Still Here!

Hi dear blog friends! Long time no blog post! I was just organizing my photos ( a big project I've wanted to tackle for a while) and realized that I missed celebrating Plushpussycat blog's anniversary back on February 16. It's been four years since I started Plushpussycat, and I definitely want to celebrate that milestone. More on that later. :-)

Flossy is ready to celebrate Plushpussycat's birthday. :-)

Where have I been? I've been busy with home projects, spending time in nature, and selling my greeting cards locally. Here's what happened: I started spending a lot more time in nature, away from my computer. I noticed that my long-time back pain improved greatly as a result. Turns out that too much blogging can hurt you! ;-) So, as a result, I've had to simplify my online life dramatically, reading fewer blogs, blogging less often, and so on.

And now I'm trying to carve out some time in my busy life for more creativity, such as designing some new plushy characters and greeting cards and making minis and doll clothes. I haven't succeeded in finding much free time yet, what with tax season and all, but I'm still trying, and tax season is nearly over. :-)

So, I'm still here, I still leave comments on your blogs when I have a chance, and there'll be some new characters AND celebratory fun here soon. I hope you'll stick around to see what happens next, my friends. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

I Met a Blog Friend for Real!

Remember the saying, "Blog friends are real friends"? Last week I got to meet a blog friend in real life, and it was wonderful!!!

You see, Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog was traveling to San Francisco. Portland is just over 600 miles (1000 km) away from San Francisco and a little shorter than a two-hour airplane flight. Years ago I'd flown to San Francisco for the day to attend a friend's wedding, so why couldn't I do it again?

Maria, her sister, and her daughter 

So that's what I did last Thursday. I flew down and spent five wonderful, fun hours with Maria, her sister, and Maria's daughter. They were all such lovely people, and we had a blast together! Maria is warm and friendly, just as you'd expect. She's a good hugger too! We chatted non-stop and giggled nearly the whole time. :-)

First we went to The Hobby Company of San Francisco for dollhouse miniatures, of course! They had a small but nice selection of dollhouses, miniatures, and diorama supplies. Maria and I both found a few miniatures there. They also had a small but lovely selection of beads, which caught everyone's attention, especially Maria's daughter, who makes gorgeous jewelry.

Next, we ran around like real tourists taking photographs of houses and all of the gorgeous flowers in bloom:

And then we walked to Baker's Beach and sat on the sand next to the Golden Gate Bridge:

Maria and me, Golden Gate Bridge in the background

Finally, we took a long and crowded bus ride, down steep hills through Chinatown, back to where we started, so that I could catch my plane back home. I was very sad to say goodbye to all three of them. They were the loveliest people, so warmhearted and fun. Thank you, Maria and family! It was wonderful spending time with you! Blog friends are so much fun! xoxo Jennifer