Thankful Thursday AND Thursday Thirteen!

First off, let me say that I am thankful to be friends with The Whiskers and Purrs Gang, and I am also thankful that a wonderful bean like their mommy Jenny exists in this world! If you didn't have a chance to watch them last night, you can see them again tonight on TLC at 12 a.m.
You can check for your area's schedule at the TLC website.

And now for the Thursday Thirteen, which I haven't done in a loooooooooooong time. (Thanks, mommy.) Anyway, earlier I posted a picture of my handsome self all prepared to be packed for a trip. No, it wasn't to the hospital to get the blurpy alien girl - that doesn't happen until much closer to Turkey Day. Mommy and the FD decided to finally have a short honeymoon while they still could - they also called it their babymoon, because it will be the last trip they take together without the blurp being here. (Although she was there for the entire thing, just in mommy's tummy. Silly beans seem to forget that.) Mommy and the FD visited Saint Simons Island and Jekyll Island on the Georgia coast (without us furries, for shame!) and took some pretty nifty pictures, so I thought I'd share them with you for this Thursday Thirteen.

Mommy is silly and gets all excited when she sees palm trees. The only other coastal tree she gets even more excited about are the live oaks which are all drippy with spanish moss. I won't tell you how excited she gets about those . . . it is far to embarrassing.



Here is a picture of the beach on Saint Simons, right in front of the Saint Simons Lighthouse.


And here is the Saint Simons Lighthouse.


And here is a view from the top of the Saint Simons Lighthouse.


The FD got friendly with some sailor and his doggie. I don't think mommy kept a good enough watch out for the FD, purrsonally. If you are going to get friendly with some strange cardboard bean, daddy, you need to find one with the good taste to have a KITTY.

Here is the historic Christ Church, also on Saint Simons.


Across the street from the church is the Wesley Memorial Garden, with a Celtic cross in the center dedicated to the Wesley brothers, who came over with James Oglethorpe to found the colony of Georgia. Charles Wesley did missionary work on Saint Simons Island, and John Wesley later founded the Methodist Church.


Here is the Jekyll Island Club Wharf, at the prettiest time of day, sunset. This wharf is where a lot of really rich northerners would land every winter a squillion years ago for "hunting season" at the Jekyll Island Club. Now the Jekyll Island Club is part of the Jekyll Island Historic District and is protected by the state of Georgia.


Here is the sunset over the Jekyll River.

And here is the Jekyll Island Club's Clubhouse, which is now a hotel that you can stay at. It is very pretty, and my mommy loves it.

This is Moss Cottage. This is my mommy's favorite cottage in the Historic District, and I think it may have been the FD's, too. Besides being a very pretty house, it is special because the wife of the man who had it built actually came from Cherokee County, Georgia, which is where my mommy is from and where we live! According to the tour guide, they were very much in love all of their lives. It was very sweet. Mommy and the FD actually got to look inside during the tour.


Here is a picture of the marshes . . . Georgia's poet laureate, Sidney Lanier, actually wrote about them in the poem "The Marshes of Glynn." If you want to read it, you can find it here.


And speaking of Sidney Lanier, here is the Sidney Lanier Bridge. It's pretty impressive. The FD liked it a lot.


I hope you enjoyed the Thursday Thirteen, and congratulations once again to the Whiskers and Purrs Gang!!!

Thursday Thirteen - 13 Fun Facts About Chocolate

Mommy bought these pawtastic chocolate mints from her "connection" in the neighborhood. He's in middle school now, and for years he's always known he can count on mommy and grandmama to buy something from him whenever school fund raising time comes around. This year mommy bought wrapping paper and these chocolates, because they are just too cute!


So, for this Thursday Thirteen, I am listing reasons why ladybeans can safely love chocolate.

1. Chocolate has less caffeine than coffee. (Although mommy often combines them.)
2. Chocolate is a great energy source. Just one chocolate chip gives you enough energy to walk 150 feet; 35 give you the energy to walk a mile!
3. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, which causes you to feel the same way you would if you were falling in love. Another reason you want chocolate when you feel sad or depressed; it legitimately makes you feel better!
4. The fat in chocolate doesn't raise blood cholesterol.
5. Chocolate has been clinically proven to not cause acne.
6. Ten Percent of the daily recommended allowance of iron can be found in one ounce of cocoa.
7. Chocolate syrup was used to simulate the blood in the Hitchcock thriller "Psycho." (Mommy found that interesting.)
8. Chocolate has over 500 flavor components, more than twice the amount found in strawberry or vanilla.
9. Chocolate was commonly viewed as an aphrodisiac by the Aztecs, and as such was served as a beverage - and only to men. (Mommy said something about sexist pigs. Do pigs like chocolate?)
   
10. Dark chocolate can help lower your cholesterol level and reduce your risk of heart disease.
11. Dental reports say that chocolate does not cause cavities.
12. Chocolate has commonly been eaten since 1674, when the first chocolate cake was baked.
13. It's yummy! (This fact was given to me by mommy. I wouldn't know.)

I got my facts from this page and this page, if any kitty or ladybean is interested.

Thursday Thirteen - Holly's Thoughts

Hi, everykitty! Holly here, bringing you this week's Thursday Thirteen. As you can see, I am sticking my cute little pink tongue out, because I'm not too thrilled with the changes the past few weeks have brought. So here is a list of thirteen things that I have thought a lot about this week.

1. Almost Dad is gone. That is good because we have mommy all to ourselves again, but it is bad because it is one less person to snuggle with- plus he always got home earlier than mommy so we got more laptime.
2. Mommy is taking classes. That is bad for us because mommy comes home super late two nights a week, and then she does something called "homework" on weekends instead of napping with us.
3. Grandmama comes over to check on us more. That is GREAT, because we love Grandmama. On the other paw, she's coming over because mommy is LATE. So . . . this is kind of a draw.
4. The air is starting to smell like Fall, and it is driving me crazy!!!! I want to climb and jump and meow at the moon! (Especially just at the time mommy goes to bed . . .)
5. Mommy didn't cook at our house this weekend. Instead, she fixed dinner over at Grandmamas. We didn't get to help or taste test or put our furs in the food or anything!
6. Mommy helps us with the blog on the weekends, and then schedules it to post later. This is pretty cool, because we get to climb all over her and help her during the marathon blogging. (Ivy is the best helper. She even managed to get stuck inside the desk and made mommy panic when she couldn't pull her out right away!)
7. It's dark in the morning when mommy gets up. This means it is harder for us to wake her up, so Tybalt does a lot more cord chewing and crying in her ear and sitting on her head . . . and then we have to remind her that she still has to give us at least 5 minutes of playtime before she leaves for work.
8. It is hurricane season, so Mommy gets more headaches. She had a bad one on Sunday. Migraines are bad for mommy because she gets all hurty, but they are great for us because they mean more napping and snuggling together. I pretty much got to snuggle with mommy on the couch ALL DAY Sunday!
9. Summer term is over at Mommy's work, which means that her more stressful work-time is coming up. That means less happy-mommy time.
10. On the other paw, a lot of mommy's holiday breaks will be coming up soon. In just a few months, she'll have Thanksgiving and then Christmas! That means LOTS of extra mommy time.
11. And that reminds me, Halloween will be here before we know it! That means all the cool spooky decorations come out . . . and I'll have my broomrides to look forward to . . .
12. I'll also get to tease Tybalt lots more about mommy being a witch! I know how much that upsets him . . . hee hee!
13. Did I mention the broomrides? I really need to start practicing my balancing! See you kitties later!
    

Thursday Thirteen "Tybalt Needs" Meme

Mommy's favorite picture of me.

Lots of you kitties have already done this meme, so I thought I would give it a try. Just google your name with the word "needs" after it and see what you come up with! I thought I would turn it into a ThursdayThirteen of the most interesting results - I got 45,800 results!

1. Tybalt needs to make sure that it's safe first. (Well, DUH!)
2. Tybalt needs to find a more positive way to release his negative energy. (Does this have something to do with my wrestling Ivy until she squeaks?)
3. [All] Tybalt needs to do is have that same 'conversation' with the mail server. (Huh?)
4. Tybalt needs to chill out a little. (Am I supposed to be taking a hint?)
5. Tybalt needs more lens flare. (I think my laser eyes are just fine, thanks.)
6. Tybalt needs a spanking too. (Only from my mommy, and she never spanks me!)
7. Tybalt needs to create his own interpretation. ( I thought I did that every Friday.)
8. [Your] Tybalt needs to be big, tall, scary, and the best stage fighter in your company. (I prefer to be floofy, romantic, and a passable kitty wrestler, but thanks for the advice.)
9. Tybalt needs to protect his family's honor. (Of course, that is my job as the mancat.)
10. Tybalt needs to read what I wrote a little more clearly. (I'll do the best I can.)
11. Tybalt needs a hug. (Well, I can always use one.)
12. Tybalt needs a girl to meow in bed. (WHAT THE PAW?!?!)
13. Tybalt needs thoughts, idle or otherwise. (That's what the comments are for!)
    

Thursday Thirteen - Mommy and Almost Dad

Well kitties, I was wondering what I should post about today, and then I thought: Wow! I haven't really told you much about my mommy and Almost Dad! So I thought I would give you thirteen things about Mommy and Almost Dad today.

Mommy and Almost Dad all hot and sweaty at the Atlanta Zoo

1. Mommy and Almost Dad had their very first real date on a Friday the 13th.
   
2. Almost Dad didn't know much about kitties until he met me and my sisters. Now he's a kitty lover!
3. Almost Dad is working on completing his BBA in Finance.
4. Mommy will start taking classes for a Master of Arts in Teaching this fall. (It will be her 3rd degree if she finishes it. Is she crazy? Wouldn't she rather come home and spend time with me?)
5. Mommy is older than Almost Dad.
6. Mommy and Almost Dad first met each other on a message board about anime on the internet.
   
7. Almost Dad is part Lebanese and Greek.
8. Mommy says Almost Dad has Hobbit feet. Ivy loves to attack them.
9. It took Loki 8 months to love Almost Dad. He hated him as an intruder until then.
10. Almost Dad has lived with us 24/7 since Memorial Day weekend. (It took me a month to figure out where my sleeping spot was once he was there hogging my side of the bed right next to Mommy!)
11. Almost Dad has a laptop he won't let Ivy play with. She keeps trying, though.
12. Mommy would let us play with her laptop if she had one. I just know it. She lets us sit on her at the computer and whap the mouse and keyboard. (Mommy is more generous than Almost Dad.)
13. Almost Dad knows that we furries are the babies, and you can't love Mommy without loving us!
    

Thursday Thirteen - Kitty Love

I am sure you all remember my new cousin Rudy, and his habit of making love eyes at my mommy.

Well, seeing Rudy twist my mommy around his little paw made me think of all the ways my sisters and I do the same. Mommy THINKS she is in charge in our family, but the truth is we kitties are the ones calling the shots. And I have to admit it is because we, like Rudy and his love eyes here, are gifted at pulling mommy's heartstrings.

So, thanks to Rudy Love-Eyes, we came up with our Thursday Thirteen: Kitty Love!

How We Show Our Kitty Love and/or Melt Mommy's Heart
(Ivy's list should be 'How I Scare Mommy and Make Her Mad')

1. Drape myself over mommy's head while she is sleeping and purr. (Tybalt)
   
2. Curl up next to mommy or on top of mommy or (best yet!) get mommy to hold me while she is sleeping. (Tybalt)
   
3. Pat mommy's face gently with my paw. (Holly)
4. Give mommy kisses. On the lips. Cuz that's how beans do it. (Tybalt, Holly, and Ivy)
5. Whap things off tables so mommy will know our house is too cluttered. (Ivy)
6. Pretend to try and escape so mommy will panic and remember how much she loves me. (Ivy)
7. Hold toys with my extra toesies and bunnykick. (Holly)
8. Bite mommy's nose. (Tybalt)
9. Hold mommy with my extra toesies and lick lick lick. (Holly)
10. Walk all over mommy trying to decide what the best place on her to cuddle would be, settle down, only to get right back up and walk on her again to look for another spot. (Ivy)
11. Knead mommy with my paws and purrrrrrrrr. (Tybalt, Holly, and Ivy)
12. Look cute. (Tybalt, Holly, and Ivy)
13. Escort mommy downstairs when she leaves in the morning, and wait for her at the door when it is time for her to come home. (Tybalt, Holly, and Ivy)
    

Thursday Thirteen - Favorite Pictures

Here are thirteen of our favorite pictures so far this year. Enjoy the memories!

1. Loki in the snow

2. Holly getting skritches from mommy
3. Tybalt posing for Valentine's Day
4. Tybalt playing with his toys from his Samantha
5. Holly checking out Fishie

6. Ivy checking out Fishie

7. Dana playing with a kitty toy after the scary storm
8. The Tortie Twins playing with the Cat Dancer

9. Ivy on the Nip Lounger

10. Tybalt's glamorous close-up

11. Tybalt's Spring Is Sprung photo shoot

12. Tybalt enjoying an early spring day

13. Tortie Twins ATTACK!

Thursday Thirteen - Movie Reviews

I announced last Friday that I am taking reader's requests for my movie reviews this summer. My sweet tuxie princess Sammie-Pie made a great suggestion . . . and I'm taking it! Here is a list of all the great movies I have reviewed so far. If you see that I haven't reviewed a movie you really like, or a movie you'd like to know more about before you see it yourself, please leave me a comment on my blog or email me at princetybalt AT gmail DOT com. =^_^= So here you go . . . Thursday Thirteen plus 5!

1. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)


2. The Cat Returns (2002)


3. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)


4. Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)


5. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)


6. Sweeney Todd (2007)


7. Sleeping Beauty (1959)


8. 300 (2006)


9. The Aristocats (1970)


10. Bringing Up Baby (1938)


11. Moulin Rouge (2001)


12. The Cat From Outer Space (1978)


13. Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)


14. Harvey (1950)


15. Bell, Book, and Candle (1958)


16. Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)


17. Alice in Wonderland (1951)


18. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Thankful Thursday Thirteen

Guess what, kitties? A squillion years ago I guessed a song right for Ghost, and I got a prize package! A little less than a squillion years ago, the package came in the mail and instead of letting us open it right away, Mommy hid it in the CLOSET! And then with one thing and another, I didn't get to open it and check out all the great stuff Ghost sent me. Last night I finally got to open it, and boy was I thrilled! You won't believe all the great stuff I got!

1. Here I am checking out the package. It smells great!

2. As you can see, I got a lot of help. The Tortie Twins were all over it!

3. Look at all the cool stuff I got! That's Ivy, horning in on my territory.

4. Here I am trying to hide all of my goodies from Holly by laying on them. You can see a little bit of my classy new necklace Ghost sent. I think the colors complement me nicely.

5. Here I am modeling my new necklace. I think it makes me look dashing! Am I handsome in it, Samantha?

6. I am guarding my new blue chirpy mousie and catnip from my sisters. A mancat must always be aware of his surroundings! Especially when you live with the Terrible Tortie Twins.

7. Ivy says "Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip."

8. I had to put the bitey on the mousie! It needed discipline.

9. Some mousies never learn. I had to discipline it some more.

10. BUNNYKICK!

11. Catdancer! Ivy is on the left, and Holly is on the right. Can you see Ivy's claws of doom?

12. I decided to check out the catdancer, too. I was very brave to get between the twins and the catdancer!

Well . . . . it was almost a Thursday Thirteen! For my thirteenth thing, I think I will share some lyrics with you . . . these are the lyrics Mommy helped me to guess so that I could win all of this cool stuff!

13. Melancholy Child, by Pam Tillis

You take a black Irish temper and some solemn Cherokee

A Southern sense of humour and you got someone like me

There are thorns on every rose to this I'm reconciled

They're just a little sharper to a melancholy child

***BONUS GRANDPAPA UPDATE***

Grandpapa went back for his 2nd follow-up appointment today, and the news was good! The eye v-e-t said that he did not think that grandpapa will have a CAT-aract in his eye that was operated on, even as naughty as grandpapa has been. Also, he went ahead and lasered the tears in his other eye, and said there should be no further problems. *paws crossed* Grandpapa gets to go back to work on Monday, so hurray! Thanks everykitty for keeping my naughty grandpapa in your purrs and purrayers. Mommy and I really do appreciate it!

Thursday Thirteen - Orange

Today is "Go Orange for ASPCA" day. So today's Thursday Thirteen is all about cool things that are orange. This may be a little difficult, but I think I am up to the task.

1) Oranges are orange! They smell pretty good, but I don't think I'll ever want to eat one.
2) The "publish post" button on blogger is orange.
3) Ivy has lots of orange furs.
4) Holly has a little orange furs.
5) My pirate friend Sir Dante is orange!
6) My doggie sister Dana is orange when she comes in from playing outside after it rains. (Mommy: Thank you, red Georgia clay!)
7) Peaches are kind of orange . . . and I live in the peach state! That's cool.
8) All of the Gorgeous Gingers are orange.
9) Pumpkins are orange, and I love pumpkin!
10) Fire has orange in it, and I like snuggling in front of a warm fire when it is cold outside.
11) The best cheesy flavored bits of dogfood are orangey-colored, and I like to steal those.
12) Some of the trees turn orange when it is Autumn. That's very pretty.
13) The bag for Turkey flavored Temptations is orange! Who could forget that?!

Thursday Thirteen - Film Quotes

This seemed like a fun thing to do, so I'm going to be the kitty quizzer this week!

Here are thirteen quotes from movies. If you are the first to guess a quote correctly, then I will put your name down as the correct guesser next to the quote! If some aren't guessed by late this afternoon, I may provide some extra hints . . . but we are all smart kitties, I bet I won't need to! No cheating either, kitties! Try your best to resist the lure of Googling. . .I know it is hard, but be strong!

Okay . . . here we go!

1. "The humans have tried everything. Now it's up to us dogs, and the twilight bark." - Spirit and Ezra (101 Dalmatians)

2. "Mysterious thing, time. Powerful, and when meddled with, dangerous." - Chance (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

3. "And I thought they smelled bad on the outside!" TT/Dragonheart and Merlin (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)

4. "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! " - Captain Jack and Sir Dante (The Princess Bride)

5. "Say goodbye to your two best friends, and I don't mean your pals in the Winnebego." - Ghost (Spaceballs)
Hint: Mel Brooks Movie

6. "I'm complicated." - Veronica! (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
Hint: Stuart Townsend speaks the line.

7. "I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." - Captain Jack and Sir Dante (Say Anything)

8. "Some places are like people: some shine and some don't." - Parker (The Shining)

9. "You offer it to me freely? I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this." - Chance (Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring)

10. "Stay close to the candles. The stairway can be . . . treacherous." - Ghost (Young Frankenstein)

11. "The FBI has gotten along beautifully all these years without using my room as a piece of operation. Now I want Tom Swift, or whoever that is, and his electric scoreboard, or whatever that thing is, out of my room before this afternoon, or I'm gonna become very difficult. Do I make myself clear? " - Ghost (That Darn Cat)
Hint: Disney movie starring a meezer.

12. "As though we were made for each other... Beauty and the Beast. Of course, if anyone else calls you beast, I'll rip their lungs out. " - Queen Snickers (Batman)
Hint: Jack Nicholson speaks this line.

13. "I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray, you wore blue." - Samantha (Casablanca)
Hint: Humphrey Bogart speaks this line in a classic film.

Thursday Thirteen - Fishie

Hi Kitties! This Thursday's Thirteen all belongs to me, Ivy! I am going to tell you more about fishie.

Thirteen Things About Fishie

1. Mommy got him from Uncle Sean's Swim Team Awards Banquet. He was a centerpiece in a pretty glass bowl. Mommy felt bad for him, even before it turned out he was a door prize and no one else at the table wanted him!


2. Fishie was with us for less than 24 hours before he swam over the Rainbow Bridge. Mommy explained to us that he was probably stressed out from his role as centerpiece, but that he had a good short life while he was with us.


3. Mommy gave him a respectful "burial at sea." I don't see how she managed that, since we don't live anywhere near the ocean.


4. Almost Dad was going to name him something cool and Japanese, but Fishie swam over the bridge before he could think of anything that fit.


5. Fishie was a pretty bright orange with black spots. You could say he was a tortie!


6. All of us kitties wanted to meet him. Badly.


7. Tybalt and Holly still cry and scratch at the bathroom door to see him, even though mommy explained to them that Fishie is no longer with us. I don't seem to care as much, which surprises everyone.


8. Mommy told Tybalt that if he is very good, she might get him another fishie.


9. Fishie had to live in the bathroom locked away from us because we were figuring out how to get to him to "play" with him.


10. Tybalt thought Fishie was his birthday present.


11. Fishie would have been the first pet that Almost Dad and Mommy adopted together. (That's why he was going to be the one to name him.)


12. Fishie was a great swimmer. He was a lot of fun for us kitties to watch.


13. Fishie seemed like he would have been a great friend. I hope we do get another fishie!

Thursday Thirteen - Tortoiseshell

Hello Kitties! Holly here. Since we were cheated out of Tortie Tuesday this week, Tybalt let me take over the Thursday Thirteen. I noticed that there was a fun looking meme going around using middle names. I wanted to do something like that too, and then I had a brilliant moment of inspiration! Today is Thursday Thirteen, and the word "tortoiseshell" has 13 letters in it! So, here is my Thursday Thirteen, all about me (and my sister Ivy), using the word "tortoiseshell." It is good to be a tortie!

Terriffic

Original

Regal

Tempting

Outgoing

Inventive

Sassy

Elegant

Sweet

Happy

Exuberant

Lovely

Ladycats

Thursday Thirteen - Party Like It's My Birthday!

My birthday is this Saturday! I will turn TWO years old! Even more exciting than that, I will be having my Birthday Party next Monday, March 17th, at the M-Cats Club! (Thank you, Mr. Tigger!) We are combining my birthday with the Saint Patrick's Day festivities!

Thirteen Reasons Why You Should Come To Our Party

1. I'm a prince, and I command it.
2. The green niptinis!
3. It's at the M-Cats Club, and that is the coolest place ever to hang out (tied with the new Black Cat Pub!)
4. Since it is two parties in one, we will be partying twice as hard!
5. We have teleporters so that you won't have to miss Captain Jack's birthday cruise or the party at the Black Cat Pub! You can party at all three!
6. Yummy treats . . . . including temptations and HAM!
7. Dancing! (Although I don't know who will be able to compete with Skeezix and his Wild Irish Roses.)
8. Wild games of Thundering Herd of Elephants!
9. Did I mention the green niptinis?
10. Free paw massages and tummy rubs for all! (A complimentary service of my mommy. ;) )
11. It is a great excuse to hang out with your friends and just relax.
12. Everyone is invited . . . that includes all of our ladycats!
13. Because I will only turn 2 once.

Samantha, will you be my special birthday date?

Thursday Thirteen - Spring

Thirteen Reasons I Need Spring

1. 
   
   My friends up north are tired of snow!


2. 
   
   I need to feel the sun on my furs more often.


3. 
   
   I need the windows open so I can sniff the great outdoors.


4. 
   
   More birdies will come to our feeders for me to watch.


5. 
   
   It will be daylight longer so I will get more playtime with mommy.


6. 
   
   My birthday is coming up! And it should be warm for it. (March 15)


7. 
   
   Our trees will be all pretty again, instead of just sticks.


8. 
   
   The doggies will spend even more time outside.


9. 
   
   Timmy the Squirrel and his friends and family will tease me more from my porch.


10. 
    
    The Easter Bunny will come! Maybe he'll let me see him this time.


11. 
    
    The yard will get green again instead of brown (and muddy).


12. 
    
    Did I mention my birthday?


13. 
    
    Saint Patrick's Day and Green Niptinis!

Mommy took today and tomorrow off to get some stuff done and to spend more time with me (of course!) so we won't be visiting bloggies, but she has promised to let me get my usual movie review up tomorrow. Purrs, everyone!