our good deed: Petsmart delivery

Olivia has been collecting money for a long time to donate to an animal shelter and one day last week we started talking about actually getting that money in the right hands.

Out of that discussion came the idea to begin small, so we talked about making some catnip pillows and taking them to our local Petsmart where they have cats available for adoption. Friday night, I created fabric pillows and yesterday she filled them with stuffing and catnip and I sewed them shut.

Today, both girls and me went to Petsmart in Milford. When we told the 3-4 staff members at the cash registers what we were there to do, they all were excited and so surprised we had come with a donation like this.

Funny, there were only 3 cats there today but that means they are being readily adopted, which is good. The Petsmart staff allowed the girls behind the cages to give each cat it's gift. And we left the remaining 5 catnip pillows behind for new tenants :)

It did not take long for the cats to go WILD! They were batting them around and rolling around like crazy. It was an instant mood lifter...for the cats and for us.

This was the perfect reminder that it's the little things that often mean the most. It inspired us to make more of these little treats and perhaps deliver a larger number to a bigger shelter. Along with some handmade dog toys or beds too.

In addition, we are making a short list of other small things we can do that brighten another being's day. We are so blessed and it's nice to pay it forward. As the guy at Petsmart said: I beleive in Karma.Me too. Me too.

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Family Outing: Entertainment Junction

Not only was this a fun time because we all committed to being in the same place at the same time, but it was a great opportunity to break out the iPhone fisheye lens again!!



This was at breakfast/lunch beforehand. I am wowing them with my new lens :) But look, it fit everyone in with ease...



Here are 4 people who top my list: My mom, Jim, Tyler and Shelby.



This is a cool one of the train display. This area had tiny replicas of Cincinnati as it would have been in the past. There was a yellow trolley circling in there too. My sister said: Oh look, Mr. Rogers. Tell me YOU know who Mr. Rogers is because most of the people around us did not. Hmmph.



Farther down, there was an observation deck so this shot is taken from above. The detail is unbelievable in the displays. They provide scavenger hunt type sheets which really made it fun for Olivia and some of the big people. Shelby...not so into that.



But about 2/3 of the way through, she took over the camera (not a fan of the Fisheye, she chucked that immediately!). She took so.many.photos but it kept her interest and she captured much of the detail. Doesn't this one above look realistic?



The requisite family picture :)




 Along with the requisite group photo :) It was a great way to spend a Sunday. All of us give Entertrainment Junction 2 thumbs up. And oh yea, we scored a super Groupon on Friday that saved us tons on admission.

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Fisheye Lens for the iPhone camera

I think you have to be a pretty big photography geek to even consider buying add on lenses for your phone's camera.

This is me, raising my hand as a card carrying member of the geek squad.

A fisheye lens for a DSLR is a big investment, one I have not been wiling to make as just a "mom with camera"/hobbyist. But I have always LOVED the rounded look of the fisheye lens.

For a very small investment, I got one for my iPhone from PhotoJojo which could not be a cooler place. Even my invoice is clever. So, the quality is not that great...but the effect is spot on. I love it. And I highly recommend it. Wanna know how the lens attaches? A super strong magnet. Like I said, just an all around cool gadget.

 (image from photojojo)

And a few more shots from yesterday:

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Meals, without a plan

I had good intentions of sharing a Monday Meal Plan post and then Monday ran away without me and a quick glance at my calendar late in the evening revealed we'd be lucky to even eat this week! Last night I did make dinner and the pork chops on the grill were so good. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce is my new favorite.

I also made the simple pumpkin muffins that I see being shared on Pinterest over and over. I added one single serve portion of apple sauce and one can of pumpkin puree to a yellow cake mix. Next I added cinnamon and chocolate chips. The mixture is very thick. I filled about 18 muffin liners and baked for 25 minutes. Oh, I sprinkled the tops with cinnamon and sugar too. They are really tasty! Very moist. They are sweet, more like a cupcake thanks to the premade cake mix. I shared them last night at the PTO meeting but still have plenty leftover for snacks and breakfast. Olivia liked them, Shelby did not even try one.

As for the rest of the week, tonight we will enjoy pizza at the Football and Cheer banquet. Tomorrow will be dining on the go between dance and basketball practice (and a funeral for a dear friend who left way too early).

Thursday is actually not looking bad so something may get prepared at home. Strangely, the Stouffers lasagna keeps calling to me from the freezer. Pin It

Insta Friday

 Whoa! Can you tell someone got a new, much more demanding job? The blogging has fallen way off. No worries. I am slowly finding a groove. Today, it is InstaFriday, the brainchild of Life ReArranged, a wonderful blog that you should click over and read. What is InstaFriday?  Share what you’ve been up to all week using nothing but cell phone pictures!

A recap of our week via iphone pictures:





Shelby (salt) and her classmate (pepper).






Monster Eyeballs






Costume Parade at school





Mega amounts of candy






Before school on Spirit Day





Art on the wall finally. Pictures surrounding are just place fillers for now. Waiting on our new family photos to replace those.
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