5 Favorite Cat Related Things

I love my cat, Audrey. She's sweet and ridiculous and has quite the personality. Oh, and she can give a bitch face like no other. Because I love her (and all cats) so very much, I decided to do a favorite things post about cat related things.

1. Yeowww! Catnip Toy, Rainbow

Audrey and her friend, Tuscany, love these things! And they're very durable. We've had Audrey's for about 9 months and it's still going strong. 

2. Playful Feeling Skater Skirt in Realistic Cats

It's adorable, right?? (And only $29.99!) You can find it at Modcloth, along with many other incredible cat products.

3. Wild Cat Leggings

Have you heard of Meowingtons? It's such an awesome online store. It only sells cat merch, like the above leggings that my partner owns, plus costumes for your cat, cat clothes, and accessories!

4. Nutro Max Cat

My cat and her health are super important to me, as I'm sure the health of your pets is to you. I've been giving Audrey Nutro Max Cat since I rescued her. It's really good for them. It doesn't have any chicken byproduct and uses rice instead of corn, which is easier on cat's stomachs. It also keeps her teeth really healthy and her coat beautiful and shiny. I highly recommend Nutro! 

5. Fairisle Cat Hi-Lo Sweater

Long live ugly Christmas sweaters!!! And this is is actually cute, okay? Check it out at Target!

Hope everyone has a lovely Caturday tomorrow! 

~Leigh

Was Friends even real life?

First of all, you all know that Friends wasn't anything like real life, right? It was charming and quirky, a dream of those of us growing up in the 90's, and completely unattainable. I don't mean having a solid group of friends that help support you and are always there for you. I mean the whole living in NYC in those giant apartments with all of your friends, some of whom are working as baristas, probably making $4 an hour or something crazy. 

No, Friends was never my idea of the good life I suppose, but it was/is for many. 

I've gone through phases of my life where I've wanted different things. There was a time when I thought that I might marry the man I was dating and we would buy a house together and have a family. For a long time, I wanted to live alone with just a cat, pushing forward in my career, enjoying my solitude, furthering my education, and being happy. If I'm being truly honest with myself, this has always been my idea of happy. 

Now, though, I'm in a healthy relationship with a person who loves me for who I am, who puts up with my ridiculously fervent hatred of raisins, who helps me during the dark and grey days, and who my cat loves, too. I can't imagine my life without them, so I'm rethinking my future again.

I'm in grad school and I work full time, but I'd like to go to school even more in order to get my P.h.D. My partner supports me and said that they will move with me wherever I get in. We have one cat, but would love to have another one plus a couple dogs, goats, and a pig. I don't really need fancy things, nor do I get too attached to them, but my partner likes nice things and that's okay. We're similar in a lot of ways, but vastly different in others, like opinions on raisins and Christmas. You're more likely to catch us at home, watching a Gordon Ramsay show and cooking a nice meal, than out and about on a Friday night. 

I guess for the next 5-7 years, I picture us in a small apartment while I go to school. We won't have the nicest cars or the fanciest gadgets, but we will have enough. Maybe we'll get another cat until we buy a house and have room for more pets. We will blog and have date nights and color in hundreds of coloring books, get married and just be happy together.

So, no one told you life was gonna be this way, but maybe it's the twists and turns that makes it out to be the life that you want. 

~Leigh

On Being Fat

Yeah, you heard me. Fat. I said it - the dreaded 3 letter word that every woma- well, person hates to hear. I'm not talking about someone who wears a size 6 and needs to go up a size because their "muffin top" is showing. I'm talking about anyone over size 16.

I'm 5'4" and wear anywhere from a size 18-22 US, depending on the brand and style. There are only 2 stores that I shop at, Target and Torrid, in person. Even so, Target has a very limited supply of plus size clothes. I love Forever 21, but I can't shop there in person because they don't carry my size. I can only shop at Torrid comfortably because they sell size 10+, but they're on the expensive side.

That's it.

That's my range of clothing stores.

I'm frustrated. Aren't y'all frustrated? I want more options other than purchasing online and praying they fit and then returning the 95% of my clothes that don't fit properly or having to go to a store, like Torrid or Lane Bryant, and paying the hefty premium for plus size fashion.

I don't want to be told, "Well, you should lose some weight. Obesity is a disease." I've heard that before. No, thanks. I don't want to be stared at when I go shopping in a store, such as Forever 21, praying that they have my size and when they don't, be forced to leave.

I want more options. I want to be able to go shopping with my roommates and be happy and find things that fit me.

The fashion industry is telling me that "Curvy is Beautiful" (I'm not curvy. I'm fat.) and then refusing to cater to my size. You know what that says to me? 

Your body is beautiful, but I don't want to see it. 

And that is completely unacceptable.

I don't have a solution. I don't know what the solution is, but I do know that I will make it known by social media or telling a cashier or sending an e-mail that I want more options, and maybe that's all I can do for now.

~ Leigh

**I do understand that being fat is a concept to most. I am not attempting to make you feel less about your body if you are my size too. I'm simply trying to be honest with myself. Fat is not a dirty word. It's just me.

Fall Moodboard

I love Fall. It's my favorite season. The leaves are falling, the air feels crisp and light, the nights are getting colder, but the days stay warm. It's perfect for a hot cup of coffee, homemade soups, and snuggling up with your favorite book or loved one. My cat is a very good cuddler; she's right there in the middle picture. 

For the first time ever, I went apple picking. That's not a thing you do in the South for obvious reasons, but here, in New England, it's tradition. It was a lot of fun. We will be going to the Renaissance Fair next weekend. We've gone to a concert this month and wandered around the city. It's been a lovely Fall so far. 

Though I loathe to admit it, I'm ready for the holidays. I love decorating the house and cooking up a storm, buying gifts for my favorite people and crafting as much as I can. But first! Halloween, my all time favorite holiday. My significant other and I are going as Barbie and Ken. I'll put up some pictures of our night out in Salem the day after Halloween!

Happy Fall!

~Leigh

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