4th of July in February...a "Marley and Me" Moment

Apparently Wesson wanted to throw a surprise 4th of July party for us yesterday, as I came home from work to this (please imagine the dog in the crate...in my haste to examine the mess I did not think of taking a picture):

You might be thinking...don't crates have a plastic tray type thing that separates the dog from the floor for situations such as this? The answer is yes, and we have such an item, the problem was he figured out how to move it out of his crate. You also might be thinking what caused these unfortunate results to my carpet? The Answer: 2 gel pens somehow got within reach of him. One was red, the other blue. Red+Blue+White Dog=Patriotic Dog. I think he sort of looks like one of those rocket ship shaped Popsicles that are red, white and blue...thoughts?

As you can see he was still licking his chops hours post ingestion....he threw up moments after this was taken. I think he felt better...but wasn't sorry in the least.

Here is another view of the marble effect he was able to achieve on his fur....

Another shot...and amazingly I was able to remove the stain. That Oxyclean stuff is amazing! I did have to scrub for 30 mins though. You will also be surprise to know, if you know me at all, that I did not freak out about my lost gel pens, carpet stains, or tri-colored pet. Nope...I busted out laughing as soon as I saw him and am still giggling about it. I suppose owning dogs is teaching me something about patience. I called Andrew and told him we had a "Marley and Me" situation and then explained. He laughed too and it was way more fun than getting upset about it. I hope you are equally as entertained.

Nathalie

Pat's Granola

I made some homemade granola this weekend and thought I would share. The recipe comes from my mother-in-law Pat McClish and is quite tasty. I started making granola after reading that boxed cereal is really not very good for you. Apparently it must endure quite the unnatural process to become a puff, flake, or what have you. I am not saying I won't ever eat cereal again or anything, just wanted to make an effort to minimize the amounts since up until December, I ate it almost every morning of my life.

Pat's Granola

1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar

1 c water

4 tsp vanilla

8 C oats

Assorted nuts and dried fruit to taste (I like pecans, walnuts, slivered almonds, cranberries and dried cherries) I just keep adding until I feel like there are enough there...for me that is is A LOT

Measure out 8 C of oats and nuts to taste and put in a large bowl.

Then, mix brown sugar and water on stove until just begins to boil....stir often. Once it gets to the almost boiled state, remove from heat and let it cool. This is important as if you add to the oats when hot you get oatmeal...I found this out the hard way.

Preheat oven to 275

Add vanilla to sugar mixture when cool, then pour onto oat/nut mixture and stir until oats and nuts are coated

Pour onto 2 greased cake pans or cookie sheets with sides and spread all around

(I do not have pic of this...turns out I am not a great food blogger)

Instead I take pictures of my cooking helper...not that he really helps me cook...that would be gross but he does keep me company.

Bake at 275 for 45 mins. stirring every 15 mins. Your house will have a lovely smell as this is happening.

Remove from oven and cool...add dried fruit and enjoy!

I like mine on yogurt and this lasts me almost a month so it is economical too:)

Nathalie

Humbling Generosity

Each morning I pour some vanilla Brown Cow yogurt into a disposable cup add some homemade granola and head out the door. It is a meal I look forward to eating each morning on my way to work. Yesterday I ran out of granola (will be making more this weekend) and somehow left the house this morning forgetting about breakfast all together. It wasn't until I got halfway down the street that my tummy rumbled and I realized I had nothing to eat. This would never do as I am not one of those girls that can skip breakfast and still be functional. Nope I am a believer it is the most important meal of the day! I contemplated turning around, but couldn't think of anything in my pantry to grab on the go. My solution? A quick stop to our local donut shop Zak's would be perfect and a fresh buttermilk donut would hit the spot. Suddenly I had to have one...
Zak's is just what you think about when you think donut shop. It is understated and plain, there is Folgers brewing and a cooler with juice options. There is a little table for those wishing to enjoy their donuts "for here" not "to go", and the cutest Asian family who owns and operates the establishment. Being as it is Friday, there was quite the line when I arrived. A police officer was buying a dozen assorted varieties and it made me chuckle, there were business men in a hurry to get to work...finally it was my turn...
"One Buttermilk please"...the small women put it in the bag..."will be $.70 cent". I told her I didn't have cash but noticed the Visa logo on the door and handed her my card. "No" she said..."four dolla minimun". I must have looked very disappointed and half starved because then she said "you pay next time" and handed me the donut! I looked at her and at first refused but she insisted so I accepted. I let her know I would be back back tomorrow for more donuts and would pay her back.....and I intend to. However, from her perspective, she has no idea if I will really come back or not. She gave freely without expecting anything in return..it is not as if she said "I will only give this to you if you promise to come back and pay me tomorrow." no..she gave me the thing free and clear..how kind! Totally made my whole day!
It was encouraging and humbling and reminds me that generosity and serving is just that. Giving without expecting anything in return. How often do I give and expect something back? Even if it is just thank you or acknowledgement for it. I have been reading Colossians this week and am reminded of Chapter 3 verses 23-24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Thank you Lord for this reminder today from the kind little donut lady.

Nathalie

Snowed in....

I figured I would join the thousand other Dallas area bloggers out there and discuss the recent, record breaking snow storm we've had. Now I grew up in Colorado, and have never considered the light dusting of snow once a year in Texas anything special. However, this storm puts some of our Colorado snows to shame. It snowed all day yesterday and when we got home from work there was at least 6 inches of snow on our lawn. Andrew and I played in it for an hour like two little kids. We threw snowballs, wrestled with the dogs...it was great fun.

This morning was another adventure entirely....

First, I awoke when it was still dark out feeling a little colder than usual. I turned to check the time and the clock was black. Still half asleep I got up to use the bathroom and realized when the light wouldn't come on our power was out! Not to worry I thought...our heater is gas.... I got back in bed. An hour later we were up...still no power. Andrew then informed me that our heater does indeed need electricity to run even though it is gas. Darn! I elected to take a shower since hot water was a luxury we still had. It wasn't until I got out that I realized my hair dryer would not be working without electricity. Shoot I thought...not only will I now be colder with a wet head, but my hair is going to look terrible today! With nothing I could do about it I brushed it out, put on about 4 shirts, extra socks and a scarf and thought what to do next. Andrew and I had both brought work home with us, but without power we could not get online to access it. Too bad right? So...our next thought was breakfast. Hot coffee and pancakes sounded perfect, but how can one cook on an electric stove without electricity? Not to worry...said Andrew..he would make pancakes on the grill! Thank goodness grill manufacturers include skillets on grills these days for emergencies such as this! And....those pancakes were SOOOO good! Coffee on the other hand I passed on, while Andrew made himself some instant (warmed the tea kettle on the grill). My man is resourceful! It was such a fun little morning! We ended up going into work after breakfast since the roads were clear and our house was so cold. Hopefully the power is back on soon! Enjoy the pictures....

Nathalie