DIY Frozen Dog Treats

I bought a rather large container of yogurt for mixing into a rubber Kong toy as a treat for her. However, it is quickly coming up to it's expiration date, and I still have half of it left. I wanted to find something that would be good for my puppy, that would use up more of this yogurt.

Looking around Pinterest (what was my life like without Pinterest, jeez!), I came across this recipe. I tried it as written, but found that I didn't really like how it turned out. I had purchased a really cute dog bone silicone mold from Kitchen Collections when I got my bone cookie cutters, so I was really excited to finally get to use them.

Anyway, this is what I came out with. They are cute, though obviously not as cute as the person who originally came up with them. But I tried. I can't really place what I didn't like about doing them this way though. Maybe because I froze them overnight, and the peanut butter was still not frozen? I had to take them out and place them on a plate to get completely frozen. Maybe I wasn't fond of doing the extra step of microwaving the peanut butter? I don't know.

I took the idea of these and just made a small change to make it work better for me. I used the same ingredients I had used prior, peanut butter, plain fat free yogurt, and my silicone mold.

I just took a spoonful of peanut butter, and maybe two spoonfuls of the yogurt, and mixed them together. That's the only deviation that I took, which made it much easier for my lazy self.  Less messy too!

Spoon it into the mold. Now, I just kind of dropped it in there. Next time I will maybe jiggle the mold or tap the bottoms of the mold a bit to get the mixture to settle all the way down. And yes, I realize that my mold is messy and weird looking, but hey... once they are done, you won't see all that ugly, right?? Wipe off any excess that isn't even with the mold. I just swiped a butter knife across the top.

Place the mold in the freezer over night.

The next day, pop them out of the molds and this is what you get! Store them in a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer until ready to give to your dog.

These turned out nice, I think. Amelia loves peanut butter and goes crazy for yogurt, so naturally, she loves these! Of course, I had hoped that she would make them last longer, but as soon as I give them to her, they are gone. Still makes a good summer treat for her when we come in from a walk though.

DIY Lotion Bars

I am finally getting through the pictures that I took for my visit in California! I'm still working on the majority of them, but I also did some DIY projects while I was there. It was much easier to do these beauty DIY things, because my family there literally had most of the stuff on hand. While, I, usally have to buy a lot of the stuff I want to DIY on Pinterest.

So, one thing I did while I was there was made some Lotion Bars. I was eyeballing this recipe forever on Pinterest, and we decided to make some. I took some photos along the way. I probably quickly became the family weirdo, taking photos of the process of making lotion bars. Hah.

Here's the ingredients we used. Not pictured, but we also used grape seed oil. I had forgotten to include it in the photo. Anyway, grape seed oil, unrefined coconut oil, essential oils (we had Lavender and Vanilla), beeswax, vitamin E oil, and jojoba oil. You'll also need a cupcake pan. We were not sure if this recipe was going to ruin her cupcake tins, so just to be safe, we picked up one from the local Goodwill for 25 cents.

Finding the beeswax was a chore. We had tried Joann's - they didn't carry it. Michaels normally carried it, but they were sold out. We ended up at a local health food store, where they finally had it, sold by the pound. We only picked up half a pound of it, which was plenty for us.

First thing we did was create a double boiler with a large pot and some Pyrex container that she had in her kitchen. It worked out well!

You'll want to mix equal parts together:

• 1/2 cup of grape seed oil
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of the beeswax pellets

Wait for the mixture to melt completely in the double boiler, which for us, took about 10 or 15 minutes. Once it's a pure liquid, you'll want to add your essential oils, and other things. We did a couple of drops of vanilla and lavender together, then about a teaspoon of each Vitimin E oil, and jojoba oil. Mix it together again, and have the cupcake pan ready.

Start pouring into your cupcake tins! It will probably be messy, and it will be hot! Mine was a mess, but you can't really tell now. I poured mine straight into the cupcake pan, but my particular family member poured hers into cupcake liners that she put in the tins. It's just a matter of preference. I've seen it done with soap molds, and silicone molds.

Once they are in the tins, allow to cool completely. I put mine in the refrigerator for about 3 hours. Once hardened, they just popped out of the tin with a little nudge from a butter knife. The 1/2 pound of beeswax we got made about 16 bars, which was not bad at all. My family kept 6, and sent the rest back home with me.

A few notes:

• These can be really greasy for a while after application. I personally love them right after drying off from a shower, I just wipe the bars on my body and get dressed. My family member, however finds them too greasy, so she applies it before drying off, which works better for her.
• Next time I make these, I think I will sprinkle some lavender buds on the bottom of the mold, so they have a bit more flair in appearance.

Amelia's Vet Trip and Progress

On Friday, our Miss Amelia puppy had her second set of vaccinations, as well as her well-puppy visit with our veterinarian. She was the star of the visit that day, when we walked in, everyone was "aww-ing" at her, as it happens with every where we go lately. She has gained over 3 pounds with us, putting her at 15 pounds now. I had some concerns with her, such as her loose stools, really horrible gas, and the vet informed me that if she wasn't dewormed at the breeder's, it's probably due to her having worms. He noticed other signs of her having worms, such as a pot belly. She got a deworming then and there. When we got home, her first stool afterward, had a big worm in it! I was so freaked out, that something like that can literally live in another creature. Blech! Anyway, we got her started on Frontline, and heartworm medication.

We are still trying really hard to house break her. She has to go out every 15 minutes... religiously, otherwise she will pee on the carpet. We haven't had a poo accident in the house in about a week, so that's progress, I think. The bell training is getting better, slightly. We no longer have to ring the bells for her, she rings them on her own, but only after we are standing next to them telling her "Amelia, ring your bells!" It wasd only last night that out of nowhere, she rang them 3 times on her own (once to pee, once to poo, and once to just annoy me and get me back outside). But since those three times, nohting. I feel like she's not associating the bells with potty, but more of "they are getting shoes on, I should ring the bells". We are still working with her though.

On Friday, we got the all clear from our vet that she's okay with going on walks, as long as we stay on the sidewalk. I have been super-paranoid about parvo and other viruses that come from unknown dogs, that she has literally been confined to the grass right outside our aparment. So, after the walk-ok, we have been taking her out of the complex, and walking in the middle of the street. We can at least now, start training for the loose leash walking. It was horrible at first, but now it's getting better. No longer am I dragging her, but she walks near me... trying to eat every rock and mystery substance she can find on the ground.

She also got a taste of her first Kong yesterday. I stuffed it with a mix of plain yogurt and some of her kibble, tossed it in the freezer for a few hours, and let her at it. She loved it. It entertained her for several hours, until she finally got frustrated that she couldn't get the remaining kibble in the middle. She then growled at it, and walked away in a huff.

She is a cute puppy, and all things considered, she is well behaved and smart. She did really well at the veterinarian, slept on the table, didn't care what they were doing to her. She is learning many things (mainly how to get us to cater to her), so I can't complain too much, I suppose. She's very attention-getting with whoever she meets, including the neighbors. Every time the neighbors see her out, they rush up to give her pets and love.

We are trying, and we are desperately trying to get better with her. Getting her was my realization that I'm not going to be able to have children, and bringing her home was our version of adopting a furry child. And she is just that, a baby. She needs constant supervision, potty time every 15 minutes, middle of the night potty time, and she definitely needs the attention a baby needs. The only time I can get things done, is while she is sleeping!