Parcels in the mail

Who doesn't like getting nice things in the mail? Two wonderful packages arrived for me yesterday.

The first was all the way from Japan.

A 2008 calendar and lots of little goodies from Leslie of good-ness. Leslie is originally from Ontario, Canada but now lives in Japan. Her blog is full of interesting tid bits of life over there and is on my regular blog read list. She also has an etsy shop full of Japanese good-ness. Take a look sometime. (Leslie, I am going to do something special with the Merry Christmas ribbons!)

And from the outrageous Tara, who has recently returned after taking a break from the blogging world....CROCS!
Maybe not the kind of croc you were thinking? Croc mittens in 3 sizes...one pair for our 2 year old grandson, one pair for our 6 year old granddaughter, and one pair for our 20 year old (yes, 20!) son. Yes, Cody will wear them.

Too funny. I couldn't resist playing with the larger size. Maybe Cody won't get them after all!

There's no pimping here

Our new pumpkin biscuits have been giving me a few little challenges.

First of all, we printed up some lovely new pumpkin tags featuring Sammy. The tags look great, but after packing our bags into shipping boxes I realized there was a little problem...the tags are 1/4 inch wider than all of our other tags. This probably seems like a very small detail, but let me tell you it makes a difference when you are trying to snuggly pack rows of 10 bags into shipping boxes. An extra 1/4 inch adds up to an extra 1 & 1/4 inches when you pack a row of 5 bags...and there's not that much room to spare in our shipping boxes. Sigh.

Secondly, the pumpkin biscuits have been wildly popular (which is a very good thing) but so popular that I sold out a couple of weeks ago. Not to worry, I had our bakery bake up some more and picked them up earlier this week. I opened up the box and much to my surprise, it was filled with pumpkin biscuits...but the wrong ones.

A couple of years ago, we had a pumpkin biscuit which was truly uninspiring. We dropped them due to dismal sales. We revamped the biscuits a couple of months ago. We dropped the corn, dropped the grains, and added pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds and sesame seeds...oh yes, and a dash of allspice. Yum.

But the pumpkin biscuits in my boxes had no seeds! Seems my bakers used the OLD recipe, not the NEW recipe. Sadly, I am still sold out of pumpkin biscuits.

But...I still had to smile. I took a look at my packing slip. My production manager is originally from Switzerland and her written English is interesting sometimes. It seems I picked up "pimping pieces" instead of "pumpkin pieces"!

An interesting business alternative, but I think we won't diversify into pimping just yet.

Timing is everything

How cute is this photo? Take a close look at the pumpkin...it's a carved look-a-like of Hudson!

The photo was sent to me by Marie-Piere. She is an awesome woman who has helped out our Paws for Charity cause again this year. She held a fundraiser in September and raised $50 on our behalf. We'll be donating her cheque to breast cancer research together with cheques from the 4 Paws for Charity businesses in December. Thanks Marie-Piere!

For those of you who were reading this blog back in April...an update on my application to the Ottawa Christmas Craft Show. I was devastated to be turned down back then...it was such a big goal for me to not obtain. I was put on a waiting list. Yah, right. Turns out it was true! They phoned me today to say they had some last minute cancellations and would I like to attend?

I spent several hours today trying to make it happen. But. Timing is everything. I would have loved the chance to do this back in April. Lots has changed since then. And there are only 9 days to prepare for a 5 day show (5 days...2 days at 11 hours, 1 day at 8 hours, 1 day at 5 hours, and 1 day at 7 hours) I just can't do it. This was really difficult to say no to. But you'll see why I had to say no in time. (can't tell you yet!)

My regular customer in England has just ordered again. Thanks Sooty! You make me feel so special when you order your biscuits all the way from Canada.

As promised, here is a little look at a PIF I sent out a few weeks ago. And that ends my PIF obligations! Yay.

It has been scanned in a little crooked, but you get the idea. C for Corline...she said she likes pinks, cream, and olive green. The C is made from cream material with small pink flowers, stitched in a blanket stitch with olive green. I think I'm going to try out some stitchery next year. Stitchery seems to be a lot bigger in Australia. If you like stitchery check out Cinderberry Stitches. I just love her patterns! Gonna get some soon.

Happy Hallowe'en everyone!

Today is a gift. Do something good!

Good & Bad

::Good::This little cutie is Lily, photo by Kendra.
::Bad::I've had this photo for weeks and weeks. Sorry for not posting it sooner Kendra!
::Good::We're back from a fabulous trip down to Nova Scotia...just a little break away that I needed.
::Bad::Oh my gosh, I've been working my not so little behind off since we've returned. I knew it was a bad time to go away but sometimes you just have to pay the price for something you really want to do. Lots of late nights ahead.
::Good::Lots of my stores have ordered well ahead, so I don't have to go absolutely bonkers all at once.
::Good::My new Pumpkin Please! tags are finally ready. We picked them up from the printer yesterday and they look fabulous.
::Bad::I promised 100 sample packs to a fundraiser on Saturday and was waiting for the new tags since it's a dog Hallowe'en Party...Pumpkin dog biscuits seemed to be appropriate. Another late night packaging them up so I can deliver them tomorrow.
::Good::I spent some time with the other Paws for Charity women today. We're all so busy, but it was great to take a little breather. Meeting with them always recharges my creative batteries...Char, Julie, and Sue are truly inspirational.
::Bad::I'm out of biscuits again. Another trip to the bakery tomorrow for another car load...500 pounds of biscuits.
::Good::Another new store this week...The Great Canadian Gift Co will be receiving their shipment of Barking Biscuits tomorrow. Yay!

The Happy Dance

What makes you do the happy dance?


Here are some of my happy dance moments:

:: Fresh Tomatoes ::
from our garden


:: Interesting photos ::
don't you just love the colours of these marigolds after the rain?


:: Being creative ::
Here's a hint for my PIFs. I have Angelique's PIF finished and will start working on Linda's PIF soon. I'll show the completed projects after they receive them in the mail. (wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!)
:: Good music ::
I don't know how to give you just the tune to listen to, but here is a You Tube video of one of my current favourites...Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's. Nothing like a good love song.


Go find something that makes you do the happy dance!

Ain't She Sweet?

Ain't she sweet?
See her walking down that street.
Yes I ask you very confidentially, ain't she sweet?
Ain't she nice?
Look her over once or twice.
Yes I ask you very confidentially,ain't she nice?
Just cast an eye in her direction.
Oh me oh my, ain't that perfection?
Oh I repeat,well, don't you think that's kinda neat?
Yes I ask you very confidentially,ain't she sweet?

Meet Darla. Isn't she a cutie? She's a relatively new addition to Sherry's home & family. Sherry adopted her from the SPCA after fostering her for a week.

If you are looking for a four legged addition to your family, please consider the dogs at your local rescue groups, shelters, human societies, and SPCA's. There are so many wonderful dogs looking for a new family.

If you're in the Ottawa area, here are a few to talk to:
B.A.R.K.
Ottawa Humane Society
L.A.W.S.
F.O.A.P.

Happy Canada Day & cookie jar contest result

Happy Canada Day!

This afternoon, we'll be out in a little town called Oxford Mills to enjoy a concert of various local talented people. Later today, off to Kemptville to see a parade and then to a steak and dinner dance at our local college. Some good, old fashioned fun.

This photo is from a couple of years ago...back in our "3 dog" life. From left to right: Our mixed breed Mulligan, Siberian Husky Bailey (she always hated to wear her Canada Day hat!), and Giant Schnauzer Cinder.

Since tomorrow is a holiday, I'm hoping to get my Newfoundland vacation photos organized so I can post some for you.

An update on the cookie jar contest...

My "Guess the Number of Dog Cookies in the Cookie Jar" contest had 5 guesses: 158, 216, 120, 419, 123. Believe it or not, 419 was the closest guess. Actual number of cookies: 399.
Winner of a little something is....Christine!

The guessing game was inspired by a donation I made to the Canines with a Cause garage & bake sale, so the little gift will be a few notecards from CWAC. These notecards are prints made from an original pencil drawing by Miriam Mas, founder of CWAC. The image is our dog Bailey (as a pup), who passed away in September 2005. I asked Miriam to use prints of the drawing as an ongoing CWAC fundraiser. Even though the prints aren't a Giant Schnauzer...hope you enjoy them Christine!

Wait, wait, surprise!

I don't know about you, but when I'm waiting for something to happen I am just a little bit (ha!) impatient. Not that I want to wish time away, but I get so excited (yes, even about the littlest things) that I just want them to happen.

For instance, I ordered some cute little one inch button pins with our cat from our new catnip labels. I decided to start with a small order through someone on Etsy, rather than a large order through my usual Canadian company. (customs and broker fees are a nightmare for anything over $25 CDN) Anyway, the first challenge for my waiting game was that I didn't notice the Etsy person was away for one week when I ordered my pins. The second challenge is that I'm up here in Canada, and she's down there in the U.S. Every day I hopefully look in our mail box, and every day I am disappointed. Sigh. I know they'll get here, but hey, when I'm looking forward to something it just seems too long.

I'm also anxiously waiting to hear back from my jury experience. I KNOW they said they'd be calling in early June (is it June yet?) but every time the (is it June yet?) phone rings I (is it June yet?) hope it's THE call. (well, you know, I really don't think I'll get into the show, but I'm still full of HOPE:) )

However, sometimes you're pleasantly surprised by something that happens that you really weren't expecting. I ordered our new catnip labels last week. Usually these things take a couple/few weeks but they arrived TODAY! And, they delivered them right to my door without charging me any delivery fee. How great is that?

Drum roll please....here they are. Aren't they cute?

Everything's coming up tulips

Road side asparagus from a farmer: $3.50

UV filter for my zoom lens: $29.99

Ride in our Miata to take photos of the Ottawa Tulip Festival: $priceless

This is Roy MacGregor. He is a performance artist, and does his painting live at different events. We saw him yesterday at the Tulip Festival. I just loved this painting, but alas it will be a while before I can afford to have a MacGregor in my home. His paintings command a cool $2500 to $3500 a piece.

But I do have reason to celebrate...I sold my first 2 items from my little Etsy shop! Yay! (thanks Beebee Mod!)

And...a woman phoned me yesterday to arrange to pick up some Barking Biscuits. She wanted to drop by and pick up some dog biscuits to take to Japan with her to give to a friend. Cool.

On a more serious note

In light of the continuing avalanche of announcements withdrawing pet products from the market because of contaminated ingredients (now some dog biscuits have been added to the growing list), it is important to remind pet owners that there are many quality pet foods and treats made with human quality ingredients.
I was recently at a "girls night out" dinner, and we started discussing life expectencies of animals. It has become apparent to me that many of our beloved pets in fact have a shorter life span now than they did many years ago. This, despite the huge advances in veterinary care over the years.
Yes, dogs and cats can undergo treatments for cancer and other diseases. But why is this becoming such a common practice? Why are so many pets falling victim to so-called human diseases? One can think of the common ills of our society...pollution, chemicals, pesticides, immunizations. Commercial pet foods also comes to mind.
Commercial pet foods came to being about 80 years ago. The pet food industry in North America is self-regulated. In Canada, the only regulation is the Labelling Act, which states that the label must contain the name and contact information of the company, whether the product is made for a dog or a cat, and the weight of the product. There are no other standards.
It becomes apparent, then, that the quality of pet food is dependant on the integrity of the companies producing the food. The words "whole chicken" on an ingredient list bring to mind human quality chicken pieces, when in fact it may just mean ground up chicken feathers, beaks, and claws. (after all, they are part of the "whole chicken") What our minds lead us to believe when viewing the television commercials of dogs running through a sun drenched field toward a meaty bowl of food, and the reality of what is actually in that bowl of food, are often different things.
There are many options available to the consumer.
One option is to make our own dog or cat food with natural ingredients. There are many books available on this subject. This is the option that we have chosen with our own dogs, and surprisingly, it takes little time and the costs are quite comparable to purchasing commercial dog foods. One of our dogs is a Giant Schnauzer, who came to us as a puppy with an endless variety of health problems. There was no recourse with the breeder, who declared bankruptcy and moved to another province.
We switched to a preparing our own natural food when she was 2 years old, and she became a different dog. Over the years, we took the results for granted and forgot what an effect the natural diet had on her health. A few years ago, our family took a two week vacation, and switched to commercial dog food to make it easier for our 16 year old son to look after the dogs. When we arrived back home after 2 weeks away, our lovely girl could no longer run and was in pain at the end of every day. Within one week of switching back to her natural diet, she was again running and playing like a puppy. Never again will we underestimate the power of natural foods.
There are many foods (both fresh and frozen) produced locally that will allow the consumer to feed their dogs natural diets without having to forsake the time to prepare it themselves.
Small, local companies using high-end ingredients in small batches produce many of these treats and foods. The ongoing recalls of pet foods and treats is a good reminder of both the value of purchasing locally and the importance of quality. The old maxims are still valid; "you get what you pay for" and "you are what you eat".

Thank you, thank you very much

A big "thank you" to Tina from Peppermaster.com.
Yesterday was an interesting day (I have them from time to time), and was filled with a variety of things. One of my missions was to visit a craft show in Ottawa to scope out some booth layouts. I am in the process of putting together an application for a Christmas craft fair. One of the things I have to include is photos of "my booth". Well, I've participated in lots of informal shows in the past few years, but never anything on a big scale. So, I toured a show in Ottawa yesterday, and stopped and talked to Tina from Peppermaster. I explained who I was and what I was doing, gave her my card, and asked if could take a couple of photos of her booth. I think she thought I was nuts, but she graciously allowed me to snap a few photos. If you're a chilihead, you must check out her website! Brooks Pepperfire Foods is a Canadian manufacturer of Extreme heat Global Fusion cooking and grilling sauces. Spice it up! Yum.

What's for supper?

The ongoing pet food recall in North America is amazing in size and scope. Now the recall has extended to dry foods as well as wet foods. For complete details click here. I find it truly frightening that one manufacturer makes almost all the commercial pet foods available in Canada.

You can rest assured that all Barking Biscuit dog biscuits are made with ONLY human grade ingredients made in Canada. Our biscuits are all made by hand in a bakery that is inspected by the health department. Our baking process satisfies ALL human requirements. Our bakery bakes only 2 products....oatmeal cookies and Barking Biscuits.

It has always been my commitment to use human quality ingredients. We do not add any food colouring or preservatives. All natural. Made by hand. That's it, nice and simple.

I am often asked what I feed my dogs. I believe in a natural diet. My bible has been a book called "Keep Your Dog Healthy the Natural Way" by Pat Lazarus. (also available is "Keep Your Cat Healthy the Natural Way" by the same author). Our Giant Schnauzer Cinder came to us as a puppy with a multitude of health problems. I truly believe that her natural diet is why she's still with us (and going strong!) today at age 11. Hmmmm...methinks my dogs eat better than I do!

This and That

A few bits and bites today...
This is a photo of me (in the yellow vest) at last year's K9 Spring Fling fundraiser. I sold our Barking Biscuits, tshirts, and pooch pouches and donated half my sales to A Chance Animal Rescue. I'm excited to say that they'll be having their 2nd annual fundraiser on Saturday April 28th, and The Barking Biscuit will be there. Please come out and see me there! (I'll post more details later). There will be lots of goodies, and photographer Natalie Heath of Heath Photo will be taking dog photos with proceeds going to Bullies in Need.
It's been very exciting around the office today...I finally (FINALLY!) have high speed. I've been like a kid in a candy shop going all over net. Best of all, now I can receive your dog photos without waiting half an hour for one email to arrive!
I received an email today from Miriam Mas (founder of Canines with a Cause). They had a fund raiser last Saturday night (we supplied some of the prizes) and they raised $2,773.04! Congratulations to all the CWAC volunteers.
That's it for now!

Cherry Pie Event

There's a cool women's networking group (well, to be honest it's more like a networking event) called Cherry Pie. It's organized by a human dynamo named Catherine, and the next event is scheduled for Thursday Feb 27th at 8pm. Location is Social at 527 Sussex Drive in Ottawa.
It's networking like you've never experienced. If you're a woman, grab your biz cards and go. Questions? Email catherineknows@videotron.ca

I attended the October 2006 Cherry Pie event (along with the 3 other women involved with PAWS for Charity) and was amazed at the turnout and variety of displays.
To top it off, I entered a draw to help raise funds for a breast cancer survivor dragonboat team (sorry girls, can't remember your team name). I won the grand prize for the draw! I now have a fantastic piece of art made from my very own dna. It's a totally cool concept done by an Ottawa company called DNA11. Read all about their novel creations at www.dna11.com (from life comes art). And...for you dog lovers out there...you can even have art work done using your dog's dna! Bet none of your friends have something like that.