Happy Halloween 2021 #CaturdayArt #SundaySelfie

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!

1. My main concern right now is my washing machine. Thursday afternoon I went down to the basement to do a load of laundry. It hadn't been used it since Sunday morning, and it was half full of water. Freak out! I bailed all the water out with a pail, did the load of laundry (not daring to leave the basement), and now I'm checking it several times a day to make sure it's still dry. Taking a "wait and see" approach is how I go through life.

2. I plan to get a Boorito at Chipotle for Halloween this year. Usually they're free if you go to the restaurant in costume, but this year they're $5 if you buy online. One of their burritos is big enough for 2 meals (for me), so SCORE!

3. If I saw a ghost, I would hope it's a friendly one.

4. This time of year, prepping for holiday decorating is a personal tradition of mine.

Festive Fanny Flashback #PetPhotoFails

Meows from Mudpie!

Thank you for joining us for this month's edition of the Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop! As is typical for October, this month has just flown by. I cannot believe Halloween is on Sunday, although truthfully we're kinda ready to start thinking about Christmas at our house. Won't be long before the tree is up!

Mommy has been nagging me all month to let her get a new tock shot for Tocktober, but I haven't been very cooperative. (What self-respecting kitty wants their little tushie splashed all over the internet, no matter how cute it is?)

We decided to go back into the archives and found an oldie but goodie, and one that covers all the bases. This picture was taken just a few days before my very first Halloween with Mommy in October 2015 after she had put together my haunted house cat scratcher from Target. It's a flashback, it's a tock shot, and it's most definitely a blurry blooper.

 That's my photo fail...let's see yours!

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Halloween Decorating 2021

Meows from Mudpie!

Remember my first Halloween when I tried to kill the freaky hip hop mummy cat that sang "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Thankfully after a couple years of him torturing me, his batteries died, and when Mommy went to replace them she found the battery compartment all corroded. She even tried cleaning it with alcohol to no avail. He's finally DEAD, but Mommy loves him and still insists on putting him out. 

She says he's protecting my squeezie stash, which proves he wants to be friends, but I don't trust him and count the packages every day. I hadn't better ever find one missing or he'll wish it was the dogs still after him!

Moving along to more of our Halloween decor, this is our Day of the Dead display. Yes, Mommy's collection of statues continues to grow. (Have you ever seen an x-ray of a momma cat expecting kittens? All you can see is little skeletons, just like this table!)

Our Halloween "cat village" consisting mainly of Lemax Spooky Town pieces...

A few stuffies. It's hard to see but some are sitting in a cat-shaped wire basket which was supposed to hold a pumpkin.

We have SO many Halloween decorations it would be impossible to use everything, so we stick to various cat-themed vignettes. Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Unboxing October's CatLadyBox

 The theme of October's CatLadyBox was the annual Black Cats Box...here's what was inside!

Featured Cat Lady Artist: Karen Obuhanych

Black Cats Rule Sweatshirt: This super soft sweatshirt shows the world that we (rightfully) view cats as royalty.

Ombre Black Cat Concrete Planter: I have a black thumb but I'll be picking up an artificial succulent for this cute planter.

Black Cat Puff Keychain: I rarely use things the way they were intended, and I plan to hang this on my Christmas tree!

Meowgical Feline Frog & Flappy Bat Cat Catnip Toys: Luckily for Mudpie she started playing with these toys right out of the box or I would've snitched them to add to my Halloween stuffie collection!

Not a subscriber yet? Visit CatLadyBox today!

Interested in purchasing individual items from past boxes? You can do that too!

Disclosure: I receive a discount on my CatLadyBox subscription as a thank you for my monthly review. Regardless of compensation received, we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers.

Hand Over the Squeezie & No One Gets Hurt #SundaySelfie

 

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

Cobwebby #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. Cuddling with Mudpie immediately improves my mood.

2. I think Hitchcock movies & TV shows are really spooky. Have I ever mentioned here that I'm a huge Hitchcock fan? Somehow I don't believe I have...

Mudpie's answers:

3. My go-to place to purchase squeezies is anywhere they're available. If a shady looking cat on the street corner was selling them I would still be in line!

4. I wish I had a magical potion for unlimited squeezies.

Thankful Thursday: Dollar Tree Delight

Meows from Mudpie!

Over the weekend Mommy was shopping at Dollar Tree and noticed this pretty pink & purple track toy. I have one of the popular 3-tiered orange ones that I got for my very first Christmas, and I still play with it to this day, so she wondered if I would be interested in a single track one.

Since it was in *my* colors and only a dollar she couldn't resist bringing it home, and it's a good thing she did, because I LOVE it!

I played with it ALL that afternoon, and every day since, several times a day, I plop down in front of it and give it a whirl. Sometimes I even get Mommy to join me and we push it back and forth to each other.

She says this proves I need a kitty playmate. I say that's just crazy talk.

I'm joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop because I'm super thankful for my fun new toy!

October Retro Country Rewind #MewsicMovesMe

It's been a couple years since we premiered our mewsic feature "Retro Country Rewind," a look back at favorite songs that hit #1 during that month from 30, 35, 40 plus years ago. This year we're delving into #1 hits from 1971, 1976, 1981, and so on. Let's take a look at October for this freebie week in the Mewsic Moves Me blog hop...

45 Years Ago - 1976, The Games That Daddies Play, Conway Twitty

45 Years Ago - 1976, You and Me, Tammy Wynette

40 Years Ago - 1981, Never Been So Loved, Charlie Pride

35 Years Ago - 1986, Always Have, Always Will, Janie Fricke

35 Years Ago - 1986, Both To Each Other, Eddie Rabbitt & Juice Newton

We hope you enjoyed our choices this week!

Let us know if you have a favorite.

I Have No Beds #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

The other morning before work Mommy grabbed a paper grocery bag to gather up some recycling, but as soon as she laid it down I hopped on top and purrfectly shaped it to fit my body.

Several days later it's still there, and I'm still napping on it.

What's a tortie to do...it's not like I have a dozen other nap spots around the house!

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

Mudpie's Journal #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!

1. House centipedes make my skin crawl. It's been so warm lately I saw another one in the back hall the other night...in mid-October!

2. I enjoy napping on the couch with Mudpie. She's the best little cuddle bug in the world.

3. I consider myself a homebody. Other than shopping (especially during the Halloween and Christmas seasons), I've never been one to enjoy social gatherings of any kind. In all honesty I avoid them like the plague, preferring to be home with my cats and collections.

4. Mudpie and other cats are not a good mix. At the shelter she even had to spend a lot of time in the office hanging out with the staff because she couldn't get along with the four-legged residents! (I'm actually rather proud of her anti-social behavior.)

Mudpie Interviews...Yoshi & Gatsby from the Petectives Mystery Series (w/Review & Giveaway)

The Rainbow Bridge is the wonderful place that pets visit after they die. Is someone planning a one-way, all-expense paid trip there for cat detectives Yoshi and Gatsby? Things are getting tense for the world’s greatest cat detectives. Wild coyotes are roaming the streets, a fast talking cat psychic claims he can speak to the dead and the neighborhood is being plagued by robberies committed by literal cat burglars. All of that is nothing compared to what might be the biggest challenge of Yoshi and Gatsby’s careers: their humans have just adopted a dog!

Before the mysteries are solved there will be a thrilling rooftop chase, encounters with animal villains and a ghostly visitation. Humor, action and mystery combine into a story that both pet lovers and mystery readers will love.

Yoshi and Gatsby of the Petectives books have stopped by to shameless plug their latest book:

Mudpie: Hi guys! It’s been awhile since you’ve visited us.

Gatsby: But now we’re back and better than ever! And Mudpie, may I say that you’re just as sweet as the dessert whose name you share.

Mudpie: Gatsby, didn’t you use that same line on Truffles the last time you were here?

Gatsby: Uh…

Mudpie: Maybe we should just stick to my questions, and not bother with old pick-up lines.

Yoshi: Fire away. I’ll do my utmost to answer while Gatsby tries to think of some new pick-up lines.

Gatsby: Hey! I should do the talking. After all, I narrate our stories.

Mudpie: You can both answer. As I was saying, it’s been awhile since you’ve been here. Can you reintroduce yourselves?

Gatsby: Absolutely. My name is Gatsby. I’m an orange, stripey cat who loves making fun of my owner, being mean to dogs and eating lasagna.

Yoshi: Wrong orange cat. You just described Garfield. You are definitely not Garfield.

Gatsby: Am I Heathcliff?

Yoshi: Not unless someone’s changed the title of our book to ‘Wuthering Heights’.

Gatsby: Is that a literary joke? Nobody’s going to get that.

Mudpie: Actually the visitors to my site are very intelligent, well-read people. I’m sure that they all got it.

Gatsby: Well that’s great but we’re not here to talk about good literature; we’re here to talk about the Petectives books. Wait, what did I just say?

Yoshi: Perhaps I can get back to Mudpie’s question. His name is Gatsby. He’s an orange cat who’s outgoing, reckless and not nearly as funny as he believes he is. My name is Yoshi. I’m an erudite black cat who enjoys books, naps and using my intellect to solve the difficulties that arise in our neighborhood. You see, Gatsby and I act as private investigators for the other pets in our area.

Mudpie: What kinds of difficulties?

Gatsby: Our neighborhood is a hotbed of animal crime! We’ve had to deal with everything from cat nappers to attempted dogicide!

Yoshi: I don’t believe that our neighborhood is any different than the average American suburb. But from time to time, mysteries crop up that we need to investigate.

Mudpie: So what mysteries crop up in your newest book?

Gatsby: Well our latest book is called Petectives: Rainbow Bridge. In it our neighborhood is being beset by cat burglars.

Mudpie: You mean some guy dressed in black who sneaks into the upper stories of buildings?

Gatsby: Nope. Actual cats are somehow getting into people’s homes and stealing premium cat food and cat toys.

Mudpie: That’s much worse.

Yoshi: Indeed. But that’s not the only problem plaguing the area. Feral coyotes also seem to be wandering our streets looking to prey on house pets. And Gatsby has an encounter with them.

Mudpie: That’s horrible!

Gatsby: It’s not all heavy. We also have to deal with an old friend of mine who’s come into town claiming that he’s a psychic and can communicate with the dead. For the right price, of course.

Mudpie: Seriously? That’s not for real, is it?

Yoshi: Ah well, that’s where we come in.

Mudpie: Well at least no one gets murdered.

Gatsby: Not at first, but you never know where these things are going to go.

Mudpie: Does someone get murdered?

Gatsby: We’re not giving out spoilers! You’re going to have buy the book to find out!

Mudpie: No I’m not. I have a review copy, I’ve already read the book. I was just trying to help generate interest.

Yoshi: And we thank you. Do you have any other questions for us?

Mudpie: Yoshi, I know that you’re a reader. Have you read any good books lately?

Yoshi: Well, I just finished Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World by Mark Aldridge. It details the history of Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective, who’s celebrating his hundredth anniversary this year. I found it to be an excellent read. Highly recommended.

Mudpie: I’ll have to check that out. Is there anything else you guys would like to say?

Gatsby: Yes. Buy Pectectives books! There’re five of them now! Collect ‘em all! Old people love them! Middle-Aged people love them! Kids love them! There’s mystery! There’s action! There’s humor! It’s sorta like a cozy mystery without any annoying humans. You all should stop reading this nonsense right now, go to Amazon and search for ‘Petectives’!

Yoshi: Hmm. I think I see why it’s been so long since we’ve been here. Thank you, Mudpie.

Mudpie: Thanks, guys.

As you can see, Mudpie really had her paws full with these guys, but we just love Yoshi and Gatsby to pieces and have ever since their very first adventure a number of years ago. Each of the cats' unique purrsonalities shines through once again as Yoshi, the brains behind the operation (who solves mysteries in between naps), and Gatsby, the impulsive risk taker who constantly finds himself in hot water, are on the case of a pair of mysteries as a gang of cat burglars have invaded their cozy little neighborhood and a face from Gatsby's past arrives claiming he can communicate with the dead. This isn't even the full extent of their problems, because even as the book begins poor Gatsby is recovering at the vet after nearly putting one paw over the Rainbow Bridge himself! 

Each and every one of the stories in the Petectives series is an absolute delight, and the best part...NO PEOPLE! If you prefer characters with fur and four legs, these are the books for you. I for one don't miss human involvement a single bit because these kitties prove they can take care of things themselves. Four paws up!!!

GIVEAWAY! The author has generously offered to give away paperback copies of Rainbow Bridge and the short story The Fourth Cat to one lucky winner. To enter, simply leave a comment below by midnight eastern one week from today, 10/21/21. (US entries only, please.)

Not Sylvester & Tweety...It's Mudpie & Twitty Bird! #MewsicMovesMe

The theme of this week's Mewsic Moves Me blog hop is "Birds! songs about birds, songs by bands or artists with bird names, songs with birds in them..."

Who knows who the little birdie is with Mudpie? It's Conway's mascot, the Twitty Bird! (NOT to be confused with Warner Brothers' Tweety Bird.) It all started in 1960 when rock deejays started referring to Conway as the "Twitty Bird." He liked it and created the cartoon character with cowboy hat, boots, and a guitar with his initials "CT" on it. In 1970 he even changed the name of his band from The Lonely Blue Boys to The Twitty Birds!

Not only does the name of Conway's band fit this week's theme, this song from his 1983 Merry Twismas album is partly sung by the Twitty Bird and tells the story of how all his little birdie friends celebrate Christmas...

A few other songs about birds from my two favorite genres, country and '50s rock...

We hope you enjoyed our choices this week!

Let us know if you have a favorite.

Oven Door #SundaySelfies

Meows from Mudpie!

My selfies this week were taken in a pretty strange place. Mommy doesn't use our oven very often. Most nights she uses the toaster oven or microwave for dinner, so she stores the pots and pans she uses the most in the oven for easy access. Some nights when I'm in the kitchen with her and hear the oven door open, I like to hop up and sit on it.

Is that weird?

Mommy knows this isn't the safest habit for me to have, but she NEVER has the stove on when I'm there or allows me up if there's any chance the stove is still warm from already being used. And it's an electric stove with the knobs on top so there's no danger of my accidentally turning anything on.

Nobody wants a singed Mudpie!

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

The Wonders of Halloween #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 wish I could train Mudpie to scoop her litter box. To be clear, scooping the litter box does NOT bother me at all. It drives me crazy when I hear people complaining about it. I always want to remind them one day that precious cat will be gone and you'll miss doing it. But Mudpie is relentless about scratching after she's gone potty, even scratching at the nearby furnace vent, so it would be a lot easier if she could just scoop it herself instead of waiting for me to come do it!

2. I am planning to get a Gone with the Wind calendar for my mom for Christmas. She must have at least 20 consecutive years in her collection now. (Thankfully the calendars are still be produced, unlike Hallmark who discontinued their GWTW ornament line thanks to cancel culture.)

Mudpie's answers:

3. I know it’s time to have a squeezie when we get up in the morning, Mommy comes home from work, and at bedtime. I have half of one each time...some days I manage to con her with my cuteness and get an extra :) 

4. I felt brave when I accidentally ran out the front door years ago. Then I realized I wasn't in my house, freaked out, and ran right back in.

My Cat Is Blue by Sarah Sommer: Blog Tour with Book Review and Giveaway

Book Details:
Book Title: My Cat Is Blue by Sarah Sommer
Category: Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7), 36 pages
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Mascot Books
Release date: October 2021
Format: Print - Hardback USA
Tour dates: October 5 to October 18
Content Rating: G - Children's picture book featuring feelings of sadness and grief (loss of a pet), but no explicit content or language.

 

When someone you love is feeling down in the dumps, you try everything to help. But sometimes, you don't have the cure, and those blues can even become contagious. It just might be the unexpected that allows you both to shed your blues and move toward a bright and colorful future.

Gold-medal winner at the Mom's Choice Awards, My Cat Is Blue features rhymes, illustrations that evolve from grayscale to full color, and a story of pet loss that examines grief from the viewpoints of those directly affected by it and those in supporting roles.

This is one of the sweetest children's books I've ever had the pleasure of holding in my hands.

The little girl in the story is worried about her feline friend. He's stopped enjoying his favorite treats and toys. In fact, he seems to have stopped enjoying life. The family takes their beloved pet to the vet, where they discover what the problem is and find a remedy that makes everyone feel better.

The loss of a pet makes a profound impact on every single member of a family: adults, children, and other animals in the home. That's what makes a book like this so important, to help kids understand that it's okay to be sad, how to deal with that emotion in themselves and in those they love, and to realize that they will find joy again. The story written in rhyme is comforting, and the use of color in the illustrations to reflect the transition of emotions is incredibly clever.

This is a book that belongs on every child's bookshelf. It's one that can also help adults begin to heal during difficult times.

Meet the Author:

Sarah Sommer is an award-winning children's picture book author who blends her love for music, animals, and positivity in her books. Having trained in classical music and performed internationally as a professional clarinetist, rhymes and lyrics are an important part of her writing style. She is an advocate for animals, as seen in her work fostering German shepherds, and as a result, animals are always a central part of her stories. Sarah aims to include encouraging themes, such as helping others, in all of her narratives because we all need a little help sometimes.

connect with the author: ​website ~ facebook ~ goodreads ~ instagram 

MY CAT IS BLUE Book Tour Giveaway

I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours.

Fun Feline Finds for Halloween from Etsy

Meows from Mudpie!

Over the past week Mommy has been pulling out some of our Halloween decorations. Even though she already has more than she could ever use she's always looking for more, and one of her favorite places to shop for Halloween goodies is Etsy. There are so many creative people out there creating pawsome kitty items, and we thought we'd share some of our favorite finds (for both humans and cats) with you today!

Halloween Cat Candles

Black Cat Halloween Suncatcher

Salem Sanctuary For Wayward Cats Ferals and Familiars Welcome Poster

Black Cat Garden Gnome

Hocus Pocus Catnip Toys

Death By Catnip & Silvervine Sticks

Glow in the Dark Halloween Kicker

Day of the Dead Flannel Cat Bed

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

Sweet-Talking Santa #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

By now I'm sure you've heard about (or witnessed first hand walking into your local stores) the current supply chain crisis. I've been getting more and more worried about my squeezie supply and decided to take matters into my own paws.

You know how much I love snuggling up with the stuffies on Mommy's bed, and this small Santa is one of my favorites. I've been spending lots of time lately sweet talking him, reminding him that I've been a really good girl this year and it might be a good idea to stock up on my Christmas prezzies early before they all sell out.

Can't hurt, right?

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