It's February Already?

February has been a bit brutal around our house...
 I hurt my back and then shortly after,Vern got the flu, so we have been out of commission for a few weeks. You know how it goes,trying to work and get better while keeping the house and meals up when all you really want to do is sleep until the worst is over. Thankfully,the worst is over. Vern is returning back to work tomorrow and I finally have a few days off to catch up. Chipper and Maxine have been great throughout the process,it's fortunate we have 2 dogs that like to nap and snuggle :)
 Maxine is growing fast,I bet she's 4 pounds by now! ha ha We go the Vet  on the 15th to get the last of her puppy shots and vaccinations and then we are headed off to Sekiu the 18th. Yay! Our happy place! It has been calling me,I hope the beach is FULL of agates! The rock tumbler is already ready...Vern got more "polish" for it a few weeks ago so we could return from vacation and start uncovering our treasures immediately! I am also excited because it is Maxine's first time at the beach,I hope she likes it as much as we do :) Now if only I could figure out how to train the dogs to agate hunt...?
;)

Our Sweet Fur Babies

Maxine and Mommy finally accomplish a ponytail!

Rare moment-Chipper and Maxine together,holding still AND looking at the camera!

Our sweet baby girl Maxine :)

Bath time!

So fluffy and pretty after her bath!

Whao Mom! Too close!

Smells Like....

 I woke up late in the morning after a loonnng nights sleep.

I took the dogs out and I was happy to see that for the first time in weeks the step was dry.

So I sat and enjoyed a cigarette while the dogs played in the sun and went about their morning rituals.

I was surprised how warm it was and took a moment to be thankful for such a beautiful day in January!

And then I smelt it..

It was a just a slight sweet clean smell in the air..

Spring?! Is that what that is?

Nooo it's just too early,best not to jump the gun on spring fever.

I know what it is!

Life!

The sweetness of sunshine hitting green grass and making it warm.

The woodsy goodness of beauty bark finally drying after months of rain.

That tiny bit of green left on last year's flowers,reminding us all wasn't lost over winter.

I took a moment to savor it before herding the kids inside.

For me it's also the smell of faith.

Having the faith that spring will eventually come.

Spring hasn't failed to show up yet!? ha ha

A sample of things to come as the rain soaks us for many more months.

Faith to know I will survive it.



Life. Translated.

I have a client at work that I have known for about a year. She speaks very little to no English and I speak little to no Spanish. It is hard on me to not be able to talk and get to know my client! Sooo,one night I found an online translator and wrote her a letter. I told her about myself and how much I appreciated her loyalty despite the language barrier. Today she came in for an appointment and I was able to give her the letter. She appreciated it very much! I was relieved to know that my efforts were not wasted. In return, she wanted my email address so she could return the favor. How cool is that!?  Thank you technology! Sometimes you can be a real pain in the a$$ and other times you are resourceful beyond my wildest dreams :)

Pork Chops

I woke up a little late.

Arrived to work on time,barely.

8 hours of a packed schedule and all the hair magic I could muster.

Cut and style!

Talk and smile!

All.

Day.

Long.

I drove home in the dark rain,exhausted.

As I hurried up the back step I saw the BBQ on...

Could it be true?

I kicked off my shoes and followed the aroma of delicious food that smelled way better than the leftovers I had planned!

Mmmmm...

Vern had made the pork chops with apple butter I had been blogging about but hadn't had time to make yet.

Except he smoked them in the BBQ.

Heavenly!

I am so grateful to share my life with someone who appreciates and supports my ambitions big or small.

Who knows that after a long cold day,a warm savory meal will make me feel better.

Thank you Vern

I love you

<3

Friday's Reality

My intentions are always ambitious but also easily sidetracked :) What REALLY happen today in my world? Maxine got a bath,1 dog down,1 to go.

 Chocolate chip cookies were traded for a new recipe for chocolate ganash pie,well worth it.

1 cup of whipping cream

8 oz Bakers semi sweet chocolate

melt in microwave for 2 minutes and whisk until smooth.

Pour into Oreo premade crust.

Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Top with ice cream,whip cream or berries.

Super rich and chocolaty,YUM!

I will revisit the cookie making ambitions tomorrow...?

Dinner was also a new recipe.

Layered Enchilada Bake from Kraft.

Easy and delish!

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/layered-enchilada-bake-107317.aspx

The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping and now recipe planning.

I made a first time purchase of apple butter today.

I am anxious to use it as soon as possible!

I am thinking it'll go on pork chops tomorrow...?

So let's see here,

it looks like tomorrow is filling up already!

Dog bath,cookies,pork chops...

Oh and did I mention I also want to make Split Pea Soup?

Hmmm....

we'll see.

:)

Friday's Intentions

Tomorrow is Friday,the first day of my weekend.

 I don't have much on the schedule....

So far I have plans to make chocolate chip cookies.

It happens to be an especially delicious recipe shared with me by my friend Melody.

They are so good that I can't seem to bring myself to buy the premade ones at the store anymore.

I also have ambitious plans to give both dogs a bath.

Not at the same time though!

Vern was awesome and bought some new dog shampoo and face wash for them.

It smells great and I am hoping so will our dogs.

I have to admit that I have been using Hartz on Chipper all this time until I recently realized that it was probably the equivalent to super cheap shampoo for humans.

No wonder his hair felt dry and tangly!

DUH?!

Maltese dog hair is high maintenance and requires quality hair products!

Now they have hypoallergenic shampoo and blueberry and vanilla scented face wash ( for the discoloring that naturally happens under the eyes).

They will be such pretty puppies!

Please pray that the bathroom and I survive this undertaking.

I suppose I will also do some cooking.

If I get ambitious, I will prepare a few "make ahead meals" to make life easier on Vern and I this coming week.

Perhaps I should wonder off to Kraft.com in an attempt to kick start my cooking mojo.

I've been in a food rut,time to crawl out.

I will let you know how it goes.

I can't promise pictures of the dog baths but I will try! ha ha

If you're lucky I might even post some food porn!

Stay tuned.

:o)