pug life

Thank you to everyone who has reached out about the lack of pug photos in your Instagram feed lately. Tyler & I are currently experiencing "temporary housing" while we wait on our new apartment to be built. Unfortunately, where we temporarily live doesn't allow dogs, so my parents (the pugs call them Nonni & Poppi) are so graciously hosting the little fur babies out in the country at our home in Arkansas.

I truly didn't anticipate how hard it would be to be separated from our fur-children for 2 months. We have had Doug for 4 years, & Scout for about a year & a half, & in that time, they have become a part of our identify. If you meet me, I guarantee that the pugs make their way into the first 5 minutes of my conversation. People know me as "Doug's mom", & I'm not even a little bit ashamed that my friends consider me the crazy pug lady (the shared pictures/videos on my Facebook wall prove it).

Dogs have a funny way to charming their way into our hearts, & bringing us humans closer together. I can't walk the pugs down the street without strangers approaching me to ask about them, pet them, & generally gush (makes my heart swell with pug parent pride).

You might call me crazy (you non-dog people out there maybe), but I do feel like they are my children. Thinking about the day that Doug & Scout will no longer be sitting on my lap, shedding every living hair out of their tiny bodies by the second, brings me to tears. I want to make sure that my tiny, fur covered babies get the best possible life while they are with me. I often tell Tyler that I wish the pugs could talk for one day just so I could ask them if they feel loved (yep, I'm sappy like that!)

While the pugs are usually city pugs and don't see much "nature", I always keep them protected from what I can't see with K9 Advantix® II. If you are looking for great ways to keep your dogs safe from the "elements" check out the K9 Advantix® II brand in this great video.

The bond between you and your dog is a special one, and you’ll go to great lengths to keep your furry family member safe and healthy. K9 Advantix® II is a once-a-month topical application for dogs and puppies that REPELS and kills ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes.  Visit http://petparents.com/products  to learn more. 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of K9 Advantix® II. The opinions and text are all mine.

Bloggers Who Budget: Winter Layers

I am so excited that the Bloggers Who Budget series is going to be a monthly thing from here on out. Budget fashion makes me excited. Regardless of what "budget" is for you, getting the most bang for your buck in general really gets me giddy. Whether it be a $300 purse that you wear everyday & lends an extra polish to anything you pair it with, or a $50 {faux} leather jacket that saves you during a unusually long Winter. 

For me it is this striped knit dress. The knit is nice & thick and it is just so easy to throw on and go. Today I'm layered up with a turtleneck, the knit dress, & a chambray shirt. Paired with my favorite hat/scarf/glove combo & my all weather boots, this outfit is warm & unfussy.

Also, I can't be the only one, but jeans just aren't warm to me. My legs are much toastier in a close fitting tight/legging situation. Although, at this point, I've kind of just accepted the fact that I'm going to be a little cold.

Sharing My Sole | The Style Letters | Let It Be Beautiful | Here & Now | Pearls & Twirls | Stylin in St. Louis | Living in Color | The Pumpkin Spot

{ What I Wore: J.Crew Factory snood (similar), hat (similar 1, 2) & gloves // J.Crew turtleneck tee & chambray top // Boutique Onze striped dress (short sleeve option) // Hunter boots }

all photo | Zipporah Photography 

It's been a hot minute since a pug has made an outfit photo, so Scout wanted to pop in & say HI!

What have been your go-to layering pieces this Winter?

Anyone else using their dogs for body heat at this point?! 

I've got my arms full + a giveaway

{What I Wore: Posh'mina scarf* // J.Crew blythe blouse // Paige Denim shorts** // Target sandals // Nisolo leather tote}
*Posh'mina scarf on loan to me for this giveaway
** Paige Denim shorts gifted to me from The Southern Blog Society as part of an event swag bag

First things First:

Yes I'm still a student. No I do not get Summer break. And I don't want to talk about it anymore either #bitter

I actually love Summer. Well maybe I should say, I love Summer weekends, since I don't really get to go outside during the week.

I pack my Summer weekends to the brim with trips to the dog park, outdoor movies, music festivals, anything associated with water (including but not limited to: pools, lakes, slip-n-slides), patio drinking, flea markets, and road trips.

So I need clothes that change from one activity to the next right there with me.

Layers, not-too fussy, pug-hair proof, & of course look good ;)

Right up there at the top is my all season scarf - The Posh'mina

I love it so much I have a top 10 list, a la David Letterman

10. Makes a wonderful gift

9. Gorgeous designs, like wearing a work of art

8. Company created & run by women

7. I get cold… a lot!

6. To bring out my inner boho

5. Versatile styling potential

4. Perfect travel companion

3. The owners love pugs too!

2. All season accessory

1. Slotted scarves, because… yea, I've got my hands full

(see the slots clearing in the 2nd photo from the top)

I love my posh'mina & the lovely ladies over at The Posh'mina love Here&Now readers (& pugs!). 
Everyone can get 20% off any posh'mina & free shipping with code "PugSweetPea" (valid until June 28th, email promo code to info@theposhmina.com and the 20% discount will be refunded immediately after purchase), 
but one lucky reader is going to WIN a Posh'mina of their own!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

this is me

{What I Wore: Ralph Lauren Polo button down & ball cap // Citizens of Humanity jeans (DIY'd into shorts) // Sperry Topsider boat shoes }

 This is me being mistaken for a male fraternity member on Vanderbilt campus.

This is me coming to terms with the fact that I might not ever get more than 6 hours of sleep again (thanks to this cute little puppy girl named Scout)

This is me giving up on having "Spring" here in Nashville, or 3 days straight without rain for that matter

This is me resigning that YES I WILL forgo showering for 10 extra minutes of sleep

This is me embracing the trendy-ness of ball caps to cover said un-showered locks

This is me trying to figure out why my camera lens has suddenly stopped cooperating with my remote... le sigh.

This is me still fitting into my first pair of designer jeans & being darn proud of it (purchased 10 YEARS ago in 2003 & made into shorts when the knees gave out)

This is me thankful that people have finally started to notice that my hair is red (but maybe only because my roots are showing, salon appointment officially scheduled!)

What is new with you lately?

blog dogs: Scout & Doug

While I am waiting on my pugs' modeling careers to kick off so I can take an early retirement, I am happy to take 100s of pictures a day & brag about them to all my friends.
I am over the moon that my blogging friend Sam is featuring Scout & Doug on her Blog Dogs Series today.
The pugs put a lot into their interview answers & you can check it all out here! 

please pause for cute

Sorry, no "fashion" post this morning, but I DO have a healthy serving of cute to serve up!

Ty, Doug & I drove to Kentucky yesterday to meet this sweet 7 month old little girl, that I swore we were not bringing home with us... we all know how that story ends!

Before sundown we were headed back to Nashville as a family of 4. 

Meet our new addition - Miss Scout

Doug is working on getting his role of "big brother" figured out.

"You mean sisters aren't for sitting on?"

These two might literally kill me of cute overload!

They are of the same bloodline, & seeing their minute similarities is so fun!

I get lost in dog pedigrees, but Doug's mom is Scout's grandmother, so I think that makes them cousins?

I'm calling this holding hands! They are still figuring out their friendship, but I think we are going to make it!

it's a pug thing

I'm not here, I'm am actually over on Franish talking about my behind the scenes blogging secrets... pretty saucy, get yourself over there!

But if you're still here I have a bit of fluff for you today.
I have always considered Doug the Pug my best accessory (seen here, here, here).
And it looks like I'm not the only blogger to think so!
Look at this fabulous blogging, pug-loving group I've found:

From top:

Naomi, Design Manifest, pug Bailey

PinkLouLou, pug Sadie Belle

Natalie, Make Today Great

Meagan, Love Meagan, pug Bepop (he now has the cutest set of wheels!)

Katie Armour, The Neotraditionalist/Matchbook Magazine co-founder, pug Alfred 

Cait, Champaign Toast, pug Torbin 

Janelle, House of Fifty

Me & my boyfriend Doug!
*Update, I need to add Elise & Emma's pugs (from A Beautiful Mess)

It is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who has love for my pug, & isn't afraid to show it! 
In fact, I would love to supersize a portrait of Doug in my home somewhere!

{via}

Any other serious pug/dog lovers out there?

Are there any places in the world that you can bring your dog everywhere with you? That is my dream! 

Well that, & being a stay at home pug mom!

christmas card crazies

This past weekend the boys obliged to be in my Christmas card. Here are some out-takes from our photoshoot... it was harder than I would have imagined to get a wiggly pug and a photo-phobic boyfriend to simultaneous look Christmas Card cute! haha

Pinterest Challenge (Fall): Pug edition

If you follow John & Sherry on Young House Love or Katie & Jeremy from Bower Power then you are aware of the Pinterest Challenge.

Previously these lovely ladies called all pinners into action, to create something that they had pinned (Pinterest Challenge:Summer), as I missed the previous challenge I did not want to let this one slip me by. With my recent travels and Halloween celebrations taking me away from crafting over the weekend, I chose one of the over 400 "pins" on my boards based on its simplicity and timing. Being that it is the Pug's birthday, I made some organic dog treats, based on my pin from Marilyn of Simmer Till Done (her dog treat tutorial is found here).

I found all the ingredients at Kroger for about $14, and the entire endeavor took under an hour. The ingredients I bought can be used to make this recipe several more times, in fact, I should be able to turn out ~200 medium (guitar sized... see below) treats from my $14 of groceries, bringing the cost per treat down to 7¢!

Organic Pumpkin Dog (Doug) Biscuits:
2 organic brown eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons dry milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups Organic brown rice flour 
1 teaspoon dried parsley (accidentally photographed celery flakes, but used parsley)

After preheating my oven to 350F, I mixed the eggs and pumpkin until they were creamy. Next I added the dry milk, sea salt, and parsley flakes, followed by gradually adding in the flour. I kneaded the stiff dough with my hands (flour covered, it was still a little sticky).  

Because Doug has a small mouth and tiny teeth, I rolled the dough to less than 1/4 inch, and used guitar cookie cutter - he is a Nashville dog, after all. 

The cut cookies were good to go straight on to the backing sheet, and into the hot oven. I used 2/3 of the full dough ball to cover my cookie sheet with 35 biscuits, I would imagine the entire recipe yields ~50 biscuits of medium size. After 20 minutes on each side, I allowed the biscuits to cool, then my official taste taster gave me his verdict... DELISH! His only complaint was that they were a bit tough to chew, so in the future I may make a smaller size cookie.

Can you detect the changes in Doug's emotions during the process?

At first he was skeptical...

And then he noticed the dough, and began his, "I'm so pathetic, I NEVER get fed" shtick

While the biscuits were in the oven he gave up hope and fell asleep...

DELISH! Getting all the little crumbs out of his wrinkles! (A face only a pug mother could love)

Happy Birthday puggy!

Thank you ladies for inspiring another great round of the Pinterest Challenge. Check out the fabulous results from the Pinterest Challenge masterminds Sherry and Katie, and their two guest Challengers Erin and Ana.
I have also ordered some new craft supplies so that I can actually make some more "pins" a reality in the near future. Here's to being crafty!

pug life

Today Doug the Pug turns 2. I didn’t know it was possible, but since adopting Doug in August of 2010, he has brought me happiness every single day. I also didn’t know that I would turn into a crazy pug lady! Over the past year+ I have amassed pug bookends, pug cards (you would be amazed at how many different pug cards there really are), pug calendars, pug artwork, pug clothing, and pug stuffed animals.  But the thing is, I love it! I have wanted a Pug named Doug since I was in grade school (ask any one of my family members or close friends), and this is my dream come true. Doug is also my favorite fashion accessory, I would take him everywhere with me if I could. Yes, I really am that crazy pug lady! haha

I honor of Doug and all things pug, I have compiled a very small list of all the fabulous pug trinkets and treasures I have run across. How can you look at these and not melt! Happy Birthday Doug

Images found: 1/2/3/4/5/6