Homeward Bound

                It never seems to fail, that when JM and I plan a vacation, work trip, or quick getaway, JD and P find their way into mischief.  This past weekend, I had went to go visit family, as well as meet Ms. Mac D, while JM travelled afar to participate in the Bataan Death March (26.2 mile hike) for work.  I had once again left the fur children with KC, and once more, my rascals were a nuisance.  There were no blaring alarms, police, or fireman this time, but it was much worse; at least in my eyes. 

                KC had let her pup and my pooches out early in the morning for their first potty break of the day.  Well this potty break of theirs turned into quite the adventure for JD and P.  The two had decided to go on a homeward bound escapade, in which I like to think they were looking for JM and me.  They wandered the alley ways of KC’s neighborhood, and visited neighbor’s hounds in hopes to pick up JM’s and my scent.  

When KC went to let in the dogs, only her fur child came running.  That’s when the scare was initiated.  It was fairly early in the morning, and traffic was beginning to pick up due to people commuting to work.  The fear of JD and P getting struck by a vehicle sunk in, and KC and my brother, PD, went on the search to find them.  After thirty minutes of searching the neighborhood, KC finally found the two prancing down the street.  She slammed on her breaks, ran into the street, pleaded with an oncoming car to stop.  The driver of the car had no idea what KC was doing, until JD appeared, with little P trying to keep up.  The two jumped into the car, were reunited with KC’s dog, and were placed into the box where they were safe and sound.  You would think that with all the yelling and spanking PD gave them (yes, I am a supporter of spanking when they deserve it), they would think twice about escaping, but not these two.  A couple of mornings later, they absconded again.  Luckily KC had found them yet again, uninjured, but now the two are unable to use the backyard without adult supervision.

It's Raining, It's Pouring.....

                Never have I ever!  This happened back in February, but felt the need to share.  My sister-in-law, who I will call KC, and I were planning my other sister-in-laws, Kiwi, baby shower from afar.  We had made arrangements for it to be held at the church KC’s father works at, made candy gifts for the guests, and I had constructed my first ever diaper cake (tutorial will be coming soon).  

Candy Gifts

Diaper Cake

I had called Liz, who is the proprietor of Deliciously Creative Cakes, and had organized for her to make a monkey cake for the shower to be.  I had seen her website, and was impressed by the work she did.  It seemed like everything was falling into place.  Even Kiwi’s sister was helping out by coordinating the games we would be playing, and making leis and necklaces for the guests.  I was restless!  I couldn't wait to get back home, see my family, and celebrate the soon to be arrival of Mac D. 

                Unfortunately, nothing went right.  When the time came to leave, KC and I were iced and snowed in by an Arctic storm (which is rare for the area).  UGH!  So needless to say, we were unable to drive back home.  

JD playing in the snow

Since we had all the decorations, we decided to UPS them overnight, in hopes that it would arrive on Friday in time for the shower on Saturday.  When Friday afternoon rolled around, I checked online, as well as called the hotline numerous times to make sure the package was on its way to being delivered to the house.  Each time I got the same answer, “it is in route.”  Naturally, I thought this meant it was on a freight truck and would be delivered within the end of the day.  However, I was wrong.  Apparently "in route" also means it was scanned into the distribution center, placed in a locked shed, with another shed placed in front of it, door to door and would sit there until the next day of business, Monday.  With all my pleading with the store, they were unable to retrieve the package.  After hearing this bad news, it was only to be followed up with further debauchery.  The cake I was so eager to see got to the shower.  I had my brother send me a picture of it.  My heart raced as I opened it hoping something was going to go right, only to be let down by a catastrophe.  The cake was A.  not at all how I asked or envisioned and B.  not the correct size.  

the cake I asked for, but in pink

the cake they recieved

I had asked for a cake to feed 25-30 guests, this cake looked like a sheet cake I could have baked myself, and probably could not feed more than half the guests that showed up (32).  My parents decided a new cake was essential.   

When I called Liz to express my disappointment in her product she REFUSED to give me a discount or refund.  I do not own my own business, but what I do have is an understanding of customer satisfaction.  If a customer is upset with a product by any means a business would typically give a discount, refund, or coupons for their next visit to coax the customer back into being content and encourage them to use the business again.  With that being said, you would think that Liz would want to hold onto any customers that came her way, but dreadfully that was not the case in this circumstance.  Liz strongly stood by her product claiming she got the theme correct, nevertheless, how hard is it to botch a monkey theme when all she had to do was put a monkey on the cake; she could have put bananas on the cake and the theme still would have been correct.  Still, my gripe was it was not the design I had previously asked for, it was not up to the standards that she advertised on her website, nor was it large enough to feed all the guests.  After about a half an hour of arguing, she finally agreed to give me 55% of my money back (which still did not fund the second cake purchased).  So a word to the wise, please stay clear of Deliciously Creative Cakes.

With after all was said and done, and the many hiccups that took place during the shower, it was a great success.  Everyone had a blast, and most importantly, my brother and Kiwi got the much needed necessities for introducing their wee one to the world.  

Say hello to a sleepy Mac D

Little Rascal

                Last night I didn’t catch a wink of sleep.  I was stunned awake by the nagging feeling of anxiety and concern.  Around 9:30 PM I decided to take a shower.  While bathing, I assumed JM would keep an eye on the fur children, not that they need much watching.  Well, this night JD definitely needed some adult supervision.

 At some point JD must have gotten the idea in her head that she wanted to eat Mr. Bandit, her favorite toy raccoon, but not only eat, DESTROY!  I ventured outward from the bathroom after I had finished and found an oddly shaped plastic bit on the ground.  

Not knowing what it was I picked it up and discarded it.  Then I came across Mr. Bandit and the plastic bit made sense.  That object I found was what was left of the squeaker inside of Mr. Bandit’s nose.  As for Mr. Bandit…..welllllllll he no longer has a head, front paws, or a chest.  JD ATE the entire front half of Mr. Bandit.  

Mr. Bandit Before

Mr. Bandit after

At first I thought maybe she just tore him apart and left the pieces strewn about the house.  I rummaged through our house with the optimism that I would find shredded pieces somewhere, but unfortunately nothing materialized.  That’s when my fears set in.  Let me explain why I was frightened (and still am).  I like to watch Nat-Geo Wild, on this station is a show called, “My Dog Ate What?”  This show retells the stories of things dogs and other pets have swallowed, from fish hooks, to spoons, to muscle relaxers, and even stuffed toys, and the astonishing measures it took to save their lives. 

Once the realization set in, I hopped onto the internet and looked up any advice on what to do for such a matter.  Most of the sites I have found said no need to panic, just keep an eye on the pet and “wait it out.”  Some even suggested to induce vomiting by “pouring” salt down her throat (with further investigation never use more than 1 Tblsp).  I am not a veterinarian or a vet tech, but that just does not seem safe in my opinion.  I opted NOT to do it, in case if it got caught in her throat and blocked her airway.  With all the information I have gathered and not being able to call my veterinarian, we waited until morning.  

When morning approached I called the vet office, only to be reassured of everything I have read on the internet.  Even with the advice of my vet, it is still hard for me to sit easy knowing she has half of a stuff-less raccoon in her belly.  I hope the vet is right and she will poop it out, eventually.  

FURminator

                It’s spring time!  Spring, most commonly associated with budding flowers, birds chirping, the weather warming, and the emergence of bugs.  But for me and anyone else with a dog, spring means engaging in a combat situation with my nemesis, FUR!  P doesn’t seem to be too bad when it comes to shedding his undercoat, but JD on the other hand is in an allegiance with my fur archenemy.  JD’s breed has even been known to be called, “The German Shedder.”  Every year I try to arm myself with bigger and better artillery, but it seems like I always lose the battle.  This year I have equipped myself with the FURminator De-Shedding Tool.  We shall see who will win this round in the everlasting war.

JD with the FURminator

                The FURminator De-Shedding Tool was a bit of an indulgence purchase.  I was very hesitant on buying this brush due to the price, because, well, it’s just another brush.  All grooming products promise the same thing, to eliminate the shedding of dog’s hair, but with my experience, they seldom keep their promise.  Armed with this new weapon, I approached JD and her infinite supply of fur, and combed away.  About an hour into her grooming I had a tripled the volume of fur that I would typically get from other brushes and combs.  I had so much fur I felt as if I could build a new puppy!  I think I just found my weapon of choice.  I strongly suggest anyone who has a pet with an immense shedding problem to get this brush.  It is a life saver!  

JD's fur puppy

K9-1-1

                I have recently wanted a way to express my creative side and have thus decided on writing a blog.  Yes, I have jumped on the blog train.  I am not the greatest of writers and yes, I do misspell words on occasion (thank goodness for spell check!), so please try not to be too hard on my grammar.  I figured by writing every day, or nearly every day, it will help improve my writing skills. 

                Anyone who already knows me would tell you, I love three things:  my family, including those who walk on all four with wet noses, my friends, and my partner in crime.  Some would even go to say that I am a bit of a canine enthusiast, or any animal for that matter.  I would like this blog to express the love I have for those three things as well as the many adventures of me, “J,” my trusty side kick “J,” (but to create less confusion I will refer to as “JM”), and our two fur companions, “J” (who will be dubbed “JD”), and “P.”  

Meet JM and J

Introducing JD.

And the P to the J^3.

I’ll talk about some of the things we do day to day, the adventures we go on, or rather the adventures that find us, and one of my newly found passions, cooking.  So with all that being said, I would like to start this off with an adventure that had happened a few weeks ago.

                JM and I went on a much needed vacation with a group of his friends to a vacation hot spot known as Cancun, Mexico.  

While we were away, my oldest brother and sister in law agreed to watch the fur babies, JD and P.  Well, JD being the quiet pup she is sat inconspicuously on her bed hidden by the L shaped couches.  My sister in law did her usual daily routine of turning off the lights and making sure her own fur child was secure in the “box” (also known as the kennel), before turning on the alarm and heading out the door.  Now keep in mind JD is not in the box.  My sister in law left for a full day of work, and was unaware of the madness occurring at her home.  JD must have gotten up at some point and set off the alarm.  With the alarm blaring and no one home to turn it off or answer the phone, the alarm company dispatched units.  Policemen, firemen, and the neighbors all stood outside her house trying to find out if anyone was in danger.  I know what you are thinking.  This is the cell phone age, why didn’t anyone call her cell?  Well to answer that, the cell phone was either turned off, or not charged.  My brother got a call from alarm company and must have come home to assure everyone that there was no pressing matter at hand, and that it was in fact, a false alarm.  Poor JD must have been terrified of all the commotion going on both inside and outside of the house.

                Now fast forward a couple of days.  JM and I have returned from our trip and were excited to pick up JD and P and head home.  As we were merging onto the interstate a police officer decided to pull us over.  After approaching our vehicle, he informed us that he had clocked us going 2 MPH over the speed limit.  I have a great respect for officers and everything that they do for their community in keeping everyone safe, but really?  2 MPH?  I suppose breaking the law is breaking the law.  I pulled over, and complied with the officer’s requests, handed over my license and insurance, and even stepped out of my vehicle for questioning.  His questions were oddly specific, and after he was satisfied with my answers he told me to send JM to his patrol car for questioning.  Then it dawned on me.  He must think we are drug runners with the dogs and luggage in the back.  After questioning JM, the officer asked for permission to search my vehicle.  I didn’t have anything to hide, so I succumbed to his request in hopes of, “if I obey maybe I will not get a speeding ticket.”  JM, JD, P, and I sat on the side of this interstate while the officer waited for back up, and then riffled through our belongings.  It’s an odd feeling you get while watching a complete stranger go through your personal belongings.  When the officer realized nothing was going to yield from his search he let us go free of any charge.  WHEW!  That was a relief.  Soon enough, we were all piled back in my car and back on track to heading home, to where a long nap awaited us.