Friendly Fill-Ins and Eddy's Red Ribbon

Hello and happy Friday, friends! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, 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. A Christmas pet peeve I have is _________.

2. I don't like spending money on _________.

3. I eat my fair share of _________ this time of the year.

4. I _________ when wrapping Christmas gifts.

My answers are below in bold, and are accompanied by my usual rambling.

1. A Christmas pet peeve I have is warm weather on the big day itself.

(I live in Illinois. Generally, it's decently cold in December, as in roughly the 30°F range or so. I admittedly like when it's cold on Christmas, because that makes it truly feel like Christmas, at least here in the Midwest. Every couple years, though, we have us a warm Christmas. I remember walking Astrid on Christmas morning in 2019. We wore matching sweaters, because why not, but it was nearly 70°F and so I ended up carrying Astrid's sweater while melting in mine. Last year it was about 15°F on Christmas, which felt frigidly festive, whereas this year it's forecast to be 50°F or thereabouts. That's better than it being 70°F, but I still wish it would be colder so as to feel more festive.)

2. I don't like spending money on water.
(I know not all countries and people are lucky enough to have easy access to water, but when you live in a country that blesses you with that option, I don't particularly care to pay for it. Obviously we pay water bills for our homes and so of course we are indeed paying for water, but certainly not at the rate that certain venues and bottled water companies charge. The only concert I've been to in the past decade of course didn't allow you to bring your own drinks, but I got thirsty and so ended up paying $5 for a small bottle of water. My jaw probably dropped to the floor when I saw the price.)

3. I eat my fair share of cookie dough this time of the year.

(I enjoy making a lot of different kinds of cookies during the Christmas season, such as gingerbread, shortbread, and even peanut butter cookies, which get turned into Rudolphs. I feel compelled to take even a small taste of cookie dough for every batch I make. I was one of those kids who grew up tasting cookie dough every time we made cookies, and I've never gotten sick from it, so I'm not about to stop the habit now.)

4. I get lots of feline help when wrapping Christmas gifts.

(When I wrap Christmas gifts, I gather up all the supplies, put on Christmas Vacation to watch for the gazillionth time, and immediately start battling so very helpful kitties as I wrap away. And I obviously would be so lost without their help. I could lock myself away to wrap gifts, but I'd rather sit in the living room watching Christmas movies and spending time with my furbabies, so I just accept their help, of course while keeping their curious paws away from scissors and the like.)

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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Are you ready for your Friday Eddy fix? We bet you are. Today, the festive little tabby lady is again posing next to her beloved Christmas tree. 

Though I haven't gotten any great photos of her in action, Eddy beats the living daylights out of that ribbon that I use as the tree topper. This is nothing new. I put the same ribbon on that tree every year, and it's covered in teeth marks and slashes, and Eddy has partially undone the ribbon as well. From far away it doesn't look too bad, but if you really inspect it, the abuse is evident.

I'm going to try to get some shots of the boxing matches Eddy regularly has with the ribbon, which usually occur at about 2 o'clock in the morning or so. Until then, though, enjoy cute little Eddy looking perfectly innocent here. Oh, and just look at her adorable snaggletooth!

Have a festive Friday, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Tonight, when I get off work, I plan to go home and wrap Christmas gifts. As I mentioned in the fill-ins above, that means I'll yet again be watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. In honor of that, here's a flashback doodle that was inspired by none other than that favorite Christmas movie of mine.

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Tip of the Day

If you are traveling for the holidays without your furbaby, be sure to plan for their proper care while you're away. Be sure to book a pet-sitter or space in a boarding facility well in advance, to ensure that your kitty or pup has scheduled care with a trusted caregiver. Then, of course, also make sure that your furbaby's caregiver has everything they will need for the comfort and safety of your kitty or pup. Whether a pet-sitter is coming to your home or whether your furbaby is staying at a boarding facility, have plenty of their food in stock, and make sure that their leash, litter, and other necessities are readily available. Also make sure that any medications they take are refilled, and that instructions for medication administration as well as feedings and other care is written down or understood by the caregiver. Other important information to leave for a caregiver is your contact information, their veterinarian's contact information, and their medical records, as needed. It is always better to be more prepared than less prepared, so be sure that sufficient preparations are made for your furbaby's care in the event that you leave for the holidays, or any time of the year.