Merry Christmas from Everyday Living

Merry Christmas
from Everyday Living...






I had to wake her up to get this shot, so she doesn't look to happy. Well, I figure that since she wakes us up EVERY morning, turn-about is fair play...

A Power Nap Done Right

Both the kids were slammed this last week with unit exams and papers being due. I still have to help my oldest with an algebra unit exam and then I am done for a few weeks. Hey, maybe I can finally have the time to actually read or write something!


So, how are you spending your Christmas break...

Birdie TV

A view from our window. As you can see, the our cats have a great view of the show. On the left,you can see the tip of a tail as they take a break for intermission...



Hint: look at the vertical window divider and you will see the birds.

Laser Cat

Just trying to watch a football game, when Yum Yum decides to sit in front of the television. I guess everyone's a critic...

All Boxed-Up for the Holidays

A few weeks ago, we brought out the boxes to begin decorating and of course, they had to be inspected first...



What's Yum Yum up to? Look into her eyes...whatever it is, she's up to no good.

Winter is Coming

You know it's getting cold when...



Oh, on an unrelated note, instead of waiting until the last minute, like I did the past few years, I will begin posting my Thanksgiving menu and related recipes. These are the actual recipes I have used over the past few years and they have been very well received. If you are still undecided on what to make, I hope one or more of these recipes will inspire you.

What Algebra Does to Me

This is what I felt like after spending over three hours on Saturday, helping my oldest review for an algebra unit exam...

Yum Yum on the Hot Seat

What seems to be out of place in this picture...

Undercover Cat

I've been thinking that I may post a recipe for rustic Italian bread. This is the type of bread that you would see in bread shops: you know, piled in wicker baskets. I have made it several times and it has always turned out great. I would also like to mention that Koko and Yum Yum have gotten "The Big Head" and have gone commercial (smooth transition, huh?). They decided that they have become "too big" to just reside here on my site, so they branched-out and have developed their own product line. If you're interested, here's a link to Koko and Yum Yum's store. I have to admit that I've been having fun playing around with it.


Hey, I'm sleepin' over here...

Yum Yum's a Fan

Firstly, I would like to announce the winner of the Cheerios "Do What You Love" Giveaway. After visiting the random number generator at Random.Org, the winner is... Barbara Monty.


Congratulations Barbara and I would once again like to thank all of you who entered.



In order to cool the house down, we usually put a fan in the back door. Note, this fan is ON and set on high...


This fan is actually sucking air out of the house, while fans in other windows are blowing air in. I learned this little trick from one of my HVAC friends.

Everything Butt the Kitchen Sink

What does NOT belong in this picture...

Yum Yum and the Spring

Yum Yum playing with her spring...



Of course, she has to mess-up everything that she can. One of her favorite and daily things to do is to take her spring, carry it into our room, jump on our freshly-made bed, and play. You she see our bed after she gets done playing on it.

Intermission for Finals

Due to finals this week and the need to help the tax deductions with their studies, I won't have much time to post my usual intuitive, thought-provoking, and generally head-scratching posts. Now, because I don't have a video of a hot dog chasing a box of popcorn, please enjoy the next few days of pictures...


I am Siamese if you please...

Ah, The Life of a Cat

How can this be comfortable...

Yum Yum is No Dum Dum

This is where Yum Yum spends her mornings. She has a heated seat while watching birdie TV.


Editor's note: I just recently watched Night at the Museum, so please forgive the "dum dum" reference.

Koko and Yum Yum Make the Big Time

Yes, now that they are gracing the cover of their first magazine, I have a feeling that Koko and Yum Yum will be a lot harder to live with. I mean they were demanding before, but now...

I was introduced to this site by Split Rock Ranch.

The Further Adventures of Koko and Yum Yum

Because there are a few things going on right now, I have not been updating as much as I would like. So, in lieu of a post which displays my rapier wit and my manic mutilation of the English language, I give you a few more photos of our two felines.

Oh, and you should know that this morning, the one sticking her tongue out again, managed to fish an empty cat food can out of the trash and unroll an entire roll of toilet paper all over the living room floor...


Once again, Yum Yum showing her disdain...





Hanging-out on the cat tree my dad built...

The Cat Who Got into Everything

The little angel

My wife and I are about ready to kill a Siamese. Ever since Yum Yum woke us up this morning, the second time after being fed, she has been getting into absolutely everything. This little monster currently has five little plastic springs that she just loves to play with, but they've just disappeared. We looked under the couch, the chairs, the bed, but we just can't find them. So being spring-less, she began chewing on the Christmas tree (I know, it should've been taken down weeks ago, but we just love having it up) and if she isn't doing that, she is playing with the blinds, the cords, our iPod headphones, using my Total Gym for a scratching post, knocking the Dvd's off of the table, trying to steal my pen, or walking over the keyboard...I think you get the general idea. We usually squirt her with some water (we have a squirt bottle for just this purpose), but she just shakes it off and finds something else to get into.


It all started at around 7:00AM when she came pouncing on our bed and began to tear around over the top of us. My wife decided to get up and go into the living room, but did Yum Yum follow her? Nope, she continued to run over the top of me, attacking my feet and head for a good ten to fifteen minutes. Finally, growing bored with this, she took her show "on the road" and went to distract my wife. While my wife was wrapped-up in her blanket and trying to read the Bible, Yum Yum got right to work and began chewing on the tree. Unwrapping and grabbing the bottle, Mary walked over to the tree and squirted her. Back to the couch and just as she got wrapped up, Yum Yum renewed her assault on the tree.

This went on a few more times and I guess it finally sunk into that tiny Siamese mind to stop playing with the Christmas tree, because she stopped and began playing with the blinds and those tantalizing cords that hang beside them. The only good part about this change of venue, is the fact that my wife doesn't have to get up off the couch to "discipline" the little darling.

Fast-forward a few hours and my wife is in the kitchen preparing food for our birds. She has a bag of peas in her hand, when she hears the tell-tale sign of a cat trying to climb a tree. As Mary turns towards the tree, the peas go flying out of the bag and all over the kitchen and dining room floors; Yum Yum goes flying into the bathroom and thus earns her first, well-deserved, timeout.

After about ten minutes, she is released from her self-imposed prison and you would have thought that she may have learned her lesson, but no it was back to the mischief, which continued until just about an hour ago. She is now stretched full-length on my wife's blanket, dreaming no doubt, of other mischief she can get into.

Cute pictures: The Drāno of Writer's Block

Since I am still unable to think of anything intelligent to say (what else is new), I've decided to share a few pictures of our newest addition, Yum Yum. I'm assuming this lack of thought has something to do with going full-tilt all last month, so I'm hoping that it is a temporary lull and that I can once again return to showering you with my inane drivel. Until that much-anticipated time, please enjoy the photos...



Laser cat sees all...





Practicing her punt fake...





Magically expands to fit any space...

Yum Yum and the Tongue

While I am knee-deep in writing my new novel (soon to become a major motion picture..I wish), I probably won't be writing many long posts, for which you are all most likely jumping for joy. My current word count is 5200/50,000. With this in mind, I decided to post a few pictures of our newest family member.

My wife was able to get these shots with her phone-camera.


Yes, we have a dork cat...