Kittens + "big sister" cat + Christmas stuff = A HUGE MESS

I was so proud of myself. All of my shopping is done, my Christmas tree is up, my stockings are up, they have items in them, all of my presents are wrapped and under the tree. All that is left is to go to the store today to get a couple of items for Christmas Eve that would have perished in the fridge had I got them last weekend and kept them in the fridge.

My tree is still up, but it's been climbed at least half a dozen times, Willow with the help of Abbie, or maybe it's Abbie with the help of Willow have taken apart the bottom 1/4 of the tree for me, apparently so I can get a jump on taking it down after Christmas.

I have a card sitting in the tree from my Mom with a Do Not Open Until Christmas note on it. The game is apparently to try and knock that card down and then chew on it because instead of a cat and kitten I apparently have large mutant fuzzy hamsters that like to shred paper.

One of the gifts I got for Jim came in a really pretty box already decorated, but they made a mistake. The packing wrap inside is paper shreds folded up like zesty strip things. I have said gift sealed but somehow the mutant hamsters have figured out a way to pull these paper shreds out and have scattered them all.over.the.living.room.

2 of the bows for presents for his family are MIA, they took down Jim's stocking from the wall above the fireplace. I think this was in an attempt to get their own stocking down because there is toys and catnip in it. I wasn't sure how they managed to do this since the stockings are pretty high for these mutant hamsters to get to. I finally saw mutant hamster Willow do it this morning. He gets on my rocking chair I have had since I was a girl that has a cute Santa Paws in it and perches on the top of it then rocks it back against the wall next to the fireplace and bats at the wall and stockings as best he can until he gets one.

Once they take the stocking down it's like beating a pinata, they have emptied the contents of his stocking all over the living room with the paper shreds.

I also found 2 presents that need some rewrapping because they've taken the edges off.

A friend of mine said that this is just their way of decorating for the holidays. *Sigh*

Merry Christmas! I hope that your mutant hamsters are behaving :)

Baby steps

I just finished reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover book last night for the second time and I am ready to make this work for me.

It won't happen overnight, I am resigned to that, but I made the first step several years ago by having a plastectomy as Dave calls it (cutting up my credit cards) and never did much after that. I made the first step toward baby step 1, setting up a baby emergency fund, I don't have the full amount in it yet but I just started it tonight!

It's a small step but it's a step in the right direction and it makes me feel wonderful!

If anyone reads this and is tired of the way they are living with their finances I recommend this book, get it from the library or buy it used on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com if you are ready to make a change this book will help you do it!

Blessings

Blessings come in many ways, shapes, and forms. I am a believer in "you do good things and good things happen" and once again I am blown away by love, warmth, friendship, caring, and generosity of people.

I want to thank each of you but I don't know how to express the words and I cannot wait for the day when I can pay forward the love and generosity that has been bestowed on me. Thank you.