u/ThePinkMill

This is Blues. Blues is 12 - and I chose this picture of him on purpose because it shows his personality, fun, curious, full of joy and excitement.
This cat is the reason I remind myself everyday that the littlest things in life can - and are constantly - the things that bring the most happiness our way.
He’s always by my side, always wants cuddles and is the most loving boy I’ve ever had the honor of calling my fur-baby.
His vet called earlier today and told me his yearly bloodwork came back with two elevated values for his kidneys, it seems like we caught it early (at the beginning of stage 2 CKD) so we can hopefully change some things and stop it from progressing quickly, but it reminded me of the limited time that we have with them. So as you can imagine, I’m having a bit of a tough night.
I just wanted to introduce him to all you wonderful people, because his life, however longer he decides to bless me with his physical presence, should be celebrated and cherished.
I’m sure if anyone understands what I’m feeling right now, it’s this community.
Thank you for reading this, if you made it to this line :)

And please free to share your pictures or stories in this thread ❤️

So this was my very first attempt at baking a blueberry pie!
I wanted to make something featuring the three colors for the 4th of July, and after a quick poll with a lot of red fruit contestants and a single blue entry, blueberry was the winner.

I personally still prefer the classic apple pie as the American staple, but this one was way easier to make and I like the way it turned out; nothing like a piece of hot pie with vanilla bean ice cream ❤️

Hello everyone!
I’m hosting a little 4th July get-together this year and I’ve been thinking of creative things to do.
Genuinely interested in things that you may have incorporated (either menu or activity related) into your 4th of July celebrations in the past - hoping to get inspiration from you!

Photo of my cat hanging out by our decorations for engagement ❤️🤍💙

Jazz is turning 15 today! He’s been with me through ups, downs, and everything in between - words can’t describe how much this cat means to me.

Fifteen years of purrs, head bumps, companionship, and countless memories. Watching him grow into a senior cat has been both a privilege and a reminder of how quickly time passes.

I love you lil’ one. And I’m so grateful for every day you’ve decided to stay here with me in this lifetime. Happy birthday my boy!

Ok so first things first… it wasn’t his fault 🤣

Whole Foods has been out of the root beer float flavor for a while, and we haven’t seen it in any of our local stores… yet we decided to give it another shot, and when it was again out of stock he decided to get another one of Guy Fieri’s flavors.
I’d seen it there before, I just didn’t grab it as I didn’t really know if the flavor profiles would click for me.

I’m just putting them in the cooler as we speak, so (bc yeah I’m that impatient 😆🫣) in the meantime: what are your thoughts on this flavor?

If you have any insights on other stores that might carry the root beer float flavor would welcome the tips!

EDIT: So I tried it… first sip I was like “yeah this is definitely not a summer flavor”… second sip “so the person that commented that it tasted like a candle was right”… third sip “hmm maybe I… don’t hate it?” fourth+ sips “it’s growing on me against all initial odds”.
That being said it is imho definitely a fall flavor, I probably won’t go to this one regularly during the summer. But I might save a case or two for later in the year.

First of all - I’m loving these cups I got for my iced drinks (they come in different colors and they’re all gorgeous).

Today’s coffee:
Pistachio/vanilla espresso (from Nespresso)
Califia half and half
Califia vanilla creamer
Honey
Ice

These pistachio Nespresso pods are probably my new favorite for iced coffee - I think they’re seasonal so I’ll miss them when they go 🥲

Cheers!

I’ll start by saying that I haven’t had the chance to play yet, so report about gameplay, mechanics and such will after this weekend 😅
But upon unboxing, it blew my mind.
First let’s address the (almost literal) elephant in the room: this box is massive - I put it next to Wingspan for reference.
This is the deluxe edition, which more often than not only adds a couple of additional components or expansions, but this version definitely puts the luxe in deluxe.
The coins were probably my favorite upgrade. Honestly if I had my own country I would aim for my currency to look like this 😂
The components of the standard game are also pure joy - from instruments to composers to the board itself, the artwork certainly elevates the experience.

Anyways, I’ll stop there for now and let the images speak for themselves.
Really looking forward to playing Luthier this weekend!

Feel free to share your thoughts if you’ve already had a chance to try it! Would love to read!

I was going out of my mind looking for him everywhere, calling him and he didn’t even move.
And then I spotted two eyes staring back at me.

It’s also not the first time I’ve found him like this in the hamper (ewww🤣🫣).
He absolutely loves it.

What’s your kitties’ weird place of choice?
Share in the comments :)

I don’t eat fast food a lot but every once in a while you just know it’s time for a nice fast food burger.

I have friends that prefer Five Guys, and one of them was last week defending Sonic’s cheeseburger like their life depended on it lol.

So… what’s your fast-food burger of choice? Am I crazy for getting in a 30min + line at In-n-out or is it worth it?

—-

Edit - I agree with you all that 30 mins is a totally ridiculous time to wait for “fast food”. It was one of those moments when I thought the line was gonna move quicker, and before I knew it I was already sucked into the trap. Burger was good tho so I got over it quickly after 😅

I’d been thinking about doing this for a while… but it meant buying 150+ hangers and figuring out what to do with the old ones.
But I finally did it, and I honestly love the way it looks!
The new hangers are golden, metal but thick and rounded enough to not leave marks and surprisingly light! And the old hangers were either used in other areas of the house or donated.

What have you gone done to your closet areas to elevate its organization/look?

I’ve been growing my Loungefly bags collection, so I temporarily moved other clothes I had on this rack to hang them, but I would like to create some sort of display on this wall for them.
Maybe something with pegs?
Rn I have about 14 but that’s subject to grow 😅

Any ideas on something that would look good and might be achievable to build over a weekend?

Everything in my closet-room is gold and white with pink accents 💛🤍

These are tonight’s ribeyes using my new cast iron skillet, just seasoned with a bit of salt and smoked pepper and bathed in butter later. Then topped it with lobster leftovers from yesterday (no lobster goes to waste on my watch!), and paired it with baked asparagus seasoned with just evoo, salt and pepper. Last but not least, made my favorite super easy to make summer salad: baby arugula and watermelon with a pineapple white balsamic vinaigrette (light and fresh!).

A few days ago I shared a photo of my games and people asked me about Tea Witches.

Here are my summarized thoughts about the game, after the very first session we had yesterday:

- Gameplay: really fun and engaging, it is a strategy game and (after making a couple of beginner mistakes) I found myself really thinking about how certain decisions would impact later moves.

- Replayability: its components rotate enough each round to make me want to play again without making it feel repetitive.

- Components and art: 10 out of 10 (just look at the photo!), the board and design are straight up gorgeous, the middle piece rotates flawlessly, the illustrations are beautiful.

- Rules and Learning: it did take a while to go through all the rules before we could begin, it has many components and you kind of wanna understand each stage before you jump in. The guide is however very clear and comprehensive. And, if you’re familiar with worker-placement games like Flamecraft and Critter Kitchen you might find it easier to follow.

- Theme: overall very well thought of and it merges beautifully with the design and components. It also uses fun name references adapted to witches or tea. The theme and gameplay flow naturally.

- Length: will report back after the second game because I think the learning curve may have affected this one 😅 as I played the 3rd and 4th days I was definitely quicker than during the first two.

Overall enjoyed it a lot! We played a two player game yesterday and I think this one might be more fun with a couple of extra players.

I just finished organizing my board game collection, and I’m loving how it’s looking and how so many of these games are so fun and great in so many ways!

I thought I’d open a discussion to see if you agree with my personal top choices to date, naming them in no particular order:

- Flamecraft: I am obsessed with the art and illustrations, so much that I ended up buying Critter Kitchen and Tea Witches. I also really enjoy the gameplay, although a little longer than some, we’ve spent many happy hours playing this game.

- Sagrada: this has become one of our go to games for short game nights. It’s simple enough to explain to new players and the rotation of cards for each round keeps new games engaging.

- Ticket to ride: we’ve only tried the original US and Europe maps, the European version is probs my favorite. I do prefer playing with about 3 players tops.

- Dixit: the artwork wins me over here again, but the creativity behind each description is always a plus for me. Each player gives it their own twist and you learn a lot about players during each round. Always a family favorite over here.

- Villainous: I kid you not, I have so far not lost one game, and we’ve played many games lol. This one does get a bit repetitive if you play many times with the same villain, which I guess is why we got like 6 different sets 😅

- Paint the Roses: when I saw there was a collaborative AIW game I knew I had to get it, I got the Deluxe Edition and everything from tiles to cards are breathtaking. Always super fun to play as a team trying to keep our heads while escaping. from the evil queen of hearts.

Shoutout to Parks, Trekking the World, Tacta, Jungo, and Azul.
I started getting into actively playing board games about two years ago and fell in love ever since!

Would love to know what else you’d suggest adding to our collection! 💜

It’s a small space but it brings me such joy 😅

What’s your favorite organized small space?

My little zen moment after a busy day is sitting down with a sparkling water and making it slightly “fancy looking” in a cocktail glass with fruit decorations :’D

Tropical Fruit is my all time favorite. And I decided to try Summer Berry, Banana Berry Bliss, Peach (included in the picture) + Raspberry Nectarine and Melon Medley (not in picture). The cocktail glass in the picture with fruit has Guava Berry in.

I’ve read good things about the seasonal flavors - there’s just so many to choose from! So which ones should I not miss out in trying?

Hi all! I wanted a space to voice out my feelings because some days emotions are tough to process.

My almost 15 y/o baby has been with me since he was only a few months old, so I’m sure you’ll all understand just how much he means to me.

He’s been with me through tough times, has moved across countries and helped me through grief and countless challenges.

He’s overall been in good health all these years, but he had some GI challenges last year, and after many vet visits, many months of trials and consultations we changed his diet and made some adjustments and he’s been doing way better so far. Most days he’s such a happy baby.

But sometimes little things change, him being more reluctant to water one week, him not being as playful another, and as much as I know that is a part of them aging, it’s always so tough as a cat parent to know one day things will eventually change for good.

Still, I cherish every bit of time that I have him with me, and hope that he decides to hang out with me as much as he can.

So today I celebrate the many years I’ve been able to have him by my side.

Sending a warm hug to everyone that knows/has known similar situations, and to all your wonderful senior kitties out there.

1. Shrimp ceviche with mango, avocado and alioli.
2. Pa

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1. seared ahi with peanut sauce and shrimp spring roll.
2. Salmon piccata