Nemo "Mountain Lion" Miller

Yesterday was national cat day so in honor of that here is a story about my tough little kitty...

His name is Nemo he was a stray that my Dad spotted on the side of a back country road called "Rice Candle" (notorious for animal dumps) when I was in eighth grade. Nemo along with two other kittens were abandoned in a ditch. At the time we were living on the farm in Spanaway, which was thirty acres, so three more barn cats was no problem for us. Out of the three kittens Nemo was the only one who survived the other two were sick and passed away. Eventually when Nemo was old enough we let him out of the grain room where we raised the kittens and let him roam the farm to keep mice out of our barn. Nemo lived on the farm for about eleven years. He is a tough cat! I am pretty sure he has had some run-ins with wild animals whether that is other stray cats, raccoons, or coyotes. He has a little nick on his ear and well he looks a little scruffy in his old age of twelve. 

When my parents moved from the farm to their new home, they were not able to catch Nemo. So one night Paul and I drove out to Spanaway and I walked into the abandoned barn which was pretty traumatizing it really hurt to walk through the barn empty, cold, and dark. Out of the darkness though as I called his name I heard a little meow and then saw Nemo’s little white face as he trotted up to me. He let me pick him up and sat on my lap as Paul and I drove back to Tacoma wondering what the heck we were going to do with this raggedy little animal. 

Well it has been two years now and Nemo is doing great!!! We had a few fiascos with him, where he had to have all of his teeth removed because of a disease called stomatitis. Now he is happy, healthy, and a little ray of sunshine, he is a reminder of my home, which I desperately needed.

I always thought that when I left the farm, I would adopt some “stylish” pet and stop ending up with strays but I guess that’s just who I am. I love my old tabby cat and I am so glad that God put him in my life. Nemo never has to go outside unless he wants to, sleeps pretty much all day, and has very expensive organic cat food, and well his little life I'd say has improved tremendously. I know Nemo has been through a lot in his little kitty life, therefore Paul and I have given him the full name of Nemo Mountain Lion Miller. 

P.S. not everyone is lucky enough to just stumble upon an amazing cat on the side of the road. Here is a link to the Seattle Humane Society where there are tons of cute kittys waiting to be loved like Nemo... adopt a kitty

On our way

Just some old pictures that I think are significant to our everyday navigation through life...

Savvy Organizing 101

Somthing that I have always been pretty good at, and I credit to my mom, is being organized. Ever since I was in elementary school I have been cleaning and organizing my room and now apartment. I have to say as time goes on and I accumulate more things and my schedule gets busier it's harder and harder to stay organized. So to help get me back on track I have decided to write a blog post on cleaning and organizing Ashley style. What you have to remember is these 4 tips which are as follows...

1. Dare to dump

The first rule of cleaning is to sort out the things that are garbage, and purge old items that can be donated to goodwill, two tips here...

One: if you have not used it in over a year you probably won't and if you are not attached to the item for other reasons it can go.

Two: packaging takes up ALOT of space so for items that are still in their store bought container unwrap and recycle, recycle, recycle.

2. Visualize

What do you want your space to look like when it's done. Think about it, maybe you can move some furniture, restack things, hang items that are on the floor or taking up space in a drawer. Consistancy is key for instance if you have a closet full of wire hangers... trash them! buy matching hangers color and all your closet will imediatly appear more organized because all of your clothes will hang at the same leghth.

3. Sanitize

The trick to "sanitizing" is to do it while you are organizing. When you pick up an item clean underneath and behind it example: books on a shelf. When you clean out your fridge take all the items out and then clean. It is much more effiecient this way. Also wash everything! hats, pillowcases, shoes, blankets... these are items we forget about but can be put through the washer and hung to dry in most cases.

4. Include a project

And last but not least add a fun project to your work. This makes cleaning fun and when your all done you have somthing new to add and enjoy in your home. 

A LITTLE FREE BEE... printable grocery list

Below is my fist apartment and eventually "our" first apartment, we had a limited budget and not a lot of furniture, but I think the space turned out pretty awsome! we loved it so much... 

Not all clutter is bad!

Actually making the bed helps your room to look so much better!

p.s. husbands do come in handy for vaccuming! 

Happy Organizing!!!!

Flashbacks

I first saw my wedding cake design on Maisie Fantaisie and I was in love, it was so pretty! I didn't think I would be able to have a cake just like it for our wedding because it was a design based in London and when I calculated the servings it cost well a crazy amount of £'s. I printed a picture and took it to a meeting with Diane Fairfield a family friend who said she could make it. I had no idea that she could actually make the exact cake and I was thrilled when I saw her bring it in the Steilicoom Town Hall on our wedding day... Thank You Diane for one of the greatest highlights at our wedding >>> the cake.

Peeking out of the drawing room to see our cake... my grandpa looks pretty excited ;)

Pretty Coconut Macaroons

Lately I have been obsessed with a cute little patisserie on Old Main Street in Bellevue, called Belle Pastry. When I go there it is just to get one of their coconut macaroons. I didn’t know I liked coconut until I tried one of these! So I thought I would make my own... and since I was making such an adorable little item I thought I would dress it up with a pretty display of pink and glitter. The recipe for these amazing things is below... enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 large egg whites 
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 14-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut (about 5 cups)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
2. Vigorously whisk together the egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until glossy, foamy, and the sugar is mostly almost dissolved. Fold in the coconut, stirring until evenly combined.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop the batter in mounds (about 2 tablespoons each) 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes; let cool completely. The macaroons will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Natural Scientist

Have you ever heard someone say that most of the time your dream job is the one that you decided you wanted when you were in kindergarten, when someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up? Well I have and I would have to say I somewhat agree. When I was five I wanted to be a "Natural Scientist." I didn't really know what a scientist was, but I did know that I loved the now closed Natural Wonders store in the Tacoma Mall ;) and that if my life could somehow include rocks, dinosaurs, plants, oceans, and animals, well then I would die a happy girl. I started a rock collection (which is to this day horded away in my grandparents tool shed), I started collecting every kind of animal figurine and nature books. I made an "office" in my bedroom between my bed and the wall where all these things were organized and I dreamt about traveling the world and making new discoveries.

Why am I telling you this? Well maybe to inspire you to follow your dreams or think about how you can fit them into your already established life. I know for me art has somehow filled this role through imagery, history, and passion.

Below is some photography taken on our recent Oregon Coast trip. I would say a certain “Natural Scientist” and her husband took them.

So here is to your kindergarten predetermined occupations whether it’s a firefighter, ballerina, or vet...

Heartlines

Everytime I take a trip with Paul I end up refering to it as the "best trip ever!" this is starting to become a problem because we have taken many trips from San Francisco, L.A., Kauai, and Yachats, to Leavenworth and Vashon Island. I guess they all can't be my favorite, but, this last one to Lincoln City was pretty amazing.

It's becoming apparent that we like to wander... not sure what that says about us, but I am so happy that the person I married is as equally intrested in the art of the beautiful world around us. I have plenty of stories, ideas, and images to share from our trip. But for now all I really have to say is sharing another adventure with Paul again has shown me how truly blessed I am to have him in my life. I cannot wait to travel the rest of the world with him in the years to come.