Tag Archives: bringing up bella

It’s raining cats and dogs (and awesome blogs)!

Posted on by
5

Well, a new month is upon us, which means that it’s time for another monthly roundup. In light of the fact that it’s an April roundup, let’s just say I’m showering you with some awesome blog posts. No umbrella needed. Without further ado, here are some of my favorite posts from the last month:

  1. The worst thing my dog destroyed was… from No Dog About It – This post had me strolling down Memory Lane, remembering when my childhood pup Scotti demonstrated what she thought of my reading choices.
  2. The Joys of Stupid Dogs from Doggies and Stuff – I mean, I’m not saying Bella’s stupid… but she’s not really very smart. Remember the treat test?
  3. Random Thoughts from Basset Momma – A fantastic twist on the “this is your brain on drugs” thing from back in the day.
  4. Why You Should Never Use Your Daughter’s Favorite Stuffed Animal as a Dog Prop from My Brown Newfies – A good (and hilarious) lesson for us all.
  5. Dogs in the Movies from under the blanket – These posters are just too cool.
  6. You Can’t Do That! Oh Yeah? Watch Me! from Something Wagging This Way Comes – My new mantra: be the St. Bernard.
  7. Doggy Style Pick-Up Lines, also from Something Wagging – Hilarity doesn’t even begin to describe this one. (Pamela, you need to stop being so awesome. Actually… don’t.)
  8. January is Train Your Dog Month from Bringing Up Bella – Yes, it’s from April. Yes, it’s fantastic. (Bonus points for the perfectly chosen soundtrack.)
  9. You call me a Pit Bull like it’s a bad thing from Oh, Corbin – This post is just plain fantastic.
Gratuitous Bellaface!

And here are nine more!

  1. The Optimism of Cats and Dogs from Life with Sampson and Delilah – I love this story. I can picture it all playing out, as clear as day.
  2. Blog the Change: The Kindness of a Stranger from Kol’s Notes – A truly inspirational post.
  3. Be a Billboard for a Good Cause from Daley’s Dog Years – This post inspired me to purchase a shirt. That’s how good it is. (Seriously though – an adorable shirt and spreading a good message? You can’t beat that.)
  4. Cute Welsh Corgis and Guys in Ties from Chronicles of Cardigan – Sounds like a good combo to me.
  5. This is why I don’t travel with family from Pawcurious – This one cracked me up, especially the reference to Dr. Google. I can’t seem to break up with that guy. He’s like a bad boyfriend.
  6. Video Monday: If  you were a dog toy from Grouchy Puppy – Although now I am channeling Beyonce and singing “If I were a boy,” this video has nothing to do with that.
  7. The Top Ten Reasons Why Dog Teens are Better than Human Teens from Arwen’s Pack – Redirecting a sullen teenager using a squeaky toy? If only…
  8. Cats in Space from Bunny’s Blog – You know I love any excuse to reference [insert noun here]… in… space!
  9. Dog Song Saturday: Songs of the Dog Walker from Talking Dogs – You can’t go wrong with this one. (However, I will never be able to reference Wayne Brady without thinking of this moment.)
Did I miss any of your favorites? Share them in the comments!
For previous monthly roundups, click here.
Share

Many marvelous musings from the month of March

Posted on by
Reply
It’s time for another monthly roundup… in no particular order, here are seventeen marvelous musings I enjoyed in the month of March:
  1. The hag in the bag gets tagged from Little Dogs on Long Leashes – I bow down to the Seussian brilliance of this post.
  2. Wherein Dewi and I Interpret the Sick-in-Bed Moaning Scene from When Harry Met Sally from The Chronicles of Cardigan – I don’t even have words.  This post is made of hilarity.
  3. Mall Hair from Raising a Super Dog – As a former concessions jockey at a small-town movie theater, this post spoke to me.  (Our popcorn was not pre-popped, though refilling the “butter” was enough to put me off it for life.)
  4. Life with Cush Dogs – Guest Blog Post from Talking Dogs – Something I’ve often pondered, but never had a term for…
  5. Do you have dreams for your dog? from Something Wagging – To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, you can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get exactly what (and who) you need.
  6. In Search of Spring from The (mis)Adventures of Sage – This one is technically from February, but I fell far behind on my blog reading and didn’t actually read it until March.  However, the photos made me smile!
  7. Some Days You Just Want to Watch a Cute Video from Bunny’s Blog – I totally agree.
  8. The Eye Drop Rodeo from Tales and Tails – Anyone else remember when Rachel hated her eye drops on Friends?  That’s all I could think of while reading this post.
  9. Favorite Video Friday – Let’s Go to The Dog Park! from No Dog About It – You just have to smile when you watch this dog’s eye view of the dog park.
  10. Dog a Day Project – Famous Last Words from Doggie Stylish – Haven’t we all said this one to a pup from time to time?
  11. Summoning Charms from jodistone – I had to share this post. It involves both Harry Potter and irresistibly cute pups!
  12. Dog People from under the blanket – These are just too much fun.
  13. Wordless Wednesday 31 – 14 Years in 4 Minutes from Bringing up Bella – This one made me cry, but in that good way. Then it made me bust out my own photo albums for a stroll down Memory Lane.
  14. bambino vs fido: on loving dogs less from Fido & Wino – A thoughtful post about love and change, and realizing that change doesn’t necessarily mean less love.
  15. A Bedtime Fairytale from Kol’s Notes – The drawings are genius. Genius, I tell you.
  16. Life Without A Dog is No Life For Me from Rescued Insanity – The title says it all, don’t you think?
  17. How Dogs Read Us, Part I from Will My Dog Hate Me? – Fascinating. (The next installment appeared in April, but I’ll share it as a bonus anyway. Here’s Part II.)
These are a bit skewed towards the beginning of the month, as I fell behind on my reading. So there’s the possibility of some March posts on April’s list. (Apparently this is my pattern – see #6 above.) I get to make the rules, right?

Anyway, if you missed my earlier monthly roundups, check out my favorites from February and the ones I loved in January. If that’s still not enough links for you (in which case, I bow before your capacity for linkitude), you can always check out my Friday linkathons for more.Did I miss any of your favorite posts from March? Share them in the comments!

Share

Fifteen favorites from February

Posted on by
Reply

Last month, I did a post cataloging a few of my favorite posts from January.  I shared eight posts.  I’m back with another installment, and as you can see, the numbers have increased.  I didn’t mean for it to happen – but before I knew it, I had eleven or twelve posts on my list.  At that point, the nerd in me decided to aim for some alliteration… so I thought I’d share fourteen.  Of course, somehow I ended up with fifteen instead.  I could have added more, but the next number that would have allowed for such alliteration would be fifty.  Consider yourself lucky.

Anyway, in no particular order, here are fifteen favorites from February…

  1. Dad’s take: A songwriter’s muse from Love and a Six-Foot Leash – You know I can’t resist anything involving song parodies.
  2. Influence Positively Interview: Faith Maloney from Grouchy Puppy – Fantastic interview with one of the founders of Best Friends Animal Society.
  3. The House of Special Needs Dogs from No Dog About It – This one is technically from January, but I didn’t read it until February, so it still counts.
  4. Turning Fear into Understanding from Rescued Insanity – A thought-provoking piece (and thoughtful comments) about fear and judgment.
  5. A Confession on Bias from Back Alley Soapbox – In that same vein, here are some fantastic meditations on jerks, dogs, and Jon Hamm.
  6. The Ugly and the Adorable from under the blanket – A wonderfully whimsical collection of photos.  I can’t get enough.
  7. A Valentine’s Message from Cali… from The Daily Dog Blog – Speaking of photos, I just loved this one!
  8. Harry PAWter from PupLove – Words cannot explain how much I want to recreate this photo shoot.
  9. Notes from Home from Bringing Up Bella – Putting things into perspective…
  10. Tennyson Obviously Didn’t Have a Dog from Something Wagging – Drowning in dog hair?  Never fear!
  11. Forgotten Language from Tales and Tails – I’m a big Shel Silverstein fan, so this one definitely had to make the list.
  12. I Want to Be One of My Dogs from Twenty-Six to Life – I’ll take “phrases often said by members of my family” for $200, Alex, along with “if I’m reincarnated, I hope I come back as a dog in this family.”
  13. 10 Simple ways to Show Kindness in the Dog World by Rescued Insanity – Simple ways to have a much more wonderful (dog) world.
  14. Dog a Day Project – Tastes Like Chicken by Doggie Stylish – This one reminded me of Bella and her goose.
  15. Verona: Shakespeare, History, and A Lot of Dogs from Bicontinental Dachshund – These are a few of my favorite things (and I’ve always wanted to go to Italy).
As you’re probably aware by now, my linkaholism knows no bounds.  You can find many other great posts I’ve enjoyed in my usual Friday linkathons.
Did I miss any of your favorites?  Share them in the comments!
Share

8 posts I loved this month

Posted on by
Reply

I vowed to post every day in the month of January.  I’m pleasantly surprised to report that I did so (with the exception of one day for the SOPA blackout – and I’m pretty sure that one counts as an excused absence).

I don’t know if I’ll continue to post daily – it was a lot of pressure!  However, I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to take a look back at the month and share a few posts that I thought were really fantastic.

In no particular order, here are eight posts that I really enjoyed this month.  I hope you’ll swing by and read them.

  1. Homeland Security Systems from Tales & Tails – If you’re troubled by trespassers, Tales & Tails has a solution for you.
  2. A is for Adoption (yay!) from Peggy’s Pet Place – A great post about adoption (yay!) that just made me smile.
  3. 5 Ways Dogs Save the World – From the Sublime to the Ridiculous from Something Wagging This Way Comes – “So give your pooch a smooch. And thank her for protecting us from a postapocalyptic hell the likes of which have never been seen on earth.”  With a line like that, it had to make the list!
  4. When we don’t see eye to eye from Love and a Six-Foot Leash – Before you judge, read this post.  Seriously.
  5. Positive Advertising with a Dash of Newf from Rescued Insanity – This video is guaranteed to make you smile.
  6. If You Could Ask One Thing from Rescued Insanity – If you could ask your dog one question, what would it be?  (I couldn’t decide between this one and #5, so they both made the list.)
  7. Porcupines, Fawns and Turkeys – A Winter Woodland Celebration from This One Wild Life – The conclusion to a trio of posts that celebrate nature in all its glory, read this post when you need that moment of Zen.
  8. Saturday’s Dog: Celebrating the Wins by Bringing Up Bella – Need a reason to smile?  Check out these dogs that found their forever homes.
Obviously, I’m a linkaholic.  I also wanted to note that I enjoyed way more than eight posts this month, and you can find links to many of those in my regular Friday posts. 

What posts did you love this month?  Share them in the comments!

Share

Updated: The red carpet? It’s covered in dog hair.

Posted on by
43

This brave confession over at Something Wagging has inspired me to come clean as well – I’m an awards slacker.  When it comes to blogging awards, I’m deeply appreciative but supremely lazy.  That ends today.

I have two awards (from three four sources) to pass along today.  I decided to give myself a bit of a challenge, and imposed a rule of my own on the proceedings.  If I’ve ever given you an award in the past (this includes instances in which I cheated and just turned the spotlight on those fantastic bloggers who gave me an award), I decided to deem you ineligible for this particular round of awards. I thought it would be fun to shine the spotlight on some new faces and spaces.

Ready?  Here we go…

First up, the Kreativ Blogger award, which I received from my pals at Kol’s Notes, Bringing Up Bella and A Filly’s Best Friend.  A huge thank you to allof them for passing this award along to me – they’re all absolutely fantastic and I encourage you to pay them a visit and say so.  (Go.  Don’t make me “encourage” you with a baseball bat to the virtual kneecap.  Seriously. Don’t get on my bad side.)

Anyway, the rules of this award require me to share a few things about myself.  According to Kol’s Notes, I should share 7 things, and according to Bringing Up Bella and A Filly’s Best Friend, I should share 10.  (I long ago accepted that the evolution of blog awards is akin to a game of telephone.)  I’m splitting the difference and will share 8.5 things about myself:

  1. I cringed multiple times when typing Kreativ.  I can’t help it.  I’m a nerd and misspelled words bug me even when they’re misspelled on purpose.
  2. When I was a kid, I desperately wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up.  That did not pan out.
  3. I own a blanket with a photo of Bella on it.  She’s gigantic.  I could imagine it scaring small children, but I love it.  (It was a gift from the in-laws, who indulge my love of puppies.)
  4. My favorite food is grilled cheese, and I often dream of a world where this restaurant has a location near my house.  (That place is delicious.)
  5. I love puzzles and am currently addicted to the latest Professor Layton game for Nintendo DS.  (If you are a puzzle-holic like me, you should definitely check this series out.)
  6. According to my iPod, the most played song is “Bloodstream” by Stateless.
  7. That song is the most played because I listened to it way too much after it appeared on The Vampire Diaries in 2010.  (The fact that it remains in the top spot on my iPod almost two years later should give you an idea of just how much I played it back then.)
  8. Contrary to what numbers 4 through 7 may suggest, I am not a teenager, nor was I one in 2010.  I haven’t been a teenager in a long time.  (Bonus half fact: I’m officially old enough to star in Thirtysomething, a show that I have never actually watched.)
Now, the fun part –  I get to pass the award along to other bloggers.  I’m passing it along to 8 creative bloggers that I truly enjoy. They’re all creative in different ways.  I hope you’ll pay them a visit and discover how.  You won’t regret it.

Up next, I’m going to pass on the Pawsome Blog Award, courtesy of Roxy the Traveling Dog.  A huge thank you for sharing this award with me!

(Also, that earlier virtual kneecap threat applies… get on over there, buddy.)

The one seems to be light on the rules, other than to give it to blogs you love.  With that in mind, I’m passing it on to these eight blogs:

There’s truly something special about each and every one of those blogs – I hope you’ll take the time to visit and discover the awesomeness.

Whew. I’m all out of awards, so I shall take my leave of you now.  (Anyone else start singing “I’m all out of love… I’m so lost without you” after reading the first clause of that sentence?  No? Um, neither did I.)  Until tomorrow, my friends…

Share

22 things that made me smile in 2011

Posted on by
25

‘Tis the time for reminiscing about 2011…

Last year, I shared some of my favorite posts from this blog.  This year, I’ve decided to stop the navel gazing (until the Pet Blogger Challenge later this month, of course) and highlight some of my favorite posts from other bloggers.  (Thanks to Mel from the No Dog About It blog for the inspiration.)

It’s a tough task, actually. There is a ton of great content out there in the pet blogging community.

The posts below all have one thing in common – they make me laugh or smile (one of those really big smiles).  There are many beautiful, touching, and thought-provoking posts that touched my heart this year. However, today I felt like aiming for tears of laughter or joy rather than the other kind.  Hope you don’t mind.

It was a long year. I’m sure there are some others I adored that slipped my mind when writing this post.  (Perhaps one of my 2012 resolutions should be to do a better job of keeping track of my favorite posts. You may notice that this list skews toward the more recent entries.)  In no particular order, here are 22 posts I loved this year…

  1. My Most Embarrassing Dog Moment from My Brown Newfies – I have no words. Just go read it.
  2. The Puppiness Project – Everything’s Better with Puppies from Something Wagging This Way Comes – With a title like that, how could this post not make my list?
  3. 10 Pictures of Dogs Reading Books from Doggie Stylish- I love dogs. I love books. I love this post.
  4. Favorite Video Friday – Stella’s Shasta Adventure from No Dog About It – I don’t know how Mel finds so many great videos.  However, I still watch this one when I just need a moment of Zen.
  5. (Viewing this may cause extreme joy) More Happy Pets! Part I from The Chronicles of Cardigan – It really did cause extreme joy. Extreme.
  6. Adopting Beelzebub: A Beast of a Bird? from This One Wild Life – An adoption story that warmed the cockles of my heart.
  7. 17 Things Bella Has Stolen from Bringing up Bella – I’m kind of glad my Bella only hoards socks.
  8. Spam Saturday: Amazing Products, Thrilling Occasions, Thanks-a-Mundo! from Will My Dog Hate Me – This post is masterwork. Go put the lime in the coconut and drink it up, okay?
  9. 32 Simple Things You Do That Matter To Dogs from Peggy’s Pet Place- More warming for those cockles.
  10. Dog a Day Project – Why I Don’t Have Kids from Doggie Stylish – I’m just going to start replying to everyone who asks me when I’m going to have children by emailing them a link to this post. (Don’t get me wrong – I don’t know what the future holds. However, I tend to think people should mind their own beeswax and stop asking.)
  11. 5 Reasons Puppies are Easier Than Kids from Smart Dog – A perfect companion to the Doggie Stylish post. 
  12. She Who Cannot Be Trusted from Postpartum Paradise – A toddler, a dog, and adventures in unconventional (and unsanctioned) grooming.  See? I can appreciate posts involving kids!
  13. Senior Dogs: Appreciate, Don’t Discriminate from Grouchy Puppy – This one is actually a guest post that Sharon from Grouchy Puppy contributed to this blog. I just love the message.
  14. The Mystery of Burt’s Bees from Tales and Tails – Or, as I like to think of it, “how to collect puppy kisses in one easy step.”
  15. Dogs in International Costumes: Bone Voyage! from Will My Dog Hate Me – Just because.
  16. Drunken Master IV:  Canine Fu from Rescued Insanity – A funny tale of DWWI (Dog Walking While Intoxicated).
  17. For Woofing Out Loud from Kol’s Notes – In case you’ve ever wondered if your dog thinks you’re as funny as you think you are… the answer is apparently no.
  18. 15 Ways to Tell if You’re Dog Crazy from Something Wagging This Way Comes – Just a genius post, and, well… it’s funny ’cause it’s true. This post inspired me to start that whole dog song parody series of posts. 
  19. Pinterest Tuesday – Dogs Making Messes from Two Little Cavaliers – The cutest kind of mess is the kind that I don’t have to clean up.
  20. Chinese Takeout = Bad Dog Parenting from Life With Desmond – Speaking of messes… wondering if something is trash or treasure? Just ask the dog.
  21. Dressing Up Dogs at Holidays from Grouchy Puppy – I just love this creative take on the antler photo.
  22. From the DDY Digs Desk from Daley’s Dog Years – I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m including this post partly because of the Ryan Gosling photo.

Why 22?  I have no idea. I feel like this list could have gone on forever (for example, I wanted to include a post from BZ Training, but I just couldn’t pick a favorite photo shoot, so I’m cheating and linking to the whole blog here). Finally, I just held an intervention for myself, cut myself off, and sent myself to list-making rehab.  
What was your favorite pet blog post of 2011?
Share