Ten Things

One of my great friends from college, the personality behind the fun blog Happiness Is..., surprised me with a fun blog award and game last week.

Like any blog award, there are a few rules to follow...

1. I need to copy the logo and place it on my blog
2. Link it back to the person who gave it to me
3. Pass it on to five fellow bloggers
4. List 10 things about myself

So I decided to list 10 things I love. Here they are (in no particular order)...

1. The Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Growing up in Virginia, it was only natural that my family spend many spring breaks and summer vacations at the beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I have so many fun memories from there as a child and up through college. I even spent one summer in college working at Tommy's Market in Duck, NC. I love the feeling I get the moment we begin to cross the bridge onto the barrier islands, and I soon as I step foot onto the sand and smell the salty air, I feel at home.

2. Peanut Butter Ice Cream.

If you happen to read my new blog that I started a few weeks ago, you probably saw the recipe I posted for Peanut Butter Ice Cream. I'm not exactly sure when my love for peanut butter ice cream began, but I do know that the reason for it is Friendly's restaurant. I'm not sure if they sell them anymore, but Friendly's use to have a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sunday-to-Go that featured pure peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter sauce, chocolate sauce and peanut butter cups - heaven. Since I fell in love with this incredible invention, I have always been on the lookout for a proper substitution for the peanut butter ice cream. Few places offer peanut butter flavored ice cream - most just put pieces of Reese's peanut butter cups in vanilla ice cream and say it's the same thing - it's not. Now that I have my own ice cream maker and a fabulous recipe for homemade peanut butter ice cream, I can have peanut butter ice cream whenever I want. This could be a problem.

3. Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce from Chick-fil-A.

I have my husband to thank for this latest obsession. A few years ago, he introduced me to the wonderfully condiment called Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce. I've always been a Chick-fil-A fan but never like this. I used to order chicken nuggets, and they were good, but the waffle fries were always my favorite part about Chick-fil-A. That was until I tried the Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce on a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. Oh. my. gosh. If you haven't had it, go to Chick-fil-A for lunch and try it today. On second thought, maybe that's not a good idea - you might end up like me and require Chick-fil-A on a regular basis.

4. My two brown dogs.

I think it's pretty obvious that I LOVE my two big brown dogs. I mean, I write an entire blog about dogs (usually about my two). I grew up with a dog and couldn't wait until I was old enough to have my own. Somewhere along the line, I became convinced that I had to have at least two at one time. I figured that a puppy would be lonely if it didn't have another dog to pal around with. I think I was right. Brady & Cooper are inseparable. They have been since the day we brought them home. My husband thought I was crazy when I announced that I wanted to get not one, but two dogs. Labs for that matter. He quickly came around the first night when the boys crawled into their new crate (on their own) and curled up to sleep (all night long without whining!). He now says he wouldn't have it any other way. Me either.

5. Coastal Living Magazine.

I love this magazine. Everything about it. I love the coast (see #1 above and my other blog, Seagrass and Sunsets). Reading Coastal Living transports me to some of my favorite places and is an awesome collection of recipes, articles, features, homes and more for anyone who loves the coast. If I could work for this magazine, I would. In a heart beat. Unfortunately the offices are located in Birmingham, Alabama. If any of you happen to know the powers that be at Coastal Living and think you could convince them to employ a creative, beach lover from a virtual office in small-town Georgia, please let me know...

6. The Bulldog Car Wash.

It may seem kind of random for me to include a car wash on a list of ten things that I love. Don't get me wrong, I do love it when my car is clean, but that's not why I've added the Bulldog Car Wash to this list. I have a much better reason. I met my husband at this particular car wash on a warm September afternoon a few years ago, and my life has not been the same since. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would meet the love of my life at such a random spot, but somehow I did, and the Bulldog Car Wash will always have a special place in my heart.

7. Charlottesville/UVa/My College Friends.

Oh Charlottesville. Cville. How I miss you. The beautiful, green horse farms. The gorgeous mountains. The great restaurants and fun watering holes. The lazy days spent at Beaver Creek and driving aimlessly in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The football games. Walking to class on the Lawn. The University of Virginia truly is a magical place. I know that most people love their alma matters, but I don't know if anyone loves their school as much as we Wahoos love our University. I am forever grateful for the friendships I made, the education I received and the wonderful memories that will always stay with me. I only wish we could go back more often.

8. Maymont Park.

My favorite spot in my hometown. To imagine that this beautiful property used to be a private residence blows me away. The gardens, the views, the history. It's truly breathtaking, and Richmonders are very lucky that Maymont has been preserved for the public to enjoy for many years to come. To read more about Maymont and it's history, click here.

9. Reading.

I love to read. I always have. I was the kid who would go into the library during the summer break and come out with a stack of 20 books at a time. Unfortunately, during graduate school I stopped reading for pleasure. I think it was the thick stack of books that I was required to read for class. Who knows. It makes me a little sad that I can't discuss any of the newest books on the best seller list or that I have started to take People and US Weekly on my vacations instead of a good novel. If anyone has a recommendation for a must read to get me started again, please let me know!

10. My Family.

Where do I start? I am blessed with the greatest family in the world. I have parents who have always been extremely supportive and encouraging. They love my sister and me unconditionally and are always there to talk or laugh or cry with us. They have a great relationship with each other (they just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary this year!), and they are role models for the kind of relationship I've always wanted to have. My little sister is one of the funniest and most adventurous people I know. I often wish I could be more like her. As a big sister, I am often way too hard on her, but somehow she loves me anyway. My mother-in-law is one of the strongest and compassionate women I know. She and my brother-in-law welcomed me into their family from the moment we first met, and I am extremely lucky to have become part of such an amazing family. Last but certainly not least, my husband. He is the love of my life and my best friend. It can't get any better than that.

And the five blogs that I am tagging...

Buckhead Betties (hilarious)

Vintage Victuals (classic go-to recipes)

Pecan Pie Puppies (love these collars)

Matters of Style (great source for ideas)

The Consummate Hostess (great entertaining ideas)

Summertime...

I don't know about you, but for me Memorial Day always seems to signal the beginning of summer. Where I grew up in Virginia, the pools always opened for the season over Memorial Day weekend, and it was the last holiday before school let out for the summer. As a kid, Memorial Day meant that long summer days filled with swim practice, sharks and minnows, trips to the beach and flashlight tag were right around the corner.

Summer is my absolute favorite season of the year, and I always look forward to the hot summer days and time at the pool, lake and beach (anywhere near the water, really). I have always been a water baby - I think I took my first swim lesson at the ripe old age of 9 months - and I would much rather be in the water than on dry land. Luckily, I think Brady & Cooper share my same love for the water. The minute we get anywhere near a lake or pond, the boys jump right in. My husband and I have so much fun throwing the buoy to them and watching them chase each other through the water. Unfortunately, we haven't made a beach trip since we got the boys (I know, I can't believe it either - I'm think I'm going through withdrawal), so the boys have not yet had the pleasure of running through the surf and learning to jump waves. I'm hoping that we'll be able to fit in a trip this summer.

[Source: CoastalLiving.com]

So, in preparation for Memorial Day weekend and the upcoming days of summer, I thought I'd spend the next post or two passing along important dog travel and safety tips to keep in mind and highlighting a few great dog products for the summer. Please stay tuned!

Running with the dogs

If you're the proud owner of two or more dogs and you like to walk and run with them, you know that it can be challenging to keep multiple dogs on separate leashes headed in the same direction. After facing this challenge for over a year, we recently found a great solution that goes by the curious name of Knot-a-Coupler. The Knot-a-Coupler, made by RuffWear, is made from stretchy bungee cord material and allows you to attach one leash to two collars. For us, this little gadget was a great find - it allows our boys, who both like to lead and can't stand to get more than three feet apart, to stay side by side during our daily walk/run. Sure, if you have two strong dogs, they may still manage to pull you down the street, but at least they'll be heading in the same direction!

So, where can you find this cool product? You can purchase directly from the RuffWear website, but I would recommend heading over to my favorite outdoor dog site - Backcountry K9 - where the Knot-a-Coupler is currently on sale. And don't forget - whenever you order from Backcountry K9, enter the discount code 5HSJC to receive 5% off your order AND Backcountry K9 will donate 5% of your purchase to The Humane Society of Jackson County every time you use the discount code!

Happiness Is...

I realize that this not directly dog-related, but I have to put a plug in for one of my new favorite blogs, Happiness Is...

One of my best friends from college recently started this blog as a way to reflect on the things that make her happy. I love reading her blog because it makes me realize how many things I take for granted when I get caught up in my day to day routine. In the spirit of Happiness Is... I thought I'd share a few of the little things in life that make me happy. Here's a short list of a few random things that popped into my head this morning:

Iced caramel macchiatos from Starbucks

My flip flops

Eating breakfast on the weekends sitting in the rocking chairs on my front porch

The story of how I met my husband

Summer cookouts & crab boils

Talented Tuesday Feature

Many thanks to Kiva over at Views from the Farmstead for featuring Brown Dog Boutique in her Talented Tuesday series.

At least once a week, Kiva interviews an Etsy artist and features items from each artist's shop. When you get a moment, please head over to Views from the Farmstead to check out our interview & full-length feature!

Recycle Love

For those of you out there who are involved in a rescue group, have adopted a rescue dog before or just love dogs, I have the perfect gift for you. One of my favorite Etsy sellers (I seem to have a lot of favorites, don't I?), art4milkbones, sells super cute handpainted leash holders, signs and other gifts. One of their featured items for today, Earth Day, is the "Recycle Love" Dog Rescue wood sign. I just bought one to give to my local humane society, the Humane Society of Jackson County. I thought it would be cute to hang in the office or use on adoption days. If you're interested, go visit art4milkbones & order today - in honor of Earth Day, all "green" items in the shop ship for FREE!

Scampering Scotties

I have to say, the Etsy community is amazing. Sarah, over at Scampering Scotties, was one of my first customers. Sarah makes great dog collars, and I custom designed a set of note cards and return address labels for her shop featuring a cute black Scottie. Yesterday, Sarah was nice enough to feature Brown Dog Boutique on her blog. When you have a minute, click here to check out the nice things she had to say about my stationery. Thanks, Sarah!!

Pecan Pie Puppies Praise!

Two in a row! This is a great week so far (with lots of good press for Brown Dog Boutique) despite the torrential downpours we've been having that just make me want to stay in bed and relax all day. When I opened my email this morning, I had a surprise waiting for me...a full-length feature on one of my favorite blogs, Pecan Pie Puppies. I absolutely love the beautiful collars made by Pecan Pie Puppies (especially this one) and was thrilled to find out that Ryan, over at Pecan Pie Puppies, loves my stationery, too! I made her a set of Design Your Own Dog Silhouette Note Cards that turned out really cute (if I do say so myself :) If you have a few minutes, stroll on over to the Pecan Pie Puppies blog to read all about Brown Dog Boutique! Thanks, Ryan!!

Etsy Pet Finds!

I know, I know. I've been slacking the past few weeks with my favorite things posts. When I started this blog, I intended to do a favorite things feature every Sunday to show you my favorite dog-inspired Etsy finds, but have been tied up the past two weeks & I am way behind. But never fear! I have an amazing collection of Etsy pet items to share with you (although I can't take credit for the choices). I just found out that Jennifer, over at simply designed & etsy finds, featured my recipe & treat kit for Cooper's Fire Hydrant Cookies on her Etsy Pets feature today! A smaller version of Jennifer's selection is shown on the left of this post. To see the full version & a list of the Etsy sellers featured, please visit Jennifer's blog here. Thank you, Jennifer!

Oh, and by the way, the Bake Sale was a huge success this weekend...more on that to come later!

My First Blog Award!

What a great surprise on a rainy morning! One of my favorite cooks, my good friend over at Vintage Victuals, tagged me for the Kreativ Blogger Award! She posts tons of great recipes (and lots of fabulous photos) including ones that are perfect for an everyday meal or to serve at your next dinner party. Thanks Vintage Victuals!

For those who are new to this award (like me), here are the rules...each recipient of the Kreativ Blogger Award must list 7 things that he or she loves and then pass the award along to 7 of his or her favorite bloggers.

So here we go...

7 things that I love:

(1) Running on the beach (especially right before sunset when the breeze starts to drift in off the ocean)

(2) Drinking wine with my mom & sister and laughing until tears roll down our faces

(3) Cooking dinner with my husband, sitting in front of a fire and talking for hours about everything (or nothing at all)

(4) Walks around my neighborhood with my husband and "the boys"

(5) When I get a surprise phone call from my dad (because he is not a big phone guy)

(6) Peanut Butter

(7) The Outer Banks - my favorite place in the world. Period.

Now for my favorite blogs (in no particular order). I considered writing about why I love reading these blogs, but I want you to go check them out for yourself!

(1) Pecan Pie Puppies

(2) Drawn to the Sea

(3) Polka Dot Pup

(4) Dreaming Giggles Design

(5) Scampering Scotties

(6) Art 4 Milkbones

(7) Aroo Studio

Just a Few of My Favorite Things - Part 3

Top Row (from left to right):

- Tug-O-War Braid & Recycled Tennis Ball Toy by woofpurcreations
- Herbal Dog Shampoo Bar by GoodCleanDog
- Apple of My Eye Dog Collar by ScamperingScotties

Middle Row (from left to right):

- Polka Dog Collar by DogGoneKnitting

- Puppy Love - Glass Pebble Magnets by ksickles

- Glen Dog Placemat by TheModernPet

Bottom Row (from left to right):

- Framed Blue Dog on Sailboat by doghoundblues

- Barkin' Burgers by 3DogsAndAChick

- Design Your Own - Dog Silhouette Note Cards by browndogboutique

Busy Boys!

The boys and I have been hard at work checking out fun and useful dog-inspired websites! You might have noticed that I just started a list of my favorite links (both dog-related and other) on the right side of my blog. The list contains just a few (I'm sure I have hundreds) of my favorite blogs, shops and websites that offer great advice, products and information, among other things including incredibly cute dog stories and photos :) Do you have any sites that I should visit? If so, please leave a link in the comments section of this post, and I'll take a look!

[Cooper after a long day at the office]

P.S. I have a feeling a Brown Dog Boutique giveaway will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

Just a Few of My Favorite Things - Part 2

Top Row (from left to right):

- Dahlia Custom Dog Collar by pecanpiepuppies
- Treat Jar by UberDuperCreations
- Going Green - Adjustable Dog Collar by sugarplumcollars

Middle Row (from left to right):

- Doggie Leash Bag by BentleysBones

- Lab Dog Onesie by BellaBludesigns

- Personalized Canvas Dog Leash Hanger by dreaminggiggles

Bottom Row (from left to right):

- Skinny Green Stripes Dog Collar by 8PawsCollars

- Amy Butler Pet Bed - Acanthus by allingwelsh

- Couture Dog Collar - Amy Butler Print by jstephens13

Just a Few of My Favorite Things - Part 1

Top Row (from left to right):

- Labrador Retriever Chocolate Lab by k9artgallery
- XL Big Dog Bed Cover by BowWowBeds
- Board Room Top Dog collar by BigDoggyBling

Middle Row (from left to right):

- Kashmir Koda Dog Collar by aroostudio

- Lab Leash Holder by bumblebellydesigns

- Handpainted Small Jar by chiarashandpainted

Bottom Row (from left to right):

- Custom Super Duper dog tag by bynicola

- Light Blue and Brown Sport Martingale collar by GreytEscape

- Labrador Retriever art print by k9artgallery