Dog Mall (with a Tiffany & Co.) Photo Dump

As promised, here are a few other photos of Jon Farleigh and Dewi at Stony Point Fashion Park, Richmond, Virginia's dog-friendly open-air shopping mall. 

Note: The dogs have been to this mall many times, but most of these photos were taken last Spring. Sometime in the future (when I'm not walking both dogs, managing kids and trying to take pictures at the same time), I'll get some shots of the actual grounds and store fronts.

Let's go in!

Pretty Aprons

Bye, Anthropologie.

Pee Mail

Puppy Meeting
(A terrier and a red merle Aussie)

The terrier's people told us she was very submissive. :)

Not all the stores are as fancy as Tiffany and Louis Vuitton, but all the store
fronts are outside.  

Must've seen a hot babe.

Finishing his yummy cookie.

A new Frenchie friend (That's spilled water on the ground, not pee, I think.)

Let's check out Dick's Sporting Goods.

Dick's was boring today; let's go home.

I think this is our car, Dad.

Loaded in and ready for takeoff.

ZZZZzzzzzz

'Til next time....

:)

Tiffany & Co. at the 'Dog Mall' - Revisited

Seems yesterday's post about Jon Farleigh having biscuits at Tiffany's struck a chord. Some readers expressed a similar obsession fondness for the jewelry icon, the film, the novella and/or stores that allow dogs*; while others just turned green with envy. Yep. (sad) :)

Soooooo, today, because writing yesterday's post and then reading and reflecting on all the comments has made it impossible for me to think about anything else (well, that and I've been obsessively humming Moon River out loud all day), I've decided to write a second post about Tiffany. Yay!

Is this a girly store?

Except this one - in honor of Jon Farleigh, who is a MALE dog (and probably couldn't care less about Tiffany, and can't even see in shades of blue) - is going to be less "girly." Here you go.

'Manly' Facts about Tiffany & Co. (from Wikipedia):

• Each year Tiffany & Co. creates a new Vince Lombardi Trophy, the award given to the NFL team that wins the Super Bowl that year.
• In 1877, an insignia that would become the famous New York Yankees "NY" logo was struck on a medal of honor by Tiffany & Co. and issued to the first NYC police officer shot in the line of duty. The Yankees adopted the logo in 1909.

(Note to any men who are reading this and who have a significant other who likes shiny "girly" things: If you get her something from Tiffany, it will be like she is wearing a little piece of the Lombardi trophy. Where do you think the term "trophy" wife/girlfriend came from? Here is the online catalog. You're welcome.)  

*The name of the "dog mall" is Stony Point Fashion Park and it's in Richmond, Virginia.

Incidentally, I hadn't really planned to do a post about my return trip to Tiffany with Dewi, but since Taryn at A Tail of Two Cardis has been so encouraging, I think I will. And it's going to be so much fun! (hee hee)

I have lots of photos of both Jon Farleigh and Dewi at the "dog mall." Come back tomorrow to see them!                                                  

I Took My Dog Into Tiffany & Co., and Why This Is Important to Me

Last January, when my blog was only a month old, and I was overly concerned about what people thought of me, I wrote a little post called From Tiffany to an Overflowing Toilet in Five Minutes Flat. You should read it when you have time.

Opening Fall 2011!!!!!!!!

Anyway, in that post I might have alluded to having a thing for Tiffany & Co. The jewelry store. And the silver jewelry in the store. And that I was somewhat excited about the new one that would be coming to a mall near me. However, since (as I mentioned above) I was worried that you might wrongly think me a materialistic, sterling silver-dripping jewelry snob, I played off my excitement by making apologies and including details about dog poop and toilet bowl water. 

Well, a lot can change in nearly a year.

For instance, I'm no longer afraid to tell you that I nearly peed myself at the prospect of a Tiffany in my practically back yard. No matter that I can't afford to buy a single thing in it since I left my day job four years ago, it just makes me all tingly inside, conjuring up visions of 1960 Audrey Hepburn crooning Moon River in the window of her Manhattan apartment. Oh, to be Holly for a day! 

A girl can dream, right?

Now open!!!!!!!

Okay, so you know that mall in my practically back yard that is now complete with a shiny new Tiffany & Co.? Have I mentioned that it's DOG-FRIENDLY? And by dog-friendly, I mean that not only are leashed dogs allowed on all the grounds (which are conveniently fitted with doggie watering and relief areas), but that they are allowed in ALL THE STORES?! And, there's a Three Dog Bakery??

You should see their cakes.

Yeah, well guess what certain red Cardigan Welsh Corgi can now add "been to and ate a dog biscuit inside Tiffany & Co." to his resume?

Are you going to embarrass me with the camera?

 Jon Farleigh!!!

Right after the nice sales person handed him a biscuit!

Can you say "Biscuits at Tiffany's"?!

(By the way, I was afraid to take photos of the counters, for fear of being mistaken
for a thief and being whisked away by security.)

Time to go...

...to Anthropologie!
(A girl and her dog can dream about this store, too.) :)

Full disclosure: I took a couple pieces of jewelry into Tiffany to be cleaned, necessitating a return trip. And because I am an equal opportunity Cardigan owner, Dewi will accompany me. Oh, the juxtaposition. :) 

Happy Monday, huckleberry friends!

I'm thankful for 32 mph wind gusts...

...that usher in clear skies and cool temperatures. It's not supposed to be warm and muggy in Virginia on Thanksgiving.

Good times!

And I'm thankful for vacation days from school. Because there's no way I could've taken this shot without four extra hands. 

Turkey and Pumpkin

But the thing I'm most thankful for today -- especially as the out-of-school girl children and I were balancing ourselves in a wind storm at the end of a long pier, trying to get a couple decent shots of the adorably adorned dogs, who, incidentally, need to work on their sit-stays --  

is ALL OF YOU, DEAR READERS!

You make it so totally worth it. Today and every day. :)

That's me with my head cut off and hair in my mouth. :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends!

To everyone else, Happy Day!

xo

Elizabeth, Jon Farleigh and Dewi

See you back here on Monday!

5 Essential Things My Dogs Are Probably Thankful For

I thought I'd list a few obvious things here since, well, you know Jon Farleigh and Dewi can't really speak their true feelings. Right?

Food

I'd rather be taking a nap, man.

Water

Lula: That's a PIG trough. Hehe.
JF: Shut up, Lula! Stupid thing is stupid! Ugh! 

A Warm Place to Sleep

Oh, wait! MY BAD. This one...

A dirt mattress would be better. Seriously.

Friends

Tigger: I hate you, you barbarian!
JF: If I had legs, it'd come up there and smack those stripes off!

Butterflies in Spring

See you in therapy, bro. 

Hope your pets are as thankful as mine! :)

P.S. The crew and I will be taking this Thursday and Friday off the blog so that we can do Thanksgiving stuff. But we'll see you tomorrow! :)

P.P.S. Will follow up on recent comments as soon as possible! THANK YOU for leaving them! 

The Daily Rumpus

Dear Santa: I'd like some more natural light for my front rooms, so I can turn off my flash. Thank you. 

Most weekday mornings, after the last child is safely aboard the cheese box to school, I carry the second of my three daily steins of coffee to the computer for some quiet time.

This is Jon Farleigh's and Dewi's cue to commence the rumpus. The rumpus goes like this:

1. Dewi secures - in his mouth - by scaling the living room sofa, coffee and/or end tables - the gift his human siblings left for him the night before. These gifts vary from pencils, pens and crayons to headbands, tinker toys and decks of Uno cards. Today it was a pair of Youngest Child's slippers. 

   

   Deewwwiiii, I'm wayyytiiiiinnng.

   
   
2. Once the gift (or gifts - if they're lucky) is secured, the wild game of keep-away/bitey-face begins.

   

   I promise I'll let you win this time. Just move a little closer.

   
   

   

   Sucka! I eat your face off!

   
   
3. I grudgingly part with my chair and collect the contraband (aka poop on the party). 

   

   You're no fun.

   
   

   

   I'm finished speaking to you.

   
   
4. The dogs - usually physically exerted by now - assume their positions on the floor next to my chair and quickly drift off to doggie dreamland. 

   

   streeeetchhh

   
   

   

   ZZzzzzzzzz

And quiet is restored.
Until they hear a strange noise outside.
Happy Monday!

This Is Where I Talk About the Big Honking Ad on My Blog

To monetize or not to monetize the blog. That was the agonizing question.

So you might have noticed that I recently got a big shiny ad in my sidebar. Well, actually, it's a series of rotating ads, including some of a non-paid, public service nature, like Petfinder.

Yes, I have monetized the blog. I am one of many pet bloggers who are now part of the newly launched BlogPaws | BlogHer publishing network. Bloggers in the network earn a small commission per page load (or ad view), whether the ad is clicked or not. It takes lots of page loads to even earn a penny. I knew this up front.

The thing is, I never wanted ads on my blog. I dislike clutter. I need colors to match. I hate waiting for pages to load. And pop-ups getting in my way. I was okay with having a no-income blog. Then, out of the blue, I got an invitation.

An invitation - as an existing BlogPaws member - to apply for membership in the publishing network. My heart went all aflutter. Since I knew my blog met all the joining criteria, my mind was already celebrating the potential income. Something - as a stay-at-home mom - that I hadn't received in over four years. 

And yet, I still hated the idea of seeing an ad on my blog. 

So I did some research and talked it over and decided that being associated with the BlogHer organization might not be so bad. It certainly couldn't hurt to try.

Two days later my blog was approved. The next move was up to me. I'd have to accept or [politely] decline.

To monetize or not to monetize the blog. That was the agonizing question.

Thank goodness I only got 48 hours to make up my mind. I tossed a lot those nights, worrying about things. Like what if:

• people think I'm a money-grubber
• people get mad and stop visiting
• the ad colors clash with my blog background
• people think I'm a shallow money-grubber
• people talk about me being a shallow money-grubber and stop visiting.
  (I might be a worry-wart. :)

And then I remembered that I don't have a paying job. And I accepted the offer.

I was relieved that the network permits bloggers to opt out of certain ad categories, and I promptly did so - except for candy and non-R-rated TV and films. In my mind, those were the least likely to offend anyone. :)

In the first week after I installed my ad code, I was served nothing but public service ads (PSAs). That was great. I earned nothing from them, but it would give me and my readers time to adjust to the prominent new space on my blog.

Another no-paid-ad week and a chat with the BlogHer Help Desk later, I opted back into a few things. And slowly, but surely, they arrived. Paid ads I had once vowed not to place on my site. And I was filled with regret.

Then - in a stroke of perfect timing - there appeared on my blog, a camera ad in an eye-catching sea glass-green and red design. A good, reputable camera, too. An ad like you might see on a site with WAY more readers than mine, or even in a popular ladies' magazine. And all that regret I had felt began to slip away.

What the heck was I thinking?! I thought. I might only earn $25 in a year,* but that's $25 more than I've earned in the last four! Bring it on!

You do realize you have to split that $25 three ways, right?

*To date, I've earned just over $3 (includes two weeks with nothing but PSAs). 

Since that epiphanic moment, I've grown more and more comfortable with the ads. To be honest, they've started to grow on me in unexpected ways. For instance:

• The color schemes are harmonious interesting, mostly.
• Every time I load my page I get a surprise. 
• They can make me feel immature little again (Shrek, anyone?).
• I sometimes yearn to eat cook (with butter and large kitchen appliances).
• Or have an Irish coffee (Irish cream, please). (My favorite brand, too! How did they know?) ;)

Who knows? One day an ad might even inspire a blog post (it could happen).

*****

And that, friends, is the story behind the ad. 

The elephant in the room made me tell it.

Thank you for listening.

Feel free to ask questions.

Have a happy weekend!

This Video of Dewi is Unspectacular, Except that He Speaks Wookiee

It's true. The footage is unedited, the bed is unmade and if you zoom in too far, you'll get dog hair in your eyes. :)

But if you'd like to see why I am 99.99% sure George Lucas once owned (or spent time with) a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, go ahead and take a look.

By the way, Wookiees are loud; be familiar with the location of your volume control.

See no video? Click here.

He does this every single time he gets a back scratch. He also does it first thing in the morning for no reason, and at random times throughout the day. 

 What kind of weird noises does your dog make?

Fun with Picnik - Cardigan Corgi Optical Illusion

I took a perfectly unimpressive photo and did this to it at Picnik.com. Do you notice anything odd? :)
(And I'm not talking about the brick texture.)

Scroll down to see the out-of-the-camera photo.

lower

lower

lower

okay

I have no idea why Dewi wanted to try on Jon Farleigh's head that day.

Eat Some Mashed Pumpkin and Have a Nice 'Hershey'

Like I mentioned in my interview on The Daily Corgi yesterday, I often get inspired by other bloggers and sometimes, all it takes is a word. Today's word is "pumpkin." Thank you, 24 Paws of Love! :)

Also, because this is a serious topic, and you are not used to me writing seriously, I have decided that instead of using the word "poop" here, I will instead refer to it as "Hershey." I would appreciate it if you would NOT giggle.  Don't. I mean it.

So as I was saying, 24 Paws of Love recently posted some helpful tips on how to roast and puree your own pumpkin, which when fed in moderation to dogs with upset tummies, works like a charm to firm up the Hershey. I admit, I knew this already. I've tried it before with success; however, unlike 24 Paws of Love, I prefer to take the easy route and buy the pumpkin already cooked and mashed up in the can. 

100% pure, high in fiber and Vitamin A, Hershey-fixer

Why am I bothering to tell you this? Well, coincidentally, a couple days after reading the pumpkin post, Dewi ate an entire (edible-supposed to last a long time-will never give to him again) chewy in two hours and, not surprisingly, wound up with some syrupy Hershey. 

So I gave him two heaping tablespoons of pumpkin with his dinner.

12 hours later, Hershey syrup NO MORE! :)

Mmmm, smells like can!

I love pumpkins. So do Dewi and Jon Farleigh.

I love you with every fiber of my squash-colored being!

Note: Jon Farleigh also had some pumpkin with his dinner, but half as much as Dewi. He missed one of his usual three Hersheys the next day. I would, therefore, recommend feeding it sparingly (not daily and in teaspoon or less quantities) to avoid backing up your dog's Hershey-producing chute. 

*****

Okay, all this talk of pumpkins and Hershey has made me hungry. Does anyone else love pumpkin pie/bread/cheesecake, like I do?

Well, I'm wondering, although never a good idea to feed to one's dog, with the pumpkin pie-laden holidays coming up, wouldn't you think eating its fiber-filled goodness (in moderation, of course) could preempt holiday meal stomach upset? 

I think I'm going to go with "yes." :)

Have great day!

Help me; I think they think they're famous.

I'm so grateful to Laurie Eno at The Daily Corgi for asking me to be a guest on her blog today. If you haven't seen it yet, you should go over there. I did an interview and I might have said something you didn't know already.

Anyway, the urgent point of this post is to let you know that all this extra publicity might have created two hairy monsters, who I'm afraid have doubts about whether their own poop stinks. This is how they behaved when I told them about their guest appearance on TDC:

With indifference...

Did you just say "fetch the rope"? I'm taking that as a yes.

You're so boring, you're making my eye twitch.

...And belligerence.

I'm going to scream and then hold my breath until you throw my rope!

Yeah, I stole it from him because I'm bigger than Justin Bieber. 

What have I done?