I guess it’s time I share my masterpiece from cake class! I have to give props where props are deserved…everyone has given me a hard time, but Kroger made my cake. I made the decorations since it was DECORATING class. Andie and I felt quite silly because the other class members decorated theirs with intricate little flowers and such, but that is just not something I have time for in my life. Seriously, it took us like two hours to make four one night…that will never happen again! But, I can cut out circles and shapes, so that’s what I did! I was quite pleased with the way it turned out. Friday was Stephen’s birthday so I decorated my cake for him.

Happy Birthday, Stephen!

Puppy Tested and Approved

I have now tested the “Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers” on 5 different dogs, and they all love them! Even my mom’s picky eater, Beamer, came back begging for more. I will definitely make these again, and I definitely suggest you trying them for your canine companions!

Happy Birthday Martha!

Today Stephen’s dog, Martha, is 1 year old! So, in honor of her I decided to make her some homemade cookies (dog friendly of course). The recipe was super simple, just 4 ingredients, and they were really fun to make. I bought bone shaped cookie cutters a while back, but I haven’t gotten a chance to use them until now. I let Pixie be my taste tester, and I think they’re a winner. I wouldn’t suggest people eating them though….trust me- not very tasty!

 

“Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers”

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (I used smooth, but your choice)
1 cup milk 
    *I also added about 1 teaspoon of honey just to sweeten it a bit

-Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder, mix well. In another bowl, mix peanut butter, milk, and honey (if using). Work at the wet mixture with a whisk, it’ll come together in a about 2 minutes. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well. Your hands will be the best method for this. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to about ¼ inch thickness (mine may have been a little thicker because the dough tends to start breaking a bit while rolling) and cut into shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes….the recipe says they may burn easily so I baked them for 16 minutes, then let me sit in the oven while turned off for about another 2-3 minutes. They came out perfect!

Isn't it funny?

Isn't it funny how last week I felt terrible…congested head, runny nose, the works. It went away Friday afternoon. Monday morning it's back. Strange, but thank you head cold for knowing when to go away!

Head Board

I still need something to add to the bedding, but I love my headboard!  It was very simple to make.  (Especially since my dad made it for me :) )  Sorry it took so long to get pictures up of it; he made it probably 2 months ago!  All you need is plywood cut in the shape you want, foam, spray adhesive, batting, material, and a staple gun.  Stick the foam to the board with the spray. Make sure you have spray that is suitable for foam. Pull the batting over the board and secure with a staple gun in the back, then repeat with your material. 

A Good Effort

Found something out about myself lately. I don't have an eye for flowers, nor am I meant to be a florist. I went to my third flower class last night, and I did not have a good experience! First of all, I figured out that most of the people in that class (other than the ones who actually own a flower shop and are professional florists) wait for the teacher to come to their station and make the arrangement for them. Well, I didn’t want to do that! So, I started along with my flowers. Once the teacher made her way to me, I got a “well you might as well go on with it”. Apparently there was no helping me. I told her I liked them and went on with it. Once I was done (like 10 minutes later…I don’t see why it takes some people 2 hours to make an arrangement! I don’t have that kind of time or patience!) I sat back and thought it was pretty. I mean keep in mind that I'm not trying to sell this to anyone. Anyway, at the end of the class the teacher then proceeded to go around the class holding everyone’s arrangements up to show and go on and on how perfect and pretty they are. She got to me last… I asked her not to, but she insisted. She held mine up and gave me “a good effort”. Then she told the class how it should have been done. Needless to say, I was fighting back tears this whole time! They came later of course. This taught me a very valuable lesson. It showed me how it feels to not "get" something, so I need to be more patient and understanding with other people. It also reinforced the importance of constructive criticism. I ended up giving my flowers to my mama because she was not feeling well, and she loved them! Her and my dad both told me how pretty they are! That was all I needed to hear. I don’t think I’ll be going back next week.  I don't want to be a quitter, but life is too short to continue something if it's not enjoyable. I'll just stick to my fresh cut flowers stuck in a vase!

I’ve done it again! I’ve made my schedule so completely busy, I don’t have time to breathe. I really do wish there were more hours in the day…wishful thinking… I do this to myself, so I can’t blame anyone. But, I enjoy keeping myself busy. I get bored pretty easily just sitting at home. So, I joined another class. This time I’m taking a cake decorating class at Hobby Lobby. Apparently it’s the third class in a series of three. I was supposed to start with the first one obviously, but it was on a Friday night. That was never going to happen! So, I started with fondant and gum paste. My friend, Andie, joined me, and we had so much fun! This is a 4 session class, so I only have 3 more sessions. Each session lasts 2 hours. We made a bow and started learning how to make flowers. I have to keep up with this stuff (and not let it break) for the next month. Each week we bring back what we did previously and add to it. In the end we will have a finished product. This is what mine SHOULD look like when all is said and done. We shall see!

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a fantastic book; I am so excited for the movie to come to the big screen! (the book has me talking in their terms now) It's a historical novel about a young college student Jacob Jankowski.  (later to be played by Robert Pattinson- yum!) He's 23 and preparing for his finals as a Cornell University vet student.  Because of events (I won't spoil it for you) he runs away and joins a traveling circus. There's drama, action, romance...it's great.  Read it.  Reese Witherspoon will play the leading lady; however, as I was reading I imagined Rachel McAdams playing her part. So, we shall see how that turns out.  There is some language and vulgarity, but just enough to make it interesting!  I can't wait for a circus to come to town!

Trash to Treasure

I have been looking for a new dresser for my bedroom. I have looked around and even thought about purchasing a new bedroom suite, but at this point that’s not really what I need to do. Also, looked around at places like Big Lots and such, but it’s always hit or miss! My mom and Granddad found these two pieces at Ruth’s Flea Market somewhere in Welch, AL, and they are just what I need! They were victims of a house fire. They made it out with a few bruises, but after a little elbow grease they are beautiful! We got the two pieces for $120.00. They are Ethan Allen, and just missing one drawer. They had a lot of smoke damage, but most of it cleaned right off. You can barely tell they were ever in a fire! So proud of this find!

This has been an extremely busy week! It’s been a good week; one filled with new and exciting things and the excitement of packing for vacation! Tuesday night, I became a student again! That was interesting…I enjoyed signing up for a class because I wanted to and not because I had to! I started a floral arranging class at Auburn University. Now, I am officially an Auburn Tiger! This class will meet on Tuesday nights for 5 sessions, and we will learn the fundamentals of how to arrange floral arrangements out of stuff in your yard and for more professional reasons. I’m mostly looking forward to learning more about different varieties and types of plants and flowers and especially names. This week she showed us how to take what we have in our yard and mix it with different things to make a nice arrangement. Pictures will follow once we start actually making stuff. I have to miss next week, but my teacher said I could come early the following week and she’d show me what I missed! I think I will learn lifelong lessons from this class, and I’m really excited about it! It was strange to have that feeling in the pit of my stomach Tuesday night…you know, the one you always got on the first day of school! I enjoyed it!

Wednesday night was exciting as well. My dad joined me for pedicures! I had given him a gift certificate for Father’s Day, and we decided to use them right before our beach trip. He enjoyed it so much. I knew he would! I got him the works, so he got all the special treatment.  Everyone in there was extremely impressed that I have such a great daddy. And I must say I do! He’s the best! After pedicures, my parents came to my house to help me rearrange furniture. My dad helped me make a headboard out of fabric, so I was very anxious and ready to get that hung! We did a total switch on the beds. It seems like a simple concept just swapping the beds, but it was a little tougher than I thought! It was fun though, and I can’t wait to get everything made up! I really like how my house is coming together!! Later, I’ll post pics of the bedrooms and the headboard.

Just an update on my week, next week I’ll be in Hilton Head with my family! So far, we have planned a kayak excursion and a shark fishing trip! I’m so excited!!

It's Sew Time!

This is my latest craft; I’m trying to learn how to use the sewing machine. So yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby, (I will never go on a Monday again…just passing that tidbit along) and I picked out some fabric. Last night, my mom helped me figure out the shape, and she showed me how to pin everything, cut it out, and get prepared to sew! For my first piece, I’m pretty impressed! It’s not perfect. I need to figure out a better way to actually hold it on Pixie, but that’ll come. I really need my grandmama here to show me. But, it is what it is, and I’m sure she’s watching down guiding my mom’s and my hands!

We interrupt your program…

I work a good 30 minutes from home, but with that there are some perks. The city my office is in is in the city I grew up in, the city where my family still lives. So, the perks: I get to take my dog to my parent’s in the morning (just as if I’m taking my child to day care) that way I can let her out and play with her at lunch, and I also get to eat lunch at home with my dad and sometimes I even stay for dinner, too! It really works out for me. I don’t ever have to buy any groceries, so maybe it balances out on the gas I have to buy. My mom is a school teacher which means she’s at home in the summer. This has another perk, because this usually means that she has a lunch made for us by the time we get there. Well, one lunch last week my granddad joined us, and we were enjoying our, I don’t remember , chicken salad maybe, any who, we were enjoying lunch talking about the garden, life, etc., and my mom breaks in with this oh so urgent news. I mean I would have thought she was announcing the next big thing. After this whole conversation we had, I’m going to break it down in highlights for you. If you ever have an armadillo problem, just put out bubble gum. There, that’s what the exciting news was. We have a farm house, and apparently some armadillos have been digging huge holes around it, so I guess to them this was good news, but it just sort of made me giggle. I have no idea how it works, but they went to check and no more armadillo holes. She said just to spread around a few pieces of cheap style bubble gum (the kind in big tubs are Sam’s). I hope I have been able to help someone by sharing this important piece of information. And remember, armadillos are one of God's creatures, too. So please try the gum method before the gun method...Happy chewing!

It's still Edible!

I try not to be a wasteful person. I have to say, I’ve gotten a lot better since my college days…*cough*cough* since I’ve started paying my way. I’ve even gotten some of those reusable shopping bags- if only I could remember to actually take them into the store with me… Last week on my shopping trip I decided to buy some strawberries. They were buy one get one free, so I had to get them! They were a deal, and I can justify that! I had about a third of them left getting ready to rot in my frig. So, I decided to figure out something to do with them. I found a recipe for a strawberry sauce, and I thought I’d give it a try. Now, the recipe called for all the strawberries that they put in those little plastic containers. Remember, I only have a third, so I figured I could play with the ingredient amounts and come out with a nice strawberry sauce to hopefully put on a cheesecake I said I was going to make. To say the very least, I am not a mathematician, I did well in school, but once I got to college I did whatever I could to take the bare minimum…I’m talking pre-cal here people! Apparently, my measurements were off- the sauce has a very strong vanilla flavor. I haven’t tasted it today after it cooled, but tasting it yesterday I think it should be ok, not perfect, but still edible. That’s what I love about cooking. I’m not getting graded on it; if it comes out terrible- so what?! It’s either still edible or it needs to go in the trash. There are no set rules (except for baking). You can play, mess with, and mess up. It’s ok and encouraged to try different things and change recipes. I can take a perfectly perfect recipe and make it my own! Sometimes it comes out just plain wrong, but sometimes you end up with a perfect accident! God bless!

What are some of your perfect mistakes? Let me know!

Still Edible Strawberry Sauce
-My ingredients: Strawberries, Vanilla, Sugar, Water

-With this amount of strawberries: I used 1/4 cup of sugar (should have used about half of that); 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (should have used about a 1/4), and about a Tablespoon of water.

-Next, mix all ingredients in a pot and let boil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

-I mashed up my strawberries while I stirred. You can blend this, but I left mine chunky.

strawberries cut in half

my ingredients

4th of July Goodies

I hope everyone had a great and safe 4th of July weekend! I also hope everyone remembered this weekend wasn’t only about lake, food, fireworks, etc. Brief history lesson: In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress thus setting the 13 colonies on their way to freedom. Basically, this is America’s birthday! Happy Birthday, America!

Last Thursday night we had a few friends join us to watch the fireworks show from Stephen's house. Luckily, we could see them perfectly from his front yard. So instead of piling out to the high school with everyone else in the town we decided to invite others to his house. I wanted to share this quick dip recipe that I used to put out for friends. It's as easy as it is quick and cheap! I got this from a dear friend's mother back in high school and have loved it every since.

No name dip

1 block cream cheese

1/2 jar of salsa dip

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. With hand mixer, mix the two together. Top with shredded cheese and refrigerate overnight for best results. Serve with tortilla chips.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the lake with Stephen and his family. Of course, I didn’t want to show up empty handed, so I’m going to share the simple recipes (and tips) I took along with me.

The first recipe I decided to make was Rice Krispies Treats because everyone loves a Rice Krispies Treat! From past experience they can be a little difficult on the stove top. I can remember making them with my cousin years ago and having marshmallow fluff attached me to as if it were spider webs from all corners of my body! This time I used the microwave and my mama’s stirring arm and they were super simple! We used the recipe on the box and added just a few little touches.

Rice Krispies Treats
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter
1 package regular marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies

Variations on ingredients: I used about 4 Tablespoons of margarine, 1 pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Directions:
To melt your marshmallows in the microwave I took a large bowl (TIP: spray with cooking spray first!) and put the margarine, salt, and vanilla in the bottom followed by the marshmallows. I cooked it for 1 minute, 45 seconds, stirred then put back in for another 30 seconds.

Pour in Rice Krispies in two batches and stir. (TIP: spray your spoon with cooking spray as well!)

Next, I took a 9X13 baking dish and lined it with wax paper and then sprayed with cooking spray. Fill the baking dish with your treats and take another piece of wax paper (sprayed) and spread out the treats evenly. This is basically just pressing down and molding your treats into the shape of your baking dish. Allow to set. I allowed mine to set overnight then cut into small squares and placed little American flag toothpicks in them! Great treat! The biggest tip I can share is cooking spray is your friend!

The second treat my mom and I made was the stuff I discovered to be called Cornflake Candy. I never knew this stuff had a name but always loved it! It is another very simple yet satisfying recipe.

Cornflake Candy
3-4 cups Kellogg's Cornflakes
1 cup Sugar (white granulated)
1 cup Light Karo Syrup
1 cup Peanut Butter, I used creamy Jif

Directions:
First heat your pan to medium, add sugar and syrup; stir for 2-3 minutes. Next, add your peanut butter and stir until it’s well incorporated.

After this has come together, mix in Cornflakes. I continuously added a handful at a time and found that I used about 3 ½ cups of Cornflakes.

Lastly, spoon out about a tablespoon size onto aluminum foil. Let cool.

I placed these on a red plastic platter and snipped a few zinnias from my mom’s garden, and I was off! Everyone enjoyed these treats, and they didn't break the bank or take up an entire afternoon. It goes to show that you don't have to be a gourmet chef or spend lots of time and money. Sometimes it is the littlest of gestures that make the biggest impact!

Happy July, and God bless you and America!

Adopt

Today I’m going to share my feelings on rescued pets. I can NOT stand to hear the words, “I don’t want a rescue” or “I don’t want a pound dog” or even worse “Something must be wrong with it, if it’s in the pound”. Those kinds of comments make me want to slap the silly out of people! I admit there was one time I thought I needed the perfect little overly priced pup to fit into society, and well, we see how that turned out. She was the cutest little thing, who bit me all the time (still have a scar on my lip…thanks, Milly), smart, but a little bit of a brat. Rest her sweet soul, and I cry every time I think of her, but she was a bit of a brat. When I got Pixie, she was pitiful. She absolutely needed me, and I can honestly say that if I had not have rescued her she probably would be dead right now. She has the sweetest soul. If people would realize what all is out there to adopt. Pixie is from a puppy mill which means she was raised to be one of the expensive little “designer breeds” (Malti-poo, thanks to Jessica Simpson for making those popular) to be sold in pet stores for ridiculous amounts of money, and she is not a rare find in a humane society. If people would only look, there are thousands of “designer breeds” and even pure breeds to be rescued. Not to mention, they come with all their shots and even spayed or neutered, and Pixie came with a microchip. Pixie was about six months old, so I believe that she was being kept to be a mommy dog to put it nicely. I am so thankful that she was rescued before she ever endured any of that misery. It breaks my heart to think about this time last summer she was stuck in a tiny over filled cage in the heat of summer probably in some hot barn somewhere. This is her first summer to fully experience. She loves running and rolling around in the grass, chasing birds and squirrels, and eating flowers. It warms my heart to see her expressions and truly see it in her face how grateful she is for everything she has. After I got her and still to this day, it is precious to see how proud she is of her dog bed, toys, and treats. I cannot explain to you the love a rescue pet will give. Animals that need rescuing are just like homeless children who need adopting. It has nothing to do with them, it was just the situation they were dealt.
Words of the Pedigree commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v5Ui8HUuN8
Shelter dogs aren’t broken; they’ve simply experienced more life. If they were human, we’d call them wise. They would be the ones with tales to tell and stories to write. The one dealt a bad hand and responded with courage. Do not pity a shelter dog- adopt one.

It’s cool to adopt!! Check out who else loves a rescue dog!

Twilight stars:
http://www.peoplepets.com/news/dogs/nikki-reed-s-pit-bull-was-on-doggie-death-row/1?xid=email-peoplepetsdailytreat-20100630-297947

http://www.peoplepets.com/news/celebrities/first-look-kellan-lutz-dog-kola-s-pet-adoption-ad/1

True Blood Stars:
http://true-blood.net/2009/09/24/anna-paquin-stephen-moyer-host-a-night-of-emotion/

Oprah:
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Adopt-a-PAWS-Pet

Pixie’s Success Story at the Atlanta Humane Society http://www.atlantahumane.org/adoption/success/pixie.asp

Famous example of bad case from pet store: http://www.peoplepets.com/news/celebrities/kelly-cutrone-gets-a-new-puppy-for-daughter-ava/1

Happy "Tails"

Usually our Sundays are spent being lazy, watching movies, resting up for the week ahead; however, this was not the case yesterday. Yesterday, Stephen (my bf) and I decided to join my parents and go to our farm house. We were going to practice our shooting skills and just have fun in the “country” for the day. We decided to take Stephen’s dog, Martha, with us. She’s half American Bulldog and half Mountain Cur. I know she’s not very rugged or anything, but her breed is supposed to be so we thought she would enjoy herself. This was not the case. We started playing around, and when I say we I mean my dad and Stephen. I never even got to shoot. They shot the guns probably 4 or 5 times and about that time, my mom came running to us because last thing she saw was Martha running in a greyhound like fashion across the front yard. We went after her but really didn’t think too much of it, because she always comes to us, and she has never run away before. The gunshots scared her so she ran and who knows where she ran to. It was the scariest feeling. I felt as if I had lost one of my children. We walked up and down the roads, asking the neighbors, calling for her endlessly, but there was no sign of Martha. This went on for probably four or five hours. I’m not exactly sure, but it felt like an eternity. Stephen’s family ended up bringing their family dog Bella, who knows Martha very well, to join in on the search. It was the neatest thing, they took a towel Martha had been lying on and held it for her to smell and said, “Go find Martha!” She took off and 3 minutes later, Martha was barking and jumping and trying to get to us. Now, I’m not sure if it was just coincidence or having Bella there brought Martha to us, either way I am thankful to have her back.

My reasoning for telling this “tail” is one peace of mind I did have. Martha wears an ID tag on her collar with Stephen’s information. If she hadn’t have come back, I would have had hope that someone would have found her and gotten her back to us safely. I don’t keep an ID tag on Pixie because I don’t make her wear her collar all the time, but now I think I will start. It didn’t come down to the tag, but it could have. Just goes to show that no matter how well behaved or predictable your dog is anything unusual can scare them so that they run in fear. You never know when something like this could happen to you. I hope it never does, but you may want to be prepared.

All's well that ends well!

God bless!

Craft Time

Today I am going to share a little project of mine last night. I have been trying to decorate my house, and let me be the first to say that I have no idea what I’m doing! I’m just having fun and trying things as I go. I have discovered that I have a common theme throughout my living room. It’s brown, black, and gold. I have one very pretty black and gold candle stick that I am using for inspiration. The day I purchased that black and gold candle stick, I also purchased a solid black one. I like the two as a set, the black one just needed something. So I thought, “Self, how can we make the two match?” Now, I was in Hobby Lobby, personally one of my new favorite stores…I guess that’s what happens when you start to get old! So I had endless possibilities of altering the candle stick. I went for the less dramatic approach and got a gold paint pen. That night I was so very nervous to put any paint on there, so you could barely tell what I had done. Either way, I was proud and set the two on my mantle.

Fast forward a month or so later, and I’m back in Hobby Lobby. I found a frame that was the color and size I was looking for to put on the opposite side of the candle sticks. However, there was no gold on it. So, I bought it (at 50% off, 4X6 frame cost $5.00) and brought it home with the intentions of doctoring it up a little.
After working on the candle stick, I was feeling very brave. This time I figured out that you can’t be shy with the paint stick. The technique that I have picked up on is put the paint stick wherever you want gold paint, and then take a paper towel and gently rub over where you put the paint. Worked like a charm.

Before. Supplies.

After

God bless.

Familly Affair

There is nothing like fresh cut grass. Now, I'm not going to be like others and say I love the smell, because I don't. I am highly allergic to the smell, and I will break out in welps and itch like crazy the rest of the night. It's really a little miserable, but I have medicine and I'm used to it now. I'm starting to think I may need to try another brand of medicine though. I've been using this one kind since probably the 4th grade. I'm afraid I am becoming immune to the stuff!

Back on subject-
I have the best yard crew. They are pretty much reliable and consistent. I've only had to have one talk with them about the 9:00 AM wakeup call on Saturday. After that, we've have no problems. I’m so grateful to be able to say that my parents cut my grass. They show up with the trailer, riding lawn mower, push mower, weed eater...you’d think they had their own lawn service. So yesterday evening my parents came to cut my grass. I helped them pickup sticks and move furniture around. My granddad even came to join in the fun. It was a family affair, and I really quite enjoyed myself. Afterwards, we picked up some bar-b-que and had a nice dinner in my dining room. I never use my dining room so it was glad to get some use. So back to the thought, "there's nothing like fresh cut grass". It makes the yard. It makes the house. But, I feel like it makes a family, ours at least. It brought us all together for the evening. We worked together, helped each other, then sat back to look at what we had done together. We even enjoyed a meal with each other. So, I like fresh cut grass for those reasons. I will endure the itching as long as I get some family time. Isn't that what family is about? It's about the small things, working together for one common goal, and then being able to be proud of your accomplishments. Even if it is something small like cutting the grass.

God bless.

Whew! You have missed so much going on in my life. So, where do I start? On June 10, 2010, I celebrated one year of being a homeowner. I guess we can start there. June 10, 2009, I signed for my very first house. This was going to be my house! I could design it how I wanted (fat chance), I could paint it the colors I wanted (in my dreams), and I could be out of my parents house in 3 months, tops (who are we kidding!?!). Notice my sarcasm? Well, this cute house that I just fell in love with needing much more than paint. My parents, who were great and helped me through it all, knew what I was getting myself into, but I was living in "first time home owner fantasy land" apparently. I was completely and totally unaware/ unprepared of what was to come the next few months. My new home needed everything, and I mean everything done to it. Come to find out, I am terrible at picking out paint colors, so I needed lots of help there. I also had no clue about how to design a new kitchen, bathroom, etc., so I needed loads of help there. Everything was a joint effort, but I am so thankful I had all of my parent’s help and support or it would have never gotten finished! Turns out, I knew nothing of remodeling a house! All but two of the paint colors I picked out came out terrible. Let's just say I have a few gallons of paint in the barn just sitting there.

Note to self* buy the samples before you buy the gallon!

Anyway, last summer was spent painting, tearing up floors and knocking down walls, installing central heating and air, refinishing hard woods, getting a new roof, adding a front porch, designing a kitchen, and more painting. There were many late nights, lots of hard work and sweat, and even a few tears (and blood!). Then, there was the purchasing. The purchasing of all new appliances, lighting, ceiling fans, etc (this was the fun part!). Next thing I knew, I was opening up my very own Home Depot Credit Card. Yay for 12 months no interest! Somewhere around October/November I was able to fully move into my home, but it wasn't home yet. It wasn't until I decorated for Christmas that it started to feel like home…a good six months later.

Somewhere in the midst of all the renovations, I got a Yorkie puppy named Milly. Now, as sad as it all sounds, and it was very, very sad, I'd prefer not to forget her. This is why she is being mentioned. About six and a half weeks after I got her, I came home one night to the most terrible site ever...she was really sick. Hours at the vet and up all night with her, she passed that morning...................................................

October 4th, I went to Atlanta with my sister to go look at a Yorkie/Poo puppy someone wanted to "rehome". That's the term craigslist uses because they aren't allowed to sell animals or something like that. We went and visited this pup, and this was not the pup for me. First of all, it was a boy. A boy!? What do I do with a boy dog? No bows or dresses, forget that! Second, this pup was wild! So, we left to "think it over" and ended up at the Atlanta Humane Society. http://www.atlantahumane.org There, I had the heartstrings pulled to help this one tiny little grey pup. The lady handed her to me, and she was almost lifeless. I couldn't say no, so after a little paper work and a small fee, I was the proud parent of a Maltese, Poodle, or mix. She was approximately 6 months old, probably 4-5 pounds, and again, lifeless. I cried the entire way home. Not sure if it was because she wasn't Milly, or because I was just scared of being a pup parent again. Anyway, long story short, got her home, fell in love, took her to the vet, and found out she was sick. After a week in the hospital at the Atlanta Humane Society (Big thanks to them for being so great and footing the bill! If you are looking for a new pet, please consider adoption!) I brought her home and discovered the sweetest little personality ever! After a bath, I realized she was cream/white in color. I then figured out she was originally grey because of the newspaper clippings she was living in. So, now I have a new pet who adores me (doesn't that make you feel great?); however, she doesn't adore anyone else. She is the product of a puppy mill, http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/puppy_mills/" so she probably had no interaction unless it was unkind until the Atlanta Humane Society got her. We're working on that and now 8 months later, she has come way out of her shell!! She's even getting to like some people! Oh, by the way, her name is Pixie...her adopted name was Sarah Palin. That was way too big of a name for such a little pup!

Big breath! Now that you have a little background on me, I feel like I am properly prepared to get you up to date.

God Bless.