Malarkey* Monday

Amazing Quill Work! 

Awesome:
♦Cute/funny mistake
♦What you should know about the Irish Language
♦Pet otters, are like ferrets on crack! (Video)
♦I want this sweatshirt!
♦Amazing felted wool products; slippers, fairy hats...!
♦Magical cakes

Cute:
♦Puppy ears!
♦Kitten snuggle
♦Activate corgi laser eyes!

DIY:
♦Fantastic quilling blog (the incredible thing is that whatever your favorite flower is...it can be quilled!)
♦Watch it grow planter

Feminism:
♦Assault is everyone's problem, not just women.
♦Study shows girls will self-sexualize is their mother's do...
♦Only 5 of IMDB’s Top 250 passed all three Bechdel criteria in 2010 (Meaning women have only marigianal roles in movies.)
♦Damsel In Distress Trope In Gaming (video)
♦Follow up to To the above video "Sexual Harrasent and Cyber Mobs"

Heroes:
♦Intereview with Temple Grandin amazing advocate for Autism (video)
♦Temple Grandin's website
♦My friend Sue told me about her hero Will Allen (The urban gardener)

Lol:
♦"The Many Faces Of Mom" - One mother makes a list of the people her daughter calls mom. Its hillarious.

Noms:
♦Chicken broccoli roll-ups
♦Whole wheat oatmeal bread
♦Just in time for St. Patty's: Colcannon (gluten free)
♦34 ways to eat Guiness
♦Homemade yogurt in a crock pot
♦Artichoke lemon dip (gluten free)
♦Dark Chocolate And Vanilla-bean Marshmallow Cake Sounds amazing!
♦Whiskey Brown Butter Butterscotch Pudding With Ganache

Psychology:
♦Can we leave the introverts alone? Not everyone likes to smile!
♦Eating disorders not a laughing matter




*Malarkey: Exaggerated or foolish talk ; )

Magpie Monday

Gorgeousness found here

Art:
♦Incredible colored pencil drawing
♦Mysterious colorful planets...of soap?
♦Awesome book sculptures
♦Netsuke  (Japanese miniature sculptures)
♦Incredible butterfly (and moth) specimines for sale

Awesome:
♦Holiday + Flamingoes + Holimingos! (I really want a crate of Skelemingos.)
♦This dad has a great sense of humor!
♦Random fact generator
♦Things Organized Neatly Tumblr
♦A woman and her cat: "We will never be apart" (Bonus: Heterochromia is neat!)

DIY:
♦Headache pillows
♦Mad Hatter top had ornaments
♦Tons of easy shoe make-overs
♦Vintage styled dust covers
♦Java garland

Feminism:
♦A cool dad re-coded the pronouns in Zelda, so his daughter could be the hero.
♦The many ways that women's magazines lie


Helpful Hints:
♦Printable cheat-sheet for kitchen measurements

Psychology:
♦"In praise of Zoloft"

Recipes:
♦Fall Acorn Cupcakes. (The cupcakes are vegan*! But not the frosting or acorns.)
♦Pumpkin Spice roll-out cookies
♦Oatmeal crusted nuts. (Good travel snack)
♦Carrot spread (Veg)
♦Mustard Brussels Sprouts (Veg)
♦A huge list of Thanksgiving meal ideas! (Some are veg.) Sorry to post these after Turkey day...but better late than never!


*I added a vegan tag, and a gluten free tag to let you know that at least one recipe is vegan or gluten free. Enjoy!

Marble Monday

Source

Art/Photography:
♦Water wigs

Cute:
♦Cutest Instagram ever!

DIY:
♦Boot supports/shapers (Support inserts to hold their shape while they aren't being worn.)
♦OR...if your are lazy like me...a rolled up magazine does the trick too!
♦Ridiculously easy way to snazz-up shoes
♦Make your own colored camera filters
♦Lacey toe socks (Cover just the toes, not the socks for each toe. Eww.) Update= they sell them at Payless

Feminism:
♦So size 8 is the new "ok" size?
♦Arg! "Curvy Is The New Skinny Thanks To Photoshop Phoniness" Will this madness ever stop?!?

Geekery:
♦Doctor Who miscellany

Helpful Hints:
♦How to use google more effectively

Lol:
♦Funny cat themed book

Noms:
♦Pumpkin and peanut butter puppy treats

Psychology/Mental Health:
♦"Going Public With Depression"

Merveilleux Monday

Merveilleux:
(French) adj. marvelous, wonderful

How cute is this dog?!?

Awesome:
♦The Post Office is honoring service dogs!
♦Super cute blank cards. (This one is my favorite!)
♦93 year old yoga instructor!!! She is amazing!
♦Hair do's from the 80's. (Pretty damn funny!)

DIY:
♦Make an animal print sweater.
♦Better photography tips. (She is talking about cookies, but it would work for many small objects.)
♦Can't afford to buy stretched canvas? Make a cardboard one!

Feminism:

Reading this comic (The Devil’s Panties) lead me to this article:

♦Large retailers putting condoms in locked cases. I wonder how this is impacting young buyers?
♦Gender pricing...grrrrr how irritating.
♦Nepalese women over-come cultural taboos to find jobs. (Not something I could do, I don’t like touching feet. Icky!)

Freaky Beauty Contraptions

*Trigger Warning for Sexual assault and abuse survivors*

More information at: Project Unbreakable

Mental Health/Recovery:
♦Medicinal Marzipan gives advice on how to combat weight/size stigma.
♦I ♥ this post: Explaining victim blaming.
♦Can we stop using "anorexic" and "thin" interchangeably?
♦Nine dangerous things you learned in school.
♦Need some inspiration. Click here...    : )
♦"When you veer off (your life) course..."

Noms:
♦Can't wait for fall to try this soup! Vidalia onion & Wild rice soup.
♦ Key-lime frozen yogurt. YUM!
♦Chai Coffee cake.

WTF:

♦Truly bizarre book: Grandpa Won't Wake Up.
♦Horrible "Tinkerbell" cakes.
♦Rita Hayworth, had to have her skin bleached? This is sad. (Her story is at the bottom.)

Dog bite prevention

I was on a nice walk with the two pups, when we walked past a home with two children. They were about 3 or 4 years old, and were out front unsupervised. (I hadn’t seen them or I would have switched to the other side of the road.)

They started squealing, and screeching “Puppies!” When they saw Cici and Buddy. They almost ran into my dogs with their bicycles.

I steered the pups around them. The kids got frustrated. “Hey! We wanna pet the puppies!”

I told them maybe next time.

First of all, I wouldn’t let them pet my dogs without their parents present. Even if they followed all of the rules I would insist upon, I still wouldn’t let them pet Buddy.

Cici has been part of our family for 5 years. I (for the most part) know how she might react. I don’t know Buddy well enough to be comfortable letting strange children pet him.

The whole situation frustrated me so much! It is not difficult to teach bite prevention to children. On a side note: why were two 3 or 4 year olds left unattended in their front yard?

Why is this important to me? Two reasons: I was bitten by a dog as a child, and I love dogs. I don’t want children to be hurt by their ignorance and exuberance. I don’t want dogs to be put to sleep because they react when they feel threatened.

Dog bite prevention PSA. Thanks to drsophiayin.com

Some sobering statistic about dog bites:

• Every day 1000 people seek treatment for injuries from dog bites.
• There were 33 fatalities last year due to dog bites.
• 61% of reported dog bites occurred to children.

Source of data.

A fantastic list to teach children, to prevent dog bites:

• I will not stare into a dog's eyes.
• I will not tease dogs behind fences. 
• I will not go near dogs chained up in yards. 
• I will not touch a dog I see loose (off-leash) outside.
• If I see a loose dog, I will tell an adult immediately.
• I will not run and scream if a loose dog comes near me.
• I will stand very still (like a tree), and will be very quiet if a dog comes near me.
• I will not touch or play with a dog while he or she is eating. 
• I will not touch a dog when he or she is sleeping
• I will only pet a dog if I have received permission from the dog's owner.
• Then I will ask permission of the dog by letting him sniff my closed hand.

 Thanks to the ASPCA.

Bonus: There are activity sheets for children at the bottom of the page.

Putting your hand out to let a dog sniff you, is a good idea if done properly.(And if the dog seems receptive: ears back, excessive licking/smacking, teeth bared, hackles up= back off!)

Keep your hand low, palm down fingers gently curled. (Imagine your hand as a paw.)

Let the dog come to you. Do not approach the dog.

Sudden movements are not a good idea. Move slowly and fluidly. Or better yet don't move.

More great info to greet dogs properly.

More great tips for parents.

And as usual Cesar Millan's site offers fantastic advice: here

Dogs are wonderful, but they are animals. Treat them with respect, and they will do the same for you.

Be safe!

Double The Corgis, Double The Fun...

Over a week ago at work,  a co-worker asked me if I was interested in another corgi. Rasputin and I have argued a bit about a second dog...so at first I brushed it off.

Later I asked her to gets some details about the dog, and I would consider it.

Buddy; aged 3, male, unaltered, loves soccer, not leash trained, never crated, cuddly family dog.

He seems to really like Cici, she isn’t so sure of him. If he gets too close to her face…she backs away nervously.

Cici does get a little jealous of Buddy. She will pout and stare at us as if saying “Well….when the hell does he go back home?”

Things are getting better! Yay!

I don’t think there will be any problems…Cici just needs to get used to living with another dog.

Buddy hadn’t had much experience on a leash…so its interesting to walk him. He is a muscular little bear! We have been on at least one walk a day so far…and he is getting better. He isn’t pulling as much.

Look at those muscular little drumsticks!

For the time being we are crating the dogs. It is for their safety. We want to make sure they can’t get into a tiff while we are gone.

We crated Cici when she was young…but Buddy hasn’t ever been crated. He doesn’t know what to think about it.

On the corgi site I belong to someone send me this advice for two dogs. It was really good advice, and I thought I should share. : )

(Paraphrased for brevity)

"Before the new dog arrives:
Prepare a crate area where he can find refuge and eat in peace.
A separate food dish, leash, collar
Restock 6 bottles of hydrogen peroxide, poop bags
Have a family meeting, get everyone on the same page, finalize house rules, both dogs should be treated equally and should not have special rights.

Practice how to break up a fight safely, your goal is first safety, then retrieve and quarantine. I like to use a can of pennies to startle, an oversize cushion as shield / barrier, lift dog with 4 feet in the air and put in separate rooms immediately. Keep calm at all times, no shouting, no words, no grabbing the collar, focus on retrieve and quarantine. When things have calmed down, regroup and think of an action plan.

On the day of the arrival
Walk the first dog extra long 2 hours before the new dog arrive, drain their energy. Meet the new dog 1-2 mile away from home in a neutral place. At first sight, no sniffing, no greeting, focus on walking one on each side. Walk them home together.

Outside your home
When you arrive outside, let them pee and poop, this is a great time to designate a spot. Keep them on leash and introduce the yard, let him smell every spot, let them take their time.

Enter your home
Human enter first, unleash first dog and let them in first. Keep the new dog on leash and introduce the home, letting him smell everyone room.  Observe leg lifting behavior, discourage immediately, take him out to his spot. Introduce his water area, let him drink, most corgis don't fight over water. Once the house tour is over, take him back out for potty.

Family immersion
It is a great idea to tether the new dog to you, he will learn to follow you and adjust himself to you, a good length will allow him to lay down on his back, make sure the leash is not too long. It is okay for family members to take turns in tethering.

Feeding
Unless the new dog require Rx, feed him the same schedule as the first dog. Separate them, out of sight and interruption, let them eat in peace.

Treating
Always treat them in separate hands at the same time. Don't throw in mid air.

Sleeping
Keep the new dog in a crate for now, until he has proven reliable and trustworthy. [We have deemed this unnecessary due to their mellow temperaments]

While you're out
Keep the new dog in a crate for now, potty train him like a new pup.

Pack order
You may already have a pack order in mind, but most likely it will change with time, let them work it out, just like human family, there will be shouting matches.

Structure
Solidify your daily walk schedule, the new dog will need structure to learn what is expected of him, it will speed up his potty training.

I think having two dogs in the household makes me smile at least a dozen times a day, I always feel like a rock star coming home. Good luck and keep us updated!"

~A big thanks to Sam Tsang, and My Corgi.com~

For more information I recommend:

Basic behavior information.

Cesar’s Way, Cesar Millan's website.

Dog Talk: Training Your Dog Through A Canine Point Of View, by John Ross.

Animals In Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, Temple Grandin, and Catherine Johnson.

Resources for finding a dog:

Dog Town/ Best Friend Animal Society.

Pet Finder