Kite Flying ~ A Look Back

I vaguely remember flying trying to fly a kite when I was a kid. I think my older brother probably tried to help me, but ended up flying it himself.... What I actually remember is tying on pieces of fabric for the tail and running a lot.

So when Noli got a kite several years ago, I was excited that she and Papa were able to get it to fly. It was such a pretty kite -- a big Monarch butterfly.

She even had on an almost matching dress for the occasion!

Noli's job was to hold the kite string and to run a lot (following in my footsteps, ya know)!

It's fun to look back on that kite-flying day -- she is so much more grown up now at seven-going-on-eight. (I can hardly believe it!) She had just turned four in these pictures -- just a little kid!

Sometimes the trees almost catch the kite....

Sometimes the string catches Noli!

But then she gets it back....

Sometimes Noli catches the kite

Her other job is to point out where the kite is -- she also likes to show us just how windy it was.

You can just see the pretend tattoos on her leg and arms -- she takes after mommy and daddy with that!

 All in all, a glorious kite-flying day!

Sharing Noli's kite flying over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter K


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Just for Laughs ~ Groceries, Less for More

I thought I'd start to share some silly stuff -- sometimes on Friday, sometimes on Saturday, depending on my mood, the weather, the moon last night, whatever strikes my fancy.... Don't hold me to it though.... ha!

Anyway, a few nights ago, hubby made a quick run to the grocery store -- we were out of coffee for the morning and that can't possibly EVER HAPPEN!

We are nothing without our coffee in the morning! He can hold out longer than I can, but if I don't have a cup within 5 minutes of waking up, there will be consequences!

We do most of our everyday shopping at Aldi (eggs, milk, bread, English muffins, canned stuff, potatoes, cheese.... regular stuff, plus NO plastic bags) but go to Kroger for most fruits and veggies (Aldi is pathetic in the produce department)....

and Albertson's for our coffee because they are the only store to sell it in the BIG 32 oz size which is much more economical than the regular size. And they are pretty close by for those late night *Oh no, we're out of coffee!* runs  :p

When he came back, he said he didn't think he had ever spent so much for so few items... almost $50 for 7 items --- seven!!

He bought two Tropicana oj's (no other brand will do), peach preserves, tp, a furnace filter, motor oil and, of course, the coffee. And we won't speak of prices for tp these days....

You can see that we've already hit the oj and the preserves (and the coffee)... and he immediately used the furnace filter and the motor oil.

But $47.71  for THAT? At Aldi, we can spend less and have so much food we can't find places for it in the fridge or pantry!

But, hey, we saved  $3.47!!

And about that furnace filter? That's a story in itself! He took out the old filter, which had gotten sucked up inside -- because it was a tad too small. He knew about this one, but unknown to him was the fact that THREE of those filters had gotten sucked up inside the furnace. We had bought a pack of three that turned out to be an inch too short, but every time he changed it, he thought the previous one had fallen to the floor since it was too small and just put the new one in. But actually, they all got sucked up inside! He was pretty funny laying on the floor, digging filters out of the furnace!

And needless to say, our furnace is now purring like a kitten!

Hope your day is full of giggles!

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An Interlude of Rest for Funny Face

Last week for Alphabe-Thursday I told you the story of Funny Face's hurt leg -- today I'm bringing you up-to-date. So many sweet comments were left wishing Face well (and he did appreciate all those get well wishes!) that I thought you might like to know the outcome :)

We kept Face in the cage for four days -- the vet said three but it had rained for a couple of days and was wet outside so I decided to keep him for a fourth day to let the ground dry. Didn't want him to be limping around on wet ground cover! I don't think Face was too happy about that fourth day though!

So the morning of the fifth day, we opened the cage inside and closed off the sun room to see what he would do. Bowl of food a couple of feet from the cage door to entice him. No such luck. He was determined to lay there and look sad. (I think he was missing his brother and sister)

Then the crowd gathered to have their breakfast...

Bottom left around -- Cali Jr, Cali Mae, Patio Jr, and Patio. 

I know, crazy names!!

Heads up for air!

Boy, I'd like to take a comb to that Cali Mae -- she always looks so ragged!

He finally got brave (or curious) enough to come out -- still limping but putting a tiny bit of weight on the foot. Just testing the waters. (Note the Priority Mail box used for them to cozy up. They keep getting on top and now it's about to fold up on them!!)

Getting some breakfast -- see his foot still sticking out?

Cali's going for water.

Still eating as Cali looks on. 

See what I mean about needing that comb?!!

The steps could use a good hosing too!

Should I?

I'll just hold my foot up and try....

Wait! I'm not too sure about this....

OK, deep kitty breath...

and he's on his way!

Yeah I know the leaves need to be raked...

but the kitties have told me that they like the crunching sound and to leave them...

Leave the leaves!! haha..

Pretty soon he was walking pretty good on it and it got better and better every day, as we knew it would :)

Now, he pretty much acts as if nothing ever happened. That his leg was bitten all the way through by some vicious animal -- probably a bigger cat -- and we saved him from further hurt, or worse. But as in the way of cats, he can completely ignore us.... but he sure comes running for breakfast and dinner!

Actually, he lays about the yard most of the day, finding sun puddles and playing with his brother (Patio Jr). His sister (Cali Jr) is the most skittish one and is out of sight most of the time. But her markings are beautiful!!

This morning, laying in a leaf sun puddle  :)

I do think he's getting a bit more friendly -- he doesn't run away as much when we open the back door; only zips a little ways and then comes back. Maybe there's hope for him yet!


sharing the second act of Face's ordeal over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter I.


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Hurties are not fun for kitties

This is Funny Face aka Face

He is one of the outside kitties and got the Funny Face nickname because of his silly look and his little grey goatee and his big ole ears!

Especially a cutie when he was little and hadn't grown into those ears!

When I was feeding the outside kitties on Sunday evening, I noticed that Face was walking rather carefully with one of his rear legs sticking out. So when they finished eating and moved out into the yard I got my next-door neighbor's dog cage and put it near the back door where I keep a box for the cats to curl up in. I put in towels and covered the sides with towels to help keep out the cold. I rigged the door with a bungie cord so I could shut it quickly should Face get inside.

On Monday he showed up to eat breakfast, still sticking that foot out, but nobody wanted to get inside the cage, even with food inside. But Monday evening the little stinker got in! I was hiding and watching from the sun room so I was able to slap that door shut! Quick like a bunny!

Face settled down, didn't go nuts and try to hurl himself against the cage walls. Thank goodness. I could see a sore area on his leg, right near that backwards knee.

Come Tuesday morning, we took him to Oliver's vet.

Oliver interlude.... I wanted to go too 'cause I like to get wrapped up in a towel to ride to the kitty doctor, and because they are so nice to me. But, alas, they left me behind and only took that outside kitty. (Sad meowzer) But he didn't get wrapped up in a towel -- he went in a big cage that belongs to my next-door dog doodle, Sadie. 

I looked out that hole in the door and watched them leave....

That hole is really funny -- almost every day somebody throws stuff through it.

I bet it's that dog doodle Sadie.

Face was so good. Of course the vet helper had a good hand on his scruff so he stayed still while the vet cleaned his wound. It was pretty yucky.

And then we discovered that the wound went all the way though to the other side. Poor guy. No wonder he was looking so sad. The vet injected an antibiotic that stays in their system several days -- meaning that we didn't have to apply anything to Face's foot (that might not have been such a pretty sight since I failed to mention that Face is not only an outside kitty, he is a feral outside kitty. Double yikes. Hands have never touched him, except when he was a tiny newborn and we had to move them.

So now he is in the cage (outfitted with a potty and towels) and on the sun porch so he's inside out of the cold. After a couple more days, we'll let him back outside. But in the meantime, we're getting lots of pets in through the cage bars and hoping he remembers how we cared for him when he was hurt.

The potty takes up a lot of room but Face doesn't seem to mind. He's got plenty of curling up room.

On a positive note, the vet said he thought Face would be a good candidate for being more friendly -- he said that when a wound is on the leg it means that he was trying to get away, rather than being the aggressor where a wound would more probably be on the upper body or head. 

And of course he has lived in our yard for almost nine months now! So we have high hopes for Mr. Funny Face!

Meanwhile Oliver is very interested in the kitty in the cage! But, of course, before I could snap a pic, he was in snooze mode on the bed.

Oh no's -- I lost my ears!

Whew, they're back.... I have to rest a bit after that scare! 

Thought fur sure I was gonna have to go to the kitty doctor too!

Oh, and I just had a look at Face and could see his leg -- the wound is looking much better today!

>^.^<

sharing Funny Face's Hurtie over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter H.


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and
>^.^<

Meowzer!

Gifts for Noli

First of all, let me wish each of you a very Happy New Year! I hope your secret wishes come true this year, and that all your resolutions are kept. Me, I don't make resolutions.... I just try to keep up with life as it is! If I make resolutions, they are usually broken in the first ten minutes so I've stopped making them. Ha! :p

Secondly, I can't believe I haven't blogged since early December! And that wasn't even me, it was Oliver! 

Kitty interlude... Hewwo, Oliver here. I blog whenever I can sneak it in! I'm wishing all the kitties out there (and I know there are lots of you) a Happy Kitty New Year with lots of treats all year long!

Good grief, that Oliver. Snags my computer whenever possible....

Well, anyway, back to the letter G for Alphabe-Thursday. I seem to have missed D, E and F! Heck, I didn't even do much blog reading, much less blog writing! But I think I'm back in the saddle again! 

Gifts for Noli.....

Every Christmas and/or birthday (they are close together with only two months in between) I crochet something special for Noli. It started with foodies for her play kitchen when she was two and went on to include crochet stuffed animals, a little doll, a kitty with carrier (Oliver's lady love), various hats, scarves and fingerless gloves.

So one day Noli was rooting around in the closet where I keep the clothes she has at my house (everything goes back and forth between her house and mine), and found a hat and scarf set I had made her several years ago. The hat could stretch and still fit but the scarf was really little. No matter, she took it back with her. She found another hat -- bomber style -- and asked where the scarf was for it. I told her I had only made the hat, no scarf for it.

Bomber hat made for Christmas 2011

An idea blossomed! I knew I had leftover yarn from the bomber hat so I hunted around, found it, decided on a pattern. The very day that I started it, Stephanie called to say that they would be stopping by in a bit.... so I gathered up the yarn and put it away.... never to be found again!! I have yet to find the darn stuff! I really hid it good! (Don't laugh, I know you hide stuff from yourself too...)


~~~ March 14, 2014 update.... I'm adding this post to the blog hop over at God's Growing Garden where the theme for March includes Rainbow Colors!! ~~~

Scarf made Christmas 2013

So, once the idea of making a scarf got in my head, I knew I'd have to make one for her, matching hat or not. I decided on a rainbow scarf and found a cute pattern that had a heart on one end and clouds on the other. Perfect!

Naturally, I started this scarf the day before we were to get together at Stephanie's and finished it just before we walked out the door to go -- literally.

Noli loved it and wore it the whole evening. Over a yellow top of Stephanie's that Noli wears as a dress!

"Oh, kind sir, you are my knight in shining armor"

(for some reason this is said in a very Southern accent...)

I also got these prince and princess magnetic paper dolls for her. Aren't they cute? 

OK, they're not crochet but read on and the explanation will become clear...

"Oh sir, what have you brought me from today's hunt?"

"Oh dear sir, we are in our undergarments..."

"But we can hide in this lovely bag -- I know it is ours because of the crown adornment"

Yup, I can play paper dolls with the best of them!!

The clothes are separated into tops and bottoms so you can make up as many different styles as you want. They came with a storage bag but it was a cheesy plastic -- and I wanted something better for Miss Noli!

I include a muslin storage bag with my crochet foodies that I sell in my Etsy shop -- I crochet a little matching applique and sew it onto the bag to cutie it up. I decided to do the same thing for Noli's paper dolls -- and crocheted a princess crown with pink sparkly cotton yarn and sewed it on. Much, much better than a yucky old plastic bag!

So those were my crocheted Noli gifts for this year. I'd make things for her sooner than the day of.... but I'd probably just lose them somewhere....  In a place that only the sneaky crochet thief knows.

Hmmm, do you think that thief is.... gasp.... Oliver ?

sharing Miss Noli's crochet gifts over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter G.

Update, March 2014 -- sharing Noli's Rainbow Scarf over at God's Growing Garden where the theme this month includes Rainbow Colors


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