Saturday, December 31, 2016

The Universe Did A Lil' Shimmy Shake And Now I'm Doing A Happy Dance


It's the last day of 2016. I was all prepared to write a sentimental post. There's so much negativity about 2016 being posted on Facebook. Most everyone is anxiously awaiting for 2016 to just die. Be over and done with. My reply has been almost the same, and I quote, "This year has been like any other year. It's had ups and downs, growing pains, success, trials and tribulations, heavy hearts as we lost a friend and 2 family members to illness, tears, uncontrollable laughter, stress, peace, and everything between. We've severed some ties with people we thought were friends, but we also have gained a lot of great people in our life. We've embraced it all. Got a little wiser. That's life."

Friday, December 30, 2016

The End Of 2016 Is Ending On A Good Note


At least 1,214 people have asked us what we're doing for New Year's Eve. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration. It's more like a few dozen. Regardless, my answer is always the same. We stay home. With our kids. Always. And...

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Our Kids Know. They Just Do.


Lobo is the most sensitive of all of our kids. He barks the most. Whines the most. He's the first to disturb the peace when a squirrel farts or a leaf rustles. He barks incessantly when Lisa or I leave through the back door. When his cousin Willie barks, he barks. He's the first, and only one, to rush to Olivia's habitat when she makes noises. At times, he bursts into barking fits and we have no idea what he's barking at.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

My Biggest Goal In 2017 Is To Focus On The Journey As Much As I Focus On The Destination


From December 26th until December 31st, I spend catching up on all the stuff I fell behind on from Thanksgiving until Christmas. I also use this time to reflect. It's no big news that I'm not a fan of New Year's Resolutions. Instead, while I'm catching up on stuff, I reflect and give much thought to what I'm catching up on and why. Although it's been a productive year, what I've realized is that I was too focused on the finish line. The end result. The finished product. I gave very little thought and consideration to the entire process leading up to all of that.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

I Had To Caption This One...


"Nope. I have NO idea who licked the whipped cream from your iced latte, Mom. It wasn't me."

Monday, December 26, 2016

We're Going To Do Things A Little Differently In 2017


It's the day after Christmas. Last night, after I tucked Lisa and the kids into bed, I sat on the sofa sipping coffee. The tree was lit. I thought about our 2016 Christmas season. It was one of the best Christmases ever. Lisa and I had already made plans to take the tree down today along with the other indoor Christmas decorations. It's an idiosyncrasy of mine because I work at home. From the day after Christmas, until New Year's Eve, I spend catching up on stuff and getting ready for the first of the new year. That includes taking down the tree, indoor decor, the outdoor inflatables, and getting our home back in order.

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Merry Christmas From Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Home To Yours


This is Christmas morning in our Bodacious Dog Mom Life household. Enjoying our morning coffee together. Biscuit crumbs decorating the carpet. Coco and Lobo on Lisa's lap. Sophie on mine. No plans. The cheesecake is chillin'. I'll be making a lasagna later for dinner. Our babies will feast on steak, sweet potatoes, and their favorite veggies. There will be lots of family snuggle time on the sofa. A movie or two.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

I'm Proud Of Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Christmas


Lisa and the kids are all tucked in. They went to bed around 10. I made a cup of my favorite Tazo tea. I got all cozy on the sofa with my Chromebook. I wasn't tired. Before working on a few blog posts, I scrolled through my Facebook news feed. I love seeing photos of people's Christmas celebrations and all the adorable photos of pups and kitties dressed in their Christmas attire. After about 15 minutes, I had to stop scrolling.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Live A Little. Okay. I Will. Yes. You Have My Word.


On Wednesday, we delivered a Bodacious Holiday Bundle and donated some biscuits to one of our local animal shelters. During the process of trying to figure out what day would be best to deliver, the ACO asked if she could order a half dozen Whoopie Pies. I was more than happy to make them for her. She wanted to pay for them, but instead of taking cash, I decided to have a little fun. A bottle of wine in exchange for Whoopie Pies. It was a done deal. She did warn me that she wasn't sure what kind of wine I'd end up with. I told her I was willing to take that chance.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

It Was Olivia's Turn To Hear The Story Of Our Christmas Tree


All of our kids have a Christmas outfits and Santa hats. When they've celebrated their first Christmas with us, they wear their outfit and Lisa tells them the story of our Christmas tree and shows them their first ornament. A few months ago, Olivia joined our family so this year, it was her turn.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Bake. Sip. Drizzle. Roll. Dip. Smash. Sprinkle.


And so it begins. I've put aside 2 days to make Christmas cookies and other goodies that I only make this time of year. This year, unlike the past few, I can honestly say I'm enjoying every minute of it. Why? I put my foot down this year with our homemade dog biscuits. I stood firm with the deadline. I made enough to fill a few orders, donate, fill holiday pet baskets for some pup parents in need, and to fill our kid's cookie jar. That was it. I wasn't going to bake a few batches here and there for people who missed the deadline.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Don't Fall For Every Song And Dance


I received a single sentence message from a friend of mine today that read, "I think I got scammed." I asked her to elaborate. What happened. When? Where? Who? She was hesitant to answer back. She was embarrassed. This was her reply...

Monday, December 19, 2016

I Felt Guilty About Putting My Foot Down This Year


I love the week before Christmas. This is when I set a day or two aside to bake gourmet treats that I only make this time of year. I put on a little before-my-time Christmas music, crack open a bottle of red wine, and I whip up scrumptious Christmas treats to fill baskets and platters and buckets. Since the launch of Bodacious Biscuit Love over 3 years ago, my day or two of festive baking has turned into more of a chore. This year, I was determined to change that.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

I Was A Weepy Mess Because Of This


Shortly before taking this photo, I stood in the middle of our kitchen in tears. Crying. Happy tears. THIS is everything we collected for a beautiful family who has fallen on hard times this holiday season. I had NO idea just how much we had collected until we organized everything.

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Lobo Finally Has A Winter Coat That Fits Him


I've mentioned before that we have such a hard time finding apparel for the kids. The most difficult challenge has been winter coats. The sizes are all over the place and they never fit right. All in all, I'm done with store bought pup apparel. Now that I have a brand new sewing machine, I'll be able to custom make their apparel.

Friday, December 16, 2016

I'm Baking. Exhaling. Sipping Wine. Flirting With The What Ifs.


Yep. This. My soul needs a bit of a break today after the darkness and imbalance yesterday. I'm baking. Breathing. Exhaling. Looking forward to seeing a couple of sweet humans from our Bodacious Community later this afternoon. Putting together the donations from our fundraiser for a special family who fell on hard times and buying their Christmas dinner and other groceries. Spreading biscuit love to pet parents in need. And, a few Christmas baskets to spread some cheer.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

I Raise My Glass To Uncle Carl


Our hearts are heavy today. Late last night, Lisa's uncle passed away. He had a heart attack. It's moments like this where I don't even know what to say. As a writer, I should, and I can usually find the most eloquent of words, but today...no. It's kind of all a mess in my head.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Thank You To Our Secret Santa


I have a Secret Santa. This was left on our porch. My favorite. Lisa's favorite. Today, I kinda feel as if I'm just gettin' by. The workload is overwhelming. I'm exhausted. This made my day. Made me smile. I needed this.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

We All Ate Dog Biscuits Today For Afternoon Snack


I have over 24 blog columns to write in the next 2 days. Approximately 2,400 homemade dog biscuits sittin' on trays waiting to be packaged up. Cookies to bake. Housework. Meal prep. A few DIY Dog Mom Projects to complete. I'm running on a single hour of sleep. And, because I'm too tired to fix a snack, I'm currently munchin' on a few too-well-done-because-I-forgot-to-set-the-timer dog biscuits smeared with peanut butter.

Monday, December 12, 2016

12 Things I'm Not Going To Do In 2017


People are already talking about their goals for 2017. 'Tis the season for New Year's Resolutions. I've read post after post listing the stuff people are going to do starting on January 1st. Lose weight. Get into shape. Quit smoking. Travel more. Be more financially responsible. Retailers have already begun to focus on supporting people's efforts towards better health, organization, financial freedom, etc.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

I Spend 20 Hours A Week Baking Dog Biscuits.


This is what 30 hours of baking homemade dog biscuits looks like. The picture doesn't do it justice. Our biscuit table is completely lined with trays piled high with biscuits. Lisa had to set up the card table because we ran out of room. Some of these biscuits are for orders. A few are for gifts. The rest are ones we'll be donating to rescue pups and some pet parents who have fallen on hard times.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Wine, Cheese, And Cards Against Humanity


On Thursday, I turned 43. Lisa took a couple of vacation days. It was total birthday bliss to be home with Lisa and the kids and have no plans or schedule. All of the kids got a good grooming, a bubble bath, and nail trims. Lisa made me an incredible Italian dinner and a small cake. We finished the evening off with some family snuggle time with the kids and Netflix.

Friday, December 9, 2016

My DIY Dog Mom Holiday Gifts - Part 3


I am on the tail-end of the Bodacious 12 Days Of Christmas. We've made some awesome DIY Dog Mom Holiday gifts that have included holiday biscuit bundles, rustic ornaments, and bags of our Bodacious Biscuit Love Peanut Butter Dog Treats. You can catch up on our DIY Dog Mom Holiday Gifts here and here. It was a lot of work to pull this off, but we've had a lot of fun. We'll definitely be doing this again next year.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Today I Celebrate 43 Years Of Life


Today is my birthday. I'm celebrating 43 years of life. I'm not ashamed to admit that. To be quite honest, turning 40 was kind of great. I didn't think it would be, but much to my surprise, it's been quite the enlightening journey of sorts. I'm at that age where I'm able to shift a lot of my focus and, quite frankly, I'm not bothered by what people think of that or their opinions in general.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

My Name Is Lisa And I'm Addicted To Holiday Containers


My name is Lisa and I'm addicted to holiday containers. This addiction isn't limited to Christmas. It's year round. When I walk into a retail location and they have seasonal and holiday containers, I'm drawn to them. Target is my favorite location to find these gems. Walmart has a so-so collection. The dollar store chains aren't too shabby with their selection either. I have no shame in admitting I have a tote filled with containers of all sizes, colors, prints, and themes.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

My DIY Dog Mom Holiday Gifts - Part 2


As part of our Bodacious 12 Days Of Christmas, I've been posting some of the cool DIY Dog Mom Holiday Gifts that I've been making. If you missed Part 1, you can view that right here.  These projects are easy to make and they're the perfect gifts to give to the pet parents on your gift giving list. So far, I've made some gorgeous rustic wood ornaments, holiday pet bundles, and a Bodacious Movie Snack Pack that includes snacks for the humans and pups.

Monday, December 5, 2016

I Landed In The Christmas Card Hall Of Shame


For the past few years I've ordered cards to send out for Christmas. Photo cards. I always include photos of the kids and a photo of Lisa and myself. I choose the design, upload the photos, and I personalize the cards with a greeting and sign off with all of our names. The cards are delivered via USPS about a week later. I put the cards in the envelopes, address, stamp, and send. That's it.

Sunday, December 4, 2016

It Took 18 Hours To Prepare Everything For Our Bake Sale Table


Today was the big day. Whiskers In Wonderland. It's our 3rd year participating in this event and we look forward to it every year. This year, our dear friend, Char, accompanied us. She was a huge help and ran the Bodacious Baked Goods bake sale table for most of the 3 hours. She had a great time and is excited to help us out next year too.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

My DIY Dog Mom Holiday Gifts - Part 1


The Bodacious 12 Days Of Christmas is in full swing. Through December 12th, we'll be offering a single DIY Dog Mom Project item or a Biscuit Love Holiday Bundle on our Bodacious Biscuit Love Facebook Page. Originally, I wasn't going to post the items we offered on this blog, but then I thought, "Why not!?!?" These are really cool DIY Dog Mom Projects and they're somewhat easy to make, the supplies are relatively inexpensive, and they make great holiday gifts for those pup parents on your holiday gift giving list.

Friday, December 2, 2016

This Lesson Took A Couple Of Years To Learn


In 2014 and 2015, we participated in quite a few events with a full Bodacious Biscuit Love setup. Last summer, we had an event booked almost every weekend. In addition, we hosted a Bodacious Yard & Bake Sale in the summer and fall. It was a lot of work. This year, we scheduled one event. Whiskers In Wonderland. That'll be happening on December 4th. It's a 3 hour event and this year, we have two tables. One for biscuits. One for baked goods.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Conquer All Of The December Stuff. The Rest Can Wait Until 2017.


It's December 1st. It's December 1st. It's December 1st. If I had a dime for every time I spoke that phrase today, we'd be financially set for the rest of our lives. It's December 1st. We're participating in an event on Sunday with TWO tables instead of one. We just launched a fundraiser for a sweet family who has fallen on hard times. We're putting together items for a man and his pup for the winter. The list goes on. It's December 1st.