Happy Chinese New Year

Today is the Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Ox.

To celebrate, the kids at my house made these!

Cannoli

My husband's side of the family would be ashamed to hear I've NEVER eaten a cannoli.

(Lots of Italian blood there, LOL)



Yep, NEVER!

But I saw a show on Food Network and the dessert they made was cannoli. He made an Orange/Chocolate cannoli. I DESPISE orange (for the most part, unless it's orange JUICE), so I started searching online for something that appealed to me more. I stumbled across a Chocolate-Cherry Cannoli recipe that sounds just heavenly!

I don't care to go through the trouble of homemaking the cannoli shells, so I'm checking to see if I can buy them in stores/bakeries. But hopefully sometime soon I'll make and eat my very first Cannoli!

Venting

Do you ever just feel underestimated and unappreciated?

Yeah, me too. Every day of my life.

I give too much of myself and have nothing in return. I'm so sick of being everyone's doormat.

Wipe your feet elsewhere for once.

Vote for Reese!

I submitted Reese's photo in the Bissell MVP pet award. If she wins her little face will be on the cover of a Pet product sold by Bissell, we will win a new vaccuum/steam cleaner and $10,000 donation will go to the pet charity of our choice. So it's all for a great cause! We don't make a cent doing it, but get to see her face on the new product! So Jan. 27-Feb. 3rd you can vote for Reese here:

http://www.bissell.com/MVP09/Vote.aspx

I will post again on the 27th. :)

Reese and the Outdoors

Poor baby didn't move a muscle after getting home from the Vet today. She laid on my couch for a solid 4 hours. Finally, this early evening we started up the firepit (despite the 45 degree weather). Here's a quick shot of my girl!

*Those marshmallows sure look tasty!*

Countdown to Superbowl 43

Well, although my beloved Packers didn't even make it to the playoffs (Thanks, Rodgers!)... We have finally come down to the end of this football season.


PITTSBURGH STEELERS
vs.
ARIZONA CARDINALS

My pick to win Superbowl XLIII is Pittsburgh.

We're having an evening of friends, food and fun! I've already planned out our dinner menu for the evening.

Our Superbowl Meal will Consist of:

-Stuffed Shells

-Salad with Olive Garden Dressing (homemade)

-Bruschetta

-Mint Chocolate Brownies (The Starbucks Recipe)

And of course a few cocktails!

The Stuffed Shells are a recipe straight from a Paula Deen magazine, and I can't even find the recipe online! I've searched and searched. It's the BEST meal I've ever made, and it made SO much. Perfect for a gathering. Of course I'm always whipping up Olive Garden's salad dressing at home, so we'll have some of that with salad. A side of bruschetta with provolone cheese, sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and basil. The brownies are one of my all-time favorites as well. It's the recipe from Starbucks. They're brownies with a mint icing, then a chocolate icing ontop of the mint icing.... And they're topped off with Andes mint crumbles. TO DIE FOR!

Basically, THESE, all crumbled up (you can find them in the baking section).

Rambling about Reese

This week is seriously just creeeeeepppppinnnng by. Perhaps 5 children in my home everyday, and a baby puppy have something to do with it?

Reese is doing quite well. She doesn't seem to like Crate-Training but it's somethat that simply MUST be done. She seems to sleep from 11p-5:30a then at 5:30 or 6a she wakes up to go potty. She's doing better with potty training the past 2 days. The first few days home it was mostly accidents in the floor, but yesterday I think she only had 2 accidents and today has had NONE, although it is still early in the morning. I think the crate training teaches her bladder control.

Yesterday she even went to the back door and started pawing at it and wimpering to let me know she had to go! I was such a proud Mommy!

Jon took her yesterday to get weighed, and all I have to say is: THAT BREEDER MUST'VE BEEN FEEDING THEM TOO MUCH! Seriously. She's 4 pounds! So, we're cutting back from 3 meals a day to 2 meals a day. She should only max out around 6-7 lbs and the way she's going now she'll hit 10. Small breed dogs need to stay in a healthy weight or it can effect their breathing and overall health. She's 11 weeks. Almost 3 months. She SHOULD only be around 3 lbs right now. So instead of making her LOSE weight, I'm just making sure she maintains her current weight for atleast another month or 2. I want my girl healthy.

Right now she's at the Vet getting her shots. She has to go every 3 weeks until she's 20 wks. old, then every 6 mos. after that. She'll also be getting spayed the beginning of April.

Enough rambling about my girl. :)