It's finally cooling off a little bit here in Southern California. For the past few weeks we've had record high temperatures, which I happen to love, but I guess I have to realize that Summer is officially over.  🙁

Some people say that they use the crock pot in the Summer to avoid turning on the oven but in the Summer, I'm not in the mood for most of the recipes that are usually made in the crock pot: stews, soups, chili, etc.  In the Summer, we grill something almost every night and just serve with a veggie or two and a salad.

But now that it's cooler at night and will be getting dark earlier, I won't be grilling as much. I'm already starting to get the urge to make some huge pots of chili and homemade soups. I don't make a lot of recipes in the crock pot but I really like the convenience of it so I'm on the lookout for some good, healthy, one-pot recipes that can be put on in the morning to be ready at the end of a busy day.

I have the Fix It and Forget It Lightly cookbook and I've found some recipes in there that are pretty healthy which don't contain all the cream soups, but I still usually end up modifying most of the recipes a little bit.

I threw this one together one day last week when I had a really busy day planned so dinner would be all ready when we got home. And when I say that I threw it together, I mean that literally. I was so busy that morning that I didn't even feel like chopping anything. My inspiration for this stew was a bag of Teeny Tiny Potatoes that I found at Trader Joe's. (Yes, it really said Teeny Tiny Potatoes on the label; I wished I had taken a picture of the label because I had never seen these before.)

The quantities and the ingredients in this recipe can be changed to suit your taste. Afterwards, I wished that I had added corn. Here's what I did.

Super Easy Chicken Stew

2 pounds chicken tenders
1 bag teeny tiny whole potatoes (maybe 1/2 lb.)
1/2 bag petite baby carrots
1 bag frozen lima beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 jar whole mushrooms
2-3 c. low sodium chicken broth
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix
fresh ground pepper
garlic powder

Place chicken tenders in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle with garlic powder and fresh ground pepper. On top of chicken, layer the potatoes, carrots, lima beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Pour in some chicken broth to almost cover vegetables. Mix together 1/2 cup or so of chicken broth with the one can of mushroom soup and the Lipton onion soup mix and pour over the top of the vegetables. Cook on low for six or seven hours or until the veggies are soft. Stir to combine the veggies. Serve alone or on top of your favorite noodles for a heartier meal. I served on top of Fusilli noodles.

That's it! It doesn't get any easier than that. I didn't even chop up the chicken tenders, they were so tender that they just fell into pieces. My guys loved this super duper Easy Chicken Stew so I'll definitely be making it again!

~LilSis

Posted under Food

As long as we're talking about potatoes and St. Patrick's Day, I decided to do one more Irish recipe before the holiday.  I'm making the Ham and Potato Pancakes that I just discussed in my St. Patrick's Day Party Ideas post a few days ago. This comes from a little cookbook called Irish Food, Fun, and Crafts.

And, yes, I too am entering my recipe into the Potato Ho Down being hosted this month by Evil Chef Mom.

To participate in this fun event hosted the third Wednesday of each month, each entry must have a Potato Ho name. Since this is my first time to submit an entry, I'm making a big deal about announcing my Potato Ho name!

Drum roll, please… My Potato Ho name is Madame Potato Ho Frosty Gay. (And no, I didn't just pull that out of a hat. There is a method to the madness.) You can read all the rules about this monthly blogging event on Potato Ho Down or on Noble Pig.

Now, for Madame Potato Ho Frosty Gay's recipe.

Madame Potato Ho Frosty Gay Ham and Potato Pancakes

3/4 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, grated, and squeezed dry (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, green parts only
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup finely chopped cooked ham (4 -5 ounces)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 -3 T. vegetable oil

First, combine grated potatoes, green onions, and eggs in large bowl, mix well.  Add ham, flour, salt, and pepper; mix well.

Heat 2 T. oil in large heavy bottomed skillet. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls and press with back of spoon to flatten. Cook over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove to paper towels to drain. Add remaining 1 T. of oil, if necessary, to cook remaining batter. Serve pancakes warm.

This is an easy recipe and the pancakes turned out really nice. It's a great little appetizer to serve at your St. Patrick's Day Party. And, my family loved them for breakfast. I made SirHoney one the size of the skillet!

Don't forget to check Evil Chef Mom's site on Wednesday, March 18th for the complete March Potato Ho Down Roundup!

~LilSis

Posted under Food

Thanks for the scoop on your favorite mascara, LilSis! I love mascara, and don't leave the house without it. No mascara means skimpy lashes that don't show up, but the right mascara means long, thick lashes. It may be the most important part of my morning face, so I'm not willing to compromise on it.

A long time ago, I used Lancome Definicils regularly, but it's just too darn expensive for me ($24), especially when it seems to dry up fairly quickly. I've also used lots of the drugstore brands, and didn't like any of the Cover Girl, Maybelline, Max Factor or Almay mascaras. The cult favorite in the pink and green tube smears and flakes like crazy on me.  At some point, I heard that the same company owns both Lancome and Loreal, and that many of their products are very similar; they're just marketed differently under different company names to target a different consumer at a different price point.

I have two favorite mascaras now, both Loreal, and I use both of them every day. This may sound like overkill but let me splain; I'm not a high-maintenance girl but this method has worked for me for many years now. First I use two thin coats of Loreal Voluminous in black or carbon black.  It gives thickness and volume (hence the name) to the lashes. Next, I add a light coat of Loreal Lash Out. Lash Out is a thinner formula that won't give me the volume I want, but it lengthens (without fibers) and helps preserve the curl I've gotten from my Shu Eumura eyelash curler. Without the Lash Out, the Voluminous would let the curl straighten out during the day.  I like both of these mascaras with the straight brush rather than the curved brush.

Loreal Voluminous Mascara

I love both of these formulas. I have oily skin, and neither of these smears, smudges or flakes AT ALL. They make waterproof formulas of both of these, but I only use them if I'm going to be in the water since the regular formulas wear so well. They whisk away cleanly with my favorite makeup remover; Lancome BiFacil.  As I've said before, BiFacil is definitely a product worth the higher price point!

If I need to spend extra money for a quality product, I will, but there is no need with mascara, which is great since you replace it so frequently. The Loreal mascaras run around $6 to $8 depending on where you buy them, and there are frequently $1 or $2 coupons in the Sunday paper for them. Unless there's a new miracle mascara to hit the shelves, I'm pretty happy with my Loreal mascara duo!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Hooray for Urban Decay!  How can a company with only two products in my makeup drawer have an enormous impact on my daily makeup routine?  I don't have the popular Urban Decay Lounge or YDK Eyeshadows, Greed Lip Envy, Midnight Cowboy Lipstick, or Catfight Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in my stash.  Nothing but two little beauties: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion and 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils.  I don't like to say a product is life-changing, but these guys are incredible!

LilSis and I talk all the time about what MAC eyeshadow snobs we are, but without a good eyeshadow base, we'd be cheating ourselves out of a lot that a high quality product has to offer.  A good eyeshadow primer will grab onto your shadow, and enable it to last longer while intensifying the vibrancy of the color.  Fading and creasing will become an instant thing of the past!

Even with a great eyeshadow like MAC, you still have plenty to gain by taking a few extra seconds to apply a base.  I resisted adding another step to my morning routine, but I finally caved and tried some products that were recommended to me as base: MAC Paint in Base Light, Bourjois Survolteel Waterproof Eyeshadow in Beige, and Bourjois Shimmering Shine Liquid Eyeshadow in Beige Metallique.  As far as I can see, these particular Bourjois products aren't available any more.  My experience is that they're all great as long-lasting shadows, and I especially like them for muggy summer days when my chances of creasing climb to 100% along with the humidity.  As a base for other shadows though, I think they're too thick, plus they bring color and shimmer with them so any shadow you put on top of them is going to change.  Maybe for the better, but it's going to change.  Plus, it takes me way too long to get the application even and smooth, and I just don't have that kind of time (or patience) in morning crunch-time.

Urban Decay Primer Potion

I much prefer the invisible Urban Decay Primer Potion.  The Primer Potion goes on clear and you can't even tell you have it on.  You use a very very small amount;  I spread it around quickly with a small concealer brush but you could smooth it on with a fingertip if you wanted to.  Then apply your eyeshadow on top as usual.  You won't believe how much difference it makes!  Today, I put my makeup on at 6:30 am, worked all day, worked out at the gym, did a bunch of errands, took care of the furkids, made dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and at 9:00 pm, my eyeshadow looks like I just put it on!  I'm SO not kidding!  The color is true and there is literally NO creasing!  Try this Primer Potion now!  It may be the best $16 I've every spent on a product.  I agree that the cutesy container leaves a lot of product inaccessible, but you can do what Clumps of Mascara does, and hack into it!  That's what I'm going to do!

The other Urban Decay product I'm crazy about is their 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil.  I like automatic pencil eyeliners usually because I don't like fiddling around with a sharpener whenever the pencil loses it's point,  but I'm willing to make an exception for the 24/7, which is a normal-needs-sharpening pencil.  This super-creamy pencil glides on like butter, and then you have 30 seconds or so to smudge it around or blend it as you wish.  Then it's ON baby for the rest of the day!  No fading, no disappearing, no creasing.  It's totally waterproof, but disappears easily at bedtime with a swish of Lancome's Bi-Facil.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil

I have the Glide-On Pencil in 4 colors and none of them are boring.  I have 1999 (plum with teeny gold glitter), Bourbon (brown with teeny gold glitter), Lucky (brilliant deep copper), and Covet (peacock green).  My favorites are Bourbon and Lucky.  Bourbon is a great snappy bronzy brown, but don't be afraid of the glitter…I wouldn't even call it glitter.  It's just a little pizzazz!  Lucky is a fabulous color for blue eyes!  Try it!  1999 doesn't show up much on my skin, so it needs a deeper shadow color on top of it, which I always do anyway to help set any liner pencil I use.  I'm not sure what to do with Covet, maybe someone can give me a suggestion of how a blue-eyed person can wear peacock green liner without looking like a peacock.  I have my eye on a couple of other colors:  Underground (metallic taupe), and Ransom (deep purple with subtle silver sparkle) or Lust (bright iridescent purple).  At $16 each, you can afford to try some fun colors, even if like me you need a little guidance in wearing them!

You can order Urban Decay through their web site, but you can also find their products at Ulta, Sephora and department stores.

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Time flies when you're having fun, right? 🙂

It doesn't really seem like it's been six weeks since I started the Ten in 10 Healthy Challenge. It's been a really good thing for me; I've been more focused and more motivated than ever before. Those nasty ten pounds that crept onto my body during my time in “the boot” last Spring have refused to budge until now! (Oops! I think I said that I wouldn't mention that again.)

Here are some positive things that happened this past week:

• I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my family while in Texas.

• I got to see my BFF, K on my visit. (We've been BFF's since 7th grade.)

• I was able to get in good workouts while on my trip. (Which I don't always make a high priority on my visits.)

• I managed to maintain my weight, despite a great meal at each of my three favorite Mexican restaurants and two amazing dinners at my new favorite Greek spot in Dallas.

I worked out really hard every day after returning home from my trip so I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little disappointed to not to see the scale go down a pound or two when I weighed in yesterday. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, though, because I'm just grateful that it didn't go up.

Not that it has anything to do with this challenge but the best part of this past week was having some ‘one on one' time with my oldest son, BigT. I don't think I've mentioned it here on BigSisLilSis yet, but he leaves in nine days for Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois to begin his Basic Training. I won't be able to speak to him or see him for two months so I'm really grateful that I was able to make the trip to spend some quality time with him before he ships out. We're proud of ya, BigT!

And a HUGE thanks goes to BigSis for taking such good care of him and letting him stay with her during this interim period!

~LilSis

Posted under Health

Today is the BIG DAY that we've been looking forward to and working toward for weeks now! Today is the BAKE SALE we're holding to benefit the Dallas SPCA, and we're aiming high: $3000!

If you're in the Dallas area, come on by! The sale is Monday, December 15th from 9:30 am until 4 pm.

If you can't come, you can contribute to the SPCA through this special link set up for our event until December 31st.

Donating through this link in December will ensure that your contribution will go towards our team's goal of $3000. Above all, we ask for your prayers for this event; that we would raise a miraculous amount of money for this incredible charity, and that everyone would see that the only explanation for the success was the Hand of God!

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

We've been posting for a couple of weeks now, and it's high time that the furkids made their first appearance on BigSisLilSis.  I'll be using some restraint in choosing the photos to put up first of the guys, since they are some of my favorite models and I do have a slight “Crazy Cat Lady” tendency.  I'll start with one group photo and just one of each boy.

3 Furboys

This is one of the very few times that all three boys were in the frame at once, and they weren't scuffling!  Or worse!

Gabriel

This is Gabriel, named for the Angel Gabriel in the Bible.  He can be a little angel but he's usually rascally.  He's 5 years old, and wandered up to my condo when he was only 8-10 weeks old.  HayHay was the first to spot him; a scrawny black kitten with big eyes and ears who was having so much fun playing with grass and wind and bugs and leaves that he didn't realize the gravity of his predicament.  We never knew if he'd been orphaned or just got separated from his mom and sibs.  What we did know is that we fell in love with him in about 5 minutes and he had found his furever home.

AshyPoo

Ashton was named by the Siamese Rescue group here in Dallas, but he's always AshyPoo to me.  He was also a street urchin like Gaby but his story took some hard twists.  He was picked up by the pound in Austin when he was a little over a year old.  He'd already lost the sight in one eye, and had a bum knee, allergies, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, and feline bartonella as we would learn later.  Siamese Rescue saved him from the pound and brought him up to Dallas, where he spent 6 months waiting for someone to overlook his problems.  Guess who was on the scene again?  HayHay, of course.  I only had one cat at the time and wanted another Siamese.  I saw Ashton on the web site, and took HayHay with me to go meet him.  I was leaning toward a Snowshoe Siamese named Peter, but HayHay took to Ashton immediately and away he went with us to his furever home.  He's probably around 10 years old now, and is having more trouble with his asthma and arthritis in that knee now, but he's still as thankful for his home now as he was then.  He's the most compliant, eager-to-please cat that I've ever known.  Check out his pretty blue nails, as evidence of how agreeable he is!

Warren Bitey

My big Warren Bitey isn't with us any more, but I can't talk about the kitties without mentioning him.  He's only been gone about 5 months, and was only a week shy of his 17th birthday when it was clearly time to let him go.  His kidneys had been failing for a while, and he was just having a horrible time with everything.  Warrie and I had a lot of good years together though – almost a third of my entire life was with him.  A friend of a friend told me about this last little kitten from an unwanted litter, who wasn't very friendly so his person was taking him to the pound the next day if I didn't want him.  No pressure there!  Of course I took him.  He was shy, and he went through an extended period of fearful aggression, but he came through it as a sweet cat although still aloof to some people.  He managed to get through 3 attacks of pancreatitis, and still kept his fighting weight of 18 to 19 pounds.  He was a good friend, and I hope I get to see him again some day.

So those are the furkids.  Stay tuned for “Cats in Hats” photos on Halloween!  There is nothing on this planet that is funnier to me than a cat in a cute hat!

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

I'm in LOVE with these note cards!

The I Believe in Pink design, created by stationery and graphic design studio Southern Fried Paper, was inspired by Audrey Hepburn's quote stating her love of pink and all things feminine.

20% of the retail price for all “I Believe in Pink” cards, boxed sets, and prints sold online and in participating stores during the month of October will benefit the Dallas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The cards are $3.25 if purchased individually, but the boxed set of 12 cards and envelopes retails for $17.95; making each card just under $1.50 each. That's a great price for such an adorable, high quality, note card!  I love this quote so much, I think I'll frame one to hang in my office.

It's a nice little reminder to laugh, kiss, and be HAPPY! 🙂

~LilSis

Posted under Health

I've been pretty juicy lately. You have my recipe for spicy healing green juice, and homemade spicy V8 juice. Maybe now you're wondering why you would go to all this trouble and expense to make something that might not even sound good to you? I think that's a good question!

I won't lie; juicing isn't cheap and it isn't quick. I calculate that my spicy healing green juice costs me close to $5 per 16 ounce glass if I'm able to buy all organic produce. You can buy a soda for a fraction of that price, and it won't take you an hour to shop for it either. Shoot, you could buy a whole fast food meal for that price and in less time. To juice you have to shop for organic ingredients, prep the produce, make the juice, and clean up your mess. That's a process you'll go through at least every couple of days.

So, why juice? These are my thoughts on the benefits of juicing, especially green juicing, and why I choose to do it. I should also add that I'm enjoying 1 or 2 glasses of fresh vegetable juice a day; I'm not suggesting that juicing replace a healthy balanced diet including some cooked and lots of raw veggies.

• Greens combat inflammation, which is believed to be the source of many ailments we face, including cancer, arthritis, heart conditions, joint pain, and Alzheimers. Inflammation can be created by processed food, food cooked at a high temperature, alcohol, smoking, stress, pollution, chemicals, pesticides, trans fats, meat, sugar, dairy, wheat, artificial sweeteners, poor sleep, and pretty much just living in this world. Green juicing gives us a weapon to fight back against those powerful forces. We need it!

• Greens also help create an alkaline environment, which is the opposite of acid in our systems. Disease loves an acidic environment, so maintaining a balanced pH in our body is crucial. Excessive acidity weakens the body overall, and contributes to accelerated aging, kidney problems, immune problems, cardiovascular issues, and low energy. Acidity can be caused by many of the same lifestyle and diet factors that cause inflammation.

• Greens are healing. In my spicy green juice recipe, the greens provide vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, folate, iron, chlorophyll, potassium, and magnesium to name just a few. You get antioxidants, cancer fighters, and detoxifying benefits for your liver and kidneys. There are also benefits for your cardiovascular system, circulation, digestion and relief from water retention. Green juicing is low-glycemic too, so you won't have a blood sugar spike.

• Nutrients are more efficiently absorbed from juice, as opposed to piles of produce. It makes sense that it's easier on your system to soak up vitamins, minerals and enzymes from juicing, instead of going to all the trouble of digesting the veggies before the nutrients are accessible. You may even go as far as saying that juicing is similar to taking the best liposomal vitamin c products on the market in that they are easy to digest and absorb. So, this is a very beneficial method for those who want to digest such nutrients as soon as possible. Also, many beneficial enzymes in fruits and vegetables are destroyed by cooking. Keep in mind that if you include too much fruit in your juice, all that sugar is going into your bloodstream at turbo speed too.

• There is a place for both smoothies and juices in our day. With a smoothie, you get the fiber you need, but you get filled up because of it. With a juice, you get the benefit of ALL that produce that you could never eat in one meal or in one entire day. Can you eat 6 to 8 servings of produce a day? I'm vegan, so veggies and fruits are my bread and butter (so to speak), but I know I don't always succeed at that quantity. By juicing, you get the healing benefit of the micro-nutrients without having to spend your entire day chewing, chewing, chewing.

• I'm consuming a wider variety of produce than I ever would have without juicing. I don't even like cucumber or celery, but I can enjoy their juice if it's masked with other flavors. The wider variety of veggies we have in our day, the better chance we have of getting all of the nutrients we need. If you want some inspiration for recipes, then there are some great ideas at goodnature.com that can get you started!

• Juicing is not cheap and it does take time, but it's not an expenditure that we'll never recoup. It is absolutely a commitment, like anything else you do that's important and valuable. It's also an investment; not just an outflow of money and time, but an investment into your health. I'm gambling that spending $5 on a glass of green juice right now will ultimately pay huge dividends in my quality of health. That could mean fewer doctor bills, fewer prescription drugs, fewer hospitalizations, and less missed work time. I'm pretty sure this gamble is a sure thing.

• Most of all, the bottom line for me is that after 3 weeks of having 1 or 2 glasses of fresh juice daily, I just feel better right now than I have in probably 3 years. Menopause has been doing it's darndest to suck the life outta me, cause that's what it does. It's made me exhausted, grumpy, moody, blue and just generally out of whack. I've found some great ways to manage the annoying side effects of it (I should share those with you another time), but I can honestly say that nothing has made a real difference in my energy and my mood until I started juicing. Because of that I can enjoy my life more today. Who can say they don't want that?

Those are the reasons I'm juicing. In a nutshell, I just like it. No, actually, I love it. The process is really fun, and I love that I'm doing something that I know is great for my body and my future. That's as good as it gets! 🙂

~BigSis

Posted under Health

Ashy Poo in 2009

If you had come to my door sometime in the last twelve years, my official welcoming committee – consisting of one rescued FlamePoint Siamese lover boy – would have greeted you with something like this:

“My name's Ashy Poo, what's your name? Do you have any cheese in that bag? Do you think I'm pretty? Do you have any dogs? Are you going to sit down so I can sit by you? What's that smell on your shoes? Do you want to pet me? Do you have any chips? Isn't my blonde hair stunning? Can you get me some treats? Can I play with your shoelaces? Did you know I used to live on the street? Have you ever seen a tail as long as mine? Don't you think my mom is nice? Do you want to brush me?” And on and on. Rapid fire, without a breath. Ashy Poo never met a stranger, and loved everyone.

Ashy showing off his blue mani

Ashy dealt with a LOT of challenges in his life, and I wonder what our attitude would be if we faced all of this in one twelve-year period:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Bartonella
• Chronic gum disease which left you with three teeth
• Heart disease
• Out of control hyperthyroidism
• One blind eye from a cataract
• One displaced kneecap
• Early signs of kidney disease
• Anemia
• IBS
• Car sickness every road trip (involving both ends!)
• Multiple gunshot wounds from a childhood attack, which left a pellet in your hip and probably caused the cataract and knee problem too

Beautiful freckle-faced one

Just imagine how many doctor visits and how many medications were involved in all that! I can tell you my state of mind would probably be “poor, poor me” if that was my life, but Ashy Poo didn't feel that way at all.

God's handiwork

Life – according to Ashy Poo – is beautiful.

Ashy with Warren Bitey and Gaby in 2004

Ashy Poo had a pretty simple list of life principles, and no one lived them out like he did:

• Never stop purring, no matter what. No. Matter. What.

• No one is a stranger and everyone is your friend. Why wouldn't they be your newest fan? You're awesome!

• Trust everyone, even if people have proven to be untrustworthy. Even if you get hurt, keep trusting.

• Never let anyone see that you don't feel well. It only upsets your family if they think you're puny. Just hide under the bed for a little while and sleep til you can act well again.

• If you have to wear a silly hat from time to time, so be it. It's a small price to pay to make people smile. Besides, you look so darn CUTE in hats! Draw the line at wearing a sweater though.

• There's nothing to be afraid of! Not vacuum cleaners, not hair dryers, not car rides, not strangers, not even death. Just live and don't be skerd! Fear is a waste of energy and emotion.

• Don't give up. Fight through whatever comes your way…starvation, homelessness, illness, gunshots. Whatever. Just push through it and don't give up.

• Bounce back and be a trooper! When everyone gives up on you, you bounce back like the Energizer Bunny and keep on ticking. Prove the doubters wrong.

• Show gratitude for your family and your home. Not everyone is blessed with a safe home with a warm bed, yummy food and people who love you. Always be thankful and remember where you came from.

• Choose a mom with a couple of credit cards with high limits if you can. You never know what the future holds.

• Never get hissy or huffy with your mom. If she says eat, you eat til you're full. If she says go to the doctor, you go to the doctor and make new friends. If she says take medicine, you take medicine cheerfully and spit it out when she isn't looking. If she calls you, you come running. She might want to kiss you.

• Always remember that you're special. There's no one else like you. God made you unique and the world needs you to be you.

• Never lose your dignity. Dignity isn't dependent on your situation, it's dependent on your attitude.

• Rule your house with a soft voice and a velvet paw. Keep your brothers in line. Someone has to be the boss!

• Leave your mark on this world so no one can forget the difference you made. Leave blonde hair everywhere too.

• Love everyone. That's all.

Ashy with HayHay the day we brought him home from the Siamese Rescue in December 2000.

That's the walk that Ashy Poo walked for the twelve years he spent with us. His long list of challenges finally got to be too much for his fragile body, and we suddenly lost him last Monday.

We miss this boy like crazy. We invested so much hope, emotion, time and love into this precious soul, and we fought his challenges together for a long time. It's weird that all that is just gone now, and our lives feel off balance in every way.

I'm very thankful that he knew how much we were all madly in love with him, beyond a shadow of a doubt. He knew he was cherished, and as he was taking his last breaths I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to tell him that again and again.

Ashy leaves behind his lonely furry brother Gaby, and a huge extended family of hoomans who loved him and won't forget his sweet spirit and the lessons he taught us. We'll do our best to follow his example, and even thought we're beyond sad, we're going to purr again.

That's what Ashy Poo would want us to do. Keep on purring. Because life according to Ashy Poo is beautiful, and the life he's living right now is more beautiful than any of us can imagine. We'll see you again, Ashy Poo. We love you and we miss you, sweet baby. Forgive us if we can't find our purr just yet.

~BigSis

Posted under Animals, Family