Funny Easter Cat Photos & Happy Easter Wishes

Moose the cat as an Easter bunny

Happiest Easter wishes from me and my cats! May the love of Christ fill your hearts and warm your souls. I've been a bit under the weather so didn't do an Easter cat photo session this year but I thought you might enjoy these photos of my cats from Easter 2011 and hope these funny cat photos make you smile.

Moose the cat with Easter bunny ears

Baby cat with Easter bunny ears

May God bless you this Easter and always!

Note: These photos were originally published here.

Happy Spring Poem & Crocus and Pansy Flower Photos

Pansy Macro: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, March 2013

Happy first day of spring! It's a beautiful spring day here in Maryland. I celebrated by going for a nice walk. I also took some flower photos and wrote a little haiku poem to share with you. I hope they bring a smile to your face.

Welcome Spring Haiku

Blue skies; birds singing;

 tulips bursting through the soil;

Praise God for springtime!

 

White Crocus Macro: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, March 2013

Purple Crocus Macro: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, March 2013

May the joys of spring warm your heart and comfort your soul and may God bless you!

Funny St. Patrick's Day Photos of Baby Cat & Sad News

I forgot to turn the flash off but Baby knew to shut her little eyes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Baby cat isn't quite as easy going as Moose the cat but I didn't want to leave her out of the festivities so here are her St. Patrick's day photos. Mostly I try to catch Baby (a feral-born cat) when she's nearly asleep and just drape props around her. Even though she's a bit skittish around other people, she is my absolute favorite cat ever. She has dog-like devotion to me and purrs whenever I pet her.

Cute little Baby cat eventually fell asleep this way. Funny!

I've known that she has severe allergies and asthma and I'd suspected that she might have epilepsy. I'd seen her have a few seizures but they were so short lived that I wasn't sure that's what was going on and it never happened at the vet's office. Well, yesterday she had a really big seizure that started while she was on top of a tall stool. The poor little thing (she only weighs 7 lbs even though she's about 14 years old and is fully grown) fell off the stool and was caught between it and the wall with her head banging against the wall hard until I was able to free her.

I'm so thankful that she seems fine now but I'm saddened that the previous seizures weren't just a figment of my imagination. Have any of you had a cat with seizures? Is there anything you can do for them? I'd sure appreciate hearing your experiences or advice if you have any related to this.

May God bless you and those you love!


Here are some more of my funny or cute cat in costume posts:
Funny Moose the Cat photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/03/funny-st-patricks-day-photos-of-moose.html
St Patrick's Day 2012:  http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/funny-st-patricks-day-cat-photos.html
St Patrick's Day 2010: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/hilarious-happy-st-patricks-day-cat.html 
Valentine 2013: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/happy-valentines-day-funny-cat-photos.html
Valentine 2012: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/02/happy-valentines-day-funny-monkey-cat.html
Halloween 2012: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/10/happy-halloween-funny-cat-photos.html

Funny St. Patrick's Day Photos of Moose the Cat

Happy St. Patrick's day from our home and cats to yours! Moose the cat's green eyes are perfect for St. Patrick's day photos. I hope you enjoy these funny cat pictures. I think she's hilarious. She knows she gets treats afterwards so she lets me put the costumes on her and then gobbles up her treats afterwards and acts like it's a normal day.

I had originally planned to make a cape for her out of this St. Patrick's day shamrock towel but ran out of time so just turned it into a makeshift St. Patrick's day cat dress.

This funky St. Patrick's day headband with green feathered pigtail-like antenna didn't photograph well but looked very funny in person. 

This close up shot of Moose the cat as a leprechaun makes me smile. I hope it does for you too. May God bless you this St. Patrick's day and always!

Here are some more of my funny or cute cat in costume posts:
St Patrick's Day 2012:  http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/funny-st-patricks-day-cat-photos.html
St Patrick's Day 2010: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/hilarious-happy-st-patricks-day-cat.html
Valentine 2013: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/happy-valentines-day-funny-cat-photos.html
Valentine 2012: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/02/happy-valentines-day-funny-monkey-cat.html
Halloween 2012: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/10/happy-halloween-funny-cat-photos.html

Pam's Super Clean Cat Castle: House Crashing

My super-organized friend Pam was kind enough to give me a tour of her amazingly clean home today. I now think of her place as the "Cat Castle" because she has dedicated space to her cats in every room and has lots of cute cat decor. Can you see the cat stained glass on the window and floor mat in her super clean kitchen? Her two cats (pictured below) are abundantly loved and well cared for and clearly have run of the house yet the house smells fantastic and I didn't sneeze once (I usually sneeze at other pet lovers' homes, no matter how well they clean).

Here's Pat's guest, aka "Cat Room." I love the cat decor on the walls and stuffed big and small cat display on the bed.

 Here's Patches, Pam's beautiful calico cat.

Here's Pam's cat, Snicker's, who I fell in love with when she crawled on my lap and started purring within moments of our meeting.

This is Pam's cat friendly bedroom (there's even cat furniture in the corner, as there was in most of her rooms, including her office, living room and even in her sun room) with Snickers the cat enjoying the bed.

I loved Pam's light and airy bathroom. The natural view of the woods outside and plants around the giant bathtub made it feel like a spa retreat.

Hearty thanks to Pam for opening her home to me and my camera! Her home is an inspiration for me to continue my decluttering projects in my own home. If you have an organized home or room and want to share your inspiring place with the world, let me know and I might feature you in a future blog post. There's no pay but you might just help make the world a more pleasant place.

May God bless Pam and her family and may He bless you too!

Full links and related posts: 
14 minute kitchen counter clutter clearing project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/03/14-minute-kitchen-counter-clutter.html
16 minute desk decluttering project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/16-minute-desk-decluttering-project.html
My personal home vision post : http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-home-vision-new-series-on.html
8 minute microwave area clutter clearing project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/03/8-minute-microwave-and-cut-flower.html
Clutter Clean in 2013 Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ClutterCleanIn2013
My 2013 reading goals: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/01/ten-terrific-goal-boosting-books-for.html

First Magnolia Blooms of the Year!

Magnolia Macro: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, March 2013

Today I had the joy of seeing my first magnolia blooms of the year. With bright blue skies and mild temperatures, it already feels like spring here in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area. My favorite of today's magnolia photos is the macro above.

Magnolia Catkin: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, March 2013

I also love this photo of a pink magnolia bloom unfurling from its catkin.

Here's an overview shot of the magnolia tree. I love magnolia blooms, but what I love even more is enjoying God's amazing creation. May God bless you this spring and always, dear friend!

8 Minute Microwave and Cut Flower Decluttering Project

This project took 7 minutes and 39 seconds. It included removing everything but the microwave, cutting boards (stored behind the microwave) and knife block; cleaning and dusting the area and contents; purging the clutter; categorizing the items being returned to the area (my sunflower trivets and my husband's magazines and what I presume is the last cookbook he used to make dinner last night); putting the things that belonged elsewhere away (if they belonged somewhere else in the kitchen) or in a basket for distribution later; culling the dead flowers from the arrangement; trimming the stems of the keepers; rinsing the old vase out and putting the remaining flowers in a new vase.

The first two photos are the "before" images. I included both because in the first one it looks more cluttered but you can only see the whole area in the second one.

This last photo is the "after" picture. So much nicer! I'd have moved hubby's cookbook and magazines (he has a bookshelf for his cookbooks and a storage area for his magazines) but figured he had them in the kitchen for a reason so I'd let him deal with that when/if he wants to do so. I'm so thankful that he cooks I can certainly live with a bit of clutter in the kitchen.

I hope this inspired you in some way! If so, I'd love to hear about it. You're also welcome to join my clutter busting Facebook community. Whatever your goals, may God bless you and keep you!

Full links and related posts: 
14 minute kitchen counter clutter clearing project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/03/14-minute-kitchen-counter-clutter.html
16 minute desk decluttering project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/16-minute-desk-decluttering-project.html
My personal home vision post: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-home-vision-new-series-on.html
Easy exercise motivation trick: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/02/easy-exercise-motivation-trick.html
Clutter Clean in 2013 Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ClutterCleanIn2013
My 2013 reading goals: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/01/ten-terrific-goal-boosting-books-for.html

14 Minute Kitchen Counter Clutter Clearing Project

Before decluttering

As I mentioned in my desk clearing post, I love quick and easy decluttering and organizing projects that immediately make a difference. Above is a photo of my kitchen counter before I spent 13 minutes and 51 seconds (which I rounded up to 14 minutes for the title) decluttering, cleaning and organizing it.  That 14 minutes included removing everything but the blender, loading the dishwasher (I'd decided to do a timed project right after I emptied it and noticed how cluttered the counter was), placing a new roll of paper towels on the holder (not pictured), recycling the old paper towel tube, purging the clutter, categorizing what I decided would go back, dusting everything that needed it, and putting everything that really belongs somewhere else into a basket for distribution later.

Above is the "before" picture of my cluttered kitchen counter.  As you can see, it's kind of busy and there's too much stuff out which limits the work area for cooking.

After decluttering

The "after" picture is a breath of fresh air. I didn't fuss with my husband's sponges or "his side" of the counter (not pictured) but I think our shared side looks a whole lot better. While it does mean the kitchen is more his than mine, I'm truly blessed with a wonderful husband who cooks dinner every night so I definitely want to respect his space.

I relocated the phone to a little shelf that rests on the left side of the counters. I also keep bananas there but there's plenty of room for both. That was a well spent 14 minutes and these quick successes make it easier for me to stay motivated to plug away at my larger, long-term decluttering projects.

I hope this inspired you in some way! If so, I'd love to hear about it. You're also welcome to join my clutter busting Facebook community. Whatever your goals, may God bless you and keep you!
 
Full links and related posts: 
16 minute desk decluttering project: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/16-minute-desk-decluttering-project.html
My personal home vision post : http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-home-vision-new-series-on.html
Easy exercise motivation trick: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/02/easy-exercise-motivation-trick.html
Clutter Clean in 2013 Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ClutterCleanIn2013
My 2013 reading goals: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/01/ten-terrific-goal-boosting-books-for.html 

First Daffodil of the Year Photos & Haiku (Short Poem)

This Saturday we saw our first daffodil bloom of 2013 on our walk through the Azalea collection at the U.S. National Arboretum. I love the yellow cheerful blooms of daffodils. Although it was a cold, gray day the daffodil sighting warmed my heart. Spring is on its way! I love how God uses the changing seasons to make me appreciate my favorite ones even more.

First Daffodil of the Year Haiku

Bright yellow petals

First daffodil of the year

Sunshine flower love

These three photos are of the same daffodil from different angles and with and without flash. It was the only daffodil blooming but there were also a host of snowdrops, crocus and cute little yellow flowers (maybe winter aconite?). 

Hope this little touch of spring brightened your day! May God bless you!