Friendly Fill-Ins and a Festive Flashback

Hello and happy Friday, friends! It's that time of the week. You know, that time when we fill in those Friendly Fill-Ins! In case you missed them yesterday, I'll share them again here. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. Looking back, _________.

2. _________ is a treat I give to myself.

3. A new skill I want to learn is _________.

4. One bad habit I want to stop is _________.


I wouldn't ask you to fill these in without filling them in myself. So, here's how I fared:

1. Looking back, I realize I need to focus on the present.
(I think I spent too much of 2018 worrying about the past or fretting over the future. I need to stop that. Of course, memories of the past as well as future plans are important. In 2019, though, I'm going to make sure I enjoy the present.)

2. Screen time is a treat I give to myself.
(I try not to spend too much time on my devices. I'm not always perfect at that, of course, but that's why I try to treat screen time as a treat. For example, I mainly let myself watch or listen to videos or other entertainment on my phone during or after my chores. If I treat the wormhole that is technology as a reward rather than a distraction, then I'm more likely to get legitimate stuff done. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't.)

3. A new skill I want to learn is photo editing.
(I've mentioned on here before my lack of skills in editing photos. I love to doodle and draw and all that jazz, but I have never truly figured out the art of editing real photos. I've seen all of the amazing effects that many of you add to your photos, turning them into works of art, and I would love to try my hand at that. What's more, I have so many bloopers in my photo folders, that perhaps photo editing skills could help me make some of those more usable. So, editing photos is something I'm going to strive to learn.)

4. One bad habit I want to stop is being late.
(I used to never be late to things. I'm still never super late to things, but I'm certainly not early like I used to be. Though I'm not blaming the kittens, ever since Tonks and Winky joined the family last summer, my time management has gone a bit wacky. My routine for morning feeding and cleaning of the cats sort of went haywire once the kittens and their antics joined the family. So, I need to get a better grip on my time management in order to break my newfound habit of being late. Luckily, though, I work somewhere that, if you show up a bit late, literally no one cares. They just care that you get your job done when you are there.)

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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Every Friday, Eddy gets to show off whatever she's been up to. This time around, we're going the flashback route. This is because I want her last Christmas post of the season to showcase a couple of my favorite festive photos of her. The following photos were taken the year that it was determined Christmas ornaments could no longer hang on the Christmas tree.

Eddy did not discover her love for Christmas tree climbing until her second Christmas. This is because Eddy was such a skittish little kitten that she never ventured out into the house to discover the Christmas tree during her first Christmas back in 2015. So, these shots were taken during the Christmas season of 2016. That was the year Eddy proved to me that she loved to climb Christmas trees, and that she equally enjoyed slapping around ornaments.

See that little Winnie the Pooh and friends ornaments dangling there at such an awkward angle? After that ornament was fixed up, all ornaments were removed from the tree, so that Eddy could climb it with less casualties to her name. Ever since then, at our house, ornaments hang from garland strung high up on the wall.

Truth be told, it never angered me that Eddy was a Christmas tree climber. She was indeed my first ever Christmas tree climber, and I was a bit shocked the first time she scaled it all the way to the top. But, it brought her such evident joy that I could never be annoyed or angry with her over it. To this day, Eddy loves climbing Christmas trees. And she has no shame or qualms about it, either. When she climbs her Christmas tree, she announces it for all to hear, loud and clear, in her outside voice. 

Do you know what else? I've decided that Eddy gets to keep her favorite Christmas tree all year round. This is indeed in part because it brings her so much joy. At the same time, though, it's because the new tree I put up for her in my bedroom is such an unwieldy behemoth that I don't have the desire to wrangle it into storage. So, Eddy's tree is going to be decorated for the different seasons throughout the year, in some way, shape, or form. I myself am kind of excited to see how that goes, because I quite enjoy keeping the Christmas spirit alive all year round.

Merry Eleventh Day of Christmas, friends!

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Our Festive Doodle of the Day:

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Our Tip of the Day:

As we mentioned yesterday, today's tip regards what type of bedding to put in an outdoor cat shelter, such as for feral cats. We'll start by cutting right to the chase and saying that an ideal form of bedding for an outdoor shelter is straw. A cat can burrow down in straw in order to stay as warm as possible in the cold. Unlike blankets and towels, straw will not hold moisture, and therefore will less likely freeze or become uncomfortable in rain, snow, and so forth. This is one huge reason why straw is often a better choice over cloth bedding material, because it can repel moisture, and can therefore allow for a consistent, dry, warm form of bedding for outdoor cats. Straw can also be more easily replaced or replenished, as opposed to cloth bedding, should it get dirty. That being said, do make sure you know the difference between straw and hay. They are not the same thing, and hay will hold onto moisture, become wet and uncomfortable for outdoor cats, and can also become moldy when wet. Go for straw, not hay.

If you do put out cloth bedding for outdoor cats, check it regularly. If it is wet or dirty, be sure to replace it, clean it, and so forth. Try to keep all cloth bedding in areas where it is least likely to get wet, so that feral or other outdoor cats can use it comfortably. Cloth bedding works best in shelters that are free of leaks and that are in some way heated, as that will help it remain dry and comfortable.