Where's Waldo?

  Or in this case...

... where's Baby?

Just like her big sister, Tiger, way back in 1994...

 (btw, Tiger is now 21 years old and still going strong!)...

... Baby has discovered, and developed a fondness for ...

... the highest spot in the house.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised...

Norwegian Forest cats love to climb and be up high according to every article I've ever read, including this one,

 "One thing that is an absolute necessity if you own a Forest Cat is some kind of climbing device. They like to be up high to survey their kingdom."

And this one:

  "Norwegian Forest Cats love to be up high, and appreciate a cat tree or somewhere they can roost." 

I'm actually surprised it took this long for her to discover the beams. We're going to try to rearrange some of the furniture to hopefully discourage this habit. As much as she loves being sooooo high, it makes me a nervous wreck, worrying about her falling.

While taking photos of Baby, I decided to take a few photos of our  little backyard through the FR windows.

The the trees are almost completely bare of all their leaves...

... except for a few hardy survivors...

... who continue to hang on, probably until our next rain or wind storm.

At least there's not been any snow yet!
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Donna

I'm joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday this week.

Embracing Halloween minimalism...

 We're embracing a minimalist attitude when it comes to Halloween decor this year.

Other than some beautiful gourds and a huge white pumpkin from a wonderful Internet friend (thank you, Kathie!), the only other decorations I've put out are my two vintage black cats (who actually sit out year-round);.but when paired with pumpkins and gourds, they definitely up the Halloween aura.

The black chalkware cat and Baby look eerily similar as they stand guard over the gourds.

Pete (my Lefton parakeet) has kindly allowed me to use his cage to display some of the gourds.

Doesn't Baby look positively heavenly in this photo, with rays of sunlight streaming in around her? 

The only problem with this display is that there's no room for Baby on top of the chest or in the window...

... so I decided to rearrange things a bit to make more room for Baby. After all, this area is one of her favorite places to lounge.

I moved the large white pumpkin, some gourds, and the cast iron black cat... 

... to the end table in the living room.

And the chalkware cat and bird cage were moved to the top of the recycling center.

Okay, Baby, the top of the chest is all cleared off and ready for you!

(Not that she is spoiled or anything :)

This week I'm joining Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday. 

Pop over and join the fun!

Donna

Family Room Tweaking...

I like unobstructed views. I love looking outside and prefer that nothing large be placed in front of windows.

Therefore, it was not my original choice to have this new addition placed right in front of the family room slider.

In the past there have been a variety of things in front of the slider, but none so tall and obtrusive. A small trunk at one time, Mr. J's bed and a bird cage at another...

Sometimes just my basket of peanuts for Sammy, Chip and the birds, or a potted plant on a table.

I've tweaked this area many times, sometimes even removing the grids for a more open look. And who could forget my 'haunted' carpenter's bench, which once sat in front of the window, but is now back outside on the deck.

But the things we will do for our little furry friends (sigh.....) 

I couldn't resist taking this photo when I spotted Baby's reflection in the family room mirror.

This cat tower has become Baby's favorite place to hang out... literally.

It's also her favorite place to bathe...

... her favorite place to cat nap...

...and it's most definitely one of her favorite places to watch for Sammy's, Chips, and birds (the other being behind the curtain where she thinks she can't be seen).

So how can I deny her this joy when she brings us such joy! Not only that, Court was the one who chose Baby at the shelter the day we adopted her, and when she moved out this year, she missed her Baby so much that she bought this cat tower as a gift for her. So sweet :)

So needless to say, the family room tweaking is probably done now.

Baby has spoken :)

I'm joining Brenda at Cozy Litte House for Tweak It Tuesday this week. Please stop by and share your own tweaking!!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Donna

What's black & white and adorable all over?

If you've ever read my blog, you've probably figured out that it's our Baby cat. It's been a while since I posted any of her antics, so here goes!

When I came out into the kitchen the other morning, Baby was sitting in the family room on the rug, soaking up the sun on her back. I told her to stay right there while I ran to get my camera. Here's a first - she listened to me!

She's hung out on that spot all day, long after the sun was gone!

She loves to keep me company in my little office/studio. She was watching while I was painting my latest piece, but then she started nodding off. I hope this insecure artist (me) isn't reading too much into that!

Another time I was filing paid bills, left the room for a minute to get something, and came back to find her curled up in the last section of the file folder!

 I had the top drawer of this bureau open a tad. I keep some of my smaller prints in the drawers and was filling an order. Lo and behold, when I returned someone had squeezed her way into the drawer! This photo is cropped VERY closely to try to hide the mess on top of the bureau (which is actually my girls' old changing table from when they were babies!). I didn't really succeed in hiding the mess, but had to share the pic of Baby anyhow!

This was her in May, right after I plunked down my lavender and impatiens on the window screen feeder.

And this is her last night!

I had Chipmunks (looking for handouts) running around me on the deck while I was taking these photos, so I'm sure that's what caught her attention here.

Sorry, Baby. You are an indoor kitty.

So that's the Baby photos for today.

Oh, and Amanda, our oldest was on vacation in Switzerland, Italy, and Germany back in April. Someone saw Baby's picture and told her that Baby is definitely a Norwegian Forest Cat. I'd never even heard of a Norwegian Forest Cat! I looked them up on-line and, you know, and she just may be! She has "the look" and tons of their traits! And all this time we thought we just had a regular old shelter kitty. Who knew?

We're in for HOT and HUMID this week. We have been blessed with amazingly gorgeous weather this June, at least for me since I don't like extreme heat.

Enjoy the week, everyone!

Donna

Pink shadows...

The morning sun cast beautiful pink shadows on the family room shade the other morning...


... and knowing how shadows (and rainbows) can disappear in an instant, I ran to get my camera so I could share them with you.

The shadows are being cast by this little architectural piece propped against the window (Thank goodness the view no longer looks like this January photo [although it's not out of the realm of possibility since early April snowstorms are pretty common here in New England!])

The other shadows are being cast by the diamond pane pattern of the windows...

For more posts featuring the luscious color pink, be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see her Pink Saturday post and to visit all the other pink loving bloggers participating today!

Donna

The Traveling Bookcases

We've had these bookcases for a long time and over the years they've done some traveling...

The 1990's

Back in the 90's the bookcases made their home in the living room (they were actually quite organized back then!). I love our current cottage look, but I still have such a fondness for primitive decor. It's amazing how different the living room looks now considering the fact that we're still using the same sofa, wing chair, rocker, curtains, shutters, birdhouse church, and apothecary chest that appear in this photo!

Summer 2007

The bookcases were moved into the family room roughly 8 years ago (I am so symmetrical that I couldn't envision them anywhere but flanking the sliding glass door, which was a disaster for TV and treadmill placement.) And the bookcases, no longer organized, had also exploded into a disorganized, cluttered mess by 2007!

October 2008

This is where the bookcases ended up. I really wasn't sure if I was going to like them pushed together on one wall, but I was willing to give it a try... Before they were moved, I got serious about donating some old books and also got rid of a lot of clutter from the shelves... However, they were far from finished when I took this picture back in October.

I'm happy to say that I've grown to love their new location as well as the 'flow' of the family room. And I'm doubly happy to say that the bookcases are finally organized!! I'll share pictures of the finished project in my next post.

Donna

'9 A.M. in New York City' Framed Print

Actual title: Neuf Heures du Matin New York by Jean-Jacques Sempe
(Translation: 9 A.M. in New York City)


Back in October I spotted this large 24"x31" framed print in a hospital auxiliary thrift shop... It was full of my favorite peachy-pinks (not to mention some beautiful cottage blues), but the clincher was the little black kitty perched on the chair (I happen to be very fond of little black kitties!!). So for $10, this framed poster print (that screams 1980's to me, although I'm not exactly sure when the original was painted) came home with me.


(click to enlarge photos)
I found the perfect spot for it... a bare wall in the far corner of the family room...


A perfect fit!!! And strategically placed right above the treadmill...



... so I can pretend I live in exciting New York City (rather than the suburbs) when I'm on the treadmill (New Year's resolution - use treadmill more for exercise and less for drying clothes!!)...



Now be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see her Pink Saturday post and to find a listing of all the other pink loving bloggers who are participating this week!!!

Donna