More Thankfulness . . .

Did you notice anything unusual in our Thanksgiving post?

This picture is from last year.  You will note all the leaves on the ground.  We don't have leaves or trees in our new location . . . [sigh] . . . life can't all be perfect!  But we're thankful for our once beautiful yard and the hope that maybe one day we'll have another beautiful yard.

Here's what it looks like pretty much year round where we are now.

We've only been here six months, but Mommy can't imagine it looking any different unless you count browner . . . we need to remind her that brown is one of her favorite colors, so that's something to be thankful for, right?

Always look for the good in every situation!  After all, how many times will Daddy have to break out the snow blower this year?  (Hopefully none since we sold it before the move!!!).

Searching for goodness (and treats),
Dixie and Jenna

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We've been so blessed this year in so many ways.  We hope you have a great day with friends and family and take time to reflect on your blessings.  Mommy says we'll remember our blessings more if we write them down (always a teacher, she is).

Here's what we're thankful for this year in no particular order:

A new, less stressful (on most days) job for Daddy

TREATS!

Good health for everyone in our family

Less crate time in the new house

TREATS!

New friends in our new location

Old friends in our old location

More time spent with our parents (due to less stressful jobs)

Tennis balls

Stuffed animals

Family

TREATS!

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.
Psalm 95:2

(We're sure those joyful noises include barking!)

PS:  Happy birthday tomorrow to Aunt K.  Enjoy your Black Friday shopping spree!

Visitor Bearing Gifts

Last month one of our favorite humans was our first visitor in our new location: Aunt Holly!  She came for a long weekend and she and Mommy also took an overnight trip.  Aunt Holly packed a tight suitcase that weighed in perfectly (and at maximum weight) at fifty pounds!  A TON of that weight was stuff for Mommy!  We don't have a Trader Joe's anywhere around us and Mommy had requested their sunflower butter.  It's the best and cheapest of all the sunflower butter Mommy has tried (due to her peanut allergy).  Aunt Holly graciously brought six jars as well as gluten free pumpkin pancake mix, pumpkin butter, pumpkin chocolate salted caramels, and more.  Mommy was in pumpkin heaven!

The two of them left us at home and visited the windmill museum where they ran into a volunteer who gave them a personal tour of the museum.  They learned so much about windmills.  Mommy seems to have developed a passion for windmills over the past six months (yes, she's strange).  They also ran into a couple from Daddy's hometown whose son had gone to school with Daddy!  Mommy says it really is a small world . . . well, until she thinks of another place to visit and then the airfare tells her otherwise!

Mommy and Aunt Holly scoped out the local prairie dogs as well.  Can you spot one in the background?

They also tried out a favorite local BBQ place Mommy hadn't tried yet.  Results were mixed.  Mommy wanted to take Aunt Holly to another joint on Monday, but as is always the case when you're looking forward to something, they were closed on Mondays!

The two of them traveled to Roswell, New Mexico to check out the alien lifeforms.  I think they spotted a close relative of theirs . . . it's a good thing we're adopted!

Apparently the cheese is so thick in this museum, you can make the world's best nachos!

Mommy also has a thing for funny signs.  She loves to take pictures of the ones that make an unusual statement.  And as a teacher, she wholeheartedly agrees with this one!

For some reason which neither can explain,  Mommy and Aunt Holly have to take a picture everywhere they go with Mommy in a funny hat.  Daddy thought they should have packed their own tin foil to make a homemade hat with which to communicate with their relatives, but Mommy forgot!  Drat!  Maybe next time . . .

Here's another sign found at a rest stop.  Do you know anyone who has time to wait five minutes at a rest stop???   Inquiring minds . . . 

The highlight of the weekend trip was Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.  Mommy says the caverns were Ahhhh-mazing, but it takes an HOUR just to walk down into them!!!  And then several more hours can be spent underground.  This first picture was taken before they began their descent into the natural entrance (an elevator is an option as well).  This was also before the knees and hips started aching! 

It was so much fun to have my buddy around.  I can usually be counted on to snuggle up to Mommy, but not when Aunt Holly is here.  I leave Mommy high and dry.  Aunt Holly loves on me like no one else!  She also makes Jenna jealous, so that's just icing on the cake!

Hopefully we won't have to wait too long before our next visitors arrive . . .

Dixie

It's Ba-aaack!

It was bound to happen in the new house.  I can't believe it took so long.  Since I joined the family years ago, Mommy has been forced to put a bungee cord on the dog food container and well, it's back!

In the old house, the food stayed in an aluminum trash can in the laundry room.  The food is in that same trash can, but it fits into our pantry here.  The laundry room door didn't always stay closed at the old house since it was also a pass thru to the garage.  The pantry door is almost always closed here, so Mommy thought the food was safe . . .

Daddy will tell you the problem is Mommy.  She has a tendency to leave doors open when she's cooking.  The cabinets doors are always getting in his way when he walks through.  Mommy figures why close a door when she'll have to open it again in a few seconds to return the item?

I know how to sniff out yumminess everywhere.

So now that I know where the food stays and Mommy leaves the door to the pantry open as she goes in and out, the bungee cord is back!  It holds the lid in place so I can't nose it off!  (I'm super smart that way, or super desperate for food.)

Oh well, at least I'm eating a food now that won't kill me!  I can always hope Mommy will let her guard down for a second when she's dishing up our food and I can take a nose dive into the can.  It's been known to happen!

Jenna

Five O'Clock

Have you heard the Alan Jackson song "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"?  It's several years old, but I sing it all day every day when Mommy is around. In fact, you could say it's my theme song!  Before you start thinking badly of me, please know, I'm not singing this song in the hopes of having a drink.  I have a water bowl available to me 24/7.  I'm singing this song and hoping Mommy will notice me and FEED ME!

I might not be the best at telling time to the exact minute, but I can definitely tell when it's meal time. I start stalking Mommy through the house at about 4:30 every day.  Sometimes I'm a little bit early, sometimes a little bit late, but I KNOW when it's almost five!  I do not give up.  I put my head on her lap, I try to engage her in a staring competition, and I start saying silent prayers that she will notice the time!

Sometimes she gives in and feeds me and Dixie early.  Other times she acts as if she doesn't know what time it is!  Really, Mommy?  I know you can tell perfect time.  What harm does it do to go ahead and give in to my poor pitiful look?

After all, "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere!"

Pretty please,
Jenna


PS: Daddy wants it known that when he's in charge, HE chooses the feeding time.  He is not swayed by poor pitiful looks.  We don't have him fully trained yet like we do Mommy, but we're working on it.  Mommy just needs to take a nice long vacation . . . .

Mommy's Little Helper

I'm such a good girl (at least 99.9999% of the time).  You already knew that from reading our blog didn't you?  I bet you didn't know that I like to help Mommy clean house!  More specifically, I clean the shower in the master bathroom.

The best time to clean the shower is right after someone has finished using the shower.  The leftover water helps with the scrubbing, so there's no need to waste more water during the process.  My rough tongue has special scrubbing abilities that removes the need to add harsh chemicals.

I have two human cousins who also like to clean.  At least that's what Mimi and Aunt C tell me.  My cousins appear to be smiling in the pictures I've seen.  They don't seem to be under any duress when the pictures were taken.  They clean windows, dust, and vacuum.  Perhaps we should join forces to start our own business?  However they need to know upfront that I don't do windows . . . except car windows.  I'm happy to help out with car windows!

Let me know if you need my services.  I'm dawg-gone cheap.

Shower Cleaner for Hire!
Dixie


PS: Happy 46th Anniversary to Grandma and Poppa!  Yeehaw!

PPS: If you haven't been to vote yet, don't forget to go out and choose your favorite NUT this year!!!

Where's the Broom?

For those of you old enough, do you remember Wendy's advertising slogan "Where's the Beef?"   We don't actually remember it ourselves, but Mommy has talked about it when teaching advertising techniques.  We feel like adjusting it a bit and going around the house asking, "Where's the Broom?"

Since we've lived in this new house, the broom has almost completely disappeared.  The Swiffer only makes a weekly appearance.  What's going on here?  In our previous house, the broom or Swiffer made almost daily visits to our kitchen.  Mommy had a love/hate relationship with those two devices.  She loved the results; she HATED how often they came calling on her.

Here's a reminder of what the previous kitchen floor looked like on moving day:

From far away, the floor looks pretty good.  It's blue and white, one of Mommy's favorite color combos.  But it's only from far away that this floor looked good.  If you were to see it on a daily basis, you would know why Mommy hated it!  She asked herself a million times while living in this house who in their right mind would put WHITE tile in the kitchen!  Daddy started asking who in their right mind would have two black labs in a kitchen with white tile, but that's another story.

One of the best things about the new house in Mommy's opinion is the tile in the kitchen.  I think Mommy's IN LOVE!  This tile has to be the best invention known to man or dawg.  It shows NOTHING!!!!!  Well, it might show a few tiny water spots from a certain unnamed dawg's drool, but only in the right light.

Every tiny little bitty dawg hair is able to hide out until it decides to form a tumbleweed.  That is the only time Mommy notices anything on the floor.  When she sees a tumbleweed that has formed, she simply reaches down and picks it up.  She does not go looking for the broom or the Swiffer.

The poor broom is basically only used and abused for outdoor chores now (and boy, do we have some serious dust and dirt out there!).  The Swiffer is only invited into the kitchen once a week when Mommy does her regularly scheduled cleaning.

I personally have the feeling the Swiffer should invite himself in at least twice a week, but Mommy is living by the philosophy of "Ignorance is bliss!"

Whatever makes Mommy happy,
Jenna


PS: Happy Birthday tomorrow to Grandaddy!  We hope you have a great day!

PPS: The broom did make an appearance Monday on Halloween . . . after all, Mommy has to get around somehow!