Don't pick fights!

I don't know if Smokey will ever learn...He got in a fight with a stray and had a huge infected sore above his eye and one in his ear. Poor guy--I could just imagine that cat having him by the eye and ear and not letting go! Apparently this isn't his first fight. When he came here, his ear was folded back as you can see in the photo. He is so much better in this picture. It was taken a couple of weeks ago so he is well now, just has a little bald spot above his eye where he is growing back some hair. I'm trying to trap the stray to get him fixed without much luck. I had a virus and was sick for over a week, couldn't even get out of bed for a few days! When I woke up with a temp of 103, I figured I better get myself to the dr. I'm better now, but you can really get behind in just a few days, can't you? I'd love to take a hint from Little Bit (below), but just don't think I have time to lie in the yard right now. Maybe soon.....

Oh, hoping to get the new countertops sealed this week so I can get the sink installed this weeked!!

Sissy's bath time

I caught Sissy cleaning her paws and couldn't resist some photos of her....I think she had no clue I was even there. haha!!

Make Ahead meals

Ever since I saw this photo of someone's freezer on joelens.blogspot.com, I have been

wanting to make some meals and fill my freezer! So I finally made preparations & did it this week! For 3 nights, I cooked extra and prepared it for the freezer. On the first night I cooked a whole bunch of chicken and made chicken enchiladas. That was enough for our supper and 3 dishes for the freezer. I also had enough to make 3 chicken & broccoli casseroles and some chicken left over for my kitty, Mr. Spock. On the 2nd night I cooked a lot of ground beef & turkey and made spaghetti for supper. I had enough left for 2 servings for lunches, 3 dishes of lasagne and several containers of baked beans. Tonight I made homemade pizza dough and we had pizza for supper, so I have 2 crusts to make pizza later, plus I made 7 small pizzas for lunches so we won't have to buy those yucky, greasy frozen pizza for when we are in a hurry. I also made "Aunt Shirley's baked beans" in the crock pot and they are a whole meal with cornbread. I did a few other things, so now I am hoping I can be set to not go to the store for a month except for things to fill in (milk, bread, fresh veggies). I even have several breakfasts in there because I hate getting up early to cook! I will try to get some of my recipes and let you know how they turn out after being frozen. I finished all my cooking tonight, so should be able to use up the food for about 3 more weeks and take it easy and hopefully concentrate on creating now!

We've had a new kitty hanging around for a couple of weeks. I was hoping to find him a home on my own, but my kitties outside were so upset by having him here. Monday I took him to a local no-kill shelter. I was sad to take him, but I know he will find a good home. All his tests were negative, so he is ready to be neutered and start looking for his new home! I wish I could keep them all, but at 13, I am pretty full here. They can get expensive and I want to be able to take good care of the ones I have now. Maybe someday when I am rich and don't have to work.....I am still waiting for that day though!!

New jewelry!

I've been working on new jewelry... I have several new pieces, but this one is my favorite so far! I used hand-dyed fibers, plus a mixture of old and new stuff to make the pendant and the necklace is a vintage rhinestone strand. Watch my website, www.tcpstyle.com for several new pieces. Also look for my designs in the current issues of Create & Decorate magazine.

Kitties all seem to be keeping me busy around here! I've been nursing a really bad eye on Dill for almost 2 months and it is just now starting to get better. Mr. Spock still has his good days and bad days. Just a couple of months ago I thought he wouldn't pull through, but he is doing okay again. He is a tough ol' kitty!

Hadley a year later!

I was looking through my pictures and found one of Hadley just a year ago. I couldn't believe how much she has grown! The one on the right was taken this week, so you can see the difference. She is still full of energy and so much fun for all of us! After she recovered, the rest of the kitties still weren't feeling well and she didn't have any playmates. That was kind of sad! Finally she & Pumpkin had a wrestling match in the living room, so I knew things were getting back to normal!!! FINALLY!

I listed a few new pieces of jewelry on my website this week. Click here to see my new pieces. Hope you like them!!

Water loving kitty!

I've told people about this kitty loving the water...now I have proof! Every time I water my plants, he comes running and chases the water. The other day I had a leak in my water hose and he LOVED it! I need to have a sprinkler system installed. I think he would LOVE it! I've had kitties that like the water, but never seen one enjoy it as much as he does!!

 
 

Luke & my garden

This is Luke...posing just a pretty as...well, a picture! ha! He looked so cute sitting out in the yard! He used to be such a skinny ol' kitty, now he's so fat. He still likes to play and you wouldn't think he'd run around like he does, so its pretty funny!

I've been working on my flower beds and vegetables in between all the rain! I have some tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, peas and beans started. I planted some asparagus too, but I'll be surprised if that works out! I planted 2 thornless blackberries and one is starting the grown. My fig tree I planted last year is growing and I have 2 blueberry bushes hanging on. Who knows, I might have a handful of fruit this year!! Enjoy some more pics of my kitties and my garden below!!

 
Peppermint and tomatoes

 
Our little pond

 
Purple irises

 
Luke was looking so handsome, I got a few good ones of him!

 

Poncho's story

 

Poncho has a good story...he came here so scared and skinny and sickly. He's still "slim", but healthy and friendly. (That's why most of his pics are of him in my lap!) It was just last summer (I think....it seems longer ago!) that he was hiding in the shed next door while we cooked out. He'd watch us from afar and I'd cook extra hot dogs so I could toss him a few treats. It didn't long for him to start hanging out with us, then ON us! It took a while to clear up his sniffles & ear mites, but he was well worth it!!

 

 

Smart Kitty

I'm thinking Hadley is one smart little kitty! She learns fast and I've taught her to shake & "give me 5"...so I was wondering what other tricks I could teach her. Any suggestions? I know you're supposed to teach them things they are already good at. (She was always pawing at me and reaching for me, so that's why I taught her that trick.) Lately when you try to walk into a room, she runs in front of you and jumps straight up and grabs the door knob with both paws. She'll hang there a few seconds waiting on you to open the door. I'm not too sure I want to turn that into a trick though! LOL!! I'd love some suggestions...never really trained a kitty before!!

New drawings...

Lately I've been in a "drawing" mood! I love doing these drawings on paper, just black and white. I may add color later, or maybe not! I'm not sure what I'll do with them, but have had some t-shirt suggestions, which I thought was a great idea! We'll see...right now I'm just accumulating a big stack of drawings! haha!

Besides drawing, I've been dealing with some sick kitties too. Mr. Spock (my oldest kitty) is having inner ear problems again. Last Monday I got up to find him wobbly again and barely able to stand. I got him some antibiotics hoping to keep from taking him to the vet because he gets SO upset when I take him. After a few days, I didn't think he was better so I took him to the vet on Friday. He has kidney disease too and I was worried he wasn't getting up to drink enough. He was dehydrated so he got some fluids, a steroid shot and is on 2 different antibiotics. He's still unsteady but seems to be getting better. He is definitely eating and drinking more now with his steroid shot kicking in! It surely won't hurt him to put on a little weight. He had lost from  18.5 to 11 lbs the last time we weighed him. Its hard to see him so small since he has always been a big, healthy kitty until about the past year. He is 15, so I guess it is just something I have to deal with....he has been getting plenty of extra attention and I'm sure he's enjoying that! He goes for a checkup tomorrow and I'm hoping to get some good news that his ear drum is healing!

Kitty News

There is a story behind this picture that makes it even funnier. Mr. Spock had been sleeping on this box of stuffing for about a week. My husband walked in my room and saw Pumpkin lying on it and said, "aw...Mr. Spock lost his spot." I told him not to worry, if Mr. Spock wanted it, he'd get it back. Later in the day I walked in my room and saw this! LOL! Mr. Spock DID get his spot back, but he kind of had to share it with Pumpkin after all!! This isnt' the first time I've caught Pumpkin sleeping this way with the other kitties either. He's just a snuggly kind of kitty, I guess!

The other night I couldn't sleep so I made some spicy pickled peaches. I don't eat this kind of stuff so I gave them to Daddy and he liked them. I mostly wanted to make them because they look pretty in the jar. ha!I guess that's the reason I like to make jelly, salsa, etc....I love the way it looks after its made!

I'm planning a trip to Chattanooga this weekend--I will be at Chattanooga Market in booth H-26 (if nothing changes). If you're in the area, look for me there. I'm excited to check out the farmer's market. I just hope I can get a chance to get away from my booth and do a little shopping myself!!

Strawberry on his way home...

Today's the the day....Strawberry went to have his teeth pulled today! Now they are all gone, except his canines. I know he'll be sore, but he'll feel so much better now that they are gone. I checked on him at lunchtime and the surgery went well with no complications. (Whew!) I'm headed to the vet's office to pick him up. I'm so glad to have this over with! I'm taking Mr. Spock for a checkup. He's almost 15, so he needs them more often. Strawberry is getting close to 14!

I will never get tired of looking at his sweet face. Ever since the first time I saw him peeking from under that barn at me, I thought he was adorable!!

I have still been listing stuff like crazy! I listed a WHOLE BUNCH of Halloween jewelry at www.tcpstyle.com and lots of Halloween goodies at www.fullmoonfolkart.com

Now I have to go pick up Strawberry and will probably spend the evening watching over him like a hawk. ha!  

CJ

C.J. says, "Hello" to you all! He's breaking in the new cushions on the wicker chairs for the winter!!

A Little Help from my Friends...

I had a little help from my friend, Strawberry, when I was painting my Halloween chair. Pretty cute, huh? I just painted around him as long as I could. He was too cute, I just hated to disturb him! 

Hangin' with Poncho

I've been pretty busy with graphics & cats lately! Poncho is one of the new strays that I recently got neutered. I thought he was feral, but it turns out he is a sweetheart! He finally let me near him a few weeks ago, then I got him fixed. He was so scared at the vet and I really felt sorry for him! I had to keep him in a kennel overnight and he was so upset. But he was back within a few days and has been putting on weight and getting more comfortable around me every day. Now he'll climb in my lap and follow me around like a little puppy dog. He pats me on the ankles if I'm not petting him and meows at me constantly. He must really have a lot to say!! The other kitty I got fixed has a new home just across the road from my studio, so I get to see him every day still. He spends most of his time indoors, but does get to come out and visit.

I am getting together with my family today--we're going out to eat and to Crow Mountain orchard. Should be fun and I know I'll come home with way too much fruit and will probably be busy all weekend canning and freezing. It will be worth it when the winter gets here and I'm eating a buttermilk biscuit just out of the oven with some peach preserves I made myself! If anyone has good jelly, jam or preserves recipes, I'd like to hear them! I think they now have peaches, apples, blackberries & plums, maybe nectarines. Mmmmm...I can't wait!

My studio is coming along....we built a small closet on the back of the house connected to the back bedroom. This is where my hubby's music room will be and the closet will be for storage. (So he can get his stuff out of my way. ha!!) The closet is painted and the bedroom primed. I'll pick up more primer and paint today and we'll probably have it painted by the weekend and ready for flooring. (I saw "we", but my husband has done all the painting in this room!) Can't wait to get started on the last 2 rooms of my studio so I can officially move in and start creating here!!

How is your garden??

I didn't plant a big garden this year, but I did have to plant some tomatoes! I ordered some of those upside down planters for some tomatoes. (Here's Dill standing on the compost bin to check them out...) I got some that have water reservoirs in the top and both the plants are huge and have lots of green tomatoes on them. I planted 2 in those planters, 1 in the ground and 2 cherry tomato plants in a whiskey barrel planter. (one red, one yellow) I bought some cucumbers and squash to plant today and that's about the extent of my vegetables this year. But I have planted lots of bushes, flowers and FINALLY got a crape myrtle planted! We're planning to plant some trees at the edge of the yard in my studio for privacy. I want to concentrate on remodeling my studio, but it is so tempting to work in the yard in this weather!!

The new little kitty went to the vet yesterday and got a clean bill of health. I kept her separated from the other kitties just to be on the safe side. So they got to meet her yesterday and they were not happy about it. Pumpkin is pretty mad at me and doesn't even want me to pick him up. I hope he's over it soon!! :)

Today's my day to babysit....

I always look forward to Mondays--that's the day I babysit my nephew, Jackson. Last week we went to K-mart and looked at Christmas decorations and he thought it was a Christmas Wonderland! lol! We had to listen to every dancing Santa and check out every aisle about 3 times while he yelled "ho, ho! ho ho!" Then when we left, he cried and kept saying, "ho, ho....ho, so". I promised him he'd be seeing lots more Christmas decorations soon. I put my trees up Sunday, so he can come over and see those. I left Sookie in the room for about 30 seconds and when I came back, she already had an ornament down and was running off with it. And Pumpkin still can't leave it alone, so they can't go in the rooms with trees unless I'm there to supervise!

Recycle!

I'm always trying to find new uses for old stuff around here...that's why I had to laugh when I saw Little Bit sleeping inside this old flour bin! I guess she's doing the same thing we are....

Brrrr....its gettin' cold!!

Hey, Strangers! I've been pretty busy--cooking, canning, going to the beach working....etc, etc. etc. I was talking to my friend,

Helena

this morning about how long its been since I blogged. Shame on ME!

For some reason, when the weather starts to cool off, I love to cook and do stuff around the house. The other night I made one of my favorite cold weather recipes, White Chicken Chili. I toasted some sourdough bread and poured the chili over it and it was SO good! I promised Helena I'd post the recipe....

White Chicken Chili

4 T. olive oil, divided

3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½" pieces

1 T. ground chipotle chile pepper (I couldn't find this--left it out and it was fine)

2½ t. ground cumin

1½ t. salt

1 t. ground coriander

1/4 t. ground red pepper

1½ c. chopped yellow onion

3/4 c. chopped pablano pepper

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & minced

2 T. minced garlic

4 bay leaves

1 quart chicken broth

2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles

2 (16 oz) cans canellini beans

2 (16 oz) cans navy beans

4 c. grated monterey jack

1 c. sour cream

Heat 2 T. olive oil over med-high heat. Add chicken, chili pepper, cumin, salt, coriander, ground red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 8-10 minutes or until browned. Remove to bowl. In same pan, heat remaining olive oil. Add onion, pablano, jalapeno, garlic & bay leaves. Cook 4-5 minutes, until tender. Add reserved chicken, broth, green chiles. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans. Cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove & discard bay leaves. Add grated cheese and sour cream, stirring until cheese is melted.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Pumpkin Patch with 2 of my sisters, brother-in-law & nephew. We had a good time even though we missed the ones that didn't get to go! My pumpkin is still sitting out there waiting to be carved. Maybe I'll carve it this weekend! I finally ordered Hocus Pocus so I can watch it before Halloween. I planned on dressing up as one of the Sanderson sisters for our party this year, but we decided not to have one this year. I guess I have a head start on next year's costume!