My River Rover

Millie and I decided to take advantage of this picture perfect weather and head down to the river for a little quality relaxation time before the cold temperatures arrive. And boy did we have a great time just lounging in the breeze. Millie even saw her first duck!

Big smiles. Do we look alike?

Loving the nice breeze!

C'mon Mom, let me at him!

Millie and a Makeover

Miss Millie had a day at the spa, that lucky dog! She goes to Dogma Grooming, and we are always pleased with the results. Shedding all that extra fur is always a relief for Millie. She can finally see again! Here are the before and after photos of Millie's makeover. She's beautiful!

BEFORE:

Cheese!

AFTER:

Millie posing for her glamour shot.

BEFORE:

"Um... Mom, I can't see."

AFTER:

She knows she's gorgeous.

A Dog Inspired Home

I love shopping. I love dogs. And I know you all like at least one of these two, so you will probably enjoy these great home decor finds too! What's more fun than cozying up at home with your snuggle pup while being surrounded by these pretty dog inspired goodies?

French-inspired dog plates from Anthropologie

Bowl, knobs, and figurine from Anthropologie 

Tea towel and poodle bookends from Anthroplogie

Tea light votive and hooks from Graham and Green 

Lamps from Graham and Green

Box, lamp, and figurine from Jonathan Adler

Bookends and salt and pepper shakers from Jonathan Adler

Appetizer plates from West Elm 

Dachsund platter from Naked Decor and lamp from Howkapow

The Importance of Dental Hygiene

Millie does NOT enjoy having her teeth brushed. So I tricked her into brushing her own teeth. Me 1, Millie 1. We both win.

Earthquakes and Hurricanes, Oh My!

"Seriously, Mom.
You're acting a little clingy."

Hello, hello, hello. Is this thing on? It's been a while. I know. Life in Banjo and Millie world has been a little unusual lately. I quit my job. I know, I've been told in the past that I shouldn't quit my day job, but that's exactly what I did. You would think that it would open up lots of free time to focus on blogging, but in reality I've found myself a little lost with what to do next. So please forgive my blogging irregularity as I figure out my next move. And though I haven't been blogging, Banjo and Millie and I have been up to lots of good / interesting stuff that we can't wait to share with you all!

Millie the morning of the earthquake.
It makes me wonder if she knew what was coming...

For starters, Banjo and Millie and I just experienced our very first earthquake! I'm sure you all are very familiar with the one that occurred last week in Virginia. Well, that earthquake's epicenter was about 40 miles from our house, so we definitely felt the Earth move. Banjo was at work, but Millie and I were laying on the couch watching television (Jobless, remember. Don't judge.) when all of the sudden the house began to shake and things began to crash all around us. As it turns out, I'm not the one you want in case of emergencies, because I totally freaked out, grabbed Millie and crouched down in a door way. She looked at me as if I'd lost my mind, but to be fair, I have no idea what you're supposed to do in case of an earthquake. I'm a life-long East coaster! So Millie handled it beautifully. Me, not so much.

A house down the street from us.

Then, I'm sure you are all aware of Hurricane Irene as well. Well, yep, she came right at us just a few days after the quake and ripped down trees and power lines all over Virginia. So we are now on Day 5 with no power. I have a few choice words for Irene, but I will refrain. So for the second natural disaster of the week, Millie once again kept her cool, and I totally panicked as wind and rain pelted the house and trees began crashing all around. Banjo was a little worked up thanks to my storm anxiety, but all in all, he remained much better composed than I. We were lucky - a tree fell in our yard and only took out our fence - but a lot of Richmonders were not nearly as lucky. Neighbors all around us lost their cars and several houses were made into duplexes thanks to the beautiful old trees in our neighborhood. It's a sight. Hopefully we've had our share of natural disasters for now. Fingers crossed!

Navigating our neighborhood was nearly
impossible for a few days before trees were
cleared from the road.

Another impassable road.

Wordless Wednesday: Millie's Ice Cream Cone

I always knew Millie was smart. Amidst a sea of toys to choose from, she singles out the ice cream cone in today's heat. Hope you're staying cool today!

Thank you, Samantha.

Back in February, I introduced you all to Kelso, the Shih Tzu that started it all. She was my first Shih Tzu, with us for 18 years (!), watching me grow up. When Kelso was six (and I was 14), she had a litter of puppies – four sweet baby Shih Tzu’s, two of which we would keep: Spike and Samantha. Spike is still with us (he is 15 now), and lives with my parents, but four years ago tomorrow, we lost our sweet Sammy girl to congestive heart failure.

In honor of Sammy’s life, I’d like to share with you all just a little bit about this sweet girl who has meant so much to me.

Samantha was the gentlest, kindest dog we’d ever had. She was a friend to absolutely everybody she met, hopping up in a lap whenever the opportunity presented itself. But don’t be fooled – Sammy had a mischievous side too. You may have heard me call Millie the Stealth Bomber. This originated as Sammy’s alter ego. In her 11 years, she never saw the value of pottying outside when a perfectly good carpet inside would do the trick.

Sammy chasing her brother down!

Her best friend was her brother Spike, and she taunted him mercilessly, as siblings do. She didn’t care much about toys, but Spike did, so she would steal them from him just because it would irritate him. And if he had a toy that she wanted to steal from him, she used the tried and true “bite him in the ass until he drops it” maneuver. Poor Spike.

Bad hair day.

Samantha wasn’t graceful or beautiful (if you’d ask the AKC, that is). She was always disheveled like she’d been out all night on a binger.  She had various health problems (seizures, a heart murmur, a slipped disc and the resulting paralysis that the wonderful vets at Virginia Tech miraculously fixed). But she was, of course, a beautiful, perfect girl in our eyes.

When she wasn’t even a year old, Sammy had puppies (Word to the wise, spay your pets at 6 months. We thought she was too young to get pregnant – boy were we wrong). My parents were out of town when she went into labor, so my 16-year-old older sister and I helped to deliver the puppies. I can still remember sitting on the laundry room tile when Sammy jumped into my lap, let out a huge yelp, and out came a pup. Right in my lap. It was gross and amazing all at once.

I considered her my guardian angel. She was with me at a time in my life where I needed a friend, and she never failed. (Show me one dog that would. I’m betting you can’t.) I am forever grateful to her.

Four years later, I still think about Sammy often. I suspect I always will. The joy and laughter she brought into our lives is immeasurable. Thank you, Samantha.

Love always,

Layne, Kelley, Mom & Dad

My freshman year of college at orientation, we were supposed to bring a photo to share with our new classmates.
This is the one I brought.

A classic Sam-Spike face-off.

Sammy with my sister (L) and me (R).

Sammy with my Mom & Dad.

My beautiful girl.

After Sammy passed, my Mom made a keepsake box for me that I keep right on my desk. That's her collar on the front.

My guardian angel.

Cool Off with Banjo in the Snow!

In cleaning up my computer the other day, I stumbled across this old video. It's supposed to be near 100 degrees for the next 4 days... I hope you're staying cool today like Beag-ie Smalls!



Flashback: Banjo in the Snow from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.

Mildred Charged with Vandalism

Busted on Millie Cam.

Banjo and Millie are Pinterested

You've probably heard of Pinterest already, but in case you haven't (I've been a late adopter on this one), let me introduce you. Pinterest is the digital equivalent the cork boards of yore that we used to adorn with all the cool things we used to pull out of fashion magazines, cookbooks, etc. You can save absolutely anything you want to your Pinterest from the entire world wide web. It's really cool. Of course, I have a Pin Board that is dedicated to dog items (whether they are for the dogs, or for humans). You can check out all my fun doggie finds from around the web here. 


There. Now you can join in my obsession. Good luck getting anything done now! <evil laugh> Enjoy!