Happy 20th Birthday Buddy Budd!!!!!

We don't usually make birthday cards (because we don't want to make people feel bad if we don't get a chance to make them for their kitties), but since Buddy Budd and Cody are good pals, he INSISTED that I help he and Dakota make a card to celebrate Buddy Budd's 20th birthday!!

So, since I have Yoga today and wasn't sure if I could get us to visit Buddy Budd's blog in time to wish him an extra special happy birthday, I decided to post here just in case!
Enjoy your day you cutie!! HAPPY HAPPY 20th!!!

This photo was stolen without purrmission from their blog. You can stop by and wish Buddy Budd a Happy 20th here!!! 

Help BOBS, Skechers and The Petco Foundation Create a Better World For Pets "Love Changes Everything"

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I first learned about this initiative on the blog of our friends over at Wag 'N Woof Pets. When I saw the dog sneakers  and the dog slippers they posted on their blog I KNEW I had to check these items out!. So happy I did! (If you click on the links above, Jan from Wag 'N Woof Pets may receive a commission from Amazon. I am NOT affiliated with Amazon in any way and will earn nothing if you click on her link or any other links in this blog post.) I did attempt to get a pair of Skechers shoes with dogs on them, but the pair that I wanted were not available (Amazon told me they would email me when they become available) I did purchase the cat items that you will be seeing below. 

WHEN YOU PURCHASE BOBS, SKECHERS

WILL MAKE A DONATION

TO HELP SAVE THE LIVES

OF CATS AND DOGS

After reading Jan's post, (it is often through other bloggers that we find the most interesting and "must-have" items, isn't it?)  and reading the above, how could I NOT make a purchase? I am always on the prowl for darling and well-made cat/dog items and Bobs from Skechers surpassed my expectations! 

Those of you that have met me in person, know that I collect unusual sneakers. I have a purple pair of Batman sneakers that I have worn for YEARS (that were featured in a photo at a blogging conference), and I have a pair of emerald green glitter sneakers. When I saw the sneakers below I KNEW they would be joining my collection soon!

Skechers Women's Beach Bingo-Alley Cat Scrunch Back Sneaker

The color in this photo is NOT doing these shoes justice! They are the most adorable and COMFORTABLE sneakers that I own. You can choose to tie the laces (or not), it is totally up to you. Even the BOTTOMS of these shoes are darling!

See what I mean? Too cute! I wear a 7 and a half (but my feet are on the wide side since I have gotten older), so I ordered a size up to an 8. They fit PURRFECTLY!!

I also ordered:

Skechers Women's Too Cozy-Cuddled Up Slipper

The quality of these slippers is just fantastic! (I  ordered a size up on these. I normally wear a 7 and a half but I ordered an 8). They are cozy, warm, offer support, are comfortable and I love those soles for if I happen to have to run outside (which translates to taking Dakota to go potty), if I have my slippers on. No need to take them off!

Both of my items came snuggled up in their boxes with this DARLING packing paper:

and they even threw in some stickers! 

In my 10 years of blogging I can honestly say that these two purchases that I made as a result of a recommendation  from another blogger, are right up there on my list of favorite pet items that I have purchased. 

To be completely candid I would have purchased the sneakers and the slippers even if BOBS from Skechers didn't make a donation to the Petco Foundation, but the fact that they do is icing on the cake! Especially since Cody was adopted from a Petco adoption drive in 2007!!

I want to thank Jan for blogging about BOBS, Skechers to begin with, otherwise I wouldn't own those darling sneakers and slippers, and if I were you, I would grab a pair or two of these darling items today!

Chinese New Year Art by Maggie Swanson: The Year of the Rat (Or Cute Mousies, Whatever You Want to Call Them!!)

Hi dear furiends and Happy Chinese New Year! The year 2020 in the Chinese Zodiac is the Year of the Rat.

What a wonderful surprise I received about a week ago when I opened the mail. Inside was a lovely card from our dear furiend and most talented illustrator, Maggie Swanson.

Look at the front of this darling and charming card:

Courtesy of Maggie Swanson

Oh those eyes! Those cheeks! It is also a gray tabby cat like Cody! Maggie's illustrations are some of the most charming I have ever seen. 

About Maggie from her website:

When I was a little girl, we lived in an apartment over our grocery store. My parents sold the basics: canned goods, bread, milk and eggs, fresh vegetables and meat. Customers sat talking to my father while he filled their orders. Sometimes they read to me or we colored pictures together. I spent a lot of time in my nest under the penny candy counter, drawing pictures and sneaking an occasional piece of candy when the coast was clear. I can't remember when I decided to become an artist. It was all I ever really wanted to do.

After graduation from Rhode Island School of Design, I spent three years at Hallmark Cards. In college I learned about drawing and painting and dreaming. Hallmark taught me to start and finish a job in a timely and professional manner. After that, I started my freelance career, and have illustrated over 100 children's books for many different publishers.

Now I live in Connecticut, USA with my husband Rick and our cats Mickey Mouser and Rufus the Red, and In my spare time I like to read, garden, and volunteer at PAWS, my local animal shelter. I also photograph and keep a blog about the shelter cats that I meet there. 

We can't thank Maggie enough for taking the time to think of us and for sending us this darling card. Hoping it brings us some good luck! Take a look at the back:

If you were born in the years: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 or 2020. Your symbol in the Chinese Zodiac is the Rat.

Looking at the darling illustrations above you can see why I chose to say it could also be the year of the cute mousey. Those little rats are too precious!!

Did You Know:

• The Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival
• There is no set date for the Chinese New Year. The dates range from January 21st to February 20th. 
• The most Fireworks in the world are set off that night!
• No showering, sweeping or throwing out garbage is allowed
• You eat dumplings for every meal, every day!

Click To learn more interesting facts/myths, etc., about the Chinese New Year 

I think we may just have to go out to dinner tonight to a nice Chinese Restaurant to celebrate!

Thanks again to sweet Maggie and be sure to click to see all of the precious, adoptable kitties that she features on her blog regularly. 

We love you Maggie!

Happy Year of the Rat all!!!! 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Wordless Wednesday #NationalHatDay

CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NATIONAL HAT DAY

Bird Watching HQ (Fun for your You and Your Cat!)

Disclosure: I received information about this website via email and received no financial compensation for sharing this info.

I was contacted via email by Scott who is an avid Bird Lover and has created live cams that he posts on YouTube. He has  two cams that are located about 100 feet from the back of his  house. He uses them to help show which food and feeders that he is currently using. They are also extremely entertaining to watch the birds and mammals with the HD security camera!

I have often Googled bird videos for Cody to watch on my phone (yep he watches them on my phone and loves them!) so when I received the email from Scott I thought you might find his channel entertaining for you as well as your kitties!  




Scott says he  watches birds/animals because it is fun and he wants to inspire people to attract wildlife in their backyard.





Like what you see? You can subscribe to Bird Watching HQ for free on YouTube to entertain your kitties! You can also visit the Bird Watching HQ website

Allbreed Cat Fanciers Association Cat Show January 25 & 26 (Michigan)

New Year"s Eve Outtakes!

Hi furiends!! Just wanted to share a few outtakes from the New Year!

Of course there were two kitties in attendance (but not Cody) these are his cousins:the white one is "Mimi" who is my granddaughter's favorite. The other super cuddly kitty is "Little Meow" they were making themselves at home on my Gordon Foods bag.

and...there were humans! Lenny and my oldest "bonus" daughter aren't in these photos but my youngest "bonus" daughter, her husband (my son-in-law),  and my granddaughter are! (Oh and excuse me and my old looking self!). A great time was had by all! Lenny and I brought in Chinese and a birthday cake for Jon (his birthday was January 3rd). I also bought the leis, tiaras, etc. at Walgreens. Fun times!!

Our granddaughter brings us more joy than I ever thought imaginable!!! And....we have a SECOND granddaughter on the way who will make her debut in June 2020!!!


Wonder if she will be a kitty lover too?

So how did YOU ring in the New Year! Let us know in the comments below!!

First Sun Puddle of 2020

The first day of January brought us temps in the 40s, snow on the ground and beautiful sunshine! Plenty to enjoy the first sunpuddle of 2020!

May your year be FULL of beautiful sunpuddles!! 

A New Year...A New Start! Welcome 2020!!!

Happy, Healthy, New Year dear friends!!