Friendly Fill-Ins and Photo Fails

Hello and happy Friday! It's time to fill in some fill-ins. Are you ready? In case you missed the fill-in statements 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. On New Year's Eve, I _________.

2. My focus word for 2020 is _________.

3. _________ is the best thing about starting a new year.

4. My personal goals for 2020 include _________.


And here's how I filled these in:

1. On New Year's Eve, I attempt to stay up until midnight.
(As a kid and teenager, staying up until midnight was no problem at all. Now that I'm an adult, I usually have to nap at some point in the afternoon or evening to make it until midnight. I like to ring in the New Year awake with my family, but fighting eyelids of lead is a real struggle.)

2. My focus word for 2020 is serenity.
(I've always liked this word, both how it sounds and what it means. Sometimes I let myself get way too focused on everything that lies ahead and everything I need and want to do, but all of that often leaves me feeling a bit overwhelmed. That's why this upcoming year I'm going to try harder to achieve some sort of sense of serenity, such as by slowing down and stopping every once in a while to enjoy what the present moment has to offer. I think the chaos that I often let Christmas become really made me realize how I'd like to find a tad bit more peace and quiet in certain moments.)

3. The feeling of a fresh start is the best thing about starting a new year.
(Having a blank slate, or any sort of new starting point, can make things seem so much more clear sometimes. I can't and won't forget everything that 2019 has left me with, but I still like knowing that I can look at 2020 as a new kickoff.)

4. My personal goals for 2020 include stopping and smelling the roses.
(Going along with #2 above, I'm challenging myself this year to stop and enjoy the moment more often. Though I will always have future goals and plans, I know I need to make sure I don't engulf myself so much in those that I forget to notice and enjoy the present.)

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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It's the day of the Pet Photo Fails! Blog Hop, hosted by Mudpie and Melissa of Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries, & Meows.

As always, my blooper queen Eddy was ready to share some blurry shots with you all. Her bloopers this time around came about during a very recent photo shoot. Our Secret Santa Paws sent us an entire tub of Eddy's absolute favorite treat. I tried to snap some shots of Eddy enjoying those treats, but I got the lighting wrong, Eddy clearly doesn't sit still when chewing away, and so bloopers ensued.

Eddy and all of us here wish you a merry Third Day of Christmas!

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Festive Flashback Doodles of the Day

I have a brand new festive doodle to share with you all today, but after battling technical issues and having an argument with my computer, I decided to share more flashback doodles instead. There are still plenty of brand new festive doodles I'll be sharing during these Twelve Days of Christmas, but my computer told me that wasn't happening today. That's all fine, though, because today's flashback doodles go well with today's Friendly Fill-Ins above. There are two flashback doodles for today, and they're the ones I shared on New Year's Eve last year and New Year's Day this year.

Last year's New Year's Eve doodle was this one here:

And this was the New Year's Day doodle, the first doodle I shared of 2019:

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip is one that can affect our indoor furbabies, and most certainly any strays and ferals you might feed outside. During the cold winter months, it can be beneficial to increase the amount of food you feed to the furbabies in your life. This is because animals typically eat more in the cold months in order to produce more energy and heat for their bodies. This is why you might see your kitty or pup heading toward the food bowl more often than usual in the winter months. Then again, eating more food to stay warm is something that far more affects outdoor animals than indoor animals, since the latter are able to maintain their body heat far more easily. And, of course, if you have any concerns about how much your furbaby is eating or should eat, any time of the year, discuss this with your veterinarian.

When it comes to outdoor strays and ferals, if you are accustomed to offering them food outside, perhaps do consider feeding them larger quantities of food, or feeding them more often, during the cold winter months. Their bodies use that extra food to stay warm. Over the next few days we'll be giving more detailed tips not only on feeding strays and ferals, but also offering them assistance in other ways.