Camera Ham or Camera Hog?

It always happens, Lil poses or pops up in many of the pictures. When I was taking pictures of the Easter decorations, she appeared during the snap and it reminded me of all the other times she popped up or posed for other pictures. I decided to ask Wikipedia the difference between camera ham and camera hog. Here the official answer: a camera hog "steals the spotlight" from others, while a camera ham is a very over-enthusiastic model for the camera, loves the attention, and loves to be photographed. A camera ham doesn't mind sharing the spotlight. And to think I thought a camera ham was a camera hog that had been "cured". Please check out those cute little knees and thumb sucking!

~Stinky's Self-portrait & The Jenny Award~

Our cat, Alley, a.k.a. STINKY, is the best subject for just about any artistic creation since she has so much character. Her tenacious personality keeps her ahead of the Cat Pack...all 9 of them! When she crawled inside my Puritan rug hooking frame, I decided to hook her. If this rug stays around for 100 years, one day someone might wonder who owned this little kitty. They will never know what a stinker she was!

Speaking of cats, I was thrilled to receive the "Jenny Award" from Jenny Carter at Alley Cat Resue. Her friend, Fran Caldwell, created it for her site. I am very honored to be recognized for all the time we spend caring for and rescuing stray cats. We found homes for 23 cats and 5 dogs over the last few years. I am currently trying to rescue two dogs which have been abandoned near where we live. I named them Snoopy & Woodstock. I took a picture of them in the field as they were heading to their place of shelter. They eat in one barn and sleep in another. It has been over a month now and they will not let us get near them. It is so sad when a dog absolutely fears you...I don't see that as much with dogs as I do with cats. It took 3 months before our dog would trust us. After several years, he still only comes to us. Wish me luck with this rescue!

On a positive note, I ordered an Easter Bunny from Laurie Hardin. She e-mailed me yesterday and said she is almost finished with it. I cannot wait for it to arrive. I will post a picture of it with my upcoming Easter decorations!

KSGP Blog Surprise & Going Green

It is time to rotate the decor to a green palette for St. Patrick's Day! Speaking of green, I was pleasantly and completely surprised to win the February blog contest from Kindred Sisters Gathering Post. My precious little doll was made by Kelly at MysticalEntities. Here is her site: http://mysticalentities.blogspot.com/

On her site is the sweetest picture of MacKenzie blindly pulling my name from a Valentine box. Here is the link to KGSP, so you can register for their March giveaway...it is a LUCKY month!!!

http://kindredsistersgatheringpost.blogspot.com/

Ten Cats & A Dog, Max!

When the kittens came along, the big kitties felt a bit left out. The kittens are in the videos, the kittens are playing the games, the kittens are getting the "extra" treats...I know the big kitties think they get all the attention. It was hard to believe we found the kittens only two weeks apart and they are so close in age. We had Jack before Lil Lil. I always say he wished for her. They could not love each other more. Since the big kitties like lots of attention as well, I thought I would introduce them...in the order they came to bless our lives. This post is for those who follow my blog and have asked to see pictures of them.

From Bottom to Top

Cat 1: Rudy has been with me for 13 years. He first appeared outside my door when I was painting my bedroom. His eyes were shut tight and he was so skinny that I thought he was really sick. It turned out he just has terrible allergies!

Cat 2: We found Alley in a restaurant parking lot next to a busy, busy street. I thought she was running past us when we walked outside the restaurant, but she ended up landing at my feet. She is our Alpha cat and lets all 9 cats know it each day, so we nicknamed her "Stinky". She looked so much like Rudy when we found her that we got them mixed up for weeks. However, she ended up getting bigger than him and we soon discovered she was pregnant. She had 5 beautiful kittens and we found great homes for all of them.

Cat 3: Bonnie strolled over to us when we were walking at a track. She is declawed and has an extra digit like the Hemingway cats. Once home, we realized she was pregnant. Bonnie had 4 kittens and once again we found great homes for all of them.

Cat 4: Minnie was probably living on our farm before we were. Occasionally, we would see her outside and I would affectionately call her Minnie Mouse since she dashed by like a little gray mouse. After a few months, we were finally able to start feeding her. Then, one day she came over with 5 kittens. Oh no, not another one with kittens! Once again, we found homes for 4 of her 5 kittens. Minnie is the most grateful cat we have. She brings calm to the group and I now call her "Mother" Minnie.

Cat 5: Maggie is Minnie's daughter. She is a beautiful Calico cat. Maggie stayed with us since she has such a timid nature. After 4 years very little has changed. I am the only one who can get close to her. She is so loveable, but so scared of just about everything.

Cat 6: Alvin just appeared one day on the farm. He is a big tabby "Tom Cat", a true gentle giant. I nicknamed him "Fatty" because he looks so much like Miranda's cat on Sex and the City.

Cat 7: We went to an estate sale and ended up with Summer. Her owner had recently died from cancer and the family was trying to find her a home. We left the estate sale with Summer, a pet carrier and a rabbit painting. I will post a picture of the rabbit painting on my Easter post. Thanks to the internet, I was able to locate the artist who had been featured on HGTV. I have since become friends with her and her family. We also learned so much about Summer through them and have met so many wonderful friends.

Cat 8: It was a warm rainy Thanksgiving Day and I had the door open while I was cooking. The smell of Turkey must have been too much to pass up. Molly was outside the door crying to come in and eat. She was so skinny and completely soaking wet. After 3 pregnant female cats, I was not ready for another one. We were so blessed she was not pregnant! I love the way she can rest completely flat on her belly...just adorable!

Cat 9: One trip to the Lumber yard and we came home with a little orange kitten. We named him Jack for Lumber Jack. However, I am a huge fan of Jack Nicholson and our Jack just loves the ladies like him. Although, his true love is Lil.

Cat 10: Lil is Jack's wish for a soulmate. We found Lil just weeks after we found Jack. She was stranded in a parking lot and she climbed my pant leg begging for food. I thought she would never stop eating when we brought her home. She is the most playful cat we have and I know she loves Jack as much as he loves her!

Our one and only Dog: Our little white American Eskimo is Max and we found him in our barn. He is the watch dog for all our farm cats. He alerts them of anything new and scary. More importantly, he is my husband's best friend.

~PWGL Token of Love Gift Exhange Post~

While reading the posts I follow, I was surprised with my Token of Love Gift which should be arriving in the mail this week. My swap partner, Bonnie Barrasso "BonnieSinger", made an incredible gift for me which she posted on her blog today. As you know, I love making decorated boxes and dolls. The gift she made me had both...one of her adorable dolls on the top of a painted box.

Bonnie received my gift last week which is the second picture of the decorated boxes with little stuffed hearts and a handmade card. She sent me a very appreciative thank you note saying how much she loved hearts. We had so much fun with this swap. I look forward to doing it again. Not only did I get a wonderful gift, I got a wonderful friend! Here is the link to Bonnie's blogspot: http://bonnesinger.blogspot.com

~A Vintage Valentine~

Decorating for the holidays is so enjoyable and puts me in such a festive spirit. I was lucky to find many vintage Valentine Day cards in the attic of our old farmhouse. They are probably from the 50-60's era. Many of the names signed on the back are some of our neighbors and their relatives. I have decided to deliver them on Valentine's Day. I am anxious to see if they remember sending them!

One of my favorite cards is a cat playing the fiddle. I liked it so much, I decided to paint it. It is hanging above the jelly cupboard and looks nice next to my two dolls from The Cart Before the Horse. I feel so fortunate to own some of their wonderful creations.

I sent my Token of Love gift last week and I will be posting pictures of what I made on my next post.

~Lil Lil Has My Heart~

It never fails when I finish any project, my cats want to make sure they put their stamp of approval on it. I made this little hooked heart as part of my Token of Love gift, but I ended up making something else instead. So, Lil Lil can have my heart...of course she already does.

As usual, I have several projects going at once. I finished my Token of Love gift which will be mailed tomorrow. When I received the name they sent me, I realized it was one of my blog followers which is such a nice surprise! Yesterday, I started Gritty Jane's doll class again (sounds like I failed the first time, but these workshops just keep me going). I am just amazed how fast some of my classmates can make a doll. I need to get busy...it is great motivation after you see some of their amazing work.

I just finished another hooked rug with row houses on one wintry night. I think this pattern is by Pris Butler (I hope that is correct). The rug seems to fit nicely next to the houses I painted for Christmas. I have enjoyed keeping the Christmas lights out a bit longer than usual. However, this weekend I am going to start decorating for Valentine's Day!

I was pleasantly and overly tagged this week. I am so appreciative of the thoughtfulness which I am planning to return. I will need the weekend to get caught up sending out blog awards and letting everyone know I received them.