New Years Eve Eve

Vallee looking at the judge at Eukanuba during the breed judging. I LOVE this picture a friend took.

We had a wonderful Christmas. While I was pretty sick, the boys helped a lot and in fact I couldn't have pulled it off without them. Everyone enjoyed themselves and it was extra special because mom came too. It was so much fun watching the grandkids open their gifts. They were thrilled with what they got. One thing Tom and I bought them was real Army fatigues I found at an Army Navy Store. Including the belt, hat, socks, and more. They couldn't wait to try them on. Thankfully they fit! It was so cute. BJ say's he wants to go into the military after college, this from a 7 year old.

I am still not well from this darn cold/flu thing, but hopefully I am on the mend. I keep taking medication in hopes something will help. Maybe it just needs to run its course.

I had scheduled today off to do something that got cancelled but decided to go ahead and take the day off anyway so I could take dogs to the vet that needed some things done as well as get ALL the dogs groomed. I had hoped to be able to take the tree down and all the other decorations, but I just didn't have the energy in the end! Ran a progesterone test on the girl I want to breed and she is just about ready. I am excited about this breeding and hope all goes well. I always worry about mom and pups before, during and after birth!!

Tom came home from work and cooked a great dinner. Brandon joined us too. It is always nice to have either him or Sarah here when they can come by. The boys are enjoying being off from school and frankly I am too. It won't be long before they will be like their older siblings and will be gone more then they are home!

We finally got the results today from mom's kidney biopsy that was done almost 2 weeks ago!! She does have renal cancer. They had told us back in August that she had kidney cancer but they had never taken tissue to confirm because they also thought she had bone cancer. Well, the 2 bone biopsy's came back negative so the oncologist decided to do this biopsy. Not sure what treatment they can offer as they are still convinced she has bone cancer too even though the biopsy say's something different. We are not too happy as we are feeling like something more could have been done during these last 4 months since she was given a wrong diagnosis!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe and happy New Year's Eve. Don't celebrate too hard though! We will be staying home and hope we are able to make it to the midnight hour. Here is wishing everyone a prosperous, healthy new year! 2010 will be an awesome year!! Don't forget to cook some black-eyed peas as they are suppose to bring good luck in the new year!

Christmas Eve

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF US TO ALL OF YOU.

We are having our gift exchange tonight instead of tomorrow since our grandson's will be here today. I am feeling better after having some kind of flu!

Food is cooked, house is clean thanks to my teen boys, decorations are out, table is set, presents are wrapped and under the tree.

It's been a good year, with some trials and tribulations, but in the end God has blessed us all.

Dogs have their Christmas bone and can't wait to see what Santa Paws will bring them.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Fudge!

I am finally unpacked!! Why as I age does it seemingly take me longer to do just about anything anymore??? I find myself throughout the day each day now, smiling uncontrollably when I think about my weekend and Vallee winning the breed at Eukanuba. I still have to pinch myself to realize all of her accomplishments are true. I think I will be talking about it all for years to come.

My mouth is still causing me a lot of discomfort. I went back to the oral surgeon to learn he left not 1 but 2 pieces of bone in the spot that is bothering me the most!!!

Tonight the family, including the grandchildren will be coming over to make fudge and decorate our tree. I make Christmas fudge every year and it has become a tradition that everyone enjoys. I only make it this time of year so it always remains a treat.

All the dogs are well. Sarah called me today to let me know that Bugsy and Ollie got into the cat's food and ate it all. She is preparing for them to have stools less then desirable!! LOL Watching and waiting for one of the girls to come into heat as it is time for her, but she is not cooperating like I planned!!! It has been almost a year since we had puppies so I am looking forward to having a litter. I am very excited also about these planned breedings and hope they take and all goes well of course.

Tom and I are going on a "date" tomorrow night, something we do every year, to finish our Christmas shopping and just have fun with each other. Maybe this year he and I should shop only for ourselves??!! LOL

Day After Eukanuba

I am sorry that I have not posted in a while. I have been sick with a bad cold and at the same time have had oral surgery with some complications. Then it was time to leave for Long Beach to attend the 2009 Eukanuba Dog Show. It was a wonderful trip even though my pain has been bothersome at times and the weather wasn't what we all hoped it would be in S. California.

Friday was the HCSC Regional Specialty. There were 59 Havanese entered and a nice representation of the breed. Vallee couldn't be shown as John, her co-owner is a member of the Long Beach Kennel Club. However, BJ (Bellatak's Greatest General) owned by Jane S. was shown and he won Winners Dog and Best of Winners and Best Puppy! It was thrilling to say the least and his owner Jane was flying high and I wasn't sure when her feet would be back on the ground. Rightfully so too! Jane called me Friday morning on her way to the show with BJ and asked if she should pull him from being shown as he woke up that morning and had thrown up a little. After we discussed it we both decided he would probably be fine and to bring him and let him be in the show. We are both so glad he did! The judge loved him!! Jane won some beautiful crystal trophy's which I am sure will be proudly displayed in her home. Then it was on to the Puppy Toy Group. It was judged by Wendal Strike, who is also a Havanese owner and a member of the Long Beach club. While Wendal didn't pick BJ for a group placement, we all felt that BJ was the biggest winner that day!

Yesterday was the first day of the 2009 Eukanuba. It was another great day to say the least. BJ was shown in the 9-12 month class and while he didn't win he did get Reserve Winners Dog and got a nice ribbon and medallion at the greatest dog show in the world. What an honor for BJ.

Then it was time for breed. There were a lot of very nice Havanese in the breed ring. I was standing fairly close by as I knew Vallee wasn't going to win and this was going to be her last time at this very prestigious show. I finally decided to sit down at the ring next to where we were showing to watch. Well, I so enjoyed watching Vallee on the table and strut her stuff around the ring. Then I turned my attention to what was happening in the ring where I was seated. Suddenly a woman who is a fan of Vallee's suddenly said, "Oh my, she just moved Vallee to the front of the line." That made my heart drop to my knee's and I swiftly turned my head back to the Havanese ring. I stood up to watch and when I saw the judge point to David and Vallee for Best of Breed, my legs suddenly started to give out from under me!!!!! I broke down in tears and tried to walk back over to the ring so I could get to John and Carol. We all were thrilled to say the least as Vallee is retiring. What a wonderful way for her to leave the dog show world as the 2009 Eukanuba Havanese Best of Breed winner. You will be able to watch the show on Animal Planet in February.

We all went out to celebrate and then went back for the Group's. While Vallee didn't get a Group placement, it was wonderful to see her on the blue carpet and share the moment with some wonderful friends.

It was a great day for California breeders as my good friend Elaine C. won Best of Breed Bred By with a nice bitch she co-owns with Joe C. Joe and I drove up and back together from the show, with Elaine following behind. Congratulations Elaine and Joe!!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend and will enjoy the Holiday's however you spend it.

Sadie

As many of you know, Sadie the Cocker Spaniel, has been living with us for about 2 weeks now. Sadie is very sweet and loving and loves to play fetch and sit in your lap for lot's of lovin's! Sadie isn't ours but belonged to a family member that can longer keep her due to a personal tragedy.

If you know of anyone that might be interested in a 4 month old fawn colored Cocker Spaniel please ask them to fill out a puppy questionnaire on my web site and indicate they are interested in the Cocker Spaniel. www.bellahavanese.com

Illness not allowed!

Got to sleep in till 7:30 yesterday morning, felt good, but still didn't seem like I got a good nights sleep! Don't we always want more of a good thing??!!

Travis woke up vomiting yesterday morning and he said he had horrible stomach pains all night too. I hope the rest of us don't get whatever he has. Wrote this too soon! Bryan began not feeling well last night and couldn't even eat dinner, something he never misses! I went to bed early last night too as I wasn't feeling right either. I woke up with aches, headache and a terrible sore throat! Bryan woke up with a cold. I went back to bed (not ever able to do that unless I am sick) mid-morning but could never get warm. Got up again early afternoon, took a hot shower and felt a little better but somewhat woozy and exhausted feeling, with some aches. Hopefully this will pass soon.

I was able to get most of my Christmas shopping done online. Didn't have to pay shipping on any of it, which is nice. So, I saved on gas, time and all stress free!!!

I am excited about our trip to Eukanuba this year. I look forward to seeing many I don't get to see any other time. The S. California club sounds like it will be hosting one terrific specialty. I will never forget their first specialty as a AKC licensed club back in 2006, it was nice.

All the dogs are doing great. They still don't like Sadie too much, except for Lizzie. I got some pictures this past from some of our Bellatak family, I so enjoy getting pictures and video too!

Tom was suppose to go to the storage unit yesterday and get all of our Christmas decorations, but that didn't happen. I was hoping to start some decorating today, but the way I feel I know it wouldn't have happened if he had gotten all the stuff. Maybe next weekend he will be able to get it all if the weather cooperates.

Ahhhh....

Even though I am exhausted from mostly standing in the kitchen yesterday cooking it was well worth it. Everyone said it tasted great, I on the other hand thought it all tasted the same!!! It was great having all the kids home this year. We filled our tummies until we couldn't eat anymore, we played games, drank whatever and just enjoyed "hanging out". Sarah made a delicious hot apple win punch and brought the appetizers.

Having adult children in the retail business we had to discuss the insanity that surrounds Black Friday shopping. We all think it has gotten way out of control and it should not continue. The retailers have control of it. I would much rather enjoy the day relaxing and if I want to shop, do it online!!! I not only save time and gas shopping online, but typically you don't pay for shipping either!

All the furkids enjoyed the day too. The weather was abnormally warm so we spent time outside too. I bought the grandkids these little planes that you fly using a sling shot type thing. They enjoyed them and so did all the adults. We had a contest (once grandma figured out how to make them work) to see who could get their plane to fly the farthest. Would you believe it was the youngest member of the family, the 5 year old that won!!! Who would have thought that a $1.99 set of 3 planes would be so entertaining for everyone??!!

My sister and her family came up to mom's and cooked at her house. I had hoped we all would be able to go over for dessert, however, the grandkids wanted to also go to their other grandma's and I was so exhausted it just didn't happen.

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving.

Off for 5 days!!!

I enjoyed going to the dog show on Saturday and Sunday this past weekend. I got to spend quality time with Vallee, BJ, Jane, David and many other's. It was especially nice to see a friend with a true smile on her face with her new male friend and her Havanese I have not seen in a long time. The weather was nice, no rain thankfully. David and BJ were interviewed by Channel 13 news while they were waiting to go into the ring, that was fun to watch on the news that night! We had a club meeting and seeing so many present who are kind and love the breed was great too.

I will be cooking Thanksgiving this year and I look forward to having all the kids here including our grandson's who have not been here for Thanksgiving in a very long time!!!

I am looking forward to going to Eukanuba. A few of us will be caravanning down to Long Beach like we did last year and it makes the 6+ hour drive more fun!

Sadie is living her now and since she arrived 4 days ago, ALL the dogs have not been pleased she is around. Well, today I came home from work and took Sadie outside and Lizzie followed. Who would have thought that the smallest of the "crew" would break the ice first and play with Sadie. It was hysterical to say the least. Lizzie ran and ran all around the yard wanting Sadie to chase her, which she did, but Lizzie is too fast for her. That of course made Queenie want to get into the act, and it was so nice to see. CC, Poker and Teddy are still not warming up to Ms Sadie, but in due time!!!

I hope you all have a wonderfully full, healthy and happy Thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be thankful for!!!

Thursday, November 19th

Well, it has been a week of many family adventures to say the least. While I won't go into any details, just know it has been a rather stressful week. Never a dull moment in our household as Tom say's!

I am looking forward to the weekend though. I am seriously considering getting the cheapest freezer I can even if it isn't frost free as I really want to try using my grinder to make a LOT of food. I just paid off the darn credit card though so not sure I should do it. The mood I am in today though I think I should by george! LOL Then next week, only 2 work days. I just realized earlier this week that Thanksgiving is NEXT week!!!! Not sure when I will get the shopping all done, but I always look forward to the wonderful feast on that day. I enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner and having all the kids here.

Today at work they had a Thanksgiving feast catered for all of us to enjoy. It was actually very tasty.

All the dogs are doing great. Lizzie however thinks that she can run from mommy instead of being a good girl and coming to me when called. She LOVES running in and out and in and out.....of the doggie door. While that is fine most of the time, there are times I am not comfortable with her doing that for fear a hawk will come along and grab her. Lizzie on the other hand thinks differently and after all, we do live in HER world!! LOL We have Sadie and Ollie staying here today and Lizzie doesn't like Saddie for some reason. Sadie is the sweetest girl too. So for today, Sadie, Ollie and Lizzie are all confined to separate xpens in the computer room with me! Thankfully this won't be this way for more then a few hours as they all would rather be running about! lol

A warning light came on the dashboard of my van today. I had no idea what it meant so had to pull out the manual. Well, it was telling me a tire was too low. I think I picked up a nail. I now must go to the tire store first thing tomorrow morning!! Not something I particularly look forward to doing! Time for them to be rotated anyway I suppose or I might need new ones, who knows!

Raw dog food

Yesterday I cleaned the "black hole" in our house, otherwise known as the Pantry! It was a mess. We have a large walk-in pantry and it had become the "catch all" place to throw things we didn't know where to put them. Now I can actually walk into it again. lol I wanted to make a space for the new grinder which was my motivation to clean it.

I used the new Weston #22 Grinder today. It was wonderfully easy, quiet and fast. The longest part was cleaning! It ground 5 pounds in less then 15 seconds! I can't do much more then that since I don't have enough freezer space. So, if this continues to work well, I suppose our next purchase will be a freezer! lol

REMINDER: Check your yards for mushrooms, as they can be deadly to your dog. It is the season here in California anyway. We found 2 this morning, thankfully before the dogs found them.

Grooming Day

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The work week is over!

What a day at work! I was glad to get off to say the least. There was some fog this morning on the way to work, but not bad, still could see where I needed to go.

I sent an email Tuesday to Home Depot corporate office letting them know my disappointment in their Elk Grove, CA store. Today, I received a phone call from the store manager. A very nice, polite man that really seemed interested in hearing all the details of our horrible visit to his store. At the end of the conversation, he was offering to try and make things right even though yesterday Tom and I returned the security screen door at mom's request.

My meat grinder arrived today! Wow is it big!!! LOL Not sure where we will store it. If I could get some help with a couple of family members in cleaning out the huge walk in pantry that really has become our "black hole" for storage, I know right were it should go. I can't wait to set it up and make our first batch. Hopefully this weekend.

Tuesday, November 10th

I know, call me stupid, but I just realized today after picking up the boys from school that we have ONLY 2 weeks till Thanksgiving!!!!! OH MY!!! I always have enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving. This year we may not have it on that special day though as I promised my oldest son we would work it around his new work schedule.

Mom is having more pain again, at least more then she has had for the past couple of weeks. I worry about her so much. She is so thin but she does have color in her face. The last couple of days she has seemed more down then she has been recently. Yesterday we went to Home Depot to finish the transaction on the security screen door she wanted. My advise is to never shop at Home Depot again!!! I was not only frustrated with the employees but I eventually got pretty angry at them as they were NOT treating my mother the way I felt they should. It was an awful experience and ended up costing a lot more then I feel it should have had we gone somewhere else! Price matching doesn't seem to be really true for Home Depot!!! URG!!!!

Dogs are all doing great. They of course think we live in "their" world and are here only for their pleasure and I suppose they are correct. lol Lizzie the last few days has been a wild woman! When she wants to play with the older dogs and they don't she won't let up no matter what the older dogs do to her. Their growling, snarling at her doesn't stop her, but rather almost encourages her to keep coming back for more! It is too funny really. The older dogs won't hurt her and I think she knows it! She will run around like a mad dog and then go up to one of them, doesn't matter which one, and pull their beard, which of course gets a reaction out of them every time. It is a game to her!! Man can she run and turn on a dime!!!

The boys don't have school tomorrow. I wish I didn't have to work!!!

I am hoping to get all the dogs groomed this weekend. We shall see! LOL

BJ had a wonderful day!

Today was a great day! The weather was perfect in Napa, CA and there were a lot of great dogs, great people and wine being served too. After all what is Napa known for??!!

BJ was as cool as a cucumber and very confident in himself as he should have been. His mother and grandmother on the other hand, well, not so much!! It was so wonderful to be sharing the moment of BJ in the ring with Jane, she was so excited. BJ won Winners Dog for his first major and Best of Winners and Best Puppy. Then he was to move on to the Puppy Group since he also won Best Puppy in our breed. Since the Puppy Groups were running a group behind, David couldn't show him as he had show his TT at the same time in the other ring. So, David got some young girl to show him in the Puppy Group. It started out well, but this girl obviously had never shown a Havanese before or something as she was sorta stringing up BJ and choking him. None of us were happy about that and especially Jane. I thought she was going to walk into that ring and knock this girl out. Sarah instead walked around the ring to firmly tell the girl to "knock it off!" In spite of the poor handling, BJ was awarded a Puppy Group 3!!!!

News???

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days. Not a whole lot to share really.

NEWS FLASH - I am so excited about this weekend. Today, at the Napa show, Bellatak Greatest General, also known as BJ, owned by Jane Samson, is making his show career debut!!!! I am thrilled that Jane wanted to show BJ. Jane and her girlfriends (who came to visit her from the mid-west for the weekend) will be flying up to see the show too!!! Jane and I can't wait to see BJ in the ring and we both hope and pray he not only does well, but he behaves too!!! Here is a recent picture of BJ. I hope everyone will support Jane and BJ in this new adventure.

Wednesday, November 4th

PG&E showed up last night at 9:45 pm. We did in fact have a gas leak, but we had 2 leaks not just 1. I am so thankful he came even though it was after the time they told me they wouldn't come. He was able to fix it on the spot and all is good and no cost to us!

We are suppose to have rain tomorrow and possibly Friday but the weekend is suppose to be clear. I hope so, I have plans to get things done and rain is NOT part of my plan!

I can't believe we have only 50 day's till Christmas!!! We have decided this year it is time to stop buying for EVERYONE in the family and instead pick names for all the adults. My oldest grandson rattled off a few things he is asking for from Santa yesterday but he said it all so fast I had no time to write it all down. This is the same child that has future already planned out as well. I suppose I should start thoroughly cleaning the house, but just not motivated enough to do something that drastic! LOL

Here are a couple of pictures you might enjoy. First is Poker and Queenie and the second is a head shot of Queenie. She is so beautiful, at least in my opinion!

November 3rd

Work was better, but I knew yesterday that it had to be a full moon and sure enough I was right. I can always tell by the types of calls I get at work. Strange, but oh so very true!

I am having a hard time adjusting to the time change again. Seems to be harder the older I get. Tom and I both feel it, so at least I am not alone! I don't like it getting dark by 5:30pm! We typically eat dinner around 7:00ish, but not since Sunday. Now dinner is so darn early as my internal clock is saying, "time to fix dinner, it's dark outside you fool"!!!!

We couldn't cook tonight though. After I picked up the boys from school today, Bobby walked to the side of the house to put the garbage cans away (it was garbage pickup today) and he came into the house announcing he smelled "propane". I said, "What, we don't have propane, show me." He promptly walked me to the side of the house where the gas meter is located. He said, "Can't you smell it?" Well, sure enough I could smell natural gas. Called PG&E and they said they would dispatch someone right away and for us to not use the gas until they told us it was ok. Well, that was around 4:00pm and it is now 7:00pm and we have not heard anything nor have we seen anyone! I just called them and someone is still suppose to come. I sure hope so, I don't like messing with natural gas!

Monday, Monday!

This Monday was one I wish I had stayed home and slept in. Not that I ever get to do that either! lol I was awakened at 4:00am and then couldn't go back to sleep. Then of course work was abnormally busy. But alas, all good things (or bad) must come to an end.

I have learned there is a Raw Feeders Co-op here in Sacramento and in San Francisco. I am learning a lot. I can buy all kinds of wonderful things for the dogs through this co-op and at very reduced prices. Just need the grinder to get here! LOL

Vallee had a good weekend. She got a group 1 and two Group 3's at a 5 day show in Indiana.

All the dogs are doing great. Poker had to let Lizzie know today that he had enough of her shinanigans. Didn't stop Lizzie though, she kept trying to climb on his back for some reason. Finally she got the message though, poor Poker, he has never loved puppies, only tolerates them.

I can't wait to share some exciting Bellatak news with you, but....you have to be patient and wait until this coming weekend. LOLOLOL You won't guess this one Amanda!!!!

Here is Ollie posing for his Halloween photo shoot.

Thursday, my Friday!

Not a lot to write about tonight.

Work was better today maybe in part because I scheduled to get off early. However, as typically happens, I wasn't able to get to all the things I had hoped to accomplish. I did order some new crate pads for winter. They look nice, plush, soft and will be warmer for them. The old ones needed replacing.

Ollie and Bugsy spent the day here as their mommy had to visit one of her stores in the Bay Area. Ollie is all well and eating the raw like the rest of the crew now. He had not seemed interested in it until yesterday when I fed him some of what I had made. Today he ate both the homemade version and the Natures Variety and seemingly enjoyed both. We hope this pattern will continue, that boy needs some meat on his bones!

Well, a couple of you asked for pictures of Sadie and here she is! My son told me today she is no longer in the lazy, shy mode she seemed to be in since they picked her up last weekend (which had my son a wee bit concerned but I told him she was just adjusting to the change). Nope, she is a normal, active, happy puppy!!! I love it when I am right. I just love her face!!!

Wednesday, October 28

I was awakened at the ungodly hour of 4:00am!!! Sarah needed my help with Ollie as he seemed to be sick. I rushed over there to find that Ollie appeared to be ok but he had thrown up a couple of times and of course after what Sarah has been through it panics her. I came home around 5:00am and couldn't go back to sleep so stayed up until time for me to leave for work. Ollie has been over here since I got home from work and seems fine. No temp. He ate my homemade raw and some boiled chicken breast too. Hopefully he will keep it all down.

I have been asked to post a picture of Sadie, my son and daughter-in-laws new Cocker Spaniel. I promise I will try to get a picture both on here and on my web site soon.

Also, I was asked a question about making a comment on this blog. In order to leave a comment you need to be on the blog site not on the Bellatak web site. If you are reading this from the Bellatak web site, the link to the blog site is above on this page.

Vallee is in Indiana for the next 5 days. She started the show circuit off with a bang as she got a Group 1 today. It was a nice group too from what David said. The picture below is of the Group 1 Judge Barbara Wood awarded to Vallee last weekend in Dixon, CA.

Our weather got pretty cold suddenly and this morning I even broke down and not only turned on the heater in the house, but I also used the seat warmer in the car! I have never had that luxury before! If the wind wasn't so strong, I think the temperature would have been better. I know all of you in the north and in the mid-west think all of us out here in California are a bunch of "wimps". I suppose we are, but at least we don't have that white stuff on the ground unless we want to drive to see it or use it for something like skiing. LOLOLOL

I have decided the size meat grinder I need to prepare my own raw dog food, now I just need to decide on the brand and find one that is at a price I can afford!!! Tall order it seems.

Tonight I am meeting up with a couple of my girlfriends for a "girls night out". We try to get together at least every couple of months. It use to be every month, but our lives just keep getting busier and busier! LOL Now it seems we are lucky to get together ever few months. But when we do get together we pick up right where we left off and never skip a beat!!

Monday can be ok!

Sometimes we tend to think that Monday's are not good, but then most of the time I find Monday's are great! Yes, on Sunday night I am not excited to go to work the next morning, but it really is just another day to enjoy.

Today after I got home from work, I was looking up some stats for Vallee and was pleased to see she is still the #1 All Breed Havanese and she is still in the Top 20 Toy Group! http://www.caninechronicle.com/Statistics/top20-display.php?division=Toy%20Group I still get teary eyed and so excited when Vallee win's. She is a special Havanese and represents the Havanese very well. I have always said, she may be a breeders once in a lifetime dream come true, but I am sure going to continue trying to produce more Havanese just like Vallee!!!

As of yesterday, Tom seemed pretty much over whatever flu he had. He was still a little weak, but otherwise fine. He spent the day watching football and doing the laundry (gotta love football season).

My oldest son and his wife got a new Cocker Spaniel puppy yesterday. Sarah and I drove over last night to meet Sadie (the name fits her perfectly I must say). She is a buff colored Cocker with 4 white feet and a tiny white blaze between her eyes. She was sooooooo sleepy when we were there but cute as can be.

Stay tuned for a big announcement in a couple of weeks. I am excited!!!

Beautiful Day!

Got to sleep in a little today till 7:30am, which for me is a wonderful thing! Let all the dogs out, fed them and then had about 3 hours of quiet time before anyone else woke up. I had a delightful chat with a long distance friend too, which I always enjoy. Searched some more this morning online for a meat grinder, still have not decided which one I want. I have narrowed the choices down a little though, so hopefully soon I will have done enough research to satisfy myself. LOLOL

Did mom's grocery shopping for her and was still able to get to the dog show in Dixon. Vallee won the breed and also was awarded a Group 1. I was thrilled of course and enjoyed even more because I got to be there to see her in the Best In Show ring. David's TT also got a Group 1 so the other owner showed her in the BIS ring. It was Conrad the Puli that took another BIS today. Conrad flew all the way from the east coast for this show.

Tom and the boy's decided while I was gone that tonight's dinner would be one of our fav's, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup!!! Yummy!!! While the weather is still a little warm for this choice, it will still taste great! It was 82 degrees today, however it is suppose to cool way down during the week and chance of rain next weekend.

Saturday, October 24

I can't believe Halloween is fast approaching! Thankfully my children no longer need a costume as this mother was not very creative!

I had a wonderful day at the dog show. Vallee won the breed and she also was awarded a Group 3. I love it when I get to see her in the ring. The weather was perfect for a dog show, as it was in the high 70's. It was nice to visit with friends and enjoy seeing all the dogs.

I got a new license plate holder, towel hooks for the downstairs bathroom that we re-did in a doggie theme and a couple of new leashes. That is the ONLY problem with going to the shows is that I tend to spend money I shouldn't!!!

Life is Grand

Tom has the flu! I had heard on the news that anyone with flu symptoms were to call their doctor and get the tamaflu shot to help prevent the severity. He called Kaiser yesterday to see if he could get that Tamaflu shot and they told him since his temperature wasn't higher (his has been at 100.2) he didn't have H1N1 so they wouldn't give it to him. I suppose it is only for those that are suspected of having H1N1??

Still having computer issues. I was finally able to get Microsoft for Mac to work again yesterday but then discovered last night that I am no longer able to send pictures from iphoto. URRRGG I am so angry with myself for doing this to my awesome computer! I have another appointment with Apple this morning so hopefully I can get it back in complete working order again.

I had made an appointment with DMV about 3 weeks ago for yesterday and was finally able to get the plates switched for the van and also get the truck registered after being on non-op status now for about 2 years. DMV in California is a very interesting place to say the least. If you like to people watch, that is a good place to go for sure!

Visited with mom for a little while after my adventure at DMV. She LOVES her new walker that my dear friend let us borrow. It is a "Cadillac" version for a walker. It has a nice seat, handy basket, hand brakes, all terrain wheels (lol) and it is candy apple red! She is getting around very well now. It takes some adjusting to the new walker as she must remember to use the brakes!!! But so far so good.

Dogs are all good. Poker was showing a new interest in CC but she doesn't appear swollen nor any evidence when I check her. I have been looking for a good electric meat grinder I can buy that would enable me to make my own raw dog food. All the dogs love the raw and there have been so many positive benefits to them eating it.

Computers!!!!

Today was a day I wish I could take part of it back. While trying to "clean" my computer, seems I removed some very important things and now have a mess on my hands. I now have to take the computer to Apple for them to help me with it, not something I really have time to do! I guess that is what I get for thinkin again!!! LOL

We ended up having Mickey D's tonight for dinner as I had a board meeting, Tom had football practice, Bobby had a soccer meeting and no time to do much else. Since we ate fashionably late, I feel like it should be earlier then it really is. We got several of those McDonalds monopoly game pieces so who knows, I could go online tonight and find I am a new millionaire. LOLOLOL

Dogs are all good, thankfully. Tom did come home not feeling well, I hope it isn't the flu!

Tuesday, October 20

Back to work today. Wasn't as bad as Monday's are, so it went by faster seemingly. Tom has football practice tonight so cooking is on me! I put a pork roast in the crock pot this morning before leaving for work, so plan on making barbecue pulled pork sandwiches and fries. A favorite around here and so easy to make! Easy is my middle name!

The weather is great. High of 73, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. Wish this would last year round and only rain from 2:00 AM till 4:00 AM each day! LOL

Sarah thinks the new name will be Ollie as we are all not pronouncing it the way she had hoped! LOL

I hope I will be able to attend the dog show in Dixon this coming weekend. The weather is to remain nice and I always enjoy going to a dog show whether I have a dog entered or not.

I made a batch of raw turkey meatballs for the dogs today. Hope they like this mixture. I used a new freeze dried product that has fruits, veggies and vitamins and other good stuff in it that you add hot water to it and mix with the meat. Saves blending and a lot of measuring time. See, it's all about easy!!! LOL

Oh and regarding the girls coming into heat. It will be a while yet, as I think Teddy's nose is off! Molly and CC will come in first and then Queenie and Vallee after that. Maybe it was because she smelled so good after her bath, not sure, but he would NOT leave her alone. Yet when I would check her, nothing.

Monday's

I scheduled today off from work. It was nice to get up early and not have to rush out the door. I got to watch everyone else do that instead!

Rained here today. I think I need to start watching the news before going to bed, as I had no idea it was suppose to rain and had thought I would get some stuff done outside today. LOL The rest of the week of course is suppose to be in the 70's and sunny!

Sarah has decided that the name Brewsky doesn't fit her new puppy. So, she is trying to come up with a good name. Any suggestions? Today she is thinking Ali, after Muhammad Ali. Whatever his name, he is so dang cute. He is outgoing and not afraid of the neezers. He is what we would call in the Havanese world a Black Pied.

I think CC is coming into heat. Teddy won't leave her alone, but Poker doesn't seem interested at all. That means that Molly and Queenie will soon be following her lead!

Brewsky

It has been an interesting 24 hours to say the least. Some good, some not, but we will focus only on the good.

Yesterday, Sarah picked up her new baby boy!!! She is so excited and so am I. He is a Biewer Terrier, which officially came to the USA in 2003 from Germany. While they first came from a breeding of two Yorkies, it is believed that they actually came because of a mis-mating between a Yorkie and a Shih Tzu. They are cute no matter what one believes. Plus, the ethical breeders are doing health testing, something many Yorkie breeders don't do and they are working to get them a recognized breed in AKC. This will be a new adventure for us all.

Here is Brewsky.

Great Day

Picked up mom for our appointment and off we went. She was really looking forward to having her first ever pedicure at the young age of 81! She was treated like the queen she is! The place I go makes it such a relaxing, fun experience and mom loved it! She said afterward she can't believe she waited so long to get a pedicure and she felt so rejuvenated. I told her that was because she got what they call the "Rejuvenation Pedicure". They serve you a drink - non-alcohol (unless you chose champagne in it), lots of pillows, the great message, wonderful warm paraffin wax, and incense of your choice steaming away. She loved it so much, we made another appointment for next month.

After leaving mom, drove to Sarah's. We had a nice evening and ended up having dinner together at a new place in Elk Grove called Heavenly Dog. Wonderful hot dog place. Tomorrow is the BIG day and good news will be shared later.

We got wonderful news this evening though about mom. Her bone biopsy came back NEGATIVE!!!!! Of course now they want her to have a Kidney biopsy, but that will be discussed in detail later.

Hope everyone had a nice day too. The weather was awesome here, high of 78 and not a cloud in the sky.

First time for everything!

Well, I finally have become a woman of the times! This is the first post of my new blog! I impressed myself by even figuring this whole thing out! LOL I decided after reading a blog on another breeders web site that it might be fun to have one too, another way of communication. My plan is (best laid plans don't always work out though) to post here as often as possible and share the daily happenings at Bellatak Havanese.

I am looking forward to the weekend. There is a lot going on. Tom has a football game tomorrow. Bobby will be refereeing 3 soccer games tomorrow and he always looks forward to getting his paycheck each Wednesday for doing this. The money he makes seems to burn a hole in his pocket though as he spends it so fast. His plan was to save some for the day he gets his license. A day I am in no hurry for!! There is a dog show Sunday and Monday in Pleasanton, CA and our Havanese club will be having a meeting there. I think Brandon and his wife might come, we shall see, they change their minds often! LOL

We faired the bad storm we had this past week without major damage. The wind was awful! The yard looks like a tornado came through though, so the dogs are helping to clean it up by bringing lot's of leaves into the house!

This afternoon I am taking mom for her first ever pedicure. I think it will make her feel good, she seems excited about going.