Happy little vegemites

As we mentioned earlier in the week - Mom has been feeling a bit homesick and when she gets in "one of these moods" she puts on her favorite Aussie music, watches Aussie movies and eats Aussie food. Now some of you may have heard about that delightful stuff called "Vegemite' which kind of tastes like an old car tire mixed with sticky hot tar off the road. Well Mom baked a nice fresh loaf of gluten free bread and headed off to the only store in town that carries Vegemite. It cost an arm and leg or to be more precise $12.95 ( a jar like this back in Australia would probably cost $3-4) but sometimes Mom says you just have to treat yourself. We waited eagerly to try this Aussie delight and what can we say - we must have Aussie taste buds because we LOVED it !!! PS - Vegemite actually has a kind of beef stock flavor and is high is vitamin B - if it made from brewers yeast.

Comeon Mom - we are waiting

Yum - good - hink it is uck ta oof of my outh!

It is lip smacking Mom and makes my tongue tingle

Bacon & Fozzies Shopping Around The World

We are joining Bacon and Fozzie again for the shopping trip around the world. 

• Toilet Paper – this should be really interesting.  Note what kind you buy with how many rolls and the price. We are very fussy about this and only buy Charmin Ultra Soft - we get it at Sams club in bulk and pay $17.97 for 18 rolls.
• Regular package of ground beef. - Again we are fussy - Mom will only buy Ground Sirloin which costs $8.99 a pound - but we get 3 meals out a pound so its not that bad.
• Store bought pizza.  Note what kind you buy with the price - We really like the Sam's Choice Crispy Thin Crust Bacon Chicken and Carbonara Sauce - it costs $4.99
• Package of hot dogs – Note what kind you buy with the price - We always use to get the Hebrew National but they gone up to $5.99 for a packet of 8 so now when Dad wants a hot dog it is just Oscar Mayer Jumbo's and they are $1.99 a packet of 8
• Package of bacon –   Note what kind with the price. Mom is ultra fussy on this - she ONLY likes the Oscar Mayer Thick Cut bacon 1 lb pack - she HATES really smokey flavored bacon and this Oscar Mayer one is just perfect - it cost $6.99. Mom just about had a hissy fit when the store said they weren't carrying it anymore - she went to every store in town looking for it and no-one had any - then yesterday - there it was in Walmart. Mom bought 6 packets and put it in the freezer!

20 cents of happiness

Some weeks back Mom was wandering around a dollar store and saw they had packets of seeds out for 5 packs for $1 - making them 20 cents each.

Now Mom didn't expect them to grow all that well as often the dollar store ones don't but she thought what the heck - lets give them try. She bought some wild flower mixes and also a packet of Zinnia seeds.

The Zinnia's she put in a big pot by the front of our house and they have grown wonderfully. Mom says they are her 20 cent pot of happiness (and no smoking is involved!!!!) Now these are not the normal kind of zinnias - the flower petals are very thin - Mom says they remind her of when firework burst in the sky so that is what she is calling them - Firework Zinnias.

Here are some close up of them - we will be collecting LOTS of seeds from them so if you would like share some just let us know.

Bounty from MY garden

When Mom is homesick for Australia she likes to look at places she and Dad could retire too one day.  In particular Mom loves a place called Coffs Harbor. Is is right on the beach and is just the most gorgeous place.  They also have some of the best restaurants and bakeries there. Well yesterday Mom saw this recipe on one of the bakery sites in Coffs Harbor (how neat is it that they share their recipes) and decided to gave it a try - it is SOOOOO simple and yet so totally delicious we thought we would share it. Now we were lucky to have lots of fresh blueberries off our bushes but store bought ones are just fine and we are pretty sure this would work with other fruits too.


Blueberry & Cream Cheese Toasty

Ingredients

Fresh Blueberries
2 oz cream cheese at room temperature
Approx. 2 tsp confectioners sugar
Margarine or olive oil spray
Bread

Method
Combine the cream cheese and the sugar. Spread the cream cheese mixture on to a slice of the Cinnamon bread or what ever bread you want to use and add blueberries. Spread a little margarine or olive oil spray to the outside of both pieces of bread so you get a lovely golden color when toasting.

On a low to medium heat, add the sandwich to a fry pan to brown. Turn the sandwich over once you have reach your desired level of brown . Remove from the pan, slice and finish with an extra sprinkling of confectioners sugar.

Note
Now what we used was large loaf of  Italian bread cut into long thin slices. We sprayed them with olive oil and then sprinkled them a cinnamon sugar.  (The original recipe used cinnamon bread). We also wanted to intensify the blueberry flavor so we also spread the inside of the bread with some blueberry jam. This needs to be cooked on a very low heat so that the blueberries warm through but the bread doesn't burn.

Black and White Sunday

I am  joining the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop sponsored by Dachshund Nola and Sugar the Golden Retriever. Sometimes photos are simply more fun in black and white (with a touch of pink).

Why Mom?

Many of you know my Mom has bad tummy troubles and can't eat much - you would think over the years she would have learned to make just what she needs but no - she ALWAYS makes to much and then leaves the rest of it just sitting there - TEMPTING me. Today she made  turkey and cheese panini and only ate 1/3 of it - can you believe that !!!! And then to make matters worse she left it just sitting there on the arm of chair while she checked the blogs. It was SOOOOO calling my name - I could hear it whispering to me but darn if I am not good boy and as much as I wanted it and could of just snatched it...I didn't.  But I am here to tell you - that grown dogs do cry - when they see such yumminess going in the trash can ! Why Mom - WHY???

Fractured Fryday Hairy Tales #1

We are joining Murphy and Stanley in their Fractured Fryday Hairy Tales to tell you about a box I received recently. It began like this ......Ms USPS left me a box by my front door and we were so excited to see what was in it.  But ......“When I opened the box I was startled to find . . .” peanuts - icky foam peanuts - what the dog ??????? Mom went digging and finally pulled out 2 bags - one had 40 - YES 40 bully sticks in it and the other bag had some bison treats.













But you know what Mom did next - she did something TERRIBLE - she said they weren't for ME US. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE NOT FOR US - I demanded - they are bully sticks and you KNOW how much I love bully sticks.  Mom said she had used the gift card we received from Dolly's giveaway and she had bought these treats for doggies at our local humane society. BUT MOM !!! - they are bully sticks!!!!!!!!!!!  Mom wouldn't budge though and gave us a dental chew instead - can you believe that - a dental chew instead of a bully stick - what is the world coming too????? This may have scared my box opening for life now....I will always be wondering if the goodies inside are actually MINE!  PSSSS - don't tell Mom but the dental sticks were pretty yummy :)













And then guess what - just as I was recovering from the shock of not being allowed any of the bully sticks - Mr UPS Man knocked on our door and there was another box for ME. Maybe my day wouldn't be so bad after all I was thinking. But you are NEVER going to believe what happened next. I had entered my name in a give away for some Pet Naturals Hip and Joint Supplements and we won! Now you all know I have a jippy foot and back so I was all like - "Come on Mom - give me give me I REALLY need those" and Mom said the worst thing any dog could ever hear - apart from the neutering thing - she said SORRY REILLY - YOU CAN'T HAVE THESE - WHAT THE DOG !!!! All my hopes dashed again!!!!  Sadly we asked for beef ones but the ones that came are made from chicken and because of my stupid poultry allergy I can't have them - SO NOT FAIR. Mom is going to add them to the box of goodies for the Humane Society - those are going to be some lucky dogs this month.

When the going gets cool - the cool get going :)

We had a wonderful storm last night and it was so cool this morning - we 'cool' guys just had to get out and enjoy it - so off we headed to the park for a bit of exploring. First stop was the dog diving dock - don't know why Mom takes us there as there is NO way we would ever do such a crazy thing (shudders at the mere thought of getting wet).













After walking along the lake edge for a while we headed off up into the forest. Mom says she wishes we had smeller-vision - the pine trees were just wonderful this morning.













We were so happy after our walk - we couldn't help but smile. Thank you Mother Nature for providing such  a beautiful day.

Wordless Wednesday

Early Morning Haze

The beautiful cool spell we had last week has sadly left us and we are back in the 90's again so that means very early walkies. We could tell it is going to be a hot one today because of the haze even at 6.00 am but it is the best time to go walkies for us as there is hardly anyone ever there (maybe because MY park doesn't technically open until 7.00 am but it is MY park after all so those rules don't apply to ME).

Since my birthday I have been feeling quite a bit better and Mom thinks the ramp in and out of  MY car is really helping a lot and plus my weekly cold laser treatments and the medicines I take. I must admit I was feeling pretty happy this morning or maybe it was just those cookies Mom had in her hand. We love to have breakfast at the park when it is cool and quiet. Mom says the one thing that would make it totally perfect would be if we had Loons (the birds types) living there - she loves their eerie calls. Sadly the only loons we see are those silly jogger types who have their music on so loud we are surprised their heads don't explode. Mom wonders if they realize how much damage they are doing to their ears.

My Birthday Bash Winners

Congratulations to our lucky winners - we gave all the names a number than entered them into Random.org and our winners are

Stella Rose and Gussie

Oreo and Chewy - Sara's Blog

Idaho Pug Ranch

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes - it made my 7th Birthday extra special. Can the winners email me your addies - our email link on over there on the right side --------- >

My Special Birthday Gift

Mom and Dad bought me an extra special gift for my birthday - I got my own special ramp so I can get in and out of MY car easier. Then we went to MY park to test it out. We had to find one that folded up and wasn't to heavy for the Mom and we did......it even has a special non slip surface on it. Of coarse I figured it out straight away but we had to practice a few time with the Dweeb - he understood what to do - he was just scared of it. Here we are coming down the ramp - then we headed off for a nice slow walk - those are the ones I love the most because I get to sniff to my hearts content. Then we headed back to MY car and up the ramp we went. It is so much easier on my jippy foot and Mom doesn't have to worry about me hurting my back again. Thank you Mom and Dad - it is the best birthday present ever.

Happy 7th Birthday Reilly and Birthday Bash Giveaway!

Mr Reilly turns 7 today - we tried to make a short version of his life in photos but it is hard when we have so many amazing memories. So grab a cuppa and sit back and enjoy - warning - it is a bit long :)  Needless to say Mom spoiled her special boy when we went birthday shopping  - he was one VERY happy boy and got all his favorite treats :)

Now to celebrate his birthday we are going to have a big old BIRTHDAY BASH GIVEAWAY and will be giving away some more of the yummy Sojos food (plus some surprise extras) - to enter just leave Mr Reilly a birthday message - how easy is that !

Make your own free picture slideshow

Chewy.com Review - Natural Balance Vegan Dental Chews

Friday 18th July 2014

Today thanks to Chewy.com we are reviewing  Natural Balance Vegan Dental Chews. Now if you haven't tried Natural Balance you should - they have a huge variety of products to choose from and you can see them here at Chewy.Com.






Here's the Basics

• Helps reduce plaque & tartar - unique grooves encourage healthy chewing action and the removal of plaque & tartar
• Easy to digest - formulated to support easy chewing and digestion
• Helps freshen breath - the mechanical chewing action helps remove plaque & tartar that may cause bad breath
• With antioxidant nutrient - Vitamin C, a key antioxidant nutrient, is added to help support immune function
• Made in the USA!
• Price 13 oz bag - Small bones $13.49 Medium Bones $14.74

The look good Reilly

Let's give them the old taste test

Taste Test

• We both REALLY loved these and Mom says they are great for out teeth and gums
• They are chewy
• They are a great size  - we got the mediums

Ingredients

• Brown Rice Flour, Rice Starch, Brewer's Yeast, Vegetable Glycerin, Yeast Extract, Coconut Oil, Kale, Parsley, Alfalfa, Sorbic Acid (preservative), L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C)

Negatives - Kind of - Sort of - Maybe - Not Really

• None at all - they are totally yummy

mmmmm tastes good

it does taste good!

Rating

• We are giving these our 8  paw rating - Why 8 paws you ask? - well because we have 4 paws each and I have decided Dweeb can have an equal vote!

Disclaimer : Chewy.com sent us a packet of the Natural Balance Vegan Dental Chews in return for an honest review. We were not paid or compensated for our review in any other way and our opinion is purely our own.