So, get out your recipes and share your thoughts on how you make the BEST SALSA recipe!  

We’re anxiously watching the growth of our tomatos, onions, cilantro, and jalapeno plants, and we’re gearing up for Salsa Season!   Once we get your recipe, we will try out each and every one and let you know which one is our favorite! 

Heading to the store right now to stock up on chips!

As we were walking into the APL from the parking lot, a lady stopped us and asked us if we were surrendering our dog.  Surrendering our dog?  What?  Hell no, we would never surrender Nikita!  She must have thought that we were bringing her in to give her away, but that was definitely NOT the case, we told her that we were here for the Pledge For Pets Radiothon.  WOW, we were just shocked when we heard that as that was something that we were not prepared to hear from someone. 

We walked into the room where the Radiothon was going on and you could just feel the excitement in the room.  We immediately saw so many familiar faces and our favorite APL person was there to greet us, Judy Hunter.  But, what Judy didn’t know at the time, that we had a huge surprise for her.  We made her a lighted glass block with Nikita’s photo in it so she could put it in her office and think of Nikita every time she looked at it, but we had to wait until she had a free moment to come over so we could present her with it.  Well, we finally had our moment and we got Judy to come over to see us, and Nikita as always, greeted her with tail wags and kisses.  We think that Judy was truly surprised by her gift, as we plugged it in so she could see how it looked when lit.  This will be a present that she will never forget!  (for those of you that work at the APL – make sure you stop by Judy’s office to check it out!) 

We made our way around the room so Nikita could meet everyone, including all of the wonderful “phone bankers” who were talking the incoming calls for donations.  Every person Nikita met, she greeted them with doggie kissies and she was truly on her best behavior today.   Even a few phone bankers even took photographs of Nikita with their cell phones!  (Aw, how cute is that?) 

Then, we strolled up to the front of the room to greet all of the awesome Q104 Radio personalities, Allan Fee, Glenn Anderson, and Katherine Boyd.  We can’t say enough about these guys from Q104 as their dedication and pure love for animals shines through them.  Each and every one of them was sincere, caring, and they truly made you feel like you were the only one in the room, and it gave you that warm fuzzy feeling in your heart.  THANK YOU for taking the time to talk with us, and pose for pictures with us, as we will always treasure our time with you.  (We will definitely see you next year!)  But wait…you will not believe what happened next!  Roy had told Nikita’s story to Katherine while we were getting our photo’s taken with the Q104 crew and they talked about Nikita LIVE ON THE AIR!  We were standing in the back of the room and every time before they go LIVE, the entire room claps and gets excited and then they go LIVE, and to our surprise, they talked about Nikita LIVE on the air and how her dog Mommy was poisoned with anti-freeze after giving birth to a litter of seven and the puppies needed immediate help since they lost their Mommy, so the APL was called in to take the seven puppies (one of them being Nikita who was originally named Nanuk) and had to feed them around the clock as they were fighting for their lives!  We were so honored that they told Nikita’s story live on the air, as she is one doggy who is truly blessed, not to mention widely known at the APL!  Also, I got my photo taken with Allan Fee and we noticed that I am now on the Q104 website!  There is a caption under the photo that says “Fee and Friend”.  (Allan, if you are reading this, my name is Valerie, and yes I am still your friend!)  Here is the link to see the photo:  http://q104.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2012/05/12/behind-the-scenes-at-the-pledge-for-pets-radiothon-day-two/#photo-106836

As we were walking around greeting everyone, Roy stopped at the donations desk and did something wonderful.  He signed up to be a “Pet Partner”.  A Pet Partner is someone who donates $25/month for a year to the APL.  He is so touched by the APL and all that they do, for the love that they gave Nikita when she came to the APL and saved her life, that he wanted to give back to them and say “Thank You”.   That was so touching Roy, Thank You for making this donation and becoming a Pet Partner.   We love you!

While Roy and his sister Annette went off to visit with all kitties, Nikita and I stayed in the Radiothon room.  We were wondering if Auntie Annette was going to come back to the room with a kitty, but she did not, but she still might consider getting another kitty, so don’t count her out yet!  LOL  Thanks Auntie for coming to the APL with us, we had such a great day with you! 

Then, while we were sitting in the back of the room, I overheard someone mention the name Roberta Bates.  Roberta Bates?  Is she here I asked?   They went to check to see if she was still in the building, and she was.  You see, Roberta Bates was one of the Q-Cash Captains, like us, who was working hard to collect donations for the APL.  As a Q-Cash Captain, we could see all of the other Captains donations and it made US work harder to try to collect more donations when other captains were “gaining on us”, and one day we noticed that Roberta was gaining on us quickly, then she passed us up in donations.  We did all we could to collect more donations to catch up with her, but it was fruitless.  If ALL of the people who we talked to that SAID that they were going to donate, would have ACTUALLY donated, then we would have had a lot more donations.  Perhaps next year they might consider making a donation that will make such an impact on an animals life!  Thanks Roberta for making our donation collections into such a fun game!  Maybe next year we’ll give you some more competition!  LOL    Anyhow, there were a total of 51 Q-Cash Captains and Roberta Bates came in third place, and NIKITALAND came in 11th place.  Not bad, not bad at all!  NIKITALAND collected a total of $570 for the APL.

Last, but not least, WE wanted to THANK all of the individuals who donated through NIKITALAND to help us raise money for the APL and make a difference in an animals life…

1. Dave Reeves
2. Kelly Blackburn
3. Denis Zaharija
4. Vivian & Chick Ravenscroft
5. David Semanik
6. Renee Jackson 
7. Nicole Serraglio
8. Edward Francis 
9. Sherry Spickler
10. Annette Yarris
11. Loretta Sabula
12. Rob Edwards
13. Jeff DeLisio
14. Maggie Layne
15. Marilou Manzi
16. Amy Wasco
17. Susan Sweeney-Osen
18. Sheryl Holman
19. Karen, Michael & Christopher Kieszek
20. Chloe & Connor
21. Sanford Doss
22. Karen Penko
23. Roy & Valerie (My Mommy & Daddy)

THANK YOU all for your generous donations!  Also, we just heard that YOU can still make an ONLINE DONATION up to Wednesday, May 16th, so if you would like to make a donation to the APL, here is the link:  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/themesnthings/2012-doggy-dollars-kitty-kash

Here are some of the sad stories you will hear about:

Raisin came into us a year-old puppy.  Her owners’ idea of housetraining her was to leave her on a balcony all night.  One night they awoke and Raisin was not on the balcony but rather on the ground below unable to move.  They brought her to the APL.  Both Raisin’s front legs were broken.  An APL vet tech offered to foster Raisin while she recovered.  Unfortunately, the break in one of Raisin’s leg was so severe it became infected and the decision was made to amputate the leg.  She was up and walking that same day.  After some more TLC and time to heal in her foster home, she came back to the APL and went up for adoption.  She is now Zoe and lives with her loving mom and dad and canine sister, Maggi, who she adores!

Simon was brought in to the APL by a Good Samaritan after she noticed he seemed to be in pain and wasn’t walking well.  He was a stray cat and likely hit by a car, although the cause of injury is unknown. He came to us with a fractured pelvis and left femur and a dislocated hip. Simon required multiple procedures—he had a pin placed in his leg and had another very complicated orthopedic procedure done.  Simon was with us for 7 months while recovering from his injuries (much of that time was spent in a loving foster home). Despite all of his injuries, he was a very charming cat and he quickly became a favorite of staff and volunteers.

YOU CAN STILL DONATE!  Call 216-566-7387 and tell them you want to make a donation under NIKITALAND, and add it to what we have already collected for the APL.

Our garden project is coming along nicely, although we ran into a little snag along the way.  We originally envisioned just erecting one garden wall to keep the deer out of our raised garden, but it appears that all the grass in our backyard is not ours.  It appears that our neighbor had a little problem with the wall that we started to put up because it was on his property by three feet, so we had to move the garden wall.  Who knew that all of the grass in our backyard was not ours, but it appears that on the left side of his garage, he has three feet of the grass in our backyard.  We never knew that.  He got a little miffed at us for not “asking” him if we could erect the wall there, but if we assumed that all the grass in our small backyard was ours, how would we ever think about asking permission to put up a wall?  We wouldn’t, but to keep everyone happy, we moved the garden wall to right around our new raised garden.  We want everyone to be happy, as we are very quiet neighbors, don’t have any loud parties, we keep to ourselves, keep our yard well maintained & beautiful and just want everyone to get along. 

So, with all of that done, we can move onto getting our plants into the garden.  The garden gate is hung and it works nicely.  Some of our plants took a turn for the worse, as we think that we started them too soon indoors, so next year, we will start a good portion of the seeds a lot later since they sprouted way too fast.   Since this is our first time doing a garden, we learn from our mistakes, but it was a great experience. 

Since our brick border for our strawberry & zucchini patch turned out so nice, we decided to build another wall around our flower bed behind the house.  This brick border also turned out great and really enhances the backyard and our garden lights in the flower bed light up the brick line around the bed nicely.   We are going gung-ho with bricks, so we decided to add some bricks to the front of the house too, which we are still working on. 

This Friday and Saturday is the Pledge For Pets Radiothon at the APL.  We will be going to the Radiothon to make an appearance and say hi to all of the people we love at the APL, get some good photographs, and we will share them with you this weekend.   We hope we get to run into Uncle Dave while at the APL, as Uncle Dave is the wonderful person who took care of my adoption and helped me find my forever home with my Daddy & Mommy.  (I can’t wait to see him!)  Thanks again to all of you that made a donation through our link for the APL, we appreciate it! 

As for me, I have been busy playing, napping, and enjoying the somewhat nice weather we have had outside in the yard.  I have this HUGE obsession with boxes lately, as every time I hear Mommy opening a box, I WANT IT!  So, she gives me the box to play with until I start ripping it apart and eating it, then it gets taken away from me.  Rats!   I got a bath the other day, and I am not a big fan of those, but I was smelling like a dog and Mommy said that I needed a bath.  (smelling like a dog?  Isn’t that what I am?)  Anyhow, I guess we all need to get spruced up once in a while, so it’s not so bad, but when I get out of the tub, I run around the house like a crazy dog shaking all over!  Hee hee hee  I love that part!

Don’t forget that Mother’s Day is this weekend, and we hope that you have downloaded your Mother’s Day card and tags from our earlier post! 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Dear Fellow Blog Followers,
First and foremost, we want to thank each and every one of you who has made a donation to the APL through our donation link for their annual fundraiser, Pledge For Pets.

Today is the last day to make a donation, as online donations end at Midnight tonight.  We need all of your help to collect donations that will go to good use at the APL for all the animals in need.  Please pass this link to anyone today to help us raise donations, as this is our last day to make a difference in an animals life, or the end of it.

ANY DOLLAR AMOUNT WILL HELP….CAN YOU SPARE A FEW DOLLARS TODAY TO HELP THE APL?

DONATION LINK:  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/themesnthings/2012-doggy-dollars-kitty-kash

Just in time for Mother’s Day, we have created more free printables for you!  The first item is a Mother’s Day Card that says “Hey Mom You’re Awesome” on the front and the inside is blank so you can tell your Mom how special she is.  The card sheet has two Hey Mom cards on it, just in case you mess up the first one.  Print it out on cardstock paper, then fold in half to find the center, then cut it out, then fold the card in half.  The second is a free printable sheet of Mother’s Day gift tags, just perfect to adorn all of the gifts you are getting her. 

HERE ARE THE “HEY MOM YOU’RE AWESOME” FREE PRINTABLE DOWNLOADS:
- Hey Mom Card
- Hey Mom Gift Tags

We hope you enjoy our free printables and put them to good use!  Make sure you share them with everyone you know! 

ONLINE DONATIONS FOR THE APL ENDS TOMORROW, MAY 6TH!  If you can make a donation, the APL and the animals in dire need will appreciate it.  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/themesnthings/2012-doggy-dollars-kitty-kash

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I saw a post on how to make a clay house pot, but since I don’t have any clay, I thought that I would try to make it out of wood.  I drew the house sides and included a chimney (cut 2), cut out two sides and a bottom.  Then after sanding all the pieces really well, I nailed all the pieces together.  My house box ended up being 8″ tall x 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″. 

Now, I need YOUR help to tell me how I should finish the box.  What color should I paint the house box?  Should I paint a door or windows on it?  Let me know your thoughts! 

My original thought was to paint the house a lime green color as it will add a nice splash of color, but now I am thinking that since the Fourth of July is coming up, that I could paint it red, white, and blue and add some stars on it.  But, I want to HEAR how you think I should paint it!   I am ready for all your thoughts & comments! 

Together we can make a HUGE difference and impact on the well being of animals.  We have only TEN DAYS LEFT for online donations for the APL’s annual fundraiser that we are participating in called Pledge For Pets.  (online donations end on May 6th)

WE ARE CHALLENGING YOU to help us reach our goal of $1,000 and we are at 54% to accomplishing our goal to help the animals at the APL.  And it’s not too late to help, because Springtime’s warmer weather means more breeding among dogs and cats who haven’t been spayed or neutered, and that means that the APL will be needing our help.  Because of the support of good people like you, we can help those animals get the much needed care they need – together, we can make it happen! 

We want to thank those of you who have already donated for your generosity and love.  We appreciate your donation! 

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/themesnthings/2012-doggy-dollars-kitty-kash

We all know what the paparazzi are, but do you know a MOM-Arazzi?  A MOM-Arazzi is a Mom who follows you around all day and photographs everything that you do.  She thinks that everything you do is cute, adorable, and needs to be photographed and preserved as a memory in time.

I’ve got a Mom like that.  She always has her camera ready, within reach, to catch all the things that I do.  You gotta love her, I do.  On top of being a Mom-Arazzi, she is also the bestest Mom I have ever had as she takes good care of me, brushes me a couple of times a week, brushes my pearly white teeth once a week, wipes my paws dry when I come in from outside on a rainy day, picks up after me outside, and she always puts away all of my toys at the end of every day.  WOW, what a MOM!  (Mom upside down is WOW, ya know!) 

With Mother’s Day coming up in less than a month, we thought it would be a great idea to share stories about our Mom’s.  How has your Mom inspired you?  What valuable lessons did she teach you when you were growing up?

Here is one valuable life lesson that my Mom said to me when I was younger, that I have never forgot…  When I was younger, I had asked my Mom “How do I know what is the right thing to do?“   She thought on this one for a second, then said to me “When you have a decision to make and don’t know which one is the right one – think of it this way….  if Dad and I were standing on either side of you – what decision would you make?”   That phrase from my Mom has stuck with me for years.  I could just imagine me somewhere trying to figure out how to make a decision when I was younger and the thought of my Dad and Mom standing next to me… guess which decision I made?  The RIGHT ONE for sure!  (Pass this one on to your kids!) 

Since Mom’s are the best, make sure that their presents for Mother’s Day are unique, and/or handmade as these are filled with love.  And, since we love making free printables, we have made some tags to adorn your Mom’s gifts for Mother’s Day.  Click here for the tags! 

Tell us how your Mom has inspired you and some of the great lessons you have learned along the way.

Thanks Mom! 

We created for you some Earth Day round labels that you can printout!  Click here for your labels!  We love sharing new printables with you, so we could not let this day pass without creating some neat labels to share!  Enjoy!

How are you celebrating Earth Day?  What are you planting today?

Woof Woof,
Love Nikita 

P.S. – Just a reminder, there is only 14 days left for online donations for the APL fundraiser that we are participating in.  If you can donate something, anything, and any amount will help as it all adds up!  Here is the donation link:  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/themesnthings/2012-doggy-dollars-kitty-kash