Portrait of a French Man

At the end of July, the place where Arthur goes to daycare (Spaw Boutique) had mini photo sessions with East Lake Photo (site is currently under construction.  I'll post the link again when the site is up and running).

Arthur had a mini photo shoot and I'm beyond thrilled with the results...he's such a handsome dude.  Madi from East Lake Photo is one talented lady!

This next one combines my favourite photo from the shoot with one of my favourite 80's/90's photo effects.

So majestic!

Well, thanks for stopping by and taking a look at these lovely photos of my little man.  When you have a chance please go check out East Lake Photo's instagram, especially if you like looking at cutie dog photos. 

Alex & Arthur

Live long and Arthur

A few weeks ago, on a Friday evening I met a really cool lady named Christina (I apologize if that is incorrect.  I was celebrating a coworkers birthday and I may have been slightly inebriated).  She came up to talk to me about my blog/Arthur and I showed her the picture below.   She suggested that I share it on my blog. 

Arthur got this sweater for Christmas but Mr.  Pudgy Pants put on too much turkey weight.  He's now shedding his winter weight so this is the first time he's been able to fit in this sweater.  Live long and Arthur.

Snow Dog

On Saturday Toronto was hit with a wallop of snow, which I've been waiting for all winter. I love snow....although I took quite the tumble on the sidewalk (don't worry, Arthur made sure I was okay).

But I'm not the only one in my household who likes snow, my little Frenchie pal is quite the little snow monster.  He likes to try to catch snowflakes out of the sky, or when you kick little piles in the air.  I'm glad he's tolerant to the snow because I know there are quite a few French Bulldogs who do not care for it or the cold weather.

 

I also like when it's snowy outside because it means I get to put his cute little sweaters/jackets on him :)

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Alex & Arthur

Birthday Boy!

My little man turned 2 yesterday.  He must have had an exciting time at daycare because he was too tired to party when he got home. He briefly played with his presents, ate a pupcake, and then went to sleep.

We had a little celebration on Sunday, so I make Arthur doggy cupcakes (pupcakes).  The recipe made enough "batter" so that Arthur had leftovers that he could bring to daycare the next day to share with his pals.  I modified a recipe that I found on this site.

Here's the recipe for Arthur's mini pupcakes:

Ingredients

• 1 cup of wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup of natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of a mix of vegetable/flax seed oil
• 1 cup of shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup of honey

Directions

Combine flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl then mix in remaining ingredients.  You'll notice that the batter is more like a dough, which is because the original recipe called for egg instead of pumpkin.  You can definitely add more of the wet ingredients to thin out the consistency to have it more like a traditional cake batter but these turned out fine.  You could also skip the pumpkin and use 1 egg.  

Next, fill your mini cupcake wrappers. If you stick with the doughier batter, just roll into balls and pat them into the cups.  I started baking these using a mini cupcake machine but it was just scorching the tops and the bottoms.  When I switched to the oven I baked at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes - check at 8. 

For the icing: I used the lowest fat cream cheese I could find, a tsp of pumpkin puree, a pinch of cinnamon, and a 1/2 tsp of honey.  

I then decorated the tops with dog treats that I cut/ moulded into doggie paw prints -- if the dog was missing a toe.  (I made a bunch with three toes, then realized that I should have four but Dan said the leave them because they were cute).  I also left some of the pupcakes plain and some with a peanut butter glaze, that was just natural peanut butter mixed with a tiny bit of flour...just in case some of the dogs couldn't have lactose. 

I completely forgot to take a photo of the finished pupcake, although you can kind of see it in this photo below (unlike Arthur who is completely oblivious).  I think I need to start writing down my plans for posts to ensure that I take any necessary photos.

Oh, what's this?

Om, nom, nom

Here's Arthur with his new toy

Alex & Arthur

(PonyChops) Portraits and Puppies

Happy Monday Everyone!

So if you read my blog, I'm sure you all know about the talented Chantal and her blog/etsy shop PonyChops.  If you read Chantal's blog (if you're not, you definitely should be) you may have seen the image preview she posted yesterday, found here.  You may also notice that it looks very simliar to my new blog header. 

I cannot begin to describe how much I adore the portrait she made of me and my little dude.  Arthur's little smiley face is adorable.

Here is the larger image:

You can order your very own customized digital PonyChops portrait from her etsy shop.  Here is the listing.  If you aren't in the market for a portrait, you should definitely still check out her shop and have a look at her hand painted shoes and Russian dolls.  I have two pairs of PonyChops shoes and get so many compliments every time I wear them.

In other news, Arthur turns 2 today!!! And, his mean mom dressed him up for daycare (I took this photo from the Instagram of one of the ladies who works at Spaw)

I hope he doesn't tucker himself out, because we're having a party later.

Alex & "Grown Up" Arthur

Friday Five - April 5, 2013

1. Gandalf & Saruman Salt & Pepper Shakers

Periodically Dan will send me emails of things that he wants to buy.  I got a link to this salt and pepper set in an email earlier this week and I concur -- want!

 2. Mary Had a T-Bar Platforms - by Iron Fist

I love Iron Fist merchandise and their shoes, platforms included, are always super comfy.  I love t-strap heels and the lambs, bows and spikes just make these extra adorable.

 3. IAMX (Chris Corner) 

IAMX is the solo project of Chris Corner (from the Sneaker Pimps) and the reason I'm included him in this week's Friday Five is because he just released a new album (March 22nd) and I'll be seeing IAMX at the end of this month.

I had tickets when he came to Toronto in 2007 but ended up getting extremely sick and couldn't go.  So this will be my first time seeing IAMX live and I'm incredible excited.

 
 4. French Bulldog Ring by KopoMetal

Hey Alex, don't you already have a French Bulldog ring? I CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH FRENCH BULLDOG THINGS!!!

First, how cute is this ring (there's also a really cute French Bulldog wrap around ring) and second, there's quite a few cute rings available at KopoMetal's etsy store (fan of cats?) so I wanted to share.

5. Coconut Bacon

I follow Paul Jarvis on Instagram and Twitter and last week he posted a picture of coconut bacon that looks delicious and I've wanted to make some ever since.  In the comments section he indicated it’s made by mixing coconut pieces, soy sauce and mesquite powder.  Then you dehydrate the coconut pieces.  It sounds pretty easy.

If you like eating healthy veggie raw and cooked meals then you can check out his website EatAwesome.Ca and his “Eat Awesome - A regular person’s guide to eating plant-based, whole foods” guide.  There’s some yummy recipes and resources in there.

Happy Friday

Alex & Arthur 

 

Friday Five Fave - March 8th (All Doggie Edition)

Dan and I will be in New York for a few days next week and Dan's mother will be watching Arthur for us.  I'm currently in dog mode as I'm trying to compile a "Frenchie 101" package for her because, while she's used to babysitting dogs French Bulldogs fall under their own separate category.

With that in mind, I bring you an all doggie version of this week's Friday Five Fave.

1. DIY Dog Food Tin - by TidyMom

So, how cute is this tin?  Added bonus is that we already have a popcorn tin that someone gave to us for Christmas AND Arthur already thinks delicious (popcorn) treats come out of it.

2. Sweet Potato Chew Treats - 17 Apart

I'm always on the lookout for dog treat recipes plus I have a (vintage Kaj Franck Heart) bowl full of sweet potatoes that I need to get rid of before our trip, so this is a win-win!

3. Snout Soother by Natural Dog Company

The cracked dry nose -- the Frenchie's worst enemy (well that, and pretty much everything else in their existence).  I haven't tried this balm yet but I have high hopes based on the reviews.  I normally use Vaseline but Arthur just eats it off his nose before it has time to be absorbed into the skin.

4. Dog Scarf - Modcloth

So I'm a big dork and actually knit Arthur a scarf but if knitting isn't your thing you can try this adorable scarf from Modcloth.  I wish I had thought to add pom poms to the one I made.

 5. Death Star Dog Tag (ThinkGeek)

I saw these around Christmas time before they sold out but didn't buy one right away.  Immediately regret that now since they are sold out.  I periodically check just in case they come back in stock.

There's a QR Scan Code on the back that has all the pet and owner's information.

 Happy Friday!

Alex & Arthur

February Catch Up!

I have a blog??  Ha. Seriously, it's been like a month since I've posted anything.  I've been extremely busy at work and I ended up getting a really bad cold/laryngitis.  If it seems like I'm always sick, I'm really not but when I end up with a cold it hits my worse than others in my life and it takes forever to get rid of due to an autoimmune disorder that I have.

Since I haven't posted in a month, I'm going to do a little recap of what's happened over the last month via images.  (I also have a new boss/doing some different things at work but there are no pictures for that).

We watched puppy bowl as a family.  Arthur had a special football shaped doggie treat and Dan and I ate chilli and vegan skillet cornbread that I made using this recipe.

I baked Arthur some homemade doggie treats.  Most of them I used Star Wars cookie cutters and there were a few freehand Adventure Time ones.

I got sick but Arthur made sure I took medicine to get better.  (Yes, that is a picture of Freddie Mercury taped to the wall in the background.  It used to be on the wall at Dan's work desk but one of his coworkers thought it was Hitler so he brought it home.)

We went to a French Bulldog meetup where the theme was Valentines.  This is Arthur and his Valentine Rocky.

Like Brittany Snow's character in the movie Pitch Perfect, I have nodes....well one node.  I had to have an ultrasound biopsy to make sure there's nothing suspicious about it.  Basically they freeze your neck, jam a needle into your thyroid and remove some cells.  My neck didn’t take to the freezing and once the needle is in your neck you can’t swallow or talk so unfortunately I had to wait until it was over to say, “JESUS CHRIST I CAN FEEL THAT!”  Also, they didn’t get enough cells so I have to have it done again.

We went to my parents house for Family Day and Arthur got to play with their dogs -- they have four labs.  The one pictured is Hannah.

I got Simpson's Tapped Out for my iPhone and made Mr. Burns walk the hounds.  He he he.

I saw the band Sparta and they were awesome --  I used to have a super big crush on Jim Ward.

Arthur continued to be a super cute cuddle monster.

*UPDATE*

I can't believe I forgot to post these pictures! It's Arthur and his girlfriend Gertie celebrating Valentines at Spaw Boutique. 

Have a great Monday!

Alex & Arthur

Arthur at Spaw #3

A few more photos of Arthur and his friends at Spaw Boutique.

Gertie and Arthur

Arthur and Deion

I'm so jealous of his weekdays.  I wish I could sleep and play with my friends all day.

Alex & Arthur

Daycare Post #2

Just a quick post of Arthur at Spaw Boutique Daycare  

It's a brindle French Bulldog party!

It's Arthur, Tank and Miss Pepper

Alex & Arthur

My Worst Nightmare (and Frenchies)!

So we had a little bit of a scare on Sunday night/Monday morning.  Some of you may remember what happened to Arthur's eye in March but for those who don't, he scratched his cornea and within a span of two days it got so bad that he had to have (expensive) surgery to fix it.  The cost of surgery aside, my poor little guy had to have his third eyelid stitched shut for six weeks and he wore a cone 24/7 for two months.  That's not something I want him to have to go through ever again....especially not twice in the same year.

We went to visit my parents on Sunday and one of their four labs must of caught Arthur in the eye because he was blinking Sunday night and on Monday his eye was swollen.  I took him to the vet on Monday morning who confirmed that his cornea was scratched again -- the same eye he had surgery on 9 months ago.  Thankfully, yesterday's follow up visit went well and the vet said that it's healing nicely.  So fingers crossed.

Since I've been preoccupied with Arthur's eye, I haven't posted the things I've wanted to, which is unfortunate because there's something I'm really excited about and want to share with you.  I'm hoping I'll get a chance tomorrow.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some pictures from a Christmas French Bulldog meetup that Dan, Arthur and I attended on Saturday.  We had to take a detour on the way there because of a road closure so I was a little frazzled and as a result left my camera in the car.  Dan took these with his iPhone which is why they're blurry.

There was also a Santa at the location for the dogs to get their pictures taken.  It's my new favourite picture of Arthur.  It's the background of my phone, computer, and I have it on my desk.  It makes me smile so much.

Alex & Arthur

Winter Woofstock

Arthur, Dan and I went to an event called Winter Woofstock this past Saturday.  What is Winter Woofstock you ask?  It's a large festival for doggies and their owners.  There's a ton of vendor booths selling/showcasing a wide range of products or services.  I get to shop while Arthur meets dogs, it's a perfect outing.

I really wish that I didn't still feel so sick because I would have brought my camera with me -- I just wasn't feeling up to lugging it around.  I did see a lot of cute dogs and two French Bulldog puppies.  We also saw Rick Mercer in the parking garage as his vehicle was parked by our car.  He and his crew were getting ready to go into the event to film a segment for his show Rick Mercer Report -- they were talking about Star Trek.

Although I didn't get any pictures of the event, I found Arthur's Christmas sweater and I wanted to share.   I'm so pleased with it -- it's exactly what I was looking for and it fits him perfectly (it's hard to find clothes that fit Frenchies).  Also, he got a lot of exercise at the event so he was tuckered out and wanted to cuddle the rest of the afternoon.  It was like cuddling a stuffed French Reindog.

 

Happy Monday

Alex & Arthur

Friday Five Fave

I was hoping to post two adorable videos I took of Arthur from when we visited him at the breeder's house but for some reason Vimeo keeps uploading them sideways.  So instead here's a Friday Five Fave.  

In no particular order:

1. Melanie Martinez - Toxic

I don't watch a ton of TV and when I do it's usually cartoons or HBO's Girls, but I happened to be flicking channels and stumbled across the show The Voice while Melanie Martinez was performing.  Holy crap, what an adorable human being and I absolutely loved her version of Britney Spears’s Toxic.  Click here if you want to give it a listen.

Image from here

 2. French Bulldog Address Stamps
Man do I ever want this address stamp from Lush Prints! The only problem is my partner and I have different last names, so do I put mine or his?

3. Red Riding Hood Tights
I honestly don't know how I happened across these tights but they're super adorable.  They feature Little Read Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, Granny's cottage, and the woods.

4. DrinKlip
This is kind of cheating because I've had this product for quite some time but I really love it.  It's attached to my desk at work and it's perfect for my morning tea or coffee.  I never have to worry about knocking my drink all over my documents.  Although one time I forget it was attached to the desk and I walked into it and spilled my drink on the floor.  It also doesn't really work if you have a mug with a handle.  But it's still really awesome.

5. Vegan Pumpkin Scones
This vegan pumpkin scone recipe from Cupcakes & Kale is incredibly delicious.  I used different flour just because I didn't have whole wheat pastry flour on hand but they still turned out and made my belly happy.

Arthur and I are looking forward to some quality hanging out time tomorrow.  Do you have anything planned for this weekend?

Alex & Arthur

All Arthur...kind of

As I've posted before, Arthur attends Spaw Boutique daycare a few times during the week.  I love it for a number of reasons.   First, he comes home completely exhausted and secondly, they post pictures on their Facebook page.  

Here are a couple of Arthur that I found.

 I promise my dog's not a jerk

 Playing with his friends

 Cool guy pose

 Frenchie tug of war

 Attending a birthday party

I don't know what to call this...playing dead?

I love my little Art-man and I like the little glimpses I get into his time a daycare.  The staff there are wonderful.

So I named this post "All Arthur...kind of" because I also wanted to include information about PonyChops' awesome Halloween giveaway.  Visit the link for your chance to enter OR you can always purchase this cute Halloween themed Russian doll set from Ponychops' etsy store.

Good luck!!

Alex & Arthur