Tag Archives: Ziggy
Mr. Spoiled Rotten Smushy Face Stinky Butt Love Muffin
This is my little dog, Ziggy. He is a 12 year-old Boston Terrier love muffin.
He doesn’t know he’s a dog, and that’s my fault. I’ve always referred to him as my furry son. My Baby refers to him as her little brother. The Complete Package calls him “my man” or “my little buddy”. I call him Zigman and Sugar Booger. Mostly, we just call him spoiled rotten.
Ziggy is a Virgo who loves cheese, ice cream, car rides, “Billy the Exterminator” on Netflix, laying on the back porch in the sun, small children and long walks on the beach. He wants to come back as himself in another life.
He also loves long naps on the sofa, covered in his favorite afghan. That boy loves a good blankie, and he makes no bones about wanting to be covered up.
When sleeping, Zig snores like a 400-pound man. Has ever since he was a puppy.
We know he’s due for a bath when he starts smelling like Fritos. Stale Fritos.
That little area just above his nose is the softest spot on his entire body. It’s baby bunny soft. I love that spot. And I’m pretty sure that one day I may actually rub all the fur off the tips of his ears. They’re super soft, too. So is his tummy. I’m in luck there, because he turns into a big bowl of jelly over a good tummy rub.
He’s my sweet little Mr. Spoiled Rotten Smushy Face Stinky Butt Love Muffin, and I think I’ll keep him. Although, to be honest, I think he’s keeping us.
Filed under Family Stuff, Things I Love
Meet our house guest – Lilly Bug!
Lilly Bug - our sweet little pixie. Photo courtesy of her mommy.
Filed under Family Stuff
“NanaBread’s Head” Turns One Today
July 1st marks the one year birthday of my NanaBread blog. Can you believe it? Neither can I. While time seemed to fly by, it feels like we packed a lot into this first year. Favorite recipes, photos of the family, Ziggy’s adventures in… well, snoring. We even started highlighting some of the culinary creations of The Complete Package, my beloved husband. We’ve also seen the grandkids grow at an alarming rate, shared Hoegarden stories about our “ladies only” family weekends, thrown in a few crafts, and shared some of our travel pics. We’ve highlighted local products, spotlighted some of our favorite barbecue joints, and sprinkled in some of the things I love. I think this first year definitely lived up to my blog header in that it truly is a lot like my junk drawers. It’s happily filled with random tidbits, trash and treasures. Mission accomplished.
Overall, it has been a great year, and I couldn’t have done it without you. In fact, you are the reason I’m still here. Your comments and support are what keep this blog (and me) going, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I really do. I appreciate each visitor and value every comment, but those of you who return again and again are more than readers, you’re friends. And that is the gift I most value from my first year of blogging. You. Without you and my family, there would be no Inside NanaBread’s Head. I keep writing because you keep reading. I don’t always understand why, but I’m so happy that you do!
Here is a look back at a few of my favorite posts. Click on any title to see the full post and take a walk down memory lane.
My name is NanaBread and I’m a Peppermint Bath Product Junkie.
In this post, I got a chance to bare my soul and share my addiction – peppermint bath products. I’m not proud that I’m an addict, but if you’re going to get hooked on something, I suppose this one’s pretty harmless. Not cheap, but harmless. And it answered the burning question “Is there such a thing as too many peppermint bath products?” with a resounding “You’re joking, right?”
Menopause, you hateful bitch…
This post still makes me laugh. I was suffering from a particularly raging hot flash when I sat down and let it rip. I don’t rage often, but I let it fly with this one. I felt like life had lied to me by omission, and I didn’t want another woman to be taken by surprise ever again. This one was for the ladies, especially those in the inescapable grip of “the change” like me. It also confirmed for me that if menopause had a rubber wristband, it should be black like my mood swings.
Hidden Treasure Cupcakes: Mocha Fudge Cupcakes with Reese’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Inside
Of all the recipes I’ve posted, this is the one I personally enjoyed the most. I’ve never had an experimental recipe come out of the oven and make my eyes roll back in my head like this one did. Deep down in my soul, I’m a pie girl. But these cupcakes almost converted me. Dark chocolate, coffee and peanut butter? Seriously – it is probably the closest I’ll ever come to cupcake perfection.
Playing With Food: Big Sister’s Rainbow Tie-Dyed Cupcakes
Speaking of cupcakes, the prettiest cupcakes of the year (by far) were my Big Sister’s rainbow tie-dyed beauties. These were inspired by a food blogger I love, but Big Sis put her own spin on it by using one of our mother’s old white cake recipes and a frosting recipe she found on the Tasty Kitchen website. She brought all those elements together to make not only a gorgeous cupcake, but a tasty one. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s adaptable. You can substitute any white cake recipe or mix, and you could use any frosting recipe. But honestly, the one Big Sis found was awesome. For pure fun and beauty, these rocked my world and made me think outside the (cake) box.
Vacation Photos of Amsterdam: Let’s just say it was…interesting.
Of all the stories I’ve shared, this one continues to get regular weekly hits months after it was posted. Evidently, Amsterdam is a highly searched travel topic. Who knew? Maybe it’s the cheese; maybe it’s the weed; maybe it’s the waffles. It truly is a “whatever floats your boat” city. It was a great trip and an interesting place, and months after it was posted this story is still going strong.
“Buy Local” Spotlight: Salt Lick BBQ
This post will always be special to me because it was the first time one of my stories was selected as a FoodPress feature. It got attention from around the world, which seemed to open my blog up to an expanded global view. I received comments from exotic locales, and gained a few subscribers from far away places who visited and decided to stick around. For that, I am eternally grateful. It left me wondering if good BBQ might be one of the keys to world peace.
In Honor of Mother’s Day
This was by far my most read post of the year thanks to a feature on the WordPress “Freshly Pressed” homepage. I don’t know how they select stories to feature, but I was blown away that this one garnered their attention. It was highlighted on the Friday before Mother’s Day and left up the entire weekend. Because of that, it got over 8,000 hits in 3 days. Some bloggers hope that their blogs will hit the big time, but in all honesty this one made me a nervous wreck. That kind of attention brought a lot of spam and more than a little anxiety, but it also provided an opportunity for others from around the world to share memories of their mothers and siblings, or lack thereof. It was both an emotional and enlightening experience for me. It also provided my mother with more than 15 minutes of fame, which was fun for her. She deserved it.
In honor of my first blogging birthday, I’m extending the celebration to one lucky reader. That reader, selected randomly, will receive a gift box containing some of my favorite things from my first year. Gift box items include:
1 bottle of Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla bean paste
1 jar of Dickinson’s Black Raspberry preserves
1 jar of Salt Lick BBQ spice rub, not pictured
1 set of small Nordic Ware spatulas
1 set of colorful measuring spoons
1 set of colorful measuring cups
1 set of Le Creuset silicone measuring prep bowls
1 bar of Garden Botanika oatmeal & peppermint soap
2 boxes of Stash tea – Chai Spice & Black Currant (decaf)
1 ladies print kitchen apron, handmade by NanaBread
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED TO COMMENTS. THE WINNER OF THE DRAWING HAS BEEN NOTIFIED BY E-MAIL, AND WILL BE POSTED AS SOON AS I HAVE A CONFIRMED MAILING ADDRESS. THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED.
CONGRATULATIONS TO SUSAN FROM FLORIDA. YOU’RE A WINNER! I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR GIFTS. -NB
Here are my rules:
1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. The selected reader will be notified by e-mail. Once I have a confirmed mailing address, I will announce the recipient of the gift box on my blog.
3. Participation is limited to residents of the United States.
4. One name will be randomly selected on Friday, July 8th at Noon (Central).
Disclaimer: All gift box items were purchased by me with my own money except for the apron, which was handmade by me. None of the products were donated or sponsored in any way, shape or form. They are simply items that I love, shared with one lucky reader.
Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a reader of my blog. Your support and friendship over the past 12 months has meant the world to me, and I look forward to seeing what the next year will bring.
Hugs & birthday kisses to you all,
NanaBread (Jeanne)
Filed under Miscellaneous Thoughts
Musings on Austin, Motorcycles, Grandkids & Sleep Deprivation
Well, it’s Tuesday and I’ve just wrapped up 10 action-packed days with the grandbabies, Jonah Bear and Lilly Bug. I thought I would feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after a recuperative night’s sleep, but that didn’t happen. Instead, I was up until 3:00am, and I’m feeling totally wiped out. So instead of crafting a dazzling literary recap, I’m opting for a random run-down of what transpired. I apologize in advance for taking the lazy way out. Forgive me. I beg of you.
1. Our adventure started June 10th when The Complete Package saddled up the motorcycle and Ziggy and I manned the “support vehicle” for our trip to Austin. It was our annual pilgrimage for the Republic of Texas motorcycle rally. TCP attends the bike rally; Ziggy and I spend the weekend with the kids. The ROT Rally is said to be the largest in Texas and one of the biggest in the US. Approximately 200,000 participants were expected. This year, TCP entered his new motorcycle in an open division contest and took second place in the Metric Custom category. Got a trophy and everything. My Baby and I took the kids downtown to watch the motorcycles parade past the state capitol and down Congress Avenue on Friday evening. Have you ever seen a motorcycle parade that runs for 11 uninterrupted miles and takes more than 30 minutes to pass? It’s pretty awesome, even if you’re not that into motorcycles. The kids were enthralled, and seeing their Papi ride by in the parade was a highlight. In their minds, Papi (TCP) is now a rock star. You go with your bad self, Papi. Here’s a shot of his bike, or as I like to refer to it – “the other woman”.
2. Bama Boy, our son-in-law, introduced us to his favorite meat market. It’s called Johnny G’s and it’s located in Manchaca, just south of Austin. It is best described as a small, family run meat palace. We bought two hand-cut ribeye steaks for Bama Boy and TCP (about 1.5″ thick) and two smaller steaks for My Baby and I. Then we snagged some smoked jalapeno cheese sausage and some spices. It’s a great little Mom & Pop shop, and those ribeyes were Uh-May-Zing.
3. Turns out Peter Pan is alive and well and recruiting Lost Boys in the Austin area. Who knew? If I could bottle Jonah Bear’s energy, I’d be a guhzillionaire.
4. If you take two kids and two adult women, put them in a car in the dark of night with a multi-colored flashing disco ball light stick and a cool blue light saber, add vintage rock music and park them at a Sonic Drive-In, you’re bound to draw attention. It may or may not have been a coincidence that a police cruiser pulled in just as we were leaving. Look, kids! It’s the Fuzz!
5. There’s no such thing as “too many pancakes” or “enough donuts.”
6. Behold the power of cheese! (Remember those commercials?) Hi, Lilly Bug.
7. After spending 6 days in Austin, I brought the kids back to Houston to spend the weekend at our place. My Baby and Bama Boy were celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary, so a kid-free weekend seemed like an appropriate gift. It was a total win-win for all of us. We wore those kids out. Wore ’em out good!
8. This weekend, Jonah Bear and TCP made homemade cherry pecan ice cream and lasagna. There’s nothing better than men who cook, except for men who cook and then do their own dishes. At 4 years old, Jonah is really getting into the cooking part. We’ll work on washing dishes another time. As for TCP, the man can scour a pan. And no, you can’t have him. And no, he doesn’t have a brother.
9. If I’ve seen Disney’s Tangled once, I’ve seen it a millions times. Jonah Bear usually pretends to be the hero. Lilly is the leading lady. I’m usually the villain (totally against type, I know) and Ziggy is the sidekick. This time, Jonah decided the bad guys were cooler, so he played the roll of the Stabbington brothers (twins). That’s right. Just when you think one bad guy’s enough, Disney produces twins. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a really cute movie. My favorite character – the little old cupid dude at the very end. Makes me laugh every single time.
10. Jonah Bear cried when it was time to head home. I cried when he started crying. Then TCP started crying. I’m telling you, we were one hot mess. Everything you’ve heard about being a grandparent is true. There is such joy in watching your babies grow up and have babies of their own. There is such freedom in enjoying your grandbabies without the stress and anxiety you felt with your own children. You really do learn a lot with age, and there’s a great sense of peace that comes with knowing you didn’t screw it up. Our daughter is amazing. Our son-in-law is a blessing. Their children are the greatest gift ever, and in all seriousness, we couldn’t love them more. Life is good. Really good.
Now if you’ll excuse us, Ziggy and I could really use a nap. A really long nap.
Filed under Family Stuff
More Photos of My Dog…sorry.
This is how Ziggy likes to nap…covered in a blanket on our leather sofa. No, he’s not spoiled. Why do you ask? It worries me that he hangs his head off like this. I’m afraid he’s going to slide right off the couch one day and land on his head.
If I slept like this, I’d have a migrane – and I’d rather iron than have a migrane.
Did you know Ziggy snores when he sleeps? Yup – he snores like an old fat man.
Sometimes he sleeps with his eyes half-way open. It gives me the heebie jeebies.
I love his little pink tummy with those black spots. It’s so very soft, that tummy.
He also has 9 white toenails and 1 black one on his hands (Bowie flashback!).
Oops! Looks like I woke him up. Camera? What? No, there’s no camera, Zigman.
Go back to sleep. Wait…maybe he is asleep! I can’t tell. What does he have against posing for a few photos? I don’t get it. Honestly, it’s starting to irritate me. Other people’s dogs don’t seem to mind. Pioneer Woman’s dogs pose for her, and they look adorable while doing it! One of these days Ziggy is going to give up and learn to pose for me. And then pigs will fly. He’s such a diva.
Filed under Miscellaneous Thoughts
Holiday Greetings from Santa Ziggy
Just accept it as the warm holiday greeting it's intended to be, and don't judge me for dressing up my dog. He only wore this once, I swear! Happy holidays to you & yours.
Filed under Miscellaneous Thoughts
“I Heart Faces” Contest Entry – Ziggy
Ziggy, Zigman, Zig-Zig, the Zigmeister, Stinky Pete
Filed under Miscellaneous Thoughts
Wishing You A Very Happy Halloween!
Carved pumpkins at NanaBread's house are even better after dark!
Filed under Craft Projects
C’mon, Ziggy – smile for the camera!
As I’ve mentioned before, I have a new camera (which I love). My only issue so far is getting Ziggy to pose as my live subject so I can practice using it. He’s not as enthusiastic about the new camera as I am. This is what I usually get:
Mommy, please get that camera out of my face. I'm trying to nap.
Great googly moogly - is that a bowl of smoked pork tenderloin?
Wow...I guess you'll do just about anything for smoky meat!
Oh, sweet nectar of life. If only I had a longer snout!
Filed under Miscellaneous Thoughts
Inside NanaBread's Head 