Monday, December 26, 2011

My Christmas Story...

Here's hoping that you had a VERY Merry Christmas and that you were all good boys and girls!
I'm super excited about what Santa brought me (guess I was a good girl, after all).  A Sony DSLR camera!! I've been wanting a DSLR for awhile now but never dreamed that Santa would deliver!  About two weeks ago as I was editing some photos from my point and shoot, I got extremely frustrated with the image results and spontaneously decided to hop in the car and check out DSLRs at Hoyer's Photography.  Bob was being (what I thought at the time - stubborn) and he decided to stay home.  Little did I know that several weeks prior, he had already purchased a DSLR camera FROM HOYER'S for me for Christmas!  As the story goes, Bob frantically called Terry at Hoyer's to let him know that I was on my way to "look" at cameras and whatever it took, PLEASE don't let me leave with a camera!  Bob knew that anything was possible with me so he wanted to make sure that I didn't come home with a camera.

Terry "convinced" me that the cameras would be on sale right after Christmas and that it would be well worth my while to wait for the sale.  Needless to say, he had me at "sale"...hook, line and sinker.  Bob was thrilled to see me come home with only a pamphlet in my hands.  I'm so glad I waited because it was worth the surprise (something that's pretty hard to do with me).  I felt like a kid again!

I'm hoping to hone my photography skills so stay tuned!  I think Q is getting really tired of "posing" in front of the Christmas tree - especially for the photo above.  He carefully sat on top of a stack of "fake" Christmas gifts.  Any little movement and the pile would've toppled over!

p.s. Guess it pays to be a good girl all year! :-)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Christmas Puppy...

Merry...
 Merry...
 Merry...
 Christmas!
And Happy New Year to all!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Have treats, will perform...

Just last Monday, Q showed you some of the new tricks he had learned - lay down and roll over.  Since then, it has been an interesting week with our new performer (this boy will do just about anything for a treat).  Each day, we take a few breaks throughout the day to either learn a new trick or brush up on the tricks from the day before.

This week's tricks include: shake left, shake right and play dead.
I stopped filming too quickly and missed Quincy flop down in the "play dead" position as if he wanted to continue the routine!  It was too cute!

Monday, November 28, 2011

HBD, well sort of...

A certain someone is 7 months old today!

Here are a few hints:
  • He weighs just shy of 5 lbs (approx. 4 lbs, 14 oz.)
  • He has a beautiful black coat with caramel highlights
  • He loves to have his teeth brushed with maple flavored toothpaste
  • He loves to take road trips...anywhere - I swear, he'd be happy just riding to the end of our driveway and back and LOVE IT!
  • His new nickname has become "Crumb-Master 2000" (coined by Bob - I actually think we should've named him Hoover)
  • He has lost several teeth - one just yesterday (quite a large one, in fact)
Give up yet?  Well, here's another little hint:
Yep, you guessed it!  That's our boy, Q!

BTW, we visited Q's Aunt Robin last Tuesday to pick up some new ALL ORGANIC treats (available soon on her website which is a work in progress - stay tuned!  Dog lovers, you have to try these once they're available online!)

Let me tell you, Q will do just about anything for these teeny tiny treats!  I've only been working with him for a week and he's already exceeding my expectations!  Our goal is to teach him something new each week until we have a little performer on our hands!  I think we're well on our way!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Oh happy day...

Quincy is once again reunited with one of his all-time favorite toys - life can go on.  Several weeks ago his Aunt Lori got him a green frog just like the one you see below and he absolutely LOVED it. 
Quincy loved it so much so, that we had to take it away from him at night in order to get him to wind-down.  Well, one night we took it from him and "hid" it so that he wouldn't see where it went.  Trouble is, we forgot where we hid it! 

And we're only in our early 30s, I mean 40s!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Best travel buddy around...

Q and I took a small road trip today to visit my parents in Wellsboro.  Q assumed his favorite travel position and rode this way practically the entire trip...
I can only imagine what the drivers of other cars thought as we passed them on the highway and they glanced over to see my co-pilot in his travel stance!  Hopefully we brought a smile to each and every person.  He's the best travel buddy around!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Super-sleuth...

So this morning I couldn't find Quincy a.n.y.w.h.e.r.e!  I called and called his name and then checked his "normal" prohibited hiding spots...in the corner behind the TV stand in our living room, under the hutch in our foyer, under the bed, in the walk-in-closet, in the shower, and lastly upstairs.  Admittedly, a little panic started to overcome me but the one thing I knew was that he was at least in the confines of this house, somewhere!  Since I couldn't find him on the first floor of our house, I decided that he must've somehow gotten past the temporary make-shift barrier at the bottom of the stairs...a really long storage bin from WalMart that fits perfectly at the bottom of our steps so the super-sleuth can't sneak off upstairs and get into more of mischief! 
I stood at the bottom of the stairs again calling his name like a fool!  As I stood there, now HOLLERING his name (hopefully the neighbors didn't hear me!), FINALLY, something caught my eye.  I looked down in utter surprise only to see this...
Wow, Q certainly knows how to hide!  He never so much as made a peep!  Not sure if he just wanted some "quiet time" or what??  I think I was almost as shocked to find him there as I was that he actually stayed put so I could quickly grab my camera to capture this very unique photo-op!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Have seat will travel...

Quincy has become quite fond of riding...riding on the lawn mower with Bob, riding in Bob's Jeep, riding with me in my car...I'm sure you get the point.  I've never felt comfortable just leaving him in his travel bag with no restraint system SO I broke down and purchased this booster seat for the car that actually allows me to secure him in the seat so he doesn't suddenly leap out the window (Dad) or smash off the dash if I have to slam on my breaks unexpectedly.

Quincy was in Doggie Heaven when we tested out his new digs today (Wednesday) and what a gorgeous day it was to ride with the window down!  It was SO funny looking over and seeing Q perched in his seat - both paws planted firmly against the front rim of the booster seat, eyes focused on the open road ahead and the cool breeze flowing through his golden and black locks!

Now the only problem is Bob - where will HE ride when all three of us travel together?  He claims he's NOT riding in the back seat!  What's up with that?!

Security Guard...

So many times during the day, I'll find Quincy on guard.  He has become the new little watchdog in our neighborhood, even barking at a car across the street backing out of the driveway.
I keep saying that he needs to get a job...guess he took me seriously!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Wordless Wednesday...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

What's the going rate?

So the other night while Bob was playing with Quincy we noticed that Q stopped suddenly and began running his tongue in and out of his mouth.  Thinking that he found a spec of something off the floor A.G.A.I.N., Bob grabbed him quickly before he could escape and did the normal finger sweep in Quincy's mouth - just like you probably would do with a baby. 

Much to our surprise, Q wasn't eating something off the floor - he was actually in the process of losing a tooth.  I'm not sure if Quincy was going to swallow it or not but with Bob to the rescue, we were able to retrieve it.  We're not sure what the going Puppy Tooth Fairy rate is for a puppy tooth...maybe a big ole doggy biscuit, perhaps a new toy, or maybe just a pat on the head?

Any suggestions?  :-)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Wordless Wednesday...

Such a tough life!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

My Ironing Buddy...

This was the view of my little buddy as I ironed some clothes this evening (you can see the stack still waiting to be done - bottom left in the photo.  The clothes are still there...unironed and may still be there tomorrow or even the next day!).
Quincy LOVES this pillow from Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It's stuffed with little foam beads of some sort which provides a nice body hug for him! It's nice to have an audience as I iron.  Too bad I can't train Q to start doing some of these dreadful duties!  :)

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Wordless Wednesday...

There must be something very special about the arm of this chair!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Wordless Wednesday (well, almost wordless)

There must be something with this spot on our sofa.  Spencer took many naps in this EXACT same spot in his day and now Q is doing the same.  We've started calling Quincy, "Dos Amigos"!  We think it means #2 friend or something similar - we think of it as "the second Spencer".  Amazingly, Q continues to have an eery likeness to him!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

 

Monday, September 26, 2011

Rock Star

Today, Quincy had the opportunity to visit with another of his kind, a cutie patootie little female named Sweetie Pea when we stopped by to visit Aunt Robin, the breeder we bought Q from.  Sweetie Pea is about the same age as Q but exactly half the size - maybe Half Pint would be a good nickname for her!

Although Sweetie Pea is so teeny tiny, her big personality says otherwise.  :-)  Poor little thing was born with a cleft lip and is just about the cutest little thing you've ever seen.  Hopefully, she'll soon get the surgery she needs to fix her up like new.
 
 
Q also visited the vet today and got a Lyme booster vaccination which he handled like a real trooper, barely even flinching.  In fact, he handles needles waaaayyyyy better than I do!!  He now weighs 4 lbs, 1 oz.  He's already as big as his parents (bio parents, that is).  His body will soon be in proportion with his head and paws (for those of you who've commented about his sizable cranial area - yeah, you know who you are!). :-)

In the wise words of his male puppy parent (that would be Bob), Quincy is a rock star!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The perfect medicine...

As many of you already know, my blood results from earlier this week came back indicating that my levels are still dropping which is a TRUE blessing considering where the levels were about four months ago as a result of the staph infection I got during my hip replacement in April.

It's hard to imagine that in just four short months so much good could come out of so much bad.  It's even harder to imagine that if I wouldn't have gotten that same staph infection, we wouldn't have Quincy here in our lives today.  You see, in May when I became horribly ill with the effects of the staph infection, I had to reschedule a dental appointment since it would have been too dangerous to even think about introducing any more infection into my body.  My new appointment was on Monday, August 15th and that's when the story of Q really began...

I went to my dental appointment for a routine cleaning - looking forward to that awesome feeling of newly cleaned teeth!  I happened to be scheduled with a wonderful Dental Hygenist, now known as Aunt Alli.  Early into my appointment, I learned that Alli was a Yorkie lover too and from that moment on, our conversation centered around Yorkies (well, most of the conversation since I had her hand in my mouth for the better part of the visit).  Alli told me that she had been doing a ton of research on Yorkies as she began her quest to find a breeder that met her expectations.  I knew that we'd be looking at doing the same thing in the spring of 2012 so I asked Alli if she knew any breeders here locally.  As my appointment ended, Alli quickly emailed me the contact info of a breeder in Hughesville that she had spoken with.  Before I left, Alli and I joked about setting a 'puppy play date' in the spring once we both had our Yorkies. I didn't think much of it and went on my merry way.

By Wednesday, I thought I'd do some early investigating by calling the local breeder in Hughesville, Robin Landgrebe.  We had a wonderful conversation and she even emailed me some pictures of her Yorkies.  I had decided that we'd continue our investigation in the spring, as originally planned.

On Thursday at 4:30 p.m., Miss Robin emailed me these photos of what would soon become our Quincy...
Don't these photos just scream "Please take me home with you, I'm looking for some good puppy parents!".   Within a half hour of receiving these photos, I was on the phone calling Bob at work to see if he could get to a computer.  Unfortunately, he was busy and had to call me back.  Finally, I was able to email the photos to him at 5:49 p.m. - I think the decision had already been made, at least in my mind!  Much to my surprise, it didn't take any convincing on my part - I think Bob was hooked the minute he saw him.  By the time Bob arrived home from work just over an hour later, we were already making a list of names.  We have a history with the phone book (Spencer) and now with presidents (John Quincy Adams).  We know nothing about JQA but knew we liked the Q portion of his name so we went with it!  The rest is pretty much history and fairly well documented on my previous posts.

As I sent out the email update this morning regarding my blood results and thanked everyone for their prayers, one very wise friend (Roni) emailed me back and said, "I think prayers and Q (there is a reason dog is God spelled backwards) combined to be the perfect medicine"!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

New buddies...

Quincy had a blast the other night with some new friends he made (I'm pretty sure the kiddos had fun also)!
 (Left top: Davin; Left center: Karly and Q; Left bottom: Davin; Right: Davin and Brady)

Check out this little guy (Cole) - he'll be a wiz in no time!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Four weeks later...

Wow, where has the time gone?  It's hard to believe that we've had Quincy for almost an entire month - exactly four Fridays ago today, we took the plunge into puppy parenthood again!  What a little fluff ball he was...

There have been plenty of ups and downs (mostly ups) during the last month.  I think the thing that sticks out in my mind most is that I've never said these four words SO many times in my life, "Go pee" and "Go poop"!!  I swear, our neighbors must think I sound like a broken record because every time I'm outside with Q, I'm either chanting one phrase or the other or BOTH!  And don't even ask me how many times I've said the word "NO" in a really firm voice within the last four weeks - if only I had a quarter for each time any one of those words were spoken!  :-)

All in all, Mr. Quincy has been the best thing that has happened in our lives since the springtime.  He brings such joy and fun into our home every single day.  It's hard to remember what life was like before him.  Our love for the Yorkie breed began over 14 years ago with Quincy's predecessor, Spencer, who passed away on March 7, 2011.  Had we not experienced the unconditional love of Spencer, we wouldn't have little Quincy today.  We see so many of Spencer's characteristics in Quincy that we continue to be amazed. 
 Thank you Spencer for being part of our lives for so many years and thank you God for leading us to Quincy!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Quincy's new BFF

About 2 weeks ago, I introduced Quincy to some of our neighbors, one of which was Miss Gianna.  Little did I know that she would fall head over heels for the little guy and has done nothing but talk about Quincy morning, noon and night (sorry Chris and Nancy!). 

Miss G was able to finally visit with Q a couple of nights ago and she became buddies with Quincy instantly.  In fact, Miss G informed us in the most adorable, excited little voice that, "I have to go to school tomorrow but I can come back and see Quincy right after school!" 
Can't wait for another visit, Miss G!  Quincy really likes you!  :-)

Saturday, September 10, 2011

no leash required

Whew, what a horrible few days for so many people who experienced all the devastation in so many areas of Central PA and other locations of PA and NY due to the flooding this week.  Our hearts go out to all those who were affected!  We had no phone or DSL for about two days straight but it seems to be back in service now - THANK YOU Verizon!!

As puppy parents, we're trying to introduce Quincy to as many new things as possible like:
  • learning to walk/run along side of my electric wheelchair (still working on that one - no photo available yet).
  • exercising as recommended by the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, on the Nat Geo channel.  Cesar says that all dogs need exercise and what better way to provide them exercise than this...

I think he's getting the hang of it! Now when we put the treadmill in the walk position from the upright/storage position, Quincy hops right up on it and just looks at us as if to say, "what are you waiting for?"!  Way to go Q! (Video taken with my new Sony Bloggie - LOVE IT!  Thanks Aunt Tammy for the tip!)

By the way, YES, that's more '80s music, in case you were wondering...gotta love the '80s! :-)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

taco soup...

You may look at the title above and wonder, "what the heck does this post have to do with Quincy??"  WELL, nothing really but I have to share this recipe for taco soup with you because it's sooooooooooooo delish and what a perfect way to spread the word!
Now you're probably thinking that this doesn't look much like soup, am I right?  In fact, you're absolutely correct! This is actually my version of a taco omlet!  :-)  I wanted an omelet for dinner so I thought it I'd jazz it up by adding a little twist to it and create this masterpiece!  It was a two egg omelet and 3/4 of my way through eating it, I wished I had made a three egg omelet...yes, it was that good!

Ok, now for the recipe:

1 lb ground beef (or your meat of choice)
1 onion (chopped)
1 16 oz can chili beans
1 16 oz can kidney beans
1 16 oz can black beans
1 16 oz can white beans
(or any combination of beans that YOU like)
1 15 oz can corn
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1-2 cups water
2 16 oz cans peeled/diced tomatoes
1 4 oz can green chile peppers
1 pkg taco seasoning mix

Cook the meat and onion together and add the taco seasoning packet to the mix. Drain the meat as necessary then place all the ingredients in a pot or even a crock pot and let simmer for a couple of hours...simple, simple simple! Serve over a bed of nacho chips or scoops, top with sour cream and the green chile peppers and, of course, some Mexican cheese! For those of you (DAD and Tammy) who like more of a kick, help yourself to some chili powder!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

bonding time...

Some days are just so rainy and dreary that you just want to stay in bed all day - I'm sure you can relate.  Well, that didn't happen for me today BUT, for my little friend Quincy, it did and I'm SO jealous!  I've heard that a puppy's growth occurs during his sleep time so this guy may not be able to do this for much longer.  His little furry bed made a nice arm rest for me and it seems that he's only bothered when the phone rings. (Sorry little buddy, I'll see what I can do to lower that ring tone!)  :-)
I wonder if I'm spoiling him too much?

Monday, September 5, 2011

hol-EE Roller Dog...

Several days after Quincy came home with us, our wonderful neighbor - now known as "Aunt Marion", dropped off the most adorable gift bag of goodies and THIS purple ball has turned out to be one of Quincy's favorites.  It has a ton of holes in it making it seem really flimsy but it isn't, it's made of a very durable rubber-like material so Q is able to put it in his tiny mouth easily AND the best part is that he hasn't chewed through it...yet.  He loves, loves, loves this toy and would play with it for as long as you could throw it.  BTW, the name of this dog toy, as you may have already suspected...is hol-EE roller dog toy. (NO, I'm not getting any kickbacks for those of you that are wondering!)
The video to follow has some tunes that were inadvertently included (Bob was "turning, I mean 'spinning' some vinyl", forgive him, he's still stuck in the 80's...he not knoweth any better!).  WARNING: you may want to make sure you're sound is adjusted accordingly so you don't jump out of your chair when you click on the link! Also, if the video below shows up as a red X, that means your email provider has blocked the delivery of the video - just click on the title of this post above and you should see a new window open in your browser that will allow you to view the video directly from blogger. :-)
This puppy is definitely showing more and more characteristics of his predecessor, Spencer!  Q has some pretty big paws to fill but so far, he's doing an amazing job!

Friday, September 2, 2011

did someone say "shopping"?

Quincy made his first official trip to TJ Maxx this past weekend (thanks Aunt Lori who just happens to work at TJM!).  Quincy had his first unofficial shopping trip the very first weekend he was with us - I disguised him as my "service dog" as he rode on my lap and Bob pushed me in my wheelchair around Wal-Mart! Surprisingly, no one booted us out. On this trip, though, we were in search of a reasonably priced travel bag for Q to ride in.

Found one and it was ONLY $15 bucks!  He's such a little bargain shopper!  Even though he looks a little annoyed here, he was really enjoying the shopping experience and all the attention he was commanding (don't let that semi-scared look fool you)!  :-)
Here he's taking a snooze in his new bag at home just a short while later...
 Such a tough life...



Wednesday, August 31, 2011

my new gal pal

Whew, it seems like this past weekend just flew by! We had a whirlwind of a day on Friday that consisted of a visit from Aunt Tammy (my sister), Grammy Janet (my mom) and Miss Abby (mom's pupper dog)...
Quincy had a blast with his new gal pal.  Check it out...

These two are just hilarious to watch...so much fun!

Friday, August 26, 2011

one week later...

Wow, we can't even believe how fast this last week has flown by with our new little guy!  It's great to have a fluff ball running around the house again - he's so lively and he brings much joy to our lives already in just one short week.

So, here's a summary of our first week with Quincy:
  • he had no separation anxiety whatsoever
  • he learned how to use his new puppy steps to climb onto the bed
  • he adjusted very well to his harness 
  • he loves his new crate and taking naps in it
  • he is eating like you'd expect a growing pup
  • he has learned his name quite well and responds to basic commands
  • he has learned how to play Frisbee and loves it (see previous blog entry)
  • he is 75-80% house-broken (YEAH!)
  • he loves to travel and run errands
  • and he made a trip to the vet for a couple of vaccinations (not bragging or anything, BUT the vet tech said that Q was the BEST Yorkie she's ever seen - he never even squirmed when he got his Rabies shot!)
Stay tuned for more adventures of our boy Quincy...

Thursday, August 25, 2011

frisbee time!

Like his predecessor, Spencer, Quincy is really big into Frisbee time which is great because that means plenty of playtime! We're shocked at how many characteristics Q shares with Spence - it's like he's been reincarnated (which, of course, we know he hasn't!).  This little guy just continues to amaze us.

Unfortunately, though, we I  did break the "no accidents" streak that we had going.  Two three minor accidents so far which is still not bad - he's a work in progress but aren't we all??

p.s. I know that I need to work on my "action" shots!  Remember, I'm a work in progress too!
Gotta love a Frisbee catchin', Frisbee playin', Frisbee chasin' pup!  :-)


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

wordless wednesday...


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

thanks aunt marian (and uncle john)

What a wonderful surprise Quincy received today to welcome him to the neighborhood...
As you can see, Q is pretty thrilled with his new little play toy...
p.s. Thanks too for the delicious brownies!  YUM!


Monday, August 22, 2011

look at me NOW!

Thanks to Bev at Barking Bubbles for the beautiful puppy cut  - she's fantastic!!
 
Quincy is no longer a big fluff ball!
AND he's a real poser!




my new gal pal, abby (and my new grandparents!)


meet Quincy...

Birthdate: 4/28/11
Weight: 3 lbs 10 oz. (as of 5/18/11)
House training:  We've had him now for 3 days and no accidents in the house (YET)!
Listening skills: Great so far (he's a male so I'm sure he'll eventually develop selective hearing!)  :-)
Enjoys:  Playing with his toys and running in the yard (chasing Bob).  Oh, and he's also a couch potato at times.
 
  Quincy and his new buddy, Bob...
 First tractor ride (which may be one of many)...
Watching his new buddy Bob cut the grass...
Exhausted from watching his new buddy Bob cut the grass...