American Idol: The Pressure Cooker Night

Last week’s cheesy themed auditions for the ’50′s is finally over and 42 contestants remain, as they got one final shot to sing their own song of choice for the judges, hopefully they chose their song wisely.  Now, each contestant gets to walk down the plank or “The Green Mile” to find out their fate, if they stay or if they get sent home.  There will only be 24 left standing after tonight’s reviews, then America gets to vote on their fate.  Last night, 14 contestants made it through to the next round, 8 girls and 6 guys.  In the end, there will be 12 girls picked and 12 guys who will make up the TOP 24 contestants on American Idol.  This was their toughest part of their journey, as for some, it will be their start to stardom and to show America how they can shine as a singer & performer, and for the others who did not make it, their journey to be a star might have ended…but there is always next year! 

One contestant in particular, we are glad was sent home last night – Richie Law.  Richie is the obnoxious cowboy who stated in a prior show “I did not come here to recycle music, I came here to make music“, and all that he did was state that “he was the NEXT American Idol”, was rude to everyone, did not follow directions well, annoyed everyone, bad mouthed everyone, and in one clip we noticed that he punched a girl in the face on the bus ride to Las Vegas.  Even if Richie would have made it to the Top 24, America would have surely voted him off without a doubt.  (Sorry Richie!) 

Anyhow, listed below are the top 14 who made it so far:

 

 

 

• Jen Hirsh, the girl next door
• Haley Johnsen, pop star in the making
• Elise Testone, no frills rocker chick
• Erika Van Pelt, cool DJ
• Bailey Brown, second time is the charm for this country singer
• Chelsea Sorrell, another country singer (has Idol gone country?)
• Jessica Sanchez, a young diva
• Brielle Von Hugel, bossy brat (gets that from her Mom)

 

• Creighton Fraker, eccentric musician
• Joshua Ledet, the soul singer with a great voice
• Reed Grimm, a showbiz natural
• Heejun Han, this guy can really sing
• Phillip Phillips, in it to win it
• Colton Dixon, destined to win

Last night ended with a cliffhanger, as they left us wondering what was the outcome for Adam Brock.  Adam has been one of our favorites this season and we would be sad if he was sent home at this point.  We are keeping our fingers crossed to find out tonight on what his fate will be and hopefully he will be saved to become one of the Top 24.  The one thing that we saw a clip on last night, was someone jumping into the water from the stage.  Did anyone see that?  Maybe tonight we will see who jumps in.  We also have high hopes that Eben Franckewitz and David Leathers also make it to the Top 24 as well.  We’ll find out the outcome of the remaining contestants tonight, so stay tuned!

Nikita out!

 

What If We Didn’t Have A Dog? What Would Life Be Like?

Did you ever wonder “what if I didn’t have a dog?”, what would life be like?  Well, until two years ago, we didn’t have a dog, but now we do.  But, what if we didn’t…

• There would be no “baby gates” all over the house to crawl over or other make-shift barriers
• We would have leg room in the bed
• We could walk in the yard without any shoes without any worries of stepping in “something”
• Our furniture would be “hair free”
• No nose smudgies would be on the windows
• There would be no fur tumbleweeds on the wood floors
• The most used words in our vocabulary would not be: No, Stay, Down, Off, Leave it
• We would not use baby talk in our everyday lives
• Our house would not look like a daycare center with dog toys all over
• Our pockets would not contain treats and poop bags
• We would not have to spell out words like: t-r-e-a-t-s, b-y-e b-y-e, p-e-t-s-m-a-r-t, v-e-t-s
• There would be no muddy paw prints on the wood floor and we would look forward to when it rains outside

Life changed without a doubt when we got a dog, well in our case, adopted our wonderful dog from the Cleveland APL, a life that we would not give up for anything in this whole world.   We still laugh when we think back to that day when we went to PetSmart to pick up kitty food and came home with a puppy.  That day changed our lives so much, but we are so thankful for the wonderful dog that we have today, who brings us so much love into our lives.  For those of you who do not have a dog, you can’t even imagine how wonderful it is to have one.  Sure, they are a lot of work when they are a puppy, but trust us, it gets easier.  We remember that in any given day, the hundreds of trips we took outside for pee breaks as a little pup can only “hold it” for as long as how many months old they are.  (IE: If they are two months old, they can only hold it for about 2 hours, and so on)  The best thing we did is repetition, like always going out the same door all the time so the puppy can relate to this, and if you don’t want your puppy on any furniture, then don’t pick them up and put them on any.  Once you do, they will think that being on the furniture is ok. 

So, what is life like now, with a dog?  It is the most rewarding experience we have ever had.  Just imagine coming home from work only to be greeted by a wiggly butt and lots of doggie kisses!  Sounds nice, eh?  It sure is!  We can’t even imagine not having a dog sleep with us every night, as it is the most soothing feeling in the world when you see their calm sleepy look on their face as they crawl up next to you for huggies before they retire at the foot of the bed, or when you wake up in the middle of the night only to laugh at what you see as they are sleeping on their back with their legs straight up in the air.  You just laugh, and fall back to sleep with a smile on your face. 

We are so happy to have adopted our Nikita from the Cleveland APL, as that is where she got her start in life and all the help she needed.  Without the APL, these wonderful dogs would not get the chance at a good life, a life filled with love, their second chance to find happiness.  So, the things that we deal with on a daily basis like having no leg room in our bed, crawling over baby gates, wearing shoes in the backyard, cleaning nose smudgies off the windows, vacuuming up dog hair off the furniture and floors, wiping muddy paws, spelling key words, finding treats in our pockets, and baby talking to our dog – - ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE WORTH HAVING A DOG  that we would never complain about because it is all worth it. 

Brushing The Pearly Whites

Today I got to experience something new – I got my teeth brushed for the first time!  WOW, doggie toothpaste tastes good as it is chicken flavored!  My Mommy took me into the bathroom this morning and at first thought, I thought that I was going to get a b-a-t-h, but no water was running so I knew I was safe.  She put a little toothpaste on her finger so I could taste it – yummy is what I thought as I licked it all off – can I have some more?  So, I saw Mommy wet the toothbrush and put some of the toothpaste on the brush then lifted up my lip a little and started to brush my teeth.  I fussed a bit because this is all new to me.  Mommy told me that we will do this every morning so I will get used to it, then we’ll work our way up to brushing my back teeth.  All in all, it was a good experience for me today, and I now have a new word to learn – toothpaste!  I hope when I hear that word, I’ll go run to the bathroom and wait for Mommy!  Daddy picked me up the toothpaste last night and this kit has three different brushes in it, one large, one small, and one that slides over your finger (Mommy’s, not mine) and the toothpaste.  (Thanks Daddy!)  I can’t wait for tomorrow morning for more chicken flavored toothpaste!   NOTE:  We asked our vet for advice regarding toothpaste for dogs and they strongly suggest to NOT use human toothpaste for dogs as the ingredients can be harmful to dogs.

I amused myself the other day by playing with an empty paper towel roll.  I love these things because I can toss it up in the air, run down the hallway with it, but when I start ripping pieces off of it, it gets taken away from me so I don’t eat any.  (Rats)  It’s amazing that I have tons of toys already, and I can still find pure joy in the simple things like a paper towel roll to make me happy! Nom nom nom!

The FURminator

Spring must be close by because the bulbs are emerging from the ground through the snow and I am  losing hair like crazy!  I got FURminated today and this is the pile of what actually came off of me.  My Mommy brushes me a couple of times a week to keep me looking great, and she decided to use the FURminator today too to remove a lot of my loose hair and undercoat.   The FURminator is amazing to watch, as you start at the nap of the neck and work your way down to the butt.  About half way down the back, you will see the hair collecting on the FURminator brush.  Once you get to the rump, you just push the little button on the brush to pop off the collected hair, or you can just pull it off.  Words to the wise though, be ready for some static cling in doing so, as using the brush creates this and the hair sometimes sticks to your hands.  It’s all good though, as when you are done, you have one good looking groomed dog!

If you don’t have a FURminator, I strongly suggest you pick one up as they work wonders on hair removal.  Check out the FURminators on eBay first as they have better deals and are a lot cheaper than if you purchased one from a pet store. 

Have a great weekend!  Love, Nikita

A Day In The Life Of Nikita

Yesterday was VAL-entine’s Day and my Daddy surprised Mommy with huge chocolate strawberries that were delivered to her yesterday afternoon – WOW, what a surprise for Mommy!   Of course, I have to investigate every box that enters our house, so I did some major sniffing when this one arrived. 

Mommy opened up the box and went WOW!  She was surprised at how huge these strawberries were and of course, Mommy got a plate and had to try one immediately!  She phoned Daddy to thank him, but he was super busy and in a meeting, so she had to leave him a voicemail.  Mommy turned her back for only a few seconds, and I was up on the counter – sniffing away at the box and she snapped this photo of me, but grabbed the box away from me fast before I could get my tongue all over that corner strawberry!  Rats, but it was quick thinking on my Mommy’s behalf because chocolate is deadly to us dogs.  Phew, thanks Mommy!  Thanks again Daddy for the wonderful & delicious surprise! 

As for me, my day started off rough, as I threw up in the kitchen.  My tummy was not feeling well when I woke up, so I did not eat any breakfast, but I made a mess for Mommy to clean up.  (Sorry Mommy)  But, by 11:30, I was ready for breakfast and back to my normal self again!  I am not sure why certain toys of mine “make me crazy”, but my hedgehog turns me into one crazy dog.  I grab that thing in my mouth and shake it like a run over piece of road kill, I throw it up in the air, catch it, and run down the hallway with it while I snort away.  Silly me, eh?  Sometimes, I get so crazy with Hedgie, that Mommy has to take him away from me to settle me down. 

The snow doggie that Mommy and I made yesterday, has already started to melt, as we are watching it from the front window as piece by piece falls off – an ear, the tail is leaning now, and just a few moments ago, the head of our snow doggie fell right off.  Bummer!  That was our best snow sculpture ever and it got lots of “head turns” as people walked by and drove by yesterday and today.  That’s ok, if it snows again, we will have to make another one! 

American Idol is on tonight, so don’t forget to tune in at 8:00pm.  We felt let down last week, as we watched an hour of torture with the behind the scenes of the contestants forming groups, and one contestant who was a cop with a really bad attitude towards people in general and she could not find a group to join – I wonder why with that attitude?  Anyhow, it was way too much drama for us to watch, and when the hour was over, we looked at each other and said “that was it?”  We did not hear one group sing, and if we knew that was what we were going to watch for an hour, we could have hired someone to pull our fingernails out one by one, as it was torture!  They ended the show with a clip of “The Betty’s” walking up on stage to sing….and then the show ended.  Hopefully tonight we will be able to see some talent, and we would chuckle to our hearts content if we saw the group that the cop joined be sent home – I know that is harsh, but you don’t make it to Hollywood by threatening people “Sing Joy to the World, or else!”  

Group Night will be interesting none the less, as there is “always” someone in the group who THINKS they are better than the rest and their attitude will always ruin it.  They should sit back and listen, take everything into perspective, and just be happy that they actually made it to Hollywood in the first place.  We’ll see what happens in a few hours…. stay tuned!

Secondary Leaves Forming

And last, but not least, I wanted to give you an update on our pumpkins that we started in little pots, as they are over 14+ inches in height now!  WOW!   They are sprouting their secondary leaves right now and if you remember from our experience last year, our secondary pumpkin leaves got over 17″ in width.  We started our little “kins” early just to see how well they would grow indoors before we planted them outside, and we are glad to see that they will be a big hit in the garden this year!  Don’t you just love the little “fur” (as we call it) on the pumpkin stalks?

Happy VAL-entine’s Day!

Happy VAL-entine’s Day!  Yup, it’s here and I hope you have already told the ones you love how much you appreciate them, love them, and how glad that they are in your life.

The most important part of this holiday, is that it does not mean that you only tell the one you love that you “love them” on this day.  We all need to realize that every day is a gift and we should show our appreciation for our loved  ones throughout the year. 

For example, I would not be here today if my Daddy didn’t need kitty food.  I know that sounds strange, but if it weren’t for my Daddy needing to pick up kitty food at PetSmart, I would have never been adopted into a loving home.  I went home with him & my new Mommy that day, and have been the luckiest doggie ever since. 

I want to thank my Daddy for providing me a wonderful home, good food to eat, all the toys I can imagine, and a treat jar that never seems to be empty.  I am also thankful for having a place where I can snuggle every night (which is right in between both Daddy & Mommy).  I am also thankful for my Mommy who takes care of me, wipes my feet when I come in from outside, cleans up after me, brushes me to keep my fur looking awesome & fluffy, and gives me all the hugs & kissies throughout the day.  Without my Daddy & Mommy, I am not sure what kind of life I would have, but I am one thankful doggie with lots of love to give.

My Mommy wants to thank Daddy for loving her, and being a wonderful provider, having a beautiful place to live where she can call home, and she wants to thank Daddy for Me, as I bring Mommy so much joy and keep her company during the day.  Mommy has a lot to be thankful for too and she hopes that Daddy knows how much she loves him (and me too). 

I played again today in all the snow we got and Mommy and I built another Snow Doggie!  This one is a lot bigger than the first one we built and it is sitting on top of our highest snow mound in the front yard so everyone driving by can see it.  Mommy even put my first leash I had around the snow doggies neck along with a pink heart for Valentine’s Day.  We have already seen some gawkers looking at our snow doggie as they drive by.  (By the way, did you notice the “LOVE” sign on our front door?  Mommy made this out of wood over the summer for Daddy) 

All in all, today has been a great day!  We sent Daddy off to work with a bag of Valentine treats (heart-shaped cookies that Mommy & I made for him), and some handmade Valentine cards, and even some chocolate candy that we made for him, all of which was placed inside a handmade “mailbox” made out of cardstock paper.  Daddy loved everything…phew!  We just wanted him to know how much he is loved. 

I wish all of my blog friends, my family, and everyone who stops by a very happy Valentine’s Day from one thankful dog.  You are all very special to me! 

With lots of love, wet kisses, tail wags & hugs,
Nikita

When it Snows, It’s Play Time

We had a really nice snow storm blow in here starting on Friday evening through Saturday, and that means “Time to Play” for me!  I don’t have to say much about what I was doing this weekend, as the photographs say it all! 

 

 

Scotch “Off the Roll” Tape Sculpture Contest

I just ran into something really unique & had to share it with all of you!  Scotch is having a contest in which you create items out of their shipping tape and enter them into their contest.  Entry Deadline:  March 24, 2012  Check out their website for more details & see some of last year’s winners:  http://www.offtherollcontest.com/tipsandtechniques.html

Get your creativity going and enter, what do you have to lose?  The prizes are amazing – Grand prize $5,000, First prize $1,000 and Second prize $500

After seeing this, it gives me some good ideas for Halloween props!

Save The Drama for Your Momma

There may be ”No Crying in Baseball”, but there will be lots of drama tonight on American Idol, as the initial auditions are over and the eliminations begin!  There will be lots of boo-hooing, lots of tears, and probably lots of bad notes flying around the stage like nails on a chalkboard, but one thing for sure, it will be exciting!  I got my official American Idol email this morning and noticed that there is about 300+ contestants going to Hollywood to see if they’ve got what it takes to stay in Hollywood.  Of course, up to now, we have only seen just a handful of auditions that aired on TV, so seeing the entire group tonight will be interesting.  We already have a few favorites of our own from what we saw, so we’ll see if they make the cut or not. 

Here is a list of some of our favorites so far: (In no particular order)
* Phillip Phillips – Sang Superstition by Stevie Wonder
* Hallie Day – Sang I Will Survive
* Ashley Robles – Sang I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
* Kyle Crews – 19 Year old College Student sang Angel of Mine by Monica
* Jason “Wolf” Hamlin – Sang Midnight Special by CCR
* Ethan Jones – Sang I’ll Be by Edwin McCain
* Lauren Gray – Sang One and Only by Adel
* Eben Frankowicz – Sang Ain’t No Sunshine
* John Keyser – Sang Changes Gonna Come

I hope you are going to tune in tonight to watch American Idol as the fun is just beginning as hundreds of Hollywood Hopefuls will take the stage to see if they got what it takes to move on to the next level.  I know one thing for sure is, that even if I sounded good singing in the shower, no way in the world would I audition.  I know better.  I’ll just keep my songs in my heart.

With love always – Your Puppy Idol Reviewer,
Nikita

Don’t Lose Your Head

Cement Skull

We think about Halloween all the time, and there’s only 266 days left until it’s here!  We are always looking for new & unique items to bring to you to enhance your Halloween decorating and enlarge your prop collection. 

 

We are proud to announce our new CEMENT SKULLS for Halloween that you can use in your own “Home Haunt” or hang on your wall in your home.  No matter where you decide to place it, it will definitely be a conversation piece!  Skull weighs in at a little over 3 pounds 11 ounces and is approximately 7 1/2″ x 5″ x 2 1/2″.   Each skull that is made will be slightly different from the photo shown due to how the cement dries.  When you place your order for your skull, we will start your mold for you and it will take a few days for the skull to completely dry before we can ship it to you.  Any questions, let us know!  We are here to enhance your scare factor for Halloween!  Keep checking back on our website for additional cement items, as we will be adding more items!  www.themesnthings.com

 

And for an example, you can even add “eyes” to your stone skull for a more eerie look!