Friday, December 31, 2010

Saintly Bernards Bake Sale!


I am always talking about Saintly Bernards- and for a very good reason! They are a rescue group truly dedicated to the breed. THEY KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THE BREED! They are indirectly the reason I have my best friend, Quincy, these days! They are devoted to education, advocacy and dog rehabilitation. To help this group start the New Year off right- we did an amazing BAKE SALE with LOTS of yummy goodies at Nirvana Salon & Spa in Springield, PA. We had MANY people bake many great things to help raise money for Saintly Bernards!


Special props to all of our bakers! We had oreo bombs (which sold out instantly!), chocolate covered pretzels, a vast array of bark, dirt, cherry cheesecake cupcakes, grasshopper brownies, peanut butter kiss cookies, pizels, keylime pie cupcakes, brownies, rice krispy treats, bunt cakes, pound cakes, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, biscotti, pistachios peanut brittle, ooey gooey cookies, snickerdoodles, ginger bread cookies & much more!! Thanks to the salon staff & friends who made this all happen with your creative baking skills!


We were able to raise close to $500 towards saving abused, neglected & unwanted Saint Bernards. This will help off balance the cost of vetting & boarding while rescued Saint Bernards wait patiently to meet their forever families and best friends.

We were even graced with the presence of 5 very SPECIAL SPECIAL dogs who have helped make Saintly Bernards who they are today. Angus, Sarge, Moses & Boz the bull dog are 4 of Saintly Bernards working crew. The working crew helps temp test, rehab and help new Saint Bernards get ready for the real world. They help bring balance to dogs that have been through TOOO MUCH!

Once again- thanks to all of the people that make rescues possible. It is through dedication and devotion that rescues can operate and save dogs in this world! All of us together can make the difference in the lives of many dogs!


Please consider the following things: Adopt, Donate and FOSTER! If you would like to make a donation to Saintly Bernards Rescue please follow this link Saintly Bernards Donation LINK!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Archie -Adopted!!

Archie was  adopted on December 23, 2010! He went to an amazing woman in Lake Ariel and now has a brother and sister cat! He is doing GREAT and so happy to have spent Christmas in his forever home! His new name is Bubba :) Waiting for some pictures to post!!
Thank so much Jan for giving this senior dog a second chance at life. You are TRULY his Christmas Savior!


Archie- The Christmas Dog
Archie found himself at the Philadelpa SPCA on a cold concrete floor after looking his owner and his best friend. Archie had age against him and desperately needed out of the shelter. A good Samaritan saw a sparkle in my eye and believed he deserved a second chance. A chance to live out his golden years in a warm house and yummy food- a retirement home if you will! Senior dogs tend to be overlooked and not given the proper attention. A senior dog aims to please, is grateful for life and already trained!


Archie is 100% house & crate trained. Archie loves treats and short walks! Archie loves ALL dogs, is very submissive, and doesn't pay any attention to cats. He is a quiet and laid back dog! He is a well rounded dog looking for a home for the HOLIDAYS!

Archie is a senior American Eskimo dog. He is weighing in at 32 lbs, but DESPERATELY needs to lose at least 5-7 lbs! With short walks and a good diet he is sure to be in tip top shape for a beautiful senior dog! He is good when being groomed too!



Archie is UTD on all shots, de-wormed and neutered. He is very ready for his forever home! Archie even had his teeth clean, bad teeth removed, and even had a  blood scan (showing his is healthy for his age)! Won't you please consider making a difference in the life of his amazing senior dog?


Please e-mail Kandiceavery@Gmail.com for more information!






Please consider adopting Mr. Archie! This is  the necessary adoption application:
http://www.pspca.org/docs/Adoption_Application.pdf

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Portugal 2010

I do not even know where to start with Portugal. Compared to my many voyage this far in my life- it was pretty tame. Minus night 1. But we won't go there. That's part of the "whatever happened at Lux, stays at Lux" motto. I know... you don't get it. Had to have been there.

So we started the trip by flying 8 hours over the Atlantic and arriving at what Europe considers a 4 star hotel. We would consider it a modern Super 8. But, Hotel Florida definitely gets props for trying. The decor...ikea meets beetlejuice (picture noted above was Tom & Meg in the lobby). The rooms were named after movies and had cheesy movie posters on the wall. We got blade runner. Ugh. But, the lucky folks next to us got Audrey Hepburn. Ugh. Wish we got that. Instead we tortured them with them with late night romps and much carrying on. Oh well :)


After a nice 4 hour nap, we realized that my translation to Trindade was "we welcome you and can't wait for you to eat here". When I showed it to the concierge...she informed me the translation was "sorry no reservation".  So, they suggested a restaurant in Chiado called "sacramento". wow. Amazing. Delicious. Tom & I both had filet mignon, with a tomato mozzarella salad, amazing white wine and a mint cheesecake for dessert! Megan & Harris split a $70 sea bass-which they raved about. After spending hours with wine and talk....we headed out to the night club. You can see the pictures. We have the memories.

The rest of the trip was pretty much eating, drinking fabulous wine & sagres, sight seeing and exploring this new and exciting culture. Some highlights:
  • Sintra- WOW! Breath taking views. About an hour outside of Lisboa

  • Hard Rock Cafe- Where you go when you cannot try new food anymore & are American

  • Castle of Jorge- First sight seeing spot in Lisboa & Favorite!

  • Coffee- Smallest coffee on earth. Even starbucks could not get it right!

  • Greve Greval- So Harris tried to fly out of Lisbon when the entire country went on strike. Not fun.

  • Trinade-Bruno
  • Aquarium- Highlight alert- Sea Otters! See video below.

  • Moamba- I needed a Xanax to try this food...but overall impressed. Minus the flesh paste.




Overall- Amazing fabulous time with amazing fabulous friends. Traveling to Portugal and Europe opens your eyes to new cultures. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire trip & look forward to sharing the memories with all!



Monday, November 15, 2010

Home

Home is where the heart it.



It is so easy to be consumed by our everyday routine and not take  a step back and realize where we come from & what we stand for. I come a small town, where everyone knows everyone. Now that I live in modern day SUBURBIA, I think I am all that and a bag of middleswarth's chips. But I am not. I am still the small town girl who happens to live in the big bad world now. Ahh, what I would give to go back to the days of walking to school and stopping at Sanitary Bakery for a croissant to walk with. I remember how cool it was to go to school late during activity period. Making the best of what we had. Life was so much easier before it got so complicated.



Going home to visit my family & friends always humbles me. The drama I may have in my life now seems so trivial. Sitting and having coffee and laughing at "awkward family photos" is enough to fill your heart with love. Watching 48 hours and spending hours trying to figure out more clues to the case- priceless. Taco night at your brothers new house that has so quickly become a home- wow has time flew by. 3 days at home with the family is an easy way to get your spunk and determination back.


Living in the south robbed me of the spending time with my family during their birthdays! You take for granted the special day we each have once a  year. Getting to sing happy birthday to my mom with all of my siblings and my spunky "full of beans" nephew was perfect. Oh- and having sanitary cake- you can't beat that.



I hope everyone feels as inspired by their family as I do. As we grow up and start our own families- we also grow closer. I remember being little kids and being the "queen" and having my two  little servants :) Now we have surpassed the golden age and all have become amazing, hardworking, dedicated people. I stand by my family through the good and through the bad. I love the little bickerings we all have- because it shows that we all have a little bit of each other in us and can't turn down a good squabble. Even though- we know that the MOTHER is always right :)


We talk, text and facebook message everyday. We listen to each others passions. We let each other be ourselves and accept our differences. I love being us :)


Favorite quote from the weekend:

"Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are raise your sights and see the possibilities-always see them, for they're always there."
 
Live it. Breathe it. Be it.
 
Love-
K
 
 
 

Friday, November 12, 2010

Tippy- ADOPTED!!! UPDATED 7/9/2011

Tippy is still doing FABULOUS in her forever home!! Some pictures of her during a dog park romp with tootsie & benjamin!


Running with Tootsie
Pretty Lady!


Taking a break!


The new & improved Tippy Howarth!!

Update 12/19/2010
Our wonderful Tippy finally gets to feel what a forever home is! After meeting the Howarth family, she couldn't wait to get adopted today. She loved her new brothers and sisters, Shaina, Torey & Cameron and was so excited everyone would be home from college over the Christmas break! Her new mom & dad are all ready to spoil this little princess with lots of love and attention! She is already all decked out in pink- like the girly girl she is. She even has a new name tag in the shape of a heart that reads "Tippy Howarth".She can not wait to wake up Christmas morning with her new family! I will post pictures of her in her new family as soon as we get them!

Tippy is a great example of why it is important to foster scared shelter dogs. We created a platform of confidence for Tippy to launch off of. She came in scared of everything and left to go to her forever home today with a confident smile. She was able to open up and trust people and herself in her foster home!This holiday season is about giving and giving back. These animals CANNOT do it without our help. Please consider fostering this holiday season and making a difference in the life of a wonderful companion animal. If you have questions on what it is like to foster- please call me. I would love to show you how rewarding it can be!


 
Tippy & me

Tippy Update 12/15/2010
Tippy has been with us for almost 5 weeks! Wow has she blossomed into a wonderful, much more confident dog. She has learned to accept dogs and people and to trust them! She has become much more active and settled. She loves her squeaky toys and playing catch. She fetches well and will kindly place her toy in front of you to throw for her...again....and again. Her separation anxiety has diminished signifigantly due to her confidence versus fearfulness. She absolutely loves care rides too! She sits nicely in the front or back seat on her blanket and does not bark or scream at anyone anymore! Still no cats :( We have tried pretty hard, but her drive to chase is pretty instilled! BUT, guess what? Her fear of bigger dogs? GONE!!! Yup.. Tips loves Mr. Quincy so much! They snuggle all the time.... Look below:


Tippy Update: 11/30/2010
Meet Tippy. Tippy is an adult Chihuahua who showed at the Delaware County SPCA as a stray dog. She came in scared, vocal & skittish. She was very scared of the shelter and was placed with us in foster care. After having Tippy for 3 weeks, we have been able to help her feel settled and at ease. She is still nervous and scared, but has begun to trust people again. She warms up nicely to other dogs and loves playing with squeaker toys. More then anything, she is a snuggle bug. She loves to curl up underneath a blanket and give and receive lots of loving! Tippy is a very special girl who is looking for a very special home. She does not do the best with children or with cats, therefore an adult only quiet home would be best for her. She will warm up quickly to other dogs and would love another small dog companion.

So- where to start with Miss Tipilicious!



Her story: Delaware County SPCA found Tippy wandering the streets of Media as a stray. She was scared our of her BAJezus. They brought this darling lady into the shelter- where she was even more petrified. She was part of a home at one time and now she was in a cold cage with lots of barking dogs! Tippy needed to get out and find a place to crash while she waits for the perfect family to adopt her! Voila! Bross family steps in!



We offered to take Tippy and DO WHATEVER it takes to help her trust people and trust herself again. If her shadow came to close- she would scream. And when I say scream- I mean scream. She does not have your typical bark. It is very loud, screetchy and SCARY! How sad is that?



So we learned as her foster parents and our foster crew- to be more quiet around Tippy. To let her warm up
to us at her own comfort level. We wanted to give this lady love and time to adopt to the family.



Two days in she has been able to blossom! She is petrified of  the crate and needs reassurance with stairs. She loves to snuggle with anyone, including another pup! Tootsie, my female chi has become very motherly towards her. Letting her know things are going to be okay now!




With time and patience, Tippy will become the woman she once was! More to come on this fabulous chihuahua! We are TEAM TIPPY the whole way through!





Tippys Petfinder Link:Petfinder Tippy