Your Lips But Better

Gigi update

2012-01-28T21:31:00.000-08:00

Gigi had her dental cleaning yesterday. Teeth are now cleaned. She lost 3 teeth though. Apparently she has some kind of doggie teeth disease. The fatty lump is removed and sent for test (will know result next week), got some stitches. She doesn't need to wear a cone as long as she leaves her stitches alone. She has some antibiotics and then 10 days later, we will go back to remove the stature.

She is fine today. Left her stitches alone. We went to agility class, but didn't run any course... we just did tricks instead. It was great. This way she won't bother her stitches, but she still get to see her friends. :)

Gigi and her stitches.

夜空ノムコウ/ 夜空的彼岸

2012-01-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

夜空ノムコウ
SMAP's Yozora no Mokou is another one of my favorite songs from SMAP. I just love it so much. It made my day when they translated it in Mandarin and performed it in the Thanks to Beijing Concert. I was in heaven. :)

夜空ノムコウ　　作詞スガシカオ　作曲川村結花

あれから僕たちは何かを信じてこれたかなぁ
夜空の向こうには明日がもう待っている

誰かの声に気づき僕らは身をひそめた
公園のフェンス越しに夜の風が吹いた

君がなにか伝えようとにぎりかえしたその手は
僕の心のやらかい場所を今でもまだしめつける

あれから僕たちは何かを信じてこれたかなぁ
マドをそっとあけてみる冬の風のにおいがした

悲しみっていつかは消えてしまうものなのかなぁ
タメ息は少しだけ白く残ってすぐ消えた

歩き出すことさえもいちいちためらうくせに
つまらない常識などつぶせると思ってた

君に話した言葉はどれだけ残っているの？
僕の心のいちばん奥でからまわりしつづける

あのころの未来に僕らは立っているのかなぁ
すべてが思うほどうまくはいかないみたいだ

このままどこまでも日々はつづいていくのかなぁ
雲のない星空がマドの向こうに続いてる

あれから僕たちは何かを信じてこれたかなぁ
夜空の向こうには明日がもう待っている

source-http://km5.blog50.fc2.com/blog-entry-30.html

Actual Chinese lyric
夜空的彼岸
夜空的彼岸
中居正廣、木村拓哉：
那天以後　忘記了飛翔　　點燃了信念　才能夠看到陽光
繁星點點　對岸的星光　　絢爛的明天　會比今天亮
稻垣吾郎、草彅剛：
安靜的夜　流動著　夜的光　　我已收藏　一絲絲　的驚慌
夜風翻越　公園的　小圍牆　　我的心也　吹著悲傷
木村拓哉：
你話裡　的溫度　還透著彷徨　　你收回　牽的手　已經滾燙
其實我　並不堅強　　隱隱痛　很難偽裝　　慢慢的　還是滲透了胸膛
SMAP：
那天以後　忘記了飛翔　　點燃了信念　才能夠看到陽光
溫柔推開　通往明天的窗　　冬天的味道　在風裡自由飄蕩
今天的淚　跟昨天逃亡　　傷心還蕩漾　明天就會遺忘
嘆息很輕　憂傷還有形狀　　白色的氣息　轉眼消失遠方

中居正廣、香取慎吾：
安靜的夜　流動著　夜的光　　我已收藏　一絲絲　的驚慌
夜風翻越　公園的　小圍牆　　我的心也　吹著悲傷
木村拓哉：
你話裡　的溫度　還透著彷徨　　你收回　牽的手　早已滾燙
那些話　還在眼眶　　我的心　夜夜碰撞　　我的愛　已經變成了行囊
SMAP：
遙遠未來　在眼前翱翔　　我們在風中　可否站的倔強
世界變了　天空不一樣　　未來什麼顏色　畫在你的想像
那天以後　忘記了飛翔　　點燃了信念　才能夠看到陽光
繁星點點　對岸的星光　　絢爛的明天　會比今天亮
那天以後　忘記了飛翔　　點燃了信念　才能夠看到陽光
繁星點點　對岸的星光　　絢爛的明天　會比今天亮

夜空的彼方 (Chinese translation)

在那天之後的我們啊所相信的是怎樣的啊？
在夜空的另一邊明天已經在等待著了啊

察覺到了某人的聲音我們因而躲藏起來
越過公園的籬笆夜晚的風吹拂著

妳那反覆緊握的手妳像是要告訴我些什麼似的
在我心中柔軟的地方至今仍然緊握著

在那之後的我們啊所相信的是怎樣的啊？
試著輕輕地打開窗感覺到了冬天風的氣息
那所謂的悲傷啊有一天會消逝不見的吧
嘆息一點一點地化為白色的煙霧慢慢消逝

雖然連向前走都會一再地猶豫著
想把那些無聊的常識全部忽略

對妳說過的話啊妳還記得多少呢？
在我的內心最深處繼續著徘徊不前

如今的我們啊是否還活在於那時候的未來啊？
似乎一切都不像所想的那樣順利
日子會像這樣不停地繼續下去吧？
一片無雲的夜空啊在窗戶的另一方繼續著
在那之後的我們啊所相信的是怎樣的啊？
夜空的另一邊明天已經在等待著了啊

Lousy English translation by Google Translate

Chinese to English translation
After that day we believe ah what ah?
The other side in the night sky have been waiting for tomorrow, ah

Aware of someone's voice We therefore hiding
Fence across the park the night the wind blowing

All Your hands clenched over and over again like you to tell me something like
Soft place in my heart is still holding on

Just after that we believe is how ah, ah?
Gently try to open the window and feel the breath of winter wind
Ah sad that the so-called missing one day it will disappear
Little by little sigh of white smoke slowly fade away into

Although the will to move forward even hesitated repeatedly
Want to ignore all those silly common sense

Ah have to tell you if you remember how much?
In my deepest continued stagnancy

Ah now we are still alive is that time of the next ah?
Everything seemed to think not as smooth
Day will keep continue like this, right?
Ah the night sky without a cloud in the windows of the other party continues
Just after that we believe is how ah, ah?
Tomorrow night sky on the other side has been waiting for, ah

Happy Chinese New Year 2012

2012-01-22T18:59:00.001-08:00

龍年進步。Happy Chinese New Year from Gigi and me. :-)

St John's Wort salve

2012-01-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

Today I made itty bitty jars of St. John's Wort salve.

A great all purpose healing salve with St John's Wort, Calendula, and Comfrey.

Some of the uses: dry cracked hands and heels, minor superficial burns, sunburn, itching rashes, and other minor skin irritations.

Ingredients: Olive Oil and sunflower oil infused with St. John's Wort, Calendula flower and Comfrey Leaf; Beeswax

20120119-another snow day!

2012-01-19T14:40:00.000-08:00

Picture time.

Venturing out ("sightseeing", food and Starbucks). Love my boots and the walk was actually enjoyable.

Snow!

She was very excited until she was out on the white stuff. Poor girl.

Snow Day

2012-01-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

I have put the shop on vacation mode, because it's snow day and I don't want the weather to delay me in mailing your packages, so I put it on vacation and will reopen when the weather is nicer.

Don't forget our chickweed salve... it is a great moisturizer and will give you relief if you have itchy skin. The reason I made them in the first place.

Infused oil and salve

2012-01-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

Taking advantage of the snow day, I got busy.

I infused oil and made salve. Here are some pics. :)

Chickweed and plantain with EVOO and jojoba oil in the jar in the hot water bath getting infused low and slow for a couple hours.

After a few hours. Straining. Trying to trap all the good oil in the bottom container.

Made 8 little jars in 1/6oz jars and 1 bigger jar in a 4oz jar. 2 little bottle of infused oil and I am putting the rest in a bottle for my next batch of salve. I added beeswax into the infused to make the salve. Simple and easy.

Salves are easy to make. If you want to make a simple moisturizer at home, just mix EVOO and (melted) beeswax, pour in a small container, let it harden. An instant simple moisturizer for your hands and body. :)

Snow day 20120118

2012-01-18T12:27:00.001-08:00

We have more snow!

Good thing we have today off. Seattle doesn't get snow a lot, but when we do, everything goes crazy. ;)

I already know that we were having a snow day, so I slept in again. :D When I woke up I saw the new layer of snow. And I decided to take Gigi out to take a quick look and I got to wear my knock-off boots. Yay. :D

"Can we go now?"

Pawprints in the snow. :) My favorite "poem" is "Footprint in the sand". :) You can see how deep the snow is. And we were not in the "deep" of the snow, so there is probably a bit more snow outside.

Investigating.

Now we are back inside. I desperately need a shower, then laundry and to infuse some oil. :) Gigi is burrowed in her Barney blankie. All is well.

Agility-20120114

2012-01-14T15:20:00.001-08:00

We are back to agility class today after some time off.

We did 2 courses. 12 obstacles and 20 obstacles. There was some sniffing in the first course, but Gigi got into business and did very well. And she only barked twice, that's huge. LOL. And I was trying REALLY hard to run my butt off. And lots of panting after the run.

Not to mention it started to snow during class. Gigi was not happy. ;)

Gigi is "famous"

2012-01-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

If you have read our exciting outing here, here is another perspective of it. ;)

More Gigi "sighting":
Here
Here

There are probably a few more links out there, but I haven't find them yet.

Enjoy Gigi's "popularity". LOL.

Fun at Bark [20120108]

2012-01-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

It's already Sunday! So sad. I didn't get as much rest I had hoped for. But there is next week.

We went to Bark to meet our friends Lin and Ru today. It was fun. ;) There were a total of 5 doxies when we left. :D It's so cute. :)

My breakfast. Vanilla latte and pesto breakfast sandwich.

Ru and Gigi waiting for Lin's treats.

My Gigi.

Gigi and Gretel

Gretel

Chester

Chester on my lap.

Doxies.

Me, Chester and Gigi. I think I can get used to having 2 doxies on my lap. :)

Gigi and ??? (sorry)

Where there is food there is doxies. LOL.

Blogger did some changes again and I don't like it.

2011 Favorites

2012-01-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

Things that are great purchases for me in 2011.

Obviously there are more than these, but I want to keep it only to a dozen. ;)

iPhone 4S-this is my first iPhone and I am very excited. It's worth the wait. I am loving it so far.
HD Anti-Glare Film Set-this is a bit pricey, but it worked very well, the matte face keep it very smudge free... or almost. I love it.
Chagrin Valley Soap Organic Coconut Cream Lip Balm-I bought this when I was repurchasing my Coconut Cream and Shea Soap. Organic and simple ingredients. Keeps my lips nice and moisturized. It does not feel "buttery" or "creamy". It is not greasy or slippery. Fast shipping. But it can get very very soft when the weather is warm.
Nerd Herder Wallet from Rockitbot -great little wallet to house my iPhone or any electronic gadgets and cash or anything you would put in a wallet. I haven't use it as a full wallet yet.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment-works well when my hands are super irritated and uncomfortable, I like.
Joppa hand balm-it works wonder on my suffering hands.
Bubble and Bee Unscented Body Butter-love this stuff. Very rich and moisturizing.
Chickweed salve. (CHICKWEED SALVE: Chickweed is a great remedy for any type of itchy skin condition. Use for bug bites and stings, chicken pox, measles, rashes or simply dry skin.) I first bought it online, and I found that it works great so I now make my own.
Handstamped necklace by PangaeaDesigns-that's the same place I got my other necklace with my Gigi/Expecto Patronum/agility disks. This one is a very simple one declaring my love for SMAP. :)
SMAP-SMAP Aid and Thanks for Beijing DVD
Kindle-Love it.
leSportsac-for some reasons, this is my go-to brand of bag.

Chickweed Salve

2012-01-01T15:02:00.000-08:00

Made a batch of fresh chickweed salve.

Ingredients: Organic Plantain Leaf and Chickweed, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Beeswax

Size: 1/6oz little jar

Limited packaging with handwritten label on top of jar. Only $2 per jar.

Boxing Day Sale

2011-12-26T15:35:00.000-08:00

Coupon code "BOXINGDAY2011" is effective now. Happy Shopping. :D

20111224-Happy Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T14:24:00.000-08:00

We are taking a short Christmas break. :)
We will be opening again after Christmas. :D There will be a Boxing Day Special when we reopen. Use "BOXINGDAY2011" for 25% off your entire order.

The lovely Gigi

2011-12-23T16:54:00.000-08:00

I think with Gigi's gorgeous red color (she is a shaded-red, different than your traditional red dachshund...though her legs are the traditional color) looks great with big bold color... like red and deep royal purple.

She loves her blankie

Adorable.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

Gigi want to wish you a happy and joyful Christmas. :)

Merry Christmas

This is from this morning. She is so cute.

Christmas Lip balm

2011-12-09T23:02:00.001-08:00

I think they look so cute.

Christmas Gigi

2011-12-07T17:03:00.001-08:00

I took Gigi to have her nails trimmed and her bum bum squeezed. One of the groomers gave Gigi a cute dachshund bandana. :)

Handmade at its best

2011-12-04T15:32:00.001-08:00

Handmade is awesome. You can see one's passion and creativity and you are supporting talented individuals.

Me and my friend went to Urban Craft Uprising today. A place full of such people!

I enjoyed looking at the set up from each vendor. The products they have and I also love their business cards. I am also interested in paper... I know I am weird. But I enjoy seeing the design and the feel/texture of paper. Anyway, I didn't end up buying too much.

I shared a pack of "celebration time lollipops" with my friend and I bought a pair of cute earrings from Polly Danger.

Lollipops--Gigi loves them

Earrings

And on the way home from the craft show...

Seattle Center

EMP

And a cute girl at home. :)

YLBB has reopened for Christmas :)

2011-12-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

We are open again for your lippie need. :) Our lip balms are great for your lips and make perfect gifts and stocking stuffer. To ensure timely delivery, please place your order by 12.14.11.

Here are the flavors we are offering:

cake, grape, Piña Colada, rainbow sherbet, peppermint, geranium, chocolate

Ingredients: Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Olea europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and flavor

As of 12/3/11: peppermint and Piña Colada is out of stock, but we will have more next week. :) Yay!

New phone in the house

2011-11-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

New phone! I finally wait until my contract finished and bought a new phone. Yay!

It is a black 16gb iPhone 4S. My first iPhone. Yup, I have waited all these years and now finally. ;) I was going for a white 32gb, but when I reserve my phone, they only has black-16gb and 64gb. I don't "need" a 64gb, so the smaller one. I went to Apple shortly after 9 on Friday and I brought Gigi with me (yay for U-Village being dog-friendly and so is Apple). :) They allow dogs in there. And Gigi behaved very well. We were greeted by a "greeter", then we were transferred to the person who transferred my old contract... then another person to show me how the phone works (I was the first in line. LOL.). The guy helped me put a little slit in the shrinkwrap on the box and let me do the ripping. :) And let me handle my new phone the whole process (he has not touch the phone at all) It's very thoughtful. If I spent that much money on a phone, I'd love to rip it open. LOL. The guy was doing a good job explaining how the phone works and answering my questions.

More "difficulties" when I got home. Syncing was ok, but from time to time it did weird things, like removing all my songs and videos. I am not going to put too much emphasis on songs and fun and game, because they kill battery. And I have a hard time figuring out how to put ring tone. That was hard. LOL. Really. But these links helped:

how to sync ringtone:
http://www.cnet.com.au/how-to-make-your-own-iphone-ringtones-339291124.htm

This video helped, because I was clueless. And the ring tones that came with the phone is kind of blah, so I actually NEED my own ring tone. :) And now I have them.

All in all I love my purchase and my new phone. I love tweaking it into my own liking and style. I want it to be healthy and long live. haha.

The phone has great camera. This is one of the many pictures I have took. Cute, huh?

Tech Spec:

Size and Weight:
Height: 4.5 inches (115.2 mm)
Width: 2.31 inches (58.6 mm)
Depth: 0.37 inch (9.3 mm)
Weight: 4.9 ounces (140 grams)

Cellular and Wireless
* World phone
* UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz);
*GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
* CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz)4
* 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
* Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Location
* Assisted GPS and GLONASS
* Digital compass
* Wi-Fi
* Cellular

Display
* Retina display
* 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
* 960-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi
* 800:1 contrast ratio (typical)
* 500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical)
* Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back
* Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Camera, Photos, and Video
* 8-megapixel camera
* Autofocus
* Tap to focus
* Face detection in still images
* LED flash
* Video recording, HD (1080p) up to 30 frames per second with audio
* Video stabilization
* Front camera with VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second
* Photo and video geotagging

Power and Battery
* Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
* Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
* Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 14 hours on 2G (GSM)
* Standby time: Up to 200 hours
* Internet use: Up to 6 hours on 3G, up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi
* Video playback: Up to 10 hours
* Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

Audio Playback
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
* Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
* User-configurable maximum volume limit

TV and Video
* AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV support at 720p
* Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p with Apple Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
* Video out support at 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)
* Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Headphones
* Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
* Impedance: 32 ohms

Mail Attachment Support
Viewable Document Types-.jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Sensors
* Three-axis gyro
* Accelerometer
* Proximity sensor
* Ambient light sensor

System Requirements
* Apple ID (required for some features)
* Internet access6
* Syncing with iTunes on a Mac or PC requires:
o Mac: OS X v10.5.8 or later
o PC: Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
o iTunes 10.5 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)

Environmental Requirements
* Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
* Nonoperating temperature: −4° to 113° F (−20° to 45° C)
* Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
* Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Languages
Language Support-
English (U.S.), English (UK), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

Keyboard Support-
English (U.S.), English (UK), Chinese - Simplified (Handwriting, Pinyin, Stroke), Chinese - Traditional (Handwriting, Pinyin, Zhuyin, Cangjie, Stroke), French, French (Canadian), French (Switzerland), German (Germany), German (Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Romaji, Kana), Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Emoji, Estonian, Finnish, Flemish, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic/Latin), Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Tibetan, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

Dictionary Support (enables predictive text and autocorrect)-
English (U.S.), English (UK), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, French (Canadian), French (Switzerland), German, Italian, Japanese (Romaji, Kana), Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Flemish, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

Siri Languages-
English (U.S., UK, and Australian), French, German

In the Box
* iPhone 4S
* Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic
* Dock Connector to USB Cable
* USB Power Adapter
* Documentation

iPhone and the Environment
Apple takes a complete product life cycle approach to determining our environmental impact. Learn more
iPhone 4S embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

* Mercury-free LED-backlit display
* Arsenic-free display glass
* Brominated flame retardant-free
* PVC free
* Majority of packaging made from post-consumer recycled fiberboard and biobased materials
* Power adapter outperforms strictest global energy efficiency standards

Apple and the Environment
Learn more about Apple’s dedication to reducing the environmental impact of our products and process. Apple Product Environmental Reports detail the environmental attributes of our products.
Recycling

Apple takes a holistic view of materials management and waste minimization. Learn more about how to recycle your iPhone.

FAQ for me:
Q: How do u disconnect an incoming call on the iphone?
A: Press the power button once to stop the ringing and twice to disconnect.

Q: Instructions on how to reboot a stuck iPhone?
A:

Reset the iPhone by holding the sleep/wake button at the top right of the device and the home button at the bottom center of the face at the same time.
Hold them both until you see the screen go black.
Wait until the white Apple logo appears.
When this happens, you can let go - the iPhone is rebooting.

An iPhone reset will not normally remove or delete any data or settings. However, the term reset is also sometimes used to mean deleting all content from the iPhone and/or restoring from a backup.

Give Thanks-20111118 to 23rd

2011-11-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

Just want to share the "missing" thanks to God. :)

Give Thanks-20111118
+the amazing loa
+the amazing jesus
+the amazing gigi
+the amazing indie creators
+awesome books

life is good
all is well

Give Thanks-20111120
+my family
+my friends
+my neighbors
+my stars
+my heavenly father
+my Gigi

Give Thanks-20111121
+blogs
+social media
+knowing the power of appreciation!

Give Thanks-20111123
+for life
+for Faith, Hope, Love, Joy, Freedom & Growth
+for Jesus

Give Thanks-20111122
+family
+peace
+gifts
+home sweet home

Happy Thanksgiving-20111124

2011-11-24T21:48:00.001-08:00

This is the time of the year to put extra "effort" in capturing all the greatness in life.

Here are some of the many things I am thankful for in no particular order:
Gigi, family, Jesus, friends, my job, my awesome coworkers, music, movies, books, kindle, coffee, technology, fleece, "toys", my car, etsy, apple, rainbow, running water etc

Enjoy your day and remember greatness is everywhere around us.

Give Thanks-20111113-today

2011-11-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the missing "thanks". I have been writing them, just not on this blog. I tried not to repeat myself. There are items that I will be thankful for everyday. :)

Give Thanks-20111112
+an understanding and kind trainer
+gentle and forgiving dachshund
+my car
+bags
+weekend
+nice neighbor

Give Thanks-20111113
+Kimura Takuya
+SMAP
+Etsy
+Tumblr
+Technology
+Jesus

Give Thanks-20111114
+family
+my job
+blogs/social media
+lippies
+loa
+doggie day care

Give Thanks-20111115
+awesome colleagues
+opportunities
+god
+rally class
+great dog teacher and classmate

Give Thanks-20111116
+fantastic test result from doctor
+loa
+open mind

Give Thanks-20111117
+the support I receive personally, in my career & everyday life
+experience
+heater
+a doggie that adores me and I adore her just as much
+information
+technology

Give Thanks-20111112

2011-11-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

+an understanding and kind trainer
+gentle and forgiving dachshund
+my car
+bags
+weekend
+nice neighbor

Hand stamped jewelry

2011-11-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

I have always been a sucker for personalized items. And Etsy is the perfect place for finding such items. My latest obsessions are hand stamped jewelry.

Below are the items I have ordered:
PangaeaDesigns
7/8", 5/8" and 1/2" discs on 18" ball chain
"gigi"
"Expecto Patronum"
"I ♥ agility"

I love it, each disk has its own meaning and you can customize it however you want. Brilliant, right? :) Sometimes I wear the disk separately.

5/8" disc on 16" ball chain
"I ♥ SMAP"

This surprisingly is my go-to necklace. Love it.

BragAboutIt
Cross Charm Necklace - Hand Stamped Sterling Silver Necklace - Little Bits of Faith
16 or 18" Sterling Silver Chain with Spring Ring Closure
Sterling Silver Small Disc 1/2" - Cross Stamp
Sterling Silver Cross Charm
Sterling Silver Outline Cross Charm

I have wanted a cross necklace for some time now, this is perfect.

DolphinMoonCreations
I Love Dogs Initial Charm Dangle Hand Stamped Sterling Silver Necklace

I love everyone of them. They are well made and mean something to me. Highly recommended. :D

Give Thanks-20111111

2011-11-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

+Running clean water for morning showers and consumption
+All armed forces, marine, military, navy, air force etc and their families for their dedication and sacrifices
+Harry Potter
+Jewelry
+Cash in my wallet

New Sweater

2011-11-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

Gigi's new sweater from Target. $2.5. Size small (fits her well, doesn't cover her little bum though... "long-body-hazard". :) ). The pink is much brighter, but my phone camera didn't capture that.

Give Thanks-20111110

2011-11-10T18:32:00.001-08:00

+my car
+packages from talented "artists"
+my work
+my coworkers
+my family

Give Thanks-20111109

2011-11-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

+Being able to read.
+Kindle
+Books
+Fab writers
+Cute Gigi
+Awesome indie companies

Dogs at Bark

2011-11-08T18:22:00.000-08:00

Since my friend said it's ok... I am posting awesome pics that she took last Sunday.
[Pic Heavy]

Everyone

Posing

Her eyes looks like marbles. :)

The gang-Brock, Royal, Gigi and Ruby

Marble eyes again. :)

Can you not love this sweet face? :)

Fancy

I am a lucky mama to this amazing girlie.

Cutie

Giving Thanks 20111108

2011-11-08T07:33:00.001-08:00

This is the month of thanksgiving. BUT who says you can only give thanks or show appreciation on the fourth Thursday of November? We should be doing that everyday, if not every second. :)

So, I have decided from now until the end of this month, everyday I will post a "thankful" post. I may update it throughout the day or just do it at the end of the day. I may not explain why I posted it in a certain way, but just to jot down my gratitude. I think there are plenty to be thankful for... let's start now!

+sitting across an adorable yellow lab on the bus. Reminds me of my own sweet Gigi. :)
+peaceful wait at the bus stop
+being helped
+nice people
+beautiful changing color of the leaves

Pretty rainbow

2011-11-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh... yesterday I was waiting for the bus after work. I was standing behind cover, because it was cold and it was sprinkling. Then for some reason I stood outside/away from it and BAM, I saw a FULL rainbow. Totally visible and totally gorgeous. Thank you Jesus for showing me your beauty! Without the rain, there is no rainbow. Picture was taken with my cellphone, but you can still see it. :)

Some of my recent hauls

2011-10-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't post much, as I was having more muscle (?) pain. Not fun.

I want to share something fun now. Some of my recent hauls. I love to shop online. A lot of times you can find things online, but not so readily in a real shop.

I ordered my new necklace from PangaeaDesigns on 10.17.11 and received my special order hand stamped necklace on 10.24.11. I always like hand-stamped jewelry. They are personalized and awesome. And I have wanted this design for awhile now, so I just go for it. :D This is the 2nd time I bought from her. Great products and customer service.

Another haul is from Cuore from Etsy. She was on Heartsy, so I made a little purchase. This is my 3rd Heartsy coupon.
I got:
BBQ the Dachshund Lime Green Polka Dots Cotton Canvas Case with Vinyl Applique
Teriyaki the Dachshund Wooden Engraved Keychain Zipper Pull
I ordered on 10.20 and received on 10.26.11. Quite fast. Upon my initial inspection, everything is wrapped nicely and are well made. I haven't use them yet.

I will post more when I got more goodies.

Uneventful Sunday

2011-10-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the girl dog and I went to our dog-friendly cafe for a little break. We were the only one there when we arrived. Gigi was off leash and she could sniffed and begged for all she wanted. :) Then 2 ladies and their dog arrived. Young black dog, bigger than Gigi... your "normal" "regular" sized dog. The lady said Gigi could say hi. I told Gigi so, she went to say hi to the human, but not the dog. ha. Which was not surprising. Then the dog came and say hi to Gigi and attempt to "play" with her (which she didn't do too much, just tower over Gigi) and Gigi snapped back. :D Just verbally. She turned around towards the dog and gave her verbal warning. It amazes me again how she could protect herself sometimes. And that dog apparently was also very submissive, so all was well. I think as Gigi gets older, she is more verbal towards other dogs. I just have to keep an eye on her more often.

We spent the rest of the day sitting on the couch watching tv. :)

Little fun facts of Gigi.

2011-10-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

This month being Gigi's birthday month and all, I thought I would share some little facts about my girl. :)

She was from a litter of 4.
Her daddy is a dapple and she is her mommy's mini-me.
Her sister looks like daddy, while her brother looks just like her. One other puppy didn't make it.
At one point she had shark teeth (2 rows of teeth: baby AND adult).
She was from Gig Harbor, WA
She spent the first week sleeping in my bedroom, and was sleeping in her crate in the living room the week after that.
She started doing agility when she was about 8 months old.
She was under 4lbs when she came home.
She was 11lbs when she was heaviest.
Currently, she held 3 agility titles: novice jumper, novice standard with AKC; TBAD with TDAA.
She is also a canine good citizen.

Miss Chilli

2011-10-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's Sunday already. :( The weekend is too short, there is so much of "nothing" I want to do.

I was going through my stacks of cds of old pics and such and came across of this adorable video of Chilli, my mom's Shih Tzu, aka my "sister", aka Gigi's auntie. ;)

I was visiting home (that's pre-Gigi time) and brought Chilli a new outfit. It was a warm day and as you can see she has lots of fur, so when I asked my mom to put the outfit on her, Chilli bit her (not hard, just to tell her she didn't want an outfit). Then we promised she would get a treats if she let us put this on her (see the resemblance of the family doggies?). The video showed that she understood us and that she was still not too excited about the "deal". LOL.

Gigi's birthday month.

2011-10-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all. It is now October, which is Gigi's birthday month. :) Enjoy 20% off with everything in the shop. Use coupon code: HAPPYBDAYGIGI2011 Put on your party hat and let's have some fun. :) We also have a tiny shop at Zibbet, if there is something you want from that shop too, we can help you with that too.

On Sunday night when I was getting ready for bed, Gigi was all curled up nice and tight on my bed and she was so cute and the night was kind of chilly that I let her sleep in my bed (usually she sleeps in her crate in my room). So last night I decided to let her sleep with me again and I left her crate in the living room. While I was getting ready and such, Gigi sat in front of the bedroom door wanting to go out to the living room. I thought she wanted a drink of water or potty break, so I let her out and followed her. The silly girl went out and in her crate! I honestly don't know what she was thinking, but I got her "hint" and brought her crate back in my room and she slept in there. I love having a dog that loves their crate. It is very useful. So where does your dog sleep?

Sunday fun time.

2011-09-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday. Where did my weekend go?

Went to a dog-friendly cafe with a few friends and their dogs. It was fun and I tested my fancy schmancy camera.

Sophie (from a party last night. My friend's new 3 month old puppy-Turkish Anatolian Shepherd. She is going to be huge)

Cute necklace and one of my fav shirt I wore to the cafe. The original necklace is from friend, I added the gigi disk, which is perfect.

Matching expensive dachshund earring.

Group picture using NANCY (my fancy camera). They all behaved very well. :)

Cute Gigi picture I took using NANCY at home.

Royal and Gigi. I still remember when Royal was slightly bigger than Gigi.

Gigi's behind. LOL. Cute though. :)

Naughty Gigi

Beautiful Things

2011-09-21T17:18:00.001-07:00

Music is powerful. An amazing creation from God.

I have heard this song on the radio before, but wasn't paying much attention. Until today when we actually heard and sing along in the church with a whole band. It was so powerful that made me speechless. Everything is from God and He is worthy of the praises.

Beautiful Things by Gungor

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You are making me new

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

Mini vacation

2011-09-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

My old roommate is visiting Seattle after moving back to her country (Japan) since graduation.

And I took 9-15 and 9-16 off so we could hang out and catch up all these years.

This is also a semi-business trip for her and she wanted to visit wineries. So we spent the first day to Yakima Valley where there are quite a few wineries. I didn't have my camera, so my pics are from my cellphone, which are not the best, but not the worst. :) Though I wish I had taken more pictures. And here are some. We stopped at Zillah and Prosser and visited about 5 or 6 wineries. I don't normally drink, but I have tried so many wines that day. :) We returned to Seattle in time for a Japanese dinner and to visit Gigi. ;)

Pictures in Yakima:

One of the wineries.

Cute lab outside of the winery.

We also stopped by a DQ. :)

Dinner

Presents from Japan. Yay. :D

The next day we "Do The Puyallup". I mostly went for the fair food and she has not been to one, so it's interesting for her. We didn't play any games, but saw many cute animals. After that we went to International District, which I got 2 comic books. And we went to Pike Place Market (also went to the first Starbucks). And we ended the day with more delicious in a Korean restaurant.

Some of the cute animals from the 4H club. Including a mini LH doxie. :)

Deep Fried Butter at the fair! I didn't try it though.

Lots of One Piece from Uwajimaya. :)

Soda :)

Toys.
Pike Place Market:

The famous sign.

Pretty flowers.

The first Starbucks:

I really had a great time. We talked about almost anything and everything. It was totally awesome. :)

Silly Gigi

2011-09-10T21:15:00.001-07:00

Lesson: don't run and bark at the same time, because you might run into something.

More "normal" videos to come. ;)

Here is the "normal" video:

Money Well Spent -- PangaeaDesigns

2011-09-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

Money Well Spent is our mini series of posts featuring items that we love.

This post is another infrequent post of Money Well Spent "series". Well, it's just posts of stuff I have bought which I enjoy a lot. Nothing too dramatic. ;)

This post is featuring a custom necklace I have received yesterday.

Isn't it gorgeous? So shiny and pretty. But I think it will look more warm and amazing after I "break it in". :)

White metal is my favorite: platinum, white gold, silver.

The disks have meanings to me and it's a fusion of my love of Harry Potter, agility, dog and Law of Attraction. And I have already have a new idea of my next disk. haha.

There is actually a little story about how I found this shop.

It started with this picture I saw on Tumblr:

It didn't referenced where is the source of the maker. And the moment I saw it, I know it's HP related and I want it. I love HP! And I KNEW this is handmade, so I tried google harry potter hand stamped or something along the line... and eventually I tracked it down. :) It took a little bit, but well worth it. Then I started browsing around and noticed she has another shop, but it's with dog related stuff!!!!!!!!!!! Long story short: I end up ordering a custom necklace with 3 disks (7/8", 5/8" and 1/2) and a ball chain.
The smallest disk has Gigi's name. The middle one is EXPECTO PATRONUM. It's the meaning behind this spell that helped me with my decision. I want a lot of them cool jewelry! And the largest disk is my dedication to agility. :) The cute paw print, the adorable tunnel! The A-frame was the last element, but when I was chatting with Kathleen, I told her Gigi does not like the A-frame, (even though it looked cute on the disk), because it's too steep for a little girl like her and she sometimes slid down. Then she suggested a jump with Gigi's height. :D When you do agility, it goes by the height of the dog and Gigi jumps 8 inches. :) How thoughtful and cute. It made it truly custom made. :)

I am a dog trainer

2011-09-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

Yay! I am becoming a very good dog trainer! :)

Today was a blah day, but this email reminds me that there are things to be grateful for. I need to keep my eyes for anything and everything to be thankful for.

:)

Rally 20110906

2011-09-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today is rally Tuesday. I have to write it down right after class or else I will not remember.

Things learned:
serpentine weave (?) and figure 8 whatever. Don't know what they called, but basically weaving through 4 cones to and from... just foot work. Key is to start looking at the next cone soon.
heel-Gigi did quite good considering we don't practice... I am impressed, but she is unreliable.
halt-say "sit" during my first step, so by the third, she will be sitting and make sure she maintain the sit.
left finish-Gi sit facing me, and then I lure her with my left arm, so she end up sitting in heel position.

She did pretty good today, I am quite happy.

Dachshund Mom sticker pack

2011-09-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

New item: DACHSHUND MOM stickers.

New policy

2011-09-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick FYI. I will not be doing any custom design just because you want to see it. If you want something that is not in my shop, you have to request a custom listing.

What's in My Bag. September 2011 version.

2011-09-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

What's in My Bag. September 2011 version.

I finally decided to take a serious look in my bag. ha! I put this small "purse" in my bigger "work bag", where I also put my book and key and other necessities.

LeSportSac small shoulder bag. Both the style and the pattern are no longer available.
Pouchee. Mine is a cotton one. Looks like I bought it in 7/2007 and it is still in very good condition.
Lippies: (right to left)
Chocolate Cream by FGG-I love a simple chocolate lip balm. Just chocolate.
Ginger Ale by Crazy Rumors-my new flavor/fragrance obsession.
Karma Apple by Bubble and Bee
Viva Glam V by MAC-a good lip color looks almost with all skin tone.
Super Balm by YLBB-my baby
MAC blot powder
Tissue holder-this is a custom order.
Wallet-also a custom order. I haven't use a "real" wallet for a very long time. I love this one, especially it has an id slot that is INSIDE the wallet.
Hair thing, nail clippers, thumb drive with its holder (which was also bought from Etsy long time ago). Of course that is my phone, my iPod shuffle and my headphone. Not pictured: more hair thing, tweezer and other items.

And just a cute picture of Gigi after I took a pic of my purse. :)

Friday-20110902

2011-09-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday.
Gigi's costume for 2011 is being revealed. :) Nothing big, just fun. ;)

Here is the vid of Gigi modeling her Totoro outfit. SO. CUTE. I am still amazed how she sat still and let me put the head thing on her. She is a good girl. I am a lucky mom.

So tonight, I think I will dress Gigi up and we will watch Totoro. haha.

20110830-rally

2011-08-31T18:08:00.001-07:00

-foot work: right turn (walk around the perimeter of the room), halt (left, small right, tiny left)
-stand
-left pivot (verbal, then pivot)

20110827-agility

2011-08-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Today is agility day Saturday. I slept horrible last nite, only slept like 4 hours total. Lame. Anyway, here are some info of today's run.

There are only 4 dogs:
Hoover-xolo (or Xoloitzcuintli)
Gigi-mini doxie-oldest, shortest and the sassiest. ;)
Molly-Flat coat retriever (I think)
Azizi-Aussie

Weather: Warm, but the barn is still kind of cool, which is always good.
Treat is a sample bag of kibbles (yes, it's "sad" that I can use kibbles as treats now... and I like it.)

Oh and my outfit was perfect. :P I am a "fashionista". Wore my new Life is Good tshirt. :) My old Old Navy denim caprice. Love them... then I have to wear socks with my running shoes, or the barn-dirt will be all over my feet... which is very uncomfortable. The end result is I look like a dork. Thought you want to know.

First course has 19 obstacles and is the mirror image of last week's course. If you recall, it was a semi-disaster, because there is much sniffing for the Gi. Bad thing.

Anyhoo, we were the first of the line, which I don't mind. She loves running the course and would whine in the crate with Hoover if it's not her turn. So we put the leash on and off to the start line. We were pretty connected (yay) and off we went. We did very good. No mid-run-sniffing. And she did almost perfect. There are some barking in there, but that's not uncommon, because there is always unclear info from my part apparently (insert eye roll) and she need to yell at me. And may I brag that she was the only one among the four in the first run that did as perfect as possible. :) I am a proud mama.

After the first run, we talked about the course and things we could work on and then get to run a second time (the movie below. too bad the taping of the first run was horrible.), which we improved on a few things and still a satisfactory run.

The 2nd run was a mini course focusing on switching sides. We were running out of time, but we did a o-k.

New fun lip balms are here.

2011-08-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

They will feature fun graphics/images/pictures and are quite limited. :)

These are the first batch. Aren't they adorable? I love them. They are not on Etsy, if you want one, contact me. :)

Ingredients: coconut oil, candelilla wax, pistachio butter, flavor

They feel a bit more "greasy" than my normal ones, but then it gets absorbed to your lips and it's quite awesome.

These combined 3 of my favorite things: lippies, SMAP and dachshunds. :)

fun balms

2011-08-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

After thinking about the balms from my last post. I think it will be fun to make some random lip balms with fun labels... not just the logo graphics and then information... but with interesting/fun/cute graphics I can find. That will be so much fun for me. :D

fun lip balms

2011-08-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

Potential new lippies.

I may post them on Etsy. And I will most likely use some weird labels (aka: funny) with no ingredients listed. But you will see the ingredients listed here. I am thinking of label with fun pictures. So who knows. I make lippies because they are fun to make and fun to use. Who loves "rigid" product packaging.

"Angel"
This one I was hoping to be a very subtle and pretty tinted lip balm, but turns out you can't really see much colors. So I will be selling them at a reduced price.

What you get:
ONE 0.15 oz lip balm in shrink-wrapped twist-up tube with weather proof label.

Color: A pretty sheer light color with shimmer.
Flavor: n/a

My balms are made from my very own recipe.
Ingredients: coconut oil, candelilla wax, pistachio butter, colorant.
This balm is vegan friendly and also gluten free.
Lip safe colorant: mica, titanium dioxide, red #40 Lake, calcium aluminium borosilicate, silica, tin oxide,

Your Lips But Better tinted lip balms are here. They are truly YLBB, because they subtly make their appearance on your lips without screaming COLOR. They are mostly sheer and barely there, and are meant to enhance your natural lip color. But then you can still notice the subtle difference, making them truly YLBB. :) Some shades are more pigmented than others. If you have naturally very pigmented lip color, the tint may not show on your lips at all.

I use my mini dachshunds image on my products. She is my inspiration and the cutest girlie ever. Every time I look at the label, it reminds me how lucky I am to have her in my life.

Thank you for visiting.

++++++
~¤*:•-:¦:-* *•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•
Additional information about Your Lips But Better and your order.
~¤*:•-:¦:-* *•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•

✿✿✿ Be sure to read my policies before you place your order. Your order signifies that you have read and accepted the policy. ✿✿✿

Visit my site for sales and updates: http://www.yourlipsbutbetter.com

+++

Raspberry & peppermint lip balm

What you get:
ONE 0.15 oz lip balm in shrink-wrapped twist-up tube with weather proof label.

Color: natural
Flavor: sweet raspberry and refreshing peppermint

My balms are made from my very own recipe.
Ingredients: coconut oil, candelilla wax, pistachio butter, raspberry flavor (Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Natural and Organic Flavors) and peppermint essential oil.
This balm is vegan friendly and also gluten free.

I use my mini dachshunds image on my products. She is my inspiration and the cutest girlie ever. Every time I look at the label, it reminds me how lucky I am to have her in my life.

Thank you for visiting.

++++++
~¤*:•-:¦:-* *•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•
Additional information about Your Lips But Better and your order.
~¤*:•-:¦:-* *•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:**:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•

✿✿✿ Be sure to read my policies before you place your order. Your order signifies that you have read and accepted the policy. ✿✿✿

Visit my site for sales and updates: http://www.yourlipsbutbetter.com

20110820 agility

2011-08-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well, happy Saturday.

We went agility today and Gigi was a bad girl... or was I the bad one? She was all about sniffing and not listening to me. And bark bark bark and bark some more. But there are some good in there. And I got my weekly deliciouis granita after class. It was delish. Enjoy the video and have a great weekend.

Gigi is famous

2011-08-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying my YLBB Tumblr. ;) And Gigi is "famous" too. :) I submitted her pics here and here. "Like" or "Reblog" if you have an account on Tumblr. :)

Loverly tinted lip balm

2011-08-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Another tinted lip balm!

LOVERLY. What a lovely balm! No, it's not a typo. It's lover-ly.

What you get:
ONE 0.15 oz lip balm in shrink-wrapped twist-up tube with weather proof label.

Color: bronze-y blush (this color has a warm tone and very wearable. depends on your lip color, it looks a lovely sheer blush-bronze color on my lips.).

Your Lips But Better tinted lip balms are here. They are truly YLBB, because they actually makes your lips look healthier by giving them a subtle color. They are mostly very sheer and barely there (depends on your natural lip color), but then you can still notice the subtle difference, making them truly YLBB. :)

My balms are made from my very own recipe.
Ingredients: sweet almond oil, candelilla wax, olive butter, colorant.
This balm is also vegan friendly and gluten free.
Life safe colorant: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide

I use my mini dachshund's image on my products. She is my inspiration and the cutest girlie ever. Every time I look at the label, it reminds me how lucky I am to have her in my life.

Thank you for visiting.

++++++
~¤*:•-:¦:-* *•-:¦:-•:*''*:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:*''*:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:*''*:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•
Additional information about Your Lips But Better and your order.
~¤*:•-:¦:-* *•-:¦:-•:*''*:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:*''*:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•:*''*:•-:¦:-**•-:¦:-•

Be sure to read my policies before you place your order: http://www.etsy.com/shop_policy.php?user_id=7213968

Visit my blog for sales and updates: http://www.yourlipsbutbetter.com

+++
I hope you like this one. :)

Think before you speak...

2011-08-18T19:30:00.001-07:00

Before you speak...

T – Truthful
H – Helpful
I – Inspiring
N – Necessary
K – Kind

Is it all of the above?

Tumblr

2011-08-17T09:06:00.001-07:00

Do you have a Tumblr account? It's a very fun and easy to use social media tool. I personally think it's best to share photos. I don't use it for regular posts and such. But posting pics and videos are great. Here is YLBB's Tumblr.

Rally 20110816

2011-08-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight is rally night. Fun!

What we practiced:

Heel-slow. Walk with normal pace, then SIGNIFICANTLY slow down. Slow with right foot. With Gigi, praise her the moment we slowed down, then treat her.
Give her firm no when she barks.
Left pivot. Step slightly ahead of bowl. When I turn left, she should turned with me. When feeding, turn my hand outward, so she would tuck in.
Stand. Have Gigi sit, then have my hand around my knee, have Gigi up a little to stand... then feed. Now add duration to that.

I actually brought my vid-cam with me. It's easier to review the handling with a tape! Gigi is always VERY good when she is with Diana. They were doing heeling. Gigi barked, Diana shushed her, and then PERFECT heel with no whine or bark. You can actually go onto YouTube and read my video description. Not much, just a little bit something.

Gigi

Noodle

JJ

Benny

Redvines Part 2

2011-08-16T18:20:00.001-07:00

My smart dachshund finally noticed that Redvines are actually quite yummy. :) I love her. She actually didn't eat any... just a few licks.

What a big difference compared to yesterday, huh? ;)

Redvines

2011-08-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I hope you all had a nice weekend.

Gigi loooooooooooooves to eat. On a scale of 1-10, her food drive is a 12. I bought some redvines yesterday, because they were on sale. And Gigi never had that, so I was testing and let her sniff 1, but she was NOT interested at all!

Here is the proof:

Blessings

2011-08-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

My new favorite song: Laura Story-Blessings

Lyrics:

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
* It's not our home *

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Gigi is back.

2011-08-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Finally a new product. Well, it's a come back. Gigi, the tinted lip balm. :)

This time we have added some mineral glitter to make it sparkle a bit more. Come get them when they are available. :)

ps: I actually love the pictures. :)

Dog park 20110810

2011-08-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

We went to the dog park again today. :)

It was quite hot, so there are more dogs at the beach and I am suggesting you turn the sound off when you view this video, because there is this Aussie who have a very high pitch annoying bark.

It's great to see Gigi fetching for me again, but she needs lots of encouragement and praises. :)

Fetching

Small dog area

New item suggestion?

2011-08-10T08:54:00.001-07:00

What are some lip balm flavors you would like to see when we reopen?

What do you like to see in YLBB? Or you want to see a different type of balm? Tinted? Healing?

Leave your ideas in the comment section!

Thanks!

Rally 20110809

2011-08-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

Rallllllllly. Gigi had fun. You would think Gigi and I would be veteran... considering we started training before she turned 1. ;) There are always so much we need to work on. She is doing great though. And our trainer know us since Gigi was a tiny crazy puppy.

Things we need to work on:

When it's our turn, have Gigi on a stay before opening the crate door.
Leave leash on.
RUN to start line and keep her engaged and focus on me. eg: use her name if necessary.
Praise lots!

What did we do last nite:

front finish-using a "contraption"... basically two plank allowing a narrow space... face dog... have dog sit, then lure dog come closer to me, then ask dog to sit and treat.
right cross-have dog sit in heel position... turn right, lure dog to do the same.
sit-stay: have dog sit, then human move around dog and feed, while dog remain in a sit position. Can the move on adding distance: dog sit, human walk a step away, step back to the dog, praise and treat.

Trainer demo the right cross with Gigi. Should have taped it, it will be so educational and it was very cute to watch. We learned different thing in each class, sometimes it's hard to remember everything... hence me writing it on blog. Which helps me to remember and might benefit someone else?? I am so using my vid recorder next time. :) Yay for technology.

Shop Announcement

2011-08-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

YLBB is going on a little break. If you need anything, like a new lip balm or anything. Convo us HERE. Or just email us. :)

Expect some fun balms when we return.

Dog park

2011-08-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

I am sick of reading bad and negative news. So I choose to do things that make me happy. We went to the dog park after work.

I really don't go to dog park much any more, because Gigi doesn't care about playing with other dogs, so why bother driving all the way? We used to go more often, we just mind our own business... walk around and exercise. Sometimes we play when no one is around. :)

I do like this particular dog park, because is has a small dog area, so Gigi feels more at ease. We stayed in the small dog area a bit, there were lots of doxies today! And a baby doxie too.

Inside small dog area.

Our next stop is to the doggie beach.

Walking to the water.

The doggie beach is not too crowded, which is good for us. Gigi won't fetch if it's too crowded or if I threw the stick too far etc. But we had a good time. It's her willingness to fetch for me that makes me very happy. :)

Fetching.

Leaving the beach, going back to the small dog area.

We had a great, fun day. :)

Street Fair

2011-08-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Every year during summer my neighborhood has an event called "Pioneer's Day", where there will be street fair and food etc.

So after our agility class, we visited (also it's literally right outside of our place!) the tents. There are tents for political causes, credit unions, crafts of all kind etc. There is a tent for the pet store (Pet Pro), they have lots of free samples of kibbles and treats, so I grabbed a few items. Yay for Gigi, though I did turn away doggie ice cream, considering her sensitive tummy. There are also a few tents of handmade jewelry and fun stuff. There is a tent selling bath and body stuff, so I walked in and walked out with a chocolate lip balm. I love chocolate! And if you click the link, you will see he also has an Etsy shop.

And we went over to the food section... there are a few tents: elephant ears, tacos, shaved ice and hot dogs. Yes, Gigi got laughed at. The guy was yelling "come get a hot dog" (or something to the effect), then some other guys saw Gigi and said loudly "hey, there is a hot dog (referring to Gigi)." And everyone laughed. LOL. Miss elegant just keep on walking with her head held up high. LOL.

[Side story, speaking of proud and elegant. Yesterday we went outside for her potty break, some dude saw her and asked "is that a wiener dog" and I said "yup". Then he kneel down wanting to say hi or something. But Gigi just walk right pass him without slowing down. LOL. I just said "sorry" and move on. I am not gonna force her if she decide not to be social.

A lot of people are taking their dogs out for the fair, it's awesome. It's quite hot and sunny... a perfect day for street fair.

My shaved ice (grape and pina coloda), new chocolate lip balm and Gigi in half a party hat.

++++++
A mini initial review on Mr. Kitty's Truly Awesome Lip Conditioner (8/9/11)
It's in your standard chapstick tube. It has a t-band shrink wrap (which I love). The balm is most likely poured using a lip balm tray and it's filled over the top (literally... that's how I know a lip balm tray is used). The chocolate scent is awesome and strong. It's a bit soft. Ingredients: Apricot Kernel Oil, Unrefined Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Vitamin E, Flavor Oil. Since it was sort of soft, so I smeared a bit too much on my lips and it felt a tiny bit greasy, but overall it feels nice. I prefer a bit dryer (waxier) feel of lip balm. I think it will be a great bed side lip balm for me. :) I paid $2.5 for it.

Rally 20110802

2011-08-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

It was fun tonight, Gigi's barking was not too bad... there are still barking, but was less than last week. She barks out of frustration. Sigh.

So trainer was demo-ing how to practice the following with Gigi and when Gigi barked, trainer told her a stern no... you should have seen Gigi's expression. She was pouting. :) But to be fair, she got lots of praises when she was doing the right thing. So adorable.

front finish-using a "contraption"... basically two plank allowing a narrow space... face dog... have dog sit, then lure dog come closer to me, then ask dog to sit and treat.
right cross-have dog sit in heel position... turn right, lure dog to do the same.
heel-halt... heel a few steps and then have dog sit, then treat.

I like Gigi. :)

2011-08-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

I can't explain, but whenever I feel blah, I love to have a quiet time (though I need to do it more and everyday)... and then I look at Gigi and am so glad she is here. I am amazed at what a little wonder she is. She is such an amazing girl and I am such a lucky human. :)

Isn't she adorable? Taken in July 2011 at a BBQ. :)

Zibbet Shop

2011-07-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

I have reactivated my Zibbet shop. Well, I have never deactivated it. Anyhoo, I listed 3 items there. They are only available on Zibbet, but not Etsy (at least at this moment). But I am having trouble browsing Zibbet. I was trying to search for lip balm, but the page keep resetting and taking forever, which is unacceptable if I was a shopper. But I am only using this as a test and for odd/new/surplus items.

They understand

2011-07-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute story about Gigi (of course). She does not like getting her skin drops (tips of her ears, neck and the side of her body) and she will roll on her back, move around or do anything to get away from it... and that resulted in lots of yelling from me. I know, I suck as a mom. So yesterday while she was laying down on the couch, I took her skin drop and a fortune cookie and put it on the little coffee table right in front of her and I pointed at it and asked "Do you want it? If you do, stay still." And then I repeated that message again. Guess what? She stayed still the entire time. No joke. That shows she understands. Oh yes, she does. And yes, she did get her cookies (not the whole thing). I will repeat this "experiment" again tonight. I already know that she understands when I ask her whether she is hungry or anything that has to do with food. ;) These little furry ones know/understand more than you would think. They just play dumb.

Funny videos

2011-07-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

We could all use some laughter, so here are some funny videos. :) Enjoy.

Barking cat

David after dentist

Gigi, you are supposed to go IN a tunnel.

20110726 rally

2011-07-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Confusing rally terms. I am all mixed up. Gigi decided to be sassy and gets who get "yelled at"? We practiced a little bit after class outside on the grass and she was very quiet. WTH? But it was fun. And I also noticed my left finger nail polishes are all chipped, which they weren't before the class. And we know who did it. A certain long shaded-red dog.

left halt: heel position (sit), say heel and then move a few steps then stop and have pup heels. Do it next to wall.
finish: pup heels on left side, have them move and sit in front facing you.
left finish??: have dog sit facing you, then move dog and end up have dog sit on your left side (heel position)

Agility day

2011-07-23T14:49:00.001-07:00

Agility Day. 2 courses. It was fun. It was also hard.

This is with all 3 runs, edited. :)
I am learning to play with videos.

Course 2. Run #1. We messed up big on this. She was sniffing too much. And I said a lot of bad words. LOL. But it was still fun.

Course 1. Run #1. We ran it my way and it worked for us.

Course 1. Run #2. We ran it trainer's way, it was kind of hard. Lesson: if it is not broken, don't fix it. ;)

Christmas in July

2011-07-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

Christmas in July.

I have joined a dachshund forum and we do Christmas in July every year. This year I decided to participate and I have received my box today! Yipee! I have to say I am truly spoiled! We got so many goodies. For me, I got a small tote, a pouch and a wallet (all from the same fabric with doxies!). A set of necklace (?)-- 1 for me, 1 for Gi and also a doxie ornament!!!!!! And also a set of magnet. Gigi got 2 toys and a bag of baby treats. ;) I think all of my gifts (except the magets) are made by my "santa". And the colors are all coordinated. So awesome I love them so much! Yay!

Gigi got a little hives/reaction on her head from the skin med. -_- I gave her some benadryl and it seems to stop the swelling. What am I gonna do with this wiener dog???

I think Gigi love ripping open the packages as much as the presents themselves. LOL.

Dachshund skin issue

2011-07-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

Gigi has always has thin fur. Her ears are always crusty on the edges. And 2 days I saw she was actually flaky on her sides close to her armpits. And her head is a bit of dry too.

So today we went to see a pet dermatologist. Her skin condition is genetic/hereditary and she was subscribed Douxo. I just need to apply it to her daily.

Happy Monday

2011-07-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday. I have this great picture and affirmation to share with you. If you "don't do affirmations", look at it as a wise saying and a way to look at life. WHY would you want to be unhappy and sad when you can deliberately CHOOSE to be happy. The choice is in your hands, literally. :)

Just some fun teefury designs.

And Life is Good!

Sunday night videos

2011-07-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

I always like to end my weekend in a happy note/mood. Here are some videos that I enjoyed. :)

CM SMAP ソフトバンクモバイル「二つ折りの唄」篇 15s

SMAP　not alone～幸せになろうよ～

Footprint

FIVE RESPECT 2010

My smart dachshund. :)

Sprint dachshund commercial

Pedigree Commercial - Rub my belly

Pedigree Commercial - Anti-Dachshunds

Ducks blown off their feet by the wind

I like this video. The ducklings are adorable and I love how even though they were blown off, they just get right back up and move on. We can really learn a lot from animals. God's creation is amazing.

Gigi weight chart

2011-07-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

We had a very fun agility day today. It is always good to run with her. She is the shortest in class and possibly the oldest in class as well. Today's class has 20 obstacles and a few discrimination (tunnel/dog walk), she did very well. I "lost" her a few times, but she came back to me (LOL). And she was not sniffing, so that was good. Trainer said I won the fridge magnet award (or something like that. ha.) today.

I was ATTEMPTING to organize my electronic files on my HD and thumb drives (some, anyway) and is not very successful. :P I am a "pack rat". Boo. But I found this very interesting spreadsheet of Gigi's weight from her baby time until 2009. It was, like I said, interesting to see the fluctuation.

Date	Weight
7/1/2009	8.3
1/1/2009	8.8
7/11/2008	9.8
2/15/2009	8.7
1/10/2009	9.5
6/20/2007	9.5
12/26/2006	8.6
12/19/2006	8.4
6/19/2006	7.8
3/25/2006	9.6
12/21/2005	11
6/21/2005	11
12/16/2004	9.8
11/24/2004	9.3
8/2/2004	9.2
7/17/2004	9.2
7/10/2004	8.9
7/5/2004	9.2
7/2/2004	8.9
6/24/2004	10
5/22/2004	9.7
4/23/2004	8.5
4/3/2004	7.9
3/26/2004	7.6
3/25/2004	7.8
1/27/2004	5.4
1/24/2004	5.9
1/10/2004	5.2
12/30/2003	4.1
12/16/2003	3.5

MODE	9.2
MEDIAN	8.85
AVERAGE	8.37

I am going to bed and planning to have a quiet time. Have a great weekend.

Rally Tuesday 20110712

2011-07-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today is rally day. I know Gigi loves it and I am kinda excited about it too. We practiced the following:
heeling
attached "verbal que" to heeling-have pup sit, say heel... once pup move fwd, treat
down-speed, duration, distraction

We haven't practice heeling too much lately, so it wasn't too great and her bossiness is back, but everything else was awesome.

I think that's all we done in class.

Gigi's scalp (well, her head) is very dry. :( She does has skin issue... thinning fur, she gets all flaky if you scratch her back etc. Poor baby. I *think* her breeder is not a reputable one. I don't mean she stink... I just say she is not famous or anything. I didn't ask that kind of questions then. I don't care what Gigi's bloodline is (well, I do, but I just want her to be healthy etc)... and I was love at first sight with this little girl... so that's that. I will put some lotion on her head. :)

Sunday granola

2011-07-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday. This morning I went to Target to get "stuff" and some cheese (for Gigi), some shower spray (must have for showers) and I found this granola again! Yay. I tried it many months ago in a small single serving pkg, it was nom. Like dessert for breakfast. Reminded me of the yummy "Chocolate Delight" (I think that's the name) from Trader Joe. It's very delicious to me, the chocoholic. :)

And here are some of my favorite music:

Josh Wilson-Before the Morning

You Love Me Anyway by Sidewalk Prophets

The question was raised
As my conscience fell
A silly, little lie
It didn’t mean much
But it lingers still
In the corners of my mind

Still you call me to walk
On the edge of this world
To spread my dreams and fly
But the future’s so far
My heart is so frail
I think I’d rather stay inside

But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
How You love me

It took more than my strength
To simply be still
To seek but never find
All the reasons we change
The reasons I doubt
And why do loved ones have to die?

But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me

I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway

See now, I am the man that called out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground
Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life

But You love me anyway
Oh, God… how you love me

You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me

You love me, You love me
You love me, You love me
How You love me
How You love me
How You love me

K-LOVE - Sidewalk Prophets "The Words I Would Say" LIVE

What would Gigi pick?

2011-07-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

I am the admin for a work project and at today's meeting, the project mangers and myself got a little nice surprise! Ruth, the nice lady got "tailored" and thoughtful gifts for each of us. As a dog lady herself (2 handsome shih tzus), she got Gigi a present. :)

I knew which one she would like the moment I got the little bucket. :)

Enjoy the video. I think she was secretly looking for the treats. LOL. Again, I know her, and that's probably true. ;)

New training video: right pivot

2011-07-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

Here is our newest training video. ;) We practiced right pivot yesterday in class and for some extremely stupid reason(s)?! I forgot to lure Gigi with food... expecting she knew what to do. So I pivoted and she was still sitting behind me. LOL.

BBQ

2011-07-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a nice Independence Day.

We were invited to a BBQ on Sunday. Dogs are allowed, so me and Gigi went. Dogs are welcome to roam around in the yard and inside the house! But poor Gigi was on leash most of the time. Why? Because of her HGE, I have determined to watch what she puts in that little mouth of hers. And I know if I let her loose, she will be exploring EVERYWHERE for food or whatever. Also because she will beg and/or steal food from any/everyone. So sadly, she was on leash most of the time. Since I don't know anyone other than the hosts, I was sitting in a corner (outside with the beautiful day). One of the host (the husband) even came and asked "Q (the wife) told you you could walk around, right?" LOL. It was nice to sit around and enjoy the sun and the breeze. Gigi was behaving quite well, lots of people "oooh and aaah" over her and she did get some supervised off leash time. ;)

Bored. ;)

Off leash moment, enjoying her freedom and sunshine. Cute? I adore her. :)

There was this little girl I met at the BBQ who LOVES Gigi... she would volunteer to hold the leash and watch Gigi for me when I went to get food or whatever. It's quite fun.

Happy Independence Day

2011-07-04T17:06:00.001-07:00

Happy July 4th

Vanilla

2011-07-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I am kind of having no inspiration or mood to make new lip balms. Because I have found some acceptable lip balms on Etsy or other indie place that I enjoy using. True it would be more than if I make them myself... BUT I can't just make ONE tube. Anyhoo...

I was in a tiny mood earlier this morning and made a batch and that resulted in THREE tubes. ;)

Flavor is the classic vanilla.

Ingredients: candelilla wax, jojoba oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, olive butter, flavor and vanilla bean.

It's cool, because you can see the specks of the bean in the tube. It's not too greasy nor too waxy. I just slap a plain label and handwritten vanilla on it and call it a day. ;)

See the tube on the right? Can you see the vanilla beans? :)

Happy Friday!

2011-07-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

TGIF! I hope you all will have a grand 4th of July weekend. Me and Miss Gigi were invited to a BBQ, so I am excited. I am not sure what Gigi can eat though, because she threw up again last night. :( I didn't give her too much food... and I don't know what to do. But she has good appetite and is in good spirit. So who know. What I know is her tummy is sensitive. And I will be very happy the day I don't have carpet any more. :P

Ok, on to something fun. Have you read on others' blog or somewhere online the fun "What is in your bag" posts? [I found this site! Or this.] I took a pic of my "mini purse" the other day and want to share. ha. I have this "wristlet" which I put the essential stuff and then put it in whatever purse/bag I use, so I can add the other items, like book, umbrella or whatever.

The lighting is horrible.

On the very top is my wristlet, which I bought from Etsy. ;) It's quite large for a wristlet.
Right below that is my dachshund tissue holder. Cute, huh? ;) I try to carry a pack of tissue with me at all times, because you never know. Got that from Etsy.
Next is my little wallet. It's a pouch with an ID window on the front (this is the back) and 2 additional compartments. I like it. From Etsy as well. ;)
Ok, from left to right:
Super Healing Balm from moi
Sample of Chanel Chase Eau Tendre (smell sooooooooooooooooo nice)
Epically Epic Vanilla Bean lip balm
MAC Viva Glam V
FGG Chocolate Cream lip balm
B&B Karma Apple lip balm
My trusty 4G (?) iPod Shuffle [Oh yea, found this link to identify all the models. I have more than 1 iPod in my possession. ;) I am a big MP3 player fan.]
Garage door opener
MAC Blot Powder

^^ How about you?

I was helping my aunt to organize her house and she has a few Old Disney figurines. And here is the elegant Miss Minnie. :)

Fun question

2011-06-30T22:27:00.001-07:00

How do you organize your emails?

Do share, I'd like to be more organize with my emails. Keep them? Toss them? File them?

Fun training tip

2011-06-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here are the commands I think each dog should at least have: sit and/or down (preferably BOTH)and come. You can name it whatever you want as your verbal que. The key is to say the command and the dog would perform it IMMEDIATELY.

What I want to share in this post is COME. I actually make it into a fun game. You can train while you exercise your dog or even feed dinner at the same time. ;)

Here is what I do: find an open space... it could be your living room, your back yard etc. The bigger the space, the more exercise it is for your dog. Use treats that are visible to your dog. I used kibble, since I am still watching Gigi's food intake and if I do it around dinner time with her kibble, that would include her dinner. haha. You don't have to, obviously. Let's also assume your verbal command is "come". Throw treat in any direction you want, and your dog should be going after it. The moment s/he eats the treat, you say come... they should be coming back for more and you throw treat again in another direction (or same) and repeat the process. Gigi loves it, she knows coming to me will lead to more treats, sometimes I just give it to her rather than throwing it. Makes it a little bit more interesting. We have another command "quick", which is basically a "come", but with a nose touch to my palm and when I say "quick", I expect it to be quick... so I do differentiate the 2 (quick vs come). Again, it's up to you. But whatever you choose to do, keep it consistent and keep it fun. Good luck and have fun.

Here is a demo:

Bonus:
A cute vid of Miss Gigi. ;)

Cellphone usage

2011-06-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

Nowadays cellphone are so common that a lot of times it replaces your regular land line, which is cool and all. But I do have a few "feelings" toward cellphone etiquette. They are mine and you don't have to agree with it.

My cellphone is for my convenience to make and receive calls, and that does not mean I am on standby 24/7 to receive your call at the first ring.

I don't pick up my phone when...

I don't recognize the phone number
I don't have my phone with me
I am on the bus
I can't hear the phone ring
I am driving
it is not convenient for me to (for whatever reason)
you call at business hour when I am at my desk and have an office phone and you know the number

People survive before cellphones and even answering machines, so I don't understand how having a cellphone should mean you are accessible 24/7 and people get mad when you don't pick up at the first ring. Honestly, I don't care.

20110628 Rally and my June Favorite

2011-06-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to be back doing rally. :) We missed last week and Gigi is eager to work work work. Gigi got a "hug" from trainer when we got there. ;) She adores D.

+down: how/duration/distraction. Once they are in down position, drop a cookie in front of them, if they stayed down and leave it, treat immediately.
+come: cookie throwing game. Need to distinguish "come" and "quick"
+front position: sit facing me w/attention... treats. Move backward, have dog sit facing me again with attention, then treats. Repeat.
+stand: sit, "up" (have my hand higher, so she would almost stand on her hind legs)

It was a good class.

I want to do a mini June Favorite. With "things" I have enjoyed a lot this month. I don't do this a lot, because sometimes there are a lot of repetition, but once in awhile is fun.

Meow Purrr-fect cover Concealer in fierce Abyssinian (when I am lighter, I use naughty Abyssinian) as foundation.
Benefit ultra radiance facial re-hydrating mist
Benefit moisture prep toning lotion
Bubble and Bee Karma Apple lip balm
YLBB Super Balm
OPI Black Shatter
China Glaze Cheers to You
That 70's Show
MAC Blot Powder
Tumblr

Gigi at the vet. Tumblr.

2011-06-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

Today is vaccination day for Gigi. Due to her history of allergic reactions, we can't just go in, get her shots and go home, she has to stay the entire day at the vet. She did great at the vet and is also fine at home. What a relief!

The home is not the same without her. It's too quiet and empty. What happened of my pre-Gigi time??? I don't remember. But I certainly prefer to have this little princess in my house. :)

Gigi home from the vet. Snuggling in her blankie (a gift from a friend... can never have too many blankies!)

Have anyone has a tumblr account? I have a few (haha. Same w/my blogs.) for different reasons. I have one for YLBB. I am most active on my private one. It's quite easy to use and I find it is most useful for pictures, rather than an "actual" blog post with lots of words. And I have lots of fun updating mine. You can post new items; you can "reblog" someone's post or just "like" someone's post. I think it's a great inspirational tool, so you should check it out if you like blogs. :)

The right amount of food

2011-06-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

So a lot of people say Gigi is thin. I KNOW she is thin. She has always been on the thinner side (though at one point she was 11 lbs!). And I am working on adding some meat on her. She could definitely use some fat in her. So last nite, I was annoyed at people telling me she is skinny and added 2 more scoops of canned food. It's too much, cuz she puked. Gah. The fine line of increasing food intake. Can not do it fast, need to do it one step at a time. I actually want to add small meals through out the day. We shall see.

More pics of Gigi getting in the water. :)

2011-06-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a mini slide show with pictures of Gigi fetching stick in the water for me. :) I know I have more pics from another occasions, but I haven't found them yet.

Like most doxies, she does not like water... so I firmly believe she did it because she loves me. :) I am blessed to have such a lovely daughter.

20060703 - flash slideshow maker

Dog park

2011-06-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

We are blessed to have quite a few dog parks here. But Gigi isn't big on going to dog park.

If you know her, you will know she is not into play, nor toy, nor other dogs. She is not aggressive or anything (though if they bug her enough, she let them know... I have seen it... but that does not happen very often). She is big on eating though. haha.

Anyway, I get to come home a bit early and it's sunny out (wasn't this morning) and decided to take Gigi to Magnuson Dog Park. It's closest to us and it has a fenced small/shy dog area within the dog park. It also has a beach. We used to go there everyday just to walk around. We have also met a few friends there too.

So we arrived and there was only 1 person and dog in there. It's Betsy (human) and Monte. Neither dogs were playing (LOL). The dogs sniffed butt and that's it. We, the human talked about the furry... and turned out the doggie training world is small, because we have mutual trainer-friends (not a surprise). ;) Eventually there were more people (& lots more dogs) there. The weather was perfect and the other dogs left Gigi alone... so all is well (except no treats for Gigi. ha!)

I remember there were times we would get there around 7-ish and the sun is still out and the cool evening breeze and there were way less dogs and we would walk around... sometimes to the water and if Gigi was in the mood we would play fetch. Good times. Not sure if I had told you guys that Gigi WOULD GET IN THE WATER TO FETCH ME A STICK if I threw it not to far for her. :)

These 2 pics are from today.

This is an old pic where she went in the water looking for the stick. :) Love her for doing that for me. She would ONLY go in the water if I threw a stick... and ONLY if it is not too far. LOL. And this pic looked so peaceful and calm and crisp. Love it.

This one was from 2005 and one of the very very VERY few times that I witness Gigi actually played with someone (she would play would small-sized young dogs). This is also in Magnuson. Here she was playing with Thadius. :) And I love their expression in this pic. :)

Taking picture with your pet.

2011-06-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

There is a post on Curious Pug about pet photography, which is worth reading. I love taking pictures of Gigi. I have not take as many pics now as I was when she was little... when she gets bigger everyday.

Gigi had her fair share of photo sessions, she had many professional ones and many many unprofessional ones (by me or other people). She has her pics taken with family and friends (and by family and friends) and many taken with people she didn't know (eg: Easter Bunny, Santa etc) They were all wonderful pictures. I enjoy them all. I started putting a camera in front of Gigi since she was a tiny pup... and she was used to it... though I admit sometimes the flash woke her up from her nap. LOL.

Yesterday my dad came to visit his granddaughter and wanted to take a few pics of her. So I told her to lay down on the couch and she did it like a pro. I was standing behind my dad so that she would be facing the right direction, she was watching me and being a good girl. After a couple snaps, she started looking at the camera itself, as if she knew that where she really supposed to be looking at, it was so cute. I will share the pics when I got them.

I love taking and looking at pics of Gigi, they brought back so many memories and are so much fun!