Love is in the Air

Did I mention that for Valentine's Day Nigel gave me pepper spray?

And when he gave it to me he said, "I have a feeling you're REALLY going to need this."

Ah, nothing says romance like mace and paranoia.

(Please note: I haven't had to use it -- yet)

Tuesdays with Meow-y #5

Here is knitted cat #5. This one is based on a cat I had as a little girl. I really like how the two-toned face turned out. This is done with a knit stitch instead of a garter stitch, so it doesn't look as fluffy, but it's the only way I could get the face to work out. Also, I've gone back to the floppy arms. Nigel wanted me to show how the backs of the cats look, so here's some kitty butt for you. I'm not too happy about the white tip on the tail, though, looks too much like a fifth leg.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Meow-a? #5

At book club a few months ago, we read a book called "Speak." The woman who chose the book chose it because she works at a place where children are brought to be questioned in cases of suspected sexual abuse. It's a place where they can feel safe.

It's horrible that such places have to exist, but maybe they would like my cats. Something to hang on to while they tell their story.

Also, my cats don't have mouths, and the book "Speak" is about a girl who stops communicating after a traumatic incident.

Why I'm Not a Chef (or even a cook)

A friend of mine has this awesome blog where he writes about all the cool things he cooks (mostly bakes). I decided to try out one of his easier recipes. It consisted of about three ingredients, but even so, I managed to mess it up.

The first thing I needed to do was buy a boxed angel food cake mix. OK. I looked all over that store, there was no "angel food" cake mix. Is it the same as white cake? Some of the white cake mixes showed cooking times for one of those bundt-like pans, but some didn't. Also, do I HAVE to make it in a bundt-type thing? I don't have a bundt-type pan!

So I gave up and bought an angel food cake from the store's bakery. There, that part's done.

The frosting consists of whipped cream, milk, powdered sugar and instant pudding mix. Easy, right? For me, no.

I was whipping and whipping and whipping and nothing was happening. That's when I looked at the carton and realized that I had bought HALF & HALF, not heavy cream. Snapdragon!

So I'm off to the store AGAIN because I'm determined to make this cake. I even bought some strawberries and blueberries to make it extra special.

I finally got it done and my son would only eat the cake, my daughters would only eat the frosting, NO ONE wanted the fruit.

Is it any wonder I don't cook?

Please note -- the frosting was excellent the next day on French toast.

Tuesdays with Meow-y #4

Knitted cat #4. This is based on a cat I had right before I got married. It was a white cat with blue eyes, which my mother hated. I guess white cats with blue eyes are deaf, but I never noticed because since when does a cat come when you call it? Again, it has the stiff arms, which I'm not liking too much. My kids call this the "ghost cat," so maybe I won't make any more white cats in the future.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Meow-a? #4

I was at the orthodontist working on another knitted cat and the lady in the billing office got very emotional talking about her teenage niece that has cancer and spends a lot of time in the hospital and how the kids in the oncology ward would love to have cats like that -- mostly to know that people are thinking of them and to hold when they're scared.

I never even though about teenagers wanting them.

Tuesdays with Meow-y #3

Here's knitted cat #3. This is supposed to be based on my neighbor's orange cat, but for the life of me I cannot find orange yarn anywhere (everything is "pumpkin"). So instead, this is a yellow and pink mixed yarn. I tried to save time by knitting it all in one piece (as opposed to knitting the arms separately and then attaching them to the body), but it gives the cat too much of a stiff appearance. I also apparently need help on not tying granny knots on the bows around their necks.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Meow-a? #3

I was knitting one of my cats at the dentist's office and I told them my story about the Year of the Tiger and my goal to make 52 cats.

My dentist recommended donating them to a Women & Children Crisis Center. His son is gathering materials for toiletry kits for the center as part of his Eagle Scout project. He said that many of the women and children arrive there with just the clothes on their backs. I bet a child would like something to hold onto and call their own.

Maybe that's what I'll do.