What I’ve been up to lately
I’ve been wanting to write an update about life in general and the kitties too. I used to write these types of posts more often and it’s time to get a bit more personal again, don’t you think so?
So grab a cup of tea, coffee, or a glass of wine, and let’s chat a bit.
The cats
Maya
She is doing great. I don’t know if I ever mentioned that ever since we adopted her at 11 months old, she was sneezing. We had boogers everywhere all the time. My husband used to lovingly call her “dirty shelter cat”. Our vet, who is also my husband’s cousin had tried numerous antibiotics on her with no success. So before Christmas, we decided to try another round of antibiotics (Azithromycin) that we hadn’t tried before, and guess what? She is done sneezing!!! I can’t believe it. She is 6 years old and has been a snotty mess her entire life! No more of that!
It was also so strange that Willy and Walter never started sneezing the way she did. So strange.
Walter
I’ve mentioned in one of my emails that Walter had 8 teeth removed last fall. I never mentioned it here on the blog. That’s a lot of teeth for such a young little guy. He is only 4 years old. His breath was so awful though. You literally couldn’t bare him near you when he was grooming himself. Fishy, fishy!!! That’s how bad it was. Now he isn’t smelly anymore. Thankfully!
Since I can’t afford to get each of their teeth cleaned every year, I’ve been alternating instead. This year it is Maya’s turn again. Her teeth are pretty bad too. Next year after that, Willy’s and then Walter’s again. I sign up for the care club at the vet for the year they have their teeth cleaned. I also still have health insurance (check out my post for more info) for them but unfortunately, that doesn’t cover dentals which is such BS.
Walter is such a strange little guy. He is still overgrooming and pulling out his fur which is most likely due to stress and anxiety. He is a stalker and drives Willy crazy. All he wants to do is follow Willy around and then challenge him. Willy can’t stand Walter because of that and it makes me sad. I am constantly trying to avoid fights between them.
We’ve been trying Purina Calming Care supplement but he is still nuts. I do have to say though that all 3 cats absolutely love this stuff and prefer their wet food with it sprinkled on top. They are obsessed with it and since it is good for them, I’ll just keep giving it to them.
Willy
I made the mistake to take Willy (5 years now) out on a leash, last spring, and life has never been the same again. Whenever I go outside he wants to come with me. It’s a little bit better now during the winter when I’m inside because he wants to be where I am. The bond between us is strong and I think it is because raised him with a bottle since he was 2 weeks old.
I’m dreading him begging again as the weather gets nicer out.
If you are wondering about the others: Walter is way too scared on the leash and every noise outside startles him. Maya tries but just isn’t the best on a leash. It was also difficult to find her a harness that fits.
My husband’s vet cousin also told me to get the book “decoding your cat” which I just downloaded and will listen to on my daily walks. One of her friends was involved in writing the book.
My kids
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My son
Our son is still attending Temple University in Philadelphia and I’ve mentioned here before how anxiety-ridden and scared I am constantly. The recent murder of a Temple police officer has shaken us all to the core.
Philly is a war zone, just such a sad shit show. Knowing that my son walks home at night from work in such a dangerous city is awful. I wish he wouldn’t love Temple as much as he does.
And yes horrible things happen everywhere, just look at the Idaho student murders. I’m sure those parents thought they enrolled their kids in a very safe school but when there are homicides, home invasions, carjackings, and robberies happening daily around the area where your child lives, it definitely is hard to deal with.
I feel like it’s all taken a toll on me. It’s also a reason why I have withdrawn so much on social media and here on the blog. I have things on my mind and I don’t want to complain about them. Especially if I attempt to talk about it, a lot of people immediately want to talk politics and I am not going there. It’s just been easier to be quiet but that’s certainly not good for my blog.
I’m still finding some peace in knotting macrame thankfully. I should find another hobby so I don’t bore people to death with it on my blog 😉
My son is looking forward to working in Germany for 4 weeks over the summer. We had hoped he’d do an internship but he doesn’t want to be gone for 3 months. Maybe he’ll change his mind next year. A German internship would sure look good on his resume but a 4-week long summer job isn’t bad either.
(If you are new to my blog you can check out his dorm tour and his recent Temple Nest tour)
my daughter
Our daughter is learning how to drive and that of course also adds to my anxiety. I’m not a good driving teacher. It’s one of the scariest things ever to give up control of the car to someone who has no clue. It doesn’t make it easier that she is scared as well. She definitely prefers having me drive her around. Last summer one of her soccer teammates died in a car accident and that is just always on our minds.
What else is going on with me…
… my husband and I are approaching our 25th wedding anniversary which is just crazy to me. We have no idea what we should do. We can’t go far since I have to pick up our son the day after and get him ready for his trip to Germany. Maybe a day at a local spa and a good dinner or something along those lines.
As every winter, I work at the local ski resort so we have season passes. Our kids work there as well. It’s been a terrible winter though with no natural snow and only the man-made version.
Gosh, I’m so ready for spring and focusing on my blog and projects at home again instead of going somewhere else to work. The blog is after all my full-time job. As always it is constantly changing and hard to keep up with as a one-man (uhm woman) operation.
Speaking of projects and DIYing…
My bedroom
I still really want to add wood beams to our bedroom ceiling. That project has been on my wishlist for several years now but something has always gotten in the way. Covid lumbar prices, a hurt back and now recently my shoulder has been killing me. It would not be an easy project since our ceiling is so high and I’m afraid of heights LOL. I’m still not giving up on that dream though. My friend has a scaffold that I could use when the plants are back outside and there is more room to work in the bedroom.
Look, don’t you agree that faux wood beams would look fantastic in our bedroom? (If you are new around here, check out my chandelier cover-up I made last year and also the DIY artwork on the nightstands)
My dining room sideboard
A while back I cleaned the sideboard in our dining room and when I lifted the booze tray off the top, it pulled off paint with it too. Yikes! It’s also pretty banged up on the sides and I think it’s time to repaint it. The color also faded for some reason and doesn’t even look blush anymore, which is odd. I do love the color that I originally picked. (Here is my 2016 blog post about the makeover. I can’t believe it’s been that long ago.)
I even looked on Facebook Marketplace for a different option but I couldn’t find anything that I like better. The lines and size of this old Bombay Company sideboard are just perfect for the space. The issue I have with it is that it is MDF board and not solid wood.
What color do you think I should paint it? I’m considering a light rust or terracotta color. As mentioned in my recent post about terracotta paint colors, I’m obsessed with the color combo of green and terracotta. (If you missed it, check out those color blog posts where I explain everything a bit more)
I only have to wait for consistent spring temperatures to be able to paint it in the garage.
Speaking of painting in the garage. I also have to repaint our kitchen cabinets AGAIN. Especially the white is looking very dirty lately and the magic eraser just isn’t taking care of it anymore. Why can’t people just touch the cabinets with clean hands? Is that too much to ask? LOL
The porch
I get questions about how my porch has held up over the winter since my makeover last spring. I’m happy to report that it held up great! (check out the project)
Let me refresh your mind. This was the porch this fall:
And here is a photo that I just took with my phone today. No paint chips at all! I only have to clean it a bit when I put the rattan sofa back outside for spring and summer. The bench will go back onto our patio.
As I mentioned above, I still love macrame and want to make a kitchen towel holder yet. Sorry if I’m boring you with it but it’s coming.
My car
I just have to mention my car, my 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe! If you follow me on Instagram then you know that we had a crazy amount of issues with it last year. It was at the repair shop and dealership twice for about 3 months each. So I was without a vehicle for about half of the year.
The 3 months at the end of the year, that it was at the dealership were spent trying to get Hyundai to accept that it was certified pre-owned. We bought the car in 2016 and the dealership in New Jersey where we bought the car never added the paperwork to the Hyundai database. Since then the dealership had also sold and of course, nobody had the original paperwork or was willing to help. It took forever to get this resolved.
You might wonder why the CPO issue is so important. Well, my car needed a new engine which is covered until 100K miles if the car is under first ownership or a CPO vehicle. Hyundai would have even given us the new engine but if it isn’t a CPO vehicle then there is no warranty on that new engine and we also would have had to pay for the installation.
In the end, our Santa Fe needed 17K worth of parts and labor and we didn’t have to pay for any of it. We even got money back from the previous repairs that should have been covered. So it was well worth all the fighting. Hopefully, I can drive my car for another couple of years now since my husband needs a new car.
I don’t know if I ever mentioned that I lost 17 pounds last year and I am so proud that I fit back into all my old clothes. By old I mean for example my jeans collection that is about 20-25 years old. And I’ve kept it off. I did this with 16:8 intermittent fasting and a paid subscription to my favorite weight-tracking app called MyNetDiary. I’ve tried others including weight watchers but I like this one the best. I didn’t have to give up anything which is the best part. I still eat all the things I love like pasta, chocolate, and have my wine too. It just helped so much to not let those cravings get out of control. The key was tracking everything that went into my mouth.
So this about sums it up for now. This weekend I update my old post about my favorite tunic dresses. This is always how I know I’m ready for spring when I start looking for spring and summer outfits. I found some really great new options that I added, so check it out.
I’ve been wanting to focus some content on my cats again since they have been missing on my blog lately. I’m just not sure what yet.
Is there anything you maybe have in mind?
Tschüß,
Hi! My name is Karen, and I was just reading your blog and I live with a sneezing cat as well. I’ve tried everything I can think of. Would you mind telling me what worked for your baby? I’m goingoutofmy mind with this problem. The vet even did a respiratory panel ad found nothing. Please share and deep thanks!!!!
Hi Karen, the antibiotic was Azithromycin and I now added a link to the blog post for some more info so you can check it out. It is crazy how nothing else helped before. She also always had dirty crusty eyes and ears. The antibiotic did give her diarrhea but I gave her FortiFlora Feline Probiotics to help battle that. Good luck and let me know if this helped your kitty too if you try it.
First off so good to catch up with you. Absolutely understand about the worry and anxiety about your children. My sons are 28 and 31 and I still worry about them, and they are good kids too!! As mothers we will probably always worry about them. My oldest son lives in Finland which makes it worse for me.
I think ceiling beams will look awesome in your bedroom so go for it. Life is short!!
Looking forward to seeing and reading more about the cats. Take care!
Oh wow Donna, yes Finland is quite far. Same for my parents and me. It’s so hard to be that far away and I worry about my parents too. I definitely have the beams on my to-do list and hope it will work out. Thanks for taking your time to read my blog and commenting 🙂
Julia, thanks for the personal updates. I love to hear what’s new with you, your family and your precious kitties! It’s hard being a mom but it sounds like you’re doing a great job. All you can do is your best! You’ve got this 😻
Thanks Ann, yes trying to do your best is all we can do. Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
Hi!
Love all your diy. Wanted to mention about the anxiety. I have found yoga nidra and it has been literally life changing for me and helped so much. There is a woman on YouTube and has tons of free sessions. Here name is Ally boothroyd, look it up. She is amazing and her voice is so soothing. She has helped me so much with sleep. Just thought I would mention. All your creativity and work is just beautiful ❤️
Oh thanks, I will check her out. I’ve done “Yoga With Adriene” and I love her a lot too.
I also think beams would look amazing! I hear you on the worry with new drivers, I have a 17 year old. It’s so hard to let go.
Do your cats eat wet food? My cats normally only have dry (the wet just grosses me out too much and my current kitty has IBD so has to stick to her special food) but she is 13 and her teeth are perfect according to my vet who is a very well respected feline specialist and she has never recommended a single cleaning for her. My other cats had great teeth too and only one needed a cleaning and 1 extraction when he was 10. I’m thinking maybe the dry food makes the difference?
Great to catch up on your life, Julia! We moms are always concerned about our kids and now I feel the same about my grandkids🥰
Take care!
Oh I can’t even imagine what I’ll do once I have grandkids. I’m definitely in no rush 😉
Thank you for the lovely post and for sharing your talents with us despite the anxiety (which I totally, totally get by the way … is it bad we’re planning on just doing the whole driving thing with our kids a bit late, because anxiety on behalf of all parties involved?!). Kitties and crafts forever, amirite? Hugs to you.
Yes, there is definitely anxiety on all parties involved here haha. She is getting driving lessons too since I can’t handle it. And hugs right back to you too!
I love all of your creative ideas! I think beams would look amazing! Definitely go with the fake ones due to the weight factor. I think whatever color you decide on for your buffet will look great! I also have white cupboards and totally agree about the dirt! I love seeing all of your macrame ideas. You are doing a great job with your blog even if you don’t post as often as you would like to. For me I would rather read your blog which actually I enjoy reading rather than get one everyday about superficial stuff. Hang in there!
Love the update.
Your (gorgeous) daughter had sensory issues a few years ago (yes?,) Has that all been resolved?
Yes she did! And I’m happy to report it is all gone. We healed her body with food ( https://cuckoo4design.com/daughters-candida-diet-health-update/ I don’t know if you maybe remember this post). She is 16 now and still really into eating healthy.
Hi Julia –
I enjoyed your reading your update. 🙂 You look great!!!! Pat yourself on the back a few times for losing 17 pounds as losing weight is hard. :-). I think your bedroom would look great with faux wood beams!!!
Thanks Diane! I definitely want to finally get my faux beams this year. Fingers crossed!