Happy 4th of July...

...from my pack, to yours!

I not so sure about dis dress, Momma.

OK.  I suppose I look pwetty cute.

Um, can we do something with dees straps?!

Paisley: Will she make us do this for all the holidays?

Meadow: Yep, get used to it, sucker!

Paisley: The boys get off so easy... *woof*

Happy 4th of July everyone!
Have fun and be safe!

*scheduling note: This week there won't be "3 on Thursday".  We'll pick up next week with a fun new topic.

Tuesdays At The Table - Fruit Kabobs & Sangria

Happy 4th of July, everyone!  Cookouts abound, and I'm sharing the easiest dessert I know - fruit kabobs.  Easy to make, easy to eat and the kids have some fun too. :-)
Because I'm feeling particularly ugly and bruised following the dog bite, I'll be sitting out 4th of July activities.  Have some fun for me, will you?!

4th of July Fruit Kabobs

Wooden skewers - 10 inch
Seedless cherries
Strawberries, quartered
Blueberries
Marshmellows or pound cake cubes

Clean all the fruit, and let the kids assemble your ingredients in a pattern that they like (or you decide on).  Serve chilled.

{via}

OK...that was WAY too easy.  So, I'm going to share the link for my sangria recipes too.  Definite party pleasers! Click HERE!

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Birthday Wish List

July is here, and it seems, my birthday is coming quickly. In fact, so are the birthdays of Beach Bum & Baby, Sonya and Jessica! I'm in good company.  :-)

Here are a few things I've had my eye on:

Because, seriously, I think I'm the only one that doesn't have an Erin Condren planner!

I love address stampers. So much prettier than writing my address on envelopes!  I used to have a great one...but it seems to have gone missing.

These Clark's flip flops are so comfy!  I really need a new pair.

Season four of True Blood on DVD.  I have to keep my collection current, right?!

A dachshund accent lamp.  What?!  You already know I'm a little weird.  Don't pretend you didn't see this coming!

OPI's Minnie Mouse collection.  These four colors are so pretty...and I love nail polish!

Anything else that should be on my list?!

The Lows of Dog Rescue...AKA I Got Bitten

*Warning: this is not one of my usual fluff posts.  I talk quite frankly about the best and wost parts of animal rescue.*

Today has been a day of dog rescue activities...which isn't all the uncommon for me.  However, today has given the highest of highs and lowest of lows.

This morning I picked up little Bauer.  He is a sweet, sweet boy who's family opted to surrender him.  For obvious reasons, I won't say anything more about that.  Bauer and I then went to pick up another foster pup that needs to get spayed.  I quickly discovered that Bauer DOES NOT like the car...and will only settle if someone sings to him.  Yes, I sang for HOURS as we sat in traffic and made our way to our destinations.

I got to drop Bauer off at his foster family's house.  He immediate took to them and they accepted him with open arms.  He looks content, right?! It made my heart sing.

I then went back to our rescue's headquarters and was getting ready to head back home.  And that's when it happened.  Dottie the pitbull attacked Jack-Jack the italian greyhound.  Someone quickly grabbed Jack-Jack and when that happened, she turned and bit me.

We rushed Jack-Jack to the vet and almost lost him during that car ride.  Blood gushing out of his nose and mouth. Wounds all over his neck and hindquarters. Right now, we still don't know if he's doing to make it. 

Dottie got euthanised.  It didn't follow the usual quarantine period - but both animal control and the vet know what they're doing. My heart breaks for her.  She had never been violent before and we don't know what, if anything, set off this horrifying incident.

I got nine stitches in my upper lip and up to right below my nose.  My face and Dottie's collided with such force that I have a bruise under my eye.  I'm lucky that I got stitched up by a plastic surgeon.  {Too bad he didn't use enough anesthesia and I felt over half the stitches going in.} My face will be swollen and bruised up to a week, I'm told. I'm also under orders not to talk too much and to keep my face iced and elevated.

The worst part? For the first time in my life... I'm a little scared of dogs. I don't know when I'll feel OK with coming face to face with another pit bull or pit mix. And I know they can be REALLY good dogs.

Tonight I'm thankful for my family.  They sprang into action to make sure I had ice, tylenol and cold drinks in my house.  Mom made sure my pups got fed, out to potty and had play time.  I couldn't wait to get home to Meadow, Beckett, Paisley and Brady.  I think the little boy just might stay.

Please pray for Jack-Jack.  His family loves him so much.  Please also know that if you opt to make a rude comment about pitbulls, I will opt to delete your comment.  I respect your opinions....please be respectful of the words you chose to express them here.

3 on Thursday - 4th of July

Holy moly.  How is it almost July?!?!  Time flies!
A huge THANK YOU for you lovely ladies who play along with Andrea and I. Getting to read your posts is such fun! I hope you have as much fun as we do each week.  :-)

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This week's topic:
Favorite things about 4th of July
For me, this is an easy one!

Fireworks. So pretty!  And all the towns around me do great displays.  I just wish the pups were a little less skittish.  I feel bad for them.

My upcoming birthday. Is this cheating?  Probably.  But the 4th of July means I only have one week until my birthday.  :-)

Cookouts w/family and friends.  I love getting to spend some time with my friends and family.  I really enjoy getting to feed them some fun foods too.  (It's not fun just cooking for one, people!)

Please leave a comment and link up with Andrea and I!

Tuesdays At The Table - Homemade Frosty Paws

Happy Tuesday, everyone!  Did everyone have a good weekend?  I did! Kind of...  Friday I did a whirlwind tour of New England (MA to RI, RI to MA-NH-VT and back again) and got to help pick up a little of chiweenie pups for Furever Dachshund Rescue. It also provided me a few interesting moments:

• Bringing a finch into Olive Garden for lunch with me and Laura.
• Holding a puking puppy on the highway.
• Tripping over an alpaca "toddler" and hurting my knee.
• Getting spit at by a llama.
• Meeting miniature horses, a donkey, a few types of chickens & ducks and a pair of peacocks.

Because I hurt my knee on Friday, I got sidelined the rest of the weekend.  Which honesty stunk.  I love the pups, but at a certain point, you want someone who's going to talk back to you!

Anywho...I'm sharing another pup-tastic recipe this weekend.  I think all the pups in your life will enjoy it! (Taken from the Furever Dachshund Rescue FB page)

Homemade Frosty Paws

Three 6 ounce Containers of Plain, Low-Fat Yogurt (or greek yogurt)
1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter (Low Sodium)
1 Four Ounce Jar of Banana Baby Food
1 Tablespoon of Honey


In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Blend well. Pour mixture into small cups (pictured: Dixie
Cups).

Place dog bone in mixture (to serve as the handle). Freeze. Once frozen, peel away paper cup
and serve!

What's cooking in your kitchen?

3 on Thursday - The Name Game

Hi! Everyone having fun during this heat wave?  Oh...you're one of the few parts of the country that isn't having a heat wave?!  I don't like you.  {Kidding!!!} And neither does my amazing co-host Andrea.  {Still kidding.  She loves everyone!}
A huge THANK YOU to the lovelies that played along last week.  I know it had the potential to more thought provoking than our usual topics.

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Back to something fun this week! Our topic this week is:
Names you would or absolutely would NOT name a future child.

I'll give you three for both sides of the question.  But feel free to just do three names you love or three you really dislike if that's what floats your boat.  :-)

Before I do - let me tell you a little name story.  When my mom was pregnant, my parents picked out the name Mariah. Right before I was born, my mom's cousin got a poodle puppy...and named her Mariah!  So obviously, my parents had to go back to the drawing board.  I'd like to credit my dad for picking the name I got.  Good job, dad!  And, a pretty hefty thanks to cousin Judy for naming her puppy Mariah...cuz I am NOT a Mariah! {Note: If I was a boy, my name would be Robert.}

Not happening:
Traditional names. Lord help me if I get a husband that fights for traditional names.  Don't get me wrong - there are a lot of really pretty names out there.  I just don't want my child to be one of three Jennifer/Mary/Lisa's or Michael/Joseph/Matthew's in their class.

Locations.  I've seen a wave of people name their kids after cities lately: London, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix.  I'm not knocking it... It just isn't for me.

Fruits or inanimate objects. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin can get away with naming their child Apple.  Beyonce and Jay-Z can make Blue Ivy sound cool.  In real life - um, no.

Names I like:
Classic names. You may think differently than I do, but I view classic names as something that people won't blink twice when they see...but you won't have more than one or two in your high school or college graduating class.  I like Audrey/Hope/Clara or Lucas/Henry/Nathan.

Celtic names. I'm mostly Scottish... so, to me, it just makes sense.  I'm a fan of Fiona/Ainslie/Maeve or  Lachlan/Callum/Keegan.

Biblical names. Sensing a trend?  Like the others, the names aren't really weird, but they aren't amazingly common either.  On my list are Noah/Caleb/Gabriel  Claudia/Hannah/Chloe.

OK, now have some fun, link up and be sure to drop by and visit Andrea too!