MaggieMoose: Christmas Happiness

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day: 

Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values. 

Thomas S. Monson

Maggie

MaggieMoose: Christmas Love In Action

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas."

Dale Evans

  Maggie is never one for small talk, meaningless promises or unfulfilled pledges. She's all love in action. She gives and gives with her whole heart. She does a better job than some humans I've come across. As a parent, it's the lesson you want you own child or children to learn and put in action 365 days a year.  A mouthful of ball doesn't stop her from sharing her heart. Maggie lives in a No Excuses world-it's unconditional love always. Every delicious moment of her growing up I can count my blessings over and over. I know she is ever faithful and loyal through thick & thin. Fortunately, we've had a lot of the best. Maggie is Christmas 365 days a year. HO!HO! HO! WOOF! WOOF! Christmas love in action. It's pawsable.

MaggieMoose: Christmas Kindness

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"I don't think Christmas is necessarily about things. It's about being good to one another...it's about kindness." 

Carrie Fisher

Christmas is about being good to one another and sharing kindness. It's what Maggie and her human siblings were shown by example. It's a good way to be! 
Right moose?
Maggie shares her cozy with her pal.

MaggieMoose: Christmas Spirit Wish

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month."

Harlan Miller

Maggie's ready for the Christmas spirit...

  This year Christmas will be a little different for us. We have Flint kitty. He's now almost 8 months old and full of mischief! If something isn't bolted down, he'll snatch it. It turns out our house has become baby & toddler proof for our kitty cat! How do we put up a Christmas tree when our kitty loves to climb to the highest level? It's a kitty dilemma.

Flint on the top branch of his tree. MEOWZA

We decided to get a big wreath. We'll decorate it like a Christmas tree and hang it up on the wall where Flint kitty can't reach it. Then we'll let that bottled up Christmas spirit out! First, I need to finish drinking my coffee in my Santa mug to get the HO HO mojo going. We know it's only November, but we're opening our jar early. Our wish is to share our Christmas spirit now. WOOF! WOOF! HO! HO! MEOWZA!

MaggieMoose: 9th Day of Twigmas

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"On the 9th day of Twigmas my true love brought to me; the look-a little privacy please?

MMT©

Share the MaggieMooseTracks Twigmas joy & stuff someone's stocking with her 2nd book:

MaggieMooseTracks® Christmas Star

and 

watch her 'Twas the Night before Twigmas YouTube video.

Happy Twigmas! WOOF WOOF

MaggieMoose: 7th Day of Twigmas

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"On the 7th day of Twigmas my true love brought to me; a big twig she didn't want to share. Maggie plays Twigmas keep-a-way. It's a blur."

MMT©

Share the MaggieMooseTracks Twigmas joy & stuff someone's stocking with her 2nd book:

MaggieMooseTracks® Christmas Star

and 

watch her 'Twas the Night before Twigmas YouTube video.

Happy Twigmas! WOOF WOOF

MaggieMoose: 6th Day of Twigmas

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"On the 6th day of Twigmas my true love gave to me; two tiny twigs on her cozy. 

It's grab & go at 24.8F."

MMT©

Share the MaggieMooseTracks Twigmas joy & stuff someone's stocking with her 2nd book:

MaggieMooseTracks® Christmas Star

and 

watch her 'Twas the Night before Twigmas YouTube video.

Happy Twigmas! WOOF WOOF

MaggieMoose: 5th Day of Twigmas

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"On the 5th day of Twigmas my true brought to me a little dove on the Twigmas tree, 

plus a twig."

MMT©

Share the MaggieMooseTracks Twigmas joy & stuff someone's stocking with her 2nd book:

MaggieMooseTracks® Christmas Star

and 

watch her 'Twas the Night before Twigmas YouTube video.

Happy Twigmas! WOOF WOOF

MaggieMoose: Tugboats & Holiday Books

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."

Michelangelo

  Whenever we see a red tugboat we think of the Little Golden Book called Scruffy the Tugboat. Scruffy wanted to adventure out into the sea from his safe toy shop. It reminds us of the magic of imagination in story telling. We gathered that magic and spun a new holiday book. It's out this September 2013' called MaggieMooseTracks® Christmas Star. 

The manuscript is with the artist who illustrated our 1st book: MaggieMooseTracks® Making Friends. It too will be for sale on Amazon.com. We hope everyone finds the holiday spirit when our fictionalized Maggie searches for the meaning of her holiday tradition. 

Here's a sneak peek:

MaggieMooseTracks® Christmas Star

Maggie spends her first winter in the forest. When Flint, the feral cat celebrates Hanukah, Maggie asks herself what is her holiday tradition? Meanwhile, Mr. & Mrs. Beaver try to save Maggie’s friend Charlie from drowning in the raging river. This adventure and more keep Maggie and her friends busy while Maggie searches for the meaning of her Christmas tradition. Will she find it upon the Christmas star? ©

We too saw an angel and set free in our book: MaggieMooseTracks® Christmas Star!

Age 6 Up, but adults like our books too. go ahead and set free the kid within... WOOF WOOF

Check for upcoming announcements on our website: www.MaggieMooseTracks.com!

MaggieMoose: Springin' Down The Bunny Trail

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hopping' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Happy Easter day.

Gene Autry

  This Easter holiday as close to chocolate as I'm going to get is one of Maggie's colors of chocolate & white. Her white might as well be vanilla. It's all the sweetness love I'm going to stuff myself with on my second favorite holiday of Easter (Christmas is 1st place). I'm off sugar. This bod is getting ready for summer. Maggie's bod is getting ready for summer too. She's off all those yummy winter treats too. Dilemma. How do we celebrate the Easter holiday while everyone else is stuffing themselves with Cadbury eggs, Peeps and chocolate bunnies? Then bingo, it came to us! Maggie will get herself buffed up with a hair trim and mani/pedi. I'll get a mani/pedi too. Then Maggie is like, OK, I'll see my friends at the groomer's, but how does that tie in with yummy Easter treats? I reply color! Surprise! Maggie, you will be styling this whole Easter weekend. Look here, the bunny dropped by some early Easter treats for you. A bevy of new collars and leashes in Spring tones. They'll spiff up your wardrobe Maggie, Spring's here. Oooh Maggie thinks. She likes looking good. She'll be springing down the bunny trail...Spring! Spring! Spring!

P.S. The bunny picked these up at BigDogBoutique from Joplin, MO 

(Miss Maggie's birthplace)

CLICK: Here Comes Peter Cottontail

WOOF WOOF: Christmas Cheer From A Red Kettle

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

Calvin Coolidge

 Dee

  Saturday morning Maggie's grandma and I had to do a run to the local Safeway store. It was rainy and windy. Awful weather. PGE trucks were everywhere in the neighborhood restoring power lines. I pulled up to the storefront to drop my mom off. I went to park the car. When I walked up to meet my mom in front of the store there was the most cheerful greeter. She looked so Christmasy in her red coat and knitted green scarf. "Merry Christmas" resonated in the air every time a shopper walked up. She was ringing the bell for The Salvation Army's red kettle donation container. Maggie and I LOVE The Salvation Army. We believe in charities actually giving their financial proceeds and time to the people or causes needing them. Salvation Army does just that and so much more....We have called up their services many times after culling our things. Maggie and I are going for a lean attitude towards our stuff. Who needs stuff? We got each other! Maggie concurs! WOOF WOOF. But, our stuff when sold can make a big difference to someone else's life or lives.... Dee is a wonderful representative for this awesome charity that leaves no one out. Maggie and I encourage others to read all the good the The Salvation Army does in the spirit of Christmas. Click on a link here for The Salvation Army. There is still time to help others that could use a little extra help. When we shop at JCP (JC Penny's) for our last minute Christmas gifts we intend to "round up" our purchases. The extra portion ($) goes to The Salvation Army's many programs. And to Dee, The Salvation Army, and all whom they serve, we say "Merry Twigmas!" J-I-N-G-L-E, J-I-N-G-L-E, we ring the bell of hope, mercy with peace & goodwill.

Uncle MooseMas' Christmas Card

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!"... Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

 We received a Christmas card from Maggie's Uncle MooseMas. Magical Uncle MooseMas. On the front of the card is a photo of himself grinning antler to antler. He's all about the Christmas season. Lighting is his specialty. He fills his antlers with colorful lights, but he really likes the J-I-N-G-L-E noise makers. He wears his jingle bell collar around his neck and is sure to shake it often. This is the side of Maggie's family that the other side cringes about when they come visit. They have no manners. At dinner they are known to eat the whole tree, not leaving a single branch for others. The proper side of the family calls them the free spirit relatives and sighs. Every kid wishes they had them for their family tree. They are the favorite relatives all kids want to spend time with, especially during the holiday season. Frivolity reigns free. Maggie counts her blessings for Uncle MooseMas is known for his fun & interesting presents. Maggie welcomes Uncle MooseMas' special gifts. It might be a single supercalifragilisticexpialidocious twig to beat all others. Maybe a flight through the sky upon his back jingling all the way? Maggie thinks Christmas means a little bit more, especially when Uncle MooseMas comes to her door.

Cousin Willie?

Happy Birthday & Merry Twigmas To You Einstein!

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree."

Albert Einstein

Merry Twigmas

  Today is Albert Einstein's birthday. Meanwhile, it is also our friend John's birthday. Maggie and I thought it appropriate to give them a shout out. Einstein is Maggie's poster boy (she loves the brains & hair) while John is her friend. Bonus plan for Maggie, John is another English Springer Spaniel aficionado. Maggie wants to say Happy Birthday to Einstein and John in her best voice, here it goes.... WOOF! WOOF! OK, sometimes the big guns need to come out for special occasions. Maggie decided to enlist some other dog pals to sing Happy Birthday in bark-ese. Click the YouTube link: Dogs Singing Happy Birthday and bark along. Birthday greetings aside, Maggie has been trying to combine the arts, sciences, and religions all in one Christmas card. She's got the tree lights, she has the tree branch (her favorite), the holiday, and the art of looking marvelous in her comfy, doggy throne. We already have a couple different poses with different twigs. How lucky can I be? Every time she goes outside she brings in a new twig? Maybe we can do a calendar for the 12 days of Twigmas? Maggie is wondering what is her best side; the twig on the right or the twig on the left? Oy vey, such decisions. 

Merry Twigmas to you!

Maggie Dreams of Sugar Plum Fairies

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"A good conscience is a continual Christmas."

Benjamin Franklin

  Daytime. Maggie was all snuggled in her cozy bed beneath the Christmas tree. The rain storm had caused a very dark sky. I turned on the Christmas tree lights. Suddenly, the sun peeked through the darkness illuminating Maggie. She lay sleeping looking like she was dreaming of sugar plum fairies. Yes, it is that time of year. I remember very well taking my girls to see the Nutcracker in San Francisco. My girls loved meeting with the ballerinas afterwards both Nutcrackers and Sugar Plum Fairies. Seeing Maggie lay there beneath the tree brought back memories of when my children were young. Our tree would be filled to the brim with many, many presents, in addition to the Christmas Eve drop off from Santa. Now that they're grown we think of other gifts like "adopting" in name only a wild animal, donating to a food bank, or a favorite charity or maybe just praying for someone else's needs. These kind of presents don't take up much space beneath our tree, but fill a huge void for the animal or person receiving the gifts. I am glad I raised children with a good conscience to keep the Christmas spirit alive. Maggie is all about giving. She gives her heart and soul to all in order to bring them joy. In return, she receives back a bounty of pleasure allowing her in good conscience to sleep and dream of beautiful sugar plum fairies. The Christmas spirit continues on in our home.

Wrapped Around The Christmas Tree

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."

Burton Hillis

Christmas past

  Our Christmas tree is up. Maggie and I are ready for the holiday visitors that will start arriving in the month of December. Before this Christmas happens we pay homage to those from previous Christmas seasons. When we brought down the Christmas decorations we found a couple of photos in the pocket of one of my daughter's old swim team parkas. In the two photos were our dog Scotty (Maltese) and a photo of one of Maggie's human siblings at Middle School age. She had our dog Scotty in her arms. Scotty has long since passed and is running up in Heaven with his buddy Annie (our Yorkie). It brought back memories of Christmas past. We say thanks to Christmas' past like in Bob Hope's famous song Thanks For The Memory. This year is Maggie's 2nd Christmas. She's more grown up this year, but her youthful sparkle is still ignited. Over our Thanksgiving holiday we had visitors. Maggie was thrilled. It meant more people to play with her or for her to play with them. Also on her mind were the food goodies perhaps accidentally dropped beneath the dining room table. Maggie is like a four pawed vacuum. Thanks Maggie! Over the holiday Maggie watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, football and more football.

The biggest treat for Maggie was our sleepy little visitor that came to play. I do believe Maggie thought she was just for Maggie-her own personal fun buddy. That's a whole other story about their playful adventures together. Mostly, it was fun having our little toddler in front of the tree next to Maggie's cozy bed. Maggie attentively followed her around and provided her with lots of giggle material. 

After all the excitement of laughter and joy the Thanksgiving holiday brought us, it was over. It was then back to the quiet zone of just zany Maggie providing the laughter. Maggie missed her toddler play pal. She searched the house looking for the little munchkin sniffing here and there wondering where she went. Maggie and I think it was very nice having our happy family wrapped around our Christmas tree. It was the best gift before Christmas.

Hurry back!

Christmas Cookies

Dec. 9, 2011 Maggie & Me

  Maggie and I just decorated our Christmas tree for Maggie's first Christmas. I'm thankful Maggie came into my life just as I know a bunch of Christmas cookies are going to bless others' lives. I thank Sharon the breeder who raised my sweet girl. 

  Awhile back Cookie and Zack (Maggie's dad) were up to a little merry making. Soon, out of the oven what should appear but a baker's dozen of Christmas cookies looking so dear! There were chocolate chip and Oreo colored boys and girls all born on October 26, 2011. These cookies are ready to make someone's Christmas or Hanukkah extra special and sweet.

  As you can see there are lots of cookies to choose from all so Christmassy cute. Some cookies didn't make it, and for that we shed some tears, but the ones that did make it will endear someone's holiday with good cheer.

     Little hearty boy cookies send you Christmas wishes of "Pick me please." 

  ...and sugar plum girl cookies say "Don't forget me."

   Christmas cookies make the holidays grand with their great looks, sweet smells, and all while giving one an inside feeling of a warm glow. Nine months ago my wonderful life with Maggie began with a simple email to Sharon. This Christmas season both Maggie and I are glowing with delight!

 Maggie at 7 weeks (2011)

 Decorating the Christmas tree as Maggie's first Christmas, I was privileged to watch her with wonder as she quizzically eyed the ornaments. 

Were they her Christmas presents? 

Her favorite tennis ball fit right in and looked alike.

 "Why not?" Maggie thought.

Maggie with her ball helping trim the Christmas tree 2011

  What Christmas cookie will make someone else's life extra special? Chocolate chip or Oreo color? Either cookie will get sent with holiday love by Sharon to bring joy & love as we proclaim:.

HAVE A VERY MARI MAGGIE CHRISTMAS!

   PS. All these Christmas cookies are sold except one chocolate chip sweetie pie girl. Kind of like when I got Maggie; she was the last of a fabulous litter, but the best was saved for last!

Little Lexie is waiting for Christmas love!

Maggie says "Put Lexie under the tree and let your heart be filled with glee!"

HO! HO! HO!

MARI MAGGIE CHRISTMAS!