And Kitty Makes 3!

Hey gals! Friday is finally here and I’m excited to share something with you! Sometimes I feel like fashion blogging needs a personal element besides personal style. Not often do I talk about my family, friends, or boyfriend in my posts. For whatever reason, I feel like I should keep them away from my online presence if for no other reason than their privacy. Some people like to share everything about their families right down to the hospital and room number in which their baby was born. Whether it’s good or bad, I’m simply not that way. Today however, I wanted to share with you a very important aspect of my life. Her name is Petunia!

My boyfriend and I adopted her a few months ago but other than pictures for our family and friends, I haven’t shared her on my blog. She’s a darling little kitty and has been the light of my life since moving away from home. David and I went to the Kansas City Pet Project just to “look”, then we saw Petunia or “Tuna” as we call her. We adopted her that day and took her back to her furever home (see what I did there?) According to the shelter, she was found wandering down the side of a highway.

Since bringing her home, she’s gotten quite comfortable in her new digs. Petunia likes to wander around the house following me everywhere I go, meowing the whole time. We considered getting her a buddy but after meeting her kitty cousins (David’s sister’s cats) we determined it might not be the best idea! I was hoping to maybe get an older kitty because they usually are the last to be adopted and that breaks my heart. Petunia may warm up to the idea eventually but as of right now, she likes being an only-child.

Last week, I FaceTimed with my parents and they saw their grandcat for the first time. I have lovingly gifted my parents with the grandparent names of Grandmeow and Grandpaw. How appropriate, right? Everyone but my mom thinks I’m crazy. What can I say? I love this kitty!

I just wanted to share with you something more personal today so I hope you enjoyed it! If you’d like to make a donation to KC Pet Project, I’m sure they’d appreciate it!

-Liz

6 Things I Can’t Live Without (in this phase of life)

Like other soon-to-be college graduates, I’m young, vivacious, and just starting out in life. It’s a tough world outside the comfort of our college campuses. Apparently, there’s something called student loan “payments” and moving “back home” if you can’t find a job. Gone are the days of stressing over papers and finals; that’s child’s play! The real fun begins now.

There are a few things that I literally can’t live without at this point in time. Those “things” have become apparent to me in the last year or so. The first thing on my list is…

1. My girl friends. Seriously, they’ve come to my rescue a million times this week already. Between keeping my mind off of things that were troubling me or just helping me shrug off emotionally draining issues, they’ve had my back! I’m grateful for this lovely lady in the picture with me for inviting me out Saturday night. I definitely needed it.
2. The second thing I can’t live without right now (or ever) is my mom. She just never gives up on me even when I’ve given up on myself! Plus, she makes crazy good comfort food.
3. A steamy shower. My goodness, I could just live under my shower head and let the heat just work it’s magic on my muscles. I’m rather tense these days.
4. Dark chocolate has recently become my best friend due to it’s heart-healthy label and the bittersweet goodness it packs. After a long day, I need, scratch that, I deserve a few pieces of it!
5. My furry felines have become the best little listeners and even better cuddlers. Pets are therapeutic for people. They just are. I adore having mine around and delight in the adorable little sounds they make, their crazy antics, and determination to catch the “red dot.”
6. The final thing I can’t live without is Indeed.com. It has become my best friend for job hunting. Being able to search by job title and location makes things so much easier.

There’s probably a million other little things I’m forgetting but these are my top six. This season in my life hasn’t been easy but I’m thankful for the extra help I have to get me through it. I honestly don’t know when things will start to change for the better and I wish I did. Sometimes all you can do is hold tight to the blessing you do have and pray for the rest to fall into place.

Kitty Reactions to Snow

As most of you know, the north east is covered in snow and there doesn’t seem to be any possibility of it melting. I live in Maryland, and while it isn’t considered to be part of the ‘north’, it can easily be said that we’ve had our fair share of snow. Besides being stuck in the house all the time and becoming well acquainted with our snow shovels, there are few nice things we can associate with the cold, white stuff.

Consider this, is there anything cuter than seeing our pets’ reactions to snow? I can’t think of anything more adorable! My three little kitties all have their own opinions on it. Puddin’ (the big, orange tomcat) really enjoys hiding behind snow piles and watching the birds get a tasty morsel from the bird feeder. After a few minutes he’ll shake his bum and then lunge at the birds. He’s never caught one, which I’m glad about. He loves being outside with us when we’re shoveling snow. He tries so hard to ‘help’ but just can’t quite pick up a shovel.

Little Hootie will go outside for a few minutes and very carefully step in people’s shoe tracks in the snow so he doesn’t get his paws too wet. He’s very particular about his feet getting wet. After a few minutes outside he’ll come back in and head straight to the humidifier to watch it bubble. He tries to catch the bubbles that come up but just can’t quite get them in time. We tell him that the humidifier is run by the evil ‘red dot’ he can’t catch. I don’t he think he understood.

My sweet, little Tanzie just doesn’t do the snow. She will go out and sit on the step for a few minutes and then decides she’s over it and comes back inside. The other day it was so chilly that she jumped into the linen closet and sat amongst the sheets to warm up.

I adore my little fur balls! I think God gave us animals not only for our enjoyment, but for our therapeutic needs. Sometimes just petting my kitty or watching him play is all it takes to boost my mood. Watching their reactions to snow is an adorable aspect of being apart of their little lives. Be sure to leave a comment about your pets’ reactions to the snow!

Delivery for Miss Liz

Hello sweet friends! I hope your Valentine’s or Galentine’s Day was lovely. Mine certainly was. I gave my wonderful mom a nautical themed charm bracelet that she was surprised by! The small beads were blue rhinestones and the 4 bigger charms were a sail boat, sea horse, beach chair, and heart. She gave me a bag full of cooking goodies I’ll be needing for whenever I move out and get my own place! She’s always thinking ahead and encouraging me that someday (hopefully soon) I’ll have my first job. There were also a few chocolate things in my surprise bag, most of which I’ve already devoured!

The biggest surprise of all was the dozen roses that were sent to me by someone very special to me. I was at work when they were delivered, but when I got home there was a note on the box and gorgeous magenta, yellow, and white roses inside! Nothing brings a smile to my face and energy to the air like flowers in the house! They roses are currently sitting on my vanity in a gold vase by my mirror.

I’m such a girly-girl when it comes to things like this. These little gestures and sweet things mean the world to me! Apparently, they mean just as much to my kitty-cat, Puddin’. Once I got the flowers out of their comfy bed in the box, my cat jumped right in, sat down, and made himself a little hiding place. It was a lovely Valentine’s Day for all!

3 Things I did for Halloween (and what scared the pants off me)

Happy November 1st! Hope your Halloween was fun and rain free. I woke up this morning and its pouring rain and everything is gloomy outside. I hate depressing days like this. Luckily I have enough to keep me busy that it really won’t matter how wet it is outside.

In true November 1st fashion, I believe its about that time of the year when stores go into Christmas mode and put panic in the eyes of parents all over. Before popping in my Michael Buble Christmas CD, I’ll recap my Halloween for you all while drinking my PSL (pumpkin spice latte).

Pumpkin Cookies

My mom made soft, warm pumpkin cookies! They have a thick, caramel glaze drizzled on top that hardens after a few hours. Here’s the recipe:

• 2 cups shortening
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 8 tablespoons milk
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Cream shortening, white sugar, and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt, and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

2. Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3. To make frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. SPread over warm cookies.

These cookies are my favorite Pinterest find to date. They are so tasty!

Mom also got a cake from the local bakery for us to dig into to. The inside was chocolate cake with a chocolate mousse filling. The outside was a hard chocolate shell with whipped icing detailing the kitty’s face. It was so rich! I could only eat a small slice. For almost every holiday my mom gets a cake or cupcakes to celebrate. My grandma did the same thing when my mom was a kid. Keeping these traditions alive is an important part of life.

Last but not least, my sister had her best friend sleep over. We ended up watching a ghost hunters type show. It scared the pants off of us. The hunters went to ancient haunted castles in Ireland. Several of these castles had druid and pagan rituals performed in them. The ghost hunters were trying to communicate with any evil spirits that still lurked in the castle. Needless to say they made contact and it scared the living tar out of them. One even claimed that something with sharp nails grabbed his ear! The man was actually crying. Upon entering a new castle another ghost hunter asked a spirit what touched the other man in the first castle. An audible voice said “Satan.” At that point my sister, her friend and I screamed and the ghost hunter proceeded to cry and then throw up. Freaky stuff! Enjoy the photo of us and be sure to tell me how your Halloween was!