Meet Maci!!!

Our good friend Elizabeth finally came through for us and found herself a fabulous dog, Maci. Our god dog :)
Here is the video of Moose and Maci's first meeting.


Notice how Moose finds a short cut around the flowerbed :) He's not lazy... just intelligent:)


We had a ton of fun watching the dogs play. They kept at it for about and hour and half. We didn't know that Moose had that in him!! We'll definitely have more play dates for these two in the future.
Thanks Elizabeth for finding a fabulous addition to the family!

Treats- Yummy?

The other night I got a crazy idea to make Moose some dog treats from scratch. I thought it would be fun and it would give Brad and me a break from sugary things in the house.
Of course being a novice dog owner, I've never made dog treats before so I wasn't for sure how they would turn out. But I figured that Moose could be the judge of that.

So we gave him one... waited. And he really didn't go crazy. I wasn't for sure what he thought about them until.......I saw him waiting patiently by the counter top for one of those tasty little treats to fall off, on the floor, and eventually make it to his mouth :)
Yay!! First attempt at baking dog treats was a success!

Meet Husky Tusky

One afternoon when I arrived home I found a box at our door step. Not address to me OR Brad, but to Mr. Moose. It was from Granny B. :)
After waiting patiently for Brad to arrive home in order for Mr. Moose to 'open the box- the fun began. He was sniffing & licking the box all afternoon like he knew there was treat inside for him. Not anyone else.
So what was in the box??? Moose's new BFF, Husky Tusky :)
And what did Moose do first once the box was opened?? Yep- Husky Tusky went to his new home- right inside of Moose's mouth :)


We thought that we would give him the real test of loyalty. Who would he choose, Moo Moo Mr. Cow or Husky Tusky?
The choice was clear. Mr. Moose stepped on Moo Moo Mr. Cow as he walked away with Husky Tusky in his mouth. Poor Moo Moo Mr. Cow. He was such a faithful friend.

Still a Lap Dog?

When we first got Moose it was fairly easy for him to craw in our laps and be a 'lap dog'.

One time he even made it in the front passengers seat with me.

But now, things are different. Moose is a growing boy and has had to get a little more creative in how to keep his lap time lovin'. Here is a picture of his new trick that he normally does while I'm home alone and not paying him enough attention. :)

So the question is, Is Moose a lap dog or not? We think so :)

Becky's Jeep Gets Lifted

"All Things Are Possible With Dave as Your Friend" - Thanks Dave!

We start the day by laying out all the parts and making sure everything was there. Notice the nice clean workbench? Since we've never done this before, Brad even thought it might be a good idea to.....



Yep... READ THE DIRECTIONS!

It was really nice of Dave to give up his day to help put the lift on. Together, they worked as a team. At times, it was a little confusing.. but overall, it was straight forward - just time consuming.




As with any good Jeep project, there was some custom fabrication involved. In this case.. there was some cutting.




Most good articles show a nice, neat garage with everything well laid out. That's not the real world. In the real world, you get dirty. The Jeep gets dirty. Tools get strung everywhere, and you generally wind up laying on the tools you need.




The job required aligning the parts just right, while keeping the jeep lifted enough so the body could be moved around for final precise alignment.




After much work back and forth, everything lined up and the lift was finally tightened down.




This job was a lot easier with air tools, power tools, and two people!




In the end, it was a job that Mr. Moose the Mastiff approved of. Now, it's time for the tummy tuck, the suspension lift, and the larger tires. But, that's for another time - in the future.

105 lbs!

Moose and I went in for our monthly 'weigh in'. Luckily it's for him, and not me. lol! He is 9 months old today and weighs about 105 lbs. I'm learning that his weight gain is something that I cannot predict. July I would have guessed that he put on 15 lbs but not this month. I guess it has to do with a lot more than just food consumption.

Here are a few pictures from the month of Aug :)

About a month ago Moose was given a healthy supply of band aids. Doesn't ever child.... I mean dog... need band aids??

Me with Moose- He is taller than I am when we are sitting side by side!

And one of Brad and Moose. He just lets us snuggle right up to him. I think that he likes us :)

The Attempted Rescue of Moo Moo Mr. Cow

Meet Moo Moo Mr. Cow.... Mr. Moose's Favorite Toy:

This morning, Mr. Moose decided to take Moo Moo Mr. Cow out on his morning walk. In his exhuberence, Mr. Moose the Mastiff heaved his big head left and right until.... oops, out popped Mr. Cow.

And, as gravity would have it.... Moo Moo Mr. Cow was swept down into the abyss of the storm drain.

Mr. Moose the Mastiff stood there for several minutes, looking in despair as his favorite toy - and often his companion - was gone. What had happened? He was sad. He was confused. Finally, he turned around to lumber back inside, depressed that his favorite toy was gone.

When Becky came in and told me the story... I asked myself.... "WWMD?" (Translation - "What Would Moose Do?...If it were me")... So, Despite only 3 hours of sleep, I arose from bed, and donned my boots..

Fortunately, I had my crowbar in the car from the previous evening's work... Hmm.. that sounds bad, but I assure you it was all construction related... anyway, back to the story..

So, I finally got the manhole cover off, and peered down into the great abyss.... Could it be?? Despite the storms of last night, was the drain really mostly dry? What is that I see in the bottom of the pit.....

It's MOO MOO MR. COW!!!!

I couldn't believe it. So, I put the camera in a safe spot, grabbed my flashlight and proceeded down the would-be tomb of Moo Moo Mr. Cow. Alas! Moo Moo Mr. Cow is once again raised to safety!

After taking Mr. Cow inside (of course, hiding him from Mr. Moose the Mastiff for the grand finale), giving Mr. Cow a complete bath with very hot water and a good lathering of soap, Moo Moo Mr. Cow and Mr. Moose the Mastiff were once again reunited. Despite the appearance in the picture, Mr. Moose was very excited about the reunion.

I suspect Moo Moo Mr. Cow will not be making any further outdoor appearances.

The things we do for Mr. Moose the Mastiff.

Vacuum...

One of the reasons why we decided on getting an English Mastiff and not another great day was because they are not big shedders. Well, I don't know who it is that determines what is shedding and what is not, but Moose sheds.
The other day we had the brilliant idea to try and vacuum Moose to help with his non-shedding- shedding problem. We had heard of other people who had tried this with their dogs and it was successful- so why not Moose?
Here is Brad showing Moose that it's ok, see, Dad does it too!!! Moose still didn't buy it. Can you blame him?

4th of July

I know that it a little late, but here is about the only pitiful picture we have of us on July 4th. Actually, it was July 3rd, but the fireworks were on the 3rd. We were sitting on top of the Jeep waiting for the fireworks to start. Yes, I AM wearing a jacket. It was chilly outside that night...at least I thought so.
And here is the little dessert that I made for us before we went out to watch the fireworks. This was also before I knew that my husband doesn't like BERRIES! Only strawberries! You may not be able to tell, but there are blackberries, blueberries and raspberries in this delicious little dessert. So mine was GONE when I was finished and his had a pile of beautiful berries still remaining. You live and you learn :)

Moose's Play Date

Meet Sawyer, Moose's new friend from down the street. Sawyer is also doing the training with Sit Means Sit.
They were so cute playing together. I wasn't able to capture a great picture of them together since I only had my phone camera, but these should give you a little taste of how well they played together.
Even though Sawyer is a 25 lb Jack Russell mix, he allowed Moose some time to rest. I think that he was secretly grateful for the time off too. It was HOT outside.
Sawyer was the perfect fit for Moose- Literally! He fit right underneath Moose. They would walk around together, Sawyer's head under Moose's chest, and his body right under Moose's belly. It was hilarious! Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture that on camera, but hopefully soon I will. Sawyer's mom promised that we could have another play date soon.



Here is a very small resolution video of the two of them playing. You may have to get out the magnifying glass in order to see it, but they really are there. Look hard!!

Vine Ripen Tomatos!

Drum roll please.... Our FIRST tomato from our garden!! So, we HAD to have BLT sandwiches for dinner (or supper depending on where you are in the world).

Here I am making the bacon for the sandwiches... And of course I had my 'helper' with me at my feet the entire time. This is his 'spot' in the kitchen when I'm cooking. He is always hoping that there will be a crumb of cheese, bacon, carrots or even a tomato that will fall to the floor for him to clean up. This morning we dropped a spoon that had eggs on it and Moose cleaned it all up for us :)

And here is the sacrificial tomato...
And Brad cutting into it...And the wonderful slices that made our delicious BLT sandwiches!!! Yay!!! We love having a little garden :)

Voice of the Martyrs'

A few weeks ago a good friend mentioned a book she was reading by Voice of the Martyrs'. My ears and heart immediately perked up. I don't actually remember the name of the book, but it has stuck with me.
Back when I was a teenager this was a topic that was part of my normal, every day conversation. It was something that I thought about, prayed about and talked about frequently.
For those of you who are not yet familiar with such an organization here is a brief overview, taken from their website, www.be-a-voice.net, about who they are.

The Voice of the Martyrs is a non-profit, inter-denominational organization dedicated to assisting the persecuted church worldwide. VOM was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned in Communist Romania for 14 years for his faith in Christ. His wife, Sabina, was imprisoned for three years. In the 60s, Richard, Sabina, and their son, Mihai, were ransomed out of Romania and came to the United States. Through their travels, the Wurmbrands spread the message of the atrocities that Christians face in restricted nations, while establishing a network of offices dedicated to assisting the persecuted church. The Voice of the Martyrs continues in this mission around the world today through the following main purposes:
1. To encourage and empower Christians to fulfill the Great Commission in areas of the world where they are persecuted for their involvement in propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ. We accomplish this by providing Bibles, literature, radio broadcasts, medical assistance, and other forms of aid.
2. To give relief to the families of Christian martyrs in these areas of the world.
3. To equip local Christians to love and win to Christ their enemies who are opposed to the gospel in countries where believers are actively persecuted for their Christian witness.
4. To undertake projects of encouragement, helping believers rebuild their lives and Christian witness in countries that have formerly suffered Communist oppression.
5. To emphasize the fellowship of all believers by informing the world of atrocities committed against Christians and by remembering their courage and faith.

It really convicted me about my lack of praying for those in the world who have given everything for the call that God has placed on their lives. How easily I get caught up in my world, with my issues, my concerns and forget about those whose lives are at risk solely because they love God.

Here is a quote from their website from a man who has been repeatedly arrested because of his faith in God. - In 2007, he was arrested and spent over 50 days behind bars where he was tortured. “I was beaten so badly that my whole body began shaking uncontrollably on the floor,” Gao Zhisheng. - He was abducted again this past February and is still in custody.

It served to remind me that we live in a self absorbed world and that I must work hard to not fall victim to it. Remember to pray for those who are being persecuted today for their faith.

Adventure to PetCo

On my birthday Moose was surprised with a gift too!!! Granny B and Aunt Alicia sent him a gift card to go SHOPPING at PetCo! We've been waiting for the perfect time to go and last night was the night! Enjoy our little adventure with us.

Here we are getting ready to leave. Moose was so eager to go shopping that he nearly missed the ramp on his way in the Jeep. Luckily, he made it in just fine. Close call though :)

Can't you just see the EXCITEMENT on his face!! Look at how that tongue hangs out?! That is a sure sign that Moose is excited for what is about the happen. Here is our classic picture of Brad walking Moose. This one is a little harder to tell if he has grown or not... but that was the original idea. I think that the photograph did a bad job. Maybe we should hire a new one?? Again, notice that the tongue is hanging out... pure excitement!!

We found a winner!! He LOVED this ball. It is basically a giant tennis ball that barely fits in his mouth. He was playing with it while we were still in the store. We figured that was a good sign. The silly photographer was struggling to get a good action shot in the store- I blame the store lighting. Not quite a studio setting.

I don't have a good picture of the delicious treats Moose also got yesterday, but you can see them online by clicking here- Old Mother Hubbard Dog Treats. He loves these and was running low. He was really concerned that his parents were going to let him run out. So he decided that a new bag would be YUM-O!



We stopped to take a quick look at the creepy reptiles... I didn't stay around long. Moose was anxious to keep moving too. We did see a little Boa there- they aren't even cute to me when they are tiny. We found a friend to play with and practice our manners. Moose did great! He sat there and let the other dog sniff and get to know him. I think that they would have loved to played ball together. But the slick floor made it a little difficult. Yes, I know that this pictures is VERY blurry.

And here is our very happy dog on he way home. He couldn't wait to get home and play with his new toy. It barely fits in his mouth and he struggles picking it up at times. It is very entertaining for us to watch and it keeps him occupied because it bounces off in different directions. I think that this one will be around for awhile.

Thanks Granny B & Aunt Alicia!!!