ELLIE:  Mr. Waffles, did you know that this is my THIRD Christmas with you and Glogirly and Gloman?!

WAFFLES:  THREE?! I didn't even know you could count that high, Ellie. So you know what three means, right?

ELLIE:  Three? I don't know, Mr. Waffles. I thought it just meant, you know, three.

WAFFLES:  It means you're supposed to get me THREE presents. 

ELLIE:  But Mr. Waffles, Glogirly's been telling me that it's not about the presents. Or the the treats. Or the toys. 

WAFFLES:  Well yeah, it's about being with the people and cats you love and stuff. Your family. Your friends. But that doesn't mean there can't be presents. 

ELLIE:  But isn't me being here with you present enough? 

WAFFLES:  Well, sure...but I was king of thinking freeze dried salmon, feather wand toys, and catnip mice and stuff might be nice too.

ELLIE:  Mr. Waffles, as long as I have you, as long as I have Glogirly and Gloman, well...I have everything. 

WAFFLES:  That totally sounds like something Katie would have said. 

ELLIE:  You mean Katie, the Boss? Does that mean I get to be boss now?!

WAFFLES:  I love you too, Ellie. But I wouldn't push it. 

Merry, Merry! Happy, Happy!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! This is our last blog post before Christmas so though it's a few days early, we want to wish you the most beautiful of holidays.

Thank you for letting us into your inboxes and hearts all these years. You're like family to us. And for us, that's what Christmas is all about. Family and friends and love. We also want to share our wishes with those that are alone this holiday season, missing someone they love, struggling, or sad. Please know that you are in our hearts and never alone. 

Love, 

Waffles, Ellie Belly, Glogirly, and Gloman

Santa Paws and His List

ELLIE:  Mr. Waffles! I'm so excited for Santa Paws I can hardly wait!

WAFFLES:  Well are you sure you made the right list. 

ELLIE:  Well duh...I sent him a list of what I want like forever ago.

WAFFLES:  That's not the list I'm talking about, Ellie. 

ELLIE:  Huh? Whaddaya mean, Mr. Waffles?

WAFFLES:  What I mean is did are you on Santa's naughty or nice list.

ELLIE:  He keeps a LIST???

WAFFLES:  Yup. He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good. 

ELLIE:  So YOU better be good, Mr. Waffles. For goodness sake!

WAFFLES:  Who, ME???

About Today's Photos

Ellie and Waffles know something is up, what with all the sparkly lights and ornaments. Oh, and Waffles incredible shrinking Santa suit. Waffles definitely manages to get into orange-mancat-mischief on a regular basis, but nothing that would ever land him on Santa's naughty list. And Ellie is the perfect little girl-cat. Not a naughty fur on her sweet head. Santa Paws, a.k.a. Glogirly (Waffles knows...but don't tell Ellie!) has a couple of surprises up her sleeve. It won't be long, but for now her lips are sealed! 

Waffles and His Ever-Shrinking Santa Suit

 

WAFFLES:  So are you ready, Ellie??

ELLIE:  Ready for what, Mr. Waffles?

WAFFLES:  Well Glogirly put that Christmas collar on you, so that should be your first clue that she's getting ready for the big man in the red suit.

ELLIE: Don't you mean big CAT in the red suit?

WAFFKES:  Whaddya mean, BIG CAT in the red suit?

ELLIE:  I don't know, but your red suit is looking kind of...well...small-ish. 

WAFFLES:  It's not small-ish. I've been working out. 

ELLIE:  Um...it kind of looks like your food dish has been working out, Mr. Waffles. 

We're Getting Ready!

Now that the Thanksgiving dust has settled, it's time to get ready for one of our favorite holidays. Glogirly's hanging our stockings with care and hanging the pretty glass ornaments way up high in the air. We're looking forward to a quiet Christmas in the mountains, but that doesn't mean we won't be making it look all sparkly. Glogirly remembers decorating the house for the holidays with her mom when she was young, so every time she pulls out the decorations from storage, it's a nostalgic trip back in time for her.

Ellie and Waffles are always happy to help!

 

The Office Cats are Slacking!

 

ELLIE:  Hey, Mr. Waffles! Is it time to go back to work yet? I don't want to be late. 

WAFFLES:  Yeah, I'm a little busy, Ellie. 

ELLIE:  But how will Gloman get any of his work done without us?! We're his purrsonal office assistants, you know. 

WAFFLES:  I'm sure he'll manage. Besides, what do you actually do all day in the office? Don't you just sleep?

ELLIE:  Well yeah, but still. He needs me. 

About Today's Photos & Glogirly's Latest Skiing Update

Sweet Ellie is THE most devoted office assistant ever. Gloman has a pretty sweet home office set up, as do Ellie and Waffles. There's always a cushy chair and lots of sunbeams. Ellie is rarely late for the start of her day. Waffles has more of a tendency to saunter in on his own schedule. 

Today's photos have both Ellie and Waffles hanging out in the bedroom though. Obviously slacking from their daily duties. Too much lounge time over Thanksgiving and they probably don't even realize it's Monday. 

Meanwhile on the Slopes...

It's still very early-season, but Glogirly is already getting out on the snow as much as she can. She'll be volunteering again this year with Ignite Adaptive Sports and has a number of training clinics she'll be attending this December. Ski like a girl!

A Special Thanksgiving Conversation - Remembering Katie

As we look forward to the Thanksgiving this week, we're reminded of how many friends, family, and blessings we are so very grateful for. It's hard to think about all the special people and animals in our lives without thinking of our dear Katie. This will be our third Thanksgiving without her, but she lives on in our hearts every day. Somehow she always inspired us to see the world in a meaningful way. Today's blog post is one of our favorite conversations between Katie and Waffles. Thank you for being such an important part of our lives. 

"Thankful"

KATIE:  It's Thanksgiving this week, Waffles. What are you thankful for this year?

WAFFLES:  You mean like chasing bugs and fetch toys and stuff? And my girlfriends? I'm definitely thankful for the ladies.

What about you, Boss?

KATIE:  It's hard to put into words, Waffles. It isn't any one thing. It's lots of little things. Lots of little, wonderful things.

WAFFLES:  How little, Boss? Like the bug?

KATIE:  Not exactly, Waffles.

Like the sunshine in the morning that warms us and the blue jays that fly by our window.

Like how every time I roll over on the rug, Glogirly will pet me in just the right place.

Like how Glogirly talks to us in her sing-song voice. And how she sometimes even sings to us.

Like how Gloman picked me out of all the shelter kitties and adopted me for his girl.


WAFFLES:  And like how Glogirly picked me! You know, when she adopted me!

KATIE:  Now you're getting the hang of it, Waffles. Though as Glogirly tells it, you picked her.

We have a warm house to live in with comfy beds, plenty of toys, healthy food, and lots of windows to watch the world through. We live in a home that's filled with laughter and joy. And we have a forever family who loves us with all their hearts.

WAFFLES:  I love YOU with all my heart, Boss.

KATIE:  I know. 

I love you too, Waffles. But if you EVER tell anyone I said that...

WAFFLES:  I know.

Gratitude

We get a little misty-eyed here during the holiday season. Sometimes we get busy and lose sight of how fortunate we are. Thanksgiving is a beautiful reminder of how important it is to never take our blessings for granted.

We especially want to thank YOU for welcoming us into your hearts and inboxes. For laughing with us, singing along with Waffles' silly songs, and sometimes, even getting all teary with us. Thank you for welcoming sweet Ellie into your hearts. Our friends and readers bring us so much joy throughout the year. We just want you to know how thankful we are for you.

We love you with all our hearts. 💕

The Power of a Feather, Ten Years Later - How Waffles Found His Forever Home

Today's post is a departure from our usual Waffles v. Ellie conversation fare. Would you believe it's been nearly TEN YEARS since the funny, furry, orange mancat came on the scene here??? Glogirly, in her own words, is going to take you all the way back to November 25, 2012, the day Waffles became Waffles and the day our family and our blog found a whole new love. All through the power of a feather.

Waffles right with his brother, Herbie 

When Something Small Becomes Something Big and So Very Beautiful

It wasn’t until I clicked the ‘publish’ button on a blog post announcing some winners in a giveaway event I’d held that something struck me. And struck me hard.

The sponsors I’d worked with had generously agreed to double their prizes so that winning readers would have an opportunity to select a shelter organization to also receive a prize.

In the big announcement, I’d included all the shelter names and logos. These weren’t huge prizes – a kitty lounger for one shelter, a pet portrait to help with a fundraiser for another. And few shelters would receive a wand toy with dangly feathers. A wash of emotion overcame me as I thought about what a single toy could do.

It was Sunday afternoon in November, almost six years ago. I jumped into the car with an empty pet carrier and headed to the Animal Humane Society in Buffalo, Minnesota. It wasn't the closest shelter. In fact, it was almost a 90-minute drive from downtown Minneapolis. But there was someone very special I wanted to meet – a tiny orange kitten I’d found on Petfinder.com just hours before while lying in bed with my laptop perched on a pillow.

The shelter volunteers introduced to me to “Jackson” and his brother, “Herbie.” They showed us into a quiet room and handed me a wand toy with a feather on it.

Herbie (left) with Waffles whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

I sat on the floor, toy in hand, and invited them to come play. They jumped and flipped and twirled, everything was new and exciting to them. It was like they were giggling with delight. Or maybe that was me.

Herbie, Waffles oh-so-adorable brother

And YES, the thought of bringing them BOTH home was a serious consideration. Just look at Herbie's white boots and that face!!! There was another family visiting though and I could tell they really wanted to adopt one of the kittens.

After an hour or so, “Jackson” decided he’d had enough feather chasing. As I sat cross-legged on the floor, he hopped into my lap, curled into a little ball and stretched his neck straight up high. Gazing right into my eyes, he purred with the sweetest of smiles. That was it. I was his and he was mine.

That play session at the shelter with the wand toy – it was a bonding experience I’ll never forget. And something that’s taught me no gift is too small. That wand toy brought Waffles into my life and sealed our forever bond. That little feather changed each of our worlds.

I’ve got a sneaking suspicion a feather can change a lot of worlds.

Waffles Today

Waffles eyes still light up with wonder. Just like they did that day at the shelter. He still loves his feathers. And he loves with his whole heart. 

My little orange boy makes me smile and laugh every single day. Sharing his love with you, our friends and readers, is also one of my great joys. I hope he continues touches your heart and give you big kitty belly laughs.

And Then Came Ellie

Just a little over two years ago, Miss Ellie Belly joined the family. And for the first time in Waffles' life, he found himself smitten with another CAT. To say Ellie and Waffles adore each other is truly an understatement. To see them together melts our hearts every day.

Snow Kitties

 

ELLIE:  Mr, Waffles! The cold white stuff is almost as tall as ME!!!

WAFFLES:  You're pretty short, Ellie. I've seen bigger. Way bigger. This isn't even enough to get the man in brown shorts stuck in our driveway overnight. 

ELLIE:  There's a man in brown shorts??? Isn't he cold? 

WAFFLES:  This is Colorado, Ellie. The Rocky Mountains. The men in brown shorts don't let a few snowflakes cramp their style.

Snow Scenes

We had our first big (well sort of) snow of the year. Even though Glogirly was doing her 2-3 foot snow dance, we only got a few inches. But snow is snow and here in the mountains, we LOVE it. 

By the time you see our blog post, most of it will have melted or blown away. Shortly after the snow fell we had a couple days of crazy wind. 

When it snows, our furry neighbors will often come to visit. 

When it snows, the sunrises are spectacular.

When it snows, you-know-who is you-know-where. Just a few of the local ski areas have officially opened. Glogirly made it to Loveland last week for their opening day.

When it snows, these you-know-who's are doing you-know-what.

Giddy Up Waffles

WAFFLES:  Hang on, Mr. Mouse! This bucking mancat's got your number!

ELLIE:  I don't think you bucked him very hard, Mr. Waffles. He's still there.

WAFFLES:  What, is this guy velcroed onto me or something?

WAFFLES:  That would totally be cheating. Ellie! Come over here and help me out.

ELLIE:  You're right Mr. Waffles. Mr. Mouse has velcro pants. 

WAFFLES:  Velcro pants???! 

ELLIE:  Velcro pants, Mr. Waffles. Should we report him to the rodeo officials?

WAFFLES:  I think velcro pants are punishment enough.

About Today's Photos

It's Halloween tomorrow! Or today, depending on when you're tuning in. Although we don't have any trick or treaters visiting us in the Mountains, Glogirly is still a sucker for a mancat cowboy with a mouse saddled up on his back. (!)

Not to worry... no mancats or mice were harmed in the making of these photos. Waffles (and Ellie by default) got plenty of treats after their quick photo session. 

We hope you have a super fun and safe Halloween!

ELLIE:  Sorry about the velcro pants, Mr. Mouse.

Too Cool for Cat School

WAFFLES:  What. Haven't you ever seen a cat wearing a hoodie blanket with cat ears before? 

ELLIE:  I've seen Glogirly wearing her hoodie blanket before. It's kind of big on you, Mr. Waffles. Don't you think?

WAFFLES:  Big??? It's not big, Ellie, it's cool.

ELLIE:  But it's a blanket, Mr. Waffles. It's supposed to be warm, not cool. 

WAFFLES:  You don't get it, Ellie. It's COOL. I'M cool.

ELLIE:  Then you better bundle up. Winter's coming, you know. 

WAFFLES:  You still don't get it. It's all about being cool. Mancat-cool.

ELLIE:  I think you need help warming up, Mr. Waffles. I'm coming in!

About Today's Photos

Glogirly took today's photos from the vantage point of her lap while she and Gloman were binging their Netflix stories. It was a little chilly so she was curled up under her hooded cat wrap/blanket. When she realized that Waffles had curled up under the hood, she couldn't resist turning her phone on selfie mode. LOL!!! 

PSSST! In case you were wondering, Glogirly's cat ears hoodie blanket is from CatLadyBox. And yes, she LOVES it.