And now, a post NOT about cats

Lest anyone think I only post about cats (which has been somewhat true lately), I thought I'd best post a layout so folks would know there is more to my life than my furry friends. I assure you, there IS more to my life, although some would say not a LOT!

When Daughter went off to college, I assumed that I wouldn't have many photos to scrapbook (unless I took them myself while visiting) but to my surprise, that hasn't been the case. She's been fairly good about taking photos and sending them to me (yes, I raised her well!) plus the marching band actually has a staff photographer who documents most every event. In short, I ended up with TONS of photos from her first semester in college -- enough to keep me busy for a very long time. What a pleasant surprise! Of course, just when I thought I was getting caught up, this unexpected onslaught of photos has set me back quite a bit...

ANYWAY, this is the first page of many about drumline auditions and band camp, held last August. Of course, I wasn't there but thanks to the drumline director and band photographer, I have access to plenty of photos. When you're so far away, it's absolutely wonderful to be able to see photos of your student! Just to know she's alive and well, you know. (In this case sweaty and exhausted, but still...)

Tomorrow's post will be about CATS, but I will try to bring more balance back to my blogging. As you can see (even though they'd have you believe otherwise), there IS more to life than my furry friends. :)

Another Amazing Trick by Lily

As many of you know, Lily loves chasing puffballs. She's also quite good at catching and batting them, as this cell phone video demonstrates!

Tabby Tuesday

Um, Lily, I wouldn't get your hopes up...

Feline Friday

I'm a slow learner. I KNOW that tasty treats need to be put out of Lily's reach. But earlier this week, I carelessly left a baggie of leftover Pillsbury Crescent Rolls on the table. This time, Spouse caught Lily at 4 AM with the bag in paw, riddled with teeth marks. Bits of crescent rolls were broken off but still inside. It was clear that with a little more time, Lily would have gnawed through the plastic and enjoyed more than her fill of carbohydrates. Given her track record, I have no doubt that she would have eaten every single roll.

The next day, Lily agreed to do a quick re-enactment.

She was more than happy to return to the scene of the crime...

...and demonstrate her Pillsbury Crescent Roll Super Seeking Powers.

A (somewhat blurry) close-up reveals the damage.

As payment for such a fine re-enactment, I rewarded Lily with a little taste. Never has a Pillsbury Crescent Roll been so fervently pursued, and never has a tiny crumb been so savored!

Happy Birthday!

It's hard to believe that 18 years ago today, we welcomed you into the world. What a blessing you have been to us! Every year with you has been an adventure, and it has been a true joy and privilege to be your parents.

We love you dearly and are so proud of the young woman you have become.

Have a wonderful birthday!

Wordless Wednesday: Snow Kitty

Towel Tunnel Tuesday

Snow has been falling steadily for the past day or so. We now have seven inches of the white stuff on the ground. I've noticed that when it snows, the kitties tend to hunker down. They only get up to eat, then they go right back to sleep in a Warm Spot.

You know it's cold here when Tinsel makes a Towel Tunnel. This is the third Towel Tunnel she has made this season (see her first structure here).

With each Towel Tunnel, her construction seems to improve. This one is nice and sturdy, with the opening positioned very close to the furnace vent. And it's too small for Lily.

Smart girl. :)

Meet Peabody!

My good friend Sharon knows I love sock monkeys. And she recently surprised me with a new little guy! I named him Peabody. He's quite adorable! He even came with a little booklet for recording Important Information.

Peabody enjoyed the Christmas decorations, especially the small village under the tree. I guess the tiny North Pole buildings are a bit more his size. I left him there to explore the village, but when I went back to fetch him...

...I spotted him riding a donkey! Even though Peabody offered to carry some of the Christmas gifts, you can see that Santa was not too pleased to have a rider.

To distract Peabody from any further trouble, I showed him the snow outside the window. He seemed intrigued, so I set him to work counting snowflakes and went on about my business.

But when I went back to check on him, I found him swinging from the lamp! He did NOT want to come down, but I finally coaxed him with a bit of chocolate. (The truth is that I had to eat several chocolates from the box before I found one that he liked! Turns out that Peabody is a very picky eater!)

Now that Peabody is in the house, I'm glad the Christmas decorations have been put away. Clearly, I'm going to have to provide him with a bit closer supervision!

Feline Friday: Crissmas in Reevew, by Lily

Now dat mi mommie putted awai da Crissmas tree, mi seesonal fun is ozer.

But Crissmas waz fun wile it lasted! Tinsul got a preetend possum an sum yummy treets frum Santa. She did not want to bee in dis picture so Baiwee had to show hur treets. I am sure Tinsul will share dem wif me beecuz she luvs me.

And even tho mi stockeen was turned to da "NAUGHTY" side, i still gotted sum treets AND a bag of 100 PUFFBALLS! I am so exsited! Now I will not loose dem so much.

But da vary, vary best part of Crismuss was haveen Baiwee home wif us!

Simple Cards from Scraps

This year, I made a few Christmas cards from leftover bits of this and that. I've done this a few times over the years (see previous posts here and here). The funny thing is that even though I don't like scrapbooking Christmas photos, it seems that I have accumulated several Christmas product lines -- because they are so beautiful! In fact, I have enough Christmas stuff in my stash that I could probably make all of my cards for the next few years.

This year, I ended up making 25 cards. (If I had started earlier, I would have made cards for everyone but that didn't seem to happen!) I used a couple of very simple designs and tried to repeat them using different doo-dads.

If you're a crafter, you may recognize some of the product on these cards as current -- and some from many moons ago! It doesn't matter to me how old it is. If I like it and it works on the card, I'll use it.

Making cards from scraps satisfies my need to make each one a little bit different. (I could never make 25 of the same card!) I also really like putting my hoarded stash to good use.

So here's to continuing to use up those scraps in the New Year!

Blueberry Mini-Muffin NOMMED

I made a serious mistake last night: I left a plate of blueberry mini-muffins sitting out on the counter, covered only by plastic wrap. You'd think I'd remember by now that all treats must be placed in the microwave or fridge, lest they be NOMMED by Lily. Who does NOT need the NOMS, believe me.

This morning I noticed that SOMEONE had discovered the blueberry muffins sometime between the hours of midnight and 3:30AM. The evidence is clear: This is the work of Lily.

No wonder she didn't wake me up in the middle of the night (as she usually does) asking for food. She'd already found it.

Recipe: Date Cookies

I realize that the end of the holiday season is probably NOT the best time to share a cookie recipe, but this one is too good to keep to myself. I needed to use up some dates I'd forgotten about in the back of my freezer and found this recipe for Date Cookies on the Allrecipes website.

If you're a fan of dates (or even if you're NOT), you'll love these drop cookies. The dates sweeten the cookies without being overpowering.



Date Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups white sugar

3 eggs

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons water

1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Combine the water and dates; stir into the dough along with the chopped pecans. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.