Proud cat mom to Zee, Zoey, Mia, Peanut, Rolz, Kizmet, and Jazmine!

It’s no secret I’m all about my cats. I’ve had cats my whole life, so I’ve been a cat mom to not only my wonderful gang of Zee, Zoey, Mia, Peanut, Rolz, Kizmet, and Jazmine, but to many angel cats too, like my precious Jazz and Harley. I know lots of you are cat mom’s too, so to all of you, I wish you a Happy Cat Mom’s Day! Read more

All creatures great and small make up our earth. Treat all with respect and the world will be a healthier and more compassionate place.

Many years ago when I was a child I lived a very difficult life. Money was tight for our family (consisting of my mom, my step-dad, my brother and sister, and assorted step-family members who stayed with us on unpredictable, varying days). We lived in a very rural area – miles away from the small town’s main street that boasted of an ice cream shop and a tiny movie theater – and relied completely on farming, gardening, hunting, and fishing to sustain ourselves. Clothes were homemade and food was made from scratch – it was a physically demanding life and I was always jealous of my friends who lived in town, buying their food and conveniences in the supermarket and whatnot. Read more

Jazmine, Mia, and Rolz share some window watching time while Peanut contemplates napping on the comfy bed.

My kitties are very blessed. We have a nice home with lots of wonderful places they can go to rest, relax, play, hangout, or whatever. But there’s one room that’s extra-special. It’s the room with a view that I call the “leopard room.” It’s decorated from head to toe in a variety of leopard prints, knick-knacks, stuffed animals, cozy pillows, and more. It also has a window that not only allows a curious cat to see the comings and goings of the world outside – you know, like people walking their dogs, but it’s also host to an assortment of tantalizing birds and squirrels that like to frequent the other side. But even better, it’s the room that’s always bathed in a soft glow of amber light, with an inviting sun-puddle to nap on if a kitty so desires.

Not only do the cats love the room, but so do I. While it’s actually a guest bedroom, it’s where I go when I want some peace and quiet -whether to read, write, rest my head if I’m not feeling well, or if I just want to have a pile of cats cuddle around me. How about your house – do you have a room that’s extra-special to you and your cats?

There’s hardly a day that goes by that I don’t spot a cat catching a sun-puddle nap. This is Rolz and he’s clearly in heaven!

Jazz loved the leopard room. This was him in better days, several months before he passed on August 28 of 2013.

This was back when Harley was with us. She loved sunning herself on the window – joining her on the bed is Rolz, Zoey, Mia, and Peanut.

Oh my goodness! This picture just melts my heart…Jazmine was so tiny when we first adopted her! She and Kizmet met for the first time in the leopard room and they’ve been best friends ever since!

Sharing some quiet time with the gang when I was editing my book, Makin’ Biscuits. With me is Mia, Zoey, Zee, and Rolz. On the floor is Jazmine – note how she has a comfy pillow to lie on, but prefers the hardwood floor!

Jazmine takes roundness to the ultimate height of relaxation and living in the moment!

Round and round we go – where we’re going to end up, none of us really knows…unless you’re a cat. Then it’s pretty much a no-brainer. Live in the moment. Enjoy what’s in front of you. Curl up and take a catnap. I think on Sunday’s that’s a good motto to live by. It’s just so hectic nowadays  – between the constant barrage of never-ending sensational news headlines and media hype, social networking, maintaining a household, and the current state of affairs – it can consume every bit of energy you have and drain you to the point of mental exhaustion. Read more

For this image of Mia, I applied a black and white paint sketch filter to it. I then brought the image into Photoshop and layered it with the original color photo to design my own creative masterpiece by touching it up with spots of color!

While it’s only a couple weeks into January, life has already hit me full speed. My day job has been especially tiring – from doing physical inventory counts to special projects that require an enormous amount of mental application. I’ve also had to take a road trip the past two consecutive weekends (averaging between  6 to 8 hours in the car each time) and as a consequence my brain is pretty fried right now. When I get both mentally and physically drained, sometimes the writer in me disappears and I find I need to channel my creative side as an outlet to help center my mind. Read more