Kettlebell and Converse. What more could a girl want?

I have recently discovered a new fitness tool that is such a blast! Kettlebells!

That "heavy iron ball with a handle" is the first kettlebell I've ever played with. It's only 20lbs, but it kicks my butt! I hope to be able to get a heavier one in the near future, but this one is still an appropriate weight for a lot of moves I do with it. Lately, I've taken to fastening my ankle weights to it for added weight when I do swings, so I hope to move up soon. If you ever want to get fit with a fun weight, this is it! Some people even "juggle" with them, doing moves that has the bell catching air while they try to catch the bell. I can't wait for spring so I can start doing this too. I definitely don't want to do this in the house, as drops are inevitable. Great cardio, strength-building, fitness tool!

My son bought me these Converse sneakers for me to work out in. I just love them! They have a graphic of The Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse on them.

Our Juju

Juju (on the floor), and The Princess enjoy a bit of catnip

Juju came into our lives on June 18, 1999, one of a litter of five, most of which were born on our bed. She and her siblings share Russ' birthday, which is how I remember the day, and it was only a month after moving to our new home, which is how I remember the year. Unfortunately, we lost poor Juju, probably to cancer, on December 02, 2008.
Beautifully marked, with "points" like Siamese have, and her black paws and "grizzled" fur, she was a sight. She had a medium-long coat that was the softest I've ever felt on a cat. She was also very vocal and lived for attention. She loved her humans. She did NOT, however, love her "sister", The Princess, also shown in this picture. She gave The Princess a run for her money. I believe Juju was lusting after The Princess' throne. I miss our semi-sweet baby.

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dreds're getting longer, weather's getting warmer...

What more could a person want? :) Oh happy day!
I'm loving how my dreds get so bleached from the sun, so the color gets lighter the further down the dred, where it's oldest and had more sunshine. Notice the dogs on THEIR picnic table lookout.

Taxes and stuff

Yay! I just LOVE doing them! Hahahahaha.
Having some rough times here, and trying hard (maybe I shouldn't try so hard) to trust God in our valley. Lowest we've been in a long while. Guess I should be thankful of THAT anyway.
My daughter has decided to come home and finish her schooling at home. I taught her and her brother for 6 years, but enrolled them 4 1/2 years ago. It's been a bit, but I think it's a good decision. I am excited/nervous.

Featured Pet - Snowshoo

Snowshoo is really my daughter's pet, but since she still lives with us, so does her cat. :)
He's our only male cat out of four. He's a real sweetie-pie, but kinda skittish. He's a great mouser (birder too :( ), and he'll yowl outside the bedroom window in the middle of the night to let you know he caught something for you. It took him a few years to actually let me pet him without freaking out, but now he can't get enough, and he even sleeps under the covers with me in the winter.
Sometimes he takes forever to make up his mind on whether he REALLY wants to go out or not. You just scrape your foot on the floor behind him and he FLIES out the door. That's how much of a scaredy-cat he can be.
Just let me sleep. No more pictures!

The reason for his name. Seven toes on each front paw, and five on back. The back ones remind me of frog's feet with the extra toe. He's such a cutie though. He is a mamma-boy too. He loves to knead on the fuzziest blankets and my robe.

"Not another darn picture. Paparazzi!"

Sleeping with the doxies.

Featured Pet of the Week - Saffron

Okay, I am hoping to get up one blog per week showcasing one of my pets (or my daughter's pets that live with us - she has a few that live at her boyfriend's parents house, and a horse that is now in Maine).

This is Saffron. She is an 8 1/2 year-old Great Pyrenees. When she stands next to our kitchen table, her shoulders are just a bit higher than it. She weighs around 85 lbs, mostly fur. Her long fur is just MADE for winter, and that is when she enjoys being out the most.

As you can see in this pic, she is very comfortable in snow.

Great Pyrenees were bred to be guardians of sheep flocks, so they mostly like to lie around until they sense "trouble". "Trouble", to her, may be a neighbor's cat crossing their yard within her sight, a dog barking a block away, people walking by on the road. They let you know, and let "the intruder know, that they will use force, if necessary.

Anyway, they were not bred for long distance hiking, but I still like to go for walks with her. We both love the woods, and on occasion I have even brought my hammock and Saffron and I will hang out for a bit. She's my buddy.

Cold and snow brings out the puppy in Saffron.

Frolicking in the field.

Lover of the small and defenseless, Saffron adores kids, and our cats. One in particular, Momma Moonbeam, seems to have "adopted" Saffron as one of her kittens.