Kitty problem solved

After putting out a plea for help with the kitty meowing at random times inside my house problem, the solution was oh, so simple.

All I had to do was turn off the volume on my computer's speakers.

Turns out, someone on my IM list has a cat's meow sound when they sign in or out of IM.

So much for putting tuna out in my garage...

Anyway, I felt like a doofus, but I sure am relieved to not have a cat stuck in my home.

Kitty crisis

It seems like every couple of days, something will go wrong at the house...

One of my dogs will conduct a successful trashcan raid or rip the stuffing out of a toy and scatter white fuzz all around the house, or something will start leaking or an appliance will squeak... just about any of these things disturbs the domestic tranquility...

But here's a new one.

We keep hearing a cat meowing.

It started last night and has continued into the morning. Every few hours, a meow or two. But I can't figure out where it's originating. Obviously from a cat, but I can't tell if it's somehow stuck inside my house (although I think the dogs would have taken care of that problem), inside the garage, which is enclosed and hasn't been open since Saturday, or outside somewhere. Each time it happens, I go to all the doors and check to see if I can see anything... but I'm not having any luck finding this misplaced kitty.

Anyone have a suggestion on how to 1) Find it and 2) Get rid of it?

Post-Christmas chatter

It's the first day after Christmas and "Lifestyles Land" is back and in rare form. We're tired and cranky and some of us would actually rather be here than at home.

Although most of our Christmas celebrations went off without a hitch, I think we've all taken about as much insanity as we can possibly handle.

Allison (Assistant Lifestyles Editor) has dealt with noisy kid toys and pondered why a barn her son received doesn't have a place for the sheep, which were included in the set. She was, however, super-excited about the stuffed Yoda her husband bought her and the slightly off-kilter magnets her sister gave her.

Cherish (Reporter) announced that she got the most fabulous set of pots and pans ever. (FYI, I'm more than a little jealous.)

I, however, was quite excited over the gift of a Belgian waffle maker. Yay! I tried it out on Christmas morning... my first attempt stuck to the maker and came out in little fluffy chunks. This, of course, was at 7 a.m. (not the best time of day for me) and had a little freakout moment. My sister, who got one last Christmas and who is, by now, an old pro at making them, notified me that I didn't use enough nonstick cooking spray. I'll know that for next time...

My mother also did me the kindness of purchasing a new dining room table and chairs for my house... I was a little concerned beforehand because mom's style is very ornate, while mine is a little more "Pottery Barn," but she did a great job picking it out and I like it. (BTW, thanks mom!)

At any rate, I think all of us in the corner had a pretty good holiday...

Until next time, enjoy your own gifts!