I'd like to introduce to you...

...the newest member of our family, Catcher. Yes, I know. He's not the cat that I said I had to have a few posts back, but the lack of space for a litter box was a bit of a setback. So instead, I brought home a four-month-old yellow lab. He's a big clumsy blockhead, but he's also as sweet as could be. Anyone up for a little house-training and puppy chew-proofing?

I've been busy today, cleaning and laundering (clothes, not money). When I finally finished changing the sheets on all six beds (including the top bunk in Abby's room, which should count for at least four beds in itself), I sat myself down to watch a little Dirty Jobs.Oh, how I love that show. Once I had learned more than I needed to know about owl vomit, I proceeded upstairs to complete my own dirty job - cleaning the guinea pig's cage. Armed with bags of hay and wood shavings, I knocked on the door to Abby's room. No one answered. I knocked again, and put my ear to the door. I heard shuffling and hushed commotion.

"What are you guys doing?" I called through the door.

"Uh! Nothing! Be right there!!" Abby and Georgie yelled back.

I slowly opened the door, and I found them both trying desperately to put all of the pillowcases back on their pillows.

"What did you guys do? I just made your beds. Alright, I guess it's really no big deal. Please start putting the pillows back together so I can clean Eliza's cage."

Georgie points to his sister. "Abby did it. You're in VERY big trouble Ab! Mom is MAD at you!"

His brow was all scrunched, and I could see the wheels turning in his little head.

"Do you know how much trouble you're in, Abby? Seventeen! SEVENteen troubles." he finally blurted out.

I did my best to keep a straight face. "Seventeen? Why seventeen?"

"Because seventeen is a very big number," he said. "And Abby... is in very big trouble."

Going cat crazy.

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a cat person. I don't dislike dogs. In fact, we have a dog, Della, who I love to bits, but still, she's no cat. I NEED a cat. When I curl up to read my book, I like a warm, fuzzy, purring companion to keep my lap warm. I've had cats all my life up until about a year ago. That was one lonely year for me. Well, friends, my days of being feline-free are almost over! I have gotten the stamp of approval from the husband to "Go ahead and get your cat," and I am not taking any chances that he will change his mind! So, I'm moving in quick. I found out that there is a man a few miles away who is moving to Ireland and cannot take his 5-year-old, 18 pound cat with him. (No, that is not a typo. She is roughly 18 pounds. Ha!) The man and I have exchanged several emails, and my family and I are headed over to his place on Sunday to meet our (potentially) new cat! (grinning from ear to ear!!)

randomness...

1. NAME? margo

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I don't think so, but I don't quite know.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? saturday.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? sometimes...

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? corned beef.

6. KIDS? 3!

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? yes, I would.

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? I have a blog... I haven't kept a written journal in quite some time.

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? probably too much.

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes.

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? sure, if you pay for it.

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? raisin nut bran and fruity pebbles.

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no, and it's how I ruin my sneakers by not untying them to put them back on.

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? freakishly.

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? black cherry.

16. SHOE SIZE? 8

17. RED OR PINK? pink

18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my forgetfulness.

19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? the fun and fancy free Margo.

21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue sweats and no shoes.

22. LAST THING YOU ATE? special k (cereal, not the drug ;)

23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the news.

24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? purple.

25. FAVORITE SMELL? laundry (clean, of course).

26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? natalie

27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? eyes.

28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? yep! she rocks!

29. FAVORITE DRINK? lemonade.

30. FAVORITE SPORT? basketball to play, soccer to watch.

31. EYE COLOR? green.

32. HAT SIZE? I have no idea....?

33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no.

34. FAVORITE FOOD? sushi.

35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? scary movies with a happy ending.

36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIE THEATRE? the holiday.

37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? white shirt with Elmhurst Condors logo (who?)

38. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer

39. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs

40. FAVORITE DESSERT? strawberry shortcake

41. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING? 5:30 am

42. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED? a rubbermaid box full of norah's mega blocks

43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? the pact

44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't use a mouse pad. I have a laptop.

45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? tsunami, the aftermath

46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? rain and crickets

47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? both

Spring time in winter.

OK, so it's January. Right? Well, get this. My windows are wide open, with a breeze gently blowing in, and my kids are running around outside, jacket-free, in this gorgeous 72° weather. Trust me when I say, I'm not complaining. It's absolutely beautiful, and I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!

Dear Readers,

Please excuse Margo from blogging today. After being carefully examined, she has been diagnosed with a severe case of denseness with the creativity all clogged up in her head. After ample doses of hot toddies, along with the proper amount of dilatoriness, she should be fully able to resume blogging, without restrictions, in a day or so.

Sincerely,
Dr. Sicknote

Do you hear that? Me neither!

I'm not really here to blog about anything special. I'm actually taking a few seconds out of my evening to brag to you about how quiet my house is tonight. There are no TVs blaring, no children screaming, and there is no husband snoring/humming in his sleep! It's so serene that I almost can't stand the stillness of it all, but do you know what? I'm going to let my mind tussle with the silence, and do something that's usually a foreign concept. Let's see. I could read an entire chapter (possibly two) of my new book without repeating any of the same sentences over and over, and actually process the words I have read. I could even watch a movie straight through, in the actual amount of time in which it was meant to be watched, having full control over the remote for the entire show. A hot soak in the tub would be paradisaical, since tonight I can guarantee that no one will be screaming and banging for me from the other side of the door, and I might actually have enough time to shave, get this, both legs.

What would you do? I can tell you one thing. You would NOT still be sitting here on this computer, wasting the precious solitude of this quiescent house. So I say to you, "Goodnight!"

This is the chaos that laziness will evoke.

It was Abby's first day back to school from her winter break, and I could hardly pull my feckless body out of bed. Well, technically, it was the couch, because that's where I fell asleep last night, but I guess that's not really that important, now is it? Getting ready, it seemed like months since we had run through this fevered early morning routine, but veritably it had been only two weeks. As I moved through the house, I realized my impassive efforts were not getting us to school on time. I still had to pack a lunch, find appropriate clothing for the chilly forecast, dress myself and Abby in these clothes, and then aimlessly try to remember where I had stashed Abby's lunchbox and backpack sometime before Christmas came and disorganized me. And I had all of six minutes to get us into the car if we were going to make it on time. I kept thinking that I was forgetting an important part of our usual morning routine, but I couldn't get my finger on what it could be. OH MY GOD! BREAKFAST!!! #@&%! Well, after that realization, I felt defeated. I contemplated skipping the day altogether, and instead spend it huddled in my bed, but the glower I received from my kindergartner, who has been athirst for days to see her school friends again, sent me right back into my sprint to get us to school before the bells clamored in disapproval of my do-nothingness. Needless to say, after a shot of caffeine and adrenaline, we made it to school. And, somehow, on time. My point of this seemingly pointless rambling? I have a new resolution - plug in and dust off my alarm clock. I might even try using it every once in a while. I think I'm back to bed, or I guess technically the couch. This morning was way more excitement than I can handle in just one day.

Finding, and keeping, the resolution willpower.

Turn out the lights,
The party's over.
They say that all good things must end.
Call it a night,
The party's over,
And tomorrow starts the same old thing again.

Happy New Year to all. It seems that everyone is creating their usual new years resolutions list, and I am no exception. But resolutions are made to be broken, and I'm tired of setting myself up for failure. I could bore myself, yet again, with how many pounds I resolve to lose, the closets I plan to organize, or the extra time I would like to put aside for family and friends, but it would be a bit cliche for me to claim these asseverations once again. I need something a bit fresher and more updated this year, so I have come up with a few feasible ideas and jotted them down:

1. Go back to school. A very important, and workable one. My goal is to be enrolled by the spring semester.

2. Volunteer my time one night a week to a shorthanded charity organization. Something that would bring myself a little self-satisfaction at the end of the day. Maybe a nursing home, or the children's hospital.

3. Go to more shows. Theater, ballet, movies, concerts, etc...

4. Take an interest in creative photography. Not just endlessly snapping photos of my children. I'd like to try still life and maybe some candid shots of unsuspecting strangers...

So these are my resolutions for 2007. Check back in February to see if I've kept or broken them.