A cat in a bag...?

A cat in a bag...?

No, not really...

What I'm sharing with you today

is a little bit of my (pictorial) story with my cat...

Most of all, it's about my tribute to my little fury friend,

who (literally) helped mend my broken heart

and has been my emotional support and best companion since J's death.
Um gato dentro do saco...?
Não, não verdadeiramente...
O que eu gostaria de partilhar hoje convosco
é um pouco da minha história (pictografica) com a minha gata...
Acima de tudo, é um tributo à minha amiga peludinha,
que (literalmente) ajudou a remendar o meu coração
e tem sido o meu suporte emocional e a melhor companheira desde a morte do J.

Don't get me wrong.

My family and my friends have been really supportive

for all those tremendous years of J's illness and passing,

not to mention all the really bad situations
I had to endure here along that path.

Do you know the saying that 's in moments of tragedy you really get to know who's really your friend...?, well, it is absolutely true.

Many years of total physical and emotional solitude,

with not much sympathy or help around,

I had to struggle to keep my sanity.
Não interpretem erradamente.
A minha família e os meus amigos têm-me apoiado muito
durante os anos terríveis da doença do J e da sua morte,
já para não falar de todas as horríveis situações que aqui tive de enfrentar
completamente sózinha durante esse percurso.
Conhecem o ditado que diz que é nos momentos de tragédia
que se ficam a conhecer os verdadeiros amigos...?,
pois é absolutamente verdadeiro.
Foram muitos anos de completa solidão física e emocional,
e sem muito simpatia ou ajuda por perto tive de me esforçar para manter a sanidade.

One of this blog purpose has been helping me

overcoming all those not so good circumstances of my life.

I think Pooh-Pooh has the same purpose

and I'm always amazed with her sense of loyalty,

dedication and friendship.
Um dos objectivos deste blog tem sido ajudar-me
a ultrapassar todas essas menos boas circunstâncias da minha vida.
Acho que a Pooh-Pooh tem o mesmo objectivo,
e fico pasmada com o seu sentido de lealdade, dedicação e amizade.

Yeah, I'm talking about Pooh-Pooh the cat... I don't think she would be more of a friend even if she was a dog.

That's why this blog post is dedicated to her.

To honour my friend pet and to show off the little brat she is,

I made her a scrapbook, which I'm sharing with you all.
Sim, estou a falar da Pooh-Pooh, a gata... não acho que ela poderia ser mais amiga
mesmo que fosse um cão.
É por isso que este post lhe é dedicado.
Para honrar a minha amiga gata e mostar como ela é mimada,
fiz um álbum,
que partilho aqui convosco.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed making it.

I'll see you all later.
Espero que gostem de ver o álbum, pelo menos tanto como eu gostei de o fazer.
Até breve!

Giveaway - seven days left to enter and win!

Once again,

I've been up since 3:30 AM!

I reckon that's the price to pay

for becoming a little kitten adoptive mom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The little bugger

wakes me up 'cause he wants to eat

but what it really wants is to play!

Oh!... and he is good, really good, at hide and seek!

Of course, he's asleep now and me... I have to fight my own yawning just to stay awake!

Now about the giveaway...

... you still have 7 more days to enter

and win

one of my 3 Tunisian crochet handmade pouches.

The last day to enter is next Friday, October 15,

and I'll announce the 3 winners  on Saturday, October 16.

It's easy to enter,

just leave me a comment about what you like the most,

either about my blog or about my BearyNiceCrafts Etsy shop.

That's it!

Go ahead, and click here to enter!

And don't forget to leave your email

so I can contact you if you win.

On another note,

I've been keeping myself busy

(kinda forcing myself a little bit, but busy is definitely good).

I've finished two more totes,

a new polka dot series, with patchwork applique,

and I think they came out really nice.

Soon I'll be listing them on my

BearyNiceMade ArtFire Shop.

And that's it for today.

You all have a good one!

Trick or Treat!... getting ready.

It's already the second of October.

I still feel like time is kinda distorted,

mainly I think because my daily routines changed so radically.

Anyway...

Because it is Halloween month and yesterday was the first,

it was time to put up a little taste of the season.

And so I did.

The girls came by for a couple hours

 and helped out with the decorations

(two of my step grand daughters, 7 and 3).

These are some of the stuff we put up.

Also today is the third day of my giveaway.

I want to say thank you

to all the wonderful people that have been leaving a comment.

I've been following everybody's blog that left me a comment

and will continue to do so.

But remember,

if you're reading my blog for the first time

and didn't know about the giveaway and wishes to enter,

you'll have to go here to leave a comment and being able to participate.

It will be on till October 15 and the 3 winners will receive

one of these handmade pouches.

 I also want to thanks blog giveaways

for featuring my giveaway announcement.

What else...?,

I've been working on several projects but I still don't have anything ready

to show you today

(the girls take a bunch of attention when they are here

and we have to be busy all the time).

Oh!... when we were out yesterday,

there was this crying... another kitten a cat mom left behind

(she comes to eat everyday and

she keeps carrying the kittens back and forth, 3 that I had seen).

And there it was this little fella,

crying its guts out... so, we got it inside,

gave it some milk, but the poor guy

has lots of trouble to drink it, he just wants to nurse.

Later in the evening the mom come back for food,

I put it outside but she didn't cared a bit about him!

It spent the night with me,

and I've been giving it milk and soaked cat feed,

and learned it how to use the litter box.

Thank goodness that part it's done!

It's amazing their instinct for that!

K, the 7 year old, loved it and she wants to be

the little guy's mom (she said I'll come every day to pet it!)

and named it: Max for a boy and Jill for a girl.

The little one also loved it

but her 3 years make it kinda rough for the little fella.

Oh well, we shall see what's going to happen.

I will try with the cat mom today again when she comes back to eat.

And that will be it for today.

Have a good one everybody!

My Quilted Cd Xmas Ornaments Tutorial @ Totally Tutorials

Today Dotty from

Totally Tutorials

posted my Quilted Cd Xmas Ornaments tutorial.

Thanks for your nice words Dotty!

Some of my other tutorials have also been posted by her

and every time it brings lots of real nice people to visit my blog.

Thank you to you all who have been visiting and leaving me a comment.

Who doesn't just love to read the nice words appreciating your work?

My readers and friends

know that I've been trough some very difficult personal times lately

and being able to share here some of my helenismos with you all

really does make me feel like I'm still part of this world.

I've been busy working on that hexagon quilted project

I told you about last time

(it does take time!),

and here's another peek how it is going.

I'm thinking I might be able to finish it by tomorrow.

I' m really happy with it so far. 

I'll let you know.

Today was another very hot day

(we were on the 90's again).

But according to the forecast

it's supposed to start cooling down by tomorrow.

I really hope so.

I still have a lot to do on my gardens

and I can't be outside with all this heat.

My cat Alvin doesn't like the heat neither.

Every time I open the door he sneaks in

and doesn't want to leave.

I'm thinking maybe let him stay inside this winter

(if I ever can make him quit marking his territory inside the house!).

Ah! Almost forgot...

I'm thinking about having a giveaway in a few days.

 I had been thinking about it for my blog first anniversary,

back in August.

Unfortunately,

that wasn't possible for the sad reasons you know.

But I'm thinking now would be a good time,

it gives me a goal and it will keep me busy.

It will be open to everyone, everywhere,

of course,

and all you'll have to do is to leave a comment.

But soon I'll give you all the details

and show you what I have in mind.

I think you all going to like it!

And that's it for today.

I'll see you soon.

Fish Casserole (receita para Bacalhau a Bras)

Last week
was kinda busy around here
and tough I intended to post before today I really didn't had the time.

The good news is that my follow up appointment

with the cardiologist went well and soon I'll be able to stop the medication that bruises me so much.

The so-and-so news is that I've got

to have a echocardiogram this coming Wednesday

(because I still feel like a pressure in the chest where one of the stents was placed, and the doctor says I shouldn't feel it anymore).

Oh well, we shall see...

The very bad news...

...my little wee tiny white kitten, Miss Beca,
was killed yesterday.
I didn't had enough courage on me
to go and see her,

but the girls told me she was half buried in their garden.

Something killed her

and tried to bury her on the garden.

I had notice the night before last

quite a disturbance under my carport:

flower pots down, lots of boxes and stuff laying on the ground...

When we came back from the hospital
there were only 3 kittens left,

and I had been taking care of them...

Unfortunately,
 I can't bring them inside,

not only because of J
but also because I never know

when I have to leave and go to the hospital.

It's just not possible for me to have any pets in the house.

I am very very sad and feeling kinda guilty...

plus Miss Beca was the one who would run to me every time

I would go outside...

she was really precious.

 I don't know what got her,

because I didn't see it or heard it,

but in my heart I really think it was that old bulldog that was here before!

I know it's not the animal's fault

(he's doing what it's nature tells him to)

but I'm really aggravated that he is allowed out into other people's homes!

In a lighter tone now...

This last week I've cooked a little bit ,

and I made a fish casserole
(that's what they call it in here),

but it's actually a very popular recipe in Portugal for salted cod fish

(called Bacalhau a Bras).

Anyway...
I still had some Whiting Fish fillets... so I went with it.
Here's the recipe so if any of you would like to try it...
... I assure you, you won't be sorry!

Ingredients, for 4 servings:

5/6 fish fillets (like Whiting or Cod)

2 big onions

1 package shoe lace potato chips

2 Tablespoons olive oil

6 eggs, beaten

salt & pepper to taste

lemon juice

parsley

green or black olives

How to do it:

First cook the fish in boiling water for about 15 minutes.

Drain the water and let it cool for a minute; remove skin (if needed).
Set aside.

Slice 2 onions the thinnest that you can.

On a fry pan (I used the wok)
add 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the onion rings.

Let it cook till the onions are trans lucid, not brown.

Add the fish and gently stir it for about 5 minutes,
incorporating well the fish with the onions.. 

Add the shoe lace potato chips,

 
and then slowly incorporate the 6 beaten eggs.

       

      

Let it cook, and keep stirring
so the eggs don't stick to the fry pan.

    

Remove from heat.
Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Top with some parsley and olives.

A good lettuce and tomato salad goes really well with this dish
(seasoned the old Portuguese way only with olive oil and vinegar),
but I didn't had any but a bell pepper;
 so, I just roasted it in the broiler, peeled it,
and seasoned it with olive oil and vinegar.
Et voila!
Roasted peppers

 (pimentos assados)

the Portuguese way!

I hope you'll want to give it a try!

It is delicious!

Rainbows & Kittens and Snacks & Quiltings...

A couple days ago I went outside and saw...

...a huge, wonderful, colorful rainbow over my sky!...

Immediately on my brain played the song
Somewhere over the rainbow...

I LOVE that song!

I've found this one on YouTube from Eric Clapton,

and I couldn't resist to insert it in here for all of you to enjoy:

And since today I'm about sharing beautiful things...
 I just can't resist to show you...
at first I thought they were only three...

 

 

Oh boy!, was I wrong!...
There's six of them,

 but the mama took one away and I can't find it.

Aren't they gorgeous?, the cutiest little things!
They all have problems with their eyes, so I've been washing it every day, hopping they will be alright.
Who could resist and not take care of these cuties...?

They are my friends and keep me company.

 

Any who...

Also during this last week

I've finished another string quilt.

It's a smaller one (about crib size) and I think it came out pretty good.

 

 

It's quite fun to make this string quilts,

and I'm already planning a new one.

I'll show you when it's done.

 

I've also been cooking a little,

and I had been looking for quick and simple recipes,

kinda like quick snacks.

I found one for tuna bites

(in one of my culinary books).

Very easy and quick, and tasty also.

For the ingredients you will need: 

• 2 tuna cans (in water), drained
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• parsley
• salt & pepper to taste
• vegetable oil to brush

Drain the tuna and mash it with the egg, salt, pepper and parsley.

Add the breadcrumbs, mixing well, and then the wheat flour, just enough to bind everything together.

Form small balls with your hands (about 1" each).

Let it chill for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (about 200 Celsius).

Grease a cookie sheet (or just use parchment paper as I did) and space the tuna balls evenly on the sheet, brushing each one with a little vegetable oil. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Really tasty!

Enjoy!