ToxicLabRat

wreathmania 2003..

Thanks to Steve, I can retrieve last year's wreath that was destroyed in my hard drive crash of 2003. Must say, it looks none the worse for wear. A little water, and it will be just fine.. Steve is such a sweetie, isn't he??? p.s. I back everything up now...

A good read....

In today's New York Post, Liz Smith writes a very interesting piece...
She writes of things I never knew, and some things that will astound.

Purr Greetings..

Lily Rose just wanted to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas. She was patient enough to let the Santa Hat rest on her head.She is hanging out in front of a "vintage" Christmas Tree. I made the ornaments about 30 years ago. And if you look real close, you will see this it isn't a Christmas Tree at all, but some sort of plastic bush. But, it is the thought that counts around the Christmas season, right?

This is just so cute!

These are my most requested

These are my most requested cookies!

They are a rich, buttery cookies with fudge centers, dipped in semi-sweet chocolate and sprinkles and finally dipped in confectioner's sugar!! Yummee!!
And then, they are placed in a really neat cookie box:

I then wrap the box in plastic decorator's film, tie with a thick ribbon, and place a sticker on it that says: "Happy Holidays, HomeMade Cookies by Donna" on it!
(I think I outdid myself this year...!)

Here in the North East,

Here in the North East, we usually get some pretty strange requests during the Holidays. The other day, I heard that some schools in New York are refusing to hire a Santa unless he says, "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". To refer to Christmas in anyway would be some sort of religious statement. The news interviewed a Santa Claus outside of a school. He said "If this Santa Claus can't say "Merry Christmas", you get no Santa Claus!", and he walked out of the school. Also mentioned in the news segment was the decrease in demand for Santa Claus' this year....

Well, I took LilyRose to see Santa Claus. And he said "Merry Christmas". And the earth didn't swallow us up, and we weren't struck by lighting...
See you next year, Santa!!
And Have A Very, Very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!

Burnin' them Cd's..

I have been burning some Christmas tunes. Included in one CD are:
"Father Christmas" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer;
"This Christmas" by Donnie Hathaway;
"River" by Joanie Mitchell;
"I saw 3 Ships a'Sailing" by Marienne Faithful;
"Grown Up Christmas List" by Natalie Cole;
"Down in the Depths" by Lisa Stansfield;
"Jolly, Holly Christmas" by Burl Ives; and
"Carole of the Bells" by David Foster.
Not bad tunes for driving in the congested areas of NJ, especially during this Holiday Time!
This particular CD helped me maintain my cool this morning when a little kid riding a bike almost ran into my car. I stopped the car, and waved him on. He looked at me and said "Get Goin' you F***ing B***h"...
It was a good thing I happened to be listening to "We Need A Little Christmas" at that particular time.
What was that kid doing out at 10am on a Monday morning anyway? School is still in session around here....

FINALLY!!!! HOORAY!!!!!

Well, this is one down and quite a few others to go..but at least One Big Fish is caught (apologies to fish)!!!

Support during times of need:

Its nice to have people to depend on and educate you: Thank you, Dan!
It is also nice to have a place to goto one night a week every month: The Transplant Support Group in my area. This group has been established for 3 years, yet my nephrologist never told me about it! Even though I asked him, and several other doctors if there was a support group in my area.
Well, now I have one. And I will help in any way I can. One way is to increase Donor Card Sign Ups. Another is to get the word out that there is a support group in my area. It is very grass roots, and not-for-profit. Which is okay by me.
I met a lovely couple last night. She is giving her kidney to him on December 23. She is scared. He is scared. But I think they will make it. She is a living donor, and that increases the odds.
Such great heroes out there, and no one really knows. There is no special report on TV about them. No Movie-of-the-Week. No Oscar. No Emmy.
But they are the stuff of which you remember.
The Love.
The Belief.
The Gift Of Life...

Peaceful Feelings...

just had to post my favorite Holiday Painting again this year:
Le Repose En Egypte,by Luc Olivier Merson...
This is so peaceful to me....

updates...

My Thanksgiving could have been much better. I was down and out with some kind of strange flu disease. Except I didn't have a fever. But I did have a headache and my brain was "hot". It took about 5 days to feel better, and I now think that I may have nipped it in the bud. I hate being sick, I do not have any time to be sick...
Needless to say, my walking gourd geese did not even look right to send over to my sister's for the Holiday. They wouldn't stay up,and looked quite unhealthy, which was the way I felt when I was making them. So, they were chucked..
School is over,and I got an A. The other 7 students have 4 more projects to do, and two weeks to do it. It will be difficult. But, that's their problem. They wouldn't give me the time of day, and I could have helped them with a few things. I offered my services to two students, and I was "accepted" to help them. Now, I'm gone. I am very sure they will do very well without me. If this class was any indication of future leadership by way of the lack of interest in just about everything done by the students, we are in big trouble...
So I'm decorating the house, and buying some presents. It is very cold today in NJ with some snow showers.
Buddy the Feral Cat update: I thought he was getting better with his front paw, but now he is hopping around on three legs again. He hasn't eaten in two days, although he has lots of food, both wet and dry to eat. I put a blanket in his "doghouse" in case he gets cold. Hubby left for work at 3am today, and saw Buddy walking around. I haven't seen him at all today,and the food is untouched.
When I went to get the mail out of the mailbox, a big plastic bag with a brown liquid was hanging out. I thought somebody had placed buddy in the mailbox. (this is true, it just goes with my train of thought lately...). I very gingerly pulled the plastic bag out of the mailbox to only discover that it is some sort of arbor tree mailed to hubby.....
Sometimes, I wish he would just tell me what he orders. I have no idea what this liquidy tree is. Something tells me I am better off not knowing.....