animalsandmagic

[animalsandmagic]

Celebrating Easter My Way

Easter long ago stopped being about the usual things and took on a new meaning to me. What I used to look forward to most on Easter was the big chocolate bunny I always used to get. Once I couldn't have that anymore, I didn't feel much like celebrating until I began to think differently. I couldn't have chocolate bunnies anymore, but I still had my real one. Ever since then I had been celebrating having a real bunny every year, but for the last two years I haven't had a rabbit to celebrate with so instead it has become a day of remembrance to me until the day I once again have a rabbit in my life.

So, today I remember and celebrate the fact that all these special bunnies were a part of my life.

My First Rabbit Friendly

Friendly, was a Dutch rabbit that was given to me the summer after 2nd grade as a reward for making my first communion as having both selective mutism and social phobia made it really hard for me to do this. The day I got her I immediately named her Friendly as I had decided that she was going to be my best friend and she proved to be this.

Though our first day was not our best as we didn't yet have rabbit supplies and I had to hold her until my parents came back from the pet store which was more than my new pet's bladder could handle so while even back then I understood she didn't have a choice just as I didn't have a choice but to continue holding her, it was not our best moment together even if it was a memorable one.

My first rabbit lived up to her name every day. She was always there to help me get through the anxiety filled school mornings and never failed to make me feel better after coming home from every stressful day of school, which for me was every day I went to school.

My most memorable moment with Friendly was back in 7th grade when I had to be picked up from school by my sister as I had ended up in the nurse's office after my anxiety got out of control the day I was supposed to join the bowling team at school. I had a friend that said she would join with me, but then ditched me so I ended up waiting for her not knowing she changed her mind and panicked when it was time for the bus to come. I never even made it into the classroom and unfortunately my mom had gone to the bowling alley expecting to see my first day of bowling so I had to talk to my sister on the phone for the first time ever. Luckily, I had a great rabbit to come home to. Friendly was forever patient and always willing to stay with me as long as it took for me to feel better. She loved being petted so this day, she got more of it than ever before.

The most unusual things about Friendly were that she wouldn't eat fresh vegetables and I taught her to play dead.

The summer after that moment in 7th grade was our last one together. I made some mistakes not realizing just how easily rabbits can get sick. I have never let myself forget it was my fault she died and always use that memory to make sure I do better with each rabbit.

When the next year started I had begun life with my next rabbit.

My Second Rabbit Oreo

Oreo was a Dutch mix according to the shelter, though to me she appeared to be a purebred. She was my first rescue pet and I admit to falling in love with her the moment she snorted at my sister. Oreo was named at the shelter. Back when I adopted her she had on ear that made it look as if she was part lop eared rabbit as it was bent down, but we found out later she simply had an ear infection. She hated the ear drops, but I think she knew they were helping her as it wasn't long before she had two standing ears.

Oreo was like Friendly and had some unique traits. Oreo proved to be even better with my anxiety then my first rabbit had been as she had this calming presence about her. I fell asleep more than once with her around. We actually started a routine that involved napping together in the afternoon which included my old Toy Poodle and my Chihuahua once Taco became part of my life.

Oreo also enjoyed car rides. She loved going anywhere she could with me. I ended up taking her some places no rabbit had gone before such as, to my Grandmother's house, a car ride to drop a friend's mom off at work, to the barn to be photographed by my equestrian team for our yearly calendar, and she went with me when we had my senior portrait taken. She was one adventurous rabbit. This rabbit would jump into the car herself and was almost dog-like in her enthusiasm and curiosity about where we were going.

When we were outside together the one day, there was an incident that led her to hate squirrels. She was sitting under the big tree in our backyard, just relaxing when two squirrels ran down the tree and ran right over her. Ever since that day if she saw a squirrel she would chase it as far away as she could. Squirrels thought twice about coming down that tree whenever they saw her after that point.

Oreo, like Friendly was a bit short lived. I had let my sister's kids play with her, not knowing they were sick at the time. If I had known I never would have let them anywhere near my rabbit. Unfortunately, to make things worse we had recently had to put Oreo on an all hay diet for her to lose weight and I didn't catch on until it was too late that she was losing too much weight too fast. I always wonder if I could have saved her if I had caught on faster.

Avery & Oreo 2

Avery & the second Oreo were both bunnies I met at PetSmart's adoption days event. Avery was a Dutch mix and Oreo was a Dutch. I had really wanted a pair of bunnies and thought these could be my first pair. Unfortunately, though I followed all the directions for bonding male bunnies these two just couldn't get along and I couldn't choose between them for anything as they were both great rabbits so I ended up not keeping them.

Chibi & Kojikaki

Chibi and Kojikaki were adopted from a shelter in Pittsburgh. I did a lot of research after deciding I wanted to try out a different breed and chose Mini Rex rabbits. Originally, the shelter wasn't going to let me adopt as I live in a different state, but they were overrun with rabbits at the time and I wanted two of them so they decided to allow it.

Chibi, whose name means small, was named first. I wanted to name him after two of my favorite heroes; the dragon from the Dragon Drive manga and anime, and the wolf from the Okami Den video game. As Chibi's name was Japanese it only felt right to name Kojikaki this way as well. Kojikaki waited several weeks for her name as I wasn't sure what to call her. I eventually decided to name her in honor of my favorite book series, Warriors, so I named her as if I was the clan leader and she had earned her warrior name. I had decided to call her fawn which was kojika in Japanese, but nothing else sounded right until I tried heart which was ki. As ki also means spirit I thought it felt perfect as Kojikaki seemed to be a fairly gentle rabbit I decided her new name would be Kojikaki meaning Fawnheart. I later decided it meant Fawnspirit for reasons you will soon know.

Chibi and Kojikaki were a great pair. Chibi was always taking care of his sister as if he was her big brother rather than the same age. Kojikaki was a timid rabbit in the beginning, always relying on her brother for comfort. She often went so far as to demand it from him. She could be a little rough when she was asking him to groom her and she was known to take the hay from his mouth, deciding she had to have that piece when there was plenty of other pieces to choose from, but Chibi never complained. The only time I ever saw him be anything other than gentle with his sister was whenever he was around and she was being a bully to my Chihuahua who never actually did anything to her. He avoided rabbits as he was scared of them. I had hoped having two babies would help him with this, but this usually nervous rabbit enjoyed having something scared of her for a change and this proved to be a problem.

Kojikaki, after learning Taco was scared of her, took full advantage. If he was anywhere other than the couch, she chased him right back to it. She quickly proved to be the most challenging rabbit I ever had as she learned to scratch and bite when she didn't want to do something. Unfortunately, with Kojikaki she hated being touched and especially having her play time ended. I usually had to chase her all over the house and deal with her snorting all the way back to her cage every night. I would have loved to let them run loose all day and night but it wasn't possible. Kojikaki was a chewer and her brother was a constant pooper, I just couldn't leave them unsupervised for any length of time. Chibi did eventually sort of become litter box trained.

Chibi was an unusual rabbit when it came to bathroom habits. He knew to use the litter box, it just happens he would sit the wrong way in it and nothing actually made it into the box. I had to get a special litter box made for ferrets to solve this problem. Chibi was great after that though Kojikaki later gave me new challenges as after her brother died she decided she wanted the box in the middle of the cage and refused to use it in the corner. I don't know how she always unattached the box from the cage but every day I would find it in the middle of the cage. I eventually got a flatter box for her so she had maximum accessibility to everything once I gave in and allowed her to keep the box in the center of the cage.

Kojikaki also became more of a random groomer after Chibi died. We never really found out why, but he had a weak heart and when he got sick from an illness due to this he never fully recovered and unfortunately his wasn't something I could have done anything to prevent. I don't remember what the vet said he had exactly, but I do remember the feeling of being alone with Kojikaki for the first time. Anyway, after losing her brother Kojikaki wanted to groom anything she could get though she never became an over groomer of her own fur. The first sign was when she began grooming the Easter decorations. I had to take the wind up chick away from her because it was really dirty and I didn't want her to get sick. I never did find out if there was something that I could give her which would be safe not just for letting her groom, but if she chewed on it as well. Luckily, Merveille happened.

Merveille is my Toy Poodle. At first, Kojikaki thought she would scare away this new puppy just as she had Taco. Puppy Merveille just thought she was playing and Kojikaki didn't know what to do with him at first. After a while she began to develop a bit of a reluctant acceptance to this impossible puppy which turned into respect and eventually she started looking forward to when I let him visit her. She actually gave him her own version of a kiss after he came in to give her one and one day even asked him to groom her just as she used to ask her brother though Merveille didn't do this as he had no idea what she wanted him to do.

Unlike every other rabbit I ever had, Kojikaki was long lived. She was over 10 years old when she started showing signs of old age. She did mellow a bit when she got old, but she never fully lost her spirit. She developed an illness due to old age which went undiagnosed as she passed at the vets. Due to her age and the trouble she had breathing the vet wanted me to have her put down which I never had to do with a pet other than Taco before. Kojikaki was so much of a survivor and so independent that I didn't feel right choosing for her so I asked her what she wanted to do and that's when it happened. I don't know if it was just the timing or if she heard me, but whether good or bad she didn't make me have to choose the worst option. You would think with Kojikaki I would have been ready to let her go. She wasn't the best rabbit I ever had, she definitely wasn't the friendliest, but she was still mine and we had been together a long time so it was still hard for me to let her go.

Currently, I don't have a rabbit, but I am always keeping watch on the local shelters waiting for the day one feels right to me. Until then here are two honorable mention bunnies that I met.

The Brave One

This bunny was part of a wild litter I kept watch over after my Grandma accidentally dumped chemicals on them not knowing a wild rabbit decided to give birth in her carrot patch. I kept watch over them until their eyes were open and the first rabbit began exploring. After that I knew they were fine and never saw them again.

Rabbit for Adoption

This rabbit I met while I still had Kojikaki. He was available for adoption and I really wanted to, but I knew Kojikaki would never accept a new bunny at her age and remembered how hard it was to have two rabbits that didn't get along. I wish I could have adopted him, but I hope he found a great home.

That's all the rabbits I have known in my life and I can't wait to share my life with another in the future.

#bunnies #rabbit #rabbits #dutch rabbit #mini rex #my story #my rabbit #easter #remembering #animals #celebrating life #pets

[animalsandmagic]

I made a custom Taco today. I wanted to create a display featuring my pets over the years and wanted to add some figurines to it that look like my pets. I couldn’t find one that looked enough like my Chihuahua so I decided to find a figurine I liked and customize it. It isn’t perfect, but I think it will look great in my display.

As I was searching for the figurine I wanted to customize, something amazing happened. I found the Golden Retriever puppy figurine I have been searching for! I hadn’t been able to find it before because all I knew about it was that it was a Golden Retriever puppy with a ball. I have wanted this puppy ever since I was a little kid. From the moment I first saw it at my grandparents house, I wanted this figurine. Unfortunately, when my grandparents died I was told all the little dog figurines were gone so I ended up obsessively looking for one like it online, but never had any luck. To have found all the information I needed to finally get this figurine when I was looking for a figurine that looks like Taco is either a big coincidence or Taco still has a way of leading me to the right place to find exactly what I need, or want.

I don’t know what I believe, but I do know that when a dream comes true, no matter how small, it’s a great feeling.

To anyone who would like to know, the Golden Retriever figurine is a Sandicast Pesky Peepers from 1991.

#customization #chihuahua #golden retriver puppy #figurine

[animalsandmagic]

My latest art attempt in my quest to improve at drawing is Garfield with Clifford. I liked how my Garfield and Clifford plushies looked when I put them together so I decided to try to do a drawing inspired by this. I took a couple of photos to help, but my attempt to draw them together didn’t go too well. I love the idea of my drawing, but I just couldn’t get them to look right. I’m still a long way from where I want to be.

In case anyone is curious about the plushies, the Garfield is the 25th anniversary plush that I got on eBay, and the Clifford is a palm pal by Aurora which I purchased from my company, A&M Moonlight Creations.

#clifford the big red dog #garfield fanart #Garfield #palm pals #fanart #plushies #my goals

[animalsandmagic]

I forgot to mention earlier that I would be at a fundraiser today from 10am - 3pm for Lake Humane Society & Herps Alive taking place at the Eastlake Senior Center. (at Eastlake Senior Center - New and Improved May 2022) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf1c7EWLBL_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[animalsandmagic]

I just finished playing the demo for Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist on Steam, and it's a lot of fun to see my artwork on display in the game. It might not be good artwork, but it's fun pretending it is. Since one of my goals for this year was to get better at doing my own artwork, I have been looking for more art based games like this one to help keep me stay active with this goal. What a lot of people don't know is that while I do the illustrations and cover art for my books, I have help shaping the characters and adding details so everything looks the way I want it to. Admittedly, this is what always holds up my book releases and why I haven't released the final two numbered entries in my series yet. I promise someday those will be published. It's definitely still part of my plan as owning a publishing company that doesn't publish books isn't one of my goals.

[animalsandmagic]

My Schedule of Events for June, 2022

⚾Eastlake Baseball Craft & Vendor Show Saturday, June 4th 10 AM - 5 PM 35980 Lakeshore Eastlake, OH 44095 🌞Flip Flop into Summer Craft & Vendor Show Sunday, June 5th 10 AM - 3 PM 29467 Parkwood Drive Wickliffe, OH 44092 🌞Steppin Into Summer Craft & Vendor Fair Saturday, June 11th 10 AM - 3 PM United Methodist Church of Brook Park 6220 Smith Rd Brook Park, OH 44142 😎Vendors With Voices Eastlake Sunday Outdoor Market Sunday, June 12th 10 AM - 3PM Eastlake Senior Center 600 East 349th St Eastlake, OH 44095 😎Vendors With Voices @ Endless Designs Boutique Sunday, June 26th 10 AM - 3 PM 6072 Pinecone Dr. #1865 Mentor, OH 44060 *As usual, the photo for this month is one of my own. This month's photo features my Toy Poodle, Merveille.

#upcoming events #juneevents #2022 events

[animalsandmagic]

As you can see, I have a new company logo! It was a long, frustrating process coming up with an idea that I felt truly represented my company and finding the right artist to bring my design to life. Taco, my biggest inspiration and company mascot, is the featured animal in my logo. The moon, animals, magic, and mental health awareness are all represented. For those who don't know, the bike is green because green is the color for mental health awareness. The backpack was added as it is meant to be carrying a small camera, art supplies, and writing supplies. While none of these things are shown so only I know what's in the backpack, it was the only way I could think of to include these things as making sure animals, magic, the moon, and mental health awareness along with art, photography, and writing was incorporated in the design somehow was impossible without leaving a few things out.

#my logo #logo #news #update

[animalsandmagic]

I just found this today. Usually when it comes to top 10 lists of best episodes for a TV show, my favorites don't make it on. This time, several of my favorites are listed. Technically, there weren't any episodes that I didn't love, but Wishbone as Robin Hood, Odysseus, and Sherlock were probably my top 3. 

What’s interesting about the timing of finding this is that I only just discovered not everyone has forgotten about this little guy though I have yet to find anyone who is still as obsessed with Wishbone as I am or any other Wishbone collectors.

#wishbone #90s nostalgia #90s kid #90s #pbs #jackrusselldog #jackrussellterrier #topdog

[animalsandmagic]

I don’t usually get my dog anything for Easter, but I saw this while I was at A Dog’s Life in Chesterland and couldn’t resist it. Merveille was with my mom at the time so I made sure he would be interested in it first since it’s bigger than the toys I usually get for him. He usually isn’t interested in the bigger ones so I’m glad he was there with me to help make this decision. I also got a toy for him for his birthday while I was there though he won’t get that until next month. #easter #mydogisspoiled (at A Dog's Life of Chesterland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb3NJlELvXb/?utm_medium=tumblr

#easter #mydogisspoiled

[animalsandmagic]

Return to the Kid Show

The last Kid Show was surprisingly successful for me. While most of the money earned came from the Aurora plush toys, which is what I sell to make it possible for me to continue being an author, artist & photographer, I did sell some photography prints, photography magnets, and even a few stickers. Sadly, no books sold which is typical for most events. 

While it is frustrating struggling to sell my work to people, and rarely getting sales, my current goal is to finally get a DSLR camera so I’m grateful to get money anywhere I can, even if I was originally against the idea of selling something my company didn’t make. Oddly enough, I originally didn’t want to sell my photography either as I didn’t want to turn another hobby I enjoyed into a stressful job which easily takes a lot of the enjoyment out of a hobby, but while the sales are low, I at least usually sell a photograph or something with my photography on it so I’m still able to use photography as a way to relive stress rather than it being something that causes it. 

Anyway, I have been doing the Kid Show for a few years now, and ever year it’s a little better than the last time. It’s one of those shows I keep attending because of not just the money, but because I never really know what to expect as each year is different. 

My first year I had nothing except my books which meant I mainly spent two days just watching people pass me by with the exception of a few people. The most memorable moment was when one lady picked up my book and actually seemed interested then found out the price was $5.99 and put it down again saying it was too expensive. 

Last year, I had an unexpected visit from the past. While I didn’t actually recognize or remember the person, she remembered me and I found out her family had just been talking about me. I knew her family from the elementary school that I went to from K-5th grade though I only just barely recognized the name so I had a hard time processing the fact that anyone from back then would still remember and talk about me. I also had one person not want to take and of the word search puzzles I was handing out to anyone that wanted one because she didn’t know anything about the subjects I had made my word search puzzles about. My mom tried to explain how word search puzzles work and that you don’t need to know anything about the subjects to complete them, but it didn’t go well. 

This year, I don’t know what to expect, but I do know it will be interesting whether I have good sales or not. This year the 23rd Annual Kid Show will be on March 26th & March 27th. On Saturday, the 26th the event takes place from 11 AM - 6 PM. On Sunday, the 27th the event takes place from 12 PM - 5 PM. Like the previous year I will have free word search puzzles for the kids. I might also have my coloring pages and some home printed stickers with my art and photography to give out. 

If you are interested in my word search puzzles or coloring pages and can’t attend the event, you can find them on both my websites where you can download and print them out for free. www.ammoonlightcreations.com has activities related to the company and books, and www.jenniferpriester.com has activities relating to myself and my photography such as a coloring page of my late Chihuahua, Taco and word search puzzles about finding different types of birds, dog breeds, and more that I have photographed over time.

I will try to update more often and make a monthly post about events I will be attending, however I have two sites on almost all social media pages to update, plus two websites so I don’t always get to everything. If you are interested in finding out what’s new and where I will be next, I will keep both websites listed above updated with current news and events. I just finished putting up the current schedule of events for the year on the A&M Moonlight Creations website and will likely be updating my personal one with the same info tomorrow. Along with the listed event you can also see a photo I chose to go along with each month. Since not everyone celebrates holidays I tried to stick with just photos of animals and nature for each month. 

In case you are curious and don’t want to visit my websites, I chose my photo of a squirrel in the snow for this month.

#upcoming events #ohioevents #mentorohio #meettheauthor #MeetTheArtist #meetthephotographer #march2022 #march event #northeastohio #OhioAuthors #ohioartist #ohiophotographer

[animalsandmagic]

Today and tomorrow, I will be making one of my rare public appearances at the Kids Show at the Great Lakes Mall in Mentor, OH. Joining me today only from 11am-2pm will be local author Chris Lambert. He will be there ready to sign books or just to chat. I will be there with my books, art, photography, Aurora plush toys, and more. The event goes from 11-6 today, and 12-5 tomorrow, however if you miss the event you won’t miss out on your chance to purchase my products from the mall as A&M Moonlight Creations products can now be found at the Great Lakes Mall in the Lake County Locals Boutique. The store is located across from the Food Court, next to Wonder Cleveland. #ohioartist #ohioauthors #ohiophotographer #meettheartist #meettheauthor #meetthephotographer #smallbusiness #happeningtoday #artist #author #photographer #photography (at Great Lakes Mall) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUPfok2LiOA/?utm_medium=tumblr

#ohioartist #ohioauthors #ohiophotographer #meettheartist #meettheauthor #meetthephotographer #smallbusiness #happeningtoday #artist #author #photographer #photography

[animalsandmagic]

I got the chance to photograph the groundhog this morning. I wish I had been able to do this with a better background to work with, but I can definitely use what I got as reference photos for art and writing.

#photography #my photography #animals #animal photography #wildlife #wildlife photography #wildlife photographer #animalphotography #naturephotography #photographers of tumblr #photographer #photographers on tumblr #amature photographer #ground hogs #my photos #backyardphotography #backyardwildlife

[animalsandmagic]

While continuing to sort though all of my photos, I got to this one and noticed I could see my reflection in Merveille’s eye and decided to play with it. I like as one of the more unique photos I have taken, but I don’t think it has any selling potential which is what I’m going through all my photography for right now. I will be keeping it in my personal collection though and might use it for other projects for fun.

#photographers on tumblr #jenniferpriester #dogs #animals #photography #my photography #dog photos #brown eyes #eyes #eye photography #reflection #mydogandme #my dog #toypoodle #blackdog #my reflection #my photos #animal photography #creative #photographers of tumblr #photographer #women photographers

[animalsandmagic]

The revised print edition of Travels With Max by Janet Bennett is finally available on Amazon!

This was my first layout design work for another publisher. While all I had to do was add some new content to the book, rearrange a few pages, edit the back cover text, and add a banner to the front, it proved to be a bit of a challenge getting the revised edition ready to publish!

To start with, I didn’t have the original fonts used in the book and because Adobe is not going to support the original fonts used soon, I had to figure out the closest supported fonts to what was used. Shortly after, I had to get a new computer as my old one was no longer willing to work. The next challenge was the cover which I started off with no access to the original InDesign file of the cover so I was unsure of how to proceed with the requested changes. Luckily, the files I needed were located and the biggest challenge became making sure the banner was placed exactly where and how it was requested. Simple stuff in the end, but the process of getting there...well, let’s just hope future layout design work goes smoother. I actually have one more author who might be publishing with my company and am going to be working on revised cover designs for a few of my books, so my next projects are about to begin!

Anyway, if you are interested in checking out the revised edition of Travels With Max you can find the link below the image of the revised edition cover!

#animals #dogs #books📚 #nonfiction #dogbook #animal books #books by women #memoir #ohio #travels #adventure #rescuedog #newrelease #revised #books of 2021

[animalsandmagic]

After a long, complicated process, my two new websites are finally ready for visitors. I have put a lot of hours and new content into making these pages about more than just business. Whether or not you choose to support my work, I hope you will enjoy your visit to my sites.

The first site, is my personal one. It includes my books, art and photography as well as info about my Redbubble site, including all of the art and photography available, and photos of some of the products available. It also includes some personal information; including my inspiration for various stories, and some questions I am frequently asked. If you like word search puzzles and/or coloring pages, you can find some on my site, all of which are free to download. Right now, there aren’t any simple coloring pages on my site, but I am working on those. For now, there is one detailed one and some stylized coloring pages. I am also currently working on pages for selective mutism and social phobia which will include my personal experiences with each.

http://www.jenniferpriester.com

The second site, is my company site. It includes much of the same content, though it also includes what used to be the Mortal Realm Witch Series website. In this section you can meet the characters, find quotes and excerpts from the books, and more. Like my personal site, it includes games and activities; however the word search puzzles and coloring pages are different than what’s on my site so there are a lot of activity pages available between both sites! The A&M Moonlight Creations store can also be found on the site. It includes items usually only sold through local vendor events and craft fairs. Character key fobs, handmade pillows, autographed books, Aurora plush toys, and more are available from the store.

http://www.ammoonlightcreations.com

#jenniferpriester #mortalrealmwitch #photography #my art #artist #author #books📚 #fantasy art #animal photography #naturephotography #photographers on tumblr #artists on tumblr #childrensfiction #childrensbooks #coloring pages #wordsearch #freecoloringpage #free activities #newwebsite #art #mylife #animals #animaldrawing #animal photos #nature photographers #nature photos #bird photos #goodwitches

[animalsandmagic]

Word Search Puzzles Now Available

Word Search Puzzles Now Available

Today, I continued working on both my websites. I have been constantly updating and adding to both sites for a while now. Now that all the important updates have been made; including A&M Moonlight Creations new store and my Redbubble store, I decided to focus on adding new free content to the site. I am working on other activities, such as coloring pages and crossword puzzles, but for now there…

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[animalsandmagic]

Word Search puzzles are now available for downloading and printing through both my website, and my compan’s website.

12 new word search puzzles were added to my site.

9 new word search puzzles were added to the A&M Moonlight Creations site.

#jenniferpriester #ammoonlightcreations #mortalrealmwitch #word search #word puzzles #printable #activities