Gizmo is Making Progress

I have still been working with Gizmo on leash training. He is slowly making progress. He will now lay very calmly on the front porch. He still gets spooked if a motor cycle goes down the street. I am considering building a play area in the backyard for him and his brother Jax. I think Jax would take to it right away. Going into the leash training I knew it would be a long road to getting him to feel comfortable with the harness but I am not giving up. I want my cats to like the outside and still feel safe.
The past two weeks have been crazy at my house. My daughter, her husband, and my adorable grandson are visiting from Florida. They also brought with them their German Shepard and Jack Russel Terrier. Lets say I feel like I am living in a Zoo. I currently have in my tiny house four dogs, three cats, 7 humans (counting myself). I am thankful to a big yard for the dogs to play in during the day. But I would not trade this for the world. I love family time.

Many Blessings and Good Fortune,

Candi

New Adventures

So as any good business woman would do, I tested the waters on how my hand made sewing crafts would be reciprocated among some friends on Facebook today. I posted a picture of two pillows (different sizes but same design) on Facebook to see what kind of response I would get and it was a little overwhelming. Everyone had something positive to say and was even wanting to know how much I would charge to make them some pillows. I want to make other things besides pillows but I figured it is a good start since its an easy way to decorate with. I am planing on checking out several sites that specializes in hand made crafts to sell. Once I get familiar with each site I will post a blog about each of experiences with the good, the bad, and the ugly (in my best Clint Eastwood voice). I still plan on finishing my degree and hopefully with the monies that I make from my crafts and photography I will be able to support myself and finish school so I can once and for all leave retail Hell behind for good. This is a very scary step but my ultimate goal is to love what I do even when I have a bad.

On a side note I must apologize to the Hobby Lobby cashier that I was totally crabby with today. It was not your fault that I was having a bad day and was trying to find my mom a birthday gift which of course I waited until the last minute to get. I always stress out on what to get her. She has like everything and is planning on downsizing soon, Even though I did not yell or throw a fit but I was still rude in my actions when you were just trying to explain that the sale that was going on did not include the ceramics but only glass products. So when I see you again at Hobby Lobby I wil make sure to apologize in person and I do know how it feels to be in your shoes because I still work in my retail Hell job and truly do understand what its like to deal with grumpy people. So please except my sincerest apologizes.

Many blessings and good fortune to you all,

Candi

Relationships according to one hair stylist

So today being my day off I went to the salon to get my hair cut. I am a quiet person and do not talk a lot and thankfully my stylist knows that I am this way. So while I am in the chair I am totally eavesdropping on the conversation between a hairstylist and her client. I know I should not have been but this is benefit to being a quiet person is that you can listen to others talk and see their true colors. The conversation they were having even made my stylist pause for a moment. They were talking about relationships and how they were looking for a good man. The client said she had two types of friends. Her one set would tell a guy that maybe interested that he does not make enough money for her. I was taken back by this. I have been married for 19 years. There has been times when I have been the main income into the home and so has my husband. I do not think that when looking for your partner that it should be based just on income. I believe it should be based on how he/she makes you feel. Now I do think that they should have career, job, or going to school. This doesn't mean that they should  have to make four figures to win you over as a partner because a relationship based on wealth is not a healthy relationship. Relationships should be based on a mutual attraction, common interests, similar lifestyles is helpful,trust and being able to see yourself with this individual in 20 or 30 years down the road. The biggest thing is that this person should be able to make you laugh and smile even when there are times that you don't want to. Laughter goes along way in a relationship. My own relationship has had its ups and downs but even after 19 years we are still in love and going strong. We always tell each other that we love them even if we are mad at the other.

The Adventures of Giving a Cat a Bath

Giving a cat has to one of the most dreaded things to do comparable to filing your taxes or going to the dentist. I had to give poor Gizmo a bath this past week. He was not pleased by this whole experience but he tolerated it. I myself did not get clawed to death or had my eyes ripped out. You are probably wondering how I manage to survive this experience without one scratch. Over the years I have found some very useful tips on how to give cats a bath.

Tip 1: Have all of your necessary supplies out and ready to use and within an arm reach out. I use a whitening shampoo for Gizmo that is especially designed for cats.

Tip 2: Have the water ran. Make sure that the water is not too hot. Remember we are bathing the kitty not cooking him/her. Make sure to have the water off before placing them in the tub/sink. The reason is that cats are very sensitive to sounds and are spooked very easily. The sound of the water can be too much for most cats.

Tip3: Go find the cat. I normally go and open the food pantry so Gizmo will come to me each and every time. Its better than trying to look under beds or the couch.

Tip4: Don't just plopped the cat into the water. Try gently gliding them into the water. They won't realize what is happening until its too late.

Tip 5: Make sure to keep a secure hold onto the kitty. Trust me if they can escape they will.

Tip 6: Don't get the kitty's face wet. They hate this.

Now remember most cats do not need to be bathe very often unless they get into something. Cats are in general very clean animals are always cleaning themselves.

I was unable to get pictures during the bath process for Gizmo but I did get one of the after his bath time.

How to bribe your cat.

Why do Mondays suck? This has been probably one of the worst Mondays I have had in a few months. I woke up late for work and of course this means rushing around trying to feed the zoo of animals I have and myself. Go outside to load up the Jeep and yep a flat tire. Thankfully I have a pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter so I could pump it up. I did make it to work on time so the boss was clueless that I broke the sound barrier just to get to work on time. Poor Gizmo probably thought I was mad at him cause we had no time for morning snuggles or his little treats he normally gets in the morning. So I will probably go home and he will have probably trashed the bathroom for revenge. He has done this before. If he does not get his way he will unroll a whole roll of toilet paper and knock everything off the vanity and tub. He is such a little gangster when he wants to be. Maybe I will get a coffee before going home to face the wrath of one spoiled kitty or maybe I will go to the pet store and buy tons of treats and toys for to repay for me being so rude to him this morning. LOL either way I think I'm in trouble.

So I came home with a peace offering and it seems to have worked for now. LOL I better watch my back for awhile or he may become angry again.

Many Blessings and Good Fortune to you,
Candi

Gizmo First Birthday

Yep it's April Fool's Day and also Gizmo's first birthday. He has been one of the best things that I could have done in my life. I adopted him last summer when he was just four months old. From the moment that I picked him up he started purring and snuggled deep into my arms. He totally has me wrapped around his paw. He is my little shadow around the house and has found himself into some very laughable but unusual circumstances. We are still working on his leash training but I think he will get the hang of it. So for his birthday I bought him some of those cute little mice toys that always come up missing ( the dogs probably ate them). He also got a feather toy and some of his favorite canned cat food. Yep he is spoiled but he gives me so much in return.

Many Blessings and Good Fortune to you,
Candi