Our Dog Family

Patch and Button had PUPS!!!

This wasn't how we'd planned it, we'd originally planned on sending her over to friends to have pups with their male Shih Tzu who is on the smaller size scale like Button.
However, they were having a wonderful time visiting family in another country.

Fast forward a bit and Patch and Button were expectant parents.
We watched our tiny Button swell in the middle and prayed for her health.
She delivered early, we believe to birth the stillborn pup and then gave birth to two live pups.
Complications came after birth when she continued to push - disgorging her Uterus, the medical term is to go prolapse.

The second I arrived home from work we rushed Button and the pups up to an emergency vet.
They could try to save her but it wouldn't be cheap.
We paid - a lot.
They quickly gave her a blood transfusion before they could do the emergency surgery.

Hubs and I spent the night hand feeding the pups as they kept Button for late night surgery and to recover.
She came home middle of the next day drugged and tired.
Thankfully it only took a few short feedings for her to bond with her two little boys.

They have grown quick!
One thing has been very apparent, the boys adore each other.
They sleep together, play together, eat together, follow each other, fake attack their papa together.
Which is how hubs and kids got me to agree to keep the pups.
That and Button will never have puppies ever again.


Our family now has two families - human and dog.
Us - Hubs, Me, Prissy & G'man
Dogs - Patch Asta, Button Beatrice, Scratch Kega & Puka Dot
Click here to see what Kega means
Click here to see what Puka means

Scratch is still the largest and the fluffiest of the two brothers.
Yet is the calm, quiet one like his papa.

And Puka is still the most hyper - just like his mama!

Happy National Puppy Day!
Feel free to share your pups with me!

Button and Pups

Button and Patch had pups!
Two healthy boys and 1 stillborn.
However, Button went prolapse after birth.
This means she kept pushing and pushed her uterus out of her body.

Thursday she gave birth, Thursday night she was in emergency surgery.
Also, Thursday night hubs and I spent the entire night hand feeding, keeping warm and praying for our lovely little lady still at the vet's.

Friday morning we got the call to come to get our girl.
 

She no longer has a belly button but she is home and doing well.
Of course, she had to have her uterus removed so these little boys will be the only pups she ever has.
She'd lost half of her blood and received a blood transfusion.
We are grateful she made it through.

Thankfully her milk didn't dry out during her 14 hours away from the pups.
The boys are healthy and adorable!
Cuddling on top of one another is their absolute favorite thing to do and if you separate them, for any reason, they whine. A lot.

Life has been full here, slightly stressful, very expensive, but full.
Full of joy, full of love, full of hope and full of gratitude that all is well.

Blessings and Transitions

In March my husbands' seizures increased so much that he had no more time off at work - even with his doctors FMLA paperwork for time off. She was unhelpful this year in changing medication to something that worked better as the two he was on had stopped working. Unhelpful with filing the new needed paperwork for him to retain his job and unwilling to do anything that might have helped us. Needless to say, she isn't our doctor anymore.
Not that it makes a huge difference as we are uninsured until I've been at my new job for 3 1/2 months. At that time we most likely would have been searching for a new doctor who took our new insurance anyhow.

Leap ahead I was offered 3 jobs - huge blessings as I've been a stay at home mama for 13 years - on my 39th birthday I was offered the job I truly wanted. Its 7 minutes from my home, I stay busy all day long and time vanishes quickly. Even better I have work I enjoy and feel like I do a good job in my position.

Hubby's having a go at being the stay at home dad. He's doing a great job and he's still mostly sane even being around our dastardly duo 24-7.
Our life has been full of ups and downs, after 12 years at his job building up a decent 401K we cashed out enough to pay off tiny bills and buy ourselves a small unretirement gift.

After searching for a while we found a wonderful gem. A 40 yr old class C motorhome in near perfect condition! (insert squeal here - louder)

I made a joke as we drove it home that he had just bought his own dog house (joking, just joking).
He came back with that as long as we have it we will never be homeless - touche, he wins the point.

Our amazing friends S & S thought we should run it up for a quick trip over Labor Day Weekend (since I had it off paid) to test it out - they, of course, came with us in their RV to make sure we were safe. Also, they adore camping. S's parents also bought a class C RV (2018) this year and wanted to test it out so they joined us. We had an incredible time.

This year has been full for us, so many blessings, so many changes and lots of new experiences.
Prissy was asked to Homecoming next week and our small circle seemed to flip. Dress from a friend, shoes from our neighbor, nails being done by my bestie S & hair cut by me - most likely styled by me as well.

Winter will be spent fixing up the motorhome, we want to paint inside and outside, fix the brake light, the hot water line & change the valve on the propane. We also are going to give it a tune up and change out the fuel filter. Lots of little things that will give it the TLC love it needs to shine. It truly surprised us camping - everything works! Furnace, AC, propane, stove, sinks, toilet, onboard generator etc. Even more amazing it made it up Parleys Canyon! (For those of you who don't live in Utah it is a main road up a mountainside with a 6% grade for MILES to reach the top. It's not the grade of steepness that makes the road so hard to get up but the length in which you need to drive your car up that steep of a climb. Its burnt out more than one engine.)

So while our garden has been amazing and I've already canned several fun things this year I really have been to busy to blog - on any of my blogs. Not even the most amazing surprise birthday love from all my neighbors this year - so hi, still alive, still here, still making it one day at a time.

PEAP from POTUS

My son G'man was awarded the Presidents Education Awards Program for
Outstanding Academic Achievement!

G'man was over the moon to receive this!
Something signed from the President himself.

After the last year of nasty politics, insults and hate it was eye opening to see such 

simple joy because the PRESIDENT signed it.
Respect and love for the office of his country.

We've gotten to embroiled in the details, the whose doing what that our country seems to have forgotten that we are one country.
We are one people, all wanting similar things.
To live well, to live safely and to grow old with those we love.

Also my adorable cutie really enjoys to pose for the camera!
Button is our lovely little lady.

A Peak Inside

I know I haven't been writing anything but puppy news, that's because my life took a very different turn a few years ago and my writing followed. My main blog is now Our Bit of Dirt.
After years of thinking all I wanted was a small garden, I came to realize what I truly love.

Homesteading.

For those that liked my writing, family or hilarity; feel free to drop by the new blog.

From new eggs to meeting our new hens.

To the amazing finds I've been able to snag this Spring!
Free tomatoes to a driveway full of bricks!

My life is full of new fruit trees, berries, grapes, potatoes and so much more!
I've met some truly amazing people along the way.
Learned more than I thought I would in a short span of time and have continued to find new loves!
Jams, jellies, wine and pies are in our fresh future!

Last winter I started repairing two of my quilts that are getting thread bare and have started to repair them.
We continue to build, add and grow new things.

In the last two years our lives have changed so very much - feel free to watch the crazy ride!

Meet Button!

  Please welcome Button!

When Button was only two days old a girl in my daughters online Academy class held up a cute brand new puppy!
Long story short, we went to see the puppies!
This photo is from when Button was only 4 days old!

That day she was ours!
Named and paid for!
All we had to do then was wait! and wait and WAIT!
(I hate wait*)

Button came home at 8 weeks old
on the day of our 15th anniversary!
The photo above is her meeting our other pure bred Shih Tzu Patch



This is our darling today!

She is our sunshine!
Her and Patch are FINALLY getting along,
Patch was jealous, annoyed and afraid of the little darling with razor sharp teeth.
I've currently nicknamed her Tiny Teeth of Terror and its more than fitting!

 My life is richer, fuller and more filled today!

So welcome to the family my cute baby Button!



*Favorite quote from The Princess Bride

Puppy! Meet Button.

Meet Button!

Photo of Button 4 days old!
She, like our dog Patch, is pure bred Shih Tzu.

Shih Tzu's are a wonderfully smart breed of dog, very loving, highly loyal dogs.

They need TONS of attention.

Which makes it easy on our dog that I'm a stay at home mama/gardener/homesteader.

They also have REAL HAIR, not fur, making them great for our daughter who is allergic to dander 

and therefore highly allergic to cats/dogs and various other pets.
So far as long as she washes her hands and doesn't touch her eyes after petting or playing with him she's been 100% fine.

Button now at 6 weeks old!

She will be coming home in just over two weeks after her first puppy shots!

Hopefully (fingers crossed) just in time for our 15th anniversary!

For those that are wondering if I've fallen off the face of the planet,

I really haven't 

we've just been hard at work in the yard!

Check us out on

Our Bit of Dirt
my blog about our tiny urban homestead.

This year we've added 3 fruit tree's - Plum, Apple & Pear.

Our berry bushes are growing back lovely and this year we might even have enough for a pie!

Our garlic is growing in strong, onions, carrots & lettuce all growing well.

Peas have started to come up and soon I will be training them along the trellis.

So drop on by my homesteading blog to see all the latest!