Funtainer Giveaway

Happy Monday everyone!  It's a really soggy day here - warm enough to melt the 6 or so inches of snow we got on Friday, plus lots of thunderstorms to really make things messy.  Think that I should maybe put life vests on the dogs to send them out into the backyard!  Yuck.  Talk about dreary weather.  I've said it before - spring can't get here soon enough!

But until things start looking more promising outside, I've got the perfect thing to help perk you up on a grey Monday - a giveaway!  Our friends at CafePress have come up with another cool idea, and they asked me to help share it with you.

It's called a "Funtainer".  How can that not make you smile?  The name alone is so cheery, plus you can personalize it to your hearts' content!   Of course we have no shortage of photos to use, but picked two of our favorite to adorn our little thermos.  

There are several thermos designs available, we picked this screw-lidded version (so a certain little black bulldog would be unlikely to open it himself).  It can keep things either hot or cold for several hours.

Once again, thwarted by lack of thumbs!

It's perfect to use for taking our Tuna Fudge (go see our last post, the recipe is included there) to agility trials.  Brutus gets totally excited when he sees the thermos, as he knows that's his "jackpot" container.  After an agility run Brutus gets treated repeatedly, rapid-fire style,  for about 30 seconds - that's his "jackpot", and let me tell ya it takes a lot of fudge!

Any goodies in there??

Hellooooooo......

CafePress has so many neat items, we always end up spending tons of time playing around on their website.  That being said, the design page is really easy to use - even a bulldog can do it (no offense, Brutus).

Hey - what's that supposed to mean??

Pick out your Funtainer, then upload a couple of photos of your favorite furkids.  You can also add text in a huge array of fonts & colors.

Decisions, decisions.

Of course there might be more than one dog who wants a say-so in the design process...

Whatcha doin' big brother??

SO would you like your very own FUNTAINER?  As in the past, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post (either via Facebook or through Blogger) and we'll enter you in a drawing to win one, courtesy of our super friends at CafePress.  Whether you use it for yummy doggy treats or actually use it for (*gasp*) yourself, this is really a neat little item.  In fact it's so nifty, there just might be some competition in the house for who gets to use it....

I want one too, mom!

We'll leave the post open for comments until the end of the day Friday (5PM EST, March 4th).  The winner will be chosen by Frenchie-mediated random drawing on Saturday, and announced early next week. 

Chef Brutus

Hey everyone!  It's Brutus!!  Can you believe it?  So little posting here lately, I was starting to forget how to do it.  Mom has a snow day today (Snowmageddon #4 in Ohio), so we finally have a chance to catch you up on what we've been doing lately.

Mom is always on the lookout for tasty new treats for us to try.  You see, we Frenchies have a reputation for eating ANYTHING (underwear, earplugs, christmas tree lights, in no particular order), but actually have a very discriminating palate.  It takes something really special to get us genuinely excited, and we get bored quickly with even the most delectable treats.  So today I, Chef Brutus, will be sharing the newest - and dare I say BEST EVER - recipe that a friend recently sent to us.

It's called TUNA FUDGE!   I'm drooling just thinking about it.  Better get on with things before the keyboard gets so full of slobber that my paws can't find the keys...  You have to make it through the post (just like I had to make it through the production of the post!) to see the actual recipe.  Hehehehe.

First, gather all the ingredients.  Oh, and loose the ridiculous chef hat - it only gets in the way.

Let's see...  Eggs, Flour, Tuna, Garlic Salt - check!

Next, combine everything into that terrible machine that mom calls a "blender".  Press the button that says "puree".

This would be a lot easier if I had thumbs...

It will take a while to smooth everything out.  While you are waiting, it's never too early for a taste test (just keep your tongue OUT of the blender itself!).

OK, now that it's all blended, have your human pour the goo into a greased baking dish (it's just not possible to do yourself, I tried).

Never hurts to taste it again, just to be on the safe side.

Now the waiting begins.  I had mom turn on the oven, and once it heated up she put the pan inside to cook.

In the mean time, feel free to lick the bowl.  And the blender.  And the measuring cups. And the spatula...

As if the lovely aroma of the baking fudge wasn't enough to torture me, I had to defend my culinary creation from my pushy little sister.

Step away from the fudge, Carmen!!  Make your own!

After what seems like an eternity (actually it's only 20 minutes, but in dog time that's like 4 hours), get your human to take the fudge out of the oven & let it cool.  I begged mom for another taste test here, but she said it was still too hot. 

Pleeeeeease???

The fudge has a kind of play-dough-like consistency.  When it's cool, it can be cut into squares for easy handling (although I'd be perfectly happy to eat it right out of the pan).

At long last; my tuna fudge is ready!  You can freeze some, otherwise it'll keep in the fridge for about a week - assuming you can keep your paws off it!!

Finally!  Oh, it smells SOOOOOO good!!

I tell ya, I'll do anything for tuna fudge.  It is the most amazing thing I've ever tasted!  Are you drooling yet??  OK, no more teasing, here's the recipe:

This is Chef Brutus singing off for today.  Gee, I wonder if Food TV  is looking for a new host....

Oh, no - the hat is back....

Hope you can get your human to help you make some soon.  Many thanks to our friend Katie (whose MinPin Mitzi reluctantly allowed her to share the recipe), I do believe that tuna fudge will result in a definite improvement in our agility and obedience performances!   Gotta go - the tuna calls!!

Nom, nom, nom, slurp, nom...

Later Taters!

Brutus

A Couple of Caricatures

We were at an agility trial last weekend (imagine that).  As is often the case, there were vendors set up to sell any kind of imaginable dog item, from chew toys to embroidered towels.  Usually I try to keep my distance, but once particular vendor caught my attention; a man doing caricature sketches!  You can bet it didn't take me long to get in line to have Brutus & Carmen done.

Let's face it, my dogs are sort of caricatures in of themselves, but what fun to have them drawn freehand.  Each sketch took the artist about 20 minutes, and took into account not only the dogs' physical characteristics, but also their personality as he worked.  Brutus, of course, was way over-stimulated by all the goings-on around him.  Drawing really big ears was a given, but the artist also really over-exaggerated Brute's eyes to express his, er..., "intensity".  

Here's what he came up with.  A little over-the-top, but I guess that's what a caricature is all about!

 Next it was Carmen's turn.  She just soaked up the attention, sitting and posing like the true Diva we all know her to be!

It's funny how different the two drawings turned out to be.  Paul says Carmen's looks kind of like a dolphin with ears, but I think that's because she has kind of a permanent smile just like one those friendly sea mammals!  He definitely got her eyes right, and it does convey the Carmen's more laid-back personality.

Not quite sure what I'll end up doing with the caricatures, but they will probably end up in frames in my dog trophy room (aka home office).  No matter what, a fun thing to have done.  

Is it really me, mom?  Looking kind of bug-eyed there, no?

I'm a natural poser, what can I say?

The drawings are very reasonable ($20 each) and the artist (John LaFree) can also do them from photos you email him.  In case anyone wants to check out his work, go to www.caninecaricatures.com.  BTW, John has no idea I'm posting about this, I just thought it was a cool thing to share with our friends!  Plus he donates $1 to the SPCA for each drawing he does, so it benefits a good case as well.

Agility Update

Hey everyone...

It's been a whole week since we posted, an unprecedented lack of attention.  Brutus has been busy running agility courses, and I have been up to my elbows in teeth that need fixing.  Hope to be back in regular blogging action soon, but wanted to post something lest you think we had left without a forwarding address!

Just got some new photos of Brutus doing some impressive agility feats recently.  Pretty athletic for a bulldog, no?

Full extension over the broad jump

Over the triple - look at that buff physique!

Floating!

Where to next, mom?

Turning in mid-air

All-star!

And for those of you of the moving-picture persuasion, here are some videos from a trial we attended last weekend in Edinboro, PA.  Drove through almost 3 hours of blizzard to get there, now that's devotion!!  Enjoy :)

Life, According to Brutus

OK, all our entries at MangoMinster are over, what an adrenaline rush that was!  Carmen smashed the Diva category (readers' choice) and Brutus managed to pull out an honorable mention from the honorable judge Fiona.  Now that his Bad Sport division has wrapped up, Brutus has given me clearance to post about a recent project that sheds light on his more upstanding side. 

Recently we won a contest hosted by our friend Twix.  

She & her mom had made their own scrapbook using an online company called Mixbook, and thought it was so cool that he offered to give one away.  We were SO excited when Twix picked our name, as this sort of thing is right up our alley!!

What do we have here??

Mixbook is a website where you can upload photos to use in making your very own book.  You can use pre-made versions, or start from scratch.  There are literally hundreds of backgrounds, stickers, and all kinds of choices - the sky is the limit!

Getting started was the hardest part, as I had NO idea what to do for our book.  With literally thousands of photos of Brutus to pick from, I just started uploading my favorites.  After many fun hours of playing with the website, we came up with "Life, According to Brutus" - a collection of thoughts from Brutus' perspective, with plenty of photos to make it fun!

I can honestly say this is the coolest prize we've ever won.  Our book was so fun & easy to make, and the book arrived literally 2 days after I placed the order. 

Pawtigraphs, anyone??

So handsome & clever, I even amaze myself sometimes!

Just fascinating!!

You gotta check it out - this really is cool!

| View Sample Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

The little widget above lets you flip through the book, almost like it's right in front of you.  Isn't that just the neatest thing ever?  The actual book turned out so good that we are going to order a few extra copies for friends and gifts.  

Perhaps a sequel is in order...

Thanks again, Twix, for hosting such a great giveaway!!  We are Mixbook fans for life!

P.S.  Twix hasn't been well lately, so I know she'd appreciate all the positive thoughts and wishes we can muster.  Be sure to stop by her page if you haven't already!

Drama Queen Reigns Supreme (a Shamless Brag)!!!!

WoooooooHooooooooo! Carmen won the Readers' Choice award at MangoMinster for Shameless Diva!  All hail HRH the Drama Queen!!

What an outpouring of support from her fans in blogland and beyond. It was close for a long time, but in the end Carmen was able to pull WAY out in front of stiff competition. Congrats to all the other winners, and good luck to all those currently awaiting their turns in the ring.

Speaking of which, Brutus says that as the originator of this blog, he is counting on at least as much  love form his loyal followers when he takes the stage at MangoMinster later this week.  Spoken like a true Bad Sport, eh??

What?  Does my laser-eye glare make you uncomfortable?  Then you better vote!!

But for now, Carmen is exhausted from all her campaigning, and is happy to rest on her laurels.  The true Diva that she is now confirmed to be, expect a gushy acceptance speech from Carmen soon!

Thanks again to everyone who voted!  Not sure that Carmen will ever take her tiara off again - other than to get her beauty sleep!