Smart Cooking with Bonnie

08/19/2026

Our Last Chance sale is still going on—items being discontinued at the end of August, and on sale.
Please let me know if you have any questions 😊.

08/13/2026

Here’s a new fall product that is available now-no waiting til September for it😃. What are your thoughts on this new product?

08/03/2026

Never knew this.

Vets call this one of the deadliest things you can put in a home with a cat. It's in millions of bouquets.

True lilies in the genus Lilium (Easter, tiger, Asiatic, Oriental, stargazer) and Hemerocallis (daylily) are uniquely toxic to cats. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center confirms the entire plant is dangerous: two or three leaves, a few petals, or even pollen groomed off the fur can trigger acute kidney injury. Dogs and humans do not react this way, which is why so many people assume a pretty bouquet is harmless.

Here is what the toxin does. It attacks the cells that line the kidney tubules, the part that filters waste from the blood. As those cells die off, the kidneys lose the ability to make urine, and toxins build up in the body. Without fast treatment the damage becomes irreversible and is often fatal within three to six days. The Pet Poison Helpline reports survival is excellent when a cat is seen and started on IV fluids within roughly 18 hours, and poor once the kidneys have already failed.

Watch for the early signs in the first 6 to 12 hours: drooling, vomiting, hiding, and refusing food. A cat that seems to bounce back is not in the clear, because the kidney damage runs silently behind that false recovery. By the second or third day the cat may stop urinating entirely, which is the sign the kidneys have failed.

This is not a rare hazard, either. The Pet Poison Helpline lists lilies among its most-called-about poisons for cats every spring, when Easter arrangements and cut bouquets pour into homes. Many of those calls come from owners who had no idea the flower on the counter was dangerous.

Swap the lilies out entirely. Roses, orchids, sunflowers, snapdragons, freesia, and lisianthus are all on the ASPCA non-toxic list and look just as good in a vase. If someone sends you a bouquet, pull every lily stem before you set it down, and check the rest of the arrangement for hidden buds tucked in for volume. The same goes for garden beds and balcony pots a cat can reach.

If you think your cat touched a lily, do not wait for symptoms. Call your vet or the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661 right away, and bring the plant or a clear photo so they can identify the exact species and start the right treatment in time. Caught early, most cats recover completely. [EXEVN]

07/16/2026

Love this 😊

Surrender isn't giving up on what God can do. It's trusting him enough to loosen your grip and believe that his plan is better than the one you've been holding onto. 🤍

07/15/2026

Which one would you like best?