Lunch lately

It doesnt look like much, but tastes great! Rice, hummus, tomato, avacado. Yummm.

My PeaOui

So, one of the things that happened at the end of 2010 was that we sent our two kitties to live with my parents in California. Mella and PeaOui were happy apartment cats for lots of years, but after adding Olive to our family and some developing health concerns for PeaOui, it became clear to us that neither cats nor humans were happy with our close living quarters. (I won't even go into the money issues we were facing trying to care for PeaOui's diabietes, but that was also a major factor in our ultimate decision). My parent's generously offered to take our fury friends in. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, but I knew they would be happier somewhere where they could go outside and be cats again, and I hoped that a new lifestyle might help PeaOui's health.

My brother took them on the 6-hour trip just before Christmas. They spent a week inside my Dad's studio to get used to their new home, and then they were able to go outside and explore the great outdoors, which they had not seen in nearly 7 years. My mom called to tell me they were having fun exploring the outside and basking in the sunshine from time to time.

About a month after we sent the kitties to California, my dad called to say that PeaOui's health had taken a turn for the worse. It seemed that the diabetes that we could never get under control had finally taken it's toll on her kidneys and she was going into renal failure. It was time to let her go. My wishes for a miraculous recovery did not pan out.

PeaOui was 11 years old. I had had her since she was 6 weeks old. She was Mella's daughter. I miss her tremendously and wish I had had all the money and time and resources in the world to make her healthy and happy. I was sad, but also relieved, that I was not with her in the end. And I hope Mella, who had never been apart from PeaOui, isn't too sad without her.

I love you PeaOui.

Blog? What's a Blog?

It's been too long! A LOT has happened in the last 3 months. Too much to try and review here. So, I'm just going to skip over the holidays and the end of 2010 and go straight to the new year.

Here is our annual New Year family video.

Please to enjoy!

:) Cheers

Happy Halloween!

This is just a little late, but better late than never!
O is a bit under the weather this week, but last weekend we finally made it to the pumpkin patch!

We had a great time and we got a little pumpkin for our pumpkin.

I'm not super big on Halloween, but we did get O a costume.

I think we've started a food theme with her so far. Dunno, if we'll keep it going again next year...perhaps...

:) Cheers

Time Heals All Wounds

Today is the two-year anniversary of our best friend Eric's suicide. It is not a nice day. I still can't believe I have a friend who committed suicide. Seems like something out of an after-school special. But, no, it is true, and real, and painful.

I miss him everyday. We used to chat on-line from our respective work-places. The last email I had from him was on November 3, 2008. We had Thanksgiving with our friends every year instead of family. I was starting to plan what pies to bake. He liked pumpkin. I sent him this image.

He replied: "That is so perfect! Cheers, E"

I keep the email saved in a special folder. It is the last thing he ever said to me.

Eric had a lot of struggles in life. I knew this. We were there for him when he needed us. I wish he had needed us more. I hope he is no longer in pain. I hope he is at peace. It just sucks that he had to leave us behind.

:) Cheers

In the Middle

I officially turned 35 on Saturday. I'm at the top of the hump of the 30s. But I have a feeling the ride down the other side on the way to 40 will be OK.

To celebrate my birthday we had planned a family trip to Portland to visit friends while W went to a coin show with his dad. Unfortunately, our friends got sick, so O and I stayed home. But the next day W had something up his sleeve. W is a wonderful man, but sometimes lacks something in the gift department. This year he out did himself. He planned a treasure-like hunt of events for me, ending in a great dinner with our friends and WITHOUT the baby! It was great. I got to hang with my best friend, eat and drink great food, and shop! It was great. Oh, did I say that already? It really was.

This week the weather is CRAPPY and COLD. I'm not physically or mentally prepared for winter. I still need some more fall. Winter just makes me want to sit in our condo, listen to the rain, and watch reality tv.

Halloween is this coming weekend and we have a great costume for O. Pictures will be posted! We never got to the pumpkin farm this year. It just never worked out and then the weather got bad. Oh well. Next year.

This is what O has been up to lately. She is growing leaps and bounds and learning things everyday.

Budding Artist

MMMMMM red

Getting her morning quotes

Fluffy Bunny

I guess that is all from the homefront.

Cheers :)

In the Year 35

Image from ETSY http://www.etsy.com/shop/finchandhawk?ref=seller_info

Inspired by this lovely gal at Making it Lovely, I have created my 35 in the year 35 list.

Nicole at Making it Lovely just turned thirty and she gave herself 6 months to complete 30 things before thirty. Amazingly, in addition to running her online business/website, expecting her second child, being a top blogger, and keeping an amazing home, she completed nearly all of her 30 items. (Her site is amazing, you should check it out!)

I have to be a little more realistic. I'm kinda lazy compared to her. I have a lot of things I'd like to do, but need more time to complete them. I'm turning thirty-five in October, so I thought I would try and come up with 35 things I could try and accomplish in the my 35th year. I'm having a bit of a mid-thirties crisis. It seems like a big number to me for some reason. I feel like I need to accomplish something concrete; move my (our) life forward. I think this list will help...If nothing else it will get a lot of things done around the house.

So with no further ado:

35 in the year 35

1.       Finish painting the trim in living room and hallway

2.       Paint bedroom

3.       Get two new dressers for our bedroom (Give back antique dresser to Mom)

4.       Paint afore mentioned dressers to match bedroom (green)

5.       Clean and organize craft closet

6.       Clean and organize hall closet

7.       Paint and cover hall closet doors

8.       Finish sewing curtains in bedrooms

9.       Find linings for living room curtains and finish sewing them too

10.   Replace air conditioner in living room

11.   Install air conditioner in Olive’s room

12.   Install ceiling fan in dining room

13.   Install ceiling fan in Olive’s room

14.   Paint bathrooms

15.   New mirrors, light fixtures, towel racks in bathrooms

16.   Replace all four doors in condo

17.   Price and save money for new toilets, sinks, and flooring in bathrooms

18.   Purge storage unit of all unused stuff

19.   Start using my aerogarden again

20.   Be a vendor in the Christmas Meet Your Maker with new product

21.   Finish up surplus craft projects

22.   Start embroidery pattern business

23.   Make my Blog bigger and better

24.   Spend a long weekend in a house on the beach

25.   Take a romantic overnight trip with my husband and WITHOUT the baby

26.   Get grocery spending down to $50/week

27.   Pay off credit card

28.   Start saving again

29.   Carve Pumpkins

30.   Decorate for Christmas

31.   Make all Christmas gifts with stuff I already have (or with very minimal purchase)

32.   Solve CD/record storage problem

33.   FINALLY get fish for vintage blender fish bowls I made 4 years ago

34.   Get sewing machine fixed

35.   Be ready to work on kitchen in the year 36

Bonus Tracks:

Curb my addiction to lattes (iced or hot)

Write a children’s book

Start exercising regularly again

I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing.

:) Cheers