End of the Week Roundup

This week has been a rough one. For the most part, every bad thing that happened would not have been a big deal if it had happened on its own but when it happens along with a bunch of other bad things, it makes for a bad week. It's during weeks like this one where I am reminded of the song "Lonely Day" by System of a Down when the song ends with "Such a lonely day, and it's mine. It's a day I'm glad I survived". I think I can definitely say I survived this week. 

1. Saturday wasn't all bad. It started out rough with my hairdresser cancelling on me because she was sick (understandable!) and the receptionist at her salon not being accommodating to me at all (not understandable). After she felt better my hairdresser called me and squeezed me in next Thursday. Anyway, not the point of this bullet, I also met up with my cousin and we had a crafting day. We decided to try out the arm knit scarf and I think it turned out great!

2. Tuesday a deer hit my car. Well I should say that a man driving in the opposite direction of me hit a deer which then sent the deer into my car. I cried for the deer. I cried for my car which has never been in a major accident in the 8 1/2 years that I've had it. I cried for the shock of it. Then I moved on. Dave, being the awesome husband that he is, picked up the rental for me while I took his truck to school for the evening. I, being the unobservant wife that I always am, crushed the flowers he left in the truck to lift my spirits by throwing my purse on top of them and not realizing they were in the car until I got to school. I'm an ass, I know, thanks.

3. My Quilts by Nicole page hit 200 likes on Thursday (yesterday). I definitely needed a good boost yesterday morning and that did the trick. I was so happy I held a quick one day giveaway and gave a bear away! Speaking of bears, I also finished the She-Ra bear that I shared with you guys last week. 

4. Also occurring on Thursday: Me catching Squish practicing for America's Next Top Model. 

5. I know it's not the "same" but I kinda know what parents are talking about when they talk about how cute their kids are. This is going to be creepy, but I'm okay with that, but I swear my cats are so cute they could be models. Please judge me silently or behind my back. 

That's it for this week, thank God it's over! How did your week turn out? 

End of the Week Roundup

Hello friends! Another Friday is upon us. This week has been slow, which is good for relaxing but tough for weekly roundups. 

1. Take yesterday for example, when a massive snowstorm hit. I stayed home and binge watched Breaking Bad and starting reading You. This is my idea of the perfect day, but most definitely not conducive to a thrilling blog post. You, by the way, is gripping. I hate how cliche that sounds, but it really has me sucked in. 

2. Cold days lead to adorable snuggling. 

3. Tuesday was another bad storm day. While waiting in traffic I decided to see if I could have any of life's philosophical questions answered. I should have known better than to ask Siri. She and I fight often. 

Is she calling me fat?

4. I started another bear this week, this time using She-Ra fabric. This particular fleece is a pain to work with because it's so soft and the fleece sheds a lot, but it'll be worth it for the end result. 

5. Snow days and cold nights leads to this, which is amazing until you have to get up and get huffed at.

End of the Week Roundup

The majority of this week, including today, I've been feeling a bit under the weather. I hate being sick, besides it throwing everything off balance, I hate working at less than full capacity. Especially considering my schedule is full capacity. 

1. Friday night I met up with some girlfriends and took a painting with a twist class, which was fun!

2. Saturday, Valentines Day, was spent lounging around with Dave and making cheesecake. Check back on Monday for my cooking challenge results, including how the cheesecake turned out. V-day was super relaxing and I enjoyed every peaceful moment of it. 

3. Tuesday I finished up a few bears for some friends, which boosted my mood. 

4. I started reading The Girl on the Train last night, so far so good! 

5. These two, they are my heart and soul.

Here's to hoping I start feeling better this weekend! Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Sunday Morning Silence

Sunday mornings are my favorite moments of the week. I normally wake up before Dave by a few hours (like 5:30, thanks internal clock, ya jerk!). If I can't fall back asleep I quietly sit there and read or play on my phone. Once Nibbler and Squishee realize I'm awake they climb up and cuddle. 

The silence that Sunday morning offers brings me peace. I get to reflect on things that bother me, things that make me happy, things that I appreciate. It's the one moment of the week where I feel my body washing away the negativity and refocusing on the positive.

The silence is sometimes cut by Nibs and Squish's purrs, which is like the hum of a fan in the summertime. You know, where it can lull you to sleep? Except, instead of putting me to sleep, it centers me more. 

I've always wanted to try mediation, but I could never sit still or shut my mind off long enough to truly appreciate it. I guess you could say that Sunday mornings are my alternative to meditation. 

During particularly rough or busy weeks, I find myself longing for my quiet Sunday mornings, listening to Dave's quiet breathing while he sleeps, feeling Nibbler's head resting on my arm, and the weight of Squish as he slumbers on my stomach. It is in those moments I feel the richest and the most fulfilled with my life. 

It is in that moment when I realize life is good.

End of the Week Roundup

This week flew by super fast, which was kind of refreshing. It flew by so fast I didn't even have to wish for the weekend! Even though it went by super quick, not a whole lot happened that was noteworthy, so I figured it was time for another EOTWR Nibbler and Squish Edition! 

Try to conceal your squeals of delight, I dare you. 

1. First up, my aunt and uncle came up for dinner on Saturday night. The boys love my aunt and uncle, even Nibbler, who runs from everyone, hangs out with us. Squish makes it a point to showcase how much he loves my Uncle Chuck at every chance:

2. Another shot of Squish (he was on a roll this week). I tried to take a picture of Dave for my 100 Happy Days Challenge and Squish decided that wasn't going to happen. 

Just in case you think it was just coincidence, I'd like to show you this next picture in which I'm fairly certain he's mocking me.

3. Ignore Squish in the bottom portion of the next picture. What I really want you to do is look for Nibbler...who thinks he's hiding. No I swear, he really thinks he's hiding. He doesn't realize his ears are deceiving him. 

4 I really should have called this round up the Squish edition. Cause he's literally in every picture. It's been three years and I still think it's freaking adorable that he sleeps with his mouth open. 

5. Monday morning, we had our usual cuddle session. Then the boys decided to take the cute, love factor up a notch by holding paws. It started with Nibbler holding Squish's paw, then Squish put his on top of Nibbler's. Pretty sure my heart exploded. 

Lastly, I'd like to share this little (non-cat related) gem with you: 

The other night I was scrolling through Buzzfeed (which by the way, am I the only one that can get lost on this website for hours?) and I took a quiz to see if Dave and I qualified to be parents. One of us did not laugh and the other laughed so hard she was crying and nearly peed her pants. 

Apparently Dave is going to be a great father and I'm going to be heartless and sadistic. Here's the video one more time, just in case you want to laugh your ass off again, like I did. 

How was your week?

End of the Week Roundup

Another Friday is upon us! 

1. This past weekend, Dave traded in his Dodge Dakota and upgraded to a Ram! Even though it's not "my" truck, it was still really exciting to be a part of his moment. The rest of this week was spent hearing Dave talk about the truck. It wasn't so bad....except for when we were in the truck and he would announce the temperature every two minutes from the gauge on the rear view mirror.

2. I discovered this video/song earlier this week and I cannot stop listening to it.

3. I made this side dish last night that I found on pinterest. It's delicious and easy to make, I highly recommend trying it out!

Via

4. I think Squishee may be a narcoleptic. He will roll on his back to get Dave and I to rub his belly, but if we don't within about 30 seconds, he's passed out. Kinda like this:

He couldn't last me brushing my teeth to get rubs before he was snoring here. 

5. Scratch that, I think both my cats suffer from narcolepsy. Nibbler is passed out with his head in my tush. Seriously, look closely, you'll see my legs on the left hand side curled up, Nibs' paw is on my hip and his face....is dangerously close to a loaded weapon. 

How was your week?

End of the Week Roundup

It's been a great week! 

1. I won another giveaway through Goodreads. If you haven't started doing this yet, get on it! Free books are awesome!

2. Tuesday, I had to take the boys to the vet for their annual checkup. Nibbler doesn't mind the car at all, in fact I'm fairly certain he enjoys it, but Squish hates the car. He just sits there and howls the whole time, and of course pees. Which is fantastic. When we got to the vet, we were greeted by the office kitties. One of them decided to hang out with Squish, which you see in the top picture and the other one attempted to assist the front desk. 

Side note, doesn't it look like the cat in the bottom picture is pulling a "Brady Bunch" and checking out the boys in the upper picture? 

On the way home, Nibbler tried to get Squish to poke his head out of his carrier and enjoy the ride, but Squish was having none of it. 

3. Wednesday night, Dave and I decided to have an impromptu date night. I love date nights. Enough said. 

4. Last night, I met up with my friend Linda for dinner and chatting. We try to get together every couple of months or so to catch up, she's a teacher and loves to talk about school and her students and I love hearing every second of it. Honey is her sweet St. Bernard who gives Nibbler a run for his money when it comes to best cuddler. 

5. Do you know how hard it is to get a picture of Nibbler and Squishee together where they are sitting and both looking at the camera? This is a moment that needs to be celebrated. 

How was your week? 

Here's to the Night

Every once in a while Dave and I like to just hang out and reminisce about the past. It's a really fun way to remind ourselves of the great times, the sad times, and the times we connected on a deeper level. 

Saturday night, before falling asleep, we talked about some of our favorite memories and Dave brought up the night we brought home Nibbler and Squishee. Thinking back on that night, I remembered how I felt bringing them home. They were so tiny, I was so afraid I was going to break them. 

I haven't gotten around to sharing my first night with them on the blog here, so I thought I would. It's probably not the most heartwarming tale you would expect...

I had to pick them up by myself from the woman we adopted them from (an incredibly kind woman who ran a little adoption place out of her house) because Dave had to work a bit late. I had bought a mini pet carrier that I knew would fit the both of them so they could be together on the ride home. I'm sure it was terrifying for them to leave the comforts of the woman's house and be stuck in a car with a stranger on a dark night (it was October when we had adopted the boys so it was darker much earlier) and I wanted to make sure they knew they still had each other. 

One the way home my car stunk so bad, like someone had passed gas. I assumed that one or both of the boys had done something in the crate, as cats are notorious for doing in the car, but when I brought them inside I didn't see anything in the crate that needed to be cleaned out. 

I kept the boys confined to the living room when we first came home, so they could get acclimated to Dave and I and one room for now. They were really good, and for the most part just laid on my lap or with Dave. 

Pleas ignore this ridiculously terrible picture of me, but this was me and Nibbler the first night home.

When it came time to go to bed, we brought them upstairs with us and I laid them in between Dave and I, nestled under my arm. I stayed in that position all night, but of course, when my limbs would get stiff I would have to shift a little. I noticed every time I shifted I would smell the same scent that was in the car. After a few shifts, I realized that one of the boys would fart whenever I moved because it scared him! The rest of the night, I laid awake with two adorable kittens in my arms wondering how I managed to adopted the only kitten I've ever known to drop smelly, rotten egg farts and whether or not this would be something we would have to put up with for the rest of our lives. 

My nervous farter (not sure who it was but I have my suspicions) stopped dropping bombs shortly after the first night together, but the memory of it always gives Dave and I a good laugh.  

It's a bit random, but let's make today Memory Monday, share a great or funny memory with me!

          

Christmas Picture Outtakes

I have yet to meet a cat that enjoys being dressed up. All of my cats have hated it, but I knew I had to do something for you guys for my Christmas day post. So I got this great idea to buy Christmas themed hats for the cats. Dave tried to deter me,  he really tried you guys. 

But once I get an idea in my head, it's on like Donkey Kong. 

Before I begin, let me say this. Without even putting them in outfits, its damn near impossible to get two cats to pose together for a picture. They aren't like dogs where you can say, "Sit, Stay" and take the shot. No, cats are then ones telling YOU to sit and stay. 

But anyway, the first time we put the hats on the boys, they were clearly angry. So mad that as soon as we took the hats off, they decided to take their anger out on each other and were all out brawling all over the house. 

It was not fun.

The second time I decided to take pictures, I wisely decided not to put anything on Squish. He really hates it, even more than Nibs, and I'm pretty sure that is why he and his brother were fighting so bad the first time. Which is why you got a shot of him sleeping in front of the Christmas tree. Nibbler hates being dressed up, but since he loves and adores me, he puts up with my antics. 

Anyway, here are some outtakes from my numerous attempts at getting the "perfect" shot...which didn't happen. 

Enjoy!

I believe this is called "The Stinkeye"

Mom, I backed up all the way to the door. Why is this still on my head?

Doesn't the look on his face seem to suggest "The minute you go to sleep, I'm going to kill you"?

Happy Holidays!

Regardless of what you celebrate, I wish you a happy day! 

Happy holidays from Nibbler:

And Squishee:

May your day be filled with joy, love and peace.

Like the peace on Squish's face in the above pic...I hope we all reach that level of peace-ness today. But not Nibbler's...he wasn't pleased with the antlers. 

                                        

Chats with my Cats

I've mentioned before that I'm a self proclaimed "CCL", if you have any doubts about that this post should probably cement that for you....

I'm sure I'm not the only person out there who has conversations with her cats I've always been a firm believer that our pets are family members and should be treated as such. That means morning greetings, goodbye loves, welcome home kisses, and lot's of "how are you, I've missed you". It also goes beyond that and that's where this post comes in at. I present to you some golden nuggets from conversations with Nibbler and Squishee:

"I'm so proud of you but also incredibly disgusted"- What I said to Nibbler upon watching him catch a fly that was buzzing around with his paws and then shove said fly into his mouth with his paws. 

"Steal my birth control one more time and I'll have a kid just to spite you!"- I'm not sure which one does it but I keep my pack on my nightstand and for a period of time they would knock it off and leave it in random places, like under my bed or under my dresser. After I said this the daily heist of my pill pack seemed to stop. 

"Nibbler, this is not Flashdance and you are not Jennifer Beals. Move please."-Nibbler loves water. Loves it. Which means if you accidentally spill water on him, he thinks it's a treat. This also means that when I have to put his water bowl down most mornings he's standing directly underneath the bowl, preventing me from putting it down. 

"Dude, why does your breath smell like Doritos?"-Dave asked Squishee this the other day. No, I don't know why his breath smelled like Doritos, but it was pretty funny.

Squish's first Halloween. It was the last time I dressed them up. His face should explain why.

Do you ever talk to your pets?


                                       

End of the Week Roundup

Time for another EOTWR! Here is the round up for this week:

1. Friday I observed my friend Linda's classroom. The teaching class that I'm currently taking requires me to do some observations and it just so happened that she and I were already planning a day for me to come hang out. It awesome how things work out sometimes. It was an incredibly fun day and just reaffirmed how much I want to teach. The only bad part? Going back to my regular job the next day. Its not that I hate my job, but it definitely isn't as good as being in a classroom.

2. I celebrated 2 years with Dave on Monday. To say that I am a lucky woman is an understatement.

3. Dave and I watched "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" this week, which was fitting considering its content. It's about a boy whose father dies in the 9/11 attacks. He goes on a hunt to find the lock that goes with a key he finds in his father's closet. It was such a great and heartfelt story. Here is a picture of me watching it with Nibbler and Squishee close, which they always seem to do when I cry. The blanket is up so high to serve two purposes: 1.) to keep me warm because I ALWAYS have to be under a blanket if I'm watching TV 2.) it's my tissue to wipe my tears (tears only, I promise). 

P.S. Please ignore the crap in the background, the wedge serves as my catchall during the evening

4. Dave showed me this video Monday night and I've been singing it all week, much to the chagrin of my coworkers. By the way, if you haven't seen it, don't take this video too seriously...

5. I got this neat shot of Nibbler on Wednesday night. 

That's all I got for this week, how was your week?

As always linking up with Lauren and Friday Favorites!