We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving with Brad's family today. No shortage of food! I spent last evening baking cookies, a pecan pie, and a 7-layer dip. I made two different kinds of cookies. Both peanut butter but one was chocolate based and one was peanut butter made the usual way.
I actually got things done in a reasonable amount of time too last night. I went to bed about normal time for me. Woo-hoo! That means I woke up feeling rested!
The morning got started early for me. With 3 pets, believe me all mornings get started pretty early. The boys need to be walked and little Piper is screaming for food. After walking the boys I started on the final dish we were taking which was a green bean casserole.
It was a great day! Capped off by a Cowboys victory! They certainly had us worried though, I couldn't believe the first half went the way it did. I expected them to come out and take care of business similar to Detroit. Oh I must add I broke a nail playing football during the day's festivities! LOL! My husband was so proud.....proud I got out there to participate in heels! ;)
Brad doesn't have to work tomorrow so today was actually the start of a 4 day weekend for both of us! We originally thought he had to work on Friday but as it turns out they only need a skeleton crew in the office. Yes, we'll be doing some Christmas shopping. However, we aren't crazy....we won't be going out when the crowds are out, we usually wait until late afternoon then make an evening of it.
Hope everyone else enjoys a nice Thanksgiving Weekend!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Baby, It's Cold Outside!
On Friday morning Brad came out to the living room ready to leave for work as he entered the room he said his cell phone reading stated the outside temp to be only 37 degrees. I was in agreement that it was frigid outside as I had just barely returned from the long morning walk with the boys. Both boys walked quickly as they likely hoped I would wrap up the walk earlier than usual so they could get home to plant themselves next to the space heater. No such luck! We suffered through the entire walk. Poor boys!
On Thursday it was gorgeous! Lovely 72 degree day. I took Piper to her first vet appointment. She was an angel at the vet office, by the way! The temps here typically start to chill down in the late afternoon before evening sets in. When I returned home with Piper it was early evening and it was dark out, I immediately leashed up the boys to take them for their evening walk. While out on the walk we all 3 enjoyed the pleasant temp as it had not started to dip down yet which was a bit out of the ordinary. By the time Friday morning rolled around....it was super cold!!! Now think about that folks....from about 7:00 pm on Thursday to 7:00 am on Friday....a 12 hour timespan it dropped from 72 to 37 degrees! Brrr! Oh wait let Cody add this,...."Brrr!"
Friday was the beginning of 6 days in a row of super cold winter temps. We haven't gotten out of the 30's no matter what time of the day. We've canceled any hope for it to warm up as each day progresses. The hardest part to deal with is the wind chill. The wind chill hardly existed a little while ago when I walked the boys so it was much more bearable. The boys both shiver every time they go out. Tomorrow is predicted to be the worst of it. Freezing rain is supposed to begin at midnight and continue long enough to make this wife worry about her husband's morning commute. Bridges and freeways will likely be a mess. As for later in the day, the prediction is for snow flurries around the time Monday Night Football kicks off. Tuesday will be cold too! I think Wednesday will provide us with a bit warmer temps, we might get up to at least 40 for a high! ;) I'm actually not sure though, weather reports have been focused on the bad prediction for Monday. We'll see if by the end of the day tomorrow there will be a recipient to this season's first thrown snowball by me!
On Thursday it was gorgeous! Lovely 72 degree day. I took Piper to her first vet appointment. She was an angel at the vet office, by the way! The temps here typically start to chill down in the late afternoon before evening sets in. When I returned home with Piper it was early evening and it was dark out, I immediately leashed up the boys to take them for their evening walk. While out on the walk we all 3 enjoyed the pleasant temp as it had not started to dip down yet which was a bit out of the ordinary. By the time Friday morning rolled around....it was super cold!!! Now think about that folks....from about 7:00 pm on Thursday to 7:00 am on Friday....a 12 hour timespan it dropped from 72 to 37 degrees! Brrr! Oh wait let Cody add this,...."Brrr!"
Friday was the beginning of 6 days in a row of super cold winter temps. We haven't gotten out of the 30's no matter what time of the day. We've canceled any hope for it to warm up as each day progresses. The hardest part to deal with is the wind chill. The wind chill hardly existed a little while ago when I walked the boys so it was much more bearable. The boys both shiver every time they go out. Tomorrow is predicted to be the worst of it. Freezing rain is supposed to begin at midnight and continue long enough to make this wife worry about her husband's morning commute. Bridges and freeways will likely be a mess. As for later in the day, the prediction is for snow flurries around the time Monday Night Football kicks off. Tuesday will be cold too! I think Wednesday will provide us with a bit warmer temps, we might get up to at least 40 for a high! ;) I'm actually not sure though, weather reports have been focused on the bad prediction for Monday. We'll see if by the end of the day tomorrow there will be a recipient to this season's first thrown snowball by me!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Simon, Piper, and the Kibble!
The morning routine is for all three pets to be fed at the same time. On Monday morning I fed the boys then quickly turned my attention to feeding Piper. My mom was still in town so she was watching over Piper as I tended to the next chore with the boys.
A few minutes later after all pets had been fed, Piper made a discovery near the dishwasher. Our dishwasher is one of her fave spots. What did she discover? One piece of kibble from the boys food. I must have dropped it as I poured their meals into their bowls. They don't eat in the same place where the food is prepared so that's why Simon hadn't yet discovered this lone piece of kibble. As soon as Piper made the discovery there was Simon. He watched her as she slid the kibble from paw to paw then delicately tried to sample it. She didn't consume it as she was much more into playing with the new discovery. Simon continued to watch, he wasn't going anywhere. The 3 adults continued to watch as well! Brad was convinced Simon would soon take matters in to his own "paws" by knocking her to the ground to get to the kibble. Nope, that didn't happen. She soon began to tire of the kibble which Simon took note of. As soon as she distanced herself ever so slightly from the kibble he confidently swooped in to gobble it up.
I must say his patience was quite remarkable. I kind of thought he would have snatched it up long before he did, as he knows he's no match for her. He calmly waited her out! Simon's reaction to our new addition is quite surprising to me. He has the patience of Job with her. She plays with his tail, he lets her. She attempts to jump on his back for a ride, he lets her. Cool, calm, and collected is how he is around Piper. So far so good with the two of them!
A few minutes later after all pets had been fed, Piper made a discovery near the dishwasher. Our dishwasher is one of her fave spots. What did she discover? One piece of kibble from the boys food. I must have dropped it as I poured their meals into their bowls. They don't eat in the same place where the food is prepared so that's why Simon hadn't yet discovered this lone piece of kibble. As soon as Piper made the discovery there was Simon. He watched her as she slid the kibble from paw to paw then delicately tried to sample it. She didn't consume it as she was much more into playing with the new discovery. Simon continued to watch, he wasn't going anywhere. The 3 adults continued to watch as well! Brad was convinced Simon would soon take matters in to his own "paws" by knocking her to the ground to get to the kibble. Nope, that didn't happen. She soon began to tire of the kibble which Simon took note of. As soon as she distanced herself ever so slightly from the kibble he confidently swooped in to gobble it up.
I must say his patience was quite remarkable. I kind of thought he would have snatched it up long before he did, as he knows he's no match for her. He calmly waited her out! Simon's reaction to our new addition is quite surprising to me. He has the patience of Job with her. She plays with his tail, he lets her. She attempts to jump on his back for a ride, he lets her. Cool, calm, and collected is how he is around Piper. So far so good with the two of them!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
The Differences!
There are of course differences raising a kitty compared to raising a puppy. I don't have much experience with cats. The most exposure to a cat I've had was Storm. I was still learning about Storm. However, I didn't meet Storm as a kitty, she was a full grown older cat by the time I came into Brad's world. Therefore this is indeed a new experience.
With puppies and kitties they have boundless energy at times. Then they get themselves rather tuckered out and sleep for long periods. The boundless energy comes at different times for a kitty than a puppy. Yesterday I thought something was wrong with Piper as she was sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. She's usually awake around 6:00 to be a party to the evening's activities. But she must have stayed up longer into the afternoon which meant she needed to sleep way into the evening. I think it was around 8:30 when she was finally up. She was still in prime form when we were ready to go to bed. She settled down though and slept peacefully. She's been very good at night. The first night Brad brought her home is the only night she got me up at 3:00 am.
Another big difference I've noticed is the "abandonment issue". Those that have raised a puppy know what I mean about the fear of being abandoned. Puppies will follow you from room to room then cry if they can't see you for a long period of time. Simon is a little more of a loner than most dogs so he didn't fear being abandoned to severely. The way Cody still has the need to be in the same room with me makes me believe he still fears being abandoned. ;) As for Piper she is curious about other areas of the house when I go somewhere we aren't letting her access, however, she's doesn't seem to have a fear we'll just leave her to fend for herself. Cats in general are much more independent in many ways.
I am learning her different meows. The meow for wanting attention sounds different than the meow for food. She also has some squeaks she makes. She has lots of different sounds she's experimenting with. Kitties are much more vocal than puppies.
This should be fun to watch her grow.
With puppies and kitties they have boundless energy at times. Then they get themselves rather tuckered out and sleep for long periods. The boundless energy comes at different times for a kitty than a puppy. Yesterday I thought something was wrong with Piper as she was sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. She's usually awake around 6:00 to be a party to the evening's activities. But she must have stayed up longer into the afternoon which meant she needed to sleep way into the evening. I think it was around 8:30 when she was finally up. She was still in prime form when we were ready to go to bed. She settled down though and slept peacefully. She's been very good at night. The first night Brad brought her home is the only night she got me up at 3:00 am.
Another big difference I've noticed is the "abandonment issue". Those that have raised a puppy know what I mean about the fear of being abandoned. Puppies will follow you from room to room then cry if they can't see you for a long period of time. Simon is a little more of a loner than most dogs so he didn't fear being abandoned to severely. The way Cody still has the need to be in the same room with me makes me believe he still fears being abandoned. ;) As for Piper she is curious about other areas of the house when I go somewhere we aren't letting her access, however, she's doesn't seem to have a fear we'll just leave her to fend for herself. Cats in general are much more independent in many ways.
I am learning her different meows. The meow for wanting attention sounds different than the meow for food. She also has some squeaks she makes. She has lots of different sounds she's experimenting with. Kitties are much more vocal than puppies.
This should be fun to watch her grow.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Cody's Sickness
Well the worst part of the last week has been dealing with Cody and his sickness. Last weekend Cody was not doing so well. He was having some stomach issues. I waited through the weekend to see if he would recover on his own. By the time Monday came around he was really doing poorly. His strange behavior during the day on Monday earned him a much needed trip to the vet. Good thing our vet is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I got him an early evening appointment and off we went to the vet. The news wasn't great. We were given two options: at-home treatment or hospitalize him. Having the suggestion of hospitalizing Cody after months ago being told Storm needed to be hospitalized was not a good thought.
I chose to take him home and give him the best at-home care we could provide him with. I worried all Monday night that we would lose him. When Tuesday arrived he was showing some signs of improvement. The deal with the vet was that Cody had to start showing signs of improvement or else I had to take him in to be hospitalized. I decided to make him plain rice in an attempt to get some food in him. I did throw in a few kibbles with the plain rice. The amount of food he was getting was about a fourth of what he normally eats per meal. His eyes along with his overall appearance looked better and better as Tuesday progressed. My mind started to stop worry about him so much.
On Thursday his condition dipped down again. He suddenly went backwards. He was struggling a bit through Friday and the early part of Saturday. However, the way Cody acted early in the day yesterday was the way he has acted numerous times before when he's had heartburn. Many year's ago I was told by a vet Cody has heartburn issues just like a human. So Cody and his heartburn is something I'm used to dealing with. That was not as worrisome to me. I was quite sure the meds prescribed to him was causing his stomach to not be as settled as it should be. As everyone knows, sometimes meds can help yet hinder you in other ways...same goes for dogs! The meds ran out on Saturday morning. As soon as the meds ran out I was hopeful his heartburn issue would subside, which is exactly what has happened as it seems today.
Cody ate half of his dinner early in the evening yesterday then the other half later in the evening. This morning based on his actions I felt confident about giving him his usual amount of breakfast. Which he happily ate!
It's been a difficult time dealing with this virus he was diagnosed with. His recovery was up and down all week, one day he seemed on the mend the next day he took a step backwards. During this past week I cried 2 or 3 times as I prepared myself for the worst. I understand it's a much different thing taking an older pug to the vet than it was taking a young whipper-snapper pug to the vet. It's more nerve wracking for sure! The boys are not young ones anymore. I accept that as much as I don't want to!
I am so happy to report, as of today he appears to be back to being our normal Cody-man! Fingers-crossed happy-go-lucky Cody is here to stay for quite awhile longer! Since he appears to be better his new little sister has begun tormenting his tail once again! We tried keeping her away from him while he was sick, he didn't need to be messed with. Now he's doing better so his tail is fair game again! ;)
I chose to take him home and give him the best at-home care we could provide him with. I worried all Monday night that we would lose him. When Tuesday arrived he was showing some signs of improvement. The deal with the vet was that Cody had to start showing signs of improvement or else I had to take him in to be hospitalized. I decided to make him plain rice in an attempt to get some food in him. I did throw in a few kibbles with the plain rice. The amount of food he was getting was about a fourth of what he normally eats per meal. His eyes along with his overall appearance looked better and better as Tuesday progressed. My mind started to stop worry about him so much.
On Thursday his condition dipped down again. He suddenly went backwards. He was struggling a bit through Friday and the early part of Saturday. However, the way Cody acted early in the day yesterday was the way he has acted numerous times before when he's had heartburn. Many year's ago I was told by a vet Cody has heartburn issues just like a human. So Cody and his heartburn is something I'm used to dealing with. That was not as worrisome to me. I was quite sure the meds prescribed to him was causing his stomach to not be as settled as it should be. As everyone knows, sometimes meds can help yet hinder you in other ways...same goes for dogs! The meds ran out on Saturday morning. As soon as the meds ran out I was hopeful his heartburn issue would subside, which is exactly what has happened as it seems today.
Cody ate half of his dinner early in the evening yesterday then the other half later in the evening. This morning based on his actions I felt confident about giving him his usual amount of breakfast. Which he happily ate!
It's been a difficult time dealing with this virus he was diagnosed with. His recovery was up and down all week, one day he seemed on the mend the next day he took a step backwards. During this past week I cried 2 or 3 times as I prepared myself for the worst. I understand it's a much different thing taking an older pug to the vet than it was taking a young whipper-snapper pug to the vet. It's more nerve wracking for sure! The boys are not young ones anymore. I accept that as much as I don't want to!
I am so happy to report, as of today he appears to be back to being our normal Cody-man! Fingers-crossed happy-go-lucky Cody is here to stay for quite awhile longer! Since he appears to be better his new little sister has begun tormenting his tail once again! We tried keeping her away from him while he was sick, he didn't need to be messed with. Now he's doing better so his tail is fair game again! ;)
Mom's First Mavs Game!
It was bitter cold night in Dallas on game night. My Zonie mom was forced to walk through the super chilly weather to the arena. ;) The parking at the arena is not difficult to deal with so it's not like we had to walk for miles. It was an easy walk! Once inside I could tell she was in awe of the arena, thoroughly enjoying the experience. We were able to get some awesome tickets for the game. We were in the first row of the Platinum section. The Platinum section is in the middle area of the arena. The upper level was above us and the lower level below us. In the Platinum section you get food and beverage service, we never had to get up to go to the concession stand. There's actually no concession stands in the Platinum section. There's a couple restaurants and merchandise shops along with some of the nicest restrooms one could use! ;) In the future when attending a Mavs game we'll be sitting in the Platinum section!
My mom has always loved watching NBA basketball. During much of my childhood I believe my mom's preference was to watch the NBA over the NFL. Now I think she enjoys the NFL more than the NBA. However, nothing compares to watching a game live in the stands than sitting at home. It is a unique experience. I know she had a great time at the game. I'm glad they won too! That helps make the experience even better in my opinion! I hope the Mavs game was one of the highlights of her visit, it certainly was for me! We all had a great time! It's more special when you don't do those types of things all the time!
Mom will head home to Phx tomorrow. It's been a nice visit! I enjoyed it being as long as it has been. We had more time to relax, no rushing to get things done. I also liked having her here during this time of the year. We were able to fit in a couple days of early Christmas shopping. The weather in November is likely chillier than she would prefer. However, the nice thing about this month is that it isn't consistently cold day after day. We might have a few cold days then it goes up to a more "non-chill-you-to-your-core" temp. This weekend has been gorgeous! Perfect weather for her last few days here! Anyway I'm rather hopeful we can make her long 10 day visit an annual November thing. Good times!
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This is the screen above the floor! Kind of a weird pic, I know!Thursday, November 14, 2013
Pics from the Baby Shower
I thought I would share some pics of the baby shower from this past weekend.
The theme as I mentioned before was a cowgirl theme. I found lots of stuff for a cow theme, which was a bit interesting. I could have done a full cow theme very easily. I tried picking and choosing some cow themed stuff combined with some cowgirl/western elements. I made the banner and the sign with the baby's name on it. I used some rope I bought at a craft store to form the letters of the baby's name, Allie. The banner and sign certainly looked homemade not too professional looking...but oh well!
The food followed in line with the cowgirl/western theme as well. My husband had no problem helping to finish off the pulled barbecue beef and pork. We still have a little bit of each of the 3 desserts I made leftover, all other leftovers are long gone. I was literally standing on my counter in my kitchen getting things out of a very high cupboard when I came up with the idea for the s'more brownies. My mom chuckled quite a bit as I formulated my idea out loud for the s'more brownies as she looked on.
The shower was fun to put together. I am so glad it turned out as well as it did! It was worth the work! Hopefully the expectant parents completely enjoyed themselves!
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My Mom's Football Picks!
Everyone knows that Brad and I compete against one another each week with NFL football picks. Well my mom also makes her football picks just for fun and competes against two of my cousins each week during the NFL season. We decided this would be easiest to simply post her picks for this week's games on the blog. So to my cousins that compete against my mom each week...here are her picks.
Thursday Night Game:
Indianapolis at Tennessee.....Indianapolis
Sunday Games:
NY Jets at Buffalo.....Buffalo
Atlanta at Tampa Bay.....Tampa Bay
Detroit at Pittsburgh....Pittsburgh
Washington at Philadelphia.....Philadelphia
San Diego at Miami......Miami
Baltimore at Chicago......Chicago
Cleveland at Cincinnati.....Cincinnati
Oakland at Houston....Houston
Arizona at Jacksonville.....Arizona
Kansas City at Denver.....Denver
Minnesota at Seattle......Seattle
San Francisco at New Orleans.....New Orleans
Green Bay at NY Giants......NY Giants
Monday Night Game:
New England at Carolina.....New England
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Introducing Our New Addition!
The search for her name was quite daunting! Quite frankly it took us way too long! I think it's partly because last time each of us named a pet we didn't have to consult with another person. Plus, it took us some time to decide if we were indeed going to keep her.
We had so many names on a list. During the process we settled on two different names. We called her one name for about a half of a day. Then decided it didn't fit her. We then selected on another name which we briefly tried out on her as well. That name didn't stick either! As of yesterday we went with something that was on our list after tossing out the previous two names. She seems to like the name Piper too. Brad noticed the first time he called her Piper, she responded. Perhaps it was her fave out of the few names we tried out on her.
My nicknames for her so far are: Pita Piper, Pi-Pi-Piper, and Piper Pie!
She's a spunky one! She has no fear! She loves getting after her big brother's tails. Sometimes I hold her up to let her "ride" around on Simon's back. The boys are so tolerate of her it's impressive! Hopefully that continues!
During our name search I realized the "in" thing right now is naming a girl a boy name. I can't believe all the names that are being used for little girls that were clearly little boy names not so long ago. Kody spelled with a "K" is now a girl name. Ryann, Avery, and Elliot...are becoming unisex names. I must admit I did briefly consider the name Ryann. Briefly!
Mainly we wanted a name that fit her but a name that wasn't too overly frilly. After all she will be raised around 2 boy pugs! Piper Ava fits her well. The name Piper means flute player. She makes plenty of little sounds which remind me of a flute. She's commonly sounding off! Lol! As for Ava, it was chosen for two reasons. Ava means "like a bird", some of her noises sound like a bird! I've asked Brad a couple of times, "Do we have a kitty or a new bird in the house?". We also chose Ava because she was found by Brad at his work, Ava is within the title of his complex.
Welcome to the blog little Piper!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
My Mom Arrives and the Baby Shower!
My mom arrived on Thursday of this week. It was a bit difficult navigating my way through the terminal since it's currently being remodeled. My mom's luggage actually came off the plane before she did. Now how often does that happen? Trust me, hardly ever.
The last few days have been all about the final preparation for the baby shower. The shower theme was cowgirl. When I first started planning it, a cowgirl theme seemed simple enough then as I got to looking for things to go with the theme it turned out to be not so simple. In my opinion the theme transitioned into more of a western theme. I found cow print tablecloths and napkins then built around those adding in lots of pink, including pink cowgirl hats.
The baby shower was today. I was up until nearly 2:30 in the morning decorating and making sure as much was done as possible. I made pulled pork and beef which I put in the crock pot at midnight. We all woke up to the smell of barbecue. It was the first time for me to go to bed with the crock pot going.
In my opinion the shower went very well. It was a bit of a crazy morning as we had lots to do. I had to take the boys to doggie day camp, which took longer than expected. Then it was off to Party City to get the balloon bouquets done. After that we made the last and final stop at the grocery store before coming home to start in on the major part of the baby shower meal. We did get everything done in good timing. I have learned over the last few years how important it is to choose wisely when designing a menu for a party of any kind.
I've been going and going, like an Energizer bunny. The last few nights I haven't had much sleep. My brain has been constantly thinking of ways to make the baby shower better. I will end this post because my eyes can hardly stay open. I'm not sure I'm going to even be able to make my football picks before I fall asleep. A Saturday night ritual for me is to make my picks for the Sunday games. That way I can "sleep on it" should I come across some tough games to choose. I keep dozing off as I type this, it's definitely time for bed!
The last few days have been all about the final preparation for the baby shower. The shower theme was cowgirl. When I first started planning it, a cowgirl theme seemed simple enough then as I got to looking for things to go with the theme it turned out to be not so simple. In my opinion the theme transitioned into more of a western theme. I found cow print tablecloths and napkins then built around those adding in lots of pink, including pink cowgirl hats.
The baby shower was today. I was up until nearly 2:30 in the morning decorating and making sure as much was done as possible. I made pulled pork and beef which I put in the crock pot at midnight. We all woke up to the smell of barbecue. It was the first time for me to go to bed with the crock pot going.
In my opinion the shower went very well. It was a bit of a crazy morning as we had lots to do. I had to take the boys to doggie day camp, which took longer than expected. Then it was off to Party City to get the balloon bouquets done. After that we made the last and final stop at the grocery store before coming home to start in on the major part of the baby shower meal. We did get everything done in good timing. I have learned over the last few years how important it is to choose wisely when designing a menu for a party of any kind.
I've been going and going, like an Energizer bunny. The last few nights I haven't had much sleep. My brain has been constantly thinking of ways to make the baby shower better. I will end this post because my eyes can hardly stay open. I'm not sure I'm going to even be able to make my football picks before I fall asleep. A Saturday night ritual for me is to make my picks for the Sunday games. That way I can "sleep on it" should I come across some tough games to choose. I keep dozing off as I type this, it's definitely time for bed!
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