Scrappy Dog Sunday!

I'm pretty sure my dogs follow this mantra. As a matter of fact, Pete may have written this.

Not only do we have pups running around the backyard, but we also have quite a few birds.

 Feeding frenzy with the finches.

Our resident crows, or at least one of them. I really wish they would stop trying to put their raft in the pond and demand refills on their cocktails and peanuts.

Lola has tried to fly with our Heron. Thankfully, Mark

stopped her before she grabbed on to the tail feathers and flew away.

This beautiful Coopers Hawk comes every year and helps get rid of the riff raff.

And last but not least, our humming birds. They are with us all year long.

I love that we have so birds come and visit, even when the dogs are in the backyard. It's our own little wild kingdom.

Feel Good Friday!

 via pinterest, via makesmestfu, via......

Whew! I just got back from the county fair. I LOVE fairs! I love the smell, the animals and don't even get me started on the food. We saw deep friend Capt. Crunch today. Who knew you could deep fry cereal-it's crazy!

There is nothing better than friendship, except maybe a side pony and if you have a friend who sports a side pony-you've died and gone to heaven. I adore dahmerdawn's stitching. Check her out on Flickr. The rick roll is worth it!

I will fully admit that I am a product junkie. I love beauty and bath supplies. I can't help myself. That's why I know I have a kindred spirit over at Red Lip Gloss. Great hints, reviews and how to's help save me a ton of money and keep me looking great. I'm still sore I didn't win that awesome prize package but I suppose I'll live.

I'm a huge Hello Kitty fan. Every since I was a little girl, I just love that cute little kitty with the bow in her hair. So, when I saw this house. I knew I wanted to move there. Who cares if I have a perfectly good house here, I want to live in the Hello Kitty house.

Fine! Since I can't have the Hello Kitty house can I at least get the toaster?

 Why is it when I see this picture, I want to break into an Elvis song? I'm not sure who this handsome beast belongs to, but if it's you, I'm pretty sure your dog rules.

Well, there ya have it! A little bit of this, a little bit of that and a whole lot of feeling good on this Friday. I hope that your weekend is filled with friends, side ponies and puppies doing their best Elvis face. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm off to find the perfect shade of pink for the house. I'm sure OMP won't mind.

Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.
-Mae West

Three Wise Men

See this man, otherwise known as OMP, I love him more than words can express. He's cranky. He likes to think that he's tough but he's a big marshmallow....mmmmm.....marshmallows.

And this old man, he's my dad and he's even crankier than OMP, he's a huge marshmallow too.

And this guy, well...he is the crankiest. He's not a marshmallow, he's a sausage.

Tie One On Tuesday

Earlier this week I was talking to my friend Lori about making a Key Lime pie. She immediately put me in a happy place when she asked, "have you made a margarita pie before?" WHHHHHHHAAAAAA? There is a margarita pie? Are you kidding me? A pie, that is like Key Lime but it has booze in it? Did I just die and go to heaven? Well, I scoured the interweb for this so called Margarita pie, and there are a ton of them out there. This one is from cooks.com.

Crust
1/2 c. butter
1 1/4 c. crushed pretzels
1/4 c. sugar

Melt butter. Add crushed pretzels and sugar. Press into 9 inch pie pan. Chill.

filling
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c. lime juice
1 tbsp. Tequila
1 tbsp. Triple Sec

1 c. whipping cream
Wedges of lime

Combine sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, Tequila, Triple Sec.
 Whip cream and fold into mixture. Pour into chilled pie crust.
Freeze or chill for 3-4 hours until firm. Garnish each piece with a lime wedge.

Easy Peasy! At first I was a little put off by the crust but that gives it the salt around the edge taste to the pie. It also called for green food coloring but,ummmm,,,no.

So, to celebrate my wonderful pie, I decided to make up a batch of raspberry margaritas with the last of my raspberries from the garden.

Raspberry margarita
1 cup raspberries
1 cup brandy-based orange liqueur
3/4 cup gold tequila
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
ice cubes
Mix up in a big pitcher and serve!

No matter how you end up serving your margarita, it will be a huge hit and you will win the love and admiration of friends and strangers alike, they might even build a monument.

Scrappy Dog Sunday!

Have you met Pete? He is a silly little Min Pin who likes to think that he is a Jack Russell Terrier, like his sisters. He has gone so far to prove his Jack Russell Terrierness by catching rats.

I don't have the heart to tell him that the rat is stuffed and thus we are safe from it's clutches.

 I'll just let him go on believing that he is 100% Jack Russell. Oh Pete, I can't help but to look at you and think of Don Knotts' character, Luther Heggs, from the Ghost and Mr. Chicken. I know sweetie, your whole body is a weapon. Thank you for saving us.

Feel Good Friday!

 

 pinterest via tumbler via.....

I can't believe it! The sun decided to come back to the Pacific Northwest! We have sun! It's a miracle! Okay, maybe not a miracle, but it's pretty awesome.

 Speaking of awesome, check out this piece by xperimentl. Power to the stitchers! We shall take over the world one embroidery hoop at a time! PS-While you checking out her other amazing embroidered pieces, look at her gingerbread house. TO. DIE.FOR!

Speaking of stitchy goodness, have you gone over to Feeling Stitchy lately? They are having an awesome stitch-a-long! The pattern this month is so adorable! It's a gnome from the wonderful mimilove.

It's hard to believe that this is edible. Andiespecialitysweets not only has this lovely necklace in their shops but dozens of other beautiful creations. Just absolutely stunning craftsmanship!

Have you ever heard of photobombing? Well, animals are experts at it!

There ya go, my little rays of sunshine. I'm heading outside while there is still a little bit of sun left. Yeah summer!  Have a wonderful weekend!

For every minute you are angry,
you lose 60 seconds of happiness.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

10 Happy Things

Right now, at this very moment, I am giddy. I'm happy, smiling, laughing and I haven't even had a cocktail! Because I'm a list person and because you need to know-here are 10 things that make me happy at this very moment.

OMP. Seriously everybody, I love this man so much. How do I know that he is my soul mate? I was just outside and I yelled, "Hey! Look out the window!" I then proceeded to show him my best robot. He counteracted with an even better version of the robot and  threw in a pop and lock. True love? I think so.

My pups. Three little furry children, running around, encouraging each other to do bad things. They are too cute for me to punish them, so, I guess I just have to live with the monsters I created. I mean, c'mon-have you seen their faces? They are cute!

My friends. I really wish I could express in words how much I adore them. They lift my spirits. There are no better people in the world than my friends. I wish they were all right in front of me so I could give them hugs and kisses. I don't ever distinguish between "real life" friends and "internet" friends. They are all the same and all hold a special place in my heart and soul.

The sun shining. For the love of all things holy! It has been rainy and cold here in the Pacific Northwest. I mean COLD! So, when the sun comes out , it is a cause for celebration. Who cares if it is only going to last for a minute or two-basking in it is heaven. 

Big hair. My hair is HUGE today! HUGE! I look like a Dolly Parton wig who was in a bar fight and lost and I am loving it! Maybe I'll throw on some bad 70's music, a little red lip gloss and shake my money maker. Hmmmm....I'm wondering if I can feather my hair.

The Beckys. I have lots of Beckys or versions of Beckys in my life. I met them both through my blog and the stitching community...and can you believe they live close to each other and they have become friends too? I like referring to the Beckys as the Beckys cause they remind me of the Coreys (from great 80's movies) only, they are girls, don't have drug problems and were never vampire hunters-that I know of. Every time I need a lift, the Beckys are there for me. When I say I look fat, they tell me that my curves could stop traffic. When I feel like my stitching is stinking, they tell me that it's fab and if I whine too much, they tell me to snap out of it.

Our two resident crows. We have a male and female crow who have taken up residence at our house, on our garage. They hang out, tell us when something or someone is coming and love to hide peanuts from the squirrels. They never bother us or the pups and I expect to find them lounging in the chairs, demanding cocktails any day now.

My garden. There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own food. It just taste better. Getting your hands dirty and growing something from seed is amazing. I hope that each year we can continue to expand our little farmette.

Stitching. Embroidery is like therapy to me. It eases my mind, releases my tension and makes it so I don't become Smashy Pam. I wish I could explain how wonderful the feeling is to create something, give it to someone and see the smile on their face. Stitching helps me preserve my history and reminds me where I need to move on to.

Finally, YOU! You all make me happy. Now don't think I'm just saying that to finish this list. I really mean it. I can't believe people even read this silly blog, let alone follow it. I'm glad that I get to make people laugh, help them create and bring out a smile. You bring me so much joy and I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Gah, I'm sure I could go on and on, but I have probably given you a cavity by now. Besides, OMP and I are having a robot-off. I'm planning on bringing the big guns out-the hula hoop! Yeah Boy! That's how I roll! 

Tie One On Tuesday

Did I ever tell you how much I love a good BBQ? Cooking out on the grill makes me very happy. Even when it's rainy and cold, or as I like to call it-a typical Pacific Northwest day, you can find OMP and myself out by the grill.

The most important part of grilling is the marinade or the sauce you will use for your yummy food. Well, guess what? Booze can help you with that! Is there anything a cocktails won't do?

Typically, OMP will throw a few steaks in a nice beer bath to not only tenderize them but also to give them a wonderful flavor. I always go with a nice cheap beer for a marinade, but you can go fancy. Here is a nice marinade for your favorite cut of steak.

Beer marinade:
1 can or bottle of beer (this can go up if you have more steaks)
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of your favorite BBQ sauce
Seasoning salts
 Let the steaks sit for at least 8 hours-grill to perfection

Now, if you want something a little more fancy and from the islands, I suggest Lime Rum Chicken

Lime Rum Chicken:
1/ 2 cup dark rum
2 tablespoons lime juice-MUST BE FRESH!
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Garlic-minced to taste
1 tablespoon minced ginger
Combine the above and submerge chicken breast. Let stand for at least 4 hours in a covered dish. Cook those yummy breast up!

Last but not least, a little booze for your pig. This pork recipe will have people begging at your doorstep for just one bite!

Bourbon pork tenderloin:
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
Garlic to taste
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
Combine the above ingredients and let the pork marinate for at least twelve hours.

Remember that with sweeter alcohol, go with something spicy or citrus to take that edge off. Alcohol like whiskey, bourbon and even vodka you need to go with a sweeter mixture. Either way, your grilling will be out of this world and  people will bow at your feet. They may even offer you a major award.

Scrappy Dog Sunday!

This is my Lola. She is the original scrappy dog.  She just happens to have me wrapped around her little paw.


She can be sweet and loving

Or she can be a beast...by the way, you are getting a sneak peak into our Christmas card-I'm calling it the season of sharing and love.

Most of the time, she is just Lola.

And that's fine with me.

In a Jam

One of the best things about my garden is the abundance of berries,  I have a ton of them. The worst thing about my garden is the abundance of berries They seem to go to waste every year. Well, this year I decided, no more! I will do something with all those berries! Sure, I could just freeze them or put them in some sort of muffin, but really-that's kind of blah. So, I decided to make freezer jam-one, because I'm too lazy about canning and two, it's the easiest thing in the world to do and quick!

I made two batches, one with raspberries and one with strawberries. I searched through a lot of recipes and the majority of them were about the same. The one problem that you may run into is the large amount of sugar for the jam.  There are recipes with less sugar and I may try them next time.

Strawberry Jam
1 package of fruit pectin
2 cups crushed strawberries
4 cups sugar
Combine sugar and berries into a bowl. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup water to one package of pectin. Stir until dissolved. Continue to stir until mixture comes to a full boil. Let boil for 1 minute-still stirring constantly
Combine the pectin with the sugar/berry mixture. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Pour into canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top for expansion
Put lid on tight and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
It will last in your refrigerator for 3 weeks or in the freezer for 1 year.

For Raspberry Jam
1 package pectin

3 cups crushed berries
5 1/4 cups of sugar
Follow directions above.

Like I said, to the taste, right out of the jar, this jam will be very sweet but once it is combined with bread, scones or muffins, the sweetness tones down and will compliment anything you spread it on. This jam makes a wonderful gift and everyone will think that you spent hours on it, but we all know the secret!

Another thing to remember, the more ripe the berry, the sweeter and less firm the jam.

You can decorate the lids with stickers or bits of scrap fabric. Freezer jam makes an excellent gift and one of the best things, especially in the summer time, is that you hardly have to use your stove. Nice, cool and easy! 

Feel Good Friday!

 Weheartit.com

It's Friday and I am one happy camper! I got music blasting in the background and I am ready to enjoy the weekend!

I love ice cream! This one might be too cute to eat. Who am I kidding, I would still eat it. PixieFey does an excellent job of stitching up this adorable little cone. You can stitch your own with this free pattern.

I love blogs that have party ideas. Birthday Girl is one of those blogs. So many great ideas and beautiful pictures.

I am obsessed with funky manicures. I really want some nail strips. I don't care if every 8 year old is wearing them, I must have them and I just know that my nails would look fab. 

via pinterest

I'm not sure who this kitty belongs to but I'm pretty sure they are brilliant.

Okay my little love kitties. I am gonna roll on out to the backyard and enjoy the family. OMP has my fruity cocktail made. Now if I can just get him out of that cabana boy outfit. WINK!

Blessed is he who has learned to laugh at himself
for he shall never cease to be entertained.
-John Boswell

Light the Way

I have been crafting like a mad woman lately! I have a goal to do 41 crafts for the 41 years I lived and have until my next birthday to do it. That's almost a craft a week. Can I do it? Eh, maybe....

Anyhoo, I decided to make these lights for my backyard. They are so easy and at night they light up the whole backyard.

Wanna know what's even better than making these for my backyard? Along with Craftster, I did a video. You can clap, it's that cool.



If you are curious as to what they look like at night, here ya go.

The Adventures of OMP and Me

Conversation with OMP part two:


OMP: When you get home tonight, I have a surprise for you.
Me: Is it a pony?
OMP: It's not a pony.
Me: Are you sure it's not a pony? I really want a pony
OMP: Pretty sure it's not a pony.
Me: C'mon, you can level with me, it's a pony.
OMP: No
Me: It's a pony isn't it
Silence....
OMP: Yeah, it's a pony. It's a pink pony, with little puppies surrounding it and it craps out cupcakes that are non fattening and it burps bubblegum.
Me: You had me up till the burping bubblegum, everyone knows ponies don't burp bubblegum.
OMP: Yeah, cause it was totally believable up till that point.
Me: They burp little kisses that land on your cheek and make you giggle. Unicorns burp bubblegum
OMP: I'm hanging up the phone now.
Me: I can't wait to see my pony!
Click
Me: Hello? Burping pony? Anyone.

Only 1 more hour till I get my pony! I am so excited! He better have gotten me the deluxe model, you know, the one that sneezes rainbows...

Scrappy Dog Monday?

Yesterday was suppose to be Scrappy Dog Sunday, but I made jam instead and then got lazy and sat around the house. So, long story short-it didn't get done. Well, let me tell you, that did not sit well with Ms. Lola Mae. So, in order to get on her good side and to make her smile, I'm using today to feature some of her favorite movies.

There is nothing sweeter than a puppy. I love puppy breath, I love puppy paws, I love puppy bellies. They are adorable for a reason, they destroy everything in sight. The only thing better than 1 puppy is 100 more puppies. 101 Dalmatians is a sweet Disney movie that gives us an evil villain with an awesome hairstyle, chubby puppies and two of the best dog names ever, Pongo and Purdy. This beloved Disney movie was so popular that they made 2 live action movies from the original story. OMP hates the live action, but only because whenever it's on, I make him watch it. Don't judge me, you know I can't resist a puppy and a bad hairdo.

I am a lady of the south and I remember wanting my mother so desperately to shop at Winn Dixie because that was the upscale store. We went to Food Lion. The cheapy store. Winn Dixie had a deli, Food Lion had a cart with cakes that had fallen off the back of a truck. Because of Winn Dixie has nothing to do with a deli or my love of upscale grocery stores. It does have to do with a stray dog and a little girl's love for him. As she takes care of Winn Dixie (the dog, not the store) he helps her find friends and grow up in a small southern town. The movie is based on the book Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, which I highly suggest all children should read, then see the movie and see how it compares.

Last but not least is a favorite TV movie of mine about a sweet Beagle named Snoopy. The Big Stuffed Dog is a story of a little boy and his oversized stuffed Snoopy. When the stuffed Snoopy gets separated from his little boy, the stuffed dog goes on an adventure, including a carnival and a hospital visit. It is a very adorable funny movie of a silly stuffed Snoopy. C'mon, what more do you want for 1981 TV?


Okay Ms. Lola, I hope I have redeemed myself and you will now let me give you hugs and kisses. What's that Lola? No, I will not give you another puppy treat. 5 is your limit! 

Salivating Saturday

I have a confession to make. I love my garden. I love every fruit and veggie out of there. I use to hate gardening-it seemed like so much hard work, and it is, but the benefit is definitely worth the work.

The first thing that is ready to harvest in my garden is my lettuce, raspberries and basil. OMP and I have been enjoying fresh salads and raspberries directly off the vine for about a week now. I was trying to figure out what to do with the basil and the simplest dish to make that can be used for just about anything is pesto.  Here is a quick recipe for yummy pesto.

Pesto
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts
2/3 cups Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups basil
2/3 cups olive oil
pepper to taste
squeeze of a lemon wedge or two

In a blender or food processor finely chop the garlic, next add nuts, cheese, salt, pepper, and basil, then process until finely chopped. Finally, add oil and lemon,blending until smooth.


Now, what to do with your pesto? I love making cowboy pizzas with it. You thought the pesto was easy, cowboy pizza is even easier.

Take a can of biscuits and roll them out flat, next cook them according to the directions on the can. You can make homemade biscuits, but I wanted to eat now and didn't have time to make up the biscuits.

After the biscuits have baked,  add pesto and any other toppings you want. I had left over steak and chicken and added them to the pesto along with some cheese. I turned my oven on broil and put them back in for a few minutes until the cheese had melted. These are so easy and so good! They are perfect for whatever leftovers you have laying around the house.

Feel Good Friday!

From Gardening in the 909

Oh Friday...how I love you. You are the sweetest thing ever.

I want to live in this embroidery. Tinyexistence is amazing! I just love all the little details in the work. Check out her etsy shop too, she has patterns and finished pieces. I heart her.

 I've been catching up on the blog Scrumdillydilly. Great recipes, wonderful pictures and awesome projects. Pretty much everything I love. Okay, I really love the cake batter sugar buns, but that's a whole different story. 

Dear OMP, please get this for me. I can make all sorts of karate chopping noises while chopping up veggies. I promise I would eat more veggies.

As God as my witness, one if not all of my dogs will be wearing this for Halloween.

So many good things to feel good about on this Friday. I am heading to the backyard, throw the ball for the mutton chops and snuggle next to OMP. If he's lucky, he might get a kiss or two, IF he's lucky. ;)

I could not, at any age,
be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on.
Life was meant to be lived.
Curiosity must be kept alive.
One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Sum Sum Summer!

I think it's been established that I love my backyard. It really is the pride of my whole house. It's a peaceful and calm escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Although my backyard is wonderful, one side of it it was missing something. I have a detached garage that was just dying for some decoration. The paint is worn and OMP keeps telling me he is going to replace it, but so far I have thwarted his efforts. I love the way it looks and plan on keeping it that way for as long as I can.

I tried to figure out what to put over there and finally decided to mod podge some letters and spruce it up a little.

I found these letters at Michaels for 1.49 each. They are pressed wood and about 12 inches tall. I painted the edges and used scrap book paper for the front. I'm sure you could use fabric or any other paper if you wanted to.

I grabbed my outdoor mod podge and glued the letters to the paper. I could have cut the paper out first but it was easier for me to glue the letter to the entire piece of paper and then cut it out.

After my letter dried and I cut it out, I sanded the paper and the edges. This gave it a nice worn beach look. I outdoor mod podged the front of the letter. I let that dry and applied 3 coats of varnish (this was according to the directions of the bottle)

I hung up the letters outside and have had no problems with moisture getting between the letter and the paper. 

I am so happy with the way they turned out that I will be doing all seasons in the coming months. This craft was super easy, fairly cheap and you can make it as personal as you want. Plus, you get to brush up on your spelling skills!


Oh yeah...for all of you who wanted the rainbow skittle toes....