holidays

Typing With Wet Paws: Storm Saves Christmas Edition

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Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. My tree is up, but not in the way we expected. Let me explain.

I was originally going to call this post “Shingle Bells” because the reason Mama Anna did not blog last week was because she came down with a (thankfully mild) case of shingles and was not up to blogging. She is feeling somewhat better now. It’s a process. Anyway, back to the tree. Yesterday, Mama Anna felt better enough to put up the tree. We actually have two trees for the people, one rose gold and one regular tree colored. Mama Anna went into the closet where things were, and found the box with the lights and the box with the rose gold tree and the ornaments, but surprise–there was no tree stand.

This presented a problem. Aunt Linda offered to get another small tree the next day. Mama Anna reminded her that separately sold tree stands exist. Then she had an idea. She did have a backup Christmas tree (the humans deduced that the green one was in storage) – my pink one. Aunt Linda sometimes thinks Papa doesn’t like pink, but he says she is mistaken; he does. Anyway, he loved the tree and only wanted a few ornaments plus the white lights on the tree. Which is what Mama Anna did and now they all agree that the smaller tree is more in scale with where it is.

It looks kind of like this. I found the AI.

Don’t worry about me, though, because I was happy to help, and Mama Anna had a backup-bakup Christmas tree. Now there is a small bottle brush tree on her desk, with some fake snow and gold ball ornaments on it. That’ll do. In other news, Papa bought the whole family a soft fuzzy blanket that came in a box and guess what, I got the box.

Now let’s check in on the boys over at Aunt Melva’s house and see how their preparations are going so far:


Yeah, the tree had all these dangling things hanging off, but we fixed that.
Murphy Christmas and Happy Olliedays!

Looks like things are going according to plan over there. Good job, boys.

Mama Anna is feeling better. Not one hundred percent yet, but it is perfect weather for snuggling under a blanket with a feline friend and getting some extra naptime. It seems to be working so far. She should be back up in fighting trim by the end of the week. That gives her plenty of time to finish Christmas shopping and maybe even blog about her holiday notebook.

Okay, that’s about it for this week. How are things shaping up for you?

Headbonx, Storm

Cozy Winter Nights: Holiday Traditions and Comforts

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Today is bright, clear, and cold. I am writing stream of consciousness today, so we may be in for a wild ride. Lately, I have been watching 1970s/80s Afterschool Specials on You Tube. I stinking loved those back in the day, and it’s fun to revisit them, as well as catch the ones I didn’t get to see. Not any holiday themed so far, but it’s doing the right thing to help the holiday spirit.

Sometime this weekend, we will be putting up our Christmas trees. There will be two this year, one in the kitchen, which will be the tree, and one in the office, on my desk, which will be Storm’s. Unbreakable ornaments only, and it is okay if she wants to knock it over. It’s one of the big reasons we are doing it this year. The other one is that I have always wanted a pink tree, and my desk is the perfect place to put it.

We technically have a third option, a tabletop rose gold tree, but Real Life Romance Hero and Housemate are voting in favor of the traditional tree-colored tree, and we have a cozy apartment. IF Housemate were to have a tree in her room, she would want a white one, with blue ornaments. Maybe a white tree with black and orange ornaments would be more Storm-accurate, but pink with pastel will do. I will share pictures when they are up and lit.

No matter when we put up the trees, I do have two strings of lights that need to go up somewhere, as I like having fairy lights around all the time. In the winter nights, being cozy under a warm, weighted blanket, in the dark but for the lights, with a hot beverage and eBook, audiobook, or paper book with book light, is something special. Feline companion is of course a must. If she can get a belly rub out of it, so much the better.

Right now, I am also planning on getting some seasonal flavors into the house, as well as scents. Our current wax melts are pumpkin pie, with a pine tree scented candle for added atmosphere. I’ve always loved the holiday season, and this year, I feel like leaning into it more than usual, so I am steering into that skid. Anyone with sugar free hot chocolate recommendations, feel free to drop them in the comment section. Cinnamon, eggnog, gingerbread, sugar cookies, anything Real Life Romance Hero cooks, for savory additions. I may try baking some of those sugar cookies, as it’s a core memory of special time with my mom when I was little.

There’s also the reading aspect of things. I am craving historical romance in the holiday spirit. Though I am not much of a nineteenth century person, I remember snapping up the Signet Regency Christmas anthologies the second they hit the shelves, back when I worked in a bookstore. I’m guessing Kindle Unlimited may be my place to do that in the here and now. Actually, a post with my favorite holiday romance recommendations might be fun. I’ll make a note of that.

What are you doing to prepare for your favorite winter holiday?

as always, Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: Post-Thanksgiving Edition

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Tails up, Storm Troopers. I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. Normally, I like to post on Caturdays, but this was a holiday week, with first Thanksgiving and then Black, White, and Orange Friday (where prices are lower so people can afford more and better treats for their Calico cats. I guess other colors, too.) Anyway, I’m here now, and Mama Anna will blog later in the week, then I will be back on Caturday.

sleepy kitty

OK. Thanksgiving first. We had a good day over here. Papa cooked. He used to do that for monies, so it’s good when he cooks. I assume. I am not allowed to eat people food. I did get gushy food, though, so win. The people liked the food, though, which was kind of the point. Papa crashed the next day. Mama crashed the day after that. I like when the humans crash, because the big bed is nice. There are a lot of pillows, and a weighted blanket with a fuzzy cover. The best best time is when Mama Anna and Papa are both in bed and then I can get between them and it is cozy.

Before I go any further, this just in from my compatriots, Murphy and Oliver, who live with Aunt Melva:


We helped Mom decorate, then tried to eat the plastic pumpkins. We are hoping you and your family, especially Storm, had a great Thanksgiving.

–Murphy and Oliver

Thanks, boys. We totally did. We also had snow that day and the day after, which made Mama Anna super happy. She loves snow.

Okay, back to me. Mama Anna is leaning hard into the holiday season, which is another phase of her superpowers. She is currently looking for a soft (I think she means stuffed) star in gold or maybe yellow, to put on the top of my tent, which is where I work when we are at her desk. She also wants to put up some fairy lights in different places, the family Christmas tree, and then there is a new development for this year.

The new development is that I get my own tree this year. I have had a different experience from most kitties when it comes to Christmas trees. I was super young when I lived with my first human, Mama D, and don’t remember what we did for winter holidays. My first Christmas with Mama Anna, we visited family, and there was a tree, but there were also a lot of moving boxes so I could not get to the tree and wasn’t allowed unsupervised in that room anyway. (sheesh, hide inside one recliner one time, and suddenly you’re a flight risk) We have trees here, but they are small ones and on a table that is set up so I can’t get to it. The humans call that “cat-proofed.”

my tree-to-be

This tree will probably be on Mama Anna’s desk, and I am allowed to investigate, even knock it over if that’s what I want to do. Maybe I will, and maybe I will completely ignore it. Because cat.

Anyway, Mama Anna is eager to get the final things together to publish A Heart Most Errant. After that, she gets to start on A Heart Most Ardent. Probably the same time, Mama Anna and Aunt Melva (with help from the boys and me) will be working on one final pass on Drama King and then start the publishing process for that.

How did your holiday go?

headbonx, Storm