Things that go bump in the night???

Well, Hubby and I were all tucked up in bed last night...visions of ....Who knows what going through our heads. When the outside security beam must have been broken...probably by the neighbors cat...as only 1 motion sensor light came on and the alarm wailing like a screaming banshee!!!! Now I will digress a moment and tell you about my first encounter with this cat as it came almost three years ago. We had only been in country for a few months, and at the time, not having been burgled yet, we slept with the doors open( not the outside doors, just the bedrooms) and most of the windows in the house also. October 31, 2004, Halloween, I decided I couldn't go to sleep early and DH was already tucked up in bed, so I sat up watching a scary movie on the satellite dish. Yes in keeping with the mood, I was sitting in the dark...and it was a cool evening...so I had a blanket on my legs. I was sitting on the couch facing the hallway to our bedroom when all of a sudden, I saw some glowing eyes coming down the hall toward me. I was so scared, I admit it, I did have visions of wild monkeys, or worse, some sort of slithery creature coming down the hall with glow in the dark eyes!!!! All I could do was pull the blanket up around my face...and hold my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't shreik. I was terrified....but as it came out into the light of the TV I saw it was the cat!!!! Then I let out more than a scream, but a string of words to go with it. The cat ran back to our bedroom and out the window. The next day, the neighbor told me that when her MOM lived in our house...the cat would come and sleep on the bed. So THEN I knew that I would have a frequent visitor. Now this cat still comes into the house...mostly to see what we may have left out from dinner, but occasionally she does come to visit late at night...I guess out of habit...SO maybe she did try to come in last night...and when she walks up on the front porch, through the burglar bars...she breaks the Infra red beam...that lets us know we may have an uninvited visitor! Technology is grand, because with the beam...we can still sleep with our windows open...and feel somewhat safe. There are burglar bars on the windows...and on the front and back doors....but you never know. When they broke in both times( we were not home)...they just kicked in the window bars. Another good thing to know...if we ever have a fire! I know I could get out just fine! At any rate, about 3:30 AM the alarm went off...but all was well, a quick call to the security company to tell them that we were fine ( I have them on speed dial now....ever since I accidentally dialed the wrong number and woke some poor guy up...at 3 AM!! Yikes!!!) Its just so hard to go back to sleep. I slept fitfully after that...and everything I planned to get done this AM ...got done much later. I was in slo-mo all morning.So I will blame that on the mid-night visitor!!! I've posted photo of our humble abode...the front door...with last years Christmas lights being turned on.Another thing I have brought from the States. I brought about 50 strings of lights back..as lights are not very nice here...and very expensive...as in about 20.00 US for each string!!! Cheaper to import and buy voltage adaptors!!!! My neighbor and I both decorate with my lights...and we are raising money for Charity lighting up our little corner this coming Christmas for Rotary. Mine isn't near as impressive as hers. I only have a little garden and no big trees near to any plug.I have a much more limited electric supply...only put in one outside outlet this past year...so can only do about 25 strings of lights in the garden...tops. I also pass out candy canes, which they don't have here???? How is that possible??? No candy canes or chocolate chips??? I had the girls for tea and sewing this afternoon...and served Chocolate chip cookies....thanks to the care pack from Dana or JEN...not sure whose choc. chips got used this time. The girls adore them.Some things you just take for granted...back home in the US. At any rate I did some "stripping" tonight. I cut strips for a quilt I am hoping to get pieced this next week...will take photos.Blocks are done...just need to get squared. That is the dilemma as they were embroidered by some rural women here...very colorful...but they didn't cut their black backgrounds square...so they are all wonky and I have to do something to square them up. What a time consuming job. Just wish I'd have known...since it would have been much easier to have cut the squares and GIVEN them to embroider. If I make headway, will take photos to share later in week. They are really cool I think. Also posted a small baby quilt....I did for a nephew's baby.Enjoy your weekend...and hope you have no "uninvited" visitors of your own!