Sunday, October 29, 2017

Baking Biscuit Love And Preparing For A Bombogenesis


It's a little 12 p.m. I'm scared. Yes, scared. I normally keep up on the weather, but for the past few days, I haven't. Until early this morning. When I saw several posts from my local peeps about a strong storm system moving in. That's when I investigated. Apparently, there's a strong coastal storm moving in and it's going to involve a Bombogenesis. I'm not familiar with the term "Bombogenesis." I had to look it up. Between the information I gathered and seeing the warning map that we're expected to get winds between 50-74 mph plus, I'm concerned.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

I Need To Make A Big DIY Dog Mom Sign For Our Front And Back Door


Today was an absolutely crazy day. I spent the day baking and cooking for some friends of ours who are going through a rough time. They're a married couple with 3 kids. The husband had 2 chemo treatments this week. I learned about this yesterday. Long story short, I started a meal train to get them through the next week. It was short notice, but a few of our friends donated funds to buy ingredients and baked a couple of casseroles. Our plans are to cook and bake all day and deliver the food tomorrow.

Friday, October 27, 2017

Lisa Has Her Space Back In The Home Office And We're Lovin' It


On March 2nd, we adopted Willa. In the weeks to follow, we had to make a lot of changes within our household. She's a Jack Russel. With Coco, Sophie, and Lobo, we had been spoiled. They never got into much mischief or shredded fabric dolls or chewed holes in blankets. When Willa joined our family, we had to Willa-proof our home. During that process, we realized we needed to relocate Olivia, our rescue Guinea Pig, to another room that Willa didn't have access to. Willa was eating the shavings that Olivia scattered onto the floor.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

All Of Our Homemade Dog Treats Can Be Converted To Soft Baked


I can't believe the number of messages and emails I have received about the homemade biscuit recipes that have been created in our kitchen. We're lovin' it! I love responding to the questions and all of the feedback. I especially love it when people reach out to let us know they've tried one of the recipes. Keep 'em coming!

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

I'm Dedicating My Birthday To Spreading Holiday Love And Cheer


We're nearing the end of October. It's difficult to fathom that. The. End. Of. October. This year is almost over with. We're heading into the busiest time of year. In less than a month, we'll be putting up our Christmas tree and outdoor Christmas decorations. In the next week or so, I'll be making sample pieces of our Bodacious 2017 Holiday Ornaments to post and sell. Our favorite event, Whiskers In Wonderland, is on December 2nd. It'll be our 4th year participating. Is it just me or did 2017 fly by at a rapid speed?

Monday, October 23, 2017

Here Is The Recipe For Our Homemade Cheesy Sweet Potato Dog Treats


A while ago, we posted a request on our Bodacious Biscuit Love Facebook page. What kind of homemade dog treats did you want us to create? We wanted you to inspire us. Some people replied to the original post while others sent private messages and emails. The replies were all over the chart, but one thing stood out. There were quite a few requests for savory biscuits. That became my latest inspiration.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

I Know It's A Little Early For Doggy Christmas Signs, But...


Last week, I made TEN Bodacious Patchwork Doggy Quilts. They'll be up for grabs soon! This weekend, I had this awesome pile of freshly sanded wood to create some DIY Dog Mom Projects! Lisa spent a couple of hours sanding it for me. I know it's early, but 10 of these pieces will be used to make Doggy Holiday Signs. I'll be including the hand-cut wooden doggy bones made by our friend Brian.

Friday, October 20, 2017

The Kids Abandon Me On The Sofa Because Lisa Walks In With Apple Cider Donuts


I absolutely love our weekends. We sleep in a bit until 7:30 - 8:00. When Lisa gets up, Coco and Sophie are still sleeping so they stay in our bed. Lobo gets up. Willa is already up. Lisa brews coffee. Lisa and I able to sit in the living room and have our weekend chats over coffee. Lobo sits on her lap. I play fetch with Willa because she needs to play at least 63 games of fetch before 10 a.m.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

My Name Is Lisa. I'm 43. Yes, I Took A Timeout This Morning.


Earlier today, I was at my witts end. I'm wrapping up a 6-week project for a client. It's the last week. I'm working on the second to the last deadline. I have a bunch of DIY Dog Mom Projects to finish up including some Bodacious Patchwork Doggy Quilts. It's noisy outside. Housework needs to be done. I have to bake homemade doggy biscuits. I still need to make dinner for the kids and prep dinner for Lisa and me.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Vegan Sushi, Date Night, And Snuggles With The Kids


Friday was an emotional-suck-fest kind of day. It stung. I severed the last tie that needed to be severed. For good. At that point, I had 2 choices. The first, to wallow in the darkness and crappy residue. Or the second, as a dear friend posted, "Reset. Readjust. Restart. Refocus. As many times as you need to." I chose the second. Because she was right. And, sometimes, she's my rock even though she may not know that.

Saturday, October 14, 2017

I Dare You To Accuse Me Of Being A 1950's Housewife


Over the past few days, I've seen this article posted about Bullies Accuse Mom Of Being A ‘1950s Housewife’ For Packing Husband’s Lunch But She Fires Back. After working online for over a decade, I have learned to let things roll down my back. However, this has distracted me. I'm a bit enraged. Since when has it become okay for people to bully spouses who pack lunches for their husbands and wives?

Friday, October 13, 2017

Here Is The Recipe For Our Homemade Blueberry Pie Dog Treats


I had every intention of creating another homemade dog treat recipe using fresh fruit, however, we found a great deal on dehydrated blueberries last weekend. That shifted my focus a little and inspired me to create a peanut butter free, soft-baked blueberry dog biscuit.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Thank You To Martha, Brian, And All Of Their Furry Babies!


Today we received a box of hand-cut wooden bones from our friends Martha, Brian and their furry babies. I was so excited to receive these. Months ago I had put out a plea for hand-cut wood bones in this size and a gigantic one. Martha and Brian didn't waste any time. They purchased the wood and Brian worked hard to cut the bones. Since then, we've tried to meet up several times to pick up the wooden bones, but they live almost 2 hours away. Between everyone's schedule, it's been tough. Martha decided to mail the smaller bones.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Here's The Recipe For Our Homemade Bodacious Apple Pie Dog Treats


Most of our homemade dog treat recipes are made with peanut butter. I'm working hard to create recipes that are peanut butter free. A few days ago, we did just that. Our inspiration behind this week's recipe was a simple apple. I've been focusing more on using fresh fruits and vegetables instead of dehydrated. After a couple of tries, I came up with a scrumptious recipe for Bodacious Apple Pie Biscuits. They're made with simple ingredients and are super easy to make.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

More DIY Dog Mom Projects And...Inspiration!


Yes! Finally! All 10 DIY Dog Mom Projects that I've been working on since this weekend are done. Earlier today I posted them on my personal Facebook wall and our Bodacious Biscuit Love Facebook wall. I wanted to post them on the Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Facebook wall, but it's hard to keep track of who's grabbing what if I have them scattered like that. Which, brings me to the gigantic light bulb that went off in my head earlier today.

Monday, October 9, 2017

I Almost Have All 10 DIY Dog Mom Projects Completed!


I've been working hard on getting some DIY Dog Mom Projects completed over the past few days. In addition to that, I'm finishing up a 6-week project for a client that has involved a great deal of time and effort. Between all of that, my time management skills have been put to the test. I'm exhausted. I'm running on fumes. I have deadlines.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

More DIY Dog Mom Projects Are In The Works


I've been working on several DIY Dog Mom Projects over the past few days. Almost done. Yes, they'll be up for grabs in the next day or so INCLUDING 2 pieces of doggy themed Christmas decor. Getting all of this done has been a challenge because I'm working on these projects between getting a 6-week project done for a client.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Reclaimed Wood Excites Me. I Don't Need Designer Purses Or Shoes.


This past week, our neighbor friend had her entire roof stripped and redone. Part of that included having a large dumpster bin in her driveway for the scrap roofing, wood, etc. The roofers have done their work, minus a couple of days when the weather didn't cooperate. While the dumpster was at our neighbor friend's house, a lot of people dumped additional scrap wood. The day before the dumpster people picked up the dumpster, we were invited to grab some scrap wood.

Friday, October 6, 2017

Sometimes You Have To Jump First And Build Your Wings On The Way Down...


One of the downfalls of being a work at home independent contractor is the money you make per month is unpredictable. This is why I have always made sure to have a source of steady income. Regardless of the money I've made through independent contracting, at least I have an exact amount that I know I will make every month. It's not a lot, but it's something. And, it's enough because Lisa makes good money. If I had no income, we'd still be doing okay. 

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Fall Inspired Homemade Dog Treat Recipes And Human And Pup Friendly Recipes


For the second half of this year, I've totally slacked on creating new, homemade dog treat recipes. While no excuse is a good excuse, I do have some reasons behind that. This year, especially the second half, has brought on a lot of changes. In addition, I've also learned that turning the oven on 375 during the Summer season, during the day, when both of our air conditioners are working overtime, is completely miserable. In the upcoming 2018 season, I'll be much better prepared and I've got a ton of new recipes to share.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Freehand Versus Stenciling. It All Depends On The Artist.


Not too long ago, I received a message from a sweet lady who had recently purchased a DIY Dog Mom Project. She thanked us several times over. She loved her decorative piece. Towards the end of her message, she said, "What I love the most is the freehand lettering and art. I wish more people would do this." I was deeply touched that she took the time to reach out and compliment the details I put into each piece. I needed to hear this. Why?

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

I'm Already Thinking About 2018. Goals. Changes. Embracing Challenges.


It's getting very close to that time of year when I give serious thought to a few things. That would include how this year went overall. What I succeeded at. Areas that need improvement. Any changes that occurred throughout the year that altered things. Then, I think about the new year. Goals. Making adjustments to my schedule. What I need to do in order to get from point A to point B. Addressing things I slacked on this year so it doesn't happen again next year.

Monday, October 2, 2017

Some People Think We're Crazy Because We Stay Close To Home, But...


Lisa called out sick today. She's still not feeling up to par from the horrible head and chest cold that we had been both inflicted with. Early this morning, she went to get bloodwork done for the appointment she has with her doctor tomorrow. She always goes first thing in the morning to beat the crowd. Prior to her getting home, I had dozed off with the kids on the sofa with me. The cup of coffee she made me before leaving had cooled.

Sunday, October 1, 2017

It's October 1st. Please Allow 24 Hours For That To Sink In...


It's October 1st. October. I spent most of the day letting that resonate in my brain. The Summer season is over. Fall is here. A month from today, we'll be taking down Halloween decorations and the front yard and porch will be bare until late November when we decorate for Christmas. But, getting back to the here and now, it's October.