Repair weekends

     Paul loves to look out the window and see what's going on in our neighborhood.  I love that too, until I noticed that he's started to chew holes in the screens.  So part of the weekend will be spent repairing the screens.  Not the first time, and won't be the last.  Thanks buddy, that's just what I was hoping to do this weekend :-P

Winding down

There are only 3 more days left in our state standardized testing "fun" (and I'm saying "fun" because what I'd like to call it would take this blog over the edge of rated G into rated R on language.)   So there's just today and Friday for a nearly wordless post before we go back into "normal" posting patterns.  Thanks to everyone who has hung in there with me!  In case you've ever wondered what I do, the first 2 pics are of the laptop carts that I had to straighten up a few weeks ago.

Monday:

fixing the house

Over spring break, we finally fixed the tile around the bath tub. The dogs room has the "hidden panel" to get to the plumbing.  While attaching all of the pieces of the shower to the pipes, Paul decided to come into the bathroom.

Wordless Wednesday: Puppy Puke

Any idea of how to get puppy vomit out of the fabric in the car?  Thanks Paul, I needed that today.

Testing take 2

Ok, so apparently the testing time at school has me more worn out than I thought possible.  So between now and the end of testing, I think it's going to be not so wordy blog posts.   Obviously, the 2 pups below aren't Annie or Paul.  I ran into them and their parents at Easter on Parade in Richmond, VA on Easter day.  I love the way that one is dressed at the devil and one is dressed as an angel.  There are definite times Annie is one and Paul is the other.  And then they switch to the opposite.  Does anyone else's pups  switch back and forth from devil one moment and angel the next?

Friday for the Random

Last Friday I talked about doing a bunch of posts about the ABC's of blogs.  And then we started our state's standard tests.  And because of what I teach, I was kicked out of my room for the testing.  (I get kicked out of my room every year for it, so I knew it was coming.)  The downside is, I forgot how exhausting this is.  (I have a new respect for nomadic peoples each year at this time).  It's the end of the first week, and by the time I get home I'm too tired to write blog posts.  

    So here are 2 pics of the pups and the promise that I'll catch up on blogging this weekend so there will be posts for the last few weeks of the school year.

Wordless Wednesday: May 15th

Paul was helping me make the bed...

The ABC blog

     Eight years ago, I ended up at a reading conference where Jerry Pollotta was the concluding speaker!  I remember being slightly heart broken because I didn't know who he was and he was filling in for Marc Brown (Arthur!) due to bad weather.

     I was blown away!

     Mr. Pollotta did a great presentation about where he grew up, his Boston accent, and why he started writing.  I discovered that he was the author of some math books I already owned.  He also talked about why he started writing ABC books and after that I was hooked.  

     So as part of our 1 year blogday celebration, I'm going to work my way through the ABC's of the blog world (the part of it that I read at least) naming different blogs as I go along.  I'm going to break it down into a few different sections because there are sooo many blogs out there.  If you have a favorite, please leave it below in the comments, add it to our facebook page (and give us a like while you're at it), or e-mail it to me (check under contact us).

     From the contest on Monday, Random.org chose the number 5.  So congratulations to Kate and Lily!

Wordless Wednesday: May 8th

Can you spot Paul?

Too Many Bully Sticks: Our first give away

     A little over a year ago, we started this blog.  There's already been 1 hiatus, but generally we've blogged Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.   In honor of the one year anniversary (tomorrow!), we're doing our first give away!

A give away!?  What are you giving away?

    No, we're not giving away an Annie or a Paul, but something they hold dear and near to their tummies:  Bully Sticks!

     We've written before about Best Bully Sticks from Richmond, VA.  However, I may have gone a bit overboard on our order.  I set up the auto replenishment of best bully sticks to every 3 months.  They showed up a week ago while we still had 70 some bully sticks from our last order.  (Whoopppss!)

So, here's how this is going to go:

The prize: 10 Bully sticks from best bully stick (what we ordered) 

How to enter:  Comment below (additional entry, share this post on facebook or twitter then stop back and leave an additional comment that you shared it.) 

Close date: We'll close the contest on Friday, April 10, 2013 at 5:00pm EST.  

Small print: Open only to US residents (sorry, I just don't know what all I'd have to do to deal with customs) 

I'll have Random.org pick the random number and count from the top of the comment section to the bottom and that'll be the winner.  

Annie Itches: the Ahha! Moment

      When I started this blog, almost a year ago, one of the things I commented on was that Annie itches.  We were just coming out of the winter of 2011-12 where it was really mild.  Annie had been itching for over a year straight.  We had tried several different foods, switched to raw, switched back to no grain dry kibble.  Nothing seemed to help.
   

I'm itchy, so I'm getting a bath.  Woe is me.

     And then, this past winter, I had my "AHHA!!!"  moment.  We finally got snow.  Not enough to cancel school, but enough that we had snow (about an inch).  We took Annie and Paul on a walk like we always do, and it dawned on me at the end of the walk: Annie's not itching.

Cold paws, but not itching!

     And it suddenly didn't matter that we were feeding Annie all sorts of stuff with wheat in it Milk Bone any one?), she wasn't scratching at all.  Her ears weren't full of brown ear wax, and she was generally happier.

     Now that spring is here in VA, we're back to an itchy Anne.  Back to the Benadryl, but at least now we have a clue as to what's causing Annie to itch.

Wordless Wednesday: May 1st

Hey Mom, whatcha doin' outside with Paul and not Me?