The Cup of Fortunes: Week 36 (August 31-September 6)

If you're wondering if I decided to play the Powerball this weekend, the answer is yes. The jackpot is insane so I decided to see if the lucky numbers would prevail. I used lucky numbers from one of this week's fortunes and one of the fortunes from two weeks ago (the one about a romantic mystery). I probably won't win, but it doesn't hurt to try.

Last week, I asked people to pick fortunes from the ones that are left. The empty stomach fortune was selected by a fellow embroiderer I follow on Instagram. Thanks for picking a fortune!

It was another two fortune week. Here are this week's fortunes and lucky numbers.

August 31

September 1

September 2

September 3

September 4

September 5

September 6

Weeks 1-36 - it's also time to move the fabric. I moved it up and more to the center for the next four weeks of fortunes.

If you're interested in selecting a fortune for this coming week or a future week, check out the remaining fortunes and let me know which one and when you'd like me to embroider it.

WIPs and A Visit to the Cat Cafe

I finished the black base layer of the raccoon embroidery piece. I think it turned out well. Long and short stitch is one of those stitches that I understand and use in a way, but it's not my favorite stitch to use so this design is a whole thing for me. It's going to be super cute when it's done so I just have to get it done. Since I'll be at home this weekend, my goal is to finish it and move on. I have other projects I want to focus on but I really need to finish this one.

Last Saturday I decided to visit Mount Purrnon, a cat cafe (voted 3rd best in the US) in Old Town Alexandria. I've been saying I was going to go to Mount Purrnon for a long time, but never did. Losing Keely last year was incredibly hard, and until recently, I hadn't wanted to be around cats. However, I follow a ton of cat accounts, rescues, and cat cafes on Instagram so I'm always seeing cute little cats and all these lovely adoption stories. I was on Mount Purrnon's website last week and saw the profile of a cat named Salami. The name made me laugh and the description of her was so charming. I decided I wanted to meet Salami. I didn't go with the intention of adopting a cat, just to hang out with some cats for an hour and see what happened.

My brother went with me. He's never been to a cat cafe and I think he had a good time. One of the more playful cats, Dutch Baby Pancake, seemed to like Scott. Animals love my brother and my dad. It's wild.

Anyway, I did get to meet Salami. Little miss is downstairs in her own enclosure right as you come in the cafe. She doesn't like sharing with other cats and prefers all the attention on her, so this is a better spot for her. She's lovely and you can tell she's an independent little girl. Someone needs to go adopt her and let her be in charge of your life. That's the energy Salami brings to the table. The rest of the cats are upstairs at Mount Purrnon, and you can bring your drinks with you if you'd like. They have a fantastic wine menu and the rest of the drinks menu looks fantastic too. We didn't try any of the food, so I'll have to go back for another visit.

Dutch Baby Pancake

Shadow

We met some absolutely delightful cats during our visit. A very old man named Shadow, immediately sat next to me and hung out for a bit. We also met Dutch Baby Pancake and several of the black cats. And then I saw Henna. I saw her profile on the website but was not prepared for her to be the tiny, cute baby she is in real life.

Look at her. LOOK AT HER!

Come on! Really? I can't with this cat. So this is a very long way to get to the fact that Henna lives at my house now. I mean, how was I to resist when she fell asleep on my hand?

Keely did the exact same thing at the shelter when I first met him and he was at my house the next day. I didn't immediately apply to adopt Henna, but the paperwork was in by the end of the weekend. I wasn't expecting to hear back as quickly as I did, but I found out Tuesday morning that I was approved. I picked her up yesterday. She's currently doing patrol around the house.

First picture once she got home. She's not a huge fan of having her picture taken. Same, girl, same.

I spent most of the week buying her all the things and preparing my house for a cat. I didn't have to do much, mostly putting away things that didn't need to be out and making sure every needle and small sewing item in this house is secure. I also moved things around to accommodate the litter boxes. My lemon balm and lemon thyme plants got moved to the kitchen counter. Apparently, they're non-toxic to cats but I feel better having them off the windowsill for now. My mint plant is up really high for now, but may have to be moved outside since mint is toxic to cats. All the other plants were already out of her reach so I think everyone should be fine.

I'm changing her name. I'm not a huge fan of the name Henna, and something about her reminds me of the name Bea, so I've decided to rename her Bea. Her government name will be Bea Henna Rosie. I got an email from the microchip company and they reference Rosie, so little miss has had some names. I think Bea suits her.

Her first day in the house went well. She explored a lot, ate some food, drank water without any extra steps, and used her litter boxes. She also cuddled with me on the couch, headbutted my hand for pets, and followed me around. I wasn't sure how she'd do at bedtime, but she slept at the end of the bed for a little while before curling up next to me. The most interesting part of her first day: she loves sitting by the sliding glass door.

This was also Keely's favorite spot in the house, so I don't know if it's a cat thing or if she felt calm in the sun, but she basically sat where he spent 98% of his time. It made me cry, not out of sadness, but because I'm a firm believer that your previous cat sends you the next one, and this is a sign Keely was looking out for me and Bea. Bea wandered over to the door about two hours into being home and settled down. She took a little nap and seemed content.

So far, so good. She likes the windows and can reach all of them to sit and watch the birds or the neighbors. She's a snuggle bug and a purr machine. She also meowed a few times, which was very cute. We're going to spend the weekend hanging out. I'm going to introduce her to Great British Bake Off, the last part of the new season of Wednesday, and at least one true crime documentary. I'm sure she'll take a bunch of naps. I'll be ordering her window perch this weekend too.

If you're looking to adopt a cat and live near Mount Purrnon, go meet all the sweet baby cats who are looking for homes. The cafe works with two rescues, Marlee's Misfits (where Bea came from) and Canines & Kitties.

Here are some photos from Bea's adventures yesterday and this morning. I'll be sharing some more online later today. Have a fantastic weekend!