Someone upstairs heard me,...and I have the most wonderful dad (my step dad that is) in the entire world. He covered the cost for the remainder of the clean up work in the basement....hauling, wall stripping, power washing...the basement is drying and smelling beautifully of Eucalyptus (Odo Ban is the bomb!!!!!!!!!!!) . It is a mere shell of it's former self , stripped down to concrete walls for the most part and still hard to imagine that it will be that warm cozy fuzzy room but I just have to keep in mind that it is progress and I have faith in my friend who is a remodeling wiz. It's way more than I thought would be accomplished before Christmas, even though it won't be finished by then. As soon as Kat has time, pics will be posted timed and dated I hope...I think I remembered to set that on the camera) of the progress of the ferret room.....there will never be a doubt in anyone's mind about the magnitude of work involved in making this project happen and why we needed the funds so badly. It looks like I will have access for the most quality time with my kids on Christmas Eve and somehow I will get through not waking up with them on Christmas morning. They understand. The giving tree has also been generous enough that the kids will have Christmas gifts. Only a ferret rescue mom knows the joy of opening a great big box full of nothing but cornstarch pellets. Some kind person adopted three of the kids and made them a homemade stocking with their names on it and everything....that gesture made me feel like it was finally Christmas and I am so grateful to them for that. It was hung with the rest of the stockings on the 75+ year old wooden stairway that has seen many stockings for three generations. It helped me muster the strength to hang old family ornaments on the tree...many of them my mom's music ornaments. I couldn't stand to look at that generic plastic tree with the el cheapo box of ornaments hung any longer and I will not spend another Christmas in this house pretending that she wasn't ever here...she IS still here in spirit....as I hung the ornaments, she came to me and whispered silently....."Thank you Kimmy".... Thank you to the ferret community for giving the kids Christmas, to BIG for the patience of a saint that it takes to moderate this list,..to Kris for all of his hard work maintaining the giving tree and to the shelters that offer support and encouragement to each other all year round. You've given me back my hope as well as some Christmas spirit that I never thought I would have again. There's a slight delay in drawing the raffle numbers...we have a straggler coming in with a donation in the next day or so. Sorry for the delay. Kim and da kids Kimberly Fox Somethin Up My Sleeve Ferret Rescue http://companiontalk.terrabox.com/SUMS-Rescue.html Pay Pal accepted for donations at this email address. http://companiontalk.terrabox.com/SUMS-tilesoflove.html Fundraiser page [Posted in FML 5825]