R.I.P. Kennith

My cat of 14 years passed away Monday. He was old for a cat, and had a lot of issues these past four years, and seemed really sick as of lately. So, I realize that it is a natural thing and probably for the best, but still sad.

He was so cute when I got him. This tiny ball of fur. He was always very round and had big paws. By the time he was an adult he was over 20 pounds. A very big guy.

And very cuddly. I remember in college between classes, I used to come home and snuggle with him in my bed. He always loved to be petted and cuddled.

He had really long hair that was really pretty, but it matted up all the time, so he usually had his hair shaved once or twice a year in a really cute lion cut. He felt like a velvet teddy bear when he was finished. I loved petting him then. But Maude, our other cat, never seemed to recognize him right after. She would hiss at him and hide from him for days.

Anyway, it was Kennith’s time. I felt like his life wasn’t as great as it once was. We’ve had to relegate him to living outdoors and in the garage these past few years, because we just couldn’t stop him from going in the house.

But I’ll miss Kenny. He was here a long time and I’ve learned a lot about responsibility and having pets from him. So, here’s to you Kenny. I’m glad we got to share our home with you for so long. R.I. P.

Tired and grumpy

Today was a little miserable for me I have to admit. I was up again with allergies/cold. We have this terrible cold that we keep passing around at my house. And I believe it’s coupled with my allergies. And I may even have a sinus infection at this point. Anyway, you get the idea. Congestion, stuffy nose, and a sore throat now because I can’t ever breathe through my nose.

So, I basically started my day at 3 a.m.

By 9 a.m. I was ready to get out of the house so I loaded up Ella and hit the road. About 5 miles down the road, she took a drink out of her sippy cup, the lid came off and orange juice dumped all over her. And of course I could not find the spare outfit I’ve been obsessing about keeping in the car. So, it was back to the house to get cleaned up and changed.

Immediately upon getting back in the car I lifted up my bag and spotted that spare outfit I couldn’t find.

We picked up a few things at Target then headed to the mall. Ella loves to ride the carousel and I figured we’d grab a quick lunch. It went OK, but it was a lot of work to convince Ella to sit and eat, to ride in her stroller at all, to listen … And I was just wasted tired by this point.

And wouldn’t you know I’d run into someone I know? And of course she looked all cute. Her two kids were dressed very cute as was she. And I couldn’t help but think about how my outfit was terrible and I am getting so fat and my hair looked awful. And I’m sure I had some serious eye bags at this point.

Oh well. We went home and took a nap. And it did make me feel better. Sometimes sleep will change your whole outlook on life. Except I still look like crap.

Ella’s room – update with photos

If you read my blog you may remember all the agonizing decisions I made a while back in regard to decorating Ella’s room. The wall color! The bedspread! The furniture! It was as if I was decorating a room for the president.

Well, I finished the room and am very happy with it. And I’ve been meaning to post photos, but uh, well it just never seems to be picture perfect (without tea set, dresses strewn everywhere). But alas, I’ve snapped a few shots.

Also, I want to add that the first thing we did was had some antique furniture painted. My mother donated some very pretty furniture that her mother actually had when she was a little girl. I loved giving it new life and having a little bit of my grandmother around.

Anyway, we had it painted a light green by my lovely BIL/furniture restorer Dan and it looked great. But this did create the dilemma about what color to paint the walls that wouldn’t look like an pastel Easter Egg explosion in there. And now that I’ve rambled way too much, here’s what you really want to see.

In case you want to know: Rug from Target, bedspread from Macy’s. Butterfly wall decals from Uppercase Living, Curtains from Wal-Mart.

Love the wall decals – easy to put up and remove.

Another decal/growth chart which is behind her door.

Love, love, love the dandelion art we bought from this awesome artist off etsy.com.

The other green antique dresser in the room. I was happy with the way the chocolate brown paint makes it pop.

Accidents happen

While perusing a certain local store last night (I won’t use the name, you’ll see why soon), Ella abruptly said “I have to go potty!”

But when I looked down to her, I could see that her message had come out too late. Right behind her was a puddle.

“Oh no!” I panicked at first, trying to figure out what to do first and looking around to see if anyone saw us. Luckily we were in a clothing department, not in an open aisle. And also, on hard floors. I dug through my purse and found some tissues to sop up the mess.

Next, I put Ella back in the cart and hightailed out of there. Luckily I really didn’t need to buy anything.

But when I got to the car, I realized the mess was worse than I anticipated. It wasn’t just number #1 people. And it was all over legs, feet, carpet, dress …

The whole thing was a little humorous and I always knew this was a possibility with potty training – the public accident. And I was prepared with wipes galore, a plastic bag, a spare outfit, so it was no tragedy.

When I asked Ella why she didn’t tell me ahead of time she said “It was an accident!” I thought it was a good excuse. Accidents do happen …

Moments before “the accident,” she tried on this cute winter coat.