The Dog House
Our pets, companion animals, however we describe them, they are a part of our family. Many new families have "furbabies" or "furkids" and these members of the family have integral parts of our lives. Pet owners on Long Island and in NYC are thinking of their pets when they buy pet furniture such as that described in the Newsday article entitled, Pet Chic by Carol Polsky in today's paper.
Find it here:
http://www.newsday.com/features/printedition/ny-hocov4870351aug31,0,4034708.story
At Pet Fashion Week, I found an amazing array of pet beds out there ranging from the simple plush bed to extravagant pieces of furniture that were finely crafted and would make any interior designer go "Oooooh." I myself allow Katie up on the furniture. She sits wherever she pleases but like the pretty princess that she is, or not, she will most often choose the simple comfort of our beautiful hardwood floor. It's really great to see her lying there sleeping soundly or running in her sleep. She will basically sleep anywhere so long as she is close to one member of the family. She will park herself right below me on the carpet of my office, just to be near me while I'm tappity tapping away at my blog. I will in fact get Katie a pet bed someday but for now, she sleeps on several of my throw rugs that I've piled up in her corner. It's like an elevated bed for her and she likes it just fine.
Nice comment in the article there by Susan Bartholomew from Zoomies.
The truth of the matter is that pet owners are spending more on their dogs, cats, birds, fish, anything that keeps company has become really important. Was this a natural progression? I'm sure. This is an important part of survival. Animals all stick together for the most part in packs or herd or flocks or gaggles. It keeps us alive. We need each other. So why not spend some more on your family member if you can. We all deserve a little pampering once in a while and that's a good thing.
I gotta think bigger
I'm starting to need to rev up my production. With business happily chugging along, the orders piling in slowly but like little soldiers, it's lining up and I will need more help. I've thought about enlisting students from the local trade schools. These are some really bright kids but I think I'm going to just try to revamp my efficiency and work on my little assemblyline for now. I've organized a lot of my packing and the treat making itself is like a finely choreographed dance. For those who have seen me dance, stop laughing. No really. Stop.
The treats look good though. That's what counts right? And Katie is still following me around for one of the "Big Dudes". Give it a rest girl. You'll get one soon. If somebody just read the last three sentences, I don't know what they'd think. No wait, I do.
What are my products?
They are treats, yes, but they are healthy so is that food? My father was just talking about my business and kept saying, "dog food this and dog food that." But really, it's food but it's not food. It isn't essential and it isn't going to be giving the dogs everything they need but there are healthy components to it. So is it a supplement? Not really. But it is healthy. Notice, I keep coming back to that part. I'm not sure. I'm planning on consulting a few vets for their opinions when I have time. Ha! When will THAT be? When my cake orders calm down I guess.
My fake cake
I've been asked by stores to build a fake cake to be placed in the storefront for orders. So, what did I do? I went and looked it up online and built one. Actually I built six but they all look different and are made of different things. Do bakeries do this too? Not the one in my neighborhood. My old time Italian bakery which I adored since childhood has always had fresh cakes baked on premises and they have been my cake for birthdays, graduations, celebrations all my life. How do they do it? I'll have to figure that out when I start my own little bakery someday. Oh, but back to my fake cakes...they are heavy! I built them out of wood and plaster and it's a big old block of fake cake. Unbelievable. I'm so glad I don't have to ship it. That would be a lot. But it does look good enough to eat. That's cool.
I gotta go bake for this afternoon's Love on a Leash Parade. That will be so much fun. I'm bringing my camera. I can't wait. Plus, Katie will get to meet some dogs in the Hamptons.
I'll bring back some photos from it.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Denise Flaim Article about Katrina Dogs
There was a recent article in Newsday about the dogs that were rescued from Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. This is a sad reality. There is so much controversy here. I can see where the owner would definitely want to reclaim their dog but then the adopters side is that some of these dogs really were sick and not well cared for at all. These adopters took on the responsibility to rescue this dog, pay for these medical bills and help to make the dog healthy again, and now the original owners want to take back their dogs. Maybe we could chock some of it up to ignorance. Not all dog owners are very bright. Some are just loving people but again, not too smart. So they may very well buy a dog or adopt a dog from a shelter and then not realize that they have to take care of the dog with regular medication and physicals each year. We all could be a little more tolerant of each other but also encourage each other to do the right thing. If there were government assistance programs that would allow people some coverage for their pet care should they need it, like a grant that would help people who have lost their jobs or had a death in the family to keep their dog's care costs at a reasonable level, we might have something good to work with. There are free clinics though. There are vets that are so kind and so generous you wonder why medical doctors were not more like them. (I'll tell you why, medical doctors have to deal with malpractice every day. Whereas, I'm not really sure exactly how many lawsuits arise that are related to veterinary malpractice.) But anyhow, I do feel for both parties involved. I won't take a stand on this issue because I believe that each case is different and perhaps it should be decided by a judge if it comes down to it. Yes, it is important to have the finances to be able to care for your pet properly but do we not honor that story about "Tiny Tim?" (Is that totally off the wall as a reference?) Love is worth so very much but well, food is important, heartworm pills are important and being humane is very important. Not every rich guy or family is loving and caring and will provide the attention to a dog. Not every poor or lower middle class family is either. It's a hard decision. I'd hate to be the judge for these types of cases. How can you sleep at night?
Spam has a totally different meaning now
My love for Wikkipedia grows each day. Last night, I had the pleasure of looking up the term "Spam" because I was accused of spamming a dog forum. Ugh. I actually WAS and didn't even know it. I do apologize to all those folks out there who do know and hate SPAM. I even found this interesting site that explains the evil of what I had done. Now I understand the difference and what they mean by the evil "Spam." But I didn't think that mentioning that I had started my business was such a bad thing. I wasn't advertising, I was just saying. It's strange. There are so many rules now and I guess we all have to do the right thing and educate each other huh? I didn't really appreciate that email saying, "WE WILL BAN YOU FROM THIS FORUM IF YOU DON'T STOP SPAMMING!" (What they really wanted to say was, "STOP YOUR &^^%$$&@@! SPAMMING YOU STUPID SPAMMER!" I think that admin people have to consider the fact that if one is a "puppy" to a site and new at this, you don't have to smack them on the nose with a newspaper. Cesar Millan would agree on that, I'm sure. Anyhow, I've learned my lesson. I was bad so I'm off to the corner to sit and think about my bad behavior.
http://spam.abuse.net/marketerhelp/
I always thought of Spam as that funky pink squishy loaf of mystery meat from Hawaii. I grew up on Spam. We had Spam sandwiches, fried Spam for breakfast, Spam and cheese, Spam on toast, Spam and rice, the list goes on...I am a Spam expert. Of course, I don't eat it much anymore if at all because I just cannot handle the salt but I hear they make low sodium Spam now so maybe my childhood memories can be rekindled.
Oh yeah, would be wrong of me not to lead you to the site that so kindly educated me on the various definitions of SPAM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam
I love Wikkipedia...I love it;) I read it almost every day and learn something new every day.
Treats and timing of eating
I was watching a morning news show recently, I think it was NBC's Today show and they were standing around cooking something very delicious, fish I think. It was about 9AM and the lady commentator was saying, "I'd love to try some but I just can't eat right now." This made me think about all those people out there who bring their dogs over to try our treats at parties and then when the dog doesn't want to try it, they say, "OH! HE/SHE DOESN'T LIKE IT!" Yeah...Lumberg would agree. Yeah, no. See, it's the same concept. I don't eat a cheeseburger at 5AM because I just don't feel like it. I love cheeseburgers. I would be hard pressed to refuse one if offered to me at say, LUNCHTIME or DINNER. I speak in caps and it's annoying me too so I'll stop...but truly, I've learned to tell people to perhaps consider taking the treat home with them, give it to their dog when their dog is relaxed and perhaps, hungry? I dunno...I mean it might be a good way of eating, "Eat when you are hungry." Snacks also. "Snack when you are hungry." Eat in moderation. If your dog is not eating, he's just not hungry. Dogs eat a lot but they also know when they aren't hungry. Well, most dogs know when they are not hungry. Some dogs, like some people, eat until they're sick. They often say after a huge, gi-normous meal, "ohhhhh...I'm sick!" As if this surprises them that they ate 3 lbs of chicken breast on a salad and now they are sick? "But I ATE a SALAD!" Yeah, a mega salad that could feed a town maybe?! I am just ranting now. It's too early for ranting. My point, bring the treat home if your buddy is not interested because you might see them eating it and enjoying it in the peace of their own home. It's like eating while standing up. Nobody WANTS to eat at a counter but we are forced to eat that way because of time constraints, crowds, whatever...it's not the ideal eating setting at all is what I say.
I love a good puppy photo
I came across this in my email and I love it! Check out this one, the huskie is just so sweet and adorable you just want to cuddle him all day.
http://pets.aol.com/galleries/puppies
Day 4 of frozen pupcake log...doing well. They are still looking good, yummy and Katie is going to get one today. She's sleeping now. I'll treat her later.
Don't forget to vote for the best book for the Quill Awards
You know I picked Marley and Me by John Grogan.
http://www.nbc4.com/thequills/index.html
I never thought I'd see something like this. Again, a Wikkipedia magical tidbit of trivial wonder. I love useless pieces of information to clutter up the mind but did you know that the guy that created E.T. is the same guy that write the "Walter the Farting Dog" series of books? Amazing.
Check out my little Wikki link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kotzwinkle
I scour the web for treat jars that might be cool in someone's kitchen and I found this cool site.
They have Betty Boop jars, Beatles Jars, jars that are shaped like a chef or like cars, it's unique and interesting stuff. I like that.
http://cookiejarcollectibles.com/dalmation_cookie_jar.htm
There was a recent article in Newsday about the dogs that were rescued from Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. This is a sad reality. There is so much controversy here. I can see where the owner would definitely want to reclaim their dog but then the adopters side is that some of these dogs really were sick and not well cared for at all. These adopters took on the responsibility to rescue this dog, pay for these medical bills and help to make the dog healthy again, and now the original owners want to take back their dogs. Maybe we could chock some of it up to ignorance. Not all dog owners are very bright. Some are just loving people but again, not too smart. So they may very well buy a dog or adopt a dog from a shelter and then not realize that they have to take care of the dog with regular medication and physicals each year. We all could be a little more tolerant of each other but also encourage each other to do the right thing. If there were government assistance programs that would allow people some coverage for their pet care should they need it, like a grant that would help people who have lost their jobs or had a death in the family to keep their dog's care costs at a reasonable level, we might have something good to work with. There are free clinics though. There are vets that are so kind and so generous you wonder why medical doctors were not more like them. (I'll tell you why, medical doctors have to deal with malpractice every day. Whereas, I'm not really sure exactly how many lawsuits arise that are related to veterinary malpractice.) But anyhow, I do feel for both parties involved. I won't take a stand on this issue because I believe that each case is different and perhaps it should be decided by a judge if it comes down to it. Yes, it is important to have the finances to be able to care for your pet properly but do we not honor that story about "Tiny Tim?" (Is that totally off the wall as a reference?) Love is worth so very much but well, food is important, heartworm pills are important and being humane is very important. Not every rich guy or family is loving and caring and will provide the attention to a dog. Not every poor or lower middle class family is either. It's a hard decision. I'd hate to be the judge for these types of cases. How can you sleep at night?
Spam has a totally different meaning now
My love for Wikkipedia grows each day. Last night, I had the pleasure of looking up the term "Spam" because I was accused of spamming a dog forum. Ugh. I actually WAS and didn't even know it. I do apologize to all those folks out there who do know and hate SPAM. I even found this interesting site that explains the evil of what I had done. Now I understand the difference and what they mean by the evil "Spam." But I didn't think that mentioning that I had started my business was such a bad thing. I wasn't advertising, I was just saying. It's strange. There are so many rules now and I guess we all have to do the right thing and educate each other huh? I didn't really appreciate that email saying, "WE WILL BAN YOU FROM THIS FORUM IF YOU DON'T STOP SPAMMING!" (What they really wanted to say was, "STOP YOUR &^^%$$&@@! SPAMMING YOU STUPID SPAMMER!" I think that admin people have to consider the fact that if one is a "puppy" to a site and new at this, you don't have to smack them on the nose with a newspaper. Cesar Millan would agree on that, I'm sure. Anyhow, I've learned my lesson. I was bad so I'm off to the corner to sit and think about my bad behavior.
http://spam.abuse.net/marketerhelp/
I always thought of Spam as that funky pink squishy loaf of mystery meat from Hawaii. I grew up on Spam. We had Spam sandwiches, fried Spam for breakfast, Spam and cheese, Spam on toast, Spam and rice, the list goes on...I am a Spam expert. Of course, I don't eat it much anymore if at all because I just cannot handle the salt but I hear they make low sodium Spam now so maybe my childhood memories can be rekindled.
Oh yeah, would be wrong of me not to lead you to the site that so kindly educated me on the various definitions of SPAM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam
I love Wikkipedia...I love it;) I read it almost every day and learn something new every day.
Treats and timing of eating
I was watching a morning news show recently, I think it was NBC's Today show and they were standing around cooking something very delicious, fish I think. It was about 9AM and the lady commentator was saying, "I'd love to try some but I just can't eat right now." This made me think about all those people out there who bring their dogs over to try our treats at parties and then when the dog doesn't want to try it, they say, "OH! HE/SHE DOESN'T LIKE IT!" Yeah...Lumberg would agree. Yeah, no. See, it's the same concept. I don't eat a cheeseburger at 5AM because I just don't feel like it. I love cheeseburgers. I would be hard pressed to refuse one if offered to me at say, LUNCHTIME or DINNER. I speak in caps and it's annoying me too so I'll stop...but truly, I've learned to tell people to perhaps consider taking the treat home with them, give it to their dog when their dog is relaxed and perhaps, hungry? I dunno...I mean it might be a good way of eating, "Eat when you are hungry." Snacks also. "Snack when you are hungry." Eat in moderation. If your dog is not eating, he's just not hungry. Dogs eat a lot but they also know when they aren't hungry. Well, most dogs know when they are not hungry. Some dogs, like some people, eat until they're sick. They often say after a huge, gi-normous meal, "ohhhhh...I'm sick!" As if this surprises them that they ate 3 lbs of chicken breast on a salad and now they are sick? "But I ATE a SALAD!" Yeah, a mega salad that could feed a town maybe?! I am just ranting now. It's too early for ranting. My point, bring the treat home if your buddy is not interested because you might see them eating it and enjoying it in the peace of their own home. It's like eating while standing up. Nobody WANTS to eat at a counter but we are forced to eat that way because of time constraints, crowds, whatever...it's not the ideal eating setting at all is what I say.
I love a good puppy photo
I came across this in my email and I love it! Check out this one, the huskie is just so sweet and adorable you just want to cuddle him all day.
http://pets.aol.com/galleries/puppies
Day 4 of frozen pupcake log...doing well. They are still looking good, yummy and Katie is going to get one today. She's sleeping now. I'll treat her later.
Don't forget to vote for the best book for the Quill Awards
You know I picked Marley and Me by John Grogan.
http://www.nbc4.com/thequills/index.html
I never thought I'd see something like this. Again, a Wikkipedia magical tidbit of trivial wonder. I love useless pieces of information to clutter up the mind but did you know that the guy that created E.T. is the same guy that write the "Walter the Farting Dog" series of books? Amazing.
Check out my little Wikki link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kotzwinkle
I scour the web for treat jars that might be cool in someone's kitchen and I found this cool site.
They have Betty Boop jars, Beatles Jars, jars that are shaped like a chef or like cars, it's unique and interesting stuff. I like that.
http://cookiejarcollectibles.com/dalmation_cookie_jar.htm
Monday, August 28, 2006
Lassie come home!
I never saw the original Lassie. I feel like I'm lucky that I scraped by with the "Must see" list of movies and did fortunately see E.T. Otherwise I'd join the ranks of those scorned by all. The look of dismay and disbelief clouding their faces as they say, "You've never seen...yadayada?!" Yes, it's true. I've never seen Lassie's original movie. What kind of dog lover am I?! Yes, goodness I am really a faker. I love dogs but I'm not a real dog movie lover. I like the reality of a dog, the dirty, fun, slobbering, hair shedding everywhere life of being a real live dog owner/companion. Well, I think the whole terminology of being a dog owner is truly alright. I know there are people out there IRL who think that the term "dog owner" is poorly stated and truly, we are companions to our animals. But actually, I purchased Katie. And as sad as it may seem, I do own her. She owns me too though and in my heart I will always know that.
I gotta go stock up on some Kleenex before I see this movie. I know I will love it and I will probably go see it alone. Coming soon, September 1, 2006 opening.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14559203/
For another review, check out this one:
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=316519
Uh oh, this site is something to see.
http://www.lassie.net/
I opened up the site just to see what it was about and that music just came pouring through my laptop. I practically sobbed right there listening to that sad wistful tune. It's haunting I tell you.
Hey wait a minute...
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=28268
Alright, I needed to know more about the whole Lassie story. I always did wonder why male dogs had been cast as Lassie. Well, apparently female dogs shed a lot when they are in heat and so the directors could not cast a female dog because of that unsightly truth. Hmpf. I'm sure that Timmy would have loved Lassie anyway despite her mood swings and hairlessness.
I had to quote this guy from a NYT article,
“They’re too smart to jump through hoops the way those dumb dolphins do,” he said. (Dr. Domning of Howard said this in ths article:)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/science/29mana.html?hp&ex=1156824000&en=c0eaeb3c6996fa02&ei=5094&partner=homepage
This is a fascinating article about Manatees that brought to mind a few questions. What makes us "smart?" Who is smart and who isn't. Why are some dogs considered smart and others are just dumb. Perhaps these dogs just don't want to do that stupid dog trick for a dried out cracker. What if they were to be bribed with a say...Honeybark treat? Haha...I hate my shameless plugs. But seriously, I have been thinking about the whole concept of smart animals that we consider so brilliant...like dolphins and then this guy goes and says that Manatees don't jump through hoops like dolphins do because perhaps they aren't enticed by fish? Manatees actually are not into fish at all. They like carrots. Sadly, they get killed by motorboats. That stinks. They are like the roadkill of the sea. Another interesting point was that their brains were outgrown by their bodies such that they need a big insulation to keep them warm and their brains just stayed the required size for survival purposes. I mean, they don't hunt so they don't need the brain of say, a 15 year old adolescent male that plays computer games like "Hunt and kill for fun?" I jest. I think it's okay to play video games and the like if that is what you like to do. It supposedly is great for hand eye coordination. It helps you develop survival skills so that you will be an expert at killing things when you really need to. Um yeah...and like WHEN are you going to need THOSE skills? But I digress...the manatee is a beautiful and misunderstood gentle giant of the ocean. And it shares the common vibrissae with our friend, the dog. This is a structure that can convey information to the brain in such a way that it can tell the animal about it's environment in a way much more indepth than our senses can. The rise in blood pressure makes it even more sensitive. Amazing. The dog has vibrissae only on it's face whereas the manatee, this incredible creature is basically hypersensitive and has vibrissae all over it's body, therefore it is highly aware of surroundings. Perhaps the motorboat causes such a disruption that the disturbance of the water causes the manatee to get confused and this might very well be the cause of the death of the innumerable manatee that perish each year due to mankind.
You have to check out the videos on the NYT vows section. These stories are so wonderful and amazing. I love it.
I'm going to go watch a few right now. It's sweet and a great way to put yourself in a good mood.
I never saw the original Lassie. I feel like I'm lucky that I scraped by with the "Must see" list of movies and did fortunately see E.T. Otherwise I'd join the ranks of those scorned by all. The look of dismay and disbelief clouding their faces as they say, "You've never seen...yadayada?!" Yes, it's true. I've never seen Lassie's original movie. What kind of dog lover am I?! Yes, goodness I am really a faker. I love dogs but I'm not a real dog movie lover. I like the reality of a dog, the dirty, fun, slobbering, hair shedding everywhere life of being a real live dog owner/companion. Well, I think the whole terminology of being a dog owner is truly alright. I know there are people out there IRL who think that the term "dog owner" is poorly stated and truly, we are companions to our animals. But actually, I purchased Katie. And as sad as it may seem, I do own her. She owns me too though and in my heart I will always know that.
I gotta go stock up on some Kleenex before I see this movie. I know I will love it and I will probably go see it alone. Coming soon, September 1, 2006 opening.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14559203/
For another review, check out this one:
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=316519
Uh oh, this site is something to see.
http://www.lassie.net/
I opened up the site just to see what it was about and that music just came pouring through my laptop. I practically sobbed right there listening to that sad wistful tune. It's haunting I tell you.
Hey wait a minute...
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=28268
Alright, I needed to know more about the whole Lassie story. I always did wonder why male dogs had been cast as Lassie. Well, apparently female dogs shed a lot when they are in heat and so the directors could not cast a female dog because of that unsightly truth. Hmpf. I'm sure that Timmy would have loved Lassie anyway despite her mood swings and hairlessness.
I had to quote this guy from a NYT article,
“They’re too smart to jump through hoops the way those dumb dolphins do,” he said. (Dr. Domning of Howard said this in ths article:)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/science/29mana.html?hp&ex=1156824000&en=c0eaeb3c6996fa02&ei=5094&partner=homepage
This is a fascinating article about Manatees that brought to mind a few questions. What makes us "smart?" Who is smart and who isn't. Why are some dogs considered smart and others are just dumb. Perhaps these dogs just don't want to do that stupid dog trick for a dried out cracker. What if they were to be bribed with a say...Honeybark treat? Haha...I hate my shameless plugs. But seriously, I have been thinking about the whole concept of smart animals that we consider so brilliant...like dolphins and then this guy goes and says that Manatees don't jump through hoops like dolphins do because perhaps they aren't enticed by fish? Manatees actually are not into fish at all. They like carrots. Sadly, they get killed by motorboats. That stinks. They are like the roadkill of the sea. Another interesting point was that their brains were outgrown by their bodies such that they need a big insulation to keep them warm and their brains just stayed the required size for survival purposes. I mean, they don't hunt so they don't need the brain of say, a 15 year old adolescent male that plays computer games like "Hunt and kill for fun?" I jest. I think it's okay to play video games and the like if that is what you like to do. It supposedly is great for hand eye coordination. It helps you develop survival skills so that you will be an expert at killing things when you really need to. Um yeah...and like WHEN are you going to need THOSE skills? But I digress...the manatee is a beautiful and misunderstood gentle giant of the ocean. And it shares the common vibrissae with our friend, the dog. This is a structure that can convey information to the brain in such a way that it can tell the animal about it's environment in a way much more indepth than our senses can. The rise in blood pressure makes it even more sensitive. Amazing. The dog has vibrissae only on it's face whereas the manatee, this incredible creature is basically hypersensitive and has vibrissae all over it's body, therefore it is highly aware of surroundings. Perhaps the motorboat causes such a disruption that the disturbance of the water causes the manatee to get confused and this might very well be the cause of the death of the innumerable manatee that perish each year due to mankind.
You have to check out the videos on the NYT vows section. These stories are so wonderful and amazing. I love it.
I'm going to go watch a few right now. It's sweet and a great way to put yourself in a good mood.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
The best way to save your dog
With all the news lately about dogs that are ferocious and attacking other dogs and small children, I've found an interesting site that addresses the problem. One solution to offer those dog owners who have a dobie or a pittie that they need to protect from public ridicule.
http://www.users.bigpond.com/daniel1977/kits.htm
Oh man...
I just found out that Katie is one of the top 20 most popular names for a dog. I always thought it was so original. Geez.
To look up your own dog's name, check out this website. It's also very cool for FYI.
http://www.petvr.com/index.php/pages/TopDogNames.html
With all the news lately about dogs that are ferocious and attacking other dogs and small children, I've found an interesting site that addresses the problem. One solution to offer those dog owners who have a dobie or a pittie that they need to protect from public ridicule.
http://www.users.bigpond.com/daniel1977/kits.htm
Oh man...
I just found out that Katie is one of the top 20 most popular names for a dog. I always thought it was so original. Geez.
To look up your own dog's name, check out this website. It's also very cool for FYI.
http://www.petvr.com/index.php/pages/TopDogNames.html
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
More dogs driving!
I really liked this photo because it looks like your typical group of buddies, hanging out with the one guy driving looking all serious.
That guy in the back looks drunk. Maybe a little too much dog beer...
Speaking of dog beer...
Whoa. Whoever thought up this costume must've got a lot of dog beer into their dog before they hoisted 'em into this outfit. Man alive. I never thought I'd ever see something like this. Although, it's cute because the kids has a costume on too but wowsers.
Saw a great movie this weekend.
I won't spoil it for you but just go get outta your house and see "Little Miss Sunshine." It's hysterical and you will enjoy it. I promise you. And if you don't, you can email me and tell me why. I doubt you will hate it but just see it and understand the dynamics. It's great.
I'd have given anything to see this...
All of these great photos were found on http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/strange/main500523.shtml
I really enjoy this website for funny news stories and it's really great stuff. They do a wonderful job with finding the latest and most interesting stories.
I really liked this photo because it looks like your typical group of buddies, hanging out with the one guy driving looking all serious.
That guy in the back looks drunk. Maybe a little too much dog beer...
Speaking of dog beer...
Whoa. Whoever thought up this costume must've got a lot of dog beer into their dog before they hoisted 'em into this outfit. Man alive. I never thought I'd ever see something like this. Although, it's cute because the kids has a costume on too but wowsers.Saw a great movie this weekend.
I won't spoil it for you but just go get outta your house and see "Little Miss Sunshine." It's hysterical and you will enjoy it. I promise you. And if you don't, you can email me and tell me why. I doubt you will hate it but just see it and understand the dynamics. It's great.
I'd have given anything to see this...
All of these great photos were found on http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/strange/main500523.shtmlI really enjoy this website for funny news stories and it's really great stuff. They do a wonderful job with finding the latest and most interesting stories.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
The Star Ledger
We made it into a Sunday newspaper! Amazing! I was so excited I drove all the way out to NJ and made my friend take me around to find the paper and then tore through it until I found our review. It's here:
http://www.nj.com/living/ledger/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1156047935237870.xml&coll=1
Pet Fashion Week
Had a really good time at this event. I have not had the chance to go through the information that I had collected. There were a lot of vendors and many of them had some unique and wonderful products that I would highly recommend as gift items.
The organic toys made by a company in Brooklyn, NY. A great concept and I definitely want to work with them in the future on gift baskets for our customers. The owner/inventor of the product was really friendly and nice. Her product is adorable and would make a fabulous gift for a baby basket as well!
The pet beds that looked like furniture, very nice touch. I gotta go find the company information to share with you. I loved it. In a small NYC apartment or even a small home where you want your dog to be a part of the living area but not be too intrusive, or you have very little space and need to use the area for a table, you can use this small doghouse that looks like an end table and it is perfect for both the dog and keeping your living room looking great! I loved it. Plus, the owners of the business, really nice people;)
I have to add that the vendors who were kind and considerate, friendly, personable were the ones that I would love to work with on future products and I thank them all for their patience and working so hard to make Pet Fashion Week a big success. I am definitely looking forward to next year.
We made it into a Sunday newspaper! Amazing! I was so excited I drove all the way out to NJ and made my friend take me around to find the paper and then tore through it until I found our review. It's here:
http://www.nj.com/living/ledger/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1156047935237870.xml&coll=1
Pet Fashion Week
Had a really good time at this event. I have not had the chance to go through the information that I had collected. There were a lot of vendors and many of them had some unique and wonderful products that I would highly recommend as gift items.
The organic toys made by a company in Brooklyn, NY. A great concept and I definitely want to work with them in the future on gift baskets for our customers. The owner/inventor of the product was really friendly and nice. Her product is adorable and would make a fabulous gift for a baby basket as well!
The pet beds that looked like furniture, very nice touch. I gotta go find the company information to share with you. I loved it. In a small NYC apartment or even a small home where you want your dog to be a part of the living area but not be too intrusive, or you have very little space and need to use the area for a table, you can use this small doghouse that looks like an end table and it is perfect for both the dog and keeping your living room looking great! I loved it. Plus, the owners of the business, really nice people;)
I have to add that the vendors who were kind and considerate, friendly, personable were the ones that I would love to work with on future products and I thank them all for their patience and working so hard to make Pet Fashion Week a big success. I am definitely looking forward to next year.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Sam I Am
This is a great blog. I'm going to check it out further when I have less work to do. But definitely I recommend it to all.
This is a great blog. I'm going to check it out further when I have less work to do. But definitely I recommend it to all.
A very dear friend of mine has been talking about scooters recently and then I saw this.
http://www.gizmag.com/go/4115/
I have always thought that Katie would make a great scooter driver. She has tons of energy and she is great at pulling. Though, I think I'd need two Shelties because she tends to poop out during play and probably would leave me stranded and causing a major dog scooter traffic jam, with my luck in the middle of an intersection.
Oops. Katie is still outside, gotta go get her.
Nope, she is absolutely basking in the sunshine and lying on her back in the yard, rolling in the grass now. She looks like she is in a state of bliss. It's like I gave her catnip or something, and if she were a cat. She's getting high on grass. Wow. That sounds bad...but it's true. Katie eats grass, rolls in it, digs it up and sprays it on herself, runs around in the yard after it's been freshly mowed. She is a yard lovin' dog. She won't come in now til dinner time so I will leave her to her state of bliss. Plus, I gave her some carob cake before we went outside to play and she wanted to do some crazy running around and now I think I can shorten my treadmill time today. Whew! That dog is a bundle of energy!
We have Pet Fashion Week to attend this weekend. Should be fun. I'm hoping to meet a lot of nice folks who are interested in Parties and I've already done two cakes since I started selling cake. Wow. That's really fast considering my treat business took weeks to really get going.
I still love that carob cake.
I built a fake cake for the stores that are selling my dog cakes. It's funny because it looks almost edible all by itself. I am in the process of building three more cakes for the other places. I love arts and crafts. I used to be the kid that stayed late in art class because I wanted to finish my project. Maybe I will have an art class for kids someday. That would be fun! I'll post a photo of my fake cake soon. It is kinda funny looking but hey, I'm not a food stylist...yet:)
http://www.gizmag.com/go/4115/
I have always thought that Katie would make a great scooter driver. She has tons of energy and she is great at pulling. Though, I think I'd need two Shelties because she tends to poop out during play and probably would leave me stranded and causing a major dog scooter traffic jam, with my luck in the middle of an intersection.
Oops. Katie is still outside, gotta go get her.
Nope, she is absolutely basking in the sunshine and lying on her back in the yard, rolling in the grass now. She looks like she is in a state of bliss. It's like I gave her catnip or something, and if she were a cat. She's getting high on grass. Wow. That sounds bad...but it's true. Katie eats grass, rolls in it, digs it up and sprays it on herself, runs around in the yard after it's been freshly mowed. She is a yard lovin' dog. She won't come in now til dinner time so I will leave her to her state of bliss. Plus, I gave her some carob cake before we went outside to play and she wanted to do some crazy running around and now I think I can shorten my treadmill time today. Whew! That dog is a bundle of energy!
We have Pet Fashion Week to attend this weekend. Should be fun. I'm hoping to meet a lot of nice folks who are interested in Parties and I've already done two cakes since I started selling cake. Wow. That's really fast considering my treat business took weeks to really get going.
I still love that carob cake.
I built a fake cake for the stores that are selling my dog cakes. It's funny because it looks almost edible all by itself. I am in the process of building three more cakes for the other places. I love arts and crafts. I used to be the kid that stayed late in art class because I wanted to finish my project. Maybe I will have an art class for kids someday. That would be fun! I'll post a photo of my fake cake soon. It is kinda funny looking but hey, I'm not a food stylist...yet:)
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Marley and Me
I finally finished Marley and Me, by John Grogan. I know it took way longer than expected but I kept getting interrupted AND I really did not want to end it. I savored it til the end like a Tootsie Pop. But yes, all good things must come to an end. So sad, so true. I loved that book! I think that for all those folks out there who read animal themed books, like I devoured the James Herriott books when I was younger, then you will love this book. John Grogan, really good writer...I'm going to look for more of his writing. AND, I hope he does another book.
Let 'em eat cake
I got an emergency order for cake today. Bright and early, I got a phone call from a nice man who needed a cake. I whipped up a little one for him and got it all nice and frosted and ready to go. That was the fastest order I've done. I've been timing myself on order preparation. I'm trying to beat my time each time I get an order. I get it off my computer, process it in my little primitive ordering system, gather my ingredients and ready, set, go! I've only burned myself twice so far in my rush to get the treats going. It's been good. Plus, since Katie was such a good girl during her bath today, she got to lick the leftover yogurt icing out of the bowl. It was just like that "Coldwater" joke. She was one happy little cake fed doggy today.
I saw stars?
I walked into my bedpost yesterday and just reflecting on it now, I didn't see stars. I saw nothing. My mind went completely blank, just black, and I heard nothing and saw nothing for a few seconds, then the pain registered and I let out one of those howling screams that could perhaps break a hole in the ozone layer. Yes, that was real pain. Did you ever have one of those? Well, I stopped screaming and then gathered some ice and elevated my knee but ouch. I am still suffering from that horrible mishap today. It stinks to get old and I've got achey joints whenever it rains but I can still run on the treadmill so despite the nasty bruiser I have on my knee, it's still cool.
Who's your baker?
I always said that I wanted to bake cake and my whole intention of becoming a pastry chef, yeah well, now all of a sudden I am actually baking cake but for dogs? What is happening with the crazy road of my life? It makes me so happy though to be able to use my creativity in making these really adorable little cake creations. I'm designing one right now for a big party on Sunday and next weekend is another birthday party. The whole concept of gathering with friends, eating good cake, chilling out with your dog, that is just the fruit of life. It's da bomb. Gosh, did I really say that? ;) Yeah, I did. Cuz truly it IS da bomb.
I once told a chef that one of my specialties was a chocolate/orange brownie that people would practically orgasm over and he laughed and said, "BROWNIES? That's just goop in a pan. That's easy. Geez." Gotta tell you that that comment made me feel like, "Hmpf, well I guess I'm not such a great cook or baker as I thought?" But wait, I've had people drooling over my apple pie (with lattice crust, I must add.), gazing at my blueberry cobblers, and savoring every last crumb of my devil's food cupcakes and I cannot forget my brother hoarding my coconut cupcakes, nor my own hoarding of the peanut butter cupcakes with icing so light and yet so rich it was dubbed, the mousse icing by my mom. So alright, I feel better now. I just love baking and food is so fascinating. I started reading "What Einstein told his Cook." It's awesome.
I finally finished Marley and Me, by John Grogan. I know it took way longer than expected but I kept getting interrupted AND I really did not want to end it. I savored it til the end like a Tootsie Pop. But yes, all good things must come to an end. So sad, so true. I loved that book! I think that for all those folks out there who read animal themed books, like I devoured the James Herriott books when I was younger, then you will love this book. John Grogan, really good writer...I'm going to look for more of his writing. AND, I hope he does another book.
Let 'em eat cake
I got an emergency order for cake today. Bright and early, I got a phone call from a nice man who needed a cake. I whipped up a little one for him and got it all nice and frosted and ready to go. That was the fastest order I've done. I've been timing myself on order preparation. I'm trying to beat my time each time I get an order. I get it off my computer, process it in my little primitive ordering system, gather my ingredients and ready, set, go! I've only burned myself twice so far in my rush to get the treats going. It's been good. Plus, since Katie was such a good girl during her bath today, she got to lick the leftover yogurt icing out of the bowl. It was just like that "Coldwater" joke. She was one happy little cake fed doggy today.
I saw stars?
I walked into my bedpost yesterday and just reflecting on it now, I didn't see stars. I saw nothing. My mind went completely blank, just black, and I heard nothing and saw nothing for a few seconds, then the pain registered and I let out one of those howling screams that could perhaps break a hole in the ozone layer. Yes, that was real pain. Did you ever have one of those? Well, I stopped screaming and then gathered some ice and elevated my knee but ouch. I am still suffering from that horrible mishap today. It stinks to get old and I've got achey joints whenever it rains but I can still run on the treadmill so despite the nasty bruiser I have on my knee, it's still cool.
Who's your baker?
I always said that I wanted to bake cake and my whole intention of becoming a pastry chef, yeah well, now all of a sudden I am actually baking cake but for dogs? What is happening with the crazy road of my life? It makes me so happy though to be able to use my creativity in making these really adorable little cake creations. I'm designing one right now for a big party on Sunday and next weekend is another birthday party. The whole concept of gathering with friends, eating good cake, chilling out with your dog, that is just the fruit of life. It's da bomb. Gosh, did I really say that? ;) Yeah, I did. Cuz truly it IS da bomb.
I once told a chef that one of my specialties was a chocolate/orange brownie that people would practically orgasm over and he laughed and said, "BROWNIES? That's just goop in a pan. That's easy. Geez." Gotta tell you that that comment made me feel like, "Hmpf, well I guess I'm not such a great cook or baker as I thought?" But wait, I've had people drooling over my apple pie (with lattice crust, I must add.), gazing at my blueberry cobblers, and savoring every last crumb of my devil's food cupcakes and I cannot forget my brother hoarding my coconut cupcakes, nor my own hoarding of the peanut butter cupcakes with icing so light and yet so rich it was dubbed, the mousse icing by my mom. So alright, I feel better now. I just love baking and food is so fascinating. I started reading "What Einstein told his Cook." It's awesome.
Monday, August 14, 2006
It gets better each day
I keep getting more orders each day and I am so amazed by the range of customers. I've got people ordering from all over the place. I guess the word spreads fast when you do parties and that whole six degrees of separation concept means that each person that I've met somehow could potentially reach another six people and this turns into a huge exponential explosion of customers.
That boggles my mind and it also makes me say, "Cool."
I showed off my little cake creations today and people were impressed then I donated them to the North Shore Animal League for the dogs there. I donated three cakes and after explaining what was in them, I am hoping that I could do some parties for the shelter dogs and their adoptathons at the shelter as well as the parties I've been doing for the Party Animals. I do like that organization a lot because the dogs always seem very well cared for and the volunteers are always really nice.
Another good thing, I got word from a few stores that are interested in stocking my treats. That's adding up and it helps a lot that they are in really different and remote places. I'm trying to expand as much as possible outside of the NYC area because it just seems like there are a lot of people out there who have no clue about parties for dog owners and their dogs. I went to a party planner today and told her what I do and asked her if she does anything like dog parties and she looked at me like I had a cactus growing out of my head. Then she cocked her head to the side, much like Katie does when she is listening and perhaps trying to comprehend my nonsensical blatherings, and she said, "You do dog wha?" Then to make things a little more bizarre, she called her colleague into the room and said, "Hey! You know, she does dog parties?!" The man looked at me and said, "You bake for humans too?" Obviously, they are looking for a baker to do their events, so I said, "Yes, I do." I really do bake pretty well actually for people. I've made some sinfully amazing devil's food cupcakes for Valentine's day. "My dog only eats dry stuff." I said, "My treats are really dry." He laughed and walked away. Oh well, so much for my sales pitching. Well, the lady wished me good luck with my "business" and sent me on my way.
I got some nice raves about my treats from two very prominent news type people. You can see it on my website here:
http://www.honeybark.com/speak.html
The newspaper, the Star Ledger also is going to have a little nice word about my treats this Sunday, August 20, 2006. I'm really excited to see that. I wanted to thank Joan Smith for making that happen. She said her Husky really liked the Banana Bliss treats. Those are the little miniature banana pies.
I ate the top off Katie's Carob cake and she really gave me a hard time about it. She stepped on my foot and just looked at me. I mean she gave me a long hard stare. Then she ran over to her kibble and ate a whole lot of it as if to say, "You aren't getting ANY of my grub!" Wow. Talk about sharing and caring? Geez. You'd think that if I share my dinner with her, she'd share her dried out little nutritious pellet stuff with me. No way.
Katie go BOOM!
Katie and I were horsing around today with her little ropey toy when she decided to make a break for it and ran into the kitchen with me chasing her. I know. You aren't supposed to play chasing games with your dog but well, I've been playing this with her since she was a puppy and she loves this game. Plus, she is way too old to stop playing it and we have a good old time, I get to run around, she gets to run around and we have a lot of fun. Well, today we were running and she turned around to see where I was in the catching up to her part of the game and she ran right into the seat of a chair. She's short so it whacked her right in the temple. I heard the clunk. It was a sick kinda hollow "thunk." and she dropped the rope toy from her mouth and sorted of sproinged off the chair like a little pinball. She stopped and shook her head then took her paw and swatted at the side of her head that she had hit for a minute, shook her head again then looked at me with her big tongue waggling grin. I looked at her, checked her out, rubbed her head a little then watched her just kind of wander off. She had left the rope toy on the floor where it had dropped out of her mouth. I picked it up and was going to put it away when she saw me out of the corner of her eye and ran right over to grab it and tug. Wow. I wish MY head was that sturdy. Katie is such a trooper. She wanted to play for a little bit longer then we both pooped out and I went back to my emailing and she went to lie down on the floor.
Ugh. I have to report for jury duty tomorrow. Blah. Not that I hate it but it's kind of boring. I guess I will just bring a book with me or work on recipes or something.
I keep getting more orders each day and I am so amazed by the range of customers. I've got people ordering from all over the place. I guess the word spreads fast when you do parties and that whole six degrees of separation concept means that each person that I've met somehow could potentially reach another six people and this turns into a huge exponential explosion of customers.
That boggles my mind and it also makes me say, "Cool."
I showed off my little cake creations today and people were impressed then I donated them to the North Shore Animal League for the dogs there. I donated three cakes and after explaining what was in them, I am hoping that I could do some parties for the shelter dogs and their adoptathons at the shelter as well as the parties I've been doing for the Party Animals. I do like that organization a lot because the dogs always seem very well cared for and the volunteers are always really nice.
Another good thing, I got word from a few stores that are interested in stocking my treats. That's adding up and it helps a lot that they are in really different and remote places. I'm trying to expand as much as possible outside of the NYC area because it just seems like there are a lot of people out there who have no clue about parties for dog owners and their dogs. I went to a party planner today and told her what I do and asked her if she does anything like dog parties and she looked at me like I had a cactus growing out of my head. Then she cocked her head to the side, much like Katie does when she is listening and perhaps trying to comprehend my nonsensical blatherings, and she said, "You do dog wha?" Then to make things a little more bizarre, she called her colleague into the room and said, "Hey! You know, she does dog parties?!" The man looked at me and said, "You bake for humans too?" Obviously, they are looking for a baker to do their events, so I said, "Yes, I do." I really do bake pretty well actually for people. I've made some sinfully amazing devil's food cupcakes for Valentine's day. "My dog only eats dry stuff." I said, "My treats are really dry." He laughed and walked away. Oh well, so much for my sales pitching. Well, the lady wished me good luck with my "business" and sent me on my way.
I got some nice raves about my treats from two very prominent news type people. You can see it on my website here:
http://www.honeybark.com/speak.html
The newspaper, the Star Ledger also is going to have a little nice word about my treats this Sunday, August 20, 2006. I'm really excited to see that. I wanted to thank Joan Smith for making that happen. She said her Husky really liked the Banana Bliss treats. Those are the little miniature banana pies.
I ate the top off Katie's Carob cake and she really gave me a hard time about it. She stepped on my foot and just looked at me. I mean she gave me a long hard stare. Then she ran over to her kibble and ate a whole lot of it as if to say, "You aren't getting ANY of my grub!" Wow. Talk about sharing and caring? Geez. You'd think that if I share my dinner with her, she'd share her dried out little nutritious pellet stuff with me. No way.
Katie go BOOM!
Katie and I were horsing around today with her little ropey toy when she decided to make a break for it and ran into the kitchen with me chasing her. I know. You aren't supposed to play chasing games with your dog but well, I've been playing this with her since she was a puppy and she loves this game. Plus, she is way too old to stop playing it and we have a good old time, I get to run around, she gets to run around and we have a lot of fun. Well, today we were running and she turned around to see where I was in the catching up to her part of the game and she ran right into the seat of a chair. She's short so it whacked her right in the temple. I heard the clunk. It was a sick kinda hollow "thunk." and she dropped the rope toy from her mouth and sorted of sproinged off the chair like a little pinball. She stopped and shook her head then took her paw and swatted at the side of her head that she had hit for a minute, shook her head again then looked at me with her big tongue waggling grin. I looked at her, checked her out, rubbed her head a little then watched her just kind of wander off. She had left the rope toy on the floor where it had dropped out of her mouth. I picked it up and was going to put it away when she saw me out of the corner of her eye and ran right over to grab it and tug. Wow. I wish MY head was that sturdy. Katie is such a trooper. She wanted to play for a little bit longer then we both pooped out and I went back to my emailing and she went to lie down on the floor.
Ugh. I have to report for jury duty tomorrow. Blah. Not that I hate it but it's kind of boring. I guess I will just bring a book with me or work on recipes or something.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Culinary in the Desert: Edamame Lo Mein
I love this blog! It is full of some delicious recipes to try and I'm dying to try this one especially because I love lo mein and edamame is the best!
AND, the greatest part is that this guy takes these photos himself. That is so cool because I try to take my own photos as well. I'm still learning but this guy makes a food just look absolutely delicious. Well, his recipes probably are delicious from the looks of them.
Yummmmm-o!
I love this blog! It is full of some delicious recipes to try and I'm dying to try this one especially because I love lo mein and edamame is the best!
AND, the greatest part is that this guy takes these photos himself. That is so cool because I try to take my own photos as well. I'm still learning but this guy makes a food just look absolutely delicious. Well, his recipes probably are delicious from the looks of them.
Yummmmm-o!
A Delicious Alternative
It's finally happened. I'm eating dog food. I knew it would happen at some point but I just didn't know how soon or in what context. I baked up my newly developed cake recipes and they came out as a delicious healthy alternative to the usual sinfully delicious bakery fare but I've come to realize that the yummy Carob Cake is now an amazing alternative to my favorite devil's food cake. It even LOOKS like a chocolate muffin/cake and it is just amazing! I ate a piece of Katie's trial cake and she looked at me with a furrowed brow as if to say, "What do you think you are doing?!" I looked at her and said, "Well, quite frankly my dear, I BAKED that so I should be able to taste it, right?" Yes, I do talk to Katie as if she is a person. Whether she understands me or not, that's still up in the air but I did know one thing. She didn't like me trying her cake. Nor did she like the fact that I only gave her a tiny slice of cake and saved the rest for a little test run and sampling for a few pet stores I'm trying to woo.
So I took the gorgeous sample cakes and stuck them in the fridge to avoid "the stare" and tripping over Katie constantly as she tried to "herd" me into giving her another piece.
But then I felt bad so I gave her another piece of the carob cake and she wanted to go out and play. We went out to the yard and she ran around like she was trying to make a new Indy record or something. She nipped at my ankles as I chased her around the yard and we had a blast. It was some really great dog play time. Katie and I came inside and she lapped up a bowl of water and then plopped down for a nap.
I went off to one of my closest friend's barbeque that afternoon and there were some adorable little 2 year olds running around the yard. The little boy, a golden headed boy was straight out of a JCrew catalog and the little girl was like those little precious moment angel girls. Absolutely adorable kids and they were talking up a storm, basking in all the attention they were getting form the "ladies." The little boy would walk up to us and passing by would say, "Buh bye lady!" That was cute in a bottle. I gotta tell ya. So there were some fantastic brownies that one of the guests had baked, the little girl's mom actually. These were amazing. Perfectly soft and chewy at the same time, just the right amount of chocolatey goodness. Well, I watched that little fairhaired boy have a small corner of a brownie and he basically did exactly what Katie had done, he went off pacing the entire yard non-stop and then came back for more brownie. His mom obliged since she had divided up a brownie into pieces for him and he would continue his patroling of the yard until he needed to refuel again. This went on through the evening and I just marvelled at how much he had resembled Katie after she had eaten the carob cake.
I did get a great paws up from Chelsea, my friends' dog who ate some of the peanut butter & carrot cake and then lay down on the floor and would not budge until she got another piece. Then after she had a piece of the Carob cake, her tail did not stop wagging! I love the approval paw.
I will admit, decorating is fun but although I consider myself fairly artistic, the actual perfecting of cake icing is hard work! I spent hours just trying to figure out how to use an icing bag and then to smooth out the cake to make it look just right was another couple of hours. But, I did it. Like most tasks, I can set my mind to doing something and it will be done. Now I just have to figure out how to make those little flower thingeys like Ron Ben Israel...hahaha, yeah right. I'll leave that cake expertise up to the real pastry chefs. But Barnes and Noble does have a great cake icing section, and I do love a challenge...stay tuned for more adventures in frosting;)
For a great article on Carob, check out wikipedia here...I now love Wikipedia almost as much as I love Mapquest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carob
It's finally happened. I'm eating dog food. I knew it would happen at some point but I just didn't know how soon or in what context. I baked up my newly developed cake recipes and they came out as a delicious healthy alternative to the usual sinfully delicious bakery fare but I've come to realize that the yummy Carob Cake is now an amazing alternative to my favorite devil's food cake. It even LOOKS like a chocolate muffin/cake and it is just amazing! I ate a piece of Katie's trial cake and she looked at me with a furrowed brow as if to say, "What do you think you are doing?!" I looked at her and said, "Well, quite frankly my dear, I BAKED that so I should be able to taste it, right?" Yes, I do talk to Katie as if she is a person. Whether she understands me or not, that's still up in the air but I did know one thing. She didn't like me trying her cake. Nor did she like the fact that I only gave her a tiny slice of cake and saved the rest for a little test run and sampling for a few pet stores I'm trying to woo.
So I took the gorgeous sample cakes and stuck them in the fridge to avoid "the stare" and tripping over Katie constantly as she tried to "herd" me into giving her another piece.
But then I felt bad so I gave her another piece of the carob cake and she wanted to go out and play. We went out to the yard and she ran around like she was trying to make a new Indy record or something. She nipped at my ankles as I chased her around the yard and we had a blast. It was some really great dog play time. Katie and I came inside and she lapped up a bowl of water and then plopped down for a nap.
I went off to one of my closest friend's barbeque that afternoon and there were some adorable little 2 year olds running around the yard. The little boy, a golden headed boy was straight out of a JCrew catalog and the little girl was like those little precious moment angel girls. Absolutely adorable kids and they were talking up a storm, basking in all the attention they were getting form the "ladies." The little boy would walk up to us and passing by would say, "Buh bye lady!" That was cute in a bottle. I gotta tell ya. So there were some fantastic brownies that one of the guests had baked, the little girl's mom actually. These were amazing. Perfectly soft and chewy at the same time, just the right amount of chocolatey goodness. Well, I watched that little fairhaired boy have a small corner of a brownie and he basically did exactly what Katie had done, he went off pacing the entire yard non-stop and then came back for more brownie. His mom obliged since she had divided up a brownie into pieces for him and he would continue his patroling of the yard until he needed to refuel again. This went on through the evening and I just marvelled at how much he had resembled Katie after she had eaten the carob cake.
I did get a great paws up from Chelsea, my friends' dog who ate some of the peanut butter & carrot cake and then lay down on the floor and would not budge until she got another piece. Then after she had a piece of the Carob cake, her tail did not stop wagging! I love the approval paw.
I will admit, decorating is fun but although I consider myself fairly artistic, the actual perfecting of cake icing is hard work! I spent hours just trying to figure out how to use an icing bag and then to smooth out the cake to make it look just right was another couple of hours. But, I did it. Like most tasks, I can set my mind to doing something and it will be done. Now I just have to figure out how to make those little flower thingeys like Ron Ben Israel...hahaha, yeah right. I'll leave that cake expertise up to the real pastry chefs. But Barnes and Noble does have a great cake icing section, and I do love a challenge...stay tuned for more adventures in frosting;)
For a great article on Carob, check out wikipedia here...I now love Wikipedia almost as much as I love Mapquest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carob
Thursday, August 10, 2006
3 seconds of fame...I'll take it!
While we were at the "Because Your Dog is Worth It Too" event, a nice lady came up to chat with me and said, "I saw you on Animal Planet!" I remember I did some parties for Animal Planet's Maggie Gallant and Party Animals of NSALA, so this was not news but then I hadn't seen myself on the segment so I searched it and found myself on not just one but 3 of her segments. Apparently, Maggie Gallant was nice enough to include me in three of her segments without really knowing it. So you can see me serving treats to the dog owners at this Yappy Hour on THREE segments! I watched myself walking around with a tray of Honeybark treats over and over. Yes, it's fun to see yourself on television.
You can see it for yourself here:
Maggie Gallant's Pet Trends with Dixie her gorgeous Dachschund.
http://animal.discovery.com/beyond/player.html?bctab=original%20webisodes:%20pet%20trends&clik=netmain_feat1
Watch these three and you will see me with a tray of treats walking around serving treats to the guests...
"The Woman Behind the Hour" (a teenie tiny part of me is visible at the end of the segment)
"She's A Party Animal" (I like this one the best because you can see me back there talking to guests.)
"NYC's Yappy Hour" (You can see me chatting with party goers here too.)
While we were at the "Because Your Dog is Worth It Too" event, a nice lady came up to chat with me and said, "I saw you on Animal Planet!" I remember I did some parties for Animal Planet's Maggie Gallant and Party Animals of NSALA, so this was not news but then I hadn't seen myself on the segment so I searched it and found myself on not just one but 3 of her segments. Apparently, Maggie Gallant was nice enough to include me in three of her segments without really knowing it. So you can see me serving treats to the dog owners at this Yappy Hour on THREE segments! I watched myself walking around with a tray of Honeybark treats over and over. Yes, it's fun to see yourself on television.
You can see it for yourself here:
Maggie Gallant's Pet Trends with Dixie her gorgeous Dachschund.
http://animal.discovery.com/beyond/player.html?bctab=original%20webisodes:%20pet%20trends&clik=netmain_feat1
Watch these three and you will see me with a tray of treats walking around serving treats to the guests...
"The Woman Behind the Hour" (a teenie tiny part of me is visible at the end of the segment)
"She's A Party Animal" (I like this one the best because you can see me back there talking to guests.)
"NYC's Yappy Hour" (You can see me chatting with party goers here too.)
Monday, August 07, 2006
Squeaky Deaky (You cannot make this stuff up!)
I was reading USA Today and came across this cute article about the CD made for dogs. It's really cute. I loved the fact that the song was created with a squeak toy in it. Katie likes some squeakies but not all of them. I got her a sneaker that made her growl and snap at it like it was Mary Hart's voice or something. Another time, a squeak toy we got from a gift bag made her cringe and whimper then she ran away, only to hide behind a rocking chair and peek out to see if that horrible scary squeaker would live to squeak again. I don't know what the deal is but perhaps like people, sometimes sounds can really get on your nerves. Like...nails on chalkboard or forktines on plates, it can shiver yer timbers if that pitch is not to your liking. I personally enjoy a softer squeak. I found a great one at Petco the other day and it was a soft plush little chicken squeaky toy and it was quite soothing actually.
Check out the article here.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/finalword/2006-08-01-final-word_x.htm
Marley and Me by John Grogan
This is a great book. I'm only halfway through it and already I've been laughing, shocked, surprised and brought to the edge of my seat by these chapters in the life of John, Jenny and Marley. I'm a huge fan of this author's writing now. Well done! I am so tempted to just stop working and finish the book but I'll be good and save it for later. Get your copy here.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=marley+and+me&z=y
I was reading USA Today and came across this cute article about the CD made for dogs. It's really cute. I loved the fact that the song was created with a squeak toy in it. Katie likes some squeakies but not all of them. I got her a sneaker that made her growl and snap at it like it was Mary Hart's voice or something. Another time, a squeak toy we got from a gift bag made her cringe and whimper then she ran away, only to hide behind a rocking chair and peek out to see if that horrible scary squeaker would live to squeak again. I don't know what the deal is but perhaps like people, sometimes sounds can really get on your nerves. Like...nails on chalkboard or forktines on plates, it can shiver yer timbers if that pitch is not to your liking. I personally enjoy a softer squeak. I found a great one at Petco the other day and it was a soft plush little chicken squeaky toy and it was quite soothing actually.
Check out the article here.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/finalword/2006-08-01-final-word_x.htm
Marley and Me by John Grogan
This is a great book. I'm only halfway through it and already I've been laughing, shocked, surprised and brought to the edge of my seat by these chapters in the life of John, Jenny and Marley. I'm a huge fan of this author's writing now. Well done! I am so tempted to just stop working and finish the book but I'll be good and save it for later. Get your copy here.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=marley+and+me&z=y
Sunday, August 06, 2006
L'oreal's "Because Your Dog is Worth it Too" event in Cranbury, NJ
August 5, 2006
We had a really great time at this huge festival for dogs. There were so many vendors, swimming pools for the dogs, fun contests and face painting for the kids. So many smiling faces on such a beautiful day made for one fantastic Saturday. I got to meet a lot of dogs and dog owners, treats were enjoyed by many dogs and a lot of treats were given a new home.
New treats to our menu
Ruffy Road O's
These big round donut shaped treats are packed with lots of crunchy peanuts and peanut butter and loaded with carob chips. The big dogs absolutely loved the size of it and they basically just grabbed it and gobbled them down. I saw Great Danes, Yellow Labs, German Shepherds and big Rotties just basically go crazy over them! The little dogs loved them too. Because I made them in these great shapes, the owners can break off pieces for the smaller dogs and the medium sized dogs could just chomp on them and break them up themselves. A big success on that treat!
Mini Beef Snap Bones
The little dogs LOVED these little beef snaps! Normally, the original size treat is just too big for these little guys but I watched as Yorkies, Dachshunds and Chihuahuas just enjoyed these treats, sniffing, savoring and then crunching them. Two paws up!
Sweet Blossoms
Okay, these aren't new but I got to introduce this one to a lot of dog lovers and they were just in awe of how cute they were! I'm glad we were able to share this treat with people and I hope that more doggy ice cream parties come of it. Really, the point to a dog party is saying, "I love a good party, getting together with my friends, having some good food and I think my dog is like me and we like to do things together so why not invite some of my friends with dogs." Good food, a little friendly get together, it's all good. That's the Honeybark way. I love a good party!
Fabulous Flavors
I think that in sharing some of our flavors and telling dog owners that we have over 21 flavors was just great because a lot of people were surprised that dogs enjoy what people like. Plus, the best part is that without the added fat, sugar and salt, your dog can enjoy all the flavor and none of the bad stuff. That's also the Honeybark way of life. Maybe someday I can make treats for people exactly like that...I gotta work on that.
I met some fabulous people. Each dog owner had a story about their dog and I am a sucker for dog stories. I could just sit and listen to them from every single dog owner and be just one happy clam. But alas, I was there on a mission, to share our treats with as many people as possible and to introduce a whole new world to dogs full of fun flavors, cool shapes and just our way of life. I met at least a hundred dog owners and more dogs than that because some of the owners had more than one dog. I WISH I could do that! Katie is awesome but I sometimes wish she had a dog buddy too to hang out with at home. Katie's making so many new friends at the parties we've been to together so I'm certain we will be making playdates soon!
1000Licks and The Honeybark Bakery is available to do ice cream parties for dogs. Birthday parties, just fun barbecues, park dates, you tell us where and when, how many dogs will be there and the flavors you'd like to see featured at the party and we are all over it!
Kind words
I just wanted to thank all those people who said such nice things about our treats. I got so many compliments on how the dogs really enjoyed the treats and then when I got home I had phone calls and emails from people who had tried the treats when they got home and their dogs went wild over them! I already got orders before I even arrived home! That was amazing.
Gotta go bake;)
August 5, 2006
We had a really great time at this huge festival for dogs. There were so many vendors, swimming pools for the dogs, fun contests and face painting for the kids. So many smiling faces on such a beautiful day made for one fantastic Saturday. I got to meet a lot of dogs and dog owners, treats were enjoyed by many dogs and a lot of treats were given a new home.
New treats to our menu
Ruffy Road O's
These big round donut shaped treats are packed with lots of crunchy peanuts and peanut butter and loaded with carob chips. The big dogs absolutely loved the size of it and they basically just grabbed it and gobbled them down. I saw Great Danes, Yellow Labs, German Shepherds and big Rotties just basically go crazy over them! The little dogs loved them too. Because I made them in these great shapes, the owners can break off pieces for the smaller dogs and the medium sized dogs could just chomp on them and break them up themselves. A big success on that treat!
Mini Beef Snap Bones
The little dogs LOVED these little beef snaps! Normally, the original size treat is just too big for these little guys but I watched as Yorkies, Dachshunds and Chihuahuas just enjoyed these treats, sniffing, savoring and then crunching them. Two paws up!
Sweet Blossoms
Okay, these aren't new but I got to introduce this one to a lot of dog lovers and they were just in awe of how cute they were! I'm glad we were able to share this treat with people and I hope that more doggy ice cream parties come of it. Really, the point to a dog party is saying, "I love a good party, getting together with my friends, having some good food and I think my dog is like me and we like to do things together so why not invite some of my friends with dogs." Good food, a little friendly get together, it's all good. That's the Honeybark way. I love a good party!
Fabulous Flavors
I think that in sharing some of our flavors and telling dog owners that we have over 21 flavors was just great because a lot of people were surprised that dogs enjoy what people like. Plus, the best part is that without the added fat, sugar and salt, your dog can enjoy all the flavor and none of the bad stuff. That's also the Honeybark way of life. Maybe someday I can make treats for people exactly like that...I gotta work on that.
I met some fabulous people. Each dog owner had a story about their dog and I am a sucker for dog stories. I could just sit and listen to them from every single dog owner and be just one happy clam. But alas, I was there on a mission, to share our treats with as many people as possible and to introduce a whole new world to dogs full of fun flavors, cool shapes and just our way of life. I met at least a hundred dog owners and more dogs than that because some of the owners had more than one dog. I WISH I could do that! Katie is awesome but I sometimes wish she had a dog buddy too to hang out with at home. Katie's making so many new friends at the parties we've been to together so I'm certain we will be making playdates soon!
1000Licks and The Honeybark Bakery is available to do ice cream parties for dogs. Birthday parties, just fun barbecues, park dates, you tell us where and when, how many dogs will be there and the flavors you'd like to see featured at the party and we are all over it!
Kind words
I just wanted to thank all those people who said such nice things about our treats. I got so many compliments on how the dogs really enjoyed the treats and then when I got home I had phone calls and emails from people who had tried the treats when they got home and their dogs went wild over them! I already got orders before I even arrived home! That was amazing.
Gotta go bake;)
Friday, August 04, 2006
One more thing
I believe in balance in the universe, the yin and the yang, do unto others and all of that stuff. I have read a lot of philosophy. I believe in a higher being, the power of positive thinking and what goes around, comes around. This makes it more real to me...
This morning, I'm sitting at the breakfast table drinking coffee, reading the newspaper and I see this small black object dangling at an odd angle from a tree in my neighbors yard, it's just hanging slightly beyond our hibiscus flower bushes but it's definitely there. I watch it move around in the wind in an odd erratic manner. It's unidentifiable but truly looks like either a cigar hanging from fishing line or "something else." That "something else" was a horrifying yet amusing thought along the lines of a Beavis and Butthead episode or perhaps even South Park. I go back to reading the newspaper but that dangling thing keeps nagging at me. I get up to look out the window and I think it's very odd and bizarre. It gives me a weird feeling. I don't often get weirded out by things and so this was a red flag. So my brother wanders into the kitchen, "I feel sick. I think I ate something bad last night..." He's a little grayish too. "What is that?" I say to him. Bitterly and irritable, he goes over to the window to check it out. "What?" He looks outside..."There's nothing. No, it's "the owl." My father had hung an owl on our deck to scare away the squirrels that last year had wreaked havoc on several of our lawn chairs and eviscerated an innocent lonely seat cushion but with enough defiance, they had left lots of stuffing all over the deck as if to say, "WE WERE HERE!" "No," I said impatiently. "Not the owl. THAT!" I pointed at the dangling doody that was hanging off our neighbors tree. "It's a fishing lure." He said complacently and then went about munching his cereal. I had to investigate. I couldn't leave that thing hanging outside our kitchen window.
I went out across the yard close to the dangling thing and realized as I got closer, it was moving yet there was no wind. Whoa. That was weird. As I got closer, I noticed the wings, it was flying in circles. It was a cicada. It was trapped on something. My childhood neighbor used to tie cicadas with dental floss or some fishing line and fly them around the neighborhood like a toy. I considered the fact that this might be a poor victim that had managed to escape only to tangle himself in a tree and would soon die a death of starvation and heat exhaustion from the scorching sun. I grabbed a pole and started swatting at it pinata style but I was just too short. I couldn't reach. So I called my poor nauseated brother to come help. "Nothing should die that way," I begged him. He answered, "Aren't those things harmful anyway?" He batted the creature down from what turned out to be a very thick spider web and it flew away. "Hate to see the spider that made THAT web." He grumbled as he ambled off to a world of Pepto Bismol salvation. I later found out that day about the great review we got from Alicyn Leigh of Long Island Press. So I learned what? A "dangling doody" is not always what it seems and this just reinforced my belief that small bit of cosmic Karma, yin yang, do unto others stuff really exists.
I believe in balance in the universe, the yin and the yang, do unto others and all of that stuff. I have read a lot of philosophy. I believe in a higher being, the power of positive thinking and what goes around, comes around. This makes it more real to me...
This morning, I'm sitting at the breakfast table drinking coffee, reading the newspaper and I see this small black object dangling at an odd angle from a tree in my neighbors yard, it's just hanging slightly beyond our hibiscus flower bushes but it's definitely there. I watch it move around in the wind in an odd erratic manner. It's unidentifiable but truly looks like either a cigar hanging from fishing line or "something else." That "something else" was a horrifying yet amusing thought along the lines of a Beavis and Butthead episode or perhaps even South Park. I go back to reading the newspaper but that dangling thing keeps nagging at me. I get up to look out the window and I think it's very odd and bizarre. It gives me a weird feeling. I don't often get weirded out by things and so this was a red flag. So my brother wanders into the kitchen, "I feel sick. I think I ate something bad last night..." He's a little grayish too. "What is that?" I say to him. Bitterly and irritable, he goes over to the window to check it out. "What?" He looks outside..."There's nothing. No, it's "the owl." My father had hung an owl on our deck to scare away the squirrels that last year had wreaked havoc on several of our lawn chairs and eviscerated an innocent lonely seat cushion but with enough defiance, they had left lots of stuffing all over the deck as if to say, "WE WERE HERE!" "No," I said impatiently. "Not the owl. THAT!" I pointed at the dangling doody that was hanging off our neighbors tree. "It's a fishing lure." He said complacently and then went about munching his cereal. I had to investigate. I couldn't leave that thing hanging outside our kitchen window.
I went out across the yard close to the dangling thing and realized as I got closer, it was moving yet there was no wind. Whoa. That was weird. As I got closer, I noticed the wings, it was flying in circles. It was a cicada. It was trapped on something. My childhood neighbor used to tie cicadas with dental floss or some fishing line and fly them around the neighborhood like a toy. I considered the fact that this might be a poor victim that had managed to escape only to tangle himself in a tree and would soon die a death of starvation and heat exhaustion from the scorching sun. I grabbed a pole and started swatting at it pinata style but I was just too short. I couldn't reach. So I called my poor nauseated brother to come help. "Nothing should die that way," I begged him. He answered, "Aren't those things harmful anyway?" He batted the creature down from what turned out to be a very thick spider web and it flew away. "Hate to see the spider that made THAT web." He grumbled as he ambled off to a world of Pepto Bismol salvation. I later found out that day about the great review we got from Alicyn Leigh of Long Island Press. So I learned what? A "dangling doody" is not always what it seems and this just reinforced my belief that small bit of cosmic Karma, yin yang, do unto others stuff really exists.
Art Dog Blog: Don't be Cruel
This is hysterical. I haven't seen anything this funny in dog news in a while. Oh wait, that poor woman who got run over by that dog who was driving the car...maybe that. A room full of innocent teddy bears and a guard dog...that's the stuff that Gary Larson's Far Side comics are made of...it's just beautiful.
Good good news!
We just got written up for a product review in Long Island Press! Woohoo! Our very first treat review published in a newspaper! Check it out here...
http://www.longislandpress.com/?cp=167&show=article&a_id=9310
It gets cuter...
I really respect dogs that work because quite frankly, a lot of Americans just sit around collecting unemployment, meanwhile these little furballs are out workin' 9-5pm collecting a paycheck, goin' to Yappy hour after work, complaining about their boss around the water bowls, really regular dogs. Dogs don't have to work. They could just lie on the couch eating Honeybark Treats all day long, watching Animal Planet and that'd be fine. I salute those dogs that get up in the morning and put in their 8 hour days. This one in particular is a real cutie. Check him out.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14043725/
This is hysterical. I haven't seen anything this funny in dog news in a while. Oh wait, that poor woman who got run over by that dog who was driving the car...maybe that. A room full of innocent teddy bears and a guard dog...that's the stuff that Gary Larson's Far Side comics are made of...it's just beautiful.
Good good news!
We just got written up for a product review in Long Island Press! Woohoo! Our very first treat review published in a newspaper! Check it out here...
http://www.longislandpress.com/?cp=167&show=article&a_id=9310
It gets cuter...
I really respect dogs that work because quite frankly, a lot of Americans just sit around collecting unemployment, meanwhile these little furballs are out workin' 9-5pm collecting a paycheck, goin' to Yappy hour after work, complaining about their boss around the water bowls, really regular dogs. Dogs don't have to work. They could just lie on the couch eating Honeybark Treats all day long, watching Animal Planet and that'd be fine. I salute those dogs that get up in the morning and put in their 8 hour days. This one in particular is a real cutie. Check him out.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14043725/
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Ahn young hah say what?!
I'm Korean (father's side) and Chinese (mother's side). I was born here and so I consider myself truly American. Katie is American too. I have a sneaking suspicion that Katie is starting to understand "Kor-glish" or maybe "Eng-rean" which is a combination of Korean and English that I grew up with. My dad has been living here for all of over 50 years and he still has an accent. That's normal because all immigrants maintain some semblance of the language of origin. Katie listens to my father with an intent stare. She looks like that dog on the record label that is listening to the phonograph. She will at times tilt her head as well. It's as if she is trying really hard to understand what is being told to her and yet also trying to figure out...is that English? So my dad makes statements like, "Hey Doggy! You don' do that you hear?" Katie knows that she is doing something wrong by the tone in my dad's voice so she'll flatten her ears, look submissive, tuck the tail under and come over looking for some affection or forgiveness. She's very sweet like that but she also has her super rebellious side when she is running around and really living the life, chasing the doves from our garden or greeting the mailman with an abnormally loud barking that seems sort of out of proportion to her small size and sweet demeanor. So my dad will basically yell at her (it's not out of anger, most Koreans yell in a volume that is just a little aggressive in nature but that's just the way the language was created" but I have a problem with it because she thinks she is getting yelled at a lot. She absolutely adores my dad though. She whines when he leaves the house and barks at my mother if my mother leaves the house with my dad as if to say, "Hey! How come she gets to go?!" I think that a lot of our older generation of Korean-Americans learned to speak Korean with loud tones because of noises and sounds related to war torn villages. Unfortunately, my father is of that camp so most of his statements, requests and even affectionate comments come out like he's shouting for his team to score a homerun. I think that this initially confused Katie because the tones that a dog relates with are important to communication. I just got Cesar Millan's book so I will know more about this when I finish it.
Today is a really big prep day so I'm baking all day. We are readying our batches for the Because your dog is worth it too event in Cranbury, NJ. I'm really excited about it because I get to meet some new demographics of dog lovers. I haven't been to too many events out in NJ especially down in the Southern part of NJ so I'm happy that we can spread the Honeybark word.
I'm Korean (father's side) and Chinese (mother's side). I was born here and so I consider myself truly American. Katie is American too. I have a sneaking suspicion that Katie is starting to understand "Kor-glish" or maybe "Eng-rean" which is a combination of Korean and English that I grew up with. My dad has been living here for all of over 50 years and he still has an accent. That's normal because all immigrants maintain some semblance of the language of origin. Katie listens to my father with an intent stare. She looks like that dog on the record label that is listening to the phonograph. She will at times tilt her head as well. It's as if she is trying really hard to understand what is being told to her and yet also trying to figure out...is that English? So my dad makes statements like, "Hey Doggy! You don' do that you hear?" Katie knows that she is doing something wrong by the tone in my dad's voice so she'll flatten her ears, look submissive, tuck the tail under and come over looking for some affection or forgiveness. She's very sweet like that but she also has her super rebellious side when she is running around and really living the life, chasing the doves from our garden or greeting the mailman with an abnormally loud barking that seems sort of out of proportion to her small size and sweet demeanor. So my dad will basically yell at her (it's not out of anger, most Koreans yell in a volume that is just a little aggressive in nature but that's just the way the language was created" but I have a problem with it because she thinks she is getting yelled at a lot. She absolutely adores my dad though. She whines when he leaves the house and barks at my mother if my mother leaves the house with my dad as if to say, "Hey! How come she gets to go?!" I think that a lot of our older generation of Korean-Americans learned to speak Korean with loud tones because of noises and sounds related to war torn villages. Unfortunately, my father is of that camp so most of his statements, requests and even affectionate comments come out like he's shouting for his team to score a homerun. I think that this initially confused Katie because the tones that a dog relates with are important to communication. I just got Cesar Millan's book so I will know more about this when I finish it.
Today is a really big prep day so I'm baking all day. We are readying our batches for the Because your dog is worth it too event in Cranbury, NJ. I'm really excited about it because I get to meet some new demographics of dog lovers. I haven't been to too many events out in NJ especially down in the Southern part of NJ so I'm happy that we can spread the Honeybark word.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
The month with no holidays
August is the only month of the year with no major holidays. That seems sad considering it is such an important month for dogs. I was hoping for the National Dog Day event to occur but I believe that there has been a glitch and a postponement considering how huge the interest has become.
However, there are some great things to do this month that are listed on our website including:
Because your dog is worth it too! August 5, 2006 9AM-5PM
We are going to be there with lots of treats for people to sample and you can talk with us in person. Lots of good stuff.
http://www.yourdogisworthittoo.com/
Pet Fashion Week August 19-20, 2006 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York, NY. We are offering a great raffle prize there.
September is packed with fun stuff to do including:
Canine Cruise NYC
and much more...details on our website.
I'm happy to say that we are chugging along, baking and getting our treats out to some great parties and events. I am very much looking forward to the upcoming months with all sorts of great parties. I'll keep the big one quiet for now because I just got a great phonecall and I won't say anything until the details are ironed out but for all our Honeybark fans, this is going to be a huge deal!
August is the only month of the year with no major holidays. That seems sad considering it is such an important month for dogs. I was hoping for the National Dog Day event to occur but I believe that there has been a glitch and a postponement considering how huge the interest has become.
However, there are some great things to do this month that are listed on our website including:
Because your dog is worth it too! August 5, 2006 9AM-5PM
We are going to be there with lots of treats for people to sample and you can talk with us in person. Lots of good stuff.
http://www.yourdogisworthittoo.com/
Pet Fashion Week August 19-20, 2006 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York, NY. We are offering a great raffle prize there.
September is packed with fun stuff to do including:
Canine Cruise NYC
and much more...details on our website.
I'm happy to say that we are chugging along, baking and getting our treats out to some great parties and events. I am very much looking forward to the upcoming months with all sorts of great parties. I'll keep the big one quiet for now because I just got a great phonecall and I won't say anything until the details are ironed out but for all our Honeybark fans, this is going to be a huge deal!
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