Friendly Fill-Ins

Hello and happy Friday, friends! It's time for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. Care to join us? We'll share the fill-in statements below. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.


1. You will never find _________ in my home.

2. Once a year, I _________.

3. _________ has gotten me in trouble.

4. The last time I _________ was when _________.

My answers are below in bold.

1. You will never find cigarettes in my home.

(There is a rule at my house that no cigarettes are allowed. They are unhealthy for humans and animals alike, they smell horrible, and they're just disgusting all around. No offense to anyone who smokes, but I'm just not a fan of the activity. I only have a couple of extended family members who smoke, and they know that when they visit my house, they have to go outside if they feel the need to smoke.)

2. Once a year, I have my furnace serviced.

(I'm more or less giving this answer because I just remembered that I need to have my annual furnace check performed before the cool weather really sets in. Hopefully this fill-in will now help me remember to get that scheduled. My furnace is something like 20 years old, so it's no spring chicken. I don't want to risk a malfunctioning furnace, because I don't want my kitties or pup being exposed to carbon monoxide or other such dangers, so I have it serviced every year before winter.)

3. My desire to rescue animals has gotten me in trouble.

(Let me just begin by saying that this is the kind of trouble I don't mind getting into. But, even so, there has been more than one time that I have either found a kitty or contributed to a cat rescue that resulted in my parents ending up with a new cat, or cats, that they were not expecting or planning to take in. Pretty much each time I found or contributed to the homing of said kitties, my dad ended having a love-at-first-sight sort of thing with the cats, and then my mom simply could not convince him that they already had enough cats. No worries, though. My mom loves cats, and obviously so does my dad, so all is well in the home that they now share with 12 cats.)

4. The last time I rode a rollercoaster was when I went on a field trip to Six Flags during my junior year of high school.

(That was my first and last time on a rollercoaster. I'm pretty sure I've shared this tidbit before. I'm just not a fan of heights, or being flung through the air at high speeds. Rollercoasters are both of those things, so no thank you.)

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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Today, your Eddy fix comes in the form of a photo that is terribly lit, and that's just generally of low quality. This image was from an attempt I made to get a festive shot of Eddy. I forced her to pose with the same black cat Halloween decor that pup Astrid posed with on Wednesday. Simply put, Eddy wasn't too willing to cooperate, and this shot was the best one I got.

This shot not only stars Eddy and a stuffed black cat, but also Eddy's mistreated well-loved Christmas tree that stays out for her year round, and her beloved pile of blankets. Oh, and Eddy is also resting in her favorite pink bed. That's really just too much going on in one photo, but Eddy doesn't care. She just wants me to get that camera out of her face.

Have a fantastic Friday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Yesterday, for the Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, I wrote and illustrated a poem that I called "Creepy Café". In the poem and the accompanying doodle was a spooky little graveyard cupcake. In truth, I based that doodle and a bit of the poem off of a doodle I scribbled up last year, and that doodle was this one here:

I had already wanted to recreate this doodle from last year at some point during this current Halloween season. Given that the photo prompt for yesterday's poetry challenge involved a bakery and its baked goods, I figured that was as good of a time as any to recreate the above creepy cupcake doodle from last year. We hope you all enjoy some spooktacular goodies this season!

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Tip of the Day

As we mentioned yesterday, we're dedicating October to tips all about Halloween. We already discussed keeping wreaths, garland, and other similar Halloween decor either pet-friendly or out of your furbaby's reach. Today, we're expanding on this with a tip that we've covered in a variety of ways in past tips. We're talking, yet again, about candles. This time of year, candles often become more popular because of cool weather, and because of the delicious scents often associated with this season of autumn. What's more, candles often come into play when we carve jack-o'-lanterns. Jack-o'-lanterns can pose just as much of a risk as open candle flames. Curious paws or faces, or even wagging tails, could be burned by candles out in the open or those in a pumpkin. Dangerous and destructive fire could also result if a kitty or pup knocks over a candle, or a jack-o'-lantern containing a candle.

For the above reasons and more, light exposed candles or those in jack-o'-lanterns only if they are safely out of the reach of your furbaby, even if that means lighting them in a room not accessible to your kitty or pup. It is also of course best that candles or jack-o'-lanterns be left lit only if you are available to monitor the situation. If you are not able to keep an eye on a candle, jack-o'-lantern, and nearby furbabies, then do not leave any flames lit.

Candles and jack-o'-lanterns can make for very festive decor. However, flames can of course pose a risk to your furbaby, and also to your home in general. Therefore, always put the safety of your furbaby and everyone else in the home first when it comes to fiery festivities this time of year. Also, of course, be aware of the safety of wildlife if you light jack-o'-lanterns outdoors.