Fill-Ins and Flying

Hello, Friday! It's the last one of the year. Isn't that strange to consider? No mind, though. We have important matters to get to today.

First up is, of course, the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by our friends over at 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader.

Our fill-ins for this week are still festive and perfectly timely. Here they are:

1. The highlight of my Christmas was _________.

2. My New Year's resolution is _________.

3. This year, 2016, _________.

4. Next year, 2017, _________.

I'll admit that my answers to these are perhaps a bit common and generic, but I feel like these are the kinds of fill-ins that are best answered honestly. So, here are my honest answers:

1. The highlight of my Christmas was having downtime with my family.

(Christmas is such a fun and festive and magical time of year, but one of my favorite parts is being able to just sit down with my family, have some hot cocoa and a candy cane or two, watch a Christmas movie marathon, and of course cuddle the furbabies. I think it really is the simple things that matter most.)

2. My New Year's resolution is to eat healthier.

(I know, who doesn't say this every time the New Year rolls around? But, this one is true for me this time around. First and foremost, I have a longtime habit of shoving sugar down my gullet like it's going out of style. Considering that diabetes runs in my family, and that a little self-control never killed anyone, I'm thinking that 2017 should be the year that I rein myself in.)

3. This year, 2016, was a rocky one.

(I think this year was a tough one for a lot of people. My family didn't get off to a great start, with the unexpected passing of my grandfather in early January. In March, my grandmother had a massive stroke, but she's tough and surprised her doctors by proving that she will not be given an expiration date. Of course, there are also all of the other losses we've been hearing about this year, even all the way through this last week.)

4. Next year, 2017, I am praying for blessings aplenty for one and all.

(After this year of 2016, me and mine are sending well wishes to everyone for 2017!)

Now, in case you hadn't noticed yet this week, we are still in the hearty Christmas spirit around here. Our tree is of course still up, and will be until at least January 6th. Needless to say, Eddy is one happy girl. She's loving the extra time to get to know the tree even better. So far this season, she has mastered removing its branches, spinning it around like a ballerina (forget that it weighs a solid ton, this girl is the Hulk), and making a mountainous collection of ornaments at its base. Having mastered those skills, Eddy has recently moved on to a new endeavor, and that is flying. Into the tree. From the desk nearby.

Eddy is still working on this one, and she refused to give me a preview of her progress during this photo shoot. Up until now, Eddy always just traveled from the table, to the desk, to the window sill, and then into the tree. Now, though, she is determined to make that leap into the tree from that there desk. And who am I to crush a girl's dreams?

Moving on, our next bit of festive business is today's drawing. It is the Sixth Day of Christmas, which of course means geese a-laying.

Nothing says Christmas like Eddy and a goose and half a dozen merry red eggs in a nest of tinsel.

So, with that, a very merry Sixth Day of Christmas to you all!

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Our Tip of the Day:

Please always remember that, despite popular belief, cats are not guaranteed to be proficient jumpers or to land on all four feet. Such skill will always depend on individual physicality, health, age, and any other number of circumstances. For this reason, when decorating or arranging your home, such as in terms of cat tree and other furniture placement, please do take into consideration your individual kitty's jumping and other habits, in order to minimize the areas in the home where they could potentially harm themselves in failed attempts to jump.