101 Dalmatians Book and Movie: Always Charming

The 1956 book “The Hundred and One Dalmatians” by Dodie Smith is a very English, very droll story of married Dalmatians Pongo and Missis, and their also-married pets, Mr. & Mrs. Dearly.  You read that right: Missis.  Perhaps the biggest surprise (to me) reading the novel on which the Disney film was based, was to discover that Pongo’s wife was not called Perdita, but Missis.  Even stranger is when a dog named Perdita appears.  She’s a liver (brown)-spotted Dalmatian that serves as a wet nurse for Missis, who cannot handle the milk load required by 15 puppies. Perdita’s own pups … Continue reading

Preparing for Crops

  Weekend scrapbooking crops are the perfect venue to learn new techniques, get inspiration from fellow scrappers and experiment with new tools.  The organized get-togethers are exciting and informative, but they can also be intimidating for newbies. Depending on how large of a crop you attend, you could be looking at scrapbooking with hundreds of other memory book builders.  In order to keep the event running smoothly, there are typically quite a few rules to consider.  When I attended my first crop the following ditty circulated around the ballroom.  It was discovered on Scrapbook.com and speaks to the unwritten rules … Continue reading

Dancing with Your Dog: Music and Costume Ideas

Ever since I interviewed Beth Terrell and she introduced me to the world of puppy dancing, I find myself thinking about music and costume ideas. I swear, once we get Murph’s paw healed, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if I enroll us in a puppy dancing class. There are so many opportunities to get creative! Music Ideas Beth may have been the catalyst that got me started thinking about dancing with my dog, but the Greatest American Dog’s Dancing with the Dogs episode was the one that got me thinking about the music. In that episode, the contestants had … Continue reading

“Your” Song: Significant in So Many Ways

Wayne and I’s song is “I Melt With You” by Modern English. We actually heard them in person in 1986. They were performing in concert at the University of Denver. Vague Memories I wish I remembered if I actually heard them play the song. I don’t. I vaguely remember us attending the concert. Part of it. That was the night Wayne and I ditched the group we always ran around with to go spend time together, alone, for the very first time. (Before that we were always with our friends doing stuff. That night changed everything. After that we were … Continue reading

My Favorite Pet Blogs from the Past Year

Below is a list of my favorite articles I wrote during the past year, often with an explanation of what made them memorable. Five Non-Cash Ways to Help Animals/Shelters this Holiday Season: This was my first article to have a comment left on it. Is It Ever Okay to Kick a Dog?: This was my first article to ever get stars. The BMK Fund: This practice is very near and dear to my heart and it was neat to have a platform such as blogging for Families.com to share it on. How to Put Your Shopping Dollars to Work Helping … Continue reading

Dog Halloween Costumes: My Favorites This Year

Handsome Super Murph I love Halloween. I love dressing up, and I love seeing others dressed up. I’d love to dress Murph up, but he only let me do it one time. I never bought him another costume because (a) he truly wasn’t happy (refer to pic below) and I didn’t want to torture him again, and (b) he tore up the costume racing around like a crazy dog in the backyard. No sense wasting money on something he won’t like and will likely destroy. Unhappy Super Murph Darn. Because I always find the cutest costumes I’d just love to … Continue reading

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Sep 24-30

Happy first day of October! Does that make you think the same thing I’m thinking? “When the heck did that happen? Where’s the year going? It’ll be Christmas before I know it!” Well, I don’t know where the year is going, and, yes, Christmas will be here before we know it. However, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s pause. Catch our breath. Slow down. There, that’s better. Now, in case time was moving so fast that you missed anything Aimee or myself happened to write about last week in the Pets Blog, here’s your chance to catch … Continue reading

Do Your Pets Have Theme Songs?

Mine do. Each of them has a song that reminds me of them when I hear it. In some cases, like Murph’s, they even have more than one! Budly’s Song: “I Try” Budly was the first pet who got a theme song. Unfortunately it was not while he was alive. Macy Gray released “I Try” shortly before he passed away. I didn’t pay attention to it until the day he died. Then I couldn’t get it out of my head, because of the following lyrics: “I try to say goodbye and I choke Try to walk away and I stumble … Continue reading