Friday, February 25, 2011

Oh kitty....

Most of you know or at least know of my kitty Issy- that is Isabella Sunshine Conchita Little Havana Brown Molen- and most of you who have had the "privledge" of meeting her you know she is every bit of that long name!!

Mark and I adopted Issy from our local pet shelter 9 years ago. We are pretty sure her Mama was a feral kitty because Issy has some...well...shall we call it...very unique personality traits. In other words Issy likes Mommy and Daddy and that is just about it.

So when I believed that she might possibly have a urinary tract infection (uti), I was very nervous about taking her to the vet. A little more background...when she was a little kitty and being the dutiful parent that I am, I took her to the vet for her vaccines (she is an indoor kitty) and she almost died from these vaccines- very scary...for us all! 

Time has passed and we have a new vet- they are aware and ready for Issy...so in we went and basically she had to be sedated for her exam and urine draw- we had a blood draw at the same time. We really like our vet- Dr. Madi

After all this, Issy did not have a uti, but something called FlutD...feline lower unrinary tract disease.
Which basically has all the charactertics of a uti...in Issy case, mostly caused from stress. Her symptoms were peeing in the tub and on the tile by our shower. Also being just more aggressive than usual just wanting to play.
 
Our vet suggested that we could put her on an anti-depressant...hummm. I am not quite there...so went up the street to the Whole Cat,  more homepathic remedies- they suggested tinkle tonic and it has worked out fantastic. We also have her on Bachs flower essences special mixture for calming and feeling secure. And something that we have in our house always is the Feliway air fermones. 
 
I think my little munchkin also was getting very lonely since both Mark and I work long days. I have been bringing Issy to my studio just about everyday- she is much happier and so is Mommy! 
You know they say in a household happy wife- happy husband- well we can certainly add to that happy kitty-happy Mama- happy Daddy!!
You may think- geez- all this for a cat...but I feel blessed that I can have her in my life- for she brings me such happiness and comfort too! 
 

Friday, February 18, 2011

My Village

As we started this year here at ROotie StudiO, my girls decided that it would be fun to do a on going project throughout the year. We thought about several different things and then came up with a journal type project that included embroidery and applique.

After rolling this project and our group around in my head, I came up with the theme of My Village. I thought that fit this group wonderfully!

Here is our line up of My Village for the year:
My House
House of Heart
Flower Shoppe
Fruit & Vegetable Shoppe
Candy Shoppe
Favorite Number House
Sewing Shoppe
Bakery Shoppe
Birdie in the Garden
Song Shoppe
Box that will house My Village
 
I thought about the shape of our monthly endeavor...and then came up with a house shape.

I asked each student to pick out one fabric from which to create their village from...using those colors as the palette for the year. The front of these pieces will be designed using the theme of the month and the back will be a coordinating fabric that we can choose to write something on. In the end they will stand in an accordion style and we will create a box for them to nestle into!

We will use cottons, felt, velvets highlighted with ribbons and ric rac.

Center is my theme fabric 
Fabric to the right with printing is my backing fabric

Each month we will cover a matte board shape, pad it, and  add a fabric overlay. We will applique certain hand-made items on to it and finish it off with different embroidery stitches.

 January- My House
 
February- House of Heart
 

and the year will go on with more to come....

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentines Day!

My most favorite Holiday!
Wishing you all my LOVE for Valentines Day!


Friday, February 11, 2011

Chinese New Year Table

As you all know from last week's posting, 2011 is the Year of the Metal Rabbit!

The color of Metal in Five Elements system is related to White, Yellow or Golden. OR we can say 2011 is a White Rabbit, Yellow Rabbit, Metal Rabbit or Golden Rabbit year. 

My stone rabbit that I have on my patio- 
I would say at this point it is definitely 
the Year of the White Rabbit!
 

Flowers and my Bamboo Steamers on my counter. 
I served the appetizers in the steamers!
 

Some of my Paper Lanterns
hanging over the counter and from my chandelier!



The table...
notice my napkin rings 
I made with the Golden Rabbit


How I set my table..

Traditional Placemat bought in 20 pack from our local Asian Store


Gold Chargers

White Dishes
small as liner for soup bowl
large as dinner plate

Napkin
with paper napkin ring

Soup Spoon
Silverware and Glasses

Inside the napkin ring is the forecast for the New Year
In Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves.  It is a time for negotiation.  Not to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail.  To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, cooperation, and your relationships with women and children.   Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise.
 

Flower in Chinese to go Boxes
 

one of the candles in a gold glass
 

I wanted to throw in a bit of Valentines, 
so between dinner and dessert (red velvet cake!)
we served oranges-cut and put back 
into their half shell with tea
 

I feel that the Chinese New Year comes at a nice time of the year, if comparing it to our New Years.
Things seem to be a little more calmed down and the food menu is fun! And how can you not celebrate a year associated with an animal or in this case ~ a rabbit!?!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Chinese Year of the Rabbit

I find the Asian cultures so very interesting and the Chinese have many long standing traditions and customs that have many depths to them.


Many of you know, my strong interests in rabbits, which by the way just happened...I created one rabbit doll and...well you know what they say about rabbits! 
This Year of 2011, according to the Chinese Zodiac, is the Year of the Golden Rabbit, which begins on February 3, 2011 and ends on January 22, 2012.  
 In Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves.  It is a time for negotiation.  Not to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail.  To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, cooperation, and your relationships with women and children.   Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise.

 The Rabbit is a lucky sign and is the symbol of the Moon, while the Peacock is the symbol of the Sun, and that together, these two animal signs signify the start of day and night, represent the Yin and Yang of life. 
  
In the Year of the Rabbit, the wish-granting aspect of the Sun and the Moon combined is multiplied.  The Moon is YIN and this is the Yin of Heaven, signifying magic.  

So on each of the Full Moon nights of this year, go out into your garden to gaze into the Full Moon with its bright white light and granting you love and courage.

I love to celebrate the Chinese New Year with a dinner party...table decor to come later this month.
Here is my favorite cookbook, in 2001 Mark and I were fortunate to go on a cruise to Asia, and on that cruise one of the speakers was Ying Chang Compestine...well turns out she was living in Boulder, CO...I love her method of cooking and therefore had to buy her cookbook. It is one of my most used cookbooks!
 Chinese New Year menu from CookingLight Magazine.

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