A sad day

It's been a sad day at our home. We lost our sweet Olivia. She had been battling mammary cancer for over a year.  She had three operations to remove the tumors, but they kept coming back, with a vengeance.  We decided, with our vet's blessing, to stop all heroic measures and just let her live as long she was able.  Over the last few weeks, it became apparent that she was deteriorating. The tumors were spreading, she was losing weight and getting a little wobbly.  In spite of it all, she continued to eat and drink, lounge in her favorite spots, and "grumble" at the other cats when they got in her face at feeding time. I found her this morning when I woke up, stretched out on the floor in front of the washing machine.

Olivia came to us over 10 years ago, as a foster.  She was an adult when we took her in and all we knew was that she and a litter of kittens were found as strays.  Olivia hated going to adoption days and it showed.  She would curl up in the back of the cage and pout through the whole event.  When she saw me or Neal coming to pick her up at the end of the day, she would perk up.  Neal taught her how to hop out of the cage on the table and walk straight into our pet carrier on the floor.  Her "trick" amused many people, but no one ever showed interest in adopting her.  After putting her (and us) through that for several months, we finally caved in and adopted her. 

Olivia was a delightful and beautiful cat.  She got along fabulously with everyone in our household, except C.C., the calico.  We had to break up some pretty heated brawls between those two over the years. Now  I know why they say women fighting resembles a cat fight!  Her favorite places to snooze were on top of the turbo scratchers and underneath the raised dog water bowls.  When I found her this morning, I wrapped her body in a towel and laid her on top of the dog bed, giving all the other animals time to say their goodbyes.  Only the dogs seemed curious and gave her a few sniffs, but I worry about Skittles, who was very attached to her.  Even though we still have a house full of animals, the loss we feel is huge.  We feel blessed that she died in her sleep and we didn't have to make the decision to euthanize her, but the pain is still raw.  As I prepare to feed the cats their evening canned food, I keep thinking she will pop into the kitchen and start talking to me in anticipation.  My mind knows better, but my heart is slower to catch on.

RIP our sweet Olivia, a.k.a Liver Head, Liver Smack, Liv...

A bathroom organization tip

I recently read about some organization tips for the home and I wanted to share one of them with you today.  I will apologize in advance for the quality of photos. I tried with and without a flash and just couldn't get it right this time. It may have something to do with the lighting in our bathroom.

Do you have multiple accessories lying around like metal nail files, nail clippers, tweezers, scissors, etc? If you do, you probably have them stuffed into drawers or containers like this...

 

In our little house, storage space is at a premium, especially in the bathroom.  We have no drawers and very limited shelving space.  So, I was thrilled when I read about this neat little tip.  Are you ready?  Here it is...

Magnetic tape!  This stuff is worth its weight in gold, and then some.  You can usually find it at a hardware store and it's available in different widths.  We got the thinner width, not realizing exactly what we would need.

Cut the tape to whatever length you need, using as many strips as you need, and affix it to the inside of your medicine cabinet door. And then...

 

start organizing those metal accessories!  Isn't that a great tip? Everything located within reach and within sight. No more digging through drawers and containers.  I just love this idea!  Do you have any other easy organization tips to share?

Stay tuned for another organization tip...this one for the kitchen!

Quotable quote

 

A single rose can be my garden

A single friend, my world.

-Leo Buscaglia

A New Year, A New You!

As I mentioned previously, I am now a distributor for Shaklee, the number one nutritional company in the U.S.  Every day that goes by, I learn something new and wonderful about this company and its products.  Today, I'd like to share with you two Shaklee specials for the New Year.  If one of your resolutions was to lose weight and get in shape, you are going to love these deals!

First, if you join Shaklee as a member or a distributor and purchase a minimum of $70 in products, you will receive the Cinch weight loss sampler pack for FREE ($100 retail value)!

 

The sampler pack contains:

• An assorted Cinch Snack Bar Pack
• A box of Pomegranate Energy Tea
• 2-Week Supply of Cinch 3-in-1 Boost
• Single Sample of Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Blueberry Almond Crisp Meal-in-a-Bars
• One Chocolate Shake Packet and One Vanilla Shake Packet

If you are not yet committed to a total weight loss program, the sampler pack is a great way to introduce you to the Cinch Inch Loss products.

And for the second deal...if you are serious about losing weight and looking for a clinically tested, safe and effective long-term program, check this out!  Buy three months of the Cinch Transformation Pack products and receive your fourth month absolutely FREE!  That's a retail value of $299.95!

 

The Cinch Transformation Pack contains:

• 1 Cinch Vanilla Shake Mix Canister
• 1 Cinch Chocolate Shake Mix Canister
• 1 Box of Assorted Cinch Shake Mix Packets
• 1 Box of Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Meal-in-a-Bars
• 1 Box of Blueberry Almond Crisp Meal-in-a-Bars
• 1 Box of Cinch Decadent Chocolate Snack Bars
• 1 Box of Cinch Peanut Butter Snack Bars
• 1 Box of Lemon Cranberry Snack Bars
• 1 Cinch® 3-in-1 Boost™
• 1 box of Cinch® Pomegranate Energy Tea Mix

If this is your year to get healthy, lose weight and do something good for yourself, consider trying Shaklee's Cinch products.  And remember, every product you purchase comes with a 100% money back guarantee, so you lose nothing but pounds and inches!

To find out more about the Cinch Inch Loss products, go here.  As always, feel free to contact me with any questions.

Happy New Year!