Cat in a Jar

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Random Thoughts

1. Patience is paying off and finally the blackberries are beginning to ripen!  Not enough for a pie but maybe some muffins!
2. You know that Angie's List commercial with the dog that shreds the feather pillow all over the living room?  I had a similar experience one evening this week.  I walked into the boys' room to find it plastered with shreds of batting!  The Spencer was flopped on their bed watching a DVD acting like everything was totally normal with tufts of batting in his hair.... One young man calmly laying in a room of chaos.  I asked what happened but of course he didn't answer.  He had a spare comforter spread out on the bed and I found their usual one turned completely inside out on the floor...minus the batting! Then Spencer started giggling.  I said, "Did you do this?  Yuck!" and he answered, "Yuck!" and laughed and laughed.  I guess he found a little rip in it and started pulling the batting out little by little and eventually got the whole thing turned inside out. It must have taken hours! It was hilarious! I wish I'd taken a picture.
3. Remember Pepper, my latest little rescue cat?  He's still doing great!  His eye infection is completely gone and although he definitely has some sight issues, he isn't bumping into things any longer.  He trots along beside me when I walk around the house, sleeps on the couch and runs to the kitchen if he hears the refrigerator open.  I still haven't taken him to the vet yet but he's coming along just fine.  He's put on some weight, too.  He's a sweetheart and all the other cats have accepted him just fine with affectionate head bumps and friendly sniffs.  
4. The lady that knocked on our door 2 years ago asking if I might be interested in taking in a sick cat came back this week to see Star. It was a sweet reunion for both of them, I think.  Star just purred up a storm as she was held and the lady almost cried for joy at seeing how healthy she is now.  It really seemed like Star remembered her and why wouldn't she....she saved her life, literally.  So fun to show her how Star is thriving now.  She really was at death's door when she came here.
5. We just got our first grill.  Yep, that's right...we have never had an outdoor grill!  For 25 years we had a JennAir stove/oven that had 2 burners and a grill side that vented out under the house.  It was just like a grill but in the kitchen.  When we had to get a new oven last year we discovered that those were no longer made and had to sadly get a conventional oven.  I thought I could made do with a grill pan but it just wasn't the same.  The good thing about the outdoor grill is that The Mister feels like he should be the king of it so we've made the adjustment of teaching him how to cook.  His prior resume is sticking a frozen pizza in the oven and even that isn't done right 75% of the time. haha.  He's still overcooking or undercooking things but they are tasting better with each try.

So what's been happening with you?

I have been terrible about visiting and posting,

haven't I?  I have a few things happily taking

up my time lately.  Hope your summer is going well!

♥

Star

Haven't shown you Star in a while!

She follows me everywhere during the day, all week long.

But come evenings and weekends, she's all about The Mister!

She runs to the back door to greet him when he comes home,

sleeps on his feet and watches him do chores on Saturday....

....even if it's through the window. haha.

She's doing great and we're still seeing improvement in her...

her coat looks so much better and she's put on a few pounds!

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Star's Progress Report

Star has done a couple of new things in the last couple

of days that I just have to share with those of you

who have been following her story!

And quickly, for those that don't know....Star is

a rescue kitty.  She's 12 years old and came to me

18 months ago.  She had been abused, starved for

sport and was literally a skeleton with fur.

She was sick and had a bad tooth, but she was sweet

and grateful for a loving home.

She's come a long way

but she still didn't do a few things like

grooming herself or playing with toys.

And she's done both of those this week!

She did a little washing up of herself and....

she actually showed interest in playing!

Yes, that's her happy face! haha.

And she had to nap after all that excitement....

she is an old gal, after all!

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She's Got Attitude

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Star

Whenever I see her, I say, "Starry!"

And then I can't help but start singing,

"Starry, starry night

Paint your palette blue and gray

Look out on a summer's day

With eyes that know the darkness in my soul..."

Vincent

Don McLean

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Cozy Kitchen

Star does her part to add to the coziness. 

She likes to talk to me while I do dishes. :)

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And This Is Her Happy Face

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Random Thoughts

1. There is something very charming about a cat in a window.  Star is still quite skinny but I love how fluffy she looked today after she tolerated a good long brushing!  When she'd had enough, she whacked me with her paw. lol.
2. I saw dandelions blooming in the strawberry patch this morning and for a half second thought, "Oh, I need to go pick those blooms. Nugget will love them." :(
3. I'm feeling very productive this week.  I've worked in the studio, baked, done about 10 loads of laundry, a bit of spring cleaning, flea control on all the cats, and have even taken a little TLC time for myself.....a bubble bath this afternoon.  The thing I'm procrastinating about is the floors.  Well, yeah, the bathrooms, too. haha.
4. This winter girl is finally done with winter.  I'm ready for spring! Real spring...spring where it's warm enough to open the windows, buy potted flowers for the porches and put the coats away until October!  We've had some teasing from spring but it doesn't really feel like it yet. It was 26 degrees this morning!
5. The jelly beans are all gone.   I single handedly ate the whole bag in just over a week.  I'm actually relieved...haha...now they will stop calling my name!

Any random thoughts rolling around in your head,

or am I the only one that's weird like that?

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Surviving Star

It's been 9 months since we took Star into our home!

I thought it was time to take her to the vet and have a

checkup.  Even though she's put on a nice amount of weight,

I suspected a bad tooth and her eyes still get weepy.

She needed her back claws trimmed and wasn't about to let

us touch them!  So off we went today for a visit.

Well!  Let me just say that in all my 26 years of taking

pets to the vet have I EVER experienced anything like this trip!

This girl may be old, but she still has some fight in her!

She threw up and pooped on the way, while we were there, and on

 the way home.  She screeched, hissed, bit and wrestled me and the 

 vet!  She ended up getting a pedicure, drops for her eyes, and had a

 tooth extracted.  He said she was about 12-14 years old and was

 interested in hearing her story of how she came to be with us. 

After fattening her up for 9 months she now weighs 7 lbs, so

you can imagine how thin she once was!

We both arrived home covered in vomit, poo, blood, and fur.

I gave her a bath, washed out the carrier, stripped down myself

and everything went into the washer.  Whew!

On the bright side, I think she already feels better with

that tooth out and she doesn't seem to be holding any grudges.

haha...maybe she's just grateful I brought her back home.

I'm sure she thought she was being taken away for good.

She gave me a kiss on the forehead, so I think I'm forgiven.

♥

Snuggling

Whiskers, taking Star under her wing.

She's been keeping her warm during afternoon naps recently. 

  So sweet.

Sorry if you already saw this on Instagram.

I try not to repeat...but this was too cute not to share!

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Waiting

It was so warm today, Star and I had the door open

as we watched for the bus!

♥

Random Thoughts

1. We've been close to single digits each morning this week!  Brr. That's about -12 for you Celsius people!  But the sunshine is back and there is a dusting of snow in some areas, so it's been wonderful.  I'd rather have rosy cheeks than sweaty clothes, that is for sure! haha.
2. 2015 was a hard year as far as pets here at our home.  We lost our beloved Nugget, rabbit of 9 years.  We also had our sweet Grey and Domino cats disappear.  I hate not knowing what happened to them.  And Peaches...who was almost mine....his disappearance is a mystery, too.  Star was the new, bright spot. :)  She continues to improve, although much more slowly now.  Hopefully 2016 will be the year she recovers to full health.
3. I'm most thankful this past year for dental insurance.  We have never had it until 3 years ago and it was most appreciated this year when both Alex and Spencer had to undergo cleanings and cavity fillings at the hospital under general anesthesia.  Do you know what a bill for that kind of procedure is?  It's $14,000.  Each.  The boys had great checkups this past Monday, so that is another thing to be thankful for!
4. What is it about a new year that makes me want to spring clean the house?  It happens every year without any prompting from my mind...my heart just jumps right into it.  I emptied and wiped out all the kitchen drawers this week...returning everything in an orderly way, and putting several things in a donation box. 
5. Yesterday at the grocery, I noticed that the produce section was packed with people....while the cookie/chip aisle was empty. haha. Yes, those resolutions are still in force!  At least 5 days in! 

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Squirrel Watching

Star

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Random Thoughts

Star

1. Today marks 6 months since Star came to us!  She is a remarkable rescue kitty story.  She doesn't look as beautiful and healthy as our other cats yet but she is still making progress and looks immensely better than she did! 
2. We have had a wonderfully lazy holiday!  Some of the guys had a cold so it was good they were able to flop at home and do nothing.
3. You know how you sleep awful when your spouse is sick...you wake up with every toss and turn, every cough, every sniff?  Yeah, that.  
4. Tomorrow starts a crazy time of year with my biggest gift basket order of the year, the etsy shop in full Black Friday swing and a calendar full of dinners, parties, concerts, our anniversary, auctions, shopping, wrapping, .....just like all of you, I'm sure!  I made out the full calendar today, planned some party menus and tried to schedule everything so I could do things orderly and not in a last minute panic.  I don't mind busy if I still feel in control. haha.
5. We put our tree up yesterday.  The boys immediately thought we were opening gifts and searched every nook, cranny, drawer, closet and cupboard for wrapped presents!  It's going to be a long month. haha.  I love the look of presents under the tree all month but we can't do that..they would be ripped open in a nano-second!
6. I've eaten pie for breakfast the last few days, among other fattening snacks and meals.  I'm actually looking forward to my usual granola bar for breakfast and my yogurt and fruit for lunch on Monday! lol....

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The Sunny Spot

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A Black Vintage Chair

...that's what I wanted to have sitting by my desk in the kitchen.

Something old and worn...something I could put a pretty

pillow on and a napping cat would complete the picture.

Well, I found the perfect chair at the auction last week...

and it had only been in the house a few minutes when

Star jumped up and claimed it for her own.

It's exactly like I envisioned it!

Perfect!

It's also been 4 months since Star came to us.

Still improving all the time!

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Living Room Reveal

Last month we changed up our living room!

Not a total redo ~ we didn't paint or replace the carpet.

Hopefully the carpet will go next year. :)

It started with the need to replace the two couches,

and took off from there.  We had always struggled with

the layout of this long, narrow room but we're happy with

how we did it this time, making the whole area more useful!

It's a fun blend of contemporary and vintage and we're

enjoying it a lot.  The bigger, darker pieces are gone so the

room feels bigger and lighter.

The sectional, entertainment center, end table, canvas

painting, rolling metal basket, area rugs and floor lamp

   were all from overstock.com in the clearance section. 

Bar and serving sectionals, chair & ottoman and

 couch pillow are from Pottery Barn.

Throws from ebay.

All the vintage accessories I already had.

Just like with the rest of the house, I've been trying to

 remove the clutter and have a place for everything.  

Yes, this girl with the clutter gene is still learning

and improving!  It's never too late to change!

And this is so much better!  I'm certainly not

a minimalist, but I do believe that less is more!

It's amazing how much cleaner the rooms stay

and how easy they are to dust and vacuum!

Thanks for wading through all those photos! 

Short and sweet posts will resume tomorrow. ha.

♥

Star

We've had Star with us three months as of today!

She's still recovering, still improving!

Twinkle, twinkle, little Star!

♥

Trash to Treasure

I've been in the trash digging again! 

I brought home this filthy old piece of artwork.  Looks like it

spent a few decades down in a cellar, doesn't it?

That's because it did!

Star watched as I took it apart and cleaned it up!

I loved that it had the old fashioned wavy glass

and vintage frame still in tact.

I wiped the print, washed the glass and cleaned up the frame.

It looks pretty good in the family room paired with another

 trash find from a previous auction!

** upon further investigation, it's a 

Edwin Lamasure (1867-1915) print.

Beautiful!

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