Cat Mail

dear anonymous reader,

i was ecstatic when i opened the flat envelope  on my doorstep this afternoon and found the cat print inside! what an unexpected monday surprise . it's already displayed proudly on the wall.

you made my day!

with much gratitude,

cat's mom

Artful Truth

My wall needs this.

[via Etsy]

Spectator

Watching the Olympics with dad.

Game Time

Chris taught me how to play NCAA football on the Xbox last week, and all I can remember is that B gets your player to do a spin move. I think I'll probably be better at Dance Central 2 -- on its way in the mail thanks to Chris' surprise gift card from work!

Have a fun weekend! We're checking out two houses tomorrow, so I'll keep you posted on what we think...

Three Cheers for Cat!

Happy Birthday to our little mischief maker... Cat turned FIVE today! 

See some of her greatest moments right here.

Seasonal Switch

Just a few weeks ago we were still running the AC, and in a few weeks from now it'll be time to caulk those single pane windows for the season.

Welcome, fall!

Hello.

Opposites

Feeling too busy to blog lately -- I've been going to the Visual Arts Center two nights a week creating (increasingly symmetrical) cups, trying to do at least one evening at the gym, obsessively watching Big Love with husby as fast as Netflix will ship it back to us, and becoming determined to cook more at home. Quite the opposite of this little lady.

Saturdays...

are for sleeping in.

Catskills: A Whole New Level

Catskill #3: Invisibility

If I can't see her, then she can't see me....

More catskills here and here.

Lady in Waiting

This is Cat's new favorite place to be: a Costco Cheerios double-pack box inside a wine box from Trader Joe's. When my Seattle pals were here last weekend Cat would hide inside the box, wait for precisely the right moment, and dart out when someone walked by. It scared the living daylights out of them but I thought it was a hoot. I still can't figure out how she can walk inside that thing and turn herself around. My little whiskered friend's got skills...

Now Cat's waiting and ready for our next out of town visitor -- my most wonderful and lovely sister! She's in Baltimore at a conference for the non-profit she works for (no doubt germinating new ideas for saving the world) and is taking the train down to Richmond on Friday evening. Wheee!!!

Life as Cat: Hours 1-24

60% sleeping on the bed like a Firefox

15% chasing her tail (watch it here)

10% "loafing" -- acting like a loaf of bread

5% hanging out in a box

4% in conversation

3% sitting in a random spot on the hardwood floor

2% engaged in parent-cat bonding time watching Jeopardy!

1% perched high atop a kitchen cabinet giving me a judgment stare

Dream Playground

A recent trip to Costco not only meant goodies for us (hello there, bulk quantity of Blue Moon and awesome Swiffer duster pack) but also an entertaining playground for Cat. She loves boxes and bags, and she probably lived her previous life as a CIA agent. Sydney Bristow, anyone?

Cat in a Box

On the Richmond SPCA website there are these little color identifiers next to the pictures of each cat up for adoption. Each color explains the cat's personality, and when Chris and I discovered these we had a hard (and hilarious!) time figuring out what kind of cat Cat is. Truly she's a bit of everything, but if I had to pick two she'd be the Personal Assistant & Party Animal. 

I'm a personal assistant.

You're working on the computer? Let me press the keys. Reading the paper? I'll hold the pages down for you. Watching TV? I'll just plop in your lap so you can pet me. I love an orderly household, don't you? I'll help you with all your chores. You'll wonder how you ever managed without me.

I'm a party animal.

I'm a cat on a mission: PARTY! I love to play and explore and test my limits. I'd love to play with you, but I can make a toy out of anything*: pencils, post-it notes, potatoes. If you're looking for some laughs and someone to liven up the party, think about inviting me.

Even now she's helping me write this post---paws on the keyboard and eyes on the screen. But I'm sure as soon as she gets bored with this blogging routine she'll go out on the floor and do some graceful pirouettes (read: tail-chasing, around and around and around).

*I moved the couch the other day to sweep and found at least eight of my elastic hair bands underneath. Or should I say eight of Cat's favorite play things?

Have a Cozy Weekend

I think some Christmas movies, down blankets, and hot chocolates with Baileys are in order this weekend.

Portland in two weeks from tomorrow!

Sparkapolooza

Cat is taking the blog world by storm! Her first debut (well, outside of this blog) is on Sparkapolooza, a super fun blog I discovered just the other week. Check out what it's all about:

WHAT IS SPARKAPOLOOZA?

How many times have you wanted to do something creative but just didn't quite round to it? We know the excuses- no time, don't know what to do, I'll get to it one day....

Well, this is a project about forcing creative juices out- this time no excuses!

We have two things to get those juices flowing- a brief and a deadline.

It's simple, it's an open brief, so all you have to do is respond creatively and submit an original creation before the deadline. It can be anything, send me your photo, poem, yoga pose...whatever floats your boat.

Then all you have to do is e-mail your submission (and a link if you want) to sparkapolooza@gmail.com (max 2MB). Easy!

The latest brief was "Brown Box," so I submitted a great picture of Cat in her favorite play place. Too bad I didn't have the old picture of myself at Halloween when my dad painted a "J" on a cardboard box and I went as a letter block.... Stay tuned for the next brief and join in on the fun!

Bag Lunch

Cat Nap Prep

Care to join me for a cat nap?

 Fine, I'll nap by myself.

 (yawn)

Time to be lazy, as usual.

(And take up as much couch space as feline-ly possible.)

Free Time

The guests are gone and Chris has started work---it's just me, Cat, and my trusty bike Trudy during the day. Trudy's basket came in the mail a week ago and it's come in quite handy on my bike rides around town. By the way, don't miss the 'Friends and Family' discount this weekend....I was at Old Navy at 10:00 this morning, helmet in hand.

And although she's not biking around town with me (ok, this would be hilarious....), Cat also likes to take sustainability into her own hands...err...paws. We call her Eco-Cat since she loves reusable cardboard boxes as hide-outs.

Kitten Loaf

Look Mom, no arms or legs!