Cutest Snow Removers Around

As you all know, I'm not one for manual labor.  Lucky for me, I live with the two cutest snow removers around.

Dixie doesn't help with snow removal.  I just think she looks really cute sitting in the snow.

Dixie Enjoys 3rd Grade

I haven't written much about Daulton and 3rd grade yet, but he is doing really well.  He has a great teacher, is getting good grades, and he is now reading for fun...which makes me very happy!  I want him to love to read as being a good reader really helps with other subjects in school.

To prepare for 3rd grade, I bought a sandwich press from Pampered Chef.  Daulton typically takes his lunch to school and apparently having your sandwich with the crusts cut off and the sides sealed is a big trend in the elementary school cafeteria.  And, I'm a sucker.  He said he wanted one, a friend was having a Pampered Chef party, and one online purchase later I was the proud owner of a Pampered Chef Cut-N-Seal.

Dixie might love the Cut-N-Seal more than Daulton does.  She anxiously waits by the kitchen counter while I make his sandwich and I can't count how many times I've tripped over her.

So, Dixie is enjoying 3rd grade as well.  Or at least the lunch aspect of 3rd grade.

Sometimes I can even get the crust ring around her snout before she eats it, but that's impossible to do and take a picture.  Dixie loves peanut butter and jelly like a fat kid loves cake.

Pampered Chef doesn't know me and didn't compensate me for this post.  These opinions are my own.  But if Pampered Chef wants to send me something to try out, Dixie and I would be happy to oblige.

  

Dixie Got A Haircut

I like to think we are great dog owners, we give Dixie love, affection, food, and she's got a great life.  But we don't always get her groomed as often as we should and she often looks like a a ragamuffin.  

The other reason we don't get her groomed as often as we should is because its a big pain to take her.  She doesn't like to ride in the car, so its an issue to get her in the car and then she flops around everywhere since she hasn't figured out how to ride in the car.  And once we get to the groomers, there are new smells to check out and my arch nemesis when I'm with Dixie...cats.  There are several cats that live at the groomers and pretty much go wherever they want.  One time, a cat walked by Dixie and waved its tail under her nose (I'm pretty sure it was just to taunt her) and there was almost a blood bath.

This time, Dixie put on the brakes when it was time to go back.  She refused to walk and the girl had to drag her back, with her looking back at me like I was abandoning her (her being the dog).  I had to hide behind a wall so she would stop being such a pain.  Matt says I didn't have to hide behind the wall, but he wasn't there and I think I was justified.  

I have no idea what happens during the actual grooming.  I pay the groomer so I don't have to be a part of that process.  I assume she's a pain, because I've been told she's been "needy" before by another groomer which felt like a parent teacher conference where I'm told my kid is the worst kid in the class.  As a result, I usually end up over tipping to compensate for her behavior and if we're being honest here, my guilt over my ridiculous dog.

But its all worth it because she looks so cute with a haircut.  The bows in her ears and scarf on her neck make her look like a fluffy teddy bear.  And its impossible to get a picture of how cute she is so you will just have to take my word for it.

Happy 5th Birthday Dixie!

Today is Dixie's 5th birthday.  Technically, its the day we celebrate Dixie's birth and its the anniversary of when we got her because we don't know her actual birthday.  Dixie doesn't mind, she's just happy to get the extra attention.  And I think the fact that she used to live in a prison allows her to be grateful for her current situation.

Dixie is an interesting character as she's not like a regular dog.  She doesn't know how to play and instead her entire focus in life is getting attention and petted.  If you sit down, she is instantly by your side nudging your hand or trying to jump into the chair with you.  At night, I have to race her to the bed because if she gets there first she tends to lay with her head on my pillow and I don't like that.  The only time she is not focused on getting attention is when she smells an animal and then her hunting drive kicks in.  She pulled me into a tree once as I was riding a bike and holding her leash because she caught wind of a rabbit.  And heaven help us if she sees a cat.

To celebrate her birthday, she received lots of love and attention, had her rubber toy filled with peanut butter, extra treats, and some cheeseburger and fries courtesy of her Uncle Jake.  And yes, I sang her Happy Birthday and made her wear the birthday hat.  I did not hang the birthday banner, but since she can't read I didn't think she would mind.

Neither Matt or I have ever had a dog like her, but she's the best dog either of us has ever had and our family wouldn't be complete without her.

Yoga Time With Daulton and Dixie

I am trying to incorporate more exercise into my days and I've decided the best time to do this is right when I get home from work.  Exercise also helps me de-stress from my day and if I feel a little better about myself afterwards, so be it.  Sometimes I can talk Daulton into doing it with me so we both get a little exercise.

On Monday I asked Daulton if he wanted to do yoga with me.  Before I could get the entire question out he was already changing into comfy clothes and had pulled his mat (technically one of my old ones) out and was unrolling it.  There's nothing like an enthusiastic partner to exercise with.  So I put in my Power Yoga DVD and got ready to do some yoga.

The rest of our 30 minute yoga experience went something like this:

1 minute into the program, the first forward bend happens.  Dixie thinks we are bending over to pet her and is immediately in our faces.

2 minutes:  First plank, upward dog and downward dog positions occur.  Dixie is now going back and forth between our faces seeing who will give in and pet her first.

5 minutes:  Dixie is now laying in between the front of our mats where she can maybe get petted during the forward bends.

8 minutes:  Daulton just farted.

10 minutes.  Daulton is grunting and breathing heavily.  Its distracting and not very zen like.

11 minutes.  Daulton has now fallen over and is moaning.  Dixie rushed to his side in case he wanted to pet her to make himself feel better.

15 minutes:  Daulton still moaning on the floor.  I ask him what's wrong and he said, "when I fell over my bone popped".  He then moves to the couch to recover from his yoga induced injury.  Dixie is now next to the couch comforting Daulton and hoping to get petted.

20 minutes:  We are now into the stretching portion of the workout.  Daulton has recovered enough from his injury to participate.  These exercise are also done on the floor, which means a new opportunity for Dixie to get in our faces and seek attention.

21 minutes:  I try to correct Daulton's stretching form.  He disagrees with my comments and proceeds to do what he wants.  I give up and go back to focusing on what I am doing.

22 minutes:  Daulton has stopped stretching and is staring at the yoga instructor on the TV.  He then says, "That guy looks dead."  The yoga instructor is not dead but is incredibly flexible, something Daulton and I hope to accomplish.

23 minutes:  We are both giggling at Daulton's dead man comment.

25 minutes:  The relaxation portion has begun.  This is my absolute most favorite part of yoga and have even fallen asleep during this part because I get so relaxed.  This did not happen for me on Monday.

25 minutes 30 seconds:  Dixie's wet nose on my hand causes me to jump and breaks my relaxation.

26 minutes:  Dixie is now in Daulton's face and he again comments "That guy looks dead" about the yoga instructor we are following.  I give Daulton credit, the pose we were in is called corpse pose.

26 minutes 30 seconds:  Dixie is back at my mat and is now rooting her nose under my relaxed hand in an attempt to get me to pet her.  This results in her lifting my hand and then dropping it when I don't start immediately petting her.  And the wet, cold nose is not helping either.

27 minutes:  Daulton has given up on relaxing and is now very concerned that I don't look "dead enough" like the yoga instructor.  He the proceeds to reposition my arms in a more dead-like pose. 

29 minutes:  The instructor is already sitting back up and the session is almost over.  I decide to lay there for just a few more minutes to relax until I feel someone staring at me.  I open my eyes and Daulton is staring at me with a look that I interpret to mean "aren't you going to sit up like the dead guy on TV?".  I give up on relaxation and sit up to finish the session.

30 minute:  The session is over, the mats are rolled up and put away, and our yoga experience is over. 

It wasn't the most relaxing session I've ever had but it was fun.  It's always funny to watch Daulton and while he hasn't quite mastered the art of quiet breathing, he is getting better and has learned how to do the poses.  And I know he won't always want to do yoga with me and he's already pretty close to running faster than me, so our days of exercising together and me not embarrassing myself too much are limited.  So, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

 

Happy Birthday Dixie

Dixie turned 4 on Saturday, January 8.  This also marks the 2 year anniversary of her coming to live with us.  Dixie was only supposed to stay a day or two with us but she was too cute to turn away and 2 years later we are still happy to have her with us.  She makes us laugh and has recently started to play which is very fun to watch.  (Have you ever heard of a dog who didn't know how to play?)

The plan was to get her a new dog bed for the living room but we haven't found the one we like yet.  So instead she got a special dinner of roasted turkey medley with peas, carrots, rice and barley.  We also sang her happy birthday and she got a special jumbone for dessert.

Dixie is pretty spoiled.  She gets her own pancake when we make pancakes and frequently gets our leftovers.  She has her own couch, sleeps in our beds, and gets more affection than I ever thought a dog would require.  But we wouldn't trade her for any other dog!

Please note the Silly Putty holding up the candle.

The birthday girl!!

Dixie enjoying her jumbone!

Passive Agressive Pooch

Apparently Dixie has been a little cold lately.  I usually have the space heater on in my office when I work from home.  Last Friday, Dixie got a little closer to the heater than usual.

I think its her passive aggressive way of saying "Mom, please turn up the thermostat please".

As someone who also gets cold easily, I understand what Dixie is going through. However, I pay the bills around here, not Dixie.  But to make it up to Dixie, I'm cranking up the electric blanket we both love to lay with tonight!!

Sunshine and Puppy Dogs

Sometimes it really is a sunshine and puppy dogs kind of day.

Furminator + Dixie = Giant Hairball

Dixie joined our family around Christmas 2008. She was originally a gift for Matt's grandma but after a few days together, we decided that Dixie and grandma weren't a good fit for each other. Matt and I picked her up and after a few hours, we decided that unless Dixie and Daulton didn't get along that we were going to keep her. 

After a few months together, we realized we had an issue. While adorable, Dixie sheds a lot. So after trying a conventional dog brush, a late night infomercial for the Furminator caught my attention. We looked into buying one from PetSmart, but that was more money than I wanted to spend. Matt found one on eBay and Dixie and I have been hooked on it every since.

Usually, I brush her outside where the hair is outside of my house instead of inside. However, I can't get her to lie down on the concrete or grass to do her belly, so sometimes I brush her inside. I brushed her his morning and this is the result.

getting Furminated makes me smile

That's What I Call Good Service

One of Daulton's chores around the house is to make sure that Dixie has enough food and water.  Its a chore that he can handle by himself and he learns that part of having a dog is helping to take care of her.  He has also been working on taking Dixie to the bathroom by himself and handling the leash on our walks.

So one night Matt and I noticed that Daulton was taking an exceptionally long time filling Dixie's food bowl.  Turns out, Dixie got some excellent customer service that night. 

Daulton learned if he holds still enough, she will eat out of his hand.  Dixie learned that maybe the boy isn't so bad after all.