Shopping Around The World

We are joining Bacon and Fozzie in a Shopping Trip Around the World again

• Soup - It is that time of the year here in the States for soup – shivers.  What is your favorite can/container to buy and how much is it?  We don't eat a lot of soup in our house but Mom recently found two she likes to have with a grilled cheese sandwich - the first is Cambell's Tomato Bisque and the second is Cambell's Orange Tomato Harvest which is made from yellow tomato's (why they don't call it Yellow Tomato Harvest we don't know) Mom doesn't eat tomato's normally as the acid in them burns her mouth - but yellow tomato's are low in acid and she can have those. If Dad is feeling puny - he will always go for stock standard Chicken Noodle Soup

• Christmas Trees – Since it’s Christmas time, how much are real trees going for in your area? We don't buy real trees unless they in pots and still growing. YES - Mom is a tree hugger and it makes her so sad to see trees cut down and just thrown out a few weeks later.

• Cold Medicine – Tis the season to get sick :)  List what kind you normally keep on hand/price. Mom always reads all the ingredients on the packet and if she can find a generic brand that has the same things in it as the brand names do - that is what she will buy. Generic brands are between $6.99 and $8.99

• Hot Drink – During the cold season, what do you keep on hand for something hot – whether it’s coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot toddy, etc.  Name what you have/price.  Mom use to be a obsessive tea drinker but because of her ulcer she has had to give it and now just drinks hot water. Every now again she will have a cup of hot Milo (which is a kind of chocolate drink but has vitamins and minerals in it) - Mom gets it from Australia and likes the Malt Milo the best. Dad doesn't drink any hot drinks at all

• Random Item of your choice. Growing up in Australia - Real Fruit cake at Christmas time is something Mom loves. She has a recipe her Mom used (it has over a pint of different alcohol in it and is made at the beginning of November - once a week it is brushed all over with brandy or rum. It costs about $30.00 (mainly the cost of the alcohol) to make but is a huge cake. It will keep for up to a year and is awesome!

Winner winner cookie dinner

We finally got to try our Christmas Cookies yesterday and they were so yummy - Thanks Ms Deb and her Furbabies for sending them to us. Mom was being mean though and made us share one instead of giving us a whole one each all because SHE said they would last longer than way.

Our final card count was 

Us - 83 cards (we were in 2 card exchange groups this year), 17 e-cards and 2 presents - Peeps 4 cards and 2 presents

We are pretty sure we deserve a whole cookie each for winning the card count.

The Day After Christmas

First - we want to thank our Christmas present swap buddies Shilo and Shasta for the pawsome gifties they sent us - there was tuggy toy for me, squeaky balls for the Dweeb and Venison treats for me both of us. Thank you so much - those were the pawfect gifts for us and we sure hope you liked what we sent you.

Our day was really quiet - Just Mom and Dad and us. The sun actually came out and even though it was still chilly we went for a nice long walk at MY park then we watched some Christmas movies and shared lots of cuddles. We hope you had a wonderful day too.

Merry Christmas 2014

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!... Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!" 

Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

We want to wish all our friends both furry and non-furry - the most wonderful and blessed day and may the spirit of Christmas carry you though the coming year , Thank you to every furbody for all the wonderful cards and messages we received too - Love, Snuffles, Wags and Hugs

Reilly, Denny, Mom and Dad

Baking for buddies

Yesterday we helped Mom bake cookies for the Humane Society and doggies who don't have forever home yet. We were the official taste testers and one cheeky dog with a black head even managed to sneak an uncooked cookie off the tray as well as 2 cooked ones! Now we chose a real simple 5 ingredient Peanut Butter recipe to use as we thought this would safer for any doggies with allergies. These are also soft baked cookies so are perfect for older dogs or doggies that just don't crunchy cookies like the Dweeb.

Ingredients

2 cups of rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 cup of peanut butter
1 cup of warm water
1 egg

Method

Mix rice flour and baking soda in a bowl. In another bowl mix warm water, peanut butter and egg then add to flour mix. Stir until combined and then place on a floured surface and kneed. Roll out to 1/4" thickness and cut out in shapes and place on trays. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Please think about making some dog cookies for you local humane society - they sadly are often forgotten over Christmas and supplies dwindle. They also need gently used towels and blankets during the colder months.

A surprise gift

On Saturday Mom got a box in the mail that came all the way from England and it was from our sweet friend Molly the Wally and her Mom. We want to send a huge BIG thank you to them both as it really did make  mom smile big time. They sent Mom some wonderful goodies that included reusable hand warmers, a tin of 3 lip balms,  a book and two bracelets and earrings and a wonderful Christmas card. Mom and Dad also got a card from Dad's other daughter so now they four cards - can you believe that!

The card count now stands at

Us - 76 cards, 14 e-cards and 2 presents - Peeps 4 cards and 2 presents

You Tube Magic

Mom and Dad have been watching a lot of those 'how to' videos on You Tube this past week and yesterday we finally found out why - they decided to tile a black splash in MY kitchen. Neither of them had ever done this before so we dogervised (with our paws crossed the whole time) and we quiet surprised how well it actually turned out. They put the tiles on Friday and then did the grouting on Saturday. The tiles are a pretty sparkly glass tile and Mom says the brown looks just like the color of my eyes. I think Mom has been sipping on too much of that Egg Nog stuff  :)

The first step was washing down all the wall and then giving it a gentle sanding - Dad also removed the old outlet covers. Next came taping all the edges and putting down some protective plastic. Then came the mastic which is what holds the tile in place. Shhhhh don't tell but Mom did most of the work as she was better able to line up the tiles than Dad. We then had to let that set for 24 hours before putting on the grout (Mom also did most of this too) After waiting for half an hour we then started the washing and wiping - Mom and dad went through 2 rolls of paper towels and must of washed the tiles like 87 gazillion times to bring them back to being all sparkly and clean. Dad put on some new brass colored outlet plates and they were done. We have to wait a couple of days and then Mom will wipe sealer all over it. I must admit - I am pretty proud of my peeps - they did good :)

Funny Friday

The Mom is soooo CHUFFED (Aussie for Happy) She got a Christmas card that is just for her and Dad. Can you believe MY girlfriend Katie's Mom sent it. We think she just felt sorry for Mom but now we can't smirk at Mom's  0 count anymore. Of coarse it made Mom super happy to have her very own card and she sends a BIG thank you to Ms Dawn.  Now some of you mentioned that our Mom's name is on some of MY cards too - yes this is true - but they all say Reilly and Denny  and then Mom Bree - well we count those are all ours as our names are first. Do you see her card at the bottom of the picture - the cute heart shaped snow ball. We were more interested in the treats Mom had in her hands though which is why we are looking a bit blurry :) Mom and Dad also got a card today from our Cousin Jackson and his Mom (Dad's daughter) - so now they have 2 cards!

Later in the afternoon another box came and it was addressed to Mom and US - inside was a bag of HUGE gourmet dog cookies and the most beautiful Amber and Stirling Silver bracelet for Mom. It came from one of sweet Facebook Friends - Ms Deb and her doggies Peanut, Miss Anna Bella, Alexander and Brady. We want to say a great BIG thank you for thinking of us and it really made Mom's day.

The card count is now

Us - 61 cards, 14 E-cards and 2 presents - The Peeps 2 cards and 1 present.

Thoughtful Thursday

At this time of year most people are busy rushing around buying presents, organizing parties and dinners and generally loving the excitement in the air. But there also many many people who find this one of the saddest and most depressing times of the year. The reasons for this are many but here are a few of the main ones.

• Finances. Not enough money or the fear of not having enough to buy gifts leads to sadness and guilt. The stress of financial hardship during this economic downturn is often compounded by shame. When you can’t afford to celebrate, it can feel devastating.
• Stress. For example, there is the stress of shopping and planning family dinners when you’re already overworked and tired.
• Loneliness. A whopping 43 percent of Americans are single, and 27 percent of Americans live alone. When others are with their families, it can be very painful for those who are alone. Seventeen percent of singles are over 65, when health, age, and mobility can make it more difficult to enjoy yourself.
• Grief. Missing a deceased loved one. Seniors have more reasons to grieve.
• Estrangement. When you’re not speaking to a relative, family get-togethers can usher in feelings of sadness, guilt, resentment, or inner conflict about whether to communicate.
• Divorce. If you’re newly divorced, the holidays may remind you of happier times and accentuate your grief. It’s especially difficult for adult children of divorce who have to balance seeing two sets of parents. The stress is multiplied for married children who have three or even four sets of parents to visit.
• Pleasing. Trying to please all of your relatives – deciding what to get, whom to see, and what to do – can make you feel guilty, which leads to depression.
• SAD. Many people experience the blues during gloomy weather due to decreased sunlight, called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

So what can we do to help - we doggies are often one of the most comforting things for those who are lonely. The magic of a simple doggie cuddle is beyond compare. Helping  to serve Christmas dinners to those less fortunate can be a great help or delivering toys to children in care. Putting together a box of goodies for your local humane society can bring smiles and happy tail wags.

But the most important thing we can all do - it to take a few minutes out of our day and think about the people we know who are lonely or sad -  a simple card, email or phone call can make all the difference to them and cost nothing more than a few moments of your time.

Wordless Wednesday

Nah nah nahnah nah

Take that MOM !!!! We got a pressie yesterday and you didn't !!! Our sweet friends Shilo and Shasta are our Christmas Gift Exchange Buddies this year and they sent us our presents (they got ours last week) Mom is being SUPER mean though (we think she is just envious) and says we can't open it until Christmas - can you believe that !

The Card Count

Give it up Mom - no way are you even getting close to our card count

Us - 54 cards and 13 e-cards - Mom and Dad 0

Dark and Gloomy

This past week has been so gloomy - thick clouds every day with the sun hardly peeking though for more than a few minutes but that didn't stop us from heading to the park every day and enjoying a crisp morning walkies.  As you can see all the leaves have fallen (Mom says it makes it hard to find the trail) but we know exactly where it is - just follow us Mom.













The trail we were on ends at a small lookout and below is part of the tree top boardwalk in MY smaller park, this is the lower section of it. We then headed back to the lake which was so flat and calm today - the water was like a big mirror reflecting all the trees.













And we couldn't do a post without the beaver report - yes they are still gnawing - this in another area that they haven't been too previously. We know they are just doing what beavers do and we still adore the furry little guys but we are also sad that so many trees are not going to bursting into leaf next spring.

Mom is CHEATING!

Now as you know we are so whippin' the Mom's butt when it comes to our cards - the count is now 

Us - 43 cards and 11 e-cards and Mom and Dad - 0

But Mom keeps smirking at us because she keeps getting boxes in the mail for HER - and we say that is CHEATING. Today she got one from Oreo (Angel Jazzi's new brother) from his Oreo cookie count competition where Mom I guessed the correct amount of cookies in the jar - not just a close guess but SPOT on with the specific amount. Now in the box was all the Oreo cookies  Mom I counted PLUS a bag of doggy cookies for us - so I say that half that box is ours right AND if you notice it was OUR name on the box - not hers !!! We also wanted to say a BIG thank you to Oreo and his Mom  for our cookies.

Mom also got the calendar of us she had made and is counting that as a gift - because she gave it to herself - I tell you - the woman is getting desperate if you ask me! Can you believe she even says some of OUR cards have HER name on them too - Really Mom do you have no shame?

Chewy.com Review - Primal Lamb Lung Crisps

12th December 2014

Today thanks to Chewy.com we are reviewing Primal Dry Roasted Lamb Lung Crisps.

Here's the Basics

•  The Primal Pet Foods treat line was created for dogs and cats with the goal of providing wholesome, human-grade snacks containing no preservatives, gluten or grain. All Primal Treats are produced using USDA meats, poultry and game raised in the United States and New Zealand without antibiotics or added hormones and are available in a variety of cooking styles, as well as protein sources including venison, buffalo, turkey and chicken. Primal Treats are produced using low-temperature, slow-cooking techniques such as freeze-drying and slow roasting, yielding high-density nutrition in a shelf-stable snack product. All Primal Treats are single-source proteins and offer a healthy choice for all pets, especially those with food allergies. Primal treats are recommended to be used as a snack alternative, as well as for training and obedience rewards.

Key Benefits

• Lamb raised in the United States without antibiotics or added hormones
• Single-source protein
• Healthy treats for dogs
• High-protein snack
• No preservatives
• Grain and gluten free
• No added salt or sugar

Taste Test

• Both Denny and I could barely wait for Mom to open the packet - and when she did our noses were twitching like crazy.
• The treats are as the name suggest crisp and crunch but also really easy to chew as they just about dissolved in our mouths - Mom aid they are kind of like doggie potato chips.

Ingredients

• Lamb Lung - that is it - just one imply and yummy ingredients

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

• Not a one - we totally loved them - okay - we admit we wish there was a lot more in the bag but that is just us being greedy - or at least that is what Mom says.

Rating Definitely a 8 paw rating (that is 4 paws from each of us)

Disclaimer : Chewy.com sent us a packet of Natural Balance Venison Burger Bites 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.

Another surprise in the post

We got another surprise in the mail yesterday - it was a book we won from Bunny and Flattery over at Tales and Tails. Mom started reading it to us a straight away and we are already a quarter of the way through it. When we have finished reading it we will tell you more about it - Thank you Bunny and Flattery and their Mom - our Mom is having to do a lot of resting and this will help her pass the time.

 The Card Count Continues 

 US 31 cards and 10 E-cards - The Peeps 0 (but Mom is smirking that she got 2 presents and we have none)

Pawing it forward

Earlier this year we took part in a 'pawing it forward' where we found 6 people to do a Random Act of Kindness for. We sent them all a little gift for no other reason than to make them smile and make their day a little brighter. Well yesterday we received our very own paw it forward gift and like many such gifts it arrived at the perfect time. Mom had just spent 4 hours at the Urgent Care and wasn't feeling very well at all when our mail lady bought a box to the door. Imagine Mom's surprise when she opened the box and found this amazing cup with our pictures on it!!!  And there was an assortment of Ghirardelli chocolates too! We want to thank Amy and Terra Toby for the wonderful gift - it truly did make Mom smile and feel better. Of coarse I must point out that MY side of the cup is the BEST :) :)

Oh Oh Beavers!

First something important we have noticed - it would seem blogger has changed many of our settings without us being aware of it - (including our own!) Just about every blog we visited yesterday had that "prove you are not a robot" or what used to be called word verification - popping up again. We checked our settings and it is turned off - but as many of you have noticed it is still appearing. Now for people like my Mom who is number dyslextic these are really annoying and frustrating. Here are the instructions for how you can check your settings but it would appear this is something blogger has changed and we are not sure if we can turn it off now.  http://cowspotdog.blogspot.com/2012/12/what-gives.html

We finally got some warmer temps - a bright sunny 50 degrees which meant time to go to MY park and get lots of fresh air - at least for Mom. For us it meant lots of sniffing and pee mail to read and leave.

We also had a nice big bag of ducky food so off we went in search of Mr & Mrs Tuffy. Yes - his mate is all white and they have been together for the last three years and look at their baby - isn't he so cute. They only had the one this year and he still following them around so we think he is going to be a permanent resident too.

Here we are watching those duckies but can you believe Mom said NO chasing - what gives with that ???? ....a good chasing would give them some needed exercise we think.













Now we were on the other side of MY lake today and sadly noticed the beavers have been busy here too. The red arrow shows where the beaver lodge is and where all the damaged trees we have shown before are. Mom was a bit sad to see they are chomping trees on the other side of the lake too. We sure wish there was something they could put either on or around the trees to protect them - we counted 23 trees trees that have been damaged now and most of them have been chomped right around which sadly means the trees will die.

Card Count US - 31 cards & 9 E-cards (gawoof gawoof - we got 11 in the mail today!) Peeps 0

Monday Musings

We forgot to do our Sunday Snippets yesterday so we will include answers to questions asked during the week here.

We loved sharing our favorite duckies with you and we think one of the reason there are so many here at the moment is because it is duck hunting season and our duckies KNOW they are safe at MY park. Here is Mom's favorite duck - Mr Tuffy.

Charlie asked if we have ever seen the beavers - the answer is YES. If we go to MY park right at sunrise we see them doing their lap of the lake - we usually see two of them and by the way they play together makes us think they are a pair. We have been able to get a couple of pictures of them but none of them very good as they very fast and quite shy. This is the best one we have and earlier  this year we counted 5 of them in their little cove and three were much smaller so we are guessing they were babies.

We were also asked about my boots. YES I wear boots when ever I go for a walk - I have arthritis in my front paws that has caused my toes to become a deformed and the pads to spread. The boots help support my toes and also stops stones and pebbles from hurting the soft inside of the pads. They are special orthopedic boots with gel liners inside and I love them. I don't wear them around home but we never go out without them and Mom even keeps a spare pair in the car for me.

As a side note - Mom just finished making two 11" x 8.5"  - 2015 calendars on Shutterfly and Vistaprint - using full sized photos on each. Shutterfly were charging $21.99 that included a 50% off coupon and postage and Vistaprint cost $10.99 including a 50% off coupon and shipping, Vistaprint also had a much nicer collections of backgrounds to work with. We went with the Vistaprint one so if you are looking to make your own calendar for next year you might want to do checking of your own to find the best deals.

Card Count - Us 20 cards and 8 E-cards - Peeps 0

Black & White Sunday

Card Count - Us 20 - Peeps 0 - Dogs RULE!

A mesage from Chewy.com

Sydney at Chewy.com  asked us if we could spread the word about how they are also looking for new bloggers to review products. Now being a reviewer is super easy and a great way for us to try things we haven't had before. Each month Sydney sends us an email with a selection of goodies - we pick one and they send it to us for free. We then do an honest review about the product. If you love it - that is what you say and if you don't like it you can also say that giving an explanation as to why. Remember they cater for dogs, cats and other animals too.  Here is the information from Sydney

This Holiday season we're hoping to grow our Blogger family. If you guys have any family or friends that are bloggers that would want to join our awesome Blogger family please send them my way. We’re looking for more friends to help spread the word that we can get goodies to the West Coast faster than ever with our new Nevada warehouse. If you would like to join in -  email me at svillegas@chewy.com

Gone to the birds

We thought we would share some video of our noisy ducks and me telling them off !

The Beaver Lodge and Duckies

Even though it was 35 degrees yesterday Mom braved the cold to take us for a walk and go and feed the duckies and check out what the beavers had been up to. We had quite the flock gather for some food today, geese, ducks and those funny little black bird - not sure what they are but they sure were hungry. Mr Tuffy was there as usual (he is Mom's most favorite duck - he has a tuft of feathers on his head if you look right in the middle of the first photo you can see him). There was domestic white geese, grey lag geese, Canada geese, mallard ducks and some pretty hybrid mallards too.













Next we headed over to see what those naughty beavers had been up to. They have sadly gnawed on even more trees and there is 4 that they have almost gnawed right through. Mom wonders what instinct it is they have to gnaw and fell live trees rather then use all the branches that are already on the ground. As you can see MY lake is very low - Mom thinks it has dropped between 8-12 feet - personally we think all those darn ducks and beavers are drinking it all!













Here is there lodge from both sides and you can see in the background of the second photo the trees they have been gnawing on. Now some of you noticed that the gnawing seemed high up on the tree - that is because those crafty little buggers stand upright to gnaw - they use their tail and back feet to balance them and hold onto the tree with their front paws plus they use the sharp claws they have on their front paws to rip away the bark. 

Christmas Card Count

Us 5 - Peeps 0