Where are the kittens?

So we've been feeding Miss Marble for almost four weeks now and there's still no sign of her two kittens that had not been rescued.  My sister and I are sharing the feeding schedule.  Miss Marble is living the high life. Eating premium cat food and sunning herself on the deck of my sister's studio. Everytime we feed Miss Marble we ask her, "Where are the kitties?" Or as my sister says, "Miss Marble, show me the kitties!" Miss Marble is keeping Mum.

The little trickster will even throw us off by heading in the direction of one house, then when she thinks we've stopped watching, she'll head in the opposite direction. I have scoured the neighborhood but no kittens!  They would be at the age where they would be tagging along with Mum.  I don't want to think that something bad happened to them.

It remains a mystery.  In the meantime, we will continue to look after Miss Marble.  She's already looking better than when we first met her.  She's trusting us a little more and eventually she will have a home. We might know a few people who would be interested in her. Of course, all prospective parents will have to undergo a rigorous interview process with us. They will need to provide references and meet with our approval.  We take our job as foster moms very seriously!

Unique Summer Dining in New England

It's Summer in New England!  Finally after one horrendous Winter of 2011, we are seeing warmer temperatures. Time to go out and play and really have some fun. I am such a foodie, my fun always involves eating.

So here are my picks for unique dining experiences in New England.

My first pick is to dine in a lighthouse in Newburyport, Massachusetts.  Here, you can watch the video.




How about dining in a restored train?  Doesn't this look like fun? I think I might like to go on this ride through the White Mountains of New Hamsphire during foliage season although I am sure it is lovely in Summer too.  Here's the link to Cafe Lafayette.


How would you like to eat a farm fresh dinner on the farm?  Then check out the video  http://youtu.be/vyUloLnAEO8Checlk   and their website .

Dinner in a church? Yes, the Belfry Inn in Sandwich, Massachusetts has a restaurant and guest rooms in a restored church. Here's the Belfrey Inn Bistro's website.

Wouldn't you love your very own gondola ride? This one cruises in Providence, Rhode Island and although there's no meal, you can have wine and cheese.  Here's the link.

So which one is your fave? I think the lighthouse dinner and the dinner on the farm will be on

my bucket list!!!

My Kitchen- Making it Personal

                                       

When I bought my condo in 2008, the kitchen looked like this.  I loved the granite countertops and the stainless steel appliances.  I was used to a galley kitchen at my old place so this kitchen was a luxury to me.

Honestly, if I were renovating I'd go for white or cream colored cabinets with a vintage feel. This kitchen was like new so of course I left it as is.  I decided it just needed to be personalized to my taste.

I changed out the fruit print curtains to a black and white toile balloon curtain.  I love the view of the neighbor's barn.  Makes me feel like I'm in the country.

 Next to the refrigerator I set up a caffeination station.  I have my large assortment of teas in the cabinet above this area.  Excuse this poor photo I used flash on it.

I put a cat rug in front of the sink.  The kitties love it.  Oscar like to sit by the fire, does he think it's real?  No he's my genius cat and he knows it's fake.

My latte mugs are right at home at the caffeination station.

One of the walls is used for wall art.  I love that Steinlien print of the woman with all the animals.  I first saw a poster of this at my cat's vet's office.  I ordered mine from Ebay.

Another view of my French themed wall.  There's also a watercolor of a boulangerie on another wall which I neglected to photograph.

I found this vintage label at an antiques fair.  I had it matted in a burgundy suede and framed in gold. It hangs over my sink.

Molly like to use this chair as a step stool for looking out the window.  I have grain sack cushions on the chairs.

Here's another view of the barn.  It's so pretty in Winter.

I have two tea racks. This one is right outside the kitchen in the hallway leading to the kitchen.

Here's the second tea rack.  I bought it from Harney and Sons tea.  I use the bistro set as my kitchen table. When I entertain we use the dining room.  The clock is from Target.

 All set for entertaining friends.  This party had a British theme. I love my little plates from Home Goods. Got them years ago.

My chalkboard platter is from Pottery Barn. It always has a message on it.

I use boxes and baskets for my storage.  This biscuit box is from French Garden House.  Again bought at least two years ago.

Oscar loves the grain sack cushions and they hold up well to scratching.

There's Oscar again, now he's looking out at the barn! This seems to be a popular spot.

All decorations are constantly changed or moved. Except for my Keep Calm and Carry On poster that's to the right in this photo.  It is a constant reminder to always keep calm, don't stress, move on.

Now that you've finished my post you can continue your kitchen tour at Sarah's Modern Country Style.
You will find the links for all the participants there.

Let's Have Fun this Summer

The other day my sister said to me, " I want to have fun this Summer."  She is a teacher so she is out of school for a couple of months. Me? I of course will be working most Summer days although I will take a vacation day here and there and probably a week or so in August.

Her statement made me think about past Summers. When did I have the most fun? And what year was it?Who was I with and what was I doing?  Then as I reminisced, songs popped into my head. When I hear these songs on the radio (they're considered oldies at this point) it brings me right back to those days when I was young and yes carefree.

I made a new playlist based on songs that bring back memories, not all of them are  Summer memories but some are.  Like Cruel Summer by Bananarama, I was heading off to England in July 1984 when this song was popular. Every time I hear it  I think of that wonderful trip and the tumultuous romance that I was leaving behind in the States.

I had my first real romance in the 70's and I remember the song How Long by Ace was playing when 4 of us rode to Cape Cod in my boyfriend's 2 seater Fiat.  This song was also playing in my head when I fell head over heels for another boy when I was still dating Fiat guy. And Best of my Love by the Eagles was playing when the second guy, head over heels guy, told me that he hadn't missed me that much after we'd not seen each other for a while. I was devastated.

Faithfully by Journey was playing on the car radio when I called off an engagement. No, he didn't cheat on me.

Do you remember Boy George from the Culture Club in the 80's? My sister used to love the song Karma Chameleon so naturally I think of her when I hear the song.

And the guy I broke off the engagement to? Well our theme song was Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar. Actually that is probably still my theme song!

When I was a young banker, my boss used to sing Uptown Girl to me.  I was always trying to dress for success and for the job I wanted in those early days of my career.

So feel free to click on the songs on my playlist and take a trip down memory lane. Let me know what songs take you back. And I hope you can make some fun Summer memories in 2011!

Another birthday?

Well how can that be? It's my birthday again! Wow did the last year fly by!

Time to do some celebrating. First of all,  I took a vacation day from work so I would have the entire day to play and do whatever I wanted.  My Sister had the day off too because her last day of school was last Friday.

I told her I wanted to go for dinner in Rockport.  I wanted to see a beautiful Rockport sunset. But then the Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup finals and wouldn't you know it game seven was scheduled for the night of my birthday. So we decided to go for breakfast in Gloucester instead so I could watch the game at night.

I picked the place for breakfast, Sugar Magnolias.  This was my second trip there. I had the goatie, an omelette filled with goat cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms and maybe spinach.  Can't remember but I know it was delicious.  My sister opted for the eggs benedict with spinach.

The decor is nice and easy.  Nothing fancy but welcoming. We got there at a good time for a late breakfast.

As I was sitting there watching the waitresses fill the ketchup bottles and write the lunch offerings on the menu, I was reminded of the movie Mystic Pizza. Maybe it was because the girls all seemed to be friends or maybe it was the setting in a seaside town in New England. I did not see Julia Roberts.

Here's another view of Sugar Magnolias or Sugar Mags for short.

There's Becky our waitress. Turns out she's originally from Winchester the next town to mine! She had some funny stories for us.

Love this sign.

Here's the front of the restaurant with a beautiful stained glass window.

After breakfast we drove along the coast to Rockport. The peonies were in bloom and so fragrant. We've had so much rain it's been good for the flowers. 

For the last few days the weather has been more like April than June.  It's been cold and windy. But today it was absolute perfection! Sunny and in the 70's, can't get much better than that. I guess the birthday gods must have been looking down on me. Wouldn't you love to have an oceanside seat in one of those little chairs at the bottom right of the photo?

We walked to the end of the wharf and found this beauty of a boat or I should say ship.

And don't I always run into a kitty no matter where I go?  This one was really friendly and definitely not a stray.

Of course we had to sit on the rocks since we were in Rockport.  Just look at that water.  This is the
place to relax.

This woman told us this rock is the best seat in the house! She called it a Rockport Lazyboy.

This spot at Bearskin Neck is popular fror picture taking. Is this going to be a Christmas card?

This is surely a Christmas card. Mom just needs to get someone to take one with her in it too.

Walking all the way out to the end of the jetty is a favorite pasttime. Some can do it with grace. Others can not.

Don't forget, there's a game seven to be played tonight. Bruins fever was alive and well in Rockport.

After soaking up some gorgeous sunlight, we headed to the deck at Helmut's Strudel Shop

for a bit of refreshment.  Ice coffee for me and tea for my sister and of course a warm from the oven slice of apple strudel.  It was beyond delicious!

So here is my happy place, the deck at Helmut's. I could sit here all day sipping my ice coffee and watching the seagulls fly by. I love the feeling of a soft breeze on my face and listening to the boats rock to and fro right in front of me. Nirvana! 

Oh I do not want to leave this idyllic spot but I do want to get back and see my mom at the nursing home. I have to see her on my Birthday. And then there's the game tonight.

This man came to Helmut's on a break from work. What a nice respite from the work day! He is lucky to work in Rockport.

And the woman with him is Christine.  She works at Helmut's and she is hysterical.  She was going to make a Stanley Cup out of tin foil for the Bruins game. And last night, she stayed up until 2 AM making a Bruins sign to be hung on Rockport's most famous building, the Motif No 1.

And there it is, Christine's handiwork. It looks very professional. 

And a closeup.  You know my best birthday present would be a Bruins victory tonight.  They're up 3-0 as I write this. 20 minutes to a World Championship! Cool.

Feeding Miss Marble

This is Miss Marble. Miss Marble is the stray kitty my sister and I have been feeding.  She is the mother of the 5 kittens pictured in this post and she is just a kitten herself.  Sorry for the poor photo but Miss Marble is quite skittish and if I moved any closer to her she would have bolted.

My sister and I have been feeding Miss Marble since the day after Memorial Day. I feed her in the morning and my sister feeds her at night or vice versa.  She gets the same premium cat food my kitties get.  My neighbor caught 3 of  Miss Marble's 5 kittens and brought them to a local vet. They all had upper respiratory problems and are on medication. Once they are well they will be sent to foster homes to be cared for until they can be adopted.

The plan is to capture the other two kittens and then Miss Marble can be rescued.  The woman from the Cat Society in town said she thinks Miss Marble is feral and is not adoptable.  We beg to differ.  She is already letting us get closer to her before she runs from us.  I think she is making progress.

Once she is rescued, she will be tested and then spayed and microchipped. If she can be socialized she will be fostered then adopted. If she is found to be feral, she will be released back outdoors by my sister's studio.  We will continue to feed her and my neighbor who caught the kittens agreed to build her a shelter for the Winter months.

Even if she is feral, her village will take care of her.

It's so Random!

What do you do when you have some random things to blog about but not enough to fill an entire blogpost? You do a random thoughts post!

I discovered a new coffee shop in Melrose last week and I've already been there twice! Coffee. Tea and Me is located on Main Street.  What a great place. there's quite the selection of coffees and baked goods too.  Last week, I tried an Iced Viennese and this week it was an iced mocha. Both of them were so fabulous I just know I'll be back. Check it out if you're in the area!

    

I am enjoying my little kitty pitcher, a recent purchase. Love it's irridescence and the kitty looks like my little Percy. And I am loving the fact that it's footed.

 

I just took photos of another one of my sister's live event paintings.  This is for the wedding of Michele and Brian.  They were married at the Copley Plaza in Boston.

Although Percy does not seem to mind the heat...

Oscar has become a complete slug! He just wants to chill out in front of the window.



And Percy can not understand.  Percy can go full speed all day long even in 90 degree heat.

Hope you all can chill out with an iced coffee, iced tea, or just in front of an open window. Get ready, Summer's coming!