We're back...

This weekend we didn't get to blog at all. Mommy was going to let us blog on Friday but after battling all five of us into PTUs for the vet, she was busy cleaning the house. Then Daddy took her on a date. They went out to dinner and to see Harry Potter and didn't get home until late. Then on Saturday morning they got a call that Grandma A. was sick (food poisoning she says - ick!) and Uncle Jason and Aunt Janette needed some help. So Mommy and Daddy hurried up and finished up some chores around the house then headed down to J&J's for the day. They got home really late so no blogging that day either! (By the way, we continue to ask for your purrs and prayers for J&J and their son Asa as Uncle Jason battles his brain tumor. Also please purr and pray for our Mommy's Uncle Jim - DaisyMae Maus' grandpa who is having surgery this week.) I thought for sure I would get to blog on Sunday. Mommy got up for a while and was wrapping glass in tape but before she finished she went to bed because she didn't feel good. Daddy said he didn't feel good either and they didn't do anything on Sunday. So no blogging either! Man, I don't know what to do about these beans. I've got friends I've got to keep up with!

All of us were nominated to the Schmooze Award by Forty Paws and we are sooooo excited!

Here is the definition of schmooze and an explanation of the award:

"As it goes, schmoozing is the natural ability 'to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.' Good schmoozers effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship."

Here are the rules: Each award winner is to display the badge on the sidebar of his blog with a link to the post which contains the explanation of the award, then nominate five bloggers to receive the award. Now comes the really hard part. It's not hard at all thinking of bloggers who schmooze, it's finding ones who haven't been nominated yet. Here are our picks:

1. Chase, because that cat has a harem! He charms them all!

2 and 3. Millie and Jasmine, because they make all the cats feel welcome and provide an excellent education on the making of a Gizzy quilt.

4. Derby, because he's good at making a bed and is ready in a snap to entertain (particularly the Big Piney Woods girls).

5. Poppy Q, because she's adorable and loves everyone!

Hey and don't forget about me, Cha-Ching! I was nominated for the meme by Peach the cat!

What were you doing 10 years ago? I wasn’t born yet. I'm not sure where I was but I'm pretty sure I was causing trouble!

What were you doing a year ago? Again, not born yet, but I was thinking about it.

5 Snacks I enjoy: What's a snack? Am I missing out on something? All I get it Science Diet crunchies and a little stinky goodness. Mommy! Are the furballs getting a snack? Is that why you feed me in a separate room? I protest. I want this thing called a snack or I'll talk all night long so you can't sleep and you know I can too!

5 songs to which I know all the lyrics: I know the Meow Mix song: meow, meow, meow, meow... well I'm sure you get the meow, but I'm young yet. I'm sure I'll learn more. I've heard something about songs to get lap time, snuggles, etc. I'm definitely going to learn those.

5 things you would do if you were a millionaire:
I would go buy all my siblings and give them good forever homes (at least a few with me so that we could gang up on the furballs - they're a handful. So far only Smoke is really willing to play with me but sometimes he acts like he's not sure). After that, I'm not sure. I've heard that Mommy and Daddy have to work to pay something called a mortgage. Perhaps if I paid that off they would stay home with me all day. I would like that.

5 bad habits
I don't have any bad habits. I'm a perfectly sweet kitten (or at least I have convinced Mommy and Daddy of that so I'm not saying anything here that might change their mind. Mommy calls that "pleading the fifth" (whatever that is) although Daddy is the one that told me all about it. Apparently he uses that with Mommy all the time.

5 things I enjoy doing
1. Playing with the fleece wand thingy.

2. Playing with the track ball.

3. Playing with the feather wand.

4. Terrorizing the furballs by my very presence.

5. Hiding under things and then pouncing.

5 things I would never wear again
The only thing I've ever worn was my collar which was so big my paw kept getting stuck in it even though it was as small as the beans could make it. Oh, I guess techincally I wear my microchip too, but I want to wear that. They say that it will help me get back to Mommy and Daddy if I ever get lost.

5 favorite toys
1. The fleece wand thingy

2. The track ball

3. The feather wand

4. The milk ring

5. The furballs

I think pretty much everyone has answered this one, but if you haven't been tagged, consider yourself "it."

Oh yeah, and we can't forget to say "Way to Go!" to our driver and Smoke's namesake, Tony Stewart, on your awesome win at Chicagoland. Mommy says there's nothing better to beat the sicky-ickies than watching Tony climb the fence!

Oh bother, blogger is not letting us do a title today....

We got tagged by Ben Fuzz (oohh hooo hoo, he's such a cutie-pie) for this way cool meme.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

I was living at Grandma and Grandpa's with Mommy. She was studying for the bar exam (she passed on the first time even though she couldn't remember much about the Takings Clause and it was one whole essay question!) I was spoiled there. I got lots of love and scritches and got to run around their acreage and chase a wild turkey!

What were you doing 1 year ago?

I was watching Mommy and Daddy put in a small pond in the backyard. Our old house had one but the new house didn't. So they built a small above-ground pond off the deck so we could watch the fishies, have a place to drink from (even though Mommy doesn't like it when I do that), and have lovely background sound when I nap in the sun.

Five snacks you enjoy:

Beef Temptations, salmon, crab, chicken and ham (I got some tonight even though the vet said it's too salty)

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:

Hmmm.... I don't know. Occasionally something will get stuck in Mommy's head so she sings them to me. Today she was singing the Lion's song from Wizard of Oz - "If I were king of the forest!" Ha ha (she can't sing, trust me)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

Is that just one million or is it the squillions from Powerball? It makes a difference you know...

If it's just one million:

1. Pay off the mortgage and Mommy's student loans

2. Buy an RV and boat so the beans can camp and fish

3. Send Liz some money to invest

(and that after taxes would pretty much take up all the money - and Mommy's not just saying that because she's friends with an IRS agent, she really would pay the taxes)

If it's squillions:

1. Pay off the mortgage and Mommy' student loans

2. Pay off the family members' mortgages or buy them a house

3. Buy an RV (and go to all the races one year all over the country) and boat

4. Endow a wing at the local humane society in McKenzie's name

5. Send the rest to Liz to invest so Mommy and Daddy can live off the interest and stay home to be our full-time slaves.

Five bad habits:

I don't have bad habits, but the furballs do:

1. Gandalf: Making biscuits on Daddy's face at o'dark'thirty.

2. Gandalf: Waking Daddy up at 5 a.m. every day (Mommy sleeps through our racket)

3. Smoke: Using the jet tub as a giant litter box (they close the door now so we can't go in there)

4. Smoke: Climbing onto the plant shelf beam separating the dining room and the living room (Daddy got video!) and climbing onto Mommy's "biological" grandfather clock (ha ha - Grandma and Auntie Michele will get that one!)

5. Gandalf: Climbing over the fence into the neighbor's backyard (the empty house for sale next door) and getting "stuck" requiring Mommy to break into the backyard to "rescue" me. Chewbacca: Then standing behind the house where no one can see me and crying like I'm lost too!

Five things you like doing:

1. Gandalf: Making biscuits on Daddy's face at o'dark'thirty.

2. Smoke: Sleeping with my head on Mommy's "I love Tony Stewart" Build-a-Bear that she got at the California Speedway this spring.

3. Zoey: Sleeping on my chair.

4. Chewbacca: Hiding in the "family size" Honeycomb cereal box.

5. Furballs: Playing with our pink Barbie boa!

Five things you would never wear again:

All: The I love Tony Stewart shirt and 20 hat!

Five favorite toys:

Pink Barbie feather boa

Whirly-bird

Family-size Honeycomb box

Catnip carrot

Track ball

Oh my that was fun. Hmmm, so who should we tag?

Sammy and Miles from Meezer Tails

Smeagol and Strider from Tails of Two Kitties

Rosie and Cheeto from Rosie and Cheeto's Blog