Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

December 29, 2015

While I Was Gone...

I won't bore you all with the doldrums of what happened in my life over the past 19 days.  (You're welcome!)

Instead, I'll share just a few highlights...

My handsome Beckett turned 10!!


If you weren't on my Christmas card list - you missed out on this cuteness!




I read three books while gift-wrapping at Barnes & Noble for Little Paws Dachshund Rescue.  Reviews coming soon...but this one is my favorite of the three, I think.



I took part in an dog cookie swap, and as you can see - Paisley thought our swap partner makes some GOOD cookies!  I think I might want to try a dog cookie (or human cookie) swap in February.  Would anyone be interested?  Maybe want to co-host with me?


Now. What have I missed in your life?!

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P.S. I've missed you all, so I think their will be giveaway coming soon!

December 09, 2015

Santa Freaks Dogs Out...

Last Saturday I had the pleasure to be the photographer (and I use that term very, very loosely) at Petco for pictures with Santa.

The first thing I learned is that my dogs aren't the only ones who see Santa and freak out!  About half of the dogs that came in had some sort of reaction to our Santa.  It ranged from suspicion to intimidation to anxiety to one who had a fairly aggressive reaction.  Santa did, in fact, get bit once.  Thankfully, it didn't break the skin.

Beyond that, my biggest hurdle was getting the parents to stand behind me to get the pups to look in my direction.  Dogs take direction better than people... Despite that, I did get a few pictures that I was pretty happy with.

Here are a few of my favorites!

Two of the sweetest pups, ever!

She promptly took a nap after this picture...

Yes, this little one does have a mohawk with vegetable-based dye!

This sweet boy is SEVENTEEN years old!  I may have teared up while talking to his family about how special he is to them. 



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Want to be on my Christmas card list?  Click HERE!

December 07, 2015

Barnes & Noble Residency...

I mentioned it in my last post.  At the moment, it feels like I live at Barnes & Noble!  I jokingly call it my "B&N Residency Program".

Nationwide, Barnes & Noble has a number of charity initiatives and one of them is their gift-wrapping program.  Every year, the store manager or community manager at each location work with local charities in order to bring in volunteers for gift-wrapping.  This allows each charity some "face time" with a fairly captive (and usually generous) audience.



Sure, it means that you have to be dedicated to showing up for your assigned shifts and it would be best if you at least quasi enjoy gift-wrapping! B&N is kind enough to provide the signage, overhead announcements, and wrapping paper.  That means each charity is giving of their time and perhaps a little marketing material to pass off to the folks visiting your table. While their primary focus is literacy (for obvious reasons), the staff has a wonderful appreciation for animal related charities.


This year, the community manager at "my" store in Hingham, MA was...well, generous, with the dates he gave me.  Between Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas week, I'll be at B&N a dozen times - three of those shifts being open to close!  I'm so appreciative of B&N, as well as the generosity of the shoppers who make donations (trust me...not everyone does, even after I've wrapped quite a few oddly shaped gifts for them); it helps bring in more awareness of Little Paws Dachshund Rescue!


I also have to say that I love the baristas at my store.  They keep me caffeinated!  If you happen to live near me - or know someone who does - I could use a wrapping buddy!

P.S. The book you can see on a few of my Instagram pictures (Some Luck by Jane Smiley) is wonderful.  I'll be reviewing it soon!

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December 04, 2015

They're Like Herding Cats...


Christmas is the happiest time of year.  Right?!  Sometimes I need a little reminder.

I should have taken Christmas card pictures of my darling herd 'o dachshunds over Thanksgiving weekend.  But I was lax, and starting my Barnes & Noble "residency program" (more info on that soon), and well...distracted.

So Tuesday night I tried to get the pups to all look in the same direction at the same time.  Which, no matter how sweet they are - is like herding cats. Brady wanted to play chase, Beckett wanted belly rubs, Paisley refused to look at the camera and Meadow kept turning and facing in the wrong direction.

I know, you're probably asking why I had to get my Christmas cards done Tuesday night.  Well, this crazy lady doesn't use those pretty plug and play Shutterfly/Tiny Prints/Minted templates.  She designs her own cards...and the Vistaprint 60% off sale ended at midnight. Motivation, thine name is SALE!

I won't show you all my Christmas card yet.  Instead, here are a few outtakes.  Sorry if you already saw them on Instagram!





Want to be on my Christmas card list? Fill out this handy form.  :-)

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June 29, 2015

Eight Photos of Happiness

I have been nominated for the ‘8 Photos of Happiness Tag’ by Bridget over at Expat BS.  I followed Bridget back when she was an Atlanta blogger.  Now she's "crossed the pond" and started a whole new blog.  :-)  I'm really enjoying reading as she and her hubby-to-be get settled into their new life!

Here are the guidelines for the tag:
1.Thank your nominator/s and link them in your post.
2. Link the creator Ariel's Little Corner of the Internet
3. Post your 8 photos of happiness
4. Pop in a brief description of the photo, why you chose it, or let the photos do the talking!
5. Spread the happiness and tag up to ten other bloggers!


This is my cousin Kristin and I at a wedding earlier this year. (The wedding story will be another post soon.)  She is one of my best friends and I'm so lucky to get to have her in my life. 

This little one is baby Vivie!  She's Kristin's little girl and will turn a year old just days after my birthday.  She has such a big, happy personality and I just adore her!


From my gram's 90th birthday party.  She was adamant that she get a big party when she turned 90 and so she that's what she got!  Gram was thrilled! This picture is bittersweet, as it's the last picture of gram with all four of her children.


It's not the best picture in the world, but I have such great memories of my first trip to the UK the summer I turned 16.  Here are my brother Josh and I getting chased by sheep...it was a recurring theme during that trip!  I can't wait to be in England again this fall.


As a little kid, my grandparent's had a summer home on the lake in New Hampshire.  So many awesome family summers!  Here's a picture of my dad and I when I was really little.


My herd.  They bring me such joy every single day.  So much personality, love, silliness and utter devotion in such TINY bodies!


These girls!  They are all absolutely beautiful inside and out.  We do a yearly group picture at Christmas and here's our 2014 picture.


Ok...so this isn't a picture of me, but it is a picture of the rag quilt I made for baby Vivie.  I love to craft and take such pleasure from it.  That counts, right?!


Now it's my turn to nominate some bloggers to take on this challenge. I'm still getting into the swing of blogging again so I don't have 10 bloggers to tag, but if you read this post and would like to join in  please do!

  • Sara at Running from the Law - I've loved Sara's blog for years.  Even during my blog hiatus, I kept up with her and her adorable kiddos on Instagram.  :-)
  • Karen at A Peek at Karen's World  - Another awesome blogger that I've followed for YEARS!  She just moved her blog from blogger to Wordpress on her own, which makes her my technology hero.
  • Rachel from Countdowns and Cupcakes - I've only recently found Rachel.  Her blog is super cute and she's a fellow dachshund mom!
  • Carolyn from Life, Love and Puppy Prints - Carolyn is another recent find.  I love her sense of humor.  She just might be one of blogville's cutest pregnant girls too.  :-)
  • Jennifer from Crazy Shenanigans - Jen is another blogger that I've been following for quite a while.  Like Christmas or Elvis?  She's your girl!
  • Dory and her mom at Dory's Backyard - Dory and her siblings are Lhasa Apsos and ShiTzus respectively.  They (with their mom's help) have lots of adventures and share life from a dog's perspective!
  • Puddles and her mom at We 3 Doxies - Think dogs don't have a sense of humor?  You haven't met Puddles yet!  We know dachshunds are a huge part of my life - and Puddles (with her mom's help) shows all the personality in their little bodies!

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December 12, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - Waiting For Santa Paws


This is so embarrassing...but it's worth it for toys from Santa Paws!
 

He is coming, right momma?!
 
 
 
Yes, Beckett...there is a Santa Paws!


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December 11, 2012

Tuesdays At The Table - Peppermint Ribbon Cake

Happy Tuesday!  Everyone get their trees up & decorate, Christmas cards finished and all their shopping done?!  Yeah...me either.  At least my Christmas cards are finished.  So I'm not a total failure...

I'm sharing another peppermint recipe this week.  What can I say?  I love peppermint.  I promise, next week will be mint-free...and likely not a dessert.  This little beauty comes from A Taste of Home and is both easy and comes out pretty!

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Peppermint Ribbon Cake

1 package white cake mix (regular size)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies, divided
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon 2% milk
 
Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Transfer 1 cup to a small bowl; stir in the extract, food coloring and 1/2 cup crushed candies.

Spoon 2 cups of remaining batter into a greased and floured 10-in. bundt cake pan. Carefully top with peppermint batter; do not swirl. Top with remaining plain batter.

Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Combine confectioners' sugar and milk; drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with remaining crushed candies.




What's cooking in your kitchen?

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December 10, 2012

Newpaper Wreath

Craft time!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I got to be all craft-tastic at my temp job last week.  Who doesn't love a little DIY?!?!  This project was even more fun because the newspapers were already on-hand (my temp job is at a real estate journal) and it was an honor that they let the "new girl" in on the fun.  :-)

You need:
1 foam wreath
Newspaper
Straight pins
A mug/glass/cookie cutter to use as your circular template
A bow, ornaments, etc (optional)


1. Decide how you're going to hang your wreath.  Seriously.  Plan the hook, ribbon, etc that you're going to use before it's too late and you end up considering hanging up your wreath with a glue gun straight to your front door.

2. Start tracing and cutting circles.  For this 13" wreath, we used 4" circles.  The bigger the wreath - the bigger the circles.  It's all about scale. :-)


3. Fold until your hands cramp.  You need the body that paper that has been folded and unfolded creates.  I folded each circle in half, then turned some of those half moons into 1/6 pie pieces and some into 1/8 pie pieces.  You will have black hands.  Don't say I didn't warn you!



4. Start pinning.  I suggest covered straight pins because they don't hurt your fingers.  Don't get anything fancy though - you won't see the pins once you get all your circles pinned in tight.





5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you have a nice full wreath.



6. Add any decorations you want - Kathi (the mastermind of this project) chose a few ornaments, and attached them using fishing wire.


7. Hang your wreath.


8. Step back and admire!

*Thanks to Kristin for being Vanna White!
 
More fun with newspaper coming soon!!

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December 06, 2012

You Found Me....HOW?!?!

It's been a while since I looked at the analytics for my blog.  Always good for a giggle!  Right? 

Following are my just a sampling of how people wandered onto ye olde blog:

  1.  Hooters.  I'm just going to presume that you were looking for a way to replicate their chicken wing recipe.  MMkay?
  2. Red Sox crap.  OK, OK...they really did have a craptastic year.  I admit it. 
  3. Super hot shirtless guys.  Well, that's pretty darn specific.  Sorry you couldn't find that here! 
  4. Happy endings.  Please, please, please tell me you were looking for the sitcom.  Otherwise...ick!  You are NOT finding that here.
  5. Real weiners.  Given my new blog name, I'm not horribly surprised.  However, I'm still having to shovel my mind out of the gutter.
  6. Thrones.  Why, yes, I am royalty!  Thanks for noticing!
  7. Visiting Boston.  Yep, that one is actually legit.
  8. How to make flip flops. Hmm...if you figure it out, let me know.  I blew out my right flip flop on Monday.
  9. Food or jewelry.  Why choose, people?!  Have your cupcake and your diamond studs too!
  10. Do dogs have thumb nails.  If you're the one that found me that way - I feel compelled to answer you.  No, dogs do NOT have thumb nails...or thumbs for that matter.




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December 05, 2012

Carol of The Bells & Meadow the Elf

Today I give to you one of my favorite Christmas song, in one of my favorite vocal formats (I heart acapella)...




...and my Meadow the Elf!



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December 03, 2012

Tuesdays At The Table - Peppermint Bark

I don't know how it happened...but it's December already! That means lots of presents, parties...and if you're like me, a few last minute guests or invites.  I like to have a few things made that store well and travel well...and are pretty darn tasty.  You can't go wrong with peppermint bark.

Reminder, I'm looking for you to find me the *worst* holiday display you can and submit it to my contest!


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Peppermint Bark

12 Oreos, broken into small to medium pieces
6 oz hard peppermint candies, crushed into small pieces
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup Red & Green M&Ms


Melt the chocolate. Combine candy cane chunks and cookies with chocolate, setting a few aside. Pour mixture onto a wax covered cookie sheet, add last few cookie, M&Ms and candy cane bits, pressing them gently into the chocolate, and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm.  Break into chunks and store/serve.

What's cooking in your kitchen?



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I'll Be Home For Christmas

I just love this song.  For some reason it reminds me of trips to NM and TX to see my dad's family.  That side of the family is HUGE and it was always such a joy to be surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles, friends of family that I hadn't gotten to see in almost two years.... 

Maybe someday I'll get out there for another Christmas.  I miss it!



Any of you traveling for Christmas?

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December 02, 2012

12 Days of Christmas

For all my pet parents. :-) I hope you giggle as much as I did!




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December 01, 2012

The Chipmunk Christmas Song & I Challenge You To Find The UGLY!

Welcome to December!  My month o' Christmas music has made its return.  Hopefully I don't annoy the tinsel out of you...  :-)



I'm starting with a childhood favorite! Who doesn't love the Chipmunk Christmas song?!

I know that you all have gorgeous holiday displays!  Pretty lights, a perfect tree, and of course, nothing that could even come close to being called "tacky".  Right?!

Well, I've seen my fair share of tacky holiday displays lately and I'm challenging you to find me the UGLY!!!  Start snapping pictures of the eleven million singing Santa's on your neighbors lawn, the light displays that can be seen from space, the house two blocks away that has a flashing Santa and a house strung up with only red lights...or anything that seems horrifically ugly, distasteful or tacky!

Send me your ugly pictures by Sunday, December 16th and I'll post them all on Monday the 17th.  Then EVERYONE can vote for the ugliest holiday display for the rest of the week.  A prize (exactly what is yet to be determined) will be awarded to the submitter of the worst holiday display!

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November 23, 2012

Christmas Card... Take Two

Here's the Shutterfly version of my Christmas card. I loooove it! {Dear Shutterfly, My feelings are still a little hurt that you severed a multi-year relationship. And at the holidays of all times... :-)}

It's not too late to get on my Christmas card list!! You know you want to see what kind of cuteness is printed on the inside.  Heeheehee!


5x7 Folded Card
View the entire collection of cards.
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November 19, 2012

Christmas Card List

I'm biting the bullet and realizing that for the first time in four years, Shutterfly isn't going to help subsidize my holiday cards. (Bummer!!!)  Thank goodness an awesome friend passing along a coupon code she wasn't going to use!  You're the best, Jess!
 
It's time to start my mailing list!  Want to be on it?!  You know you do!




Make sure you hit "submit"! :-)

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December 27, 2011

Thanks, Santa!

Was Santa good to everyone?!  He was really nice to me this year.  :-)

I got:

I'm in love with my Kindle Fire.  Santa also brought a pink cover. {P.S. Please tell me all the books I should be reading!!!!}

A2 by Aerosoles Prologue T-Strap Dress Heels

A2 by Aerosoles Prologue T-Strap Dress Heels (clipped to polyvore.com)
These adorable shoes.  I just adore shoes that look like they're from the 30's - 50's. 


Gift cards a plenty!  Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, a few from Amazon and other fun places.  :-)

Some comfy pj's, an adorable sign from my cousin (more news on her coming soon!!!) and a fabulous monogrammed wine glass.

What did Santa (or your family) bring you?
 
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