Birds of a feather...

... flock together, and it appears that cats do the same thing.

Baby has some favorite places to relax. They're definitely not the most comfortable spots, but they all have one thing in common... cat statues!

Here she is practically falling off the edge of our small recycling center, but it doesn't seem to bother her because we have come to realize that Baby really enjoys the company of the many kitties who decorate our little cottage! She not only enjoys cuddling up with them...

... She also assumes their poses, which makes for some pretty cute photos!

It may start with a friendly conversation...

... or a bit of shyness as she gets to know the kitties...

...but before long, she has snuggled up next to her friends (in this case a cast iron cat, which can't be comfortable!)...

...and, as I mentioned before, assumed their poses.

Baby is a very social cat...

... and she really does enjoy hanging out with all of our cottage kitties.

I think I first noticed it last Halloween...

...when I snapped this photo of her posing with the black & white thrift store kitties.

All I know is that I believe she'd miss the kitties even more than I would (in my ongoing efforts to become more of a minimalist), so it's safe to say they are here to stay!

It's still unseasonably COLD here in New England, but the afternoons do warm up a bit. We'll take anything we can get at this point!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Donna

Please don't eat the daisies...

I am craving spring. I thought I might hasten its arrival (at least in my mind) with some daisies from the grocery store.


Is anything more charming than cut flowers in vintage milk glass vases? With any luck, I hoped they would last at least a week.


Luck just ran out.


Little Miss Curious doesn't miss a trick, or anything new brought into the house.


Baby, you can sniff and admire them to your heart's content, but...

...Please Don't Eat The Daisies!

I actually removed the daisies right after taking these photos because I couldn't remember if they were poisonous to cats or not. So I checked this ASPCA Toxic/Non-Toxic plant list and was horrified to find that daisies are toxic to cats. Needless to say, the daisies are gone.

We are going to hit the 50's and 60's this weekend in New England. Finally. I hope you all enjoy glorious weekends!

I'm linking up to Cindy's (My Romantic Home) Show & Tell Friday. Be sure to pop on over to see Cindy's beautiful table settings and to visit everyone else participating in Show & Tell this week!

Donna

I've finally mastered Christmas minimalism...

...thanks to one small ball of fur. And it doesn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would!

This is our house right now, decorated for Christmas 2010. You really have to compare it to past Christmas's to get the full impact of how many decorations I did not put out this year (I normally go over the top when it comes to Christmas decorating). I also didn't have to rearrange the furniture to make room for the tree in our small living room (definitely a plus!).

See what I mean? This is last year.

Instead of my tinsel tree, the Christmas cactus has been moved into the living room bay window because....

...Baby has taken over the Dining Room bay window, where the cactus has been sitting for years. She likes that window best because the bird feeder is attached outside of it!

Fake poinsettieas have replaced real ones...


Again, because of you-know-who. (Poinsettias are poisonous to cats and since she is into everything, I'm definitely not going to take a chance with her! Here's a toxic/non-toxic list put out by the ASPCA if you ever need to refer to it).

Bottlebrush trees aren't breakable (I see you back there, Baby! Watching my every move!)...

...so a tray full of them seems to be a safe centerpiece for the trunk/coffee table.

...and if little Miss Mischief does knock them over...


...it's easy enough to set them back up on the tray.

I'm old enough to know the truth of the phrase "never say never," but I'm thinking I might try to make this "Christmas minimalism" an annual tradition, because it was SO easy to decorate - and undecorating is going to be a BREEZE!

I'm linking up to Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday, so be sure to head over there to check out all the other participating bloggers!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Donna

The calm before the storm...

The weatherman said we might get up to 12" of snow on Sunday. I'm sooooo not ready...

On the bright side, I looked out my office window yesterday and spotted this handsome fellow perched in our hoppa crab tree....

Cardinals are just so striking.

Still no tree up. The jury is still out as to whether we will be putting one up this year or not. All thanks to this little girl, seen here curled up behind the tv in my office, another of her favorite places to hang out.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Donna

The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pa pum pum...

... but I don't ever recall hearing about a cat in the stable on that glorious Christmas Eve.

I can see that decorating is going to be a major challenge this year (vbg).

Wishing you and yours a lovely week.

Donna

And the sun sets...

... on another day.


The late afternoon sun sits so low at this time of year. I caught it right at sundown the other day, while it was sending its last beams of light through the living room window behind the caged plant...


...and the lace valance...


It gives a beautiful glow to the room as it sets. How I wish it would stay longer. I am not a fan of pitch black darkness before 5p.m. But the setting sun does put on a show with the shadows it casts on the walls at this time of year, as evidenced by the following photo of the plant, the window, and the valance.

Within a minute of taking this photo, the shadow was gone as the sun had dropped below the treetops outside the window.

In other day-to-day news, Baby continues to claim everything in the house as her own.

... including the drying rack, which is brought in a lot during this time of the year (as opposed to drying things outside where they just freeze).

Baby's nose is a bit out of joint. We have a new member of the family who I'll introduce shortly. Although it took a while (and is still an ongoing process), the animals seem to be adjusting. We've had some bumps in the road of life over the past few weeks. Nothing major and everything will be okay, but I'm sorry to say that it delayed me announcing the winner of my giveaway, which was scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving.

I asked one of my girls to pick a number (from the total number of comments) and she picked #18. So congratulations to Brenda Kula of Cozy Little House, who posted the 18th comment on my giveaway blogpost! Brenda, just email me your address and I will get your SNOW giveaway right out in the mail to you!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving :)

Donna

It's that kind of day...

A rainy, balmy, autumn day. Perfect nap weather... A simple pleasure, indeed. I'm linking up to Dayle's Simple Pleasures Wednesday at her beautiful blog, A Collection of This and That. Stop by to add your own simple pleasure and/or to visit the other participating bloggers!

Donna

In a cat's eyes...

... all things belong to cats (old English proverb).


And that includes the big screen TV.


It's just the latest in a succession of household items that Baby believes were put here just for her amusement.


She loves to lay on top of the TV and bat at the people or movements on the screen.

I can't even imagine what she would do if we put the Animal Planet on. She'd probably try to go right through the screen.

She eventually tires of playing...

... and settles down.

For about a minute.

In upcoming posts I'll share more of Baby's playthings. Items that used to be our playthings :)

Hope you all have a good week!

Donna

Caught in the act!

Don't let this sweet little face fool you...


... not for a minute.


Yes, Baby. I'm talking about Y-O-U. And I'm about to spill the beans on you and your shenanigans.


The only other feline who had such a habit was my beloved Mr. B...


He also looked like the picture of innocence....

(I love you and miss you, my boy...)

Yes, our darling little Baby is channeling my Mr. B and has become....
;
;
;
;

;

;

;

A TOILET drinker!!!!!

That is just gross, Baby!!!!

How can such sweet little faces disguise such disgusting behavior!

So now that we have discovered her habit, we are all very careful to keep the lid closed when not in use! And no, Baby, I do not want a kiss right now!

Donna, who is writing from EXTREMELY cool New England (or maybe it just feels cool after the horrendously HOT summer we had!) In any case, have a happy week, everyone!