Packing up stuff is never much fun. But you can do your best to try to make it a little fun. Thanks to Piper we had a few moments where we took a break from real packing and had a some fun with Piper and a box. LOL! The videos go in a sequence start at the top...obviously!
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Quick Snap Sunday
My Helper?
Look close, see those little ballet slipper feet? In her mind is she helping sweep the floor or is she attempting to play the ultimate game of "catch the broom"? Or maybe there's a third option she watched too much curling last month and she's confused, she believes she's working on being a curling star in the next Winter Olympics? With a cat in the house there's always a new little game being invented.
Friday, March 16, 2018
Let's Get Packed
Cody and Piper listen up...I have a job for each of you. You must each pack one box each day until moving day. That's right my furry kids...we're moving...to a house!!!! We finally found one and with time to spare. Raise your hand if you thought we'd run out of time? We must be out of our current place by the 31st. No temporary housing plans for us, we can get out of here with, like I said, time to spare. Whew, big sigh!
We were certainly being diligent as we tried to find a place, we weren't letting days go by without looking in some manner. Last Saturday we had quite a few house showings lined up. We set out on our house hunting journey. I made the comment to skip one particular house and head out to an area of town where the majority of homes we wanted to see were. However, the freeway was backed up and Brad said we should just stop and look anyways since we aren't that far from the house. So we arrive at the house, upon first glance as well as first smell, we noticed it had just been renovated. It looked good! Ah yes, this is more like it, finally something worth it. Earlier in the week we had looked at a few homes that seemed to have huge imperfections. Homes that had pics online that looked a lot better than what it looked like in person. Well this house was the opposite. The pics we had seen of this house didn't do it justice. By the time we got to the kitchen area and noticed all the appliances were brand new, we both looked at each other and said, "this one just shot to the top of our list". We continued to look around then circled back around to the dining area. Brad said, "I think we're done looking, I don't want to look at anything else do you?"
The very first house we looked at last Saturday after we had planned on looking at so many made us run home to get the ball rolling, so to speak! We had looked at others earlier in the week and the previous week so it wasn't a rushed decision. It just happened to be the only one we needed to see last Saturday to make us snatch it up.
So we move in on the 24th, well actually the 25th. Brad's tennis season starts on the 24th so he'll play tennis and then we'll move in on the 25th. But we'll get the keys on the 24th and likely spend the evening moving a few little things in ourselves. #excited
We were certainly being diligent as we tried to find a place, we weren't letting days go by without looking in some manner. Last Saturday we had quite a few house showings lined up. We set out on our house hunting journey. I made the comment to skip one particular house and head out to an area of town where the majority of homes we wanted to see were. However, the freeway was backed up and Brad said we should just stop and look anyways since we aren't that far from the house. So we arrive at the house, upon first glance as well as first smell, we noticed it had just been renovated. It looked good! Ah yes, this is more like it, finally something worth it. Earlier in the week we had looked at a few homes that seemed to have huge imperfections. Homes that had pics online that looked a lot better than what it looked like in person. Well this house was the opposite. The pics we had seen of this house didn't do it justice. By the time we got to the kitchen area and noticed all the appliances were brand new, we both looked at each other and said, "this one just shot to the top of our list". We continued to look around then circled back around to the dining area. Brad said, "I think we're done looking, I don't want to look at anything else do you?"
The very first house we looked at last Saturday after we had planned on looking at so many made us run home to get the ball rolling, so to speak! We had looked at others earlier in the week and the previous week so it wasn't a rushed decision. It just happened to be the only one we needed to see last Saturday to make us snatch it up.
So we move in on the 24th, well actually the 25th. Brad's tennis season starts on the 24th so he'll play tennis and then we'll move in on the 25th. But we'll get the keys on the 24th and likely spend the evening moving a few little things in ourselves. #excited
Flashback Friday: Storm Days
I was looking for something today when I stumbled across this photo. It's perfect for a Friday Flashback post. Storm the cat was quite the little girl. Filled with vocal abilities. And just as cranky as our Cody of today is. LOL! The photo above is classic Storm! That's exactly how Storm liked to be carried about, up on her daddy's shoulder.
She ruled the roost! I'll never forget the way she "disciplined" the boys when they got too rowdy around her. She'd stand on the coffee table leaning over the edge and bop them on the heads with her paw until they settled down. It was funny and cute to watch. They were the first and ONLY animals Storm ever allowed in her presence! Long before the boys and I came along, Brad tried a few times to add a cat to his household but Storm was not accepting to the idea. There were two different occasions when he brought a new cat home to Storm only to have to give the cat away because Storm was not about to share her domain. Perhaps, it was her old age, the boys dashing good-looks(lol) or the fact the boys were dogs and not cats, but something about them made it easier for Storm to accept. The very first trio got along better than anyone could have predicted.
Monday, March 12, 2018
Long Day
Whew, evening hours are approaching. It's been a long day for Cody and I. Our day together started around 1:00 AM, he got up every 90 minutes during the night. Taking me on average about 30 minutes to get him calmed down and back to sleep. I walked the floor with him. I watched him walk in circles on his own. I bounced him in my arms. I ran him outside a couple of times. I pet him for several minutes as I tried to convince him to go back to sleep. Twice Brad got up to check on both Cody and myself. Once we got through the night I was hopeful the day would go easily. Wrong! It's been quite the challenge. He's had a couple weird incidents that have resulted in me cleaning up a mess.
Very different than dealing with the aging of Simon. Cody is not sick like that. He's just old! His vet can't find anything seriously wrong with him other than "old age". His number one symptom is...a heavy amount of crankiness!!! I think he's pretty much lost his ability to differentiate time of day. And he's without a doubt lost his ability to determine how LOUD he can be. He will wake the building up and any other building in a 3 mile radius up if he feels like it. Seriously, he can get loud! He has some unique noises he now makes that make me wonder if he's transitioning into a monkey? He has other unique howls that he does that make me wonder if he's transitioning into a beagle?
My oh my, life with Cody is never unentertaining. Keeping my fingers-crossed for a calm evening and a calm night. Please Cody allow me to sleep tonight.
Very different than dealing with the aging of Simon. Cody is not sick like that. He's just old! His vet can't find anything seriously wrong with him other than "old age". His number one symptom is...a heavy amount of crankiness!!! I think he's pretty much lost his ability to differentiate time of day. And he's without a doubt lost his ability to determine how LOUD he can be. He will wake the building up and any other building in a 3 mile radius up if he feels like it. Seriously, he can get loud! He has some unique noises he now makes that make me wonder if he's transitioning into a monkey? He has other unique howls that he does that make me wonder if he's transitioning into a beagle?
My oh my, life with Cody is never unentertaining. Keeping my fingers-crossed for a calm evening and a calm night. Please Cody allow me to sleep tonight.
Sunday, March 11, 2018
The Zonie and The Texan
I'm a born and raised Arizonan, a.k.a "Zonie". Brad is a born and raised Texan. There we were this weekend driving around in an area of town we are contemplating moving to. One of the conversations while driving around went something like this....
Zonie: This is making me nervous. Where's civilization?
Texan: What? No reason to be nervous, its all just Texas.
Zonie: No, this is the boonies of Texas.
Texan: Honey, it's just Texas. See the cows and the longhorns...TEXAS!
Zonie: We're in the middle of nowhere! I get weird anxiety when I'm in the middle of nowhere like this.
Texan: Wait a minute, you are getting anxiety being out here? But the ghetto we went through awhile ago you're just fine with. Hmm, I'm not sure about you?
Zonie: The ghetto? Where was the ghetto? I missed it.
Texan: You know, that area we drove through about 30 minutes ago, it was a ghetto-like area.
Zonie: (laughing big time) "Ghetto-like"? Never heard you say that before. And honey, if that was the ghetto or ghetto-like then clearly you haven't seen the south side of Phoenix. Now that is ghetto-like!
Texan: No thanks I don't ever need to see that part of Phoenix. Oh look some brahma bulls are over there!
Zonie: (Sighs!) More like, oh look there's another sign we are far from civilization. Hold on, don't turn down that road, it doesn't look like it's going to lead to civilization.
Texan: This GPS is stupid, we just went in a complete square. And all these streets are named the same just old or new in front or behind the same name. Why would they do that?
Zonie: We are so far out they didn't think they needed to give the streets "real" names. They didn't expect anyone to be looking for a house this far out.
Texan: Very funny, little Zonie girl! Hey look over there, it's a self storage place next to a herd of cattle in the middle of nowhere.
Zonie: Aha! So you admit we are in the middle of nowhere?
Texan: It's just Texas. A storage place next to a herd of cattle. Definitely Texas!
Zonie: Yes, "middle of nowhere", Texas, USA.
Texan: (laughs and smiles)
Side Note: Not sure I should admit this but up until this weekend I'd never heard of brahma bulls! Judge me if you want, but it's true! There's no brahma bulls roaming around AZ that I remember.
***Disclaimer---no offense intended to the south side of Phoenix, please no one in Phoenix feel the need to send me an email in protest of this post.
Zonie: This is making me nervous. Where's civilization?
Texan: What? No reason to be nervous, its all just Texas.
Zonie: No, this is the boonies of Texas.
Texan: Honey, it's just Texas. See the cows and the longhorns...TEXAS!
Zonie: We're in the middle of nowhere! I get weird anxiety when I'm in the middle of nowhere like this.
Texan: Wait a minute, you are getting anxiety being out here? But the ghetto we went through awhile ago you're just fine with. Hmm, I'm not sure about you?
Zonie: The ghetto? Where was the ghetto? I missed it.
Texan: You know, that area we drove through about 30 minutes ago, it was a ghetto-like area.
Zonie: (laughing big time) "Ghetto-like"? Never heard you say that before. And honey, if that was the ghetto or ghetto-like then clearly you haven't seen the south side of Phoenix. Now that is ghetto-like!
Texan: No thanks I don't ever need to see that part of Phoenix. Oh look some brahma bulls are over there!
Zonie: (Sighs!) More like, oh look there's another sign we are far from civilization. Hold on, don't turn down that road, it doesn't look like it's going to lead to civilization.
Texan: This GPS is stupid, we just went in a complete square. And all these streets are named the same just old or new in front or behind the same name. Why would they do that?
Zonie: We are so far out they didn't think they needed to give the streets "real" names. They didn't expect anyone to be looking for a house this far out.
Texan: Very funny, little Zonie girl! Hey look over there, it's a self storage place next to a herd of cattle in the middle of nowhere.
Zonie: Aha! So you admit we are in the middle of nowhere?
Texan: It's just Texas. A storage place next to a herd of cattle. Definitely Texas!
Zonie: Yes, "middle of nowhere", Texas, USA.
Texan: (laughs and smiles)
Side Note: Not sure I should admit this but up until this weekend I'd never heard of brahma bulls! Judge me if you want, but it's true! There's no brahma bulls roaming around AZ that I remember.
***Disclaimer---no offense intended to the south side of Phoenix, please no one in Phoenix feel the need to send me an email in protest of this post.
Quick Snap Sunday
Cody's Groceries
This is a pic of Cody's grocery haul. It seems Piper is questioning where her grocery haul is? This will last 12 days, then it's a return trip to the store for another equally full round of grocery bags. We had to switch Cody to soft dog food. Not nearly as convenient as dry dog food...believe me. However, I couldn't handle the canned food for him like the stews, loaf, and paté types. He liked it for sure. But the mess he made with those types was equal to the size of Texas!!! He now is completely on petite eats that come in a tray. He loves them. Especially loves the chunks of small veggies, like peas and carrots in the food. Perfectly sized for his pug mug!
Life with a vintage pug is more and more interesting by the day! For months now I've been feeding him dinner super late, in an effort to help him sleep better. But just in the last week or so, he has become irate waiting for dinnertime. The last two nights he's scored an earlier dinner. Worked great the first night we fed him early. Didn't work so great last night. He was a disgruntled little man wrecking havoc on society despite the fact he was operating on a full tummy. LOL! He's a mystery wrapped in a riddle! A lovely little riddle! Oh how I love him, no matter what!!
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Most Popular Poodle Names(a post for my mom)
I'm sure the first part of this post title was a bit confusing for those that know this blog to be run by an over-obsessive pug fan. It all made sense though by the time one read the section in parenthesis. I'm making this post solely for the interest of my mom in AZ. She's a poodle owner. Non-poodle owners feel free to stop reading this post anytime. My mom and I are similar in this particular area...we both have a high curiosity for odd articles regarding our fur-babies. Without a doubt my mom will find this post interesting. Below are the most popular names given to poodles:
Alastair
Alette
Aspen
Beauregard
Chelsea
Chloe
Jacques
Lulu
Marie
Monty
Parker
Petunia
Phineas
Hmm, I'm not sure what my take is on these names? Some are a little too much "name" for toy poodles. However, I'm thinking these names were collected from all registered poodles, not just toy size. I can't help but find some comedy with the name Monty. It sounds like a "big" dog name. Picturing a toy poodle named Monty is funny to me. Lulu is cute. I call my mom's dog Jen-Jen so it has a similar feel. At least there are some "real" names on this poodle list, unlike the list of most popular pug names I posted weeks ago. Beauregard is awful! Phineas isn't much better, but I get it. Kid's are a lot of times the ones naming their new puppy. Phineas is a popular cartoon character on the Disney Channel. Aspen is interesting...that's actually on the rise for human babies, it's becoming popular for little girls. Does anyone else think Petunia would sound better for a cat? Notice the similarity of the "tunia" to the word "tuna". LOL, total cat name! Jacques...classic French name and poodles originated in France so that one makes tons of sense. Anyway, some decent names mixed in with some head-scratchers.
Alastair
Alette
Aspen
Beauregard
Chelsea
Chloe
Jacques
Lulu
Marie
Monty
Parker
Petunia
Phineas
Hmm, I'm not sure what my take is on these names? Some are a little too much "name" for toy poodles. However, I'm thinking these names were collected from all registered poodles, not just toy size. I can't help but find some comedy with the name Monty. It sounds like a "big" dog name. Picturing a toy poodle named Monty is funny to me. Lulu is cute. I call my mom's dog Jen-Jen so it has a similar feel. At least there are some "real" names on this poodle list, unlike the list of most popular pug names I posted weeks ago. Beauregard is awful! Phineas isn't much better, but I get it. Kid's are a lot of times the ones naming their new puppy. Phineas is a popular cartoon character on the Disney Channel. Aspen is interesting...that's actually on the rise for human babies, it's becoming popular for little girls. Does anyone else think Petunia would sound better for a cat? Notice the similarity of the "tunia" to the word "tuna". LOL, total cat name! Jacques...classic French name and poodles originated in France so that one makes tons of sense. Anyway, some decent names mixed in with some head-scratchers.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Quick Snap Sunday
This is the adorable little man I had to hunt around to find early this morning. Oh Cody-man, you are just as cute as you were during your puppyhood. One thing about a sleeping pug, most of the time you can hear them before you can see them.
I'm not a fan of pets not being in a confined "sleeping quarters", but sometimes you have to adjust to the overall needs of your pet. Starting back in December our vintage puggie was not tolerating being confined at night. To voice his opinion about his displeasure for being confined at night he was willing to wake up the entire building if necessary. Therefore, he now has freedom to roam about through the night. Which means I have to sometimes look for him come morning. We've done our best to block certain areas to avoid him getting stuck behind something. This area pictured above is being "blocked" by Piper's kitty tent. As you can see he's dented it in to snuggle up next to it. No biggie it pops back into place. This might not be the best item to use to block Cody from getting behind the chair but it's not going to hurt him if he runs into it. That's the main concern, keeping Cody from getting hurt.
Friday, March 2, 2018
Busy Week and A Flashback Friday Pic
It's been a week since my last post, life gets busy sometimes. This week was insanely busy. On Wednesday the transfer of power at this complex was complete and official. Brad immediately started working at another property Thursday in the Benbrook area. When he arrived home late last night from work and tennis, he was quick to tell me he hopes the Benbrook property isn't his landing spot for long. Hopefully, the deal gets done soon and he can start at the new property downtown. Meanwhile, I've been looking for a new place for us to live. We have 30 days to move. I have considered trying to re-negotiate for 40 days. Because 30 days means we have to move on Easter weekend.
Anyway, here we are at Friday, how about a flashback Friday pic? Piper, your mommie loves you but I'm about to reveal to the internet world your thief-like ways. Oh wait, I've mentioned many times you are a little thief but remember the time I caught you in action? Here's the very damaging evidence from a time when Cody still ate rawhides and you were sure if it was good enough for him then it must be good enough for you too. I fear no jury in the world would find you innocent based on these two pics. Sorry little girl! Perhaps your full name should be changed to: Piper Thief Vaughn?
First, she spots it!
Second, she flips it to herself!
Anyway, here we are at Friday, how about a flashback Friday pic? Piper, your mommie loves you but I'm about to reveal to the internet world your thief-like ways. Oh wait, I've mentioned many times you are a little thief but remember the time I caught you in action? Here's the very damaging evidence from a time when Cody still ate rawhides and you were sure if it was good enough for him then it must be good enough for you too. I fear no jury in the world would find you innocent based on these two pics. Sorry little girl! Perhaps your full name should be changed to: Piper Thief Vaughn?
First, she spots it!
Second, she flips it to herself!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)