Here’s a face to brighten up your Friday morning:
How CUTE is he?!? Everyone, meet Heather’s new kitty, Benson.
Last night, I met up with Heather at her apartment so we could head out to her favorite coffee shop and do some work on our upcoming webinar. Before leaving, however, I just had to get my hands on this little guy.
Not only was he stinkin’ adorable, but he was so LITTLE! He reminded me of a) how difficult it is to photograph an on-the-move kitten, and b) how little Cody was when we first found him…
Now, Cody’s just a beast.
Be prepared, Heather…Benson will be there soon enough.
So once I got my cuddle time in with Benson, Heather and I headed down the road to J Watt’s. There was a band playing in the actual coffee shop, which brought quite a crowd with it, so the two of us actually set up shop right upstairs in a vacant office.
After a few minutes, we were hand-delivered some complimentary treats from J himself. How awesome, right? J said that he would “surprise me” with something good, which turned out to be an iced, non-fat latte with a little bit of toffee nut and Irish cream flavorings. It was insanely delicious. (And no, the caffeine did not effect my ability to fall asleep within five minutes of hitting my pillow.)
J also brought up a freshly baked corn muffin for Heather and I to share, which was made with NuNaturals and something else that I can’t remember? Woops. Either way, it was quite tasty.
Heather and I got a lot accomplished last night, not only with our webinar run through, but also with some other blog-related things we’ve been discussing. We had some really good conversations and discussions, some of which I really, really needed to hear.
I’m so thankful to have found her (well, actually she found me) just over a year ago!
*****
Workout
This morning, was Day 5 of the new challenge, which was another 40-minute round of kickboxing. All I can say is thank goodness it did not involve any weights today; my lower body is still beyond sore from Wednesday, and now my upper body and shoulders are burning from yesterday’s yoga.
This is one of the reasons I am loving this challenge; the fact that I’m so sore from all of these new workouts means that I’m moving my ways that my body hasn’t seen in a while, which is a good thing. Bring on the burnnnnn!
Breakfast
An old favorite today…
The yogurt mess: Chobani + Pumpkin + banana slices + Quaker Oatmeal Squares + Love Grown Foods Cocoa Goodness granola (I found a sample bag in my cabinet, WOO!).
I’m heading out this morning to run some errands that I’ve been putting off, which will also include a Coffee Friday pit stop. Lucky for me, my coffee punch card is filled up for Flavour Café, which means today’s are…
Free! Gotta love that.
Catch ya’ll later!
Random Question for the Morning:
What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
Aine @ Something to Chew Over says
Nothing like a photo of a kitten to brighten up the day :)
Colleen @ The Lunchbox Diaries says
Oh, if cats didn’t make me wheeze and itch, they’d be so cute! :)
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
Ditto!
Heather says
actually – kittens dont have the dander that cats have, which make you allergic. You can probably play with him for a few months yet before he makes you itchy! [COME VISIT!]
Colleen @ The Lunchbox Diaries says
I can fly fo’ free [DON’T TEMPT ME! ;) ]
Courtney says
You CAN?!?!
Well then girl, what are you waiting for…hop on a place and come VISIT ME already!!! :-D
Colleen @ The Lunchbox Diaries says
Yeah! My mom’s a flight attendant! We used to go to NY all.the.time as kids to get McDonalds and then fly home hah! (Pre Sept. 11th, of course)
Courtney says
That is AWESOME!
Heather says
i would like to say – ummm. yes. Colleen. if you COME HERE you can see us BOTH.
ahem.
Caitlin C. says
That coffee with the irish cream in it sounds SO GOOD! I’m also dying over those kitten photos. I LOVE kittens! I want to get a cat someday if I can find one that doesn’t shed…dream on right?
Good job on the challenge :) I need to do something like that! I’ve been doing the same fitness classes all summer and now that it’s fall maybe it’s time to switch it up.
Brittany says
I love that you and Heather were able to meet up and do the webinar together. And how awesome that you all were served treats while doing so. I’m jealous. :)
Courtney says
It was awesome…but you were also drinking pumpkin beer, which is equally awesome ;)
Heather says
agree, B —-> we were both jealous of your beverage!
Taylor @ Crumbs Don't Count says
Aw, Cody was so cute when he was a kitten! My sister found a kitten by a dumpster near her apt and rescued it. It was so young she had to bottle feed it for awhile! It is a really mean cat now though…not sure why since she raised it from almost birth! My dog thinks it is a moving toy and LOVES to play…that cat however is not nearly as amused.
Samantha says
Oh my gosh Benson is so cute! I love kittens!
That workout sounds great – can you download the individual video’s off of Exercise TV’s website? I’d love to try a new yoga workout.
That is a seriously random question…one that I can’t come up with an answer to, but now you’ve got me thinking!
Courtney says
From what I can tell, the Xtreme videos are not yet available to download individually, but here’s a link with all of the downloads that are available by Chris Freytag, which include some of the original 10lb. Slimdown videos: http://www.exercisetv.tv/store/c-273-video-downloads.aspx
Hope that helps!
Samantha says
It does help! I’m going to get the DVD! Thanks a ton!
Halley (Blunder Construction) says
Cute! Too bad Cody is a wild man, or Benson would have a new blogger pal, or pet-of-blogger pal.
Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries says
Ok, to be honest, I’m not a big cat person… never have been. BUT, those photos of Benson and Cody when he was a little guy are so stinkin’ cute!
Enjoy your free coffee today! Love when that happens!
Ruthie Hart says
Omg Benson!!! So cute!! I want to cuddle him! Oh and your breakfast makes my mouth water!
Hope says
Aw, Benson is cute. Seeing these cat pictures makes me want a cat. I’m more of a dog person though ;)
Enjoy your free coffee! Jealous!
Jodi says
Just a quick question about your cat–how do you keep him from clawing up everything in the house? My son has been asking for one forever, but I’m really nervous about it.
Free coffee + Friday= Perfect!!
JN says
Hi Jodi,
I know you asked Courtney, but I thought I would throw in my two cents. I foster kittens and cats for one of the local rescue groups and am often asked this question.
The first step is to provide your cat with plenty of other things to scratch, i.e., cardboard scratch pads and tall sisal rope scratching posts. Do NOT get carpeted scratching posts because it teaches the cat to scratch at carpet. The tall posts are necessary as they get older because a lot of cats like to stretch out when they scratch. If you catch your cat scratching at the furniture, immediately take them to the scratching post and gently move their paws in a scratching motion on the post. They will get the hang of it (I also like to rub catnip on the post to encourage them to scratch there.) Also, keep their nails trimmed; if you start trimming their nails as kittens and playing with their feet, they become very used to the process and won’t fight you. Your vet can show you how to trim them properly. Finally, as an added deterrent, you can pick up some double-sided tape (cheaper at the hardware store) and stick on the areas the cat tries to scratch most (corners of furniture, etc.)
Hopefully this helps! I have had many different cats, of all ages, come through my house and I have hardly ever had a problem with them scratching furniture or carpet (maybe one out of the 50 I’ve fostered in the past 2.5 years).
BTW, if anyone is interested in adopting a kitten and lives in the Capital District, AnimaLovers is holding a special kitten adoption clinic at the East Greenbush Petsmart from 11:00am-4:00pm, tomorrow, Saturday, September 24. (Hope you don’t mind the plug, Courtney!)
Courtney says
Not at ALL! You answered it MUCH better than I could have :)
And now you’ve got me wanting to go adopt another kitten…
JN says
Cody might need a buddy, ya know. ;)
Heather says
1. Benson is the cutest
2. i love you
3. can’t wait til next week :)
4. xoxox
Courtney says
Waaaaaait just a second now…are you saying that your Benson is the cutest over my Code-man??? ;)
Heather says
maybe they are equally cute? may.be. ;)
Courtney says
Haha, ok, fair enough. :)
Emmarie @ Bananas And Beer says
Benson is just adorable. I love cats, and I always had one growing up. I gotta be honest though, I don’t miss cleaning litterboxes, YUCK. I just have a whole new kind of stank with a dog.
khushboo says
Everything tastes better free, such as my dessert @ lunch today :)! Happy Friiiiiday!
Jacqui @ Miss Nutritionista says
Your reviews of 10lb Slim Down so far have motivated me to try it. I’ve needed something to kick my butt back into gear and I have On Demand so I have no excuse. I wouldn’t mind dropping 10 by Halloween so I’m hoping to start Monday. I’m also drooling over your breakfast. I made an amazing pumpkin smoothie bowl yesterday that finished off my yogurt, but I wanted more so bad this morning.
Courtney says
Ooooo fun! I hope you give it a try…let me know what you think if you do! :)
Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun says
I’m now craving a pumpkin yogurt bowl. ;)
And I so wish I lived closer to you both. I would have loved to been a part of your blogging date. Love you both!
Courtney says
I so wish you did too, Ms. Tina! :)
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
I bet shes glad she met you too! ….That drink combo sounds so smooth and creamy! That is my kind of drink— but I would have blended it.
What a cute little kitten! THey are always sooooo cute when they are small! :)
Krissie J says
BENSON! I love that you can see he has stripes. <3
Heather says
oh my word, Krissie – his stripes are getting more and more defined and I keep telling him about how handsome he is and how handsome he is going to be! I hope they keep getting more and more visable.
Alyssa @ Life of bLyss says
oh, Court. you always manage to make your bowls full-o-fun to look so pretty.
Courtney says
LOL – thanks, Alyssa ;)
Brittany says
So adorable, I love kittens! :D Love that iced coffee, looks deelish
Heather @ Girlyeverafter says
Such a cutie! I love reading Heather’s blog! Little kittens are the sweetest!
Molly says
the things I eat are much different than the people physically around me but definitely not so different from my blogging community (which I love!) It gets pretty old having to explain all the cottage cheese, hummus, beets, chickpeas, etc.
Jess @ Jess Go Bananas says
Hmmm I can’t actually think of something that I do uniquely differently, but I do eat my food “seperate” – meaning I don’t mesh all of the flavors, but instead eat each item on its own…I know -total weirdo over here! ;)
Cat @Breakfast to Bed says
when I sit “indian style” i sit with one knee on top of the other. it’s pretty strange.
Rosa - Fitness, Food, Fulfilled says
Ah, I wish I could have a kitten but the husband is allergic so that’s a no go. Love kittens!
The one thing I do differently than others (or that I’ve never seen others do) is eat the bottom of the cupcake before the top, or eat the cake portion of a slice first and then eat the frosting last. I just want the frosting to be the dessert of the dessert.
Courtney says
Girl, I ALWAYS save the frosting for last! ;)
Claire says
I need to go to the shelter today to get my kitty/puppy fix I think!! Pumpkin breakfast…yum! I just did a little video and mention my MILD obsession with pumpkin things…check er’ out!!
http://www.navigatingnorth.com/2011/09/fun-fact-fridaytotally-truthful.html
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
D’awww :) Kittens can brighten up any day!
And pumpkin + yogurt is one of the best combos. I’ve seen it a lot around blogs and thought it wouldn’t be anything special…but oh my goodness it rocks!
Ashley @ Freckles & Spice says
I read magazine backwards. I have no idea why or when I started doing it.
My breakfast this morning was also chobani, pumpkin, and quaker oatmeal squares. Yum!
Courtney says
Great minds think alike!
Amy says
I’m weird like this too with masgazines and books sometimes too.
I’m in love with Benson. Where did she get him? Hubby and I have been thinking about a kitten for awhile.
I’m just scared our baby will start acting up, we’ve had her for 8 years now. on 9/11 my husband rescued her out of a wall of a house he was showing. They dry walled her in. So sad.
He brought her home and she was a baby and so sick. Now shes a big fat spoiled house cat that we love like she was our baby.
Heather says
Hi, Amy! I am in love with Benson, too! [I have decided he is the love of my life!]
Benson kind of found us. A group of friends and I were sitting on my back porch and he was meowing constantly. We thought he was a cat in heat, and over an hour later, the meowing got louder/closer. We shown a flashlight down and saw him and I realized he was MUCH too young to be in heat, so my boyfriend and I went down to him. He was a little scared at first, but after a few minutes of us just sitting patiently nearby, he approached us. It was a day after some serious flooding in my area, and all of the shelters were full due to the devastation, so even if I wanted to say no to the little guy staying with me, it was looking more and more like he was going to be my new roomie ;)
Abby @ Abz 'n' Oats says
I typically strongly dislike cats but those kitten pictures are adorable! :) There really isn’t much that beats free coffee!
Lizzie says
im so glad you and heather had fun together! that drink looks so good! and ur breakfast looks insane! :)
debbie (accidently delish) says
i also made the hard decision of quitting my job, for health reasons though, although ultimately i will probably switch my careers as well. I really want to go back to school, but with me not working and my health expenses I am really nervous about accruing more loans. Because as you, our bills are hard enough to pay now. and trust me girl I feel you on not being able to find a part time job. but also like you, it was the right decision. everything happens for a reason right?
Amanda says
Benson looks so much like my kitten Benny! So dear!