Happy New Year from all us cats @catnipoflife!
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The True Meaning of Christmas
May we never be so focused on getting gifts & PRESENTS
that we forget to receive…
…the gift of HIS PRESENCE!
Spread the joy!
Sisters
For those fortunate enough to have a sister, the first Sunday in August is set aside just for you! This year that day falls on August 3rd. As for me, I never had a sister but do have three daughters. They will definitely attest to life with a sister. Good times, happy times, sad times, bad times…all are a part of life but bottom line, they will always be sisters.
Bedraggled! Photo taken during Jim’s 3-mth hospital stay.
Sisters’ Day is your chance (if you have a sister, that is) to show your appreciation for that special family relationship. All siblings have the odd argument here and there, but deep down there’s little way around the natural bond of siblings.
Make this day a special celebration for your sister, by however you feel is best. If you don’t have a sister, you can still celebrate the friendships of sisterhood by having a girl’s night out!
Sisters We’ll Always Be
Sisters, sisters, sisters
Skipping through life happily.
Never a lonesome moment
For sisters we’ll always be.How scared we were
The day we chased away the honeybee!Remember the aroma coming from the kitchen?
Homemade cookies ready before eleven.
Mama let us eat them hot from the oven,
Um-m-m, melting in our mouths, tasting from Heaven.How many chocolate chips were in your cookie?
Mine only had seven!Fights over clothes seemed to never end.
You must wear this; you can’t wear that.
That one is mine; this one is yours.
You’ll stretch it out; you’re too fat.Oh, how the words hurt as retaliation resulted in combat!
Younger days, too bad they had to come to a close:
Spouts with friends speaking in each other’s behalf,
Coming home late dreading to face Mom and Dad,
Sibling rivalry seemed to last time and a half.Isn’t it funny how we look back in time?
All the times we fought and argued weren’t funny then,
But now we laugh and laugh!Excerpted from Echoes, 2004
“A sister makes the best friend, loving and trustworthy right to the end.” ~SLS
To all sisters, have a purr-fect day!
Mosey on over to Awakenings and check out the quadruple celebration for Sunday, August 3, 2014!
Adopt-A-Cat Month
June is Summertime! There are a lot of celebrations during the month of June but one most fitting to catnip is Adopt a Cat Month. With summer comes the rising temperatures and efforts being made to cool things down. Have you ever thought about our feline friends who don a fur coat all year long? The sweltering summer heat can indeed be a torment.
Adopt a Cat Month is HERE!
Why is Adopt A Cat Month in June? During the spring, shelters are brimming with cats and kittens of every age. Unfortunately, there are often more cats in a given shelter than they can handle.
This overpopulation causes millions of perfectly healthy, loveable and adoptable kittens and cats to be euthanized every year.
Even though June is designated as Adopt a Cat Month, it is not just about the cat. June is loaded with Pet Celebrations:
- Adopt-a-Cat Month®. From the American Humane Association.
- Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month. From the ASPCA.
- National Pet Preparedness Month. This month, timed for the first month of hurricane season, urges people with pets to make preparations in case they should be hit by a disaster…and that includes making plans for what you would do with your dog in case of a hurricane, tornado, flood or other natural disaster.
- June 4, 2013: Hug Your Cat Day.
- 1st week in June. Pet Appreciation Week.
- June 10, 2013: World Pet Memorial Day.
- mid-June: Animal Rights Awareness Week.
- June 21, 2013: Take Your Dog to Work Day.
- June 21, 2013: National Dog Party Day.
Ready? Set! Adopt a cat!
If you missed any of the links at the beginning of the post, click HERE for MORE CELEBRATIONS in the month of June!
Awakenings: Lucky Penny
See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond
How many times have you found a penny only to check if it is ‘heads up’ before picking it up? If so, that must mean you are superstitious. Superstition has it that you should only pick up a penny that is lying face up. The others…leave them where they lie. I disagree as will be noted later. First, let’s take a look at the day’s celebration.
Today is…
Lucky Penny Day
Sharla Shults‘s insight:
Next time you find a penny, heads up or not, remember our nation’s motto! If you feel you do not need the penny, place it in the hand of another, repeat the motto, “In God We Trust” and say “pass it on.”
See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com
The Cat vs. The Dog
At Awakenings today we are celebrating Li’l Woofer Day,
aka National Puppy Day!
Even though catnip leans toward the cat, of course, whether a cat lover or dog lover, who could not love that face! Dogs have been labeled ‘man’s best friend’ but that is a matter of opinion. Whether teeny, tiny or great big overgrown sweeties, they do know when they are loved. We hug, they slobber!
So, on ‘Woofer Day’ here is a bit of trivia, Dog vs. Cat: [Dog is first only because today is his/her day!]
Living area preferences
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Dog people are 30 percent more likely to live in a rural area.
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Cat people are 29 percent move likely to live in an urban area.
Animal rescue leanings
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Dog people are 67 percent more likely to call animal control if they find stray kittens.
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Cat people are 21 percent more likely to rescue the stray kittens.
Phones
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Dog people are 36 percent more likely to use a popular song as a ringtone.
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Cat people are 11 percent more likely to have contacts in both their cellphone and a physical address book.
Children
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Dog people are 24 percent more likely to have kids.
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Cat people are 33 percent more likely to prefer taking care of a friend’s kids than a friend’s dogs.
Favorite Beatle (NOT Beagle)?
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Dog people are 18 percent more likely to consider Paul McCartney their favorite Beatle.
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Cat people are 25 percent more likely to consider George Harrison their favorite Beatle.
What makes you laugh
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Dog people are 30 percent more likely to enjoy slapstick humor and impressions.
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Cat people are 21 percent more likely to enjoy ironic humor and puns.
Random facts
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Dog people are 9 percent more likely to think of zoos as happy place.
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Cat people are 10 percent more likely to be active on Twitter.
Source: Mother Nature Network
For all the woofer lovers,
Don’t forget to visit Awakenings, info, video and poetry!
Awakenings: Awkward Moments
See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond
Have you ever found yourself in a totally awkward, meaning AWKWARD!, moment—that moment when ‘you wished you could wish‘ yourself back in time? Wiggle your nose and vanish to a new location, new place in time? Blink your eyes and the entire event simply disappear in a flash? Such moments happen all the time usually when completely unexpected to some folks, of course, more than others.
Today you get to celebrate all of those moments you once wished at the time the ground would simply open up and swallow them to oblivion. Why? Because…
Today is…National Awkward Moments Day
Sharla Shults‘s insight:
Dare to share? There IS a comment section! What is your most awkward moment?
For me, it has to be when I was still a classroom teacher. It was on a day, of course, when the Assistant Principal entered my room for an unannounced observation. He quietly took a seat and almost fell out of the chair when I calmly instructed the students to take out their ‘workshits!’ OOPS! I meant to say worksheets! AW-w-w-wKWARD!
See on awakenings2012.blogspot.com
Don’t forget your GREEN!
Today is…
Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!
[Scroll down to the recipe of the day!]
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Check out A Bit of the Irish!
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A few words to the wise from Maxine!
Recipe of the Day:
Awakenings: Remembering Our Soldiers at Christmas
See on Scoop.it – Awakenings: America & Beyond
Remember our soldiers
Whether here or far away
Keep them in your hearts
Throughout the night and day
Remember our soldiers
On land, in the air, or at sea
They sacrifice daily
In the name of liberty
CONTINUED @awakenings
Sharla Shults‘s insight:
While celebrating during the Christmas season
Always remember those away from home
Keep them in your hearts, cherish them in your soul
A day may come when you find yourself alone
See on http://awakenings2012.blogspot.com/2013/12/remembering-our-soldiers-at-christmas.html
Christmas Time
Christmas is a time of celebration. The reasons for this celebration differ from person to person, place to place. Everyone in the world is not of the same belief thus Christmas time holds personal meanings varying from culture to culture. A common thread, however, seems to be the festiveness of the season, which permeates the air with cheer, wonder and amazement.
Whether you are celebrating a secular or a religious Christmas, catnip wishes you a season of happiness, joyful times with family and friends. Sharing precious moments together is more important than any tangible Christmas present. Anything man-made can be destroyed by man. It is tangible. Love and good will from the heart moves with the spirit. It is intangible.
As you move about with the season, spread good cheer but also be mindful of those whose Christmas may not be reminiscent of joy. There are those who are less fortunate, homeless, down-trodden, depressed and suffering. Be aware that some people can find Christmas a difficult time, especially in cases where a loved one is ill, there are family problems or a loved one has died. Do your best to comfort them while including them in your good wishes for better times in the future.
Christmas is indeed a time of giving. Unfortunately, commercialism has taken away some of the true joy of Christmas. We hustle and bustle, fight the crowds, stake out the best sales, still overspend and all for what reason? More presents? More, more, more…. Instead, do something generous in the spirit of spreading joy and kindness, beauty and love. Give to someone who has, better yet, expects nothing. Cook for those who barely have enough food for the family, visit someone in a nursing home, volunteer at a homeless shelter, help with a toy or food drive. The possibilities are endless. Give of your time from the heart!
For many, Christmas is filled with tradition—Christmas caroling, watching Charlie Brown’s Christmas, reflecting on Christmases past, creating homemade gifts, baking Christmas cookies, decorating the tree, hanging Christmas stockings, wrapping presents, enjoying Dad’s special Egg Nog (or not!), waiting impatiently for Santa, and so much more.
Whatever your traditions may be, Embrace the Past…
Toys ‘n Things
When it came to holidays
Mama had everything under control
Baking cookies, wrapping presents
Even decorating the hall
Christmas Eve kept everyone busy
The house full of holiday cheer
Papa and Jimmy left at daybreak
On the hunt for the perfect deer
We’d wake up Christmas morning
Feeling the keen sense of surprise
Excitement in our hearts
The minute we opened our eyes
Still in our pajamas, hair all a muss
We stretched, yawned, still half asleep
Out of bed before Mama and Papa
We managed a sneaky little peek
Catching sunbeams through the open window
Were the branches of a scrawny little tree
Underneath were handmade toys ‘n’ things
The most thankful sight we ever did see
©2010 Remembering
Sharla Lee Shults
“Christmas is for giving, being thankful and giving from the heart.” ~SLS
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