catiecake.

Dear Kittens,

I'ma list it out, so none of us have to work too hard.

1. Christmas was great. The highlight was the lobster BLTs. I knew they would be good, I just didn't know they would be THAT good. Everyone got nice presents. I was gifted a couple of lovely cookbooks, a fancy flash, a bunch of Maira Kahlman children's books I've wanted for some time, a new tea set and some other books that have taught me the lesson that I should not use my Amazon wishlist as a place to keep a list of books I want to look at a future date.Also, my parents got me a Retablo. It's a navity scene, but I'm going to leave it out all the time because I love it.

2. The day after Christmas we met Danny's side of the family is Paso Robles. The idea was to go for wine tasting, but we got into Paso Robles too late to take advantage of that. We went out to dinner with everyone and then the next day we did some more wine tasting. Threre were 2 highlights from that little road trip. The first was getting to have a nice visit with my Aunt Susie. Firstly, I should say that I totally lucked out in the step family department. Aunt Susie was always an awesome aunt to me and I LOVED hanging out with her at family gatherings. This was the first time in a long time that we got to sit (just the two of us) and talk and it was really nice.

The second highlight was at lunch when my cousin Greggy (he's a grown man, but we still call him Greggy) talked about how he didn't like corn, but he did like candy corn. Because as everyone knows corn and candy corn have similar nutritional qualities. He also mentioned he liked popcorn, but I've ever known one person who didn't like popcorn and it kind of goes without saying that a person who doesn't like popcorn probably has a lot of other issues.

3. We didn't have a lot of requirements when we were looking for a house to buy. One that was non-negotiable was having a working wood burning fireplace. We knew that the city of San Jose was getting ready to make it so that you would not be able to put in a new wood burning fireplace. Since the weather has turned Canada cold her lately (today it's in the high 40's!) I am so grateful for the fireplace. Hello, Fireplace. I love you.

4. I have three super cozy sweatshirts from Eddie Bauer. They are all extremely unflattering, but holy cat paws, they are the warmest things I own and I cannot imagine a winter without them.

5. I AM TIRED. A whole week of not quite enough sleep has left me exceptionally weary. I'm excited about going to bed early.

6. The possibilities for tomorrow are endless. I will report back.

Love,
Catie   

Taking The Pressure Off

Dear Kittens-

As if it's not already obvious- I'm taking a break until maybe the New Year. Maybe not that long. We'll see.
The photo above is a gift I made my lovely duscussion group for Christmas. Expect to see calendars for sale next year at www.catiecake.com

I hope everyone has a great Christmas!

Love,
Catie

Pink and cream poinsettia

Dear Kittens,

It's very late and I smell like sugar from frosting 3 dozoen cupcakes, but I wanted to write and also, I'm not that tired. Tomorrow I go to my mom's classroom for a Christmas Tea party. We're having cinnamon raisin bread with sweet butter, salami, string cheese, carrots and celery with ranch dip and cupcakes! Oh, and tangerines. I'm really looking forward to it.

Once I get home I will be back on the busy bandwagon. I'm trying to get my office under control again. I got it all cleaned up in the early summer and now it's back to looking like shit. I'm going to keep working on it at 40 minute intervals until it's as organized as it can possibly get.

I made candied Meyer lemon slices the other day and I cannot believe that I did not save the syrup that the lemon was being candied in. I keep thinking how delicious it would be on crepes or in a cocktail or on my finger. I'ma making some more candied lemon slices and I will save the syrup this time.

I haven't written out my Christmas cards yet. Every year I seem to be later and later and it's getting rigoddamnediculous. I think what I'm going to do is make my Christmas cards for Christmas 2008 right after Christmas and then they'll be out of the way. That is a very good idea, Catie Anchev!

Lately Seamus the Orange Cat has been so super loving. And by loving I mean that he's been desirous of affection. Generally he wants about 2 minutes of love and then he's off to sleep in his basket. The last 2 weeks or so he's been so insistant. Actually grabbing my hand in his paws and bringing it to his head and head butting me. It's so cute! I cannot refuse him. Even when it's 3 am.

I am really looking forward t next week. Mostly because my plan is to wrap up any loose ends and start 2008 with a fresh outlook. This year has been awesome for me in so many ways, mostly in the way that I've gathered around myself this most incredible group of women who are smart and funny and pure clean lights of joy. The Internet is my favorite thing ever. Next to TiVo and bread. And Andy! Andy Anchev is the absolute best thing ever in my life and in our Christmas letter I wrote "Andy Anchev continues to be awesome" and I totally mean it. He does continue to be awesome.

I should giddyup to bed because I gots to get up early tomorrow so I can get to the Christmas tea party.

Love! You!

Catie

5 Things (Maybe More)

The front porch with minimal Christmas decorations.

Dear Kittens,

I did not mean for there to be so long in between posts. This week has been busy and I've got this discussion group that I participate in that takes up a lot of my time.

FIRST THING- I am sick of store clerks asking- "are you ready for Christmas?" The woman at Target who asked then triumphantly told me that she had been finished shopping for months! To which I replied, "Yay! You win!" She looked a little deflated after I said that because IT'S NOT A CONTEST.There have been years when Christmas feels like a chore, but mostly I love it. I love the whole big deal of it. And people asking if you're finished just seems like they're looking to wring all the fun out of it and turn Christmas into some chore doing contest. And for the record, Target lady- I do the majority of my shopping online. Which means, I finished in about 1 hour.

SECOND THING- My creativity has been running very high lately and I'm borderline having trouble keeping track of all my projects. Since winter seems to be the very best time for crafty things I think I'm going to take advantage of this high creativity and make some gifts for next year and work on Holiday stuff for my website (p.s.- it's not too late to buy stuff! www.catiecake.com)

THIRD THING- I had a setback yesterday. Three sort of crappy things came crashing down on me all at once. One was two thoughtless comments, another was a card from my dad's 4th wife (for those not in the know, earlier this month marked 7 years that I chose to stop communicating with my dad), and something that I really wanted to happen did not. And so I was feeling sad and self-doubt and pissed off. Then a group of ladies who have become so important in my life made me feel so much better. You know when it's just the right time and place and a thing is a tiny bit magical? That's what my discussion group is like. It was the right time and place for all of us to get together to be funny and supportive and share our woes and there's a tiny bit of of magic there. I am in awe of the fabulousness that is this group.

FOURTH THING- I've known about Spanx for a long time, but I hadn't used any of their products until recently and THEY CHANGED MY LIFE. I got the Higher Power panties and they are so comfortable and nicely supportive (if you need such a thing) and just make me look particularly smooth. I recommend them to anyone who needs a little bit squeezing and smoothness. I should note that they are a tad pricey, but totally worth it. 

Oh, one more clothes related thing- I have sometimes found cute clothes at Target, but most of their cute clothes do not come in so-called plus sizes, so that's just something I accept. However, recently they had some cable knit V neck sweaters in very nice colors that I love. I bought a charcoal grey one and am thinking about going back and getting a green one, too. They're like $14. 14! That's like they're practically free.

FIFTH THING- I love wrapping gifts. I have an impressive collection of wrapping paper and this year I am determined to not buy any new wrapping paper. I will buy ribbon, but no paper until all the other paper is gone! And I mean it! I like to do a marathon wrapping session like what I remember my mom and grandma doing when I was a kid. My mom and her mom are/were amazing wrappers and very good about doing creative bow and ribbon placement. It feels like tradition to me to wrap a gift beautifully.

ONE MORE THING- My parents and our believed friend, Charlie are coming to our place for Christmas and I'm really looking forward to it. We're going to have such a good time. I'm already planning on forcing everyone to play a lot of games and we'll have the makings of various cocktails on hand to ease the whiners (hello, all of them) into being funsters.

LAST THING, FOR REALS- My mom is coming down tomorrow so we can bake some lemon cakes to send out to some of our people. We'll be using my Meyer lemons to make the cakes and I hope they'll be especially delicious. I'm taking a risk and using a recipe I've never used before. It's Christmas! I like to be risky at Christmas.

Are YOU ready for Christmas?
Love,
Catie 

Sunday Questions

Felt Wreath with mostly vintage buttons and vine ribbon. Made for one of my ornament swaps.

Dear Kittens,

Last night was Andy's work's holiday party and I dare say it was the nicest one so far. Nice in the fact that it was in a great location, we got home early and the food was only slightly shitty. So yay for everyone.

Now on to the Sunday questions.

1. What's the focus for this week?

This week is about getting back on track. Early bedtimes. Walks. Dinners at home. Christmas prep.

2. What am I saying no to this week?

I will be saying no to anything that doesn't facilitate success for the week.

3. What am I grateful for this week?

That we don't have any holiday parties to go to and everything is going to be super low key.

4. What am I letting go of this week?

I'm letting go of expectations. Instead of deciding how something is going to be, I'm going in with an open heart and a sense of adventure.

5.What's the plan for any potentially difficult situations?

The only foreseeable difficulty is trying to do too much. I will use my to-do list to keep my load manageable. Making sure to make time for crafting, meditating and walking.

Last week I felt entirely out of sorts. Partly because I was sick, but also because I skipped my Sunday Questions. Since I started doing these I find myself referring to them often during the week to remind me of my greater focus. Without the questions I just felt sort of droopy.

I went to Walgreens yesterday. I have always loved drugstores because there is no end of the fabulous products you will find there. I picked up 2 boxes of ribbon candy and a canister of that gawdawful Christmas candy that grandparents always seem to have hanging around. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with either of them yet, but eating them is not on the agenda.

We're going to my sister's house to celebrate Christmas this afternoon. I'm looking forward to the drive and seeing everyone.

So last year I got some hanks (?) of wool. It's dyed and combed, but not spun. It's ideal for felting with, I just have no idea what to do with it. There's quite a lot and at the moment I'm toying with the idea of turning it into beads to use in crafts. Or maybe someone has a helpful idea?

Last night after the party I went through my pocketbooks and found three that I'm going to donate to my niece. I found a tiny cocktail handbag that I used to carry to certain events until a brooch I would pin on it ruined the satin. So I took down all my vintage buttons and my favorite fabric glue and glued a bunch of buttons to the cocktail handbag. It turned out totally cute and now I sort of wish we were invited to another holiday party. Photo soon.

Love,
Catie

5 Things

A bowl of pho (Vietnamese noodle soup).

Dear Kittens,

I did not intend to let my blog sit unattended to for 1 whole week. I got sick and busy and even though I started many posts, I just never got around to finishing them.

1. My dear friend Charlie visited this week. It was so good to see him. My relationship with Charlie is an extremely easy one and we love just hanging out with each other. We did ate pho (twice), had Korean once and saw No Country For Old Men. We also looked at furniture. We spent close to two hours in Crate and Barrel sitting on everything. Here's what we learned the Lounge sofa is the best sofa possibly in the world. The Nuevo recliner is the most comfortable recliner in possibly the world and the Streeter chair has the prettiest red leather. Also! We discovered that we both like to sit at high tables in bar type chairs and now I'm thinking about redoing my office to include a high table for my desk.

2. Tonight is Andy's work's party. I'll be sure to take a photo of what we wear and I might just go ahead and take my camera to the party to keep myself occupied. I borderline hate going to these things. The people Andy works with are great people and I like getting to visit with them, but the booze is always substandard and the food is usually crap. I'm offended by eating shitty food (I used to just be annoyed, but now I decided to take it personally). The best thing about this party is that I bought some Spanx panties and I'm very excited about wearing them. I will try to make a point to talk about my panties to the CEO, just to make a good impression.

3. This year I signed up for 4 swaps. A fall swap, 2 ornament swaps and a gifty swap. I'm finished with all but the gifty one. I'm going to get that gifty swap started today and I figured I'll get it finished up sometime on Monday. It's this last project that I am most excited about because it's for an amazing group of people and also it will be totally different from anything else I've done this year.

4. This cold of mind is just dragging on and on and on. Of course, I am not getting enough rest or fluids and so probably if I took the time to care for myself properly I could be healthy fairly quickly. I'm not even all that sick, I'm just worn down. Since tonight is the party, it's doubtful I will get to bed early, but starting on Sunday I'm in bed every night by 9:30.

5. I've been searching for new jeans. I've ordered 4 pairs so far and not a single one has come even close to working. My main problem seems to be that my thighs are not nearly fat enough. You know, I see my thighs and I do not think that anyone would ever describe them as not fat enough, but to the jean makers for larger women, I have petite baby thighs. With the last pair of jeans my thighs would need to be DOUBLE what they are now in order for these jeans to fit properly. It's easy to blame my largeness for this problem, but I know people of all sizes have issues finding jeans that fit the way we want them to. Who decides the proportions on these things?

Just so you know, there's lots of fun stuff available on my website. www.catiecake.com Greeting cards, ornaments, stockings, original pieces of art! Go check it out and please pass on the URL. Thanks!

Love,

Catie

5 Things

Dear Kittens.

1. We often leave the front door and screen open so the cats can come and go as they please. About 2 times a month the grey cat from across the strees saunters in like this is his house. He walks in all fake confident with shifty eyes and goes straight for the food bowl. He eats a couple bites of food and then decides if he should continue down the hall or go out the door. It amuses me when he walks through the house, sees where the cats are sleeping and then leaves. The first few times this happened I shooed him out and then I decided to not fight city hall and let that cat come in. One time Petey was sleepily coming down the hall and saw the grey cat and LOST HIS SHIT. He sputtered and puffed and hissed and looked at me accusingly. The grey cat hauled ass to the front door and then just sat on the porch and waited for Petey to come out side so they could deal with it like men.

2. I troll Etsy all the time for people selling vintage stuff. I have gotten some amazing things this way. Today the lovely letter carrier delivered 4 milk glass footed sherbet cups and Homemaker's Encyclopedia, published in 1952. Both things are so awesome I cannot find the words to adequate express my happiness. I plan on using the encyclopedia in my collage art and the sherbet cups will be used for sherbet and pudding and pound cake with fruit and whatever else I can think of. I have a tray (it was my grandmother's) that matches the sherbet cups, so this doubles my happy luckiness.

Here's something that's a pet peeve. When someone calls something vintage retro. Vintage is an old thing. Retro is a new thing meant to look like an old thing. So if something in vintage retro it's a old thing that was once a new thing that was meant to look like an old thing? No. Do not say something is vintage retro. Because even if it's cool and exactly what I was looking for, I will not buy it.

3. My brother-in-law one time took a class from a woman who wrote on her syllabus what we pet peas were. Yes. Pet Peas. This so tickled me that whenever someone says pet peeve, I correct it in my head to pet pea and it's instantly funny. I hope you begin to do the same thing.

4. Have I told you about the new sofa I want? I have begun to think of it as the Good For Your Marriage sofa because it's very large (four feet deep!) and the cozying that can be done on a large sofa is endless. Right now Andy sits in his chair and I sit in my chair and there is no cozying. Our currently sofa is just not that comfortable for it. This potentially new sofa is ideal for cozying. I would like that and so would Andy. The biggest issue with this new sofa is that it is giant and our living room is not giant. Our living room is petite-ish. So in order for this sofa to work we need to replace the speakers, replace the big shitty chair and possibly replace the beloved leather chair. So now the new sofa costs a lot more money than just the sofa. This is a very common occurance for us. We decided to do something and then it turns into a big giant deal.

5. For the first time ever in our adult lives together we are totally out of debt. Well, except for the mortgage, but surely you are not counting that, right? Both cars are paid off. Our credit card balances are all paid off. It feels so good. I didn't ever give our credit card debt much thought. I mean, I didn't like that we were in debt, but it wasn't something that I fretted over. But now that the cards are paid off, I feel such relief. It is so great to not have to make those bi-monthly payments (I've been paying double the minimum balance every 2 weeks for some time now) anymore. It's going to be an amazing savings each month and I really cannot wait to watch our savings account grow to it's pre-house buying level.

I do have a cold, but it's not that bad. And! Here's something for you to consider. I woke up this morning with considerable congestion in my head and I remembered that earlier this year I did some research regarding relieving congestion and I found this website that said chewing gum that contains xylitol can help with congestion. It's been my experience that it does help quite a lot and is significantly better than taking a decongestant.

Love,
Catie