Craft It Forward!

Last month I came across the blogs ShimmerMeBlue and Success Bound offering a Pay It Forward and Audrey's Country Crafts offering a Craft It Forward. Ever since I received a wonderful gift from Abby at Simply Charming in SC I've wanted to continue the idea of giving so these blogs caught my attention. I'm going to offer a Craft It Forward to the first five people to respond to this post. You will get something handmade by me (or my mom if I can get her to make something!) Here are the restrictions that come with this:

*There are no guarantees you will like what I make although I sure hope you do!
*What I create will be just for you
*You'll receive it this year (2009)
*The item will be a surprise to you and can be ANYTHING handmade
*And in return, all you need to do is post this text into your blog and make 5 things for 5 people.

Respond in the comments section… first 5 people win!

Please leave a way in the comments for me to contact you for your address once you have posted about the "Craft it Forward" and offered prizes. Also it would be helpful to know what your favorite color is and whether or not you like cats and/or dogs.

Special Sunday!

Today I'm going to do something a little different. I'm going to introduce you to three blogs that if you haven't met yet, they are really worth getting to know! To start off, last week I received the Lemonade award from two of these blogs - Katie at Mishkat and Meghann at Little Studio Photography and Jewellery.

To show my appreciation, here's some more information about these blogs beginning with Mishkat!

I met Katie from Mishkat through Etsy and liked her from the very first contact. She is a huge animal lover and has three kitties pictured below - Tasha, Dobby and Franklin.

Katie has been such a wonderful supporter of mine and I appreciate it more than I can say. Her blog has been entertaining and fabulous from Day 1 as we hear about the antics of her kitties. Tasha is a tortie so of course I enjoy posts about her! Franklin has such innocent playfulness in everything he does and his purrsonality shows in his expressive face! He's so cute! And Dobby is so handsome and has the cutest pink paws that I've ever seen! Be sure to visit their blog and I'm sure you'll be glad you did!

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The next blog I'd like you to meet is Little Studio Photography and Jewellry.

I met Meghann from Little Studio through Etsy for Animals but I got to know her through her blog. On her blog she shares a little about her jewelry, her photos, her life and of course her dog Arwen!

Meghann has an ability to talk through her blog like she's sitting right next to you. Her caring personality shows through too. Be sure to pay her a visit!

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Finally, I'd like you to meet Abby from Simply Charming in SC

and also The FatKat Kronicles!

Abby has the most wonderful ability to make her blog readers feel like you are long time friends. Her heart shows through in everything she does. A few weeks ago she received the Generosity award and passed it on to several people including me. But, she didn't stop there. She also sent each of us a present. I received beautiful earrings from her yesterday and she brought a very bright end to my really long week! I will be paying it forward after tax season is over when I can concentrate fully on making something special for my recipients. Abby also recently started a blog for her kitties called The FatKat Kronicles and Scooter is the main blogger for the kitty family.

Today happens to be Scooters 1st Birthday so be sure to stop by and send him your birthday wishes! While you're there, check out some of the earlier posts and I guarantee that you will have a smile on your face!

Lazy Sunday!

We love Sundays around here because we get to catch up on our sleep! We can never have too much sleep!

Mommy needs to get caught up on awards once again (we might have to get another assistant if she keeps getting behind!)

Also, is anyone else having trouble with Blogger posting pre-scheduled blogs? If so, please tell me what is going on and how do I fix it?

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Kay from Kay's K9s gave us the "Let's Be Friends" award and also the Kreativ Blogger award! Thank you so much Kay! Be sure to check out her Etsy shop for her fabulous felted dogs and cats! They are so amazing!

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We also received the Kreativ Blogger award from the following bloggers:

Stephanie at From Huskies to Husbands! Sadie and Stephanie's dog Suzy look like they could be sisters! Check out her blog to see her dogs but also to feel like your visiting a friend!

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Deb at Stroll Through Storyland also awarded us the Kreative Blogger award. She is a fellow EtsyBlogger who is so talented and is always learning new way to express her creativity. She inspires me more than she realizes!

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And finally, Annie at Mini-Mocs passed the Kreative Blogger award to us also! Annie has the biggest heart and makes me realize daily what the important things are in life. She is a very special person and I'm honored to receive this award from her!

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This award requires me to list 7 things I love so here they are:

♥ Listening to a cat purr

♥ Greetings from Sadie - even if it's just coming into one room from the next

♥ Everything about my husband

♥ The sound of the ocean and feel of sand between my toes

♥ Sunshine

♥ Seeing the signs of spring such as the leaves on the trees

♥ The smell of roses

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Debora from Beadin by the Sea gave us the "Love Ya" award! Debora blogs about her beautiful jewelry, gorgeous Washington state and her handsome kitty Ace! Her blog is a must visit for me and if you check it out, you'll soon see why!

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Erika from NICO*Designs awarded me the "Passionate Blogger" award! This is an award I hadn't seen before so I'm honored to receive it! Erika's blog is filled with her cute creations, her adorable children and posts that show what a wonderful person she is! Be sure to visit her blog!

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Abby from Simply Charming in SC gave me the "Generosity Award" which I had never seen before so was really excited to receive it! Here are the rules of this award:

1) Show generosity towards others in the blogging community by giving a small gift of appreciation. This can be free advertising, a card in the mail, or anything else your imagination takes you.

2) Send this award to at least five others. If you wish to send the award to more then that, feel free to. Generosity has no limits.

3) Link back to the person who sent you this award.

4) Copy the rules as well as the award into your post.

5) Enjoy yourself and have fun!

I am going to pass this award to some of my fellow Etsy Angels for their work in raising funds for such worthy causes. They are all deserving of this award due to their extreme Generosity!

♥Annie at Mini-Mocs

♥Amanda at Chloe Boutique

♥Mona at Sewing Granny

♥Melana at By Nana's Hands

♥Cindy at Sew Happy Designs

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Thank you so much to everyone for passing these wonderful awards to me! I appreciate it!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Tagged, Tagged and Tagged Again!

Recently I've been tagged a few times so today I'll play along with some of them (the rest will follow in future posts). Abby at Simply Charming in SC and Michele at moxylyn both tagged me with a game called 6 by 6. Find the sixth image in your sixth folder and tag six people to do the same. Here's my 6th picture in my 6th folder: This photo is from a trip to the Redwoods National and State Park in Northern California in May 2005. We took our dogs, Sadie and KC, and they had a great time sniffing the fresh forest air! Can you see KC sticking her nose out the window too? She was a black chow mix so sort of blends in the background!

Now for the 6 people I'm going to tag (under no obligation!):

Rita (Jane's mom) at Casbah Kitten

Edi at Memories for Life Scrapbooks

Debora at Beadin By the Sea

Annie at My Mini Mocs

Erika at NICO Designs

Candi at Be Jeweled By Candi

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Kat from Soy Wax Candles Blog tagged me with a music meme which should be pretty interesting so here goes...

The Rules for the MEME are:

1. Put your Music Player on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

4. Tag your friends (I'm going to leave this open so if you wanna play, you're tagged!)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?

**Too Much Time on my Hands - Styx (During tax season? Oh this one is so far off!)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A BOY?

**Music - Madonna (Uhm, okay...)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

** Love 2 Love - Janet Jackson (Interesting.)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

**Free - Destiny's Child (Not sure how to interpret this one!)

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?

**Glamorous - Fergie (This made me chuckle!)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

**Right For Me - Justin Timberlake

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

**I Got Trouble - Christina Aguilera (Oh this one is so true!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

**Believe - Cher (I didn't even remember this was on my iPod!)

WHAT IS 2 + 2?

**I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do - ABBA (How funny!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

**Joy Ride - Mariah Carey

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

**Strong Enough - Cher (Wow! Didn't expect that!)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

**Serious - Gwen Stefani (I think I would have prefered Rich Girl by Gwen!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

** Who's Crying Now - Journey (Not sure what to make of this one)

WHAT WILL/DID YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

**Bubble Pop Electric - Gwen Stefani (Uhm, not quite!)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

**New Agenda - Janet Jackson (Freaky! Maybe it means I'll be an Angel!)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

**SexyBack - Justin Timberlake (No comment!)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?

**Alone - Heart (Okay, this is just getting way too scary!)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

**Circles - Mariah Carey (???)

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?

**Doesn't Really Matter - Janet Jackson (No kidding!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

**Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

**Lose My Breath - Destiny's Child (Well, not really)

That was much more fun than I thought it would be. If you'd like to play along feel free to and if you let me know, I'll post your link here!

Catching Up on Sunday...

We're, of course, catching up on much needed sleep. A kitty can never have too much sleep - except in the middle of the night when it's time to play! Mommy is catching up on recognizing some people who gave her some awards so without further ado, here's Mommy!

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I may be late but better late than never on acknowledging some wonderful fellow bloggers who've passed some wonderful awards to me recently. I am so grateful to everyone who reads my blog and the comments left never fail to give me a smile and often a chuckle. With all the blogs out there, I am humbled every time someone thinks of me when passing on awards. So, with that being said, I must thank the following bloggers!

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Lily from Tulips Talking awarded me this adorable Awesome award. As I've stated before, I think that Lily is pretty dang awesome so I'm grateful to receive this award from her!

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Quick and Easy Cooking awarded me the Lemonade Award. This award is for those who show gratitude and a wonderful attitude which I certainly try to do so I am happy to receive this award!

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Abby from Simply Charming in SC awarded me this "Life is Grand" award! With this award I am to list 5 reasons why I think my life is grand which are as follows:

1) My husband is my best friend and after 20 years he continues to make me laugh every day.

2) My furbabies bring me joy and plenty of smiles.

3) I have a job which allows me to telecommute so I'm home with my family every day.

4) I am able to visit friends all over the world via the blog world.

5) Through our Etsy shop, I am able to raise money to help animal charities which brings me much satisfaction.

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Jen from Handicrafts awarded me the Proximidade award. Jen is a photographer who's work is so beautiful! I own some of her photos and they are stunning! She is also an animal lover and donates a portion of her shop proceeds to animal causes. Be sure to check out her blog and shop! **************************************************

Meghann from Little Studio Photography and Jewelry awarded me this "Love Ya" award. This award is all about friendship which makes it very special! Meghann is a creative and caring person who's blog I enjoy reading. Thank you very much Meghann!

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Everyday Living is one of my favorite blogs that I can always count on for great tips, chuckles on Fridays and where I often end up craving pizza or pistachios! I am honored to receive this awesome award from him:

I was also tagged twice but need some time to think of interesting facts so I will follow through on those at a later date. Thanks again to everyone who gave me awards and to all the readers of my blog! I hope you enjoy your Sunday!

Sunday Resting Up and Catching Up

We're on our pillows enjoying a nap while getting ready to watch football today. Or maybe we'll just sleep right through the games. Mommy was tagged and received several awards last week. We didn't realize she hadn't posted them so while we're napping, we're making her take care of business. So Mommy, please take over...
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I'm pretty tardy in getting these posted and I apologize for that. First I want to start with this tag from Karen at Zemeks blog which is the very first meme tag I've received. It's the "Have You Ever?" meme so here goes...

1. Have you ever been on TV? Not to my knowledge I haven't.

2. Have you ever sung in public? Just in school programs but even then I didn't sing very loud so not sure anyone heard me!

3. Have you ever dyed your hair blond? Only a few highlights here and there but never totally.

4. Have you ever eaten frog legs? Not that I'm aware of but I remember being at a cabin in the Ozarks as a kid where my dad and some friends of my parents went out on midnight frog hunts so I know I was around frog legs but I sure don't remember eating any myself.

5. Have you ever received a present that you really hated? I've received presents that I didn't like but don't think I really hated any. My likes are too well known - get me anything with cats or dogs on it and I'm happy!

6. Have you ever walked into a lamppost? No, not yet!

7. Have you ever cooked a meal by yourself for more than 15 people? I don't think I've cooked a meal for more than 2 people - I hate to cook!

8. Have you ever fallen or stumbled in front of others? Oh yeah, I'm good at this. Usually only my husband sees me though since it happens most often on forest trails!

9. Have you ever done volunteer work? Yes, although not as much as I'd like. Most recently we helped box up and later hand out those boxes of food for the community food drive over the holidays. After tax season I plan on signing up to volunteer to take books to people who can't make it to the library for one reason or another. I love to read and want to help others be able to have access to the books they want to read also.

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Now on to some wonderful awards I received last week.

I received this lovely award from TiLT Creations. She is a talented Etsyian that makes beautiful bags and accessories. Her blog is one of my daily visits because I always learn something and enjoy her posts very much. Be sure to visit her blog and you'll see why! This is what she said about me when giving me this award that just made my day:

"I'd like to pass this award on to...well, there are too many to name...so for now I will pass it on to someone who finds friends beyond just people and goes out of her way to help the furry friends...Beaded Tail- she also makes great jewelry..."

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I received this Friendship Flower Award from Hannah Fanna from The Big Hannah Montana Fan blog. She has a fun blog and is an animal lover which makes her tops in my book! Hannah, I appreciate this award very much!

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Abby from Simply Charming in SC gave me this "Fab" award! I just recently discovered Abby's blog but it quickly became one of my favorites. It's obvious from her blog that she has a huge heart and she is also a very talented jewelry designer. Thank you for the award Abby!

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Hot Rocks awarded me this Noblesse Oblige Award which is a very special award for blogs that have these attributes:

1. The Blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervades amongst different cultures and beliefs.

2. The Blog contents inspire; it strives to encourage and offers solutions.

3. There is a clear purpose at the Blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Culture and Sciences, and Beliefs.

4. The Blog is refreshing and creative.

5. The Blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking.

I am honored to receive this award and I hope I live up to those standards. I try to promote animal awareness issues through my blog and have made it a goal for 2009 to do so even more. I hope to do a small part in making this world a better place for animals and people alike. Thank you so much for this award!
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Last but not least, I received the Sisterhood award from Lily at Tulips Talking. Lily is a very special friend who inspires me in more ways than she knows. She is a extremely talented jewelry designer and also has the most caring heart for people and furbabies alike. I am truly blessed to be able to call her my friend! Lily, thank you so much for everything!

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Thank you all so much for the awards! I sincerely appreciate each one! And thanks Karen for the meme tag - it was fun! I was also tagged by Beadin by the Sea but am still trying to figure out random things about me so will post that one at a later date. Thanks again everyone! Have a great Sunday!