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