46 Comments

  1. I am with you on feeling overwhelmed! I am staining my deck right not and it is NOT fun at all. I did the one room challenge to force myself to get it done but it is tiring. Everywhere I look I see projects 🙂 Glad the fur babies are well and I hope you have a great week!

  2. You are so entitled to a break and I’m glad you took one! I only write my blog as an addition to my Staging/decorating business and for awhile i lost sight of that and was posting because i felt I had to. now if I can post once a week i’m happy. I have a life to live and its not all pretty enough to share and I have to take care of my clients and family first… Don’t beat yourself up.. Take the time you need and you will feel better. And although love that you stop by to comment, please don’t feel you have to unless the mood strikes you! Love the kitty photos and hope you have a great week!!

  3. I’m sorry you are feeling overwhelmed, sweet Julia! I hope the break helped ease your load. I’m glad to know your fur babies are doing well. You have such a good heart.

  4. First of all your cats have the best names! I used to call my sister tumbleweed because she had huge, teased hair! I love cats -but everyone in my family is allergic. Keep on taking care of those little cuties. Oh, and my yard is looking quite shabby right now too – we’ll work our magic!
    Kelly

  5. i didn’t miss you…. because we still talked! 🙂 i know how you feel, and i love you and am here for you! also, gardening is such rewarding therapy in itself, so get out here when you have time and play in the dirt.
    and one more thing- i think you are a saint for all you do for these kitties.

  6. I love your posts. I am with you about the cats. That is how I was adopted by a couple of my cats, people moving and leaving the cat behind.

  7. Love your blog. I’m moving to your area from Atlanta in three weeks and would love to meet you! I also feed stray kitties. My daughter just gave me some cat dishes to take with me on the move because she knows I always attract the strays!

  8. I totally feel your pain on the outside garden area! We are neck-deep in it and it’s never ending! Can’t wait to see that design board. =)

  9. Don’t feel guilty for taking breaks! Sometimes you just have to to get by. Our yard looks crazy too. I’m proud we’ve mowed and seeded until I look in the backyard lol. ANd you are such a great cat whisperer. You’re kind of my hero.

  10. who can blame you for taking a week (i took one too;)) life happens and it can be overwhelming. BTW our yard is a disaster zone too – we have a bit of a snow mold issue which, among other things, set off an asthma attack in our little 3 year old boy and sent us into the hospital. This weekend my hubs worked like mad to fix up the yard – so by Sunday it was looking so much better (and so much safer) – there’s still so much to do but baby steps…

  11. I really like the name Molly Monkey:) I’m with your husband that your yard doesn’t look bad, but I know that if you are a gardener, then you can’t help but see the details. You would feel better if you could see ours after the ice storm we had a few weeks ago. We’re still cleaning up from eight leyland cypresses falling down, all of which were about fifty feet tall! Anyway, we all need breaks sometimes, so I’m glad you took one. Your kitties are precious and so lucky to have found you!
    I’m curious about the design boards that you’re working on. Maybe you could do a blog post about that? Is it something you do for only locals?

    1. I do online design boards for people and it keeps me really busy at times.

  12. So sorry you have so much on your plate right now. I know it seems really overwhelming right now but it will get better. I feel the same way, it’s Spring almost…here and there is so much to do. It can wait, just take care of the essentials.

    I love all your beautiful cats. Molly Monkey is a cute name and you could give her a nickname….M @ M.

    Take a bit more time to yourself….if you can find it…we will still be here!

  13. Love your love for cats! I’m looking for a lap loving cat with the personality of a dog for my dog loving grandparents that can’t walk a dog, let me know if you find one 🙂

  14. Hang in there, friend! I hate those times where it seems that everything piles up! Vacation also made me think hard about blogging. New motto: I run the blog, the blog doesn’t run me. Good luck today!

  15. Break is good, Julia! Do what’s best for you:-) Have a great week, Friend!

  16. I loved reading the updates on the cats. I didn’t know you had so many furry friends, both inside and outside. I am overwhelmed by our yard too at the moment. It just needs a really big work weekend… which I don’t have time for right now 🙂

  17. So sorry you’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately! I feel like we are all in the same boat with that. Here’s to hoping it passes soon!

    And my heart just breaks for those sweet babies who people just totally disregard. I can’t even imagine doing that to a defenseless animal. 🙁 You are so kind to do what you do!!

  18. Yup, been feeling a bit overwhelmed by blogging lately (trying to squeeze in as much as possible before baby #2 arrives!). I usually don’t so the feeling is a bit new to me. I think it comes with the territory of treating your blog like a business. I hate not keeping up with my friends’ blogs—I always feel like I’m missing some totally awesome DIY! Take care, Julia!

  19. Life is definitely overwhelming sometimes. I want to say THANK YOU today for feeding the strays…your huge heart and compassion makes their lives so much better!

    Cheryl @ The Creative Me and My McG

  20. Ahhh, I so relate to being overwhelmed with EVERYTHING, that usually comes at us all at once! I see that yard work is calling your name. We actually just worked in our yard all week-end long. ugh!! Your cats are so darn cute btw. And I’m not a cat person 😉

  21. yay, you’re back! and yay for kitties! I have pictures of my sad yard going up tomorrow, too….I don’t even have any lovely pictures of what it USED to look like to share, though–it’s been a mess ever since we got here 🙂

  22. I love the kitty update. I recently moved to Texas and our new neighborhood has lots of strays. My boyfriend and I started doing Trap, Spay/Neuter, Release with the cats. We feed them twice a day but just want to make sure they can’t reproduce and cause more suffering. I am completely with you on how heartbreaking it is and how easy it can be to become angry. But it helps when to hear of other people, like yourself, helping and saving lives. We can’t afford to save every animal but if we do what we can, it makes such a huge difference. Thank you for sharing!!

    1. It to ally helps hearing from other people who are like minded. I’m glad you are able to spay/neuter and release. That’s so important! I wish my husband would play along more and help me achieve that goal. It makes such a difference if they don’t multiply but having an ignorant farm down the street really doesn’t help my cause.

  23. You are such a kind soul, Julia ~ it’s so heartwarming!! Never too many kitty pics for me! I’m so sorry you’re feeling so overwhelmed, we try to do it all and at some point it catches up and you start questioning your priorities and imbalance. I’m right there with you, and my yard and deck looks the same…ugh! Misery loves company… 🙂

  24. You are the kindest! Love Monkey & all her updates (and you other gorgeous kitties) and those strays are bringing me to tears. How can people do that!?! You saw the picture of Figgy in the shelter. He was someone’s pet at one point and then no one ever looked for him. Seriously, he was just left out to die. Makes me so sad and angry. And I hear you on the yard. I hired someone to rake, but there is still SO much more to do.

    Angela @ Number Fifty-Three

    Angela @ Number Fifty-Three

  25. I hope you feel better after your break! I need one too! And I wish you could see our yard – it’s so embarassing – I’m not brave enough to post a picture anywhere! Yours looks perfectly landscaped in comparison 🙂
    I’m glad Monkey is doing well! She does look so much like Tina! What a sweet kitty!

  26. Good luck on the projects. It is always this time of year when the outside projects and the inside projects collide and it feels overwhelming! I can say that I didn’t miss you not commenting because I was on a similar hiatus! Guess we all need a break now and again:-)

  27. We have 2369 projects just in our yard right now, so I can totally sympathize with you. What makes me upset is how these people are just dumping animals because they are bored, dont realize how much work they are, or worse…just dont feel like having a pet anymore. We rescued a family friend’s dog from a high kill shelter they dumped her in because they did not feel like boarding her while they were on vacation. I was so mad (still am) that we no longer speak to these people. We pulled her out and were able to find her a loving home with friends of ours a week later. I could stand on a soapbox all day

    1. That would be totally a reason for me to cancel a friendship. If they are that mean! Who needs friends like that?!?! That’s awful and I applaud you for saving that poor dog!

  28. We definitely missed you! Glad you had a little down time to relax and take a break. That is much needed sometimes!

  29. I hope the passport trip went smoothly.

    I know what you mean about being overwhelmed. I sort of feel like I can’t keep up on anything lately. I’m so behind on the blog and blog reading and not to mention all the projects …. ahhhhhhh

  30. I seriously just want to give you a hug, bless your heart for all that you do to help those kitties! You’re amazing! I hope things start to calm down for you but I’m glad you were able to take a break, even if you did stay busy!

  31. My hubs and I were just discussing tackling our yard this morning…. agh! Such a big job in the spring. But I know that once we get out there and get going it won’t be as bad as I made it up to be in my head. A break is needed every once in a while- don’t feel guilty! Your blog shouldn’t get in the way of your life, right? That’s what I try to remind myself:) Good luck with your projects Julia!

  32. I totally wish I lived closer to you! We’d definitely take one of those strays. You are such an angel to care for them.I wish people would learn to take their unwanted pets to shelters instead.

    1. Awwww that would be awesome if you’d live closer.
      Unfortunately shelters aren’t a good option either because they all kill even if they say they don’t. I hear it from my cousin veterinarian all the time.
      So I wish people would stop getting pets if they can’t pay for them, love them and appreciate their unconditional love. And I wish they would spay and neuter!

  33. Your post just made me want a kitty, despite having four dogs, one of whom I’m not sure would get along with a cat. : Do you have a non-kill shelter in your area that can take those poor babies in?

    1. Unfortunately all shelters, even the ones who claim they aren’t kill shelters kill. We have a vet in the family and I hear that all the time. Some rescue organizations take them in but they mostly reject cats because they are so overfilled.
      It’s so sad.

  34. I can so relate. Obviously I’m just now catching up on blog reading. I think things around the house seem much more overwhelming when you blog about your house too!

  35. Hi there, I came across your site through pinterest. I also have a porch cat. We call him “whitey”. For the last 2 years we have been feeding and loving him, but like “Monkey” hes very nervous, and sometimes runs when strangers come to the porch. I have been trying to get him inside but he just wants to run out and get far away! I also have two cats, both male, one 12 and the other 2. Can you tell me how you got “Monkey” inside? Any tips would greatly appreciated! Thank you and thank you for being a fellow cat lover! Tanya

    1. Hi Tanya, I’ve been so so sad. Monkey just passed away right before Christmas. She had sudden kidney failure and went down hill fast. I wrote a post about my goodbye to her how I got her inside. But she still always went outside whenever she wanted. I miss her so much.
      https://cuckoo4design.com/2015/12/saying-goodbye-to-our-monkey.html
      It took a long long time.
      Happy new year.

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