Friendly Fill-Ins

After some technical difficulties (my current laptop will be joining its predecessors in the graveyard soon), we are finally here. It's of course the day of the Friendly Fill-Ins, and we'd love for you to join us! My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. I don't like _________ in my _________.

2. My to-do list for December includes _________, _________, and _________.

3. I still need to _________ before _________.

4. To me, _________ is the most important part of the holiday season.

My answers are below in bold.

1. I don't like bacon in my mashed potatoes.

(This might sound like a weird one, but my aunt is notorious for making mashed potatoes for family gatherings and always throwing heavy doses of bacon bits in them. In my defense, I'm not the only one in the family who isn't so sure about this, but we just let her do her thing. But also in my aunt's defense, I'm just not a fan of bacon in general, which is really not her problem. Since the holiday season being upon us means the baconified potatoes are also upon us, this answer popped into my head.)

2. My to-do list for December includes wrapping gifts, baking festive goods, and enjoying the festive season.

(I don't know that I need to explain this one much, so I'll keep this one short and sweet and stop right there.)

3. I still need to finish cleaning up my yard before next week.

(This fill-in is a reminder to myself. I did a lot of yard work last weekend and my yard is mostly free of leaves now. And by that I mean I used the leaf blower and mowed the leaves up rather than raked them up, because that's what my dad has always done, and I quite despise raking leaves but actually enjoy mowing. Anyway, even with that done, I still have some fallen tree limbs to gather up after some recent havoc caused by the wind, and next week is my city's last yard waste pickup of the year. So, note to self, get those tree limbs gathered up this weekend.)

4. To me, remembering the real reason for the season is the most important part of the holiday season.

(That, and spending time with my family and furbabies.)

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 fix of Eddy is in the form of a not very well lit photo, but what's new? A brief explanation is that all year round tree-climbing Eddy has an artificial Christmas tree set up in my bedroom, where she pretty much lives since she is not a fan of other cats (except her beloved Evan). I usually don't have any decorations whatsoever on that tree, because Eddy climbs it and tears it apart on the regular. But, given that it's the Christmas season, I'm trying really hard to make the tree more festive for both Eddy and myself right now. I started with a simple ribbon on top, to see if sometimes ribbon-eating Eddy would let it stay. So far, so good.

If that tree's snap-in branches look any semblance of wild and uneven, it's because Eddy constantly knocks the branches to the floor as she scales the tree, and I always just snap them back in wherever I see a place. After all, the branches will just be on the ground again in a matter of minutes anyway, so there's no finesse going on here.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Yesterday's doodle was inspired by my favorite Christmas movie, that being National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Another favorite of mine, and one with a lot of personal nostalgia connected to it, is A Christmas Story. So, here's a doodle inspired by that Christmas classic, of course with a kitty thrown in there because I can't just not draw a kitty.

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Tip of the Day

Yesterday, we mentioned the importance of securing your Christmas tree against any furry climbers in the home. Today, we have another Christmas tree safety tip, this time regarding those light strands and ornaments. As you all certainly already know, always be careful of cords and the dangers they pose, such as if chewed on or if a furbaby becomes tangled in them. If your furbaby only seems interested in the lower branches of the tree, perhaps only place lights on the upper portion. Or, if necessary, do not use lights at all. If you do decorate your tree with lights, always unplug them if left unattended.

The same sort of rules can apply to ornaments, as needed. You can avoid placing them on the lower portion of the tree, or refrain from using them altogether. If glass ornaments might become broken and cause potential injuries, consider using only plastic ones. Also consider the dangers of ornament hooks, or the choking hazards the ornaments themselves might pose. At our house, for these reasons, ornaments are not included on the tree but are instead hung from strands of garland that are attached to the wall, out of certain furbabies' reach. You don't have to throw your festive spirit out the door if you have adventurous and Christmas tree-loving furbabies, you simply have to take necessary precautions.