Rest in Peace, Lilly

Lilly was hit by a car last week & died instantly.

We miss her so much.

Easter Sunday in my City

We had a great Easter. We went to church and then to my parents' house.

It was a nice, relaxing day, just what we all wanted - and needed.

And there was lots of delicious comfort food. Soooo good.

Here are a few pictures of the fun.

Me & John

Shelbie, Ace, and Me

This is what happens when Big Sister plays Easter Bunny.

Lilly even got in on the fun.

and this Lily just made things prettier.

Visit the always-fabulous Unknown Mami for more Sundays in my City posts.

Hello? HELLO??

Earlier today, I was playing on the computer, contemplating what I would post about today. Would I post some pictures and join in Wordful Wednesday? Would I Pour My Heart Out with Shell?

But then, Trouble the Cat intervened. She took matters into her own hands paws, climbed into a basket, and created a blog post for me.

I don't think I've ever posted a video on my blog before, but this one demanded to be posted. I promise this is 100% real and unedited. And hilarious!

{that's Shelbie cracking up in the background!}

My Happy List

I have some ~*Happy*~ to share with you today!

So I'm joining in with Mamarazzi's Happy List.

~* I think we've found our house. I don't want to jinx anything, so I'm not going to say much....but I'm crossing everything crossable!

~* My parents invited us to go out for dinner with them tonight - their treat! This is a rare occurrence, so it definitely goes on the Happy List!

~* I won an adorable Coffee Cozy from Cream No Sugar via Mamarazzi's Taking Back Mondays. It came in the mail today (so fast!) and I just love it! Thanks, Sue & Mamarazzi!

~* One of our cats scared us very badly this week. I was certain we were going to lose her. Now - she has made a full recovery! I will post the whole story next week. But I am SO happy that she is okay!

~* I start my new job on Monday! Happy happy happy!

~* After a run of some bad luck, it seems like maybe things are turning around for us. What a relief!

~* I have a giveaway up at Southern Loving. Giveaways make everyone happy!

~* Mamarazzi makes me happy. I'm so glad I found her blog; she is one of the sweetest bloggers I've ever "met"!

Hope you have a ~*HAPPY*~ weekend!

Naked Hermit Crabs & Squirrel Tails

I have to tell you, I feel SO much better after our little weekend escape. It's amazing how good it is to get away even for such a short time, and soaking up the salt air just seems to ease my mind.

It was an interesting trip this time, so I just had to share some of the highlights with y'all!

The trip started out with a bang. We headed out Saturday morning and had been gone for about ten minutes when we heard, "Meow." John and I looked at each other and said "What was that?!" I turned the radio down and there it was again. "Meow." There was definitely a cat in our trunk!

We were on the highway so we didn't want to open the trunk there, in case he jumped out. So we turned around and went home. Sure enough, while John was packing the trunk, our cat Ozzie had jumped in. Leave it to MY cat to jump in the trunk; leave it to MY husband to shut the trunk with a cat inside! I guess he wanted to come with us! Too bad he got chicken and started crying. Heh.

So we finally made it to St Augustine. We headed to the outlet malls first, and this bargain shopping mama got some AWESOME deals. I was a happy camper! I got some necessities, I got some fun things, and I got Valentine's Day gifts for the kids. (Yes, I love Valentine's Day!) I also love having a husband who loves to shop! No, he is not for rent, sorry.

Then we headed to St. George Street. Every time we go to St Augustine, I have to have clam chowder from Florida Cracker Cafe. It's fantastic!

We also saw the Glass Harp player on St. George later in the evening.

We stayed in a cabin by a lake, near the beach. This was our fourth time staying there.

This morning when we got up, I heard on odd noise and looked up on the power lines to see three parrots! I almost couldn't believe my eyes. John was in the bathroom and by the time he came out they were gone, but one of the caretakers came by and confirmed that they do indeed have wild parrots in the area. He said they aren't sure where the first ones came from, but in recent years they have multiplied and there are now around forty parrots in that area. And of course, I did not have my camera nearby when I saw them! Argh!

On Sunday we slept in, then had lunch at another favorite restaurant, and then went to the beach. It was nice out; there were people surfing and lots of people just hanging around. I had fun taking pictures of the seagulls. I learned that they are camera-shy. They didn't like me much. Shrug.

As we were leaving, John noticed a big, pretty shell on top of a post, and then realized there was a hermit crab inside. Andrew has hermit crabs (ok, he has A hermit CRAB, one died but we didn't tell him). So we decided to take this hermit crab home with us. Whoever had put it on top of that post was nowhere around and we didn't want it to die there. So off we went.

It was time to head home. We had a Superbowl party at church tonight and I had to cook this awesome dip. It was a bummer to leave St. Augustine so quickly, but I'm so glad we went.

And we had a blast at the Superbowl party; the kids played with friends, the ladies talked, and the guys watched the game. And I seriously love party food; I could eat that all the time. It was all delicious!

I guess Ozzie the Stowaway Cat wanted to thank us for his little ride; when we came home there was a squirrel tail on the door steps. Gack!

Also, while we were at church, the hermit crab decided to remove himself from his shell (naked hermit crabs look WEIRD!!) and he then proceeded to die.

Woops.

Hope y'all had a great weekend that didn't involve insane cats, squirrel tails, or dead naked hermit crabs!

WordFUL Wednesday - because I'm just not a Wordless Kinda Girl

It's time for WordFUL Wednesday, courtesy of Angie's 7 Clown Circus.

As you all know, we just moved. Again. I swear, if I have to move again any time soon, please send help. Like, the men in white coats with the straitjackets. Because I will need them.
Anyway, while we were moving, I guess our beautiful, evil cat Lilly became concerned. Perhaps she was remembering her evil ways and our empty threats. I think she was worried that we were going to move without her! So...she climbed into a half-packed box.

Lilly says: "I'm not getting left behind! I know, I'll sit right here."

Although wherever we live, it will always be the "DysFUNctional" Home, our last home was truly dysfunctional. The plumbing, heat & AC weren't working, the carport flooded with every rain, and that's just the beginning. As much as I loved it when we found it, I was SO glad to move out by the time we found....

The New DysFUNctional Home.

If You Give a Kid a Camera 06.11.09

Yesterday, Elayna decided that it was high time she take some random pictures. She grabbed my Blackberry and started shooting. Naturally, since we live in a 'zoo', she captured mostly our pets. This time her focus was on cats.

This is Tailz. He is not of the nursing litter, of which we have now lost TWO kittens. =( He's the one who had an unfortunate tail accident and is left with a little half-tail. Thus, the name Tailz. He is super-cute and sweet.

This is Smudge, and this is a totally weird picture. I did not retouch this picture in any way, it's straight from the Blackberry's camera. The funny thing is, he's in the basket where we keep Wii controllers. I think he thinks he IS a Wii controller! Look Mom, I haz sensorz!

Close up of Smudge....so cute.

He looks so innocent.

Ha!

This is Wall-E, lounging on the kitchen table. At least he's laying on newspaper.

And Lilly, following Wall-E's lead.

Charlie, the kitten of the family (fosters don't count), who has gotten so big. He's on the bench just below the table.

And of course, Elayna had to get one shot of herself. I have no idea why she chose to include her brother's wallet and some mail in the picture. Artistic license?

Have a great Thursday!

xoxo

Wordful Wednesday - A Boy and His Cat

Wordful Wednesday

A while back, one of the nurses with whom I work asked me if we could take in a cat. She had found him as a kitten, injured on the side of a road, and nursed him back to health. For several reasons, she felt that it was best that she rehome him. We decided to take him into our zoo home and that he would be Andrew's cat.

At first, Wall-E was very scared and timid. He hid a lot, especially from Lilly, the Evil Ruler of the Cat World. But now, he's really come out of his shell and he LOVES Andrew.

When we were watching movies the other night, Wall-E came over to Andrew to get some cuddles.

(I love this picture. The smile of contentment on Andrew's face says it all.)

And in other news...Charlie, who is Elayna's cat, has come out as a cross-dresser.

He was proudly carrying my purse!

Good thing we're open minded in the DysFUNctional household. He can let his freak flag fly!


Go visit Angie for more WordFUL Wednesday posts!

**Please excuse the terrible quality of these pictures. My digital camera broke and I still haven't replaced it. If you're tired of looking at these crappy photos and would like to send me a new digi, I will be happy to provide you with my mailing address!! =D **

Phriday Photo Phinish Phiesta ~ Phur Phriends

It's Phriday and I'm joining the party at Candid Carrie's!

Today I'm sharing two photos of our phurry friends.

This phirst photo pheatures the newest member of our phamily, Wall-E, and the ruler of the house, Lilly.

Wall-E is getting comfortable in his new home and now comes out and explores and hangs out with the phamily. In this picture, he is lounging on the love seat. Lilly still pheels the need to remind him that she is the Queen of the world House. I love this picture because of the way the are keeping a very close eye on one another. Phunny!

This second picture is total cuteness. It's an extreme close-up because the subjects were in MY lap, and I took the picture! But I just had to capture this sweet moment. Charley, our kitten, adores Suzie, our 15 year old dachshund. I truly think they've adopted one another as mommy and child. In this shot, Suzie was lounging on my lap, and Charley jumped up, laid down beside Suzie, put his arm around her and his face against her face. He was literally hugging her! It was so.freaking.cute.!!

Hope y'all have a great weekend, and hug your phurry phriends phor me!

Join the fun at Candid Carrie's! Today is also the big countdown reveal at her place - check it out!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

This is my first time participating in Random Tuesday Thoughts, but I've been wanting to for a while, because it suits me so well. I am a random kinda girl.

* - First, I'm going to gripe. I am chairperson of the March for Babies for my unit of the hospital. I am floored by how many people think that all they need to do is show up on the walk day and walk. Just exactly what do they think walking a few miles does to help babies? It's all about fundraising, people! :scream:

% - We are extremely short-staffed at work. Three people left within a couple of weeks; two quit and one changed shifts. It's a big pain in the butt and right now they don't plan on hiring anyone else. :scream:

# - Why is it that some people have no interest in doing certain things....until they see you do them? Then suddenly they have to jump in and start doing that exact thing? Kinda funny....

OK, bitchfest over.

@ - I got Elayna a kit to sew a pillow at a thrift store for $2. It came with everything she needed. This is her creation:

So cute!

+ - Our new cat is such a sweetheart. It was hard to get pictures of him, because he wants to be all over me, loving on me (or whoever is giving him attention at the moment). I'd have to run away from him to take a picture!

His name was originally Snowball, but he's Andrew's cat and Andrew's calling him Wall-E.

Ü - These just made me smile.

& - And this one looks just like Elayna's kitten, Charlie!

^..^ Hope you enjoyed the randomness, or at least tolerated it! ^..^

Head over to The Unmom for more Random Tuesday Thoughts!

Wordful Wednesday - For the Pet Lover's Soul

This week I've been reading Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. The stories are so inspirational, and there are some quotes in this book that really touched me. So, I had to share them.

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect." Chief Seattle


our dog, Izzy

"I wish people would realize that animals are totally dependent, helpless, like children; a trust that is put upon us." James Herriot

our dog, Tater

"No matter how little money you have and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich." Louis Sabin

our dog, Suzie


"Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made." Roger Caras

our dog, Sasha

"I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul." Jean Cocteau

our cats, Lilly and Charley

Check out more Wordful Wednesdays at Seven Clown Circus!

Wordful Wednesday ~ Friends

Remember last week, when I told you that I thought our cat, Lilly, and the new kitten, Charley, would soon be friends?
I was right!

When I woke up this afternoon, they were snoozing together in the computer chair.
From enemies to snuggle-buddies in less than three weeks!
Oh, the cuteness.

Angie at Seven Clown Circus hosts WordFUL Wednesday every week, for those of us who like to showcase a photo but can't keep our mouths shut about it! It's a growing phenomenon and you should play, too!

Wordful Wednesday ~ Our Zoo

This is the Princess with Charley, her birthday kitten.

She LOVES this little boy! And he has fit in so well at our zoo home.

This is Charley cuddling up with Suzie, our 14 year old dachshund girl who thinks she's Charley's new Mommy. They love each other!

Our girl cat, Lilly, HATED him on sight. She was also furious with all of us for allowing that little vermin into our home. She literally would not look at us or allow us to pet her! But she's come around, accepting our adoration now and tolerating Charley. I think they'll end up friends.

We're so glad we have Charley in our family. Now Ladybug wants a kitten, too! What's one more four-legged friend, at this point? (seven, if you're counting. haha!) And Spiderman wants an iguana. I love all different animals, so I think it's great! I always wanted a big enough house to have many different animals and now we have it. Who knows what animals lurk in our future!