crazycatlady-bookieblog

The Boy is MOVED IN!

2010-09-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ryan's house in Eugene. It is OLD. It has a WEIRD layout.

The kitchen-dishwasher standing in the middle.

The living room.

The bathroom/reading room.

There wasn't a good way to get his whole room in the picture. Bedding from Sue!

I think Ryan is thrilled to be moved in. He'll be more thrilled to get the pillow, shirts, and cable he forgot.

Kelsey is 16!

2010-09-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

Performing at her first football game on her 16th birthday!

Kelsey's BEAUTIFUL cake-made by Alice!

Wearing her birthday bling from Auntie Sue! (the blue necklace and bracelet)

Ron's Work Assistant

2010-09-17T19:51:00.001-07:00

This is one of our foster kittens helping Ron while he works from home.

2010-09-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

I recently read this book and did NOT like it at all. Maybe I wasn't in the mood to read about the extreme dysfunction in the family. I did not enjoy reading about the family falling apart, and I wonder if Eliza's choice in the end will make any difference at all.

Callie and her Snake

2010-09-15T21:55:00.001-07:00

Callie is one of our foster kittens right now, and she LOVES this toy fuzzy snake. She sleeps on it, rolls around with it, grooms it, etc. It is absolutely adorable!

Miss Maddie Mae

2010-09-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

Maddie Loves Auntie Sue

Maddie and Mommy

Can you see the pierced ears?

The fam went up to Seattle in August for Miss Maddie's baby blessing. We were so happy to be there! Here are some cute pictures of Maddie. I miss her! (and her parents, but mostly her!)

Block-a-Palooza!

2010-09-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

My sisters Sue and Michelle and I spent a day crafting together in August. It was a blast! We spent the ENTIRE day painting and cutting vinyl. We made the entire mess in my Mom's house-it was GREAT! Some of my favorite block sets aren't pictured. We made some for Sue that say "Go Away" with monsters on either end.

Torture!

2010-08-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

In the center in neon tank.

In the middle, dark purple shirt.

In the back in black t-shirt with white.

In the back, neon tank, leaping in the air!

Sort of middle-neon tank-sassy pose.

Many of you know that the girl decided to torture me by making the dance team at her high school. Not only am I involved in a horrible series of fundraisers (one of which led me to accidentally TOUCH A GIANT SLUG WITH MY BARE HAND while sorting cans), I also get to drive all over tarnation and watch her perform. I have decided to torture HER by posting pictures of her dancing. I do think she is cute, and she is having fun.

Cheapo Front Porch Make-Over

2010-08-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

It is pathetic that I am so excited about repainting our front door-but I am. I loved the idea of a white front door, but not the reality. So, I bought at least twice as much paint as we needed (oops) and the door is now a lovely shade of dark blue. I didn't stop there, oh no I did NOT. I found a new planter and accent at Ross and some 1$ plants at Fred Meyer. TLC really should give me my own show.

Baby Maddie

2010-08-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

What in the heck are they doing to me?

Maddie sporting her swimsuit.

Kelsey's first time holding a baby. Don't tell Maddie. Kelsey did great-she even stayed a few days to help babysit while Michelle finished up at BYU.

Our trip to pick up the boy also included a short trip to Utah to visit friends and see my new niece, Madison. She is super cute and easy-going. Michelle and Kelsey took her for a swim. I need her back! I want to squish her!

Picking up the Boy!

2010-08-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Probably the cleanest the kitchen has ever been at the apartment-ha ha!

We borrowed my Grandaddy's truck-the "BYU-I Retrieval Unit". It was used the night before to pick up my cousin, Kirk.

Ryan did not want to waste ANY time getting the heck out of Dodge.

We were very excited to pick up the boy the end of July. We were NOT as excited about all of the car time we would be spending. On the way to Rexburg we were able to watch the Blue Angels practice-it was amazing. It was wonderful to stay with my Grammy and Grandaddy and be able to visit with them.

Summer Reading List!

2010-06-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

These are some of the books on my summer reading list-I must confess I have already finished "My Life in France" and "The Witch Doctor's Wife". I really liked both books, but my favorite of the two was "My Life in France". I loved Julia's relationship with her husband, her work ethic, and how she dealt with the difficulties of working on a project with a close friend. She truly put relationships with people first. I loved catching a glimpse of Julia's sense of humor as I read the book. I highly recommed it!

Baby Pictures

2010-06-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Baby Maddie

Baby Chewbacca

This was inspired by a picture of my new niece in a tutu. I couldn't resist..

Ron and Lucy, sharing a moment.

2010-06-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ron's Biggest Fan

2010-06-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

Lucy is Ron's biggest fan-all 13 pounds of her. She will often find him as soon as he gets home from work, and wait for him to notice her. If he doesn't notice her right away, she will follow him around until he does. "Noticing" includes picking her up and talking to her, and scratching behind her ears. Here are some pictures of Lucy hanging out with Ron.

Kitten Pictures

2010-05-13T17:57:00.001-07:00

Naptime!

The kitten is carrying the ball around in it's mouth!

Um, can somebody help me, please?

These are some of the last pictures we took of our last batch of foster kittens. They are already gone, but these pictures are adorable!

Card Swap Preview

2010-04-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

The basket and Mother's Day card are what I am teaching at the card swap tonight. The rabbit pocket card is my contribution to the swap. Mom-don't look too closely at the Mother's Day card-ha ha ha!

Narcoleptic Kitten?

2010-04-22T15:35:00.001-07:00

We are having fun with our 3 new foster kittens, currently referred to as "Zero", "One", and "Two". My fabulous sister-in-law had the idea to put dots in their ears to tell them apart. Anyhoo, we have found a kitten asleep in funny places, and it cracks me up every time I look at these pictures!

Cricut Craft!

2010-03-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned I LOVE my Cricut? This is the latest project I have made-I'm giving it to a friend as part of her Birthday gift. Now that I have a chopsaw (my very OWN !!!) I can make all kinds of things!

New Foster Kittens!

2010-03-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

We are excited to have new foster kittens, they are adorable, but look very alike-which makes keeping track of who we have fed and who we haven't very interesting. They are about 3 weeks old right now, and are being bottle fed.

Michelle Goes Crazy!

2010-01-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

Last year for my sister Michelle's birthday, I started a recipe swap with my Mom and sisters. The plan was for us to occasionally send new, decorated recipes (6 by 6 size) to each other for fun. Michelle NEVER does anything halfway. She just sent me 10 recipes (she made 6 groups of 10). She has definitely outdone a certain other sister (Sioux,Sue,Su,or Soo?). Not to put any pressure on Sue. Michelle's husband Neal even created the "tomato" and the "bowl". Snaps for Neal. :) Some of the recipes are double-sided. You'll just have to imagine how cute those are!

Lucy, our "waterbug"

2010-01-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Our cat Lucy LOVES to drink from the laundryroom sink. She will wait in the laundryroom, hoping someone will walk by to turn the faucet on. She will also wait IN the sink, if she is particularly eager for a drink. She lets the water drip around her neck, and licks it off her paw. Here she is corrupting our kitten, Romeo. Romeo isn't so keen on the "full body drinking method" preferring to drink from the faucet instead.

More Christmas!

2010-01-12T08:38:00.001-08:00

Christmas!

2010-01-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

We had a very Merry Mellow Christmas. Traditional Monkey Bread for breakfast. As you can see, we also had help from our furry friends.

Romeo the cat playing fetch.

2009-12-25T23:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to take pictures of the cookies I bake every Christmas to deliver to the neighbors. This year, I remembered! I tried a new candycane shortbread cookie recipe this year, and they are delicious.

Mystery Cat

2009-12-21T16:05:00.001-08:00

Ron and Kelsey found Romeo like this early one morning. Apparently he found a box of packing chips in the garage. We thought this "mustache" was hysterical! Who is this disguised cat? We don't recognize him.

Vegas Birthday Trip

2009-12-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

Let me apologize for not posting very often-I discovered Facebook. Now I am trying to catch up on blogging. My mom and 2 of my sisters (Sue and Michelle) planned a Vegas/St. George trip for my birthday this year. It was very fun! I loved it! We shopped/ate/played. AND Michelle announced that she was pregnant, due on my anniversary, May 20th.

They don't call me Crazy Cat Lady for nothing!

2009-08-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

I saw this cat costume/hat and HAD to get it! Of course the cats hate it, but we did corner Dory and get it on her for LITTLE while. She also hates the Santa hat.....

Just Fifteen More Minutes....

2009-07-29T19:56:00.001-07:00

We recently returned from a vacation to Orlando, Florida. We had a wonderful time, but our vacation had a rocky start. We arrived in Orlando on a Saturday night just before midnight. My sisters Sue and Michelle met us there, having flown in from Salt Lake. Sue had reserved a rental car, and when we went up to the counter we were told it would be ready in 15 minutes. After being assured the van would be ready in 15 minutes for AN HOUR AND A HALF we were ready to go nuts. Finally, we got our car. Next step: FOOD! We were all starving, and how busy can a restaurant be at 1:30am? We go to a restaurant/take out spot called Steak & Shake that my sister Michelle remembered from her mission. It is NOT busy. About 40 minutes later we leave with our food. THEN we head to the resort. I had called the resort 3 times to make sure a late check in was okay. SURE, no problem, you can check in 24 hours a day!! Well, we arrive, and because it is after midnight, our reservation is in a "different category" and the only manager that can check us in has left the property to find food. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!
We finally get to our unit at 3:30 am.

We had several opportunities to "wait 15 minutes" on this trip-while rides broke down, waiting for food, etc. When we left Orlando, we waited on the airplane for a part repair (just 15 minutes folks) that turned into an hour wait. Then weather delayed our arrival in Houston. We left Houston about an hour late and by the time we returned home it was 2am.

In spite of the craziness we had a great time.

Pictures!

2009-07-29T19:52:00.001-07:00

This baby sea lion is 1 month old.

Us in front of our new favorite SeaWorld ride-Manta!!

Vacation Pictures

2009-07-29T19:46:00.001-07:00

Sue and I posing as Hiro from Heroes (above).

This dolphin played Peek-a-boo with us-it was so cute!

Michelle's near death experience at Islands of Adventure.

Can you say "wet"?

2009-06-28T19:40:00.003-07:00

These are the latest cards from this month's card swap. I really enjoy participating in this group. June's theme was "thank you cards" and it came in very handy with Ryan's graduation and his 18th birthday this month.

Foster Kittens

2009-06-28T19:31:00.001-07:00

These are our newest foster kittens. We are having a LOT of fun now that they aren't so labor intensive. They were one week old when we got them, and had to be bottle-fed.

Ryan's Graduation

2009-06-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe Ryan has graduated from High School and will be 18 soon. His graduation was very memorable. Ron, Gloria and Carole Snyder came, as well as Debbie Dean and Sue Orchard. Ryan wanted taco salad and oriental chicken salad, and a chocolate Costco cake for dessert. The afternoon was lovely, we ate outside and had a nice time visiting. Later we walked over to the school for the OUTDOOR commencement exercises. Dark, ominous clouds rolled in. Flashes of lightening filled the sky. The wind started blowing, and rain started falling as the seniors walked in. It rained and the wind gusted during the ENTIRE program. Did the adults shorten their talks? NO! Where were we sitting during the lightening? METAL BLEACHERS! The speeches the graduates gave were outstanding, and it was a very happy/sad moment for me when Ryan received his diploma. He plans on attending BYU-Idaho starting in January on a full tuition scholarship for his freshman year. We are very excited for him!

Newest Foster Kittens!

2009-06-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

These are out latest foster kittens-we've had them for a few weeks, and they are now 6 weeks old. When we first got them at 1 week we had to bottle-feed them. Now they are much easier to take care of (eating crunchies, using litter box_ and they are VERY playful and cute!

YUM

2009-05-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

I recently spent time with my sister Michelle, and she made my lime chicken tacos. YUMMY! I LOVE them, so in honor of my visit with Michelle, I am posting the recipe. Just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

Lime Chicken Tacos
1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (I use frozen)
3 TBS lime juice
1 TBS chili powder
1 cup frozen corn (gross, I don't use it)
1 cup chunky salsa
(1 can rinsed black or pinto beans if you want-stretches the meal)
flour tortillas
sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and shredded lettuce, optional

Place the chicken in slow-cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn (once again, GROSS-corn must be eaten separately) and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired. (If there are lots of juices in the crockpot when you take chicken out to shred it, drain most of the juices out, otherwise the meat ends up too juicy).

So OVER my dad

2009-05-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

SO, I just found out that my dad left me 1$ in his will. The drug addict and alcoholic apparently rate higher than I do. Whatever problem my dad had with me, he didn't share, nor did he want to deal with. He always told me how proud he was of me and my family. This is the biggest slap in the face I have EVER received. Knowing how against the LDS church my dad is, I am going to donate that dollar to the Book of Mormon fund. HA HA HA! Laughs on you Dad!

I want to vomit after going to 2 funerals and a burial where everyone spoke of what a wonderful man my dad was. How wonderful is someone who would be so spiteful to his child-one who is actually a fairly productive member of society? How wonderful is someone who would lie to his child and do something so hurtful after he is gone and doesn't have to deal with the aftermath?

I have never experienced ANYTHING like this before.

Brothers and Sisters!

2009-05-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Me and my brothers and sisters:
Paula, Eric, Sheri, Sue, Andy, Michelle and Michael

Paper Addict!

2009-03-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Purse album open

Inside view of pocket page.

Front view of unopened purse album.

Pencil notebook, Valentines treat (filled with hershey kisses) and recipe swap album.

Strawberry box-isn't it cute???

I must confess that I am a paper addict. I love scrapbooking and cardmaking, and probably more than that I love COLLECTING all the stuff necessary for the above activities. I have amassed quite a stash. I may not have a years supply of food, but I probably have a 20 year supply of paper-crafting stuff. I think I inherited this problem from my Mom, who inherited it from HER mom, who started all of this by ordering wrapping paper in GIANT ROLLS. These giant rolls fascinated me as a child. I thought it was SO COOL to have a giant roll of wrapping paper on the counter. I was an odd child, but the paper fascination has persisted!

Birthday Girls!!!

2009-03-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

Michelle and Sue

Back: Mom and Randy
Front: Neal and Michelle

At the movies! Ryan, Sue, Michelle and Neal.

Sue had her birthday December 30th, and Michelle's was February 29th (yes, 29th). Michelle is in Provo, so we didn't get to party with her, but we were in Seattle for Sue's birthday. This year's theme was fast food and a movie. Sue LOVES movies/tv/fast food, so we started with dinner at Arby's. Mom, Randy, Michelle, Neal, Leigh and Cait Huntsman, and of course, Snydergang were there. We didn't have enough time for cupcakes after dinner (we would have been late to the movie) so we ate them after the movie in the movie theatre parking lot, out of cars, in the rain. It was a crazy birthday, but we loved it!! It was fun to see Michelle and Neal again before they left for BYU.

Killer Chocolate Recipe

2009-02-27T17:33:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this recipe before Valentine's Day, but it didn't happen. You'll have to make up your own excuse to make it. This recipe is REALLY good, REALLy easy, and everyone likes it.
Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Torte
1 package brownie mix (9x13 size)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups whipped topping
1 tsp chocolate sprinkles

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread batter in a greased and floured 9" round pan. Bake at 350 for 38-40 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate; cool completely. In a bowl stir the chocolate and butter until smooth. Spread over brownie layer; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Just before serving top with whipped topping and decorate with sprinkles.

Projects

2009-02-27T17:27:00.001-08:00

These are a few of the projects I worked on for gifts this past winter. I couldn't post them when I wanted to because the recipients hadn't opened them yet. I am enjoying cutting vinyl with my cricut, and have a million projects I want to do.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

This morning we didn't open presents until 8:30am. This is a personal "late" record for our family. Usually we MAKE the kids wait until at least 7:00am. Now that they are older they value their sleep a little more. Ryan was the last one up, and Ron, Kelsey and I ate our traditional "monkey bread" breakfast without him. Sorry Ryan, it smelled too good-but we did save you some! We had a very mellow and relaxing Christmas Day. Lucy (who is continuing to feel much better) and Dory even joined us for a while.

Crazy Cat Lady Gift

2008-12-25T21:23:00.001-08:00

My friend Alice made me this WONDERFUL cat Santa decoration! I LOVE it, and would love to leave it out all year. I am considering doing just that! I must be developing quite a reputation because this is the second "cat" gift I have received this season. A close friend brought a cat calendar over earlier this month. It's nice to have friends who listen to me talk about my cat trauma-Lucy getting hepatic lipidosis and needing a stomach tube, and Fluffy, who had to be put to sleep 2 weeks ago due to a liver problem.

Our Tree and Stockings!

2008-12-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

Just a picture of our tree and Christmas stockings!

Paula's Book Club Christmas Party

2008-12-21T19:42:00.001-08:00

Here we are with little Saint Nic

Sarah set a beautiful table, with beautiful party favors.

My favorite Christmas party every year is my bookclub party. We have a plan we follow every year. Everyone brings an appetizer to share, and certain people have favorites that they MUST bring! Like HOME MADE MARSHMELLOWS. After eating (more than we should!) we play an ornament game. Everyone brings an ornament every year. As soon as we get to Sarah's, we put our ornament in a gift bag. All the bags are the same, so we can't originally tell who brought the ornament. We draw numbers, and person #1 chooses the bag they want. #2 gets to choose a new bag or steal from #1, and so on. #1 gets the final say, and each ornament can be touched only 3 times. The 3rd person gets to keep it. After the ornament game, we exchange gifts, and finish off with chocolate fondue. YUM! This year we learned interesting things about office supplies.

Michelle's Wedding

2008-12-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

We just returned from my youngest sister Michelle's wedding. She was married Saturday the 6th in the Seattle Washington Temple. It was a quick, fast, busy trip, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Michelle was absolutely beautiful and so happy to finally marry Neal. I was deeply hurt that she didn't ask me to be her flower girl-she was my flower girl. HA HA. I was able to be one of Michelle's escorts in the bride room (along with my sister Sue) and help her get dressed in her wedding dress. It was a very special and amazing experience, and totally unexpected. The reception was gorgeous and a lot of fun. Kelsey and I helped with food, and Ron and Ryan were general labor and manned the gift table. It was fun to see family and friends and celebrate Michelle's special day.

Ryan and Kelsey with their Great-Grandparents and Great-Great-Grammy Miller.

Our family at the Seattle Temple.

My brother Andy, dressed up and out in public!!

I always said I would never

2008-12-08T17:53:00.001-08:00

spend a lot of money on a sick pet. Well I was REALLY wrong. A week before Thanksgiving this year Ron and I noticed that our FAVORITE cat Lucy was not doing things she normally did like jumping into the laundryroom sink for drinks, was lethargic and had lost a lot of weight. I took her to the vet, and she had lost 4 pounds. She was diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis (yellow cat) and the only way to help her was to have the vet insert a stomach tube and tube feed Lucy. It was a pretty pricey procedure, coupled with a weekend stay at a veterinary hospital, but I couldn't have her put to sleep. She is young and the favorite family pet. So, Lucy underwent surgery, is fed every 4 hours via the feeding tube, and is now down to 1 medication/day versus the 3 she had to begin with. Lucy had gained 12 ounces in a week at our last vet visit and is perking right up!! We are hoping she starts eating food on her own again so we can stop around-the-clock feedings!

Blog Class!

2008-11-13T18:18:00.001-08:00

I heard about a blog class taught by a friend, so I invited myself to attend. I learned some new things, and am excited to put them to use. My goal is to post a little more often as a way to journal and let family and friends know what we are up to.

My Bookclub annual Halloween picture! The past 2 years we have done "theme" costumes. This year, the theme was superheroes/villains. I was Skeletor.

A little Halloween treat I made for my bookies-paper coffins! I also added candy.

This is a picture of our cat Lucy, and the four kittens we are currently fostering for a local animal shelter. The black kittens are: Ninja, Stubby, and Bitty. The tabby is Tiger. Interesting fact: Stubby has a 2 inch tail bent half-way into a 90 degree angle. The other kittens don't have tails!

Ron and I on the family cruise we took this summer. We are in Cabo San Lucas in this picture. The trip was very fun. Ryan and Kelsey went as well as my sisters Sue and Michelle, my Mom Debbie and step-dad Randy, brother&sister in law Kent and Leigh, niece and nephew Cait and Dylan. Quite a gang!

Heck has frozen over-I actually went to girls camp as an assistant ward camp director. Here is proof! Talk about the blind leading the blind-the ward camp director wasn't a camper, either.

Technical Details!

2008-08-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

I figured out how to add background to my blog! I created the blog, and then couldn't stand to write in it because it looked so ugly. This amazing site had easy instructions I could follow:
http://simplychicblogs.blogspot.com/
Thanks! My husband erased an image that I no longer wanted-he wants me to write that he is my AMAZING husband, which he is. Enough technical details, now I can blog!