For the Dogs - My "Favorites" List

I am crazy about dogs.  But you all know that...and (thankfully) most of you appreciate that part of me!

I tend to buy most of my dogtastic items from Amazon.  It's easy to price shop, you know what you're getting...and hey, I already have Amazon Prime!  So, free shipping!

Here are a few of my current favorite items:

Nylabone Liquid Tartar Remover
This might not be the most fun place to start, but dachshunds have bad teeth.  Really.  As in "a trip to the dentist every year or so" bad.  I don't know if you've tried to brush your dogs teeth before, but some are less willing to participate than others.  If I can keep the tartar off their teeth by mixing in a little additive to their water, I'm all for it!

Outward Hound Slow Feeder Bowl
Mealtime can be like the Wild West in my house.  Yes, each of the dogs has their designated place to sit and wait for breakfast and dinner.  But are they quiet about it?!  Heck, no!  And two of them try to inhale their food instead of chewing!  I absolutely love slow feed bowls.  It keeps them interested and slows down the rate that they can get food in their mouths.  If you have a deep chested dog - you know that eating fast can cause bloat; something that scares me.  Just the prospect of saving myself and my dogs that kind of medical emergency is worth the bowls!

Jakks Plubber Dog Toys
These things are all the rage in my household.  Plush + rubber = plubber.  My herd are not aggressive chewers, but are known to take down a stuffy when they put their mind to it, so I prefer not to give them too many toys with stuffing.  Beckett is partial to this mallard!  It's medium rubber inside and covered in a nice plush on the outside.  Added bonus - when they throw the toys at each other (what, your dogs don't do that?!) you're less likely to bruise if you get in the way!

Earthbath Tea Tree Hot Spot & Itch Relief Spray
It doesn't happen often, but Beckett will get a hot spot from time to time.  My parent's spaniel is plagued by them.  It's her body's reaction to being stressed whenever they go on vacation.  This spray is all natural, smells good (kinda minty), and has helped poor Carmella so much.  A few spritzes take the itch away for her and it's enough to get her body healing.  I know a few people that use it between baths for all their dogs - it has oatmeal, vitamin E, aloe vera and teatree oil, so I bet the dogs love it!

Burt's Bees Oatmeal Dog Shampoo
Little secret...I don't like the scent of most dog shampoos, and some of them bother my asthma.  This shampoo doesn't smell much, rinses out quickly and I trust the brand.  The herd likes it too.  I mean, as much as they can for being anti-bath. Ha!  (P.S.  I might be holding a giveaway this dog shampoo next week...)

Poochie Bells
You're probably going to think this is nuts...but my dogs are bell trained when they want to go out.  It started for our family about 15 years ago when my mom put bells on the door for Christmas.  The dogs started hitting them when they wanted to go out, and the bells stayed at the end of the holiday season.  It was an easy system for the older dogs to teach the young dogs and they picked it up quickly!  Think it would work for you?

What are your favorite products?  Anything the dogs and I NEED to try?



I am an Amazon affiliate, If you *happen* to make a purchase of any of the linked products, I won't get rich.  But I just might be able to buy the pups a new bag of cookies...

Thirty Day of Thankful - Thanksgiving Day

I'm sure you're all ready of the end of my month of thanks...

I'll keep it brief, I know we all have things to do.  Today, I'm thankful for Thanksgiving Day itself.  It's a labor intensive day for those of us cooking - but it's done out of love and out of thanks for everything around us in the past year.

I'm thankful for the police, firefighters, nurses, doctors and other first responders who have to rotate through working on holiday.  I'm thankful that it's illegal in MA to open for Black Friday before midnight - all of you who go shopping immediately after Thanksgiving dinner are crazy!  I love ya...but you're crazy!

I'm thankful for being forced to cook some foods that are only prepared on holiday.  As much as they aren't my favorites, it keeps family traditions alive. I'm thankful that even though I have to work tomorrow, it's likely to be a quiet day where I can sneak in a few projects of my own (shh...don't tell anyone!).

What are you thankful for this year?  Anything you've been surprised to see on my list so far...or shocked I've left off? A few more days of things I'm thankful for and you we can move firmly into December!

Fall Fashion Essentials For the This Suburbanite

I'm seeing some ADORABLE fall fashions lately.  But let's get real.  I work in an environment where sneakers and jeans are standard issue (and trust me, I'm not complaining!) and my nights & weekends are spent chasing dogs, meeting potential fosters or adopters or doing something rescue related.

So, to say that I don't need to look gorgeous on a daily basis is an understatement...

But I do have a few fall must-haves!

I love Converse All-Stars and gray is a great neutral color that can carry you through the fall.

Flip-flops and sandals are being put away.  Which is sad...but take this opportunity to wear some socks with personality!  These "mr. and mrs. sausage" socks speak to me.  I wonder why!

Heading to a football game?  Prepping for trick-or-treating?  Maybe just a really boring meeting?  An infinity flask scarf might be just what you need.  Fill it with water...or wine. I won't tell!  I am seriously considering buying a bunch of these for my friends.  So many cute colors and patterns!

Little secret...I'm not a fan of jackets.  At all.  My family and close friends come close to going into shock on the rare instance I put one on.  But layering with sweaters, sweatshirts, etc is a must for me.  I like that this sweater is structured, but not *too* structured, is a good length to dress up or down and has a hood.  :-)

Cuddle time on the couch at the end of the day?!  Fall means new pj's, in my opinion!  I think these this Del Rossa paisley set is super cute. (But less "busy" patterns are available too!)

What are fall "musts" for you this year?





*Disclosure: I'm still an Amazon Affiliate.  If you *happen* to buy, you're kindly donating a few cents to helping me funnel money into my rescue, buy the caffeine needed to be up 24/7 or get closer to paying off my doggiemobile.

An Intro to "Adult Coloring"

I don't know about you, but I absolutely loved coloring as a child.  Some of my best memories are of coloring with cousins and my aunt, who I thought was just magical at making the pages she colored look pretty.

I admit, when I heard that coloring was the new thing for adults, I laughed.  But then, I sat, thought about how much I'm already into arts and crafts, and how much fun it used to be...and headed over to Amazon to start my search for the perfect coloring book.  Which then turned into a lengthy debate over the best coloring medium.  Do I go with crayons?  Colored pencils?  Markers?

I picked out two coloring books to start Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Patterns and Detailed Designs and Beautiful Patterns (Volume 28).  They both had nice thick paper so nothing bled through from one page to the other.  If you have a heavy hand, I'd err on the side of caution and just put a regular piece of paper between the page you're coloring and the next page.

Picking what you're going to color with is where things get fun. My mom decide to delve into this new little hobby with me and went straight for the standard 64 count Crayola crayons.  That's a teacher for you, ha!  She quickly figured out that some of the designs are rather intricate and had to join me in my pursuit for the best coloring medium.  Ultimately, she went with the Prismacolor premium 72 color pencil set and I bought the Raffine 72 color pencil set, which are essentially the Japanese knock-offs.  I love them, and mom is thrilled with her colored pencils too.  By the way, I'm super jealous.  Her pencils hold up just a touch longer and are a little easier to blend colors.

My friends who are into card making, drawing or are otherwise truly artistically gifted swear that I should buy Copic markers and that they are the best. thing. ever.  But I about fell out of my seat when I saw the price...so that's just not happening!

Think coloring would be fun but don't want to invest yet?  Coloring apps to the rescue!

There are a few good ones out there.  I'm partial to Colorfy.  If you're following me on Instagram, you've seen a bit of my artwork (and if you haven't - behold a few of my fabulous images above!). Colorfy has a handful of categories of pictures (flowers, animals, mandalas, etc) but the number of pictures in each level that are available to you increase based on how many of your completed pictures you share on social media.  I'm all for sharing, but I'm not sure you want to see some of these things!

If the ability to express yourself creatively doesn't convince you to buy a coloring book, there are health benefits to coloring too!  Coloring is a stress free (and stress relieving) activity, which allows your brain the rest it needs and over time, might even help train your amygdala to respond better to stress. Add in the prospect of a coloring night with your friends (I see a girl's night in coming!), and the fine motor skills that are used while coloring - which helps delay/prevent brain atrophy - and I think coloring is a no-lose prospect!

* Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Notice: The owner of this website (www.weinertales.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, endless.com, smallparts.com, myhabit.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program.  Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Five on Friday...

Happy Friday!  Lately, it seems like an accomplishment to have made it through the week.  Am I alone in feeling that way?

I'm linking up with the lovely April again this week.  :-)

A few days ago, I took the plunge and started a Facebook page for Weiner Tales!  Click on my little social media button and it will take you there now instead of to my personal profile.  :-)

Have you seen the videos that Sean Hayes and his husband Scott do?  They never cease to bring a smile to my face!  Flo Rida liked the one they did of  "I Don't Like It" so much that he put it on his YouTube channel.  You can see them all on Sean's Facebook page.

Is it weird that I'm ready for fall so my favorite TV shows come back and to check out all the new shows premiering?  I'm so excited to see the new Muppets, for Marvel's Agents of Shield to come back and Scorpion too!  What shows are you looking forward to?

Have you heard of David's Tea?  They are a Canadian company that just opened a location in the shopping plaza between my office and my house (a distance of less than three miles) and given my new obsession with iced tea...it's a dangerous thing!  I'm catching the tail end of their $1 tea program for the summer and drinking my way through their tea wall.  Someone stop me!

Last...I saw this, and couldn't help but smile.  Happy Friday, everyone!

Wait. You Wanted Me to Help You?!

Friday morning I had a horrid customer service experience.  I'll give you a quick rundown in a second...but it essentially looked like this:

{via}

Like all of you, I get promotional emails in my mailbox multiple times a day.  Thursday evening I got an email that Swimsuitsforall.com was having a 60-80% sale.  Of course, I looked even though I had just bought a bathing suit.  I found a suit I LOVED!  But I'm on a budget and didn't want to make an impulse buy and the promo code found on the email said I had another 24-ish hours to take advantage of the sale.

Friday morning came and I still wanted that bathing suit, but the promo code wasn't giving me the 60% that it was supposed to.  Instead, it gave 30%.  Ordinarily, this would be a good buy.  But who spends twice the amount they thought they were going to a mere 12 hours earlier?  Being at work, I opted to use the chat function with their customer service department.  I didn't save our interactions, but the short version went a little like this:

CS: Hi, I'm Sue (name changed to protect the not so innocent).
Me: Hi, Sue.  My name is Cole and I'd like to get a bathing suit using the promo code I was emailed. It's only giving me 30%, not 60%.  Can you help me with that?
CS: Ma'am, did you actually place an order?
Me: No...I just explained that I want to place an order online using promocode: buyabathingsuit and it will only give 30% not 60% as described in your marketing email.
CS: Ma'am.  You need to call us.
Me: Why do I need to call you, Sue?  I'm at work and can't call.  Can you help me get a working promo code?  Is there a known tech issue that the code isn't working?
CS: Ma'am, are you near a phone?  You really should just call us.  It would be much easier.

That is where I gave up, and quite frankly, got ticked off!  Under normal circumstances, I would have just shut that browser window and moved on.  But the combination of calling me ma'am multiple times after I made a point of using her name (and providing mine more than once), and the CS reps horrible attitude pushed all the buttons I needed to go find the email address for Swimsuitsforall.com's Customer Relations Director.

I was wrote a detailed and slightly grumpy email that I tried to temper with desire to make sure others weren't having the same problem I was with their customer service call center. Honestly, I didn't expect an answer.  I was SHOCKED when I not only got a response, but it was within an hour of emailing!  My email was from Jessica, the assistant to the Customer Relations Director,  (Name not changed, as she is pretty fabulous.) who proceeded to ask all the right questions (what item # was I trying to purchase, can I replicate the error, can I try another promo code {which she provided}).

The end result is that Jessica's great customer service and desire to make things right meant I am getting my bathing suit at the right price!  Isn't it cute?!

(I am not getting paid for this post and do not have affiliate links with swimsuitsforall.com.  It's only because Jessica saved the day that I'm sharing their website info.)

You Did WHAT?!

Happy Monday!  I've had a few weird experiences this weekend.  Nothing earth shattering...just...WEIRD!
I've recently gotten involved with secret shopping.  It's easy, doesn't take too long and you earn a few bucks!  Sounds like fun, right?!

Friday I got an assignment for an area grocery chain.  As I'm walking into the store, it starts down pouring. No biggie.  So I look around and there are no carriages. An associate is loitering by the door, so I mention that I'm looking for a grocery cart.  Her response?  "If you want a cart, go back outside and find one."!  Seriously!

I later see the same associate in the bakery department, and watch as she opens a tub of store brand cookies, takes one, and re-closes the tub! I was horrified!

Of course, I report this during my secret shopping survey.  Which resulted in a 20 minute phone call with the company I "work" for.  *sigh* Who knows if they'll tell me the outcome...but I almost don't want to know.

_____________

Sunday I locked myself out of the house (with all the dogs and my Kindle) for just over an hour and a half.  Hi, my name is Cole and I'm an idiot.

At first, it was funny.  Then I realized that I didn't have my cell phone with me...and my only hope for a spare key was that either my parents or brother get on FaceBook so I can chat with them. {Bless my Kindle Fire and good wireless reception.}

By the time I broke in (and yes, I did have to break into my house), the dogs were whining and scratching at the door to get in. I was tearing up because it was really humid out and my asthma was bothering me... We were ALL thirsty! Not my finest hour (and a half)!

Sooo...who can recommend a good hide-a-key or number lock in case I do something stupid like this again? :-)

Birthday Wish List

July is here, and it seems, my birthday is coming quickly. In fact, so are the birthdays of Beach Bum & Baby, Sonya and Jessica! I'm in good company.  :-)

Here are a few things I've had my eye on:

Because, seriously, I think I'm the only one that doesn't have an Erin Condren planner!

I love address stampers. So much prettier than writing my address on envelopes!  I used to have a great one...but it seems to have gone missing.

These Clark's flip flops are so comfy!  I really need a new pair.

Season four of True Blood on DVD.  I have to keep my collection current, right?!

A dachshund accent lamp.  What?!  You already know I'm a little weird.  Don't pretend you didn't see this coming!

OPI's Minnie Mouse collection.  These four colors are so pretty...and I love nail polish!

Anything else that should be on my list?!

A Dose of Random...

Sorry that my post lacks direction today.  I have lots of little things that would be a waste to post on their own.  Bring on the bullet points!

• Friday night a had an amazing girls night with some of my favorite ladies.  We did a little shopping (if you follow me on Twitter, you saw the adorable sparkly pink headband I picked up at Charming Charlie), had dinner at Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar & Grill", and saw Hunger Games!
• For our viewing pleasure, we saw Hunger Games via Lux level.  The comfy seats, drinks and prime viewing spots are worth the ticket price. 
• And... because there are five of us that went, I ended up being the girl NOT sitting next to one of her besties.  Which is totally fine!  What I hadn't anticipated is having to sit next to a guy who proceeded to drink FOUR beers and then beer belch at me through the movie.  *gag*  And that says nothing of the running commentary he had going.
• You may notice the April book poll in the top left corner.  Please vote!  The poll will be open through April 1, and the book will be announced on April 2nd.
• A huge THANK YOU to those of you who gave book suggestions.  They'll be showing up on the long list rotation soon.  :-) Please keep the book titles coming!
• Quick reminder to please link up your posts about our March book - Disengaged on Friday.
• I planted my peach tree!  I love it already.  I bet it doesn't bloom for a few years, but that's OK.  I do think she needs a name.  Any suggestions?
• The lovely Andrea and I will have a little something fun to share with you all soon. We're both really excited about it!
• The second annual flip flop swap is coming soon!  It's a great way to celebrate the warm weather and find a new bloggy friend.  :-)

Tuesdays At The Table - Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

Howdy!  Did everyone get a three day weekend?  From the looks of stores...it seems that way!  I had a few shopping adventures over the weekend.
On Sunday I went to a local furniture store and IKEA with my brother, JC and his girlfriend.  I scored an AWESOME deal in the furniture store's clearance center!!!!  A $700 chair for $217! Once we loaded up the chair (they won't deliver anything from the clearance center), we moved along to IKEA.  Where JC's girlfriend fell in love with an entertainment center.  Also a great deal - $229 for $99!  And...that's where skills in spacial relations came into play.  Of course, the entertainment center is the huge 6 foot x 5 foot model that comes in three boxes.  With about an hour of jostling, everything fit into my SUV.  Yet ANOTHER reason I'm so happy I drive a Tahoe!

Monday I spent some time with my fabulous (and newly engaged - go visit her blog!) cousin.  At Target I scored some cute curtains for my sun room on sale for $5.58! Then we communed with nature the yarn store.

OK, I'm babbling.  I'll get along to the recipe now.  Oh, but first...did you know I'm celebrating 500 followers with a giveaway?  Enter here. :-)

Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

1 (2-3 pound) boneless pork roast
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place roast in slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, honey, soy sauce, basil, garlic, oil and salt; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.

Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Caroline on Pinterest

What's cooking in your kitchen?