Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries and Meows

Monday, April 6, 2015

Spring Kitten Tote Giveaway from Triple T Studios

While I'm purr-fectly happy spending everyday in jeans and t-shirts, my "inner fashionista" comes out in my collection of purses and tote bags. I have so many it is ridiculous, but I can't help shopping for more. I'll brag and say that I must have pretty good taste, because I seem to get compliments all the time on my various bags.

More often than not, of course my purse or tote will have a cat on it, so when I saw the brand new Spring Kitten Totes by Triple T Studios, I'm pretty certain that I gasped out loud. I am absolutely crazy about the fresh, fun, and stylish design of this tote, and couldn't wait to start using it the moment it arrived in the mail last week!

This bright and fashionable bag is sure to catch everyone's attention as you're out and about now that warmer weather is finally here:

* It measures 18.5 inches wide by 14.76 inches high by .5 inch wide when the sides are unsnapped, and is super lightweight at only 13 ounces.

* It's made of Nylon with PU Leather* trim on the handle, the bottom and the pretty kitten silhouette. *PU (Poly) Synthetic Leather is a man made material that will represent the look and feel of Genuine Leather. This material is water-resistant and easily cleaned.

* The bag lays flat for easy storage but the snap feature on both sides of the Spring Kitten Tote allows you to turn your tote into a full-service bag capable of carrying everything you will need for work, shopping or the beach. I've been using it for the last few days as a purse because I like carrying big bags, and it easily holds my wallet, checkbook, datebook, iPad, and cosmetic bag, and I still have loads of extra room left over. Truffles could even hop in if she wanted to!

* The tote features a zipper closure on top to keep everything safe and secure. There's another zipper compartment inside and two slip pockets, perfectly sized for your keys and phone.

Image: Triple T Studios

The Spring Kitten Tote is available in 5 pretty color combinations:

* Pink with a Black Cat

* Purple with a Light Pink Cat (this is the one that I chose)

* Khaki with a Citrine Cat

* Deep Green with a Lime Cat

* Black with a Hot Pink Cat

Discount Code with Promo Code: Truffles15

To receive $15 off the price of a Spring Kitten Tote, use the promo code Truffles15 at checkout and then click apply. The promo code box will appear on the screen after you enter your shipping and payment information.

Giveaway: Thanks to our dear friends at the The Tiniest Tiger, one lucky reader is going to win the color tote bag of their choice. This is a WORLDWIDE giveaway, so good luck everyone!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: We received our Spring Kitten Tote at no charge from Triple T Studios in exchange for a fair and honest review. Receiving the free product did not influence our opinion in any way.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Happy Easter #SundaySelfies

Happy Easter to all of our dear friends visiting from the Sunday Selfies blog hop. Please stop by again tomorrow for a very special "spring" giveaway!

Saturday, April 4, 2015

{52 Snapshots} & Caturday Art: Foolish

Hey everybody, Truffles at the keyboard! By now I'm sure you all know how Mommy feels about Grumpy Cat, and today is her 3rd birthday. That's why she is the subject of both of the Saturday blog hops that we participate in.

It's week 14 of the #PBSG #52Snapshots of Life photo challenge (hosted by The Lazy Pit Bull) and the theme is foolish. Awhile back Mommy got a new Grumpy Cat plush and she did something very foolish...she put her in my lounger!!! I tried to act nonchalant so she wouldn't know that it bothered me, but look at how Grumps is taunting me! Don't get too comfortable there, buckaroo! That lounger is mine!

For our entry in Athena's Caturday Art blog hop, I created a birthday meme for GC. I think she'll like it, don't you?

Friday, April 3, 2015

April Rescued Spotlight: Nerissa

Hey everybody, it's Truffles! The last couple months I've been telling you about Rescued: The Stories of 12 Cats, Through Their Eyes, an anthology of rescue cat stories compiled by Janiss Garza, who writes the Sparkle Cat blog. Each author featured in the book has nominated a cat rescue and was assigned a month to promote the book, with a third of the profits from that month going to their rescue.

April's spotlight is on my pal Nissy, the cat behind the award-winning Nerissa' Life blog. The rescue Nissy is supporting is Anjellicle Cat Rescue, based in New York's Hell's Kitchen. This is a rescue that saves lives *every single day* by pulling cats at risk of euthanasia from New York’s ACC. Their goal is to help make NYC a no-kill city.

I really enjoyed chatting with my pal Nissy and hope you enjoy reading our interview!

Truffles: Welcome Nissy! Thank you so much for taking a little time to chat with me today. Could you tell us a little about how you and your peeps found each other, and why you decided your story would be a good fit for the Rescued anthology?

Nerissa: Hi Truffles! And thank YOU for havin’ me on your blog. It’s a great honour and privilege to be here, for sure.

I sure can! As you know, I was born over on a neighbour’s property. Didn’t know much about the peeps then. Didn’t know much ‘bout any peeps on account of my bein’ born outside. But my mama knew the peeps were good for a meal or two so when we were old enough – ‘bout four weeks – she brought us over to the peeps’ house. Wasn’t love at first sight or anything ‘cause peeps can be scary but eventually, Peep #1 and became best friends.

Actually, I was sort of hemmin’ and hawin’ a bit ‘bout submittin’ my rescue story for publication but good friends like Savvy’s (from Savannah’s Paw Tracks) mum were quite encouraging about it. Then I thought, why not? I’ve always had stuff to say and my rescue story is the very first story of my life and therefore some of the very first stuff I ever had to say so surely, it’s worth a try. Plus, as a cat who was born feral, it’s important for peeps out there to see that we’re not write-offs, you know? Some peeps think that. They think that cats who are born feral aren’t worthy but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I wanted peeps who thought otherwise to realise that. purrs

Photo: Jennifer Niemi

What does your little cat family look like today?

It’s a little different from when I first submitted my rescue story. Back then, there were twelve of us but we’ve had a few losses in the last year and a half or so. My dad Jacob, my sister Beatrice and my Aunties Snowdrop, Blossom and Primrose have all gone to Heaven. Also, we have a new addition. My brother Anderson moved in late last summer.

So now there are eight of us. My sister Constance who is an actual littermate and then my other sisters Tobias, Mason and Tess and my brothers Anderson, Rushton and Seville. My brothers are all marmalade cats but that’s just a coincidence, I think. Either that or the marmie brigade is takin’ over. Anywho... Let’s see... one, two, three.... Hmm... seven. Who am I missin’? Oh yeah, me! There’s me, of course and I make eight. purrs

We are huge fans of your blog, Nerissa's Life. How on earth do you come up with such tall tales???

Tall tales? Tales? Not sure what you’re talkin’ about there.

Most of my inspiration comes from the peeps. They – especially Peep #1 – do some crazy things. Always gettin’ into mischief and whatnot. Takin’ on more than they can handle and messin’ stuff up and whatnot. Great fodder for my blog. The news provides a lot of inspiration, too. There’s always SOMETHIN’ goin’ on in the world that needs to be written about from a cat’s point of view. I always find great stuff on the news, for sure. purrs

Photo: Jennifer Niemi

One of our favorite features on your blog is your book reports. You write the *coolest* book reviews! What are some of your favorite books?

Awww... *blushes* Thanks so much. Yes, Seville and I took that Kitty Lit. 101 course last fall. Classes were cancelled for the first three months of the year on account of Canadian winter weather and whatnot but we’re gonna start back as soon as this snow clears, for sure.

My favourite books are cozy mysteries and in particular, cozy mysteries that include cats. I love ‘em! Love the warm characters and cozy feel you get while readin’ them. Guess it was only natural on account of those bein’ the kind of books fillin’ up Peep #1’s bookshelves. She loves ‘em, too. I absolutely adore my good pal Leann Sweeney’s Cats in Trouble Mysteries and Rebecca M. Hale’s Cats and Curios Mysteries. Also in love with Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats Mysteries. The very first book I ever read was a Dean (Miranda) James Cat in the Stacks Mystery and that there started my love affair with the cat-oriented cozy mystery. Oh, and I mustn’t forget T.C. LoTempio’s new Nick & Nora series. Amazin’! Actually, there are so very many incredible authors whom I love that I simply can’t name ‘em all but I would like to make mention of two series that don’t actually include cats. The White House Gardener Mysteries by Dorothy St. James and the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs. Love those even with the lack of cats. As you can see, I’m not a speciesist. I’m quite capable of lovin’ all things cozy when it comes to good mysteries. purrs

Photo: Jennifer Niemi

Mommy wanted me to ask me this question about your peep: In her bio she mentions that she has written many recipes for Gooseberry Patch (Mommy is obsessed with these cookbooks!!!) and is currently working on a cozy series...tell us more!!!

Peep #1 loves those Gooseberry Patch cookbooks, too! Yeah, she’s had quite a few recipes published by ‘em. Into the double digits, for sure. All were vegetarian recipes, of course, on account of the peep bein’ a veggie and all. If only the peep could whip up a good chicken filet with creamy nip sauce... *sighs* C’est la vie, I suppose.

Yup, Ol’ Peepers here has been workin’ on a mystery series of her own for... like... FOREVER. It takes place right here in Nova Scotia and is based upon a character she created for a couple of mini mysteries that were published in an American woman’s magazine a few years ago. The series combines the peep’s love of cozy mysteries, cats, cooking and gardening. Elsie Peabody is the main character and she solves murders along with her good pal, Tom. Elsie and Tom really are just good pals. No hanky panky goin’ on there at all. Tom was Elsie’s late husband’s partner on the local police force and he has always kinda looked out for her. Also, he’s in love with Elsie’s cookin’. At the beginnin’ of the first book, Elsie is in the process of befriendin’ two feral kitties, Alexander and Josephine. Interestin’ to note that in real life, my mama had two babies after my littermates and I were born. She had ‘em after Peep #1 got us in but before she could get my mama in so they were born feral, too. They were little Alex and Josie. purrs

Peep #1 has two other series in mind as well but like I told her... Finish the first one first and see what happens after that. Hope she takes my advice and gets those Elsie Peabody books finally done. MOUSES!

Every night you share New York City ACC's kill list. It is so hard to look at but you are also doing such important work. Have you found that sharing these precious, forgotten little souls makes a difference?

Absolutely. Like I say, “Sharin’ is carin’ and it saves lives, too!” The New York City ACC (Animal Care & Control) issue a list of cats every night (seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year) that will be killed the following day at noon. These lists are heart-breaking, especially when you consider that the cats on the lists are all adoptable. Some of them may need a little medical attention or some extra TLC but all are adoptable and deserving of loving homes. Many are in perfect health but end up on the kill lists anyway. Or the ever-popular reason for killing, the easily treatable shelter cold which is often caught right AT the ACC. MOUSES!

By sharing these cats’ stories on Twitter and Facebook we find potential adoptive and foster homes. People also pledge for the cats’ care. All pledges go directly to the rescue pullin’ the cat for that particular cat’s veterinary care while in foster care, before bein’ adopted out. Many, MANY cats have been saved in this way. I’ve seen it happen myself! Every share gets a kitty one step closer to bein’ saved. Knowin’ that we’re savin’ lives is what keeps me sharin’. It’s important, for sure. purrs

What made you choose to support Anjellicle Cat Rescue with your proceeds from the book?

On account of my sharin’ those nightly kill lists, I knew I wanted my portion of the donations from the Rescued book to go to one of the rescues pullin’ from the NYC ACC. Choosing just one was super difficult as there are quite a few doin’ some really, REALLY amazin’ work. I finally narrowed it down to three or four and then from those I chose Anjellicle Cats Rescue. They quite often pull kitties who need extra TLC and extra medical attention before being ready to find their forever homes. Kitties that would otherwise never have a chance of makin’ it out of the ACC, alive. purrs

What's life like for you today and what is still ahead for you?

Life is pretty good. I have had some medical issues lately but we think we might have that under control. Peeps and I have our fingers and crossed that we’re on the right track with that.

As far as my career goes, I’m still bloggin’ away and will continue to do so for as long as possible. I love my blog and all the good friends I have made while doin’ it.

I’m also vying for a Senate seat as I’d like to represent the Province of Nova Scotia in the Canadian Senate. High time a Prime Minister had the wisdom and foresight to appoint a cat, don’t you think? Plus, my home province is currently under-represented as there are several vacancies which some (including myself) might argue is somewhat unconstitutional. There’s good reason Nova Scotia is supposed to have ten Senators. It’s a smaller province and a full complement of Senators is necessary so that we’re not forgotten, ignored and trampled over by the bigger ones. MOUSES!

And who knows? Maybe some day I’ll start writin’ cozy mysteries as well as reviewing ‘em. If Ol’ Peepers doesn’t watch out, I might just finish mine before she finishes hers. I could write all ‘bout a feline Senator solving mysteries over on Parliament Hill. Now THAT would be a best-seller, for sure. MOUSES!

Purrs,
Nissy

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Chewy.com Review: Halo Liv-a-Littles

Hey everybody, it's Truffles!

Mommy said the most horrible thing to me recently. She said that I'm becoming *gasp* a TREAT SNOB!!! Just because I stuck my nose up at the latest treats she picked out for me from Chewy.com.

Don't you think if she would let me do the choosing this wouldn't be an issue???

The treats I'm speaking of are the Halo Liv-a-Littles Grain-Free 100% Chicken Breast Freeze-Dried Dog & Cat Treats. Trust me, the issue is with me, not the treats, because they really are wonderful. 100% pure chicken breast, plain and simple (and that's a good thing!) They're freeze-dried to lock in the flavor and nutritional benefits of protein-rich chicken breast, and suitable for every stage of your pets' lives. They are suitable for both cats and dogs, and are great to serve on their own or crumble over food at mealtime.

So what's my problem? Mommy says she's going to stop picking out freeze-dried treats for me because I never like them. Of all the ones she has tried I've only really loved one of them. My preference is kibble-type treats, not freeze-dried or raw. (I know I'm unusual...every kitty I know loves freeze-dried meats!)

As I've been known to do, I recruited our neighbor kitty Pumpkin to get a second opinion on treats I'm not crazy about. Here's what he had to say:

Hmmm...smells like chicken!