Christmas Blues

Ok...so I hate to be a humbug, but I'm just not into it this year. Not sure why...I don't have the excitement or the warm fuzzy Christmas feeling like I usually do. I've been trying to figure it out.

One thing I know is that I have spent more time thinking about Christ and all He does for us. I've come closer to Him than I have been in a while which I suppose is what Christmas is all about.

Life has been pretty full of stress over the past few months and it really has been my Savior who has gotten me through. I'm grateful for that. .)

Hot Chocolate Time!

So I decided to go a little overboard with our office treat this year. I came across this awesome little hot chocolate maker from Bed Bath and Beyond. With a coupon it was only $25 with tax. It heats it up and keeps it warm and even froths it when you dispense it. Amazing!

We had four kinds of chocolate, marshmallows (Michello's as someone calls them), nutmeg, cinnamon and chocolate chips. It was delicious but we were all on sugar overload...but man it was great! Hooray for Christmas treats!

TY is BACK!!!

Yes, "Ty is back" is the text I got at FHE last Monday from my dad. I couldn't believe it. I had to call him to see what was going on.

He left on June 14, 2010 and we hadn't seen him since. The neighbors said he made an appearance a couple of times, but we never saw him. We were SO worried because he has arthritis, so we thought, and a pretty significant limp.

We called all of the Salt Lake County shelters multiple signs with no luck. He is chipped so we had that going for us, and the cute white stripe across his nose, which made him unmistakable.

We gave up a few months later, thinking he had been hit and trying to make the best of the sad situation. Because of the arthritis, we thought he wouldn't have a very good quality of life in our care anyway, even after many vet visits and meds.

Sneakers, our Siamese, was not especially fond of Ty and we thought things might be better for her without him.

Hence we made excuses for why things were ok.

But they weren't.

You're right. It's just a cat...but we missed Ty. My mom hesitated in putting up the Christmas tree because there was an orange tabby Beanie Baby ornament in the box. What does the tag on the ornament say? Ty. That's the brand. Kind of ironic.

So, back to my happy text from my dad. I called him and Ty seemed fine. He hadn't missed a meal it seemed and the limp was almost gone. Amazing. A girl from our neighborhood found him about a block away and carried him home. I was so happy to have my little boy back. He was safe and home and in good shape and...

I wonder why he didn't come home and where was he and will whomever was taking care of him miss him and...

He's home. That's all that matters. I wonder...when the cold set in and he was miserable, our tenative plan was to put him out of his misery. Maybe that wasn't supposed to happen.

Sneaks is very, very bugged that he's back, but a little prayer brought back my orange tabby, maybe a little more will help them get along.

I'm grateful for answered prayers...in the affirmative. :)

Crafty Christmas

So I decided I was feeling a little domestic this Christmas Season...first off, I made a countdown calendar (thanks to Jennie Ferguson for this cute project)...


A very Grinchy colored apron that I just love...thanks to Charisse Medico...




And a cupcake hotpad, which pattern I'm sure will transform into many amazing designs through the year.

And I found out yet again that being crafty is pricey!! Its a blast though and I think I'll do it more often!