Sunday, January 31, 2010

Italian Bulldogs

So yesterday I decided it was high time I get us back into the world of the living & went to the grocery store!  I don't mind doing the shopping, it's the putting away that I hate, but the bullies helped me when I got home...they're so thoughtful.

Since I stocked us up on all sorts of goodies (like Cap'n Crunch Berries & baby Diet Cokes), I thought well, I might as well make me something for dinner.  Steve was working & most nights he works I just have cereal...totally fine by me.  It's yummy, it has milk (which I otherwise avoid at all costs) & it's easy to make & clean up after!!  But tonight, I apparently had a bee in my bonnet & made spaghetti w/meat sauce AND cupcakes!!

Sure there were LOTS of leftovers, but guess who got their first taste of spaghetti sauce?!

Ha!  Do you see it still on her face?!  Hahaha!!  They all loved it & made a total mess...then proceeded to sleep the rest of the night!  Must have been some good stuff huh?!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

We're still here I promise!!

Wow, this H1N1 really kicks your ass...there I said it!  It's going on 2 weeks Wednesday that I started feeling icky!  Everyday it's getting better...but very, very slowly!  Because of that I've been more than behind in updating the Photo of the Day on the main page of the site (see Howie's comment on this) & behind on here too!  But really...it's more because I haven't had much going on!

Tonight I was feeling well enough to bring Howie to his first class in 18 months...what a bad, bad BullyMomma I've been.  I was nervous on how he'd do in the "socialization" part of class...you know, walking into the building, waiting during lecture, etc....oh you mean he's NOT supposed to socialize then?  Dang...mark that as a fail.  Well, actually he was much better than I expected & he LOVED, LOVED, LOVED his class!

We're taking beginning rally obedience & if I may take a moment to brag about my Howard (yes, in addition to the blog & site dedicated to him & his bulldog sibilings)...he is honestly so DANG smart!  We haven't done any of these "directions"--is that what they're called, I have no idea--& other than me not understanding the sign & him not quite figuring out the "stay" while I walk around him he did AWESOME!

He's just like his Momma Hannah!  So driven & so wanting to please.  I could tell some of those in class weren't too thrilled to have him there...imagine the horror!  But I think he surprised them & the instructor was pleased too!  I will admit he does have to work on paitence though....I've never heard him bark so much & loud before...ugg...we even had a dog owner move away from us because he was "exciting" her dog too much....sorry lady!

BUT...the night ended on a very good note in that while waiting to pay for some treats, a woman came up to us & said, "well, now who is this?!"  I said, "this is Howard."  She just looked at me weird & said, "we were in puppy class with you & I always tell the story of how Howard the bulldog showed the German Shepard how to do tunnels!"  I totally forgot about that, but yes, indeed he did! 

We were waiting in line & the German Shepard was too afraid of the tunnels.  Well Howie was done waiting & got loose from me & pushed the German Shepard out of the way & went right into the tunnel!  I was embarassed because he got away from me, but everyone laughed!  How funny, nearly 2 years later & this woman remembers...and apparently tells people about it too!  hahaha


Aww how cute is baby Howie?

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Wellness Updates

Thought I'd take a few minutes to thank those who have wished me well in the last couple days!  I'm still going through Puffs Plus like nobody's business (finished 2 boxes since Saturday), so needless to say the congestion is STILL here which makes sleeping super fun!  The bullies & Steve continue to nurse me to health!  It's nice to be loved!

Grama is coming home tomorrow from the care facility she was doing PT at for the last 2 weeks.  She has done pretty well in PT, so that's good.  I know she's been wanting to come home for about a week now so she'll be more than packed & ready when my mom goes to pick her up!  I don't think the bullies or I will be over anytime soon to welcome her home, but I'm glad she's coming home!

See..here are my bully & kitty nurses in action!  Making sure momma is ok while she sleeps!!




Monday, January 18, 2010

Only took until January!

Since Steve & I have been married I would get a "kick me in the @$$" cold every fall...usually October. Well last year I seemed to have broken that 8 year running streak cuz I didn't get sick until February last year & that wasn't really a cold, but rather a chronic cough that lasted until April...no lie.

Well this year again I skipped all of fall again! Yay, right?! No!! Instead I wind up with a doozy of a sore throat & a headache that makes me feel like my brain is swishing around. That, my friends was just he start. Over the weekend my head decided to be the resting place for all things snot related.

Aggh! I hate having a congested head! Hate it! Growing up I hated blowing my nose, I've since grown out of that phase but I still hate snot!!

Today was day #5 & I realized I wasn't getting any better. Thankfully, Steve is on his days off so he called the clinic & brought me to my appointment. Turns out...I have "the flu, could be H1N1, could be seasonal. Hard to tell."

Gee thanks for your five minutes there Doc. Couldn't we have saved me my $35 co-pay & done this over the phone? Of course I'm kidding...well a little bit anyway.

So forgive me if I don't put up any new photos on the main page or blog much in the next couple days. I'm on doctor's orders to stay in bed....and that's fine by me!

Hope everybully is feeling fine!

Here is one of my nurses...always watching me with such intense!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

How awesome is this!!

Not bully related, but it's my blog, I can post what I want to!!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The Bully Super Highway

Construction has been ongoing since our first major snow. The bullies have worked together to make a roadway of sorts in our backyard! It's so funny!

There is one path off the deck steps & then it branches off in three directions with some "roads" insecting the three main streets! But never venturing outside of them?!

What's even funnier is that whenever we get additional snowfall, they do it all over again. Exact same paths! I mean, I know bullies are creatures of habit (have you ever moved a chair or something & they bark at it like they've never seen it before & are now afraid of it?) but this is just weird. Who knows, maybe it's just scent related....or maybe my bullies are just so smart they know how to construct a Bully Super Highway!

Oh it's gotta be that last one for sure!!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Weekend Update

I have updated the show page with photos from this weekend's show.  As always, Vivi amazes me with her ability to handle situations like large crowds with no issues.  Knowing how my little snow monkey is at home (aka crazy, then cuddly) I'm happy to see she has another side to her...we'll stick w/the "c" theme & call her a crowd-lover!!



My friend Mary took photos with my new camera & once again I'm totally in love with it!!  I always had a very hard time getting decent photos at shows with my old camera.  LOVE IT!!  Now...if only I could be sure to take my finger out of her mouth when the camera is on her!!  (Gotta work on that!!)


I know I've mentioned before how I usually am very tired after a show weekend.  This weekend was no exception...except that my nap cuddle buddy wasn't my normal Vivi...it was Howie!!  As a puppy, Howie wasn't much of a cuddler.  He's really changed the last couple months & we're loving every second of that!  Steve took this photo because he couldn't believe Howie!!  (Yeah, I know...I am a crabby lookin sleeper aren't I?)

Friday, January 8, 2010

See...doesn't it look like fun?

Land O Lakes Dog Show this weekend! 
Come see Vivi!!
830am both Saturday & Sunday!
Ring 12

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Bully Life Lesson #11

Bully Life Lessons
~by bullies, for bullies~
by Vivi

Life Lesson #11

If you ever find yourself feeling
sad & lonely....


Remember there are many friends & family
just a click away!

Oh yeah, I wanted to show you the Christmas cards

Sorry for the delay, I needed to get the scanner to work.  Thought I'd share how our 2009 Christmas cards turned out!  I didn't think I got any good photos!  I was happily surprised I was wrong!!

Front

Inside:


See, no offense, but I think these are cuter than that little girl on the beach!!  I may just be a bit biased though!  Zazzle was able to get these out to me before Christmas Eve!  I was very impressed with their awesome customer service!!

Monday, January 4, 2010

First Show of the Year!

This weekend Vivi has her first show of 2010, right here in town at the Xcel Center in St. Paul!  The Land O Lakes show has FANTASTIC shopping in case anyone is interested!!  Thankfully Vivi's staph infection has cleared up & she didn't lose any hair patches at all!

This week we will continue to work on her stacking so she'll be all set come Saturday morning.  We show both days at 830am...just in case any of you have nothing else to do that early on a very cold weekend morning!!  Vivi would love to see you there!

"Yes, blog friends!  Come see meeeeeeee!"

"I soooooo cute in person!"

"Momma says I have whiskers like a kitty in this photo!"

Miracles...they DO happen!

I haven't posted since last year (hahahaha! That NEVER gets old to me!) & it's because I've been rather busy, yes even too busy to take & post photos of my bullies!! GASP! Say it isn't so! But it's all for a good reason....a miraculous reason in fact!

My 83-year-old Grama (who lives with my parents) fell outside last Monday & broke her hip. She was going down the icy driveway to get the trash can. ("Well, it HAD been sitting there since Saturday night." Ummm...garbage pick up was Monday due to the holiday, but there is no winning this argument with Gram. She didn't want the neighbors to "talk"!) She called for help, but it was the middle of the afternoon (around 3:40 pm we think) & most of the neighbors were probably at work. My parents were gone at the cabin for the week for New Year's. So there she lies...at the end of the driveway, hidden by the trashcan, the mounds of snow...with NO jacket (tsk, tsk) & NO socks--just her loafers!!

Now here is where the miracle comes in...my parents' house is on a dead-end street...and they are at the END of the dead-end street. There is no reason for anyone to see her. There is no reason for anyone to drive past my parents' house. There is no reason anyone could have found her...except one...a miracle!

Her Guardian Angels’ names are Mike & Janice. They don't live on my parents' street. They don't even live in the same city! They had NO reason to be on her street, let alone find her with in 20 min of her falling on a freezing cold day in December...except for one...a miracle!

Mike does work in the same city as where my parents live. His business butts up to the same corn fields as my parents' dead end street butts up to. Last Monday, he was looking out his window at work & saw some deer in the fields. As they were leaving, he told his wife "let's see where that field comes out". So they just HAPPEND to decide on MONDAY to drive down my parents' street, where the field comes out & they stopped at the dead-end...only to find my Grama laying in the driveway!!

Now, if that isn't a miracle, a divine intervention, my Grampa sending the angels down to Grama, I'm not sure what is!! Because if it wasn't for Mike & Janice deciding, not just a few minutes before they arrived on my parents' street, to drive down there, I would have found Grama around 7pm when I went to get the mail.

Grama didn't hit her head & was with it enough to tell these wonderful people where to find her list of phone numbers & Mike just kept calling until he got me at 4:01 pm. I didn't recognize the number & in fact, thought it was someone from Steve's work calling, but thought...no his shift JUST started at 4pm...nothing could have happened to in already could it? When Mike introduced himself, I was still expecting him to say he worked with Steve. Instead he said, "Jen, my name is Mike. I'm here with a woman named Lorraine....." and from there it was a complete & total whirlwind!

She refused an ambulance & Mike & Janice stayed with her until my brother got there to bring her to the Emergency Room. These people, who we've never met, who have no need to stay with my Grama, not only stayed with her, but made sure she was taken care of before they left her side.

My mom called Mike a few days later & he was genuinely concerned about Gram's well-being. He had just lost his father 3 weeks prior & they just found out his wife's father is very ill. It's been a very hard time for them & they refused accepting anything my mom wanted to send them as thanks.

They saved my Grama's life, there is no doubt about that...and for that reason I believe in miracles & will pray for all of us to be blessed with Guardian Angels like Mike & Janice!