A Pup and a Plant for Jackie

Over at Pooch Smooches, Jackie has been coming up with some plant name /  dog photo combinations that are simply amazing! My Wordless Wednesdays pale in comparison!

I tried to rise to the challenge and come up with a few myself. It's much easier to get an idea than it is to actually get the photo. You need the plant and a way to pose your dog. Not as simple as it sounds! I only used the plants and flowers growing at my house so I had to work with what I have.

Here are my attempts....

A Lantana and Jimmy in a matching bandana

A Gerber Daisy next to a corgi who's lazy

A Geranium and a dog's cranium

This next one is for Sue K......A "W" plant!

There was no hysteria with Wilson near Wisteria

Keep Calm and sit by the Palm

And finally......(No animals were harmed in the making of this last photo!)

To sniff a Cactus, Jimmy needed more practice

Monday Mischief: I Got Too Busy Last Friday !!!

Last Friday I was supposed to pull the winner of my giveaway for Jackie's newest book. You would think someone who is temporarily unemployed would have plenty of time to get that done and post about it. But, no, somehow the day got away from me. I did have a couple of phone interviews (yay!) as well as an agility lesson, and then unexpected plans for dinner. That left me with no blogging time and for that I do apologize. Then the weekend held a two day agility trial.....Time just flew by and here it is Monday.

So, the moment you have all been waiting for, albeit waiting overtime, the winner is:

D.Nelson

Congratulations! Please contact me at taryn(dot)tipton(at)gmail(dot)com (or hit me up on FaceBook with a PM) and I will get Jackie's book winging its way to you. I'm going to send it straight from Amazon to you to save a step. I had hoped to purchase a copy at Walmart but alas the three stores I tried did not carry it.

Many thanks to all of you who left comments. I enjoyed reading your stories a lot!

Since I don't like to have a blog post without photos, I want to share some pictures I took last week along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park last week. The day could not have been more gorgeous! Alas, the car ride and the hiking was too much to bring Jimmy and Wilson along on, so these are corgi-free photos! Gasp!

Well Read Corgis Agree.......

.....Jackie Bouchard's new novel, House Trained,  should be at the top of your reading list!!!!

Now I have to confess, I am a big fan of Jackie's books and blog! ( and, NO! I am not biased just because Jackie has a Cardigan Corgi in the family!!!) I loved the first two books so I was pretty sure #3 would not disappoint me. Well, House Trained is now my favorite to date! Yes! It is that good! I think Jackie took her plot development to the next level! This story had  twists and turns I never saw coming! And for me that's what makes a book fun to read. I certainly don't want to have to issue any spoiler alerts so I will not be the one to divulge any of the surprises but just look at Jimmy's face and tell me he's not shocked! I think I heard him gasp!

Now, I'm not going to write a little blurb about what the story is about. Amazon can do a much better job than me, BUT I will do one thing Amazon won't....

I am going to give one lucky person their own copy of House Trained!  I was going to buy myself a copy of the book just the very second it went on sale (October 20th!!!!), but then Jackie so generously offered me an advance copy. (Boy, did that ever make my day! Thank you, Jackie!)  I am sure as heck not giving you that one. That one is staying in my personal library of great reads! But I will send you a brand new copy, one Wilson and Jimmy haven't drooled over!

Now, of course, if you have ever participated in any of my other giveaways, it's never quite as simple as just pulling your name from a hat (almost, but not quite!). I expect a little something in return in the form of entertaining comments. SO!

Tell me a funny story about the last time you tried house training a puppy or dog, or even your baby! I'll even start by telling my own little tale....

Years ago, when my first Cardigan Dylan was just a young pup, I knew nothing about using a crate. Dylan was always just free in my apartment. He was well on his way to being house trained. He knew perfectly well he was not supposed to pee or poop on the floor. So one day, while I was at work a bit longer than usual, poor Dylan had a bout of diarrhea. He could not wait for me to get home, but he also could not let it go on the floor. So smart boy that he was, he hopped up on my sofa and let it RIP! Hey, the sofa wasn't the floor, so no harm, no foul, right?! The sofa was one of those sectional styles and he managed to get lots of poop on every single piece! It was a pretty bad mess and I didn't even try to clean it. I just dragged the whole nasty thing out to the dumpster and started fresh!

OK! Your turn....tell me a funny story about house training!

PS Here's how I'll handle choosing the winner....please leave just one comment  and I will let random.org provide the number of the comment that is the winner. I will remind everyone next Wordless Wednesday and pull the winner on Friday the 23rd. Due to postage costs, I'm only going to ship within the United States. My apologies to those outside the US.

PPS Jodi  and Jackie, I want in on those margaritas!!! Don't you dare start without me!

WOW! Won-thousand! on Wilson's Wordy Wednesday!

Here it is.....drum roll please.......blog post....

#1000 !!!!!

And as promised last week, I have a giveaway to celebrate this auspicious occasion. However, it's actually going to be more of a trade. You give me your best W*** themed caption for today's photos in the comment section and I'll have random.org select the winner. I'll post the winner next Wednesday.

*** If you aren't familiar with my Wordless Wednesday entries, I strive to entitle my posts for Wordless Wednesday with as many words starting with W as I can as it relates to the photo of Wilson I am posting that day. Look back through my blog at the last few Wednesdays and you'll see what I mean....

So here you are...putting on your thinking caps.....and Go!

You may be wondering if all this mental hard work is worth it. Well, I assure you it is! The lucky winner will receive a box of goodies.

Here's a list of the loot:

1) A brand new copy of Jackie Bouchard's second novel Rescue Me, Maybe. If somehow you haven't had a chance to read this great book, now's your chance. Jackie is a wonderful storyteller, bringing her characters to life with wit, humor, and a great understanding of the human/dog connection. I guarantee you will enjoy this book as much as her first.

2) A slightly dog-eared (but who doesn't love dog ears?!) copy of Chaser. This true story account of a brilliant border collie will amaze you with Chaser's seeming endless ability to learn new words.

3) A dog toy and some treats for your favorite pup!

Doggy crack for sure!

and now a DISCLAIMER....I am afraid this giveaway is open to US residents only. Sincere apologies to my international viewers but the last time I did a giveaway, the international postage cost way more than the prize.

and a NOTE to Jackie and her sister Terry.... if either of you win, I will be happy to substitute a different book of your choice in place of Rescue Me, Maybe. Murphy's Law is sure to monkey with this contest this close to St.Paddy's Day! 

You Should Read This Book and I'm Gonna Help!......A GiveAway!

I was the very lucky winner of Jackie's book giveaway and just finished reading What the Dog Ate .

 I thoroughly enjoyed this light-hearted tale of Maggie's and Kona's journey to build a new life. I think we can all relate to her struggle to start over, which is told with much wit and insight. I had several laugh-out-loud moments. I always know I've enjoyed a book when I am sad to reach the end. I rationed the last chapter or two just to keep it going. I'm going to miss Maggie!

Now, that's not to say there couldn't have been improvements. I definitely think the cover art could use a bit of a makeover, a little something like this maybe?

I understand that Jackie has a new book in the publishing pipeline. Based on how much I enjoyed What the Dog Ate, I am definitely looking forward to reading her next book!

OK, so let's get down to the details......If you would like a chance to win a brand new copy of Jackie's book What the Dog Ate,  please leave me a comment telling me the grossest or weirdest thing your dog ever ate. If you don't have a dog, it can be your cat, your baby, or even you! Please leave only one comment. I don't mind shipping to Canada , "across the pond", or even "down under", so don't hesitate to comment. I will select the winner, using Random.org, next Thursday, April 25th. I look forward to reading your comments!

Have a great weekend, Everyone!