Stubby likes the good stuff.

This is Stubby. My brother found him eight years ago and couldn't keep him, so we took him in. He was no bigger than my hand. He doesn't have a tail and that's why his name is Stubby. :) Sweet kitty, but odd. In a good way (I guess).

He's never clawed the furniture, only had one bathroom incident (but it was the first night we got him, so I can't complain), has never run away, never roams too far, really. I call him my grumpy old man.

He begs worse than a dog and likes pasta (no sauce), yogurt, strawberries and bananas. Sometimes raw meat, but he doesn't do so well after eating that. I don't indulge him often, but everyone needs a little treat now and again, right?

Anyway, on this particular day I needed a laugh and decided to get one at his expense.

Never a big fan of catnip, but it seemed interesting to him in a baggie....

"Oh brother. Maybe if I just sniff it a little, she'll go away!"...

"Not so bad."...

"There's some way down there....can't. quite. get. to. it."....

"Ooohhh...GOT IT! This is kinda good!"...

I got my laugh and promptly took the bag off his head as soon as he was done sneezing...and he was a little on the crazy side for a while.

Then he got the munchies and slept it off. Hopefully this doesn't become a habit!

I want this!

I saw this on the Pottery Barn website (I think...) and I L.O.V.E. it!!! I'm thinking it's something that would be doable in the DIY arena...don't you?

Aarrghhhh! Why won't Blogger let me do anything?? I can't change my text size, put any text under the pic on this post... WHY??!

It's all in the details

Or is it? I love me some details!! In stories told and read, on people, in decor, in nature, little ones, big ones, ones you may not think are important. I think they're pretty much all important.

That may be why it takes me so long to tell a story. Kinda drives my hubby and son crazy sometimes. Oops. But as I'm telling a story, it makes sense to me to tell everything that helps the story along, because how else is one to get the whole meaning of what I'm saying? How are they going to feel like they were there?!

So on that note, how wordy is too wordy for a blog post? When does the average reader just think "Oh my, get to the point already!" Or just stop reading all together? Even now as I write this post, I'm typing and deleting, typing and deleting trying to spit it out.

Maybe it doesn't matter how much I write as opposed to the quality? Simple idea, right?

ugh.

But It also comes through in how I decorate our home. How I shop for myself.

Visual clutter. Too many items (that I don't wear, but that I love...yipes!) It's starting to feel like too much all the time.

I look around our home (and in my closet and craft room) and get, at the same time, frazzled and comforted. How do you pare down? How do you know when the love is gone? ;)

The problem I'm coming across is this: how do I pare down the details? How do I know what counts and what doesn't?

I know that the true answer lies only with myself, and I need to do what's good for me.

I suppose a new year is a great way to start a new 'thing', right? I don't generally make resolutions since it's not in my makeup to see them through. :) I'm extremely in decisive and a bit emotional when it comes to making choices.

(Shopping with me would probably be miserable for most people...it's frustrating for me!)

I'm going to take this year and try a new path. One of clarity and purging. Forgetting and forgiving.

Forgiveness for me is a biggie! Boy, can I hold a grudge. I know that it's better to forgive and forget, but it's just SO hard for me.

In my life, there's a lot going on in the last couple years; the death of my grandpa and the subsequent falling apart of different parts of my family. I don't really want to get into it here, but it's weighing quite heavily on my present life and I can't seem to find a way out from under it. I'm working on it, but I can't do it alone and the other parties involved don't seem to see both sides of the situation.

Anyway.

A huge move for my little family from CA to WA and trying to adjust.

Yep, a new year is definitely what I need. What my family needs. What the world needs.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year to all of you!! :)

*pics taken by me at our local park, Manito Park, on Thursday. It's a gorgeous park with several gardens, duck pond and TONS of beautiful trees!

Merry Everything!

I had intended to get on here a week ago and keep up with posting, but a trip to Cali to visit family, Disneyland and the Queen Mary got the better of me.

Ah well, at any rate I want to wish you all a wonderful season...whatever it brings!

Oh boy.

Yep. That's a Sharpie in his hand...and all over his face.

Wonderful.

I thought it was funny until Jim mentioned that he hoped it would come off since we were going somewhere the next day.

Luckily it did.

;)

Better pic

Instead of editing the last post, I 'll just post a new pic of the trees. I don't know why I didn't use this one before.

Merry X-MESS!

Welcome to my dining room. Isn't it lovely and inviting? Where would you like to sit...on the floor, maybe? UGH! I decided to trudge out to the garage and get the Christmas decorations out and get to decorating. No big deal except that I had another mess still going from trying to organize the downstairs room that's off the dining room.

HOT. MESS.

In trying to figure out what to do, I've come up with this beauty of a scene below. Not cute. It extends into the kitchen and blocks the pantry door, the laundry and the back door. Lots of grunting going on just to get outside or something to eat. And don't think I've done any laundry.

I'm too busy messing up the house. :)

Oops.

At any rate, trying to decorate a new house is always fun, yes? And I'm especially excited because of the built in hutch, awesome moulding, banister, porch and other cool details our house has. The problem is I've never had any of those things to deal with before. That means that the decorations I have have always been used in the same way on the same pieces of furniture and such.

Make sense?

Each time he walks through my husband mutters "More stuffs." Yes, 'stuffs'. It's an inside joke. Anyway. I don't want to buy anything new...before we moved we had yard sales and I went through and got rid of lots of stuffs, so I don't really want to add anymore.

That is unless I Just. Can't. Live. Without. It. ;)

Seriously, when is that ever NOT the case?

So far, this is my favorite thing. I bought the Farm Chicks Christmas book (I saw Serena signing books at our local Costco) and tried this craft. Super easy and a bit therapeutic since it's repetitive and easy.

At your local craft store get foam cones and use ribbon, twine, fabric, paper, whatever, and just wrap it around the cone until it's covered. Then secure with hot glue or straight pins. I still need to put a little poof on the blue tree, but for all intensive purposes (I know that's incorrect, but until I can remember where I heard the wrong phrase, I'm using it) they're done.

I know this scene still needs something, just not sure what. Hopefully there's something hiding in my tubs that'll be perfect. Please???

The only other space that I think is done is this corner. I saw a blogger who had purchased a super cool mantel at the Pottery Barn Outlet. Jealous!! I used to live near-ish an outlet in CA and NEVER went! Why? I don't know....

One day while Guerin was at hockey practice I headed to the nearest Pier One (a poor man's Pottery Barn? Maybe.) Love you Pier One!! :*

There is a PB that is close to me now, but not to where I was that day. Anyway....I can really get off track, can't I?? Wow. Sorry.

So while I was in there I saw the shelf you see below. On sale for $25 big ones. Can't go wrong. Hubby hung it last night and although it's sturdy and mantel-ish, I don't what else to put on it. (I actually wanted to paint a creamy color and distress it, but it's cool for now.) Greenery for sure...just need to get some. And I'm not in love (barely in like is more like it) with the candle holder. Jim likes it though. He doesn't have a ton of say in lots of rooms in the house, so the living room is a little more tailored for his taste. Nice of me, huh? ;)

In fact I don't even like it enough to take off the tag. Even though it's past the 30 day return time. Also the basket with the blankets has the tag still, too. I do like that...I just forgot about the tag.

I told myself I can't leave the house until this is finished, but I'm itching to get out of the house! Luckily I didn't tell anyone that little tidbit, so maybe I'll cheat and head out to Hobby Lobby.

To add to the pressure, Guerin and I are headed back to Cali next week to visit relatives and use our Disneyland passes for the last time. :( So there's packing and last minute shtuff (you can figure out that meaning!) to do....

Sigh. Lots to do. Gotta run.......