Tuffy's Great Adventure

Two weeks ago today one of our cats, Tuffy, snuck out the back door and took off for points unknown. We advertised, called radio stations, the local SPCA etc. etc. etc. We called all our neighbors. We got calls of sightings from all over the place. We had about given up on finding her when we got a call from our next door neighbor. She had spotted Tuffy on her front porch. Tuffy disappeared before we could get over there, but...... it was a great relief to know that she was alive and not that for away. So everyone was on alert. That was Saturday.
Then on Sunday, we call a call to come to our neighbors house because Tuffy had just run under the porch. !!!!!
Yes!!!. She was there. I called out to her and she poked her head out just enough to let me know it was her. Then finally Bill got her out by giving Tuffy her favorite treats. And home she came. At first she was a bit tentative but it didn't take her long to check out her favorite haunts. She drank a lot of water too. Probably a bit dehydrated but basically she was the same but a bit thinner and didn't seem to worse for her adventure. It is just amazing to us that this indoor cat could survive so well outside. We had several snow storms and heavy rains during this time, not to mention cold and ice. But as she is named she is ONE TUFF CAT.

The reason she is named Tuffy has certainly been proved to be a correct one after this current escapade. She was born under another neighbors porch three years ago and was the first of the little kittys to wander away from her mother.... a local stray cat. She was already proving her adventurous nature. She joined our family along with a sister cat named Spooky.


Spooky still lives up to her name cause she is a real nervous cat. With Tuffy returning to the fold Spooky's nose seems a bit out of joint. I think she was enjoying being queen bee. She is also a bit afraid of Tuffy.... Hope she will come around soon.

We are so happy to have Tuffy back home again. Sure hope the two cats can become friends again like they were in this picture taken a month or so ago.

Darling Dotees

As I mentioned a few posts ago I have joined an online group called Swap Bot where there are all kinds of swaps in which to participate. Most, though not all, are artsy type swaps which is right up my alley.

The first swap I completed was one called "Shabby Chic Dotees." These are little dolls that someone created and now are all the rage on this list. In this swap the idea was to make a little "dotee" using the main idea of a body, face out of felt and "dress it" in the shabby chic style. Since my craft room is loaded with fabrics, vintage lace and trims this proved to be an easy task. And I really like doing it. Here is my very first but probably not last "dotee"

The lady who created dotees in the first place is Dot from Australia. Here is her blog

Since both my swappees have received their dotees from me I feel I can safely post it here now.



This little lady on the right is "Grammy Chic Dotee" from "Artful Artsy Amy." Isn't she cute?

Woody Woodpecker came by for a visit.

A couple of days ago there was a VERY loud pecking sound coming from our Maple Tree. It was a visit from a Pileated Woodpecker. What a beautiful bird. The bird is busy and "shy" so it is hard to get a picture. But this is what they look like. They are huge and the first time I saw one I was amazed and very curious to learn what kind of bird it was.


They don't come by very often but when they do they are a sight to behold. They are unlike any of the other kinds of woodpeckers that we see quite often at our birdfeeders such as the Red Headed, Hairy, Downey and others. They look, in person, more like the Woody Woodpecker" of cartoon fame than other woodpeckers I have seen.

The picture I am showing is one I found on the internet since the one in our tree would not hold still long enough for a decent picture. You can learn a lot more about the Pileated Woodpecker by clicking here.

A change of pace weekend

For the first time in a while I got out of my antique shop for the whole weekend and did an antique show at a nearby mall. It was not very well advertised but we still did amazingly well. Those "mall walkers" like to shop too I guess.
We had to set up for a couple of hours on Thursday night, then on Friday and Saturday we were there from 9-9 and on Sunday 12 to 5, and got to pack up again. That is a LOT of standing.
The mall itself is not a very active one but enough for us. The only real problems were that the bathroom was a LONG way from where we set up and the floors of the mall were hard. My feet were sore each evening.
I loved meeting all the people. Had some lovely chats. And it was fun to see people get excited with their purchases. One fellow couldn't wait to get home with his "new" old toaster and try it out. And a lady was thrilled to find a cup and saucer that matched a partial set she already had. And then there were the three ladies that were each trying to decide if they wanted to buy the table and chair set. Finally one just handed me the money and said... it is mine.
I am happy I can sell in my shop most of the time instead of a show but this was still a very nice and interesting change of pace.

A good recipe

My daughter is a great cook. She is constantly on the lookout for good recipes. I tried one that she recently talked about on her blog. Well, it sounded good and I had all the ingredients in my frig and pantry so I did it.
The recipe, Chicken Stroganoff, came from the Taste of Home website. My daughter didn't follow it exactly. I did so there was a bit of difference but it was still great. I even took a picture of my offering. Notice that I added green peas and a couple of tomato chunks. When I was in high school I took home ec classes and they always stressed your meal should have colorful presentation. So that is what I did with this one. I did not use paprika this time. Maybe I will the next time I make it. However, I think I will go back to using beef. That seems to be more of a family favorite here.

Swaps and Art and Such

A friend of mine told me about all the swaps she was doing at a site called Swap Bot so naturally I had to check it out.....
And I signed up for three swaps. That is in addition to the two I am already doing with the ATC-ArtDolls swap. So my art studio is now a mess of paper, glue, embellishments and I am loving it.
I have been so wrapped up in making clothes for my dolls and doing dollhouse things I had forgotten how much I like doing these little art projects.
I will post pictures here after I am finished and of course after the recipients have seen the results.
So now to get the glue and glitter off my hands..... LOL .........

Anniversarys and Restaurants

We always know which anniversary we are celebrating when it comes. Just check on the number of the superbowl. The first one took place near our first anniversary.

We celebrated our 42nd anniversary three days late thanks to a small bout with flu.
We went out to dinner last night at one of the newer style restaurants, Bennigans. The kind that have a bar, a grill etc. They are all pretty much the same..... however at least this one had excellent food. Even if the beer was flat...........

But my real problem with these places is that they are so "cold" feeling. No tablecloths or even placemats. And the napkins are wrapped around the flatware with a little paper thing that is on so tight it is hard to get off and you end up tearing the napkin. What is it with that.... they save a bit of money I guess but they certainly charge enough to make up for it! The "niceties" of dining out seem to be gone. So while we enjoyed the food we were still disappointed. Now you may say... well the food was good so what was the problem........ We just felt a bit cheated in the whole "dining" experience. We must just be old fashioned but I don't see why we have to feel old fashioned because we like our dining out to be a bit of an experience.

Any comments on this would be welcome