My Crazy Cats

I just left my sleeping children in their room with Harry, one of our cats sleeping on the floor beside them, keeping guard.  This is a far cry from life a year ago.  Harry has only in the last six months warmed to Miss 6 and Mr 4.  I guess the trust factor had to kick in for him, it takes a while to get over having your tail pulled constantly by a small slobbering child.  Now there is lots of gentle patting he is quite partial to the children.

Wait until we bring another little baby into the house in about 3 weeks.....  He has got about 8 months to live life as it is and then he will have to start giving the kids the cold cat shoulder again.

I don't think our other cat, Meila, has taken the addition of children into the family to well.  In fact we often joke that Meila needs to check into respite once in a while.  She is quite the loon and often goes into the new babies room, find a small stuffed animal and drags it out to us meowing all the way.

They keep us entertained.

Jen
http://shimistore.blogspot.com/

My son the photographer

Can't believe my little 4 year old took this photo of our very lazy cat Harry.

Ragdoll cats

I am feeling rather weary today.  It has been a hot day, and the kids and I have been at home all day, which sounds relaxing but can be rather exhausting when trying to keep them entertained.  It has been nice nevertheless.  I am shamelessly going to blame my tiredness on my cats.  We love them dearly but they are such monsters and are dirty stop outs.  One work me at 3 in the morning to be let out (toilet break) and the other woke me at 3.30 to let in.  We don't normally let our cats stalk the streets at night, but that was the night that was.

Our cats are RSPCA survivors which we adopted about 10 years ago when they were only 6 weeks old.  I think that we will always be RSPCA supporters and only ever adopt animals that aren't lucky enough to have a pedigree but it doesn't stop my yearning for a Rag Doll Cat. 

Our cats, whilst affectionate on "their" terms are not lap cats, and after growing up with a cat always on my lap as soon as I sat down, I really miss that.  Now I have two children constantly on my lap so I shouldn't complain, but patting a cat is a great stress release and it would be nice if my two would be obliging occasionally. 

I always remember my Grandmother working on whatever Handmade item she had taken an interest in, be it embroidery, crocheting or knitting in "her" chair with her tiny Burmese Cat permanently on her lap.  Nick named "The Brown Bomber" by my father she hated everyone except my Gran, but she was very cute.  One day......

China Tea Cups

My Gran (who is no longer with us) was a great tea drinker and had various types of beautiful china tea cups that were used daily, rather then stored away for a special occasion. I loved the ritual of the afternoon cup of tea with Gran, and was appreciative as a child that I was allowed to use the fine bone China Cups that are normally reserved only for adults. Yes I broke a couple, but Gran didn't bat an eyelid. She had the philosophy that you might as well use it now as you can't take it with you. A theory she passed onto me - although being a clothes horse I usually take it on when it comes to dressing. I wear what I want regardless if it is"for good" and when my daughter is not at Kindy she can herself wear what she likes - by the time she wears it somewhere nice she would have grown out of it.

Anyway... although my Gran was a big believer in using her delicate tea-cups daily she did require a certain type of tea-cup. They had to be very fine, none of these chunky edged cups. Fine and delicate or not at all. She had some beautiful ones, some of which she passed down to me, that I am sorry to say I haven't got on display (cats and small children don't mix well with China), but will have and will use just like Gran one day. I found a cute cup that reminded me of my Grandma at http://www.whittard.com.au/store/product_info.php?cPath=26_154&products_id=899.

Share with us your stories - we would love to hear them.

New House

Ever since I have been with my Husband (going on a decade now, oh my) we have been renovating, moving, renovating, moving, and since my beautiful children have come along - renting. We choose to rent for a number of reasons, but one of them was because we wanted a house with character that we would feel at home in - and that is not something you find readily.

Well, we think we have finally found it and all going well we will be moving in very soon. I am very excited but due to years of moving constantly our furniture and home ware is a jumble of styles and nothing matches. I have lived like this for at least 5 years now (I know, the problems I face, how do I go on!!!) and the thing that has bugged me the most about living in these temporary houses is not being able to make my children's rooms in particular home. I want to make it a haven where they can go when they are feeling cross, tired, happy, etc. So this time (and this house is for at least the next 20 years) my house is going to be my haven. Room by room I am determined to get it just like my type of display house - comfy, practical, full of great art and a happy warm environment.

It will be years in the making but I will get there. I think I will be doing a lot of shopping on Etsy which is a shopping site devoted to handmade items. MissyMooDesign is a favourite and I just love this cat print (we are a cat family)http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7137957 .

Hmmm, the fun I will have.