Scribbles and Scrambles ~ You Know You Want a Puppy Update...

Gertrude and Gladys have grown quite a bit in their week at our place. Not doubled or anything crazy like that but they are bigger. The most amazing part is the increase in their coordination and steadiness. We have two or three steps to the out of doors and after they go potty they now can take the steps back into the house all by themselves. They can do the steps, but it's not graceful, but they can do em. 

However. I'm sure you don't want to know all of these details. Right? 

So here's just a short list of things that we've discovered or experienced this week with the girls. 

Nights that I was awakened at two a.m. ZERO

Mornings I was awakened by squealing just a wee bit earlier than my alarm?THREE. The worst morning? The 5:15 a.m. Poopageddon morning. Human babies finger paint with things that fall out of their diapers...or so I'm told. Apparently, adorable puppies can paw paint water bowls with certain substances as well. But only three mornings contained that substance in the kennel and only one included art. 

Reactions of other people? Everything from squeals to utter and complete disbelief that we succumbed to two puppies, to enthusiasm for the breed, to blank stares, to warnings about bad beagle behaviors in other beagles...pretty much the same kind of responses I got with announcements of my pregnancies.  (except for the beagle thing...but I believe the word breed was mentioned.)

Loads of puppy laundry? 

Guesstimate? Seven to ten. There was the Poopageddon morning. And the number of times where bladders didn't quite hold their liquid or puppy All-Star wrestling took place in the water bowl. 

Initial cost of our free puppies?

We thought ahead a bit. Got two sets of harnesses and leashes, because these speedy little suckers are going to need containment every time we get outside and are growing like weeds. We had to get a cute puppy bed, and a brush, and a brush/mitt, a few bandanas, a chewy toy or three, matching and adorable food and water bowls, food...soft puppy mush, and organic dried puppy kibbles for the near future. Chaching. $170.00. Note: My brother runs Properpet.com If you are looking for great prices on supplies, check them out. And $170.00 is a bargain, right? In entertainment value alone. 

What's been chewed on? Absolutely everything including finger, toes, ears, necks, socks, shoes...

   

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Father's Day Ideas or NOT...

If you could put a face and a personality on a mullet it would be that of my dad.  

Don't get me wrong...he doesn't dangle a wallet chain, rat tail or a full Joe Dirt doo. No. But the man can dress up or down for just about any occasion. 

When Dollar Shave Club asked me to participate in their “Father’s Day Gifts From Years Past,”blog extravaganza
where bloggers share memories and pictures of gifts we've given our dads, I just couldn't pass it up. Because I once captured the essence of my dad's multiple personalities in a handmade gift.

My dad's gift a few years back, quite a few...if you'll notice, the smudges in the middle of the faces are his mustache... a wee bit faded. But a decade or two will do that to an object d'art. 

This double-sided gift was personalized just for him. Respected, tie-rocking registered pharmacist, community and church leader, all around great guy. Flip the little bugger around to the back side and his near/dear ones all recognize that guy. See, Dad had/has this project self-challenge thing he does. The outfit, as in crazed standing up hair, and the plaid shorts and T-shirt got lots of play during DIY and self improvement remodeling adventures.  

I remember two pairs of project shorts from my formative years. The featured blue and yellow ones and a ratty red and blue more patriotic model (which I believe started as pants and ended up as shorts). Dad's super-remodeler costumed epic adventures were made all the more exciting by the split-second precision with which he could finish (or hide) the evidence of the project and disappear into the shower just as the guests began to arrive. 

He is pretty much legendary for this sweet ninja style skill. People wander in, comment on the smell of fresh paint or glue, wonder out loud about the sound of the running shower, or ask if the "project-of-the-day" was new. 

Dad has gotten a little more difficult to shop for. I mean, my parents have every handmade gift I've ever given them, and I almost hate to burden them with more of the same. However, I won't lie. This little guy does bring back some great memories. 

If you are looking for an easy gift for dad, I hear the Dollar Shave Club is epic in its own rights. Maybe up there with a mullet. Not my dad, of course, that mold was broken after he was made. There is only one of him. 

More about Dollar Shave Club ~ 

Dollar Shave Club couldn't be simpler. Select one of our great
razors, pay one low monthly fee, and we send 'em right to your
door. No more over-paying for fancy brand name shave tech.
No more forgetting to buy your blades.

Scraps and Snippets ~ German Chocolate Puppy Chow or Poopies (Vegan)

If you like coconut and chocolate and delicious crunch...you might want to make this ASAP... Leave out the pecans if you want and use more coconut for pure chocolate/coconut magic. This is amazing and doesn't feel or taste weird or vegan or healthy. It is decadent. Make sure your ingredients are vegan (i.e. powdered sugar and semi-sweet chocolate chips if this is important to you.) (If your cereal choice is gluten free, these will be, too.)

German Chocolate Poopies (German Chocolate Puppy Chow)  

Serves 4 - 8

3/4 Cup toasted coconut

3/4 Cup toasted pecan pieces

3 1/2 Cups cereal (rice or corn chez or mix of cereals)

¼ Cup coconut oil

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (This can be decreased. I only had about 3/4 of a cup the last time I made it and so I added an additional 3/4 cup of toasted coconut the bag with the powdered sugar...they weren't as well coated, but still tasted amazing.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Dump the coconut and chopped pecans on a baking sheet (lightly oil if the coconut is sweetened) Place in oven and toast approximately 10 minutes. Check at 7 to make sure the coconut is not browning too much. You will be able to smell the nuts. You want the coconut golden.
2. In double boiler or microwave melt coconut oil and chocolate chips. Add toasted nuts, coconut and cereal and stir until all coated in chocolate.
3. Pour powdered sugar into large plastic bag, the chocolate mixture to the bag and shake until all is coated. Place in fridge for an hour or so to harden the chocolate. If there is any left you will want to store it in an airtight container.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Tails, Tales, Tells...

 Names? You know you wanna know. 

There were quite a few combinations we had to choose from. Because when you have twins you gotta have a theme of some sort, right? So we went with alliteration vs. some of the other options. 

I mean Thelma and Louise would have been adorable, but I didn't like the end of that duo, ya know? 

We picked out some flower names that were fun. Poppy didn't sit well with Rob, Iris was his choice, which was great, but alliteration is so fun and what goes with Iris? 

We had several older lady names that are fun for puppies and a wee bit out of vogue. 

The winner? Gladys and Gertrude. Glad, Gladie, Gert or Gertie. 

They are being amazingly good about potty business. 

Not that there aren't accidents. But whenever we take them out into the grass they do a little something, something. It's the cutest thing to see something the size of a guinea pig squat to pee. Seriously. Cute. Especially outside in the grass. Not so much on the floor. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Tail Tales

 Things sure have changed since Thursday. Rob and I agreed to take a five-week-old purebred Beagle puppy from a friend of a friend who does rescue. Since it wasn't on formula any longer (it's mommy died shortly after the births) and she didn't need to be weaned we got to pick her up right away. However, when the friend of the friend sent a picture on Friday, there was mention that there were two little females available. Rob, who has never been on the same page as me with the need for gathering pets, asked if the second one was available, too. 

"After all," he said, "shouldn't they stay together and we'll already be dealing with potty training and all the puppy behaviors, let's get them both."

So we asked. And she was...at the time. 

The day before we were supposed to pick them up, the second one became unavailable, after all. 

Amazing how something that seemed like a crazy idea an hour earlier can suddenly leave you feeling broken hearted. 

I am not going to lie. I petitioned God on this one. Partly because I know He loves His creation. (He does know every sparrow, after all.) (And two little babies who lost a mommy should stay together, right?) And partly because I had already fallen in love with the idea of sister dogs. An hour before we picked them up we found out we'd get both. The person who wanted the second one decided they should stay together, too.

And, boy, did we get. 

Beagle puppies have a whole lot of energy. Ha ha. And a whole lot of cute. 

Needless to say, you will be seeing some puppy related posts here on a regular basis. Because...Do you see this cuteness? 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ 2 More Reasons to Put Off Cleaning...Writing...Work...Whateves...

Found a New Time Waster Site....but it's historically fascinating...so that counts for something.

http://news.distractify.com/people/scenes-from-the-past-you-never-expected-never-seen-before/?v=1

http://news.distractify.com/culture/x-history-photos/?v=1

Hmmm I've Got Nothing.

So I checked around for inspiration. I may have been sleepy because I was drawn to noises. The rain storms were a bit intense. But here you go, 10 Hours of forest sounds.