Every Breath You Take...

....I'll be watching you.

~The Police.

I was working in my studio and had that creepy 

feeling that somebody was watching....lol...

♥

Random Thoughts

1. Well, we've had a little early taste of spring, but it is only March here in Ohio...and the snow showers and colder temps are on their way back!  The daffodils are up but just like usual, they will die early due to frost.  Makes you wonder why they don't just stay in the ground another month! haha.
2. As crazy as the 2016 Presidential election is turning out to be, the part that bothers me the most is the posts on Facebook from people that are not US citizens.  What on earth?  I would never in my wildest dreams weigh in on my international friends' elections (or anything else about their government), much less degrade, insult and re-post negative things about their candidates.
3. The squirrel is still looking at me through the window, still eating the bird seed, and still taunting the cats.  He's a cute little guy, though, isn't he?
4. Our Whiskers has had two seizures this month. :(  I've been doing a lot of reading online about them.  I hope they stay few and far apart and it doesn't become a real problem.  They are just awful and I don't know who is more upset about them...her or me.  I'd hate to loose her over this...she's so healthy otherwise, full of personality, and gaga over The Mister.
5. And speaking of the 2016 election, how are you doing with the Daylight Savings Time?  I heard someone on television this week say we should forget about all the campaign issues and just elect a president that will stand for abolishing the law of time change. haha. We're all having a struggle with it here in our house.  The light in the evening is great!  But we aren't hungry at dinner time, not ready to get up in the morning and sleepy during the evening. By the time we adjust, we'll be turning the clocks back!  Maybe if we go to a contested convention in July, we could choose someone that promises to stop the crazy DST!
6. Happy weekend, friends.  Do you have plans?  My plan is to flop on the couch with my feet up....part of my New Year's Resolutions that I'm keeping so far to take care of myself and manage my stress!

♥   

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!

♥

The Weekend

1. My current favorite breakfast.
2. It's all about the eyebrows and whiskers!
3. Praying for Spring-like weather.  He got his answer the next day! 
4. Someone said recently that my husband must be very tolerant of my cat project.  Thought I'd show you just how tolerant he is! ha.
5. Mr. Robin continues to eat dried cherries I throw to him!
6. A chocolate, or two.
7. After a particularly rough day, I saw this kiss in the sky.
8. My grocery helper.  Lynne, this one's just for you!

♥

This And That

1. Nugget's little crush.
2. BLT salad.
3. The reason I didn't make the bed.
4. A little birthday treat for the mister.
5. A mix of French Limoges pink floral china plates
6. Cat nap.
7. Beautiful handiwork.

♥

Whiskers

One of the original litter.  They are 3 years old already!

And she really loves The Mister.

♥

Baker's Dozen

One is still missing!  haha...and yes, of course I know

which one it is.  It's Socks. :)

It's a rare occasion when they are all inside at once...

had to take a picture!  They're enjoying a little ham...

spoiled kitties....

♥

This and That

1.  drug of choice

2.  a gathering spot

3.  morning light

4. evening light

5. roof-top surveillance duty

6.  fruit all dressed up

7.   porch all dressed up

♥

Dead Asleep

I was working at my desk and glanced over at Whiskers, who was

sleeping beside me!  Looks like she's dead!

Be careful, Whisky!

I slid her back up so she wouldn't fall on her cute little head. 

She didn't even wake up! ha.

♥

Private Entrance

Whiskers thinks she has a private entrance!

Well, who am I kidding.  She does!

This is the view from my desk.

She hops into the flower box from the fence post

and looks right at me and meows.

And I go open the window!

Get in here, Whisky!

♥

Resident Lion

Marmalade

with Samantha, Whiskers, Shadow and Jack

♥

Dr. DoLittle Here...

Yesterday I promised to tell you about a funny dream The Mister had

about me.  First a little background.  I've been known to do big projects

around the house on a whim, single-handed.  He has come home from work

to find the furniture rearranged or the paint on the walls

a different color.  One time he dreamed that he was leaving 

 to go to work, walked into the garage and stepped back in to get

 his keys, only to find that in those 5 seconds, I had already 

removed the cupboards from the kitchen walls!  hahaha.

artwork of Sophie Parker

We had been talking about my project of befriending the neighborhood 

stray cats and getting them fixed and that today, February 9th, was the

next monthly clinic.  I wanted to take 5 more cats and made their appointments.  

With that on his brain, this is what he dreamed...

We lived on the beach and I had opened up my own animal shelter

right next door to our home.  And there was a hill between each

property.  The Mister was at home and I was at work in the shelter.

I, being the animal whisperer that I am, could tell stray animals to

go over the hill to our house to stay and get something to eat.

So, I called him on the phone and said, "Hey, be on the lookout for a

miniature horse I just sent over there!"  His jaw drops! Still on the phone,

he looks out the window toward the hill.  Sure enough, a miniature horse

is plodding along toward the house!  "Oh, and a pack of dogs!", I add

in a very matter-of-fact way!  

That's when he woke up with a start!

HAHAHAHA!

Poor man.  I wonder if his subconscious is worried

I really will do something like that!

with Whiskers

But don't think he doesn't like the critters around here. :)

*****

This morning I had 4 kittens who eagerly hopped into

carriers in search of treats.  Easy peasy.  But no mama Velvet

to be seen!  When I took the kittens in, the people at the

clinic said if Velvet should show up later this morning, I could

still bring her up until 12:00 noon.  Well, wouldn't you know,

she showed at 11:40!  Just in time to be lured into a carrier

and off we went!  When I told them that I still haven't

been able to get near her to pet her after 2 years, 

the lady wrote "WILD" on her papers! lol....

Jack inspecting the patients

  Everyone did fine and they are still

under anesthetic..under the dining room table.

They will be good as new in the morning.

Meanwhile, Dr. DoLittle is on call.  :)

♥

Thanksgiving Dinner

Did you have a lovely day?

We did...fun conversation, yummy food and

surrounded by people that we love.

And of course, we are grateful!

The high heat roast did very well!  In fact, next time I will

 check it sooner as I think it would have been done in less than

 an hour for an 11 lb bird!

Nice brown, crispy skin and juicy meat.

Remember when our mom's put the turkey in the oven at 5:00 AM?  ha.

Last year Taylor went to Lauren's home in Pennsylvania. 

 It was the first real sign that something serious was going on there. ha.

  We were really happy to have her around our table today!

I bought a box of chocolate truffles and put them

 in gold take out containers for little favors.  

I'll show you more about them this week.

My now infamous crab apples that you see our my windows all the

time got to come in and help create the centerpiece.

And I froze some of those ginormous blackberries to use instead

of ice cubes in our drinks.  I think they were prettier, too!

It's become a tradition for one of my brother-in-laws to join us!

I made four loaves of Braided Butter Bread.

  Two for dinner, and two with pecans, cinnamon and drizzle for breakfast.

The stuffing is probably my favorite part of the meal. 

 I made a cornbread stuffing with onion, celery, sage and apples.  Yum.

After dinner, some of us flopped on the couches to watch football.

Some of us slept in a tryptophan coma.

And some of us did dishes while sneaking an extra slice of pie. :)

Hope you had a lovely day!

♥

Bird Watching

Jack, Tiger and Whiskers.

I'm not the only one that likes to watch the bird feeder

from the windows at my desk!

♥

The Week In Random Thoughts

Whiskers and Jack lounging on my desk

1. Well, the stress of summer is catching up with me!  Every August I feel it sucking all patience, humor and life from my body. :)  It hasn't been a bad summer at all, but having three teenage boys with autism in the house 24/7 does get a bit wearisome.  They have enjoyed themselves, though.  Last week, from our yard, I could hear the high school marching band as they began practices on the football field and knew that the end was near! ha.  Silence is what I crave...a morning without Alvin and the Chipmunks singing Home On The Range at the same time Veggie Tales is blasting I Don't Got A Belly Button.  lol.  Yeah, my sanity is wearing thing. hahaha.
2. To celebrate the summer being on it's last month, I bought the boys new lunch boxes and socks.  The lunch boxes had gone in the trash the last day of school. They were well past their prime. ha.  And the socks?  Well, let's just say that the heels are bare and they aren't as white as they once were.  In fact, you just don't realize how bad they are until you buy new! :)  I also did a little online shopping for school clothes.  Old Navy..got such good deals  and free shipping.
3. I decided on a whim and very spur of the moment to open an Etsy shop! This was not at all what I had planned to do on a week away from blogging!   I was considering a few things such as going back to selling on eBay, needing a creative outlet, enjoying a weekly art co-op...or not, and cleaning out my house.  Sometimes you just don't feel right about the options and God just drops something new right in your lap, you know?  This was one of those times.  So,  within a few hours I had signed up, completed all the necessary background stuff, and started photographing and listing some things.  What a great way to share some of my drawings and auction finds! I still need to have some of my drawings printed, so those will be another week or so away.  The Grand Opening is Monday!  I hope you'll take a look, even if just for fun.  I plan to add new things weekly.
4. I had swore I wasn't going to let any zucchini become as big as the Goodyear Blimp and pick them while they were nice and small.  Well, I didn't check for three days and guess what...I have 4 Goodyear Blimps sitting on the kitchen island this morning. haha.  I'm going to spend the day doing some baking.  
5. I've been watching the Olympics!  Always fun!  I got to thinking, as I've learned to maneuver through the house with a new kitten underfoot, that if this were some kind of sport, I might have a chance at the gold!  lol...I've got it down pat now,...graceful, smooth and no longer take a tumble or let out a shriek when he trips me up. haha.  Now, seriously....with some of the more odd sports, I think they should consider this! :)
6. We're in the midst of working on filing for guardianship of our boys.  Turning 18, they are their own adults now, unless we do the legal work.  We've hired an attorney and have been working on the necessary things.  They also, aside from this, needed checkups with the doctor, which we did last month.  They tried to do some blood work, and after sticking Alex a dozen times, couldn't find a vein and they referred us to the hospital where they might have better luck.  I hate this type of thing.  Poor boys, screaming, while a group of adults hold them down and poke them with needles.  Repeat.  Repeat.  We need to go this coming week and get this done.  I've put it off for several weeks now! Fortunately, The Mister works at the hospital, so hopefully he can just come up to the next floor and give me a hand. :) 

Well, that's probably enough rambling.

What did you do this week?

I've missed you!

If you made any big announcements on your blog

that I missed, please tell me here! :)

♥

Adjusting to Jack

We've spent a lot of time playing with Jack the last few days and making sure he's comfortable and getting used to things around here.

1. Here's Marmalade at the first sound of a tiny terrified kitten calling for his mom.  He has since calmed down and taken on the role he does so well of being the big brother.
2. Charcoal's first look.  There was lots of sniffing!  ha.  But then acceptance.
3. Here he is with Whiskers learning how to drink water from a bowl.  I could tell he'd never done that!  And after he rooted with his mouth and kneaded with his paws all up and down my body to see if I had milk to give him, I went out and bought him some for kittens! ha. The main thing was to get him healthy.  He looks so much better in just 3 days!  Not as dehydrated and has gained a couple of ounces!
4. I put a little basket under my desk by my feet and he hopped right in.  It's his favorite place to nap.  In fact, he's there now as I type up this post!  Aw.

But this is what he usually looks like...on the go and exploring.

I think he's going to fit in just fine!

He even looks like the other 5 black and white cats! ha.

♥

Scarecrow Cat

Ha ha ha.  Why are you making that face at my newest cat?  lol.

I was saying last night that I found something else fun in the auction trash yesterday,

but I needed some daylight for a good photograph.

Looks like somebody's grandpa used his jigsaw to make this cat.

He's rough cut, has marble eyes, and a bushy tail.

I think he just had to come home to the zoo with nine cats! ha ha.

The marble eyes have the best effect with sun shining through them.

And the way the old black paint is especially worn around them, I'm thinking the

kids or grand kids liked rolling them around in their sockets! ha ha.

I love that he's naturally distressed with years of weathering.

I'm thinking he was used in the garden to keep away the birds.

Or maybe by the bird feeder to keep away the squirrels?

I sprayed him off in the kitchen sink and he's drip drying on a rag in the window.

Yes, he looks right at home here!

See what I mean?  Right at home!

You know, maybe I should leave him right there to scare off

Mr. Neighbor Man, in case he wanders too close to this window again!

♥