2018: One Second Everyday

At the start of 2018, I watched my friend, Macy's "1 Second Everyday" video.  Seriously, how cool of a concept is that?!  It's only a small moment of your day, but it's so much more fun to look back on than photos alone.  Somehow, I actually kept a resolution last year and recorded every. single. day.

It's certainly been a wild one for us, and we can't wait for all that's in store in 2019!!

An Afternoon in Beaufort

This weekend, Mike and I visited Hilton Head Island to see my in-laws who were vacationing there, and on the way back, we decided to stop in Beaufort for the afternoon.  Right in the middle of Hilton Head and Charleston, this adorable little city is located just far enough off the beaten path to have its own identity.  

We started our day at Waterfront Park, right on the river.  The swings were so adorable, and it was the perfect place for a walk. 

After the park, we stepped into Scout Southern Market on Bay Street to cool down.  They're famous for their sweet tea floats (iced tea with lemon sorbet), and it was so refreshing!  I seriously wanted to bring everything home in this sweet little store. 

After we left Scout, we walked all up and down Bay Street.  The art galleries in Beaufort are fantastic, and I loved all the shopping. 

Our last stop of the day was for a drink back on Waterfront Park.  Unlike Charleston, I love how much riverfront dining there is, and I even met the sweetest little cat outside.  How adorable is Chester?!

We can't wait to go back to Beaufort to explore even more.  Here are five more things to do in Beaufort, SC that we will definitely be adding to our future travel plans:
- Climb Hunting Island Lighthouse
- Stroll through Point neighborhood
- Indulge at The Chocolate Tree
- Visit the Old Sheldon Church Ruins
- Kayak or paddle board through Beaufort waterways

DIY Cat Hammock Chair

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MorrisKnowsBest #CollectiveBias

Okay, I have to be 100% honest right now, this might be one of the most fun DIY projects I've ever done.  Y'all know how much I love my cats, so anything for them is always high up there.  On top of that, I had this wild idea to make a fun play spot for them, and Mike helped me make it happen.  Seriously, they love every aspect of this chair, and I'm so excited to share it with you.  Moral of the story for this DIY project is definitely that my new favorite go-to tool in the garage is a staple gun.  That thing can do anything!

I went thrifting to find this perfect chair and pair of pillow cases.  Bonus was that part of the back was broken (that I knew I was removing anyway!) so everything was only $6.  Clearly Roxy isn't good with change (me either, girl) and loved it from the second I brought it home.  I knew I'd win her over in the end, though.

In addition to the chair, 2 pillow cases, a staple gun, and scissors, I went shopping at Dollar General for the rest of the items I needed: thick sisal rope (similar to hemp), a hanging cat toy, mug hooks, a grommet kit, and, of course, their favorite: 9Lives® cat food.  They have so many varieties that cats can't resist, from Meaty Pate with ground meat, poultry or fish to Hearty Cuts with chunks, cuts, and shreds in a rich, thick gravy.  9Lives is dedicated to the health and happiness of all cats, and it definitely shows in the quality of their products.  Check out DollarGeneral.com to find coupons and save on 9Lives wet and dry cat food - they're live now through 5/31/18!

 Alright, now here is how to make your own cat activity chair!

1. Take the chair cushion off the frame, and wrap it inside one of the two pillow cases.

2. Set the covered cushion back on the chair, pulling the new cover fabric tight, and staple the pillow case in place.  Keeping the cushion on the chair frame for this step will help keep all the fabric in place while you staple it in place.  

3. Remove the cushion from the chair again, and cut away all extra fabric.  Place the cushion back on the chair one last time.

4. Tightly wrap the sisal rope around the back of the chair (and the legs, if you wish).  This is a perfect way to cover any unsightly cracks or scuffs, especially if you're using a thrifted chair.  Cats love to scratch this rope, and it'll keep them off your nice furniture!

5. Staple a hanging cat toy to the top of the chair to add additional play fun.

6. Screw large mug hooks into the legs of the chair at even heights. We used an electric drill to create pilot holes and make this process a little easier. 

7. Measure the size for your hammock and mark off where you will place the grommets to hang the hammock on the mug hooks.  We made sure to leave a little extra room between the grommets and not pull the fabric tight so that it would look and hang the most like a hammock for the cats.  We purchased an all-in-one grommet kit that had the parts of the grommet and all the tools needed for installation at Dollar General.  It was so easy to use, and the whole process only took about 10 minutes to insert 4 grommets.

Here it is: before and after!

Clearly Shadow is loving it! ...and the food, too.

Do you have a cat who's part of your family?  Have you treated them to 9Lives cat food?

Because Everyone Needs A Funny Door Mat...

We're a couple of weeks into the One Room Challenge (here's my inspiration and "before" photos), and as you might have seen on my Instagram, we made the cutest purchase ever last week.  I still don't know how I got both cats to pose (okay, I lie, it was with a lot of treats), but clearly they like their new mat.  I actually found Shadow curled up on it the next day, right in the sun.

The mat is from the cutest Etsy shop, Nine to Wine Design.  I actually found them on a Buzzfeed article about "everything a crazy cat lady in training needs."  In that piece, I was inspired by her "There's, like, a lot of cats in here" mat.  We decided that three would be the threshold of "a lot" of cats, so we went in search of a different mat, and she did not disappoint.  Seriously if you type "funny door mat" into Etsy, you will get so many hysterical results.

Even if you're not participating in the One Room Challenge, I know this is the time of year to refresh our outdoor spaces, so I rounded up a bunch of my favorite designs from a bunch of different artisans to share with you today!

bunch of cats ||| trap door ||| leave by 9

paradise ||| hakuna moscato ||| happy hour

ding dong ||| coffee, Target, Amazon ||| cats

A mat like this is just such a fun way to add a little humor to your home, and it's already become such a fun conversation starter for friends who come over!  Which one is your favorite?  I think we'll be getting one for our front door soon, too!

DIY Indoor Cat Garden

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MeowMixatTarget #CollectiveBias 

Today's post is all about my girls: Roxy and Shadow.  For those of you who also have pets, you know how much a part of the family they are.  We've had Roxy for almost 7 years (her adoptiversary is later this month), and Shadow followed me home on Halloween 2013.  They move 1,000 miles with us three years ago, and when we built our house, we made sure to get a screen porch (10% for us and 90% for them), so that they could spend time outside, which is their absolute favorite spot.  From the things we do for them to the food they eat, these cats are spoiled loved.

Now that the weather is getting a little cooler and they spend less time outside, I thought it would be fun to give them a little bit of outdoors inside our home.  I've read about cat gardens before, and there are so many plants out there that can be beneficial to cats.*  These two girls could not be more different, so I made a cat garden with a few different plants to see what they enjoy best.

What you'll need:

- a shallow planter

- 3-5 different varieties of herbs

- potting soil

For our garden, I chose parsley, mint, cat grass, and cat thyme.  Other suggestions could be catnip, valerian, lemon grass, and rosemary.

Directions:
1. Use the potting soil to make a flat layer on the bottom of the planter.  Make sure you select a planter that's low enough for the cat to access.
2. Place each herb in the planter (I love the herbs that come in biodegradable, plantable pots) and fill in the empty spaces with more potting soil.
3. Thoroughly water the herbs and set in a place your cat enjoys!

So far, Roxy is a little unsure about the cat garden, but Shadow loves it.  By far, her favorites are the cat grass and mint.

Even though Roxy hasn't quite warmed up to the garden yet, one thing the cats definitely agree on is their love for Meow Mix Simple Servings.  In the past, we've mostly fed our cats dry food, but now Meow Mix has come out with an easy-to-open and easy-to-serve wet food: Meow Mix Simple Servings.  There's no mess and no leftovers, and the Seafood Variety (24 pack) I bought at Target is awesome because we can get the assortment with flavors they both like.  10/18 through 11/15, you can get 20% off with the Cartwheel app by clicking here.

Yup, they love it!  If you want to try Simple Servings for your own cat, you can click here to earn points from Dailybreak.

Are your pets members of your family?  Do you have any tips for keeping my herb garden alive through the winter months?

*While I have done research on the best plants for cats, I am not a veterinarian.  Please consult your vet before adding any new supplements or plants into your cat's diet.