a peek inside the fishbowl

I’ve pretty much lost track of our advent activities. I’ve been too busy to write about them all here. Sometimes we’ve done TWO things in one day too. Christmas parties! Holiday programming! Christmas cards! So much for having 12 of advent activities neatly documented here on the blog eh?

Two recent ones have been dog related.

Last week we tried something scary and completely new. We let Piper off the leash for the first time. This is a big deal, because she’s got a one-track mind as it pertains to other dogs. If there’s another dog on the scene she’ll do pretty much anything to give it a sniff, ignoring us in the process. We are all terrified that she’ll see a dog/squirrel/raccoon down the road and never come back, or get hit by a car if she’s crossing the road to get closer to one.

A friend gave me some great advice pertaining to an off-leash practice run. She recommended I carry hot dogs in my pocket. We happened to have two in the fridge so I shoved them in my coat pocket and the four of us (plus Piper) went to the park.

I had a great idea. The boards for the neighbourhood skating rink were set up some time ago, thus creating an area that was 99% enclosed. I decided this would be a great place for Piper’s test run. And run she did. Man. There was joy in her heart as she criss-crossed the field, again and again, ears flapping behind her. The girls chased her and she ran as fast as her furry legs could carry her. It was pure doggy happiness.

The hot dogs were the perfect lure. Piper, who is as smart as she is stubborn, immediately figured out that a tasty morsel was the reward for coming when she was called. And it worked every time.

We ran around with her until it got too dark to see. And then we went home, chilled to the bone and my hands and pockets reeking of hot dogs. :)

The second dog-related activity is happening today…. a doggy birthday party. (!) Piper is two years old today. It’s hard to believe. Some of you might remember what she looked like when we brought her home:

… and today she’s having friends over to celebrate (doggy and otherwise). But I’ll tell you more about that later.

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This post is part of my 25 days of Christmas advent activities (although I’m actually doing only 12 this year). You can read more about the countdown calendar idea here.

Normally Ottawa would be under a thick layer of snow right now, but it’s sunny and a balmy 3 degrees. This is now we managed to scavenge pine cones on the way home from school last week. Sarah and I used them to make a special Christmas centrepiece. You can get the whole DIY over at the Canadian Family Magazine website.

This is a craft that will make your home PINE FRESH beyond comprehension.

Here’s a sneak peek at our snowy pine cones:

I tell ya, it feels good to get the paint brushes out again.

Last night I made a photo calendar. It’s been a couple years since I made one, but I received a coupon from Elephoto.ca and I thought it’d be good to get back into the habit. Personalized gifts like this are really special, especially for the kind of people who have everything. Like, ahem, my inlaws. ;)

TWO Christmasses ago we made one for them, and last year we didn’t. You know what happened? They kept that OLD calendar on the wall anyway (folded over with a new calendar poking out underneath), that’s how much they liked it.

And so, when the Elephoto offer came along I thought I’d give it a shot.

The calendar was simple to make. You upload your photos (you can connect with your Flickr or Facebook account too), pick your theme, place them in the right slots, and click to buy. Simple stuff! While I was in there I ordered a bunch of photo postcards too. Just for the heck of it. It took me about an hour to pull it all together (although it would have taken a lot longer if I hadn’t chosen the photos already).

My order is supposed to arrive within the next week, so I haven’t seen it yet and can’t comment on the quality of the print. Once it’s delivered I’ll write up a wee review (and maybe there’ll be a giveaway component, we’ll see) … but in case you’re the kind of person who likes to make photo calendars and photo books too, use FISHBOWL15 as a coupon code for a 15% discount. It’s good until January 31, 2012.