It's not my cat

On Monday we had a little kitten sitting outside our house and the boys went outside to play with her. When it was time to come back inside the kitty came in too. I let the boys feed her a piece of cheese and then we put her back outside. She sat out there meowing so the boys watched her from the window. One of them decided to let her in again. I told them I don't want that cat inside so we caught her and put her out again. Eades was fascinated by her so he kept watching out the window. She was trying to catch flies and such. Next thing I know, she's inside again. Eades got lectured about how the cat is not ours and we don't need another mouth to feed nor a litter box for babies to get into. The cat went back out. Eades continued to watch the cat. The cat was in the house again. Eades got lectured that I already explained that I don't want the cat in the house. He got put in the corner and the cat got put out. One more time Eades let that cat in. He got yelled at and put in the corner. That was the last time Eades let the cat in. He also stopped looking out the window at it.
That wasn't the end of my cat woes though. I had to spend the evening listening to the cat crying outside our kitchen door. I think I began to hate the cat. I finally went to bed. Tony got up and got ready for work. As he was leaving and opened the door the cat ran in. He thought it was funny because he didn't know about the earlier events. He decided it would be fun to put the cat on me while I was sleeping. I woke up to the cat clawing me and I screamed, "Get it out!!!" Tony still didn't get how serious I was so I screamed again more emphatically, "GET IT OUT!!!!!" By this time I'm sure I hate the cat.
The next morning I was going about my own business when there was a knock on the door. I answer to see the little neighbor girl holding the cat. She says, "I have your cat." To which I calmly reply, "It's not my cat."

That's not my name.

Do you think it's rude to allow somebody to call you by the wrong name without correcting them? Today a person that I knew growing up called me by my sister's name. I think normally I would have corrected her but she said it as if she was definite that she got my name right that I didn't want to embarrass her by correcting her. So I think correcting a friend or longtime acquaintance is something I would normally do. However I do not correct strangers. I let them call me just about anything. I remember working at a soda fountain in my teenage years and one old man always called me Sharon. It didn't bother me at all and it became endearing to me that he was the only person to call me Sharon. When I got married I acquired the last name Bullock. Suddenly people were accidentally calling me Sandra. At first I would correct people but I got so sick of it, I just let it happen. To this day I still answer to Sandra.
I remember I had a roommate once named Barbi. For the first two weeks I kept calling her Bambi. It was an honest mistake and she seemed patient enough. I really hoped that I wasn't offending her. I mean growing up with four sisters I was often called by the wrong name. I'm used to it, but I realize that others might not be. I also know people who hate it when you mispronounce their names. It's hard not to do that when they have a name like Christen, Kursten, Kirra, Christian, Kirsta, Christy, you get the point. People with names like these have probably always been called by a variation of their name but to me that should just make them more patient about it. I think with some it does and with others it doesn't. With me, I know I'm very patient. The problem I run into is when somebody hears a person call me the wrong name and then let's them know what my real name is and then they come up and ask why I didn't tell them they were calling me by the wrong name. I just explain I don't care what they call me, I knew they were talking to me. Somehow whenever this type of situation has occurred the person seems so offended that I allowed them to embarrass themselves. So that's why I want to know. Is it rude to let someone call you by the wrong name? What do you think?

Sarah Thinks...

I love doing these. Just google (your name) thinks and then share the funny ones.

Here's some of what I got.

Sarah thinks she will be Germany's next top model.
No I don't. I know they are not looking for a 31 year old, 5'6", you don't need to know the poundage, mother of five.

Caution! Sarah thinks!
Hey, now that's just mean.

Sarah thinks we are radicals.
Yes, I think anybody who reads blogs is a radical. A radical dude or dudette!

Sarah thinks twice..uh, oh.
And I learned my lesson so watch out.

Sarah thinks we should have dinner in the dark and raise some money for earth hour.
I've had dinner in the dark before but it was because the power was out. Go Earth!

Sarah thinks even if it's keeping her toes warm it still might be a bit too...
I wish I knew what it was too...but this was in reference to the Snuggie so I'd imagine it ends in ridiculous.

Sarah thinks you are rubbish.
So drop your tea and crumpets and prepare for a Barney Rubble.

Sarah thinks being pregnant is over.
You're preaching to the choir here.

Sarah thinks she can dance.
I can mash potato and do the twist.

Sarah thinks goals are over-rated.
Whoa, somebody knows me better than I know myself.

Finish This...

Copy this to play too. Just add the ending to these thoughts.
1. I've come to realize that my last kiss...was not that long ago.
2. I am listening to...Phil Collins.
3. I talk...too much around the ones I love, and not enough around the ones I don't know yet.
4. I love...pizza with green olives.
5. My best friends...like to eat at Hacienda and so do I.
6. My first real kiss...was sweet.
7. There is no...end to family.
8. Marriage...is important.
9. Somewhere, someone is thinking...where did I put my keys? That someone is me.
10. I'll always remember...playing ghosts in the graveyard.
11. The last time I really cried was because...I was watching a baby being delivered on t.v.
12. My cell phone...went away a long time ago.
13. When I wake up in the morning...I eat breakfast.
14. Before I go to bed...I check on the kids.
15. Right now I am thinking about...food.
16. Babies are...beautiful.
17. I get on Myspace...rarely.
18. Today I...won a contest.
19. Tomorrow I will...play with the children.
20. I really want to be...organized.
21. I am allergic to...nothing but kryptonite.
22. I am annoyed by...those desperate for attention.
23. One food I refuse to eat is...anything with cloves.
24. The most recent thing I've learned is...that the guy with the white hair from Between the Lions does sound effects for Garrison Keeler.
25. The number one thing on my bucket list is...to take my family to Austria.
26. Something I've always wanted to learn to do is...the trapeze.
27. I have a high tolerance for...messes.
28. I have a low tolerance for...rudeness.
29. I wish...my family all lived in the same town.
30. The one person I would happily make a fool out of myself for if I ever saw them in person...would be Audrey Hepburn.

Fourth of July

We had a fun Independence Day weekend. The Barclay's came to town so we went to the beach. Here's Brandis with a watermelon face. You can see Barclays and my kids in the background.

Here's me and Taygan hanging out in the beach tent, and here's Koen being turned into a mermaid.

Here's a picture of a blister I got on my thumb from lighting sparklers. Who knew that simple little sparklers could blow-up in your hand?

We had a fun time and it was great seeing our dear friends.

We also enjoyed fireworks and had a picnic. I love this holiday. I especially love the patriotic songs that make me feel pride in our nation and a reverence for what brave ones have done for it.

Spiders!!

I like spiders just as much as the next person. Ha ha ha. Normally I don't bother them and they don't bother me. I welcome a little spider in the house in hopes that he'll keep all other bugs away. This is what I'm used to, but this summer I have been overrun by spiders. It started with the one in the bathroom, then one in the kitchen. Of course we have some in the basement but who doesn't. I'm perfectly okay with these ones. I won't kill them or even bother catching them to put outside. Suddenly I've been seeing these tiny little spiders. I think, wow, a spider must have had babies. I've never seen a baby spider before and they didn't bother me at first. Last night I was working on some thank you cards. I was sitting on the floor doing some stamping when a baby spider crawled onto my card. I got him off and squished him because I didn't want him bothering me the whole time. No sooner did I kill that one that another came along. I squished him and then another. I could not believe it. Was I just in a hot bed or were our floors crawling with spiders and I only noticed because I was sitting on the floor?
I'm still not freaking out because right now they are all just the baby spiders but those little guys are going to grow up soon. I looked online to see how to get rid of them. They say that spiders don't like hot and that's why they come indoors in the summer. It also says they don't like eucalyptus or pledge. Time to go shopping.
So why do I post my pest problem? One, because I think it's strange and two, because I wanted to know if you had any suggestions, and three, because I know it would make a couple of you uneasy. You know who you are and you can thank me later.