how bevo got his name . . .

Many of you may remember the post introducing Bevo Berra.  In this post I wrote where Bevo got his name!  While reading a book I found my bookmark- a ticket to the Budweiser Brewery. . .

Here is where Bevo gets his name . . .

See!!

They look alike (minus the people clothes) and both like to eat!!

Have a happy weekend!

:-)

show and tell . . .

Today is the last day of school before Halloween (teacher workday tomorrow).  For you who don't have children or don't work in school you may not understand what that means.

That means:

• Haunted House put on by the Junior Honor Society
• Parties GALORE!
• Little kiddos in costumes (adorable)
• too much candy
• lots of orange and green mouths from the cupcakes
• sore tummies
• GENERAL CRAZINESS! 

The best was the announcement this morning.  The principal said, "Let's not waste a moment of valuable instructional time!"  He said this just before he wished everyone "good luck" for their scheduled haunted house visit... *le sigh* I've had a great day singing Halloween songs and playing ghosts in the graveyard.

My fourth graders came in to music and wanted to add to the craziness. One little darling brought something in for "show and tell!"

What's that??

Yep! You see that right!

A DOG!!!

Aw, he's too CUTE!!  I can't believe a parent let their kiddo being their dog to school!!  I wonder sometimes....  I loved having him!  He was hilarious and he got me laughed at by the 4th graders. 

True Story:

The kids were laying down silent playing ghosts and I was the grave-digger and I was going to catch some ghosts (hey- it was the 2-3 class the day before a workday and after their halloween party- cut me some slack... :-) ).  I said, "No talking for this game!"  As if on cue, Elijah got out and I though he was making weird ghostly sounds and I said, "Hey- I said no talking for this game- you're in a grave yard for goodness sakes!!"  It was the dog... "d'oh."  The kids got a laugh outta that!!

I love my job.

:-)

guess who was at school today . . .

I had a quick meeting at the High School across the street today so I popped out at lunch and popped back in again to make it just in time for my 1:00 class.  On the way back in the building I saw that something had joined the children for P.E. today!

look at the bottom left

see it?

so green!

My school is located smack dab in the middle of the mangroves.  We get all sorts of random animals joining our children for P.E.!  So fun!

:-)

first day of school!

Well, *sniff sniff*, Bevo is growing up! I was excited today because Bevo got to go to Petsmart for classes!  I was getting ready to leave for work and couldn't find Bevo anywhere.  I rounded to corner to the library and what do I see?

uh oh  . . .

*she'll NEVER find me underneath this pillow*

 * you can't see me when I close my eyes*

Class was great!  I would tell everyone I know to take their dogs.  The woman, Jen, was fantastic.  She brought her dog who used to be mean and abused.  She trained him to be a leader in the class.  If he can do, Bevo can do it.

 *so excited*

Bevo is "that dog."Yep- he's the barker in the group.  At least we know how to deal with it.  Like the other members of the Berra family, Bevo is highly food motivated.  :-)

We learned, "yay! or yes!" as his mark words for good behavior, "hey!" for bad behavior, and we have a clicker that means he gets treats!  Bevo LOVES treats! We have homework every night and that will take some time.  We are excited for him to be well behaved so we are going to practice every night. (I know mom- you've heard *that* before).  The trainer said something that I could really relate to...

Her version:

"You can't expect to come here for an hour every week for 8 weeks and you go home and do nothing and expect your dog to be trained."

My version:

" You can't expect to have a 30 minute piano lesson and never practice and learn how to play."

I get it- and we ARE going to be doing homework every night!

:-)

bevo gets a bath . . .

Bath Time!

When we first took Bevo to the vet he had kennel cough and the vet ordered no baths until it was all clear.  Then the sickness came and well- no bath either.  Bevo FINALLY got the go ahead for bath time from the vet on Friday night.  THANK GOODNESS!  He was stinky!

The bath was surprisingly uneventful. We have a large walk-in shower so getting him in was easy.  We used Mango scented baby shampoo and Bevo smells good now! 

I'm glad bath time went well!  He's such a good pup.  He starts training classes on Monday so we are excited to teach him how to relax and follow directions...wait, that sounds like my day anyway at work- oh well.

:-)

 

r.i.p kevin . . .

No, Bevo didn't eat Kevin- THANK GOODNESS!  Turns out Kevins are POISONOUS to Bevos.

Yesterday I came home from a late day at school to find Matt searching the internet.  Bevo licked Kevin and started making faces and licking like dogs do when they taste something bad.  Matt wanted to make sure that Bevo wasn't going to get high or something and found something worse!

Yep, if they are threatened they will secrete a milky substance which, when ingested will KILL cats and dogs! 

Matt "took care" of Kevin last night like the mafia "takes care" of a snitch. Wait- don't get upset.  KEVINs are not native to FL and it's illegal to catch and release.  You must get rid of them. I hope Bevo did not develop a taste for Kevins.  At least we know to watch out for it.  The vet has an antidote for the poison so we are seeing her today for Bevo's shots and will ask her what to do if he ever gets too friendly with another Kevin.

:-)

white chicken chili . . .

 

Ingredients:

garlic as much as you like

onion  1 cup

celery 2 stalks

jalepenos (we used 4, 3 seeded and 1 not seeded)

olive oil

1 carton chicken broth

chicken breasts (we used 2 really big ones)

2 cans white beans (rinsed and drained)

secret ingredient- 15 pieces of turkey pepperoni

canned corn (we used mexi-corn)

cumin

corriander

I was in a pinch for time and made this quick recipe.

1.  Boil and shred 2 frozen chicken breasts 

2.  While chicken in boiling heat olive oil, garlic, onion, jalepenos, celery, cumin and corriander in a dutch oven until soft.

3.  Add chicken broth, corn, turkey pepperoni and chicken.

4.  Mash 1 can of rinsed and drained white beans (I used a muddler and that worked well) and add to mixture. Mash 1/2 of the other can and add it to the mixture, add the 1/2 of not mashed beans to the mixture.

5. Let it sit and simmer for a while.

6. Enjoy!

:-)

i'm not the only one in the family . . .

You heard me! As of today, I am not the only one in the family who loves skimming the pool!

Yep!  Bevo is feeling much better and his issues have calmed down. He only woke us up twice last night - HUGE improvement.  He ate a full meal of special food tonight and we are going to go for a little walk.  He is PRECIOUS! He also spent the afternoon with Matt and the pool.  he hasn't had enough nerve to get in -yet.  We can sense it's coming.  There will be pics- don't you fret. :-D

Here is Bevo helping Matt:

GAH!  I can't HANDLE the cuteness that is Bevo!!

Some side ramblings.  Matt got Bill for me when I moved into my first little apartment in Shirlington, VA.  I was scared of Bill at first and then I got used to him being around.  Weird though- I always had cats growing up but something about taking care of your "own" was a little frightening for me.  Then Bill and I moved in with Kerri and her dog, Binger.  Binger was awesome but he wasn't mine so I never got too attached to him.  I loved taking him for walks and letting him sleep on my bed when she went out of town (muahahahah >:) ) but he wasn't "mine."  Matt and I moved back to Shirlington and we had to get Jackson because Bill missed having a someone to fight with all day  friend.

Jackson was Matt's choice.  I wasn't sold as I was a little scared of him- he was another responsibility and he was not what I expected.  He also got super sick after we got him.  I never felt like I "knew" him until he ended up at the vet and they wanted me to come "say goodbye in case he didn't make it through the night."  We just got him a WEEK before and $1500 later we were hearing that.  I went to visit him and I melted.  He was too precious.  I cried the whole way home and most of the evening.  Now Bevo, who I loved instantly but never felt like I knew him, has me wrapped around his little paw.  I love him SO much!  There's something about taking care of a sick pet that makes them totally OWN you!  Is that weird that I never connected with my animals until I had to help them through something?

Either way, I love Bevo and I'm so glad he's feeling better!

Have a wonderful day!

:-)

bevo update . . .

Poor pup!  He was sick again last night... all night. 
:-(

I came home early today to make sure he was ok and thankfully- he seems good!  He's tired but he was able to finally eat.  He's napping in the library now.  I'll post the weekend recap and recipes later.  I'm too tired to move today.

Happy Tuesday!
:-)

the hunchback of pembroke pines . . .

*shudder*

So, you are wondering what I'm talking about.  Bevo got really sick last night.  We were doing a food switch and he did NOT react well.  He started having *ahem* issues at 9:00 last night and the worst ended at 4:30 am with me scrubbing vomit out of the bedroom carpet while a bleary-eye'd Matt said, "Don't worry, I'll take off tomorrow."

We had a scheduled vet appointment anyway this afternoon so we went.  Instead of getting shots we got fluids shot under his dehydrated skin.  It was the most revolting thing EVER!

Bevo ran over to Matt and I at the vet, slobbering and kissing, while Matt howled with laughter and I shrieked and cried....

"Well guys," the vet said, "You have a hunchback!"  I was crying with laughter and the vet said, "oh- just don't look at him!" We were dying! Poor Bevo, he looked like some sort of cross between Igor,

The Beast (from Beauty and the Beast):

and some sort of strangely side-preggo pup..

 

The HUMP kept MOVING and squirting hump juice on the blanket!  The vet said, "watch out- he may leak!"

I do not handle a "leaking" dog... >:(

At least he's ok!  He feels a lot better and has special food to handle his "issues."  We hope that he will be all better in time to start classes on Monday.

:-)

 

*gasp* lizzy update . . .

It's a BEAUTIFUL Sunday and Matt and I are celebrating October with chili and some of Sam Adams finest October brews and Matt asks, "Is honesty always the policy even when you know someone doesn't want to hear the truth?"

I reply, "YES!" I'm thinking things like Matt doesn't think I'm a good cook, I have a hole in my pants and have been walking around all day like that or that I look fat in this outfit... when out of his mouth comes...

"Bevo ate Lizzy! I've been holding this in!"

"Wha?" says a crushed Michelle. "Bevo ate Lizzy?"  

Matt replies,  "It's why I couldn't find him when I was standing on top of the ladder.  I saw Bevo tossing Lizzy up and down in his mouth and I grabbed Lizzy out of his mouth and tossed her outside." Trust me, he was looking sheepish.

I say, "WHY didn't you tell me?"

Matt replies, "You were so happy that Lizzy was safe and you were going to write a blog about it... I couldn't tell you!"

 I'm glad I have an honest husband.  This would have been better if he had never said a word.  At least I know Matt can't hide anything from me!

:-)

fifty-eight?

Yes,
This morning the reading on weather.com is 58 degrees.

58?

As we were getting ready for church I tried to take some pictures of Bevo.  Sadly, there is not an "excited dog" setting on my camera.  I tried sport, auto, and portrait.  Here are the results. 

"missing eyes" bevo

"see through" bevo

"looking away just in time" bevo

Bear with us!  I'm sure that after Bevo takes the doggie classes he will learn how to pose better. :-)

After church we ran some errands and ate at Panera.  It was the perfect afternoon for their french onion soup!  After we got home I started on some laundry while Matt did some work around the house.  I took Bevo for a much needed loooooong walk.  He had SO much fun! The weather was 68 and breezy.  It was a fabulous 45 minutes!  Here are some pics...

 

 

Tonight I am perfecting a white chicken chili recipe and blogging about the amazing Saturday that we had yesterday- look forward to a Saturday recap later this week!
:-)

 

new friend . . .

First Kevin, now...

Lizzy!!

I was coming in from Bevo's walk and I saw something on the ceiling:

wait... let me look closer:

 

Ok- just a *little* closer:

*cuteness*

Since I teach elementary school I know that Lizzy eats mosquitos.  I kinda wish she'd have stayed in the house as a fierce protector from west nile, malaria, and the like but cats and bevo might not like Lizzy too much (or LIKE Lizzy too much...).

Matt got Lizzy outside (unscathed- both of them) and now the balance is of animal power is back.

Matt, Bill, Bevo, Jackson, and Me... >:-/

Oh- here is some more Bevo cuteness to tide you over...

 

*melt*

:-)

 

start your engines ! ! !

I can't believe that this is coming out of my mouth but....

I LOVE INDY RACING!!

We pulled into parking lot B of the Homestead Speedway and I could feel the dread in the pit if my stomach.  I was already hot beyond belief, tired from a 10 mile run, and annoyed at the loud cars coming from a mile away.  This did not get any better when I had to use a porta-john. >:(

We lathered up with sunscreen- Here's Matt trying not to get a "redneck!"  ROTFLMAO!!! (I know- I'm too HILarious!)

 

Then the gang showed up!  A couple of beers made it feel a *little* more bearable.

*the gang*

Wal-Mart's finest.  Tastes like coke+coughsyrup+kool-aid+bile

Matt's expression says it all and Drew says, "Is that a hint of coca-cola?"

We make our way to the gate and we were delighted to find...

a FERRIS WHEEL??

We could BRING OUR OWN FOOD AND DRINKS?!?!

A MOBILE CHECKERS?!?!

Matt loves it!!

Everyone started to get VERY excited!  Too good to be true!  It was fantastic!   We got to the stands and got a good look at the, ahem, "dancers."  Everyone has a dance team in Miami!

We thought this guy had a great idea with his "yard of beer" hanging from his neck...

Yes, that checkered lanyard holds his yard of beer.  :-) Awesome!!  We thought that sounded like a good idea...

 

*shudder* Kateri is so clever!

AND WE'RE OFF!!!!

In all honesty, this is the perfect sport for me (like hockey).  I'm too ADD for football and baseball.  This is seriously a GREAT time.  Aside from the pre-race fun we had, I was truly entertained for the duration of the race.  We all picked people to watch and we could see the cars go around.  We had earplugs so it wasn't too loud.  I loved it! The pit crews are SO fast!  We are going to go to Nascar when Matt's parents come down over Thanksgiving- great timing Tommy!  Here are some action shots from the stands.

      * I had this car*

I never thought I would like this but it was a good time.  It's not at all like watching it on TV- it's fast and fun! LOVE it! Can't wait for the next race!!

:-)