Been Thinking

Mother's day is almost upon us. I've already ordered my mom's gift and it's on it way and should be here in time. But although I love my mom dearly and have no problem with a day that celebrates her, Mother's Day does make me squirm a bit. The reason is because I have no desire to have children and become a mother myself. I feel like that has to be a horrible thing to say and I'm sure there are some women who would think it is indeed a horrible thing to say. Before my husband and I got married we talked about it and decided that we didn't want children. Him because he has two from his first marriage and I just don't have that desire. I feel like maybe there is something wrong with me and that I'm letting my parents down. Cause I know they would love a grandchild but instead have to make do with a grand-dog (I say grand-dog instead of grand-cat because my parents see Gracie almost everyday since she goes to work with me and I work for my dad). Of course, if God has other plans for my husband and myself we will deal with it but I actually pray not to have kids. Before I got married my Grandmother would always say things about me not being married and sometimes what she said stung. So when I finally got married I thought I finally could be around her without having to "put up" with her. I should have known better. Now she goes on and on about us having kids. I don't understand why everyone thinks just because your married you will naturally start popping out kids. And really, what if we did really want kids but were having problems conceiving and then having to listen to well meaning people ask when your going to have kids. That would be horrible. So anyway, I'm looking forward to Mother's Day to celebrate my mom who happens to be the best mom in the world but also dreading it because I will probably hear someone ask me that question, "When are y'all going to have a baby?"

I was doing so well...

Well, I read my bible everyday last week but not on Saturday and Sunday. :( I could tell you why but all they would be is excuses. So I will make sure I read my Bible tonight.

For Christmas my husband got me the Amazon Kindle and I have to say I really like reading my Bible on it. One reason is because it saves your place for you. So I never have to wonder where I left off cause it's right where I need to be. :)

This weekend I had planned on getting a lot of housework done since my husband was out of town for business. Well, everything started off okay until my washer started making a funny noise. I opened it up to see what was going on...uh, nothing was going on at all. It wasn't agitating the clothes or spinning or anything. So that meant I had to take some clothes over to my parent's house and wash them there so I didn't get much of anything done since I was over at my parent's house. Today my husband and I went to Home Depot and got us a new washer which is suppose to be delivered next Tuesday. Guess I will be at my parents again this weekend washing a few things. Ho hum.

Other than the washer going out I had a pretty uneventful weekend. Oh, Milo did pick a fight with the other cats so I think I'm going to have to try and get him to the vet to get fixed pretty soon. I hope that will calm him down a bit. Other than the way he treats the other cats he really is a sweetheart.

Two Days in a Row

I got home around eight last night and we had recorded American Idol so we had to watch that. I felt so bad for Brooke White, I think she has such a beautiful voice and to see her forget her lyrics...I felt for her. Seems like her nerves get the best of her sometimes which I couldn't imagine how nerve wracking it must be to get up there and sing live. I don't think I could ever do that, of course since I can't sing I'm sure everyone is glad to hear that. ;) But I hope she sticks around for another week cause she's my favorite but we shall see.

Okay, after we watched Idol my husband started watching something about cars..boring...so I started to read my latest book. Before you know it it's 10:30 pm and I haven't read my Bible yet. I make myself put down my book and pick up my Bible and I read two more Psalms. :) Two days in a row. Woo Hoo! :D Now to aim for three days in a row.

Now some news about my cats: My husband told me that yesterday morning Bonnie was playing with a dead snake in the house. I just hope they don't ever decide to bring a live snake into the house. *shudders* Leo escaped yesterday morning...grrrr. I had the front door opened to see if Tony wanted out (he's the only one who can go outside cause he was originally an outdoor only cat but somehow he managed to become an outdoor/indoor cat). I'm not fully awake so I'm standing there with the door open asking Tony to please hurry up and make up his mind when this gray and white blur whizzes past me. Yep, Leo saw his opportunity and took it. I was still in my nightshirt and for a moment I thought about going outside but decided I needed to run into the bathroom and throw something a little more decent on in case my neighbors were outside. So by the time I get back outside Leo really hasn't gone far and I find him rolling around in the dirt but he won't let me pick him up. Grrr. But then he makes a move like he's going to attack Milo and that is when I scooped him up. You think Leo would be happy with being able to go outside in his area but noooo he wants to go where he wants to go. Cats!

Getting into the Habit

I mostly write about my animals and books but I thought I would start writing something a little more series. I have gotten out of the habit of reading my Bible every day. Now can someone please explain to me why it is so easy to get out of the habit but not to get back into it?? So I decided to keep a record, of sorts, of how my progress is going. Yesterday while I sat outside with Milo and Penny I took my Bible with me and read two chapters out of Psalms. Going to try and read a couple chapters everyday and just keep on trucking along. I would like to memorize some verses but not sure how to go about that. I've tried before but soon gave up since I wasn't having any luck. So any tips or tricks would be appreciated.

Tonight finding time to read my Bible is going to tricky cause I'm not going to get home until late. My mom and I go out to eat every Tuesday and sometimes after we eat we go to a couple of stores. Think we are going to a bookstore today....I can see a new book in my future! ;) But back to the Bible, I guess I could read it right before I go to bed instead of the current book I'm reading. I'll let you know how it goes.

Snowflakes and Purrs

I realized the other day that snowflakes and purrs have something in common...no two are alike. Oh sure, I always thought that some kitties purred a little different than others but it wasn't until the other day when I realized how each cat's purr is distinctively his or her own. I woke up one morning with a cat laying on my side purring up a storm. I couldn't see which cat was on me but at first figured it was Jake since he is usually laying on me. But as I listened to the purr I thought to myself, "That sounds like Leo." So I take a peek to see if I was right and I was! If you asked me how I knew it was Leo just by his purr I really couldn't tell you. I wouldn't even know how to describe his purr but to say it is just Leo's purr. :)

Acts of Violets

I have been a busy beaver this weekend because I finished the Molly Murphy mystery Friday night and started reading Acts of Violets and finished it last night.  This book is the fifth book in the Flower Shop Mysteries series and was as good as the others in the series.  This series is about a florist, Abby Knight, who has a knack for stumbling across mysteries that need to be solved.  In Acts of Violets Abby must prove that her boyfriend, Marco, did not kill Snuggles the clown.   The only problem is she doesn't have a clue as to who would have killed Snuggles so she has no idea where to begin her search.  But decides to start with the gorgeous gal (or as Abby calls her Miss Split Ends) that asked Marco to talk to Snuggles in the first place.  Acts of Violets is a great cozy mystery that keeps you interested until the very last page.  You also may find yourself laughing at some of the things Abby does or thinks.  So I give this book five out of five stars. :)  

For the Love of Mike

Finished another book on my Spring Reading list...For the Love of Mike: A Molly Murphy Mystery by Rhys Bowen. I really enjoyed this book, it's the third in the series and I really don't know how to review this without giving away something so I will write what is on the book:


Molly Murphy is starting to think the cards are stacked against her. She's determined to be a private detective, but she's fining many places in turn-of-the-century New York City where women are not welcome, something that's as frustrating to her fiery Irish pride as it is to her rapidly emptying pocketbook.


Then two business opportunities pop up simultaneously. An aristocratic family in Dublin fears their daughter has fled to the New World with her unsavory boyfriend, and they hire Molly to track the two down and send the young woman back home. Before she has time to consider her good luck, she's asked to go undercover as a piece worker in the garment business and investigate a potential case of industrial espionage. Now, if she can only solve both cases without the help of Daniel Sullivan, the police captain who claims he loves her but who is engaged to someone else.....


This is a really good series and I have enjoyed all the books in it so far and can't wait to read the others. So for me I give this book five out of five stars.

Dreams

Have you ever wondered what cats and dogs dream about? I heard someone once say that they are dreaming about their owners. If that is the case then my dog has been mighty upset at me at times. So I'm not so sure I believe whoever it was that said that, besides how on earth can they know what a dog or cat is dreaming?? So that leaves me to wonder what is my dog dreaming when her paws are twitching and she's growling in her sleep. Or my other dog who makes a little yapping noise sometimes in her sleep. Are they dreaming of chasing a rabbit or some other critter? Or maybe they are dreaming they are chasing the mailman? I'm going to guess when my cat Leo's little paws are twitching in his sleep it's because he's dreaming of escaping out of the cat fence and into the wild.

Whatever they are dreaming I know one thing for sure I could watch my cats sleeping all day long. Perhaps I'm strange but for me watching my cats sleep is very relaxing. They are just so darn cute. :)

The Duchess and The Dragon

I just finished reading this book and I am so disappointed. I have read many great reviews about this author so I really thought I had found a winner but I was so wrong. I don't think I have ever read a book that has frustrated me so much. The book started off strong but soon fizzled. Characters would pop up and then disappear and you would be left wondering what happened to them. The love story was more like a lust story to me. I want to fall in love along with the characters but I didn't feel like these characters really fell in love. I mean they end up getting married because her parents catch them making out in his room one night....how romantic..not. Another thing that bugged me was here is a Quaker, she's been a Quaker all her life and because she falls in "love" with Drake she has to decide between him or her Quaker life. Well, you would think she would really struggle with this decision...nah, didn't take her too long and that left me feeling like her Quaker life really didn't mean anything to her. I guess the bottom line is that I just didn't feel anything for the characters...I didn't like them and I didn't dislike them...I just didn't care. There were tons of other things that bugged me about this book but in case you want to read this book I won't say anything else so I don't spoil it for you. But I will say if your looking for a good love story I would recommend "The Measure of Lady" by Deeanne Gist or my personal favorite "Roses for Mama" by Janette Oke.

What a hadsome boy!

I'm sure that is what your thinking. Well, this is Milo and I have to agree with you he is quite handsome. :) He has made himself at home and hangs around the house most everyday although I haven't seen him today but I'm sure I will. I really need to get him fixed cause I think he tries to fight with Tony and Moe-Moe. Poor Tony refused to go outside for almost the entire week because of Milo. I really haven't seen him pick a fight with Tony but I did see him bullying little Moe-Moe. Moe-Moe is a stray cat that I have been feeding since he was a kitten and he still won't let me touch him. But he does know I'm the food lady and he's Tony's buddy. So I don't want Milo to run Moe-Moe off since Moe-Moe was here first. So I'm hoping when I get Milo fixed that might help him stop fighting. Well, before I go let me share two more pictures of this handsome fellow. :)

Murder is Binding

I just finished reading Murder is Binding and I really enjoyed this book. It's a cozy mystery about Tricia who owns a Mystery bookstore. She has recently opened up her bookstore in a small town and as luck would have it she stumbles upon a dead body and becomes the number one suspect. So with the help of her sister she sets out to clear her name. I thought I had it all figured out fairly early but I was wrong. I actually was surprised when everything was revealed. That doesn't happen too often. This was really a good cozy and I look for to others in this series. I'd give it four out of five stars. :)

Happy Birthday!

It's Jake's Birthday today!! He is now nine! I can't believe that it was nine years ago that I found him and his siblings in an abandoned car. They didn't have their eyes open yet so I had to feed them with a bottle, burp them and wipe their little behinds. Sadly, Jake was the only one out of the five that I was able to save. I remember when he was just a wee thing and his favorite place to sleep was up by my neck. I also remember how cute I thought it was when he would climb up my pants leg and make his way up to my shoulders. I didn't think about him wanting to do that when he got older...and bigger. And when he wants on your shoulders, watch out cause he will get on your shoulders regardless if you are ready or not. He will pretty much stalk you until you let him get up on your shoulders or he will just jump onto your shoulders when you aren't ready. That can sometimes be painful but I love my Jake and all his little quirks. :) So Happy Birthday, Jake!!

The Wedding Caper

I had started reading The Wedding Caper on Monday and by page 54 I just wasn't into it. The first few pages of the book were really good and had me turning the pages but after chapter one things just slowed down. I think the one thing I really had trouble with is the main character thinks her husband stole $25,000 from the back he works at but instead of asking him where the money comes from she decides to prove he is innocence and find out who really took the money from the bank. I did like the way the writer wrote but I just didn't care for this story. So I decided at page 54 that instead of forcing myself to finish the book I would just stop and find something else. Although, I do wonder where exactly her husband did get the money from.......

Nicknames

I was thinking about how all my animals always end up with nicknames. I think most of the nicknames come about because of the cat or dog's personality but some are just different takes on their names. So since I'm not doing anything at the moment let me write down what their nicknames are:

Jake: Jake-a-Bake, Jake-arooni, Blinky (my husband calls him that cause he claims he never blinks)

Leo: Le-Le, Little Man, Munchkin

Felix: Fe-Fe, Gandhi (again from my husband because Felix has to be the most laid back cat you could meet)

Trixie: Trixie-Dixie, The Sheriff (my husband calls her this since she is always "laying down the law" or as I would call it being a bully)

Sam: Sam-bow, Sam-Sam

Carmel: Carm-Carm, Carm-a-licious, Sweet Boy

Bonnie: Bonnie B, Bon-Bon, Bonnie Boo

Clyde: Clyder Glider

Tony: Tony T, Big Man

Penny: Pretty Penny, Pen

Shelby: Shelly Bell

Gracie: Gra-Gra, Grace, wiggle worm (when she was little and I would hold her she would wiggle and I'd call her my wiggle worm but she's too big to carry now), peanut

Poor Duke and Angel don't have any nicknames. Hmmm, might have to find them one or two.

The former wiggle worm: