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 :-)

The Christmas Bandwagon

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. I gave in. I couldn't stand not having anything up for Christmas. I mean, gosh, Thanksgiving was last week. Normally, I'm hanging snowflakes on the 28th. But this year, what with Turkey Day on the 22nd, I got thrown off.

So, I went a little wonky and redid the banner for our Etsy shop. Then, I just had to add a bow. And what do you know, a little "Merry Christmas" gave it the cheery greeting.

Let me know if you like the new look.

And, just because it's still November...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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

P.S. I almost forgot to mention that I also made peppermint tea. Yum! Puts me in the Christmas spirit.

Sudoku Madness

I have a new bad habit. Perhaps some share in the madness. Sudoku. Sudoku is a crazy little numbers puzzle. In normal Sudoku games you have the numbers 1 through 9. Each grid requires every number, but only once. Each line horizontally and vertically requires this same sequence of numbers 1 through 9. Again, the numbers can only occur once horizontally and once vertically in each row. Ahh, tricky tricky.

I find myself having doggie dreams about numbers. Weird, huh? I even figured out a cool way to do multiplication of large numbers, just for fun. Like 1114 by 1114. There's a nifty little trick one can use and it works on HUGE numbers. Very impressive among the dog crowd.

Oh my gosh. I just realized I'm a math nut. Uh oh, it's official. I'm PJ, and I'm a dog geek.

Who cares! It's all about the numbers baby.

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

Fisher Price: Retro Fun!

I love Fisher Price Little People! Oops, I meant to say, I love vintage Fisher Price Little People. There's just something so darn cute about those little wooden bodies that sit in the cute plastic chairs in little schoolhouses. And the expressions on the little people faces! The expressions are so funny. I especially like the Lucky Dog. He's got a satisfied grin. It's as if he is in on a secret that we don't know about.

Maybe he got into the Fisher Price barn and chased some Fisher price plastic chickens while riding the little green and yellow tractor? Or maybe he just got back from the Wagon Circus and is stuffed full of bubblegum flavored cotton candy (or faerie floss as we like to call it).

Either way, that little grin is quite perplexing and made for a retro inspired hand sewn ornament that you see above. I hope you enjoy.

Here's to a little retro fun on a super busy Sunday. :-)

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

Black Coffee on Black Friday

I don't get the whole concept of Black Friday. I'm not what you'd call a shop-a-holic, nor am I a shopping phobic. I fall somewhere in between. I shop at brick & mortar stores when I have to and only as a last resort. I mean, that's the convenience
of being online. Even a dog like me can buy gifts online from the comfort of home. A digital camcorder? No problem. I could order and pay for one online at like 2am in my pajamas if I wanted to.

Back to Black Friday. I've seen the ads. There are some nifty bargains to be had, if you've got the will and determination. Sites like Black Friday Ads and The Black Friday had all the deals for today. From $300.00 laptops to $4.00 crock pots. The sales are sure tempting. I mean, did you see the people lined up last night for goodness sake? In the cold? It made me wonder. Is it worth the hassle?

I have to admit, one year I did give the whole Black Friday a try. The key word here is I only did it once. The early morning hours, the long lines, and worst of all, the cranky (ok, rude) people made me Thankful for not having tried doing so before. And what did I learn?

Well, this year I didn't wake up at 3am. I didn't drink down a few cups of coffee to wake myself up and drive the 405 freeway to the mall. I wasn't cupping my freezing hands together while standing in a line that wrapped around the store. There was no made rush through those double glass doors and into the florescent lit store. The clatter of baskets didn't hit me in the ankles and I didn't get pushed from behind because someone wanted the exact Toy Story DVD I happened to be looking at.

Heck, I didn't even make it out of my pajamas until after 9am. Instead, I watched the crowds of people shoving and pushing their way into Best Buy, Toys R' Us and WalMart to have a chance at some pretty cool bargains.

No, this year I am thankful for having learned that Black Friday is code for "stay home." Don't get we wrong, I'm sure people had a lot of fun and came home with bags full of wonderful gifts at 50-70% off.

As for me, I prefer a cup of black coffee on Black Friday. Each sip a warm reassurance that I've once again made
the right choice.

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

Let Us Give Thanks on Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I hope your day is filled with hugs from friends, bear grinning laughter from family, and lots of warm fuzzy memories to share for a lifetime.

Oh, and homemade cranberry. I mustn't forget the cranberry. It goes with almost everything!


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

Munchkin Land Hits Hollywood

We here at PeachPoPs love The Wizard of Oz. And after 68 years, the Munchkins are finally getting a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. There are only nine "munchkins" left out of the original 124. I think that's pretty amazing. There's something magical about the movie and it will always carry a special place in this doggie heart.

I'm so glad they are celebrating these beloved characters. Now, click those heels together and watch out for falling houses.

I'm off to see the Wizard...well, ok, I just heard the oven open and warm peanut butter (doggie safe) cookies are ready. Yum.

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

"Please, don't squeeze the Charmin!"

Oh, Mr. Whipple, you will be sorely missed. I can't tell you the number of times I have shredded, err, squeezed, the toilet paper. I mean, I can't resist. It's so soft to touch with my paws. It tastes good when I like to chew the pieces and I can tease kittens with a couple of squares.

So, Thank-you Mr. Whipple for a memorable tv ad and for bringing a smile to my doggie face on Nick at Nite.

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

Happy Customer: Sarah!

Here's cutie Sarah wearing Hodgepodge, the Hedgehog! Thank-you Sarah!









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

Vroom Vroom Baby!

Ahh, if only us dogs could drive. Imagine the drive-thru's we'd have access to.

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

P.S. Shameless plug: This painting is for sale on our website.

Freaky Fabulous Friday

Today M had a blast. M went to a local fabric store (I waited in the car with the other M) and picked out any and every color of embroidery thread that caught her eye. From pear green to powder blue, the choices are endless. Normally M has a project in mind, but today, she just went, well, bonkers!

M never knew seeing so many color combinations of six strands of thread would have her walking away smiling. The other M and I were laughing at the grin across her face when she came out.

Did I mention M made me my very own plushie? It's allllll mine. I can lick the eyes. I can chew on the head. I can do anything to the poor little plushie (don't worry, I luv my wil plushie boo). The bestest part...it's mine, mine, mine!

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

It's Bionic Wednesday!

I have been hearing that saying during the summer and the fall. Somehow, the phrase has stuck in my head and now I refer to every Wednesday as "Bionic Wednesday!" Sure, I may not catch the remake of the beloved series every single episode (a dog's gotta party too), but I love the idea of being bionic.

So, I don't have a super strong arm or bionic hearing. But I have been known to bark before someone knocks. And though I don't have bionic legs, I can zip around at the beach and chase small waves away.

As far as having a microchip, well, we can't give away all the company secrets, now can we?

I hope you have a super Bionic Wednesday. I know I'm going to try my best.

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

Insomnia Sketching

The other day M happened to have read a little story about "The Library Policeman." "The Library Policeman" is one of four novellas in King's collection of stories from Four Past Midnight. Now, I believe two ("The Langoliers" and "Secret Garden") have been made into movies. The latter starring Johhny Depp and a most delicious (butter? would you like some butter with your corn?) ending.

I digress. Anyhoo, the other day M reread "The Library Policeman" and proceeded to fall asleep. Well, so M thought. Instead M had a nightmare about a psycho killer librarian. M awoke to find myself in a pitch black room and wide awake. I mean the kind of alertness that usually escapes M until she's had four cups of hot steaming coffee. M could see clearly that the clock read 2am or so in the morning. What to do? Well, grab a sketch pad and doodle.

M awoke in the morning to find the above sketch (well, there are two more of a ghastly bride and groom). So, somewhere after sketching and before waking, M must have fallen back asleep. Luckily, no library books were involved.

I, on the other paw, found one of the four sketches and disposed of it in a very shred happy moment. M didn't know this until now. Tsk tsk on me. I'm a bad doggie. But sometimes a sketch is too scary, even for me.

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

You Know It's NanoWrimo & November When...

M almost overcooked some spinach and potato quiche. Guess what she was doing? Yep, typing and typing and typing.

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

Now the Clocks Go Back

Recently we had a bit of a fiasco of sorts. Our clocks went a bit, well, wonky. All went back to normal, and now they have "Fallen Back" for Daylight Savings Time.

But it got me thinking. Not too long ago, we had to physically set our clocks in every room of the house. Now, the clocks set themselves via a signal directed to Fort something in somewhere Colorado (I think, lol). Kinda weird. The tv's set themselves, the alarm clocks set themselves, the DVD player, the microwave...even the coffee maker.

I know, I know, it's called the future. But, don't you get a little freaked when the human becomes the negligible variable in this sequence?

At least I still have to wind my railroad watch that I wear around my collar. I mean, golly, it even still ticks for goodness sake.

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

I Like Art That Tells a Story

I am quite fond of art that tells a story. There's just something fun about either what the artist says or doesn't say. Come to think of it, what the artist doesn't say about the piece is often just as interesting.

Recently M created "Lizzie, the Bookworm." It's a little gothic, a little Victorian, and a whole lot of whimsical.

I could go into the whole history of Lizzie, but now where would the fun be in that, hmm? So, instead, I'll leave you with this.

Which one might Lizzie be? :-)

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

The Day After Halloween

Well, this year two of our pumpkins became...cannibalistic! Yes, it's true, pumpkins are now eating other pumpkins (these carvings were inspired by the awesome ExtremePumpkins website). I mean, with all the cinnamon in the air and warm candles--it was bound to happen.

Late last night we found these two. They are obvious pumpkin flesh eaters. Grinning cheek-to-cheek with no regard for their fellow Jacks. I guess they caught sight of "Night of the Living Dead" last night. The black and white horror flick must have done the trick, so to speak. Perhaps it's catching. Hurry, check your Jacks!

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