Springtime #SundaySelfie

The window is finally open, the sun is out, the birds are singing, the squirrels are scurrying around...ahhhhhhh...I'm one happy tortie!

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

Lovely in Lavender #CaturdayArt

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

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

Mommy's answers:

1. I am allergic to cats, dust, grass, lots of things. When I was a little girl and had all the testing done the doctor asked my mother if we still had our cat at a follow-up appointment. She replied that there was no way to prevent exposure to dust and grass, so why should we live without our beloved pet? As I've gotten older my allergies have improved a great deal.

2. My taxes are done.

Mudpie's answers:

3. I don't tell many people that I have a blog. Mommy and I are pretty quiet about it for some reason.

4. When it rains, I nap.

Pet Photo Fails!

Meows from Mudpie!

Thank you for joining us for this month's Pet Fails Photo Hop! Today we're sharing bloopers from two different photo sessions.

These first pictures were taken when our latest CatLadyBox arrived. What can I say, the blurs just mean I was having fun!

These two were my failed selfie attempts last weekend. Obviously I'm a very busy tortie with other things to do!

Hope my bloopers made you smile! Now let's see yours!

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Thankful Thursday: 2018 Cat Writers' Association Certificates of Excellence

Five years ago when I was accepted as a Professional Member of the Cat Writers' Association I wrote that it was a dream come true. I still have a file folder in my desk filled with articles I printed out from the CWA website dated 2006. Back then I studied the membership requirements and made a vow to myself that one day I would become a member of this exclusive group of cat writers. It took me another 5 years to start blogging, and even more time after that before I realized my true blogging passion was cats. What else could it possibly be?

Even after being honored with a membership, the idea of ever winning a coveted Muse Medallion was so far in the back of my mind it was practically non-existent. I still had much work to do on honing my craft. Still, you'll never know if you can achieve something unless you try, so with the knowledge that Truffles' tragic passing inspired some of the best writing I'd ever done, in 2016 I decided to dip my toe into the water and enter their annual writing competition. Entries in each category are reviewed and judged independently by three professional CWA members and their scores are averaged by the Contest Chair to determine the winner. Anyone earning an average of 90 or higher based on the scores submitted by the three judges receives a Certificate of Excellence, with the highest score winning the Muse Medallion. I entered the Blog/Any Other Topic category, and not only won a Certificate of Excellence, but also the Muse Medallion...on my very first try!!!

Last year I decided to veer away from the blog category and instead selected individual articles to submit in a variety of categories, just to see if I could measure up to so many other amazing cat writers. You can only imagine my shock when I won FIVE Certificates of Excellence!!! This year I took the same approach and submitted four articles (one from this blog and 3 from my freelance writing for the Canidae blog). I'm so excited to say that all FOUR won a Certificate!

These are the articles we won them for...

Column / Online Column The Purrfect 10

Written Article: Health & General Care 7 Ways to Make Your Cat’s Senior Years Golden

Written Article: Rescue & Advocacy 4 Reasons to Consider Adopting a Diabetic Cat

Written Article: Rescue & Advocacy Debunking 9 Common Myths about Feral Cats

Muse Medallions will be given out at the Cat Writers Conference in St Louis in May. I'm certainly not planning to win any because the competition is stiff, but just being a contender is an incredible honor!

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Naptime Interrupted

Do you mind?

Who You Callin' Crazy Pants??? #MewsicMovesMe

Since one of my favorite terms of endearment for Mudpie is "crazy pants" we decided songs with "crazy" in the title would be a good theme for this week's Mewsic Moves Me blog hop. It turns out crazy is a very popular theme in country music, so we just chose a handful. There may be a part 2 one day!

This 1990 music video is one of only two Conway ever did. He was never a fan of videos. His feeling was that with country music especially, we're meant to use our imaginations when we hear a song and apply it to our own lives, but when we get locked into a director's interpretation it can be a great disservice to the song. He definitely had a point because many times my feelings about a song changed after viewing it's video. That's not the case with this one though. Adore the song, adore the video, adore the man.

I'm Goin' Crazy And She's Just Goin' was a cut on his 1975 The High Priest of Country Music album. That was a title bestowed on him by comedian Jerry Clower, who said Conway's concerts were like a revival meeting of his female fans coming to worship him. WE STILL DO!!!

Patsy's Crazy...one of the most iconic songs in country music history...

I was never a huge fan of the Judds, but this has always been one of my favorite songs...

What song are you "crazy" over this week?

Distracted Again #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

Not for the first time I got distracted while snapping my selfie this week. I was sitting on the toilet seat and at the last minute decided jumping into the sink sounded like fun. I'm so adorable I don't think you'll mind though...

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

Caturday Art

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

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

Mommy's answers:

1. I admire anyone who devotes their life to making the world a better place for animals.

2. I can’t wait for lilacs to bloom.

Mudpie's answers:

3. I’m proud to say I have Mommy wrapped around my paw!

4. Noises from the television make me nervous. I'm a pretty brave kitty, but dogs barking, babies crying and other strange noises coming from the TV corner freak me out!

Thankful Thursday: Pawsome Wins

Meows from Mudpie!

This week we decided to join the Thankful Thursday blog hop so we could show off some recent wins.

Back in January Summer gave away a set of RompiCatz cat toys and I was one of the lucky winners! The set contained fabric & feather teasers, plush tip teasers, and feather & bell wand teasers shaped like fish and cat heads (too cute!) I can't even tell you how much fun I've been having with these toys! Mommy thought my favorite would be the feathers because I'm bonkers over feathers, but so far the plush tip teasers have been my faves. They're totally different from my other toys and super fun.

(Unfortunately we don't have any photos of me playing with these toys because Mommy is totally inept at playing with me and taking pictures at the same time. Trust me when I say I've been going crazy pants!)

Then just a couple weeks ago Mommy was over the moon when she found out she won Lola & Lexy's pawsome Cat Cafe Swag giveaway! Their sweet mom Dawn was on the road all last summer visiting cat cafes and picking up souvenirs everywhere she went. (Mommy was SO jealous as she followed along on Dawn's adventures!) For a cat and coffee fanatic like Mommy is, this prize package was a dream come true and she couldn't believe that she won. Shirts, travel mugs, magnets, stickers, pins...oh my!!!

This week we're thankful for our recent wins, but most of all we're always thankful the friendship of Summer, Lola, Lexy, their humans, and all our other blogging pals!

WW: Come to Bed, Mommy!!!

Cat Unemployment Awareness Week

Meows from Mudpie!

Our friends at the As the World Purrs blog created Cat Unemployment Awareness Week back in 2015 to shine light on all the unemployed (aka homeless) cats in animal shelters. With kitten season right around the corner lots of experienced (aka older) kitties will be overlooked in favor of their younger counterparts. Now is the time to take to social media and share cats in your community that are looking for full-time employment (aka forever homes)!

I went to the website of my alma mater, North Country Animal League in Morrisville, VT, and found several pawsome kitties looking for work.

Muffin

Henry & Cuna

Ken

Tinkerbell

Evan

Edgar

Please join us in filling up Facebook this week with the adorable faces of adoptable cats!!!

Book Review: The Whiskered Spy by Nic Saint

When Tommy the cat witnesses a murder taking place right beneath his favorite elm tree, at first he’s not too worried. After all, humans will do these things, and as long as his own human keeps the kibble and the milk coming, life goes on. But when the murdered woman’s ghost comes haunting him and accuses him of gross negligence by not interfering when he had the chance, things definitely take a turn for the mysterious.

Regular readers of this blog know what I huge fan I am of Nic Saint's Mysteries of Max series. I recently discovered The Whiskered Spy, released a few years ago, is actually the author's first foray into the world of cat cozies. Different cast of characters, but almost as much fun!

The action begins when Tom the cat witnesses a murder (or does he?) while surveying his surroundings from his favorite tree. He winds up getting recruited by feline femme fatale Dana into the FSA (Feline Spy Agency), a secret group of cats who keep an eye out for us humans and come to the rescue when need be. Tom doesn't have much faith in Stevie, the cat he's partnered with, and with their only lead being the killer had a pimple on his nose, the task seems insurmountable. With secrets everywhere he turns, Tom's first case as a secret agent just may end up being his last!

I love books written from a cat's unique point of view as they try to decipher all the crazy things their humans do. The Whiskered Spy is fresh, funny, and ends in a twist I never saw coming. For books that purrfectly take you inside a cat's little world, you can't go wrong with a Nic Saint story!

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Ticked Off Tortie #SundaySelfie

Not exactly sure what I did that warranted this look from Mudpie. Maybe I should steer clear until I figure it out...

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

St. Catty's Day #CaturdayArt

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

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

Mudpie's answers:

1. I could live on love.

2. I rarely do anything naughty, but when I do, Mommy doesn't get upset with me. I could pretty much get away with murder around here ;)

Mommy's answers:

3. I would most like to be known for being a great cat mom.

4. If you want something, you have to go after it.

Unboxing March's CatLadyBox

The theme of March's CatLadyBox was "March Meowness"...here's what was inside!

Featured Cat Lady Artist: Este MacLeod

Kitten Shoulder Tote: I used to change purses every few months but since getting my Chala bag a couple years ago I haven't been tempted to make a switch...until now. I am so in love with this bag it's ridiculous. Vegan-friendly, super soft and roomy, neutral camel-colored so it goes with everything, and the cutest cat head pocket on the front you've ever seen. One of my favorite CLB items ever!

Cat Sequin Keychain: These sparkly keychains came in pink, purple. and blue. I'm so glad I got the pink! It would look super cute hanging from my new tote, but I have plans to make a necklace out of it :) 

Cat Silicone Can Covers: Useful and adorable at the same time!

Catnip Ladybug: Mudpie loves toys that you can bat around the floor like a hockey puck. I'm surprised she hasn't lost it by now!

Dandy Dandelion Catnip Toy: When I pulled this toy out of the box Mudpie took it from me by the stem and immediately started playing with it. Most of the pictures I took are destined for this month's blooper reel, but this one is too cute to leave out of today's post.

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Guess Who's Photobombing Me?

Meows from Mudpie!

When Mommy snapped these 2 pictures of me with a Conway CD tin in the background, she couldn't help but crack up at the looks on my face and the story they told.

He's behind me, isn't he?

Now we challenge you...

What do you think I'm screaming?

CAPTION THIS PHOTO!!! 

Book Review: Cat Poems by Mollie Hunt

Let the mystery

that is cat

teach and inspire 

those of us

who are merely human.

......................

Mollie Hunt is an incorrigible cat person. In "CatPoems" she celebrates love, loss, and life shared with the feline species.

*Includes the poem, Tyler,winner of the Cat Writers' Association Muse Medallion award for poetry 2018.

I have such admiration for anyone who can write poetry because it's a form of writing I struggle with. This collection of cat poems touches on the joy of becoming acquainted with a newly adopted friend, the heartbreak of saying goodbye to an old one, viewing life through a cat's eyes, and celebrating those who foster and advocate for cats. There's even a Christmas poem that every cat mom or dad will identify with.

I've always thought of cats as poetry in motion, so even though it's a genre I rarely read I enjoyed every single entry in this book tremendously.  I guarantee Two will take you back to those innocent days with your childhood cat, and New will remind you of the unforgettable day you brought your current pet home for the first time. Every one will touch your heart.

This post contains affiliate links.

For Luke #MewsicMovesMe

Today I'm breaking my own cardinal rule of featuring Conway in every Mewsic Moves Me post.

You've most certainly heard the news that last week actor Luke Perry passed away after suffering a massive stroke at the far too young age of 52. I was a teenage girl in the 90s at the height of his Beverly Hills 90210 fame but I was one of the few who didn't have a massive crush on him or ever even watch the show. 

No, I was introduced to him thanks to his role as rodeo legend Lane Frost in 1994's 8 Seconds. Not only did I adore the movie, its soundtrack was a huge deal in the country music world and it became one of my favorite albums at the time. I pulled it out a few days ago after not listening to it in years and still enjoyed it so much. Since it's a freebie week in the hop I thought it would be a good time to feature my two favorite songs from the soundtrack.

We hope you enjoyed our choices this week, and if you've never watched 8 Seconds, we highly recommend it!.