"Makes Me Smile" Monday

This is the card I made and sent to my dad for Father's Day . . . a little idea I picked up from a recent Martha Stewart Living magazine. Nothing fancy or complicated . . . just simple and cute . . . and I had fun making it ! Hopefully it brought a smile to the face of the recipient, too !!!

I have a feeling this design will make another appearance when Boss' Day rolls around in the fall . . . . !!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

Another picture of Tibbs, making me smile today ! This is one of his newest and greatest napping spots . . . . inside Jack's bass drum !!!! Jack keeps a blanket in there (not sure why exactly . . . helps the sound maybe ??), and it just so happens to be right underneath a window . . . so when the sun is shining just perfectly on that spot, Tibbs can enjoy a nap in his own fort/sauna/cat cave/?? Sounds pretty good to me . . . if I could fit, I'd climb right in there with him !!!!


And here's a bonus for "Makes Me Smile" Monday . . . something I saw a few weeks ago that literally made me laugh so hard I cried !!! It's not exactly the "sweetness & light" type of enchantment I aim to post here, but it made me almost wet my pants with laughter, so there's definitely something magical in there somewhere . . . and I think anyone who's worked in an office setting will definitely appreciate the humor !! It is a bit on the dirty side, so I hope no one's offended . . . tell me what you think !!

Happy Monday !

Pretty Things Happening In My Yard

It's amazing what you discover in your own backyard . . . things you never noticed before, growing and blooming right under your nose . . . until you take a bit of a field trip around your yard, camera in hand, and capture just what's going on out there . . .

What's going on in your backyard ?!?!?!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

These are my two favorite guys, and this is the scene I've been waking up to lately. . .

Sometime during the night, Tibbs makes his way to the spot between my pillow and Jack's and curls up there until morning. Then he head-butts Jack until he lifts the blankets for Tibbs to crawl under and get warm and comfy . . . and then Tibbs proceeds to fall asleep again, just like this ! How cute are they !?!?!?!

This is my favorite thing to wake up to . . . it definitely starts my day with a smile !!

A New Look

Looks like our bouncer got a summer makeover ! I was scrolling through some pictures I had recently taken, when I noticed pictures of "some cat" on our camera . . . it took me a minute to realize it was our very own Satchmo, shorn and looking MUCH smaller ! Jack had grabbed the camera to take these shots as Satchmo modeled his new look on our patio the other morning . . .

Kinda reminds me of this guy, huh ?!?!!

He's not looking too happy with his new 'do . . . and now I can't brush him like I've wanted to !! Maybe in the fall when he's a bit bushier . . . !

I guess a good haircut really can take about 10 pounds off !!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

Hello toes !!!
I finally got my feet summer-ready with a wonderful pedicure this weekend . . . it had actually been 4 years since I last treated myself to a pedicure !!! And it was fabulous . . . the toes look great, and I felt all pampered and girly !!

And they did make me smile today . . . in the midst of the usual Monday insanity and being a one-woman show today at the front desk, glancing down and seeing snazzy toes peeking out of my pumps brought a definite grin !!!

What makes you feel pampered, and brings a smile to your face ?!?!?

Only the 3-1-5-ers . . .

Here's how it works in our little corner of western NY: Rochester and its surrounding suburbs are in Monroe county and the 585 area code . . . us country folk east of the city are in Wayne county and the 315 area code. And even though our area code stretches all the way to Syracuse, being a 315-er is synonymous with being a hick. The 315-er jokes and stereotypes are as rampant as blonde jokes, I tell you . . . everything from the mandatory pick-up truck with gun rack and Nascar sticker, to the toothless residents with toilet seats and broken down cars in the front yard of their double wide !

Since we live very close to the county line, things are relatively "normal" in our neck of the woods . . . or so I thought ! On a recent trip to the TOPS supermarket down the street, I found this little lawn ornament . . .

Just a normal little man tending to his garden on one side . . . but on the other . . .

. . . a lovely display of "plumber butt" (or however you like to refer to it !) Apparently even the garden ornaments are tainted in 315 land ! For only $14.29, I could've taken home the perfect example of a "trailer trash garden gnome" !! Only in Wayne county . . . .!