My New Favorite Things

Time for another round of my new favorite things.

I like that Peter is up out of his bed, searching for any crumbs he might have missed on the kitchen floor. He spends about 22 hours a day sleeping so it's nice to see him.
These chocolates came in a package Tim got. They are made in Vermont and have things like caramel and cranberries in them-not mixed together.

Thirtysomething Season 2. These are a delayed Christmas present because they just came out last week. 17 episodes of perfection...and a lot of yuppie whining.

My fake Uggs. I know..I'm about 8 years late on these but I thought I deserved a pair of winter boots. They are wicked warm, almost too warm.

Grace saw my new boots and I started hearing about how ALL the other girls in her class had Uggs and she was the only one without. I seem to remember having this same conversation with my mother so I understood. We went to Target and all their boots were on sale for $5! The only ones left in size were these pink ones which I thought were so cute. I was convinced she wouldn't go for them because she hasn't been into pink for a while. The little tiny heels just kill me. I don't think 9 year olds should wear heels but these don't bother me.
I became addicted to buying things off Amazon during Christmas. I've started collecting my favorite PBS documentaries. I still have a few more to go. I must get Manor House and Frontier House.
I still buy plenty of jewelry instead of making it. This has become my go to necklace in the mornings. I play with it constantly all day.

Charlie Brooker - How To Report The News

So funny and so true! Enjoy!

Almost Ready

With my 10% pay cut looming in front of me, I decided that I needed to do something to make up the difference. I have been talking about setting up an Etsy shop forever but this is giving me the push to finally do it. I have the shop registered but that is only the first step before I can start selling. I spent 2 weeks obsessing over a name and finally settled on MaineDaysDesigns. I don't love it but I had to pick something. Usually I can name things no problem but some things I have a hard time with . I still don't like the name of this blog. Anyway, I have plenty of stuff to sell, I just need to master my new camera. You really need daylight to take good photos and winter in Maine doesn't give us a lot of that. Also, I am at work while the sun is out so that makes it hard to take pictures.

I only have a few scrabble necklaces. It's really hard to make them without bubbles forming in the glaze. I think I need to try a new glaze. They're fun though.
My new obsession-rings. They're plastic but I don't care. I actually already sold one at work the other day and it made it's TV debut that night although I was the only one who knew it.
I have a few necklaces and bracelets too. I mainly made necklaces when I first started making jewelry but I haven't made any for a long time.
I also love making these little glass magnets. I mostly love standing in the paper aisle at the store and picking out all the ones I like.
I mostly have earrings. I need to make some more of these too. Hopefully, things will shape up in the next couple of weeks and I'll be open for business. I even ordered myself some business cards even though they are really unnecessary. They were cute and I wanted something that said "Owner" on it.

So What Now?

Peter is at a crossroads and we are preparing ourselves. You see, they stopped making cat insulin for some insane financial reason and we have switched him to human insulin. The problem is, the human stuff is too strong for him. He started out on 4 cc's of it twice a day and then he went down to 2 cc's last week after we almost killed him. Today he went in for his follow up blood test and he is still not handling the new insulin very well. We now have to give him 1 cc twice a day and then take him in next week for another test. Obviously, if that test isn't good, then we get to have the big talk with the vet because we can't give him any less than that. I would be more prepared for this possibility if he didn't act so normal all the time. He's 16 years old so he mostly sleeps but I bet that is true for all 16 year olds. He still gets excited for treats and catnip and playing in the bathtub. He always wants to sleep on our laps and he is still incredibly patient with the kids. He was my college graduation present and he weighed about 2 pounds when we got him. He quickly grew into a monster 15 pound Maine Coon Cat who was never phased by anything. He was the only cat who didn't run out of the room when we brought the kids home as babies and you can vacuum right next to him and he barely blinks. I'm hoping for good news next week because I can't picture this house without Peter in it.

I Never Post These Things But....

I never post animal videos from YouTube but here I am doing it. You know how you sometimes just find yourself on YouTube and you end up watching 50 videos before you know what's happening? Someone mentioned this on TV and it seems I am the last person in the world to hear this story. Now I can't stop watching it.

With This Ring...

A couple weeks ago, I was was trolling around Etsy's PIF section which is my favorite since most things on it cost only 20 cents. Of course, you have to do something nice for someone in return but you get some really good deals. Anyway, someone had posted a white Cabochon ring. This is just a fancy way of saying a white plastic flower glued to an adjustable silver ring. I was hooked and had to make some of my own.

I ordered the rings and beads through Etsy and finally sat down to make some tonight. It took about 3 minutes to make 9 rings. It's my kind of craft. I was watching The Golden Globes while making them so I used some wax paper to keep the glue off my coffee table. The drumstick will make sense later. You also need some really strong glue-the kind you need ventilation for.
See this cute little container I bought just to store these? Okay, I bought two of them but I think they are adorable and they hold a lot.
I got an assortment of flowers. They are just flat backed plastic flowers. I noticed sellers on Etsy calling them "resin" but whatever, it's plastic. I learned you have to pay attention to the size you order. Some are just a little too small and some are just a little too big. I can't say I'm crazy about the baby blue one but that's just me.
Here's where the drumstick comes in. I needed something for them to dry on and I couldn't think of anything better. If you think of one, let me know.
It took more time to set up all the stuff than it did to actually make the rings. I just used a toothpick to put a dab of glue on the ring, added the flower and now they dry for 24 hours.
I did put one on just so you get the idea. I think this one is my favorite but I have many more to choose from.

We Almost Killed Him

We came close to killing Peter today but I'm blaming the pharmaceutical company. See, they stopped making cat insulin for whatever reason and we had to start him on human insulin.

This is even stranger than going to a pet pharmacy for him. Now we have to go to the people pharmacy to get medicine for our cat. Yeah, the pharmacist thinks it's weird too. It also costs $10 more and I can't think of a way to sneak it onto my health insurance. Anyway, this is all new to the vet so they weren't sure of the dosage. He's been on it a week and today, he had to spend the day at the vet so they could monitor his blood sugar and correct his dosage. Turns out, we were giving him too much and he was hypoglycemic. It's a scary word that means he had way to much insulin going around inside him. Think of Julia Roberts in the beauty shop in Steel Magnolias and they have to force the juice down her throat. That was what Peter was on the verge of.

He's okay now($200 later) and we cut his dosage in half so, hopefully, that will be that. The vet seemed a little alarmed that we hadn't noticed something was up. He asked if he seemed quieter and sleepier than normal? All I could think in my head was, " He is 16 years old! Isn't that what he should be like all the time?!"

Winter Wonderland

Okay, the suburbs of Portland aren't exactly a winter wonderland. I mean, there are no open fields and horse drawn sleighs anywhere. It has finally really snowed for the first time this winter. At Christmas we had a frozen hard lawn but we still saw plenty of green. Once New Years hit, that was long gone and we won't see the lawn again for a few months. It snowed for about 4 days before all was said and done and I was fortunate enough to have to work 3 of those days. A snowstorm at a TV station is probably the equivalent of an Emergency Room after a major catastrophe. It's not fun and no one wants to be there.

I don't love deep snow but I love anything that covers our chain link fence. We have been planning on getting rid of that eyesore for 12 years. I wonder when it will finally happen? A girl can dream.
Declan immediately suited up and headed outside. I ventured out to take a few pictures but I wasn't going to last very long. I don't even own winter boots and I haven't for years. I have no idea why and every year I think about getting a pair and never do.
Grace decided she was more of an "indoor" girl so she spent her last few days of vacation wearing her pajamas all day. Declan is still so little he doesn't even feel the cold. It's definitely become hot chocolate weather.