Hello dears. In the Mouse house, there is flu and also family drama. So here is something to keep you occupied until I can gather the energy for some new posts: the Funniest Blog of All Time (even beats fuck you, penguin, in my opinion [though not by much]). Click here for thingsmygirlfriendandihavearguedabout.com, by the fabulous Mil Millington. Xo. (P.S.--search "truth shark" for my favorite argument of them all.)

Mouse put these in stockings this year--little brown paper envelopes (easy to make yourself), each with a chocolate penny inside. Luck and sweetness to you in the new year.

Sorry, nice mice, I have run out of time and Internet to complete the charity countdown. Instead, here is a quick rundown of the last few days. If you read this on Christmas, it will count down to seven. I think.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me seven microloans, six food banks*, (five) ci-vil lib-er-ties, four art museums, three fat hens, two nifty cows, and an owl living in captivity.

Please consider sharing whatever you have this holiday season. Find a charity here, check its cred here.

* Give to a local food bank, support the hungry in your own community.

Happy holidays, all, see you after things cool down.

Maple twigs from Mouse's mom's front yard. Pretty organic forms for mysterious and wonderful packages.

I love Ads's crayons (via Martha kids), for small and large people who love to color. Instructions here (note--took much longer in my oven, 30-40 minutes of watching carefully.) Beautiful stocking-stuffers. Mouse's sister who lives abroad gets the big star, so she can color with just one crayon to pack in her bags.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, four art museums (three fat hens, two nifty cows, and an owl living in captivity).

Your local art museum might be hard hit by the economic situation, and contemporary art tends to be the first thing struck from the budget. If you donate, and earmark your money for contemporary installations, you support both the museum and the creation of new art.

Find charity. Check out charity. Hirschhorn, MoMA, SFMoMA, MoCA Chicago.

On the third day of Christmas, hm hm hm hm hm hmmm, three fat hens (two nifty cows, and an owl living in captivity).

Day three of the charity countdown: American Humane, which supports a standardized humane treatment label for the foods we buy, so you know that your milk and eggs come from happy animals. This takes it further than organic labeling by thinking about the life of the animal, rather than what chemicals end up in its meat and food products.

American Humane also oversees the treatment of animals in movies, supports and gives training for no-kill animal shelters, and is working towards improvements in foster care. The organization also studies the ways in which violence to animals can foreshadow violence to people. All these are Mouse-friendly goals.

Find a charity here, check its cred here. Excellent chicken painting here (I think American Humane will protect the alligator, too).