Seasonal?

We've had a mostly quiet Yule.

Belovedest put up the tree that I acquired (with some little effort) last year. It's pre-lit, and we decorated it with the (likewise free) gold ribbon and the (deeply discounted and last set in that color) set of blue, iridescent white, and silver baubles. There are a few other things for interest, too.

Most of the ornaments are on a tinsel garland strung well out of cat range over the living room. Belovedest has approximately 36 items of college nostalgia in ornament form. These are displayed proudly. In honor of the season, the fairy lights normally on in the hours of darkness are illuminated all day. (I finally set up IFTTT rules, starting the 21st, so I don't have to remember it.)

Stockings are hung. Mine is dark blue velvet with my initial in glass beads (not adequately distinguishing in this aggressively genderqueer collection of housemates), Belovedest has the public call box (bigger on the inside), alexseanchai has Alex in gold glitter on the traditional red with white trim, and Ev has the pawprint one (originally for a cat, I think). Ev found a set of small bamboo cutlery in hers, which was fortuitously timed because her old set had become manky.

I had been struggling with what to actually get Ev, because I'm broke and all. I had originally decided to just make a toy for Meow Meow, and had done three nearly identical catnip toys with streamers (all exceptionally upcycled) but we went on a Sprouts run with krja and inoru_no_hoshi and on the IKEA portion of the trip I saw a koala. Two koala, actually.

Ev has this semi-ancient Build-A-Bear koala named Koala. He is imbued with the spirit of a dirty old man. So when I saw a parent koala hugging a baby... "Depending on how Koala feels about kids, this is either his new wife and stepchild, or his side bitch," I declared. "Side bitch," Ev would later confirm.

We got Alex an electric throw blanket, perfect for the cold days. There was some debate about color. I nominated grey. "Shouldn't we match Thea?" Belovedest asked.

Thea is a dilute calico, and electric throw blankets do not typically come in dilute calico. And Yellface is grey.

Ev came for the 24th and 25th, whereupon we opened presents. Belovedest's aunt had sent a little something for the whole regular household. Belovedest got some books and shows, as well as the seasonally colored Cadbury robin eggs. Plus item #36 or so in the display. I got a set of iridescent glitter ("Oh no!" --Belovedest), an array of mica shimmer pigments (eye safe, with instructions for resin), and a pair of peppermint-striped socks. Alex got a Miraculous! (Ladybug earrings, officially blessed, in an appropriate octagonal box.)

Belovedest's family tradition for Christmas Eve is similar to many Catholics (current and former): eat a nice dinner of Chinese takeout before Midnight Mass. Unlike many Catholics, Belovedest will go if visiting the ancestral home. Uncle Father Bob would notice their absence. (His main flock these days are balls and tees, but he pops his head out of retirement from time to time.) But katarik had made note of a newly opened branch of a very nice Chinese buffet, and had proposed that for Christmas lunch. So we decided on a meal in for Christmas Eve: Trader Joe's orange chicken (plus satsuma peel and carrot shreds), rice, "some dim" (potstickers, egg rolls, cream cheese wontons), cheese sticks. And it was good.

Ev was well supplied with steamed broccoli, yogurt, and other little things throughout. We discovered that she does in fact like taking fruitcake apart, and likes my best cakefruits. Score one legitimate point for white people nonsense!

The Christmas brunch party was Kat, Alex, Belovedest, and me. Ev was not feeling the outing. ("I'm being a sulky teenager but I like it here.") We arrived just before the rush, but as this is another tentacle of a regional chain, they have their flow control and such well-managed. I found a loophole in the chocolate fountain rules. It says don't put your ice cream in the fountain (a good rule for legitimate health interests) but it says nothing about dipping a clean spoon in to then pour over the ice cream. Though the highlights for me were the salmon sushi 🍣 and the creme brulee.

Then we came home and watched Brave, as some of us hadn't. I made a quick fruitcake, which overbaked.

Belovedest's siblings called while we were still at Ev's after taking her back. They may have gotten to see Meow Meow, who is feeling much better after her de-toofing and subsequent release from the Cone of Shame.

There were games with the siblings (Belovedest's) the following day.

The upcycled cat toys

I made cat toys for the local felines this year.

Yellface's favorite toy was one with streamers that she could battle. I decided to try my hand at a functional replica.

My materials were whatever fabric I had to hand. I needed something sturdy for the catnip pouch, something that wouldn't be instantly destroyed. A recent addition to my rag pile was a pair of Belovedest's old work pants. Done. I snipped the legs off above the blown-out crotch. I then set about removing the fabric in the top part of the pants as cunningly as I could.

This yielded several rectangles, plus some pocket assemblies to use later, and a bunch of un-rendered scrap including the waistband and zipper. I started to stuff the thing in my Too Small Scraps drawer for some future scavenging or maybe the trash, but stopped. Here was the streamer I was looking for: the skeletal crotch seam.

There were further delights in the Too Small Scraps drawer. It turned out that the scrap of old cotton nightgown too small to even be a little pouch was just the right size for a streamer. Maybe a little long.

First I tried making the bag first, then stuffing it and sewing the streamers in the open end after stuffing it as I sewed it closed. That was awkward.

Stuffing consisted of more scraps, mostly from a former fitted sheet. I put several generous pinches of 'nip in.

Yellface was curled up on the little bed in the guest nook. I handed her the first toy. She hugged it and started rubbing her face on it.

Encouraged, I went back to my sewing.

My method of tucking the streamers in the first seam didn't go so well. They were kind of crooked. But I finished the thing and went to take the first one away from Yellface.

Yellface was blissfully writhing on the bed, and the toy was damp with kitty drool. Note to self, figure out a better protective anti-cat layer on the bed. I left her to it.

I then hit upon the idea of attaching the streamers first. I located promising bits and cut them to streamer size. It took a bit of doing. I figured out the orientation and tried it.

Result: a neat little bag with an inordinate amount of streamers coming off the open end. I stuffed it, then made a neat seam that shut the stuffing inside. Done! I did the same with the next piece. Three, one for each cat.

That wasn't the only thing I worked on (a lengthening flounce for a nightgown, also out of the discard pile; a haphazard but effective re-elasticing for a favorite old skirt from the Arizona days) and by the end I was chilled with an angry stomach. Note to future self: stay warm, eat food sooner.