Introducing Beauregard

Wow, I hadn't realized it'd been so long since I last blogged!  I always plan to do better but then life gets in the way and it doesn't seem to happen.

Anyway, as you may know, Chico passed away rather unexpectedly last year.  I guess I can't say it was unexpected because he had cancer, but it was very sudden.  Whenever I pass by his ashes, I can't help but think of him and how much he's missed.

Shiver is not good as an only dog.  You'd think he would be, as he seems to think the world revolves around him.  Not so, though!  So I got another dog to help keep him company.  Blogville, please welcome Beauregard.  I was told by his original owner that he was a purebred Chihuahua.  However, it turns out he's really a Chiweenie.  The vet's office confirmed it for me when I called to make an appointment for his first set of puppy shots.

My mom keeps Shiver and Beau while I work.  They seem to get along for the most part, although Shiver is very jealous.  My mom named him Beauregard.  I don't really care for that name much so I call him Beau.  He doesn't really respond to either name yet.  My mom has fallen in love with him, but he's very active so he wears her out.

Something both Shiver and Beau seem to enjoy is Blue Dog Bakery More Flavors Assorted Dog Treats.  You must be asking yourself, "Just what are these assorted flavors?" Bacon & Cheese, Grilled Chicken, Natural Cheese, and  Peanut Butter & Molasses.  Chewy.com sent us a very generous 3 pound bag to review.

I was impressed with the portion sizes.  The penny is there for size comparison.  I usually break each piece in half and have the boys share.

There were several other options to choose from, but I chose this one simply because they don't use any animal by-products and they keep their treats low fat.  Shiver has heart and liver problems, Beau is still a young pup so I wanted something healthy.

Per Chewy's website, the key benefits include:

• Premium treats with 100% pure and natural ingredients made with the highest quality ingredients to ensure they are safe, wholesome and downright yummy
• Made with natural whole wheat, real eggs and nonfat milk, which make them low fat and easy to digest
• Famous Peanut Butter & Molasses, Natural Cheese, Grilled Chicken and Bacon & Cheese recipes – in fun animal shapes perfect for dogs of all sizes
• Crunchy texture is great for healthy teeth and gums and fresh breath
• No animal by-products, artificial preservative, colors or flavors

Thank you to Chewy.com for the opportunity to review these treats.  Both boys give them four paws up for a total of eight paws.  Their only complaint is that they only get half a piece rather than a whole one.  We absolutely would recommend them to anyone looking for a healthy treat for their dog.

We received a free bag of treats in return for an honest review.

September Chewy Review

Thank you to everyone for all of the condolences for Chico, they mean a lot.  I still miss him so much!  I've kind of looked here and there for another chi to keep Shiver company, but then I feel guilty because Chico hasn't even been gone that long.  I should be able to pick up his ashes on Saturday.  I'm sure I'll be a blubbering mess all weekend. 

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My apologies to Chewy for not posting this sooner.  I was particularly excited about this review because it wasn't something for the boys, it was something for me!  I chose the Chicken Soup for the Soul book I Can't Believe My Cat Did That!

I used to have a cats years ago.  I've missed having one around and this seemed like a fun way to relive a few of those precious memories.  I've enjoyed all of the previous Chicken Soup for the Soul books I've read, and knew this was something to I'd savor for years to come.

Sadly, I wasn't able to finish the book, I'm only about half way through.  Most of the stories are just a few pages long, but I never seem to have the time or energy these days to read past a chapter or two at a time.  That's why this book is so perfect though!  With 101 stories, this will last quite awhile and I don't have to worry about forgetting where I left off if I set it down for a few weeks.  As with previous publications, each chapter is written by a different author so you get a variety of writing styles and tones.

I would definitely recommend this book!  The shorter chapters are conducive to reading before bed, in a waiting room, on a lunch break, etc.  Be forewarned though -- you'll get all the feels from this book.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll laugh until you cry, etc.  I'm giving it two thumbs up!

This book was provided free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

R.I.P, Chico

I haven't posted here in awhile because the background I had before is no longer available and I realized that probably no one is reading my blog anymore anyway.  But in the off chance that anyone is, I wanted to let everyone know that my sweet little chi has passed on.  

2006-2017

Half Full Friday

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty.  I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  And then come back here and tell me about it!

~I'm happy because...

• I had a job interview on Monday!
• In a shocking twist, my current boss asked if I might be interested in working there permanently!  She couldn't promise that I'd be offered a job, but it's nice to know it's a possibility.
• The guy I networked with last week emailed me on Tuesday to say he's been passing out my resume!
• I bought shoe racks this past weekend and put them up on Sunday.  Looking at them with all of my shoes makes me happy and kind of reminds me of a shoe store.  (I have tons of shoes!)  
• I bought a new pair of shoes this past weekend, wore them a few times this week, and got compliments on them each time!
•  I think I got Shiver's medication issues figured out -- I paid for a 30 day supply and the vet only gave me 9 -- I didn't notice until I got home.  
• A squirrel came right up to me on my walk yesterday!  We had a nice little chat, he and I.

Wordless Wednesday

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Half Full Friday

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty.  I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  And then come back here and tell me about it!

~I'm happy because...

• Today is payday!
• I have a job interview Monday afternoon!
• I had a great networking meeting on Tuesday with someone who is in a position to help me find a great job if he so chooses to!
• I got a free CD in the mail from my favorite local band!
• Almost immediately after purchasing a caramel cappuccino and croissant on Wednesday, I tripped but was able to save my goodies at the last second! 
• We had a few days of cooler weather this week where I didn't feel like I was walking on the surface of the sun whenever I had to go outside!

Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday

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Happy Independence Day

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The Honest Kitchen Proper Toppers for Dogs

The chi boys love all things Chewy.  This month they're reviewing The Honest Kitchen Proper Toppers for Dogs.  They're available in turkey, chicken, and beef; we didn't specify which kind we wanted and were sent a 7 oz bag of the turkey flavor.

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Despite the name, you can use it as either a topper or it can be served on its own as a meal.  Either way, the amount served varies depending on the weight of your dog(s).  I wasn't too fond of the look of it at first.  They're soft and break apart easily.  

Shiver and Chico ate it as a topper.  I didn't measure it out for them, but grabbed a handful and split it between the two bowls.

Look how healthy this is!

Each bag is made with human grade ingredients, but isn't intended for human consumption.

 As always, they loved it!  The boys always go back and forth between bowls, I don't know why -- they've always been that way.  That's why you see Shiver eating out of two different bowls here.  

Chico takes the toppers out of the bowl and runs off with it, then comes back for more once he finishes so I didn't get any pictures of him enjoying it.  I thought he'd eat it along with his other food, but no...  The fact that he runs off with it tells me how much he likes it.  He knows Shiver does too, so this is his way of making sure Shiver doesn't steal it from him.

The boys give these eight paws up -- that's four paws each!  Thank you, Chewy, for another wonderful product! 

Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday

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Happy Monday!

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This past weekend was fun.  Saturday I met up with a couple of friends and we walked around the farmer's market.  There were a lot of other events within a block or two going on at the same time so there were more people out than usual, but it never felt too crowded or overwhelmingly uncomfortable with everyone milling about.  I bought the boys new collars and a new leash, none of which have been used yet.  I also got them a little treat from a dog bakery vendor there.  They've had that same treat before and both chi's loved them, but Shiver didn't seem all that interested this time.  One friend played in the fountain, so that's the recording I used for my 1 Second Everyday app.  It was fun to shop and visit with friends I haven't seen in awhile.

Sunday was mostly filled with housework, so not quite as enjoyable.  There's an art project going on in town for the next few weeks called Community Canvas where a back alleyway has been spruced up and painted.  It started last year and the plan is to add to it a little each year.  I needed to go to the store so I stopped by to check out the progress, even though it was out of the way.  If anyone's interested, I'd be happy to post pictures in a couple of weeks when it's all done.

The upcoming work week looks to be a busy one.  They're slowly starting to phase my job out so I anticipate it won't be too much longer before they say they don't need us anymore.  I've heard a few things here and there about extensions, I don't know what to believe though.  I'm hopeful they'll keep us on a little longer, but know not to expect it.  My friend was let go before her contract was up, so mine could end any day too.  Guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens...  

Half Full Friday

I used to do this every week and stopped for some reason.  I'm not entirely sure why, but I'm guessing life got too busy and it was just easier to.  After Eyegirl contacted me out of the blue a few weeks ago, I've been thinking about starting this up again.  I'm not sure that I'll do this every week, but please feel free to join in when I do!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty.  I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  And then come back here and tell me about it!

~I'm happy because...

• I'm meeting up with friends tomorrow at the Farmer's Market!  It's been awhile since I've seen them so I'm really looking forward to it.
• I still have six weeks left at my job!
• The vicious headache on Tuesday was completely gone by Wednesday!
• Today is payday!
• My allergies have been better this week!
• After a wet and chilly start to the week, this weekend is supposed to be drier and warmer!

Wordless Wednesday

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TGIF

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Happy Friday!  Summer is almost here (June 20th) and this is a busy time of year.   This past weekend I went to the annual Arts & Roses show.  I try to go every year.  It's held outside and consists mostly of paintings and things.  There's a much larger one at the end of summer that I also usually go to, but I almost like this one better because it's not as crowded and usually not as hot.

This weekend is the World Village Festival.  It's basically a big festival where multinational groups come together and share their culture through traditions, storytelling, dance, music, art, food, etc.  I've never been before and am quite looking forward to it.  It starts tomorrow and is a block away from where I work, so I plan to spend my lunch hour exploring a little bit and maybe even going back after work.  Unfortunately, the weather can't seem to decide what it wants to do -- hot one day and cold and rainy the next.  It's supposed to rain this weekend, and I'm hoping it doesn't ruin the festival in any way.

Next weekend I'm meeting up with some friends from an old job and going to the Farmer's Market.  I love, love, love that particular market and it'll be fun to walk through it with a group of friends.  Afterwards we're going to have coffee together and do a proper catch up.  I can't wait!

Work is going well.  I really enjoy my job for the most part.  My contract has been extended through the end of July now, so I'll have been there just shy of a full year by then.  Shockingly, my friend that worked there with me was let go at the end of May.  Her contract had been extended until June 30th but they said that they didn't need her anymore.  I thought that because we work on a contract that we were guaranteed to continue working there until whatever the extension date was but the temp agency I'm using said that we can be let go at any time if the company decides they don't need us anymore.

Shiver seems to be doing about the same and holding on.  His breathing is a little more labored these days, but he still seems to be getting enjoyment out of life.  He plays with his toys, he loves cuddles, he's eating better than he was, etc.  Chico is slowly going downhill and it's hard to watch.  I think I'm going to have some hard decisions to make regarding him sooner rather than later and it's devastating to think about.  It's more important that he have quality rather than quantity though and I don't want him to suffer needlessly.

Wordy Wednesday

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I had such good intentions this past weekend!  Knowing my mom and I would be spending Sunday at an art show, then come home and have dinner, this seemed like an excellent time to finally catch up with visiting blogs and creating a post for Monday.  Instead, we got home, had dinner, and sat in the dark for the next several hours as the power went out right as we were finishing up.  A storm hit and knocked the power out for several hundred homes.  So, the new plan is that I'm going to try to post on Friday instead and visit blogs over the weekend.  It's supposed to be chilly and rainy this weekend, so what better way to spend it than blog hopping?