Colorful #CaturdayArt

Meows from Mudpie!

The holidays are over and we have a little more time on our paws, so I told Mommy this week that I'd like to start putting a little more effort into our Caturday Art projects. We spent some time playing around with LunaPic (lots of people have been using it lately and we were curious) and our old favorite PicMonkey and just love the results. It feels good to get the creative juices flowing!

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

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And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader!

1. My guiding word for 2017 is hopeful.

2. I've never attended a class reunion.

3. Truth be told I am superstitious about knocking on wood. It's silly but I say it and do it.

4. Lately, I have been slowly packing up the Christmas decorations. The tree is still up, but that goes next week :(

Win a One Year Subscription to the Cat Sticker Club! #NationalStickerDay

Don't get your tail in a twist because it's Friday the 13th; celebrate because it's National Sticker Day!

Last year we were so excited to introduce you to the Cat Sticker Club, a monthly cat sticker subscription service. Cat Sticker Club curates cute cat art, creates high-quality stickers, and brightens up your mailbox every month. It’s a fun little way to show your feline love or make your favorite cat lover smile. And it’s only $3.50 per month!

Each sticker is 3-4” wide on average and made from weatherproof, durable vinyl. They are designed by artists who are paid for their work, plus 10% of the profits go to shelters and rescues!!!

Laptops, tablets, litter boxes, cat carriers, water bottles, car bumpers, bulletin boards...the list of places you can put a sticker is endless. Just don't stick them on kitty!!!

Who's with me? #catstickerclub #catsforpresident #catsfortrump #maga #makeamericagreatagain #makeamericapurragain #election2016 #tortiesofinstagram #tortitude #catblog #cutecat #ilovemycat #rescuedcatsofinstagram

A photo posted by Melissa & Mudpie (@mochasmysteriesmeows) on Oct 26, 2016 at 4:27pm PDT

Subscribe here.

Interested in submitting artwork for sticker consideration? Click here!

Visit the Cat Sticker Club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Giveaway: In honor of National Sticker Day one lucky reader is going to win a one year subscription to the Cat Sticker Club! This contest is open worldwide so simply fill out the Rafflecopter below and good luck!

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Disclaimer: We're proud to be honorary members of the Cat Sticker Club. All opinions are our own and we never recommend a product we don’t fully believe in.

My Sweet Tuxedo Boy #TBT

Mommy here.

If you're anything like me, you can recite the Gotcha Days and Rainbow Bridge Days of each beloved pet without second thought, but dates regarding the humans in your life require a bit more brain power.

July 7th has become the most dreaded day of the year for me (the date I lost both Tara and Truffles) but for 3 years in a row in the late '90s January 8th was a date I would've been happy to banish from the calendar forever.

On that date in 1999 I lost my Uncle Bob who was like a second father to me, in 1998 an ice storm struck the northeast and we were without power and bailing water from the basement for days, and on January 8, 1997 my beautiful tuxedo boy Sebastian went to the Bridge.

20 years ago last Sunday.

He was a neighborhood cat who had been neglected by his various owners through the years, but he had a happy "senior citizenhood" with my family.

I miss you, sweet boy. I hope you've been taking care of all my little girls who've gone on to join you.

Newly Discovered, Never-Before-Seen Secret Paws Pictures!

Meows from Mudpie!

Back in November Mommy got her new digital camera and as we expected there's been a bit of a learning curve. Needless to say, we've played around with it a lot and shortly after taking pictures of our Secret Paws package the batteries that came with the camera died. She replaced them immediately only to discover the next day they were already dead! Who knew the cheapo "heavy duty" batteries from the dollar store weren't meant for digital cameras??? (Do you believe me now when I tell you how hopeless Mommy is when it comes to photography?)

Well, at this point she couldn't get back to the store before Christmas to get some alkaline batteries but we wanted to get our Secret Paws post up right away so she took out the SD card and pulled the pictures from there. But when we were finally able to connect the camera to our laptop, we found a few pictures that for some reason weren't on the SD card.

At first we were just going to add them to our original post but then decided they might go unseen, so why not give them a post of their very own?

Our amazing Christmas blankie before I set up permanent housekeeping on it!

Mommy knew she got a non-blurry picture of me with my new wand toy! (Well, the toy is a blur but I'm not!)

Thank you again to our sweet friends Allie, Ellie and Raz, aka The Florida Furkids! 

Start the New Year Right with Reduced Calorie Treats from Pro Plan #ChewyInfluencer

Mudpie: Mommy, can I have some treats?

Mommy: Let's wait until a little later, sweetie.

Mudpie: That's what you said the last time I asked!

Mommy: Which was less than an hour ago...

Mudpie: So technically it is later, then!

Mommy: Oh geez...you've been exposed to too many politicians and their semantics on television, haven't you?

Mudpie: What's up Mommy? You always give me treats when I ask.

Mommy: Sweet pea, did you notice last month at the vet that your weight has gone up again? You've gained a few pounds since I adopted you.

Mudpie: But the vet didn't say anything about my weight. He said I was purr-fect!

Mommy: I know he didn't but if this keeps up he's going to say something. Why don't we cut back a little now so this doesn't become a problem?

Mudpie: I know! Let's try these new Reduced Calorie Indoor Crunch treats from Pro Plan that Chewy sent me? You know Pro Plan treats are my favorite...

Meows from Mudpie!

Yes, it's true. I've put on a bit of weight in the past 17 months, but in my defense I was unhealthily skinny when Mommy first met me. I do admit that I have a bit of an addiction to Pro Plan treats so I was super excited when their Reduced Calorie treats were offered in this month's Chewy.com Blogger Outreach email.

I love that they're tuna flavored, crunchy and super yummy; Mommy loves that not only are they good for my cute little figure, they're also good for my tummy with prebiotic fiber baked right in!

These treats are currently on sale at Chewy.com for only $3.75 so ask your mom or dad to add some to your next order. Tell the nice Chewy peeps that Mudpie sent you!

Disclaimer: These treats were sent to us for free by Chewy.com as part of their Blogger Outreach Program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own and we never recommend a product we don’t fully believe in.

Mudpie Interviews...Elvis from Sofie Ryan's Second Chance Cat Mystery Series (w/Review & Giveaway)

From the publisher: When Sarah Grayson opened a secondhand shop in the quaint town of North Harbor, Maine, she was expecting peace and quiet. Then she was adopted by a rescue cat named Elvis and a kooky trio of senior sleuths known as Charlotte’s Angels. Now she has nine lives worth of excitement…

Sarah’s friend and employee Rose is delivering a customer’s purchase when the quick errand becomes a deadly escapade. Rose arrives just in time to see the customer murdered by his wife, but before she can call the police, she is knocked out cold. When she wakes up, no one believes her, especially after the woman claims her husband is very much alive and has left her for someone else—and has a text message and empty bank account to prove it.

Despite her convincing story, Sarah is sure something is fishy—and it’s not Elvis’s kitty treats. Sarah, Elvis, and the Angels are determined to unravel this mysterious yarn, before the feral killer pounces again...

Secondhand/repurposing shop owner Sarah Grayson and feline lie detector Elvis return for their fourth adventure in Telling Tails. A routine delivery of candlesticks takes a dangerous turn for Sarah's elderly friend Rose when she's hit over the head after seeing their customer's body being dragged out of the house by his wife. Thankfully a neighbor and her dog come to the rescue but when she tells her story no one believes her, even going so far as to think she may have suffered a stroke and was seeing things! The man's wife says her scoundrel of a husband is very much alive, he's simply left the marriage and she has proof, but Rose refuses to change her story and ends up convincing her friends to help her solve this puzzler of a mystery.

I am absolutely crazy about this series. First, I love cozies set in Maine. It's one of my favorite settings. The cast of characters is phenomenal, particularly Sarah's elderly lady friends Liz, Rose, and Charlotte, (and of course Rose's computer hacking beau Mr. P.) who call their detective agency Charlotte's Angels, but also remind me of the Golden Girls. Sarah's love life continues to be complicated as she's torn between her feelings for her "jack of all trades" employee Mac and Charlotte's son Nick who is also an investigator for the medical examiner's office.

Elvis's crime-solving technique is the ability to tell when someone petting him is lying. His gift helps Sarah and the Angels in their latest adventure as well. He never fails to steal the show, and Mudpie was so excited to have the opportunity to chat with the furry little guy!

Welcome Elvis! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you came to live with Sarah?

Thank you for inviting me.

I’ve been told I’m a rather handsome black cat but I don’t like to brag. I live with Sarah Grayson and I spend most days at her store, Second Chance. I guess you could say my job is customer satisfaction. I visit with customers, let them stroke my fur and help them feel relaxed and happy.

I was living the life of cat-about-town until I met Sam Newman, who owns The Black Bear pub. That man makes a great western sandwich. Before I knew it he had introduced me to Sarah. She seemed lonely to me. How could I say no to Sam’s suggestion that I move in with her?

How did you end up being named after the King of Rock & Roll?

That was Sam. He noticed my appreciation for the King’s music.

What's a typical day like for you? You must find a lot of fun things to get into at the secondhand store Sarah owns!

I drive to the shop with Sarah. I keep my eyes on the road and let her know if there’s a stop sign ahead or traffic is slowing down. As soon as we get to work I do a quick survey of the building to make sure nothing is amiss. After that I might help Sarah with some paperwork in her office, or curl up in the sunshine in the big front window where people walking by can see me. And of course when customers come in I make sure they feel welcome. My days are very busy.

Tell us about your latest adventure, Telling Tails.

My friend Rose Jackson stumbled over a dead body and ended up in the hospital. She was rescued by—you’ll find this hard to believe—a dog. Things got more complicated when the body disappeared. Of course Sarah and I knew Rose wasn’t imagining things but not everyone believed her at first. What else could I do? I had to figure out what had happened.

Do you help Sarah solve any of the mysteries she becomes involved in?

I usually have a paw in whatever she’s working on. I can spot a liar a mile away. It’s a gift.

Can you give us any clues as to what's next for you guys?

I’m sure there with be more mysteries. Sarah and her friends just seem to attract them. As for me, I hope there are a few sardines in my future!

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#SundaySelfie

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