Got'em!

Ha! I have captured the snoozing, pillow-hog of a puppy in his natural habitat! Enjoy!

Silly Puppy

Aside from the continued stress of trying to raise up our puppy in the way he should go, he's also a super cute little dude.

Have I mentioned how much this little guys LOVES his pillows? Seriously, I don't think I have seen a fuzzy creature seek out, hone in on, gravitate toward pillows or piles as much as this dog. And who's to argue with him? Who doesn't love a pillow?

I love seeing him curled up with his chin lifted off by the pillow and snuggled in for a good nap. The goober also always seems to have his head raised, either on the side of his favorite chair or propped up on the edge of the coffee table, our shoe or something of the sort.

Is this a form of readiness? So he can hear all that is going around him? Or is this just another classic dose of Ryker-cuteness? Well, whatever it is, it makes me smile! =)

I know he's not on a pillow here, I don't have one on this computer, but it's still stinkin' cute!

Spring, we see you lurking...

Oh, yes we do.
It's getting warmer, then colder, then warmer again. I can see the battle raging between you and Old Man Winter, but I know you will prevail. How do I know, you ask? Little buds of hope sprinkled here and there! Come on spring, you can do it!!

First dogwoods of Spring, thanks to a little trip to Palestine.

Beautiful tulips and other flowers at the Dallas Arboretum!

Me Want Now

Got an email from How Does She? today with this little gem in it.

I want it.

I want it now.

I love me some cheesecake and this has my number all over it. Now, I just need to have an event with more than just me and Joe so I won't gorge myself on this beauty... try if you dare and let me know how it is!

Vanilla and Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

1 Graham Cracker Crumb Crust (see recipe below)

2 pounds cream cheese left 3 to 4 hours at room temperature (60 degrees to 70 degrees F, if measured with a food thermometer).

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons whipping cream

3/4 cup Thick Chocolate Truffle Sauce (see recipe below), warmed just until smooth and pourable

Directions:

1. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Wrap the outside of the springform pan with crust with a large piece of heavy aluminum foil and place it in a large baking pan with sides at least 2 inches high. (In a ketttle or in the microwave heat 2-3 cups of water to boiling.)

2. Put the cream cheese in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and mix until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour. Add the eggs, two at a time, mixing the batter smooth after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrap the sides of the bowl twice during this mixing. Mix in the vanilla and lemon juice. Mix in the whipping cream. Put 3/4 cup of the batter into a small bowl. Stir in the chocolate truffle sauce

3. Pour about half of the vanilla batter into the prepared springform pan. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chocolate batter and pour the remaining chocolate batter slowly over the vanilla batter. Pour the remaining vanilla batter on top.

4. Use a small spoon to drizzle the reserved chocolate batter over the top of the cheesecake, leaving a 1-inch plain edge. Use the spoon to gently swirl the chocolate batter in a marbelized pattern over the top of the cheesecake.

5. Put the cheesecake in the oven and pour hot water into the large baking pan to reach 1-inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake about 1 hour, or until when you give the cheese cake a gentle shake, the top looks firm. (It usually takes about 75-80 minutes for mine to reach this point.)

6. Cool the cheesecake, covered loosly with paper towels, in the water bath, for 1 hour on a wire rack. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Remove the paper towels and cool 1 hour more. The cheesecake should feel cool to the touch. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, at least 6 hours or overnight.

7. I topped this with more of the chocolate truffle sauce, whipping cream (be careful not to over mix and make butter), and sprinkled with raspberries. I also added a raspberry puree to the plate to help balance the richness of the cheesecake (see recipe below).

*cheesecake recipe has been modified from Elinor Klivans ‘Bake and Freeze Chocolate Desserts‘ Recipe Book. {It’s amazing}

Cookie Crumb Crust

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter the baking dish. Sprinform pans should have sides at least 2 3/4 -inches high.

2. Put the cookie crumbs in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and stir the mixture intil the crumbs are evenly moistened with the butter. Transfer the crumbs to the baking dish. Using your fingers, press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and 1-inch up the sides. Check to see that with crust is not too thick where the sides and the edges of the pan meet. Bake the crust for 6 minutes.

3. Cool the crust thoroughly before filling. Crumb crusts can be baked a day ahead, covered and stored overnight at room temperature.

Chocolate Truffle Sauce

3/4 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into two pieces

12 ounces (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Put the cream and butter in a medium sauce pan and heat over meduim-low heat until the cream is hot and the butter is melted. THe hot cream mixture will form tiny bubbles and measure about 175 degrees F. on a food thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the chocolate and let it melt into the hot cream mixture. for about 30 seconds to soften. Add vanilla and whisk the sauce until it is smooth and all of the chocolate is melted.

Raspberry Puree

2 cups raspberries

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Place raspberries in a blender and blend slightly. Pour them into a strainer and mash through until you have only seeds left in the strainer. Add sugar and lemon juice. Stir until smooth.

True Blue Happiness

Many of you may have read about the baby dresser drama, but in happier news...mama has a new blue dresser!

I have been thinking about getting a new dresser for a while. The one I had was a fab-o shabby chic dresser I inherited from my friend Brianna. I loved it, but it was a bit small and the drawers called for a small bout of tug-of-war every day.

So, around Christmas time, I spied this fun guy at Ikea.

I stuck it on my Amazon wish list, but didn't get it. Little did I know it was in the works for my birthday. Joe's family went to check it out and decided, though cute, it might not serve for the long haul. So they checked out a local unfinished furniture store, found one about the same and modified it to look like the Ikea one only better!

So, here's the finished guy chillin' in his new spot in our room.

And, don't worry, ye ol' shabby chic dresser has found a new home in our living room and it's PERFECT there too!

It's Good to be Home,

...but not just quite yet.

This weekend was a whirl. Joe had his first out of town business trip to OK to present a new repair to an airline with a few of his co-workers. He did a great job leading the meeting, and are now looking forward to ironing out the details in hopes of getting their business, along with a few other repairs they discovered they could do for the company while they were there. Way to go Joe and co. Now, let's talk about visiting Boeing in WA some time soon!

Joe came back early Friday morning, came home and we hopped in the car. Sadly, we didn't really hop out of said car until about 11 hours later. We made a 'quick' trip to Las Cruces, NM, to send our love to his Grandpa O'Brien who is not doing very well. As a dad of 8 and a grandpa of many, this is one well-loved man and we wanted to make sure we could tell him so.

We got to say howdy to several of his aunts and cousins as well. His Aunt Mary graciously let us stay at their new house nestled between pecan groves with a beautiful view of the Organ Mountains in the background. Their 3 puppies also kept us company for our short stay. Thank you Mary and Steve for your hospitality!

We left out of Las Cruces early Sunday and made the 11-hour trek back to the Big D yesterday. Ugh, can we just say that all three of us -- me, Joe and O'Baby -- are DONE with long car rides for a while.

It is good to be home, but after last night and this morning, I realized I'm not quite home just yet. There's something missing. The clicking of little nails on the floor. The slurping of water from the kitchen. The swish of a fluffy red and black tail. The kiss of my pupster. Yeppers, RykerDog is still at the vet's. I'll rescue him soon enough (after they bathe him!!), and then I'll be home.

It's amazing how a little furball can work his way into your heart where life isn't just the same when he's not there. Little dude, I love ya!

The Big Snow of 2010!

If you were in and around DFW the last week, we saw the most snow in history.

If you were me and were born and raised in SE Texas and never went skiing or what-have-you, this is the most snow I've ever seen -- period!!

Here's a few pictures to commemorate the event from our little neck of the woods!

Stuff We Made...

Just a few things added to our house...My beautiful new shelves Joe made me for my birthday. We needed a little something for our bedroom walls...I guess you can see what' I've been reading too!
A fun little Valentine's Day wreath made with felt. I think it's super fun! We might have to do a few different colors in this! =)

Bad idea?

So, when putting around the house and nothing else is on, I have sadly clicked over to the Baby Story shows.

Some are weird and scary. The one on currently the lady is screaming and cussing for an epidural! I am beginning to think watching these shows isn't always the best.

Here's hoping this will not be our situation in a few months. And if it is, I am so, so very sorry! =)

And the Official Verdict is...

Check out O'Baby's blog for more details!

The Ultimate Color Vote of 2010!

Folks, I can hardly believe it, but we are nearing that ever-elusive date of February 2nd -- Groundhog's Day.

Some of you may be asking, "Big whoop, why does she care so much about Groundhog Day?"

Well, this year, Phil will not only be predicting our extended winter or early spring forecast, he will also be notifying us on whether we should be stocking up on blue or pink for our wee little O'Baby!

So, dear readers, I will put it to an early vote! What do you think our esteemed rodent will say? Click on over to O'Baby O'Brien's official blog to cast your vote!

Or for more kicks for me, leave a comment also letting me know what you pick and why either on this blog or the other!

For all those that guess right, you will win one night of your choice for babysitting O'Baby. For those that don't get it, you too will also win one babysitting night of your choice! Wow, I am super generous! =)

Happy voting!

Rykie's House

So Joe finished Rykie's house.

We put it in place last week or so.

To christen it and show his love and appreciate of Joe, Ryker has decided to eat it!


UUUUGHHHHHH!!!!!

He goes in it, he hides in it, he pulls his blanket in and out of it, so I know he likes it. I just wish I knew what to do for my dog. I'm sorry you keep having to hear this, but this is what goes on in my life. The anxiety medicine, what a joke. It does not seem to work for our puppy. I guess we really need to focus on training and praying.

But, here is the finished house (please note that that is Ryker's 'love' and not a reflection of Joe's handiwork. Did I mention it's insulated on all sides??

A Home for Ryker

I am so excited!

After a bit of persuasion from the cold weather and begging from the new blinds not to be eaten, Joe is building Ryker a little home of his own!

Here's our modern little design we're going for. I liked it better than the traditional, because it gives you a side that is not exposed to any wind, or so the idea is.
I do so hope he likes it. His cousin really likes hers, but as we know, Mr. Ryker is not easily swayed! I'll post pics of the finished product soon!

A New Year Brings New Blessings

2009 was a good year.

My sister became Mrs. Co.
We went on an awesome vacation to a beautiful beach.
Joe and I celebrated 3 years of marriage.
We still have a crazy pup, but we love him even more.
We have been continually blessed with terrific family and friends.


2010, what will you hold?

One thing I know I will be holding is our new baby, set to make his or her debut this June!
We've been keeping it on the DL a bit, just because you never know, but with the new year, I seem to find myself so very excited about it. And in just a month, we'll even get to find out the gender. Along with predicting more winter or an early spring, Punxsutawney Phill will also deliver the news of a boy or a girl on Groundhog's Day, February 2nd!

We're slowing adjusting to it all. I'm slowing losing my wardrobe. And we're slowly acquiring baby stuff here and there. But I have this sinking suspicion it won't stay slow for long!

So here's to a new year! Here's to a crazy new journey!

Happy New Year!!

Wishing you all a happy and safe New Year's Eve and a wonderful start to 2010!

Ryker's Lame Christmas Present

Ryker received his Christmas present yesterday. And, boy was it lame.

You ask what it is?

It was a biannual trip to the veterinarian! Woohooo!

He was due for some vaccinations, but I also needed to go to get his tooth checked out. As some of you may have seen on facebook, Ryker decided he wanted to eat through the fence again while Joe and I were gone at a Christmas presentation. In his escape attempt, he chipped off a large chunck of his upper right canine. I was NOT a happy momma...many tears...many, many tears.

So, the doc checked him out. Said his tooth looked like it was ok so far, just something we have to watch and see to make sure it doesn't get infected or he does more damage to it since it there isn't much there to take much more. =( Poor pupster.

We also chatted about the reason behind his crazy behavior, and after chatting a bit and going over Ryker's history (including the weird seizure thing he had sever months ago), we decided that we would try a medicine to help with his separation anxiety. A few dogs in the study suffered seizures, so this was a concern. But we both agreed that what he goes through daily is not that much better.

So, after a costly little visit including the vaccines, heartworm, and new medicine we left and I rewarded my little dog with a nice visit to the park.

I would like to ask you all to pray for little Ryker as we start this new medicine and hope for good results and good health!

Oh, and don't worry...we have some treats for Ryker's stocking! =)

O'Christmas Party - Oh, What a Great Time!

Last night, we celebrated the Christmas season with our second annual O'Christmas Party!

After lots of cleaning and cooking, Joe and I got to enjoy the best part! Our family and friends.

We had a great time feasting and talking. This year we also had quite the entertainment with four kids under 3! They all behaved wonderfully and charmed everyone!

Thank you all to our wonderful friends, we do feel blessed! And if you weren't here, don't worry, we still love you too!

Wishing all of you a happy Christmas time with your family and friends!

Frustrations in the Ease of Home Delivery

It's Christmas time.

That means for most of us that we are dabbling in the trend of online shopping. Oh, it sounds so promising. Search, find, click, save, ship. You can find bargains online, true, and sometime score the occassional free shipping too if you do it right.

Sounds so great...

THEN comes the Dance of the Delivery Services.

You don't know if it's coming FedEx, UPS or USPS. For some reason, some will be left on the door step, some require signatures, some get hung up in customs. And of course if you're not there when those dudes come, you gotta start tracking them down before they take your package back ever so rudely!

Why can you not schedule when you get delivered to. And why do they think someone will always be home on a Tuesday at 2 p.m. to sign for something?

Ugh, what a lovely little holiday tradition.

But it saves us time, right?

Right?

Is this thing on?

Oh well...Merry Shipping

Beatles Mania -- in Spanx!

I had a glimpse of what it must be like for pop stars and their crazed fans. Young girls crowding together just to get a glimpse of Paul or John. The screaming, the cheering, the clapping, the sheer amount of people.

This was a Christmas gift from Lydia.

She so innocently gave me a cookbook, but what came along next was, well, read for yourself...

You see, this wasn't just your run of the mill Betty Crocker cookbook. No, this was the first ever, first edition The Pioneer Woman cookbook.

The Pioneer Woman is a wonderful 'little' blog I read almost daily. She's a self-proclaimed accidental country girl who found herself living on a family-run cattle ranch in Oklahoma with her personal Marlboro Man and 4 punks of their own.

She writes of their ranch lives, cows, silly dogs, family, photography, real-people cooking, home schooling and just fun things. I enjoy it...and well, it seems so do A LOT of other people.
As part of the release of her first cookbook, her publishers have sent her on a book tour that PW herself has deemed the "Griswold (Drummond) Family Book Trip." And while winging their way across the country, they decided to stop in at a Dallas Borders.And that's where we went!

Lyd and I put the puppy out in the cold, bundled up and headed over around 5 p.m. to get the lay of the land before she showed up at 7 p.m. for the signing. We were doing so good. All early and everything. We went to the store, asked around and received 2 pink wrist bands, and were informed we'd be called by color groups. Awesome! Let's go eat.

We hit up a great pizza place right down the way and enjoyed a personal favorite of mine, pepperoni and black olive! So, after chatting and finishing up we headed back over, thought we might grab a coffee and see what we had to see.

What we had to see were LOTS and LOTS of ladies, babies, a few stray husbands and grandads...THIS STORE WAS PACKED!!!
Oh Lordy! What have we gotten into.

Around 6:30 they started calling color groups to line up! What, you mean we don't get to hear her talk or anything? NOPE!

There were 3 groups in front of us. Each consisting of about 100 people we were told. WHAT!? And there were at least 3 groups behind us that we knew about!! So on the shy side, there were 7 hundred crazy people in that store that night!

So, we began our wait. We were standing for quite a while till we decided that was just stupid. So we sat, and waited and waited. We were rewarded with a small treat seeing Ree, PW herself, and her two cute girls released from their holding sell in the back of the store.
After that...we waited...and waited.

Lyd and I talked, enjoyed some coffees and started meeting the people around us. Niccole and Jen were two cute friends who had come together. Sydney was in front of them and later joined by her sister Sarah...and their very tired and over stimulated children. There was a very kind grandpa behind me. And these were our friend for the next 4 HOURS!
Over the next 4-plus hours:
- We found Religion. See, right there...we were camped out here for most of our time. The line did NOT move for at least two hours...maybe God was teaching us patience -- in the religion section.- We learned names, names of children, proper cloth diaper care, birthing philosophies.
(I tuned out on several occasions to save my sanity.)
- Lyd and I looked at author names and tried to come up with good baby names. Somehow Erasmus and Attilla were nixed by my good friend.
- We took turns going to the bathroom.
- We got our coffee/hot chocolate and a delightful apple tart.
- I went with Jen and Niccole to cheat and get the PW girls to sign our books so we could insure getting a t-shirt.
(Those country kids just weren't ready for our wily city ways. Just kidding, they were delightful, gracious and having way too much fun not sitting in a line.)
- We almost had a riot on hand when a woman, a Plano principle of some sort, behind us almost lost it over more yellows getting in line before us. She didn't like the Borders employee's explanation that they got their arm bands first so they could do that. Really, don't you teach this stuff in school lady? Calm down! It's ok!
- We were bombarded with children up WAY past their bed time, given coke and not completely supervised. Ugh. Take deep breaths. It's ok. But really, isn't that what dads or baby sitters are for?
When we finally did start moving, we started moving at a good pace. Around 10:45 we were in site of the table. We felt so proud. We felt so accomplished.

It was almost our turn. I handed my book over, complete with my name post-it so she'd spell it right. We waited. We met, we said it was so nice to meet you. A girl came back, crowded in and asked another question...that's fine. But then the grandpa came up before we got our picture. NOOOO. We waited this long! We're getting a picture!!!

So, I politely asked if he could wait a sec, he did (he's a nice grandpa), the Borders guy snapped a pic...we said goodbye.
That was it! Our 2-second brush with fame!

Perhaps not quite what we were expecting, but it was definitely an experience we will both never forget.

We drove home giddy and a little drunk with exhaustion. I loaded up my pal with a Dr Pepper and said good bye. I came inside to my nice warm house knowing I have a great friend, a great husband for letting me do things like this, a signed cookbook, a t-shirt and a silly story to tell!

Off to pick a recipe!


**The Spanx refers to a comment Ree makes about herself on her many public appearances.

Adventures of No, No, Bad Dog - The Thanksgiving Edition

Hello dear readers,

It is I, No, No, Bad Dog returning for another enjoyable installment of my latest trials and tribulations.

As you all are aware of last week we celebrated a delectable holiday called Thanksgiving. I will refer to this as the Feast of the Big Bird!

My parents made the silly decision to leave me to visit Leanna's folks in Houston. I am not allowed to go, something about allergies and fencing not up to puppy code. So, for my first night of alone-ness, they left me at Doggie's Wonderland.

Oh, you'd think I'd have a great time frolicking and romping with 30-plus dogs my size also left over the Feast of the Big Bird. Truth is, you'd be right -- BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO TELL THE PARENTS THAT...GOT IT!?

I was picked up the next day by my aunt, Sarah, and you know what...they didn't even give her my leash! Said I didn't have one or something (we picked it up yesterday, my mom takes care of me!). So she has to get me to her car on a busy road with dogs barking and no leash...thank you, Sarah!

And so began my stay with the grandfolks and the cousin pups, Baily and Ursa. We had a good time. On a few occasions I had to go back to stay at my house while they ran errands because their new fence isn't quite Ryker-tested just yet. I was super excited the first time they dropped me off thinking Mom and Dad were home. THEY WERE NOT! The next time, I was not so excited, so when they showed up to pick me back up, I leaped into the car and told them to take me home and LOVE ME!!

Now, here's where it gets good peeps! On one such day when we were all at home, the grandfolks went inside to clean up a bit from all of our adventures in their massive yard! When they returned a while later, I was NOWHERE in site! NOWHERE!

The panic set in. They surveyed the yard. They saw no holes. No boards missing. They called, and nothing! Where did I go!!?? (teehee, if only they knew.)

Ursa and Bailey just set there looking at them giving away nothing of my secret. They decided that I must have scaled the fence and made a break for home. So they both jumped in their cars and headed over...only no pupster.

After an hour or two of searching the neighborhoods in two cars and talking to my dad, they decided to come home and search one more time there. My dad said if they were home and the garage door was open, I wouldn't leave. He was right...but not in the obvious way.

Holly checked upstairs and the attic -- nothing. Jim decided to try calling again...and that's where he heard my sad little whine.

He called again and finally realized I was under the deck in the back yard. Not just with my head stuck, butt in the air, but UNDER THE DECK. IN THE MIDDLE.

-- Here's the deck!--

See, I was on an adventure and I just couldn't manage to turn around and get back out, so I just stayed. Jim rescued me by unscrewing a few boards, and out I popped. I was fine, really, just a little stuck!

Really, what was all the fuss about?

Between the grandparents and dad, they decided not to tell mom. But someone let it slip out, and my story was told. I didn't get into too much trouble, but they did tell me not to do it again.

I'll do my best, but sometimes it's just hard!

Stay tuned for my next adventure! Who knows what can happen over Christmas, right!?

Thanksgiving Anecdotes

A few Thanksgiving thoughts to put you in the holiday spirit:
(thanks dad)

"When I was a kid in Indiana, we thought it would be fun to get a turkey a year ahead of time and feed it and so on for the following Thanksgiving.
But by the time Thanksgiving came around, we sort of thought of the turkey as a pet, so we ate the dog. Only kidding. It was the cat."
- David Letterman

"At Thanksgiving, my mom always makes too much food, especially one item, like 700 or 800 pounds of sweet potatoes. She's got to push it during the meal. 'Did you get some sweet potatoes? There's sweet potatoes. They're hot. There's more in the oven, some more in the garage. The rest are at the Johnson's.'"
- Louie Anderson

"We're having something a little different this year for Thanksgiving. Instead of a turkey, we're having a swan. You get more stuffing."
- George Carlin

Couponing...

Couponing - a way of life for some; a trivial waste of time for others - which are you?

After enjoying our lovely dinner out on the town with my sissy and bro-in-law WITH OUR COUPON we all commented that we enjoyed saving money with our coupons!
We enjoyed two steak dinners at Roadhouse for a whopping $15.

So it got me thinking, do others of you dine with coupons? Do you clip coupons from the Sunday paper? Where do you find your savings?

I subscribe to most e-blasts from the stores and restaurants I frequent and end up getting some very good deals. Especially around Christmas and birthdays.

I used to get the paper every other Sunday and enjoy a lazy afternoon of paroozing the ads and clipping coupons. However, when the Dallas Morning News hit $3 or $3.50 for a Sunday paper, I've since quit.

I guess if I am doing my couponing diligently and remembering to bring them to the store, I would recoup the cost, but I haven't quite been able to do that.

Would love to hear from you where you find your savings and if you have some good places online, we'll add a few links!

Go Carl! Go!

Go Carl! Go!

I guess it has been about a year since we planted Carl, and let me tell you he is doing a fabulous job. When the trees started changing colors, Carl was still green. But as we headed into November, I saw a miraculous change! No longer just green-leafed, Carl was morphing into a beautiful orange and red fall maple tree!

Here's a few pics highlighting Carl's fanciful fall coat!

Silly...

One thing Ryker Hasn't done yet...

see more dog and puppy pictures

To Those Without Pets

To those without pets, you should get one.

HOW, unless your apartment makes it ridiculously expensive to have one or your parents forbid you, do you not have a pet?
They are so neat! They are so fun! They are so silly! They are so loud!

They are so loving. They are so friendly. They are so caring. They are so concerned.

They smile. They snuggle. They ignore you. They laugh at you (you know they do). They kiss you.

If you don't have one, you need one. Adopt an instant best friend, it's pretty cool!

Knowing One's Limitations...

I really should know better.

I really should remember my limitations.

But I get frustrated.

I can do NOTHING in a straight line. Walk - no. Cut - no. Draw - no. Drive - best of all (thank you power steering).

Ugh, I'm trying my hand at a patchwork blanket. I see so many beautiful creations out there in the blogosphere. I think, "Dude, I can totally do that." (yes, dude) So I bust out my little scraps, trace my square, cut, sew. Noooo....

Why don't they match up? Why? You're all supposed to be the same size! I use the same seam allowance? What are you doing to me!? Arg.

Let the seam ripping ensue. =(

Nubs: A True Story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle

I remember hearing about this story a while back -- A Marine stationed in Iraq comes across some street dog with nubs for ears (someone along the way had cut them off). He and his buddies spend time playing with the dog and working with the dog while they are in the area for a patrol. What comes after that is truly a heart-warming story of love and determination from Marine AND Mutt!

Major Brian and Nubs!