Promises and Pups

Sunday...Brian and I celebrated our 23rd Anniversary! He surprised me with peanut donuts from Dunkin' Donuts. Halloween will be the 31st anniversary of our first date! LOL Shit were getting old, and I still have that navy sweatshirt jacket, just had it on the other day.



Lola is six months old!

She is getting really stocky in the chest. She is an extemely calm labrador! She loves to ride in the van. She has just been incredibly good...still bringing mulch and sticks in the house but not as much. :-)


Most importantly.....her nose is still shaped like a heart! :-)

I have been missing Montana like crazy lately. Pumpkins make me think of him, and pumpkins are everywhere this time of year, he loved them!



It's a wonder we ever get another dog, losing them is so hard.

I'm off to Canada in a few, have a good week, and better weekend!
M

MMMMMMMMMMMug Cake!

Okay I just saw this recipe on one of my reading groups (Thanks CathyS!), I haven't tried it, and prolly wont till I come back from Surrey. But I can't wait! I guess it's going around in emails, I havent received it from anyone yet though, so it was new to me. I'd like to figure out the WW points on it too, maybe I can do it a bit less calorie wise and see if it's a nice subsitute for dinner! :-)

Enjoy!
M

(This is my favorite mug to drink out of.....or maybe to eat chocolate cake out of!)

CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
1 large Coffee Mug
4 tablespoons flour(that's plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg - slightly beaten with a fork
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) (I used a few chopped walnuts instead)
Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug, (I actually use a bowl and then dump it into the mug,sprayed with PAM to bake.) and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips or nuts (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! It will sink back down as soon as the micro stops.
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to share-it's really too much for one person - unless you're having a really bad day!)

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Change for a five?

Friday, picked up Ian for fall break, and he was home till Tuesday. You can tell he is in school and getting a ton of homework, he made use of his time at home. Lot's of visits to the pantry and went to the show twice, was out every night. Nice to see Collin and Ian together again. Yes, I did his laundry.

Sunday was the Hospice Walk in South Bend with Fr. Bill. He is 84 years old, and we walked maybe a little under a mile. He is slowing down a bit, but just a couple of months ago took a trip out west to see Bryce and the Grand Canyon. Even walked about a half mile down Bryce, and said it was a bit tough. Which means the people that he was with were hoping he wasn't going to keel over on them. In his words....I'm not much for old cathedrals, all that history, nature is where God's presence is. To which I always reply...I'll take the old cathedral. I had to brush two eight legged things off me, I was natured out. It's a bit like the movie Ground Hog's Day sometimes with stories, but always worth the trip.

Went to visit my Granger neighbor Patty, and her new yellow lab puppy Ellie. It's a bit sad to go now and see all these houses where your friends all lived, and most have moved on, and think of all the laughs you use to have. Even sadder to see the house you put so much into taken over by rednecks with wishing wells!

My jewelry site is up and running as of yesterday! I have been just crazy lately with finishing the site up, reading and re-reading for typos, trying to remember which is reverse and regular etch, and getting the photos together, checking every link to make sure it goes to the right place. Making a silver bracelet copper, because the copper sample isn't done yet. Sending out about 900 emails from my Claire's Ring inquiries, I'm at about 300. OMG I'm working! :) I did make a couple husbands day, since I just helped them figure out what to get for their wives for Christmas.

Here it is in all it's glory...

The Author's Attic

Yesterday Ian forgot we had a puppy in the house and left a five dollar bill and two quarters on the stairs. I found a chewed up, well part of a chewed up five dollar bill, and only one quarter. So in that irritating mom yell, called for Ian to help me find the other quarter, hoping it wasn't in Lola's stomach! Envisioning large vet bills or a dead puppy from blockage, we looked everywhere. Finally I found it on the door mat next to the doggie door. Phew!

Next week Surrey!

Sunday in the Park with....

We drove up to see Ian for lunch on Sunday. It's no surprise to any of us left behind that Ian misses the dogs more than us. So the three of us humans, and two canines took a little road trip to see Ian.

Brian had found a nice little county park with trails, so after lunch we took the dogs for a walk.


Ian said his roommate was a bit messy. This is when I nearly fainted. He said he leaves food wrappers around and doesn't put stuff in the garbage. I think I did faint after that comment. I cannot tell you how many pop cans and Li'l Debbie wrappers I have picked up from my dear son.

Payback is sweet!
M

.......it's happening again. Collin went for a hair cut with Brian last week and asked to start growing it out.

Under Where?

I was out shopping last night and my phone rings, which is sort of a rarity with me, seeing that either I can never hear it, or I forget it at home.

It's Brian. He says, "Lola has graduated from socks, she's got a pair of your underwear."

I said, " Where did she get those?" I bundled up laundry that day so I know there wasn't any on the floor at least. "Did you get them?"

Brian says, "No, she's outside in the backyard with them."

"You got to be kidding me, go get 'em!" I paused. "Is there a soccer game in the field, are there any neighbors out? Just go get 'em!"

Well, I was hoping if Lola was gallivanting around the yard with a pair of my panties they were at least a pretty pair with lace or something, thank God I don't own any thongs!

But no, just a CLEAN pair of plain cotton hipsters, not white, but almost as boring.... off white! Did I mention they were CLEAN!

(CLEAN objects in picture are most likely larger than they appear)

Puppies.......gotta love them!
M