Independence!

Today, the humble (kidding - I meant chosen ones) citizens of the Great Republic of Texas celebrate our Independence! We whisper tales of Davy Crockett and reflect on the great sacrifices at the Alamo as we sip Prickly Pear margaritas, eat BBQ and generally brag about things, including the fact that New Mexico is only its own state as the result of some sort of clerical error that we are all still mad about.

Texas Independence Day is also always a little sad for me, as it is the day that the soulless combination of China and the American pet food industry killed my little Spotty cat. :( I miss her still, and that transgression is, and will be, as long as I breathe, unforgiven.

So for little Spotty cat, I bring to you a public service announcement today, because a pet food recall posted yesterday caught my eye. Here is where you can go to see all current pet food recalls.

No one cares about your animals as much as you do, and least of all most pet food companies. I did about six months worth of research after her death which I will summarize for you.

• Don't believe claims of organic, all-natural or human-grade food unless you verify it yourself. I found most of this to be marketing at best, and an extremely unladylike word at worst.
  
• Understand that all the vitamins that are used for both pets and humans in the US come from China.
• If a company's CEO will not speak to people with concerns about what goes into their food, they do not deserve your money and they certainly don't deserve a furry little life.

Through my research I found a great company that produces actual human grade, small batch cat food, and I have spoken personally with the CEO and owner, who is a vet and owns tons of her own animals, including horses. She described to me in detail all of the safety and testing measures they use, and the source and quality of all of their ingredients. So her food is what I've always fed my tiny balls of furry trouble, so I'm happy to share my find with you. The company is called Life's Abundance, and I recommend you watch the video on this page.

RIP little Spot.

Now on to furry balls of trouble.

One of the Virtual Stamp Night Challenges was to make a card representing a dream. Since my desk was home to Maddie during the entire event, who rudely slept and did not lift a paw to help me clean or Photoshop my images, I thought I would make a card about one of HER dreams.

I love it when they fall asleep and start frantically running or making little eating motions. I'd love to see what's going on in there. It cracks me up. So here's what I think they are dreaming...
I used my Sassy Maddie Stamp, of course, and a Picture Show rat/mouse stamp that I've had forever and just think is hilarious. Believe it or not, I used the heart from Sweetheart and a marker to stamp and punch the Be Mine out. I was too unorganized to find another stamp set that says Be Mine! Surely I have one though, right??

I think Splotchy dreams about yogurt and grape popsicles. Little nutter.

Now speaking of challenges, we have a pretty cool challenge happening on Splitcoast right now. All you have to do is stamp to win an insanely cool prize too.

Can you handle it? If so, click here, and good luck winning $500 worth of goodies!