Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Dogs Do the Darndest Things
So last night after my first exam, I decided to take the night off to enjoy some time with my husband and pup. Kevin and I went to a great dinner at Sumo where as silly as it may sound, we were excited the waitress we usually have recognized us. It is the closest either one of us have come to being regulars at a restaurant and that felt nice. We then came home and piled up on the couch for some good TV while Charles enjoyed a raw hide bone we got him at the grocery store. At some point during the evening, Charles started up the stairs (which if you know Charles is never a good thing because he gets into mischief when no one is watching him- when the cat's away, the mice will play type scenario)
Doesn't the look on his face just scream, "What???? I'm not doing anything." Well, before he reached the top, he heard Kevin say "Take Chuck for a Walk?" If you read our last post you know, Charles loves to go on walks, morning, evening, rain or shine. The thought of going on a walk makes his day. As soon as he heard the word "walk," he did this.
Stood up straight, ears perked up. Charles was ready to go. And before he bounded down the stairs (I swear our 28 pound dog runs like a Clydesdale horse), he did this
All this to say, I think Charles definitely knows when we ask him if he wants to go for a walk, and the thought of going for a walk makes him very happy!
Back to the study grind. Praying today Charles gets over his "dogsomnia." I don't think Kevin and I have had an uninterrupted night of sleep since Thanksgiving.
Back to the study grind. Praying today Charles gets over his "dogsomnia." I don't think Kevin and I have had an uninterrupted night of sleep since Thanksgiving.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Charles's Favorite Things
I'm not a huge Oprah fan but I think she used to do a Favorite Things show every year around Christmas. This post will be dedicated to a few of Charles's Favorite Things as well as a few of our favorite things that help keep Charles out of our hair! This post could probably also be titled, "Things We Wish We'd Known Before We Got a Puppy."
5. Rawhide bones- Charles can chew on a raw hide bone for hours. If you have a puppy or are thinking about getting a puppy, you should probably take stock in rawhide. I only wish we had realized this months ago before Charles feasted on shoes, rugs, window sills, couches and coffee tables. Oh well, we live and we learn!
4. Stuffed animals- Charles loves a good stuffed animal. The only problem with stuffed animals and puppies is if the animal is not durable, the puppy can easily destroy it making a mess of the house. Charles destroyed a Build a Bear while I was at school one day, and our house looked like a white Christmas by the time I got home. Our favorite stuffed animals for Charles right now are made by Kong and are pretty durable. He actually has this exact toy but his is not in such good shape. Charles's monkey has been "loved"
3. Snuggling- Charles loves to pile up on the couch or the bed and take a good nap. I like to think its good preparation for having a baby one day because he will lay in my arms and snore ever so softly. Let's just hope the garbage truck doesn't make a drive by or anyone has to sneeze- these two things are sure to awaken Charles from his slumber.
2. Taking walks- We hang Charles's leash on the coat rack by the front door. When its time to talk a walk, we ask him, "Charles, where's your leash"? His ears immediately perk up, and he runs over to where his leash is. There are lots of other dogs in neighborhood that Charles likes to visit with on his walks, and we enjoy taking walks to help us stay in shape. Walks also help Charles get rid of some extra energy and ensure a good nights sleep for all. After dinner walks are one of my favorite things to do with Kevin and Charles.
And Charles's number 1 favorite thing is.....................
1. Cape Cod Potato Chips- I know this may sound strange but Charles LOVES potato chips. He can be napping upstairs and hear someone rattling a chip bag and come dashing down the stairs to beg for a snack. Really Charles likes any chips, but I like to kid Kevin that Cape Cods are his favorite. We tossed around the idea of giving him a bowl full on his birthday but decided that might not be a good idea after he had a little bout with colitis. For now, Charles will have to live with stealing an occasional one or two when we are enjoying Cape Cods as a snack.
What are some of your favorite things this holiday season?
5. Rawhide bones- Charles can chew on a raw hide bone for hours. If you have a puppy or are thinking about getting a puppy, you should probably take stock in rawhide. I only wish we had realized this months ago before Charles feasted on shoes, rugs, window sills, couches and coffee tables. Oh well, we live and we learn!
4. Stuffed animals- Charles loves a good stuffed animal. The only problem with stuffed animals and puppies is if the animal is not durable, the puppy can easily destroy it making a mess of the house. Charles destroyed a Build a Bear while I was at school one day, and our house looked like a white Christmas by the time I got home. Our favorite stuffed animals for Charles right now are made by Kong and are pretty durable. He actually has this exact toy but his is not in such good shape. Charles's monkey has been "loved"
3. Snuggling- Charles loves to pile up on the couch or the bed and take a good nap. I like to think its good preparation for having a baby one day because he will lay in my arms and snore ever so softly. Let's just hope the garbage truck doesn't make a drive by or anyone has to sneeze- these two things are sure to awaken Charles from his slumber.
2. Taking walks- We hang Charles's leash on the coat rack by the front door. When its time to talk a walk, we ask him, "Charles, where's your leash"? His ears immediately perk up, and he runs over to where his leash is. There are lots of other dogs in neighborhood that Charles likes to visit with on his walks, and we enjoy taking walks to help us stay in shape. Walks also help Charles get rid of some extra energy and ensure a good nights sleep for all. After dinner walks are one of my favorite things to do with Kevin and Charles.
And Charles's number 1 favorite thing is.....................
1. Cape Cod Potato Chips- I know this may sound strange but Charles LOVES potato chips. He can be napping upstairs and hear someone rattling a chip bag and come dashing down the stairs to beg for a snack. Really Charles likes any chips, but I like to kid Kevin that Cape Cods are his favorite. We tossed around the idea of giving him a bowl full on his birthday but decided that might not be a good idea after he had a little bout with colitis. For now, Charles will have to live with stealing an occasional one or two when we are enjoying Cape Cods as a snack.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Christmas Musings
Well I am in the full swing of exam preparation. Its hard to believe I only have one semester left before I will be done with school forever and start my journey into the real world. Since I am in the midst of exam preparation, true to form, I am looking for anything to distract me from studying. The past few days preparations for our first married Christmas have been just the ticket. Kevin has been a great help and has indulged me in my Christmas decorating ideas as well as making numerous trips to Hobby Lobby and hanging out the window trying to get the wreaths "even" in the freezing rain. Here are a few Christmas things that are making me smile right now
1. Christmas cards- my family was never one to do Christmas cards, so this year is my first Christmas card ever to send. My uncle Steve, who is an amazing photographer, snagged a picture of Kevin, Charles, and me on Thanksgiving. We uploaded the picture to www.shutterfly.com and created our Christmas card there. The cards turned out really cute and we got them three days after we ordered them. Last night, I postponed my studies to address and stamp the cards. They are in the mail and on the way.
2. Christmas candles- I love candles. Yankee candles are probably my favorite and this year we used some of our wedding gift cards to buy two; a Christmas Cookie one for the kitchen and a Mistletoe one for the dining room!
3. Decorations- Last year during finals I was really stressed (Who am I kidding? I am always really stressed during finals and my husband is a saint!) and Kevin went to Target one night and bought us a Christmas tree as a surprise. We are slowly accumulating a collection of ornaments and had a great time decorating the tree after the Iron Bowl. Luckily, Charles doesn't seem too interested in the tree, but we hung all the ornaments up high in case he changes his mind. We also received a few decorations as wedding gifts and have added a few to our own collection!
4. Hobby Lobby- Hobby Lobby is probably one of Kevin's least favorite places and I have a love hate relationship with the place. It seems it is always crowded in there and the aisles are way too narrow. However, we did brave Hobby Lobby a couple of times to buy some outdoor decorations and some materials for Christmas crafts. They are having a really good 50% off sale on all Christmas decor right now if anyone needs anything.
5. Wreaths- I love the classical evergreen wreath with a red bow look. On one of our trips to Hobby Lobby we purchased wreaths and bows for our dormer windows. Little did we know, hanging the wreaths without a ladder would be a challenge. After a few hours, dropping the wreaths out the window numerous times and lots of laughs, we finally got the wreaths hung (I think they are actually even!)
6. Christmas crafts- Pintrest has also been a good finals distraction, and I am proud to say I have completed my first Pintrest craft project. I made a Peppermint wreath. It was so easy and looks great on our fireplace. Here's how you do it:
Supplies
1. Straw Wreath (You can get this at Hobby Lobby for $4.99)
2. 90 feet of ribbon (We used sparkly red from Hobby Lobby for $7.99)
3. 6 small bags of peppermints (You could probably get away with 3 big bags)
4. Hot glue gun
Wrap the wreath in ribbon. It doesn't matter if it is completely covered because you are going to be gluing peppermints all over it anyway. Use a hot glue gun and glue peppermints around the wreath. I did three rows starting on the inside and moving outwards. Let the wreath dry and hang it in a place of your choosing. A note of caution, the peppermints make the wreath really heavy. We hung ours on a suction cup hook above our fire place, and the wreath was too heavy. It fell and knocked down part of our nativity scene. Luckily, hot glue gun to the rescue and we were able to repair most of it.
I'm looking forward to trying out some Christmas baking, but I think that will have to wait until finals are over. Happy holidays to all!
1. Christmas cards- my family was never one to do Christmas cards, so this year is my first Christmas card ever to send. My uncle Steve, who is an amazing photographer, snagged a picture of Kevin, Charles, and me on Thanksgiving. We uploaded the picture to www.shutterfly.com and created our Christmas card there. The cards turned out really cute and we got them three days after we ordered them. Last night, I postponed my studies to address and stamp the cards. They are in the mail and on the way.
2. Christmas candles- I love candles. Yankee candles are probably my favorite and this year we used some of our wedding gift cards to buy two; a Christmas Cookie one for the kitchen and a Mistletoe one for the dining room!
3. Decorations- Last year during finals I was really stressed (Who am I kidding? I am always really stressed during finals and my husband is a saint!) and Kevin went to Target one night and bought us a Christmas tree as a surprise. We are slowly accumulating a collection of ornaments and had a great time decorating the tree after the Iron Bowl. Luckily, Charles doesn't seem too interested in the tree, but we hung all the ornaments up high in case he changes his mind. We also received a few decorations as wedding gifts and have added a few to our own collection!
4. Hobby Lobby- Hobby Lobby is probably one of Kevin's least favorite places and I have a love hate relationship with the place. It seems it is always crowded in there and the aisles are way too narrow. However, we did brave Hobby Lobby a couple of times to buy some outdoor decorations and some materials for Christmas crafts. They are having a really good 50% off sale on all Christmas decor right now if anyone needs anything.
5. Wreaths- I love the classical evergreen wreath with a red bow look. On one of our trips to Hobby Lobby we purchased wreaths and bows for our dormer windows. Little did we know, hanging the wreaths without a ladder would be a challenge. After a few hours, dropping the wreaths out the window numerous times and lots of laughs, we finally got the wreaths hung (I think they are actually even!)
6. Christmas crafts- Pintrest has also been a good finals distraction, and I am proud to say I have completed my first Pintrest craft project. I made a Peppermint wreath. It was so easy and looks great on our fireplace. Here's how you do it:
Supplies
1. Straw Wreath (You can get this at Hobby Lobby for $4.99)
2. 90 feet of ribbon (We used sparkly red from Hobby Lobby for $7.99)
3. 6 small bags of peppermints (You could probably get away with 3 big bags)
4. Hot glue gun
Wrap the wreath in ribbon. It doesn't matter if it is completely covered because you are going to be gluing peppermints all over it anyway. Use a hot glue gun and glue peppermints around the wreath. I did three rows starting on the inside and moving outwards. Let the wreath dry and hang it in a place of your choosing. A note of caution, the peppermints make the wreath really heavy. We hung ours on a suction cup hook above our fire place, and the wreath was too heavy. It fell and knocked down part of our nativity scene. Luckily, hot glue gun to the rescue and we were able to repair most of it.
I'm looking forward to trying out some Christmas baking, but I think that will have to wait until finals are over. Happy holidays to all!
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