Hi. I’m Hannah.
If you recognized the stuff in the picture above, you probably have already guessed that the Mother of Cats and I spent the day working in her sewing room. First, I helped her cut out all of her little pieces of fabric. Then she got out the big roll of batting and I helped her with that, too.
I carefully supervised the Mother of Cats’ work while she sewed all of the fabric and stuff together…
When we were done (this all took a couple of hours and I want to say that I absolutely needed some TUNA and a nap after all of this…) we had made 4 placemats and two of these snazzy holders that go on bowls in the microwave so the Mother of Cats can handle them without burning her hands. She said that they are called cozies, and she found the pattern years ago on the internet. She should have fur on her paws like Mateo, but whatever. This works for her, and they were kind of fun to sew.
So that’s mostly what went on today. The Mother of Cats has been doing some knitting (okay, a lot of knitting…) but I decided to not talk about that today. After all, this post is all about CATURDAY, right? I guess that I can show you some of the plants that have started blooming in the last couple of weeks, but before I do that, I have to show you what the bunny out back by our catio has been up to.
Mateo really, really wanted to eat play with the bunny today while it was snacking in the garden, but the Mother of Cats wouldn’t let him out into the yard. Mateo was so focused on the bunny the Mother of Cats had to finally go out and pick him up to get him back indoors; that bunny didn’t even slow down at all in its flower snacking while she was getting him back into the house. Kind of a brazen bunny, right? Personally, I think that if the Mother of Cats let the CoalBear into the yard he could teach it some manners…
While I’m on flowers, here’s the blooming that is going on inside.
You probably recognize the African violet on the left and the orchid on the right. The flower in the middle is the big bougainvillea plant that the Mother of Cats dragged into the house last fall. Now it is covered with lots of new growth and the flowers are starting to pop out all over. Yay! Mateo loves to take naps right next to the plant.
Well, that’s all for now. Time for me to get some cookies and then a little nap.
Note from the Mother of Cats:
Yarn, Books & Roses 
Such a help you are dear Hannah. Looks like Mateo was wanting in on the action too. Thank goodness for the catio or that bunny would be no more I suspect. Cheeky bunny eating the plants though.
My never bloomed again in now maybe 5 years orchid is still hanging out in the house. Each year I try a different room or location in the rooms to see if it likes it enough but nope. Sometimes it sends out new roots and I get excited but never a stem. I should declutter it but is that murder? I sometimes wonder if I put it in the compost bin it will suddenly bloom in there just to spite me 😂🤣
He is a cheeky bunny!! I absolutely don’t want Mateo chomping on any bunnies because we are right on the edge of the prairie and there’s a lot of infectious conditions to be wary of. Also, it’s a bunny and super cute!!
I really had trouble getting my orchids to bloom for awhile. The local nursery had a pamphlet that said the trick was to subject them to wide swings in temperature in the fall… Colorado is perfect for that type of abusive treatment: I leave the window open overnight and they are in a room that warms up really well in the daytime, so they really get temperature swings. I also give them fertilizer every month.
The internet is full of tales of saving orchids by giving them coffee grounds or cinnamon… you might google to see what you can find.
I love a bowl cozy. I have one I use regularly.
They really are a game changer if you are heating up something like soup in a bowl.
Bravo, Hannah. And Mateo, too. Supervising humans is such an important job!
Hannah: like, she wouldn’t get anything done without us keeping her on task. Sigh. Need more tuna…
You have a bougainvillea that grows AND BLOSSOMS indoors ??? Marilyn, you take the cake !! – and so do you, Hannah, you gorgeous thing. 🙂
I have never in all my days come across or even heard of that before !
I shouldn’t be surprised that you sew, too: somehow or other you managed to acquire that skill along with all your other crafts, not overlooking your brain development .. You’re a bit of a powerhouse, you really are !
Well, here in Colorado bougainvillea are toast if you leave them out over the winter. My nursery sold this one tied to a trellis to put out on the patio for the summer. I put it in a large pot, put a tomato cage around it to keep it contained in the upright growing condition, and then pruned it hard when I brought it into the house last autumn. I’m so happy to see it suddenly covered in new growth and blooming. I plan to put it on my front patio this comin summer.
Oh, I grew up in a time when girls were forced to take sewing classes in school, and then my mother had us sew all of our clothes. Now I am the black sheep lazy sewer in a family of fanatic quilters…
So tell me about how they’re all fantastic knitters .. [grin]
Oh, they are all competent knitters, but I’d like to believe that I am in a league of my own in the family. When it comes to sewing, however, I am clearly outshone. I think that I am the only one who spins and dyes fiber, but there are some other weavers.
Of course you’re in a league of your own within your family: probably within the US of A !!! 🙂
Those bowl cozies go into the microwave, too? My planrs are dormant except for a giant amaryllis, which is making up for all the other plants!
Yeah, you just put the bowl with the food into the cozy, pop it in the microwave to heat, and then you can take it out without burning your hands. Best thing ever!!
I just love amaryllis! My mother would replant the bulb in the yard and they would actually bloom in later years, but I don’t quite have my mom’s green thumb.
I will have to try the bulb in the yard. I just need to remember to did it up each fall.
She just left the bulb out there and it bloomed on its own the next spring. I wonder if they will multiply if you leave them in the ground and then you can dig some up and leave others outside too.
I think I need to get myself a bowl cozy. They seem very handy. I love hearing with your cats are up to.
A friend had one, and as soon as I saw it I realized that I absolutely needed one of my own. I found on online tutorial and sewed my own using fabric and batting from my stash. I think that they only cost about $10 each in Etsy shops.
I’m glad you like hearing from the cats. Since they are in everything it seemed appropriate to have them do the weekly reports…
I probably have all of the stuff to make them in my craft room. I think it would be easier to find them money to buy them then the motivation to make one.
Whew! Hannah obviously had a busy busy busy time of it – she looks absolutely EXHAUSTED :). Lovely to have a bit of green inside the house over the winter, but even nicer when there are some blooms on them. What a great idea for your bowl cozies. I need to make some too now.
They really were easy to make and I used stuff from the stash and an online tutorial to make mine. There are lots of videos on YouTube too.
I will go take a look – thank you!
I have a bougainvillea here, too, and they’re so stunning when they bloom! Fortunately, it’s warm enough in our winters that I don’t need to worry about it staying outside, though. It’s in a pot, but it’s way too heavy for me to move.
The placemats and bowl cozies are super pretty!
When I lived south of San Diego (right above the border along the ocean in Imperial Beach) our outside bougainvillea got so out of hand that we had to go on the roof to cut it back as it was growing EVERYWHERE! We had bananas in the yard too, but that is another story… Now that I live in the land of cold and snow I’m just happy to see it bloom. 🙂
Mine is in a big pot too. I managed to get it onto a big towel and then I used my body weight to drag it across the deck and into the house. Physics is my friend in situations like that as brute force is way beyond me!
Hmm, a towel sounds like a good idea. At least you don’t have to move it too frequently!
MoC – your flowers are lovely! What a treat to have them blooming away during this gloomy time of year. Your bowl cozies and placemats are beautiful!
Hannah – Mother of Cats is so lucky to have such a good helper! I’m sure her sewing goes so much quicker with you and Mateo to help. Personally, I’m glad the bunny is able to get away with eating the plants.
Another African violet started blooming this week too. I’m so glad that they are doing so well in the depths of winter. The placemat/cozy set are also just what I need for winter.
Hannah: she is lucky to have me helping her!
Mateo: why does everyone love the bunny more than me?