ZOOLATRY'S 2016 YEAR IN REVIEW

Looking back through 2016, in real life it was not the easiest or happiest year in recent memory ...

yet here at Zoolatry, where we spend many of our days in fun and fantasy, it was a good year!

Each day, week and month is whatever we choose to make of it.

Sadly, we said farewell to many, many dear friends who crossed the rainbow bridge ~ 

but we also welcomed new friends into our small but joyful world of pet blogging.

All these friendships are treasured and we thank you each for being a part of our little world here ... 

Today, a brief look back to each month of the year, choosing just a few of our personal

favorite photos posted each month ... our 2016 year in review.

UNDECK THE HALLS

Undeck The Halls
is just as much fun as decking the halls!
Have to admit it's been a rough 'n' tough year this 2016 has, so guess
we're thankful it is coming to an end ... we're ready to ring in the new!
 

Brian's Thankful Thursday

LIGHTING A CANDLE

To visit EASY, just click here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

CATURDAY ART ~ Tree Ornaments

For more Caturday Art ~ sponsored by Athena and Marie 

please click here.

A LITTLE BEAR

THANKFUL THURSDAY and HAPPY BIRTHDAY and "I Tried To Write A Poem"

It's BRIAN'S THANKFUL THURSDAY and I just wanted to say

that I am thankful for a special friend who came into my life one day.

When I truly needed a friend, on a day just a few years past,

there she was and beside me ever since with a friendship I know will last.

It's also time for SAMMY'S POETRY CORNER, and today is the Letter B.

That works well, cause my special friend, has a Birthday today, you see!

So I started to make her a picture, and to go with it, a little poem ...

but my hands and mind kept wandering 

through memories of birthdays, Christmases and home.

My thoughts meandered through so much of the past, the yesterdays no longer here.

Perhaps it's common to pause, reflect, remember during this time of year ...

So, there is no poem, and the picture you see,

is crazy, mixed up and means something only (to her?) to me.

Happy Birthday Friend ~ With Love, With Thanks

 

KITTY KISSES

Even though this mistletoe may not be up above my purrty head,

you have my purrmission to kiss me ~ and kiss me again!

TASTY TUESDAY ~ Honest, Santa, I Did Not Do This!

Honest, Santa ~ I made these cookies special for you!

I did NOT eat your cookies!

It was just a little taste test!

Honest!

YM ATNAS TAH ~ and some other BACKWARDS stuff !

SHEESH ... look, I know you like to photoshop stuff, and I really really do NOT mind you putting a Santa hat on my head ... especially with it being the holidays and all ... but sheesh ... you were in such a big oh-my-cat-hurry that you put it on backwards!  I mean really ... this little fluffball or whatever it is ... it's tickling my whiskers and any minute now I might sneezywheezy and blow this picture right off the page!  Really!  Ugh.  Now this fluffball is getting caught on my toof!  Please, get back over here to your 'puter and fix my hat!  Please!  Backwards?  Yeah, I know you've been doing lots of backwards things lately.  Like falling backwards on your backwards parts.  So's my furriends know, those backwards parts are a little bit better.  The human vet said maybe a couple more months for the fracture to heal all the way.  Meanwhile for Christmas he is sending you to get some great presents, like an MRI and a CATscan.  Now I don't know 'bout the MRI but I think a CAT scan sounds pretty cool.  Oh, it's a CTscan, so I misspoke.  Lots of famous people misspeak all the time, so I can, too!  But I have majorly digressed.  Getting back to this backwards hat ... and by the way, why can't you photoshop that fracture back together ... and it's only in black-and-white, it shouldn't be that hard ...

SUNDAY SELFIE ~ A Christmas Cuddle

Christmas Cuddles

Our Sunday Selfie

For more Sunday Selfies, sponsored each week by The Cat On My Head

please click here.

CATURDAY ART ~ Star Light, Star Bright

For more

Caturday Art

sponsored by Athena and Marie

please click here.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES ~

T'was fun to look back through some old December posts ~ 

here some random picks, favorites I guess from years past.  Enjoy!  

Today we'll join the blog hop

Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Click here to visit.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

SANTY, I'VE BEEN VERY GOOD!

I have been good.

Very good.

Very very good.

So I got out my old Santy hat and my stocking.

And now I am sitting and patiently waiting for Santy's arrival.

I'm told he will fill my stocking with treats and toys since I have been good.  Very good.

I hope there is a big new Kong cause I have now destroyed the old one.  And more tennis balls, cause

I go through like two or three a week of those!  

And most of my "anipals" have been destuffed.  

Santy, I guess I could use lots of new toys.  

Remember, I've been very, very good.  

Except for barking at the mail man. And the UPS man.  And the Amazon delivery man, too!

GIFT WRAPPING

SUNDAY SELFIE ~ THE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS

The Lights of Christmas

Our Sunday Selfie

More may be found at

 The Cat On My Head.

CATURDAY ART ~ A CHRISTMAS BAUBLE

For more Caturday Art, sponsored each week by Athena and Marie,

please click here.

This has to be one of the "most fun images" we've done with Photoshop in a long time!  So, of course, I have to talk a little bit about it ... it started with an image of Zoey over a stock photo of Santa. Then I started adding beads and ornaments and gift packages and just about anything holiday-ish that I could think of ... then I added double borders of red and green with sparkles.  Still not satisfied I smart-blurred the whole picture, deepened and brightened the colors.  It was already an image with about 16-photoshop layers!  But seemed too ordinary and average.  So I started playing with the shape, and when I made it into a fish-eye shape realized it would fit into a circle and a circle is - of course - an ornament!  Fun!  But putting it into the ornament was the hard part.  So the ornament went to the "back" and was made dark, and a copy of the ornament was brought to the front with about 50% opacity, with the fish-eye image as flattened Layer 2, now in the middle.  Play with the inner shadow tools some; play with the outer shadow tools ... blur and soften the edges ... add a little light flare.  Is it perfect?  No.  Is it done?  Never.  Nothing in photoshop is ever really done, you can (like the energizer bunny just keep going, and going ... unless you're a professional, which I'm definitely not).  And in my mind, none are ever perfect either ... there's always a way to make an image bettter, or different ... just try and try again.  Whatever ~ this crazee bauble was tons of fun! 

FRIDAY FRIENDS

"Wait a sec, there might be somethin' in my pocket, just for you ... "




... and by the way, some prayers please ... 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

♪♫ We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ♬♪

Over my many years of blogging, my life has been touched and blessed by all of you, for this I am so very thankful.  To one and all I send my warmest wishes that you and yours share all the joy of this holiday season.  And, as always, may your New Year bring all that you need and some of what you want.  Thank you for your friendship.

We are sending our holiday card by email, though you can also copy and paste from this image, or click Holiday Wishes on the tab above for larger or smaller versions.