Yin and Yang

This is so rare that I had to get photos of it. There are four dog beds in the house, and Berger likes his personal space, so the fact that he came to lay beside her is really noteworthy. And adorable.

family portrait, 2007

This is a very sophisticated portrait of our family in 2007. Medium: sand. See how lonely Berger looked? He was waiting for Puggie. This is one of those photos that I had totally forgotten existed and was thrilled to find in my stash. I think this would be a good year for an updated family photo...medium ideas?

intro to sewing/those colors look good on you

My friend Karen came over last week to teach me how to use my sewing machine, and I have to say, she's a GREAT teacher! She explained everything really thoroughly and let me try things out for myself, and made sure to correct me when I was doing something crazy. She also taught me a major rule of sewing: never sew if you are tired and/or angry. I think that applies to knitting as well, but I learned (and continue to learn) that the hard way.

I bought some fabric this weekend to make the pups a series of kerchiefs...and clearly the first one on the list was the Steelers fabric. I was definitely waaaay tired, but I decided to sew them anyway. True to her advice, I had a few threading hiccups and being tired only made troubleshooting *that* much worse. Alas, the kerchiefs are finished and being worn as we speak.

It is RIDICULOUSLY hard to get both dogs in the same photo. I managed one shot before Puggie bolted, and Berger had his eyes closed. Geez. Jose does the same thing.


Puggie up-close. She's not as fond of kerchiefs as Berger is, but she tolerates them. And I'm sure they will grow on her.


Oh, Berg. Ever handsome, ever adorable. Ever hanging out in the kitchen, waiting for food to fall from the counter.

the sweetest Buddy Sir

We gave the Green Dog to Berger in 2008. Every once in a while I would throw a soft toy into the mix and see if he was ready to not destroy it - Green Dog was the first toy to make it. Not only did the toy survive, Berger would sleep with this head on it. He would cradle it like he is in this pic - all the time. As I type, the Green Dog is laying in the floor at my feet...both ears missing, his smile has been stitched up multiple times, his fur is worn from love and faded from washing. How could I possibly throw it out? Brown Dog + Green Dog=Forever.

show me fierce

I almost feel bad for all of the many, many dogs out there that are sweet and smart, but can in no way match the cuteness, or dare I say fierceness, of the Lopez K-9s. I say 'show me love' and they show me love, I say 'show me fierce' and they give me fierce. Don't believe me? A picture's worth a thousand woofs...


Now accepting modeling contract offers for these two primo pups. Make sure the offer is good, though. They say peanut butter and fresh bacon are non-negotiable, as is freshly cut basil for sniffing, and a fresh dirt patch for rolling.

barkin' PB basil (dog) cookies

The beggin' fur basil bisuits were such a hit with the dogs that we decided to up the ante by adding basil to a peanut butter cookie. Did I need to put (dog) in the title for you to know this was for our furry friends? Certainly humans would never want this combo...

But the dogs really did seem to love it. And we have a serious abundance of basil, so I'll make sure to dry enough to get us through the winter and spring as well.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup water
1 cup oatmeal
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons of dried basil

Combine the water, peanut butter and oil in a boil and whisk until well combined. Slowly add the flour into the mixture and then the oatmeal and basil. Kneed until well combined...as always, add a little water if you need to, but the dough shouldn't be wet.

Roll dough out to 1/4", cut into shapes and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes (or until the edges begin to brown). This is for an average size cookie cutter shape (~3"), we also do 3/4" stars for Puggie and those take more like 25 minutes.

The scooping of the peanut butter is always torture for Berger, so Jose let the pups lick the spatula while I worked on the dough. They have a tough life.

beggin' fur basil

Berger loves homemade treats. I mean, Berger loves ALL treats, but I think the fresh ones that we make at home must be really flavorful, because he freaks out for them (or maybe he can taste the love in each one...d'awwww). Puggie is a food hound in general and will eat anything you give her, but since she moved in with us, we've noticed that she loveloveLOVES the basil we're growing. You can frequently find her outside laying in the sun amongst the many pots of basil we have. That is, if she's not standing and sniffing each leaf like it's the most amazing thing she's ever smelled. I once saw her take a timid chomp at one of the leaves, but she looked around like the super guilty dog that she was and dropped her score.


I confirmed that basil is safe for dogs to eat and vowed to come up with a recipe for the pups. I took bits and pieces from a number of recipes and I think they turned out well (not that I can/would try them, but the dogs seem pretty excited about them).

Ingredients:
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup oatmeal
2-3 tablespoons dried basil
1 1/2 cups water*
4 teaspoons vegetable oil

*You may find that you need a touch more water than this, just be careful not to make the dough too wet.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and blend well. Add the water and oil and kneed for several minutes, until the ingredients are well distributed and the dough is a nice firm mixture.

Roll out the dough to about 1/4" and cut into shapes with your favorite cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheets and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes (or until edges are browned). NOTE: 30 minutes is for a medium ~3" cookie shape. I make smaller 3/4" stars for Puggie and those were ready in about 20 minutes.

handsome Berg

This is an oldie, but goodie of Berger. I never think he looks old until I see one of his youthful pup pics. I challenge you to present photos of a cuter brown dog. You can't, so don't try.

cuddles...well, almost

It's not quite a cuddle, but we're getting closer. Puggie had access to three other beds, but she chose to curl up with Berger. It's probably because laying atop a pillow, atop the most comfortable bed in the house was her best option, but I'd like to believe it's because she wanted to be closer to Berger. No matter the reason, I heart this picture.

Berger Lopez: hero

Guess who got a new charger for her DSLR camera? That's right, and you know what that means...more and better photos of the pups!


I think it's appropriate to take this opportunity to give Berger some props. Two weeks ago, Puggie found a space under a few pickets in the fence (that are completely hidden by a patch of thick shrubs) and she escaped. When we go inside and the dogs don't follow, we'll leave them out for a few more minutes and usually they come up on the porch on their own, which is a lot better for our sanity than calling and calling and calling and being ignored. So the fact that she didn't come in didn't really throw up a red flag.

When I went outside to call her again, I could hear her choking and I panicked. Our yard is a jungle - seriously. A jungle. So I wasn't even sure where to start searching. Before long, the choking stopped and I had no leads. That's when hero Berger stepped in. He started running this big circle around me and then between the shrubs and the fence, and back again and again. Every time he would pass me he would bark, then he would bark as he passed the fence. When Jose came out into the yard, Berger widened his circle to encompass Jose.

Nobody loves Berger more than me. And nobody loves a good Berger joke more than me. He constantly does things that would have you question his intelligence - he'll turn too fast and hit his snout on the wall or bark at sounds he hears on the TV. And in general, the look on his face says that the lights are on, but no one is home. Bright-eyed and clueless. We love him, but that's just the reality of Berger. So he's running this circuit and I asked Jose if he thought Berger was trying to point us in the direction of those shrubs. I almost laughed at the thought...but when I got down on the ground, I saw the open slot in the fence, and I knew.

I told Jose she had gotten out and he was able to run into the next yard and retrieve her. I was completely stressed out that she could have been gone, gone, gone...and amazingly impressed with Berger. So impressed. He has never done anything like that before, never exhibited those kinds of perception or communication skills.

I will never, ever make jokes about Berger again. He's a smart dog and a great brother to Puggie. I think his actions indicate that he cares about her (although Jose offered the alternative - that Berger was jealous that she could fit under the pickets, so he snitched). Either way, he saved Puggie and he got a series of delicious treats for the rest of the day.


Wherever I go, he goes...my buddy and me!

doggie souvenirs

I stopped into Doggie Style, a very cute shop in Philly with anything and everything your dog could want. I was at the peak of missing Berger and Puggie, so they racked up. What can I say? I'm soft.

In addition to actual bones stuffed with beefy, cheesy deliciousness, I got them an array of beautiful cookies...

I had to get the burger one for Berger. He liked it very much.

Berger has a Steelers jersey and seeing as how part of Puggie's name came from Troy Polamalu, it seemed only fair that she also get some game day gear. When I saw that the shop had a Steelers tee in her size, I seized the opportunity.

Was she very, very cute wearing it? Yes.

Did she hate every second of it? Yes.

The sleeves were not a good shape/fit for her and she let me know about it. So I got a few pics in and now the shirt will be going on eBay. Hey, she got delicious cookies and a bone out of the whole thing, so don't feel too bad for her.

the sweet life of Berg the doggy

If you could trade places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be? My answer is simple: Berger. His life is amazing (and I'm not just saying that because it's the life I provide). He sleeps as much as he wants, whenever he wants, and almost wherever he wants (including the comfiest dog bed in all the land - thanks, Grandma!). He has an amazingly delicious looking variety of treats and a disgustingly wide array of toys. But most importantly, he's simple. All it really takes to make Berg happy is some sunshine, a stick, and a roll in the grass.






Humans over-complicate everything.

brown dog + pug = bliss

Props to Jose for catching both dogs in the same frame. You have no idea how tough this is to do. If he knew how to use Photoshop, I would totally think this was doctored.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (for Jose's birthday)

So I gave the breakdown of the quiches I made for Jose's party, but there was so much more going on that night. All of our friends are wonderful cooks, and their dishes included: cheese grits, tofu-potato scramble, poached eggs with a steak-salsa garnish, chocolate chocolate chip muffins, barbecued sausage, and amazing fruit.

And did I mention the mimosa contest? Our friends have been kicking around the idea of a brunch with a mimosa throw-down, so I roped that into our celebration. I had an idea for scoring the drinks in an orderly fashion, but the drinks started flowing early in the evening and I didn't get good pics of all the concoctions (or the 8 empty champagne bottles at the end of the evening). I did manage a few good pics here and there...

the evening's first pour

Miranda looooves Puggie!

a sampling of the homemade juice blends for the contest (all delicious)

it's been a long time since we've had a girls pic,
but this was a must since we have a new girl - Puggie!

Jose's cake - a stack of cinnamon crumb slices from
the neighborhood deli - yummmm!

the boys, kickin' it like ninjas

entertaining takes a lot out of Berger

Happy Birthday, Jose. Here's to many more!

goodnight, moon (and puppies)

With Berger and Puggie, sleep isn't just an important part of their day, it's an art form. It's a way of life. Sloth is their favorite of the sins, second only to gluttony. Since Puggie has entered the mix, there's a number of new pillows and dog beds laying around and new props to be used, so you know the scenarios are getting cuter all the time.

Here, Berger is tucked in super tight on a 22" square pillow that really belongs to Puggie. I'm impressed that he was able to tuck himself in so snugly on it. He slept so hard that he snored.


This one makes me a little teary-eyed. Puggie was hesitant with toys for the first week but then my MiL sent toys that were a little softer and more her speed. She loves to chew, chew, chew and here she fell asleep with her dent-a-bone. I can't help but think about how long she had to go without. Well, those days are over and clearly she's sleeping soundly.

care packages

There are lots of reasons to love my mother-in-law. She's a great cook, she's hilarious, she's generous and she loves animals almost as much as I do. Last week when we decided to adopt Puggie, she offered to add toys and treats for both dogs to the box of mayorcas and coffee that she was already sending to me. So this week's reason for loving the MiL is: care packages.

First, I have to say that the US Postal Service lost the package. It took many calls and lots of tracking to even find out where the package was. It arrived an entire week late, but the contents were just fine...actually better than fine, they are super great!

The entire box-o-fun:



My favorite of the toys, clearly marked for Berger, but both dogs have had fun with it:



The most ironic of the toys (and this illustrates her hilariousness), a toy that actually looks like a Pug, wearing a shirt with a picture of a Pug:



My favorite thing in the package that wasn't for me - Puggie's fancy collar:


Aaaaand the Tiffany portion of the box:


In conclusion, I'm sorry that your mother-in-law drives you crazy. Mine is pretty fabulous.

A look back...

Today's 'Fridays with the Berg' is a throwback pic from before he had grown into his ears. Such a muffin!

road trip with Bergito!

Fridays with Berger...

Berg chillin' on his way to visit Melissa and Sport...he's taking a break between smelling out the window and napping.

frozen peanut butter treats

If nothing else, Berger and I have one thing in common: a love of peanut butter. I think that given his choice of filet mignon or peanut butter, he would choose peanut butter. We've never given him that kind of choice, but maybe we should.

In any case, knowing that PB is his fav, I try to hook him up as much as possible. I haven't made this frosty treat for him in quite some time and since it's getting warmer out, it seemed like the appropriate time.

Making it is easy...
Melt a cup or so of peanut butter (I probably used 1.5 cups, because I really love my Berg).




Once melted, remove the pan from the eye, add 32 oz of plain or vanilla yogurt, mix well.

Fill cupcake pan to the brim (or to the serving size desired) and freeze. Once well frozen, use a knife and a little elbow grease to pry them out and store them in a freezer bag. Using cupcake cups would be easier, but why waste paper if it isn't necessary, right?