Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Over the next few months, a group of seven bloggers will be sharing their workspaces, their homes, towns and more!

Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Julia at When the Girls Rule
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After

I hear a lot of grumbling about “rassin frassin valentine’s day, it’s just a made up Hallmark holiday, ain’t no one gonna tell ME to give candy and flowers on this day, I’ll do that whenever I want to!” Which is all well and good…until life gets in the way and you realize a lot of time has gone by since you have done something special for one that you love. So I consider Valentine’s Day (like most holidays) a reminder. Hey You (yeah YOU)…if you haven’t done something nice in awhile here’s a Hallmark WHACK upside the head to remind you!

So today’s theme was Valentine’s Day decorations…or an introduction to those you love (for those who don’t decorate). And a couple ladies are on Wild Card status, so who knows what they’re up to this month! And we have a new addition this month to Where Bloggers Live: Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After (I just love that name!). Welcome, Leslie!

Now, as I was away all last week and just got home tonight around 11pm, I have zero Valentine’s Day decorations up. But I’m happy to share a little about a few special people that I love…one that used to live with me…and one that still does.

The one I love MOST is my daughter Katie. If you’ve been following the blog for awhile you know her bullet points:

  • Wonderful human
  • 28 years old
  • Kind, compassionate, smart animal lover
  • Lives in San Diego with boyfriend, boyfriend’s brother, her cat, and their dog
  • She is the managing editor of a business-to-business company that produces print publications, live events, websites, research, custom content development and marketing solutions. The primary markets they serve include the automotive industry, professional salon, and law enforcement. She is fortunate to be able to work remotely, so she has moved around the country a bit while still working for the same company.
  • Children think she’s “one of them.”
  • She’s like me in that aesthetics are a priority
  • She loves hiking (unlike me)

Katie is the tall one.

In my household now, the one I love is Jane the Cat. You’ve all seen her if you’ve been around awhile. Janey will be 15 next month… and is the last one in, last one out.
Jane came to us just after I’d had my 18-year-old Stephanie Elizabeth (aka The Beauty Girl) put down and declared NO NEW ANIMALS. Just a few days later, I stepped out on the porch early one morning to see Clyde (our borrowed cat) with a teeny grey kitten climbing over him. Clyde didn’t care for any of the other animals (in fact, I think that why he left us) so it was surprising to see him so patiently accepting the kitten’s cuddling. Of course I had to sit down on the floor and meet this new friend. And of course she climbed right up to my neck and started purring like crazy. And of course 15 years later she is still with me.
Janey adored Caleb
Jane has always been a teeny thing. Katie dubbed her “the stick cat” because when she’d hold her up by her underarms and her body dangled down, she was so long and thin she looked like a stick. We also decided early on that her mother was a cat and her father was a squirrel. There was just something about her.
She was pretty shy the first half of her life, but now she loves being touched in any way, shape or form.

In just a few minutes it will officially be Valentine’s Day. I hope you have a wonderful day, even if it’s “just like any other day” for you. You can do something a little special, no?

Be sure to check out the other ladies’ blogs. I apologize for mine being a little thin, I just couldn’t get it together while I was away. Next week should be back to normal.

Whatever that is.