cats everywhere!

my boyfriend and i are currently pet sitting his mom's two cats.  i have always been a dog person and have never in my life had cats around the house.  it is quite different, i must say.
i am still getting used to hearing mysterious scratches in the middle of the night, rustling blinds, the odorous smell of cat litter, waking up to a cat climbing on my pillows, and jumping at the sight of an unexpected creature standing on the counter staring at me.

their names are football and soccer... these two precious ladies were named by my boyfriend when he was a little boy and didn't know anything about properly naming animals.

soccer settled in nicely and found her favorite spot--  on our butcher's block.  she is lounging there at this very moment.

they also quickly discovered a basket we had lying around.  both can be found here at various times throughout the day.

their activities include:  walking around and exploring, finding nooks to hide in, peeking out of the blinds, climbing on my head in the middle of the night, hanging out in the sunroom, and most of all.... lounging.

time for their close-ups!!  football blinked every time.

soccer allllmost...

there we go.  :)

new creations

i completed a couple of new jewelry pieces the other day inspired by pendants i found at the local flea market.

first, a lovely little black spider, accentuated by little sparkling gems--

and second, this beautiful silver waterbird filigree--

[ i have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to incorporate those amazing fuzzy red beads into one of my pieces ]

if you like these or would like to see more, i have plenty for sale in my store HERE .

oh, lovely spring!

   i remember being outside as a child- how wonderful it was to go exploring... running around, climbing trees, observing bugs in the grass, finding the special little things in my yard that existed in their own secret magical realm...
your yard is a whole world of its own.

the other day, the weather was perfect-- a slight breeze, birds carolling in the trees, squirrels scurrying for treats...  so i made like a kid and went exploring and playing in the yard. [ with my camera in tow of course! ]

it was fun discovering the flowers blooming, to see the first uncurlings (i made that word up) of leaves and blossoms.
here are a few beautiful things i found . . .  .  .    .

picture trails

    today, i met a mini horse, and he touched my heart.

  i woke up early this morning to drop my boyfriend Josh off at a bus he is renting for a picking trip.  i was supposed to go along, but several obstacles delayed the trip, so i could no longer go.  so i was sad to have missed potential photo opportunities, but it turned out that some beautiful things found me anyway.

 on the way to the rental van, i spotted a field with miniature horses grazing in it, and i got super excited.  i knew i had to stop there on the way back.

   we arrived at our destination, and the guy Josh was renting the truck from ended up being a guy who rents out bounce houses.  his backyard was filled with odds and ends, piles of wood and furniture, and... lots of bouncy houses.  i'd never thought of the life of a bouncy house rental guy before, but now i have.  he said it's a pretty decent business- there's always someone wanting one.  so for a moment, i considered becoming a bouncy house guy, too, but quickly arrived at the decision that that would not be the best path for me.


 after i left, i immediately headed to the field where i had spotted the mini horses.  they continued to wander and graze as i watched, and eventually one was curious enough to walk up to me.  they were absolutely adorable- i could have stayed there and hung out with them forever.

 

after i left the mini horses, i decided since i was close that i would swing by Cannonsburgh, a historical village in Murfreesboro, TN.  on the way, i spotted a gorgeous field of cows backed by a skyline of empty trees being coated in snow.  (for those of you who do not live in this area, yes, it is currently snowing.)

some of the cows hung around and looked at me curiously for a bit, but soon enough the entire field of cows was walking away from me.  i was sad that i was denied by the cows like that- i wanted to earn their trust and their friendship!  oh well- a few stuck around and gave me some adorable and interesting photos before i had to move on.

  

  from there, i ended up at the Lao Buddhist Temple- it was on the way, and it looked beautiful in the snow, so i couldn't resist.

from there, i finally made it to Cannonsburgh.

  so even though my original plans fell through, i ended up on a picture trail anyway, and i'm very happy with the results!   i hope you enjoy them, too!