Week 2

Alright tonight week 2 of March Madness started.  I go into the 2nd week of action with a two game lead over Brad.  Not enough of a lead!  It's still anybody's comp.  What's on the line?  A lot!  Bragging rights for starters!  And if I win...boy, will I brag!  LOL! Aside from bragging rights dinner "out of town" and an entertainment gift. 

During the NFL season we of course compete against each other with those games as well.  So when we came up with the winnings for March Madness we posed the question...."what was your favorite reward from the NFL season?"  My favorite was dinner out of town.  We took a little evening trip to a restaurant that was a bit far.  Far enough away that in normal everyday life we would decide to go somewhere closer to home versus traveling to another city just for dinner.  We both had a great time with our "dinner out of town" night, it was a fun experience. Brad's choice as his favorite reward was the entertainment gift.  He loves going to Best Buy!  He especially loves getting a new entertainment gift like a movie or game.  So dinner out of town and an entertainment gift are on the line!  Which one of us will cash in? 

Duke seriously damaged my bracket!  Darn Blue Devils!  And the Sun Devils didn't help me either.  Brad chose Texas of course!  The lower section of the South Division is kind of mess for me too.  I needed Dayton to go down 2 rounds ago!  We'll see how my bracket is doing by the end of this weekend.  Hopefully I can extend my lead!  Fingers-crossed! 

Who's Coming to Big D?

Tomorrow the NCAA tournament begins!  Woo-hoo!  I like watching the tournament.  Getting to know some of the names of future NBA players is nice. Most of all I enjoy the competition of it all.  I like the format the NCAA uses to get a National Champion.  

This will be the 4th annual NCAA bracket competition between Brad and I!  We count overall games marked correctly. If a team goes out early in the tournament and you picked them to make the Elite 8 then you are stuck marking quite a few games wrong. That's what you always hope to avoid! Yet you know upsets will occur. A Cinderella team emerges each year!  I'm going for a 4-peat!  I've won our bracket challenge all four years we've done one!  Yes, folks I'm queen of the brackets in this house!  LOL!  My husband called me the "queen of the NCAA bracket" so it's okay for me to put that in this blog!  ;) LOL!

When the teams and match-ups were announced on Sunday, I was surprised to see ASU made the cut!  I keep up well with ASU football because it's easy to do, since the games are played once a week!  Whereas with basketball the games are randomly played on random nights. I see their scores flash across the bottom of the screen when watching ESPN but other than that it's a bit difficult to keep up with their basketball season. When I saw ASU made it, I was so busy celebrating that I paid no attention to their opponent in the first round. At the time I do remember Brad mentioning something about Texas.  But like I said my mind was too focused on ASU actually being in the tournament. Lets face it U of A is the basketball school, not ASU. When ASU makes it, it's a bit more noteworthy than when U of A makes it. So there I am late last night looking over the bracket when I notice....the match-up.....the dreaded match-up.....ASU is playing who?  My eyes did a double take, maybe even a triple take!  TEXAS!  No matter how many times I looked away then looked back at my bracket it still said TEXAS!!!!!!  Oh come on, of all the universities! Of all the possible match-ups!  ASU and Texas square off in the first round!  YIKES! This is the Super Bowl dilemma all over again!


Actually it's not really a dilemma.  It's more of a divided household issue!  The rule in this house is that I cheer for all Texas schools and pro teams unless.....UNLESS....they go up against ASU or the Cardinals. So it's all good!  Go Sun Devils!  Although I must admit I won't be too upset if they lose because Brad will be happy.  This year the Final Four is at Cowboys Stadium.  They have been preparing to turn the stadium into a basketball arena for weeks now.  So which teams are coming to big D?    

Simon's Birthday!

As everyone already knows Simon just celebrated his 12th birthday!  Here are a few pics from the occasion.  Plus a video.  Not a good quality video, but nonetheless a video!  It's short as I stopped abruptly to help the boys unwrap their new collars.  It's about time for new collars. The old ones had to go. 

For his gifts we mostly focused on treats for the boys versus toys.  Simon's motivated by food more than anything else. At the end of the night when I put the boys to bed, I asked Simon if he had a good bday?  He responded with a quiet burp on cue at the end of my question to him. LOL! 

 Munching out on his cake!

Plethora of gifts, something for all! Notice the jars of pb! LOL!

 

Isn't he cute? His version of smiling!

 

 

 

 

A Birthday Conversation With Simon

It's no secret I carry on full conversations with all of our pets.  Go ahead, call me crazy for talking to my animals. Then again what pet owner doesn't talk to their pet?  Here is a conversation with Simon from early this morning:

Mommie:  Good morning, Simmie.  Do you know what today is?

Simon:  Of course, you told me at midnight it's my BIRTHDAY!

Mommie:  Woo-hoo, Simmie-boo!  You've made it to a dozen! Congrats, little man! I'm so happy to celebrate your birthday today! You caught up to Cody! Both of you are dozen year olds!

Simon:  I get cake for reaching this milestone, right?

Mommie:  You're right!  You've inhaled cake for each of your bdays. I'll bake you a cake while you are at the groomers. You have to get cleaned up for your bday.

Simon:  I'm not completely onboard with being groomed but at least it's an outing.

Mommie: Where have the years gone Simon? I remember when Cody and I first went to get you. You were born on the ASU campus!  You lucky little Sun Devil!  I called to see what was left in your litter. How many girls? How many boys? You were the only one left, you were described as the runt of the litter. It wasn't long after that phone conversation til Cody and I jumped into our first Pathfinder headed off to meet you. Upon seeing you, I knew you were a keeper!  I didn't even think about whether or not to take you home.  It was a done deal. 

Simon:  I remember it all! 

Mommie:  Oh you do?  Well that means you remember the box I placed you and Cody in for the ride home.  You sat in the box with Cody for how long before jumping out? Do you remember?

Simon:  Knowing me....not long. Maybe about 5 seconds.   

Mommie: I doubt it was a full 5 seconds! LOL! You immediately jumped out and started roaming through the car. Over the front seats you went to explore the backseat then back up to the front seats. You explored it all. Meanwhile, Cody leaned up to give me a look that said, "This little dude is crazy! What have you done mom?"

Simon:  Ha! Ha! Cody probably still thinks I'm crazy!

Mommie: Yes he probably does at time. I'm sure you think the same about him too sometimes. Anyway my point is, from the second you jumped out of that box on the first ride home as such a young pup your dynamic personality was displayed. You haven't stopped roaming and bending the rules since then.

Simon: What can I say? Rules were made to be broken? At least I'm super cool!

Mommie:  Oh yes, you are super cool!  Happy Birthday to the youngest pug in the household.  You are no longer the baby but you're still the youngest pug!

Simon:  When can we have cake?

Who's The Boss?....(part 2)....The Answer

Time for the answer: Who is the boss?  Who has ascended to the throne left vacate by Storm? Possibly the answer will surprise some folks!

Drumroll please........give me a "C"....give me an "O"......give me a "D".....give me a "Y".....What's that spell?  CODY!  Yes, it is Cody!  He is the new boss! 

He very well understands he is now not just Simon's big brother but he's the big brother of a pesky little kitty too.  Therefore he demands respect and dignity from his younger siblings. Cody is surprisingly a disciplinarian!  He lets both Simon and Piper know when they are messing up. He can be a bit of a tattle-tell!  There's been times when Cody has come running to me after Piper has figured out a way to get out of a makeshift enclosure I have devised from time to time to keep her rowdiness centralized. There's also been times he runs to me to let me know Piper has accidentally been shut in the closet. Without a doubt he considers himself the leader of the trio.

For the most part Cody is easy-going, a happy-go-lucky pug.  However, he's a little control-freak!  It always has to be Cody's way. He's rather demanding!  Don't mess with him when he eats. Don't mess with the toy he wants. And whatever you do don't try to rush him.  He's on his own time schedule! Oh geez, how much time of my life has been wasted just waiting on Cody as he stalls before going out on a walk?  He's the master at stalling! 

In all the years I've had the pugs, I can honestly and surprisingly say...Simon has never gotten mad at Cody then decided to go after him.  It's simply not in his nature to fight with the ones he loves.  He saves his Rottweiler attitude for those he views as a threat to himself or his mommie!  When it comes to Cody going after Simon it doesn't mean Simon is completely innocent, he has the ability to work Cody's last nerve.  Cody will take so much then he decides to "remind" Simon...."I'm the boss, little bro. Oh you don't believe me? Let me take your head off ".  Yes, he's a true medieval ruler.....Off with your head! 

When Storm was with us, he realized she was older and she was "little Ms. Cranky-pants". Therefore he was happy to continue to focus on ruling over Simon. He didn't try any of his tricks with Storm. With a kitty around though he knows he can show her who's boss. In his mind there is no way she's going to "outrank" him this early on! No way!  As long as Cody has any say it's going to be his way or no way!!!

Those that guessed Cody, pat yourself on the back!  You successfully analyzed our animal kingdom! Woo-hoo!

Experimental Meal Night

I love reading recipes and trying out new things in the kitchen.  My favorite pastime is to read recipes, it's my hobby! Last night it was about time for an experimental meal. It's been awhile since I've tried an experimental meal. I'm constantly changing up marinades or doing slight variations of things but this meal was to be a completely new thing for us. The dinner was a chicken and broccoli pie!

Now both of us do not care for chicken pot pies. For this meal the similarities between this pie and a chicken pot pie were only that it had chicken in the dish and "pie" in the title. I didn't follow the recipe exactly. Do I ever? I played with spices along with adding some extra veggies.  With a lot of recipes nowadays the cookbook provides you with an estimated prep time for the dish. I never get mine prepped within the provided time frame. Oh well!  It did take awhile to prep for the oven.

Basically the dish consisted of chicken, broccoli, onion, bell pepper, a little cheese to help hold it together and a very light bisquick crust. The bisquick crust was poured only on top unlike a real pie that has crust at the bottom and the top.  I was a little nervous to tell Brad what we were having for dinner, because it sounds kind of weird.  He responded well!  Saying he loves chicken and broccoli so it sounded alright to him.

We both decided it's a keeper.  I will however be playing with the recipe.  At the conclusion of the meal I was already brainstorming out loud about ways to improve the dish!  I'll be trying out a few of my ideas very soon. 

Simon Likes

Yesterday was the day our clocks jumped forward an hour.  Simon especially likes springing forward.  He enjoys it so much because everything happens for him earlier than usual.

However, that being said he likely would have preferred to sleep longer yesterday morning. It was a church morning though so up and at it earlier than any other day of our week. Cody likes sleeping in more than Simon, therefore he was especially sleepy when I went in to get the trio out of their beds. I immediately noticed it was still dark outside thanks to springing forward an hour.  I dawdled as much as I could before leashing up the boys to take them out. It was cold as we watched daybreak occur while we walked our morning route.

As most people that read this blog already know Simon has a pocket watch!  LOL!  I'm not sure exactly where he keeps his pocket watch but I'm sure he has one.  He is the most schedule oriented pet I've ever been around.  When time change occurs in the Spring it's interesting to see the look on his face when I tell him it's time for his next walk.  He looks surprised as if to say, "It's really time to go already?  How did I not know that?"

I'm quite sure Simon likes Spring time change better than the Fall time change. I however, am the opposite.  I like the Fall time change much better. Why?  Because we get an extra hour added to our day when time change happens.  I will spend the next few days adjusting to the lose of an hour.  It doesn't seem like it would be difficult to deal with and it isn't overall.  I just have a hard time going to bed at the right time then getting up at the right time for the first couple of days. By Wednesday I'll be completely adjusted!  

Who's the Boss?

Alright lets play a little guessing game. Just a little one!  Now that we have 3 pets again it is interesting to see the dynamic in our household.  Who rules the roost?  When Storm was still with us, she ruled!  She was the little queen!  The boys knew and understood she was the ruler.  She even did her best to discipline them when she felt it was needed.  As our current pet personalities mix and are forced to live in harmony which pet is staking claim as the new boss? 

In this post I will detail a brief synopsis of each pet so those reading this will be assisted in determining whom might be the new boss of our little "animal kingdom".  Then in a few days I will post which one is indeed the boss.  The answer may surprise then again it might not! 

Up first is Cody, age before beauty, as Piper would say!  He is now the oldest pet in the household, but doesn't act a day over 5! ;) Cody is super playful. He's friendly as can be, as he seems to be defeated if people don't notice him when he's out on a walk. He's not on a time schedule, he lives his life as it comes each day.  I think it's safe to say....he's a mama's boy!  He is the one that follows me from room to room.  Following mommie is his own personal chore he's taken on.  I often describe him as happy-go-lucky!  However, he can be a little bit of a brat when out on walks. He likes to stop to smell whatever, I like to keep him moving!  Guess who wins?  Here's another important fact about Cody, he's a scaredy-cat!  Scared of his own shadow! At times we have to remind him Piper is just a kitty, nothing to be scared of!  All in all I would say Cody continues to rank as the most well-behaved pet we have!  Yet is it possible he has claimed the position of leader of the pets in our house?

Simon..."Simon the diamond"...as Brad likes to call him. I think he's called "Simon the diamond" for the rhyming affect, rather than any other significance. He's quite the little guy, always hungry.  There are 2 very different sides to his personality.  He's the cool, calm, collected one of the group!  As well as the protector, on guard when outside or when left home alone! When home alone, upon my arrival at our front door Simon is the first to bark as I begin to unlock our front door. Upon opening the door he is the first one to greet me, usually with a look that says, "Glad it really is you because otherwise there would be a problem." When outside on his leash he certainly doesn't want to be messed with! Beware...pug with a Rottweiler attitude!  Oh geez, the countless times he's embarrassed me with his intenseness! In his opinion, he rules the outside. He's kind of the stuffy quiet type except for when he has to make himself feared!  Could he be the quiet yet intense leader of our pets?

Piper...Piper...Piper!  She's crazy!  One small flash of energy! Her motto seems to be "anything you can do I can do better". Many times when one or both of the pugs gets up to walk across the room she of course follows.  However, she follows every move, doing her best to imitate the pug walk.  She's an observer. She sits back at times to take it all in.  She even tilts her head to one side just like the boys as she observes what is going on.  Her favorite things are ice cubes and Cody!  She loves to mess with Cody.  From batting at his tongue with her paw to jumping on his back for a ride.  She moves from one thing to the next very quickly at times doing her best to pester Cody along the way. She's not above annoying Simon too. The difference is, Simon is better about getting away from her than Cody. Could the new little girl be picking up where Storm left off to emerge as the new leader of the pets?  Two things in her favor: the only girl and the only one of her species!


Okay, which one is the new leader of our little animal kingdom?  In a few days I will post the answer!

Sun and Snow Flurries

Another winter storm passed through our section of the world.  Brrr! Sunday morning was cold but as the day progressed is got colder and colder.  We had some light snow flurries that fell late in the day. Along with some "thunder sleet" as the local weatherman termed it.  Sleet with some thunder rumbling in the skies above.

Oh but Monday!....By the time Monday morning rolled around our temp was the lowest it's been all season long.  What was the lovely temp?  With the wind chill factored in it was -2!  Yes, you read that right....negative 2!  Early in the morning the sun was out but yet light snow flurries were falling.  I think that's the first time I've ever seen sun and snow flurries at the same time!

Obviously I can't take the boys on their long walk in -2 degrees weather.  We instead went out for a brief time.  Which ended up being briefer than I planned.  When we first got outside yesterday morning, I thought it didn't feel too bad.  I felt I could handle it for a short time. After a about 5 minutes and a short walk about I decided I had to get back inside sooner than anticipated.  The boys didn't disagree!  We all hurried along!

At one point late in the day yesterday, it was again time to walk the boys before it got dark. Cody was snug as can be in his bed next to the space heater.  I called for him to come get leashed up.  Once he arrived in front of me, I began putting his leash on, that's when I noticed he instantly started to shiver!  Poor thing was already anticipating the coldness he was about to face outside. 

The good news is the temps will slowly warm up each day of the week.  Today will be a bit cold but not as cold as Sunday or Monday so I'm not complaining!  Come on 40 degrees!  We welcome you in! 

Welcome to March!

Is it Spring yet?  I'm confused!  It was a gorgeous day today!  I couldn't help but think, has Spring sprung here in Big D? 

No!  While at a birthday party this afternoon the talk was of the dramatic temp drop we are in for overnight.  I quickly checked my weather app on my cell phone. Yep, 19 degrees tomorrow morning. Brrr!  Just a little while ago I checked the local newspaper's weather guide which states the temp in the morning will be 10 degrees! 

I pose this question to my dear Cody-man....Are you tired of winter yet?  Cody was so funny a few days ago, although I doubt he would agree it was a funny situation.  Anyway, it was quite cold out and he must have been having trouble warming up since coming in.  His brilliant idea was to get as close to his little brother as possible.  I stopped doing what I was doing for a few seconds to observe him as he surveyed what way would be the best way to climb in the small bed with Simon.  He walked around him in a half circle formation as he sized up the situation.  He soon decided to just climb on top and over Simon. Once he settled in he was clearly partly on top of Simon. I can't say I blame him....Simon is very warm natured, he's like a small space heater.  During this whole thing Simon didn't move a muscle.  He didn't object in any way!  I quickly snapped a pic then sent it to Brad with the caption "double stacked pugs". Simon truly amazes me!  He's so easy-going in so many ways.  He lets his pesky little sister bite him and doesn't retaliate and he lets his older brother step on his head in an effort to climb on top of him. Yet don't mess with him when he's on his leash and outside. That's when he's in full protect mode!

Hey Simmie....should we start a countdown?  As of today Simmie is 13 days away from celebrating his bday!  He's about to catch up to Cody! I'm considering presenting Simon with a large size peanut butter jar.  Wouldn't he love that!  We go through peanut butter in this house super fast!  It wouldn't be hard to finish off a large size pb.  Not sure why I haven't thought of giving him a jar of pb before now.  That is his favorite thing!  He'd much prefer a jar of pb over a toy any day!