Kitten Post for My Mum

I feel like a new parent.

Even though they've been with us only a couple of months, it's beginning to feel like Jack and Abby have always been with us. Nevertheless, I am constantly finding reasons to grab my camera and snap pictures of the kittens playing, sleeping, hanging out, etc. Everything they do is cute!

For instance, here's Jack, who is always adorable:

And here's Abby... (I woke up from a nap one Sunday afternoon and found her next to me, sleeping like this. Oh my, so cute!)

Jack again, this time sleeping on the desk next to me when I was working at my computer:

This picture of Jack cracks me up. When I walked into the living room, he popped out from behind those pillows on the couch, yet he's the one who looks surprised!

Abby again, with N8:

She LOVES Nathan. (She also loves Marie, my mom-in-law... so maybe it's a Winegardner thing? In any event, at least Jack is "my kitten"...)

And here's one of my most favorite pictures in recent history:

Can you find the sleeping kitten? (It's Abby, btw.)

Other cute things:
I don't have pictures of all of this stuff, but Jack and Abby have a couple of new toys they LOVE...

1. Fake mice. Nate pulled a couple of them out of a desk drawer the other day, and the kittens were instantly enthralled. They've sinced destroyed both fake mice, so I will have to find and buy more. Jack especially loved his mouse. He would pick it up in his mouth and trot around the house with it, then drop it somewhere and smack it across the room so he could chase it.

2. Fabric. I had a big square of spare fabric on the couch the other day. For whatever reason, the kittens pulled it onto the floor. They then discovered that it makes for a fabulous toy, and now they like to wrap themselves up in it and run around the living room.... Sometimes while also playing with the fake mice.

Overall, I'm a pretty happy "mommy". I love my kittens!

Our Wall-to-Rail is Nearly Done!

My mom hinted (not-so-subtly) that I needed a blog update. She asked for kitten pictures, and I have at least 1,000 new pictures I could share, but I've been meaning to talk about house stuff for quite some time. So I'm going to do house stuff now, and do a kitten update in a few days (I hope).

We're nearly done with the wall-to-rail project. The railing is constructed and in place. There are only minor adjustments remaining, including a little bit of sanding, some painting, and attaching the floorboard trim.

What's interesting is that, as I pass the railing every day, a diverse series of thoughts go through my head. I start by feeling a little annoyed that it looks somewhat home-grown and not perfectly professional (even though it is very nicely done). And because of the way we framed the new railing, you can definitely see where the wall use to be. I worry that people who've never seen my house will walk in, see the railing, and instantly know that it use to be a wall.

BUT THEN I imagine what it use to look like -- the solid wall, blocking the window over the staircase. Sometimes I even go back and look at the pictures of the wall. As soon as I remember what it use to be, I suddenly have a lot of love for what it now is.

In sum: I love the new railing.

Before I reveal the new railing, here's a couple of pictures of what it use look like (when it was just a wall):

And here's one of the construction pictures that I haven't shared yet (I love this one):

Finally, here's the new railing: