The Cat's Pyjamas Blog

Gandhi & Mr. Spock

This is the "skinny kitty" I took to the shelter a few months ago. He has put on weight and looks like a different cat. His FUR is even a different color now! I'm considering bringing him home to see how he gets along with Rusty in my studio. He is healthy now but he's still waiting to be adopted and I hate the thought of him having to stay in that cage all day. So as soon as I have some free time I'm going to bring him home and see how he & Rusty get along. Notice his extra toes on his front paws!! Oh, I almost forgot...his name is Gandhi! The vet named him that because he was so skinny!

  I took Mr. Spock to the vet last week and found out he is probably in the early stages of renal failure. He is on medication and a special diet and is supposed to stay the day at the vet's office next month. He's my oldest kitty--we got him not long after my husband and I started dating! He's about 14 years old and has always been healthy, other than being overweight. At one time he weighed 18.5 lbs! Now he's down to 14 but he's still a big boy. I'm keeping a close eye on him and enjoying my time with him. He's been a part of my life for so long!!

Look for me in Create & Decorate...

Here are my latest projects in Create & Decorate magazine...Sissy & Pineapple Annie! Would love to hear what you think about them! Its the August 2009 issue-pick up a copy and try them out. They're really easy and there are more good projects in there too.  And don't forget to enter the contest if you haven't already....scroll down to the previous post after reading this one, or click here!

I've been thinking of getting some chickens for my yard for a long time. I ordered several books and have been looking into it. Any of you have anything to share about chickens? :) You would think I'd know since my Daddy is a chicken farmer, but I guess chickens in your yard is a lot different. I just want a few and I'm sure they'll be pets as much as anything, but I want them for the eggs and to control the ticks & mosquitoes. I'm checking with the city before I do anything--I could just imagine myself getting attached to some baby chicks then finding out  I have to get rid of them!! I really need a farm, I think but I'll just have to practice here until I can get a bigger place! There's no telling what kinds of animals I'd have if I had a big farm!!! ha!!

$4 e-patterns & mousepad giveaway!

Happy Friday, y'all! I'm giving away one of these Cat's Pyjamas mousepads! To enter, just post a reply to this post. Tell me your favorite pattern of mine or a project you've created from one of my patterns....Be sure to enter your CORRECT email address when you post because I will be emailing the winner. You get one entry per day and I'll draw from all the entries on the last day of the month. And as a bonus, after you enter, you will get to purchase one epattern for only $4! After you entry, I'll email you to let you know how to take advantage of it.

We'll be working on my studio this weekend, I hope! We started putting some fence posts in the ground tonight. We got 2 in the ground before it got too dark. But we only have one small section, so that shouldn't take too long. The list is still really long--lots to do before this fall and I'm not so sure if I can make it by my deadline or not! Keep your fingers crossed for me because I'd love to be able to open by then!! The picture on the left is of our pond last year. The plants have really started to fill in now. I planted some bamboo and bleeding hearts since then. The fence will be to the left of the pond. We planted some fringe flower bushes in front of it and I think I'll put some roses and some kind of ivy or something to cover the fence. I guess I like my privacy! ;)

Our book on Amazon!

Check it out...this is the book my sister wrote & I illustrated. You can find it now on Amazon.com! Its a cute story about my sister, Lisa's, two Rat Terriers, Rocky & Jake and of course you recognize Sweet Pea, I'm sure! Run on over to Amazon for a peek and let me know what you think! Click here to see the book..... 

We spent the weekend doing a little Spring Cleaning! We moved some furniture out of the bedroom and I couldn't believe how many magazines I had put aside to read later. Some from over 10 years ago! So I've been going through those and clipping out what I want to save and recycling what's left. I've also been trying to list a few things on ebay just to get stuff out of my way. I am ready to get rid of a lot....my husband won't get rid of his books, but I will! lol! I like to read them, then sell them or give them away. I'm ready for my bedroom to be cut back to the bare minimum, I think. I went through a stage where I wanted a lot of "stuff" in my bedroom, lots of decorations. Now I'm right the opposite. We had a primitive painted shelf, dressing table & chifferobe we took out (but I bought a new entertainment center that is a lot bigger than the chifferobe to go in their place). I have an antique couch and chest of drawers that will be going next and lots of "stuff". Some may go in my studio but most will end up on ebay! Click here to see what I have for sale now. I have two pretty white dresses that could be used as wedding dresses that I'll list this week. I don't enjoy ebay as much as I used to, but maybe I can make myself do it to get rid of some of the stuff I have accumulated!

Memorial Day Special!

Now through May 31, purchase my Crazy Little Raggedy pattern (featured on the right side of my site at www.thecatspyjamaspatterns.com) and get another pattern of your choice for half price! Hope you like her!!

 

I just got back from dropping off my truck at the mechanic for a new motor. I'll be SO happy to get that thing fixed! And maybe even have my A/C fixed too!!! After that, we went to visit my parents and no one was home, so we walked into the woods and around the yard. It was fun to reminisce....and especially to see the tree where our tire swing used to be (it is HUGE now!) Unfortunately the swing isn't there anymore and this isn't really a photo of my tire swing, but doesn't the picture bring back memories? One that always comes to mind when I think of my tire swing always makes me laugh--my friend may think differently though! I was pushing her on the tire swing and the rope broke and sent her flying through the air and she landed way out in the yard on her back. I thought it was hilarious--she was lying in the yard, still in the tire swing. It knocked the breath out of her and she was saying Go...get...your...Momma. I ran to the house laughing. That wasn't very nice, was it? I knew she was okay--that's why I can still laugh about it when I think of it now!  

Momma and Tyler came home later so we got to visit with them and Tyler made us all a grilled cheese for supper. He says that's his specialty!

Strawberries are planted!

Hey, y'all! I guess you wondered where I disappeared to! I've been trying to get a little gardening done when its not raining. I planted a small bed of strawberries, a few tomatoes, roses, bamboo, zinnia, sunflowers, nasturtium, cardinal climber, pineapple sage, bleeding hearts, ferns, peonies, cherry trees.....there may be more I forgot. So you see, I've been busy! I wanted to share a picture of Jackson so you can see how he's growing. He was enjoying getting his picture made here, as you can tell. (And we were about to go see the new calf too!)

 I did pretty well eating all my fresh veggies! Just didn't do as well sharing my recipes. LOL! I do have a good one to share--you can use fresh corn for this one, but I didn't have any and used canned corn. It is yummy that way ....this is one of my favorite new recipes! The kitties enjoy the fresh veggies & fruit too--Pumpkin likes Strawberries! lol! Strawberry loves greens & corn, so they all get a little when I'm cooking.

Corn & Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 8  6-inch corn tortillas
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 5  scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1/2  cups  fresh corn kernels (from 2 medium ears)
• 1/2  cup  whole milk
• Salt
• 2  cups  grated pepper Jack
• 1  10-oz. can enchilada sauce

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stack tortillas, wrap in foil and bake until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

While tortillas are baking, oil a 7-by-11-inch glass baking dish. Warm 1 Tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in corn and milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Remove tortillas from foil. Set aside 1/2 cup cheese. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of corn mixture in center of a tortilla. Sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon of cheese. Roll up tortilla and set in dish, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas, overlapping them slightly. Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.

New Doll pattern....& Rusty at work!

I have a new pattern listed for the Crazy  Little Raggedy doll! Click here to buy the pattern. She really looks like someone I know--I almost named the doll after her, but she might  not appreciate that. LOL!! I also have a new Weeping Willow stitchery on my site now too. I was sick for a few days, think I had the flu, so while I was lying in bed, I drew out a lot of new doll and stitchery patterns. Now I just need to dig out the sewing machine and get started! I don't know if you've noticed my widget on the right that's keeping up with my weight loss. I've lost 39 lbs so far (since I last weighed)...I'm pretty proud of that! I went to the grocery store yesterday and stocked up on healthy stuff. I've been eating more protein, but I did stock up on fresh veggies....

I tried to buy something of every color....think I have it all here! I'll try to post some of my recipes in case any of your want to try it out! Last night we had baked pasta with whole wheat penne pasta, garlic bread (with olive oil instead of butter and I liked that better!) and a strawberry and kiwi salad. To make the salad, mix 1/4 c. brown sugar and 2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix with sliced fresh strawberries & kiwi. That was good for breakfast too! I think tonight we'll have baked squash....mmmmm! Oh, and I made some reduced fat dip for my veggies (2 oz. blue cheese, 8 oz. light cream cheese, 1/2 c.light sour cream, 1/4 c. light mayo, about 2 T. shredded onions, 2 T. parsley). That way if I'm starving, I can grab some fresh veggies in between meals!

I think I may have a new assistant....if I ever get tired of working at the computer, I was thinking of hiring Rusty to fill in. What do you think--he looks like a natural, doesn't he?

One of those days....

Have you ever had "one of those days"??? I had one today! Last week I bought a card for my camera that didn't work with it. When I was leaving, the alarm went off. I showed them the receipt and all was fine. When I brought it back today, I realized after I got there that I didn't have my receipt. When I walked in, the alarm went off. I stood around a minute and no one said anything. I went to the customer service counter and at first she said they couldn't take it back without a receipt, but decided she could. She asked for my drivers license and I remembered that I had stuck it in my back pocket when we went out Saturday night (a rare occasion!) so I handed her my old one. She said she couldn't use an expired one. I remembered I saw my temporary license so I dug it out. It had one day left! I was starting to worry how I'd get out of the store without them thinking I had shoplifted the card!! Anyway, I got my money back on a card and did some shopping. I checked out, scanned my gift card and then realized I was out of checks. I had to ask the lady to hold my stuff until I ran home. Told her it would probably be about 10 minutes. Of course, I got home and couldn't find any checks except two that I started to write and  messed up on. I ordered more checks and went back to wal-mart. My stuff was already at customer service to be put away! So.....you see, I have had one of those days today. I think I need to go home and relax for a while!!

Pictures from Langston

  Last Sunday I took the scenic route home from Momma & Daddy's house....I drove through Langston. I always loved driving throug there. When I was little, sometimes we'd all load up on the back of the truck and go to the river to swim. Those are two things I'd never do now--ride on the back of a truck or swim in the river with the snakes!! We had to drive through Langston to get there and I always thought it was so pretty. You can see the farms through the trees and I always thought when I grew up, I'm go there and paint a picture! Its hard to get pictures driving down the road, but there are some pretty sites along the way. I especially loved when I could see a house and pasture with cows grazing. I guess that's what I always thought I'd paint. I didn't think about house I'd get the photo of what I wanted to paint. Maybe some day I'll try it!!

Lisa, here's that recipe I promised you....the one I found in Healthy Cooking magazine. Serve this with the fresh baked bread and some roasted garlic. That's my favorite meal these days!!

Blackberry Spinach Salad

6 c. fresh baby spinach

1 c. fresh blackberries

1 c. chopped tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes

2 T. chopped walnuts, toasted

2 T. olive oil

1 T. balsamic vinegar

2½ t. honey

1 garlic clove, minced

1 t. Dijon mustard

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2/3 c. crumbled feta cheese

Combine spinach, berries, tomatoes & walnuts in large bowl. In small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, mustard, salt & pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Little Bit...and a new dip recipe!

Look how pretty Little Bit looks now....I am dying to grab her up an pet her, but she let me know that wasn't going to happen. lol! A few months back, I tried to pick her up and I had scratches all over my hands! She will smell of my hand or take a snack from my hand, but that's about it! When I went to the vet to pick up some cat food, I got a nice surprise. Remember Gandhi, the little kitty that wandered onto my porch that was almost starved to death? He had been neutered that day and someone was coming to pick him up! He'll be living inside and never have to worry about going hungry again. I almost cried when I found out he was being adopted. Unfortunately the other two kitties I took are still there, but they are gorgeous now and I'm sure they'll find a home soon.

I think we may get to start on my roof for my studio this weekend--keep your fingers crossed for me that it won't rain all weekend!!

My friend Alyssa at Olde Common Candles sent me this really easy recipe for taco dip. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds good. I was thinking if you wanted to change it up, it might be good to replace the beans with salsa some time too.

Taco Dip

2 cans Hormel Chili no beans

16 oz. package of cream cheese

shredded cheese

 

In a baking dish, spread cream cheese, then chili on top, sprinkle with a good amount of cheese.  Bake on 350 degrees until cheese is melted.  Take out and serve with tortilla chips.