A Day of Tank-fullness

First off, the electricians came today!

Serious rejoicing over here.  

So glad to finally be moving forward with the game room addition.  

No ground has been broken, but having the electricians upgrade our ancient electrical panel was step one.

I knew the power would be off today...what I did not consider was the insane amount of housing shaking demolition which would be required to
1. remove the old electrical panel and 2. make room for the new, larger electrical panel...

Tank the Chihuahua, was a shaking mess!  

He was trying everything in his power to get away from the loud banging.  

His strategy consisted of sitting in my lap while shaking in fear, then standing up, turning in hurried circles while shaking and then sitting  down again....over and over and over again.  

I swear his left eye was twitching when I snapped this photo:

I would have left the house completely, but they needed to come in a few times and check on...some stuff.

Around 11am I decided what I really needed to get through the rest of the day were a few shots of espresso and Tank desperately needed an outing.  

If only I had video of his transformation from pathetic, scarredy cat to Mr. Muy Loco when he saw I grabbed the leash and harness. 

I could see in his eyes he was screaming "We're leaving?! Thank the Lord!!  Get me out of here!"  He may have been doing cartwheels, it was hard to tell.

The 7 minute car ride felt like an eternity since I didn't bring his kennel and he couldn't hold still to save his life.  

He was dashing back and forth between the two front seats gazing out the windows, like a junkie looking for his next hit.  

He would only sit still if he was in my lap, preferably with his hands on the armrest like in the picture above, or with his paws on the STEERING WHEEL.

Stop the madness!

Finally, at our zen like destination, The OC Mart Mix, home to Portola Coffee Lab.

Sweet Relief!

Also, he didn't bark at anyone!  Who is this impostor?!

My Instagram post for the next picture was "Some dogs get a water bowl"

Don't worry I didn't let him have any of my latte.  He would have had a drink if I would have allowed him, but trust me, he did not need the caffeine!

I only let him hang his head out the window when driving through our neighborhood, going far slower than 25 miles per hour.  

Look how far he leans out!  Daredevil.

Rett got home from school.  Kisses, kisses.  

Finally, someone to distract Tank from the day of insanity.   

Wait till the all the crazy construction begins.  Oh the chaos.  Who would like to have an over night guest?  I promise he is no trouble at all...

March 19, 2013

Snapshots

Today, walking through SOCO, after a lunch meeting, I stumble upon this cozy scene.  

At first glance, I thought it was a chaise.  Upon closer inspection, I found it was a very deep-seated chair and ottoman.  My home office wants one.

Weekend pictures:
Rett was less than thrilled to be at the Galaxy game, which was reminiscent of the time Liam was his age and complained about going to Disneyland too much, just wrong.  

To distract him from this torture, we made a game of taking selfies while waiting for the game to start.

I forgot to switch out handbags, therefore, the fancy purse had to do a little heavy lifting.    Louis complained, but luckily it was in french and I ignored him.  No scarves were snagged by a wayward sequin.  Crisis averted.

If I had seen someone else carrying this bag, I would have certainly made fun.  

Inappropriate handbags are nearly as offensive as inappropriate footwear...Okay, maybe not, but certainly in the top 10.


Lastly, the freesias I planted last year are starting to rebloom.  The bulbs in the shot below were not originally planted under the fence.  

I suspect it's the handy work of a little 6 pound, mischief, loving dog.  

#TanktheChihuahuaStrikesAgain.  (I know it's silly to hashtag here, but I just can't help myself.)

March 18, 2013

Insta Friday

Instagram this week:

Right before he ripped out the tooth.

13 days ago he took out the other front tooth, the one I thought was not ready.  Whereas, this tooth seemed ripe for the taking, at least a month ago.  The adult tooth was growing in behind it, subsequently pushing it out at an angle.  We were calling it the beaver tooth.  I feel bad.  Even today I'm not convinced it was ready to be yanked.  There was a ton of blood.  I was running behind him saying "Don't drip any blood on the carpet!"

*Sigh* Found this in my clean laundry pile. 
#tankthechihuahuastrikesagain
Tank the chihuahua, it's always an adventure when you're around.


"Mom, Mom, look what happened to Tank!!" 
An unattended beef jerky bag meets it's demise#tankthechihuahuastrikesagain
I try not to be mad someone left a $5 package of beef jerky out and just laugh at the silliness instead.


Yep, driving around in something other than the minivan to run my errands
#whenyourmomtakesyourcar

I have refrained from talking too much about taking Liam's car away.  
If I can simmer down a bit, I'll do a post on that fun topic.  My thoughts are still pretty fiery.

March 15, 2013

Tank's Last Lesson

Dog Training, what can I say...after 6 weeks, he has mastered "sit", "look" and "easy."  But, he pretty much knew those commands coming in to the class.
 
He sometimes acts dead if I make my hand into a gun and say "bang, bang" really loud.... except the times when he sits or twirls in a circle or completely rolls over or some combination of the three.

He can "take it", as in a stick, but is not as successful at "drop it".

Commands we are still working on include: lay down, stay, and shake.

Next on the list will be the tummy crawl, jumping through a hoop and sitting on his hind legs...I hope.
 

Also, he does not respond to dog treats, only bacon bits...of course.

February 17, 2013

Revisiting the Massacre of 2010

Or Remembering Why We Don't Need Another Puppy...
I had these hidden from myself after the destruction happened.  Waiting for my anger to subside before making a decision about repairs.

Poor shoes.  Below is my half-hearted attempt to mask the damage to the black pair.  Too bad there isn't a sharpie for natural leather :/

Ducks?!

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"Morning excitement...ducks in our pool. #tankthechihuahuastrikesagain "

 

January 26, 2013

Video Log III and Sick Day

Today's topics include second grade sickness, teenage finals, how loving Harry Potter drives you to do silly things and reasons why I wear make-up.

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"He likes when we have a sick day. It just means more available laps for cuddling. #tankthechihuahuastrikesagain "

January 24, 2013

Spilled Milk

Sometimes balancing things alludes me; pulling out the milk, while putting away the butter and balancing the bottle of wine that was in the way...

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"I spilled some milk, but never fear the cleanup king is on duty. #tankthechihuahuastrikesagain "

January 19, 2013 

Video Log Debut

My very first video log entry.

(Cousin Jen is definitely to blame for inspiring this idea.  Check out her fabulous video here.)

I'm happy to report, execution of this project was much easier than I anticipated.  Little to no editing was done.  Personally, I couldn't bear to watch it more than necessary.  But I decided to do it because I like the idea that years from now, we (me, my family, my grandkids?) can have more than just pictures.  Especially since I tend to delete the less than flattering photos.  As a kid my parents took a lot of home movies and watching them later always gave us a laugh. My dad even had some from when he was little, the whole reel-to-reel.  When my boys were little we didn't have a video camera, well until cell phones came out with them.  So I have lost time to make up for and seeings how I'm never without something to say, this seemed to be a good fit.   

Today's Instagram

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"Standing in the kitchen, looking toward the front window, I see a little dog using the very expensive amplifier as a step stool. #tankthechihuahuastrikesagain "

January 8, 2013