It's ALIVE!

Or maybe it should be, I'm ALIVE! Yes, folks, the blog is back! Sorry I've been sleeping on the job.

Olive also sleeping on the job

Want a quick update on the past year? There hasn't been a whole lot of crafting. Minimal, in fact. I have been doing a whole lot of reading though! In August, I joined Netgalley and began reading and reviewing mostly pre-release books for various publishers. It's been SO FUN! Some of these books have been of a crafty nature and I thought many of you might be interested in my favorites. So, here I am. Reviews to come...

What else has happened? Well, if you've been around awhile, that little black fluff puddle up there might not look familiar. Yep, there have been a couple of additions to the furry family! Sadly, we had to say goodbye to both of our elderly kitties, the beautiful calico Phoebe back in June and spunky tuxedo Xander just before Thanksgiving. And while my heart was crushed by those losses, I knew we could honor those lives by offering two new souls a wonderful, loving home.

Allow me to introduce, Olive and Oscar! =)

Olive and Oscar

Oscar came to us from the local county animal shelter back at the end of June, 2018. He had spent about 6 weeks living in the shelter after having been rescued along with 60+ others from a hoarder/illegal breeder. He had been adopted briefly and returned because he peed on their rugs. Oscar was estimated by my vet to be 5-7 years old and came with a few chronic health surprises, but he is the happiest and funniest cat I've ever met and takes most things in stride (including two in your face little dogs and a grumpy older kitty). We've been through an expensive dental procedure in which he lost 13 of his teeth! And we think we have his urinary crystal problem under control with prescription food - we'll be testing him again soon. He's not thrilled when I have to clean and treat his ears a couple times a week, but he doesn't hold grudges. Again, the happiest cat ever! You can see Oscar's new, wonderful life on his Instagram account here - Oscar the not so Grouchy. Olive makes plenty of appearances as well. And occasionally the pups too!

Olive has been with us for about 2 months now, since she was about 4 weeks old. I finally caved and agreed to foster a kitten who had come into the shelter alone. I knew she was young, but nothing else about her, not even that she was a she. I didn't ask because... she was meant to be temporary. Just raise her up until she's big enough to be adopted! Yeah. So, Olive is staying. =) She's had a few health challenges herself (mystery diarrhea twice, ringworm - that was fun) in her short life, but at roughly 12 weeks now, she's healthy and happy and growing like a weed! She's spunky and cuddly and loves wrestling with Oscar and Gus. Soon, she'll officially be a permanent part of our family! And Oscar loves having a little sister to play with. That of course being the deciding factor in her staying. He had to love her. Apparently, it was meant to be.

What about our two favorite puppers, you ask? Reilly and Gus are doing well and loving the new furry siblings. Especially Gus. But then, Gus loves everyone, right? And everyone loves Gus. <3

Gus and Reilly in their new ride!

Here's our most recent crafty project. New kids means new ornaments were in order!

Christmas ornaments - Guess which is Oscar's!

So, what's the plan for this blog? I don't intend (at least right now, who knows if that will change) to revive the YouTube channel, but I will be posting crafty content and books I'm loving (both new releases and older titles too) and well, anything else I feel like sharing because... my blog, my choice! I hope you'll join me!