Produce Simon!

Greetings my peeps, for it is I, Simon C. Vaughn! Look at me with a produce tag on my head. That mommie of mine, thinks she's funny putting it on my head like a piece of fruit. This tag was from a pineapple not a banana. Oh how I miss bananas. They got outlawed in our household. Mommie reads too much nutrition stuff and this time around it's infringed on my excess food supply. Terrible isn't it?

Mommie never ate bananas anyway, so she is unaffected by the new "no banana rule". She only believes in having bananas when they are in a dessert otherwise she refuses to eat them. She's weird, I know!!! Daddy is a big banana eater so I counted on him to persuade mommie to keep bananas around but he failed me. He sided with mommie! Geesh! Perhaps, I should wrap this little post up before I get myself in trouble. I can't afford for another food to be axed from my excess food supply! Simmie out!

Quick Snap Sunday: High Five

High Five!

Piper is back! Fully back to normal. I know the picture quality isn't great, blame my camera phone at night in a semi-dark living room. Her and her daddy have been increasing their playtime together. Come on Piper, get that hand don't let it get you little girl.  It's taken her a month to fully recover. We've watched her slowly transition back to our normal Piper over the last 4-5 weeks.

To me a pet is fully recovered when they start playing with their toys all on their own plus they start initiating playtime with their human parents. That just started happening this past week with Piper. Prior to this past week all her normal activity level had returned for the most part except for playtime. Trying to interest her in playing was super brief, she didn't much care. This week though she turned that final corner and has begun playing with toys and getting her daddy to play their little games again with her. She's also back to being tunnel Pipe. She has a tunnel system which she loves sitting in then jumping out of it as someone passes by in an effort to scare them.

Yes, indeed I believe she has FULLY recovered from her health crisis.  Interesting note, since getting better from her health issues she has decided she doesn't like eggs. She used to love eggs. Not anymore! Tuna and ice cream....sign her up! She isn't about to reject those! Great combo huh? She's a strange kitty. But it's not like we give her those together. Those are just the only human foods she's allowed. I'm not totally on board with giving her ice cream. But Brad fed Storm ice cream almost daily, so he sees no harm in it. Storm did live to see 18 so enjoy your tablespoon of ice cream Pipey-Pipe. Yes, that's about the serving size she's allotted, one tablespoon. She's quite satisfied with just one tablespoon too! She doesn't beg for more usually. She's a good girl! Happy to declare she is fully recovered!!!!

The Tiny Massacre!

We all have those moments where we are stuck doing something that we certainly didn't plan on doing during a given day. With a trio of fur-babies trust me, it happens to me a lot. Messes that need to be cleaned up are kind of the norm! However, what occurred today was a mess that looked more like a tiny massacre and had nothing to with either furry kid.

I arrived home with the groceries, hopped out of the pathfinder to collect the goods from the cargo area. I had my arms filled with bags as I entered our mid-rise building from the parking garage, I got about 10 steps inside before feeling then hearing a bag break. A split second after hearing the bag break, I heard glass explode on impact as it hit against the hard flooring. Pasta sauce was everywhere. And I mean everywhere! It was on me, the walls, and of course in a huge heap on the floor. I quickly rushed the rest of the groceries home. I simply opened our front door dropped the groceries, took off one shoe, as I had left the messy shoe outside our front door in the hall, then got some cleaning supplies in my hands to go clean up my tiny massacre mess. I briefly looked around the corner for my husband but didn't see him. I assumed he must have went to take a nap. No time to waste, I headed out our front door and back down the hallways. As I'm cleaning the mess in the middle of the hallway, I was being as careful as possible but I soon felt glass entering my hand. Oh geesh! I then turned my hand over to look at my palm, somewhat stunned to see such a sizeable piece of glass sticking in it. No matter how careful I was it was super hard to see the glass through the sauce. Now there's a mix of pasta sauce along with my blood dripping to the floor. Not a pretty sight!

Next thing I hear is someone running in a full sprint down the hall behind me. I'm thinking, "oh great this person is going to be shocked when they round the corner to see me and this huge mess." Although I estimate it was about halfway cleaned up, it wasn't as huge as it originally was. I turn to look as the person arrives, it's thankfully my husband. Sigh, help has arrived! He then quickly explains to me how freaked out he was when he came out of our room to see the groceries dropped on the floor, one of my shoes barely inside the door, and two pugs staring in a concerned manner at the door. He said he thought I'd been snatched. Nope, not snatched just the creator of a huge mess I was trying to clean up. I was then dismissed from cleaning the rest of the mess to go home and clean my bloody hand. My poor husband knows I don't deal with blood very well, he likely thought I was about to pass out in the hall if I had to look at my bloody hand much longer. After a few minutes Brad comes home to check on me. No biggie, it looked worse at the time then it was. The pasta sauce was assisting in making my cut hand look so bad. Brad grabbed a few more cleaning supplies then headed back out our door. I soon followed with a mop. We got it all cleaned up. I even thought to clean the doorframe. We do good work! As we walked from the entry area back towards our apartment we continued to clean my messy shoe prints from the floor. Yikes, what a mess!

I can't believe the darn plastic bag broke so fiercely. I've never had to clean up such a mess after a bag breaks. Definitely needed that one to be double bagged. Once we arrive home to begin collecting the bags of groceries from our floor Simon snatched a raw green bean. He literally stuck his big 'ole head in the bag and grabbed a green bean. Boy, did he get in trouble! On the flip side, I'm surprised he didn't start snacking out while we were gone to clean up the mess. Clearly the pugs were just as concerned about what was going on as Brad was when he originally saw the dropped groceries on the floor. Apparently, Simon couldn't even concentrate on eating the dropped groceries until he knew everything was alright. Hmm, am I glad he can't eat during a concerned-unknown moment? Well, I guess so!

Here's a little side note: It cracks me up how Brad cleans every mess with Windex. It doesn't matter the mess, he grabs the Windex. Peanut butter stuck to the floor, get the Windex. Spilled soda, grab the Windex. Some unknown pug mess, Windex will clean it up. Pasta sauce spilled in the hallway, go home to get the Windex then return to finish cleaning. Cracks me up! The people at Windex would love this little portion of my post! LOL!

Quick Snap Sunday: Father's Day-Fur Baby Edition

 

Happy Father's Day!

 

Well it seems only fitting for Brad to be pictured with his trio of fur-babies. One pic with each! And yes, our fur-babies went shopping too. When Brad comes home from tennis later today he has a little something extra as a thank you from the pets. As for his gift well they all love food, so they thought in terms of food! I'm thinking Simon was the ring leader on what to buy for his human daddy. Hint, it's something peanut butter related.

 

This evening the plan is for us to go celebrate with my father-in-law. I'm currently in the process of making the dessert for this evening. I need to get back to work on my strawberry cheesecake. Hopefully it's okay that I changed up the dessert. My father-in-law originally ordered up a strawberry cake, my husband turned his nose up at that idea. Therefore I was planning on two desserts. Then at some point this weekend my strawberry cheesecake bars popped into my head. Brad likes those a lot. Plus it's still got strawberry flavor going on. Fingers-crossed it's alright I changed things up. I want to please my father-in-law of course, but I also can't stand not pleasing my husband. I know he's not technically a father yet to a human baby only fur babies, but he's been out in the sun for 2 days straight and definitely had a tiring weekend he deserves some cheesecake bars!  ;)

 

Once again Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Is It The Weekend?

It's a hot, muggy day out. My biggest fear is my husband getting dehydrated as he is out playing tennis. This is the BIG tennis weekend for Brad. It's his tennis team's playoff weekend. Lots and lots of tennis is going down in these parts. Two matches today for his team and one definite match tomorrow morning. Depending on results of the Saturday matches and the Sunday morning matches he may turn right around and play again Sunday afternoon. Yeah, a lot of tennis.  I told him to wear his sunscreen. And if he doesn't I'm calling his momma(Yes, I threatened him). No coming home looking like a lobster!

It was an early wake up call for us. Well it was actually normal time for me to get up. It was very abnormal for Brad to be up so early on a Saturday morning. Simon however, welcomed it. As I began getting ready to tend to 3 fur-babies, Brad was standing in the kitchen a few feet away making toast and soon got the peanut butter out. By the time I turned around to tend to Simon, he was gone. Following his daddy who was leaving the kitchen with his generously peanut buttered toast. Getting Simon to focus on tasks at hand wasn't easy this morning. Brad promised him a tablespoon of peanut butter when he gets home tonight. Don't worry Simon will remember even if Brad doesn't!

I must admit I've been dreading this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy Brad is out playing tennis and doing something he loves. But it's not a very exciting weekend for me. The hours drag by when you are anxiously waiting for your spouse to come home. Plus, I'm so unfocused today. Normally Saturdays fly by. The little time we'll get together this weekend will still revolve around tennis. Oh well, it's just one weekend. Deal with it!

However, I am looking forward to game 7 tomorrow night! I think Brad might be right, his prediction is for Cleveland to win. He thinks Cleveland will make history by becoming the first team to ever come back and win an NBA Finals series when being down 3 games to 1. We'll see!  

Quick Snap Sunday: Rule Breakers

Rule Breakers!

Can anyone spot the infraction? There's a big rule being broken in this pic. Simon is in Brad's arms on the couch. That's a no-no. Pets are not allowed on the furniture. Who is more to blame for this disregard of the rules? Simon or his daddy?

My vote is for Brad! Simon would never jump on the couch unless otherwise instructed. The funny part was when I came out of the bedroom to see this scene, the look little Simon gave Brad was priceless. His eyes got big and his facial expression towards Brad said, "We got caught!"

In all seriousness I'm not that much of a stickler for the rules. Rules can be bent a little from time to time as long as the boys understand the rules are in place 99% of the time. It is cute to see the two of them like this. When I did ask why Simon was on the couch, my husband's response, "He looked like he needed to be held!" Yikes, Simmie with a comment like that from your daddy your street credit just took a dive! LOL!

Top 10 Things Learned From Cody

Well this should be fun! How about a short series concerning the things I've learned from these three fur babies that are so near and dear to me(us). I'd like to think I've taught them a few things along the way too. I know I have pretty high standards for the pets. No slackers in this house! No misbehaving either! Let's see what I've learned from Cody:

10.  Flip a Toy...All must be aware of the incredible enjoyment of flipping a toy recklessly over your head and making your human parents scrabble to catch it before it knocks something over. Oh the joy of toy flipping!

9.  Demand Respect...This is highly important to Cody. He demands respect at his ripe old age. The older he gets the more respect he demands. I'm waiting to adopt this attitude. Lol!

8.  Stay Grounded...Cody is not a fan of heights. He's not a fan of being picked up too much and tossed around. In his opinion that's why we have Simon!

7.  Snail Pace...Oh this is key! Slow down and relax through life. What is the rush? Cody: "Oh you want to take me outside? Wait up, I got to get a drink. Then I have to shake. Then I have to clear my throat. Then I have to stretch out. After all that, I might be ready."

6.  Whine...When you don't get your way, just whine as loud as you possibly can! I definitely need to start using this one more! LOL!

5.  Control Freak...Strive to gain and keep control of the daily events! However, if you can't control the way your day is going? While being walked dig your heels into the ground and refuse to go a step further until someone sweet talks you.

4.  Rough Up A Blanket...To make sure one goes through the day with a little less aggression, rough up a blanket or something first thing each morning.

3.  Social Butterfly...In our household he's the biggest people-"person" of the trio. He loves being around his peeps. The more the merrier in his opinion. He even has a little "look at me" dance he does when he's extra anxious for the attention of someone new or someone he hasn't seen in awhile. Two people that he saves some of his best moves for: his grandpa Vaughn and his Auntie.

2.   Savor New Things...Cody has this down to an art. He truly appreciates being given a new toy or a new bone. He savors those moments! He will also nearly bite off someone's head if they try to mess with his new item. You've been warned!
 
1.  Be A Loyal Follower...Cody can't handle not following me around. Or if I'm not available then daddy gets followed from room to room. He simply desires being near us no matter what we are doing.


Cody is the stereotype! What do I mean, you ask? I have read numerous books about pugs. I did tons of research before getting the boys to make sure my personality was going to match with typical pug characteristics. When reading any type of synopsis regarding pug personality traits, Cody is perfectly described. There have been no surprises when it comes to him! I think the only surprise may be how he now demands respect as he gets older. Otherwise throughout his life, he's been the stereotypical pug! My happy-go-lucky-puggie!

The REAL Cody, Please Stand Up!

Clearly Cody was inspiration for this post. Since I first set eyes on my little Cody-man I thought he looked cool. I couldn't resist that little pug with a long tongue hanging out of his mouth. There were others in his litter but I chose him! Yes, it was love at first sight, right Code-man? The funny thing is everyone in this family imitates Cody from time to time. Even his daddy!

 

 Brad loves to tell me he never sticks his tongue out. Umm, yes you do! When he's in deep thought(and/or playing video games) he sticks his tongue out, just slightly. This pic was snapped as he went through his survival pack. The survival pack is a story all on it's own, but saved for another day. Why he was in such deep thought at this moment who knows?

 Simon is most likely to have his tongue out when tired, sleeping, or anticipating peanut butter dropping down from heaven. LOL!

 She's a hard one to catch with her tongue out but much like her big brothers she falls asleep with her tongue out a tiny bit from time to time.

 

Often imitated but never completely duplicated! Right Cody-man? You are the real deal! Forget all the imitators!

Tuna and Pizza!

Tonight Brad arrived home not feeling well.  Clearly dinner had to be postponed. After awhile I realized the original dinner plan needed to be canceled for tonight.  Something I have to admit, I am the absolute worst at making dinner on the fly.  I don't know why? It's simply how it is for me. When the original dinner plan goes out the window I find myself walking back and forth between our fridge and our pantry, blankly staring at both. I can prepare quick meals, that's not the issue. The issue is that I can't come up with something to make without a plan and within minutes. I'm a from scratch well planned out type of home cook. Those qualities do not work in my favor on nights like tonight.

Perhaps, most people have canned goods or frozen meals on hand for such nights. I'm not sure how it works for other families? But seriously if you needed to make a complete and balanced meal from our quick grab canned food section, may the good Lord be with you. You will be stuck eating canned tomatoes or tomato paste. Oh there's also some tuna. But you'll have to fight with the cat over the tuna. Good luck! My canned food section is all about ingredients that go into other dishes. Cans of soup, cans of chili....um, try next door! I have ingredients! No full meals just floating around in my pantry.

So what did I come up with? I was saved by some leftover pizza we brought home from our fave pizza place the other night. And tuna, no Piper didn't get any!  I had a tuna sandwich and gave my husband all the pizza. I made a salad as the star side dish of the evening. Basically we had lunch for dinner! Hey, whatever works sometimes. Clearly not one of my shining moments in the kitchen.

Quicksnap Sunday: Movie Time

It was a 3D movie outing for us on Saturday night. Brad was attempting to look extra cool in this photo. Did he nail it? We are quite selective as to the movies we choose to go to in theatres. As I've mentioned numerous times before, we are much more likely to make a trip up the street to Redbox versus going to a movie. Occasionally though big time movies come out that simply need to be seen on the big screen or Imax.

What did we go see? Captain America: Civil War! For those that are Marvel fans you understand the need to see those movies in a theatre. We almost missed Captain America, the showtimes have diminished rapidly since it's been in theatres since early May. It's already out of Imax here, but we did see it in 3D at least, so Brad was happy. We simply get busy, plus we've had a lot of crazy weather that has made us think twice before going out anywhere. Movies are great entertainment but not always top on our list of things to do. Finally, tonight we made the scene.

Very good movie, entertaining for sure. Then again it's impossible to go see a Marvel movie and not come away being fully entertained. This Captain America movie scores extra high in my opinion because it includes lots of characters from The Avengers. Loved the young Spiderman being included in this one too. Oh and Ant Man, loved every scene with Ant Man. He cracks me up. Nice date night out with my sweet hubby for sure!