Mi Vida Ocupada: My Busy Life!

Dusty Boy Blue

I think I have introduced you to my shadow before, Dusty the Russian Blue.

I tried to catch him sleeping but of course he woke up when I started to take the photos.  The blue is very pronounced in these pics..... I had my camera set for Tungsten lighting and this is what I got??

f/5.6  1/20 ISO 800 Tungsten

 

I kept my aperture and shutter speed settings exactly the same but switched the light source to flash mode (but did not use flash) and this is what I got:

 

What would be a better light source setting to use inside with low lighting when you don't want to use flash??

Pharaoh the White Lion

My little kitty, Pharaoh (aka Baby Boy), is such a little stinker.  Of course he is the sweetest, most affectionate little turkey I know.  He is also a freeze baby (Abyssinians are native to Africa) and loves to sun himself every chance he gets.  The other day I caught him sunning himself in the window and snapped a few pics (with the Canon G10)

 

 

 

PS I think I need to blog about my kitties more often, it has been awhile!

Day 101 ~ Mr. Green Eyes

My cats are indoor cats but on occasion they are allowed supervised visits on the deck.  Since the natural light is so good, I wanted to try to take advantage of it.  Here is my 14-year old Russian Blue, Dusty, posing for me.  He is such a handsome old guy!

Day 92 ~ Silhouette of a Pharaoh

I was trying to go for a silhouette of my cat Pharaoh, but you can still see some of his facial features....

Day 72 ~ Big Earred Baby

This is my 8-year-old Abyssinian, Phoenix.
He is such a baby when he is sleeping!

Me & My Dusty

Until last night I did not have any portrait-style photos of me with any of my cats.  I decided we needed to change that status so I attempted my first self-portraits with Dusty, my loyal-as-can-be 14-year-old Russian Blue.  Dust didn't feel like looking at the camera, he was more about snuggling but I still like these :)
I used the Urban Cover Model action by MCP Actions

Sushi Coma Catnap.....

Last night I went out to Akita for another round of all-you-can-eat sushi madness.  I didn't eat as much as I did when I went for my birthday, but I was just as full.  I seemed to get more and more full for a couple of hours after I stopped eating.  I guess that is what happens when a million glasses of water mix with a million rolls of sushi- all that expanding rice in my belly :(
After I got home from dinner,  I started to feel kind of woozy as the sushi coma kicked in, so I decided to lay down on the sofa for a little bit.  Woke up to Dusty, Pharaoh and Phoenix all wanting in on the catnap with mama.

And that's my little diddy for this Wednesday :)
Happy Hump Day.

Day 13 ~ Sleepy Pharaoh

My little Abyssinian, Pharaoh.  He cuddles up in the cutest poses when he is sleeping! He only weighs 7 lbs and still acts so much like a kitten! One of his nicknames is Baby Boy.

Day 5 ~ Isis the Ice Princess

ETA: I am going to use this photo as #17 (something furry) on my Photo Scavenger Hunt

My female Manx kitty, Isis.  The nickname Ice Princess suits her well ;)

Furry Family...

Caught 3 of the 4 cats taking a siesta together, they are so darn cute!

 

Mama Kitty

The following scene is a common one at my house....all the kitties wanting to snuggle up.  This photo is extra special because it is the very first picture I have ever had taken of me with any of my cats!!  A special thank you to the person who volunteered to take the photo :)

Busy couple of days!

So, its been a busy couple of days, despite that I haven't felt that good ever since last Sunday when I ate too many grilled meats and spent the day in the hot, hot sun.  I have temporarily sworn off most solid meats since then....just kind of grosses me out.   I've definitely OD'd on BBQ and I don't know if I'll even be able to eat it again until next summer.  Seriously!

Went out with Lanee and Rog on Wednesday night.  They are just so cute and are some of my dearest friends.  Love these guys, they are always willing to be spontaneous with us and I hang with 'em often.

I plan to write a review for the restaurant we went to, Rudy's Red Eye Grill, as soon as I can get to it.  ETA: Here is my review of Rudy's. We have been to quite a few new places or places I haven't reviewed yet and I am lagging behind a little bit.  Go check out Twin Cities Restaurant Blog and read some of the newer ones I have on the site.  I'd even love to get a comment or two....so far I think I have a total of five comments.  thats pretty pathetic, I have to say.  So show some love!  J/k, but for the record, most of my traffic is generated from search engines, as TCRB is often #1 in the search findings.  This is especially true for the restaurants who do not have their own websites.  I need to start hitting up these restaurants for a free meal for that cheap advertising!  Does anyone here use Google Adsense on their blogs/sites?

Here are Lanee and I posing with one of the Lucy Statues that are displayed around St Paul (Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Linus statues are also all over town).  This one is outside Rudy's.

 

You remember how sweet I thought my cats were yesterday?!  Well I vacuumed my sofa for the 2nd time this week and told them all they are NOT allowed on my sofa anymore, because I am sick to death of having to vacuum every other day.  So this is what I see an hour later...

Little shits, they listen real well, don't they?!

local signage.

Does anyone know what kind of plant is pictured here? I saw it earlier when I was out to lunch so I thought I'd take a little pic of it.(Turned out kind of cool).  Many of the suburbs around here have signs such as these as you enter the city limits.  Is it like that where any of you live also? Just curious...

I have all sorts of things to blog about, but I am kind of lazy at the moment. How about a couple of pictures?

A few recent ones of the kitties...

Phoenix and Isis snuggling in the desk chair (they're always snuggling, but this is the first time i've seen them in this spot!)

Phoenix sunbathing in front of the patio door, as he does every morning

I also wanted to give a shout-out to my SIL Michelle who just started a blog.  I made this cute little banner for it. 

Right now I am reading a book that intriques and scares the crap outta me all at the same time. Its called Decipher by Stel Pavlou  Its too complex of a story to describe, but you can read the reviews by clicking the link above.  I know its fiction but talk of the end of the world and these catastrophic events that might cause it seem like they could be very real. I also do not doubt that ancient civilations knew much more about these things than we do.  I do not normally read this type of book, but I can't find myself putting it down. Gotta get it finished in time for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this Saturday!

Peace out, peoples.

Is it Wed. already??!! Time flies...

Wow, this week has flown by so far! I guess the expression is true, that "time flies when you're having fun".  Lots of fun so far this week.  Had company over on Sunday afternoon and then later we went out for pizza with Lanee & Rog.  Had dinner with them again on Monday night....homemade spaghetti...yummmm! I know I've said it before, but it is great that they live so close and like to get together so often (usually last-minute).

Last night Brian & Michelle had our families over for homemade pizza.  This date had been scheduled for about a month now...originally it was a "night before baby party" since Bianca was scheduled to be born by C-sect today.  Since she came 11 days early, this was a "welcome home, Bianca party" instead!  Also a chance for us to see my parents before they leave this Thursday for Florida (gone for 5 weeks).  The guest of honor was one sleepy baby....

Unlike her baby sister, Ms. Annika was wide awake.  I just can't believe how cute and sweet she is!!! And funny too....I totally need to take some video of her talking gibberish.  She has a lot to say, you just can't understand any of it!!

Got home and found all four of my cats chillin together on the bed...

Don't I have a good looking family of felines??!!

Had to change my banner again.  Can you see it up there? Sometimes I have to republish my site a couple of times before the changes take effect.  Loved this photo I found on Flickr of the snow in Tucson last week.  I like to use the "print screen" function to capture the image...that way I will have a record of what banners and schemes I used in the history of this blog.  I wish I had learned how to do that two years ago when i started blogging!  I love having a widescreen monitor too, you can see so much more :)

Looking forward to a couple of new features I am adding to my blog.  I will tell you more about it when I do what I want to do :)

Looking forward to dinner with my girls tonight to celebrate Mary's birthday.

Ciao!

A few pics from the past week...

How cute is this little guy?

That's Little Gabriel, Gabe & Tasha's son who will be 3YO next week! We went out for a yummy dinner with them tonight.  He is so smart, polite and cute...charmed all the waitresses, that's for sure!

Here is one I took the other night of my cats, Isis and Phoenix.  She loves him sooooo much and they always cuddle.  I took this pic in particular because they are like ying and yang!

And my sleepy baby-boy, Pharaoh.  He is the tiniest, sweetest, most affectionate cat ever! He is such a freeze baby, he loves to cuddle up to get warm and is very much a lap-cat.  He also loves to be held and gives kisses :)

I better not leave my Dusty out! He is the most loyal cat in the world to me, he comes to me when I call him from anywhere in the house and sleeps next to me every night.  Always wants to be near me or touching me.  He is 12 years old now but we have only had him for four years now.  If you could see the way he is around me (soooo needy), you would think that he was my true offspring or that I had hand fed him with a bottle as a kitten or something.  I love him so much but it gets annoying sometimes because he loves me so much.  Then when I think like that, I feel guilty because he is old and may not have much time left on earth...you just never know.  Here he is sprawled out on my lap...

   

Earlier this week we went to a special meeting for our home owners association to determine how we would pay for the gutters that they just put up in our complex.  We were pretty ticked that they didn't go to the homeowners to discuss this BEFORE putting them up, so we wanted to give our two cents.  The meeting happened to take place in the back room of the American Legion that is right down the street.  We stayed at the bar after the meeting and played pull tabs with some of our neighbors (who alsoi happen to be good friends).  These things are like paper heroin!!!  E and I didn't pool our money, but I helped open some.  They had a few big winners and put it all right back in the pot.  Came out even (winnings/losses) after all these tickets were pulled!

So glad its Friday :)

No Voice......

This week has been a big challenge for me....my cold developed into laryngitis (or something like that) and I have not had a voice for the past three days.  Fun! Imagine yourself trying to teach classes all day long without being able to project your voice, without being able to talk normal at all.  A big pain in my arse.  Good thing it is Friday!!  I am exhausted and cannot wait to go home and take a nap.  And this is coming from the girl who NEVER takes naps!  I always say I could use one, but I never actually do.  I have too much I'd like to do usually to waste it on sleeping during the day!

I got this brilliant idea from Amber Nichole to use YouTube to upload some of my home videos so that I could post them here.  Unfortunately, I am having technical difficulties.  Gonna keep trying!

I have also been very busy at work this week trying to prepare my lessons and making preparations to administer the test that will identify students for Gifted/Talented Services.  We give this test district-wide to all kindergarten and 2nd grade students next week.  Maybe I will get a chance this weekend to catch up on blogs, and the scrapbook message boards and galleries.

For now I will leave you with an adorable picture of Phoenix and Isis.  I caught them in this pose the other day and thought it was too cute!

Hope all is well with everyone....catch you all soon! 

Have a great weekend!

Adios

My Pride & Joy

I know I have mentioned my cats on this blog from time to time, but I haven't really told you much about them.  Its about time that I introduce you to my babies......

PHOENIX

Let's start with our Alpha-Male, Phoenix.  Phoenix is a very special cat.  He is a registered pure-bred Abyssinian, 4 1/2 years old.  He has a ticked red coat, long ears and tail, and a long lean (but very muscular) body.  Weighs about 12-13 lbs.  Many people say he looks like a mini-mountain lion.  His breed is native to eastern Africa and were worshipped by the ancient Egyptians.  Phoenix hates to be cold...he likes to snuggle with us, Isis or Pharaoh and loves to stretch out in front of the fireplace or in a sunny spot. 

He is extremely friendly and will want to get to know you the second you walk in our house.  He likes to jump on the back of whatever you are sitting on and start sniffing at the back of your head!  That's his way of getting to know you.....I think he was a dog in his past life! Phoenix is extremely smart and loves to play with toys or chase the other cats around.  I am pretty sure he is the sneaky one who steals the bread off the counter and gets crumbs all over my house....but he knows better than to let me  catch him on the counter! He can be very patient but also keeps the other cats in-check. As much as he loves me, he is a true Daddy's boy!

PHARAOH

Pharaoh is my little baby.  The turkey of the family! Like Phoenix, he is a registered Abyssinian, 3 years old.  Fawn-colored coat, amber-colored eyes and on the small side...only 8 lbs. We got him from the same breeder as Phoenix, but they do not share common parentage.  I wouldn't be surprised if they came from the same bloodlines though, because they are two peas in a pod in more ways than one! Pharaoh and Phoenix used to be inseparable until Isis (our first and only female cat) came along....she has kind of pushed Pharaoh out of the picture and he has been starved for attention ever since.

Ever since he was a kitten he has loved to sit in the bathroom with me in the morning while I shower and get ready.  This is usually his most affectionate time.  He has this habit of jumping into my arms when he wants me to hold him....usually when I am getting ready, scrapping, or sitting on the computer!  He demands lots of kisses and head butting! Its annoying but very sweet.  Since he still has his claws (all of my cats do), this can be kind of painful if I am standing up and all the sudden he just jumps right up.  He also likes to sit on my shoulder. Like Phoenix, he is also a freeze baby and loves to cuddle. He can be very naughty because he is so smart...his favorite game is to chase feathers at the end of a fishing pole.  He would make an awesome hunter!

ISIS

Isis is our one and only female cat....just over a year old, she joined the family last January after seeing an ad in the paper about Manx kittens.  A Manx is a cat that genetically has fewer vertebrae, making it a tail-less cat.  Actually they classify Manx based on their tail-length... Longy, stumpy and rumpy.  Isis is considered a rumpy because she has no tail whatsoever.  She has the cutest little kitty hinder!  She was five months old when we got her and had already started going into heat.  How annoying!!!  My other cats didn't even know there was a female species until she came along.  They had their fun with her until we finally got her fixed! As soon as we got her she really took to Phoenix.  She actively seeks him out and will cuddle up to him whereever he happens to be sleeping.....

Isis is kind of a scaredy-cat.  She runs away whenever people come over and won't let you pet her unless she comes to you, but she is starting to come around more and more.  I can't wait until she jumps on my lap and lets me cuddle her!

DUSTY

And last but not least, is my Dusty.  This gorgeous Russian Blue (pre-named Dusty) had been put up for adoption at the Humane Society three years ago, at the age of 7.  He was so scared that he was hiding underneath the litter box the day E adopted him.  Being as old, beautiful and as shy as he was, E couldn't leave him there! He was so shy and scared when we brought him home that he hid underneath the cupboard in the downstairs bathroom for two weeks.  Everyday I went down there, took him out and held him in my lap and told him everything would be okay.  Since then he has been the most loyal, beloved animal I could ever imagine.  A real Mama's boy.  He knows his name and comes to me when I call him, no matter where he is in our three-story home.  He greets me when I come home, sleeps beside me every night and always wants to sit in my lap.  He is very friendly and greets all of our visitors.  I love him very much and hate that I wasn't able to share those first seven years of his life.  I cannot imagine how in the world anyone could have given him up, but I will forever be thankful that they did and that E gave him a 2nd chance at life by adopting him.

SPOILED!

As you can tell, these cats are extremely important to us.  They are spoiled rotten! Only the best food and litter, countless toys, and three cat trees....one of which was custom built for us for a mere $600. It was totally worth it since they all use it all the time and it has probably saved our furniture!

Here is what meal-time looks like at our house!

I couldn't possibly tell you every great thing about our cats, or post every picture I have of them, but thats them in a nutshell!

Three is a crowd!

I thought this moment was pretty funny, so I had to run and grab my camera....3 out of 4 of my cats cuddled up together on this 1ft x 1ft perch on the cat tree!  Pharaoh is hanging over the edge, Phoenix is trapped underneath, and Isis is just loungin' on top.  At one point Pharaoh tried to get more comfortable (half asleep) and fell off the stupid thing, which woke the other two up and they all took off...... I am sure I have mentioned this before, but Isis is obsessed with Phoenix and won't leave him alone, she is his faithful side-kick :)

** We have a wedding to attend tonight for our friends, Matt and Colleen.  I hope the weather stays perfect all day....it will be another outdoor wedding!  Can't wait to see everyone!  Lots of fun pics to come tomorrow.......

**Tonight is also our 10 year HS Reunion.  We are not able to go, but I probably would go if we didn't have the wedding.  Our graduating class was like 650 people (only about 550 graduated!) and I still talk to quite a few people, but there are definitely many people I would like to see.  Hope those of you that go have a really good time and I will hope to make the next one (15 yr, 20 yr?)

Scrap Like Crazy!

I got quite a bit of scrappin' done (FINALLY!) on Friday night over at my friend Shannon's house.  She and Sarah are the only friends I have living around me who scrap, so I love it when we can get together for some drinkin, eatin' and scrappin!  I was on a mission to get a lot accomplished, and got these layouts done for Mary's album:

I got two other layouts started that I hope to finish this week.

The Facts:

**Today is Mary's shower.  Made some fabulous (no-bake) cheesecakes with strawberries.  Also going to bring Salsa di Parmigiano.  Shower is at Pioneer Park in Stillwater, MN.

**We've had like 9 consecutive days of 90' or hotter weather and it is incredibly humid.  Miserable!! 

**My cat Phoenix is so funny...he saw these sandals that a friend wore over and crawled right into them! Isn't he gorgeous?? He's one of my Abyssinians.