Sorry! We're having serious Blogger issues & can't publish posts or even our poll! We'll open votes to name the venture below as SOON as we can!

An exciting new project - please help!

JD - Hi everyone - we're currently working on a new project and we'd like your help!

Max - A while back we mentioned to Frankie and The Slimmer Pugs that we were thinking of setting up a site dedicated to hosting auctions for pups or kitties in need and we're now ready to start doing it!

JD - We're gonna set it up in WordPress as FH found a neat little app that should allow us to host the auctions more professionally and more easily than we have been doing in Blogger (well, it will do once FH figures out how to use WordPress and the app - he he he!)

We need to give FH a chance to get used to WordPress - humans aren't the brightest species after all, he he he!

Max - But before we set everything up we'd like everyone to help us choose a name for the site - we can't set it up without a good and appropriate name!

JD - We also want to use this site for raffles, for uplifting stories (such as Shelby!) and possibly even to request help for transport runs and to help find lost dogs/kitties and foster homes - we need to see how it all comes together.

Max - So please consider these things when thinking about a name for this site. Our FH is not very imaginative and could only think of 'Power of Paw Auctions' or POPA for short, so this is where you come in!

We'd love this project to become a 'coast to coast' thing with pups and kits from all around the world coming together to help those who need it! So here's us on one coast waiting for other coasts to gear up for it!

JD - What we need all you good pups and kits of Blogville to do is to suggest a name for the site in the comments section of this post by 21st January and we will then put your suggestions up for everyone to vote on over the weekend of 22/23rd January - the popular vote gets it!

Max - We plan to have the site up and running by end February (this will give FH a few weeks to work on it) and our current plan is to host a fun 'launch' for it over the last weekend in February with a competition, a raffle and a few guest bloggers providing us with some inspirational stories.

JD - We aim for our first auction to be an Easter one - who the auctions will be for will be deccided upon by all you pups and kits of Blogville - this really will be a community effort!

We're very excited about this - we hope you are too!

Max - So get your thinking caps on everyone and start leaving those name suggestions now!

Our tribute to cinnamon swirls!

JD - This is a VERY important post in which we're going to talk about something that is very close to our hearts....

Max - ....and that thing is cinnamon swirls! We think that cinnamon swirls are the BEST thing in the ENTIRE world! They're delicious, they're delightful, they're sweet and gorgeous....

JD - ....and we ALWAYS want to have cinnamon swirls in our life! Let us show you a cinnamon swirl right now....

A delicious, nibble-able cinnamon swirl!

Max - What's that? Oh - you thought we meant one of THESE cinnamon swirls?

Another type of delicious, nibble-able cinnamon swirl!

JD - Well, we suppose it's an easy mistake to make. But to us cinnamon swirls can only mean ONE thing and that's our great pals George, Gracie, Lily, Toby and Mimi from The Slimmer Pugs!

Max - These five puggies are just the sweetest and so we can't help referring to them as our little cinnamon butts as their cute little tails look JUST like yummy cinnamon swirls! We love them to pieces and are over the moon every day that they're our furiends!

Five sweet treats all in one place!

JD - So let us tell you why we think they're soooo great!

Max - Firstly, they are just the kindest set of pups and peeps EVER! Shelby's auction and Blueberry's auction would not have been possible without them and they also helped us promote the raffle we ran for Shelby. So they've helped raise over $3,000 for pups in need AND we know they've also been involved in OTHER auctions too. They are so kind both with their time AND with green papers.

JD - Secondly, they've all spoiled our FH absolutely ROTTEN and anyone and anypup who makes our FH smile makes US happy! After Shelby's auction closed they sent FH a treat package which had some of these goodies in it....

A beautiful angel candle holder - FH adores it! It came with lots of sweet smelling candles - yummy!

A pawsome draft proof candle holder - also with a variety of candles!

JD - ....and when FH placed a bid in another auction not only did they send her the item that she had bid on that they had donated (which was a STUNNING piece of jewellery which FH wears every single day now!) they also sent her even MORE goodies such as....

A seasonal snowman candle snuffer - we bet Frankie would LOVE this!!

A beautiful hand-made mat - this is Max modelling it!!

A pawsome candle trio-set that even matches our kitchen colour scheme (note the mat in the background with FH's model of a dalek on it!!)

Max - Thirdly, they have worked in cahoots with us during the auctions to help us surprise some of our pals! They are great at keeping a secret and were just amazing at taking the time to pass on our messages when they packaged and posted the wonderful items they had donated to the auctions - we just can't thank them enough for this!

JD - And finally, they are simply ADORABLE!! So sweet, so cute - oooh, we just to crawl into the screen and snuggle and snuggle them all!!

Max - If you don't know The Slimmer Pugs then please do swing by to say hi as they are one of the shining lights of blog World and we feel happy every single day that they are our furiends!

JD - We sure do - Slimmer Pugs - we LOVE you!!

Slimmer Pugs - 'mwah, mwah' to you ALL!

FH - Yes, we DO!!

Bend it like - er - Max!

JD - Er, Max?

Max - Whassup bro'?

JD - Um, well - are you comfortable? You don't have a crick in your neck or something do you?

Max - I'm VERY comfy thanks JD! Why do you ask?


JD - Oh - er - no reason Max, no reason......!

Happy New Year!!

JD - We've been meaning to do this post for a few days now...

Max - ....but FH went and got something called 'flew' and O-M-D the FUSS she's been making!

JD - We'd have thought she would like having this 'flew' thing and would enjoy being able to float around and fly here and there, but ALL she's been doing is moaning and whinging and lying in bed - she's SO lazy!

Max - So we've been having fun with MH - all boys together! He's been taking us on our daily walkies and has been giving us our food and has been really generous with our treats....

JD - ....and now we're starting to wonder what it is that we actually need FH for - he he he!

JD gives one of his new Christmas stuffies a piggy back ride!

Max - But now we know! FH is getting better and is now out of bed and now WE'RE poorly with very bad tummies! Me especially - I've been barfing for a whole day now....bleurgh!

JD - Well, I'VE been a bit icky too - bleurgh!

Max - So now we're glad we've got FH back in action as, you know, she's REALLY good at clearing up after us, much better than MH apparently - well, according to us and MH anyway!

JD - So you see FH, we really HAVE missed you and we think we did well to hold off being poorly ourselves until you were well enough to take care of us - we're good like that!

Max - Anyway, we're finally going to show you a video of us opening the Christmas pressie that we got from FH and MH - we apologise in advance for FH's constant squeaking during it!

JD - And yes, you DID notice correctly that our pressie was wrapped in newspaper! We so enjoy tearing the wrappings off a gift that FH and MH now just wrap the majority of our pressies in newspaper - they claim they're saving the planet....

Max - ....but we know they're just tight, he he he!

JD - But regardless of our stingy humans we LOVE our new giant octopus - he's fab and REAL fun and VERY noisy. FH didn't realise quite HOW noisy he was when she got him for us - ha!

We show off Olly - he is totally COOL!

Max - However, even our fabulous new giant stuffie wasn't our main Christmas pressie!

JD - We're still so excited that we can hardly begin to tell you what it was that we got for Christmas!

Max - You see, our gift was the culmination of 2 years hard graft!

JD - Yes indeedy! After 2 years of living with our humans, of training them on a daily basis, of constant tutoring and patient guidance we have finally - FINALLY - got our humans well behaved enough to allow them to sleep in the same room as us!

Max - This is something we've been wanting to do since we first arrived here on the 19th December 2008, but we knew that the humans were FAR from ready!

JD - It has been a labour of love but they finally got there - we never lost hope!

FH - I'd just like to say that I've wanted the boys to sleep in the same room as us for a while but it's taken us a long time to get the house suitable as well as getting the boys comfortable enough with it. JD likes to sleep in his bed by the side of our bed - I now often wake up to JD staring at me - he's a good boy and waits for permission to hop up on the bed for a cuddle. Max likes to sleep at the foot of the bed draped across any convenient foot, which is especially nice at this cold time of year! Before they were allowed in the bedroom I'd been getting up at 5.30 am every single day as they used to make such a racket at that time . I now realise I have a couple of dogs who are very happy to sleep in and on Christmas Day I was treated to a lie-in until 8.00 am which was absolutely wonderful! So I'm pretty over the moon about this situation too!

Max - Okay FH, enough of the 'blah blah' - this is OUR blog we think you'll find!

No real reason for this photo except that FH really likes it - and we think our tails look pretty nifty too!

JD - We hope that everyone had a happy new year! Unfortunately FH was too poorly to enjoy it and says that we're going to celebrate next weekend instead!

Max - We think that means she's going to open some bubbly and wear something other than sweats with dog-slobber on....

JD - ....which means she'll expect us to be on our best behaviour - sigh!!