Monday, May 18, 2009

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

Growing up, all I needed to keep myself occupied was paper, scissors, and glue. I have hazy memories of my best friend and I excitedly being given old magazines and catalogs that our moms were going to toss . . . and spending hours cutting and pasting and tearing out and making collages and diaramas galore ! Thirty years later and it's still fun . . .


I started organizing my loose recipes and knitting patterns into binders recently, and decided that my folders needed some sort of cover design. So, out came the magazines, scissors, and glue stick . .


I had forgotten how relaxing such a simple task can be . . . something productive and therapeutic all at the same time ! Nothing fancy . . . just something simple that feeds the soul !

Happy Monday !

Monday, May 11, 2009

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

If I can't grow them . . .

I might as well knit some !!!


Thanks to this site, I found an easy pattern for knitted flowers,
and made this little lovely yesterday afternoon . . .


. . . and dressed her up with a yo-yo and button !



Maybe this is the kind of gardening I've been looking for !!!

Happy Monday !

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Endless Titles & A Happy Ending

"Leo's Day Out" . . .

"Captain Underpants To The Rescue" . . .

"My Almost Heart Attack" . . .

Any of these titles would fit my morning !


We started out like this:


. . . in the bathroom, showering and getting ready for the day, the boys enjoying the sun and open window. But in mere minutes, it was a very different scene. Leo was lying in the window by himself, stretching out and rolling around a bit while I petted him. Next thing I know, the screen pops out of the window, and Leo falls outside after it. I tried to grab any part of him as he fell, but couldn't. I ran thru the kitchen to the porch and out the back door as quick as I could . . . meanwhile hoping that Marty wouldn't find the screenless bathroom window, too ! I have to note at this point that I was only wearing a t-shirt and underwear when I hustled outside . . . thank goodness it was a long t-shirt !

As I crept around the back corner of the house, calling Leo's name, I had no idea what I was going to find . . . so many scenarios whipped thru my mind, none of them good. When we got Leo last winter, he'd been found as a stray . . . but now that he'd become a declawed indoor cat, I had no idea how he'd react to being outside again ! But - thank God ! - Leo was right underneath the window, standing there kind of stunned and crouched low. I walked over to him really slow (didn't want him running now!) and scooped him up and carried him back inside. I went straight to that bathroom window, slammed it down and locked it tight ! Then I sat down on the bathroom floor with Leo (and Marty watching me warily from nearby) and sobbed. I was shaking and crying and trying to breathe and kissing the cats all at the same time. The cats just looked at me like I was having a mental breakdown . . . kind of felt like it, too ! I love my furry boys beyond words, and the thought of how my day might have gone tears me apart . . . I'm so thankful to God that it ended happily !

Needless to say, we'll only be opening the windows just a smidge this summer (not wide-open anymore !), and practically cementing the screens in place . . . and I might just start wearing shorts again when I get ready in the morning !!!!!

Here's to a low-key afternoon . . . !


P.S. Just went outside to get the mail, and really noticed how high a fall it is from that 1st floor bathroom window . . . about 5 1/2 feet !! My poor Leo . . . thank goodness he wasn't hurt, too !

Monday, May 4, 2009

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

This is a little taste of what play time at our house looks like,
with our high-jumper, Leo, taking center stage:


This is what I love to come home to at the end of a crazy day . . .
always makes me smile !

Happy Monday !