cats

Socialization and Salsa

Hi and happy Wednesday! I feel like I’m totally confused on what day of the week it is this week. Our church is having its annual fall revival, which started on Sunday and ends tonight. It has been amazing to be at church, listening to great sermons, and hanging out with fellow Christians, but I feel totally confused on what day it is since we are usually at our church on Sundays and Wednesdays!

Anyways, I am sharing some snapshots and thoughts for today!

I am back on a button art kick! I’ve made a few canvases for friends and family and even button art in the shape of a pelican. I love crafting as a creative outlet. Working with my hands always helps relieve stress.

Blue and green C button art canvas

Mavis has been making some new friends lately! I brought her to my parents’ house on Saturday for a cookout and she got to meet Brandy (their cocker), Reggie (their labrador), Lily (their tabby cat), and Indy (my sister’s golden retriever).

At first, she was so afraid when I brought her in the house that she peed on me. Poor gal. I know that all of the socialization will pay off, even if it’s scary for her in the beginning. We took things slow with the introductions and by the end of the day, she was much less fearful!

Cocker spaniel puppy and golden retriever puppy

Mavis and my sister’s puppy, Indy! We trained them together on Saturday and it was absolutely adorable!

She also met two of my pet sitting clients, both of which are puppies. It was so cute to see her romp around with a havanese and corgi!

cocker spaniel and havanese puppy

Alright, enough about Mavis! How about a picture of some mums? I saw these while I was heading home from grocery shopping and just had to take a picture (I was sitting at a red light when I took the photo). I love doing things like that because it reminds me to stop and smell the roses… or take pictures of mums 😉

colorful fall mums

I can’t believe it is almost officially fall. I feel like the summer went by in a flash! It was a great one, though. Speaking of great, my brother and sister-in-law gave us some salsa that they made and canned with tomatoes from their garden and it is incredible. I hope they have more jars left because we’re almost finished with the one they just gave us!

Homemade salsa from garden in a mason jar

Guess who is going to the vet tomorrow evening? Malcolm! He’s due for his one year check up and booster shots. Jimmy and I are trying to decide if we should bring him to the vet in his stroller or borrow a carrier from our neighbor. Decisions, decisions!

Black cat sleeping in sunlight

Alright, I better get my day started. I have lots of work to do, along with a bunch of laundry to fold!

I’m thinking of doing a Q&A post soon, so if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments!

10 Things I Never Thought I’d Do

1. Pass statistics. I’m not a math person. I had to take a math course before I graduated from Penn State and this was it. It was hard, but I put in the time and effort and even got tutoring. By the grace of God I not only passed, but earned an A. I learned I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Stats

2. Look forward to mowing the lawn. Growing up with an older brother, I can count on one hand the number of times I mowed my parents’ lawn. When Jimmy and I bought a house with a big yard, I began mowing every week in the summer months and grew to love the distraction-free time to think, dream, and pray.

3. Enjoy Yoga. Ask anyone who spends more than a few hours with me; I am notoriously bad at sitting still. When a nurse practitioner recommended I practice yoga to help combat anxiety, I dove in. I now thoroughly enjoy my time on the mat a few times a week. Thank you to YouTube for free yoga videos!

4. Get into art. I didn’t think I was an artsy person because I’m not super skilled at art. I’ve come to realize that I can love painting, water coloring, crafting, etc. even if I’m not especially talented. It’s just fun and relaxing.

Watercolor

5. Enjoy tv shows about cars. I don’t know much about cars, but Jimmy totally got me into a few car shows. I find them really interesting.

6. Play video games. I also credit Jimmy for this, haha. He enjoys playing video games, so I try to do one of his hobbies with him from time to time.

7. Become a spinning instructor. I loved taking spinning classes, but I never thought I’d teach them until my parents gifted me the training course to become a spinning instructor for Christmas in 2012. It was totally random, but I really went out of my comfort zone and enjoyed teaching. I don’t teach (or spin, haha) anymore, but I have great memories from that time in my life.

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Hannah used to come to my classes from time to time!

8. Dislike driving. If you would have asked me at age 15 or 16 if I ever thought I’d dislike driving, I would have said no way. After being a passenger in a terrible car accident at almost 17-years-old, my tune changed on driving. While I feel blessed to possess a driver’s license and vehicle, and have physically healed from the accident, the emotional wounds still impact me to this day.

9. Love chocolate. I was just never a chocolate lover until fairly recently. As a child, the only chocolate I would eat was white chocolate, and even that made me queasy. Over the past few years, I have come to love milk and dark chocolate. I now like to have a square with lunch each day and never turn down a chocolate chip cookie!

10. Become a cat person. My family had a cat from when I was young until I was in my 20s, and I was actually afraid of her, haha. She wasn’t super friendly because we adopted her after she was abused. Poor girl. It breaks my heart knowing she was mistreated, but I like to think she had a great life once she came into our home. Years later, my parents adopted Lily and Felix, and I learned that cats aren’t scary. They’re actually the best! Now I’m a fur-mom to Malcolm and I love him so much!

snuggling-malcolm

What are some things you never thought you’d do?