goodbye 2011

As cliched as it sounds, I really can't believe that another year is about to come to a close.  It took three hundred and sixty four posts in 2011 to get to this point, or more than a thousand since the little kielbasa and I first cast our hello into the cyber darkness, and found there to be love and light as we would never have imagined.

As it has over this past year, in 2012, as little white hairs take hold on tiny chumley's chinny chin chin and sprout like dandelions, I am certain Baxter's tiny little microcosmic world will evolve.  Making new friends, and, sadly, losing friends too.  Such are the ups and downs of life.   But I hope our little corner of the universe will continue to be the happy go lucky and crafty place that it is, full of sunshine and wonder and dachshund love.  Where the watermelon is plentiful and the paw shakes firm, where unicorns are truly appreciated and coexist happily with turtles and sandworms and mischievous duks and even newborn little pink puppies.  Where a lucha loving dog and his dukfriend can do the robot and speak with authority when they say what happens at woof mitzvah, stays at woof mitzvah.

I haven't a clue what 2012 holds in store for us, but I know even on the grayest of days next year, it will be all the merrier and sunshinier, all because of we have been touched by the likes our wiggly four legged sausagey boy wonder.  Goodbye 2011.  Hello 2012. :) 


 

ode to my yellow ballie

my new ballie is so nice n yellow
it almost reminds me of lemon jello.
but justchoo wait until tonite,
when i'll be able tell u
if the insides r white!

- baxter, 5 years old.  yeah, u know what he's going to be doing today. :)

mountain climbing

Goodness knows what possesses my stubby legged sausage boy to do the things he does sometimes, but some days like yesterday, he really can't do them without a little help from his friends.

 

um, somebuddy want to give me a hand here? :)

captivated

(blink...)   (blink...........blink.)

ooo! i think i saw something!... no, wait. i think that was just the heat waves from lil pink puppy's foofie.


(blink.)   (blink blink.)        (blink.)

oh i think i saw - no, that was just a shadow from the birds outside.

(blink....blink.....................blink)

ooo! i am almost pos- nope, my bad. hey!! quit shoving duk duk!
   
(blink..................................blink)

ow! duk duk!  okay okay, next time we open presents u can do it but i do not see how that is going to help us not throw away the directions this time because they are already gone - ooo wait,  didjoo see that? it moved! butchoo gotta keep your head very still 2 see it.  okay, maybe soon it will do it again so everybuddy watch and try not to shove so much...


- baxter, 5 years old, & his toyfriends, hopefully waiting for the magic kibble mystery mountain fountain of fun fun silly surprises to erupt and shower them with wonderful fun fun silly surprises., despite having accidentally thrown away the instructions on boxing day :)

 

santasfaction (n): the joy derived from santa's fulfillment of one little kielbasa's wishes, desires, or needs

 gee, mom n dad, um, thanks for the really nice, uh,  snowsuit. it's really nice and warm and... hey, did santa leave us anything else besides my new squeaker ball and mister gingerbread man by any chance?  :)

ooo, is dat what i think it is? 

yes!!! santa brought us dino poopie snakes!

precious poopie snakes! 


oh thank u santa!!! this is better than anything else we had on our li --

(sniff sniff) but wait...

(sniff sniff)

(sniff)

methinks i smell more from santa!! 

(sniff sniff) no way.   wait, (sniff) could it really be?

yeSSSS! it's the magic kibble mystery mountain fountain of fun fun silly surprises! the magic kibble mystery mountain fountain of fun fun silly surprises!!! santa made us the magic kibble mystery mountain fountain of fun fun silly suprises!!!!

um, mom n dad, if we are all done here, can somebuddy help us take this to our play room and  may me n duk duk n chocobot n lil pink puppy be excused now?   :) :)

(hee hee, thank u miss keren for helping make a certain little kielbasa's wildest dreams come true this christmas.)

christmas thank you

dear diary,
i have so many things to tell you about christmas that i think it will take me more than a couple days to really tell u everything, but let me start by saying that i feel that i am the luckiest dog in the world, and not just because i got so many wonderful new doxie goodies (thank u ammo for the lovely orange doxie pen! i hope 2 write 2 u soon with it!)

and not because i got so many wonderful christmas cards that our former potato-chip-bag spinner-display-thingy-turned-christmas-card-tree was full (but oooo i got so many cool cards from my friends!)





























and not just because there were so many wonderful snackies and toys and things that i thought were toys for me to open and taste on christmas day (yeah baby more on that 2morrow!)














nope, besides all the wooty booty i got for christmas,  i know i am the luckiest dog in the world because i am loved by my mom and dad and by everybuddy, and for that i am very thankful. :)





hee hee, i hope u had a wonderful christmas!

toodley-doo!!
b. :)

holiday hooray

Hee hee, a tiny video of a happy little jig around this morning's present pile, from one happy little dachshund and his toyfriends.   Merry Christmas everybuddy!! 

and the snackies were placed by the chimney with care

hee hee hee, okay okay. we can all share one snackie bcuz there is no way he can see us as busy as he is today, right? :)

- baxter, 5 years old, overheard while he and his toyfriends were getting ready for santa's visit on christmas eve, and bringing new meaning to the term, t minus one.

north pole confessional

please forgive me santa it has been 2 weeks since i last was naughty and i am very sorry for what happened yesterday even though it was technically duk duk's fault but mom says there are no room for excuses in apologies so me just wanted to tell u how sorry i am about spilling monkeychow nog on the rug yesterday and i am sure u know since u see everything that me n duk duk cleaned it up real nice even while everyone else had a fine time at our after charlie and the chocolate factory foofie party and  i hope u will agree that we still deserve all the things we asked for christmas.  well, except duk duk's request for the cowabunga 540 xtra distance wing action master blaster super disaster water cannon  because i forgot to ask u for the megamotion 890XD4 power shower multispread body shredder aqua pro rifle and u know he would cream me without it but if it's not too late can u go ahead and add the megamotion 890XD4 power shower multispread body shredder aqua rifle and optional quik change clip grip with steady paw sling in blazing camo green to my list?  and do not worry if all this is too much for u to bring on christmas eve, i can totally wait to get it on boxing day. :)

t minus 3

oooh pleeze mom may we open just one???

- baxter, 5 years old, speaking on behalf of himself and his toyfriends as they anxiously await christmas day. :)

one small cubby for a dachshund, one giant leap for studio organization

 Hooray!! With the last package sent out for Christmas and Santa's crafty workshop now officially on vacation, tiny chumley and I took the time yesterday to build the desperately needed Expedit shelving unit we scored last week.  Mostly with me building, and Baxter - when not trying to sit in my lap while I hammered and screwed -  keeping watch while resting comfortably under george's gentle warming breath.

Twilight had arrived by the time I finished building the IKEA beast and affixing it to the wall, but that didn't stop the little kielbasa from coming out from the shadows to claim what he felt was so obviously should be his.

ooo, me n duk duk always wanted a tree house u can climb into - save this cubby for us, okay mom?

Okay baby dog, but promise me you'll help me fill all the other ones tomorrow, okay?

yippee!! and yessireeubetchabygolly!!  :) 

picture with santa

dear dairy,
so maybe u know by know that even though santa is really nice and gives me presents and everything, i sorta think he is also very scary to meet in person and so u know, besides mom not having a picture of me on santa's lap, most of my communication with him is by letter or email and for the past four years that has worked very well for me and for duk duk too.  but somebuddy at preschool told lil pink puppy about the santa's lap and picture thing and next thing i know,  lil pink puppy asked me n duk duk if we would take him to get a picture with mall santa.  needless 2 say it was a very big dilemma bcuz on the one paw i could tell lil pink puppy was really looking forward 2 it and on the other paw, i was really not looking forward it, and on the other back paws, duk duk and chocobot wanted 2 stay home and play on the wii.

but light bulb!  lucky for us i had a holiday hoodie that mom got on clearance last year and so while chocobot pretended to dial santa to come to our house for a cup of hot monkey chow milkshake (he had 2 pretend because he actually does have santa on speed dial but it is for emergencies only this time of year), i slipped into the hoodie while duk duk set up our picture with santa booth.  and since i did not have a beard and lil pink puppy might recognize me, why of course i slipped on my lucha mask.  because u know santa is a really good luchador, too,  right?  almost as good as me, only his performance is really encumbered by his red robe. which explains why duk duk beat m- uh, santa - in the post picture lucha lucha match. i'm just sayin.

anyhoo, our picture with santa booth was a hit and lil pink puppy got to tell santa everything he wanted for christmas  and we printed it out just like u would at a real mall and the best part? well of course the picture and the no scary santa thing, and the hot monkey chow milkshakes! :)

toodley-doo!
b. :)

missed opportunity

dear diary,
yesterday i went with mom and dad to the flea market and we had a swell time only i was so busy barking at other dogs and sniffing the floor for popcorn that me forgots to christmas shop for duk duk, chocobot, and lil pink pupppy.  which is kind of a bummer because i knew exactly what i wanted to get all of them and now my opportunity is gone since next weekend u know is christmas.  but lucky 4 me mom said i could shop thru her crafty studio and all the stuff she got at thifty stores and maybe this week while lil pink puppy is in after school dance and chocobot is in princess n me and duk duk is hanging with his cousins i might could make something for all of them.  which sounded really fun because i think i know exactly what i want 2 make too.  but sorry i cannot tell u because it is a secret.

anyhoo, i hope u r having a wonderful monday and diary, if u happen to find a used rocket engine and some scrap metal and an easy-weld welder for canines on craigslist please let me know okay?

toodley doo!
b. :)

anticipation

 

oooo, why can't it be christmas alreadeeee?

- baxter, 5 years and 5 days old, visibly demonstrating his anguish at having to wait til christmas to open all the cards and packages that have come in the mail for him this past week. :) 

story time

dear diary,
guess what! wouldntchoo know that this year is going 2 be lil pink puppy's first christmas ever and so today we thought it be super fun to read all about the poky little puppy's first christmas, just so lil pink puppy knows what he can expect.  well okay, u know, besides a visit from scary santa n presents and if he is lucky, a poopie snake from rudolph himself.  the only thing is i left my glasses at school and so i am going 2 have to make up most of the story bcuz i have never really read about the poky little puppy's first christmas either. i sure hope the real story involves flying robots and an exploding clown car otherwise i am going to have to pay close attention to what i make up in case this turns into a christmas tradition, know what i mean?

anyhoo diary, i hope u r having a wonderful saturday and if u haven't gotten your christmas cards out yet like mom hasn't either, maybe u are thinking what she's starting to think -  new year's postcards :o

toodley-doo!!
b :)

o christmas me (part 2)

o christmas me, o christmas me,
i really love my new blankie.


o christmas me, o christmas me,
i really love my new blankie.

thank u so much, miss agnes, friend!
it really looks a lot like me !


o christmas me, o christmas me,
if u want one too, please visit here.

- baxter, 5 years and 3 days old, expressing his gratitude for such a wonderful handmade gifty quilt from miss agnes that he was finally allowed to open yesterday on account of his trip to IKEA the prior day.  :)

festivus miracle

tiny chumley was hardly impressed that we woke him up early yesterday morning. To him it was just another ordinary day, and if it was going to be just another ordinary day then why on earth would he need to be so rudely awakened and removed from the warm coccoon of the queen sized bed that he lets his humans share with him? Blinky and bleary eyed, Baxter trundled off to his own actual little bedroom bed, nesting himself square in the middle and dozing in and out while teeth brushing and shower sounds gently lulled him back to deeper sleep.

Baxter's interests were mildly piqued as he saw things being taken in and out of the car. The little kielbasa's body tried its best to stay out of the way while his little mind whirred as it tried to figure out if all the unusual hubbub foreshadowed the impending doom of his being left home alone, or the promise of impending rideys glee.

"Baby dog," I told him with a hearty pet to his tiny noggin when I brushed passed him for the third time, "do not worry. You'll be coming with! And, we might even get chik-fil-a!"

okey doke, his eyes did tell me.  And after we all piled into the car, he hunkered down in his snoozer, trusting that we would take him exactly where he needed to go.

Yet much to tiny chumley's apparent chagrin, our three hour tour didn't take us to see family or friends, nor did it take us to the tummy satisfying land of Snackieville.  Our rather last minute three hour tour took us to where I needed to go, where I have been needing to go ever since I created a giant mess to clear space in my studio to make way for my holy grail of studio crafty space organization, only to find out that it would be out of stock for the next three months.  These past three months, of waiting, of cramped quarters, of losing things and tripping over everything, of being teased online with the promise of restock only to have dates fall through time and time again, location after location.

Til maybe,  finally now.  Could it really be true? After weeks of checking online and copious amounts of complaining to the Facebook ether (sorry my facebook homies), I had given up looking and become resigned to the fact that the earliest I would ever see my grail would be in the spring time.  But thanks to inadvertent prodding from my friend Robin, I begrudgingly checked inventory two nights ago, expecting the same half baked it'll be here in a couple weeks answer. But instead, a tiny blip on the radar.  My heart pounded.  Three units of elusive IKEA 5x5 Expedit in Birch Effect were back in stock and only at the store that happened to be closest to us and only on the day that big boyfriend had already planned to take off. Yeah baby!  Cue the glorious angel choir and light up the stage because ladies and gentlemen, THIS was a festivus miracle of major proportions.

Yet, when I returned to the car with my most excellent score, my loyal-little-lingonberry-let's-go-rideys longfriend was hardly impressed by series of fortunate events that had unfolded before him.

meh, u said we were gettin chik-fil-yay after this, right mom?

Yes baby dog. It's next on our list. :)

woof mitzvah wooty booty

dear diary,
well what a difference a nap and time makes! as you already know my woof mitzvah party was a blast and even though i cannot tell you much about it, i wanted to share with you some of the swell things i got for my birthday.  here u can see me wearing some of my new wooty booty - mom n dad got me like three very nice walkies jackets and they are super cool bcuz they are the kind that cover my chest n tummy n stuff and they zip open and closed on the side for a snugger fit whichchoo know i need because i would just ensausage myself otherwise. yeah u might have already seen me in one of them from before my birthday.  but mom says it was cold so u know, i got to test it out and make sure it fit an all.  oh and as u can see i also got a very nice matching leather leash from the same place at made my woof mitzvah collar!  and, u will not see it 2day, but i got a special occasion artful collar that mom had made especially for me - it is very cool, trust me.  but i think she is right we need to save it for a special day and when u see it u will see why too.






anyhoo, just when i was thinkin that all i was getting was going to be all sorts of adulty wearable sort of stuff, duk duk n chocobot n lil pink puppy brought out their gift that they helped mom make,  and well, all i can say is i am still on cloud nine. cuz i may not have told u before but because i am the biggest when we all play cowboys n indian cops n robbers, i am always the horse and somebuddy is always riding my back.  always.  that is, up til now cuz looky!! nope, it's not a mirage, mom n duk duk n chocobot n lil pink pippu made me my very own super duper shiny brass sheriff's badge!! and yeah u know who's gonna be sheriff now...

go ahead. make my day, pardner.

hee hee hee. 

toodley-doo!
sheriff baxter and deputy chocobot :)

brought 2 u by baxter & duk duk: the day after..

Yeah somebuddies had themselves a jolly good time. :)

...for he's a jolly good poo-ooperrrrrr, that nobuddy can deny!  :)

- duk duk, chocobot, and lil pink puppy, at baxter's pre-woof woof mitzvah party. 

 

today i am five

dear diary,
yippeee! with all the holiday hoopla surrounding my christmas list, i totally forgot that my birthday was today - but thankfully, mom n dad and duk duk n chocobot n lil pink puppy remembered and thank goodness they did cuz today i am five and even though mom says every birthday is special, this one is more so, because it's my woof mitzvah birthday. and since i kinda already got my woof mitzvah gift like super early, i am not really sure what i will be getting 2day, but i am wondering if it will be something super cool and um, adulty.  like a porsche pedal car or a personalized bowling ball or maybe even a scooter sidecar camper so me n duk duk can take lil pink puppy and chocbot RVing this summer.  all that would be so cool, right?

but honestly, it does not matter. bcuz i am happy that 2day i am turning five, and 2day, i get to celebrate it with my family, and 2day,  i am a dog.

toodley-doo-sha-woof!
b. :)

me - u = blue

With a knowing look like this, it's always difficult to leave the little kielbasa home alone.  But alas, like yesterday, when holiday shopping duties called, sometimes it has to be.  Resigned to his fate, tiny chumley's usually limber body often turns into an unwilling mass as I pick him up to say goodbye.  Dark clouds gather as he turns his head away, shunning me for the atrocity I am about to commit.

I always wonder if really gives him comfort, but every time we must part, with a giant hug and a kiss on his cheek, I tell him what I always want to be true.  Don't worry, baby dog, I will always come back for you.  I always will.  And soon everything will be right again. :)

quiet time

Sometimes playing quietly has its own little rhythm, its own sense of joy and fun. And sometimes, it get a little happy help. :)

fair trade

Tiny chumley decided that the snackies weren't flowing as freely as he would like yesterday, and so he decided to start trading with whatever things he could gather, bringing forth a rich bounty of treasure that only a little doxie could find.

me give u socks, u give me snackies, okay mom? :) :)

dapper doxie duds: quintin & jewel's deutscher duo

Hey everybuddy, it's me, Baxter, your roving rover reporter, reporting to you today about the happy duds my mom just finished for my friends Quintin and Jewel.  My friend Quintin is the doxie on the right and his family are fans of the German National football team (that's Die deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft in case u were wondering).  So Quintin's mom and my mom thought that Quintin could use a little something sporty and since the team's regular white uniform wasn't very practical for a doxie dud,  mom decided to to use one of Michael Ballack's curvy pieced red jerseys for inspiration and even included a little reflective piping so Quintin can stand out at a night game. Super cool, right? I would have modeled it for u but mom says there is a reason she calls me her little kielbasa and not her little vienna sausage.  I say...yeah, it didn't fit me even when I held my breath.  But here it is!

  And looky! I can fit Quintin's sister Jewel's dud! And me so likey cuz it has squirrels and deer on them and it has piping that mom made expecially for it and it has buttons and it is made from a nice red cotton pique and it reminds me of a very happy german fairy tale just like the one I read with lil pink puppy the other night. U know, the one with the deer n squirrels in it and the forest with the magic kibble tree that grants three wishes?  

Anyhoo, mehopes that Quintin and Jewel will enjoy their new duds very much and me also hopes that u enjoyed seeing them as much as I enjoyed reporting about them. This is Baxter your roving rover reporter wishing u a very happy Thursday! :)  

backyard bliss

With temps yesterday in the low 70s, it's hard to believe it's December, much less winter or Santa season really.  But that hardly mattered to the little kielbasa, who happily dug in the sun warmed dirt  and sniffed and snorted his afternoon away til finally it was bath time.

hee hee, mom, u know it's a good thing santa parks his sleigh on the roof otherwise he might need a tow truck to get out of the giant hole i dug today!

So true, baby dog. Now hold still so u don't get shampoo in your eyes.


okey dokey!! :)

teacher's note

yes mom, i promise to tell teacher i am sorry when i see her at school 2day.  and i will stay after school 2 help her clean the erasers and then i will goto the library to research the great white winter snowy owl and write my report like i was supposed to and i will call u when i am done and i need a ride home.

- baxter, 4.9 years old, responding to his mom after she read the note he brought her from his teacher yesterday.

break time

dear diary,
well wouldn'tchoo know it's a lot of work doing research to come up with a new christmas list for santa and so yesterday i took a break and went for a nice walkie with mom n dad.  which was really good bcuz it reminded me of a few things i forgot to add 2 my list.  which turned out to be sorta bad because when i finally finished my list i counted a hundred things and me n duk duk thought that seemed like a lot and now i gotta cut like a couple and u know u really can't ask for things like a scooby doo mystery magic fun fun and scary noises bouncy castle and not also ask for the fred's glow in the dark bounce n spark four in one jumping booties and the breakaway tag team velma n daphne anti gravity musical space helmets and the scrappy doo electric air pump n dump and the special shaggy bouncy bounce fruity rollup barf bags, can u?  not to mention all the batteries i will need 2 power everything.  or the earplugs that mom says she needs.  so u can see diary i still have my work cut out for me. which is why all i really have to turn in today for my report on the great white winter snowy owl will be my tushie picture from yesterday cuz nobuddy had time to write anything.  only i still think i will do fine bcuz i am planning to also bring teacher a monkey chow milkshake so please do not worry for me.

anyhoo diary, i hope u r having a wonderful monday!

toodley-doo,
b. :)

snowy owl

dear diary,
today i am supposed 2 spend hours researching and writing about the great white winter snowy owl for my earth science report that is due 2morrow but diary, as u know an emergency has come up of epic proportions which will leave me little time to really do much on my report. so thankfully duk duk said he would help me with my report but he is busy too so for pictures we decided to just go ahead and take some ourselves and hope that teacher is not wearing her glasses when she reads my report.  because methinks duk duk is right, if u squint just so, my tushie really does look like an owl. hopefully a snowy owl.  anyhoo, i must go so i can work on my super duper new christmas list so i will talk 2 u 2morrow.

toodley-doo! 

 b. :)

tis the season to be stunned

what?? the magic kibble mystery mountain fountain of fun fun silly surprises?  THE magic kibble mystery mountain fountain of fun fun silly surprises?  discontinued?  disconTINUED??

- baxter, 4.9 years old, during a holiday photo shoot, stunned over news that the toy he had been planning to ask from santa is no longer being produced.

(thanks madwilly for taking such a wonderful photo! :) )

deck the walls duet (or, what we did all yesterday afternoon)

Deck the walls with wreaths of rawhide,
gimme gimme gimme, gi-me-e-eeee!

See the dachshund whine before it,

just a tiny taste, a tiny taste.

Twen-ty four more days til Christmas,

wha wha wha, wha wha wha, whatchoo mean?

Santa's watching, u better be careful,

o pleez pleez pleez pleez pleeeez, i'd like it nowwww!  :)

even though i like him bcuz he gives me presents...

 

mom, how come santa claus is so scary?

- baxter, 4.9 years old, on why it is highly unlikely there will ever be a picture of him sitting on an unfamiliar santa's lap. :)