Down with the sickness

I love my nieces and nephews sooo much. I love their germs... not at all. After successfully visiting my sisters, Alissa and Katy, a month ago without getting ill after (quite an accomplishment for me and my puny antibodies), I visited again last weekend. Like magic - PRESTO - this time I "caught" a cold!

So, now I'm just sick enough to sound terrible (stuffy nose and sore throat) and sleep horribly (crazy nightmarish dreams scattered with restlessness), but not enough to keep me down and out. I blame myself for not washing or sanitizing my hands after the goodbye hugs and kisses.

So long as I don't get a sinus or ear infection from this nuisance, I'll just be grateful that at least it's not the flu!

Weekend Revelation - Thanks Animal Planet!

This weekend on Animal Planet they had a marathon of "Dogs 101" and "Cats 101," and Monico and I love both, so we were drawn in to watch. (Thank goodness for DVR and the ability to fast forward through the endless commercials!)

While watching one of the segments of "Cats 101" they discussed a breed of cat which I had never heard of before called "Ragdoll." After a few minutes, I was mesmorized because the characterists they were describing were that of my cat, George!

When we got George 7 years ago from Monico's co-worker, he looked like this...

... but because George was from a litter of kitties that only resulted because of improper animal birthcontrol, we assumed he was a mix of all different kinds of "North American Shorthair," the typical family/house cat, but maybe had a little Siamese mixed in or something because of his coloring.

But over the first 2 or 3 years we had George, he continued to get bigger and BIGGER, and weigh more and MORE, growing much larger than our other cats! Now at 7 years old, poor George tips the scales at 15 pounds, twice as much as our other cat!

We had always assumed this was because George was an overeater, or we fed him the wrong kind of food, etc. But, thanks to this weekend's revelation, now I realize that George is actually a RAGDOLL CAT!

RAGDOLL:

The Ragdoll is a pointed breed, meaning the extremities are a darker shade than the body, with lovely blue eyes. It is a playful cat, with a gentle nature and is noted for its tendency to go limp when picked up. Having a soft, silky, semi-long coat, the Ragdoll Cat requires a minimum of grooming. The coat is often described as feeling like rabbit fur. The Ragdoll Cat is a fairly large cat, not attaining full size until two or three years of age. (Courtesy of ragdollcat.org)

The ragdoll is listed with guinness records as the largest cat, with adult males ranging 12-20 pounds, and females averaging 10-15 pounds. They usually mature slowly into adulthood, taking sometimes a few years to reach full size and for the color markings to be complete. (ragdollcatguide.com)

I cannot believe how this describes George to a T!!!

So, today I get to celebrate that my cat, George, who we have always affectionately called "the Puppy" because of his size and desire to lay in your lap and follow you around, is not fat -- he literally was born that way!

Celebrating Valentine's

I enjoy decorating for the holidays.

After taking down all of the Christmas decorations two weeks into January (don't judge!!), the apartment was looking kind of bare, so I decorated for the next holiday - Valentine's Day! I'm no artist, but I can certainly make a heart template and print different sizes on my computer. Then I cut and colored the hearts while watching "You've Got Mail" (because I don't own Sleepless in Seattle, and this was the next closest thing I did). I put the decorations on the sliding glass door and on the wall above the TV. (Sigh...) But now that the holiday is over, I need to take them down.

So, now on to St. Patrick's Day -- just beware of the Ides of March!!!

My veggies

I took this photo after returning from the grocery store yesterday so I could post it on my blog for my cousin, Janae, who is challenging her blog readers to eat more healthy. (Aren't the colors pretty?!)

This photo is of the veggies I typically purchase from the grocer each week, especially the mushrooms, onion, and red pepper, which I can include in almost every meal I prepare. After meeting with a dietitian over the last several months to refine my eating habits and diet, one of the goals was to eat more veggies and to eat less saturated fat (red meat) and refined flour and sugar. However, I am also an EXTREME sodium-aholic, so to cut down on my sodium, I use more natural flavoring like onion and peppers to lessen my compulsion to salt my food after it is prepared.

This post is mostly for Janae, to help encourage her and her blog.
If you are interested in following her blog, it is at veganmothering.blogspot.com.
Onward!

Cost-effective VS. frugal

Have you ever walked into your kitchen and thought,

"Ew! What is that smell? Where is it coming from?"

I had that thought this morning when I walked into my kitchen.

I'm hoping it was coming from my REALLY old sponge --

which I have now finally replaced --

so I hope the smell will now fade away.

I admit that this sponge was WAY past its prime,

since I have been using it daily for at least a couple of months.

Yes, it was looking worn out and the color was faded,

but I hated the thought of not get my "full value" out of the thing by tossing it out too early.

(FYI: My sister in law Brandy is going to KILL me for admitting I continued to use a tired sponge, as it is probably her biggest pet peeve!!)

But I'm sure you are also guilty of such frugalness too, right?

Like... wearing two-week contacts for a month...

Cutting the mold off the cheese block before cooking...

Adding water to your soap (laundry, hand, body) when it gets low...

Taking free ketchup packets from fast food restaurants intead of buying...

What is something you have done recently to "penny-pinch"?