•·.·´¯`·.·•The Tater Tots Family•·.·´¯`·.·•

[Nela]

[align=center]Yesterday, we took Smores to his new home, 5mins away. As expected, he settled in marvelously. They got a nice cage that even had a nice hiding place but other than exploring it, he really wasn't interested in hiding. Nope, in fact, Smores was very much wanting all the attention. Hehehe. He had a lot of fun pulling the hay out from the hay ball. Jeff's nephew spent a lot of time with him as well. He loves animals and he's very gentle with them. They were very happy to have Smores with them. They also got him a very large park to run around in. They will be making an appointment right after New Year's for his neuter so that will be done very soon as well. [/align]
[align=center]Of course, he is nearby and we will get updates and pictures, etc. I feel sad that I could not give him that lifestyle myself but I am happy for him. When we left him, he was in a nice dead bunny flop. [/align]
[align=center]I noticed that it was a while since I mentionned the piggies so I thought I would talk about them some today. They have been doing really well. We don't handle them too much really so they aren't really fond of being held much but they are nice and friendly. We haven't built their building yet because we've been busy with other things but we've been giving them cardboard boxes with doors and windows cut into them and they are thrilled with those. Hehe. [/align]
[align=center]Today, while we were out, I spotted a giant slipper... I thought of them right away and simply couldn't resist. Twizzler hasn't seemed too interested but Jelly Bean? He loves that thing! I was getting quite annoyed with the water bowls though as their water was constantly dirty and I really wanted to put the water bottle back but of course, it doesn't attach like normally because of the cage design. However, Jeff had the brilliant idea of using double-sided tape. It works! The piggies now have their bottle again. :biggrin:[/align]
[align=center]Here are some pictures of the boys: [/align]
[align=center]The slipper:[/align]
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[align=center]Jelly Bean enjoying it:[/align]
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[align=center]The piggies (Twizzler didn't want to be photographed today):[/align]
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[align=center]The cat's stockings (the green is Houdina's and the red is Baloo's):[/align]
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[align=center]As for the bunnies, I'm not really making a big thing for them now as everything will be revamped in the spring. They are getting treats this weekend though :biggrin2:[/align]
[align=center]MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! MUCH LOVE TO YOU AND YOURS![/align]

 

[Nela]

Meant to add:

All cards were posted earlylast week. I'm sorry they haven't gotten to you in time for Christmas but you should have them for New Year's!

 

[tristaw.]

Merry Christmas Nela! Gorgeous pictures btw

 

[tristaw.]

And Nela, as you know Coconut went to live with my nephew and it was the best decision even though it was difficult. There are many many reasons that people have to rehome animals. Severe allergies are one and they are very real. I have a friend who can go into shock by being around cats.

In Coconut's case, his energy level was off the scales in our small apartment and the fact that my child was terrified plus my husband's stress and therefore my stress made the decision necessary. The silence about it ( thankfully no nasty messages though) is deafening. I feel silently judged and it does hurt but people don't live my life. I have to.

My son suffers SEVERE depression and my energies have to be divided between caring for everyone and it got to be too much. I needed a peaceful house to deal with what I have to deal with.

The other two buns are just quiet animals, very happy to have more space now and as much freedom as they want. It was the right thing to do with Coconut and FOR Coconut. Now HE has the better quality of life than he had here with us where he was kept in his enclosure much more than the others.

Anyway, no matter what anyone says, it was the best thing but that doesn't mean it was easy. He is a sweet sweet bunny and I miss him but like you... he is closeby and we will be seeing him tomorrow.

We do what we have to do and you need your health ( and I needed my mental health to be stable)and your bunnies need what they need and you are providing that need. It's actually the kindest thing to do.

I'm glad your bunnies will be so close.
:hugsquish:

 

[myheart]

Could you have posted any cuter pic than this?!!!

Oh my goodness!!! Could that little baby be any happier than in this wonderful slipper?! Now I might have to find one for my boys...

Ssssmmmmmooooooch!!!! Piggie lips are so darn sweet!!!:inlove:

myheart

 

[Flash Gordon]

 

[Nela]

Big hug to you Trist! Thank you for your post :rose:

Hehehe MyHeart, I am glad you enjoyed the pictures. Yes, Jelly Bean REALLY loves that slipper. Twizzler doesn't seem interested in it so that make Jelly Bean very happy :biggrin2:I just knew he'd love it. Odd that I saw the slipper and thought of the piggies since I don't remember using a slipper before but I am glad I did. Plus, I find it adorable with the lamb on it :biggrin:He's also been careful not to pee in it. So far at least... It's machine washable though so I don't mind.

 

[Bunny parents]

Love love your pics ! What a comfy slipper. Jelly Bean made the slipper look so comfortable. I gotta find one to sleep in it hahaha.
Merry X'mas to you too, my dear. Wishing you happiness, love and healthy life !

Love,
Vircia. :hearts

 

[tristaw.]

just popping in to say hi I hope you had/are having an awesome Christmas! :hearts

 

[Momto3boys]

Wow that slipper is AWESOME!!! My piggy girls would absolutely love one, I'll definately have to keep my eye out.

 

[Nela]

[align=center]Thank you all for the Christmas wishes! :biggrin2:We had a very lovely christmas despite a sad event. My sil found out that a friend passed away just minutes before heading to our place. It was quite hard for her for sure. Luckily, I had games and things so I think that helped get her mind off it for a bit. I felt so bad for her.

I must say though that Christmas was extra special for me this year. It was our first christmas in our home and it was pretty nice. I'm not happy about my own organizational skills but we all must start from somewhere right? I might have gone a bit over the top. Lol. Next year, I'll come up with something simpler. This is what I made/had this year:

- Dolmathes (greek stuffed vine leaves) and Tzatziki

- Spanakopita (greek spinach pie)

- Meat pies (greek but I don't remember the name)'

- A spicy greek dip made with feta, red peppers, and yogurt

- Taco meat-filled sandwiches

- Meatballs and sauce

- Veggies and dip

- Shrimp cocktails

- smoked salmon platter

- cocktailsausages

- saucisson

- smoked makerel

- tinned oysters (they were yucky)

- potato salad

- pasta salad

- cupcakes

- and lots of munchies.[/align]
[align=center]It would have been awesome, if we would have been 20 people... We were 7 :embarrassed:

Here is a picture of the buffet table:


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My cupcakes!:


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annnnnd the spanakopita which came out great:


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I was really well setup for the baking though. I must say, I absolutely LOVE my kitchen!:


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I got some pretty nice pressies too. :biggrin:Jeff got me a singing penguin I had wanted as well as a snuggy blanket (basically a blanket with sleeves)that I just love. The best though, was that he got me two pixel hobby things. He had an image of Baloo and an image of Houdina made. The thing is he didn't tell me what the images were so I could only find out by starting it. I got 1/4 done and that's when I realized it was my lil monster's face that I had just pixeled. :biggrin2:I'll have to take a picture for you. Meanwhile, this is what Pixel Hobby is (it's actually dutch!):

http://www.pixelhobby-usa.com/

I also got a Nigella cookbook and a rabbit calendar. Jeff and I got a game for the wii, money for the house, a chocolate fondue set, and choccie. I'm really happy because Jeff was happy and suprised with his gifts. He really liked unwrappingthe Simons Cat books I got him. :biggrin:Oh the kids really liked their presents as well. Especially Nigel, the youngest. We got him what he had on his wishlist, as well as rocks since he recently took an interest in them. Being that I have a really nice rock collection and have been collecting rocks since I was 3-4 years old, I couldn't resist the oppurtunity.I really enjoyed picking them out for him. It's always nice when you see kids truly love their gifts.

Our pets got spoiled by the family as well! I was so surprised :biggrin2:They got each pet a pressie of treats! Awww it was so nice of them. Having wrapped gifts under the tree with their names on them... That was so cute. Usually, everyone thinks I am crazy for doing such things. It was so nice to see that they enjoy spoiling the pets as much as I do. They gave Smores his own at home too of course.

The nicest thing of it all was being with Jeff's family. They are a wonderful bunch of people and I mean that in all sincerity. They make things very easy and pleasant. It never ceases to amaze me just how welcoming they have been with me. I mean, it's one thing to be friendly and all but they just accepted me as family from so early on. They even call me 'aunt' Sophie which makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Lol. It really is a wonderful feeling.

Looking forward to the new year now!

Ps: Lol Brandy, I am sure your girls would love a slipper like that as well. I really couldn't resist it when I saw it. Jelly Bean is ALWAYS in it. :biggrin2:


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[JadeIcing]

Yay! I got my gift!!! We love it!!!!

 

[MiniLopHop]

I love your blog. Then bunnies are so adorible and the snails are too cute! I have snails in my aquariums, but they are not even close to that colorful. I've never seen such a pretty snail in the wild.
Happy Holidays and best of health for the new year.

 

[tristaw.]

Nela now Sophie (nice name, I wonder where I have heard that before? teehee) awesome pictures of amazing food. I would have hopped a plane to Schiphol first chance I had to partake of THAT feast yummmmmmm...

I just love the feel of your life as you tell it.
Beautiful!

 

[Nela]

Yaaay Ali! I am glad you received it and like it. I'm sorry it didn't get there on time for Christmas. Better late than never no? Plus, really I meant to send it for New Year's. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

MiniLopHop, awww I am glad you enjoy the blog. Aquariums? As in several? What do you keep? I love aquariums but I don't have the discipline required for them. Lol. I released the snails prior to the winter as I wasn't sure of the care needed but I am thinking I will get some again in the spring. I think I might have gotten a bit carried away last summer by having so many so I will stick to a basic few this year I will have to take a better look into it. The snails actually became quite popular with people. I am quite surprised by it actually. Lol. Thank you for your holiday wishes, especially the one about good health. I could use that! :biggrin2:

Trist, lol you always make me smile :biggrin:I'd have welcomed you with open arms. Too bad I told you too late. I'll probably have something like this next year too, no matter how much I try, I always seem to go big We're 10 mins away from Schiphol so if ever... :winkYou make me happy when you say you enjoy reading the blog. I am glad I can give people a feel for my life and of our family :biggrin:

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[align=left]Smores is doing great. Yesterday, he hopped out of his cage on his own and was allowed to explore the house. He's been dead bunny flopping quite a bit. Stephan, Jeff's brother-in-law, finds it funny and adorable. It's nice that the whole family is smitten with him. Smores has been getting spoiled with carrot tops :biggrin2:Sandra says that the carrot tops seem to be his favorites. I think it's moreso because he knows them. I expect he will love love something new. Maybe his favorite will be banana. I never really gave him much other than herbsto be honest. I was always so scared after losing Ashlynn. Sandra says he's been really good about not peeing and pooping everywhere. It makes sense. Having the girls around most certainly didn't help. She did comment on him using his litter corner, and then throwing it across the cage... Hehehehe. That's my boy! I'll get to see him this weekend again since we are going there for New Year's. :biggrin:[/align]
[align=left]Jelly Bean has taken to standing on top of his slipper and whistling at me. Hehehe. He's too cute. With the kids being over so often and handling them, they've gotten used to the company and Jelly Bean seems to want more of it. I usually pick him up a few but the lil guy loves to snuggle in my neck and I break out into hives sooooooo quickly :expressionlessSo far, that's the only thing I can complain about though. I can sit in the room, clean their cage, pet them, etc. without problems but contact on anything other than my hands means hives. I'm not sure what to think. I don't know if this means trouble ahead or not. I really hope not. I'm starting to think my severe allergies are more closely related to my dysautonomia than previously thought. Maybe if we can manage my nervous system, we can find a way to lessen the allergic reactions... One can hope right?[/align]
[align=left]Yesterday, it was my mil's birthday so we had dinner at her house. We had a nice cheese fondue - something which is growing on me. I admit, I'm not a fan of cheese really but I'm liking it more and more each time. Nigel, our nephew, brought some of his fireworks and asked me to go outside with him to pop them. Now, I had a bit of a migraine but I wasn't about to pass up this oppurtunity. Lol. I've never even shot fireworks before. Anyway, we had a lot of fun and I was glad he asked me to join him. My ears were ringing afterwards but it was all worth it. I found it especially cute when my mil came to check on me to make sure I had my coat on. Lol :biggrin2:She's such a mom - and I love it! [/align]
[align=left]The men installed her new stereo that we got her for Christmas. Stephan and Sandra got her a new phone. Lol, she was joking that it was too much technology at once to get used to. She's 65 but she's very healthy. It's only these times that I realize that's she's not so young. Hehehe. She got a stack od CDs from her sister so she wants to make copies to listen to on her new stereo so we took her laptop home with us to install her some hidden object games and copy the cds as well. She's been talking about new furniture and remodeling the home. That makes me happy. It makes me happy that she is looking forward to change and modernizing. She doesn't seem to be taking it too hard that she's alone now. We keep her close anyway. Well, Sandra goes there every Monday and she usually goes to Sandra on Thursdays. She also has coffee with the neighbor once or twice a week if she can't escape her I have plans to ask her for her help in the spring with the gardening as well. [/align]
[align=left]The family has asked me to bring my tzatziki and shrimp sauce for New Year's. :biggrin2:It makes me all happy that they prefer mine over storebought ones. Woohoo! Lol. Stephan also commented on how he usually never likes stuffed vine leaves but really liked mine with the tzatziki. Oh and the kids looooved the taco-meat sandwiches. Jeff also chimed in and said he loves them too. Lol. So if you're looking for something easyand different to make, make those. The kids were asking about the cupcakes... They are too adorable. They only had like 2-3 each I know it was overdone but I am glad that everyone enjoyed it. My mil, her favorite was the spinach pie. Stephan suggested that next year, I make each one's favorite so it would limit me to 7 items. Lol. Not a bad suggestion. It makes me happy that they brought it up and still talked about it. :biggrin:[/align]
[align=left]They aren't my biological family but I wouldn't trade them for the world. Every day that passes, I feel more and more blessed. :hearts[/align]

 

[Nela]

Drugging myself to the max... I have brought Rolo inside. I let Maybelle out to play and Rolo didn't come peek at me as he usually does. I stuck my hand in then nestbox and really had to pry him out which is unusual. He's grinding his teeth a bit and his tummy is rounder than usual. Here's hoping it's just a bout of gas. I will look him over properly as soon as the meds kick in.

I know I technically should have left him outside but I cannot stay in the shed very long and I don't feel comfortable leaving him in a kennel outside. I think he'd be too stressed from feeling too vulnerable.

Bleh... :expressionless

 

[tristaw.]

Oh good luck (fingers and toes crossed). I hope Rolo is ok and you too!
do your meds make you sleepy?
:hugsquish:

 

[Nela]

Thanks, Tristana. I'm thinking the stress of some fireworks going off in the alley might not have helped. We're planning on taking the buns in for new years of course because of all the fireworks but some kids got some for christmas and have been setting them off in the alley... Bleh.

As for the pill... LOL. The one I took now will render me comatose until tomorrow afternoon at least. I couldn't find my other ones and unfortunately, I need something strong. I just walked from the shed to the house and I have broken out into hives and heavy wheezing. Oh the joys of allergies... :expressionless:rollseyes

 

[tristaw.]

mucho mucho hugs xoxo

 

[tristaw.]

It's awesome that you love your inlaws and they love you. You can't get much better than that! and Amsterdam how I love that city! Lucky duck, well except for the allergies