Cute Overload

Halloween... the holiday where pet owners everywhere dress our pets in silly costumes. Attend pet parades and swap pics of our furkids going gaga over the cuteness. Isn't that what the holiday is all about? Well for some of us it is. So like always, I dressed my furbabies up in silly costumes again this year.

I swear if my almost eleven year old Pekingese "Punkin" could talk she would be cursing at me. Every time we put a costume on her she makes herself heavy and stiff like a little corpse. Maybe she thinks it'll keep her from having to don the costume, who knows, but the faces she makes the entire time just kill me.

Not just on Halloween, but Christmas and all throughout the year my fur babies have an entire wardrobe of outfits to keep them cute and in style. So without further ado, here is Aston furbabies "Howl-o-ween" Costume parade for 2017.

Punkin "I'm too old for this crap!"

Pepe is an NYC ACC "Urgent List" Survivor.

Lulu is also an NYC ACC Survivor.

Pookie "Is it almost over?"

For the grand finale... the group!

The cats just sit around looking at the dogs and probably thanking their lucky stars that their momma has not decided to add them to the costume parade. Although... you never know, I can think of two little black bomaby cats I know who just might start wearing silly costumes one day too.

Hope everyone has a fun time and stays safe. Happy Halloween!


Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo

www.avaaston.com

Thank You Al Gore

Thank's Al. You're the best, no matter what people say.

So it's official (well sorta) that Al Gore the great and mighty inventor of the Internet has done it again.  What am I talking about? Well, in case you haven't been to the Northeast anytime recently it seems that, well based off the climate at least, that Al Gore has cured and fixed the Global Warming issue.  The problem is he did it just a little too much. Instead of balancing things out it seems he went slightly overboard.  Now instead of having a balance with all four seasons here in the Northeast we kind of have been having it all mucked up.  Goes in line with not having a balanced budget, so as a Democrat I guess in a way he's par for the course and since that's all Obama does is play golf it works for him.

Well since a little past this time last year we had the start to probably one of the most cold and miserable winters I can remember.  It went on and on and on so long I can't say I even remember having an actual spring. Then when it came to summer it was like we packed an entire summer's worth of heat into the month of July.  Then we skipped right into what is now and has been turning into an early and very wet autumn.  

Now, anyone who knows this Greek Girl knows I love Autumn more than any other season, but really?  With as many rainy days we had this summer and now this? Hey Al Gore, can you chill out or rather warm up on this whole global warming thing?  It's like you turned the thermostat to cold and broke the dang thing off.  For crying out loud, the only time I got to put my bathing suit on this year was for an audition.  Now that is bordering on sacrilegious considering I never put my toes in any hot sand once this year let alone go swimming!!!!  What's even more is I can count the number of iced Dunkin donut coffee's I have had on one hand.  Which as you know is just bizarre in itself since last year I had like 20 of them every week!

So for this weeks blog I want to focus on my favorite things about the fall since it's coming so early and well at this pace if I don't act now before long I will be buried up to my eyeballs in snow drifts.  God knows, if there is one thing this Greek Girl hates more than the current occupant of the White House is too much white stuff on the ground.  No matter how pretty it is, it is dang cold and me and cold just don't mix, no matter how much olive oil I get in my veins!

1. Pumpkins.  Not only did I name one of my dog's Punkin' but one of my favorite things in the whole world is punkin flavored anything: coffee, donuts, pie, cookies and punkin rolls!!  

2. Foliage.  If you have never been to the Northeast you have got to come in Autumn.  The magic of watching the trees turn color is one of the most amazing things that you never get sick of even after living here all your life.

3.  Hoodies (aka zip up sweatshirts).  Yes I do wear them almost every day of the year, but I do it all the more in the fall.  They are so much fun, cute and they keep me warm.  Besides I have like 2000 of them, I have to do something with them right?

4. Back to school.  You are too old for school and have no kids Greek Girl?  I know, but that means all the rug-rats that run rampant around town are back in school and I don't have to be bothered by them :) j/k I loooooove kids...  But no really, it just means Kohl's is running serious sales and clearance sales like mad.  So bring on the clearance rack please!!!

5. Running.  Not only is it the best feeling in the world when you go for a long run but when you have the crisp autumn air and the foliage to go with it, never mind doing it at magic hour in the fall, is just an amazing thing for me.  Besides, it is just one more reason I can wear my sneakers more.

So there you have it.  My favorite things about this time of year, that is unless Al Gore gets the bright idea and reverse things again and muck's things up more.  You know, if you ask me, maybe since he is so full of hot air trying to explain how he invented the internet that maybe that is what started the whole global warming thing anyway.  Oh well, one will never know.  Enjoy your punkin pie and have a blessed and safe Autumn.

Blessings, Love & Music~
Ava xo :)
www.avaaston.com

Autumn's In The Air

The best part of waking up                                                 when there's a chill in the air...

It's here.  It's always bitter sweet for me because there's nothing I loathe more than putting away my flip flops and replacing them in my closet with my Uggs.  It's bitter for many reasons including the one I just mentioned.  Sweet, because Autumn is actually my favorite season.  Why is Greek Girl yapping about the coming change of season when the world appears to be imploding before our very eyes?  Well, I can't write about politics every week. Besides if I don't take a break my noggin might just spontaneously combust.

Growing up in Upstate New York it is not hard to understand why I love fall so much.  It is one of the most beautiful places in the Northeast.  We have Lake George, the Adirondack Mountains, Niagara Falls, and many more amazing destinations to experience. There are always festivals, farmers markets, hot air balloon shows, the Pumpkin Farm, Hayrides, Oktoberfest (which I don't really even do because Greek Girl doesn't like beer), apple picking, caramel apples, candy apples, apple cider, pumpkin pie, apple pie, cinnamon donuts... ut oh I better stop before I make myself hungry.

My favorite thing... Pumpkin Dunkin's.  That's right, every year around this time my favorite coffee brand in the whole wide world Dunkin Donuts rolls out it's fall fare.  So every year I march my Greek butt down there and grab as many bags of the Pumpkin coffee as I can get my little hands on.  Of course the trick is to get out of there without getting a Pumpkin Muffin or donut.  I do have an iron Greek will - yes that is true.  I will admit however that as strong as that will is, there are times when I do get one and make my sweetie eat half.  (the things he does for love).

Of course there are many other reasons that I love fall, one I get to dress my fur babies up in a costume every year for the yearly "March of Shame" as Punkin (my talking dog likes to call it) see her video here.  Of course it's also the time of year when Bath & Body Works rolls out the fall candles & scented plug ins, they are so yummy smelling!  Makes me want to just grab a cup of hot Pumpkin happiness, put on my favorite sweats and slippers, grab my sweetie and fur kids, and curl up to watch Animal planet.  Oh who am I kidding?  We all know it's going to end back up on the news.  Hey... I have to make sure I don't miss anything.

Have a beautiful day!

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :) xox
www.avaaston.com

The Halloween Hijack: Punkin's Revenge

Oh, the humanity! I can't believe the atrocity of these forever humiliations in the Aston household!

Hello to all my faithful followers out there!  This is your favorite and most talented Pekingese dog Punkin Aston.  That's right, I have done it again.  I have gone in and hijacked my mommies blog! But this time I am out for some serious Halloween Revenge! You read it right. I am out for "R-E-V-E-N-G-E" Pekignese Style.  (For those who don't know, I am part Ninja because I am a Chinese dog, so therefore I am a ninja.)

Now, to get back to the atrocity and to qoute my favorite movie (mostly because I starred in it, though my scenes ended up on the cutting room floor)  If my mommy dresses me up in another dreadful costume ever again There Will Be Blood!  So instead of me going on and on about the kind of torture that has taken the Ava Aston household by storm I will invite you to watch this 3-part series and learn just what kind of monster my mommy really is.  

HALLOWEEN ATROCITY PART: 1


HALLOWEEN ATROCITY PART: 2


HALLOWEEN ATROCITY PART: 3




Now, if you have made it through all this muckery of which me and my brothers and sister have gone through, please call and report my mommy for puppy abuse.  Thank you and have a happy Halloween!


Blessings, Love & Music ~

Ava xox :D
www.avaaston.com

Fall into Pumpkin

Do you hear voices when you see this, or is it just me?

Pumpkins, cinnamon, apple cider and colorful autumn leaves... ahh the wonderful sounds of "tis the season to put on 12 extra pounds." Hello?!? What in the world was I thinking when I went into that Dunkin Donuts anyway?  Okay, I know I am getting ahead of myself but there is just something oh so right but oh so definitely wrong with this time of year.  I love it and I hate it at the same time.  I love it because the air is so fresh and crisp.  I hate it because this is when all that bad food comes out to taunt me and we are still over a month away from Thanksgiving. Yikes!

So there I was, as I innocently walked into the convenience store to cash in my winning lottery tickets.  Sure, no big deal.  EEHHH ~Wrong answer.  Guess again Greek Girl.  The convenience store just so happened to be ever so conveniently located next to a Dunkin Donuts.  Anyone who knows anything about me knows that of course I couldn't defy my Greek genes and avoid getting a hot-cup-o-happiness.  That my friends, is when it all started.  I walk in and I was over taken by the warm fresh smell of the greatest tasting coffee and before I know it I see a display the size of a Mr. Brick's that is screaming, "It's Here! The new Pumpkin Muffin!" (This is so not cool I'm thinking to myself)...

Now, in case you haven't been keeping up with Ava lately you might've missed that I was in an extreme fitness program (but then again when am I not doing some sort of extreme fitness program) lol.  No, I don't technically 'need' to lose weight, I weigh and maintain my weight around 126...  It's just that I grew up a little on the chubby side, and it may have left me with a defect in my noggin that could land me on a shrinks couch one of these days... but that's a story for another day.  Anyway, there I am adding in my calories from my coffee w/ light cream into a mobile app I downloaded for my iPhone... and I see this horendously amazing and oh so evil sign of what is one of my favorite guilty pleausres, a pumpkin donut.  That is one thing most people don't know about me.  If it's got pumpkin in it, chances are I am going to want a bite.  Yes I do have restraint and will never eat a whole one, but I sure as heck will partake in a few heavenly bites of anything with pumpkin in it. Pumpkin roll, pumpkin muffin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookie and even roasted pumpkin. Oy Vey!  What was I thinking?!?

So, imagine me standing there with a line forming behind me as I am trying to get my iPhone app to open up (and it is of course going ridiculously slow because of the little gremlins that live inside of my iPhone) and get the guy behind the counter to simultaneously tell me how many calories were in that tasty morsel only feet from my grubby little fingers.  There I am counting out all I have eaten and how much this donut and coffee will add to my calorie count and try to find out how I can justify that I still haven't eaten dinner yet.  Oh, man! I began to feel like Mr. Bricks and his need for a McRib sandwich and Green Milkshake but only with a conciounse because we all know he doesn't care about his waistline.  Nor does he even have a phone that uses apps since Mr. Bricks cellphone is circa 1989.

So what did I do?  I bought it.  Yep, I broke down and bought the stinking Pumpkin Donut.  I got my medium hot-cup-o-happiness in one hand and my guilty pleasure in the other.  Like a little kid with a smile ear to ear I broke the rules that I'm sure would have landed me into Jillian Michael's jail.  I ate half of that donut and gave the other half to my sweetie.  Yes, I did do about 50 extra sit-ups later that night but it was worth it.

I even named one of my four little doggies "Punkin" not only because she is the same color as one of my favorite things a pumpkin, but because it rhymes with her mommy's favorite coffee in the whole wide world... Dunkins.

Hope you have a beautiful blessed day!

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :D xox
www.avaaston.com