DOT: Walking, walking, and more walking.

The pups have adjusted pretty well to the new house.  It has helped that they are now getting morning walks before I head to work.  As I have mentioned...several times, we moved 3 blocks from where we used to live.  My sister now lives across the street and she has always walked her dogs at 6 am every morning.  I often thought it would be great to walk with her but when my alarm goes off and the idea of walking those 3 blocks before I even met up with her...I would hit the snooze and sleep until I had to get up.

Monday morning, I heard Special K's alarm, which goes off way before mine and I got out of bed and went for a walk.  I beat my sister out that day but I realized I could do it.  So, now she texts me when she is about to head out and I meet her out there with the pups.  It's great for the dogs and it's nice to start my day with a morning walk with my sister.

I have even managed to go home for lunch a couple times this week to meet up with Special K and walked them after he heads back to work.  Special K has been so busy with cleaning the old house after work that I haven't really had a lot of time with him.  It's been nice to catch up at lunch for a little bit and then walk the pups before heading back to the ice box called my office.  It will be nice to have 4 days off this weekend to get our lives in order and get some rest.

The dogs are also enjoying the new house.  We got a new (to us) couch and we've decided to keep them off of it.  Jackjack has always been allowed to get on a couch so this is a new concept for him but he has done really well with it!  When we leave the house, we put the pillows up and blankets over them to block them from being able to get on it.  I have seen both of them jump up on it to bark at a passing dog when I've been out front but they can't get comfortable on it so they get down!  SCORE!  I love our new couch and I'd like it to be for human use...unlike Jackjack's loveseat at the old house which has been taken to the dump.  I am thankful I'll never see that thing again!

Our backyard at the new house is a tad bit smaller than the old house but with all the new smells the pups are enjoying going out there as well.  We don't have a doggie door and no plans to put one in as Abby likes to dig if not supervised.  With all the walks plus being let out back, I think the pups are doing good!

Hope you enjoyed the pup update!  Those two silly dogs are mischevious but thankfully we haven't come home to them getting into anything....YET!

Happy Dogs on Thursday!

DOT: love these pups!

My pups are so crazy but I love them! They get into everything they can find, especially Jackjack, and keep us on our toes but they are loved.

I have figured out that the doggie training in our house has been a little lax.  We still incorporate training skills into our everyday activities.  They know they have to sit and look at us before they can get their food.  They can't barrel through us to go outside but wait patiently.  I think they are missing the fun training sessions we used to do.  We used to do these sessions almost everyday, however, lately we are down to maybe once a week.  For everyone's sanity, it's time to start them up again and teach Carmen early how training pups can be fun!

Carmen is a big fan of giving the dogs treats so I think she will have fun with training!  She knows to give one treat to one pup and then one to the other.  She gets a big smile on her face afterwards when she's got a slobbery hand that then needs to be cleaned.  I want to teach her that dogs are there to be pet, loved on, but also that they need their brain stimulated and direction.  I'll try to get some video of our sessions for you!  Here's to some more happy fun training sessions to come!

Now for pictures...

How could you not just want to hold this girls hand?

I love Jackjack's eyes in this one.  He is such a sweetheart.

After walks, they often find the closest spot they can to just lay down and rest for a bit.

They both still act like puppies but they aren't puppies anymore.  Jackjack is greying before my very eyes and Abbygirl, she will always be a puppy to me.

Happy Dogs on Thursday!

DOT: Napping with momma.

Nothing like napping with momma...

This was taken last Friday when momma was home with our sick baby and while little Miss CGR napped, we took naps too!

Love that nose!

Happy Dogs on Thursday!

PS.  One of Carmen's new words we've heard was Abigail!  I thought I called her Abby more but I guess I call her Abigail enough for Miss Carmen to point to her golden puppy and said "Abigail!"  Was so adorable!

Knitting, knitting, and doggies!!

There has been lots of knitting!  For a couple weeks, I stopped knitting because my brain was fried!  I was working on the Moonfleet Shawl and i messed up.  After the mess up...my brain just couldn't fix it...there it lies waiting for the day I feel like tackling the mistake.   In the meantime, I've been knitting simple ribbed or stockinette items.  I started with the Warm Ribbed Winter Hat by Lucy H. Lee.  I grabbed yarn from my stash and knit a hat and a half with some burgundy Malabrigo.  Then my sister bought yarn so I could make her one.  Here's a picture of hers.  It's made in Cascade 220 Superwash.

Tammy's warm hat.

I then realized that hey, babies are being born soon and have been born and I have not knit for them!!  So, I grabbed some other yarn from my stash and started making newborn hats using Easy Peasy Newborn Sock Hat by Keri McKiernan.  So far I've finished two and have another cast on.  The first one I finished for my cousin who had her baby last week.  It's going to be in the mail tomorrow!  Here is my sister's dog Roxy modeling it for us and yes, it has been washed before I send it.

Roxy, my sister's dog in newborn hat

Next, I knit a hat for my friend who is having her baby soon.  This was made in some fun yarn I had leftover in my stash.  I think this one is pretty cute too! I couldn't get my sister's other dog to model for me so I used Abby. :)

Abigail Grace in a newborn hat.

This weekend we increased our dog count to four...just for a week. :)  Two of my sisters and their families and my other niece are on a road trip and we are taking care of Lucky, my sister's schnauzer and Roxy, her Scottie.  They are both really cute and have little attitudes at times.   They had so much fun on Saturday, or it was just too hot on Sunday but this was them laying around the house while I was watching a movie and knitting.

Lucky and Roxy lounging.

And of course since they must be by me lately.

Abby and Jackjack taking up my couch space.

Well, there is a recap of my knitting and some cute doggie pictures!!  I'll be back with more!!  Happy Knitting!!!

A Foggy...then Rainy Dogs on Thursday!

Happy DOT!! Don't forget to go over and check out this week's DOT post! It is a very informative post!

Today has been a very strange weather day for Florida. I don't think I can recall it ever being this foggy here. This was what my view was this morning.
...and then this is my view from my office window this afternoon.
I love when it rains but the fog is strange!

So, I was trying to figure out what to post for my DOT post and I remember that last time I took Jackjack and Abby to Manda's to swim I took VIDEO!! It was POURING down rain but neither of them cared! Usually Jackjack won't go out in the rain but check him out!!

Please ignore us talking. haha :)

and of course another.

Hope you enjoyed the video! It's crazy to think of how Jackjack used to be when he got into pools and now he just jumps right in after Abby!

Happy Dogs on Thursday!!

Natalie

Happy Hump Day!

Today is midweek...it's usually the day I go to work then head to knitting but today was different. Well, I did go to work today, which was long, semi-stressful and I was glad when it was done...but afterward I headed to get my now monthly allergy shots and then it was Jingle Bell Run night! It was lots of fun and I took my camera but never got a picture with it. My sister did so I'll post that with tomorrow's post. Abby got to come with us and she had a blast! So many people wanted to pet her because she's so adorable and when they realize she LOVES being pet they are happy they came over or asked to pet her. I had a lady early on in the walk that asked if her two girls in the stroller could pet her and of course I said sure. One of the girls just couldn't get enough of how soft she was. I was really glad she was pretty clean. :)

I just love when Abbygirl is clean because you really can see her golden hairs sparkle and it's so much nicer to walk away with a semi-clean hand. I can't wait until we actually have a backyard with grass and not the sandpit that we have now. It makes our house even harder to keep clean with two big dogs who run out in the sand and bring it all into the house.

Well, it was a fun night spent with my sisters, niece, nephews, bro-in-law, and others. I'm glad I went.

Oh yeah! We finished off the night going to my favorite ice cream shop Old fashion Creamery is I think what they call it now but I always call it Alli Oops. :) The owners know my dogs and have a basset and a chocolate lab. When we bring the pups, they always come out and say hi. The lady owner was there tonight and she came out to say hi to Abby and told us her Chocolate had two puppies this past Monday!! Two boys who are already spoken for but I'm sure they are SO cute!!

Hope you had a great Hump Day! Good luck for the next two days!

Crazy, busy life...here's some catch up.

So, we'll start with the pups. They are doing really well. As you can see here that Abigail will make herself comfortable where ever she wants. :)
and Jackjack...well this picture says it all. :)
If you haven't please go check out the Video Episode of the Barknknit podcast posted last week. You can find it here.

I'm doing really good but so busy!! I've stayed late a lot at work lately and my dad is in town with my step mom so we've been keeping really busy!! I have been getting a lot of knitting done but not much spinning.

I cast on a Shawl for the Barknknit listener group on Ravely's Sept Shawl KAL. The pattern I chose is the Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante and using HazelKnits Artisan Yarn in Purple.
I also made a pattern for a car faub holder for Kenny's Step-mom. Hers broke so it wouldn't stay on her keys so I knit her something to help her out.
and here is another pic. :)
Today I also recorded another episode of the podcast and include a review of Namaste's Snap Bags.
and their new clutch!
Let's just say I'm a huge fan of both. The Snapbags are great for projects and you can see everything in them so it's easy to find what you are looking for when I grab something from inside my purse! The clutch is very stylish and I got compliments of it when I took it out with me to a wedding last weekend.

Well...I hope you enjoyed this drive by post. :) I'm off to get ready for some friends to come over for some games. It was impromptu. It all depended on whether Michigan won or not. JK! :)

Have a great weekend!!

Dogs on Thursday!

Just a quick post with doggie pictures! Here are my two lazy dogs after a rainy day. :)

Jackjack
Abigail
They are in desperate need of baths but they are happy to be dirty! :) Hope everyone has a great DOT and don't forget to go check out all the other DOT posts!

Healthy Paws

Ok, so I picked up a big bag of Nature's Variety Prairie in Venison and Millet Medley. I talked to the lady for a while and she was very knowledgeable in holistic and natural remedies. I'm going to keep them on this food for three or four weeks, well, until the bag is empty then we are going to switch to another protein source. Special K picked up a can of pumpkin so we can avoid messy poops when we switch cold turkey.

I got home today and gave both the pups baths. Abby got a bath with the Head and shoulders and Jackjack got one using his Avocado shampoo. She is a little itchy but I know nothing is an instant solution. I do love when my pups are CLEAN though. I love to cuddle them more and put my nose in their fur. Is that strange?? :)

Well...there's today's update. I'll keep you posted.

We have a softball game tonight at 9pm and it's POURING down rain. A buddy just got there it's 8pm and they are trying to wait out the rain before calling the games. I'm kind of hoping we get canceled so I can sit and watch my Thursday night shows and knit. Is that selfish??

I asked some questions but not expecting answers. :)

This blog gets some focus!

Ok...so I'm really not sure what to do with this blog. I've been racking my brain. Barknknit has readers and a concept. I feel I post all the stuff I want to share on there. I need to focus more on this blog because I feel it's just me talking about nothing most the time. I don't want to delete it yet because I like having this blog.

So for now I'm going to talk about Abby's skin. It's an on going saga and it will at least keep me posting on here for now. I'll include some other stuff but this is important.

Her skin....It's been a mess. She's itchy and her skin is bad. We've seen the vet and they say that we should do an allergy test and put her on allergy shots. I'm not interested in that right now. It's not in our budget. Special K talked to his boss and he recommended us going to this place called Healthy Paws. They are known to help with skin allergies and they have a different concept than most people about dog food. You mostly hear that you should keep your dog on one food and find a food that works but the people at Healthy Paws think that you should switch your dogs food so that they can not develop an allergy. A friend also recommended that we use Head and Shoulders to bath her.

So here's my challenge for Abigail's skin from now until December 31st :
1. We are going to switch her food every bag we buy.
2. Change her shampoo from her doggie shampoo to plain old Head and Shoulders

I'll take pictures of her skin so I can share the process with you and I'll let you know what foods I'm trying.

Stay tuned for before challenge pictures.