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Buzz & Bella

Buzz & Bella, DIY Tutorials, Kitchen & Baths

Dog Wash Room

Here is a quick look at our dog wash room… oh and yes laundry gets done there too! As a dog owner of two I really wanted a way to make dog wash days easier and this set up has been heaven for us! Our dogs are Boston Terriers and weight under 30lbs. They are not that big so do not warrant the need to hose them down outside. The bath tub was getting to be tiresome since you have to be on your knees and bent over and let alone the mess it created. So we added a little dog wash station to our laundry room and it has worked perfectly!

 

So here is the WASH room! Our pup showing you her tub… We got regular kitchen sink from Home Depot installed on top of a kitchen cabinet. The sink measures 21″ x 16″ and my dogs fit perfectly in it. We installed a kitchen sink faucet with an extendable neck to better help wash them.

These doggie tail hangers I got from IKEA and I use them to hang their leashes.

 

A little fun decor and wah-lah!

Buzz & Bella, Love & Marriage, Wedding

San Diego Engagement Photo Locations

There are hundreds of beautiful locations for San Diego engagement photo locations. Where else in the world can you be surrounded by hundreds of miles of coast line, beautiful country sides, cozy mountains and stunning desert scenery! And all within 45 minutes away from each other! Makes for one killer engagement photo shoot location. We took our engagement photos last summer with Dan Rice Photographey after interviewing and viewing tons of San Diego wedding photographers I ended up going with my very first choice. He was the very first photographer I met at a Bridal Bazaar and happened to shoot in the style I was looking for. Casual. Romantic and Dreamy. At least that is what it looks like to me! So now the challenge was where to shoot.

I read tons of post and yelp reviews of locations to pick the very best location for my shoot. I wanted to do a beach photo shoot and I was also envisioning a beautiful field shoot kind of like this:

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So my photographer Dan suggested Marian Bear Memorial Park in La Jolla. At first look I was well….under impressed and thought how the heck is this going to look pretty in pictures.

park Not very pretty huh? Well do not be fooled!

That day my fiancé had forgotten my other outfit changes at home. Let me tell you something: Things will not go perfect! This was my learning lesson and we made the best out of it!

I originally was planning on wearing a very casual look my white Abercrombie & Fitch dress with my favorite brown cowboy boots that my fiancé Mark bought me…but because of our little mishap and I ended up keeping on the gold sequin dress. I bought the dress on Tobi for under $50. I wanted something form fitting to show off and preserve in pictures what I think is a pretty fit body! Lol hey I am going to want to show my kids mom has always been hot!

This is how our engagement pictures turned out:

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Our second San Diego engagement photo location was Del Mar Dog Beach. Mark & I LOVE it here so it was a very special place to us. There is no other beach in San Diego that captures beautiful shoreline and the amazing multi colored cliff formations and where we could bring the two loves of our lives, our Boston Terriers Buzz & Bella. We decided to go to the beach an hour before sunset so we can capture sunlight and the amazing San Diego sunsets. We took our engagement photos in July so the days are long, but make sure to check sunset hour during the time of the year you want to take photos. Also, check the tide…. We didn’t and as you can see by some pictures it was a high tide! The high tide made for a very interested and fun photo shot. We had so much fun shooting here! Our dogs were having a blast and Dan was amazing photographer willing to capture and pretty much do whatever it took to get the shot. I am talking about getting all wet and ruining his shoes! I am telling you he is a great photographer.

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Click here to visit our engagement photo shoot gallery.

Some of my other favorite San Diego engagement photo shoot locations include:

  1. Balboa Park – Love it here! I have reserved this location for our wedding day!
  2. Sunset Cliffs Beach – Beautiful secluded beach one of the best places to view the sunset. Cliffs says it all so you need to be daring to climb your way down to reach the beach
  3. Pacific Beach Board walk – great for traditional California beach boardwalk shoots
  4. Belmont Park – Right on the beach. Carnival rides & all!
  5. Gaslamp Quarter – Historic downtown area. Beautiful buildings.

Ask your photographer for more and remember chose what best suits you! Do you have any favorite San Diego photo shoot locations you love? Share with us!  Comment below.

 

Buzz & Bella, Fun Places & Things To Do, Travel

Charleston to Savannah

From Charleston to Savannah this is a great 3 day itinerary to Charleston SC and Savannah Georgia with dogs! Yup I brought my little clan along for the vacation. Being in the architectural and design industry I have a love for great architecture and design so visiting these two cities was a little treat for me. This is an itinerary for 3 full days in southern hospitality of Charleston to Savannah. So the food lover and architecture and a little old world charm this is a great trip to take if you live in an urban area. In this trip we spent 2 days in Charleston to Savannah for 1 day. Unless you love old colonial architecture then Savannah, Georgia may just be a great day trip rather than an entire week or even a weekend.

A little bit of advice before I go into a suggested 3 day itinerary both these cities hotel pricing is rather high considering the size of the city and the lack of 4 star accommodations. In fact, the lack of hotel accommodations is what drives the prices up. You will find plenty of bed & breakfast and small hotel chains that offering lodging. I suggest going to sites like http://hotels.com or http://expedia.com to book a hotel.

2nd tip is if you are on a diet or cannot consume heavy fried foods then you may want to pack a lunch! Just kidding! Truth is the south is not known for “healthy” food and you will experience a major withdrawal of vegetables, salads and anything grilled or steamed. So be prepared and be warned. I am a foodie, but one thing I cannot do is fried foods so I had to find many alternatives to the fried foods.

 

Day 1- Charleston, Isle of Palms and Downtown

Morning – We traveled to Charleston with out two Boston Terriers, so it was a “family” trip. No I do not have many suggestions for things to do with kids I will share with you one place you MUST go to and bring your four legged kids to.

Visit James Island County Park. This dog oasis is awesome! I wish I could transport it to my home town so I have somewhere just as cool to take my puppies to. Admission to the park is a whopping $1 and parking is free. The park actually has much more than just a dog park with nature preserve, trails, beaches and places to play sports.  We came here in the early part of the day. Those are my two dogs in the pic the white one to the left and the flying black Boston Terrier.

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If you do not havpuppies head to Folly beach which is just 5 minutes south of here. Folly beach is the more “popular” beach for tourist. Has a board walk and places to lounge and enjoy the sun.

Mid day- We headed north of Charleston to one of my favorite beaches Isle Of Palms.

SC Beach Sc Beach Mark Muscles SC Beach Pups

On our way there we stopped to have lunch at one of our favorite fast food places that unfortunately  only exist in the south Raising Canes. Best chicken fingers ever!! My boyfriend is from New Orleans where it originated so we are a bit partial to it. Once at Isle of Palms I suggest heading to the north side of the beach anywhere north of  27th avenue but south or 41st avenue. Parking here is free and you can avoid the crowds and chill with the locals. This beach is dog friendly. Woof-woof! So my Buzz and Bella came along. The water was incredibly warm and just the perfect amount of waves to frolic in the beach or boogie board if you wanted to.

Evening– We headed to downtown Charleston and had dinner at Poogan’s Porch, on Queen Street. I ate fried alligator here! WTH was I thinking?? The food and service were 5 stars! highly recommend making reservation or you will be waiting a long time. Hyman’s Seafood restaurant is also a great place for low-country cuisine. Also be prepared for a long wait. The cool thing is they do hand out crab fish and other fried seafood to those waiting outside to be seated. After dinner we walked along the board walk near Waterfront Park  and enjoyed the calmness of the city. We happened to be there on a forth of July so we enjoyed the fireworks overlooking the Arthur Ravenel Jr. bridge.

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Day 2  – Savannah Day Trip

Savannah is approximately a 2 hour car ride from Charleston. It is an easy commute and on a holiday weekend we experienced no traffic. I recommend taking a tour around the city. We personally used Old Savannah Tours as our choice. Guess what? They are pet friendly! So our Buzz and Bella traveled along with us throughout the day.

 

This is a great choice to get in and around Savannah. You can get off and get back on at multiple spots throughout the city.  Make sure you take some time to stop and enjoy one of the beautiful squares. Drink a cold drink on a bench with someone as you people watch and take in the uniqueness and beauty of this little city.

Make sure you head down to River street and city market. Both are a  great place full of people watching, live music, gift shops, restaurants and more! We grabbed dinner here at the Shrimp Factory.

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Day 3 – Isle of Palms and Charleston

 This days itinerary can be reversed meaning go to the beach during the day and Charleston in the afternoon. You decide but this is what we did.

 

Day –  We stayed in downtown Charleston and walked along King street which is full of specialty shops and places to eat. You will have plenty to see if you just relax and enjoy wandering around the city.  Head to Battery Park known for its beautiful homes that line the street.

Fort Sumter National Monument — the location of the official start to the Civil War — is accessible via the Fort Sumter Ferry Terminal on Sullivan Island (20 minutes from downtown Charleston).

Downtown Charleston

Downtown Charleston

 

Afternoon – We couldn’t resist going back to Isle of Palms for more beach fun! We arrived this day to the beach around 5pm. I know kind of weird to go so late, but to my surprise it was still gorgeous outside! The water was incredibly warm in fact we stayed and swam until the sun was setting. What can be more romantic than a sunset at the beach?? Not a whole lot!  Afterwards we headed to the cutest little cantina south of Isle of Palms to Sullivans Island called Taco Mamacita. It doesn’t beat my southern California Mexican tacos, but it wasn’t bad at all. The atmosphere was great and it was a wonderful way to end a nice 3 day vacation to the area.

 

Remember to EAT Well and TRAVEL Often! 🙂 The Nguyens!

Buzz & Bella, Health & Fitness, What's Cookin

Homemade Organic Dog Food Recipes

If you are a dog owner learning how to make dog food will be one of the most rewarding things you will ever give your beloved dogs. I will share with you one of my favorite organic dog food recipes homemade here, but first let me tell you how it all began. A few years ago my boyfriend and I bought our first dog together a cute Boston Terrier. We fell in love with him so much that we ended up getting our second Boston Terrier a few weeks later. Organic Dog Food Recipe

Our lives have never been the same and I mean that in a positive way. So when our puppies started having digestive issues and refused to eat their store bought food, like any parent we rushed them to veterinarian office and had them checked up. The only thing our vet could recommend is buying this expensive “vet recommended” dry kibble that was like $80 a bag and lasted only 3 weeks. This new “special” food only worked for a few days. We soon noticed our dogs having the same issues of diarrhea and not wanting to eat their food. My boyfriend and I were pretty stuck and worried. We were not sure what to do and what could help them. I have always been an advocate of healthy eating and have spent more than 10 years without touching any fast food and inspecting the ingredient list on virtually everything I eat…so why not treat my dogs the same way? My boyfriend and I started to look into what dog food was made of and comprised of and we were both pretty disgusted! 2 of the 100 ingredients were actually things I would want to feed my puppies so my boyfriend got the idea of making our own dog food so we did and since then all is history! Our puppies LOVE eating their organic dog food, we save money and they are very healthy, active and may I add very cute! So to all my dog owner friends out there I am sharing with you my very own organic dog food recipe you can easily make at home. Your dog will love you for it!

Ingredients
2-3 Whole Organic Chickens

1 Bag or 10 Loose Organic Carrots

5 Medium Size Sweet Potatoes

1 Bag of Frozen Organic Peas or green beans

3 Cups of Organic Brown Rice

Necessary equipment: A real good chopper! I love the Ninja. You can pick one up at Wal-Mart for $20

Step One
In a large pot fill with water and add your whole chickens. Bring water to boil and cover with a lid. Let it cook for 2 to 3 hours until chicken is very tender and disenagrates to the touch.
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Step Two

Take your chickens out and place in a colander. While in the colander using two forks or any type of utensil continue to shredded the chicken and remove all bones. ( I recommend you wait an hour to let the chicken cool before doing this step)

Organic Dog Food Recipes Homemade

Step Three

While your chicken is being cooked or cooled wash your veggies and chop up your carrots and sweet potatoes. Cook your brown rice and begin to boil your peas and or green beans.

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Organic Dog Food Recipes Homemade

Organic Dog Food Recipes Homemade

 

Step Four

Mixing! Grab two large containers of your choice and begin proportioning your ingredients. I like to make each batch with a 60/30/10 ratio. I like to put 60% chicken, 30% vegetables and 10% brown rice. The brown rice acts as a filler so make sure not to add too much of it.

Food

They are both ready to eat! That is the before….
This is the after….

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Clean plate! Nothing at all left & healthy puppies!

I keep one batch to feed both my puppies and the other batch I freeze and then bring it out when I need it.