Tuesday Project Roundup: Starting, Finishing, In Progress

Over the long weekend I made a valiant effort to finish (or at least start) a few projects in the queue, in between eating pie for breakfast.

Another pair of boot toppers for a friend are DONE:

 The rayon dress has sleeves and half a collar (but is still looking a little Laura Ingalls Wilder; I'm not sure about this one):

And 4 out of 8 kitty blankets are cut out (but not fringed). Maybe my helper needs to be a little more helpful:

Friday Unrelated Information

1. I'm pretty sure this week needed....more Toby! 

That's all, actually. What could top Toby?

It's Monday

Sit in it like it's a drawer organizer and look dubious.

A Belated Toby-versary

I knew I was coming up on 4 years with the love of my life, but I'm ashamed to say that last night I realized I had missed the actual date (March 23rd). I can't feel too bad, though, because the love of my life also missed it (unless one of his highly varied and operatic "MEOW!!"s was meant to be a reminder).

Dates aside, happy anniversary to my friend, my "something to love," my entertainment. He meows, he chirps, he sings, he knows many, many words and phrases, he knows our routines, he lets me know when those routines are different ("MEOOOOOW!!"), and he pulls an endless variety of faces:

Wise.


Crazy.


Unconvinced, with a side of disapproval.


Wondering.


Helpful.


Approving, yet tired.


Darling.

It's Tuesday (That Feels Like Monday)

Sit on a dining chair and turn your back on it.

It's Monday

Lay on it like it's clean laundry and pretend it's still the weekend.

Together We Sit

This is from last week, when it was sunny, but it will be sunny again.

It's Monday

Play with it like it's a toy mousie you got that's the best toy mousie EVER, and that you keep playing with 48 hours later:

And then go back to bed:

Giving Thanks While Seated

I'm not hosting Thanksgiving this year, but I could:
I finally have chairs to go with that table--and for the first time in my adult life, I can entertain more than a total of two for dinner!

So I'm thankful for furniture, and that I have family and friends that I want to fill the chairs, and for what's been a really good year, overall.

Meanwhile, Toby remains thankful for his space heater:


Enjoy the long weekend! I'll be back Monday.

A Visit From Skyler

Look who came over to his auntie's house on Saturday! There was lots of kitty chasing--because someone can crawl now:

There was also a moment when I had to tell Toby that the little creature wanting to touch him was not for pouncing on. (Toby had a look in his eye; I wanted to head that off.)

There was also some delicious paper to be had:


Kitties and paper and Skyler, oh my!

MYFO Monday

Are you ready to Melt Your Face Off with cuteness? Look who came to visit my house Friday night:
He really liked the texture of the couch.


He also liked Toby, when he noticed him. (Toby didn't really know what to think.)

We even went out onto the new playground in the common area:

Nothing like a visit from Skyler to get the weekend off to a good start!

He Looks Like I Feel

Toby is not convinced. About anything.
That is a face you don't mess with.

My Cat Is Cuter Than Your Cat

There is incontrovertible photographic evidence:

(Why do I have a cat tower in my living room? I don't now; it just took me over an hour to get it up the stairs, because he jumped on it the second it came through the garage door and didn't get off.)

Basement Floors Are Where It's At

Just ask Toby!


(If you couldn't tell, I've been stuck with post ideas this week. A friend suggested I blog about waht made me smile most this week and we all know that's Toby.) (This was a close second, though.)

It's Wednesday

Lay on it like a rug and show it who's the most adorable:

Friday Unrelated Information

1. It was cloudy here for the super perigee moon last Saturday, which kind of made me feel like the girl who misses the sun shining on Venus in that Bradbury story. But then I read that another full moon that will be almost as bright will happen on May 6 next year. I guess its full phase will be pretty close to perigee--not coinciding perfectly with it like the one that just happened--but it made me feel better.

2. Dr. Sagan would be ashamed of me, but I'm going to say it anyway: I think the "super moon" wreaked emotional havoc over the last week and a half. At least, that's what I'm blaming.

3. And finally, Toby's garage explorations are getting a little out of hand:
All he wants to do is play on the Ford Kitty Gym--and of course I can't say no to him. Spoiled Toby!

I Feel As If I've Been A Crazy Cat Lady For Much Longer

Today marks three years of Toby in my life! Here he was the first day he came home--so small and worried.

And here he was Monday, large and sassy and inspecting fabric:

You already know that I get pretty ridiculous when it comes to Toby, dedicating poems to him on Valentine's Day, reading him The Tailor of Gloucester on Christmas Eve, saying he's the love of my life on our last "anniversary," etc. So it's not crazy of me at ALL to put up the theme from Love Story to mark this year's anniversary. NOT AT ALL. Because I think the lyrics suit the occasion:

He came into my life and made the living fine
and gave a meaning to this empty world of mine
...I reach for his [paw], it's always there

What's This?

I was joking when I said I'd tell Toby the tiger painting was a portrait of his ancestor, but apparently it really is:

He spent a good part of yesterday evening next to the painting in the hallway, giving it these deep looks. I asked if he was "communing with his ancestor" and I got a cat blink in reply.

Tuesday Project Roundup: A Day Off To Sew

I put my day off yesterday to good use: Cut out a new dress, made coffee cake, bought lamps and picture frames, assembled a flat-pack coffee table--and sewed a pillow to go on my newly-reupholstered chair.

And the long view:
Don't the chair and pillow combo just shout "FANCY!"? Gosh, it's nice to have the space to finally be fancy.

(We're not fancy all the time over here, though. There was a lot of this going on yesterday, in spite of all the productivity:)

It's Monday

I woke up feeling cynical, so here is a picture of Toby.


He was "helping" me sew last weekend and just climbed on top of the machine while I was pressing a seam. He usually sits on the machine when it's covered, which gives him a little more room--note the paw held up to tell me, "Mama, this is too small. Fix it."

(Don't worry, he couldn't have made the machine go, so he wasn't about to hurt himself.)