Reminder: Vote for Lily!

As a reminder, please consider voting for Lily in the Des Moines Register's Top Cat Photo Contest. You can vote 5 times every day until May 5. Thank you to everyone who has voted for her! :-)

Get the details at my blog post HERE. Thanks again!

Tabby Thursday: Noo Fuds

Mama bot us sum noo fuds but she wont opun dem. Cant she see dat im hungrie?

When shez not lookin ill trie to opun da bag wifout help. I can doo all kindz of thingz now dat I'm biggr.

Uh-oh! Heer she comes!

Ohai, Mama! Howz ur dai goin? Im just sittin heer cazually reedin deez ingreediunts on dis bag of delishus fuds!

Recipe: 5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

Here's a fun recipe to try, especially with kids. This was Daughter's first time making Chocolate Mug Cake and it actually turned out pretty well. Here's the recipe she used:

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake (serves at least 2)
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa (she used unsweetened cocoa, which I liked but she thought was a bit too bitter)
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (microwave safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. (Be careful when removing the mug from the microwave.)

Here's the batter mixed up and ready to go in the microwave.

Here's what happened after a short time in the microwave. The cake became a volcano! (Kids would definitely enjoy this part of the process.)

Here's the deflated cake cooling for a bit.

And here it is tipped out on a plate. Not the most attractive dessert but trust me, it was pretty tasty. It would be quite good served with ice cream!

Note: We decided that this cake needs to be eaten right away or shared by 2-3 people because as it sat out, it became a little rubbery around the edges.

The Easter Bunny...

was smart this year. He left some canned kitty food at our house, but covered the Easter Basket with a towel....

...for obvious reasons!

Shameless plug for Lily!

Please vote for Lily in the Des Moines Register's Top Cat Photo Contest!

This is a great contest for Lily, since she doesn't have to actually interact with judges (those of you who have read my blog for awhile know that Lily has had some bad experiences with cat shows)!

Click here for the contest homepage. Click on the "vote" tab, then search for "Lily". You must register to vote, but once you do, you can vote for Lily up to 5 times per day through May 5! The winner receives a year of cat food plus a photo shoot and will be featured in the Des Moines Register. If Lily wins, she will donate cat the cat food to our local no-kill shelter.

Thank you!

A few good things

Here are a few things I've been enjoying lately:

1. Basic Grey's new line, Lime Rickey. This line has so many colors, patterns, and designs! Here's a sneak peak of a mini-album I just finished up for a staff challenge at Memory Bound. This was a great opportunity to play with Lime Rickey and get some scrapbooking done at the same time. (Will share the rest after the challenge is over!)

2. Apple-scented candles. Love how fresh they smell.

3. Baseball card holders. They're the perfect size for the senior pictures we seem to be collecting these days. I'll eventually put the entire sheet, as is, into a 3-ring binder scrapbook.

Feline Friday: Lily Gets Fit

My mama gose to teh fitnes plaice so mabe i shud to.

Hmmm...Furst i need to mak sum fitnes goles, like stop steelin Tinsel's fuds...

Okai dis is to hard i skip dis step!

Now i need to adjus dis levr fur my size cat...

Oh dis is wai too much wurk! im outta here!

Let's go to Fazoli's...

...just for drinks!

Road Trip!

Last week, a group of us from the store where I teach took a trip to visit another scrapbook store in Minneapolis. A great time was had by all! Unfortunately, you won't get to hear about it because most of what happened on the road trip STAYS on the road trip! :-)

I will, however, share one memorable event from the trip which occurred at a restaurant on the way home. A few of us made a stop in the restroom where, in an unfortunate (and potentially awkward) turn of events, I managed to get my hand stuck in the toilet paper holder. View evidence of my injury (photo credit to Katie!) below:

Thankfully, I wriggled my wrist free from the tight predicament without having to call upon my co-workers or the fire department. (Had that happened, I would have been looking for a new job far, far away...)

Such a good time was had on this road trip that we're already looking forward to the next one. Believe me, I'll be packing a spare roll of tp. :-)

Prom 2009

Here are a few snapshots from our prom, held this past Saturday. What a magical evening!

Finally, a sign of spring!

One of the first plants to bloom in my perennial beds each year is the Pasque Flower. "Pasque" means Easter, as the plant blooms around that time each year. Over the next few weeks, this native prairie plant will be covered with beautiful purple flowers.

Whenever I see the Pasque Flower in bloom, I know that spring has really, truly arrived!

Feline Friday

On most days, Lily plays the part of the irritating little sister. Here, Tinsel's dangling tail was just too tempting to resist!