Fill-Ins and Festive Fun

Hello, friends! We love Fridays. Who doesn't? One of our favorite things about this fantastic day of the week is the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by our wonderful friends over at 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader.

Here are the fun fill-ins for this week:

1. I can't believe _________ is still sold.
2. I have ___________ on Craigslist.
3. Going into December, the weather outside is _________.
4. My current weakness is _________.

And here's what I managed to say for myself:

1. I can't believe cigarettes are still sold.
(I don't mean to preach here. I know some people smoke, and that is of course a personal decision. It does make me sad, though, to know what damage this can cause to both humans and animals.)

2. I have bought a vacuum cleaner on Craigslist.
(Actually, my sister bought it for me. I am notorious for being the death of vacuums, no matter how careful I am when using them.nAfter the death of a recent vacuum cleaner, my sister found and bought me another for $10 on Craigslist. The best part is that this one works like a charm and has also managed to survive me for quite some time now.)

3. Going into December, the weather outside is unseasonably warm.
(We had some extremely cold days a couple of weeks ago. The past few days, though, have been anywhere from 50°F to 70°F. I will admit that though bitter cold and icy conditions are not always ideal, I am one of those people who likes having seasons. I also quite enjoy having a white Christmas. So, I wouldn't mind if it finally decided to be winter soon.)

4. My current weakness is sweet potatoes.
(This is one of those weird answers, isn't it? Sweet potatoes are a food that I think a lot of people associate with the holidays, yet I have been addicted to them for months now. I love to cut them up in cubes, bake them, and then eat them as finger food, hot or cold. I eat them every day.)


Now it is time for your Eddy fix. You're going to be seeing a lot of festively blurry photos like this over the next few weeks.

I don't think we've mentioned yet that this year, for the first time ever, we have two Christmas trees in our house. This is because my grandma no longer wanted hers, she she knew I would use it, and so she gave it to me. (Thanks, Grandma!) So, now we have a Christmas tree in the library and one in the back sitting room. Needless to say, Eddy is ecstatic and often can't decide which one to climb first. Her selfie from this past Sunday was taken by our old tree, which is currently set up in the library. This picture today is in my Grandma's tree, in the back sitting room.

I was so worried that, no matter what precautions I took, Eddy would knock over the new tree, because it's far skinnier and lightweight than our original tree. But, Eddy climbs it all the time, I'll admit, and never does anything more than knock an artificial branch or two (or three, or four, or five) loose. Then again, that's really all she can do, as after last year, I no longer hang ornaments on the trees. They hang from strands of garland attached to the wall, out of Eddy's reach.

For those who might like a view of Eddy's victims our Christmas trees, here is the tree we've been putting up for years:

The lighting scheme of this one might look strange to some. It's supposed to resemble a candle, going from white to orange on top. This is how my church decorates their trees, and I've always loved it.

And, here is our newest tree addition:

See the size difference? That's why I was worried my grandma's tree would not survive Eddy. But, thank goodness, it is holding its own just fine. Way to go, oh Christmas tree!

So, are any of our furry friends Christmas tree climbers? Eddy hopes she's not the only one!


Lastly, we have our festive doodle for today. It is another one in our Tails of Tiny Tim series, which honors specially abled furbabies in A Christmas Carol sort of way.

We also meant to post our positive thought for the Sparks blog hop on Wednesday, with our first Tails of Tiny Tim doodle. This here human's brain forgot, though, so we're posting it today instead, with this pup of a Tiny Tim. Our Sparks is plain and simple, and here it is:

"You don't have to perfect to be amazing."

Do be sure to visit McGuffy's Reader to see all of the Sparks for the week!

Happy Friday!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

This time of year, we're thinking that some Christmas tree tips might be in store. 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 furbabies. Moreover, to be extra safe, you can find a way to anchor the tree to the floor or wall. 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.