The Last Day of 2007: 10 Easy New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep!

Happy New Year's Eve 2007! Can you believe it? Tomorrow will be 2008.

Have you made your resolution yet? Essentially a resolution is a pledge or promise to do or not do something.
Perhaps you've given up on making a New Year's Resolution because they always get broken. Well, I've got a few simple and easy resolutions which don't take much effort but do benefit your fellow human or animal.

Choose to do one or choose a few (maybe even more than a few!). These resolutions are guaranteed to be easy and then this coming year you can say, with a smile, that you kept your New Year's Resolution!

Call an elderly relative after the holidays are over. Let them know you care "just because."

Take 15 minutes to visit a local animal shelter and pet at least one dog or cat. They need TLC too.

Give your dog or cat a 5 minute belly rub. Not only do they love the attention, but you'll come away relaxed too.

Write a note to a friend who lives far away. It doesn't have to be long, just a short message they won't expect.

Smile at three people in one day. Someone having a bad day will really appreciate the random act of kindness.

Drop one penny on the ground somewhere. You've just given someone else a little "luck" for the year.

Plant a single flower in a pot or in your yard. A butterfly, bird, or snail will be thankful.

Buy a bag of birdseed and feed your backyard birds. You'll be amazed at the happy chirping sounds.

Donate a few blankets to the local animal shelter. The blankets will give some dogs and cats a warm bed at night.

You know those plastic holders for six packs of soda? Cut one up before throwing the plastic away. Make sure there are no loops. This insures that wild animals won't get trapped inside one.

I hope you try at least one of these ideas. If you do, please drop a line letting me know or add a comment.

Oh, and please have a safe and sane New Year's. Don't drink and drive. And please make sure your pets are safely inside during the night (since fireworks and party poppers scare dogs, cats, birds, and all animals).

Happy New Year!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

"Santa's Dog", Merry Christmas Eve and Mars!

A Christmas Song

THE LYRICs:

On Christmas Eve the sleigh bells ring
Jingling through the fog
And the second reindeer on the right
Looks like Santa's dog

Now his dog was most adventurous
And dearly loved to roam,
But on one night each wintertime
They made him stay at home.

A wise owl in a Christmas tree
Thought it rather odd
That the second reindeer on the right
Looked like Santa's dog

Now, everyone who has a dog
Believes that they can't fly.
But Santa's dog is dogged
So perhaps he had a try.

An astronaut way up in space
Noted in his log
That the second reindeer on the right
Looked like Santa's dog

The poor thing has no antlers
He may be getting old
But Santa's dog has husky blood
To protect him from the cold

A lone policeman on patrol
On his weary homeward plod
Thought the second reindeer on the right
Was possibly Santa's dog.

Soon everyone was tucked up tight
Sleeping like a log
But the very first one to close his eyes
Was definitely Santa's dog.

© 2006 M Metcalfe

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I thought this was cute! Also, tonight you'll be able to see Mars next to the moon. Check it out, because it won't occur again until 2016!

Merry Christmas Eve all!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Dogs Woof, Are You Listening?

Aren't those dogs just the cutest? I bet you didn't know we were talking to you when we woof and bark, did ya? :-)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good woof!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Cats Meow, Are You Listening?

I think it's actually, "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?"

However, isn't this just the cutest kitty convo ever? As a dog, I can't decipher their lingo. But I can tell you those two are awful cute. I've often wondered what the cats in the neighborhood are meowing about when I take my daily walks. Perhaps Goober (that's Mrs. O's cat from a couple doors down--she's a real sweet cat who loves to chase butterflies and drops by for a slice of lemon meringue in the summer) can give me the translation when I stop by for some blackberry tea.

Merry Christmas!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Last Minute Dog Gift Ideas for Christmas

If you've got a dog who likes to lounge:
This darling Coleman Bone Lounger Pet Bed at Costco is available for $27.99 (shipping & handling included). Express shipping is available. I know I'd be a happy dog in that cute bed!




If you've got a dog with a lot of toys:
This Dog Breed Organizer Tote is available at L.L. Bean for $49.00 (Free shipping and will arrive in time for Christmas if ordered before December 21st!). What a darling tote for the dog park!



If you like to spoil your dog:
Finally, this Iconic Bath Pet Brush 2.0 from Sharper Image will surely keep you out of the doghouse for $39.95 (if you order before the 21st, it'll be there by Christmas). What a nifty gift to treat your dog to a day at the spa.

Now, have yourself a Merry Christmas!

If all else fails, head to the local animal shelter and pet a few dogs who need a home. The love you give them will be the best gift ever.

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Snowflakes in Southern California?

Yep, it's true. We can have snowflakes here in good ole sunny Southern California. Of course, they are virtual snowflakes.

Here's a great site to make your own snowflakes. You can even save them (Can't really do that with the real ones now can ya?).

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Bulldog Nightmare Before Christmas?

I'm not sure if this little guy is having a nightmare or just a good doggie dream of chasing rabbits. Either way, that's one talkative doggie. Woof woof! I dream like this sometimes. My paws twitch, my tongue hangs out, but luckily no one tosses a toy at me to wake me up. Talk about an alarm!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Cute Etsy Ad!

I really think this ad is cute. The little rope dog made my day. :-)

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-P

Todd Oldham Wants Your DIY Christmas Craft Videos

Isn't this cool? Todd Oldham is asking for crafters to upload a do-it-yourself video. He'll choose 12 videos to be featured on YouTube and the lucky 12 will garner fame and... Ok, so the fame will be internet acclaim. The fortune, not so much. After all, the people watching YouTube "How to" videos are looking to make the craft themselves. But still, it's Todd Oldham. He's got some way nifty ideas and I've always loved watching him (like when he had his own style show on MTV).

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

P.S. If you do upload a crafty DIY video, let me know. I'll be glad and post the video here too. :-)

PeachPoP Oz Collector Appreciation!

A big Thank-you goes out to a special PeachPoP collector, her husband, and fur family!

Look at this wall of PeachPoP art at her home. Ozsome! We're so honored to have such a wonderful family like our art.

We tip our hats to this special family. Merry Christmas!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

A Little Rusty in The Outer Zone

I watched the Tinman. Hmm, it's a very hard mini series to describe. I liked the characters of DG, Mr. Cane, Azkadellia, Glitch, The Mystic Man, and Raw.

This series is a dark take on The Wizard of Oz. A world where the Yellow Brick Road is broken and known as "the old road" to oldtimers in The Outer Zone or OZ. I enjoyed the darkness and the story of DG as a young girl. The realm was a little too out there. Mr. Cane is just great. I love his character and the actor who played him.

Overall, I was pleased that I watched the series. The retelling made for a kind of bizarro Oz world. The monkeys alone are a trip.

If you like Tim Burton (I do!), enjoy The Twilight Zone and have a passion for Bladerunner, then this movie will be up your alley. It's just weird enough to make me want to watch the whole series again to catch the homages I missed the first time around.

My only disappointment was the ending, which I won't spoil. Let's just say the editing felt like a snip instead of a fade.

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

"We're Off to See the Wizard"

To say we love the original Wizard of Oz movie is an understatement. I mean, after all, Toto is a good hero to have if you're a dog like me.

Thus when we heard that the Sci-Fi Channel would have a mini series retelling of this classic story, well, we were all excited.
Unfortunately, things came up due to the series airing right around the beginning of December (the elves were busy around here).

Well friends, the chance to watch the whole series in one evening is here. Tonight at 5pm (PST) on the Sci-Fi Channel, the mini series Tinman is airing. Yippee! I can watch all three episodes in one evening. Plus, M can embroider or sketch while watching with me.

Now I know there is no way the mini series will do the original any justice. But, as long as it's not a remake (Ugh! The only good remake I've seen was Dawn of the Dead lately.) and just a modernization, I'm a-ok with that kind of mini series.

So, "I'll see you on the road."

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Current Projects and Artwork

The Christmas Pickle


Our House


True Love Will Last

I woke up around 7am (PST) this morning. The sun's rays casting a steady stream right across the pillow. A nice refreshing way for a doggie to wake, eh?

By 7:30am I was at the sewing machine. Can you believe it? I'm a doggie who sews. There's something alluring about stitching. I find myself daydreaming about patterns and such. Perhaps it's a dying art, but I sure hope not. If you've
never felt the urge to sew, crochet, knit or embroider, you really should give the needle arts a try. You'll find something fun and the ideas are endless.

Needless to say, we're working on a lot of projects around the studio today. A few of our latest are above. Don't you just love the look on The Christmas Pickle? Once I heard about this tradition a few years back, I have grown quite fond of the pickle. You see, you hang the pickle somewhere on your Christmas Tree and then on Christmas Day everyone looks for the infamous pickle. Some pickles are made of glass, others papier mache, and still some unique ones are hand sewn. The person who finds the pickle is awarded with good fortune and luck for the year ahead. Now that's the way to start off the day! :-)

Have a wonderful day ahead. I'm sipping my coffee and thinking of how I'm going to get all the things done that need to be done. Yikes, that was a hard sentence to type, lol.

Merry Christmas to all!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941

It's been 66 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Today is a day to remember those brave men and women who gave their lives for our country.

Thank-you and God Bless America.

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

What Happened to Christmas!

Is Christmas disappearing before our very eyes?


This year the trees are all "holiday" trees, rather than Christmas Trees. And I suppose "holiday" ornaments are what we use as decorations? I think not.

The lights we decorate our homes with are now "holiday" lights. Well, no, at my home they are Christmas lights and it says so on the plastic box we store them in. Heck, the lights are even in the original box reading Christmas Lights for Exterior Display. Go figure.

This year the boxed cards mostly read: "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays." I'm assuming "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Hanukkah" have just been left out by...mistake? Maybe the printing presses were offended.

This year it's definitely not called Christmas break at school. No, it's "Winter Recess" or a lovely spin-off referred to as "Winter Holiday."

This year the kids can't sing "Merry Christmas", "Jingle Bells", or any mention of good old Saint Nick. Yikes!

This year Santa Claus has been banned from uttering "Ho, Ho, Ho" for fear of offending American women. Gee, way to stifle the Freedom of Speech for Santa, err, I mean the jolly old elf? Wait, no Santa, right? Ok, no gifts then, right?

Is everyone forgetting why we celebrate Christmas in the first place? The last time I checked the twenty fifth of December is about the birth of Jesus. Oh my gosh, I said the ultimate holiday profanity word. Jesus. Oh my gosh! I said Jesus again.

And you know what? I'm not going to stop. I'm going to sign my CHRISTMAS cards with a big fat black letters spelling out MERRY CHRISTMAS. I'm going to decorate my CHRISTMAS TREE with CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS and then I'm going to sing "OH HOLY NIGHT" while waiting for SANTA CLAUS to come down my chimney. I'll know he's arrived because he'll be saying "HO, HO, HO" and M and M won't be a bit offended by his exclamation.

If you think I'm a little upset by the ridiculous movement to take all religion out of Christmas, well, you're right. I'm all for everyone to have their own beliefs. More power to you! But when you try to take away all that makes Christmas special , I'm likely to get all North Pole on ya. Yeah, that's right, ya "better watch out whose naughty and nice."

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

P.S. If for any reason this has offended anyone, I have to ask, why were you reading a post about Christmas in the first place silly? :-P

Wednesday Winter Woo

Today I woke up and barked "woo!" Do you know why? I barked a woof without the f because I realized just how darn cold I was this morning. Yikes! You know what silly M did? She thought she had turned up the thermostat to make the home all toasty and warm. But, instead of turning up the heat, she had turned it all the way off! Holy dog biscuits! I managed a 4am alarm with my pathetic half woof and caught the thermo mistake in the nick of time. Phew!

I will now accept my required cup of coffee as a reward for my heroic discovery.

Ok, a sip of coffee will do too. Heck, a little cinnamon bun would do nicely too (I can smell them baking, woof).

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)

Christmas on a Budget: 5 Steps to a $$$ Stress Free Holiday

I know that this time of year can be stressful. Some are watching their wallets, some are watching their weight and some are just stressed over everything they have to do in such a short amount of time. There's the baking, the shopping, the gift wrapping and then finding that perfect outfit for New Year's Eve. The office holiday parties, the family get togethers and the frequent trips to stand in line at the mall are enough to drive anyone bonkers during December.

So, how can you keep the Christmas cheer and not break the bank? Well, here are some handy tips to keep in mind:

Step 1: Make the Gifts Yourself

If you are crafty, you can make a ton of gifts yourself. Not only will the gift be handmade by you, but the gift will be unique and not one of those mass produced gifts. Plus, most of the time, you'll either have the supplies to make the gift on hand or be able to purchase the supplies on even the tightest of budgets.

Can you sew, knit, crochet, embroider, glue paper, draw, scrapbook, or use a lathe? Ok, maybe you don't have a lathe. But there are some really wonderful gifts a woodworker can make (dovetail boxes, pens, ornaments, a nativity creche, jewelry box, etc.).

Ok, so what can the crafter in you make? Here are some nifty ideas to spark the crafty gene into gear:

• knit or crochet a scarf for that cold bodied friend of yours


• make a set of coasters for those party animal friends


• create a handmade bookmark for the bookworm


• crochet a set of hangers for the shop-a-holic


• sew finger puppets for the little ones


• make some marble magnets out of old maps for the folks who love to travel


• melt a vinyl record to make a popcorn bowl for the movie buff


• sew a reusable grocery bag for the your vegan friend


• copy heirloom recipes onto handmade recipe cards for the nostalgic cook


• make handmade sheets of paper from recycled paper for your pen pal


• melt old broken crayons into dixie cups to make chubbie crayons for budding little artists

Here are some crafty places to get you started:

Craftster.org
Not Martha
DIY Network
HGTV


Step 2: Bake Your Gifts

If you can bake, the ideas are endless and delicious:

• Write your most prized recipes on handmade cards with a small antecdote


• The old stand by: bake cookies and include your recipe on a card


• Make a mix in a jar (pancakes, biscuits, special spice mixes, etc.)


• Homemade candy in a jar or gift box

Here are some yummy places to get you started:

Baking Gifts at About.com
Marth Stewart Edible Gifts
Christmas Baked Goods

Step 3: Write Your Gifts

Maybe you are talented with words, or have trouble saying what you mean. Well, you can make your gift be the gift of words.

Here are some ideas to get the pen rolling:

• Write a love letter and say all those sweet nothings you've kept bottled inside


• Compose a poem (and let it rhyme if you want!)


• Make handmade cards for someone who is housebound and loves to send cards (add stamps to the envelopes, if it's in the budget)

Step 4: Go Techno

Have you got the knack for music, playlists, or photography? If you've got a computer and a printer (a scanner, audio converter, and analog to dvd converter are also helpful), you can make some great homemade techno gifts.

Here are some computer savy ideas to get those gifts digitized:

• Burn a CD of family photos with funny captions


• Burn a CD of travel photos accompanied by your own audio narration


• Make a DVD of baby photos and/or movies for the grandparents


• Create a holiday music CD for the son or daughter in Iraq


• Scan old photos or slides and make vintage prints for your family to re-enjoy

Step 5: Recycle an Old Gift

Now, you'll have to be careful. Don't give Aunt Sally the same green vase she gave you last year. Instead, think of new uses for old objects. And remember, regifting or rethinking an object is really a way to be environmentally friendly!

Here are some recycled ideas for the eco-friendly gift giver:

• Re-cover a journal using a: 5.25" floppy disk, cereal box, calendar picture, vintage poster, etc..


• Inside out a stuffed animal for a funky art doll


• Use scrabble tiles to create earrings, magnets, pendants or cufflinks


• Make a votive candle holder from an empty can (be sure and clean the can and make sure there are no sharp edges)


• Make a Christmas ornament from one of those "junk mail" CD's

You can enjoy Christmas! Just take a deep breath and don't let the little things get in the way. If you haven't got two cents to rub together, you can have a bountiful holiday by giving the gift of yourself.

Secret Bonus Tip: Give Time

If you are stone cold broke, you can always give your time. Make handmade coupons that are redeemable for a night of babysitting for your sister and brother-in-law who need a date night, an afternoon of gardening for your elderly friend who is recovering from hip surgery, or maybe a coupon to spend time with your Grandpa who loves to play checkers and smoke cigars.

It's not about the money. You are taking the time to think of someone during Christmas. You are making the time to create something that they can't find on the shelf at their local mall.

And lastly, you had a stress free holiday because you took the $ out of Christmas.

~Merry Christmas~

Bark at you later,
PJ the dog blogging dog :-)