*upon entering our home, you will be greeted by a rambunctious smallish dog and a literal herd of cats (how many of one thing does it take to equal a herd?  maybe it's just a pack of cats.).  they will require your attention because you've entered not only my home, but…

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From left to right we have:  Renea, Katherine, Sara and sweet Hannah in the background.  Renea is the leader of this pack with Katherine and Sara falling in as her second-in-command.  These three are energetic and bouncy.  Sara is a hugger once she gets into your lap but Renea and/…

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Today, we completed our first successful foster and sent Mustang on his way.  I imagine that there were plenty of folks out there that imagined we'd find a way or a reason to keep him with us (because that certainly wouldn't be unheard of!), but no -- as I type this…

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It has been a busy, busy week down here on the farm.  In my last post, I alluded to the fact that there may be a bear joining us.  Well, I wasn't far off.  Meet Mustang:




We'd had our eye on Mustang since his arrival at the Bedford County Animal Shelter.  We…

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I think it's safe to say that our adventures in animal rescue have officially begun. Several weeks ago we were able to pull two cats from a high-kill facility in a neighboring county. Crook & Cricket were in a concrete cat room where upper respiratory infections were running rampant…

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The past 10 days or so have been a whirlwind of emotion - from outrage to helplessness - since WSLS' news story regarding the treatment of animals at the Regional Center for Animal Control & Protection and by (shockingly) tight-knit association, the Roanoke Valley SPCA.  I was furious to lea…

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So very much has happened since I last posted that I simply had to promise myself not to get into it on a blog, otherwise the prospect of sitting down to type was just too daunting. So. Here's where I'll say that it's been an incredibly loooong 6 months…

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Every time that I walk into a shelter or see requests for help and fosters on Facebook or various rescue blogs, my heart falls into my belly. Every animal deserves a home and warmth and love, but when you start realizing just how many animals there are without those basic…

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*they're not perfect. they have faults and foibles and quirks. don't your other best friends?

*they know that, because of you, their lives are no longer confined to small cages.

*they know what it's like to be afraid, and once they realize that they don't have to be any longer, they…

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This life we lead is all about second chances -- Chaz and I have both had our share, and I believe that's at least part of what brought us together: the Powers That Be decided that we both deserved a little something good once we'd each been broken down…

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Found whilst packing up Grandmother's supplies: a ginourmous project notebook. This explains SO much!

It's not surprising that I've been ridiculously overwhelmed all summer. I mean, I think we managed to go yard-saling ONE weekend -- just one! I got some great stuff...but I'm pretty sure that it's all still sitting in the back of my car. My craft room has maintained…

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Yard sale season is once again upon us and I haven't been bothered to type anything out since *last year*...Seriously?! Shameful.

I took a sewing class back over the Fall...or was it summer? I was pretty damned proud of myself for venturing out into the unknown and coming back with…

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We could not have known that we were about to upend our lives - AGAIN - on an ordinary Saturday with a routine visit to our community farmer's market. Our favorite animal rescue group was there so we spent some time gooey-eyeing the critters before picking out our weekly produce and… Read full post »

I am waiting...for something magical to happen. 

I am waiting to wake up happy - not just content, but boisterous, overjoyed - and ready to shine my countenance upon the world instead of wanting to burrow underneath my pillows. 

I am waiting to be more than marginally interested in… Read full post »

MsLissa:

 *would like to stop being a sponge for negativity.

 *is too damned old to give a damn about your middle school drama.

 *is sick of being talked at.

 *is in the midst of a wintry funk.

 *would rather be left the hell alone some days.… Read full post »

notebook cover for embroidery sampler

EDIT 3/9/10: I still haven't gotten around to stitching anything up on this piece, but I was ridiculously excited about it simply because it was one of my first sewing projects -- no pattern and not much of a plan, but the measurements worked and I/… Read full post »

Let the hunting and gathering begin -- yard sale season is officially upon us!

From this past weekend:

Additions to Beloved's toolbox
From Acquisitions


Craft Room supplies...
I read a great article here
about ditching the plastic for
vintage storage goodness -
seems like a fine mission statement
for yard sal…

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Our house is old with an odd floor plan that lent one room way more space than any bedroom (that's not a master) needs. The room is shotgun style, running the length of the entire side of the house with a closet at the front that's filled with built-in shelves…

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So, in December, my kitchen collapsed on itself. I love to cook and was in the midst of holiday baking; this was a nightmare beyond the telling of it. Since I couldn't cook for nearly two months, my need to *make* something really ramped itself up. I've always piddled and puttered,… Read full post »

So, in December, my kitchen collapsed on itself. I love to cook and was in the midst of holiday baking; this was a nightmare beyond the telling of it. Since I couldn't cook for nearly two months, my need to *make* something really ramped itself up. I've always…

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She loves me.  I forgive him.  I'll do better.  He won't do that to me again.  We're both working on things.  He would never hurt me intentionally.  But I love her.  No, I don't think it's happened again.  Everything's fine.  No, I don't mind.  Of cou… Read full post »

Maybe it was cataclysmic - something that cut so deep that you can barely bring yourself to think of it, let alone speak of it.

Maybe it was petty...so much so that you can't even recall how it happened; you only know that there's probably no undoing it.

Maybe it breathed… Read full post »

Several months back, my beloved and I acquired two new (to us) kittens.  There is Edgar, who is currently 10 months old and *massive* (this is karma:  Beloved was alarmed when I entertained the notion of adopting a ragdoll kitten whose 'normal' weight would be anywhere between 25 and 35 pou… Read full post »

For many a' year, I was quite certain that I had only one biological imperative when it came to rearing children: breast-feeding. Contorting and manipulating my body for months on end only to squeeze that sucker out and lie about exhausted and sore while other people cooed? Notsomuch.… Read full post »