Taking care of beagle pups can be quite a daunting task especially now that they are very active. They LOVE to play and we've scheduled playtimes for them throughout the day. During this time, the house turns into a beagle pandemonium. We usually let them play around 2 hours before their mealtime. They have to be watched constantly because they can easily break or chew on stuff. That's why when I bought them rawhide chew toys, they got so busy chewing on them that I at least got to do the stuff that I had to do instead of just watching them all the time.
What is rawhide anyway? Well according to various articles I found on the net. It is made of the outerlayer of a cow hide that was dried and processed into pliable sheets that can then be shaped into a bone. The inner layer can be lined with diced up treats as a special surprise for the dog. It contains a few calories but is never meant as a food substitute. Dogs love it because it satisfies their need to chew. However, it is not recommended to be given to dogs all the time. When it becomes too soft or too small, it has to be taken away from the dog because he might choke on it.
Well whoever invented it, my thanks to him. My dogs love chewing. Hehehe As you can see in the pictures below.
Tea, coffee or something else... What do you drink to stay awake?
It's still coffee for me. Nothing beats it.
It's National Puppy Day! Show us the cutest puppy you can find.
Of course, none other than my puppies. hehehe here they are lined up asleep on the couch. :-)
This is basically a long overdue post. No thanks to my crazy schedule for the past months. Last November my beagle gave birth to four very cute puppies. It was the 27th, just three days after my birthday. She underwent a very gruelling labor of two days. All members of my family did everything we could to make her feel comfortable during this time. She started giving birth a little past midnight and the first one that came out was stillborn. We had to wait at hourly intervals for the pups to finally come out. We barely got any sleep.
The picture on the left is kahlua and the ones below are the puppies when they were just hours old.
These are the pups when they were one month old.
Here they are at two months.
It was a delight when they started walking. At first it was just awkward steps then they learned to run. Then all of a sudden it was a beagle puppy pandemonium inside the house. They were so playful (up until now actually). They've really lived up to their reputation on being on the list of the most destructive dog breeds in the world. No slipper, magazine, throw pillows, towels and socks are safe when the pups are on the loose.
As they grew older, the pups began to develop their personalities. Each had their own quirky habits that we've learned to love.
Kimono, being the only male in the litter, is the initiator of all naughtiness and reckless behaviour.Kimono knows how to make puppy eyes when he wants something and it will take all your self-control not to indulge in what he wants. He's often the first one to fall asleep and the first one to wake up.
Kayenne, has very pretty eyes. When she was still nursing from Kahlua,
she would whimper a lot (we don't exactly know why). It seems she's
carried on her crybaby trait until now. She loves playing with Kahlua.
The only problem I have with her is that there are times when she is
very picky with her food.
Keira, I call her the ugly duckling. Not intended cruelly but because she is quite different from her siblings. She looked like a Rottweiler when she was still very small. She is getting quite fat because she loves to eat. It's really interesting watching her grow up because her face markings are changing and the brown is becoming more prominent now.
It's National Quilt Day; show us a quilt.
My take on the Vox Hunt for today...paper quilting. This is a great example of the craft on cat_collier's photostream.
This is taken directly from the earth hour website where I’ve just signed up. Take the time and participate.
What is it about?
VOTE EARTH
YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE
This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.
For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.
This
meeting will determine official government policies to take action
against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is
the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.
Earth
Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses
switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown
into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching
off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in
San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca
Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.
In 2009,
Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion
people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any
election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but
instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action
for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to
stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74
countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH
during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.
We
all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take
control of the future of our planet, for future generations.
VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.
Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm. (Local time in the Philippines, check for the schedule for your country on their official site, click here.)
Don’t forget. Mark it on your calendars and set alarms on your phones.
How are you a better person today than you were ten years ago?
Sponsored by Nature Made.Ten years ago I was still a sophomore in college (my gosh has it been that long??? hahahahaha). I was still learning skills for my career and I was still busy doing activities with my college organization. In the span of ten years up until now, I've learned a lot. I've become more mature. I laughed and cried so many happy and sad tears with such loving friends. I'm a better person today because I'm stronger emotionally and physically. I feel that the mistakes and triumphs I've had, helped shape what I am today. I can now look back without any regrets.
I recently signed up for a beginner polymer clay class workshop that was being conducted by Ms. Angeli Sobrepena (also known as the Bead Lady). You can view her works here.
First, what is polymer clay? In a nutshell, it is a PVC based material that is used by hobbyists on a lot of creative crafts. It's not clay really, but it has the pliable properties of clay, that's why it's being called as such. Polymer clay remains soft until it is cured or baked on low temperatures. I won't go into details about the chemical compositions of this material because I might bore you to death. There are a lot available here locally but according to Ms. Angeli, Premo! is the best brand out there although it has a limited selection of colors. I bought clay years before that was carried by a craft store in most malls and it was Fimo brand but apparently it's not as good.
After a bit of discussion about the materials, we proceeded on working the clay (kneading). This was fun for a while. I learned how to make my own custom colors by mixing the clay. I didn't know you could do that. After a while, my hands began to hurt. The clay wasn't exactly "play-dough soft", it was pliable but it takes a lot of grunts to make it soft enough to mold.
The 10 hour workshop provided us enough projects to help us learn the basic techniques in the craft. The first exercise was making a tiny doll. I made something sort of japanese. Of course, when I got home this was the first thing that my sister nabbed from my bag. I loved making the cupcakes and the miniature doughnuts. I found making the rose quite the hardest. I think I need more practice making those petals.
Do you think you have the patience and the creativity? Then I must recommend this as a hobby worth doing.
Just to give a little background, Muay Thai is referred to as "The Art of the Eight Limbs," as the hands, shins, elbows, and knees are all used extensively in this art. A practitioner of Muay Thai ("nak muay") thus has the ability to execute strikes using eight "points of contact," as opposed to "two points" (fists) in Western boxing and "four points" (fists, feet) used in the primarily sport-oriented forms of martial arts. Well that's how Wikipedia says it anyway.
I attended my first session last week without knowing anything about the sport. I arrived 15 or 20 minutes late (guess why) and donned my leggings and shirt ensemble. My first hurdle, I didn't know how to put on my hand wraps properly, much less doing it alone. It's a good thing the trainer offered to show me how. I don't think I was able to memorize the proper steps but I'm sure I'll get it in time.
The class was small, during that time we were only 7, two girls and five guys. I was there with my bestfriend and his wife.
As with any sport, we needed to do proper stretching. I didn't have much
trouble catching up. Mostly we worked on flexibility and control. It's a good
thing that I did yoga months before because the stretching exercises were a
breeze for me. After stretching, since I was the newbie they had to assign a
person to teach me one-on-one about the basics of muay thai. The first thing he
showed me was the proper fighting stance. I tried to mimic how he looked as best
as I could, sans the feeling that I looked ridiculous (which they assured I do
not). I had trouble at first because I was so conscious with keeping the form
but in the end I got used to it somehow. Next they taught me how to do straight
and jab punches. Hooboy, my punches were weak during the first tries but it got
stronger as I tried a few more. I also learned how to do left and right hooks
and uppercuts. Whoopie! My arms were feeling stronger. Next I tried out some
kicks. The kicking exercises were fun except that I was growing a blister on my
big toe and I was having a hard time because it hurt a lot. I kicked high for a
beginner. Yay!
There was a one-on-one review after the group exercises. I punched and kicked as hard as I could. They told me the trick was to channel my anger to my punches and kicks. Hahaha but it worked!
At the end of the session, my body wasn't surprisingly sore but I felt the effects a day after. It was a new and refreshing experience for me.I'm definitely going to keep this up. Next time I’m going take pics.
Time to buy purple gloves!!!
Thanks to my plurk friend DeRob (thanks I think...hehehe joke) for showing this to me. Now I want one.
