We had a guest living here!

Last Sunday night…..while in the need of something sweet or chocolaty…..I was digging in the pantry. I heard something move. Was it me? Did I bump into something? I looked around….saw the bittersweet baking chocolate had been nibbled. Was someone else looking for chocolate? I called Blake in…..pointed to where I heard the noise. He moved the boxes and out jumped…….A VERY LARGE RAT!!!!!! Blake grabbed the metal kitchen tongs and after a bit of effort was able to grab him. He was headed to the back door to set him free……Kate and I screamed and as he opened the door….Harry decided to help by jumping and barking. Our visitor jumped out of the tongs and ran around the kitchen with Blake, Will and Harry chasing him. (Kate and I were hiding in the den….watching thru the glass door). He ran up under the cabinet.  No way to get him.

We went to sleep….thinking that he was either gone or locked in the kitchen. WRONG! In the middle of the night….Lucy, the kitty, had a couple run-arounds with him in our bedroom. Kate, who was sleeping with us, and I decided….that was it….we were sleeping in the guest house.

The next morning….I left all the doors open…hoping he would be on his way. Nope! Will found him hiding in the corner of his room. We tried several times to “sweep” him out the door to freedom….but, he wanted to stay. Kate and I spent a couple more nights sleeping in the guest house….and a very happy night at a hotel with the Brownies at Disneyland.

Here is a picture of Will….dressed for battle….kitchen oven mitts, baseball bat and a milk carton cut….ready to catch him. I think that the hat is for confidence! He decided to name him Roscoe!

Lucy sat outside Will’s door for hours waiting for a chance to get inside and take care of it!

Kate would not leave my side! The only way she was comfortable was sitting on the kitchen counter….which she did for hours. FINALLY….after 4 days and many sitings of Roscoe…..he met his demise with a mousetrap. We tried to get him to leave peacefully…..but, I think he liked the accommodations at the Whitney residence! RIP….Roscoe.  Hope you find a large pantry full of all the chocolate bars you desire in Rat Heaven.

P.S……while we were on the “Rat Hunt”…..we discovered this site!

This is why Will is always out of his white socks! While he relaxes watching TV….it is easier to drop his socks behind the sofa….rather than carefully place them in the laundry hamper. That is Lucy’s toy mouse in the photo….perfect….right?

Kate’s Room!

Kate FINALLY has a girlie room!  There is ALOT going on in there. She loves to collect things at the Flea Market with me….so we needed lots of shelves for her collections. She decided on a Fairies/Woodland Creatures (Deer, Owls, Toadstools) theme with a kind of 60’s color palette. Lots of hot pink and lime green. We kind of worked with the furniture we had and just added new knobs and accessories. Like Will’s room most items came from Target, Ikea, Flea Markets and Garage Sales.

We searched many flea markets for a shelf that would fit perfectly between the two windows. When we found this one it was a ugly brown/walnut color. Kate looked at it with a frown on her face and I said we could paint it any color she wanted. We headed to Michaels and she picked out this bright HOT pink color…..and I love it. 

The curtains are a vintage tablecloth we found at a Flea Market….I added some fabric on the ends to make it fit the existing knobs.

Here is another shelf with her Tinkerbell and Peter Pan collection.

We have been collecting cute painted flower hooks from the flea markets…and they are perfect for her scarves and bags. We made the cute tags from a download I purchased from this site.

We found this lamp with a cute pink shade at Target and hot-glued flowers from Ikea onto it.

Here is her desk….we bought a new hot pink chair for $20 from Ikea…..doll Emily is proudly displayed by Kate. She is collecting Dream Pets (the stuffed animals on the top shelf)….I love her new bumper sticker from the Renegade Craft Show.

We found this cute “bed in a bag” set from Target online…..came with darling sheets with little owls and flowers on them. Kate uses the top bunk as her “Reading Nook” and to store ALL of her stuffed animals and dolls.

Next to her bed she has all of her American Girl Doll Furniture….perfect place to sit and play with them. I found the cute flower rug at Home Goods.

Here is the Ribbon Chandelier….Kate and I made. We tied ribbon and strands of beads (that Kate put together) onto a wire wreath form that Blake attached to the ceiling fan.

Finally….I love this photo of Lucy relaxing on Kate’s CD player…..chatting with Ziggy….the Guinea Pig.

Hummingbird Update!

Last evening our little friend was missing….did he fly away? I didn’t think so….because Mama Bird kept hovering around. When I was watering, she got very upset when I tried to water near the nest.  Hmmmm….so I turned the water off and Kate and I very slowly and quietly walked over to that area. Mama Bird……kept hovering and then she slowly headed down behind the bushes and showed us right where Baby Bird was. Blake lifted him back up in his hand and he sat right on his finger for his bedtime snack.

Our Little Hummingbird Friend!

We have been watching a hummingbird nest up in our tree for the last month or so……and everytime we walked by it to go to the garage…..we would be “buzzed” by the Mama Hummingbird. Later we found that there were two babies in the nest. Last week….Blake noticed that one of the babies was on the ground under the nest…..so he carefully placed him back in the nest. Later that day, the kids and I found him down below again (Blake had placed a drop-cloth under the nest)…..so I gently put him back in……but the next time we looked he was back on the ground. We are not sure if he was falling out or pushed out by the Mama bird. When Blake came home, he made a little “nest” for him with tissue inside a small bowl and set it into one of our hanging plants near the nest.. Our friend, Mrs. Doolittle suggested that we try to feed him sugar water with a medicine dropper. So, that night, Blake gave it a try and the little guy drank it up.

So….we have been feeding him several times a day……Kate loves to take care of him.

She carefully lets the sugar water just barely drip of the dropper and he gobbles it up.

Even Harry was interested. Last night we came home late and our little friend was gone…..we hoped he had flown away with Mama Bird…..who still buzzes us everytime we feed him.

But, this morning…..there he was just sitting on the edge of the bowl…..waiting patiently for his breakfast.

Harry!

Harry….Harry….Harry! What can I say? Many of you know that I’ve had my challenges with this guy…..mostly involving FOOD. His latest folly is to open the refrigerator door and steal food. He will hover in the kitchen while I am making dinner…..watching carefully every time I open the fridge door….to spy what is in there. Then when I am distracted and leave the room he will quickly open the door and grab the pizza or other treat off the bottom shelf and RUN!!!!! I have been known to chase Harry around the kitchen table with a stick of salami in his mouth. He will dash to one side of the table….as I come to that side….he bolts to the other side.  There is no catching him….as he gobbles the whole stick in one gulp. So now I have decided to try to catch him in the act on video.

Here I am watching him from the dining room behind the beveled glass door. Alas….I get caught.

But, while I am trying to film him in the act….Will comes home! I thought that this was very sweet…..OK….that is why I love Harry…..he adores the kids and they him….he greats them everyday as they come home from school…..rolls over on his belly for a tummy rub……and yes…..pees!

Homework Time!

As I’ve mentioned before….Will’s Middle School Homework has been a bit daunting this year….lots of projects, lots of tests, just all around LOTS!  IT never fails that he has help from Lucy the cat. She still doesn’t understand that sitting right on top of what you are working on….is NOT helping. But, her moral support is greatly appreciated.