This morning's excitement and why not...a new to do list

This morning Ellie got up at 5:45! Ugh. We went into the kitchen. I started coffee. Ellie wanted to nurse. I sat down at my computer and checked my email while feeding her. It was still pretty dark in the kitchen. I heard a noise. I thought, "oh, dear Lord, what ARE the cats doing??" I thought I should look as soon as Ellie was done. Then I heard something else. A squeak? Surely not. I looked over and the cats were just sitting there. The next noise sounded like a squeak too. Not really wanting to look, I told Ellie we were done and I got up. Sure enough, under Ellie's high chair sat a mouse. Blech. Ick. Okay, there were two cats staring him down. I figured I didn't need to set a trap or anything. Hattie gently got closer.....set to pounce.....and ever so softly batted it like a toy. Damn cat. Well, Momma Cat was sitting right there too. She lived outside for years. We made her a house cat when we moved here from Evansville. She was ready. She was set. The mouse ran right by her! She.......smelled it. Really. She sniffed it as it went by. Really, Momma Cat? How did you live outside all those years? Well, the poor mouse was under the chairs in front of our fireplace. It would dart from one to the other....cats smelling it and gently patting it as it went by. John woke up. Mary woke up. John tipped the chair up, and there sat the mouse. Eating an old goldfish cracker. The cats looked excited....I think Momma Cat smelled it again. Or John said it ran into her trying to get away. Our breakfast was over at this point. John went to change Ellie's diaper. I went into the hallway and saw our massive (23? 25? pounds?), lazy cat Simon. I told him to get into the kitchen and help. Well, he went to the kitchen, saw that John had built a fire in the fireplace, and settled in for a nap. His head was still perked up, but he was relaxing. I think he was trying to figure out what the other cats were doing. I'm fairly certain he did not know about the mouse. I'd given up on the mouse and was going to set some traps. Simon's head was near one of the chairs. All of the sudden, the mouse darted for the other chair. Right in Simon's path! Simon didn't even stand up...he just whipped his head around at lightning speed and CHOMP.....sorry little mouse. Simon got up, went to the basement and enjoyed his breakfast. I've never been so proud of Simon in my life. Slow, fat, lazy Simon. He killed a mouse without even standing up. Darn Momma Cat and Hattie. They kept looking for the mouse. They didn't even know it was gone.

This is Simon. He's actually much bigger in real life. Maybe he was having a skinny day. The picture is also over a year old. Maybe he was smaller back then.

In other news, we are snowed in. Not technically snowed in, but who wants to go out in this weather? I think we have 6 or 7 inches. The girls and I went out and played yesterday, but I think it is too cold today. Ellie gets cold really fast out there.

Being snowed in makes me think of projects I wish I had time to do. Mainly, paint stuff. But it's too cold. The first day it hits 50 degrees, I'm going to be out there painting like a mad woman. In the meantime, I have plenty other stuff to do.

1. Finish granny square baby blanket (8 of 11 rows done and assembled)
2. Make pillows for "green room" aka the room where we change Ellie's diapers. There's a futon in there and I want some pillows on it. I wanted to make 3 colors--pink, green and red. I went to Jo Anns and they were out of red flannel. How?? I even asked. The lady said someone had just come in and bought all the red they had. (I wonder what she was making?).
3. Repaint the green room closet. It's too damn pink. I'm going to use the pink I already have a mix it with some white we already have.
4. Make some Valentine's crafts. I already have some salt dough hearts made. I need to paint them. I also want to make a Valentine's bunting/banner thing. I have the fabric for the fronts, just need some RED FLANNEL for the back. Hmm.


I think that's it. Everything else involves spray paint or painting furniture which needs to happen out in the garage. Come on spring! Or even a nice day--maybe next month?