Is this thing on?

Hello Interwebz! It's been awhile. I hope everyone survived the holidays unscathed, assimilating into a new year nicely. Santa brought hubby the flu Christmas Eve, which isn't a huge deal for most, but when you've got to worry about inflammation killing you it's a scary virus. He survived the illness and my nursing and so did our marriage (he's a horrid patient).

We didn't even make cookies for Santa, or we made them too early never getting another chance to make more.



January first started the Month of Challenges at The (dash) Lilypad, which I made a goal of finishing because I'm insane.  I've learned some new techniques, re-affirmed my liking of how I accomplish certain techniques and discovered that I'm better at using a template as a sketch than a template (by eyeballing it). You can see all my pages HERE.

All three kitties survived the holidays, I'm glad to report. One of them began un-decorating the tree Jan. 1st. I'd call him naughty, but he actually expedited the process.

Speaking of kitties, Jackson Galaxy of My Cat From Hell fame shared photos of both Butters and Thor on his Facebook page.

I would like to thank everyone who sent me snow! Or at least wished for me to have some because it worked. We were forecast to get an inch or so, but we had a little over four inches and it stayed for a couple of days.



Of course, I had the windows open several times in the past week and once had to turn on the a/c it was so hot. Oh well.

My word of the year is "believe". I used to be better at this and the Universe has been placing this word in front of me a lot, so I'm listening. I created this simple page to honor it.




I am working on pulling off some big changes this year, which for now will remain a secret. I'm going to believe that with lots of elbow grease and determination, everything will work out.

♥ Carrie

Kitten Therapy scrapped

My last post was kinda a downer, so I'm here with a bit of happiness today. The subject still has to do with cats, but with good reason or at least an explaination. Sorry if you hate cats, but you could apply what's coming in this post to your favorite species, including humans.

I make a lot of pages about our cats. Yes, I really and truly love, love, love felines of all kinds. I have been drawn to them since I was a knee high to a bullfrog. Yet, there's a whole other reason I make so many pages about our cats: They are therapy in my house. Kitten therapy to be exact. You can't tell our story without telling their story.

To briefly explain:

My husband was born with a Chiari Malformation. It's a rare, complicated thing, but simply put the skull is too small for the brain. As you age, the brain gets skewered by your spinal cord. Think pumpkin on a stake. He's had the condition fixed a few years ago, but not before his brain was damaged and un-skewering the brain doesn't make the brain necessarily happy either. My son has Asperger's Syndrome, so he has his own set of complex issues.

How does this relate to our cats? They are awesome therapy. My son learned to read cat body language and vocal tones before learning to read human's. They provide an awesome amount of comfort and aid in practicing empathy.  Science is finding that cats are as just as good at therapy for ASD kids as dogs (with the exception of dogs traveling better). Let's not forget the practical aspects like teaching responsibility, which we are working on right now.

For my husband, he gets an awful lot of comfort from the kitties, especially when he's in the greatest pain. The frequency at which a cat purrs is also said to speed the healing process and relieve pain as well as other homeopathic remedies. Post surgery he had companions while life marched on without him. I can tell how my hubby is truly feeling by how many cats are doting on him- extra kitty time means he's having a bad day. Cat's creating a kitty shield around him means it's time to call the doctor. The list could go on, but I'll spare you cause I think you have the idea now.

Then there is just the plain fact that cats are interesting, joyful creatures that make us laugh. There are days when we really need that in our lives. After an autistic meltdown or when my husband is too confused to remember where he lives, the cats help us calm ourselves and regroup with either affection, silly antics or just by dropping a toy at our feet. How can you be upset or anxious or worried or sad or mad when a cat is looking at you like you are the greatest thing in the entire world and they need your greatness lavished upon them because they may die at any moment without your undivided attention? The answer to any of life's woes in our house could easily be 'kittens'.

Now for the good stuff. The telling of a our stories through a cat incredibly cute kitten:

Supplies: Blagovesta Gosheva Things I Love About You; Fonts: Trashy Butterfly, The X-Files, Waterfalls 

I knew I wanted to use the photo to make a page. There are a lot of stories I could have chosen from the photo. Yet, the thing that really stood out was the story about my greying hair. (You may not notice it, but I sure do!) This photo changed everything. Yes, the cat is cute and funny on top of my head, but also this photo made me realize that my hair isn't terrible, which was story playing in my mind.

For Cropped Round 1 at Pixels and Comapny | Wild Blueberry Ink: Just a Boy; Pixels & Company: Cropped Round 1 Basket; Fonts: LLRubberGrotesqueOTF; MS Mincho; You Wont Bring Me Down

This page is just about how spoiled this kitten is... not terribly deep. But there will come a time where one of my step children will have a question about their dad and this may answer it. The man loves babies and kittens, which is exactly what I wanted convey... okay, WE love kitten and babies. :)

We may not be off having grand adventures, but our home (aka The Savannah) is never boring (though there are times I wish it were).The kitties have earned more than a footnote in our biographies. If I want to tell meaningful stories, I must then include those creatures who have a grand meaning in our lives.

♥ Carrie