Never quiet.

Superman and I have always had animals...even before we had kids, we had cats.  We got our first dog when Buttercup was three or four, and since then, we've always had dogs, too.  Throughout the years, we have also had birds, hamsters, rats, a chinchilla, and fish.  They have always added to the chaos and joy in our home and in our lives.

The past few years have been hard where our animals have been concerned, as well.  That was to be expected, if we had ever really thought about it:  the animals you get when your kids are little will be old when your kids leave the nest.   We didn't think about it, though, and the losses of the past few years made the transition to empty nesters even more bittersweet.  We've lost four animals in the past two years. It felt as if we were losing more of our family with each loss.

Beans went first in 2021.  She declined quickly and, while not a nice cat (hey, some just aren't nice), I was sad for her decline...she was only 12 and we had gotten her when she was six weeks old.  Wasn't she beautiful?

Majestic Beans 

Sam-I-Am passed in January of 2022.  He was our last link to our lives in So Cal.  He was born in the carport of our California home and moved with us the next year.  He was just shy of 18 when he died and he lived an amazing life and was cool until the very end.

Sam-I-Am was always irritated by us.

My sewing room cat Clementine disappeared in May 2022.  We suspect strongly she was taken by an owl.  My heart broke with this loss because she was just three years old and was the sweetest cat ever.  She was definitely my cat...this loss was brutal, to be honest.

My little Clementine--sweetest cat ever.

Finally, our beloved Lucy Lou died in July 2022.  She was almost 16 years old and was the most loyal girl ever.  She taught me to love dogs.   Fortunately, she declined quite quickly...she was still going for walks two weeks before she died...but man, this one was hard.  You know they can't live forever, but still...

Miss Lucy Lou

I know a lot of people decide not to get any more pets after the pets they had when their kids were younger pass, but I just couldn't see doing that, despite the fact that we were also dealing with our beloved Honey having terminal bladder cancer.  She has far surpassed her six month prognosis and, at 14 months post diagnosis, is still living her best life. The tumor is still growing, though, albeit slowly and we know her time with us is limited.  Animals are a source of joy and life in a home, in my humble opinion.

Honey - she has big dog energy and the sweetest girl ever.

So, in June, while my heart was still hurting over Clementine's loss and I was grappling with Honey's cancer, we rescued Leo-Leo.  He's a two and half year-old little mutt who was in an abuse situation and is getting braver by the day.

Leo-Leo--tries so hard to be a brave boy.

At the end of summer, we adopted Olive and Georgia, a bonded pair of female cats who are about three years old.  We needed cats...the mice in the yard were waving to me as they went about their day's work.  Really.  My daughter started referring to me as Snow While because there were so many bold critters in our backyard.!!  Anyway, between our combined efforts, Olive and I have mitigated the mouse problem quite effectively and there is peace in the kingdom again.

This is Olive...Georgia is very shy.

Finally, in November, we adopted Miss Emma, another rescue in need of a forever home.  She was a special case and needed a special home and we felt privileged to become her family.  She's a fierce little thing who is going to rule the entire house when she's done.

Miss Emma - a backyard breeder mom dumped in a shelter, this girl is stealing our hearts.

So, there you have it.  If you're keeping count, we have four dogs (including Jack--not pictured), two cats, two birds (with no names), and possibly two fish (we will know in spring how many survived in the little pond).   Housebreaking through a snowy winter has been quite an adventure, but it has been a small inconvenience when contrasted with the happiness these pets bring.  The joy our animals bring to our lives is worth the pain of losing them when their time comes.   Our home is not very quiet and is never boring, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  

Animal Humor

I've shown you dog beds and cats bed over the past few years, but I haven't often shown you how they often end up being used...

Cajun has taken over the dog bed that Lucy normally sleeps on.   Watch the "conversation" they had at that point.


Cajun is sleeping peacefully on Lucy's bed.

She notices someone approaching..."Oh, great, here comes
that whiner, Lucy, again."

"Oh, hey, Cajun.  Can I have a turn on my bed now?"  "No"

"Oh, okay, Cajun, never mind.  I'll just sleep under Mom & Dad's bed."

 Yes, people, that is how things go in our house.  The cats and the dogs share so well, don't they?

Organizing Season: Tackling Visual Distractions

Have you ever heard of the concept of visual distractions as it applies to the home?  You might well have heard about it if you've dealt with a child who has ADD/ADHD or if you've been involved in getting a classroom ready for 30 students.  They even talk about it in the workplace. As for me,  I had never heard the phrase before a friend mentioned it in relation to her child's ADD and her need to combat visual distraction in his homework zone.    When I heard that phrase, a lightbulb went on in my head.  Finally, an explanation for why I work so hard to keep my house organized.

Visual (n):  Seen or able to be seen by the eye.

Distraction (n.):  something that diverts attention; something that interferes with concentration or takes attention away from something else. 

So, a visual distraction is anything you see that diverts your attention away from something else.  In your home, that can be too much stuff, stuff in the wrong place, stuff that isn't finished, and even not enough stuff or not the right stuff.  Think about it.  A visual distraction is a discordant note for your eyes.  You "see" it all the time, to the point that you can be blinded to everything else.  Alternatively, you can stop "seeing" it to the point that you don't notice it at all...no matter how big and distracting it really should be.

Think of it like this: Driving down a country road, you see trees and greenery. The occasional cow or horse brings a smile to your face. You notice more...you actually see more of what you're looking at. Looking around is actually calming. Driving in the city, on the other hand, you're bombarded by billboards, street signs, speeding cars, and storefronts. You literally can't take it all in, so you start shutting it out. You deliberately "don't see" what you're looking at because it is all too much...you simply can't process it all, so you don't. Definitely not relaxing.

The same thing happens in our homes. In our hurry-up lifestyles, clutter-filled surfaces become distractions so great we don't allow ourselves to see them out of self-preservation. The flyer from the kids' school, permission slips, homework to be looked over, the newspaper, the magazines, the stack of bills, yesterday's dishes, the overflowing trashcan, the pile of clean clothes, the pile of dirty clothes, the toys on the floor, the carpets that need to be vacuumed, the dust on the shelves, the smudges on the mirror, the cluttered bathroom counters, the dirty toilets...it all feels like too much, so we stop looking. We have to in order to go about our business with any sanity. The only problem is that eventually, as we avoid dealing with the visual distraction, the space we can still "see" becomes so small, we don't fit in it.  So we head out...we shop in nice big clean stores...we eat in clean restaurants...and suddenly, are homes aren't homes anymore.  They're way stations...

Now, I'm truly not OCD and no one in my family has been diagnosed ADD/ADHD (I'm not swearing that no one suffers, though.).  Through trial and error, though, I have discovered that I simply cannot function in a house with a lot of visual distractions.   It takes very little messiness to throw me for a loop...so, I try not to let that happen.   Even more importantly, I've discovered my children function far better with orderliness...clean lines, empty surfaces, etc.  For example,  I can't watch a movie with my family if the room we're to sit in is messy.   I can't sit down to read in a room that needs attention.   I simply can't relax.  I can't sit down to study in a room that is untidy.  (Man, oh, man, was my house clean when I went back to school to finish my degree!)  I have trouble writing blog posts if my desk is messy, even if it is messy for a good cause.  (Hey, it can happen!) 

For me, a harmonious home is all about minimizing visual distractions for all of us.  I like to decorate with clean lines (no ruffles, please), simple patterns, and colors that flow.   Let me be perfectly clear:  IT IS NOT ABOUT PERFECTION.  It is all about making a home that truly works for you, not one that you work around.   The macaroni and cheese room was fun for the kids, but it got very tiresome very quickly.   Suddenly, I realized I was working around it...I wasn't enjoying it at all...time for the orange to go.  Now the room works again.   Have you ever wondered why you feel so good after tackling a big clean-up project?  Being productive feels good, but looking around and seeing everything in place actually calms your mind.  Think about it...you know I'm right.

So, what does this have to do with Organizing Season in my house this year?    Let's face it, we all have weird situations we face when attempting to organize our own homes.  Each family is unique.   In my case, 



I find myself amused to see hamster supplies next to cat supplies...I don't know why.

Part One:  The Garage - I know, it sounds weird, so let me explain.   Pulling into the garage everyday, I was always frustrated by how much disorganized clutter I had to walk through to get into the house.   We have seven mammals that need to be cared for, which means I'm always struggling to deal with pet supplies.  (I looked for "before" pictures, but, for obvious reasons, I don't have a lot of pictures of our garage...I mean, it is the garage.)  We had trash cans and recycle bins and dog food bins and cat food bins and bins for the cat litter and bins for the hamster bedding and none of the bins went together.   Some rolled, some didn't.  Some were big, some were little.  It was really inefficient, too.   In order for the kids to get to them, they were always pulled out of place and left in the way.  (Translation:  left out for me to deal with!)  With Superman overseas, I have been dealing with the garage more than ever before and it was making me crazy.   When Superman is home, I don't "see" the garage.  It is his domain.  These days, however, I'd want to head out to do a quick project and I'd be so visually distracted that I couldn't focus on my intended project that I'd spend two hours cleaning, organizing, reshuffling, whatever, in a vain attempt to make it all work and it didn't. 

Clearly labeled.

I finally conceded defeat and got rid of all the mismatched bins.  I liked our recycle bins (lids keep the animals out), so I kept those.  But I invested in new pet supply containers.  Then I labeled everything with vinyl from my Silhouette (still love that machine!) and set it all out. 

Cutter free...and definitely usable.

Now when I pull into the garage, this is what I see.  I feel happier when I walk through the door into the house because I didn't have to walk the gauntlet of "stuff I should be dealing with".  I've dealt with it...it is done...and I like it.   My solutions were simple and sustainable, even for teenagers.   Best of all, I'm pretty certain Superman will approve!

To be continued...

Part Two:  My Closet!

An Early Christmas Gift

After growing up in a house with pets, it was only a matter of time before Charming became lonely for the companionship a pet provides.  When he moved out on his own, we told him that when the time was right, according to him, we'd buy him a cat for his apartment.  Well, last month, the time was right.  We headed over to PetSmart's rescue center and found a companion for Charming.  That evening, Aimee came to live with him as an early Christmas gift.

She's a unique little kitty.  She's a two-year old Manx, which means she doesn't have a traditional long tail.  Nope, she was born with that stubby little thing.  Funny, isn't it

She and Charming seem to be getting along just fine, don't you think?

I think she finally got tired of Buttercup taking her picture, though...doesn't it look as if she's saying "no more pictures!"?

Too funny!

I bought a new painter's tarp because I want to make some pillows and an ottoman cover.  While I was sewing, the unused portion was on the floor.  (I know, I know.  I should have picked it up and immediately folded it...but I didn't.)

The tarp was quickly claimed and became the source of quite a few minutes of entertainment for the kids and me.

Lucy becomes fascinated by the tarp.

"What is it?"

It stopped moving, but she's not letting it out of her sight.  Getting closer didn't help.

 Maybe a different perspective will help.  She came around to the other side and waited.

 And waited...and waited...and harumphed the way dogs will.

The wait was finally rewarded!  At last...movement begins again.

"Ninja, come out!  I got you fair and square!"

Lucy's persistence pays off and Ninja finally comes out to play.  Oh, I scooped the tarp up and folded it neatly.  That will teach me to leave things on the floor, even "for a minute".