SO FLUFFY!!

I always think of Despicable Me when I say 'IT'S SO FLUFFY, I WANT TO DIE!' Gracie loves that movie. We've watched it... a lot. haha! Anyway, speaking of fluffy... I forgot to post pictures of our newborn kittens! They are now over a week old, almost two weeks on Saturday. They are just now starting to open their eyes a tiny bit. I'm counting down the days till they can run and play and look up at me with their beautiful kitten eyes. I can't even express how stinkin' cute these guys are. Oh yeah. Most of them are guys. 3 boys and 1 girl. The girl was born first. We.. er.. Paul named her Clarabelle, because she looks a cow. This is Clarabelle from Disney btw, for the reference. Nearly all of our cats are named after cartoon characters. It's getting a little outta hand around here! lol. I kid.

Anywho. Who wants kitten pictures? *Raises hand!* I made these on my Nokia, so bare with me, people.

They were only a few hours old here. I'm completely smitten with the stripe/tabby kittens. I want one so badly! Paul says no. Boo.



Here they are with Mama kitty, Pepper. She's super protective, as expected. We had them in a cardboard box, like I'd done for years with my Mom's dog when she had puppies (4 litters!) but she didn't feel safe enough, so she moved them one by one to my closet. So, I helped her out by removing all of my clothes that were folded on the shelf, and replaced them with a soft blanket. She's much happier in there with them.



These pictures were taken yesterday and today. They are so fluffy now! I love snugging them when Mama kitty is using the litter box or eating.. or just generally taking a break from being Mama kitty... hey we all need our breaks. ;)



Aren't they sweet? Paul's mom is taking the black kitten. We are keeping the black & white one. She's Gracie's. The other two are undecided at the moment. I WANT A STRIPE KITTY SO BAD. Someone call Paul and convince him for me!! I'm going to surprise my parents with a striped one for my Mom's birthday but she already knows. lol. My dad on the other hand has made it clear he doesn't want anymore animals because they aren't getting any younger but my mom wants one so badly, so he'll just have to DEEEAALL with it. ;)

I'll be back tomorrow or Friday with a kitchen post. It's finally done! Well, 85% done. The important parts are done! Stay tuned! :)

I've got it covered!

What do I have covered, you ask?! Ok, you probably didn't ask but I'll just tell you anyway. Today, my dad & I hit up Home Depot (my current home away from home) for some ideas on fan covers for above the stove/oven. We looked up and down two different isles that offer different types of covers for the fans but nothing that really caught my eye. Plus the fact that most of them were nearly $60 to $100 bucks. Yeah, no bueno. I don't have money to just throw away on a brand new fan, plus I only need the cover, which all came in the wrong size.

Our home, like many homes is pretty old. It was built a long time ago, I couldn't even tell you when, so trying to find things that fit just right on something that has been in the same spot for generations, just doesn't happen that often. So, my dad being the brains of this operation said to me, 'why don't you just spray paint it?' Um, duh! Why didn't I think of that? Because he's the brains. Like I said. ;)

I quickly put together a before & after collage of pictures on my Nokia and emailed it to myself. So, bare with me on the not so high quality photos.



Not too shabby! I'm pretty happy with it and the best part? Didn't cost me a penny since I already had the paint (and the fan cover!) for a different project. That's what we in the biz call a win/win! ;)

In other kitchen news, we finished putting all the backsplash beadboard in the kitchen. Like it's DONE. Next step? Painting! That is the plan for Saturday. You can kind of get a sneak peek in the pictures above of the area behind the fridge & oven. Once it's allllll finished I'll have before, during the process and after pictures for you! Next week. Promise!

Crazy busy & sunburned

Things sure have been busy around here lately! My niece Taylor came to stay with us for about a week, we visited the Zoo, took Gracie (& Taylor) to her first Yankees (minor league) game, had a big 4th of July shindig at my parents & then visited the Florida Aquarium where I got an awful sunburn on my thighs... of all places. So bad in fact that I could barely walk for a good 2 to 3 days because it seriously felt like my skin was ripping off. Yeah. Awesome.

Today, I finally had money in hand to go get the last bit of supplies to finish the kitchen. I'm so thankful for my parents & their constant help when it comes to these things. Mostly, my dad. That man is a boss! Him & I will be getting our boo-tays in gear tomorrow on beadboard installation & whatever else we can cram into one day. I'll be sure to take pictures as progress happens.

Gracie asked to spend the night at my parents house, so I got to work on cleaning, because lord knows when the kids are home, it's HARD... IMPOSSIBLE to clean. Straightening up is about all I can get away with, but seriously CLEANING is just not something that can happen. I got so much accomplished today, I'm pretty proud of myself. I still need to get in Gracie's room and clean it as well but that room is seriously overwhelming. I'll just put it off till Saturday when she'll be with my parents for the entire day. Because I'll need a good 8 hours in that pigsty. Hey, I'm just keepin' it real, people.

One last thing, Pepper our Mama kitty is still pregnant. I have a feeling tho that these little kittens will be here in the next day or so. She's been very clingy and loving and I read online that that is a sign of pre-labor. Fingers crossed for healthy kittens! :)

I'm a Vox Boxer!

Ok, I don't really even know if a Vox Boxer is a real thing but I did get my first VoxBox from Influenster this past week. I was so excited when I checked my mail and saw a little white box waiting for me. Here is what I got in my box...



IVORY BAR SOAP, IMPRESS PRESS-ON MANICURE, STASH TEA SUPERFRUITS TEA SAMPLER, QUAKER SOFT BAKED OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE, DENTEK FLOSSERS, DINO LINGO LANGUAGE SET FOR KIDS, NEKTAR HONEY CRYSTALS.

Here is a play-by-play of how I rate everything I've tried so far... (can you tell I've been watching LOTS of Yankees baseball? hehe) First up, the Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Raisin cookie. Unfortunately, I don't like oatmeal or raisins so this rating isn't coming from me, but from Gracie. I asked Gracie what she thought about while she ate it and her answer was, 'Mmm, it's good! It's so soft and yummy!' So, there you have it, right from the mouth of a 4 year old. It's a win! I did happen to feel how soft the cookie was and it felt like a good cookie, but that's as far as I got. lol. But, hey it's a thumbs up from the kid!

Later that night, Paul & I had a cup of Stash tea. Paul tried the Blueberry Superfruit Herbal tea, which he says was really good but the one I had, Pomegranate Raspberry Green tea was even better. I agree! He has also tried the Acai Berry but says it was not very good. We still need to taste 3 other ones to finish the box taste test. Those ones are; Yumberry Blackcurrent, Goji Berry Green, & Mangosteen Green. We'll probably try more tonight.

For three or so nights in a row I used the Dentek Flossers & I gotta say that my mouth did feel cleaner. I've tried other flossers before mostly just store brand ones and I didn't notice much of a difference. So I'd say these flossers are pretty darn good! I'm going to have to check the price at Publix when we go shopping in a week. I might have to buy more!

I still need to test out the Ivory Soap Bar, the Impress press-on Manicure, Dino Lingo Language Set or the Nektar Honey Crystals. But, in time I'll have everything tested and will make another post about those.

I wanted to quickly mention that I received each product complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster. I was not paid, or anything of the like. I just got lucky enough to be selected to test these products. Thanks Influenster!



In other news, we got a new kitty! Her name is Pepper... and she's pregnant. About 4 weeks or so... Cat pregnancies last about 6 weeks. So, we're almost there. We got Pepper in exchange for Niko, our dog. I had to get rid of Niko due to him constantly peeing all over Jordan's room. I don't know if it was a jealous thing or an attention thing but it has been going on for a looong time and I just couldn't deal with it anymore. Since trading pets I found out that Niko is much happier being the only animal in the house and gets lots of love & attention, so it's a win/win!

Hey, anyone want a kitten? ;) I can't wait to see what they look like!! So, about a week or two from now I'll be posting all about kittens!

I've also had my niece Taylor with me since Friday. I love when she comes and visits. She's staying with me till Wednesday for the 4th of July picnic at my parents house. Should be fun! So, if I don't post before Wednesday I hope everyone has a fabulous Independence Day! Stay safe & enjoy lots of great food & fireworks.

We're also hitting up the Tampa Yankees game on Tuesday for hot dogs, baseball & fireworks! Talk about a good time! :)