About the Only Time Daisy Obeys

Pet Rocks

Daisy has been out on the porch a lot today (due to the arrival of fall...finally).  The porch is also where we keep our "pet rocks."  The pet rocks came with the marriage and since I couldn't really find a good way to decorate with them I just set them out on the porch to be part of "nature."

Daisy has a slight obsession with roughhousing the rocks around and letting them know she is alpha-pet.  There used to be 3 rocks and I think that one met its inevitable fate of being pushed off a 3-story porch.  I have already rescued a second rock a few times today and thankfully the third is too big to fit under the railing.

The rocks have provided many hours of content fascination, and I am truly grateful for the sacrifices they have made for the sake of Daisy's entertainment.

Table Manners

 

Daisy wanted to join me for dinner :)

 

Ingenious little pup, isn't she?

Peanut, Peanut Butter (No Jelly)

Yes, that is a jar of peanut butter.  It is pretty much empty and I was about to throw it in the trash.  While I was putting something else away Daisy came and got the jar out of the trash can and started chewing on it.  So I thought: "why not?" and just took the lid off so that she could lick out the inside.

She is loving it.  Best idea I've had all day!

Momentary Peace

 

 

God gives me moments like these so that I can remember that my puppy is not always a royal terror and there really is HOPE  that someday she might actually be well-behaved all the time!

Someday....

 

Puppy training fosters patience, perseverance, and teaches me how incredibly selfish and short-tempered I can be.  So maybe the real goal here is that I rid myself of sinful ways and learn to be more loving, understanding, and long-suffering.

Someday...

P.S. Remember when I wrote about the Glade carpet powder I bought a few weeks back.  Well I used the rest of it tonight and just for the record it did not smell any better the second time around.  Hopefully my apt will air out by tomorrow! Glad to be finished with it, will not be repurchasing that product in the future!

T-I-R-E-D

Tired: this word sums up exactly how Daisy and I feel, except that we are not tired for the same reasons.

I started work this week so I have been gone from 7-5 due to orientation.  While I have not gotten into the actual nursing part of my job, sitting in a classroom trying to absorb details about what my new job will be like is extremely exhausting.  I am a creature of habit and any time I am faced with change (even if I have been anticipating and looking forward to it) my body responds by going into shut down mode.  This means that I get extremely tired and want to sleep all the time.  I knew this would happen when I started work because of the change of routine, but I am currently experiencing the effects of this.

Daisy is tired of staying in her kennel for extended amounts of time during the day.  For a dog that is used to being in her kennel only a few daylight hours at a time, mommy's new work schedule is just as trying on her as it is on me.  When I get home at night she has TONS of pent up energy and an appetite for attention.  So while I want to come home and veg out, she is raring to go!

I know that things will settle down in a few weeks and we will get into our new routine.  I won't have to work every day of the week so my dog won't be so spastic...but I can't wait for those days to get here.

What a depressing post!  When I have time to gather my thoughts and put my life back in order this weekend I'll post about more interesting and entertaining facts of life :)

Poor Puppy :(

Doesn't she looks so sad :(

This morning we went on our walk/run (due to rain we hadn't gone the past two days...needless to say we were a little out of practice, but that is another story)  and when we came back home Daisy took her usual post walk nap.  Usually she sleeps for a couple hours after walking and plays/lays around for the rest of the afternoon.  Well today she seemed a little more mopey that usual.  She kept following me around with these sad eyes and laid down at ever chance she got.

I figured out what was up about 2 pm as I was sitting down to lunch.  I walked into the dining area and saw Daisy standing over a heap of regurgitated breakfast.  Poor thing, no wonder she was so down.

Now that she has gotten that bug out of her system she is back to her normal self:

Random wish of the day:  I do not want Daisy to get very much bigger because then I won't be able to pick her up any more.  Tonight when we went outside to make a potty run something spooked her and she didn't want to go down the stairs, so I picked her up and carried her down.  She put her head on my shoulder and leaned into me...so sweet!  She weighs 25lbs now and is supposed to double that by the time she is full grown.  Can I just freeze her the ways she is now? I don't want my baby to grow up.

I'm pathetic, I know :)

Adventure Dog

We spent Labor Day with some friends at Mineral Wells State Park.  

Daisy got to tag along and she had a great time being outside, playing in the dirt, hiking and watching us rock climb!

Here are some pictures of our adventure day:

 

Isn't she a beautiful dog?!

News Flash!

I could have included this in the last post, but this news flash deserves a post all its own: 

DAISY WENT IN HER KENNEL OF HER OWN FREE WILL!!!

We put Daisy in her kennel at night and when we are not home, but during the day when she is out and about the apartment we leave the kennel door open because we have been hoping that she would go in her "room." We want here to realize that being in her kennel is not a bad thing, but that it is a place where she can go to be left alone.  While she does not ever whine or bark in her kennel, she doesn't exactly love to go in it.  

But I sense that times may be a changin' folks!

As I was writing the last post Daisy walked across the living room, plopped down in her kennel, and fell promptly asleep.  While she only stayed in there about 10 minutes before moving to her other "room" (a.k.a the entry way), it is a start!  And I'll take baby steps of progress any day of the week!

Dogs are Boys and Cats are Girls

I had some complaints from my male followers after my last post so I thought I would redeem myself by actually writing about dogs in this time:)

For some reason when I was little I thought that all dogs were boys and all cats were girls.  This had me thoroughly confused as to how each species managed to procreate, but I just took for granted that this was "how it was."  Thankfully I outgrew this mindset and have everything figured out now (obviously, I have a girl dog).  But I have noticed that this mindset pervades in many people's thinking.  Cats are perceived to be much more feminine creatures by the majority of our population, while dogs (maybe because they are more "sturdy" creatures) are more manly.  Don't get me wrong, I know of (a few) men that own cats, but the majority of cat owners/lovers are women. 

All this to say that when I walk Daisy with a pink leash (much to my husband's dismay) I always get asked by passers-by "how old is he?" or "what is his name?"

Know I know that it is not always obvious whether an dog is a he or she (for example we met a bulldog named Abby on our walk today...and in my mind bulldogs always look like boys) but I think it is courteous to ask the owner what the sex of the dog is before making any assumptions, especially if you are stopping to have a conversation. 

 

Enough of my venting!  

The weather in Fort Worth was delightful today! We turned off the AC and left the porch door open.  This is a picture of Daisy enjoying the view from the third floor:

Fall and Fabulous

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with Daisy at all.  In fact the only way she pertains to this post is that she slept quietly on the closet floor while I played dress up.

This is post is where the "other stuff" portion of this blog comes in.  I am a sucker for before and afters.  I am a self-proclaimed What Not To Wear junkie, love home-makeover shows, and even watched Rachel Ray this morning because she was doing a make-over on her show (and I really can't stand Rachel Ray on most days!).

That being said I also really love to shop and clothing/fashion has always interested me (this can, almost solely, be attributed to my paternal grandmother and her love of the same things).  But being a newly-wed and having to pay back school loans, save money, etc. I really can't go shopping as much as I would like.  While this has been a lesson in self-control it has also made me re-think my wardrobe and try to come up with ways to diversify the clothes I already have.  I was inspired by this morning's cooler weather to go through my closet and see what summer clothes I could transition into fall!  Since I know I am not the only one in the "trying to save money" boat and also because I personally find inspiration for my wardrobe by seeing what others do with theirs I decided to share some of the outfits I came up with.

This is a top that I got at Forever21 at the beginning of the summer.  The sleeves can either be rolled up or left down as in this pic.  I paired the shirt with a belt from Target and jeans from the Gap, both which I already had in my closet.  Put on a cute pair of flats with this and you are ready to head out the door!

This outfit is great for work or church.  The pants are gray linen slacks that I have had for several years and love.  I paired it with a top I got on sale from The Limited a few seasons ago (and have hardly worn till now!) and a sweater I just got from Target for 50% off.  I added the belt (also from The Limited this summer) to tie everything together and give the whole outfit some flair!

This last outfit is great for a get-together or just if you want to look a little nicer during the day (sometimes it is fun to dress up for no good reason!).  The dress is from Ann Taylor Loft and is a simple white linen sheath.  I paired it with this yellow cardigan (again from Target) but really any color would work great!  I added the belt (evidently my accessory of choice today) to give the dress some definition and included some brown tights to cover the legs on increasingly chilly evenings :)

That is all of my fashionista adventures for today!  I hope you all enjoyed this post and are able to take some of the tips and apply them to your own wardrobe!

Now I have to go put everything back where it belongs and clean up the apartment before hubby gets home...but keep your eye out for more outfits in the future!

I am the Human Popsicle

Yes, this is true.  Daisy thinks that I am a human Popsicle...of the orange blossom variety.  

Now that I have fully confused all of you, let me explain myself.

Everyday when I get out of the shower Daisy comes into the bathroom and likes to lick my legs.  This is really kind of gross and makes me feel like I need to take another shower now that I have received a thorough licking-over.  I am currently using Nivea body wash which smells wonderful, but evidently it tastes pretty good too.  I am almost out though and bought a different brand of body wash so maybe Daisy won't find this new flavor so delicious.

And just another random note on body washes to all of my couponing friends out there: how come there are always buy one get one free coupons for men's body wash but never any for ladies?  I use just as much soap as my husband and would appreciate a free-bee every now and then.  I guess I could break down and use some Old Spice body wash, but I like to exert my femininity by smelling like vanilla, or coconut cream, or orange blossom :)

Get It

First up:  I have been doing some laundry this afternoon and had a few items that needed to hang dry, so I set up the hanging rack in the bedroom.  A few minutes later I noticed that Daisy was running down the hall with her tail between her legs.  She would not go past the kitchen and kept peering down the hall and making this weird "muff" barking noise that she does when she is scared. I decided to investigate what was going back there and this is what I found:

I know laundry scares some, but really?  I have seen worse.

I think my pup may be going a little stir crazy...What do you think?

Timing is Everything

Timing is everything when you are puppy training.  How long has it been since we last went out? When would be a good time to go on a walk? If I give her a bone right before I sit down to eat can I avoid her barking? Will she stay asleep long enough for me to use the computer for a few minutes?

These are just a few of the questions I ask myself multiple times during the day.

When it comes to walking I  am learning that time of day makes all the difference.  For example: we have been taking walks in the morning between 8 and 9 o'clock.  This works great because Daisy has the most energy in the morning and walking is a great way to channel all of her excitement.  While walking in the morning keeps her calm for most of the day, she is usually ready for a hard-core play session by the time dinner rolls around.  Yesterday I thought I would try walking her around mid-day since I had errands to run in the AM and I also had hopes that she would be more calm during the rest of the day. 

Did my plan work? Ehhh, not quite like I had hoped.  Evidently the heat of the day is not conducive to a 3 mile walk (at least in Daisy's mind).  I think she walked backwards the whole way out, trying her hardest to get back the the car and some AC.  Once I had decided to give up the fight and head back she pretty much ran the whole way...which meant I had to run too!  I don't mind taking walks any time of the day, but running in 95 degree heat is not in my top 10 list of things I love to do.

Needless to say this morning we went back to our morning walking schedule with much greater success!

Here is a pic for today:

Daisy will pick anything up and chew on it (okay not anything, she is pretty good about leaving furniture, shoes, and power cords alone...thankfully!)  But she loves to find "treasures" outside to bring in.  This pic is of a carton that she found outside.  She brought it in and promptly went under the table (where she goes if she wants to be left alone).  This carton was quickly replaced with her bone after this picture was taken.