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Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Secret Paws 2020 Revealed

Meows from Mudpie!

The wait has been nearly unbearable but I *finally* get to tell you about my Secret Paws package which arrived more than a week before Christmas, but Mommy made me wait until Christmas evening to open it! She LIED to me and said maybe this year I could open it early, but then made an executive decision that it would be more fun to wait until Christmas. I bet many of you have been thinking I'm a spoiled rotten tortie who gets everything her little heart desires. Think again!


Okay, enough of my griping and on to the prezzies! I'm one lucky girl because my Secret Paws were Angel, Kirby and Max from A Wizard and an Angel, and they managed to fulfill my Christmas wish list to a tortie "T', starting with SQUEEZIES!!!


I had never had this flavor of Party Mix before so we opened the package right up and they are pawsitively YUMMY!


Look at all this loot for me and Mommy! I got more treats, pretty purple wicker and crinkle balls, a fun little caterpillar toy that zooms all over the floor, and Mommy got the cutest cat butt ornaments! (The tissue paper was pretty cool too...)


Obligatory "pose with everything before I'm allowed to play" shot...


Play ball! (These balls have been spotted all over the house since Christmas.)



Where did it go?


We want to thank Angel, Kirby, Max, and mom Nancy so very much for their purrfectly wonderful gifts. We couldn't have asked for a better Secret Paws!


Now would also be a good time to reveal that we sent our Secret Paws gifts to Buckwheat and Dixie. They wrote about their package here and we're so happy to see how much they enjoyed what we picked out.

Many thanks as well to Truffle and Brulee's mom Paula from Sweet Purrfections for organizing this wonderful event that makes many blogging kitties very, very happy.

Now I have a very important question...how many days until Secret Paws 2021???

Monday, December 28, 2020

Best of 2020 #PetPhotoFails

Meows from Mudpie!

Can you believe it's time for the final Pet Photo Fails blog hop of the year?


We thought it might be fun to take a look at some of our favorite bloopers of 2020, meaning blurry tortie shots galore. I look like I'm coming unhinged in this first photo!





Mommy has a blooper of her own this month because she totally forgot to post her answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge (hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs) last week!


1. The best gift I have ever given is probably something I gave to my mom. Our tastes are very, very much alike, so if I love something more than likely she will too!

2. Last night, I cuddled with Mudpie, same as I do every night!

3. Being with my parents and Mudpie brings me joy today. This is been such a difficult year, but we're all together, and that's what matters.

4. My favorite holiday memory is impossible to narrow down. Every single Christmas is special in its own way. 

Those are our bloopers...let's see yours!
 

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Sunday, December 27, 2020

And To All A Good Night #SundaySelfie

(A post-Christmas cuddle in grandma's arms)


We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

Friday, December 25, 2020

Meowy Christmas from Melissa & Mudpie!

 

We'd like to wish each and every one of our dear friends the happiest of holidays. You make our days so much brighter with your kind comments and support. Thank you for being a part of our online family...we cherish your friendship more than we could ever express.

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

A Christmas Memory: Wrapping Gifts with Truffles

Christmas is all about memories, making new ones while remembering days gone by.

Last week in our fill in answers I mentioned that wrapping gifts is my least favorite thing about the holiday season, but while browsing through old Christmas blog posts I stumbled upon this sweet scene from 2013 when it wasn't such a chore because of a very special helper, my Angel Truffles.



It was our first Christmas together (we only ended up having two), and as soon as I pulled out all the colorful paper and tags to settle in for an afternoon of wrapping she settled into her bed to supervise. She always loved crinkly papers so I think she had fun with all the noises I was making.

It was the most enjoyable time I'd had wrapping gifts in a very long time simply because she was there with me.

Do your cats enjoy helping with wrapping?
(Mudpie can take it or leave it...some years she helps, others she sleeps right through it!)

Monday, December 21, 2020

Retro Mewsical Christmas Decor #MewsicMovesMe

Each year around this time Mudpie allows me to show off my Conway Christmas displays. Not much about those have changed. I still have my sleigh/train set scene and Conway Christmas tree, both of which stay up in my bedroom as part of my collection year round. What has changed this year is how it has expanded to include my new passion for retro '50s holiday decor, particularly deer, specifically pink deer!


It all started early in the Christmas shopping season when I found this pink radio at HomeGoods. I went home without it, couldn't stop thinking about it, and went back for it the next day. Then I started finding myself searching for retro pink reindeer on all my shopping trips, and while I've been very particular in what I've bought, I ended up with several.

The next question became how to display them since they don't exactly fit in with the rest of my home's kitty Christmas decor! Then it occurred to me...why not incorporate them into my Conway displays, since he started out in '50s rock & roll, and the music of that time is the main reason I love the era so much!


So I put my red Conway bandana on my retro pink record player, and started building a fun little deer scene. I added a candy cane tree I fell in love with at Michaels, and my frosted Conway glass has LED lights inside that I turn on in the evening. I think it turned out so cute and colorful.

These darling little stuffed deer found their way under my Conway Christmas tree. Sadly, with Christmas just days away I probably won't be adding more to my new collection until next year.


And now for the mewsic portion of our post, Conway's Merry Twismas storybook album in its entirety. It tells the tale of Conway and his beloved mascot the Twitty Bird as they visit Santa in Toyland Towne. When it was released in 1983 it was the most expensive Christmas album ever produced and took over 9 months of studio time to record. It was reissued a few years ago, and his granddaughter Christi, who was only 11 when he passed away, became the voice of the Twitty Bird.


Lastly, here's a bit of Conway Christmas trivia...does anyone have the 45 record of Burl Ives' Holly Jolly Christmas from 1964? The "B" side is a song called Snow for Johnny which was written by Conway!


Are you a fan of retro Christmas decor? 
What's your favorite decade?

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Counting Sleeps #SundaySelfie


 How many more sleeps till the squeezies Santa gets here???


We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Snow Globe #CaturdayArt


Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!



And now our answers (all answered by Mommy this week) for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. My favorite kind of homemade cookie is double chocolate chip.

2. I'm a big fan of retro Christmas decor. You'll see what I mean on Monday!

3. I look most forward to seeing beautiful decorations during the holiday season. My favorite part of Christmas is decorating and seeing how others decorate. I recently read an article that said your holiday decorations are a reflection of your personality and I think that's so true.

4. Wrapping gifts is my least favorite thing about the holiday season. It's just not something I'm good at unless the gift is in a perfectly shaped box.

Friday, December 18, 2020

Festive Feline Friday Flashback: Visions of Sugarplums

Meows from Mudpie! 

Four years ago this Christmas I got my beloved Santa blankie in my Secret Paws package from The Florida Furkids. I can't begin to tell you how many blissful hours Mommy and I have spent cuddling with that warm and cozy blankie!!!


The above picture was taken on Christmas Eve 2016. Mommy sat down to read at 11 PM and you know what time I let her get up to go to bed? 2:30 AM!!! She just didn't have the heart to put me down, even though she kept warning me that Santa was going to catch us!

Since that time I've received 2 more of these wonderful blankies. Mommy asked Miss Sharon to make me another for our bed, and last year we received a snowman blankie from our Secret Paws Butterfly, Peekaboo, and mom Tessie, so now I have one for the couch, the bed, and my KatKabin! 

I only wish there was some way I could share my blankies with all the homeless kitties this Christmas so they would have something warm and cozy to sleep on too that would make them feel safe and loved.

Santa...are you listening???


Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is:

Post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (They may be silly or cute).

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Kitty Christmas Decor 2020

Meows from Mudpie!

Today we wanted to show you some of our kitty Christmas decor, starting with our annual Angel Truffles table. We didn't change it too much from last year, sticking with a "winter wonderland" theme with various trees (even a tortie tree!) and cat glasses filled with Christmas balls.


This is our dining room window with lots of cat ornaments, a snowflake and icicle lights. It's really pretty with all the lights on at night but we couldn't get a good picture with them on.


These cute cat sweater ornaments came from World Market...


This is my favorite addition to our Christmas collection this year. Mommy had this pawsome cube ornament made for me at Walgreens with a 70% off email coupon she received. Isn't it the cutest?!?!?! (Of course it is, it's ME!)



Last but not least, Mommy braved the post office crowds yesterday to put my Secret Paws package in the mail. I hope our recipients enjoy their goodies!!!

Monday, December 14, 2020

Pet Posts: The Cat Chats by Debbie de Louise - Blog Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway


Why I Write About Cats

By Debbie De Louise

I grew up with cats. Ever since I can remember, there were felines in my house. We also had dogs. My parents were big animal lovers. I’m sure many of you cat lovers out there can relate. I was the youngest of four kids, and my brothers and sister were a decade older than me. I was somewhat shy and didn’t have too many friends. My favorite activities as a child were reading and playing with my cats. I also loved to tell stories and enjoyed writing even back then. My teachers told my parents that I had talent in this area and should develop it.


The only career I ever wanted was to be an author. However, my plans changed in college when I knew I had to decide on a more profitable profession, at least at first. I took an aptitude test that showed I should be either a writer or a librarian. I’d never considered being a librarian, although it made sense because I loved books. I enrolled in library school and then got a job at a public library. I didn’t give up my dream of writing, though. I’d volunteered on the student newspaper at my college and also created, edited, and wrote the library school newsletter.


After I married in 1992, I began publishing articles in pet magazines. I’d learned about a group called the Cat Writers’ Association and wanted to join them. To become a professional member, I needed to have two published pieces. I submitted articles about my cats, one of whom suffered from diabetes and asthma. My articles were published in Cat Fancy, Cats Magazine, Animal Watch, and other pet magazines. But I was still interested in writing fiction. I sent a story to a mystery anthology called Cat Crimes Through Time, and my story, “Stitches in Time” was featured in it when it was published in 2001. I was thrilled to be in a collection alongside famous mystery authors I admired such as Carole Nelson Douglas, the author of the Midnight Louie series and a fellow member of the Cat Writers’ Association who I’d had the honor of meeting in person.


In 2007, after my cat Floppy died, I wrote my first novel, Cloudy Rainbow, that’s since been reprinted and featured him as a character in it. My Cobble Cove series about a librarian and library cat started in 2015 with A Stone’s Throw and now includes 5 books and 3 short eBooks, one of which won a MUSE medallion, the highest award given by the Cat Writers’ Association. I’ve also written other mysteries and short stories, most of which include cats. Pet Posts: The Cat Chats is my first non-fiction cat book. I’m excited to honor four of my cats, two who are on Rainbow Bridge, by giving them voice to tell their stories from twenty years ago and today and to share with readers information about feline health and behavioral issues among other topics.


Writing about cats is my passion because an author always writes best about what they know. After having cats all my life, I know them well. In fact, I know them well enough to know what they would say if they could write articles and blog posts about their experiences.


Pet Posts: The Cat Chats
by Debbie de Louise
Genre: Nonfiction, Pets


Ever wonder what cats are thinking? If your cats could write a blog, what would they talk about?

In this collection, you’ll meet Debbie De Louise’s current cats and two from the past who share their everyday activities, health concerns, behavior issues, and more.

Floppy relates his hospital experience, gives advice about taking pills, and discusses feline diabetes. His younger sister, Holly, talks about her weight issues, describes how she made the change from a feral to a house cat, and even writes a fictional story featuring her fur and human family members. Harry talks about the merits and perils of being a black cat, shares his bad habit of wire and shoelace chewing, and even gives tips about how to cope with a crisis. His sister Hermione reveals her fascination with high and low places, discusses how she mastered the cat flap door, and even reviews the Cat Writers’ Association conference.

If there’s a feline in your home or you enjoy reading about these quirky, beautiful, wise, and inspirational creatures, you’ll find these fur-st person tails from the cats’ points of view a purrfect read.






Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a reference librarian at a public library on Long Island. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters-in-Crime, and the Cat Writer’s Association. She has a BA in English and an MLS in Library Science from Long Island University. Her seven published novels include the 4 books of her Cobble Cove cozy mystery series: A Stone's Throw, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Written in Stone, and Love on the Rocks, her paranormal romance, Cloudy Rainbow, her mystery thriller Reason to Die, and her latest psychological mystery, Sea Scope. She also published a romantic comedy novella featuring a jewel heist caper, When Jack Trumps Ac. Debbie has also written articles and short stories for several anthologies of various genres. She is currently querying agents to represent the first book of a new cozy mystery series. She lives on Long Island with her husband, daughter, and three cats.





Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon