Secret Paws 2019 Revealed

Meows from Mudpie!

The wait has been nearly unbearable but I *finally* get to tell you about my Secret Paws package which arrived in a ginormous box a full week before Christmas, but Mommy made me wait until Christmas morning 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 Butterfly and Peekaboo from Musings, Meows and Memories, and they managed to fulfill my Christmas wish list to a tortie "T', starting with SQUEEZIES!!! Not only my favorite Delectables Squeeze Ups, but also the original Inaba Churus, which I've never had before. They're AMAZING and come in so many different flavors! I'm so happy I got a sampler pack so I can pick out my faves. (Who am I kidding? I love them all!)

Funny story about the wand toy that came in the same bag as this catnip toy: Mommy didn't realize the wand was made of a springy wire, so when she pulled it from the bag it uncurled and popped me right in the nose! It tried to attack me but it's lots of fun.

Hmmm...those packing peanuts look like fun too!

I love "little" toys that I can bop around the house, and Butterfly and Peekaboo sent me a whole box full of them! Mice, balls, feathers, pom poms...so many goodies! I took a long time inspecting each one thoroughly before pulling some out to play with. Mommy has a feeling several of them will be missing before the new year!

Blurry tortie action shot...is anyone surprised?

All this loot...for ME!!! Tons of toys, treats, a warm blankie that's super soft, and Mommy got a lovely Christmas candle too!

After I got through checking everything out I was absolutely exhausted and couldn't wait to take a nap on my new blankie. Mommy and I stayed cuddled up like this on the couch until 1 AM!

We want to thank Butterfly, Peekaboo, and mom Tessie so very much for their purrfectly wonderful gifts. We couldn't have asked for a better Secret Paws!

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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 2020???

Waiting Patiently #SundaySelfie

Hi Mommy! I see you have a squeezie there. Any chance you'll be opening it soon?

Take your time. I'll be right here. Salivating.

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

Snow Queen #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. On New Year's Eve, I stay home with Mudpie.

2. My focus word for 2020 is calm.

Mudpie's answers:

3. Peace and quiet is the best thing about starting a new year. The holidays can get a bit hectic, and I for one will be happy when things get back to normal!

4. My personal goals for 2020 include staying just the way I am. You can't improve on purrfection!

Best of 2019 #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 2019. You'll notice that the majority of them are either blurry tortie shots or "you know who" photo bombing me from the background. Who wants to bet I'll be dealing with much of the same (if not more) in 2020?

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

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Meowy Christmas from Melissa & Mudpie!

We'd like to wish each and every one of our dear friends the happiest of holidays, whatever you'll be celebrating. 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.

Recreating a Twitty City Christmas #MewsicMovesMe

Last week we showed you some of our favorite cat-related Christmas decor, and we thought the final Mewsic Moves Me post before Christmas would be a great time to show our Conway Christmas displays. (Mudpie is allowing me to commandeer the blog today.)

We'll start with some mewsic, Conway's breathtaking version of the classic Silent Night...

My Conway Christmas tree...

Conway LOVED Christmas. After his home/tourist attraction Twitty City opened in 1982, it became known for the magical fantasy world he created at Christmastime. "Christmas at Twitty City" featured over a quarter million lights and 40 major displays including a live nativity.

Tragically, Twitty City closed its doors and everything was sold off in 1994 following a year-long court battle over the estate between his wife and children. Today it could be another Graceland but because of greed and an unwillingness to compromise everyone lost. My second Conway Christmas display features his little mascot the Twitty Bird in a sleigh and my brand new "Twitty City Twain," a hand-carved piece that was sold in the gift shop. It's my small attempt at recreating the magic of a Twitty City Christmas...

Something I would love to add to my collection one day is an actual Christmas decoration that was used at Twitty City. I have a copy of the estate sale guide from 1994 which listed everything that sold, so I know that lots of his Christmas displays are "out there". A quarter century has gone by since then and many of the items are changing hands once again, so I can only hope that one day something will turn up in an online auction. If I have to move furniture out of the house to make room for it, I'll do it!!! 

That last comment just earned me a stink eye from Mudpie, but if it's nothing of hers I don't see why she cares!

Santa's Little Helper #SundaySelfies

What do you mean I'm not helping????

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

Christmas 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. My holiday plans include driving around looking at Christmas lights.

2. I can’t wait to see my mom open her gift from me. She's very easy to buy for because we're so much alike.

Mudpie's answers:

3. All I want for Christmas is cases of squeezies.

4. Purring is the best way to spread holiday cheer. When Mommy is super stressed over all there is to do this time of year I hop on her lap and start purring...it's a cure all for anything!

Flashback Friday: Our Christmas Cards Through the Years...

Meows from Mudpie!

Mommy and I have been receiving so many beautiful cards from our friends in the blogosphere! The designs are all so creative and festive and they got us to thinking about our own Christmas cards through the years.

For 5 years we've had our cards designed by the amazing Ann at Zoolatry. In 2014 Mommy wanted her first official Christmas card to be a nod to her all-time favorite story, A Christmas Carol. Tiny Truffles Christmas Carol was born. Little did she know it would be Truffles' one and only Christmas card, making it all the more special to her...

In the summer of 2015 Mommy lost Truffles and by Christmas I was here but we still wanted Truffles to be a part of our card. What Ann created, little ol' me reading Tiny Truffles Christmas Carol by the fire, completely took our breath away...

2016's card was inspired by a Christmas card Mommy saw on Etsy featuring a kitty popping out of a plum pudding. She's a huge fan of all things British so we challenged Ann to recreate it, starring me of course...

In 2017 we didn't have any "big ideas" and decided on something simple, me sitting in front of a snowy window beside a stack of books and a coffee mug, just waiting for Mommy to come and cuddle...

Last year we decided on another snowy Vermont scene, this time with me sitting outside (brrrr...) on a vintage sled...

This year Mommy got adventurous and told me she wanted to design our card herself. To be perfectly honest, I was kind of worried she would end up embarrassing me terribly, but I must admit that she did a pretty good job! Those of you who participate in the cat bloggers card exchange have already seen it, and we'll be posting it here on Christmas morning!

Hope you enjoyed our walk down memory lane, and that you're having a joyous holiday season.

Our Angel Table 2019

Christmas is a time to remember those who are no longer with us, and this year will be my fifth Christmas without Truffles.

Since her portrait, paw print, and ashes rest on a table in the living room that gets moved to make room for the Christmas tree, I have to find a new spot of honor for her during the holiday season and create a special Christmas memorial area. Each year I've changed it a bit and this year I did a "winter wonderland" theme with various trees and cat glasses filled with Christmas balls.

The highlight of the table is two new pieces - a Star of Wonder votive from The Creative Cat and a battery-operated cat Christmas tree I found at HomeGoods. I may have gasped out loud when I saw it on the shelf a couple weekends ago, and heaven help anyone who may have been reaching for it the same time I was.

A photo really doesn't do justice to how beautiful it looks lit up at night...

Just below this table sits my portable air conditioner which I leave in place all year, so I decorated that too, sort of continuing the cat/tree theme...

On another note, on Monday we mailed our Secret Paws gift exchange package, and yesterday a HUGE box arrived for Mudpie. I usually make her wait until Christmas morning to open it but I told her *maybe* we can open it on Friday. She can hardly wait...and neither can I!

Four Festive Favorites #MewsicMovesMe

The theme of the Mewsic Moves Me blog hop for the month of December is Christmas music, and this week we're excited to present some of our all-time favorite Christmas classics, starting with White Christmas. It's something all of us wish for, and even here in Vermont, never guaranteed. I think it's one of the most beautiful Christmas songs ever written, and paired with Conway's voice, simply stunning.

My favorite Elvis Christmas song. If only every day was like Christmas...

This is NOT Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You. It's a completely different song by Vince Vance & the Valiants and I've loved it forever.

I guess this time of year just makes us sentimental because this song never fails to bring a tear. For some reason the Christmases of today never seem as magical as they used to be.

We hope you enjoyed our choices! Let us know if you have a favorite!

#SundaySelfie with a Wink

Morning, Mommy!

I'm just waiting for the mailman to deliver my Amazon order. While you were sleeping I took the liberty of stocking up on squeezies (Delectables Squeeze-ups...I'm honestly not getting paid for these mentions but I should be!) before Santa buys them up to deliver to all the good kitties on Christmas Eve. You wouldn't want me to run out, would you?

Don't worry, I didn't buy too many. But you might need to cut back on buying Conway collectibles for a few months... *wink*

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