Vanilla and Spud write Christmas lists

Well.  That time of the year is here at last.  It's after Thanksgiving so there is no more holding back on Christmas music, decorations, shopping, presents, or cooking.  Daisy gets to experience her first year at Christmas time, and I think she is loving it already.  Nilla on the other hand, has seen it all before.  She's my dog who sits and thinks she's made the naughty list because of that time she barked for an hour straight, that time she scratched the hell outta my face, or that favorite pair of underwear she destroyed.  Don't worry guys, Santa will be good to her...he always is.

Daisy on the other hand (ya know, the one who has actually been tearing the apartment to pieces) thinks she does no wrong.  I mean who could blame her, she's absolutely adorable in all ways.  She is experiencing Christmas with mom on a hyper level.  Nothing can be done without her.  Not the cooking, not the cleaning, not the decorating, and definitely not the gift wrapping.  Over the Thanksgiving break, my mother gave me and the girls new minion pillowcases (they are to die for...so cute)!  Well, Daisy loves them.  My roommate captured quite possibly my favorite picture of Daisy and me, curled up on our new pillows.  Needless to say, her tongue isn't short by any means. Haha.

The girls have started their Christmas lists and so far, this is what they have: a self-filling water bowl, bones and antlers, did someone say treats?, and of course...TOYS.  (If you've learned anything about me so far, you know these girls will get it all, and probably more).  

Vanilla and Spud get bored

As we're getting ready for the holidays at home, it seems that my two girls are simply bored.  They have the blues, something, I don't know.  It was hard for me to sort through all of the pictures from this week since I took so many.  I decided that I might be too obsessed with my dogs.  I met a new friend this week, and during our first conversation, I was asked to share something interesting about myself.  Truth be told, I told this new friend that I have a dog blog.  This doesn't embarrass me; it's just proof of the fact that my dogs are truly my life.  Falling asleep at night, I'm happy knowing that I have them by my side.


Another aspect of this past week was the fact that for the first time throughout the semester, I have not had anything to work on towards my senior project as the professor had the draft to look over.  Though it was stressful waiting for feedback, it was peaceful to simply not have any new deadlines to worry about throughout the beginning of the week.  I used this time to catch up on some TV shows that I had fallen behind on watching...you guessed it, Nilla was all about this cuddle time.  She even stole the remotes from me one night while we were curled up in bed.

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I've had a lot on my mind.  A lot to think about and a lot to be thankful for.  I would be truly lost without my family and especially my close friends.  My education at Bradley is coming to a close and my life will be better for it.  I've got a home, food, water, and a bed to call my own.  I have a dependable vehicle to get me from place to place.  This is only the beginning.  Every day, we take things for granted because we live in a privileged world.  OF COURSE, I could never forget just how thankful I am for my four legged friends, always being by my side with smiles on their faces.

Vanilla and Spud catch some zzz's

I don't know about anyone else, but the day my senior project presentation is over, I'm going to need a few drinks to celebrate!  As today was the due date on that massive draft, it's been a long, busy week for me.  We've put countless hours into a document that matters so much towards a business degree at Bradley and I couldn't have been happier to turn that sucker in.  Unfortunately for Nilla and Daisy, that has meant a lot of "no mom" time.  Luckily I have a roommate who knows how much those little girls mean to me so I get frequent updates while I've been away.  Sunday I needed a change of scenery in all of my editing, so I went to my brothers.  My two little nuggets didn't waste any time to curl up together on our couch.

Daisy is such a mommy's girl, it melts my heart.  Earlier in the week, I was watching Netflix on one of my senior project breaks.  I got all curled up on the couch for the hour and my little girl felt the need to be in my lap the entire time.  My roommate called for her; typically Daisy would have gone just for the attention.  However this week has been so dedicated to senior project festivities that I just don't think she wanted to leave my lap.  The look she gave my roommate is priceless and has definitely landed in my top five pictures of her of all time!

Last night was by far the most stressed I've been.  Though the project was pretty much done, I had nightmares during my nap of random headings being orphaned at the bottom of pages, page numbers not matching up to the table of contents, and the ever dreaded "they" appearing in every sentence.  I had to get out of that place before I lost my mind.  After spending some much needed time with a friend to get my mind off of everything consulting related, I came back home and found my girls curled up asleep in my roommate's bed.  I smiled because no matter how rough and tough life gets, I am truly blessed with fur babies who love me.

Vanilla and Spud fan girl over The Hunger Games

I finally got to spend the majority of a weekend home with my beautiful fur babies! I couldn't be happier with the gift of their presence.  Friday after work, I made myself dinner, grabbed a beer, and cuddled up in bed with Nilla and Daisy to watch The Hunger Games.  Whenever I walk into the apartment, Daisy jumps up on her back legs, begging for attention.  It always puts a smile on my face to see her so excited, just because I'm home.  It's a truly beautiful quality that dogs possess.  With Daisy though, it seems that as soon as you acknowledge her, she no longer wants the attention.  She wants to move on and jump to the next thing...must be a puppy thing.  So what do I do?  I hold her real tight and make her love me.

Nilla on the other hand stays relaxed.  She is in it for the long haul.  Coming home Saturday, my routine was much the same.  I stopped to get dog food for the girls, and Panda for me (because Panda fixes everything and I also might have an addiction problem).  While the dog food bag was a bit of a distraction, I still won Nilla's attention.  She was all too ready to jump back in bed with me while I ate dinner and watched the next movie, Catching Fire.  Nilla never used to lay in bed with me if doors were open and there were other areas of the house to explore, but now she seems glued to my side more than ever.  I even caught her yawning this week!

Sunday was another one of those days were you just can't figure out where the day went until it's already gone.  While I spent most of the morning around the apartment, I did have to make the dreaded drive to Peoria to meet with my social media group.  Getting back into town later that night, I decided I might as well finish what I started Friday.  I stopped at Redbox and picked up The Mockingjay.  Nilla and Daisy were also excited to finish the marathon, so it was a winning situation for all of us.  Whether it's watching movies, cleaning, cooking, or just doing homework, it's always better with my girls at my side.  I love seeing them curled up together next to me...as content as I am.

Vanilla and Spud cuddle up

As I eluded to earlier, Halloween was a big deal for us!  We took our boys trick-or-treating on Thursday in Uptown Normal's business district.  It was kind of chilly and slightly rainy, but it was totally worth it for the smiles on the boys' faces every time they got more candy.  On Friday, after work I came home and spent some quality time with my two favorite girls.  My mom gave me a blanket last week (I'm obsessed with blankets, elephants, and black/grey/yellow color schemes).  Needless to say this blanket was perfect.  Daisy was quick to call dibs on the new territory.  Isn't she just angelic?


Saturday after work, I made puppy chow which is a mess and a half to clean up.  I think the dogs took it a little to literal and decided that they needed a taste too when some hit the kitchen floor.  That night I had a party to go to at my friends' house.  I went as a honey bee and to be honest, Daisy still hates it.  She tried to attack me so many times while I was putting the finishing touches on the costume and my makeup...I guess its a good thing I love her.  When I got home later that night, it was Nilla's turn to claim our new blanket.  I have so many to choose from and it cracks me up that they both love this one so very much.

After a long week of work, school, and everything Halloween, Sunday I just wanted to curl up in bed to finish up some homework for the week.  Of course Daisy was all up in my business on the computer.  It's funny how she thinks she's helping because she can see the screen too.  Oh well, maybe now she will have some retailing knowledge for my future shopping needs.  I just couldn't wait to fall asleep that night!

Vanilla and Spud get spooked

Hot topic of the week: Halloween preparations!  If you didn't already know, I am, if nothing else, a holiday fanatic!  Our apartment has random decorations (okay, I won't lie, most of those decorations are dog toys) and I'm getting ready to start baking holiday treats.  My costume was delivered yesterday and I just couldn't wait to try it on.  Only problem: my dogs absolutely hated it.  I don't think they really knew who I was when I had it on.  Being that Nilla is calm and relaxed, my reaction from her was pretty much just along the lines of "what is wrong with you?". Daisy on the other hand even went as far as continuously barking at me the entire time I had the costume on.  I'm not even that scary: just a lil 'ol honey bee.



Needless to say, it will continue to be a busy week at home for me and the girls.  I'm not looking forward to random visitors to my apartment because I know the dogs definitely won't like it.  But it is all worth it for such a fun time of year. 

As much as I'd love to dress my dogs up for Halloween, I know that it wouldn't go over well.  Nilla would absolutely hate it and I know she'd chew her way out of any costumer that I attempt to put her in.  Little Daisy doesn't even need a costume though since she already looks like baby Chewbaca, haha.  She had a dinosaur costume bought for her a couple months ago, but she already outgrew it.

Vanilla and Spud adjust to changes

Well, the morale of this week's story is that life is unexpected.  Everything changed in the matter of days.  Lucas and I are no longer together, and that is the basis for all of my puppy updates this week.  The girls are not happy at home; they can sense that things have changed.  Different rooms are slept in, random people are at the apartment, and we have both been gone a lot.  Don't get me wrong, the dogs will never be neglected, I love them too much for that.  However, things are different now.

One thing that I have always found amazing about my Nilla is that she has always been by my side.  There has been a lot of fighting going on at home, and every time something new starts up, Nilla is right there between us.  Any time that there is anything tense going on, Nilla stands next to me, never leaving my side.  It's small things like this about dogs in general that always inspires me.  I absolutely love it.

As I've been extremely distracted and also absent a lot of this week, I don't have very many picture updates of my pooches.  I will share this rather funny one of Daisy.  She got new toys one day this week and managed to get her head stuck in the ring of one.  Every time I see it, I chuckle.

Vanilla and Spud break for Fall

As Fall Break began, so did the plague.  I spent the entire weekend sick and sleepy.  Though I made it to and through my work days, coming home to my girls really got me through.  I had all of these plans to be productive over Fall Break, to do so many things.  But unfortunately, life doesn't always work out the way we plan.  Daisy always has the biggest smile on her face and is right there wagging her tail for approval.  I love this little face and that big ol tongue.



I'm sure I've mentioned before that Nilla is my best friend in the world.  The good thing about best friends is that they are always there when you need them most.  They're there when you're celebrating, but most important, when you need a pick-me-up, they are right there at your side.  This is exactly how Nilla is for me.  She recognizes when I'm sad or lonely or most recently, sick.  I spent the majority of my days and nights in the recliner to help my breathing.  Nilla always laid right beside me, but eventually she just wanted to be closer and jumped right up on my lap!




Though I'm starting to feel better, (thank you Tylenol severe cold and flu) I now have to get right back into the swing of school, homework, and assignments.  We are dangerously close to the two month mark till graduation and we all couldn't be more excite! 

OH! Yay for finishing my Hootsuite Certification yesterday!

Vanilla and Spud find comfort in each other

This week has been slightly more hectic than desirable in our household.  The end of last week started a period of time which has been packed with school work.  Between studying, projects, deadlines, readings, and assignments, I'm not quite sure how I found any down time.  It's weeks like these that I am so thankful that the girls have each other.  Nilla looks out for little Daisy like there is no other, more important part to her existence.  They eat, drink, play, fight, and most of all sleep together every single day.  The girls also spent a night away from me and Lucas over the weekend.  We went over to Peoria for the night to hang out with friends.  Nilla and Daisy spent the night at Patricia's house with two other dogs.  The four of them ended up getting along really well and spent all of their time together playing.  It feels good to know that they can survive without us for a night or two here or there.

Let's be honest though, I never want to be too far from my baby girls for two long.  I was really sick at the beginning of this week and had multiple exams to study for.  I needed to be more productive than I was, but there's only so much your body can handle when you're sick.  When I would fall asleep studying or working on homework, I'd always wake up with these two by my side.  They are the best at making me feel better and I love every minute with them.  One day I woke up earlier this week and found the two of them curled up in bed.  I took my favorite picture of them so far that morning.  The negative space between them makes the cutest little heart and I was reminded of the blessing we all have in each other because of the love we share.

Vanilla and Spud relax with mom.

I won't lie to you; I'll tell you right off the bat that not a whole lot has happened this week with my two favorite pooches.  School work settled down a little bit this past week so we were able to spend more time together.  I worked an extra shift this weekend, but when I got home each day, I got to lay on the couch and cuddle with my little ones.  I got some really good pictures of them this week.  My favorite is this one of Nilla on my stomach looking at me like I'm the most important thing in the world.  Okay maybe she's not actually thinking this, but a girl can dream. haha. 
One of my favorite
things about getting up in the morning is that I am always, without a doubt, the first one awake (dog or human).  This means that (1) nobody gets to see me sleeping and (2) I get to see everyone else asleep.  Little miss Daisy is perhaps the best to snap pictures of because she tends to put herself in beds that are too big for her. I always think this is funny.  She is just so peaceful when she's asleep.  It's nice to have an angelic puppy in the mornings when I'm used to the energetic little fur ball I usually deal with.


Just because I can't resist, here is another one.  My babies have a motto of "sun's out, tongues out". I guess. Happy fall weather to y'all!

Vanilla and Spud like waffles

This past week was really good for me after all of the stress in the previous weeks.  I finally was caught up on a lot of my school work, and had a decent amount of down time at home with the family.  I got some much needed couch time with my Nilla bear!  She loves to be right up in my business and on this day, decided that laying on my head was the best way to go.   I love that *not so* little dog.

We even caught a couple of movies with friends.  The Visit was first and I absolutely loved it....kind of strange, definitely freaky, and unexpectedly humorous.  We also went to see The Scorch Trials; I have to admit, there was something about this movie that really disappointed me.  I loved The Maze Runner and this movie was nothing like the first, there was a lot of action though! 

As for the dogs, They got to hang out with dad while I was at work on Saturday.  One of my favorite things about Lucas is that he always keeps me updated on life at home while I'm gone.  I love that he helps me stay connected with not only him, but our fur babies too! 

Sunday morning, since I had my first day with no school or work since before school started, we made breakfast together and just really enjoyed each others' company.  Needless to say, our feast was way too big and the girls got their own share of waffles.  Daisy also decided it was okay to drink out of my cup of apple juice when I walked away.  I wasn't exactly happy at this addition to Sunday breakfast.

 

 

As for the beginning of this week, I came home with some serious studying that needed to be done on Monday.  My little Daisy duke decided that she needed to have some attachment issues, so she ended up curled up between my legs for hours while I studied, did some homework, and most importantly, looked at engagement rings (hey, Lucas told me to show him what I liked, so it's okay).  As this week goes on, the most important thing I remember is that it is one more week gone before graduation! [It was exciting this week for it to be exactly three months away!!]

Vanilla and Spud love birthdays

This past weekend was full of excitement in our home.  Why? Because Lucas turned 22 on Sunday!  Confession: I absolutely HATE cleaning.  But what I hate even more than cleaning is going out to bars and spending a small fortune just to drink.  So Friday night we had some friends over to celebrate Lucas's birthday instead of going out to our favorite bar. 


Needless to say, I spent all of Friday afternoon deep-cleaning the apartment.  New fun fact: Daisy likes to chase and bark at the vacuum....good for her I guess.  Haha.  With people coming over, I was worried about drunk people stepping on my little puppy (I've never had this worry before since she's my first small dog).  However, Daisy made it through the night without getting hurt, just plenty of love and a few threats of her being dog-napped.



 


Saturday was my day to do homework and relax with Lucas after work.  But Sunday was the big day.  I had all ten of his gifts wrapped up on the TV waiting for when I got off of work.  What Lucas didn't know was that he was having a surprise party later that night.  Him and I would go to dinner, but all of his friends and family would be there waiting for us.  He was definitely surprised!! I know that by the time I came home Sunday, I was ready to curl up into bed.  And so were the dogs.  They were both worn out from all of the excitement of cleaning, having a party, Lucas opening gifts, and us being gone most of Sunday evening. But at least they weren't too tired to be cute!

Vanilla and Spud hate school

Being the busy person I am, adding school to the mix has not been fun for my little girls.  Though they are used to me being gone, they are not used to fighting for my attention when I am home.  Now that school has started however, I have an endless amount of homework to be done, social media sites to check, and of course, reading to do. 

Nilla has gone through this many times with me and school and is definitely more accepting of the situation.  Daisy on the other hand, absolutely hates it.  I wake up very early every morning.  After my shower, I go back to the bedroom where I get groans not only from Lucas, but also from the girls.  They all hate the bright light when it's too early for them.  I thought it was just too cute to see Daisy bury her head inside of the dog bed next to Nilla's butt.  Daisy's hate for my school life has gotten so bad to the point of me giving up on sociology readings a couple of nights until the next morning.  While sitting in the living room or kitchen working on homework or studying, the girls follow me and sit either in my lap or by my feet.  Once all I have left is reading, I tend to move to the bed where I can be more comfortable.  At first, this is a reason to be excited if you're a four legged human in my apartment.  But Daisy quickly realized that it isn't that easy to get time with her mom. 

I open my sociology book, and her furry little paws quickly find their way onto my open page.  She shows me that cute little "I need you face" (extreme under-bite included which makes it even harder to say no to).  When I nudge her off of my book, she whines and cries for my attention.  So I pick her up give her a few kisses and put her back down.  This is not good enough for my little potato of a dog; the entire process starts all over again.  I mean can you honestly say that you wouldn't have a hard time saying no to this cute little furry face?

While Daisy and Nilla can't help too much with my homework, they do always help me feel loved.  They literally follow me everywhere at all times during my day.  Lucas's birthday is this next Sunday and I spent a decent amount of time this afternoon wrapping his birthday gifts from the three of us.  Once again Daisy was relentless.  Nilla helped me out for a while by distracting her while they played, but once Nill got tired out, Daisy wanted to help the entire time I wrapped her dad's birthday gifts.  I sure do love my little helpers!

Vanilla and Spud "flip out"

As we're settling into another school year, Lucas and I have had a world of adjustments to make.  Though the summer didn't give me a lot of "at home" time, with school starting, I have even less.  This unfortunately means less relaxation, less time for housework and chores, less cuddles, and most importantly, less time with my three loves.  First, let me introduce myself.  I'm Elizabeth.  I work at Qik-n-EZ in Normal, Il full time as a manager.  I live in Bloomington.  I work a campus job and am starting my final semester in my undergrad at Bradley University.  The three most important people in my life are Lucas, Nilla, and Daisy. 

<< That's us! Our happy family.  Lucas is my rock and my strength and will get me through this semester just like he has the ones before this.  He's also my partner in crime and can turn any situation brighter for me.  Nilla has been my best friend (cliché I know, but honestly it's true).  She's been by my side for almost eight years now and was lucky enough to get a new baby sister this summer.  Our little Daisy Duke walked (okay, it was more of a waddle) into our lives in June; thankfully she fits in perfectly.  The two of them grow closer each day.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am unbelievably proud of my family and would do anything for them.  That's why I've started this blog: so that I can show them off and brag about my wittle puppies.  I promise to include new pictures in each and every weekly update so that you can not only read, but also watch them grow.  (Sidenote: they do some funny, crazy stuff sometimes, so buckle up for the ride). 


WEEK ONE SPOTLIGHT: Daisy and Nilla have a play pen in our spare bedroom.  They get locked up together to keep each other company while we are gone (that's code for Daisy is teething and I don't trust her one bit since she's already ruined so many pairs of my shoes).  When Lucas came home on Tuesday at lunchtime to pick up something, he found them waiting at the door. Some how, they flipped the pen and "threw" it against the wall.  I'm disappointed that I don't know how this happened, but proud at the same time because nothing was destroyed during the making of Daisy's "I'M FREEEE" home video.