Sunday, March 30, 2008

Pieces From My Past



One of my favorite things to do when I was younger was to search the field behind my grandmother's house in rural Monon, Indiana for arrowheads - it was great quiet time for me - to just think, dream or imagine - I loved it. And during the process I would actually find some interesting things.

As you can see I found a few arrowheads, a marble of some sort (actually the round marble like thing is a musket ball), and the disk like thing I found at Battleground Creek I like to think is a button off of a uniform or a coin...but it is probably nothing.

I still have my little collections (though I really can't say that I ever stopped - just recently found two snail shells while taking Lola for a walk through woods and had to take them home with me) - I have a jar full of fossils, a jar full of pretty blue stones from a beach, and a great amount seashells of course.

Recently dug my arrowhead collection out when they came up in conversation at work - and when I had some time over Easter weekend to walk the same field I found most of these in.

Pilling Your Cat



Harder than it looks, thank you very much. With Pumpkin being on meds - I need to give her a pill every 24 hours - the vet made it look so easy. Just grab her around her cheek bones pull back so her nose points the ceiling - open her mouth and stick the pill in. Ha! It it not so easy, my friend - I was able to only sustain minor injuries in the process - but still an injury all the same. AND I couldn't get her to swallow on the first try so the pill was beginning to dissolve in her mouth - which made her foam - it was crazy. But we did manage to get it down the hatch - but now I am doing my research to get it right the next time (and I will be sure to do it when Matthew is home so he can help).

How To Give Your Cat A Pill - from www.marvistavet.com - this lady made it look WAY too easy - for one, when my cat sees that I have a pill - she high-tails it the other way - definitely doesn't sit compliantly

How to Give Your Cat a Pill - from www.mamarocks.com - ok, turn off your sound before you watch this one, the music is irritating - but the instructions are hilarious - and more realistic :)

Feline Videos from Cornell University - this site has been the most helpful overall - great videos showing how to give your cat its medicine

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Kitty Update

Today we visited the vet to try and get a better idea why our cat is crazy. They are doing a urine test - which I need to call about on Monday to see the results - but they said it looked normal. They took an x-ray of her bladder and didn't find any stones or anything - so everything pretty much points to a behavioral issue - especially with all the steps we took to try to alleviate the problem. So we are set up with a kitty version of Prozac to see if that helps. Hopefully it does - but right now I have one pissed off cat hanging out shut in the bathroom until she has a few moments to cool. We had to put her in her kitty carrier at 6:00 a.m. - 3 hours before her appointment so they could collect a urine sample - and she threw on heck of a fit in her crate - there is a ton of fur inside and she even peed inside it...so I gave her a quick bath after being poked at by the vet so at the current moment she is NOT a happy camper (I hope the kitty Prozac kicks in soon!)


Here is a video of her on a much happier Caturday morning.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Strawberry Festival on Monument Circle - June 12, 2008


(Image from Edible Portland)

I always look forward to this event since I work downtown and have easy access and LOVE strawberries! Yet, for the last two years I almost miss it - not this year!! I am marking my calender!

The Cathedral Women (CW) will host the 43rd Annual Strawberry Festival on Monument Circle Thursday, June 12, 2008. The Strawberry Festival takes place in front of Christ Church Cathedral on Monument Circle in Downtown Indianapolis.

The popular event utilizes more than 300 volunteers and serves an estimated six tons of strawberries and 18,000 homemade shortcakes. All proceeds from this fundraiser go to community outreach programs at the local, state, national and international levels.

CW takes pride in being good stewards of God’s bounty. More than 95 percent of the Strawberry Festival proceeds goes directly to local, national and international not-for-profit groups.

Yummy Cupcakes!



After our romp in the woods to find Easter eggs - we had to stop off for an afternoon snack - which we used as the perfect excuse to try the Flying Cupcake - muy delicious! I tried the oh-so-good Red Velvet and Matthew had a chocolate cheesecake concoction. They were very good and gone in 2 seconds! Thank goodness they had milk on hand - made for a perfect end to a great afternoon! And the inside is so adorable - all pastels and dreamy - like you are stepping back into a simpler time - cute little trinkets all over.

Adult Easter Egg Hunt Re-Cap


So, we did end up going on the Indiana House Rabbit Society Adult Easter Egg Hunt Fundraiser on Easter weekend - had a great time! It was a little chilly and muddy - but there were 400 eggs to 35 people - I came up with 15 and Matthew came with 12 or so. It was so funny to see grown adults all anxious and crazy about some Easter eggs hid in the woods - quite hilarious actually. Some people took it a little too seriously - but you always have that. 100% of the registration fees will be used for food, supplies and veterinary care for rabbits in foster care so I was happy. We also won two out of 17 prizes (we had numbers in our eggs that matched up to prizes on the table!). Matt won a pair of earrings and I won a $20 gift certificate to Kolache Factory - we have never been so it will be nice.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

10 Things You Don't Know About Me

Our First Garden and Robin's Nesting Place both encouraged and tagged me to join in the "10 Things You Don't Know About Me" post. This is kind of hard - because, depending on who reads this blog, some people already know a lot about me (friends & family) - and others know next to nothing. So...hmmm?

1. I love ketchup...not just a little...a lot. We are talking 6 packets of ketchup per Burger King sandwich. :)

2. My favorite font is Century Gothic.

3. I can curl my tongue into 3 rolls.



4. I clean as a stress reliever.

5. My husband and I knew each other in high school but didn't start dating until college after instant messaging each other to get back in touch.

6. We became engaged after a month. Married within a year. Have currently been married for going on 5 years. No kids yet - just pets.

7. His parents used to babysit for my mother and were good friends of my grandparents.

8. I have heart palpitations when I am extremely tired or stressed...my heart will beat so hard and fast that it shakes my whole body and the only thing that will make it stop is if I lie down and relax.(have been to a heart specialist, and am ok - it is just bothersome and scary when it happens)

9. I have had stitches in my head from falling of my top bunk and hitting my head on an open dresser drawer. (I was dreaming about riding and falling off of a tractor??)

10. I cannot parallel park for the life of me.

Now, to keep the ball rolling, I must tag others to also share 10 things:
Matt's Miscellany
Little Miss Ella James

Monday, March 24, 2008

Yoga For Dogs at the Humane Society of Indianapolis

EDITED FEBRUARY 2015 - DISCLAIMER - THIS CLASS IS NO LONGER OFFERED


Image from Discovery Channel Article

Sounds like a great bonding and exercise opportunity! I would love to try this! Doga is all about bonding with your pet and giving your dog undivided attention and praise from their favorite person in the world.

Where: Humane Society of Indianapolis--Canine Training School room (click here to view map)

When: Every Saturday

Time:
Small dogs > 2:30-3:30pm, Large dogs > 4-5pm

Instructor: Mimi Sosa

How much: $10 per class; You can buy a 5 week pass for $50 and get a sixth class for free.

Class size: Small dog class = 20, Large dog class = 12 (One dog per student)

Equipment: Yoga mat

Pre-registration required: Please contact Mandy at 872-5650 x132, Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. Or e-mail mnestlerode@indyhumane.org

EDITED FEBRUARY 2015 - DISCLAIMER - THIS CLASS IS NO LONGER OFFERED

Need more convincing that yoga and your dog can mix? Check out these link!

Discovery Channel : Dog Yoga Classes Catching On


Doga or Dog Yoga

Dog Yoga Positions and Poses from Expert Village


A Whole Blog Committed to Dog Yoga

EDITED FEBRUARY 2015 - DISCLAIMER - THIS CLASS IS NO LONGER OFFERED

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Early Easter Celebration!


On a lighter note...

Having taken the day off - and with Matt working on Easter Sunday - we thought we would take today and tomorrow to celebrate. Today we visited Mallow Run Winery to try their new wines and to downtown Franklin to browse the Imagination Station and the antique stores - very fun. Then we headed off to JoAnn Fabric, Michaels and Hobby Lobby to peruse their clearanced Easter decor - came home with an adorable egg topiary tree, four cute little yellow chicks, and his and hers baskets!

We also put together baskets for each other - kind of - we bought our favorite Easter candies, Peeps and Cadbury Mini Eggs and picked out two small things we both wanted from the Burt Bee's area of Kroger (woohoo) - I now have cuticle cream for my purse and he has salve for his various cuts and scratches he suffers at his new job. And he got me the cutest card with a chihuahua wearing bunny ears! As a joint present and a surprise I added a kite I had stashed away in the house :)!

Friday, March 21, 2008

What Do We Do Now??


Image from Helena Garcia- she has the cutest designs and paintings!

Ok, so this is hard to think about let alone blog about - but it is driving me crazy. We have a cat who chooses to use two specific corners of our living room as a litter box - just to urinate. We have tried everything to fix the problem. We increased the litter boxes from one to three, we stick to the litter she likes, we put the litter boxes in a nice quite location away from her food and keep them clean - we even visited the vet to rule out medical problems. We put large plants in each corner to block her visits - but she just squeezes behind them and goes anyway. We even tried to put her food in that location so she wouldn't use that spot - she still would!

The areas have been treated with all sorts of cleaners ranging from carpet cleaners, pet stain removers, enzyme cleaners and organic cleaners. We even tried putting orange peels in the area to distract her - all these things work for a short while but she always goes back eventually.

We have tried to solve and prevent this behavior for 5 years now, actually I had no idea it was a problem until last year when we moved from our apartment into a house. During our move-out inspection the maintenance man pulled up the carpet in a few corners as a routine check and found the tell-tale stains. Moving into a new home I was hoping the problem would stop - with an apartment I have no idea what smells were in the carpet before, but there was only one previous owner of this home.

When we visited the vet, he ruled out any medical issues and said it was probably stress from the move. We will have lived in this house for a full year in April and the problem is still persisting.

I do not know what else to do. She has also taken up scratching the carpet to shreds on our stairs - even with 4 scratching posts of different types placed throughout the house.

She never goes outside, we are home a lot and gets enough attention, there haven't been any changes in her diet or the litter brand. We haven't moved anything in the house or had guests over to upset her or anything.

We are at wits-end - we cannot allow this behavior to continue as it is destroying our home (or at least our carpet and our sanity).

Any advice? Anyone want to adopt an obviously neurotic cat? Should we take her to a shelter? Should we put her down? What do we do?

Happy First Day of Spring!


The first day of spring!(the first day of spring was technically yesterday - but ya know :) ) Since there are not any blooms in my garden to celebrate the first day of spring - how about some images of the tulips I have in my kitchen? They have been brightening my mornings and are my favorite flower!

Need more of a reason to celebrate spring? Happy Handwork is having a Celebrate Spring Contest in honor of the first day of spring. The lucky winner will receive two skeins of Malabrigo worsted weight yarn. The color is called velvet grapes. It truly is beautiful yarn. That's not all that is up for grabs - the winner will also find some fun spring surprises in their package!

Rules
You can only enter one time. If you mention the contest on your blog with a link you will receive an extra 3 entries! If one of your friends enters because of your input you will get one extra entry. And lastly, just for fun, make sure to mention in your post one of your favorite flowers.

The contest ends on Tuesday March 25, 2008 at 7:00p.m. central time. When you leave your comment make sure and click the e-mail box so you can be contacted. If you don't have your e-mail linked to your profile it won't work. You can also send a message when you click on the little envelope next to the comment count. Happy Handwork's e-mail is at the top of the page.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

1st Annual Indiana House Rabbit Society Adult Easter Egg Hunt Fundraiser!



This sounds marvelous! ;)

1st Annual Easter Egg Hunt Fundraiser
Did you have fun searching for eggs when you were a kid? Relive the feeling with the 1st Annual Indiana House Rabbit Society Adult Easter Egg Hunt Fundraiser! We'll be hunting for hidden eggs and giving away prizes!

Saturday, March 22nd at 2:30 PM at West Park in Carmel
$5 pre-registration fee
$8 day of the Easter Egg Hunt
100% of the registration fees will be used for food, supplies and veterinary care for rabbits in foster care.

Download the registration form!

Participants must be over 18 years old and bring a container to carry collected eggs. Registration will be from 2:30 to 3 PM. Egg collecting will begin promptly at 3 PM and end at 3:30 PM. Eggs will contain candy, gifts and prize tickets. Prizes will be distributed beginning at 3:30 PM. All eggs must be returned at the end of the event.

Prize Details:
1. 1/2 hour massage certificate from Marie Planck at About Life Chiropractic
3. Mary Kay Gift Basket
4. Embroidered Bag from SewManyPaws.com
5. Mini EveryDay Display from Creative Memories
6. Jewelry designed by Heidi Nikou
7. Pampered Chef products
8. Stuffed Bunny (of course!)

Park Information: http://www.carmelclayparks.com/index.asp?action=parksgrnways_west

** We'll need volunteers to help us advertise this event and help to set up on the day of the Easter Egg Hunt. Please contact Karen at karen@indianahrs.org to find out how you can help at the Easter Egg Hunt!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Easter Is On Its Way!



Believe it or not, Easter is almost here! Where has January, February AND March gone?? At least I get to finally put up the Easter wreath I bought after Easter last year when all that stuff when on sale - isn't it gorgeous?! I also have a bulb wreath which I will put up after Easter - but I will post a pic of that later.

I also took a little time this afternoon to make Easter eggs - woohoo! I went half natural and used strongly brewed coffee left-over from my husbands morning fix to dye the brown ones (I know you can just buy brown ones - but hey) and I used a mix of vinegar, water, and frosting dye to make the blue ones!



Here are some links to green ways to dye your eggs this Easter:

The Green Guide: Green Eggs

Martha Stewart: Dyeing Eggs Naturally

Tide Talking Stain Commercial



Now, THIS, Super Bowl commercial I did enjoy - though I did not see it until after the Super Bowl. This is why I keep a Tide-to-Go Pen in my purse at all times! It does come in super handy!

I just found a whole bunch of those commercials - or spoofs of them on youtube - good stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/mytalkingstain

Monday, March 17, 2008

Indianapolis Humane Society Mutt Strut 2008



The Mutt Strut is a pet walk benefiting the Humane Society of Indianapolis - and it is almost here! My husband and I took Showbiz a few years ago - but in the more recent years we have not heard about it until too late - this year I had a Google Alert set for Mutt Strut - but still didn't hear anything until today! Well, here is the date for 2008! I am hoping that we can go this year with both our dogs!

SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2008
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Gate #2 on 16th Street

Check-In Will Be Open 11:00 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Track Open to Walkers 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

GET YOUR TAIL IN GEAR! REGISTER AND FETCH DONATIONS!
Register and Create a Fundraising Webpage!
Complete the online form and make the minimum donation of $25 per person in advanced (day of registration is $35 per person). As you register create your own personal webpage. Upload pictures and tell a story about why you and your pet are walking at Mutt Strut, and why you support the Humane Society of Indianapolis.

Fetch Pledges and Win Prizes!
Fetch as many pledges as you can! The more you raise, the more you can win. Make the first donation yourself to show your commitment. E-mail your fundraising webpage to everyone you know and watch the donations pile up. Use the fundraising tips to maximize your donations. Individual prizes are awarded based on the amount of donations raised.

* $25 – $99 Mutt Strut 2008 T-Shirt*
* $100 – $249 Prizes above plus a Mutt Strut 2008 Umbrella
* $250 – $499 Prizes above plus an HSI Cooler
* $500 – $999 Prizes above plus an HSI Fleece Blanket
* $1,000 + Prizes above plus a Mutt Strut 2008 Personalized Commemorative
Picture Frame and name entered drawing to win a $500 Best Buy gift
card.

*To guarantee receipt of a T-shirt and prizes please pre-register by April 11th.

Get Ready, Get Set and Walk!
Start those paws! The green flag will drop because it’s time to walk for the Humane Society of Indianapolis! Rain or shine the Plaza of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be buzzing! There will be many vendor and sponsor booths to visit displaying a variety of goods and services for your family and your pet. Visit the HSI Re-TAIL store on the IMS Plaza to purchase bandanas, sweatshirts, ponchos and more! Capture this unique experience with your pet through a photo taken on the Start/Finish Line on the famous Yard of Bricks (all proceeds support Mutt Strut).

For more information contact Alison Moyars at (317) 872-5650 x.102 or e-mail muttstrut@indyhumane.org.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Heart Shaped Pancakes



With my husband working nights I wanted to do something special for him for the few hours I had with him Saturday morning - so I made pancakes - but not just any pancakes - heart shaped pancakes! I used valentines day cookie cutters and it worked fairly well - but there might be a better way to go about making shaped pancakes.

I could have used:

A heart shaped pan
- but that would cost me $71

Nestle had the same idea I did
- but theirs looks better

Good Without Gluten did it the same way but sprayed the cookie cutters with Pam - ah ha! (and their recipe sounds tons better than plain old out-of-box pancake mix I used

Amazon has actual pancake molds with little handles so you don't burn your fingers trying to get pancakes out of the cutter like I did

Peanut Butter & Julie just hand pipes hers without a mold - ha! mine would look like blobs if I didn't have the extra help of the molds

Sur La Table has a whole heart shaped griddle!

Subtle Signs of Spring


Yesterday the pets and I saw the cutest pair of ducks waddling through the front yard! Wouldn't seem exciting to most - but to me it is another subtle sign of spring and to my animals it was most amazing! I had to keep shushing Showbiz to stop her from whining and barking and scaring the ducks away completely. They did end up scurrying off quickly after seeing us in the window. Big Kitty was sad they left - she waited in the window like that for about 10 minutes hoping they would come back.

Another not so subtle sign of spring at our house is our muddy backyard. Sigh. When we first moved in last April the last thing on our minds was planting grass seed - which our back yard desperately needs - it is so patchy. We started patching up the bare spots in the front yard with a good layer of new top soil and grass seed in the fall - but didn't get too far before it got cold. This spring I am determined to get the backyard green - it wouldn't really matter much except we have two dogs who love to run and get awfully muddy each time they go out - and so before we bring them in we have to wipe them all down - that gets pretty old after doing so more than 3 times a day everyday.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

2008 Indianapolis Flower and Patio Show



Hubby and I finally ventured to the fairgrounds for the 2008 Flower & Patio show! My feet now hurt and my husband is napping! I am always a tad disappointed in things like this. There is never quite enough flower and garden resources but always an outrageous amount of random off-the-wall vendors - you got the Vita-Shake people, the Steam-Doohicky people, random flea-market crap tables, Tupperware and Avon were both there - sheesh. Another thing is that half the show is dedicated to people with older homes or homes in neighborhoods that have tall trees that would actually need gutter covers, or restoration - then you have the invisible pet fence people, the window, siding and roof people. I wanted flowers, gardens and patios - not all the stuff in between. And then there are the people who go to these things - it is like everyone forgot their manners upon arrival. I about got knocked to the floor twice with people shoving their way through the crowd. And then there is the random man who decides to stop and stand in the every midhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifdle of the walkway so you must walk around him. Arg!

But we did get what we came for - contact information from a few landscaping companies to come and put in our patio and pergola and two blueberry bushes and one raspberry bush that were 50% off at Dammann's booth - a twisty wind thing for $5 and a free Red Oak sapling! I wanted to get rhubarb and I did find some - but it was $7.99 and I am convinced I can find it at Lowes for that price.

I have been wanting to recreate the yards of my childhood (I want a combination of my parents and my grandparent's yard) - complete with raspberry and blueberry bushes, rhubarb, and other specific flowers and bushes. I am getting pretty far in obtaining most everything on my list - and then some! I already have two lilac bushes, I love the smell of them, beautiful 4-O-Clock bushes that I remember growing so big in my grandma's backyard, hostas, day lilies, hibiscus, various decorative grasses, gerber daisies, hydrangeas, pear trees, tulips, daffodils, and crocus! Wow, we have quite a lot in our yard already - and there is only going to be more! I am a big fan of the 50% tables at Lowes and Home Depot in their plant section - I will take home those sad plants that have outgrown their pots and give them a home!

We also came across a place at the show that sells rain barrels, Green Way Supply who actually has a store here in Indianapolis - Matthew and I would like to get on those to save up on our water bill in the summer - especially if we have a summer like we did last year.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Look What I Found Today!



After the rough week or two I have had, with two back-to-back conferences at work, my husband working night shifts, our mucky-ucky muddy backyard, the bad news about our taxes, Easter coming up (one of my favorite holidays - but my first without my family intact - so a little morose like all the other holidays in the past year) - I needed a pick me up.

I read on May Dreams blog earlier this week about her Garden Bloggers Bloom Day she has on the 15th of every month and so I went excitedly outside to see of any of the bulbs I planted in the fall were coming up - but no such luck and oh, how it bummed me out.

But today, I checked again and look what I found! Not blooms, but at least signs that there WILL be blooms! I am pretty sure one was a crocus and the one of the others a tulip - I know I planted daffodils and something else - but am not sure how to distinguish them until they bloom.

Going to the Dogs


Wow, I am on a roll with the pet posts! Sorry, I am a little blah with wanting spring to come - it is making me go crazy. I cannot stand our muddy yard right now - yuck!

Anyways, this is what we got Lola for her first birthday last year - a doggy cupcake! Well, both dogs got one as a special treat. Only Lola was afraid of hers so we had to give them both to Showbiz. I am not sure why she freaked out but she was having none of it. Showbiz was more than happy to goggle up both hers and Lola's peanut-butter flavored cupcake from Three Dog Bakery (I love the story of their store - if you ever get the chance you should definitely read Amazing Gracie) - the cupcakes were only $1.25 a piece and oh so cute!

Speaking of Litter


Speaking of litter boxes, this one, called the Hidden Litter Box, is very cool - I am all about disguising unsightly litter boxes!(Available from Sky Mall of all places!) A little pricey at $135 - but something I think I could shimmy up myself - but with a real plant of course the one in the picture is so clearly fake. Maybe that will be a future craft project...

Living With The Litterbox

I have always had cats growing up but never quite realized the hassle, fuss and mess involved until I got one on my own. Having lived in a studio apartment by myself in a new city - hundreds of miles away from my family and friends - I started getting lonely - and after a crazy man from the apartment complex followed me down to my apartment trying to talk to me about God...

[ok, ok - let me back up and tell the whole story for a sec - ok, so there was this crazy man walking around outside in front of my building looking upset holding a tv by its cord with the tv hanging down his back - he asked if he could ask me a question - and naive me thought he was just going to ask if he could throw it in the trash or where the trash bins were - something like that - was NOT expecting him to ask if I watch TV and don't-you-know-that-God-hates-TV's... I immediately turned away and said sorry and moved on - he, however, followed me down to my apt door asking why I was sorry, etc, etc - I called the police and they ended up evicting him because apparently he was not taking his medicine and had harassed kids at the bus stop and set fire to the trash bins - go figure]

SO, long story short I got freaked out being utterly by myself so I got a cat to take my mind off things. I realize that a cat will not protect me from an intruder - but I had never had a dog before and did not realize I was a dog person at heart until later in life. So a cat it was - I hiked myself to the nearest Petsmart and picked a cute kitty out to take home - not noting that the cat kept hissing and growling at me (the lady at Petsmart insisted that the cat was merely stressed out) and that is how I came to own Pumpkin (a.k.a. Big Kitty).



This cat is the pickiest darn cat - not about food - oh no, she will eat dog food if she has to - as you can denote from her photo above, but about her litter box. I was slow to learn that I cannot use certain types of litter, have a small litter box, or have only one litter box, nor can I let it get the least bit icky or she will turn her nose up and find the nearest plastic bag, shoe, shirt or corner to go.

Types of Litter
Being in my recent green kick I recently wanted to try a more eco-friendly litter - and I tried World's Best made from corn of all things - it was great - but she hated it. What good is an eco-litter if the cat refuses to use it - no good at all I tell you! My other cat (who has her own set of baggage) didn't mind it at all - but there was something about the smell or the feel of the litter that Big Kitty hated - so it had to go back to plain old Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat!

Types of Litter Boxes
Over the years I have also learned her preference in TYPES of litter boxes. Her favorite for #2 is the large Booda Dome Clean Step Litter Box from Petsmart or the Booda Website and her favorite for #1 is just a large plain uncovered litter box.


(The Booda Clean Step)

We have tried several other litter boxes in the past (she will use them but not as consistently as she uses the ones listed above). My other cat, Augie, has claimed the Roll N Clean Litter Box from Omega Paw as her own - it looks huge but due to the inside grate is much smaller inside than the Booda litter box and doesn't give a lot of room to kick around - but she likes it - so we keep it) and I love how you can just roll it to clean it out! Marvelous! Too bad Big Kitty doesn't like or I would switch all our litter boxes to this kind - it is just too small for her and I even got the large one! :(


(The Omega Paw Roll N Clean)



Where To Put the Litter Box

I have also learned WHERE she likes her litter box - it cannot be near the dog's crate or the dog's food (at one point we had a spare bedroom that was all devoted to the pets stuff and since we got a smaller dog who developed a taste for cat poo I thought it would be clever to put a folding table over the dog crate and place the litter on top of the table - space saving and keeps my little dog from eating poo - perfect! Well, Big Kitty didn't think so - heaven forbid she would have to relieve herself in the presence of a dog.

P.S. As a side note, I feel I should explain Big Kitty's temperament as I mentioned above that she growled and hissed at me when I adopted her. She is a very vocal cat, she can hiss and growl and snarl up a storm - but she has NEVER EVER bitten or scratched me. It is the craziest thing I have ever seen. I can hold her down and cut her nails with clippers and the whole time she is screaming and sounding like a demon-cat but I come out completely unscathed. Any cat in their right mind would scratch a person's eyes out for such behavior - but no, my shelter cat only knows how to sound mean - not how to act mean. Good for me! :)

AND thank goodness that both of our cats aren't this picky about their litter! Little Kitty (or Augie) has always been good about going in whatever litter we put out in whatever box wherever. And she was the cat we found in a parking lot - so you would figure she would have the worse time with going in the litter box - not so. She is just crazy in other ways.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

My First Acupuncture Experience



Tonight I went to the Ladies Evening of Wellness & Pampering at Dixon Chiropractic & Acupuncture Center which ended up being a delightful evening of massage, wine, and more! I was a little confused when I first walked in around 5:30 and found only 3 or 4 ladies in the small waiting room - but after I sampled some great entrees from Entree Vous and sampled some of my favorite wine from Mallow Run - I began to realize that there was a hallway and people were filtering into the hallway to visit the other vendors. Ahhh haa!

Down the hall I found a great many good things - a glorious chair massage from Vista Massage and Wellness, Darlene from Divine Spirit Coaching, Dr. Leah's Transformation Revolution, Premier Designs Jewelry, and in the back - ah the best part - Dr. Robert Dixon was demonstrating acupuncture and St. Francis-Women in Spirit had stress-relieving CVR (Creative Visualization and Relaxation) in anti-gravity chairs.

I was a little nervous about the acupuncture at first considering it involves needles. But I thought, what the heck, when am I ever going to try this to see if I like it - other than now? So I did - and it was quite marvelous. You did feel a little pricking sensation when the needles went in - but it was so slight you don't even flinch - and you could feel the electric current pulsating - but the feeling afterward was all worth it. When I first sat up I was a little light-headed and swimmy but I felt so energetic and yet relaxed. At $40 a session - it definitely something to look into!

And, thanks, to Entree Vous and their great little giveaway I now have dinner tonight as the hubby works late tonight. So far it smells delicious! I am trying the Lasagna Bolognese. The samples they had at Dixon Chiropractic was delicious - I didn't try the seafood dish - but the Pueblo Chicken With Chile Lime Butter was AMAZING! These kinds of dinner are perfect for my husband and I - especially now that he is working such random schedules. Quick, easy, delicious and good for you!

Quilt Giveaway at Old Red Barn Co.



Old Red Barn Company is having a give-away! They have a beautiful quilt and two $35 gift certificates good towards any of their natural body care products. Today could be your lucky day - go and post a comment and see if you win! Someone will be cuddling up to a warm, gorgeous quilt at the end of the day! Click here to view the post and to enter the contest!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

What Was Old Is New Again


(Old Herron - Top Left and Bottom Photos, New Herron - Top Right)

Now this makes me feel old. When I went the Herron School of Art & Design it was still housed in the original buildings off of 16th and Penn. My senior year it moved to a brand spanking new facility on the IUPUI campus off New York Street. Since then the building has been transitioned into a high school and the old photography labs have turned into a coffee house. Has it really been that long ago?? (it has only been 2 years but, my, how things change)


(New coffee house in the old Herron photo labs off of Michigan St.)

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Herron High School Student Work Display
Fountain Square Library
Mon., Mar 3, 2008 - Wed., Apr 30, 2008
During Library Hours

Age Level: No Age Restrictions

Patrons are invited to view a display of art work created by students from Herron High School. The public is invited to meet the artists during a reception on Friday, April 4 from 6 - 8 p.m.

Fountain Square March Events



My husband and I are always looking for something interesting to do in and around the city. Here are some events I have found on Discover Fountain Square's website.

Fountain Square Events

3/12/08
06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Deano's Vino Restaurant and Wine Bar
Wednesday Wine Tasting with Deano
Pinot Noir

3/12/08
07:30 PM - 11:00 PM
Deano's Vino Restaurant and Wine Bar
LIVE MUSIC with No Cover at Deano's Vino
Robert Bruce Scott (of Il Troubadore)

3/13/08
11:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Deano's Vino Restaurant and Wine Bar
Thursday Beer Specials
Drafts: $3.50 Pitchers: $13 Red Stripe Bottles $2.00

3/14/08
07:30 PM - 11:30 PM
Fountain Square Theatre
Friday Night Swing Dance

3/28/08 - 3/14/08
07:30 PM - 11:30 PM
Fountain Square Theatre
Friday Night Swing Dance

3/14/08
08:00 PM - 11:59 PM
Deano's Vino Restaurant and Wine Bar
LIVE MUSIC with No Cover at Deano's Vino
Jude's Jugs Band

3/15/08
07:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Fountain Diner
17th Annual Shamrock Run and Walk
New Date! New Course!

3/15/08
09:00 PM - 11:45 PM
Radio Radio
Andy McKee + Nicholas Barron

3/15/08
08:00 PM - 11:59 PM
Deano's Vino Restaurant and Wine Bar
LIVE MUSIC with No Cover at Deano's Vino
John Harden Pope

3/15/08
02:00 PM - 11:59 PM
Deano's Vino Restaurant and Wine Bar
Start Celebrating Early!
The Hoosier Beer Geeks St. Patrick's Day Pre-Party

3/17/08
06:00 PM - 11:59 PM
Deano's Vino Restaurant and Wine Bar
ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARTY!
One of our Biggest Events of the Year!!

3/18/08
05:00 PM - 06:30 PM
Deano's Vino Restaurant and Wine Bar
Tuesday Free Appetizers
Free Appetizer Bar 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Where Did The Snow Go?


I have been waiting for a good snow since we moved into our house last April and this winter hasn't really given us that here in central Indiana. But it did decide to snow the weekend that I had to work - it snowed somewhere between 3 to 5 inches and I had the pleasure of driving home at night in it and driving to work in the morning with it - but come Sunday afternoon when I finally had some time off and took the house-bound pooches for a much needed walk the snow was almost all gone. We were greeted on our walk by half a dozen half melted snowmen that the neighborhood kids had made so diligently just the previous day - many were complete with scarves, hats and the occasional plastic utensil limbs (as our neighborhood is fairly new and lacking in many trees that are old enough to be stripped of their limbs) and I didn't have my camera with me so no photos :(. I am sad I missed it all.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Currently Loving : Beauty Rush Lip Gloss


Recently discovered this marvelous lip gloss Beauty Rush from Victoria Secret. The flavors are amazing - I have Mango Madness and Slice of Heaven - but there are TONS of others to choose from. I was surprised at the quality - considering it is a lip gloss from a lingerie store - but they do have a beauty line so I suppose they know what they are doing. Kinda pricey at $7 a pop - but they occasionally go on sale (like when I bought them!).

Red Bull Art of Can



Stumbled upon this cool contest, Red Bull Art of Can, while perusing the latest post on Core77's Design Blog. I used to always tear apart soda cans to get the top off - a weird collection I had going as a teen. But now I can see where that would pay off. At least the can tearing part, not necessarily the collection. Leave it to Red Bull and their wacky contests.

Where do I find rhubarb?

One of the things that would make our garden complete this year would be to plant rhubarb. Not necessarily in the garden, I envision it being in the backyard, near the garden, alongside our fence. We used to have rhubarb in our yard as a little girl and I remember picking it and eating it with sugar. Hmmm. But how do you grow it? By seed or something? Where can I find it? Let me know!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Let Me In! - Hilarious Cat Movie



Marvelous video I found on Cute Overload by the great Simon Tofield, the creator of "Wake Up Cat". My guess is that Simon is a cat owner, because it is a humor only a person who owns a cat could appreciate. :)

Both of our kitties have experienced a night outdoors since we have moved into our house last April. Unlike dogs, cats do not come when called instead they are all off creeping around the yard - it is not so blaringly obvious that they are still outside - so it sometimes it ends up being the next morning when you notice there is one less mouth to feed. Dogs, on the other hand, are in your face all the time wagging their tail....you notice when they are missing - cats - not so much - very quiet and sneaky.

Now all animals are outfitted with microchips and tags with our phone number - and the cats have collars with a bell on it so I can hear them when they are incognito outside. Now they cannot escape! :)

Monday, March 3, 2008

Peas Gone Wild


(Photo of my pea seedlings)

I planted a few seeds back around February 22 and so far my lettuce, peas, and blue fescue grass has managed to sprout - but not anything else. I may have to transplant my peas into larger containers as their roots are already growing out of the peat pots. They are growing like crazy - I had to take them out of the tray and put them in a tall jar.

I want to plant the rest of my garden seeds but the packaging says not too until April and May for many of the seeds. :( But can I really plant them too soon? I am new to this I have no clue!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Sunday Strolls


(Picture of the pups waiting excitedly for their mid-walk treat)

This Sunday gave us a dose of wonderfully warm weather. We reached temperatures near 70 degrees! Matthew and I took full advantage of the balmy weather. We took the pooches out for a stroll in Old Downtown Greenwood and Craig Park. In efforts to wear the dogs out for the day we ended up wearing ourselves out more - go figure. But it was so nice to get out of the house and actually take our winter coats off and enjoy the warm sun.

While out perusing around we learned that one of our favorite places Mrs. Curl's, a great little ice-cream and treatery near Greenwood Library, opens tomorrow! I thought we would have to wait till later in the year - but no-siree!

Side Notes: Showbiz is not wearing a muzzle, she is wearing a Gentle-Lead Collar due to her pulling problem - if she didn't wear this we would be wearing mud as she has the strength to pull a grown man flat on his face.

Also:
Our warm weather looks like it won't last long as the weather people are already calling for snow by Tuesday. Blah!

Saturday, March 1, 2008

My Heathen Animals


(Lola - our 1 yr old long-haired Chihuahua)

My husband and I have a fur family and that is it right now, but by golly that is enough! We have two dogs and two cats in our 3 bedroom house and you would think you would never know they were around - but they all 4 insist on being in the same room all together with us all the time! Makes me feel loved, but also seems crazy when we have so much room to roam around!


(Showbiz - our other pampered pooch - she is part Sharpei part Chow)

And then there are days like today, when we had a contractor come out to take measurements in our backyard for a quote to put in a patio. The poor unsuspecting man brings the door bell only to be bombarded with loud, probably scary sounding, barks from my "guard dogs." Who only bark mean, their other form of defense is to mull the intruder with kisses. It always embarrasses me to no end. Thank goodness that this guy had a lab at home and was used to animals.


(Big Kitty - our 4 yr old crazy cat who insists on all guests petting and loving her regardless of personal space or their allergies)

If the dogs were not bad enough, then there are the cats. Most cats run and hide when visitors come over - but not mine. Oh no. My cat jumps up on the table where we are going over my sketches and plans and insists that the man pick her up. Ridiculous.

By the end of his 15 minute visit he was covered in animal hair and had been practically jumped on by two of my animals.


(Little Kitty - our halfway normal cat who at least runs and hides when visitors come)