Easy Like Sunday Morning...

We're hoping you have sun-warmed paws and plenty of naps today! Enjoy your Sunday!

I want to thank everyone for their support and purrs for Morgan on yesterday's comments. Your generosity and kind words means more than I can say!

Helping Morgan

Our Isabella had some teeth pulled a few months ago due to gum issues and those of you that follow the most handsome white kitty ever, Luxor, know of his troubles and recent loss of his upper teeth. Because of all this, I'm really sensitive to any animal having to deal with mouth pain and teeth trouble - or any pain for that matter. When I heard about a kitty named Morgan at the It's Meow or Never Animal Rescue & Sanctuary and his need of surgery for his teeth and gum problems, I knew I had to help raise money for his surgery. Here is what is written on their website about Morgan:

Morgan is a beautiful cat that we rescued from a trailer park. He gets a little rough when you try to pet him too much so he is our sanctuary kitty. He needs surgery now to remove most of his teeth. His gums are very red, his breathe is terrible, and he has swollen nodes from the infection. He has seen two vets and they both put him on antibiotics and steroids. Now it's time to remove those teeth. Please help him if you can by donating for him. The surgery will be approx. $250.00.

A fellow Etsian with a huge heart named Marjorie, aka WHSKR, first brought Morgan to my attention when she said she would donate 100% of all sales in her shop to help Morgan. Last weekend I did the same and we both had sales and were able to donate a little to his cause. Once again, I am donating 100% of all sales in our BeadedTail shop this weekend to helping Morgan. So far we've had 2 sales in our shop and all of those proceeds will go to help this little guy.

If you'd like to help Morgan, there is a PayPal button on the It's Meow or Never website or if you click here, you can see the mailing address if you prefer to send a check. They are a 501(c)(3) organization so all donations are tax deductible.

The following Etsy shops are helping raise money for Morgan:

BeadedTail - Donations on sales of all items in shop

WHSKR - Donations on sales of all items in shop

DragonRags - Donations on select items in shop found here and here

Fashionsplatter - Donations on select items in shop found here

LolaLynn - Donations on select items in shop found here

Midnightrabbits - Donations on select items in shop found here

Please send your purrs for Morgan as he goes through surgery and recovery.

No Matter How You Measure....

I'm adorable!

Equal Opportunity!

Sadie says my blog is going to the cats so today is dedicated to woofies!

We didn't forget the dogs and have items for dog lovers too in our Etsy shop! Click here to see what's available!

Wordless Wednesday

Another Place to Shop for Great Items!

Some of you may have noticed the new widget on the left side of my blog for The Artisans Shoppe. In addition to Etsy, we are selling our BeadedTail beaded jewelry for animal lovers on The Artisans Shoppe along with 22 other artisans with a variety of wonderful items to choose from.

Here is a sample of the items you'll find at The Artisans Shoppe :

Tulips Treasure Box

Lily makes the most beautiful jewelry such as this Blue Serenity necklace. Gorgeous!

The Copper Cauldron

"Witchy" washes the wicked away with scrumptous soaps like this Gingerbread Milk and Cookies.

Spotted Cow Soaps

"Ms. Moo" makes this Gingerbread Whipped Sugar Scrub that looks like dessert for your body!

Double Dipped Sweets

For desserts you can eat, check out this Cookies and Cream Caramel Apple!

In addition to the eye candy, body candy and edible candy I introduced here, there are handmade cards, art, fabric items, etc. on The Artisans Shoppe so start your holiday shopping early!

Something Doesn't Belong Here...

Does something look out of place to you?

What?

Lazy Sunday!

Sun is scarse here in the Pacific Northwest but naps are plentiful! We hope you enjoy a lazy Sunday wherever you are!

Happy Caturday!

It's Caturday!
Let your tail hang out!

November Featured EtsyBlogger - Storybeader

As a member of the EtsyBloggers team, we get to feature a fellow blogger each month and for November, that blogger is Storybeader! Deb creates beautiful beaded jewelry and describes herself as the following from her Etsy profile:

"I'm a frustrated writer who likes to put words and colors together to make wearable art. How do you wear words, you ask? I suppose my haiki poems can float around in your brain as you sashay down the lane, wearing one of my necklaces. Each of my necklaces comes with a haiku, written specifically for the piece, by yours truly!"

Her work is certainly both lovely and unique. Here's a preview of the great items in her Etsy shop (click on any item to be taken directly to her shop):




Also, be sure to check out her blog by clicking here!

My Alarm Clock is a Cat!

This is from my archives way back when I was just starting my blog but it is once again applicable since the cooler weather is here. I hope you enjoy! My alarm clock is a cat named Angel. Everyday without fail she goes off at 5am. She's a full body alarm clock that starts at my feet and walks up my entire body and across my pillow, often pulling my hair along the way, and then back down to my feet again. Some days she starts on my pillow, goes down to my feet and back up. Either way, she does the trick, she wakes me up. After going through all that, she wants me to lift up the covers so she can go down to my feet where she curls up and then starts her "motor". Many people have white noise machines that play sounds of the ocean or babbling brooks but there is no more relaxing sound in the world than my alarm clock's purr of a motor. This purr and soft fur against my skin are what makes my alarm clock something I actually look forward to every morning. Now if I can only figure out a way to change the time on it for a couple of hours later!

Wordless Wednesday

Did you vote?

I voted for Temptations for everybuddy!

I voted for boxes for everybuddy!

I voted for cat-free beds for ME!

Be sure to vote today!

Celebration of Gotcha Day (Conclusion)

Today, November 3rd, is the official 2nd anniversary of the Gotcha Day of Isabella and Angel. My previous two posts told of how both kitties picked us to be their forever home but as I noted yesterday, Angel was a 2.2 lb sick little 3 month old kitten so bringing her and Isabella into our home with our two dogs, Sadie and KC, was quite an ordeal. The dogs were not all that happy to have those two kitties come into their house! Although both dogs had been raised with cats, most recently being Panther, the prior cats totally ignored the dogs and if the dogs got too close, they'd get hissed and batted at until they retreated or the cats ran off. Because of this, cats were still a mystery to them and a form of entertainment since they made funny noises, boxed noses and ran away really fast. Now to have fragile little Angel and not afraid of anything Isabella come live here was overwhelming. Angel always wanted to sit next to Sadie on the daybed but Sadie wasn't sure what to do with that little white thing next to her.

Sadie and Angel 11-4-06

Isabella didn't have any transition adjustment at all. She felt right at home the minute she got here but we still had to confine her to our home office and a large walk in closet at night with Angel because Angel had worms and other ailments that caused everything that went in one end to come out the other. We took her to the vet right away and was given liquid medication that she had to have every 4 hours for 7 days. Those first few days I hardly slept and spent most of the night sitting on the floor of the closet holding them both. Angel's weight kept dropping and she got down to 1.6 lbs and we were worried she wouldn't pull out of it. It was very stressful and often times very overwhelming. But as the days passed, she did get stronger and has obviously rebounded into a very healthy, beautiful kitty.

Isabella and Angel 11-10-06

As I mentioned before, Isabella was named Miteeka but she quickly told us her real name was Isabella. Angel was too small to tell us her real name but we knew it wasn't Mia. One night as I was holding her on my lap, I noticed how the black markings on her head and ears looked like wings and since she had to struggle so much to get well, it was only natural that she'd be named Angel since she was obviously touched by one - one named Panther actually - and she had the wings on her head to prove it!

After about three nights of being confined to the walk in closet, they had the run of the office all the time and after another two days when Angel could get around better, they had the run of the entire house and things have never been the same since! Isabella is the diva kitty and has Daddy wrapped around her paw which I believe actually started that very first day when he opened her cage and she fell into his arms. Angel loves to play and be up as high as she can get - two things that she was unable to do with the other kittens at the shelter because she was too sick so she's been making up for it ever since! Both are the best kitties we could ask for and I am so thankful that they both picked us two years ago today!

Isabella and Angel 11-20-06

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To celebrate, we are offering 25% off ALL Bracelets in our BeadedTail shop! This offer is through midnight PST tonight, November 3rd. Please note, the sale is on bracelets only. When purchasing, put Kitties in the "message to seller" and if you pay with PayPal, I will refund your discount or you can request that I send you another invoice from PayPal.

Celebrating Gotcha Day (Continued)

As I posted yesterday, we are celebrating the 2nd anniversary of Isabella and Angel becoming a part of our family on November 3, 2006. Yesterday I told the story of how Isabella picked us and once she made it known that she wanted to be a part of our family, we had to go to the humane society to complete the adoption paperwork. While there I ventured around and walked through all the rooms with kitties. As I had said, I hadn't even been able to look at another kitty without breaking down after the loss of my Panther so for me to be able to see all the kitties in cages and stay sane was a big accomplishment.

I came to an enclosure which had concrete brick walls up to about half way and then windows to the ceiling. This room also had a glass door to enter but I stayed in the hallway and looked in. In one corner there was a kitty tree which had four or five tiny kittens playing and fighting on the top level and the next level had another two kittens on it. I was thinking, "oh my, look at their energy. Good thing the kitty we picked is nearly 10 months old and already past that stage!" Remember, my cat Panther was 18 years old so kittenhood had come and gone long ago for us.

I went over to read the bios of all the kittens in the room that were taped to the glass door. I was able to match up all the kittens to their bios but one - a white female kitten named Mia. I looked and looked and didn't see the kitten so figured she was adopted but then I looked off to the side and she was sitting away from the other kittens with her eyes closed but occasionally she'd look up at them playing but then close her eyes again. Of course I immediately felt that this kitty needed me but we already had decided on adopting Isabella. I stood there and watched her and as I was about to leave, she looked over at the door, looked up at me and came running to the door. That sealed the deal - she picked me too! I went to find my hubby - he was waiting in line to fill out the paperwork on Isabella and he didn't even argue with me when I showed him the kitten because he could tell I had already made up my mind! We were picked by two kitties on that day!

Angel weighed just 2.2 lbs and had several health issues so she was not a well kitty when we brought her home. This made the introduction of both Angel and Isabella into our home with our two dogs, Sadie and KC, quite an ordeal. It was not an easy road and ...

To be continued tomorrow!

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We're Celebrating Gotcha Day!

We adopted Isabella and Angel on November 3, 2006. Isabella was two weeks shy of 10 months old and Angel was just 3 months old. Both of them basically picked us as much as we picked them so I'll share their stories starting with Isabella's today. (All photos in this post were taken on November 3, 2006.) I had lost my 18 year old kitty, Panther, on August 29, 2006, and was unable to even look at the neighbor's cats without breaking down so the thought of getting another kitty was very far from my mind. Although I couldn't go into the humane society at this time, we often donate items to a local thrift shop that benefits our humane society and they have adoptable cats in the front of the store. We donated several times after the loss of Panther but we'd take our donations to the alley entrance in the back of the store and I'd sit in the car crying since I knew there were cats needing homes in the front and I was not ready to face that.

On November 3rd I decided I was ready to go in the front entrance so we walked in and went into the room with the cats in it. I bent down and was looking at a black and white cat named Katie while my hubby went to the cage above me, opened it and Isabella, then known as Miteeka, literally lifted up her front legs and fell into his arms when he went to pick her up. When he went to put her back into her cage, she hung on tightly to him and pretty much made her point that she had made up her mind and we were to take her home. Needless to say, she got her way! In order to complete the adoption for Isabella we had to go to the humane society to fill out the paperwork. While there, I ventured around and...

To be continued tomorrow!

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Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you get more treats than tricks today!

Today is the last day to enter for a chance to win a $15 store credit in our BeadedTail shop. If you haven't entered already, be sure to click here! The contest ends tonight at midnight EST. Winner will be announced tomorrrow!

Outtakes

Today's post is my 150th post! Thanks to everyone who visits and reads what I, or my furbabies, have to say on any particular day! You sure made my first 150 posts fly by and you are very much appreciated!

Along with writing something daily, a lot of pictures are taken by me but not all are blog worthy. Here are some of the pictures that didn't make the first cut:

Isabella playing with her Spider from CasbahKitten

Sadie looking scary trying to lick peanut butter off her nose

Angel being silly on the bookshelf

Thanks again to all my readers! I appreciate each and everyone of you and just love your comments!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Objects may be closer than they appear!

Home Alone

Mommy was gone all day yesterday and will be gone all day today at a tax class. I don't know what tax is but I do know that I miss having Mommy home with us during the day so tax must be very exciting to keep her away from us.

I wish I knew what this says.

This doesn't look very interesting Mommy. There aren't even any pictures.

Does it smell good Angel?

Let's see how it tastes.

Yuck! We think tax stinks and leaves a bad taste in your mouth Mommy!

We'll be glad to have you home with us during the day again tomorrow!

It's Monday!

Who wishes it was still the weekend?

I do!

Does This Box Make My Butt Look Big?

Is it possible to get bigger boxes around here Mommy? This one is a tad bit too small.

Happy Caturday!

On a recent Caturday morning, I got up early, threw on a robe, got on my computer and along came Isabella and curled up on my lap which she had never done before.

Fifteen minutes later, she was still quite comfy.

Forty minutes (yes, 40 minutes!) later, my legs were numb but thankfully she started to wake up and left a few minutes later to go lay in the sunlight. She is cute when she shows her fangs though!

Hope you enjoy your Caturday!

Win a $15 Credit in our BeadedTail Shop!

We are going to give one lucky winner a $15 store credit in our BeadedTail shop! As we gear up for the holidays, we need to know what items people like so for your help in our research, we're going to reward one lucky winner with $15 to spend on any item(s) in our shop.

To enter for your chance to win the $15 store credit, just visit our BeadedTail shop at http://beadedtail.etsy.com/ and then comment on this post telling me which of our products is your favorite. Remember that you must include a valid email address or Etsy shop name at time of entry so we may contact you.

• All entries must be received by midnight PST on 10/31/08. The winner will be picked randomly by using Random.org.
• The winner will need to have an Etsy account in order to use the store credit but it is free and easy to obtain.
• Don't forget to leave your email address or Etsy shop name! Entries without contact information are ineligible.
• Only one entry allowed per person/email account.

I've Been Tagged!

I've recently been tagged by three wonderful bloggers, Heidi from Healthnut Wannabee Mom, Kay's K9s, and Jael's Jewels. All three of them have great blogs and gave very interesting information about themselves so hopefully I can do the same. I'm to give 7 random facts about myself so here goes... 1) I cannot stand if my money is not in order in my billfold. When I get change I have to put everything where they belong beginning with the $1s in front, followed by the $5s, $10s, etc. If something is out of order, I have to fix it as soon as I can or else I feel uneasy. Of course all the money has to be right side up and facing the right direction too. This could be the CPA in me or just plain weirdness!

2) I've been in the Oval Office at the White House. My parents went to school with someone who works at the EOB (Executive Office Building) next door to the White House so he took us into the Oval Office as well as the White House Press Room and other "off limit" places because the President was not in Washington DC at the time. This happened several Presidents ago.

3) I am part Native American and am a tribal member of the Citizen Band Potawatomi Nation. The main tribal territory is in Shawnee, OK so if you are ever in that area, stop by the FireLake Casinos!

4) I love watermelon but only the first three bites! The first bite of watermelon is so delicious but it quickly diminishes after that so by the third bite, I don't want anymore.

5) I've been married to my high school sweetheart for 20 years and am thankful for him every single day!

6) I have to read something every single day. No matter how late it is or how tired I am, I have to read for at least 15 minutes before the day is over.

7) I'm afraid of basements - the ones totally underground with the small windows at the top of a concrete wall. Not sure why this is but it's probably due to overactive imagination as a kid but whenever I go into one of those basements, I can't keep from glancing at the windows constantly.

Okay, now I get to tag 7 other people. Of course participation is voluntary but I hope you choose to share some random facts about yourself! Here's my choices in order to learn a little more about the people behind these interesting blogs:

Everyday Living
Chica and Pumuckl
Casbah Kitten
The Fantail
Three Fates Design
West of Mars
Of Cats

*Update - I just found out I was tagged by Lily from Tulip's Treasure Box today! Be sure to visit her site along with the other three mentioned above and you'll find that she's a very talented and wonderful fellow Etsian!