Best of Mudpie 4: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

5 years ago tomorrow I saw Mudpie on Petfinder and she completely stole my heart.
Who wouldn't melt at the sight of that precious little face?

The first time ever I saw your face

I thought the sun rose in your eyes

And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave

To the dark and the endless skies

Even though I was still shattered from losing Truffles I followed my heart and brought her home 10 days later.
She's been my guiding light ever since.

Cat Christmas in July Shopping Guide from Etsy

It's no secret that I loathe summer. We've now had 16 days over 90 degrees this summer and I'm so sick of feeling disgustingly sweaty I could scream. I just want to curl up in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate and Mudpie on my lap but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Many times I've said Christmas in July is the only decent part of summer, and this year that holds true more than ever. It's not just the summer heat driving me crazy, but also the lack of any sort of normalcy whatsoever thanks to COVID and other family stuff. I just want things to be the way they used to be, and I'm sure all of you feel the same way.

Our friends at Four-Legged Furballs have been running a series of Christmas doodles this month and showing some adorable holiday decor that stays out year round. It got me to thinking now might be a good time to check out some festive goodies over on Etsy. We all "need a little Christmas" now more than ever, even if it is the middle of July. Let's go shopping!

Custom Hand Painted Wood Ornament

Rockefeller Center Christmas Cat Cards

Christmas Gourd Ornament

Christmas Cat Burlap Pillow

Custom Cat Christmas Tree Topper

Mini Tree Skirt for Tabletop Trees

Wreath

Set of 5 Christmas Cat Bookmarks

Christmas Cat/Red Truck Towel

Christmas Kitsch Kitten Decor Blocks

We hope you enjoy our picks, and don't forget, if you find something here you like and make a purchase using our affiliate links, Mudpie gets a little money for her piggy bank!

No Sneaking Up On Me! #SundaySelfies

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

Christmas in July #CaturdayArt

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

And now our answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

Mommy's answers:

1. I had soup for dinner last night. I couldn't think of anything else I wanted even though it was over 80 degrees outside. You can call the men in white coats now.

2. I don't care for surprises. I like to be prepared for things.

Mudpie's answers:

3. Bopping a pom pom is my idea of fun. Mommy hung a strand of pom poms on a dining room chair (we think it was originally Christmas garland) and when I streak out of the bathroom after using my litter pan I give it a whack.

4. If I were a food, I would be exactly what my name says, a mud pie! Mommy even says I'm yummy!

Flashback Feline Friday: Best of Mudpie 3

Meows from Mudpie!

A couple weeks ago for our "Best of Mudpie" series leading up to my 5th Gotcha Day in August we told you about the day I got my all-time favorite toy, an animal print mousie we lovingly refer to as Baby.

Life with Baby was nearly perfect for a year until tragedy struck. Late one night when Mommy went to bed Baby and I were playing in the living room. I was picking her up in my teeth, tossing her in the air, not a care in the world. The next morning we woke up to find her face down in my water bowl. 

Photo recreation minus the water

She had sopped up every last ounce of water in the bowl. She was saturated! Apparently I had bopped Baby into the water while playing and then gone off to bed. Mommy said I wasn't a very responsible caretaker, but I think I was in shock.

Mommy dove in to save her before I hyperventilated. After wringing her out we had to find a place for her to dry *sob*. Hanging her outside wasn't an option because it was raining, plus I feared some klepto squirrel might take a shine to her! Mommy tried hanging her on the bathtub rack but in no time I had pulled her down.

We ended up having to hang her all by herself inside the screen door where I couldn't get to her, and I spent the day howling and searching for her in the bathroom...

Thankfully Baby made a full recovery and we've been spending long, blissful days playing and napping together ever since. 

Don't we make a cute couple? Our colors even match!

Lounging Around on National Hammock Day

One of my most treasured mementos of my time with Truffles is her beloved Peach Industries Kitty Lounger Mini, won in a giveaway from Glogirly.com. Katie and Waffles first announced the giveaway on August 20, 2013, the day Truffles arrived here at her forever home, and in all the excitement of a new kitty in the house I completely forgot that I had entered. A short week later we got an email that we had WON!!! It's like the lounger was meant to be Truffles' and she loved it from the day it arrived in the mail.

This picture was taken just a few minutes after I put the lounger together...

She just loved napping in her lounger.

And like every girl she stashed stuff under her bed.

The night I came home from the ER after losing Truffles, looking at the empty lounger felt like a knife through my heart, yet I couldn't bring myself to pick it up. That would mean she really wasn't coming home. It stayed right where it was for the next month until Mudpie arrived. I was so happy when she hopped into the lounger her first night here.

As the weeks went on Mudpie used the lounger less and less. She never really fell in love with it the way Truffles did, preferring to nap in the KatKabin (which Truffles never cared about!) Eventually I disassembled the lounger and now have it stored away in memory of Truffles. Maybe one day another kitty will get to use it, but more than likely it will always belong to her.

Moon Over Mudpie #MewsicMovesMe

The theme of this week's Mewsic Moves Me blog hop is songs about, or mentioning, the moon.

We're starting out with our two favorite versions of the classic song Blue Moon. Conway first, of course, followed by the ridiculously adorable singing mice choir from the movie Babe. 

Who else loves this movie as much as I do?

A few country songs about the moon...

What song are you mooning over this week?