Friendly Fill-Ins and the Lighting of Eddy's Christmas Tree

Hello and happy Friday, friends! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and we'd love for you to join us. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.


1. The easiest one on my Christmas shopping list to buy for is _________.

2. The toughest one on my Christmas shopping list to buy for is _________.

3. I try to spread Christmas cheer by _________.

4. When it comes to _________, I'm a bit of a Scrooge.


My answers are below in bold.

1. The easiest one on my Christmas shopping list to buy for is my furry family.
(I had a whole different answer to this one. I was going to say my dad is the easiest to shop for, since he is indeed the easiest human for me personally to shop for, but the reality is that my kitties are simply really easy to buy gifts for. I know that they love silver vine and catnip and feathers and anything they can bat or scratch. I had my kitties' Christmas shopping done before anyone else's. I also always loved shopping for my sweet angel pup Astrid, as she loved dog cookies and I always felt so happy picking out festive ones for her.)

2. The toughest one on my Christmas shopping list to buy for is my human family.
(My parents and sister aren't really that difficult to shop for, but they're simply not as easy to shop for as my kitties. There's always the question of whether you're getting them something they'll actually like or have use for, or if it's something they already have. In my family, though, we do typically give each other gift idea lists, something that has worked well for us for decades. I also always get them each one or two surprise gifts that I know they don't have, and those are always fun to pick out.)

3. I try to spread Christmas cheer by giving to those in need.
(I do my best with this. With aging kitties requiring increased vet care and medications, not to mention the general state of the economy, I always wish I could do more. My church always has gift donation opportunities for various causes during the Christmas season, though, and I always do at least one of those.)

4. When it comes to traveling for the holidays, I'm a bit of a Scrooge.
(To visit my grandma or any other extended family, my parents, sister, and I have to drive nearly 2 hours. While I of course want to see my grandma and such, I admittedly dislike traveling. I dislike being away from home. We no longer do any such traveling on Christmas itself, as that became too stressful and overwhelming for all of us, but we do still drive to visit my grandma and often other family for a day at some point in the Christmas season. I'm always glad to see my grandma and other family, but I'm never glad about the whole spending so much time in the car and being away from my kitties part.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Are you ready for a festive Eddy fix? You are? Well, good. Today's photos of Eddy were snapped right after I strung the Christmas lights on her beloved year round tree in my room.

For some reason, that's where Eddy tends to sit and stare at the tree each year when I first light it for Christmas. It's like she's taking in the sight of it, and I love that so much.

Eddy and all of us here wish you a festive Friday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

There's one more flashback doodle from the old-fashioned Christmas series I scribbled up a few years ago, and it's one of my favorites. So, here you go.

I'd still love to recreate that with my slightly adjusted drawing style these days, but I do still love the idea of that there original doodle.

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Tip of the Day

Our last Christmas tree tip relates to real trees and how they might affect your furbaby. If you have a real tree, be cautious of letting your kitty or pup drink from any accessible water in the tree stand. It is possible that certain chemicals, such as fertilizers or even pesticides, are used in some tree lots. Some of these chemicals can then end up in the water that the tree is resting in, and this can potentially lead to toxic side effects for your furbaby. Another concern relates to stagnant water in the tree stand, which can harbor potentially harmful bacteria. In addition, be careful of pine needles falling from real trees, and even artificial trees, for that matter. These needles are pointy and sharp, and if consumed this can potentially lead to internal damage. So, keep that tree water covered or somehow out of reach, and keep those fallen pine needles cleaned up, so that your furbaby and the Christmas tree can live in harmony.

Thankful Thimble Thursday by the Christmas Tree

Hello and happy Thursday! Thimble is here and ready to share something festive for Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

This is Thimble's first post since we put up our Christmas trees, so she of course wants to share her gratitude for the festive fun. She especially loves this particular tree, as the window behind it gives her some lovely glamour shots.

Thimble has already snapped even more glamour shots like this one. I need to go through them all and add them to our blog album, but I do know that there are a couple stunning ones with Thimble and the tree just glowing in the sun. We'll share those soon, of course.

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And now we have the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. The easiest one on my Christmas shopping list to buy for is _________.

2. The toughest one on my Christmas shopping list to buy for is _________.

3. I try to spread Christmas cheer by _________.

4. When it comes to _________, I'm a bit of a Scrooge.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I really do hope to finish some of my new Christmas doodles this weekend, but for now we're still sharing flashbacks. And today is another from the old-fashioned Christmas series I scribbled up a few years ago.

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Tip of the Day

A series of tips on Christmas tree safety simply would not be complete without a comment or two on tinsel. Long story short, please do not use tinsel if you have furbabies in your life. This stringy stuff can be quite tempting to kitties, for example, but it can also be extremely dangerous. If consumed, it can cause problems such as gastrointestinal obstruction or laceration. Keeping that in mind, if your furbaby does swallow tinsel and you find some hanging from their mouth or even their anus, do not pull on it, as this can cause even further internal damage. If you find yourself in a situation such as this, seek veterinary care as soon as possible. Again, though, to prevent such incidents, it is highly recommended that you simply do not use tinsel as part of your Christmas decorations.

Snowy Adventures with Angel Astrid

We've gotten a lot of snow this week, I believe at least half a foot. I know that's nothing compared to what some folks get and probably more than a lot of folks actually got this week, but it's a decent amount for us this early on. It's also very cold. My sweet angel pup Astrid loved cold weather and snow, and so this weather makes me think of her very often. It's my first winter without her, and I miss her so much, but I'm so grateful for all of the memories I share with her.

See the snow on Astrid's nose in that photo? She was notorious for shoving her snout into the cold white stuff, and even picking it up in her mouth and throwing it.

I hope you all can find even a fraction of the joy my sweet Astrid had for winter weather!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's flashback doodle is the image I scribbled up for our Christmas card a couple years ago. Astrid played her version of Snoopy, with the kitties enjoying Charlie Brown's special little tree.

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Tip of the Day

We're nearing the end of our Christmas tree tips, but not just yet. Today's tip is to be aware and cautious of edible tree decorations. Whether they be something such as candy canes, cookie ornaments, or strings such as those made from popcorn, be very careful if there is anything edible on your Christmas tree. This can be dangerous if your furbaby eats potentially dangerous goods off of the tree, or even if they eat too much of an otherwise safe human food. Of course, a furbaby trying to reach edible tree decorations could also lead to falling trees and related injuries. So, for the sake of your furbaby and the tree, it is likely best to avoid decorating with edible goods. As we've said before, it is still possible to be festive, but do be sure to keep your furbaby's safety in mind as well.

Tonks Tuesday in the Christmas Tree

On this Tonks Tuesday, the Christmas tree-loving calico wanted to share some of the first festive photos we snapped this year.

I took these when Tonks was "helping" me put up her favorite Christmas tree. I actually bought this tree off of a coworker's mother for a great price a couple years ago, when she wanted to upgrade and I needed to replace our previous, used and abused tree. And this new one is great because it's incredibly dense, which Tonks absolutely loves as she can really nestle in and nap in it.

There will certainly be more photos like this. After all, this calico spends a good chunk of her day in or near that Christmas tree. It's her favorite thing this time of the year.

Tonks and all of us here wish you a terrifically festive Tuesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

While I continue to work on some new Christmas doodles for this year, today's flashback is yet another one from the old-fashioned Christmas series I scribbled up a couple years ago. This is far from my favorite doodle from this series, but I still wanted to include it nonetheless.

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Tip of the Day

Yesterday we mentioned the importance of securing your Christmas tree against any furry climbers in the home. Today, we have another Christmas tree safety tip, this time regarding those light strands and ornaments. As you all certainly already know, always be careful of cords and the dangers they pose, such as if chewed on or if a furbaby becomes tangled in them. If your furbaby only seems interested in the lower branches of the tree, perhaps only place lights on the upper portion. Or, if necessary, do not use lights at all. If you do decorate your tree with lights, always unplug them if left unattended.

The same sort of rules can apply to ornaments, as needed. You can avoid placing them on the lower portion of the tree, or refrain from using them altogether. If glass ornaments might become broken and cause potential injuries, consider using only plastic ones. Also consider the dangers of ornament hooks, or the choking hazards the ornaments themselves might pose. At our house, for these reasons, ornaments are not included on the tree but are instead hung from strands of garland that are attached to the wall, out of certain furbabies' reach. You don't have to throw your festive spirit out the door if you have adventurous and Christmas tree-loving furbabies, you simply have to take necessary precautions.

A Merry Mancat Monday

We put up our Christmas trees on Black Friday, and I've of course taken lots of photos of the kitties enjoying the festivities. I haven't yet organized all of those photos yet, but that doesn't mean we don't have one to share with you. For today, you get to see Evan in his new favorite place to sleep.

Do you see my boy curled up in his cat tree beside the Christmas tree? Being hind limb paralyzed, Evan isn't easily able to get to that level of the cat tree himself. I do put his pet stairs beside the cat tree, but he seems to prefer being lifted and put in there by his human, which I'm more than fine doing for my sweet boy.

Have a merry Monday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

I did not get around to all the art I hoped to scribble up this weekend, so until I finish more of my Christmas doodles for this year, it's time for more flashbacks. I do have lots of those, though, including this old-fashioned one from a couple years ago.

I scribbled up that one and a couple other similar doodles when I was in A Christmas Carol sort of mood a couple years ago. I had a lot of fun with those, and I plan on doing at least one vintage sort of doodle like that this year.

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Tip of the Day

We seem to be repeating old tips these days. 'Tis the season, apparently. That being said, this festive season we'll be repeating some Christmas safety tips that we also shared the past few years. It's an important topic this time of year, so we'll keep going with it.

How about we start with that good ol' Christmas tree? To begin, if you put up a Christmas tree, make sure it is securely in place. This is especially important if you have a kitty or pup who enjoys climbing or otherwise giving the tree lots of attention. You can try putting the tree in a corner of a room, if that helps to keep it safe and upright against adventurous furbabies. Moreover, to be extra safe, you can find a way to anchor the tree to the floor, wall, or even a heavy, sturdy piece of furniture. There is also the option of weighing down the base of the tree, such as with weighted bags, as long as they are of a safe and secure sort. Another option, especially if your furbaby is overzealous in their love for the Christmas tree, is to block their access to it altogether, whether that be with baby gates, closed doors, or another means. Whatever it takes, if you put up a Christmas tree in a home with a tree-loving furbaby, do be sure to try and find a way to prevent a fallen tree and potential injuries.

Friendly Fill-Ins and Festive Eddy in the Tree

Hello, friends! We hope all of you in the US had a blessed Thanksgiving yesterday, and that everyone else had a wonderful Thursday. Now it's Friday, and we're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. My Christmas tree goes up on _________.

2. I am thankful for _________, _________, and _________.

3. I _________ by the time December rolls around.

4. I'll be spending a lot of time _________ this holiday season.


My answers are below in bold.

1. My Christmas tree goes up on Black Friday.
(It's a longtime family tradition that our trees go up on Black Friday. This was to make sure Thanksgiving got its fair time. That said, I often start putting up all non-tree Christmas decor before or on Thanksgiving, and then the trees at my house go up on Black Friday. All that to say, my Christmas trees are indeed going up today, and I can't wait.)

2. I am thankful for my human family, my furry family, and my angels.
(I'm truly grateful for my parents, sister, and my kitties, as well as my angels of all kinds. I'm so thankful for the years I had with my sweet pup Astrid, whom I just lost in September. I'm missing her this holiday season, my first without her, but I am so glad for all of the holidays I did get to celebrate with her.)

3. I like to have all of my Christmas shopping done by the time December rolls around.
(I am so close to being done with my Christmas shopping this year. I don't know if I'll be completely done by December 1st, but I only have a couple gift cards and stocking stuffers to get at this point. I've eaten gotten all of the kitties' gifts already.)

4. I'll be spending a lot of time putting my Christmas trees back together this holiday season.
(I have a couple of tree climbers at my house, those being Eddy and Tonks. Sometimes these girls toss the actual limbs of the Christmas trees to the ground, which is so fun. The last time I ever put ornaments on a Christmas tree was Eddy's first or possibly second Christmas. She was my first ever tree climber, and I have never again risked ornaments on a tree. They now all get hung from garland high on the wall. I do still put cloth ribbons and lights on the trees, though, and I do often have to reattach those abused ribbons and straighten the light strands.) 

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Since I'm putting up our trees today and of course mentioned Eddy's love for them, how about some of my favorite flashbacks of Eddy at Christmastime?

These were actually snapped way back when I still attempted to put ornaments on the tree. Which means some of the ornaments didn't survive the season.

Eddy and all of us here wish you a festive Friday!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Since Eddy got to share her flashback Christmas tree photo shoot above, my other tree-loving kitty Tonks wanted me to share a flashback doodle starring her and her love for the festive tree. So, here's an old one of those.

That there is yet another doodle I'd love to recreate with my somewhat updated drawing style. I don't deem that one there awful or anything like that, but I see parts of it that I would improve or change given how I prefer to draw these days.

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Tip of the Day

November is National Pet Diabetes Awareness Month. That's why today we're giving a quick tip related to this disease. This tip is one that you all certainly know, and that is to be very vigilant with regard to your furbaby's behavior and appearance, keeping an eye out for signs of diabetes, and of course for signs of any disease. How often is your kitty or pup drinking? How often are they urinating? What is the volume of their urine? The color of it? Has their appetite increased? Has it decreased? Does their fur look dry and dull? Are they less active than usual? Have any of these things changed recently? How recently? These are just some of the questions that, as a pet parent, you have to ask yourself on a regular basis. Regularly observe and check your kitty or pup for any changes in their behavior and appearance. What's more, as always, if you have any concerns, consult your veterinarian.

Given that my family has experience with it thanks to my parents' diabetic kitty Trapper and my sister's equally diabetic kitty Toby, I also wanted to mention the feline diabetes medication Bexacat. This medication is said to more likely work in cases where diabetes is the result of a kitty being overweight, which was the case for both Trapper and Toby. But, it also worked for my parents' angel kitty Talon, who was not overweight and instead developed diabetes as a result of steroid treatments. All that said, Bexacat is a once-a-day pill that redirects excess blood sugar to the urine. This means a kitty on it will always have high sugar in their urine, but it helps them excrete it from their blood that way. If a veterinary-assisted test run of Bexacat proves to work for a kitty, without any issues like ketoacidosis, then they can take that instead of insulin. It is my understanding that it only works in kitties who have never before been treated long-term with insulin, and so it's often prescribed for newly diagnosed kitties. It has kept the aforementioned boy Trapper's diabetes successfully regulated for multiple years now, and it's also worked for Toby for many months. Those two boys are honestly now healthier and more fit than they've been in a long time. So, we just wanted to mention this Bexacat in case your kitty is diagnosed with diabetes and this might be an option.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In the US, today is Thanksgiving. I want all of you to know how much your friendship means to us. We are so very grateful for all of you.

I'm also so very thankful for my kitties, including my angel kitties. I'm also beyond grateful for the time I was blessed to share with my angel pups, of course including my sweet Astrid who just passed in September. I didn't get any new Thanksgiving doodles scribbled up this year, but I'm so thankful that in the past I drew some that included my precious pup Astrid.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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We are of course going to share the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fills challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. My Christmas tree goes up on _________.

2. I am thankful for _________, _________, and _________.

3. I _________ by the time December rolls around.

4. I'll be spending a lot of time _________ this holiday season.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends. Happy Thanksgiving to all those in the United States! To all of our other friends, we hope you have a happy Thursday!

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Tip of the Day

We're finally ready to give our final Thanksgiving tip, on this very day of Thanksgiving. This final Thanksgiving tip is one we've mentioned in the past and is one we're sure you all already know, and it's to be aware of your furbaby's safety if you are having a holiday gathering at your home. Open doors and foot traffic of course increase when guests arrive, which can put your kitty or pup in peril for more reasons than one. Begin by keeping your furbaby away from the door as guests arrive, such as to avoid potential escapes and the danger of getting stepped on. To best protect your kitty or pup, you might simply want to consider setting up a safe and quiet room where your furbaby can spend the majority of the holiday gathering. This is especially important if your kitty or pup is afraid of strangers, if he or she is instead social and might get underfoot and injured, or if you think your guests might unwittingly give your furbaby dangerous scraps from the table. It's of course nice to think of your furbaby joining in on holiday festivities, but keep their safety in mind first and foremost.

This seems like a good time to remind you that you can also consider giving your furbaby safe nibbles of the festive feast. Not all foods are safe, of course, as we've mentioned. However, tastes of safe meats and veggies, as long as you're certain they're safe, can allow your furry family member to participate in the festivities. You can even use safe nibbles of food to coax your kitty or pup to a safe area where they'll be waiting out a gathering, or as a reward for their good, safe behavior during the holiday festivities.

Happy Thanksgiving!