It's been a long time since I have done this! Here are....
1. Those eyeliner pencil sharpeners. Wait, maybe it's the eyeliner pencil itself... not sure. Well, it's when I sharpen those dang pencils and the wood doesn't shave evenly, so there is a really sharp wooden point sticking out (yet camouflaged by the dark center stuff), and then I stab my delicate upper eyelid with this really sharp point and get really annoyed so I try again with the sharpener and then it just keeps shaving down my eyeliner pencil until half of it's gone, grrrrrr!! And, the wooden point is still there.
What a beautiful opportunity to practice patience and detachment from material things. It is also a time to evaluate my own vanity, reminding myself that true beauty comes from the inside (where there are also no wrinkles, which is nice).
2. Folding fitted sheets. Actually, I don't think "fold" can be the right word. What does one do to fitted sheets? "Contain"? "Flip and squish"? "Bend and tuck"? Or (as I was known to do in college), "twirl around and around until it's in a big long roll"? Can anyone explain? Does anyone know the secret? Did I miss the memo???
This is a wonderful time to remember how blessed I am even to have sheets, much less fitted sheets, much less fitted sheets that are washed and ready to be put away because I have even more sheets. May I never take that for granted.
3. We have a cat who pees on things. Things like carpets (which we got rid of and replaced with new flooring for a pretty penny), bedding (he has a particular animus toward my younger daughter), towels left on the floor (I told them to hang up their towels), and the occasional basket of laundry (ewwwww!). If you know anything about cat pee, you know it is one of the more vile fluids on earth.
I actually haven't figured out how to "grab the grace" in this particular situation. Jenny?
As for the cat pee - have the cat checked out for urinary tract infections and/or urinary crystals. It may require a dietary change (and NOT the science diet the vet's office will offer you, but rather a grain-free, high taurine, high water-content diet like all wet food Wellness). I was able to help my two male cat's struvite crystal formation with this diet.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if there is no current medical problem, there may have been in the past and now the problem has become more habit than anything else. This happened to our female cat way back when. A little Prozac went a loooong way! Not kidding! I had to give her prozac in her ear (rub it in) for a week or so, but presto-chango, no more horrible peeing habit after that! (And she was really friendly :) )
I worked at a retreat center where a sweet elderly volunteer did all the laundry. She had an amazing process for folding fitted sheets (it involved turning in the corners until you have what appears more like a flat sheet with actual corners, then folding), which I have tried time and again to replicate to no avail. I think it makes me more frustrated knowing there's a way, I just still can't do it!
ReplyDeleteAnd our cat used to pee on the carpet but when we moved she switched to the bathroom sink. MUCH easier to clean up! (I know, it's still sad. And if we move again she could pick a much less conspicuous spot!)
This is why I don't have cats.
ReplyDeleteI second Ann:) haha. I was about to suggest to just get rid of the thing...sorry for being harsh! But I sooo feel the aggravation of the folded sheets...ugh! But thank you for giving me a different outlook. From now on, I will forever think of you when folding my fitted sheets:)
ReplyDeleteAYWH: YOUR SINK? Vom! :)
ahh...the fitted sheets...my nemesis
ReplyDeletecat pee...what a great opportunity to practice unconditional love?! i'm sure to God i must seem like a cat that's just peeing over all this good stuff He gave me...ha!
ReplyDeleteThis is where I get creamed for saying this....
ReplyDeleteGet rid of the cat:)
Actually, I LOVE cats. We had 3 at the time we had Maggie but we had one in particular with a serious pee issue. Anywhere around the litter box except inside it! Grrrr. And you are right, the carpet was just never the same. There is nothing to get rid of that odor. When we pulled up that carpet to put in our floors a few months ago, I was mortified!!!!
My DH actually can fold a fitted sheet, but I can only do it if he's there.
ReplyDeleteI have the secret to folding fitted sheets! I think I learned it in a magazine or somewhere like that. It works easily every time and I can do it by myself! Ooh, I found a link - http://www.marthastewart.com/article/how-to-fold-a-fitted-sheet
ReplyDeleteAnd if my cat pee'd on stuff, I'd think very seriously about getting rid of him. As it is, my cat chews holes in things and drives me batty. He's already walking on thin ice...
Ever thought about sharpening your eye pencil with a penknife? I've never found those pencil sharpeners to work well at all...
I will never have any pets because I just don't have the patience for animal messes!
ReplyDeleteUgh cats!! I'd vote for the cat to go live on a farm.... Or something like that. Ewwwwwww. Maybe Smokey can be his roommate. :)
ReplyDeleteNot so simple about the cat. My oldest daughter (in college) is his best friends. They love each other like nobody's business. The mere suggestion of getting rid of him brings her to tears. She will take him when she moves to an apartment. Maybe a year to go...
ReplyDeleteWe can't put him outside, since he has no claws. He's been doing this for nine years (on and off) and I have had people in the know say that it is behavioral, so I am not sure the food switch will work... but I may try it! Or the Prozac! That is actually an interesting idea!
I can't wait to check the link, callmemama! Wow!
#2-somewhere some nuns know the answer b/c the retreat house I used to go to had the most amazing folded fitted sheets. I have no clue, but the nuns have the market cornered on this if they want to spill the beans for a price!
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked by all the cat haters out there!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, if the problem is behavioral, it still needs to be treated (and most likely began with a medical issue that has since gone away on its own... or may still be lingering). I'm SUCH an animal person, the mere suggestion of getting rid of a pet to me is like saying get rid of your kid if it has an accident in his pants ;) Cats can make such great pets if they are happy and healthy. It's our job as pet-owners to keep them that way!
OK, enough of my animal lover rant for today, hehe. (BTW, I love how people assume because I'm pro-life and Catholic that I'm not an animal activist. I get the WEIRDEST looks when people look at my car and see the "I Love My Pitbull" sticker, my VERY liberal college alma mater sticker... and then the "Choose Life" vanity plate. Haha, I love confusing the masses!)
And moonheads, I totally LOL'd at your comment!
ReplyDeleteI don't hate the actual cat.... Just all the stuff that goes with them... Litter box, hair, cat smell, puke. Ugh. But we could never get rid of Smokey... Doug would be so sad. :( My dogs did all that and more when I was growing up. I'm not sure how my mom put up with it.... But I'm sure it earned her some major purgatory points. :)
ReplyDeleteI second TCIE about Moonheads comment! So funny!!
I wrote a blog post on sheets not too long ago!
ReplyDeletehttp://psalm34-3.blogspot.com/2009/11/art-of-folding-towels.html
And the cat? I buy the expensive litter called Cat Attract. It's expensive and I hate to spend the m oney, but it works!!!
Is there a pattern to the cat peeing? Ours dislikes change, clutter, and a dirty litter box - and his stress reliever is apparently on peeing on things that belong to my dog. If you pay lots of attention to him when there is change; keep the clutter to a minimum (or at least give him an un-cluttered option for a place to hang out); and keep his litter box clean he does much better. It was really frustrating until we figured out what his issue was (and yep he is a laundry basket pee-er too), but once we did, it's made ALL the difference.
ReplyDeleteFitted sheets - ugh! Totally checking out Lauren's link...
My cat does that too, because I'm sometimes lazy about cleaning her litterbox. :-/
ReplyDeleteAs for sanctification... um... maybe it encourages us to ask St. Francis for prayers??
I can't do the fitted sheets either, but I did see Martha Stewart on the Today show once showing how to do It! Guess what we did with our cat when she was peeing in our laundry basket? Locked her in the bathroom with her litter box til She used it. Multiple times. And if she peed on anything else she got put in there until she used the box. After those few days she hasn't done it in several months.
ReplyDeleteI saw Martha do it too! I'm sure there is a youtube video out there of her tutorial.
ReplyDeleteI tossed my eyeliner that needed to be sharpened and got the kind that you just twist up. Makes life much easier!
Oh and our cat stays outside now! Who wants to clean cat pee? Not me!
What about little kitty diapers?
ReplyDeletethat is what is called (in our house) a cat with out a home. I threw the momma cat to my current cat OUT when she started that nonsense. She showed me though and came back pregnant!
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Barbie, I just about peed myself (myself, not the carpet), when I read that!! She was like, "Oh yeah, you barren b*itch? You're kicking ME out? I'll show you!"
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, soooo something the feral mother cat to our Simba (who we still feed and who lives outside) would do. But can't anymore since we spayed her. Now she's as barren as I am :P
BARBIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have tears in my eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So freaking hilarious! TCIE comment is perfect! hahahaha
ReplyDeleteOMGOSH! I love it, I don't do cats though. ;) I don't fold sheets. ;) I wade them up pretty and put them next to the nicely folded towels. :)
Just found your blog...what a cute post. I agree, it's all about finding God in the everyday and gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. You will find the hidden blessings in your cat, I'm sure of it. Thanks,
ReplyDeleteAndie
Oh, TCIE, it’s not about cats. I don't descriminate. I kick anyone/anything out that habitually pees on my carpet ;) If DH starts squatting on my laundry basket, he’ll get the boot, too.
ReplyDelete(I am only kidding. I love pets, believe in being committed to them, and I dealt with MANY accidents and insane vet bills with my ailing 18 year old cat, but when de passed away, I decided I needed a pet-free home for a few years.)
Barbie - you crack me up!
Pardon the typos. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteOK about the cat - THANK YOU for not getting rid of it!!! I suppose you could say I'm getting some comfort from that --- when I was about 8 my parents finally let me get a kitten (I LOVE animals and always have :)) bc they thought it might help me with nightmares/getting up at night to have a pet in the room for comfort...Well, when I was a freshman or sophomore in highschool, "PeeWee" (bad name to give him!!!) ended up starting to pee every once in a while around the house, and my mom immediately said "he's gone." So (I am honestly getting teary-eyed right now, it's pathetic) I remember giving him a hug and him HOLDING ON TO ME (seriously, my cat was gripping me with his clawless paws!) while my dad peeled him away from me to take to the humane society. My brother told me that he would likely be put down because he's "old and no one wants an old cat." WOW I am such a sap right now, I seriously have tears! It was traumatizing, to say the least. I was so upset, for years! Now I have a cat and my husband does, too, (he had her before we met, now they are "sisters";)) and they are my little "babies" :)
ReplyDeleteLong story, huh? hahaha. But maybe it'll give you more patience for the cat somehow ;) And I thought of St Francis, too...I think of him often because I do love animals so much.
Lily, my current cat, pees next to the litterbox sometimes but she just gets mad if it's dirty and hates to touch the litter. So, I have to make sure there are "litter-less" areas in the boxes, and make sure to empty the boxes, too. Picky little thing. :) She is on my lap right now, actually. :)
As for the fitted sheets, my gma folds them perfectly and several months ago the girls in my family had her sit down and show us how. haha!
I still can't get it right though! :)
I did the same as Grace in my Heart and switched to the twist-up eyeliner. Doesn't hurt me anymore. :)
Leila, you will love this.
ReplyDeletePee'ing Cat no. 1 (years ago) who pee'd all over everything, especially my newly homeschooling daughter's room... was finally removed from our life (not an easy thing to do in a St.-Francis-of-Assisi-household), This caused (is still causing) sactification in my daughter's soul. After this happened six years ago, she still hasn't forgiven me...sanctification still in progress.
Pee'ing Cat No. 2, pee'ing everywhere -
solution: 3 cat boxes, multiple locations, cleaned twice daily. It finally got the job done. Lots of work, aka sanctification through sifting litter boxes.
You are quite clever, dear one!
ReplyDeleteAbbey ♥
The sheet folding makes me laugh. I've been able to do it my whole life, and have no idea who taught me (mom? a grandma? dad?). Lauren claims that she asked me how I did it so flatly and neatly when we lived together and that I refused to tell her the secret. :) That doesn't sound like me! (Well, I might say that, but then I'd laugh and go ahead and spill the "secret"). It's all in the tucks. I'll show you if I'm ever out your way. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI third the twist up eyeliner! It is fantastic! They do have cat urine cleaner at the pet store... I think nature's miracle is what it is called....
ReplyDeleteCallmemama, that link is fantastic!!!
Wow, the cat pee ruled the day here! Thank you all for the great suggestions! And Mary, that is such a touching story! It was good to hear from you (and April) about the daughter's perspective.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to start folding my fitted sheets!
How did we live without the internet, which brings us answers in the form of new friends and helpful links!
Oh, and for the eyeliner... go the powder/brush route. It goes on perfectly and looks the most natural, in my opinion. MAC has great colors and angled brushes. I (heart) MAC makeup.
ReplyDeleteI laughed so hard at this cute post, so what a better time to make my first comment here? =)
ReplyDeleteFitted sheets are my nemesis, too! My mother folds them PERFECTLY (watch out, Martha) and has tried to teach me (and my sisters) roughly 37,000 times. She makes it look so easy, but we still just can't do it like she does. I keep trying but I never really expect it to work. Instead when I fold them, I laugh and thank God for my mom. =)
As for the cat, hm. Maybe you could just thank God YOU aren't a cat? ;)
Lisa, I wish I weren't so cheap... sigh.
ReplyDeleteCathyBB, so glad to have you aboard! You are right about the cat! ha!
Girl... MAC has AWESOME sales during the holidays and I get it super-cheap. I only pay bottom-dollar, even for the good stuff. :)
ReplyDelete