Waterfowl Festival

Went to the Waterfowl Festival that is just down the road from me. Got to listen to duck/goose calls for 4 hours...yep lets say I no longer want to work for the guys on Duck Dynasty (okay I probably still would). 

Anyways, I took the pup because they were having a retrieve competition...which we ended up not entering in because we showed up after it started...opps. 

 

Took him down to the beach...I think he forgives me for not getting him in the competition. 

 

I live 5 minutes from the beach and this is the first time he wasn't a little nervous about doing into the lake...he actually went in willing waiting for me to throw the stick. 

 

Waiting patiently... 

Oh and there was a drawing contest... 

 

I won third place. I'm quite impressed with my drawing skills. Not like I had a whining pup that was over the whole sitting still thing after about 2 minutes. 

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses...

Yep basically being 136 days away from graduation and taking Spring/Summer classes means a busy life. And when I say Spring/Summer classes, really if I fail this class I don't get to graduate in December so lets just say its been my life for the last couple of months...

This is what I have been doing the last couple of weeks.

Work, school, come home sleep, work on project, throw frisbee/balls for Hank while doing whatever I am doing, maybe eat food, sleep some more and repeat.

Seriously guys it took over a month for me to mow my back yard that's how busy I was with everything else, plus my neighbors frown upon me mowing my lawn at my convenience even though when they are mowing theirs I'm trying to sleep. UGH I HATE WORKING SWING SHIFTS!!!

However, this week I finally decided enough was enough and I was going to finish mudding the walls in the living room (got one corner left and the ceiling to do), sand the dining room (half done), remove the old hooks up for the washer and dryer (haven't started), mud the laundry room (first coat on), and paint the hallway (bought the paint).

It's getting there, Hank doesn't make it any easier on me, since he thinks that throwing his whatever he decides to bring me is way more important than what I am doing but I love him so I play with him and work at the same time which means projects take FOREVER!

I also went to the Faster Horses Festival, which was basically a Woodstock for Country music and OMG was it fun. I spent basically 4 days drunk and got to listen to some great music and artist that I love. Oh and there was a huge water slide...

Here are some pictures that have summed up the last couple of weeks of my life...

I worked hard on the 4th of July...I may or may not have gone up on the roof to watch the fireworks.

Made a new fleece tie blanket...someone claimed it as his.

Giant water slide at Faster Horses...

View from the top, I love my LifeProof phone case.

Drank a lot of this...

The most important stuff of the Faster Horses weekend...

"Mom, stop with the pictures and throw the ball!"

I love this picture of my boy, he seriously had that spiderweb and leaf on his nose for 2 hours before I brushed it off. 

Love the InstaWeater app!!! 

He surely does love his tree house.

I promise to try and not be away for so long again.

Over and out,

An Engineer in the Kitchen

Baby Proofing....

No one get excited, not pregnant. Not even trying to get pregnant. I am good for now without babies.

Then you might say well Lyndsey if you don't have any kids and don't plan on having any time soon, why are you baby proofing your house?

Well let me tell you...someone, won't mention any names **cough Hank cough** figured out how to open the kitchen and bathroom cabinets.

After awkwardly spending like 15 minutes in the baby section of Target, this is what I came home with. I bought the locks that go over the knobs on the cabinets, thinking that it would be so easy but not so much. I think the problem is that the knobs are to far apart about 4.5 inches, even though the distance is within the 4.75 inches that the package states, or maybe it's the fact that I put them on the cabinet that the garbage is in and the fact that I have to take the thing off 800 times a day just pisses me off. The inside cabinet locks are much easier then the ones that were in the cabinets previously, I got the spring loaded ones and it takes very little effort to open the cabinets. 

Now I just have to figure out how to lock the lazy susan cabinet that I have. And the bathroom vanity...yeah someone found out where I hide the toilet paper. 

Hopefully he won't figure out how to open the fridge...don't want him to drink all my beer. (I don't actually have any food in my fridge, it's really just beer and alcohol.)

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

A Friendly Reminder...

There was a death in the family this last week...and when I say death it was a uncle's dog that pasted away from eating a pack of gum.

I thought I would post a little reminder because I know a lot of my readers have dogs, that a pack of gum can and will more then likely kill your dog if consumed. This also goes candies and other sugar free foods.

A chemical called, Xylitol, that is used as an artificially sweetener for sugarless gum, candies and food. It can take as much as a TIC-TAC to be lethal. Xylitol causes a dogs sugar level to drop and start seizuring. 

For more information go to petmd.com.

Also I would like to tell you that ONE penny can also kill a dog. The copper causes blood cells to break down.

Over and out,

A Concerned Dog Mama

Roaming Free

Since the day Hank has come home, he has stayed in his kennel. Well because I am lazy and didn't feel like unpacking his kennel, so I decided to give him a chance out of the kennel.

This is what I came home too...

The bedroom door was closed (he knows how to open the door) and the bed was made. Random goodies weren't on bed.

Bathroom door was closed...bathroom sink was not running. Ball might have been there but food containers definitely weren't. 

See that random bits of something on the floor...it was a candle. 

My counters were "clean"...

I have since made sure that EVERYTHING was picked up and put away, and that there is absolutely nothing on the counters. I have left him alone without being in his kennel and he has done better. I still come home to the bedroom door open and the bed messed up but the "destruction" is less.

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

How to Travel with A Dog...

I now consider myself an expert on this subject...I guess after 1064 miles, 6 states and 20 hours in a truck (oh and that was one way). I'm either an expert or crazy. 

I had a great time down in Florida and I would totally do it again. Driving through Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama was just beautiful. 

Here are a couple of tips for traveling with a crazy dog.

• Pet friendly hotels...they are all over the place, make sure you find one. 
• Check for weight limits, yes some say they are pet friendly but only allow pets that weigh up to 20 lbs.
• Bring kennel/crate...its good for safe traveling. Also bring bedding and toys from home as well, it will help keep them calmer with the reminders of home plus keep them entertained. 
• Bring vaccination records, you never know you may need them.
• Remember medication if your dog takes it.
• Make sure identification/microchip information is up to date.
•  I even went as far as put the phone number of my friend that I was visiting on a tag to make sure that if anything was to happen there was another number that could be contacted if I wasn't available. 
• Bring extra dog food. Bring portable water bowl.
• Since I was driving, had the space and keep this food in a storage bin...I took the whole bin. 
• Make stops every couple of hours.
• I stopped every state line and in between as needed. 
• I would recommend don't feed a lot of human food. 
• Hank doesn't get a lot of people food, its limited to fruits, vegetables and meat that I personally have cooked (occasionally he might get crust of bread.)
• Well me not thinking about it, I stopped a couple times at McDonald's and I bought Hank a plain hamburger (just meat and bun). Yeah, he puked later that night...it was disgusting and I learned a little lesson.

I consider myself very very lucky that Hank is very good about going for rides. He literally slept the whole way there. On the way home we hit Ann Arbor (about 1.5 hours from home) and he started getting a little bored. 

My faithful watch dog.

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

He's Special....



When I get to the last couple broken pieces of treats I always give the box to Hank with the treats inside and close the box. It keeps him entertained for a few minutes and usually when he gets all the treats out he still plays with the box...

 

 

 

He got his head stuck in the box...

 

Had to take a couple pictures before I saved the boy.

 

"Mom my head is stuck in the box...stop taking pictures and help me."

 

He is my special little boy.

 

 

Over and out,
A Engineer in The Kitchen

Wordless Wednesday: Go MSU!

It's only natural to have a dog that wears green and white when every one else in the house is wearing green and white.

Then & Now: Hank Turns 1

Hank turned one last Friday and OMG did someone get spoiled...don't judge.

So here are so pictures of the Hanky Panky and maybe a few funny stories.

Hank or commonly know as: Hanky, Hanky Panky, Bud, Munch, Munchkin, or Dude. (Or Tank by people who can't remember his name but remember the "ank" part.)

He was so little, he came home weighing 16lbs...he weighed in on Monday at 72lb. 

Ironically, we still have that Frisbee...

"This looks yummy..." I had a few flowers that bloomed in the beginning of May, by the second week of May I had to more flowers/plants. 

On of my favorite pictures of Hank, that rope at the time was longer then him. The rope no longer exist.

He's always been so helpful with chores around the house.

Yeah, he's pretty much that spoiled.

In July we took him to Silver Lake Sand Dunes. At first I was a little nervous how he would react to that noise and commotion, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it didn't even phase him. He just sat and watched the trucks/dirt bikes/quad runners go by.  

During that same trip he did a lot of digging holes and sunbathing. 

First time swimming was in Lake Michigan! 

Just watching people go by on the beach. He rode in the truck like a champ, I even did a little dune riding with him riding shotgun. 

Sometimes he makes doing chores a little harder...

"Ummm, Mom I think the house exploded...I didn't do it."

Chillin' in the backyard. 

His first fall. 

For his first Halloween he was a Hankarous...he didn't really like me putting the head part of the costume on him. I'm pretty sure if he had his way, he would have destroyed the whole thing.

Hank and his girlfriend, Remmy, these two are crazy together. I don't think crazy is even the right word...they are no stop from wrestling, running and playing machines when together. 

Hank's first Christmas! He got to see Santa at the local mall. 

There were some squeaker toys in this stocking...he was more entertained by chewing on this stocking then actually trying to get them out.

He was pretty spoiled for Christmas.

For news year we went running in the swamp behind my dads house. At this point I am trying to figure out what he has...(it's not a stick!)

Right about now I realize he had a deer leg. When I finally got him to leave the deer leg alone, he went back into the swamp...he then brought me the rest (or what was left) of the deer. 

Yep, he is that spoiled. 

It's been a fun and crazy year but I can't wait for the years to come.

Over and out, 

A Engineer in the Kitchen