Tuesday 31 January 2012

Chili

My favourite food to make? Chili.

Chili

Monday 30 January 2012

Another exciting evening at home

Chloe

Sunday 29 January 2012

Scenes from packing

Today I got rid of an old dresser in my closet. I think I've had it since the '80's. Hermione was very curious as I took the drawers out.

Hermione is curious

Hermione is curious

Something I learned this week - bubble wrap comes in pink.

Pink bubble wrap

My red dress

Red dress

Once upon a time, the Bloggess wore a red dress and felt magical. She sent it forth to travel the globe, to bring joy to every woman who wears it.

Now, she's sending out more dresses. And encouraging us to reach into our closets and share our red dresses. They don't even have to be red. They just need to make a woman feel special when she wears it. And also, they should be photographed wearing it. Many photographers are offering their services for free.

I wished that I could perhaps receive one of the dresses. And then I remembered packing dresses this week for my move next month. I remembered that I have a red dress!

I bought it in October, 2009. Our team at work had changed Halloween themes at the last minute, to "Zombie prom", and I needed a prom dress I could trash. I was in Edmonton, spending my first Thanksgiving with my newly discovered half-sister (more on that story to come later!) and her family. My niece and I went to Value Village.

There were only two prom dresses for my size. I grabbed them both and headed to the changing room. I put on a red and black dress first, looked at myself in the mirror and thought, "I can't trash this dress for Halloween'" I walked out of the dressing room and I knew from the expression on my niece's face that the dress looked damn good on me.

So the other dress got trashed for my Halloween outfit. I wore the red dress once - at the annual office Christmas party. My sister was my guest.

Red dress

2009-1120party2

I felt lovely that night wearing the dress, and I've never worn it since. I have no occasion to. Except for now. I'm about to buy my first home, and this warrants me getting dressed up all fancy, and getting photographed. As you can see, my eyes are closed in one of the shots! I want better pictures than that!

Red dress

Saturday 28 January 2012

Where did my kitten go?

Look at how long Hermione is now!

Where did my kitten go?

Moving preparations continue. I'm trying to hire a petsitter to move the cats, while I stay here and deal with moving. I want the cats to be safe, and to be out of the movers' way (and I'm sure they want that too!)

Aw :-(

Calgary Zoo lion dies following surgery

In the lion enclosure

In the lion enclosure

I'm glad I got to see him and photograph him one last time. He was 16 years old and died of heart failure after surgery to remove his cancerous spleen.

Friday 27 January 2012

Photo of the Day

Photo of the Day by angelamermaid
Photo of the Day, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I'm having so much fun on pinterest tonight, I'm finding so many great decorating ideas.

Thursday 26 January 2012

Presents

Presents by angelamermaid
Presents, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Someone who knows me well sent my first housewarming presents!

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Cat In A Box

The kitties are wondering why I keep bringing boxes home (we're moving!)

Cat in a box

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Candy!

Candy! by angelamermaid
Candy!, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
My coworkers brought me some goodies from a UK import shop!

Monday 23 January 2012

Photo of the Day

Tim Horton's has introduced a new larger cup and renamed all of their other cup sizes.

This is not my normal large English Toffee!

Timmy's

I may be ordering medium from now on.

Hell yeah!

How Return of the Jedi should have ended.

Sunday 22 January 2012

Laundry Day

She's "helping" me separate the lights from the darks.

Laundry Day

Saturday 21 January 2012

So Much Cute

I am getting some stuff accomplished today ... but I keep getting distracted.

So much cute

The Cute Goes On

How am I supposed to get ready for our move next month, with this much cute around?

The cute goes on

Favourite artwork

Favourite artwork by angelamermaid
Favourite artwork, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
By Echo Chernik

Friday 20 January 2012

Star Wars - Fans Pay Tribute

This is the result of a three year project - fans recreated Star Wars: A New Hope, 15 seconds at a time. The results were stitched into the movie below.

The creativity that went into this is amazing. There are so many different kinds of animation. There are child actors. There are house pets as actors. There are Lego and Pez dispensers and sock puppets.

Some people pay careful, detail-oriented homage. Some went for the fromage. Some wore Star Trek uniforms. It's amazing.

Thursday 19 January 2012

Almost Lethally Cute

Almost lethally cute

Photo of the Day

I need to face facts. Hermione is going to be a fluffy cat. After all of Comet's matting problems, I swore I'd never have another long-haired cat again.

I'll just start brushing her regularly. Also, how cute is she? I love how she curls her paws when she sleeps.

Hermione

She continues to be bouncy and the picture of good health. She must think dark thoughts about the fellow cat lover who gave me an invaluable tip about giving liquid medication - lift her by the scruff so she can't fight back. :-)

Wednesday 18 January 2012

The layered look is very fashionable in Calgary

Bundled up

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Reunited and it feels so good

Reunited

Hermione is all bouncy-bouncy and lovey-dovey and acts like she wasn't sick. She thinks I should stop giving her the antacid medication. I think we'll continue with it as directed, even though it is No Fun for either of us.

Monday 16 January 2012

Happy endings

Poor Charlie. He saw the vomit in the bathroom when I took Hermione away. He was upset when I came home without her. He pined for his little buddy.

Charlie

He was right there to greet Hermione when I brought her home. He keeps seeking her out and licking her head. He's freaking adorable.

The vet I spoke with today luuuuuurves Hermione. He described himself as a big Harry Potter geek. He said she was his favourite patient today and he'd totally take her home given the chance. I said that wasn't going to happen. :-)

Seriously, Hermione charms many people. They love her markings and her spunky personality. I was told that several of the clinic staff wanted to steal her away. So I took her home as quickly as possible. (And I left the car running the whole time that I was paying for her and getting medication instructions etc, as it was a -33 windchill today.)

We're glad to have her home.

Hermione

Photo of the Day - Jan 15 2012

In all of the sick kitten drama I forgot to post this here. It's an alstromeria and I was worried that Hermione might have nibbled on it. So far, her blood tests indicate she didn't ingest a toxic flower. Flowers

Good news!

Another vet called this morning and said that Hermione is eating very well now, and she can come home this afternoon! He's going to do one more round of blood tests to confirm that her organs are working fine and she probably didn't nibble on the bouquet. The bouquet in question is up high, but I'm still going to throw it out and rethink my habit of buying myself fresh flowers. Or upgrade to roses.

The vet also complimented Hermione's colouring and markings. And her name - it's kind of a Harry Potter litmus test. Anyone knows the books or movies loves her name. Everyone else can't pronounce Hermione. :-)

I visited her last night and personality-wise, she was her usual self. And very glad to see me. There were lots of purrs and head-butts. She had a mini-cone on, so she wouldn't remove the bandage on her paw to hold the IV needle. She'll be glad to be rid of that.

Hermione - the birthday girl

Sunday 15 January 2012

My baby

Hermione I took Hermione to the emergency vet at 1 am, because she'd vomited three times yesterday, and wasn't interested in food. She may have eaten part of a flower - a lily or Alstromeria or carnation, based on what was in a bouquet. Right now, her bloodwork does not indicate the kind of kidney damage the vet would expect to see if she had eaten a poison plant. Her white blood cell count is high. After two x-rays, the vet isn't convinced Hermione has a foreign body in her tummy, but it hasn't been ruled out yet. Neither she or the other vet think surgery should be done now. They'll keep her on the IV and antibiotics and probably do an ultrasound tomorrow for a clearer picture. I'm a nervous wreck. She just turned five months old. I adopted her three months ago. I'm going to go in and see her tonight.

Saturday 14 January 2012

Photo of the Day + bonus

Packing, Day One.
Packing, Day One

The cats are freaked out by my sorting through items, placing them in boxes or in a garbage bag. None of them have moved with me before, they don't know what it means.
Hermione observes

Photo session

I love her.
2012-0113Hermione01

Hermione is growing so fast!
2012-0113Hermione02

But she is still a kitten.
2012-0113Hermione03

And a mighty huntress!
2012-0113Hermione04

I'm smitten with this kitten.
2012-0113Hermione05


Thursday 12 January 2012

Guess who turned five months old today?

Hermione

I remember when she could easily fit in my camera bag.
Little Miss Hermione

I didn't try to replicate the shot - I just put a treat inside of the bag. :-)
Hermione

She's got big changes coming up - the snip-snip on February 1, then a move to a bigger home!
Hermione

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Comfort food

Comfort food by angelamermaid
Comfort food, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Cinnamon raisin toast, with homemade butter.

Free Will Astrology

"That in a person which cannot be domesticated is not his evil but his goodness," said the writer Antonio Porchia. I invite you to keep that challenging thought close to your heart in the coming days, Pisces. In my astrological opinion, it is an excellent moment to tune in to your wildest goodness -- to describe it to yourself, to cherish it as the great treasure it is, to foster it and celebrate it and express it like a spring river overflowing its banks.

Pisces.

Fotoshop by Adobé

A hilarious, and very honest, look at the fashion and cosmetics industries' quest for perfection. The filmmaker discusses it here.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Worse for Wear

The book is dry now, after the mishaps of Sunday night.
Worse for wear

It took over two rolls of paper towels and the fan in the background to get it like this.
Not great

Net step - keep something heavy on it for the next couple of days. It's a good book, I want to finish it!

Monday 9 January 2012

Lion cup

Lion cup by angelamermaid
Lion cup, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I'm not taking this with em when I move. Do I throw it out or donate it?

Wet book

Wet book by angelamermaid
Wet book, a photo by angelamermaid on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I knocked it into my bath. :-(

Sunday 8 January 2012

Planning ahead

In February, I'll be moving into a townhouse, the first home I've owned. Farewell to renting!

I've been decorating the townhouse in my mind. Yesterday, I went to Ikea for more inspiration. I don't intend to use Ikea for everything, but they have great organizational ideas, and some of the model rooms have colour palettes that I like.

By no means do I plan on redecorating the whole house at once. I'll have condo fees and more utilities to work into the budget. I'll still be setting aside money each month - the furnace will need replacing in the next few years. And I need to buy a washer and dryer. And a sofa bed.

Realistically, making everything over will take years. Because of both budget and time. That's okay. I'm going to enjoy the journey.

Phase One will be just making everything functional. Fitting my existing furniture into the spaces. With a coupon, I got two sets of curtains for under $5 each at Ikea. My apartment has blinds that came with it, so window coverings is a priority.

Phase Two will be decorating to my taste. I've always wanted a beachy cottage feel to my home. I was thinking of starting with the half-bath, since that's the smallest room. I may change my mind once I'm in the house.

Everything in the half-bath will be replaced before I take possession. I took this picture so that I would be able to visualize the space of the room.

Before

Also, once I get a good look at the backyard, I want to plan a small garden.

I also need to figure out what to do with the unfinished basement. Finishing it would be years in the future. In the short term, I want a functional and attractive laundry area. Attractive enough that I don't mind spending time down there, slaving away at the ironing board.

I've been bookmarking decorating ideas like crazy. Ikea Hackers is a great source. While looking at different sites, I stumbled upon this site Young House Love. Their colour palettes are to die for.

I looked at their wedding album. That's how I want to get married. Now I just need to find the groom.

Zoo pictures

The ruptured disc/pinched nerve took a lot of things from me. Including my stamina, and my ability to carry a heavy camera around. Consequently, my zoo membership expired because I was no longer up to carrying around the Jedi camera. And only the Jedi camera would do. Just after Christmas, I returned to the zoo, renewed my membership, and took pictures! Siberian tiger Bighorn sheep Bighorn sheep Bighorn sheep Bighorn sheep

The Rocky Mountain goats don't normally get this close to the viewers. Rocky Mountain goat
 Sometimes I just want to give them a good brushing. :-) Rocky Mountain goat Oh deer. Deer

Deer I hadn't seen the lions in a long time - their area was under renovation before. I walked over and saw this big fellow walking around, another rarity. One of the keeps was close by, and he decided to see if it was lunch time, I think. In the lion enclosure

In the lion enclosure When I first looked at the photos on my computer, after downloading, I said "Holy crap money shot!" when I saw this:
  In the lion enclosure
 That is one BIG cat!

 I spent a lot of time just tracking the lions around their enclosure and getting what shots I could. In the lion enclosure

In the lion enclosure


In the lion enclosure


In the lion enclosure


In the lion enclosure

In the lion enclosure

In the lion enclosure Eventually the lions turned their backs on the cameras and I wandered around. Ostrich

 I adore red pandas. Red panda

Siberian tiger

Siberian tiger Big pink yawn! Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard