modern cat

we're on modern cat again! ben and stuart are becoming famous. thanks to modern cat for showing off the new kitty nook (and adorable snuggle time)!

follow this link to see the post.

creepy mccreeperson

so last night i heard noise outside our apartment, but without fail if someone's at the door the cats at least perk up and usually run to the door if someone's there. there is a dresser outside our door, which was there before we moved in, so it's been adopted as a perch for some plants, etc. by us. it's one of those old fashioned ones with an oval mirror that can rotate attached to it, and this morning when i went outside, the mirror was flipped (so the mirror was facing the wall). in order to accomplish this either the dresser had to be moved out, the mirror rotated and dresser moved back (which means everything on the dresser would have to be moved to clear space for the rotation) OR someone removed the mirror, flipped it, and put it back.

regardless of how the rotation was achieved, i'm creeped out big time. there's only one other (quiet) neighbor on our floor, and we're on the top so unless you're on your way to us, you don't pass our apartment. our building is pretty quiet, not a lot of parties, no strange pranks...we are the last people to move into the building and we've been there over a year, so it's not like there's a crazy new neighbor.

so creepy.

crafting sunday

with the latest holiday vacation, my cats really took us being home as an opportunity to put their best (and by best i mean worst) foot forward. i decided that perhaps i could help them out with some "environmental enrichment" so i googled around an found this article here. from reading this article, i realized my kitties do not have a cozy "private area." yes, they can go under the bed, and yes they are the most social cats i have ever encountered, but i'm sure they'd still like a cozy place to snuggle up and be left alone.

at first i wanted to cut a hole in a box we have from ikea that sits in our expedit bookshelf, but brandon convinced me that the edges would look bad, and even if i tried to edge it in something, it still might end up looking icky so i had to rethink my strategy. i decided instead to clear out a cubby, put a cozy blanket in there, and then make a little curtain for the kitties to give them some privacy. here's how it turned out:



so far the cats, especially stuart, really seem to enjoy the nook. i'm going to see if there's a very small curtain spring rod somewhere, because currently i just have a basswood stick wedged in there and it keeps coming out. hopefully we are on our way to an environmentally enriched home for the kitty cats (meaning they will be better behaved).

snugglefest 08-09

so lately the cats have been napping in their little bed together pretty much every day, and i haven't been able to resist snapping a few pictures...here are some of my favorites:





similar to stu getting in our laundry basket, he pretty much jumps into ANY empty container...this time, the garbage can...thankfully he choses empty receptacles. i got this really crazy shot when stuart was apparently rotating his head but keeping one of his eyes stationary

brandon got this "portrait" while i was out running errands today

bad cat behavior, ep.1

for the new year, i've decided to document the trouble my cats cause around the house. there is a ceaseless supply, so it shouldn't be too difficult to make this a semi-regular thing here on the blog. with no further ado,

bat cat behavior, episode 1: attempting to print

whenever i try and print something, as soon as the printer begins making noise i suddenly have two curious little creatures on the desk, on the computer, on the printer, wherever they can explore. brandon says "they're just trying to help!" that really isn't a consolation when i'm actually trying to get output from the printer. let's not even mention the printer cord that seems to be tasty dessert for the cats (i have to put it away after i use the printer every time).

happy new year!

happy new year, everyone! we got back from portland last night and ended up just hanging out at hom with the kitties because brandon is getting sick with whatever the nasty thing going around is, and we didn't want to spread it or get brandon more sick.

anyway, i'm not huge into new year's resolutions, but i do like to reflect on the previous year and set some goals for myself. for me i've summed up my resolution to this:

i will stop being so lazy.

this is all-encompassing--physically, mentally and socially lazy. some of my top priorities for the year: exercise (i'd like to run at least one half marathon this year), start my etsy account (finally...name is STILL holding me up), and being taking my architectural exams. i'd also like to be more conscious about saving so brandon and i can afford our next step...we must determine/agree on what that next step is, but we at least know we can't do anything until we save. there are so many small ways that i can apply this to my daily life, and i hope i can continue to stay motivated throughout the year. perhaps i'll have to make myself a little reminder sign.

one thing is certain--i've enjoyed blogging over this past year, and i look forward to another year of posts, pictures, and projects to share with everyone! happy new year, and welcome 2009!

christmas 2008

this christmas was very exciting for our family since it was claire's first. yes, we realize she won't remember it, but it was fun nonetheless. my poor sister was sick, but the bright side was it meant i get to hold the baby so that we could minimize the risk of jen passing it on to the baby. the festivities began on christmas eve, for our traditional celebration with my mom's side of the family
the car ride to grandma's (well, MY grandma...claire's great-grandma)

cousin jason & claire

christmas carols


brandon and i spent the night at my parent's house, and then spent most of christmas day with the family, including my dad's side.

it has just been brought to my attention that my whole family is wearing red--we all have christmas pj's that we wear for christmas morning. i realize that 99% of my photos are of claire, but only in like two locations. this was because the rest of the time i was holding claire, which meant i couldn't take pictures of other people OR of claire throughout the day. oh well...i did snap this one of the boys playing wii

merry christmas!

merry christmas! i know it's the end of the day, but i hope everyone has had a very blessed holiday. christmas always flies by, but i try to take a moment to myself and really reflect on this very special day. everyone enjoy the rest of your holiday break!

kittens no more

my cats haven't been kittens for a while now, but last night i uploaded some pictures from the beginning of the year--i can't believe how quickly they went from teeny little muffins to tubby trouble makers! here are some of my favorite shots...i can't remember if some of these have been posted or not, so forgive me if you've seen these before...

will sheff, wii, etc.

this week/weekend has been extremely busy, luckily with fun activities. wednesday was talking music, thursday was my company's holiday party, friday was will sheff solo in concert. saturday started with brunch with chris, adam and jackie, then we trekked out to my grandma's for a visit, then went over to my parents' house to drop off the car and break in their new wii and back to the city. today consisted of sleeping in, hanging out at home, watching the bishop's wife with sara, and crafting.

now to back up, will sheff at cafe du nord on friday night was aaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing. sara and i got their before the show started no one was really filling in the floor yet so we decided to go right up front and center. we were a little nervous about being so close at first (we were concerned about it being awkward because we were SO CLOSE) but it ended up being well worth it (and not awkward at all). he performed almost all of my favorites, and two other members of the band (okkervil river) were there, so it made the performance even better.

anyway, it's time for bed. i promise i'll update with some photos soon, but i've been so busy and i can't really photograph what i've been working on. i promise after christmas there will be plenty of pictures and crafts.