Decorating with the Dog- Tip #1

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Ike is feeling a little left out on the ol’ blog. 

He thinks there is too much decorating talk and not enough dog talk.
He does make some important decorating decisions around the house.

In order to get a little more post time, he has decided to share with you some of his favorite decorating secrets.

29th Birthday 093picnik
Tip #1:  Tennis ball yellow makes a great accent color…especially on a properly smushed Ethan Allen couch cushion.

Happy 4th Birthday!

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Ike turns 4 today!  They grow up so fast....



Everyone thinks their kid dog is the cutest and funniest...but ours really is. :)  Seriously.

I can't believe he is 4 already.  Crazy!
I was looking back through some old photos and realized there was never a dull (or inexpensive) moment when Ike was a puppy.  For example:
  • He chewed some holes in the dry wall of our last house (I was busy cramming for an exam and thought he was chewing on a bone...nope, it was the wall)..this is how we learned to repair drywall
  • He ate 1 of Nate's new cell phones....if its in shorts pockets in the laundry basket it's fair game if you are Ike...this is how we learned about insurance on cell phones.
  • I had an emergency root canal on one of my front teeth because I bent down to pet him and he accidently jumped straight into my face.  (He's lucky I didn't need a crown on that tooth....just don't think I would look right with a "grill". :P)...this is how we learned the importance of dental insurance.
He's still high energy but behaves much better these days.  Maybe we should have done that whole obedience school thing a few years ago.

Here are some pictures of his younger days....bad haircuts and all...




We love our dog...



Time for a birthday nap.....



Anyone else treat their dog like their child?  Anyone like their dog better than their human child?
Do you throw your furry friend a birthday party?  Please share!

Rambling Week-end Recap

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Home improvement projects were lacking in our house this week-end!  Bummer!

Just mainly some organizing and cleaning...nothing super blog worthy.

The office still needs help but I did straighten it up a little bit.


I cleaned the pantry..which I will post later this week. 

We also took the recycling away...it was taking over our garage...seriously. 
We could barely get out the door.  I didn't take a picture...it was that bad. At least we recycle, right??

Ike and I went on a walk to enjoy the balmy 35 degree weather.  Note that the sun is not out.  I don't think it has been out for more than 10 minutes in the past 3 weeks.  I wish I was joking.


Saturday night we went to supper with some friends.  We had thought about hitting up Flavor Flav's new chicken restaurant that opened up 20 miles from here...

William Drayton, also known as Flava Flav, right, serves the first batch of chicken at his new fried chicken restaurant in Clinton, Iowa.

but the risk of salmonella and gonorrhea scared us away and we settled on Old Chicago instead.
(Do you see gloves in that picture? Do you watch VH1?? Sickkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk....)

There is currently a Winter Storm Watch for Tuesday/Wednesday.  10-14 inches of snow!
Keep your fingers crossed for a snow day post! (Yes, I am a small child!)

Before and After: Dog Edition

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Check out this before and after!!

Ike before his grooming.

Ike after his grooming.

He is ridiculously cute when his hair is long...but there comes a time when the poor dog can't see and we have to deal with things like a poo bum...not fun (and probably too much info...that's what you get when you read this blog....too much useless info. Why are you still reading? :P).

Wire Fox Terriers need to be groomed because they do not shed (bonus!!).  They have 2 coats.  The top coat is dense and wiry and the undercoat is soft and short.

I have read various things about the "proper" way to groom a wire fox terrier.  The "proper" way mainly depends on if you want to groom the dog as a pet or as a show dog.  Most dogs for show are stripped (the hair is "stripped" out by hand to preserve the colors and glossiness of the coat).  Most pets are clipped, which may cause the coat to be softer, curlier, and duller.  Ike gets the latter.  Why? Because most groomers in the area don't do stripping and we're too lazy to do it ourselves. Simple as that! 

And now you have learned something about the grooming of Wire Fox Terriers.  Very helpful, I'm sure!