Beyond The Kitchen: My Little Girl Turns 1 Today MeOW

                                        Sassy 3 weeks old                  Sassy 1 year in our yard/tree

Without anymore two legged kids in the house you still can't say our home is devoid of four legged children.  Mr. V and I  have 3 kitties and one old gal of a dog.  Today however is all about my baby girl Sassy aka "Lil Bit" and "Sassa-Frass". Everyone on my facebook for the past year knows all about raising Sassy and most have enjoyed following her wee little life (they really don't have a choice lol). 

Sassy was born on October 10, 2010 and not into very good conditions.  One day my girlfriend Jen was telling me about this poor wee kitten who at this time was not quite 3 weeks old with no mommy kitty and the rest of the litter died.   Jen's co-workers got a hold of the baby kitten and they were bringing her to work, bottle feeding her and trying to keep her alive...long story short they couldn't keep it up and Jen says "Do you know anyone who would take her?"  Ummmm hellllloooooo???  So, I took her no questions asked.

Mr. V and I had no trouble naming this tiny 'Lil Bit" of a kitten for even at 3 weeks old she was exactly as her name describes SASSY.  We were reminded as parents once again, all about getting up every two hours to feed "the baby" her bottle and what a wee piggy she was come time to eat hhahahahaah.

 Raising a kitten from pretty close to birth, bottle feeding them, keeping them close to your body (she used to sleep in Mr. V's shirt pockets) and literally taking them everywhere with you she turned out to be more spoiled than any of my other babies and I've had them all since birth but they had kitty mommies.  Let me tell you right NOW she does have us wrapped around her paws like no other and she pretty much always gets her way....alright, alright not pretty much, she just does and if you know cats, you know exactly what I am talking about.

So, anyway, I just wanted to share this very special day with you because my fur babies mean just as much to me as my human babies.  Psssst and don't ever let Mr. V tell you otherwise, shhhhhh he can't hear me.......but he "wuvs his baby gurl" (that's how he talks to her) lol....cute.  It's been a joy raising Sassy and we look forward to many MANY more years with her in our life.  MUAH.

Happy Birthday Sassy!

Love Mama and Papa V.

Where Meals and Memories are Made

Beyond The Kitchen: The Best of Friends Endure The Test of Time

Mom used tell me not to consider "everyone my friend" because over my entire life I could probably count my TRUE friends on one hand IF I was lucky and most are acquaintances at that.  Ok, so back then that used to bug me, in fact it down right annoyed me.  I was young, what can I say?  What did she know anyway?

So, I will be the "grown up" here and admit my Mom was right.  UGH we all hate to say our parents were right don't we?  As I became a parent I realized when the teen years approached I couldn't WAIT to hear I was right come out of my kids mouths somewhere down the line.

Over the years I've had friends come and go from my life and I know each and every one of them had a purpose and brought something to my life good, bad or indifferent.  The reason I am writing this diddy is because a long time friend of mine floored me with one of the sweetest gifts ever.

Laura and I met around 1984 at an Herbal Life meeting and we were sitting next to each other bored to tears, when we started talking and the next thing we knew, her and I left that meeting and were instant best friends.  Over the years and time after our son's were born Laura and I sadly lost touch.  There wasn't a fight or break-up, nothing bad happened between us, it was just life that drifted us apart.  I will have to honestly say there was never much of a time span that I didn't think of her over the years and missed her terribly.  

A few years ago thanks to social networking Laura and I were reunited and I was the happiest girl in world.  She is in Washington and I am in Arizona and while we chat via phone, email or facebook we're still working on seeing each other in person again.  You know how that goes, time, money etc.

Laura has her own home jewelry business called Ever Chic Jewelry and out of the blue she sent me the most precious gift ever.  She still has pictures of my son when he was little (she even sent me some I didn't even have!) and she turned one of his baby pics into a charm necklace for me.  Just "because" and frankly I cried.  I realized how truly blessed I am to have her back in my life again.

Here's what she made, that I got in the mail today, sorry the pics aren't so great I took them with my phone.

I adore everything about it and really love the "Love beyond the moon & stars) Awwwww isn't that just the sweetest thing EVER?!  You know what's an even better gift than this?  Having her and her friendship in my life again.

It surely is true the best of friends endure the test of time.  I love you Laura!

Until next time and see you real soon!

Where Meals and Memories are Made

Where's The JUICE?!

It is a beautiful morning in Tucson today when I got up so I decided to have my eye opening cup of coffee outside on the bench.  There was a breeze blowing but something was missing.  Where in the world were my hummingbirds?  I didn't hear them chirping and I looked up to my feeder and OOPS it was empty!  Not good at all, I felt horrible.  Then I saw one hummer in the tree resting as if to say "yum, ya where's the juice?"

Mr. V and I never seemed to have much luck with the store bought red nectar so 10 years ago we started making our own hummer juice and they come in droves for it so we have not deviated from our recipe.  It's quite simple.  Below is a pic of our feeder so you can see the size of it.

Hummer Juice

• 4 cups of water
• 1 cup of granulated white sugar
• sauce pot

In sauce pot  on high heat bring water to a rolling boil one that can't be stirred down.  Turn off heat and dump the sugar in and stir constantly until the water is clear.  Let sit until lukewarm to cool and fill'er up!

The little beauties know when it's filled, or at least around here they do.  They start zooming around within minutes.  Ok the juice I made should be cool enough to fill my feeder back up so I need to hop to it so they can eat and I can enjoy another cup of coffee outside watching them.

Until next time, see you 'round the table,

Where Meals and Memories are Made

Laughter 'Round The Table: There's Nothing Like It

Hello and good day to you!  So glad you stopped by my kitchen table today.  Have you ever just sat back when your family is all together in the same room or at the table and absorb it all?  One day a few weeks ago Mr. V and I went to his brother's house for a family BBQ and gathering.  We like to get together at least a couple times a month.

 I wasn't feeling good that day and so I went to lay down in one of the rooms and a warm, fuzzy feeling came over me.  I was listening to the sound of our family laughing, talking over each other, you could hear dishes clanking, sliding glass doors opening and closing, kids squealing and playing and more.  I just got this smile that slowly spread across my face because all of it was music to my ears.

We sit around the table sometimes for hours just talking, telling jokes and laughing away.  On that note I thought it would be fun to have a section in my blog for humorous fun.  I am going to call it Laughter Around The Table.  I think it will be fun, what about you?

Well, I think I will post my first funny and until next time, see you 'round the table

Where Meals and Memories are Made

Beyond The Kitchen: How To Keep Your Lil Ghosts 'n' Goblins Safe On Halloween

I don't know about your house but at ours Halloween is one of our most favorite of holidays.  It's just down right fun!  Not only do the kids dress up but even us adults do.  Time for letting the imagination run free, dancin' to the Monster Mash and creepy, ghoulish, squeeky, chains a rattlin' sounds and MUAHAHAHAH'S all 'round.

However, times have changed where homemade popcorn balls and caramel apples are not treats to be given out anymore because there are nasty, bad people out there who take all the fun out of it all.  There are some things that us as adults need to do to make sure our children have a safe AND happy halloween.  Here are some safety tips to keepin' your lil' ghost 'n' goblins safe this Halloween and make sure no mishaps are a'happenin ;-)

Let's start with costume safety first:

• Make sure your child's costume is made of flame retardant materials or use a flame retardant spray  on their costume
• Check to see if the costume is colorfast so if it rains the colors don't run into your childs clothes underneath
• Have the child try on their costume for proper fitting to avoid any tripping if to big/long and have time for alterations such as hemming is needed
• It's dark out and a lot of costumes are of dark color.  Apply some reflective tape
  to your childs costume to make them more visible in the dark
• Kids love masks but can be cumbersome, opt for using makeup instead.  One year my son wanted to be spiderman and instead of the mask I did his face all up and it came out just too cool!  Turned out to be his fav costume of all growing up
• Use only hypoallergenic and non-toxic halloween makeup
• Have the kids wear comfy shoes.  The costume more than likely will "cover them up"
• Double tie their shoe laces to avoid them from coming undone and prevent a trip up
• Keep costume/wigs away from flames ... candles etc
• Many fake swords, guns etc look very realistic you may want to detour from such accessories and if used that they are flexible and cannot harm anyone

Now, on to some trick or treating tips:

• Whether you are going door to door, to the mall etc...plan your route out ahead of time to prevent any confusion
• Only go up to houses that are well lit and/or decorated.  If the house is dark and porch light is off more than likely this house is not welcoming visitors
• Trick or Treat in areas/neighborhoods you are familiar with
• Always carry a flashlight with fresh batteries
• Always have an escort with your kids and make sure you keep them in sight at all times
• Take along some money for a "just in case" incident
• Make sure your cell phone is charged
• Always carry ID with you and invest in a kids id kit in case of separation 
• Trick or Treat in groups always accompanied by an adult
• Follow a curfew and take a watch with a backlight
• Stay on sidewalks and out of the streets.  Take the time to use cross walks!
• Walk no running
• Be courteous and don't walk through flower beds, gardens etc. and use walkways.

Here's to a safe and happy halloweeny to you all and see you 'round the table next time!

I Like Hugs 'n' Kisses But What I Really

Is Help With The DISHES!

Coffee Me and Cats Up A Tree

 Sassy 11 months old

I feel the hint of Fall in the air in the early mornings in the low 70's as I fling open my doors and windows to step outside with my morning cup of coffee as I watch my cats play in the huge mesquite tree outside my door.  The hummingbirds are a buzzin' at the feeder and all the wild birds are chirping up a storm.  It will still hit a hot 92 degrees today but it's better than waking up to that kind of heat off the bat out of bed.

My cats are only allowed outside supervised.  Call me "mama worry wort" but that's just the way it has to be.  They are the pride and joy of my life but I also know they are cats and have instincts they must use.   They are all fixed and have had their shots and an hour of playtime outside seems to be more than enough to satisfy their need for being outdoors.  I make sure the bird feeders are placed out of paws 'n' claws way ;-)

Sid 3 years old and 18 lbs

This is my "middle child" Sid just this morning.  He's such a lover and a character.  Shhhhh don't burst his bubble but he thinks he's a big bad tiger RAWWR.  We'll just keep it between us that he's just a big ole puddy tat.

I am glad to of shared this cup of coffee with you today and my kitty hijinks.  What's on your agenda for the day?

See you around the table soon!

I Like Hugs 'n' Kisses But What I Really

Is Help With The DISHES!