Surviving Christmas with a Maine Coon Kitten

Surviving Christmas With A Maine Coon Kitten

See our Christmas tree?  

Oh, the garland, the lights, and handmade salt dough ornaments from years gone by.  How I wish I could tell you this is how our tree looks this year.

I could tell you that.  

But, it wouldn't be true.

You see, last year our Maine Coon kitten was only a few months old.  Patches was still fascinated with toys on the floor.  The laser pointer was a gift from heaven.

This year, it's a different story.

Can your see the gray and white blob jut under my husbands arm?  

Yeah, that's a 13 pound kitten in our tree!

(Wait!  But, didn't you say she was a kitten last year?

And, how can a kitten be 13 pounds?)

Well, you see Maine Coons stop growing around age 3.  And, since they are a very large breed of cat, you wind up with a rambunctious ball of  kitty energy with mass enough to do some real damage.  For. Three. Years.

Spray bottles do not deter them.

Maine Coon cats love water.  

Seriously.

This year we simply can't keep her out of the tree.  We gave up on the garland and lights a few weeks ago.  One by one it became evident that even the inexpensive ornaments didn't stand a chance of staying on the boughs.

We really couldn't imagine a Christmas without our salt dough ornaments so I dug out my Command Strip box.  (No, 3M isn't giving me a penny for this post.  And, yes, I really do have a box full of little plastic hooks of all shapes and sizes.)

I wanted the hooks or our faux tree to be somewhat even but I was too lazy to pull out a ruler.  So, I used a Post-It Note to space them out.  (Seriously, why are they not a sponsor of my blog?  Even our stocking are held up with Command Strip hooks.)

And, voila! We have a tree.  Don't you love that backwards letter E right above Rudolph?  And, check out that fireplace which has been hot glued together time after time.

Our Ornament Tree is truly the closest we can get this year and we're OK with that.  After all, Christmas isn't about the gifts, or even the tree or salt dough ornaments.  It's about being with those you love and appreciating the time you have with them.  And, sometimes...when she's napping...even appreciating a 13 pound Maine Coon kitten named Patches.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Pretty. Simple.

Pretty. Simple.

Do you still have presents to wrap?

Frustrated with thin wrapping paper tearing all the time?

Is your budget tighter than Grandma's Christmas sweater?
 ~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

This has been our standby for 3 years now.
And, I love it!

Dollar Tree craft paper!

No joke. 

Thick, wonderful, festive red gingham wrapping paper...

For a buck!

Not a fan of gingham?
Around here the Dollar Tree also has craft paper with red balloons,
or black paw prints, or white lacy flowers.

(BTW, Dollar Tree has no idea I'm mentioning them.
Not getting a penny for the plug.
I just love their paper and want the world to know it.)

How are you bringing inexpensive style to your Christmas this year?

Tell us!

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Creating Family Traditions. (Doing Less, Doing More)

  Creating Family Traditions

Let me start by explaining that ours is not a traditional family.
And, yes, I am referring to the fact that we like to crawl through the cavates at Bandalier National Monument. And, can't help ourselves so we just right in to keep the World's Largest Bat from falling. (We're nice that way.)

And, yes, we might have made a Christmas Pez Tree - replete with Santa Yoda Bobble-Head.
And it was really fun!

Yes, we might have turned our kitchen into a Jimmy John's.
But, it's seriously. cool.

No, when I say we aren't traditional, I  mean that we got married in our 40s and we are making new family traditions!  I mentioned in our Untangling Christmas post how our focus is less - less stress, less gifts, less chaos.     We are also doing more.   More intentionality. More giving.  More focus.
More family traditions.

It's funny, the 15 year old didn't think we had any traditions - until we started to decorate and he realized that "this GOES here."  It just does.  Like, the little bronze bell that hangs from our tree like an ornament.  It goes on the bottom branch to the cat can play with it. 

Then there's the Santa and Mrs. Claus animated stuffed...thing.  It was my mom's.  (She used to have her home filled with animated Christmas dolls.  Some huge, some smaller.  Most of them stopped working long ago.  Yet, this one remains.)  You press the button and Santa snores while Mrs. Claus sings "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" in Dat-da-da da's.  Our tradition?  If someone presses the button we all have to sing along.  Or, snore.  Either one, really.  It's just something we DO.

The Pez Tree?  Yep, that's a tradition.
We did that tree the first year and last year we did the green M&M  wreath above.  (Sorry for the yucky nighttime photo...it's from our Cafe D Facebook page last year.) I'm not sure if we are going to do a candy creation this year - but we might.  Because it's a tradition :)

Each year we go to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.  We visit the exhibits and take a pretty family picture next to the BIG tree.  Then we take a completely goofy pic.  Can we be real here? It's expensive.  And, finding a whole day without obligations can be a little awkward.   But, it's worth it.  We value it.  It's tradition.

Traditions should be fun - not a burden.

I know that might seem simple.  It felt pretty strange typing something so obvious.  Yet, sometimes traditions are continued just for the sake of carrying it on - sometimes LONG past when it was fun.  Or, maybe convenient.  Or, even appreciated.

My challenge for myself this year is to listen to my tone.  If I say, "And, THEN we HAVE TO..." I want to stop for a second.  "We have to..." Hmm.  Do we?  Can we choose not to?  Can we do it this year, make the most of it, then stop doing it?  Did it used to be fun and now it's not?  Would it be fun again if we did it every couple of years?  Perhaps never is too soon.

It's time for some new traditions in our home.
I think I want to find a something tasty for breakfast for Christmas morning.   I'll check our Pinterest boards - I'm sure something on the Brunch board will be perfect!

And, I think I'm gonna see what how the fam feels about having OUR Christmas before we head out of town.  That way, if anyone gets any *cough* new PJs *cough* we can wash em and wear em right away.  Also, it means that we won't rush through our Christmas when we get back.  It's been having a little "last and least important" feel to me...and I think that's just because we are tired from traveling when we've been opening our gifts.

This year Chex Mix came up in a few different conversations.  My husband used to make it at the holidays years ago.  We have tons of Chex right now because it was $1.88 a box - even less with coupons, so I stocked up.  So, this weekend we made Chex Mix.  That might end up a tradition, might not.  We'll see if we enjoy it next year or if just gets to be "one more thing on the list."

If so, we'll toss that one off right OFF the list!

Oh, I almost forgot!  I need your help!     We love listening to audio books when we travel.  This year I was thinking of getting a Christmasy story for the road.  We might just grab Dickens and listen to A Christmas Carol. I'd LOVE hearing any other suggestions you might have!!

How about you?
What traditions  do you love?
What traditions would you like to ditch? ~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~ 
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Handheld Vintage Memories

Happy Easter and Passover
From Cooking at Cafe D
As a child I loved these birds.
To a little girl, they were solid gold!

They are salt and pepper shakers, said to be from my yia-yia - Greek grandmother. They are quite heavy. When the heads are screwed off (pleasant imagery, no?) the metal is a dull silvery color - lead or pewter, perhaps?

Due to the weight, I'd guess lead.
I'm note sure if these came over from Greece in the 1900's or not, but they're mighty old. I'm sure that many a family meal had a side of lead to them. Oh, well.

Still, I cherish them.
Happy little birds... I remember from my childhood.

Do you have a household object that brings a happy memory?
Share with us!

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Martini Madness 3: The Minty Marshmallow

It's almost New Year's Eve!
Are you ready for our third installment of Martini Madness?!

Today we have an original concoction.
We call it...

The Minty Marshmallow!

1.5 oz. Marshmallow Vodka*
1.5 oz. Peppermint Mocha creamer
.5 oz. Buttershots

* We used Pinnacle, but Smirnoff makes a delicious "Fluffed Marshmallow," too.

Shake in a Boston shaker with a little crushed ice.
This is perfect as a cocktail over the rocks, too.

For a little extra chocolate love,
you could line the glass like with did in The Perfect Pumpkin Martini.

Check out our whole series.

Martini Madness #1 - The Perfect Pumpkin Martini
Martini Madness #2 - The Gingerbread Martini
Martini Madness #3 - The Minty Marshmallow

Linking up to:

What Was in Your Stocking? Here's What I Got...

Folks know that I'm a vintage loving gal.
And, while I adore many true vintage pieces,
I also have a penchant for retro reproductions.

And, of course, chocolate doesn't stink...

Dear husband surprised me with vintage style candies in my Christmas stocking!

What did you get in yours?
Press the purple button below and share :)

Our Christmas Message To You!

Dear friends,
Well, it's upon us.
It's Christmas - what many of us have been longing for.

With the new year approaching I got to thinking about the past year.
It's been a good one.

Our blog has undergone design changes.
And, we've clarified our mission!

At Cooking at Cafe D we are frugal with the pennies - lavish with the love.
Providing tasty meals and decor tips - with a focus on the family.

And, we created categories for you, like "How Tasty" and "How Organized" and lined them all up in the sidebar.

Many folks connected with us on our facebook page, twitter, and it's been wonderful sharing pins with you on pinterest!

We tried our hand at homemade ravioli and found it good. (But, it wasn't quick as easy as when we tried spaetzle. Somehow we managed to announce the colors for our new kitchen - yet never posted it. D'oh! (Adding to my to do list..)

We survived a Chicago Snowpocaclypse. We started our Featured Artist Friday with interviews and giveaways. Gosh, how I adore those artists! (We haven't had one of those for a while. Keep an eye out next year, you just never know!)

Oh, and speaking of Giveaways, we were excited and honored to host a dress giveaway from the wonderful folks at Shabby Apple.

Our Friday FREE-FOR-ALL! has given YOU a chance to shine - showing us your recipes, decor & craft tutorials and even teachable moments. I just love featuring your work!

Together, we learned 25 ways to wear a scarf and a quick tip on how to be sure your email address is easy to find when you comment.

In October, we began our 31 Day Series 31 Minutes to a More Organized Life. (This series changed my life. Really. Not only did it make me buckle down and write each day, it also made me realize how much I really want to share with you - and learn from you, too.)

Our first couple of drinks were featured in Martini Madness - and we've got more in the wings for you!

And, we rounded things off with our Christmas Home Tour 2011 so you could see our handmade and vintage ornaments...and our faux mantle :)

Looking back has made me MORE EXCITED THAN EVER to have you here. And, I can't wait to bring many more tips and recipes to you in 2012.

From our family to yours,
May God Bless you.
Have a very merry Christmas!



Linking up to:

We Have a WInner! (Was it You?!)

We have a...Winner!

This lovely Boogie Woogie dress will soon be on it's way to...

Kelly D. Saver! *ding* *ding*

(I honestly thought that was the name of a fun website offering frugal fare.
Apparently it's a real name. How cool is that?!)

Kelly, I've sent you an e-mail so we can get your pertinent info.

Don't forget!
Just for our readers -
Use coupon code CafeD10off and
Get 10% off your Shabby Apple order right now!

(As they say on TV - It's for a limited time, don't delay.)