Wordy Wednesday

I normally do not dress my cats up, but I had bought this for someone else and she couldn't use it. For $5, I thought I'd give it a shot. This is what I got:

Sweet Snowball was my first victim...uh, I mean model....She tolerated it, but wasn't amused.





Midnight didn't seem to mind the outfit, but he just couldn't figure out where the ringing bells were coming from. After about 6 shots, this it the best I could get.

Coal put up with it much better than I expected! I got several shots without getting scratched!!!

Pumpkin did NOT like this at all! He ran through the house like his tail was on fire! As you can tell, he didn't even want his picture taken in this get-up. After seeing his reaction, I didn't have the heart to put it on Roadrunner or Lucky........YET!

Why Are Some People So Cruel???

I just read a email from the ASPCA that broke my heart. I'm copying it from the website: http://www.aspca.org/news/national/09-25-09.html

On September 14, Bronx resident Ronald Ross, 33, was arrested by ASPCA Special Agent Adam Gankiewicz and charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly kicking his mother’s cat, Meow, in the face.

According to Ross’s mother, the incident occurred on the morning of August 21, when after searching the apartment for her missing cat, she found Meow hiding under her son’s bed—her face traumatized. When confronted about the cat's condition, her son reportedly laughed before admitting to kicking the cat repeatedly in the face with his steel-toe boots. The woman rushed Meow to ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, where the cat was treated for injuries, including several broken teeth and a ruptured eye that was surgically removed.

Following the attack, the Bronx District Attorney filed a restraining order against Ross on behalf of his mother, who subsequently had the locks of her apartment changed. Under these conditions, Meow returned home where she is now recuperating.

Ross was indicted by a Bronx grand jury on charges of felony aggravated animal cruelty and misdemeanor animal cruelty, which is a lesser offense. If convicted, he could face up to two years in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Stacy Wolf, Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel for ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement, applauded the swift action of the grand jury in indicting Ross on multiple counts in this case. “Inflicting such severe injury on a helpless cat signals the potential for violence directed at other vulnerable victims, including human family members. Serious criminal sanctions are a vital tool in the fight against these vicious crimes.”

If you know of an animal who is being hurt, please report it—those who intentionally hurt animals may move on to abuse the people in their lives. To report animal cruelty in New York City, call the ASPCA’s tip line at (877) THE-ASPCA. Visit our Report Cruelty FAQ to learn how to report cruelty elsewhere.

I just don't know how anyone could do that! My cats as much as I love them often make me upset at messes they make or other things they do, but I could never hurt one like that. Case in point: Just the other night, Coal got mad because I wouldn't let him lay on my neck so he attacked me with both paws at once scratching the right side of my neck, the lest side of my nose and the inside of my ear. Yes, it hurt and I was angry enough to pick him up the the scruff of his neck and put him on the floor, but kick him with steeltoed boots? NEVER!!! Just the thought of it makes me cry!

Two years in jail and a $2,000 fine is not enough for such cruelty! If he could do this to an innocent animal what's he going to do to the next human that angers him? Part of me thinks that he needs to experience how it feels to be kicked in the face multiple times with a steeltoed boot! However, the Christian in me feels that he needs counseling and help. Maybe a bit of both would be best.

Nom, nom, nom!

Salem: "This stuff is great! I could hardly wait until Mom and Vince got done with the corn on the cob! Maybe next time Mom will give me some that hasn't already been eaten off of!"

Punkin: "What'cha got there, Salem?"
Salem: "Can'tcha see I'm busy?"

Midnight: "Ok Mom, Salem's got his corn.....now what do you have for me?"

Fantastic Friday!

This was going to be "Thankful Thursday", but I took too long getting started!

Well, it's a "Fantastic Friday" because I was so "Thankful Thursday"!

Five reasons why:

1. My interview went GREAT!! She can't tell me I have the job because the school board has to meet, but it looks pretty good. They will meet next Thursday and school starts the Tuesday afterwards.

2. Monday will mark one year of dating for DBF and I....one whole year and we've never had a harsh word or even a disagreement!

3. My family....they drive me nuts at times, but I'm thankful to have them!

4. My furbabies.....just like my family, they drive me nuts and makes messes everywhere, but they are so loving and keep my company. The picture below is Midnight asleep with his tongue sticking out! He's sweet, but not nearly as innocent as he looks in this picture.

5. Most of all, I'm thankful for my salvation. God gave His son so I didn't have to suffer through Hell. Without God, I would have none of these other things that I'm so thankful for!

What are you thankful for this week?

Wordy Wednesday

This beautiful girl is Max and Coal's mamacat, Little Girl. At one time she was VERY wild and would not stay on the porch when I went outside. She's still shy, but LOVES attention from me. I think I'm probably the only person who's ever petted her. She loves having her head rubbed. I was able to catch her and have her spayed.....after she brought me the third or fourth kitten in less than two years! But once I got her fixed, she'd bring me her SISTER'S kittens! I guess she approved of how my mom and I took care of Coal and Max. She's now nine or ten years old and spends most of her time in the woods across the street from my house. I think she'd love to be an inside cat....SHE just doesn't know that! She waits for me to come home every day. Nine times out of ten, as soon as I drive in, no matter what time of day...she come out to greet me. She's a real sweetheart!

Take a close look at her whiskers......one side is white and the other side is black. Isn't that neat? I've never seen whiskers half and half before.

This handsome boy above is my boyfriend's cat, Skunk. Yes, you read that right...a cat named Skunk! Apparently when DBF's mom found him at work under a car when he was a kitten, no one wanted to pick him up because they thought he was a skunk. As a kitten, you see, he had a white stripe down his back.

I was visiting over on http://www.whiskersandpurrs.com/ wishing Elsie happy birthday last night and I noticed something..........doesn't she and Skunk look VERY similar. Maybe I found her long lost brother! Look for yourself..........here's Elsie's picture below:

Good News!

Lots of good news to report! First of all, I finally paid off my student loan!!!! It took me ten years, but during that time I paid for my Master's degree out of pocket as well as paid for the two classes I took this year. It feels great to have that debt gone! I'm now officially debt free!

Second good news--I just found out last week that there is a Special Education position opening at the school where I currently work as an assistant. It's only for two years, but it would be great to by the teacher again! Please keep me in your prayers. I would practically be working in my backyard with this job. Between the pay raise and the fact that I could walk to work, I could save the gas money and use it for much needed house repairs and a newer car.

Third good new---Guess how much money I have saved with coupons and Register Rewards and Extra Care Buck...go ahead guess! $328.84!!! Now I didn't keep track of how much I spent on food, HBA, household or the furbabies. I do know that I spent about $190.00 in the past 10 days on those things. However, nearly $100 was on the furbabies for flea control ($40!), stocking up on dry cat food and canned dog food
($40) and at least $12 on cat litter. They are expensive little bundles of fur, but they are worth it.



How could you say no to that face?

Swagbucks Referral and Random Stuff

If you don't have Swagbucks yet, here's a link to join: http://swagbucks.com/refer/Shelly527IN
(the link isn't working!) I am just getting started using it, but if it helps me get giftcards and stuff, I'm all for it.


I had a great weekend with DBF and his family. It was extra hard leaving the furbabies right after Max passed away. It didn't help at all that Ginger had to go to the kennel. My co-worker, Tonya, has been stopping in twice a day to feed her, give Ginger her meds, and walk her. However, with it being a holiday weekend, Tonya had family come in and wasn't able to come by everday. Completely understandable! Ginger, however, does NOT like the vet's office for a visit much less a four day weekend there. I had to not only walk her back to the kennel, but get in it myself in order to get HER in it. I felt so guilty leaving her there!

I had a lot of fun this weekend though. We all (DBF, his parents, sister, niece and me) went to a county fair Friday night to watch a truck pull. I'd never been to one before and it was pretty cool. One truck came loose from the sled that it was trying to pull and the sled hit it in the tailgate. The tailgate was damaged, but nothing seriously long. DBF's two year old niece, Maddy, would cover her ears with someone else's hands and press them down with her hands whenever she saw the black smoke start to rise from the truck. It was cute.

On Saturday, Vince and I went to a little town called Renfro Valley where they have a log cabin museum. There were actual log cabins, not replicas. They were moved there from other parts of Kentucky. I plan to do a post on this part of the trip in a couple days.

Right now I should be doing homework or housework, but just feel like killing time on here. I can call it quality time with the furbabies since whenever I'm on the computer, someone's on my lap.

Here's the marker I want to get from ebay for Max's grave:



And here's one of Max's last pictures:

Pet Ten Commandments

A Pet's Ten Commandments

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6.. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old and weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

~ take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them. ~

~ Life would be a much duller, less joyful experience without God's critters.~

This came from: http://www.things4yourdog.com/page/145250202

I found it a couple months ago, but it means even more today after losing Max. Now go hug your furbaby!

Rest in Peace Max, We'll Miss You!

April/May 2003 - July 1, 2009

My beloved furbaby, Max, looking so hansome in his "tux".


Max passed away this morning at 6:15 am with me by his side. I did not find out until later in the morning that he'd had cancer of the liver for about a month or so. He was only 6 years old! If I had know what was wrong, I'd had let him go Friday with his last vet visit. I'm grateful that I got to be with him and he didn't suffer for a lengthy time. His six brothers, two sisters and I miss him very much. The house is not the same without his sweet personality. I called him "Mild Mannered Max" because he didn't have a mean bone in his body. He only got aggressive when he felt threatened. I had him since he was about 3 weeks old; he was a bottle fed baby.

I will tell more of his story next week when I am less emotional. I also what to find more pictures.

Paw It Forward!

Hello, this is Snowball taking over the blog. Our maid----uh, I mean mom---was taking her sweet time getting this posted so I thought I'd do it. Us cats wanted to thank Cory and her family over at Cory Cat Blog for the great package they sent!



We were so excited to get the package! It's the first time we've ever gotten something in the mail.



Soon as mom brought it in we all went after it! It smelled SO good! I found out why....CATNIP! Now I am a very high class girl and don't usually act silly, but well, catnip can make a girl do crazy things!



That little yellow fishy was a big hit....my brothers Coal and Midnight kept stealing it from each other. Mom needs to find some more so we can each have one.



For the first time ever, Mom was able to get a picture of all the boys together....I'm just out of range on the blue tote playing with the catnip!


Cory's mama even sent our mama a book! Wasn't that nice of her? It's called "Dewey". Maybe mama will read it to us since it's about a kitty cat. Mom said she'd have to wait until her class was over first. Oh, I can't forget to mention that Ginger the only doggie in the house full of cats even got a squeaky toy! She says "thank you for thinking of me!".


*Snowball whispers* Don't tell Ginger I said this, but she was scared of it! Mom squeaked it and went to give it to her and my silly dog-sister went and hid under mama's desk! She used to like those kind of toys when she was a puppy, but I guess she thinks she's too old for them now that she's ten. Oh well, mom said she'd "paw it forward" to her DBF's Weim, Amber. I've never met her, but mom tells me that Amber LOVES squeaky toys. Every time mom and Vince try to talk on the phone, Amber starts squeaking....she's SO jealous!

Ok, now here come's the fun part! Mama said for me to just copy exactly what Cory from Cory Cat Blog said so I wouldn't make any mistakes on how to play this game. Now I sure don't want to make a mistake on mom's blog........she'd never let me on the computer again! So here's Cory!

"This was all a part of Paw it Forward. It is now our turn to have fun pawing it forward to the next cat or dog blogger.

The guide to Paw it Forward is as follows: "The exchange focuses on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and 'pay it forward' in their own way.This is how it works...I am going to agree to send something fun, inspiring or uplifting to the first blog owner who posts a comment on this entry if you agree to paw it forward too. In turn you will then post about this on your blog, link to me, then send something to the first person who signs up to play along through your blog. There are no cost restraints, BUT don't go crazy! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found. No biggie, just a gift that will make the person smile. Maybe something unique from where you live? And, remember that kindness does not have to involve money; there are untold ways to help others every single day, everywhere you go - just look around". The rules were changed a little bit. We know that times are tough for a lot of people, and in the past the idea was to paw it forward to 3 bloggers. We are going to paw it forward to one and doing this might make it more playable for people. If you want to play with three people, it is your choice, or if you'd like to play with one or two people, that is also your choice. Keep the fun going and let me know if you want to play!"

Snowball: If you want to play, just be the first to leave us a comment saying so! We loved playing so much we already picked out some new toys to paw forward. Thanks for reading!

Money Saving Challenge Update

I've not done so well with keeping up posting about the ways I've saved money. Oh well, a daily report would be dull and very short. So here's the update since the last time.

1. Saved about $100 by not getting Microsoft Office 2007 after my free trial. Friends at church had 2003 that was good for three computers and had only used it for two. It works well enough for what I need.

2. Still have not had the A/C on!


3. Still mowing my own yard. DBF helped today and even cleaned my gutters so I wouldn't have to pay to have it done. Much to chicken to get up there myself. Trees were starting to grow......looked like a rooftop garden!

4. Using coupons at Walgreens to get free items and RRs to use on things like food that I can't get great deals on. Last Sunday at WAGS, I got 6 Nature VAlley Granola bars, 4 cans salmon, 2 24pks freezer pops, and 3 pks Goody's hair accessories. I used two $10RRs, 1 $5 RR and an OOP of approx. $1.50!

5. I also found a $4-$6 toy for DBF's dog on clearance for $1.74 at WAGS!


6. I was gone all of Memorial weekend, so I had nothing on in the house except fans, a couple clocks and a light when my friend was here taking care of the pets.


7. My friend (Tonya) took great care of the animals for FREE so I could go out of town. Taking the dog, Ginger, to stay at the vet would have costed $8 a night for 4 nights = $32 that I saved. Thanks, Tonya!

8. DBF's mom sent 3 dozen farm fresh eggs home with me! I gave 2 dozen to friends (including Tonya) since I had some still left from Easter.

9. I found that Wal-Mart had a special Head and Shoulders pack with shampoo and conditioner for $5 instead of $5.24 for each. I used 3 $1 Q and got 3 shampoo and 3 condition for only $12.xx---much better than $30 it would have cost! I used 10 Q for free Kitten Chow for the local shelter and got 10% off the $19.98 regular price before Q or discout so it took off some from the H&S.

10. I made $180 from private tutoring in the past 3 weeks.

Vote for Coal the Cutest Cat!

Vote for my pet in the Furry Faceoff Challenge!

coal

It's cats vs. dogs... the ultimate showdown! I've entered my pet in the challenge and need your help to win!

The furry friend with the most votes will be the lucky winner of the AmericanGreetings.com Furry Faceoff Challenge.

To vote all you have to do is click on the picture and it connects you to the voting site.

Thanks to Maizey Grace at the Creek Cats blog for sharing this with me!

Thanks to everyone who votes for Coal!

The Other Girl in DBF's Life..........

is a real dog! (Had some of you worried, huh? LOL)




Her name is Amber and she's a 16 month old Weimerwrainer (sp?).



She's a big girl, but still learning how to ACT like a big girl! Vince doesn't usually let her out of the crate when I visit because she's taller than me when she stands on her back feet. Plus, she's very hyper and jumpy. However, on the evening these pictures were taken she laid down on the futon beside me like we were old friends!




Look at that tongue...DBF said it looked like a third ear!



This is the best picture. Here she is being calm........



and here she is being affectionate! DBF said this picture was embarrassing, but I think it's adorable. Sorry honey....I couldn't resist posting a close-up of it!

My Furbabies

This beautiful solid white princess is Snowball. She is now 14 1/2 years old. She wanted to be the only kitty in the house. The only way Coal got to come in was that he was so small she didn't know what he was! Snowball was my Daddy's Christmas present from my brother two years before my dad passed away.



The large black cat on the computer is Midnight the mischief maker. I love him dearly, but he drives me nuts! He's into everything, but loving as can be. He's the one who likes to put his paw over your mouth if he doesn't want you to talk. He also likes to nibble on chins!




This loving trio is from left to right: Lucky, Roadrunner, and Punkin. Roadrunner and Punkin are litter-mates and younger brothers of Midnight---and cousins of Coal and Max. Lucky showed up at around 3 or 4 months old, but he's not from the litters of any of my females.



The pretty tortie above is Coal's (and Max's) mama cat, Little Girl. She's showing you where she left her babies for me to find.



The last picture is a re-post of Coal (all grown-up!) and Ginger the Chow who is now 10 years old. Notice Coal's tail, or lack of tail. The vet said that the vertebrate just didn't form enough to create a full tail.

Still to come in another post are Max and Peaches.

Isn't He Precious???

This was my baby boy, Coal, just a week or so after I found him under my car. I can't believe that was 7 1/2 years ago already! I was over at visiting Cory's and Maggie May's pages looking at kitten pictures and had to share Coal's. BTW, Coal started out as "my little lump of coal". I had a time trying to figure out a name so he became Coal. It was either that or Mole (at first I thought he was a mole!).

Not Enough Time in The Day

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

The photo above is from lolcats. It looks like my cat, Midnight, but he'd have his paw over the pacifier. ETA: Sorry that part of the pic is cut off, I don't know how to resize it.

Easter weekend was GREAT! DBF and I went to his parents' farm for the weekend. On Saturday they took us (his sister and 2 y/o niece too) to the Newport Aquarium. It was fo much fun. I got a lot of great pictures to use with summer school. I'll post either later this week or next week.

The class I'm taking is almost over. Then I have to get ready for summer school! I haven't felt like doing much at all this past week. Hopefully, this next week will be better.

More Stockpile!

Several of my fellow hounds from the Grocery Challenge sent me coupons Whiska's cat treats ($1 off 2 packages). The coupons used to be $1 off of one which made them a moneymaker at Wal-Mart since they are $1.07 and I get 11 cents off each due to my discount. I was thankful to get the coupons but wasn't sure I'd find a great sale to use them on. Thanks to someone else's blog, I discovered that Whiska's cat treats were part of Kroger's Mega Deal last week. They were 99 cents each and if you bought 10 you saved $5! With 10 cats to feed I need all the cat food deals I can find! I thought the limit was three deals per customer so I had my accomplice (aka DBF)) take twenty of the treats to pay for them separately. I wnet first and bought 30 treats and 3 of the J&J Buddies. I used 15 $1/2 Whiska Q and $3 off 3 J&J items. My total was $5.90. I thought it was a little high, and discovered that only $10 came off for the Mega Deal instead of %15. The cashier then told me that it was a limit of two mega deals per transaction for that week. OOPS! I didn't read the fine print. Oh well, $5.90 is not bad for 30 bags of treats and 3 Buddies. That was still a savings of 91%! The 20 cat treats that I had DBF purchase came up to only $0.99. The receipt says a saving of 100%!

Ginger's Stockpile

Ginger doesn't look too happy in the picture, but she LOVES her Purina One canned food. I love getting it for the best price. In February, I got 20 cans of Purina One for FREE....actually with my 10% Wal-Mart discount I made $2.66!
The dry food (68 pounds!) cost $46.00 instead of $60 due to my discount and two
$4 coupons from Purina. Oh, and look at all those Good Bite treats she has! I got 26 coupons off ebay that made them FREE. The Qs cost about $26, but once again I got my discount so the 26 bags only cost about $16 or 64 cents a bag. She should be set for about six months!

A Sweet Rescue Story!

An online friend sent me an email about a Rottweiler who was saved after being hit by a car. The organization that is helping with his care is trying to raise money to give him additional therapy. Even if you can't donate it's a great story if you love dogs.

http://cullensarchangelrescue.chipin.com/hudson

My Baby..........

My baby boy, Coal, is jealous. He's seen Pinball's picture and he wants to be famous too! His mama cat was pretty feral, but she trusted me enough to bring her baby to me. At first glance I thought he was a mole! Instead, he bacame my "little lump of Coal". He was raised with a bottle and he's now six and a half years old. As you can see in the second picture, he has a very short tail but I've never seen a Manx around here. He also have two toes on his front paw that was fused together so I assume the tail is also a birth defect. He was the only kitten out of that litter to survive. I know he had a least one littermate who didn't survive. He shares his home with Ginger the dog, seven other cats and his two servants...........my mom and me! As you can see from the last picture, he likes to be "on the computer" as much as I do.