Too Many Projects, So Little Time

I didn't mean to drop out of blogland for so long again. I've been so busy working frantically on several projects around the house. We are planning on hosting a BBQ on Saturday and with up to 20 people showing up at our house, I've been very motivated to wrap up all the little changes around the house I have been putting off. I have three big kitchen changes to reveal, my second laminate bookcase makeover to show off, and a few simple makeovers to share. I'll try not to leave you hanging too long!

I also recently purchased a used Canon DSLR camera so I will have much clearer and brighter photos to share. I'm amazed at how sharp my photos are compared to my point and shoot camera, especially indoors where the lighting is always an issue.

In the meantime, here are some photos to share that I have taken around the house with my new-to-me camera and 50 mm f1.8 lens (the nifty fifty lens, what a bargain!) I'm still learning all the tricks to getting great photos, but the learning process is so fun.

Decorating with Cats

If you have kids, you know that decorating with them in mind brings about it's own set of challenges. You have to take care with breakables, make sure everything is washable, and watch out for things that are easily knocked over or swallowed, depending on their age group.

Well, decorating with pets brings about some similar issues. My dog will eat anything that's on the ground. My cats can scale to any height and knock anything onto the ground. Which the dog can then eat once it hits ground level. However, the cats can also act as "household helpers" in certain special situations.

Fur Duster(as opposed to a feather duster)-If you need to dust in high places, just send the cat up there. She will clean out all the dust bunnies from the nooks and crannies.

Wreath Sizer- Cats can let you know if your wreath requires more flowers or other ornamentation. You can also know that it's not too full if your cat can still sit inside it.

Ribbon Catcher-Just in case you drop your ribbon while working on a project, don't worry. A cat helper will be there to catch it for you. Just make sure to get it away from them quickly as they play the "finders keepers" game.

Fabric Inspector-Cats are also very capable of telling you if your fabric is the proper color and if it is durable enough. If it can survive cat claws and either repels or camouflages cat fur then you know you have a winner.

Christmas Tree Decorator-Now if only they would learn to string the lights.

Curtain Tester-Cats will be glad to show just how sheer your curtains are. Therefore, you can immediately know how much light will travel through the curtains even if you hang them after dark. I think he is also telling me here that my curtains are too short, oops!

Plumber-Although I think in this case he is the one causing the clog.

Basket Checker- This basket will officially hold at least one cat with room to spare. That makes it big enough for all your storage needs.

Decision Maker-You weren't really thinking of returning that comforter, right? That would mean putting it back in this plastic bag and the cat already filled it with cat fur and claimed it as hers. Guess you are keeping that comforter then. You really wanted it anyway, you just didn't like the price so much.

Search and Rescue- Are you trying to put that piece of furniture together, but seem to missing an important piece? You can send your cats to the very bottom of the box to hunt for that last missing screw.

Management- Cats can remind you not to spend too much time blogging or decorating that you neglect your other duties. The laundry does need to be put away someday.

Life Coach- Most of all cats can remind you that spending time and effort decorating or fixing up your house is important to you because you want a cozy, happy home that is your own special haven.

My Cat Needs a Shrink

I have two cats. One of them is very inquistive and a bit eccentric, but for the most part a normal cat. Then there is Emma. We aren't sure what exactly happened to her in her previous life because she was a stray. Maybe she was deprived of oxygen at birth or maybe she suffers from abandonment issues from being in a shelter, but either way she is an odd animal.

Her first major issue is her obsession with all things plastic. In fact, she likes to eat plastic and we have to make sure no grocery bags, newpaper sleeves, or ziploc bags are left unattended. She has even consummed an entire Wal-Mart bag and then thrown it back up over the course of a couple days. Even plastic drop cloths aren't safe from her, because she likes to crawl underneath them. Maybe this is where the oxygen deprivation began.

Her latest issue is that she has decided to pull out her fur. She has soft, beautiful fur, but all along her sides, tummy, legs, and tail she has bald spots where she has been pulling out her fur. Apparently, this is common for cats to do when stressed.  Now when she walks she looks like a scrawny rat. You can see her big bald patch on her side.

She did suffer from a recent bladder infection and was on antibiotics. That is the only thing we can figure out would have her remotely stressed. She still eats fine and acts completely normal otherwise. (Or normal for Emma anyway.) I wouldn't think sleeping 16 hours a day and having your meals hand delivered would be a stressful life, but who knows.

Maybe she had too much sun.

Maybe she was mad that we went on vacation without her.

Maybe she needs a chiropractor.

Maybe she doesn't like my taste in shoes.

Maybe she had a run in with the Big, Bad Wolf while dressed as Little Red Riding Hood.

Maybe my dining room chairs bring back flashbacks of living in a cage at the Humane Society.

If there are any cat whisperers out there, please share your advice. If there are no cat whisperers, you can just share your amusing pet stories. I would love to hear them.

To Be a Cat

What would it be like to be a cat? To sleep most of the day away perched in odd places.

To sit and soak up the sun.

To find amusement and excitement in everyday objects.

To enjoy and smell and warmth of fresh laundry. (And leave cat fur all over said laundry.)

To spend hours staring out the window, enjoying the breeze and the smell of fresh cut grass.

To explore and investigate all small changes to see what they are all about.

To practice your roaring lion impression.

To see the world from a different angle.

And then end the day with another catnap.

Monday Musings

I had a rather productive weekend. First I found this cute basket at T.J. Maxx (cat sold seperately.) It matches the green of my living room and brings in the white and brown I would like to use more of in that room.



I played around with my camera some. Since I don't have kids, my cats are often the focus of my camera lens. Our dog is terrified of the camera and hides as soon as he sees it and my handsome hubby gets tired of posing for photos as well, so its usually down to the cats.



I did some organizing in my closet using this cube shelf from Target to hold sweaters and shoes.



I organize all my clothes by type and color. So I have all tank tops by color, then short sleeve shirts by color, and finally long sleeved shirts by color. Then I have all my skirts, pants, dresses, and shoes in the back. I went through everything and pulled out stuff to get rid of in the upcoming church yard sale. There's still way too much in the closet, but we have such little storage space in our house so everything ends up in our walk-in closet.



And finally I managed to complete a few scrapbook pages. I hadn't done much scrapping at all since last year. I'm finally get back in the swing of things.







Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend!

Furbabies

I posted a picture of my dog a few days ago and I thought I would show my other two babies.



Emma sleeping soundly in my husband's jeans. She is afraid of most people, but always follows me around in the morning as I am getting ready. She is a talker too, always meowing or purring.





Clue never meows unless it's time to eat, then he is really loud. His world mostly revolves around eating and sleeping. He is a cuddler though and always looking for a warm lap.

Spring has Sprung

I love spring. Finally the cold weather has passed, the trees and flowers, are blooming, and I can wear flip-flops again. We spent last weekend planting all over the yard. We planted a pear tree in the front (inspiration for the name of my blog) and a cherry tree in the back. Both the flowering varieties. I also planted azaleas, a lilac bush, hostas, and a few other plants. Grow strong little plants.



This is a close up of the flowers on the trees we already have growing along our house. And here's one of my furbabies out enjoying the great greenness.