A Day Of Dog Pampering – A Dog Care Supply Haul I Am Excited About

Disclaimer: I have received the products mentioned free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This post also contains affiliate links. See disclosure page for details

Due to the many allergies my little-adopted furry dog  friends have, do I refrain from sending them to a groomer, and rather take care of their needs myself. Even if that means some extra work – and the occasional times when I end up wetter than the dogs taking a bath – I love pampering my pooches, while the cat watches on from the distance.

But before washing them with our favorite Burts Bee Hypoallergenic Shampoo (for Dogs), however we had to try out our new Furbabies Retractable Dog Leash, and the dogs had a blast with that thing.

I have been staying away from retractable dog leashes, as I had a bad experience with them, having been cut, after it wrapping itself around my leg. So I was pleasantly surprised when the Furbabies 15 ft retractable leash offered a flat soft leash, that will prevent these accidents from happening. While it states, that it is for small dogs – and I originally accepted the offer, because I wanted to use it on a small toy chihuahua, it is better suited for my medium dogs of 30 pounds (Welsh Corgi/Beagle mix), and a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix (45 pounds).The handle of the dog leash alone would have been heavier than our little friend, so we are sticking with a generic, non-retractable leash for our cute sweetheart.  But, for my two larger high energy dogs, this leash is now my favorite.

Adding the finishing touches to their day by using our Safari dog nail clippers, my dogs are again presentable, even if they might not have enjoyed the last part as much as the did the new leash. I contemplated the use of doggie nail polish, but I am pretty sure, my husband would have thought I was completely crazy, so I led that one go.

After such adventure, we are usually all exhausted, as you can see by how one of my puppies passed out, watching us play Sorry!. 

 

Question: What are your favorite ways to pamper your pets? Do you have a special groomer you take them to, or do you also DIY their beauty routine at home?

 

This post is a part of the following blog hops:
March Week #4 Blog hop

What Are You Doing In March Blog Hop

Winter Is Leaving Blog Hop

No Rules Weekend Blog Party

 

 

 

Plan Ahead – Editorial Calendar And Marketing Planner For Creatives, Artists, Bloggers and More (Free PDF)

Creating relevant content for the upcoming months, means to be up to date on major and minor holidays. But it gets more complicated, when you add to these often celebrated holidays those minor and less often remembered celebrations, such as National Pancake Day or the Summer Solstice.

This information can be not only useful for bloggers, who can plan their content around those holidays, but also adds a volume of potential marketing possibilities for Product on Demand Artists, Photographers, Writers, Affiliate Marketers and other creative people who have an online presence.

In order to make it easier for you to plan your marketing strategies for this year, I have combined a list of strategies and lesser known holidays and celebrations, as a gift for you. Simply click on this link: Editorial Calendar And Marketing Planner Year  and download it, to print out to build your own strategies for the upcoming months.

Please do not alter this pdf  in any way. You may share the PDF with your friends, in a non-commercial setting, but only un-altered.

Download it now!
Editorial Calendar And Marketing Planner Year

 

Because it is Friday, which on this blog means, it is time to talk about gratitude – I wanted to share with you what I am grateful for this week:

1. I am grateful that despite the fact that my husband was stuck in snow this morning, while traveling in Dallas, he was safe due to the fact that he had snowchains with him. Apparently everyone has been driving safely, because he has not seen an accident. That is a very good thing.
2. I am grateful that instead of being in snow, I am in Las Vegas to 85 degree weather. I will cherrish every moment of warmth today.
3. I am grateful that my daughter is feeling better after having had a cold. She was invited to a picnic last weekend, and got promptly sick, due to the fact that it was still a little bit more windy then everyone expected. But she is on the mend now.
4. I am grateful that it is Friday, which means it is bill paying day. It might seem a little weird to be happy about paying bills, but I am grateful that I can, when I know how many have to make decisions between eating and paying the electric. I am blessed in every way, and I am grateful for that fact.
5. I am grateful for the abundance of items I have on my list this week. I am exited to share with you those wonderful new products, and some special deals, which I have carefully weeded through. More on that over the next few days. (Some of these are for you pet owners out there)

What are you grateful for this week? Share with us here, or write a blog post, and join the many blogs that are participating in the following blog hops:

Thankful Thursdays

No Rules Weekend Blog Party

Winter Is Leaving

Share With Me Blog Hop

Be Inspired 

Celebrate The Small Things

Friday Gratitude: Family, Friends and Favorites

 

This blog post  contains affiliate links. See my disclosure page for more information

Do you have an attitude of gratitude? If you do, congratulations. If you are still wondering how to get one, and you own your own blog, I suggest partaking in the many wonderful blog hops that foster weekly listing of gratitude. Just check out the following list of blog hops that happen every week, connect with us, via their link and post your very own list!

Lexa Cain’s Celebrate The Small Things

Thankful Thursdays by Pepi Smart Dog

Thankful Thursday Link Up

What am I grateful for this week?

I am grateful for having such supportive and well-behaved children. Both of them are kind, loving and self-disciplined individuals who are slowly growing toward adulthood. I am proud to be their mother.

I am grateful for my husband, who work hard to make sure that no matter what happens, everyone is taken care off. He was not given anything by anyone, rather often neglected as the youngest in his needs and pursuits, yet he is the one with a thriving family. That is a testimony to his strength and commitment to us.

Dog Drinking Coffee Poster

I am grateful for all of the friends I have had along the way. The friends who were there to laugh and cry along with me, some of whom are far away, as we have moved and traveled not only throughout this great country, but also overseas. We made connections as far as Europe and as close as Las Vegas, and we cherish every single one of them. Oh, and I should not forget to mention those who I count as friends, even though we never met in person – from a Wedding Organizer in Dubai to a Kindle Publishing Writer in India.

My New Favorite Blanket “Millie Throw In Sky” by Joss and Main

I am grateful for my favorite things: coffee, thumbprint cookies, enthusiastic dog licks, vegan chocolate peanut butter, hiking shoes, flannel bed sheets, soft blankets, and books, always books.

What and who are you grateful for this week? Share in the comment section below, post your own blog post, and link up with us, or write it in your journal. Whatever you choose to do, be grateful!

Blessings!

Claudia

This blog post is also a part of the following blog hops:

No Rules Weekend Blog Party

Inspire me Wednesdays

Be Inspired! 

Gratitude, Halloween And Honoring Those Who Passed

On this day before Halloween, I am usually pretty excited and giddy, getting ready to celebrate what is for me as a Pagan more than just a dress up in crazy clothes day. This year, though, I will work instead, and considering that we are in a temporary place, not celebrate with our usual abandon. Still, Halloween or Samhain will be exciting enough, as we celebrate and honor those who have left before us.

Therefore, my gratitude list today focuses on some special people and animals in my life that have moved on.

1. My grandfather
He passed away exactly one week after my 12th birthday, but during the short time I had him in my life, he made a lasting impression. Leaving me with an independent spirit and the freedom to choose my own path (he insisted that I would not be raised in any faith so I could make up my own mind later on), I honor him today.

2. My adopted Father
While he left me with many scars and wounds that will always define how I view the world, he introduced to me the need of taking care of our world around us. He taught organic gardening to many people, including me. He also gave me access to mythology and ancient traditions which define much of my belief system to this day.

3. Angel
Probably the strangest animal I have ever met, but also the most profoundly loving cat there was. After adopting his mother without knowing that she was pregnant, he was one of the 2  kittens (out of a litter of 6) who were completely bald. Sphynx cats are rare, and well, I must say ugly, but he was the most beautiful animal to me. After his death, I had sworn never to get another pet, because the loss was too great. But, I currently have two dogs and another cat. Still, he will always be my true Angel.

I am very grateful for having had many people in my life, briefly or for a long period of time, that made a large impact on me, and brought me to the choices I made to become me.

Whom are you grateful for in your life? Why not share that list via the Celebrate The Small Things Blog hop hosted by Lexa Cain? And stop on by Dory’s Backyard, where everyone is talking about shelter animals.

Staying Positive And Staying Motivated

As artists, creatives and writers, we often do not see an immediate or obvious result from our efforts. We put ourselves out there, our art, in whichever form it presents itself, hoping that someone will connect with it as much as we have connected with it.

At times, this can be a long wait, through which staying positive and staying motivated can get really difficult.

In times like those, I tend to grab everything positive I can find. May it be a nice comment I receive, an additional follower on a social network, or simply the beauty of the designs my fellow artist put forth. Other times these efforts are a lot more deliberate, which is one of the reasons I participate in the weekly gratitude list on Fridays, and from now on will also participate in this positive blog hop: “Reasons To Be Cheerful”. Maybe the appeal is writing it down and sharing, maybe what I like about those hops is that it includes lists – and I am a list person – but the result is the same – it brings back some of the state of mind that keeps me going, keeps me motivated, and positive, an expect and state from which it is so easy to create from.

Here are my reasons I can be cheerful this week:

1. I finished another floral design!
Despite the fact that this week has been hectic, I managed to create another floral design last night. Considering how dark and dreary it had been outside over the last few days, I craved something bright, and it manifested itself into this very bright yellow flower. It is a digital manipulation of a picture of a flower I took quite a while ago. Adding the dark green background really made the brightness of the yellow come forth. Here it is:

2. I am getting used to my part-time job
I started a part-time job this week, helping in building a friend’s business. My husband and I are working on that as a team, and while it has been challenging, I am beginning to get to hang of it. New programs do not look as foreign anymore, and I do not feel like I do not know what I am talking about when I make necessary phone calls, which are a part of my job.

3. I was able to make a fellow artist happy!
I posted an interview with a Zazzle designer and author yesterday, and her reaction to the post was really cool! It was fun to talk to her about her work in the first place, but knowing that I made her happy was just wonderful.

What reasons do you have to be cheerful today? Why not join this blog hop and share your list with everyone!

Blessings!

Claudia

Gratitude, Coffee And Staying Motivated

Coffee Poster

Welcome to our weekly coffee share session. I am always looking forward to seeing you. Come on in, the  coffee is hot and fresh, but I also got tea, and some vegan cranberry chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, if you want some. Help yourself.

If you were here with me I would greet you with a smile, and tell you how grateful I am to have a quiet home at the moment. Half of the family is doing their own thing, so the noise level is way down. My head is grateful too, as I need space to think, quiet company and one on one conversations, rather than music or television in the background. Makes it easier to focus on what is important. You would probably notice my gratitude journal on my table. Do you write in a gratitude journal on a regular basis? Today I mentioned my family, the cool breezes of the last few days, the great lunch I had yesterday with my hubby, and of course, coffee.

Never Quit

If you were here with me, I would ask you if you are working on your dreams and goals, and how you stay motivated. Is it easy for you to stay on track with your goals, or do you have to drag yourself to take the necessary steps? If you are dragging, I would ask you what your reasons behind your goals are. A great why helps to pull you along, even when the day is tough.

What is your biggest, most outrages dream? I would share it with you – owning a home in  Hollywood Hills is mine – and hope you would share your dream with me. No dreams are too big, too outrageous if you are willing to work for them. I am. Are you? What are you doing right now to make them happen?

As you can tell, I love helping others reach their goals and dreams. A part of me is always going to be a motivational life coach, even if I have given up my practice a few years ago (it has been that long already? Wow, time flies when you’re having fun). Maybe that is the reason why I love helping other designers, creatives and writers succeed. It’s my thing, I guess.

What are you currently reading? Are you reading something that can help you along in your career, or business? Gary Vaynerchuck’s Crush It is currently on my Kindle. I am a fan of Gary’s videos, if you have not heard about him, I suggest you check him out. Very motivational.

I am glad you stopped by and we had a chance to talk. If you get a moment, check out all of the other participants of the Weekend Coffee Share and those who post as a part of the Celebrate The Small Things Blog hop. They would appreciate your visit.

See you next week – oh, but please feel free to drop by anytime. I always have something to share!

Blessings

Claudia

 

Let me tell you about this dog… – A Weekend Coffee Share Post

 

Coffee Time 

 

If we were having coffee this weekend, I would welcome you, and tell you that I am relieved that my friend’s dog is okay. I was worried about the puppy all day yesterday because she is still so little (and cute), but she seems to be fine now. I would also use this as the major excuse, why I did not get as much work done yesterday, as I had planned to.

I would then make you a coffee in my new French Press. Never owned one before, always went for the traditional machines or the espresso machines, but I decided to try it anyway. Can you taste the difference between this one and a standard coffee machine? I am sorry I can’t. But they take away less space, so when I send my daughter off to college, she will get one of those.

We are having chocolate oatmeal cranberry cookies today (vegan). I am hungry, haven’t had much of a chance to eat, because I had to catch up on yesterday’s slacking, so excuse my manners if I shove a few extra cookies into my mouth. I hope you don’t mind. No worries, there are plenty, I made extra. The apple pie in the fridge (also vegan) is not for us, though, it is for the above-mentioned friend, who could really use a treat right now – and can’t bake worth a darn. Sorry, but being a friend means you know their strength and their weaknesses, and embrace them both.

I would tell you, that I would have three things on my agenda today that are a must:
1. Visit the blogs on my list I did not get to read yesterday
2. Write as much as content for the two holiday projects I have coming up (they are kind of secret, so I have to show you, but I can not let the cat out of the bag over the internet yet)
3. Write the outline for the script I have in my head. It isn’t a complicated script, but it was originally a story idea, that just would translate better on screen than it would in a book. Simply because it has a lot of physical action.

Once I wrote the outline, I will be able to define it better, and present you a short synopsis. Still working out all of the plot holes in my head, which are the size of a Florida sinkhole at the moment.

What are your plans for the day, the weekend? Any special projects you have in place, or something that did not go as planned, but worked  out at the end? Why not add your thoughts and plans to the linky  right here.  (Via Part Time Monster)

I hope you enjoyed your stay, and will join in again next weekend. I am always baking something – I can’t help myself – so always come hungry!

Blessings!

Claudia

Would You Like Some Coffee? A Weekend Coffee Share Post

Coffee  by Faith Family Fun Design

If you would come over for coffee, I would give you a tour of our new apartment and the grounds we live on. I would tell you that I am comfortable here for the time being, and I would tell you about our plans to move to Santa Clarita in about 6 to 9 months.

I would tell you that I finally created an editorial calendar, which is something I can no longer afford not doing, considering that my business is growing and I need to have a written focus for every day, otherwise I will become completely overwhelmed, and get nothing done.

The coffee would be poured into two of the cups I got from my fellow Zazzle artists, and I would tell you that the coffee we are having is the same one I grew up with in Germany and thanks to the internet I can actually get it here. While this might not mean much to you, it means the world to me, as simple things like finding a little treat from over there, helps me with not feeling too homesick.

I would hopefully not sneeze too often while you are visiting. I seem to have picked up more allergies, even more so when I am outside. But thankfully we have hardwood floors now, which helps with all of the indoor allergies everyone else had, including the dogs. A few months ago, both of them had a severe allergic reaction and lost all of their fur. Both have completely recovered, thankfully, partially because of the environmental change, and partially because we changed their diet completely from processed food to homemade dog food (vet approved!).

This chaotic time, though, brought forth the idea of me writing an ebook on making the before mentioned food, which I hopefully will release in January via Amazon. I have two kindle books in the works, which will be released before that, one called “Mixing Teas – 101 Awesome and Flavorful Tea Recipes” and

“Flashes of Light – A Collection of Very Short Flash Fiction”.

I would tell you that the next few days would be very busy – happily busy. I am putting the finishing touches on some of my blog posts for my new home decor and lifestyle blog, and will launch “Avalon Design” in the upcoming week. I would let you have a sneak peak, and show you some images of the dining room table I have bought, and should be delivered by Friday. Then, for our next week’s get-together, I could bake something from  my Grandmother’s cake recipe collection, and maybe we even invite some more friends over, turning this small coffee share into a full blown “Kaffeeklatsch” party.

Now I am going to stop by to connect with the other participants of the Weekend Coffee Share. If you are interested in signing up and participating, click on this link for more information!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Claudia

Coffee, Cake and Movies – A Weekend Coffee Share Blog Post

Coffee Quote by mangomoonstudio

If you would sit here with me for a cup of coffee, I would first of all offer you some homemade German cake. There is no way to have a proper “Kaffeeklatsch” or a coffee get-together without proper cake. Of course, I baked that from scratch, and, of course, there will be enough for you to take some home with you.

But I would also talk to you about two movies I watched this week, both of them taking me by surprise.

American Sniper – Movie Poster

The first one was “American Sniper” a movie I wanted to refuse to see because of it political ties, something I wanted nothing to do with. I did not even want to be a part of the discussion – which is rare for me. But my husband wanted to watch it on his day off, so I decided to watch it with him, and was very much surprised how much I liked it, simply because I allowed myself to get into the story, and temporarily forgot about all of the other fuss. From a film standpoint, it is a very good movie.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Movie Poster

The second movie I would tell you about would be “Guardians of The Galaxy”. Like the movie before I was avoiding to watch it, because I was not sure how in the world this concept would translate on the screen. Something told me that this movie was not a good idea. But I was hoping for the best because after all I am a Marvel fan, and Marvel knows how to make movies – at least most of the time.  I should have listened to myself. I would tell you, that I felt like calling Marvel, asking for my 2 1/2 hours back, a time that I felt was wasted by bad acting, and horrible jokes.

I would end our “Kaffeeklatsch” by inviting you back next week, promising you I will bake something different, equally delightful. And maybe you could tell me about the movies you were inspired to watch (or should not have watched).

Blessings!
Claudia

“Feathered Friends” – A Haiku

“Feathered Friends” Digitally Altered Photography by Avalon_Media
Shop for wood prints online at Zazzle

Just for a moment,

my life should be this easy.

Watching feathered friends.

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015