Heidi's Birthday Baking

Heidi's mom here.

I know that Heidi has written about her birthday party and how much she liked her cakes.  I had a lot of fun baking them for her.  It makes me laugh when I watch her eat her cake with her front teeth.  She sort of nibbles her way down through the frosting first, before enjoying the cake at the bottom.  

I baked the cakes the morning of her party.  While we were at the beach I sneaked out of the house and headed to Salty Paws Biscuits, a barkery we love.  I purchased this peanut butter cake mix that included a mix for yogurt frosting.  I only had to add an egg, a little bit of oil, and some water.  Super easy!

Just a few ingredients needed.

Mixed and ready to be baked.

Cooling before icing application.

The cake actually smelled like peanut butter.  I was tempted to eat one myself.  After cooling I mixed the icing powder with a little bit of water and applied it to the tops of the cakes.  It just seemed like they were missing something though, so with the help of my friend's daughter, we made a peanut butter drizzle to decorate the tops.

Wylie helping finish the cakes.

I love celebrating Heidi's birthday every year.  This year we couldn't do it at the beach - the first time ever.  We made up for it with my friend and her daughter and their two dogs coming over to celebrate with us.  Wylie had a great time distributing the cakes to the dogs and they had a great time eating them.  All of this makes me very happy!

It's MY Party!

This year, celebrating my birthday was a little different.  Instead of having a party at the beach like we usually do, we had it at home after we got back.  Mom invited a few of our friends over - humans and dogs.  She baked me some miniature cakes.  So yummy!  It was peanut butter cake with yogurt frosting and a peanut butter drizzle.  Oh my, I did not know something could be so good!

First licks prove yummy level is high.

Have to take a moment to taste it...

...before diving in!

But I still take my time to savor it!

Edgar, on the other hand just dives right in sucking the whole cake down in one bite.  I am not sure he even knew what flavor it was it disappeared so quickly!

SNIFF...

...CHOMP!

LOL.  I do not know how he did not choke on that cake.  Everyone else at the party bit into their cakes and savored them as I did.  Edgar is just a big, goofy goofball.

Olaf and Elsa enjoying their pieces of cake also.

Mom always knows how to throw a good party.  And yes, I am 13 now.  I will never be one of those individuals who lies about their age.  I am proud to have lived this long, although the aging body does have its issues.  But do not worry - I am still awesome.  LOL.

Aging Body, Aging Mind

Having just celebrated my 13th birthday in August (party pictures to arrive soon!), I have noticed some things have changed over the last year.  I suddenly feel "old."  I never thought of myself as being that old, but I am starting to get those old dog problems.  Getting up and down from the couch and bed have become a little difficult.  I am not as springy as I used to be!  Mom went to a used furniture store and found a set of wooden steps to help me get up on the bed.  She painted them and covered the treads with fabric so they wouldn't be slippery for me.

She has also put an old couch cushion in front of the couch to help give me a boost up.  Since I shed a lot and my hair really likes to stick to fabric, mom wrapped a sheet around the cushion so she can unwrap it easily to wash it.  The tan thing on the couch is a rubber-backed non-slip bath mat.  The leather is slick for my paws and I was always slipping around on the couch.  The mat makes me feel a lot more secure!  I no longer slide around and fall into the crevices between the cushions.

The saddest part of getting old for me is that I can no longer catch the frisbee.  My most favorite thing to do in all the world is catch the frisbee.  My eyesight has changed and it has made it difficult for me to accurately see where it is in relation to my mouth.  Mom suspected it was my eyes so she took me to the vet to make sure.  My veterinarian performed a pretty thorough eye exam and was able to determine that, aside from the usual age-related change to my eyes of nuclear sclerosis*, I actually have small cataracts in the center of my eyes.  He does not think I will go blind - thankfully! - but it does leave me with my peripheral vision being better than central vision.

Ah, well, I guess there is nothing I can do about aging except get used to it!  No point in fighting it.  In fact, I asked mom if she would dye the big spot on my face.  It has almost completely disappeared!  She refused to do it!  She said it's better to accept the changes as they come and not try to hide from them.  I understand what she is saying, but I still miss the spot.

Take care of your friends and neighbors!  Especially the elderly ones.  We need it!

Beds on the Cheap

Since I have to live with three dogs, mom has gotten really good at buying, making, and recycling beds on the cheap for us.  Surprisingly, dog beds are quite pricey - at least according to her complaining about it.  A couple of her creations are shown below.

Mojo's favorite bed.

Mom took an old cat bed, lined the bottom with a heating pad and covered it with a fleece blanket.  This is where Mojo spends 95% of his day.  Even in the summer, he loves that heating pad!

A bed inherited from another family.
(Excuse all of the hair on it!)

The down insert with a piece of
memory foam mattress topper.

The green bed is where the boys - Mojo and Bentley - sleep at night.  The down insert was getting a bit tired and losing its plumpness, so Mom cut up an old memory foam mattress topper and put a piece inside.  Several of the beds have been fortified with pieces from that one topper.  It's actually quite a comfy bed.

The newest cover and bed.

Mom recently bought us a new couch.  The old couch was old, unsupportive, and quite heavily stained so it was headed for the dumpster.  The frame was sent off, but we kept the four big cushions to use for dog beds.  The plaid bed was created from some leftover fabric that Mom stitched into a cover.  The stuffing is the two back cushions from the old couch.  It's a nice place to catch a nap on a warm day.

Not good at sewing?  Don't have the time?  A really easy solution is to take an old sheet and wrap up the cushion with it.  Easy to change and wash.

Old yellow sheet.

One of mom's old bed sheets folded around one of the old couch's seat cushions.  In the picture below you can see the original cushion cover (red) is still on it.  It helps boost me up so I can get on the couch more easily.  It's also one of Edgar's napping locations.

Old red couch cushion.

This last couple of beds are really only good for small dogs.  Mom had an old pillow she was going to get rid of, but she decided to put an old pillow case (the plaid one) on it and it's suddenly a chihuahua bed!

Little dog beds.

The brown one on the right in the picture above is actually a baby changing table mattress with a piece of that excellent memory foam mattress topper.  The cover was bought at Babies'R'Us when the mattress was.  It's easy to remove, as is the pillowcase, so they get washed fairly often.  This brown bed is my favorite when Mom is working in the kitchen.  I can keep an eye on her and make sure she is not burning the house down!

Baby changing table mattress and old mattress topper. 

Dog beds (or cat ones!) do not have to break the bank.  Be creative and reuse as much as you can.  Another good idea is to take a cover and stuff it with an old comforter or feather bed.  If you do not have a cover, use an old sheet to wrap a folded comforter into a bed shape.  Easy to clean, easy to sleep on!