Friendly Fill-Ins

Hello and happy Friday, friends! We're ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and if you are too, then please join us! My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. I just can't bring myself to _________.

2. I have a hankering for _________.

3. _________ changed my life.

4. At this stage of my life, I _________.

My answers are below in bold.

1. I just can't bring myself to share my angel Rosie's favorite toys with my other kitties.

(My calico angel Rosie had a handful of toys that were her absolute favorites. After she passed in 2015, I picked all of those toys up, and even her favorite couple of blankets, and stored them away in my closet. I've kept them there ever since. I perhaps could let my kitties now play with the toys and use the blankets, but I just cannot bring myself to allow for that. I don't think I ever will. Rosie's box of goodies remains in my closet, and I think those items that she cherished will always remain hers and hers only.)

2. I have a hankering for banana pudding.

(As I type this, I'm about to start making a banana pudding dessert for my mom's birthday. And so, naturally, I'm now craving banana pudding.)

3. My childhood furry friends changed my life.

(Of course all of my furbabies throughout the years have changed my life in their own ways, but I do need to give special mention to my childhood furry friends. I don't know what I would have done without my childhood cats and dogs, or even my childhood birds. My first pets, besides fish, were actually budgie birds. Then my family adopted our first cats, Rosie and Sammy. After that came my childhood dogs, Banjo and Shellie. I spent endless hours in the company of these furry and feathered friends, and they more than certainly helped mold me into the person I am today.)

4. At this stage of my life, I don't worry about the opinions of others.

(As I've aged, I've come to realize that I am who I am, and as long as I'm happy and not causing harm, then it really doesn't matter what others think or say about me. As goes a saying I once heard, other people's opinions of me are none of my business.)

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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Your Eddy fix for today comes in the form of really low quality photos. What's new? I'm always trying to get pictures that show off and do justice to Eddy's gorgeous aquamarine eyes. I never seem to succeed, though. My latest attempt was when Eddy was sitting on my in the dark shadows of my bedroom. I tried to use a lamp to help the situation, but it didn't really do that at all. In addition to that, Eddy wouldn't even look at me. Though the quality is horrendous, here's my attempt to show you all Eddy's pretty eyes nonetheless.

When Eddy finally did look at me, the shadows just sort of took over the whole situation.

Maybe one day I'll actually manage to get a shot that really, truly shows off Eddy's beautiful eyes. Until then, I hope you at least enjoyed these disastrous attempts

Happy Friday, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

I mentioned the other day how I'm working on one or two new Christmas in July doodles. For inspiration, I've been going through old Christmas in July doodles. I almost forgot I had scribbled up this one all the way back in 2018, but these days I can totally relate to the heat of it.

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Tip of the Day

Many of us have furbabies who enjoy a cozy bed, and who also enjoy making a bed out of their human's clothes. That's why today's pet parenting hack of a tip is to use your old clothes to make a pet bed for your kitty or pup. You can take on old shirt, for example, and stuff it with a pillow or other type of filling. You can sew it shut, or even just safely and securely tie it shut. Not only will the soft filling make this a cozy bed, but it will also smell like you, something that many furbabies enjoy. There are a great many options for creating beds in this manner, using shirts, pants, robes, and so forth. The options are endless, and you can even find ideas and techniques online for creating a variety of such pet beds.

Thankful Thimble Thursday with a Birthday

Today is the perfect day for Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Why is today a perfect day for giving thanks? Because it's the day the furbabies' grandma celebrates her birthday!

Thimble is inviting all of you to her wonderful grandma's birthday party!

Grab yourself some cake, a gift box to sit in, a gift bag to crawl in, and anything else you see and like!

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Now, how about we share the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I just can't bring myself to _________.

2. I have a hankering for _________.

3. _________ changed my life.

4. At this stage of my life, I _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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P.S. We'll be sharing our weekly poem for Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge this weekend. This week's photo prompt gave me a fun little idea for my poem and illustration, but I got a bit distracted planning my mom's mini birthday party that I didn't finish executing my poetic plans. So, we'll be getting poetic this weekend instead.

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet parenting tip relates to the dreaded vacuum cleaner, but at the same time, it doesn't. Especially if you have a furbaby who is fearful of the vacuum, you can do them a favor by using other methods to clean carpets and rugs, when possible. For example, did you know that a squeegee can be used to remove pet hair from carpets and rugs? That being said, there are also actual rug brushes on the market, which can similarly be used to remove hair from carpets and rugs. So, especially if you have a furbaby who is fearful when you vacuum, you can use these alternative, far quieter such methods when possible. Though the vacuum cleaner may not always be avoidable, when it is, such methods as the aforementioned ones can help remove hair from carpets and rugs while causing far less fearful reactions from your kitties or pups.

Woof Woof Wednesday

Some poor pup had to go to the dreaded vet yesterday for her annual exam.

At 8 years old, Astrid is now a senior girl, so the vet not only examined her but also stole her blood for a senior bloodwork panel. We'll know what her bloodwork looks like later this week, but as of right now Astrid got a good grade from the vet. Well, except the vet thinks her 82 lbs is a tad bit excessive. How rude. Oh, and her teeth aren't all that pearly white anymore, so Astrid was also told she'll need a dental cleaning in the near future. Double rude.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

I'm working on at least one or two new doodles for Christmas in July this year. While trying to decide what to doodle for the occasion, I looked through past Christmas in July doodles that I've shared. One of them from 2019 was this festive summer picnic with a lighted tree and some snow-capped mountains.

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet parenting tip is one that relates to that dreaded vet's office. As you all certainly know, it is recommended that your furbaby be seen by a veterinarian at least once a year. But, if you're anything like me, all throughout the year you find yourself questioning this or that about your furbaby. Of course, if you notice any abnormalities that are a concern or that are in need of immediate attention, do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian. Otherwise, sometimes we find ourselves with questions that we know are not emergencies and that are not truly in need of immediate attention, but that do pique our interest. That's why today's tip is to, if needed, keep a little notebook or note sheet handy, such as on a counter or on the refrigerator, where you can write down questions to ask your veterinarian at your furbaby's next exam. Whether it be a general question about food, exercise, grooming, behavior, or anything else, write it down when you think of it. That way, you can take your notes with you to your furbaby's next exam and sort out any questions you have in one fell swoop.

Tonks Tuesday

It's Tonks Tuesday, so here's a Tonks for you!

This silly calico wishes you all a terrific Tuesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet parenting tip is a simple one about creating a masterpiece of a memory using your furbaby's adorable toesies. If your furbaby is willing to participate and does not get stressed, you can get non-toxic, pet-friendly paint in order to create some paw art. After finding somewhere in your home where you don't mind making a tad bit of a mess, put some of the pet-safe paint on your furbaby's feet and either have them walk on some paper, or press their paw on the paper yourself. You can then leave the paw prints as-is, or even get creative and turn some of them into flowers or other cute designs. Either way, this is one way to create a simple yet long-lasting memory of your furbaby.

As morbid as it sounds, in the future, you will likely be glad you created these such lasting memories while your furbaby was still with you. We all know that some similar items, such as clay paws, are often created during a time of grief. This is why the aforementioned paw art is one way to create such a memory in happier, healthier times. Again, as morbid as it may sound, you might later thank yourself for thinking ahead about what memories you might want to have after your furbaby is gone. Of course, do take into consideration your furbaby's comfort. If your furbaby is too stressed to participate in paw art, for example, brainstorm and think of other ways to create lasting memories with them. The options are endless.

Mancat Monday

Evan thought he'd share his chin with you today. Even better, he's showing you his chin in a poorly backlit photo. Because Evan is cute and he can do whatever he wants.

Evan and all of us here wish you a happy Monday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

We've all seen those chew toys for pups. Puppies, and even grown dogs, often love to chew, and so chew toys can allow them to gnaw on a designated item rather than one that is not ideal or one that is dangerous. But, did you know that there are chew toys for cats as well? Like dogs, some cats love to chew. Chewing is sometimes more common in kittens, but some adult cats are chewers, too. If this is the case with your cat, perhaps look into getting them some feline-friendly chew toys. This could potentially save them from chewing on items that they should not, which could be beneficial to your goods, and also of course to your kitty's health.

Of course, whether a chew toy is for your kitty or pup, it is important to take into consideration the material out of which a chew toy is made, as well as whether it will withstand a particular furbaby's level of chewing. Some toy brands will label whether a chew toy is suitable for powerful chewers, for example. Even so, you know your furbaby best, and so you must decide whether a toy will be able to survive their chewing habits, and therefore whether it might be a hazard. There are a great many pet toys available these days, you simply have to consider a toy's benefits and safety for your furbabies.

Sunday Selfie Bloopers

Today's selfies are bloopers from an overenthusiastic Thimble. Though they be bloopers, Thimble and I kind of love them, and so we're sharing them with you all.

Thimble hopes you all enjoyed her bloopery attempts at selfies!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Today's pet parenting hack of a tip is one to help you sleep better at night. Does your kitty or pup ever wake you up during the night, perhaps seemingly bored or hungry? The first step in a case such as this is of course to make sure there is no medical explanation. If your furbaby is indeed healthy, though, and they simply wake you in the middle of the night for some playtime or a midnight snack, then there are a couple of simple things you can do to try to combat this.

First, you can do a bit of a pre-bedtime play session with them. One of the last things you do before you go to bed can be a game of fetch, perhaps a little fun with a wand toy, or anything that your furbaby finds fun and that expends their energy. This will help tire your furbaby out, and will hopefully help satisfy their desire to play so that they can sleep through the night.

Second, in the case that your furbaby wakes you up in the middle of the night out of hunger, perhaps save their last meal of the day for right before bed. Fill their bowl just before you go to bed, so that they will go to bed with a full stomach. If needed and possible, you can also make this nighttime meal their largest of the day, to even further satisfy them and their stomach. In some cases, this is all it takes to help keep those hungry furbabies satiated until their breakfast.

Just like us, our furbabies are not immune to restless nights or a desire for a midnight snack. If a medical concern has been ruled out, then try to find a way to help both you and your furbaby sleep through the night. Satisfying the play or hunger drive just before bed may be all that is needed.

Kooky Caturday Art

Our doodle for today is kooky and random and was supposed to be shared a week ago. It's an illustration for the poem I scribbled up for Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge on the first day of this month. I didn't share it on that day because I hadn't finished it yet. But then I did finish it and never shared it at all. So, why not share it today, I guess. The poem was a bit witchy with some brews and an orange kitty. If you'd like to read the wacky poem, just click here. Either way, here's its equally wacky doodle.

Happy Caturday, friends!

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Tip of the Day

Do you have furbabies who spend time outdoors, and who therefore have water and food bowls outside? Sometimes the wind can wreak havoc on said bowls, especially if they are lightweight. One cheap way to combat this is to get a couple of same-sized buckets, such as ice cream buckets. You can put a couple inches of sand or rock at the bottom of one of the buckets, and then place the other identical bucket within the one weighed down by the sand. Then, the bucket on top can be filled with water, or even food. Since it will be snugly nestled within the weighted bucket, this will help it stay put in the wind. Of course, do make sure that any water or food placed in such buckets are not difficult to reach. For example, large buckets would work fine for offering food and water to large dogs, but likely not so well for smaller cats. So, simply consider the size of the animal in question, and try to rig a feeding and drinking station that suits them. For cats, you can try the above method, just with smaller containers. Then again, you can also simply look on the market for heavy, sturdy bowls that could combat the wind. No matter what method you use, take even the wind into consideration when feeding furbabies outdoors, and think outside the box to find a safe way to combat it as needed.