Photo of the Week #6: Content Kitty

 Sofie has been with us for 8 months now. She seems to be very content in her new home.

Hebrews 13:5 - Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (ESV)

Saying Good-bye to Our Sweet Dutchess Kitty

Our sweet Dutchess came to us 19 years ago as a 6-week old kitten. I picked out her sister, Aggie, to bring home (who died one year ago this month), and David picked out Dutchess. She was the runt of the litter, and could barely meow, but she survived and I believe she actually outlived all the others in the litter. She has been a very special part of our lives, and we are thankful to have had her as a part of our family.

1997 - Dutchess and her sister, Aggie. Dutchess is on the left.

1997 - Getting a drink from David's cup 

1998 - Playing with a shoestring 

2006 - Sitting on the Scanner. She liked it because it was warm. 

2008 - Asleep with David  

2008 - Chillin' Out with EL 

2009 - Hangin' around with Spiderman 

2015 - Asleep with Me. She loved to snuggle into our bed each night to keep warm.

  

2015 - Gettin' loved by JJ 

March 2016 - Morning cuddles with David

June 10, 2016 - Enjoying the fresh air with our kitty the night before she was laid to rest.

We love you, Dutchess. Thank you for being a part of our lives.
We will miss you, and will never forget you.

Good-bye, Dear Aggie Cat

June 1997 - My sister gave us two of the sweetest kittens in the world. They were 6 weeks old. We named them Aggie and Dutchess.

1998 - David and Me with our cats.

1999 - One year old EL sitting in the doorway with Aggie.

2000

2001 - Looking for catnip

2002 - I am pregnant with JJ in this picture. Aggie liked my big, warm belly.

2003 - Aggie joined David and the kids for an Easter picture.

2004

2005 - Aggie was so good around kids.

2006 - This was Aggie's special afghan she always liked laying on.

2007 - Relaxing in the windowsill

2008 - Snuggling on the couch with me and JJ

2009 - Comforting EL when she was sick with the flu

2010 - Sunday afternoon nap time

2011 - EL is laying in the doorway with Aggie, just like they did when they were little.

2012

2013 - Aggie kept me company when I was recovering from cancer treatments.

2014 - Snuggled in her favorite afghan.

June 15, 2015 - Aggie was barely able to walk due to old age. We took her outside to lay in the shade and feel the breeze. This was the day before she died.

June 16, 2015 - On the morning of the day she died. We knew her time was nearing. We were saying our good-byes.

Our final picture of Aggie before she passed.

We had 18 special years with Aggie. She will forever be in our hearts.

REVIEW: Furry Logic 10th Anniversary Edition

Are you an animal lover? Or, do you know someone who is one? If so, there is a humorous little book available from  Random House that you might be interested in getting. 

Jane Seabrook is the creator and artist of the Furry Logic series. The Furry Logic 10th Anniversary Edition is the 9th book in the series. It is a small, hardback book with adorable paintings of all kinds of animals including cats, owls, frogs, lions, penguins, bears, ostriches, and many others. Each colorful painting is accompanied by a short saying or quote, similar to what you might find on a bumper sticker. Some sayings are funny, some are sweet, and some just give simple reminders that we are all unique and its okay to just be you.

This is not a religious book. It doesn't talk about God or Christianity, and I don't necessarily agree with all of the sayings in this book. But, it is cute, and it did make me smile.

NOTE:  I received this book from Blogging for Books for the purpose of this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Be Careful What You Pray For

What an interesting week we’ve had! (Life is never really boring around here anyway, LOL!) It all started because of a prayer request I mentioned at the last prayer meeting with our local homeschool group. I first asked for prayer that the kids (especially our youngest) would adjust quickly to a new school routine. Aside from that, I also told the group how I wanted to spend less time on the computer. During the summer months, I became used to sitting at the computer on a daily basis as I finished up my book about Communion and began the advertising process. It has been hard for me to break away from the computer at times. My housework, and other things, had been neglected. So, I asked that my time would be used more wisely. I don’t want to completely give up my computer time, but I DO need to start having a specific time set aside each day to be on.

Lo and behold, shortly after that prayer meeting, I found out our cats were loaded with fleas! Aaaggg! I ended up spending most of the week bathing the cats, giving them a flea treatment from the Vet’s office, and thoroughly vacuuming and cleaning the entire house. I also set up an appointment for an exterminator to come out and spray the house. We had to vacuum again thoroughly before he came, and move items away from the walls and off the floors as much as possible. Then, we all (including the cats) had to be out of the house for at least 4 hours while the treatment dried. (Thank you to my friend, Rachel, for allowing us to crash her place for a few hours!) When we got back home, the floors needed to be vacuumed once again before we could let the cats out and move furniture back into place. Ugh! What an exhausting week! Has anyone ever told you to be careful what you pray for? Well, this is a classic example of that! LOL.

Oh well.... I’m so thankful we found the fleas before all their eggs hatched and we had thousands of little hopping, biting black bugs all over us. God is good.... ALL the time.



Poor kitties.... No more going outside for recess....

Make Time....

Each day, as I sit at the computer, I get the privilege of Aggie’s company. She is such a dear cat, who has been a part of my life for over 12 years now. She and her sister, Dutchess, came to us as only 6-week-old kittens, before we were blessed with children of the human kind.

I have to admit, Aggie sometimes gets on my nerves, always wanting attention and nudging her nose up against my fingers as I try to type. It takes me a few times of lovingly (and sometimes not so lovingly) pushing her away before she finally either settles down on my lap, or on top of the computer desk next to my keyboard. On occasion, she will even lay on the floor near my feet. When David is home and is working on his computer, she is then blessing HIM with her presence. She will even follow him around the house from one room to another, wanting his attention.

Despite how adoring Aggie is, David and I have often complained about how “needy” she seems to be. But, you know what? On the occasions when she isn’t there, we wonder, “Where is Aggie?” It is odd to not have her around, and we actually miss it.

It’s the same between us and our heavenly Father. He desires fellowship with us and always wants to be near us, even to the point of following us around from place to place. But, how often do we push Him aside and say, “Not now, Lord. I don’t have time for You.”

Sometimes it takes something drastic for us to realize we are not close to the Lord, and then we miss having that closeness. I hope you are not feeling this way. But, if you are, please take some time today to strengthen your relationship with Him. Spend some time with the Lord in prayer and be comforted by his presence. He adores you!