I'll be glad to sleep in tomorrow, full time work just isn't in my blood any more. I'm really tired this evening and will probably go to bed early.

Misty had a run-in with the neighbour's german sheperd puppy again. It's so funny to see it jump and wiggle at her while she barks and tries to hold her head above it's licking range hehe. Carmel was wired for sound this evening, ran around getting into all kinds of stuff, plants, papers, wires, the other cats' food, whatever she could get her little paws on. Little brat! :P

Milbemax is awesome!

I watered all the plants today. The hibiscus is still distressed about being near the heater. I'll have to remember to mist it more often. My polka dot plants flowered, little white and purple flowers, was very nice to see.

One thing I forgot to mention about the vet appt on Saturday, Grizzy's worm medication, they made it smaller!!! No more crushing it up or cutting it into pieces to force feed it to him. Just one little pill the size of a grain of rice! I'm so glad they did that, makes it WAY easier to give to him. lol no more foaming at the mouth scratching biting craziness! He can eat all the tape worm infected mice he wants now, I'm ready with my new little pills hehe. Hurray for Milbemax!



The people at work gave me a gerber daisy and a nice vase for my one year anniversary of being a BMO employee. I also got a cute little form letter from the VP of BMO lol. Ah well, the flower and vase brightened my day. I just hope they appreciate the little things that I do, like staying 15 mins late today to help with the 3 'oclock rush. I think Terence was a little ... put out (for lack of a better term) that I was later than usual. Unfortunately, there's not much I can do except apologize and try to make it up to him later on.

I think I'll make my Christmas list later on this evening, that always something fun to do! :P.

Cat asthma?

Sometimes I wonder if Mephit has asthma. She had another of her coughing fits today. They don't last very long, a minute at best, but it doesn't sound like a hairball or a sneeze or any other noise I've ever heard a cat make. I looked it up and found this article on catchannel.com, the link for it is

http://www.catchannel.com/vetlibrary/article_13267.aspx

Very interesting article, I laugh every time I think of a kitty with a little gas mask on though hehe :P


Muffy had always been a healthy cat. For years, the diminutive, longhaired calico was a fixture on the desk of Steve Beerstein, editor of a New York newspaper. However, Beerstein noticed that Muffy's breathing seemed slightly labored, and he could hear a gentle wheeze as she napped. He wasn't concerned, though, as her appetite and activity remained normal, and she continued to act like her usual self: queen of the newsroom.

Then one day when Beerstein arrived at work, he found Muffy crouching in the corner, coughing. Neck extended, she glanced up at Beerstein with a panicked look in her eyes. Beerstein tried to comfort her, to no avail. Between coughs, Muffy's chest was heaving.

"I'd grown accustomed to the occasional sound of her coughing up a hairball," Beerstein said. "But this was clearly no hairball."

In five minutes, Beerstein was hailing a cab and heading to his vet's office. "There are several possible reasons for coughing and labored breathing in cats," his vet said. "At the top of the list, though, is asthma."

What Is Asthma?
Feline asthma is a clinical condition characterized by recurrent bouts of coughing, wheezing, and labored breathing. The condition affects "approximately one percent of the general cat population, and over five percent of Siamese cats" said Rhonda Schulman, DVM, assistant professor of small animal medicine at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

Cats exhibiting these clinical signs usually behave normally between episodes. Some cats have only a brief history of coughing episodes before presented with an acute, severe respiratory compromise - the so-called "asthma attack."

Asthma is a type of allergic bronchitis. The allergen acts as an irritant, triggering a hypersensitivity reaction, and the airways respond with constriction, mucus and cough. If the environmental factors triggering the asthma can be identified and eliminated, the coughing and wheezing usually resolves. But, in most cases, no underlying allergen can be identified.

"People should not smoke or apply perfume around asthmatic cats, or use dusty cat litters," Schulman said.

A diagnosis of feline asthma is usually made based on the history, physical examination findings and chest X-rays. Increased bronchial markings on an X-ray are highly suggestive of asthma. Other helpful tests include a complete blood count and a heartworm test.

"Bronchoscopy, which involves using a tiny fiberoptic camera to actually examine the inside of the lungs and collect specimens, may also be useful in some cases," Schulman said.

Treatment Options
The most effective long-term treatment consists of high doses of oral steroids. Steroids lessen the inflammatory response, reducing the severity of symptoms.

Steroids are given twice daily for 10 to 14 days, and then the steroid dose is tapered slowly over several months. Most newly diagnosed asthmatic cats will feel and act much better within the first two weeks. Even though cats are fairly resistant to the undesirable side effects of steroids, a few have adverse reactions, making treatment a challenge. Steroids inhibit the action of insulin. While most cats can tolerate steroids with minimal ill effects, some fall victim to the side effects.

Bronchodilators are drugs that reverse airway constriction, allowing the air passages to open. Because steroids have potential side effects, it is tempting to choose bronchodilators as the initial treatment option. Since chronic inflammation is the root of the problem, treatment of this inflammation using steroids is the cornerstone of therapy. Bronchodilators may be used as adjunct therapy. Antihistamines and another class of drugs called anti-leukotrienes have been used in asthmatic cats with varying success.

Muffy's chest X-rays and blood tests confirmed the diagnosis of asthma. Oral prednisone was prescribed. On re-examination 10 days later, Muffy's cough had disappeared, and she seemed to breathe easier during sleep.

However, a new problem arose. "I found myself having to refill her water bowl twice as often as before," Beerstein said. "She even began to drink water out of my drinking glass." Steve told this to his veterinarian, and a urinalysis and blood sugar measurement confirmed that Muffy had become temporarily diabetic from the steroids.

Discontinuing the steroids caused her asthma symptoms to return. Fortunately, a new treatment that has essentially no side effects is available: inhaled medications.

A New Approach
Philip Padrid, DVM, associate professor at the University of Chicago, began investigating the possibility of using inhaled medications about 4 1/2 years ago. Steroids and bronchodilators can now be given effectively by inhalation to asthmatic cats.

Both types of drugs are available for humans, as metered dose inhalers (MDIs). In the human world, adults quickly learn to coordinate the inhaling of the medication. However, this is much more difficult for children and impossible for infants or cats. An alternative was developed to allow children, infants, and cats to use the MDIs without having to coordinate their breathing. A spacer - a plastic chamber roughly the size of a toilet paper tube - is attached to the MDI, and a facemask is attached to the other end. The spacer acts as a temporary storage area for the misted medication to sit, until the individual breathes it in.

"The original idea was to copy the way infants were treated," Padrid said. We then modified it when we found that it worked, but [it] was very expensive since the inhaler apparatus and mask used for humans was very inefficient, causing the drug to be wasted and increasing the expense."

Cat owners are taught to attach the MDI and the facemask to the spacer, and then to actuate the MDI twice, filling the spacer with the mist. The facemask is gently placed over the cat's mouth and nose, and the cat is allowed to inhale and exhale seven to 10 times with the mask in place.

Inhaled steroids are the most potent inhaled anti-inflammatory drugs available. Fluticasone is a steroid of large molecular size, preventing it from passing into the bloodstream when inhaled. "Inhaled steroids do not cause the unwanted side effects that the pills or injections do," Padrid said. Many cat owners find that giving inhaled steroids is faster and seems to bother the cat less, than trying to administer oral medication.

Bronchodilators are also available as MDIs. Albuterol is the one most commonly used in asthmatic cats. It acts more rapidly than oral or injectable forms. It can be used daily, or as needed for asthmatic cats that are already on daily steroids, yet still have occasional episodes of coughing, wheezing or increased respiratory effort at rest.

Muffy's Reaction
Muffy hated being pilled, and side effects precluded the use of oral steroids. Beerstein agreed to have Muffy try the inhaler and spacer. After demonstration of the proper technique, Beerstein quickly mastered the application of the inhaler and spacer to Muffy's muzzle. "She really resented the pills, but didn't mind the facemask," he said. "I think she realized that it was making her feel better."

Feline asthma is not a curable disease, but recent advances in our understanding of the disorder have allowed veterinarians to devise more effective treatment plans, and cats are breathing with greater ease as a result.

Methotrexate fun

Yesterday was my second time taking methotrexate and it threw me for a loop again. On the car ride home, I felt like I had stayed up for three days straight and then went drinking. I couldn't keep my eyes open at all. Luckily, Carmel was sleepy as well from her shots. Once I got home and moved around a bit it wasn't so bad but I went to bed a good 2 hours earlier than Terence (which is highly unusual, he's the one that's always telling me to come to bed cuz it's late). I don't mind the side effects but I hope that it improves over time. I'm glad that Dr. Fidler was willing to change my meds around. My wrist is almost back to normal mobility and my morning stiffness is now just a slight annoyance instead of agony.

Vet appt today for Carmel

Wow my baby kitty is 3 whole months old. She had to get her immunizations today and didn't appreciate the car ride AT ALL... Listening to her squawk for an hour wasn't much fun for me and Terence either. The appt went well, she weighs 3lb 7oz and he said she was a very healthy kitten with very nice markings, Abyssinian similarities. Makes me feel like a good kitty-mom when people say things like that about my kitties.

I'm glad we decided to come home early today though, we've got a big storm moving in from the states. The weather network is calling for more than 10cm of snow o.O

Carmel pictures

Here's my little Carmelly kitten. Isn't she a cutey! She's getting so big compared to when I brought her home. She's a very vocal little cat, squeaks and mews all the time while playing or just to say hi :) I love my little brown cat.

Carmelly Kitten :)

Work went by fast today! It was really busy in the bank, lots of people gearing up for their christmas shopping. I think I might try to learn some sign language for one of our deaf customers. He has to write any requests he has down on a piece of paper and it would be nice to make it easier for him to communicate.

Carmel's 3 month immunizations are tomorrow, should be fun... I wonder if she'll like her new kitty carrier we got her. Mom phoned and left me a message the other day and marked it urgent, but still hasn't phoned me back to tell me why it was so urgent :/ Hopefully it isn't something too nasty. I'll bug her about it tomorrow.

My linkshell wiped twice to Jailer of Love today. What a waste, at some point in the last two weeks, SE ninja updated him to spawn more adds ;( no torque for me. Terence finally ordered Wings of the Goddess (bout time too...) I'm looking forward to getting some new content, been kinda bored with it recently except for crafting. Final Fantasy 12 is still lots of fun though! I'm stuck on this one part in the Pharos Lighthouse, I might need to go do some leveling before trying the boss again.

Wow been a long time... I almost forgot I had this lol

Well let's see, lots has changed in the last 10 months. Work is ok (i'm now parttime 12-3) my RA sucked until a few weeks ago, playing ffxi again hehe, got a new kitten in October (her name is Carmel) and Kailee moved home from TBay during the summer.

I'm now on Methotrexate (with Folic Acid to prevent side effects, ha... ya right), Prednisone and Melicoxicam for my arthritis. lol could start my own pharmacy with the bottles in my cupboard.

Carmel is getting bigger every day! Weighed 3 whole pounds at the vet few weeks ago. I'll post some pics later.

family visiting, gaming and work

We went to visit my parents and some friends in Dryden this weekend. Terence and Geno traded Guitar Hero games so I get to listen to a whole new list of fun songs being played :) Dad had to work all weekend so that kinda sucked but we got a good visit in with Mom. She's been wanting pasta for a while, so we took her out to lunch at the Restaurante pizzaria. She was happy with her shrimp and chicken penole or something like that, either way, she enjoyed it :P Terence has decided that we should feed my mom every time we come to town, she's much more pleasant that way lol.

On a gaming note, FF12 kicks ass. I wish I had more time to play it. I've sold almost all of my random stuff in FFXI. Xalwyn wanted me to come do assault tonight but, suprise!, I have no time. Have to make supper and do some posting for TNT. Then do some emails and make some notes for the tutorials I'm putting on for Simply Accounting for the chamber of commerce later on this month. I miss video games ::sniff sniff:: I want to play some more Pharaoh as well. I'll get to them later though. Soon I hope!

Work has been really busy with tax time coming and T4's around the corner. Add full time at BMO and two new possible clients and I no longer exist aside from work. But it means we're $120.00/month closer to that house on the lake. I can't wait! We'll have enough down payment soon I think. There's a house on butterfly lake for sale, but it's really close to the highway so I'm not so sure if I want that one.

happy new year!

Christmas went well, I had lots of fun with my family and friends over the holidays. Best gifts this year were a bird feeder from my dad and my power box from Terence. Now I just need a solar panel to hook it to :) (yay for free power) My job's going well, I like all my co-workers except my manager (figures) but that's ok because she travels lots.

My ficus benjamina is looking better, but I'm still not sure if I want to transplant it yet. I bought a few new plants, not sure what they all are. I might post some pics later if I can figure it out.

Mephit caught her first bird this weekend, she was sitting in, yes, you read that right, IN the bird feeder waiting for them to land lol. Needless to say, she got a tasty tweety snack right shortly. I'll have to move the feeder and mount it a bit higher to prevent it from becoming a slaughter house.