Our Week...

We played, we cleaned, we cried, we laughed...

we watched our newest member of the house play with his fellow felines,

we worried over Miss Moira's mysterious allergy,

we slept in and stayed up late.

It was an interesting week!

What's New?

Well this little guy for one!

This is Cole and he is the new addition to our family.

Gabby really wanted a lizard for her birthday... buuuuutt... the kinda geek me out.

And this baby needed a new home since his mama was hit by a car. 

Cole is only about 6 weeks old, really tiny.

But he is a really smart, silly little thing- litter training was a breeze, 

and he even plays with the older two cats.

(I think everyone too was missing Tuck a lot so Cole helps heal the sadness)

I am sure there will be more photos to come,

he moves so fast that they are all blurry for now!

Irony 101

Last week Gabby had her appointment with an allergist after having a massive reaction at a friends house where there are two dogs in residence. Mind you, we have a dog and this is someone whose house we have been to many times.  It sucked watching her face get all red, see her eyes just get these dark circles under them, and knowing that we needed to leave FAST.

We have known for quite a while that Gabby has allergies but didn't find out the specifics because I was too afraid that it might be cats. Selfish, I know. But when her Singular (topped off with Benedryll everyday) wasn't keeping the sneezing watery eyes at bay I knew it was time to get this figured out.

I did a little bit of research before hand, asked her teacher if she was sneezy at school, kept a mental list of where we were that she reacted badly to, and hoped that my suspicions were wrong... really hoped. However, the allergy tests confirmed my worst fears.... a +4 allergy to cats on a scale of 1-5.

See all that red on the left side? All indoor allergens...great...

After talking to the allergist about a plan he added Nasonex to the med plan, but the bottom line is that we have to reduce our feline family. Unfortunately one of the largest offenders is Prince, our Siamese mix. For some reason Siamese and breeds related to them are the worst for people with allergies, they shed the most, and at least in Prince's case- are so friendly that they are EVERYWHERE. I knew as soon as her back exploded that some hard decisions were going to have to be made. 

To some people their pets are something to take care of, to others they are family members who get their own stockings at Christmas and Easter eggs on Easter. This news is like Steve Irwin had a kid that was allergic to the zoo or the Dog Whisperer had a kid allergic to dogs.... Cats are a constant source of amusement, joy, and comfort to both me and the girls. (Lucky for us Gabby only scored a +2 for dogs... Spooky is  ok as long as she gets brushed, baths, and stays out of the girl's room) But there is no way that I can bathe 4 cats 2 times a week each, keep them out of the upstairs, or make it so that Gabby's meds have a chance to work without finding new homes for two of our guys.

Since Prince is the main problem we are going to rehome him and his best friend Bo. They will be adopted together, hopefully I can find a home with kids since they both love being around children. What is nice is that they are dog friendly too.... but it still sucks. Gabby is upset of course but is also sick of sneezing all the time. Her only concern was keep Dottie, who is still really young and can be trained to stay out of the bedroom. The doctor said that if we can give the medicine a chance to work then a drastic reduction might be enough to keep her comfortable on medicine. The other cat, Tuck, is mine and 12 years old.... there is no way I can part with him. 

Ugh.... even with a plan in mind this still sucks royally and I hope that with everything else we are doing we can get this under control. That is the 411 on Miss Gabby and her nasty allergies... wish me luck!

My favorite room...

was a complete and utter disaster!

Craft supplies had taken over the dining room table,

ribbon and papers everywhere,

something had to be done! 

Meanwhile, while I was sorting, tossing, and reorganizing....

welcome to the BEST cat entertainment EVER!!!

$3 from Walmart... sticks to the window for days and days of fun!

See!

Prince can't take his pretty blue eyes off the cardinals that visit us!

As I started reclaiming my space I remembered why this is my favorite room...

the color is such a pretty yellow,

I love how much light is here so my plants can grow,

and it is covered with my craftiness and strawberries!

Finally, after about an hour and a half... clean and organized!

I even tackled my crazy craft armoire, which was overflowing 

with half finished projects,

paint, wooden doll pieces, and lots of rubbish!

Happy Organizing!

A Haiku for You

Tuck

Peaceful when he sleeps,

Awake he is just as nice,

My very best friend. 

We Have A Winner!!

Ok folks! After much debating with the kids and Klint we decided on a name for the new kitty! It was really tough to decide since he is such a character and all the suggestions were so cute, but the winner is Melissa who suggested Dobby since the kitty has HUGE kitten eyes. (Dobby is the house elf from Harry Potter- see below!)

And since I did specify an M name I picked a runner up- Congratulations Kate who suggested the name Moo (AJ's favorite pick!)

Both winners are going to receive a surprise package of fall-ish craft supplies! Thank you to all who suggested names, it was a lot of fun trying them out!

and just because...

Meet My Pets- Part 1

So I know I have blogged about our great dog quite a bit, and of course I talk about my kids and hubby. But I have been forgetting to write about another big part of our family- our 4 cats! Yes, I did say 4!! (Someone once said that cats are like potato chips, you can't have just one.)

Introducing- Prince, our 5 year old Siamese mix

Me: Hi Prince, How are you doing this morning?

Prince: I am just feeling FABULOUS today! The sun is shining, it stopped snowing, and my guy is home from work so I can go sit on his lap!

Me: So what is your favorite thing to do during the day?

Prince: In this cold weather I really like to lay in front of whatever heater I can get to and press up against it so all the hot air keeps me warm. In the summer I like to chill in sinks to keep cool, it is a great life!

Me: Who is your favorite person and cat in the house?

Prince: Well of course Klint is my favorite, someday he will appreciate my uber loud purring and tubby belly. And my favorite cat is of course Bo, my long time partner. We cuddle together and yes, I know you have caught us spooning frequently. ;)

Me: With the New Year I know you made some resolutions, would you share some with us?

Prince: 1. Lose a little bit of the tummy and cut back on the kibble. 2. Learn to turn on the faucet for myself. 3. Stop getting jumped by Elmo. 4. Make friends with Spooky, hopefully she will stop trying to turn me into a chew toy!

Me: Well it was great talking with you, last question: What is your best feature?

Prince: Well the baby blue eyes are a show stopper but I think my purr which can be heard anywhere in the house is by far the coolest thing! Thanks to my Siamese ancestors I can share my happiness with everyone!

And that my friends is Prince, our rainbow flag waving fabulously pretty kitty!

Happy Love Thursday

Usually I am all about the love of the people around me, but every once in awhile I get to see the love that my cats have for each other. Happy Love Thurday to my sisters at Shutter Sisters!!!