Looky Looky!

ANOTHER blog award! Thanks to Ashley over at Domestic Fashionista, I have this beautiful new blog award to brag about {and share!} Thank you Ashley!!! The best part about this award is that there are no rules to follow or steps to take...just share the blog love!

So, I share my blog love with the following bloggers:

1. Life with the Lipmans
2. Meet the McCradys
3. Penny Lane Designs - the blog
4. My Thoughts, My Joys, My Life (Lilli, this means you have to pick up blogging again!)
5. The Bolerjacks

Grab the Kleenex!

Check out this little girl and her AMAZING talent! She's only six years old!!

America's Got Talent Audition

Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"

THE Dog House

OK, so I've been meaning to post pictures of Cooper's dog house once Thad and Kelly put the finishing touches on it and I keep forgetting about it. So...here it is in all it's glory; Cooper's outside dog mansion house. {Note - The boys built this from scratch.}

BEFORE
In the before pictures you can see that the house is made out of plywood, equipped with two rooms (one is insulated for the colder weather.) The roof is retractable so we can clean it if necessary (this was a mandatory feature on my part.)







AFTER
In the after pictures you can see that the house is decked with siding, trim and a shingled roof. There's a rug in the insulated room for extra comfort! As you can see, Cooper prefers to lay in the grass next to the dog house. However, we did find him in his house one afternoon. Kelly was very happy. {The dog house also makes for a great storage unit for the watering hose.}







And, of course this wouldn't be a true update without a recap of Cooper's recent activities...for lack of a better word.

• He still LOVES to grab my house shoe and prance around the house like a king.
• He now barks back at us when we tell him "No. No Bite" as if he's a defiant two year old.
• He can successfully tell us when he as to go "Potty" outside. However, we're still working mastering to pee outside.
• The other morning I walked into the living room to find him chewing on one of my nice, decorative pillows only to realize the only way he could have gotten it in his mouth was if he had jumped up on the couch all by himself. It was then that I realized how tall he's getting. I took it away and moments later, he had another one in his mouth, but this time he was on his dog bed chewing the pillow, as if to tell me that it was his decorative pillow now. Not for long!
• We had our first vet visit last night and I'm proud to say we've got a healthy, growing boy on our hands. Cooper managed to gain 6.11 lbs. in 2.5 weeks! Weighing in at 17.8 lbs! I'd say he's growing alright. Thankfully, he's eating three cups of food a day. (I was a little worried at first when he was only eating a cup a day.) He got 3 vaccinations/preventions last night, and as you can imagine, he slept like a baby all night long!
• Oh and remember that part about getting all the Christmas stuff put away before we brought Cooper home? Well, we didn't quite get the tree put in the attic. And much to my chagrin, he has chewed through two strands of Christmas lights.
• AND...THIS JUST IN! He just went and laid down in his crate ALL BY HIMSELF. This is AMAZING people! Amazing!

So you see, with all the bad comes the good, and maybe even the GREAT!

Well, I think that's all I have. Next time: Pictures from our first trip to the vet!

Cartoon Humor

Yes. This was exactly what I was thinking today as I ate my way through a Subway Chocolate Chip Cookie (YUM), a piece of cake (mostly the pink icing), and pack of Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies. Funny thing is, I don't even like shortbread cookies.

Does this mean I didn't make it to Valentine's Day? No. I'll just count this as my cheat day. But don't tell. We haven't even made it to the weekend yet.

My New Favorite Item

I know it's kind of silly, but I want to give a shout out to my new favorite thing.

My MAC Plush Lash Mascara!!

Jen introduced me to this AMAZING mascara this past weekend and I absolutely love it. It lengthens my lashes; stays on all day long; and doesn't run when you wash your face (or even sleep in it!) Just thought I'd share the news!

AND, don't forget to play along with the Alphabet Game!

Layered Mexican Bean Dip

POINTS® Value: 2
Servings: 16
Preparation Time: 18 min
Cooking Time: 0 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Always a hit at parties, this dip is also great topped with diced bell peppers and shredded lettuce. Add jalapeno slices for extra heat.





Ingredients:
16 oz fat-free canned refried beans
3 medium avocado, Hass, finely mashed
1/4 tsp table salt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
2 tbsp Old El Paso Fajita Seasoning Mix, or other brand
1/2 cup(s) Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Shredded Mexican-Style Cheese
1 small tomato(es), chopped
2 medium scallion(s), sliced
10 medium olive(s), black, sliced or chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped


Instructions:
Spread beans evenly over bottom of a 9- X 13-inch glass baking dish or a medium-size glass bowl.

In a small bowl, combine avocado, salt and lemon juice. Spread avocado mixture over beans; top with sour cream.

Sprinkle fajita seasoning over sour cream layer. Next, layer remaining ingredients on top in order listed.

Serve immediately with jicama slices and other fresh vegetables for dipping, or chill until ready to use. Yields about 1/4 cup of dip per serving.

Source: Weight Watchers Recipe

Terrible Twos

Terrible two months, that is... Friday was Cooper's 2 month birthday (8 weeks/2 months, same diff. right?) And in keeping with the terrible two's theme, he has been increasingly more mischievous these past few days. {Side note, he really is a WONDERFUL puppy! And we love him more than words can say!}

It all started with he attacked the toilet paper roll while I was in the shower. I couldn't stop him and so he just went to town. He pulled a long strip off the roll and then shredded it into a million pieces. Kelly walked into the mess and had to clean it up! Here he is with a tiny piece remaining...

His next little antic was when we were in the kitchen. I was putting the dishes in the dish washer and apparently he wanted to help. He tried to lick the plates to death, and then jumped up on the door and was in heaven! (I had to leave him on the door to grab the camera, but then quickly scolded him to get down!)

The next day when Kelly came home from the gym, Coop made his way into Kelly's gym back to sniff out the sneakers! He loves shoes (I mean what dog doesn't??)

His newest thing is to go into our closet while we're getting ready and grab my pink house shoe in his mouth. Then he runs like the wind into the living room where he plops down on his bed as if he just conquered the world. It's quite funny to watch :)

And he has finally destroyed the first of many things in his lifetime. My camera cord was his first victim. Totally and completely demolished! I'm telling you, those teeth are sharp! Thankfully I have a back up for downloading pictures!!

But how can you not forget about all of those things when you see him sound asleep and peaceful??

That's all I have for my Sunday wrap up! Thanks for stopping by!

Can You Keep a Secret??

Shhh...you can't tell. Promise? OK, here goes, one month from today, I get to own my very own...

...iPhone! But you can't tell! It's our little secret :) {P.S. I can't wait!}

Whoa, that was close!

While I was attempting to get my daily blog fix at the office this morning {bad girl, I know!}, I tried to go to our blog and I got this message: ACCESS DENIED! WHAT?! "Please try again later." Yeah right, more like try again right now! {Over, and over, and over again until my access was finally granted!}

I was immediately engulfed with panic! I guess you could say this is is how I felt...




I'm glad to announce I'm back in the land of the living (or blogging, whatever...)

TGIF anyone?

Look at What I Have!

My first blog award!!

Much like Jen over at Meet the McCradys, I'm often asked, "Why do you blog." Or, I get the look of "that's so gay" when someone finds out I have a blog. But to tell you the truth, its a fun way for me to express myself! I enjoy finding new blogs to read and learning from others successes and failures. I've created a "Blog Inspiration" section to my blog of people I've found in the blogging community that have great ideas/thoughts/interesting lives/etc. and to be honest, there are some really great things you can learn from reading other people's blogs. Check them out. You just might learn something!


But on to my award... Jen at Meet the McCradys awarded me with the "This Blog Measures Up" award. She picked me, along with four other recipients, as one of the blogs she enjoys reading most! Can you believe that? We have a faithful follower! AND...I've never won anything, and now A BLOGGING AWARD? Woo hoo! I feel like I should prepare a speech or something!

Here are the steps:
1. Say one nice thing to the man in your life: Well after almost 8 years of dating and marriage, there are a million and one things I could list about the man in my life, but I have to say, one of my favorite things is that he gives me a kiss first thing in the morning before he gets ready! He's always so good about letting me know he loves me!

2. List at least 6 ways you measure success in your life:

• "Let my light so shine before men that they may see my good works and glorify my Father in Heaven." Matt. 5:16 Showing the love of Christ to others is eternal success.
• To love and be loved by my wonderful husband!
• To one day have a few little ones of our own that know how much we love them
• To raise our children to know and love the Lord
• To continually be surrounded by friends and family
• And to Love the Life you Live! Don't settle for deadbeat job (been there, done that); or let the sun go down on your anger (life's too short to throw away a good friendship!); or to want a life someone else has. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

3. Assign 5 other blogs this award: And now, the winners of this blog award are...

1. The Life and Trials of Ms. Susie
2. The Stoy's Story
3. The Woods Life
4. Authentically Me: Living a life of Love
5. Domestic Fashionista

Thanks again for stopping by! Coming soon...more updates on our little pup!

Let's Play a Game!

Another creative/hilarious blogger I enjoying reading about is playing a game over on her blog and she invited me to play. OK, not just me, but anyone who wants to play. And you all know I LOVE to play games. This one reminds me of Scattergories...

If you wanna play along too, just leave a comment and I will assign you a letter. Then you post about it on your blog and list 10 things that you love that begin with your assigned letter. And you can assign letters to others... and it just goes on and on and on!!! I was assigned the letter "L" so here's my attempt at listing all the things I Love that begin with L. It shouldn't be too hard, right?! {Warning, these are in NO particular order. Except for the first one...}

1. LISTS! I love making lists {and even lists of lists!} Which is probably why this game is right up my alley!! I wouldn't be able to survive without my checklist at the office {or even in normal, everyday life.} I love the act of crossing something off, and have been known to write something down just to cross it off {waste of time? I think not!} It's so refreshing to know you've completed something. AND, the best part about writing it down and crossing it off your list, is that if you have to refer back to your old list later, you can easily see notes/comments/edits you made at the time. I use this A LOT at work. I have this awesome "writing tablet" {I would just call it a spiral notebook, but that is the category it fell under in the Office Depot catalogue} that had 3 different sections for your "to dos." One area is for voicemails, one is for tasks and the other is for meeting notes. LOVE this. And LOVE lists.

2. Listening to my iPod. I love to listen to my iPod, especially when I'm at the gym. However, I wish I had a better selection of music to listen to. I love to download new hits when they come out, but I have a tendency to overplay them. Like the time I overplayed "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield, or "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston, or "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money. And while I cringe a little when these songs come on, I can't help but think of my carefree college days when we played these songs at almost EVERY event!

3. Laughing! I mean who doesn't love to laugh? Don't you just love it when you laugh so hard you cry {or maybe even snort?} I love to remember the times when I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. Those are memories for a lifetime!

4. Laying out! There's nothing better than being sprawled out on a lawn chair by the pool on a hot summer's day. I guess that's what you should expect from a summer baby! I've always loved being a little fish in the summer and spending those lazy days soaking up the sun! Oh how I wish my job would allow me to lay poolside and still be productive. Although, on second thought, I don't miss jumping into the freezing cold water at 5:45 am during the summer! Boy I was dedicated. Which leads me to my next love...

5. Lifting weights and working out. OK, so I don't love the actual task of working out, but I love the way I feel when I'm finished. So why can't I be as dedicated now as I was when I was 15? I mean, I should totally be at the gym right now but instead I'm blogging. Which is another one of my loves, but it begins with a "B" :(

6. Licking the brownie bowl. Which is the very reason I need to implement #5 in my life! Licking the bowl could easily be the best part about making brownies. Forget the actual brownies themselves, I could eat the brownie batter all day long! Thanks Mom for always letting me lick the bowl :)

7. Long johns (a.k.a PJs)! I love pajamas! Pajama pants, night gowns, cheeky shorts, matching sets, you name it - I love it! You could give me pajamas for any occasion and I'd be a happy camper. I still have pajama pants that I wore in college that I just can't bring myself to throw away. My clutter-free friends would have a cow if they saw my pajama drawer. You can never have too many pjs!

8. Looking for a good deal. My Mom taught me to be a bargain shopper and now I find it rewarding when I stumble upon a good deal. I've been know to search all over town for the perfect price - and could even be crowned the "Queen of returns" if I find something similar for a better price somewhere else. Who wouldn't want a little extra cash in their pocket??

9. Lounging around. While I LOVE to keep myself busy running around town {looking for the perfect deal,} I also enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the couch with a good movie and a bag of popcorn. I really only need one or two of those days in a row - otherwise I'll get stir crazy and have to fill my time with something productive...like cleaning. YUCK!

10. Leaving on time! I am my father's daughter! We call my Dad "foot tapper" because he's always on time and ready to go! I love to stick to the schedule and if I leave on time, I don't have to be rushed whenever I get there {where ever it is that I'm going!}

So, now that you've seen my "L" list... do you want to play along?? Come on, it's fun!

Oh How I Love a Giveaway

One of the most creative bloggers I know is having a blog giveaway! Head on over to Domestic Fashionista to check out the grand opening of her Etsy shop! And if you're inclined...enter the giveaway yourself. You never know, you might just win something!

While you're over there, check out here other posts. Like the one on what a little spray paint can do for your back yard.

Or the one where she isn't afraid to brave the waters of abandoned furniture and turn it into something spectacular.

Really, she has some great ideas!!

Feta and Spinach Dip

POINTS® value 1
Servings 8
Preparation Time 12 min
Cooking Time 1 min
Level of Difficulty Easy

This creamy spinach-feta combo dresses up fresh vegetables or baked pita chips deliciously. Or use it as a tasty spread for sandwiches and wraps.



Ingredients
4 cup(s) spinach, fresh, chopped (about 2 oz)
1/2 cup(s) light cream cheese
1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup(s) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup(s) chives, fresh, minced, divided
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp table salt, or less to taste (optional)



Instructions:
Place spinach in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then cook for 1 minute; drain well.

Place spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, feta cheese, 2 tablespoons of chives, lemon juice and pepper in a blender; puree. Taste dip and add salt if desired. Spoon dip into a serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of chives. Yields about 3 tablespoons of dip per serving.


For a nice flavor boost, substitute sorrel or watercress for half the spinach and follow the recipe directions above.

Oh 4 Day Weekend...

...how I love you!

I have had the most wonderful time these past few days being lazy around the house, visiting with friends, running errands, and playing with the Coopster. I have to say, I'm thankful for the time to sit down and update my blog because I know tomorrow will begin another busy week around here! I'll give you a few updates on Coop (and FINALLY share some updated pictures) and then fill you in on what's been going on in real life while we've been busy with our pup. (Even though our pup is our real life now :) )

We'll start at the beginning.

Friday
I was able to sleep in a little Friday morning and then I got up to play with the pup! Kel and Thad were busy building Cooper's dog house ALL day (more on that later) and so I called Mom and we headed out for our much needed first manicure of 2009! She brough over a few new toys for Coop. Take a peek:

We ran a few other errands and then it was time to head home. Friday night Kel, Thad, and I met up with Wes, Brandye, and Kathy to see Revolutionary Road. Horrible movie. (Sorry if I just ruined it for you.) After the movie we grabbed some ice cream, chatted awhile, and then called it a night!

Saturday
Saturday morning we took it easy and the boys worked on the dog house some more. (See a pattern here?) Coop and I went for a walk and then crashed on the couch for an afternoon nap! That night we were planning to go to Wes and Brandye's new house to hang out with the whole crew, so I needed to make some brownies to take with us. Just when I thought Cooper was sound asleep on his bed, I made a break for the kitchen to get a head start on the baking. About halfway through the brownie making process I heard a large crash in the living room and ran to see what happened. This is what I found:

My seven week old pup had jumped up on our ottoman/coffee table and managed to curl himself up in a ball in our drink tray. When I yelled "uh oh Cooper" he sat up and gave me this "I didn't do it" look! (He's not quite domesticated yet, Kendall :)) I finished my brownies in time and we headed over to hang out with the crew. Everyone was in town and it was nice to get to hang out as a big group like the old days! We cooked hamburgers out on the grill and then played Wii boxing until we were sore! Here's Wes taking a stab at boxing:

In the picture you can see Ryan's leg, Kathy, Chasen (Clay's girlfriend), Clay, Kelly, Brandye (with a baby on the way), and Thad. Here's another view of the group (can you see Cooper?):

(And I have to say, I'm proud of myself for taking more photos! Yeah 2009 Resolutions!!)

Sunday

We headed back to Wes and Brandye's neck of the woods to go to church with the crew and ate lunch at their house. Kathy made us YUMMY Chicken 'n Dumplings which was perfect for a cold winter day! That afternoon we headed home around 2 so I could go pick up Jen for some much needed girls time! Our first stop was Centennial Medical Center in Frisco to see our friend Rachel and her brand new baby!

Jaxson James New

Arrived: Saturday, January 17, 2009

8 lbs. 15 oz

20.25"

He was/is absolutely precious! Mom and baby were doing great and had TONS of visitors to welcome him into this world! What a little miracle! After the hospital, we headed to Chuy's for some yummy Mexican food and margaritas! It was so nice just getting to chat and catch up! Sometimes emails just won't cut it for us!! After dinner we headed home and then it was off to another movie for Kel, Thad, and me. We saw Frost/Nixon and really enjoyed it. I did fall asleep during some of it, but for the most part (or the part that I saw) it was a good movie!

Monday

This morning I went for a run and the most tragic thing happened. My iPod died. Not just died, like lost power, it froze and wouldn't do ANYTHING. No rebooting, restarting, recovering. No nothing! I was a little worried (and had even started picking out the next color iPod I was going to buy) but was pleased when I plugged it into my computer and it came back to life. (Darn) I mean WOO HOO!

The boys have STILL been working on the dog house (I think they're almost finished), and Virginia came over to play with Cooper! It has been such a beautiful day to play outside. We wore him out though and had to come back inside to rest! Here are a few pics of our growing boy:

I can hear the boys putting the final touches to the dog house and then we're heading over to Jan's house to have a "play date" with Cooper's litter mates! Should be fun (and I'm sure I'll have more pictures to post later!)

Also, check out the "Our Life in Pictures" section for more up-to-date photos. I hope to be updating that section more often!

OK, I thought I said I was going to be better about blogging more, not blogging LONGER! Goodness! Thanks again for stopping by!

OUCH!

**Warning - this is another post about our pup. But until we have something more exciting to post about, this will have to do.**

OK, I'm about to lose my mind. My little ankle biter is out of control! And by ankle biter, I mean house shoe biter, wrist biter, pajama pant biter (he tore a hole in my pajamas this morning), brick fireplace biter, and just about ANYTHING biter.

Thursday night I got this Puppy Kong at Petsmart thinking that it would occupy his time and that he would bite the Kong instead of the palm of my hand. That lasted all of 15 minutes when he finished eating the peanut butter I put inside of it. But I have to say, this is a great toy to give him when we're on our way out the door. He doesn't even notice we're leaving! YAHOO!

So then yesterday I bought one of these Nylabones for Coop to gnaw on; again, thinking this would help. He likes to chew on them when he's falling asleep. But if he's wide awake, it's my wrist he wants!

When he bites us, we say grab his snout and say, "No, no bite." But he just jumps right back into biting.

So, I'm asking you. I'm begging you. Do you have any tips on how to stop the biting?

100th Post! And a (work) week in review...

Woo hoo for making it to my 100th post!! Hopefully it won't take me as long to get to my 200th post.

WOW! This week has flown by and crawled by all at the same time. I haven't had a chance to sit down and write an update, but BOY do I have tons to tell you about!

First things first - I'm still going strong on my diet. Excuse me... eating healthy. Although I did blow it on Wednesday night. Thad, Kelly's lifelong best friend and college roommate, came in town to visit, and we went to eat at Red Robin. Have you ever eaten there? YUMMY food! My dinner consisted of onion rings, a delicious hamburger, bottomless steak fries and a chocolate shake! Yes, that was my one cheat meal for the week, so I took advantage. Obviously!

Now on to the pup updates!! My, what a difference one week makes! I told you about our Successful Sunday, and I have to say, the rest of the week was just as eventful/successful/progressive! I'll try my best to recap each day.

Monday

I had to change my morning routine in order to have time to play with the pup and get ready in plenty of time to make it to work. Before we had a dog, I as notorious for waking up at the LATEST possible moment (6:05 am) which caused me to scramble for 45 minutes as I got ready for work, and barely made it to the office on time. Actually, if I'm being completely honest, I was 20 minutes late every day. I'm suppose to be at the office at 7:30 am, but rolled in around 7:50 am. (Don't worry, I always made up my time :) )

But now that we have Cooper, I'm responsible for the morning shift. I've always been a morning person - even though I'd sleep in a little. I just do better in the mornings. I can't stay awake through movies at night, and I'm usually crashed out on the couch by 9:30 pm. Yes, that's what you have to look forward to in married life. My husband on the other hand, can stay up ALL NIGHT LONG. Last night, we went to bet at 3:00 am. Yes, you read that right 3:00 AM! Why so late you ask? Well, thankfully, we don't have to work today or Monday (remember, Thad's in town) so we stayed up late. I definitely surprised myself with this one.

OK, so on to the puppy updates... I started getting up with Coop at 5:00 am and taking him on a morning walk. Only after I take him out to go to the bathroom, of course. Monday we only went halfway down our street and back. But that was plenty of exercise to wear him out! At this point, I had not quite figured out what to do with him while I was in the shower, so I brought him into the bathroom with me. Well, he wanted to get in the shower because the water was falling on his head and he wanted to drink it all. By the time I got out of the shower, he was soaking wet and all over the place. I dried him off, and then he passed out on the floor from all the excitement. I was able to finish getting ready for work and leave the house ON TIME!

Kelly came home at lunch to let him out and play with him some more. Kel works closer to our house, so he has lunch hour duty with the pup. They played hard and then Kel headed back to the office.

I was feeling really guilty for leaving Coop by himself all day, so I had my Mom and Brother go over to check on him. They took him out and played with him, and then Kel came home after work to play with him some more.

After work I came home and tried to take him on another walk to give him plenty of opportunities to exude all of his energy. Well he was already tuckered out from all the excitement and slept most of the evening.

He's learning to go to the bathroom outside. And I have to say, we've only had a handful of accidents in the house (PTL!)

Tuesday

Tuesday morning we went for a longer walk and made it up and down our street one time. He was getting more familiar with walking and following me as I jogged beside him. He stopped a few times to sniff around, but still no "pottying" in our neighbors yards. (Which I'm sure they're thankful for.) Then we did the bathroom thing again while I got ready and he crashed on the floor.

Kel came home at lunch and then he had "puppy duty" Tuesday night while I headed to the gym. By the time I got home Coop was asleep on Kelly's feet. He LOVES to snuggle with you when he's about to go to sleep. But once he's asleep, he doesn't like for you to pet him. He just wants to be close. His personality is really starting to shine through. We're also learning his "cycle" and getting in a rhythm of when to take him outside.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning was a little tougher. We made it one time around our street, but it was a little bit more of a struggle to get him to focus. He woke up with an unusual amount of energy. I tried to play tug-of-war and give him his chew toy, but he was still wound up. I had to press on with getting ready, so we headed to the bathroom to get ready. This time, he didn't want to crash on the floor. He wanted to jump around, bite the plumbing to the toilet, play with Kelly's spark bottle (an energy drink we have every morning) and mess with our scales. Finally, Kelly woke up to all of the commotion and came to my rescue. Right about the time we left for work, Coop calmed down and went into his crate to relax.

Wednesday afternoon when Kel got home from work, we was a biting machine! Biting our hands, our ankles, my house shoes, everything. We're working very diligently with him on this habit. But sometimes he just won't stop!

Thursday

It was 14 degrees outside with the windchill, and there was NO way we were going for a walk. Coop didn't want to go outside, and I didn't blame him. He did go out to potty, but a walk... forget about it! I had to wear him out playing tug-of-war and fetch and then got ready for work. He did a little better Thursday morning, but while I was in the shower, he discovered the toilet paper roll on the wall. He kept jumping at it, trying to get it in his mouth. Thankfully it was empty! He crashed out on the floor, and then Kel took over puppy duty because he was off for the day.

Cooper is growing so much everyday! He's learning more and more and I can see his energy levels rising. I took him to Petsmart last night to get a few things, and the dog trainer said, "Look at the size of his paws! You're going to have a very energetic, big dog." Great! There was another lab at Petsmart that was the exact same size and Coop, but twice his age. Cooper is 7 weeks old today, and the other puppy was 14 weeks old!

Well, I'm sure I'll have more to report on later. I'd better go check on my pup. I think it's time to go out again. Thanks for bearing with me through this novel. Hopefully I won't wait so long between posts next time.

Oh! one other thing, one of my blog friends The Stoy's Story, has a lab about the same age as Cooper. You HAVE to read her post on Poop-a-palooza! Hilarious! I can only imagine I'll be experiencing the same situation at some point.

{Picture Source Here}

3 Point Boca Burger

POINTS® value 3
Servings 1
Preparation Time 10 min
Cooking Time 8-10 min
Level of Difficulty EASY!

Looking for a delicious alternative to the Big Mac? Here's your answer.






Ingredients:
2 Slices of Double Fiber Bread
1 Patty Boca Flame grilled Burger
1 Slice fat free cheese
Mustard
Pickles
Lettuce
Tomato

Instructions:
Toast both sides of the Double Fiber Bread. Lay cheese on one side of the bread to melt. Grill Boca Flame grilled patty for 8-10 minutes in a skillet. Assemble your burger and voilà!

Sunday: A Day for Progress

Well, today has been a very eventful day! Thankfully, I didn't wake up in time to watch the sunrise, but we did get up pretty early to rescue our pup from the crate! It breaks my heart to have to put him in there, even though I know it's the best thing for all of us in the long run. Cooper did MUCH better during the night last night. He only had one barking spell (around 3:30 am) and then seemed to calm himself back down for the rest of the night.

We're trying to be more regimented with his food intake. We only leave the food bowl down in the morning, at lunch, and then again at dinner. He's quite the "pee" factory, and monitoring his water intake has seemed to help (somewhat.) Hopefully, we'll get the potty training under control sooner rather than later. I welcome any tips in this area!

This afternoon Kel and I decided to take Cooper for his first walk! He wanted to chew on the leash at first, but quickly found there were more exciting things to discover outside. We would walk about 15 steps and he would stop to scope things out. (Although, he never went "potty" outside, grr.) This was his first time to get that much activity at once, and as you can imagine, he was worn out when we got home. We made the loop around the block once, and then headed across the street to a large clearing where we let him run and play. However, since we've been back home, he's been very whiny. Don't know why.

He also learned to climb the stairs today. All by himself. Kel and I have been "helping" him up the steps, and today he went up and down without us there. He's growing so fast and learning new things everyday. He catches on pretty quickly. Except for biting. We've been using a lot of phrases lately over, and over, and over, like:

• No. No bite.
• Goooooood Boyyeeeeee
• No. No bite.
• Come on, come on Cooper!
• Way to go Cooper!!
• No. No bite.

You get the drift. He loves to come running up to us and wait for us to give him a kiss on the head...or to get his sock and play tug-of-war. He's keeping us very entertained!

Tomorrow's a new adventure!

Watching the Sunrise on a Saturday

Yes. I watched the sunrise this morning. Not on my back porch while drinking a hot cup of cocoa like in the movies (that would have been nice); but from my living room window as I attempted to fall back asleep after waking up at 5:55 am to the sound of our new pup barking his lungs out.

Today marks day 1 of very little sleep. I can only imagine there are many more to come. Where is he right now you ask? Passed out on the living room floor. Oh the life of a dog! I'm attempting to keep my head off the pillow and press on with my Saturday.

While I'm on "dog duty" as my husband takes a shower, I thought I'd pass the time by blogging. SITS is having a Saturday Spotlight on *Shey*{B} Camera Strap Slipcovers. Go to her website and check out this awesome (yet totally useless for me right now) invention. *Shey*{B} came up with the idea of creating a slipcover for your camera strap as they tend to become uncomfortable when carried for long periods of time. Now, we're not just talking about your average CanonPowershot camera. We're talking the real thing...a Nikon D-60 or something of the sort. I haven't done all my research on all the "fancy" cameras yet, but I would LOVE to get one this year. We'll see if that happens. But if I DO get a new fancy camera, I would LOVE one of these slipcovers to jazz up my strap. Wishful thinking, I know.

Well, I'm off to do something productive with my weekend. I'm sure I'll have pictures to upload and stories to report to you later.

Until then, Happy Saturday!

Turkey Wrap

Before I give you another delicious recipe, I thought you might want to check out this VERY interesting article on where NOT to eat in a pinch. Click here for MSN's Health and Fitness: Top 20 WORST Mall Foods in America! Which ones of these have you eaten lately? I have to admit, I've had several of these delicious-yet-oh-so-bad-for-you meals.

Source

Sponsored by The Laughing Cow®

POINTS® Value: 2

Servings: 2

Level of Difficulty: Easy Preparation

Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 0 min

Craving a creative snack? The pairing of apples and Swiss cheese makes this turkey wrap an extra special treat

Ingredients:
2 wedges of The Laughing Cow® Light Creamy Swiss Cheese
1 medium whole wheat tortilla, 6 inches
1 tsp honey mustard
2 slices smoked turkey
1/2 cup shredded lettuce or arugula
1/2 cup apple slices

Instructions:
Evenly spread cheese wedges over tortilla; top with mustard, turkey, lettuce and apple.

Roll up tortilla, tucking ends in and securing with a toothpick, if desired.

Yields 1 half wrap per serving.

A History Lesson (and my new obsession!)

If I've talked to you at all after Christmas, you've probably heard me going on and on about the HBO Series John Adams starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney. Its a three disc, seven part miniseries, base on the Pulitzer Prize winning book by David McCullough. The show takes you through the first fifty years of the United States through the eyes of John Adams. It is an amazing documentary of Adams and everything he, and the other founding fathers, sacrificed and overcame to make this country great! I bought the set for Kelly for Christmas, and we spent the majority of Christmas afternoon (and the next few days to follow) glued to the TV watching it. We loved it so much that we bought it for Kelly's parents as well. My Mom and brother didn't get to finish watching our copy soon enough, so they went to Blockbuster and rented it. I only wish we had this documentary when we were in school. I definitely would have learned more than just that John Adams was our second President. (And if it weren't for my history buff husband, I probably wouldn't have known that at all!)

Next time you're out, pick up a copy. You'll thank me later.

Layered Mexican Chicken

POINTS® value 6
Servings 12
Preparation Time 20 min
Cooking Time 45 min
Level of Difficulty Moderate

I've heard this is very similar to King Ranch Chicken.






Ingredients:
1 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
2 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
30 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
2 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese, divided
8 oz chopped green chilies, two 4-oz cans
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 medium corn tortilla(s), cut into 2-inch strips
1 cup(s) salsa, mild, medium or hot

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.

Place chicken in medium saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover chicken. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Transfer chicken to a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin, and pepper; mix well and set aside.

Arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared lasagna pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer with remaining tortillas and then top with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.

Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Serve with salsa on the side.

Source

Tex-Mex Rice and Bean Casserole

POINTS® value 4
Servings 6
Preparation Time 15 min
Cooking Time 40 min
Level of Difficulty Easy

Creamy, cheesy Mexican food is irresistible. This one-dish casserole is a vegetarian feast.





Ingredients:
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 cup(s) canned yellow corn, drained, or frozen, thawed corn kernels
1 tbsp canned green chili peppers, chopped, mild or hot
15 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup(s) cooked brown rice, fresh or day old
3/4 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese
3/4 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp scallion(s), chopped (dark green part only)
2 tbsp shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 2-quart glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine corn, chilies, beans, rice, 3/4 cup of cheese, sour cream, chili powder, salt and pepper; stir in scallions.

Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and casserole is slightly bubbly, about 10 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes to firm up before slicing into 6 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Notes:
Change the beans or cheese to your liking: white or black beans, reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheeses all work well.

If you want to brown the cheese more, place the dish (make sure it's broiler safe) under the broiler for a minute or two.

Source

Will you make it to Valentine's Day?

No, not to celebrate the love filled holiday with your "love bug," "pookie pie," or "sugar plum." But will your New Years resolutions make it to Valentine's day? According to The New York Times, four out of five individuals that make New Year's resolutions will break them, and a third of us won't even make it past January. (Another statistic I heard was that our resolutions won't make it past Valentine's day.)

Well, I have to say, without the support from those around you, it can get pretty tough after weeks of working out and eating right with still no signs of success. Well, I'm not going to sit by and watch my resolutions turn into wishful thinking. I'm going to make every effort to stick to my goals.

This year has been the year to get fit! (Yes, I know it's only January 7th, but still... that's the goal.) My whole family is back on the "plan" counting their points, working out, and watching the portion control. My mom joined Weight Watchers and has been sending me some pretty amazing recipes, so I thought I would share some of them with you. And hopefully by blogging about yummy looking, low-cal food, I might actually be inspired to cook a substantial meal (this probably should have been one of my resolutions - cook more.) I also think I'll share some tips on healthy snack foods (or maybe just food in general) worth looking into.

I'll start with today's favorite food: Nabisco's Cream Cheese and Chives Wheat Thins. Can you say DELISH?! They taste just like a Sour Cream and Onion chip! Try to exercise some restraint when opening the box, you'll want to dive right in! Pair them with a wedge of light Laughing Cow Cheese and you've got a great afternoon snack!

Enjoy!

Cooper's First Play Date

Ok, ok. So we don't technically get to bring our little guy home to live with us until Friday, but yesterday we were able to bring him over for an hour to get him acquainted with his soon-to-be new home.

We have lived in a puppy fairytale during these past 5.5 weeks. We were so lucky to know Cooper's owners, and live close enough by, that we have been able to experience all of his monumental "firsts." The first time he opened his eyes, his first step, the first collar (a green hairband), his first bark (and bite!), the first photo shoot, the first time playing in the grass, the first... ok, you get the drift. Usually, puppy owners don't get to experience all of these precious moments, but we feel truly lucky to have been there from the very beginning!

So, last night we had high expectations of Cooper's first play date at our house! Here's a quick recap of our adventure:

• Naturally, Coop was a little scared on the drive to our house, and cried the whole way home. But he seemed to be OK once we got him to the living room.


• We picked him up from the owner in a white blanket. When we put him down he wouldn't get off the blanket for quite some time, and was a little skittish of the carpet. He would stretch his front legs out as far as they would go without moving his hind legs off the blanket.


• Once he got comfortable, he sniffed around for awhile, peed on the floor, laid down on his HUGE doggie bed and passed out.


• We fed him some milk and a few dog treats - he LOVED the milk!


• While he was up walking around, he fell into his water bowl and scared himself... too cute!

When we dropped him of I left a black lamb and the white blanket to absorb the "scent" of the other puppies. Cooper didn't take to the lamb right way at our house (pictured below.) He more or less licked it to death. But when we dropped him back off at the owners, one of the other puppies, Cheyenne, tried to take it away from him and he wouldn't hear of it. He yanked it away from her and took it over to the other side of the dog bed and played with it. (Very proud moment for the parents!) Bella, another one of the pups, found the white blanket and kept trying to pull it down and wrestle with it.

And as you can see from the photos, he LOVES to sleep! (Well, at least for now he does!)

Cooper sleeping while Dad watches the bowl game!

Sweet pup!

Look Who Comes Home This Week!

Don't Make Me Go!

Pretty please?! With a cherry on top??

I do.not.want to go to work tomorrow! Don't get me wrong, I love my job and the company I work for. And I have a great boss, and an office all to myself. But all of those perks don't make me want to go to work tomorrow. Is it really time for this fairytale to end?

Hola.Bonjour.Salut.HELLO!

Hi there! Welcome to my blog (and the documentary of my crazy life.) If you're stopping by, please say HI! I love reading comments, hearing from my readers and finding new blogs to read to pass the time! So, if you're reading this post (or any of my other posts) leave a comment!

And "Hello" to all the bloggers coming over from The Secret is in the Sauce! Thanks for stopping by!

The Sound of Music

On Friday night Kelly and I went to Blockbuster to get a few movies and while we were there, I begged him to let me rent The Sound of Music. He had no interest in watching the movie with me, but I watched it anyway and I LOVED it! I didn't realize it was based on a true story. I love movies that are based on real life events!

The youngest von Trapp daughter, Gretel , was my favorite! She was so cute during the whole movie, just waiting for Maria to look at her, grab her hand, pay attention to her. Liesl was also one of my favorites! And much to my surprise, I already knew almost every song in the movie. "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," and "So long, Farewell." I loved the way the movie ended with Maria and the Captain falling in love and the children finally having a mother they loved! Now I know why it's a classic, and I hope to show it to my children some day!

And just like that...

...2008 came to a close! It’s January 2nd and I’m back to life as I know it. My alarm went off at 5:15 am this morning, and my days of vacationing are over! {I have to say, I'm glad the first day back in the office after the holidays is a Friday! Yeah for the weekend!}

With the New Year already here, I can’t help but think of my New Years resolutions. As I started to write down all my goals for 2009, I wanted to find out the real definition of a resolution. {Thanks dictionary.com!}

res-o-lu-tion [rez-uh-loo-shuh n]
–noun
1. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.
2. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.
3. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.
4. the act or process of resolving or separating into constituent or elementary parts.


So, with that, here are my Resolutions for 2009!

Take more pictures
After getting married, I have totally dropped the ball on taking photos at even the most important occasions. I came to this realization when I was creating our Christmas card this year. I was surprised to find that we only had a few photos recapping this year's milestones, so it's my resolution in 2009 to be more snap happy. Which leads me into the next item on my wish list - a new "fancy" camera! Here's to a picture perfect 2009!

Slow down...
I have a tendency to get caught up in the rat race of life, and I need to slow down and take some time to "smell the roses." With the busy schedules life can bring, I want to purposefully make more time for Kelly and myself in 2009. We are really good about having a date night once a week, but I have a tendency to overload myself and wear myself down that all I want to do is come home and crash. Here's to a relaxing 2009!

Work out regularly
Kelly is really good at sticking to his work out regimen (almost to a fault), and I am really good at coming up with excuses why not to go to the gym (but then complain when I gain weight!) I've kept up the workout routine for a week now, and I want to continue making this good habit stick! Here's to a FIT 2009!

Finish my reading list
I've developed a terrible habit of buying books with the best intentions of reading them. However, I get busy (see Slow down... above) and I put them on the back burner. I did finish one of my many novels, Marley & Me, over the Christmas break and what a sense of accomplishment! Currently on my reading list are:

• Blue Like Jazz
• The Same Kind of Different as Me
• The Shack
• Grace for the Moment (a daily devotional)
• Facing Your Giants
• He Chose the Nails

And the sad part about this list is that I've started every single one of those books! Here's to an educational 2009!

Stop biting my nails
This has always been a vice of mine and I'm ready to kick this bad habit for good! (Does this mean more manicures?)

Don't do anything drastic to my hair
Every year, about half way through the year, I get tired of my "do" and feel like I need to reinvent my hairstyle. This year, the day of my cousin's wedding, I chopped my hair off and dyed it brown. Horrible. Horrible idea. Here's to a year filled with long, blond hair. (Who said anything about it being natural?)

Travel some place amazing
With the ability to fly for free, why not? Hawaii is definitely on my list! Do you have any vacation spots you'd like to recommend?

Well, I'm sure I'll have more goals for 2009, but I think that's all for now. What are your resolutions??

Happy New Year Everyone!!