My Dogs Are Not Invited to my Wedding

So, if you know just one thing about me, it's that I'm pretty much obsessed with my dogs. You also know that I think Winnie is damn near perfect and Annabelle's soul purpose in life is to cause trouble wherever she goes.  Needless to say the first comments we got after announcing our engagement was whether or not the dogs were going to be in the wedding. Specifically we were asked if Annabelle would be the flower girl and if Winnie would be the ring bearer. 

No. Just, no. (Although I must admit they both look pretty awesome in clothes)

Reason #1? Annabelle would eat the cake. And probably run away. 

Reason #2? Winnie would put her tennis ball in everyone's lap. Gross. 

I should probably be honest here and say that if I wasn't going to be wearing a white dress and if I really had my way, Winnie would totally be invited. But I'll be wearing white. She's not compatible with white clothing. Black hair + tennis ball dirt + slobber = Disaster.

We have decided that instead of having our dogs ruin be involved in our wedding, we will try to incorporate them into our Save the Date cards. You know, once we actually have a date and all. I hear that's pretty important to establish first. 

Anyway, I had some ideas about how I wanted to have them involved... mainly that I want the card to be a picture of them rather than of us. I don't want my face on someone else's fridge. No way. So obviously I consulted Dr. Google to see what others have done. 

Here's some examples of ones I like:

This one is my absolute fave. Only we would have to have either one dog on each side, or both in the middle. How we'll get them to sit there I have no idea. Someone will just have to hold a ball in front of Winnie. She'll sit like a statue for days. Annabelle? Gah, I have no idea. Cooperating isn't really on her agenda so we'll see...

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This one might be easier to accomplish. Only, I don't want the boots there. Just a cute sign in between them. 

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This one is also super cute and potentially doable. The signs are from etsy - I love them. 

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So, there ya have it. My dogs are mostly terrible creatures who will absolutely not be invited to my wedding but I'm still totally obsessed with them and will involve them in some way. I mean, to be honest, so much of our time is spent yelling at playing with them that it seems only fair they get to play a role ;)

Head on over to the Tall Tails link up to see other people who are obsessed with their pets!

Tall Tails: That Time Winnie Thought She Hated The Beach

Shortly after we got Winnie we discovered her obsession with love for water. I mean, the dog will attempt to swim in a puddle. And she doesn't just splash around, she will completely submerge herself in water. On a hike? She's great off leash... unless she HEARS water. She doesn't even have to see it, if she just hears the sound of a creek or stream she gets excited and you better believe that as soon as we get close she's gone. She will run full speed ahead and launch herself into whatever body of water she has found. Even if its a grand total of 3 inches deep. 

So, naturally, we planned a beach trip with my mom and one of her dogs. I was certain that Winnie would LOVE the beach. I was wrong. On the first day Winnie decided she HATED the water. If I would start to walk in she'd grab her toy from me and plop it down in dry sand. 

Winnie's thoughts on this whole beach idea...

My mom's dog? Loved the beach. I kept telling Winnie she could no longer call herself a retriever. When we passed a couple of labs playing fetch in the water I was so ashamed of my 'retriever' who didn't have one drop of water on her. 

What the heck is that dog doing near that water?

Gotta make sure that water doesn't get too close...

She did, however, decide that we must have taken her to the beach so she could lay on the couch. She's not allowed on furniture at home, but clearly that's what vacation is for. She was being a terrible excuse for a retriever and I was quite ashamed of her. I mean, sure, get on the furniture - its fine because you DON'T HAVE A DROP OF SALT WATER ON YOU. You non retriever, you. We drove over 3 hours to the outer banks for you to sit on a couch?!? Yes, of course we did.

Lazy.

Finally on the last day my mom decided maybe she just needed some encouragement. It was April (I think?) in Nag's Head. The water was cold. I wasn't about to get in there to lure my so called retriever into the water. She should be running head first in there herself. Apparently my mom is nicer than me (no big shocker there...) and braved the freezing water and Winnie tentatively followed. I mean, she can't let someone just take her ball away. I finally caved and joined in and Winnie finally manned up and was able to reclaim her title as a retriever... and reclaim my love as I'm pretty sure I had disowned her by this point.

 So there you have it. That time I was so excited to bring my dog to the beach and she hated it. But then changed her mind and loved it. And so I loved her again. And although I'm pretty sure I've more than exceeded the limit for appropriate number of dog pics in one post I'm gonna post one more. Because it's my favorite of us. And because I'm obsessed with my dog. Don't hate.

Look at us walking off into the sunset all in love and such. Wanna see more people who love their pets? Go check out the Tall Tails link up!

I Hate People Who Put Their Dogs in Clothes...

Don't You?!?

Well, OK, I do. But my dogs may have worn an outfit a time or two. Mainly Annabelle. It's possible she has a vast wardrobe complete with outfits for nearly every holiday. In my defense (is there any defending oneself in this situation?!?) I didn't buy most of them myself - they were gifts. You see, despite how incredibly terrible Annabelle is, she seems to have gathered quite the fan club and as a result has received plenty of outfits as gifts. And sometimes when I get lost in Target I just might end up browsing dog clothes. It's a possibility.

And in case you think Winnie managed to escape all the torture...

So there ya go, don't judge me too harshly. Although you gotta admit - it's pretty entertaining :)

Head on over to the Tall Tails link up to see some cute pets who probably aren't wearing clothes. (but i'm sure they totally wish they were...)

Someone Turns 4 Today...

Happy Birthday Winifred!!

My sweet Winnie is 4 years old today!! She'll get a birthday full of toy shopping and fetch followed by a weekend on the farm. A perfect bday weekend for Winnie.

Although, if you ask her I'm sure she'd love this for her birthday.

Let's be honest though, this might really make her poor little brain explode. A bed made of tennis balls? She'd go insane. 

Dog Toys are a Waste of Money

OK, I'm sure it's completely obvious by now but I'm obsessed with I love my dogs. Well, most of the time at least. I also have a very bad toy buying habit. Mostly for Winnie because Annabelle has no interest in toys. She can't possibly be bothered with such things... unless it's time to steal them from Winnie. Then it's her favorite past time ever. I think there are currently 3 or 4 of Winnie's bones stashed away where Annabelle has hid them in our bedroom. Brat. 

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. Basically, I spend too much money on dog toys for the Winifred. This would be all fine and dandy except that her favorite thing in life is paper towels. No joke. You could put a steak on the table & a paper towel next to it & she'd steal the paper towel. 

I recently spent $60 replenishing her toy supply. That red thing right there? One of her new toys. That white thing she's eating? A paper towel. Way to show your appreciation, Winnie. 

And this is what happens when you take Winnie to brunch. She steals your napkins and eats them like she's never been fed before. Classy. Real classy. This garnered a lot of strange looks from fellow brunch lovers. I'm sure they were wondering why our poor, starving dog is having to resort to paper napkins. She loves them though - and usually if they have food on them, she'll rip that part off and leave it. How dare you taint her paper products with food. So gross. Give her plain paper and she's happy as a clam. 

Basically she's the weirdest/dumbest dog ever and instead of wasting money on toys I should probably just give her a life time supply of paper products. And tennis balls. Although honestly she'd have a tough time deciding between the two if she had to. 

Head on over to the Tall Tails link up to see more ridiculous pets!

Winnie Wednesday #2

Remember way back when I decided to do Winnie Wednesday? Well, I really had no post ready for today and felt bad, but then I remembered it's Wednesday! That means I can totally cop out and do another Winnie Wednesday.

I was excited for a minute, and then I realized I don't even have anything to post about that. Oops. 

Since I have nothing to say, here's a picture for ya. Winnie is one of those dogs who generally looks like she doesn't have a brain cell in her head. Apparently, though, she was pondering some very deep thoughts at this particular moment in time. I'm sure it had something to do with her ball. I think that's the most complex her little thoughts ever get.

Anyway, happy Wednesday. Maybe I'll be back with something more useful tomorrow. 

Winnie Wednesday?

I'm declaring today 'Winnie Wednesday'. If you read my blog then by now you know I have 2 dogs. Winnie and Annabelle. Winnie is my clear favorite. She does something every day that just makes me laugh. Plus, she's pretty much just the easiest, happiest dog ever. Annabelle is always either sleeping somewhere or trying to steal food. She does something every day that makes me cringe or makes me mad. They are polar opposites. 

So, I'm making it Winnie Wednesday. This will probably last all of... one week. So, today. But oh well, just go with it ;)

Winnie the WonderDog

To start off I suppose I should formally introduce Winnie. Or, Winnie the WonderDog as we like to call her. She's a 3 (almost 4!) year old Flat Coated Retriever (probably mixed with border collie?). I got her from the shelter for my birthday when she was 11 months old. She was an owner surrender along with her littermate. She had been at the shelter for a month with signs all over her run that said things like "Very nervous, don't touch" etc. etc. She hadn't even been evaluated yet for temperament or anything - hadn't even been taken outside. When I walked past her run she was laying at the very front just watching us and thumping her tail. I crouched down and held my hand out - she reached out her paw, grabbed my hand and pulled it towards it and licked me. I seriously almost cried. And then I knew I had to have her. 

At the time, we had Annabelle - to say she doesn't like other dogs is an understatement. She just doesn't really like anything. Period. So of course, James said "Well, if Annabelle likes her then we can get her" thinking there's no way that would ever happen. After a few weeks of trying to convince the shelter to let us visit with her they finally agreed to let us take her on a walk with a volunteer. She was PERFECT. We brought Annabelle to meet her? Again, perfect. They sniffed, then ignored each other and went about their business. We brought her home? She walked in like she'd always lived there. Attempted to hop on the bed with Annabelle and was promptly chased across the house by the screaming demon. She hasn't gotten on the bed since!

Anyway, this is getting long winded. But basically, Winnie's perfect and you will probably hear more about her in the future. Sorry for all the non dog lovers out there. I'm obnoxiously obsessed with mine.

If you made it this far listening to me ramble about Winnie, you're a champ! If you skipped to the end, I forgive you. Either way, head on over to visit Kate at Classy Living - I'm guest posting there today!

Mid-Week Recap

Playing Catch Up...

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend! Winnie and I were busy farm sitting all weekend and then I worked until just after midnight on Monday and the 'normal' work week started yesterday so, once again, sleeping has been my #1 priority recently instead of blogging. Thankfully I'm headed into work a little later this morning so I've had some time to catch up on reading and decided to share some of my favorite sweet moments from this weekend since I don't have a recipe ready to share quite yet.

There were 6 horses, 14 baby chickens (so cute!) & 3 dogs at the farm. This little chicken actually loved to be held and every time you put her down she'd hop right back over. It was the sweetest thing. Winnie had the best time running around like a food all over the property and swimming in the pond. Oh, and of course eating horse poop. That was probably her favorite part of all. Disgusting.

This is how we both felt at the end of the weekend. Tired but happy. It was perfect weather to spend time outside.

And here's how Annabelle spent her weekend. Lounging in the sun on the deck and taking long naps because her life is just that exhausting.

So, there ya have it. Way more pictures of my dogs than anyone really ever needs to see. But they're cute & sweet and who doesn't need a little cuteness in the middle of the week? 

New recipe coming soon - a healthy chocolate chip oatmeal cookie!

Coming Soon...

The World's Easiest Chocolate Cake

You know what vanilla frosting is great on? Chocolate cake. And I have a recipe for the best chocolate cake ever. It also involves some non-fat greek yogurt which, in my world, makes it practically healthy!

In the meantime enjoy a pic of the world's coolest dog: Winnie the WonderDog.