#65 - Summer Ends with Fuzzy Friends

Today is my last day of summer freedom. I begin my fourth semester at the university bright and early tomorrow morning. JD is not thrilled about this, because that means that I will not be home half as much, but he is lucky to have a sweet Grandma to take care of him while I'm busy studying in working.

Since we're getting ready to fall into autumn, I thought we'd share some photos of our sweet little friends who have sent us photos over the past few months.


Sarge


Elliott


Zoey (photo by Bea W.)


Lili (photo by Bea W.)


Lili and Zoey (photo by Bea W.)


Nigel


Our good friend, Emmitt, from Pug Notes


Maddi


Sadie


Tonka


Macaroni


Magda


Jockamo


Smokey


And here are some other friends who've passed photos along:
















Oh those cute faces! If anyone else has photos of their pets in some of our items, please send them along! We'll be adding a customer gallery to our website and I want as many of our friends as possible to be included. Don't have a hat or neck warmer but want one now that you've seen so many cuties? Head over to the etsy shop to order one :]

x's & o's

#64 - Words of Wisdom II

“Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory.”
-Betty Smith-

I am a big Betty Smith fan, and when I stumbled on this quote, I knew we had to pass it along. For those who aren't familiar with her work, Smith wrote "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". Though I love that novel, my favorite of her works is "Joy in the Morning". I came upon it accidentally while shelving at the library last summer and I fell in love immediately. It's so heart-warming that you won't be able to put it down.



On an entirely different note, I am incredibly excited because I just finished my first pug illustration. It is a digital illustration that was inspired by a photo I took of JD last fall. I love the way that it came out, so I've added postcard and greeting card sets to my shop that feature the illustration. I had a lot of fun doing this and plan on attempting more soon.



Has anyone else tried any new activities lately that they've had fun with?

x's & o's

#63 - Coconut Cupcakes

My mum had a lovely birthday yesterday! There she is posing with her baby, Ringo, and below she models her "red hat society" gear that my sister bought her as a joke for turning 50.



Too funny!

I wanted to share my tasty vegan chocolate and coconut cupcakes with everyone. This recipe is a modified version of one of Alicia Silverstone's "kind life" recipes. They are so simple to make and even easier to devour!

Coconut Cupcakes



Ingredients:

Cake
2/3 cups soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup dried shredded coconut
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup safflower oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose baking flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of sea salt

Frosting
1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan butter
1/3 cup agave nectar
3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened vegan cocoa powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F and line 10-12 muffin tins with muffin papers.
2. Combine milk and vinegar, mix, and allow to sit until the mix bubbles. Add agave nectar, oil, and vanilla. Stir well.
3. In another bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, dried coconut, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until smooth.
4. Pour batter into the tins and bake for 18-22 minutes until a fork comes out clean when stuck into the center of a cupcake.
5. Cool cupcakes for at least 15 minutes before frosting.
6. For frosting, cream butter, agave nectar, and sugar together using a mixer. Add vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Mix on low speed. Add cocoa powder a little at a time if you have difficulty combining ingredients. If the frosting is a bit loose, refrigerate for a bit before using.
7. Frost those cupcakes, add some shredded coconut to the top if you wish, and enjoy!




These cupcakes can be enjoyed by the pup, too, just DON'T add the frosting (since pups cannot have chocolate)! JD and Ringo loved these soft treats :]


Has anyone else made any yummy treats lately?

Well, we're off to watch project Runway, but here is a photo to make you smile. JD in his aunt's crab hat that she got in Boston:




x's & o's

#41 - Goodbye, Friend

When I started making knits for dogs, I knew that they were cute, but I also hoped that they would serve a purpose. I get a lot of messages saying how fun and sweet my items are, but what I love to hear most is that my work means something to pugs and people. One person warmed my heart twice this year. When Faith asked me to make a neckwarmer for her pug, Sarge, in March and explained that he was blind and toothless at 20 years old, my heart went out to them. Faith is an amazing person who rescues dogs who need special care, and Sarge was one of the lucky pugs who became her soul mate.

Faith messaged me this week to let me know that Sarge passed away at the ripe old age of 21. She wanted to let me know that he loved his neckwarmer and that it kept him warm and cozy. He wore it right to the end of his life.

Boy, you can bet I cried for a good 20 minutes when I read that message and I'm about ready to cry again just sharing this story.

My point is that stories like this make everything I do so worth while. If I can make a difference even in the life of one animal by knitting and having fun all the while, then there is nothing else that I could possible ask for in life.

So now that I've probably made you cry, I hope you all cheer up and have a lovely day, because the good news is that all animals live good lives and have to go eventually, but as long as they lived and loved, the sadness won't last for long.

Now that I've spread the sad news about death, I am off to celebrate life! It's my beautiful mother's 50th birthday today and my family and I are spending the whole day with her.





There she is with her grandpug, James Dean, and her son, Ringo. They are excited for the birthday because they know that I will sneak them some of the plain vanilla cupcakes before I frost them so that they can have a little treat, too!

x's & o's

#61 - Words of Wisdom I

"Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand."- Henry David Thoreau

JD passes these words from one of his favorite local authors today and hopes that everyone can enjoy the little things that nature provides. Since we are so busy while summer is winding down, we want to apologize for neglecting the blog over the past week! We hope you all are well. What has everyone been up to?

x's & o's from all of us!

#60 - Angels, Demons, and Heavenly Cream Cheese

Look at those beautiful angel and devil costumes! I collaborated with Glenda from Midnight Boudoir on Etsy who made these costumes to send in to the 3rd annual Fur Ball charity gala that is run by the Kitten Rescue in California. Glenda asked me to take photos of JD and Ringo in the costumes so that she'd have some photos of her beautiful work to send in to the gala. The pups were more than happy to oblige and they look so charming in these pieces. I cannot believe how talented Glenda is and how intricate these wings are. I am so excited that her costumes and my photos will be seen by celebrities like Jenna Fischer from TV's "The Office", who has been to past galas! Please visit Glenda's shop and see how lovely her work is :]

I currently have the house to myself and have been spending the whole day playing with the pups, so they are currently exhausted and both napping at the moment. Since they're being so quiet, I have a few minutes to share my tasty vegan cream cheese recipe with you. I made it this morning and I can't stop eating it!


Smooth Strawberry Cream "Cheese"

Ingredients:
1 cup of soft tofu
1/4 cup of broken cashews
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1/2 cup of strawberries (feel free to use another berry if you prefer)
4 tsps. of agave nectar or pure maple syrup

Directions:
Pat dry the tofu. Don't worry about making it dry, you want it a bit wet. Toss the tofu and all other ingredients into a food processor or blender until the mix is smooth and creamy. Enjoy it on anything from bagels to toast to english muffins, or use it to jazz up a yummy wrap. I like to eat mine on Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin Bread. Mmmmmm!

You can refrigerate the leftovers for approximately 4-8 days. This will make around 1 cup of cream "cheese". And, yes, it does taste like strawberry cream cheese, only it's better for you!



Enjoy the day, loves!

x's & o's

#59 - Meet Our Friends

Hello loves! We currently have 3 entries for our Tumbler Toy giveaway. They are such beautiful photos and stories that we would like to share them with you :]

The Pug Corral

Meet Payton, Dallas, and Reggie, our friends from The Pug Corral blog! These cuties have a blog that is so much fun to peak at. Here's what the pugs have to share about themselves:

"Dallas and Reggie were rescued by our Momma's wonderful friend, Miss Sheila, who found us in a lady's backyard breeding business. Although, Reggie was a surprise: he was in his Momma Pug's tummy, unbeknownst to Miss Sheila! Peyton was rescued through Kentuckiana Pug Rescue (KPR). We are all very sweet, fun, and loving Puggies and Momma says she doesn't remember her life before we came!"

Who could remember life pre-pug? I don't think anyone could, especially when they have three cuties such as these! Thanks for sharing your story, lovepugs :]


Flora

Flora is a cute little black pug with an irresistible face. Her mom, Tiffany, e-mailed me with this story:

"Flora is a feisty, Lab-loving (her brother Butters is a yellow Lab!) Pug. We actually refer to her as a "Pugrador", as she really does seem to think she is a big dog/Lab! Her favorite toy so far is a soft Kong "fox", and she enjoys carrying it around in her mouth while whining. She is generally a bit of a whirling dervish, but then poops out pretty quickly and "recharges" in the sunlight that comes through our sliding glass door. She is a snuggler, but also enjoys her independence! She is a quirky, clownish pug, and of course, her human dad and I adore her!"

I love to hear about little pugs who think that they are these huge powerful conquistadors. It's too funny! JD has this same complex. We are so glad to have met Flora and to hear about her adventurous and playful nature.


China


We received our latest entry yesterday when China's mom brought her story to our attention. This one makes my heart feel warm and fuzzy.

"I found her on an online selling website and knew I had to find her and give her a home that she deserved. Upon adoption I found that she had had 5 owners before she was even 12 weeks old, and within our first vet visit we found that she also had a severe case of Demodex Mange. China has just turned 1 year old and has had no health problems since she came to live with us. She's the happiest pug I have ever seen!"

Now that is a heart-warming story! When I was in grade school, my teacher used to call random acts of kindness or tokens of love "warm fuzzies". I think that Flora's mom, Samantha, gave China a "warm fuzzy" by adopting her and bringing her back to health. It is intriguing that a "warm and fuzzy" creature can inspire us to be so giving of ourselves through "warm fuzzies".

Well, this completely made my day! I hope that this has inspired more readers to enter our contest to win a dog toy that we have hand-made with lots of love. Click here for details on how to enter. All you have to do is send us a picture and a small blurb about your sweet fur-baby or fur-babies, and you'll be entered.

Have a lovely day!

x's & o's

#58 - Playdate

Today is a picture-post kind of a day. On Saturday JD and Ringo finally got a cool enough day to run around and enjoy the fenced-in yard. Their girlfriend, Molly, who is our neighbor, even came over to play. We used to always play in her yard because ours wasn't fenced in, but Saturday we got to return the favor by inviting her to our humble little yard. I seized the opportunity to snap some photos of the pups and also to get some photos of myself and Jeremy. Yay for new family photos!


Ringo enjoying some natural fiber.


James and me in front of some of my favorite flowers- Black Eyed Susans


The boys playing like wild cheetahs.


JD and his girlfriend, Molly.


The biffles hanging out together.


Molly.


JD and his daddy.


Our family.


Jer and I.


Ooooh, a smooch!


All you need is pug <3.


My little man and me.

Thanks for stopping in to see look at the photos from our relaxing adventure!

x's & o's