Dad came home from rehab on February 4th, but over the past week has been showing signs of decline again, so back to the hospital we went. After running a lot of tests the doctors think they know what's going on, but still aren't 100% sure yet.
Yesterday afternoon I met with a case worker at the hospital and told her about everything that's been going on for nearly 3 months now. Since I'm an only child she asked what I had for a support system. I told her we had extended family, some close friends and neighbors, but that first and foremost my beloved cat was my support system, and it's 100% true. When I'm home I just want to stay curled up with her and not move.
If it wasn't for this precious, perfect angel, I don't think I would still be standing at this point. Mudpie shouldn't have to carry so much on her little shoulders either, but as I tell her every day, we'll get through this nightmare together.
As we reach the end of February, the month of love, I hope Mudpie knows how much I worship the ground her paws walk on. I think she does.
Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!
And now our weekly answers (all answered by Mommy this week) for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!
1. An item discontinued that I want brought back is Pro Plan's lamb flavored treats. They were Mudpie's favorites. I noticed yesterday at PetSmart that Pro Plan now has lamb flavored dry food, but I don't want to spend nearly $20 for a 3 pound bag if I don't know for sure. Why don't pet food companies offer sample sizes???
2. I would sleep in until noon every day if I could.
3. It’s almost time for ???, and I can’t wait. The holidays are always what I look forward to most, and now with mom gone, will likely never feel quite the same ever again.
4. The '80s were the good old days. The years when I was a carefree little girl, not to mention the fact that the world seemed more normal.
Thank you for joining us for this month's edition of the Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop! And thank you all SO much for the love and support you've shown since my grandma's passing. We miss her SO much.
Many times on our blooper posts we get sweet comments from you guys saying that I'm just so gosh darned cute that my photo fails aren't nearly as bad as we think they are. Which is true. But I don't think even my over-the-top adorableness can salvage these...
Those are my bloopers...let's see yours!
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When a beat-up suitcase full of bones washes up by the pier, the residents of the quaint resort town of Mermaid Bay are whipped into a hurricane-sized frenzy over the gruesome find in the middle of their Christmas in July festivities. The holly-jolly mood retreats like the tide, with everyone wondering who was in the suitcase.
Christmas shoppe owner, Jade Hicks, wades into the fracas when voodoo dolls and mysterious notes and posters about impending doom start popping up all over town, threatening to destroy the economy of a community that lives and dies by tourist dollars. Then tensions crest when the prickly bookstore owner is found strangled to death with a string of holiday lights.
Jade and her French bulldog Chloe, have to solve the crime before anyone else gets hurt, and her business and the festival are forever tainted.
Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones is the first in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries cozy series.
Character Guest Post by Neville the Devil Cat
Hi, y’all, I’m Neville. I’m a black and white tuxedo cat who’s in charge of security at ‘Tis the Season, a Christmas store in the beach town of Mermaid Bay, Virginia. I moved in with the current owner’s grandmother, and I’ve been at the store ever since. There are about three hundred Christmas trees in the store, and it’s my job to keep the vermin and the riff raff out. It’s a 24 x 7 gig. And I have to be vigilant.
The current owner is Jade Hicks, and she’s been great for the store. She works all the time to come up with events and promotions to keep people shopping. I like Jade. Her only flaw is hanging out with that chubby white French Bulldog named Chloe. She thinks she owns the place. I had to set her straight on day one. She’s loud, obnoxious, and she tears through the store like it’s a racetrack. Some creatures have no couth. And she slobbers, snores, and steals snacks. Some days, I’m not sure why I put up with her. She even calls me Neville the Devil Cat every chance she gets. I’ll show her. I’m the Mouser in Chief.
Summer (besides Christmas) is our favorite season. Thousands of tourist flock to the tiny town and visit the store. All was going well until Jade and Chloe found a beat-up suitcase full of bones washed up by Suggs’s pier, and the residents of my quaint little town were whipped into a hurricane-sized frenzy over the gruesome find in the middle of our Christmas in July festivities. The holly jolly mood retreated like the tide with everyone wondering who was in the suitcase, and the town’s gossip grapevine revved up into overdrive.
I thought that the bag of bones was the worst that could happen during our Christmas in July festivities. Boy, was I wrong. A fracas broke out when voodoo dolls and mysterious notes and posters about impending doom start popping up all over town, threatening to destroy our tourism trade. Every business in a beach community lives and dies by tourist dollars.
Then something really horrible happened. Jade found her friend, the town’s prickly bookstore owner, strangled to death with a string of holiday lights behind the hotdog shack. I had to help Jade solve the mystery before anyone else got hurt and our town’s reputation was ruined.
Sticks and Stones and a Bag of Bones is the first in the Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries cozy series. Jade and the gang will also appear in Twinkle Twinkle Au Revoir (2024) and A Tisket A Tasket, Not Another Casket (2025).
About the Author:
Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.
Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass.
She is a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Sisters in Crime – Chessie, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.
Early yesterday morning I lost the most important person in my life, my best friend, my confidant, my mom.
We were so connected, so much alike, that we could finish each other's sentences. With one look we knew what the other was thinking. People even said we sounded the same on the phone.
We shared an intense passion for cats, Christmas, and collecting. We would go shopping and pick out the exact same things. Over the past year mom wasn't able to shop with me anymore, but it was always so much fun to bring home my latest "finds" for her to enjoy.
There hasn't been a single day in my 45 years that we didn't talk, either in person or on the phone. I shared everything with her, good and bad. Already at least 10 things have happened that made me think, "wait till I tell mom that..." and then it hits me that I can't, and I won't be able to ever again. That's a fact I can't even wrap my head around yet. Just as hard is thinking of things I forgot to tell her, or put off telling her over the past couple weeks until she felt better.
I love you mom, and I already miss you so much I can hardly stand it. Many people have told me that you're in a better place, that you're no longer in pain, and that may be true, but it doesn't stop me from aching to have you back here with me.
I'll be sure to give Mudpie a hundred extra kisses for you each day, because I know you adored her just as much as she adored you. I don't think I would be able to get through this without her.
You've been reunited with our beloved cats at the Rainbow Bridge, and that brings me the most comfort of all.
This Mutts cartoon warms my heart and brings a lump to my throat. When I saw it on Facebook earlier this week I loved it so much that I printed it out to use as a bookmark.
I can say without a moment's hesitation, this is one regret I've never had with any of my cats. They have all gotten as many kisses as than they can handle.
It's a wonder Mudpie doesn't have bald spots from the number of kisses she gets each day.
Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is:
Post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (They may be silly or cute).
(And the 2014 Sprint Cup Champion's car at that...just sayin'.)
It's no secret that Mommy is serious about her NASCAR. The Daytona 500 is next Sunday and she is ecstatic, although this year's race will be quite bittersweet as it will be our favorite driver's last. Kevin Harvick is retiring at the end of the season. Even though Kevin has earned his retirement, Mommy is heartbroken, and race season will likely never be the same at our house.
Since she always calls my zoomies the "running of the Mudpie 500" I decided to start hosting an annual giveaway to celebrate this national holiday in our house and to make it fun for me and my friends too!
For a chance to win, simply leave a comment predicting the winning driver by midnight eastern on Sunday, February 19th. Don't forget to leave your email address too! We'll be giving away a $10 PetSmart gift card so my pals of all species can purr-ticipate!
In the event that more than one of you pick the winning driver, we will draw a name from a hat. If no one picks the winning driver, we will move on to second place, etc., until a winner is chosen.
Here are your driver choices:
#1 - Ross Chastain
#2 - Austin Cindric (W)
#3 - Austin Dillon (W)
#4 - Kevin Harvick (W)
#5 - Kyle Larson
#6 - Brad Keselowski
#7 - Corey LaJoie
#8 - Kyle Busch
#9 - Chase Elliott
#10 - Aric Almirola
#11 - Denny Hamlin (W)
#12 - Ryan Blaney
#13 - Chandler Smith (i) (N)
#14 - Chase Briscoe
#15 - Riley Herbst (i)
#16 - A. J. Allmendinger
#17 - Chris Buescher
#19 - Martin Truex Jr.
#20 - Christopher Bell
#21 - Harrison Burton
#22 - Joey Logano (W)
#23 - Bubba Wallace
#24 - William Byron
#31 - Justin Haley
#34 - Michael McDowell (W)
#36 - Zane Smith (i) (N)
#38 - Todd Gilliland
#41 - Ryan Preece
#42 - Noah Gragson (R)
#43 - Erik Jones
#45 - Tyler Reddick
#47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
#48 - Alex Bowman
#50 - Conor Daly (N)
#51 - Cody Ware
#54 - Ty Gibbs (R)
#62 - Austin Hill (i) (N)
#67 - Travis Pastrana (N)
#77 - Ty Dillon
#78 - B. J. McLeod
#84 - Jimmie Johnson (W) (N)
#99 - Daniel Suárez
Here's the thing about the Daytona 500: it's a total crap shoot so you don't need to know a thing about racing in order to predict a winner. It's known as a "restrictor plate race" which limits speed and increases safety, to provide an equal level of competition. The cars all run in crazy scary packs and winning is more a matter of luck than anything.
Back in 2007 our driver Kevin Harvick won the race. My grandpa's boss at the time stood to win $1,000 if Mark Martin won, and Martin was leading until the last turn of the last lap when Kevin came from 7th place to win by fractions of a second. It was a thrilling finish, but grandpa never told his boss that Kevin was our driver! Check it out:
Good luck, have fun, and may the best man Kevin Harvick win!!!
The theme of January's CatLadyBox was Purrfect Morning...here's what was inside!
Featured Cat Lady Artist: Eva Farb
Be Pawesome Sweatshirt:
I'm always very happy when a sweatshirt is the featured shirt in my CatLadyBox because I live in them this time of year.
Purrfect Morning Mug:
I'm not a morning person - at all - but this mug puts a smile on my face when I make my coffee!
Cat Notebooks:
One can never have too many cat-themed notebooks, and I love the size and fun designs on the 3 in this set.
Paw Pom Beanie & Dandy Lion Catnip Toys:
Mudpie is absolutely NUTS about the beanie hat toy. She's been playing with it and licking it constantly. She generously gave the sweet little lion to her grandma as a get well gift, because her grandma's astrological sign is Leo the Lion and she has a small collection of stuffed lions.
(The Kicken' Candy Cane and "Gingpurrbread" Man toys we bought extra for our Christmas decor.)
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.
Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!
And now our weekly answers (all answered by Mommy this week) for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!
1. I enjoy making quesadillas and pizzas.
2. I can't stop worrying.
3. I need to figure out a time to take my Christmas tree down before much longer. With everything going on with my parents I just haven't had the energy. The ornaments are off, and the white lights look pretty for winter.
4. I may not like crowds, but I do love going shopping before Christmas.
Just like previous years Mommy wasn't planning on a Valentine's Day gift guide but I talked her into it by reminding her of all the cool things we find on Etsy! We've broken our picks down into gifts for cats and gifts for cat moms, so there's a little something for everybody!
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, I get a little money for my piggy bank so I can buy something special for Mommy on Valentine's Day!
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